Kings Game

Chapter 14 - The Iron Gauntlet (4)

Roran was familiar enough with Duran's fighting style that dodging his first attack was easy. The living boulder followed up with a second swing. Roran tried to jump back but the spear threw him off balance and he nearly tumbled to the dirt.

"I crush you now!"

Duran raised his hammer high and brought it down hard. Roran rolled out of the way, barely escaping as the hammer slammed into the ground. When Duran lifted his hammer, the ground was cracked and splintered from the force of the blow.

Roran climbed to his feet, trying to reorient himself. He wasn't used to handling a spear and holding it one handed was awkward. He needed to strike hard and strike fast.

Duran swung a couple more times, forcing Roran to jump back again and again. Seeing an opening, Roran dove in, leading with his spear. Duran let go of the hammer with one of his hands, letting the massive weapon fall to the dirt. Then, with his free hand, he smacked Roran in the chest.

The blow sent him stumbling backwards, the armored hand hitting him like a stone. Roran doubled over, coughing. Leaning on his spear, he spit up blood and phlegm as he tried to catch his breath.

Duran pulled his hammer up off the ground and hefted it over his shoulder. He was panting again.

"Why you want kill me so bad?"

Spitting out another mouthful of blood, Roran said, "Because you murder people. You kill people like me for fun."

"You kill them too. You are murderer."

"I don't kill them for fun. I hate killing them. I do as little of it as I can. You make a game out of it."

Duran shrugged. "I squish little people, I get money. It's how I live."

"Then you need to stop living. If I have to be a murderer then I'll murder people like you."

Standing upright, Roran gripped his spear and waited for Duran to make another strike.

"You make no sense, big people kill small people for money. That's the way it is." He hefted his hammer. "Now I kill you, and everyone else with shiny ball."

Coin. That's all Roran and the others were to Duran, a source of amusement and coin. It was time to end this monster.

Duran stepped forward, swinging his hammer in a wide arc. Roran dove forward, hitting the ground and rolling. Once the hammer whistled overhead, Roran propped himself up on his knees and jammed the spear between Duran's legs. Roran jammed his shoulder into the spear and pushed, driving the spear into the back of Duran's knee.

The living boulder wavered. He dropped his hammer and flailed his arms to maintain balance. Roran roared from the exertion and pushed harder, the butt of the spear snapping one of Duran's legs completely straight and forcing the other to bend. With another push, the knee buckled and Duran fell.

The living boulder landed hard on his back, his impressive mass kicking up a cloud of dirt as he hit the ground. Roran scrambled on top of him, grabbing his sword with both hands and diving at Duran's head, trying to drive the point into his exposed neck.

Duran knocked the blade aside, the point nicking his cheek as it stabbed into the ground. Moving with surprising speed, Duran wrapped an armored hand around Roran's neck and squeezed. Roran snarled in pain but refused to give up. He pulled the blade back and stabbed again.

Duran knocked it aside again, this time the blade scratched his neck, drawing more blood. Roran was so close. Before Roran could draw the blade back, Duran smacked him, the steel glove rattling Roran's skull.

Blood filled Roran's mouth and his head started spinning. Duran squeezed harder and stars burst across Roran's vision. Determined, Roran reached for his sword again but Duran grabbed his wrist, squeezing hard enough that the bones popped.

Running on fear and adrenaline, Roran reached for the blade one last time, grabbing it in his off hand. Holding it awkwardly, Roran stabbed blindly, hoping it would find Duran's neck. Duran squeezed harder. Red filled Roran's vision. He couldn't breath and his hand had gone numb. Roran stabbed again and again and again. Finally, Roran's sword met resistance. In a final desperate move, Roran twisted his body and put all of his strength into the blow. The sword hesitated, then sunk in deep.

The hand around Roran's throat loosened. The hand around his wrist also slackened. Taking the advantage, Roran grabbed his sword with both hands and threw himself on it, pushing down with all his weight. The sword sank further, stabbing all the way down into the ground.

As his vision cleared, Roran looked down at the living boulder. Duran was looking up at him, his face a mask of confusion and fear. Roran's sword was buried in his neck. Duran opened his mouth to speak, words bubbling out of his mouth. Then his whole body went limp and the light left his eyes.

Gasping for air, Roran leaned back. His hand was still numb and his vision was blurry. He realized blood was running down his face and blinding him. He couldn't speak and it hurt to breath. He was desperately thirsty, and wanted something, anything to wash the blood and grit out of his mouth.

Spitting, Roran wiped the blood out of his eyes. Looking down at Duran again, he saw that the living boulder was definitely dead. Roran reached down into his armor, searching for the pocket containing the orbs. Fishing them out, Roran counted out five orbs, all of them covered in blood.

He pulled himself to his feet. Around him he saw that a handful of people had surrounded him, their expressions a mixture of awe and horror. Roran grabbed his sword and wrenched it out of Duran's neck.

Unable to speak, Roran raised his fist high, the orbs wreathing him in a corona of light, and roared. The gladiators flinched, some retreated a few steps while others fled altogether.

When nobody attacked him, Roran dropped his hand and let his shoulders slump. As if on cue, the bell rang throughout the arena. The match was over.

"I can't believe what we're seeing here today. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the biggest twist in the history of the Crucible. Duran the boulder, the unstoppable force that has dominated the Crucible for years, has fallen. Slain, single-handedly, by the murderer from Millgrove."