Gabatrix: Force and Vehemence

Chapter 10: Putting the Yeast and Flour In

SLASH! Bransen recoiled back on the arena stage. A small amount of blood trickled from his left shoulder as the Yutilian woman held her clawed hands outward. The man cringed in pain but wasn't out of the fight.

"Oh!" the announcer said. "Bransen has gotten slashed by Cerik'o. It was bound that she would finally get a hit on him."

It had been two days later and nearing the end of the afternoon. Bransen stood facing a black-scaled Yutilian. Cerik'o was known as the "slashing wind," a Yutilian born on Kre *click* Uio. She was topless, dressed in green and black shorts. Her yellow reptilian eyes, long black and gold feathers, black tail, and long clawed talons showed a vicious woman. She wasn't cruel-hearted, but she occasionally gritted and showed her teeth in anger.

The fight had been long, lasting over ten minutes. Bransen had managed to score some hits on the Itrean. Her left arm was partially broken, almost limping as she was still using her legs and right arm to make sweeping jump attacks and the occasional right slashes. Her speed was constant for a woman of her size.

"You got this!" Saburo called out from his table.

"Bash her! Bash her brains out," Girsha'lar yelled out.

"Make it explode!" Nir'vina added.

Bransen already knew that Girsha'lar and Nir'vina were not far from the stage floor. They remained close by, standing and cheering the man on as he was fighting. The audience seemed respectful, adding the occasional cheer. For the 1st day of fighting since his combat injuries, he knew he was doing well. However, the fight wasn't over yet. If anything, Cerik'o could still cut the man open if he wasn't careful.

"I have this....," Bransen said to himself. Cerik'o's movements were predictable and manageable for the most part. However, the fight had become a battle of attrition. Speed was on the Itrean's side. With Bransen, he had to time his moves carefully. He kept a good pace of his adrenaline and breathing. Patience and impatience were the keys to victory, and he had something that was on his side.

"Bransen has been on a roll for today," the announcer said. "Two fights and two victories. Can he make this his third victory?"

Cerik'o only hissed. Her knowledge of the English language was null. Taunting her was pointless, except in the use of body movements. Even then, the Yutilian competitor was a ball of emotion at times. Bransen knew he had to keep up, even though she cut into his shoulder. Blood continued to pour from his open wound, but it wasn't egregious. He had moved out of it just in time that it was almost superficial. Almost....

On Bransen's augmented arm were a series of gashes. Cerik'o had managed to score her hits, but only on the area that could be repaired. Bransen continued to shift his stance, often tilting his forward foot up to the point that it was on his toes. His left hand had been extended in an open palm to her as he kept his augmented arm close to his hip.

"Hissss," Cerik'o threw her feathers upward. Finally, she lost her patience and charged again. The man altered his stance and pressed his forward foot to the arena floor. Then, he saw it. Her reptilian eyes looked down, noting the movement. Even in her quick gallop, she was making minor adjustments. She shifted to the left and then the right. Her left arm swung, claws extended. Bransen moved his left arm away and turned to block the incoming slash. The artificial arm glowed blue. Talons connected into synthetic flesh. At the same time, the right claw was coming in.

However, Bransen was quick. This was the third time she had tried to attack in this fashion. But, by now, he had gotten the pattern down perfectly. As the left claw hit, he spun his arm to his left, going into her hand. Then, just before her other claw was about to hit him, he lifted his elbow and brought it directly into her snout.