Cyber Mortality

Chapter 37:

"May," DeNyle whispers and gently shakes me away. "You've got about an hour before your next fight. It will be you and Rocky on a team. Jez and I are heading out to our fight right now."

I roll over and open my eyes to look at him. A smile crosses his soft-featured face. 

"Good luck," I whisper hoarsely and start to stretch.  My spine cracks as I arch it and I groan with satisfaction. 

"It'll be on the TV if you want to watch," DeNyle places a remote in my palm. "Your armor is on the chair over there." He cocks his head toward my purple gladiator get-up. 

"Thank you," I smile and watch him go. 

DeNyle turns back to shoot me a grin before closing the door. 

I turn the tv on and a live feed of the current fight shows up. On the left side of the screen scrolls a roster with the order of fights scheduled next. Rocky and I are four fights from now. Seeing as this fight just started, I rush to take a shower before Jez and DeNyle's fight begins.

After emerging from the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy robe, I find Jez and DeNyle entering the arena to face off against an archer with light blue skin and purple hair, and an axe duel wielder with large arms and dark brown skin.

"This should be interesting," a voice drawls from behind me. 

I whip around to find Rocky lounging on my couch. 

"The frick??" I cry out and pull my robe tighter.

"Oh, hey May. Figured we could watch their fight together." He waves and looks back toward the tv.

"I just wasn't expecting you," I flop down on the opposite side of the couch and draw my legs up under me.

"Keep an eye on that axe wielder," Rocky gestures to the screen. His silvery-green eyes flash with something I cannot read. 

On the screen, Jez takes a few steps back from DeNyle so she is about ten paces behind him.

The archer and axe wielder take up a similar positioning. The archer stands several feet back from where the axe wielder glares at DeNyle.

"Begin!"

Jez moves to the right in a wide arcing circle, while DeNyle makes a diagonal left.

The axe wielder watches as DeNyle approaches on his right side and prepares to deflect a blow. 

The archer on the other hand has her eyes trained on Jez as she approaches from the team's left side.

Jez releases a volley of fire at both the archer and axe wielder.

Fast as a blink, the archer fires arrows to meet each of Jez's fireballs and extinguish them.

Jez's eyes glow a brilliant green as she fills her arms with fire and launches herself at the axe wielder. 

He swings about, axes in hand, and meets her right fist with his axe before she can connect with his face.

DeNyle reaches his side a split second after Jez, slashing down at the axe wielder's ankles.

 DeNyle narrowly slips into a slide as three arrows fly where his body had just been. He tucks into a roll and comes out on his feet before the archer, smashing his sword down with all his might.

The archer raises her bow to meet his blow and deflects his blade to her right as she dodges left.

Jez sends punch after fiery punch toward the axe wielder before she leaps back, needing to cool down for a second. As she leaps though, the axe wielder whips his arm forward and his axe leaves his hand.

Jez uses a burst of fire through the tips of her feet to launch herself skyward before the axe can connect with her body, but the axe jerks up suddenly in its flight pattern.

The camera flips toward the axe wielder where his hand is clenched as if still holding the axe and he whips his arm up. The axe follows the movement of his arm.

Jez grits her teeth and does her best to outrun the axe. Once she gets thirty feet away, the axe wielder pulls his axe back to his hand.

With an arrow sticking out of his left shoulder, DeNyle falls back to join Jez.

"Is that why you wanted me to watch the axe wielder? Did you know he could do that?" I question and grip the leather couch arm.

"I had a suspicion," Rocky nods. "I sensed some sort of magical power from him when we were at the banquet."

DeNyle's lips turn down in frustration and a bead of sweat dribbles down his face.

Jez likewise looks exhausted and her leather tunic is singed in several places from her fire. She quickly rips the arrow out of DeNyle's shoulder and he winces in pain. She presses her finger to the wound and cauterizes it. They break apart just as an axe spins between them.

"We've gotta end this quick," Jez says to DeNyle as they dodge arrows and axes. "I think that archer, Ana, isn't even using her full strength yet."

"Great..." DeNyle groans and deflects an axe with his sword. "It seems like that axe throwing guy has a certain range. When you jumped back a ways he drew his axe back to himself."

Jez purses her lips in thought while torching as many arrows as she can. Suddenly one slams into her side and she screams in pain.

"Damnit!" Jez exclaims and looks for the source of the arrow. "How did I not see that one coming?" Even now, Ana, is not in a range that she should be able to shoot Jez from that angle. "Can she control the trajectory of her weapons too?"

"I think it is something more than that," DeNyle grunts as he narrowly shoves both axes away from himself. "Cause we would have seen an arrow curve."

"Do you think you can buy me some time?" Jez questions. She brings her hands together in front of her chest. 

"I can certainly try," DeNyle responds through gritted teeth. "Don't take too long though."

They back up to one of the walls and Jez closes her eyes. Her lips move but the words she utters are unintelligible.

DeNyle stands before her, sword in hand, blocking all attacks with his sword or his body.

My jaw clenches watching as arrow after arrow pierces DeNyle's body. He still stands though, blocking everything that comes toward Jez as she whispers to herself.

"Is she using an incantation?" I grin as I realize this. "Zephyr had been teaching me about them."

"I don't know if Nyle can keep this up though," Rocky shakes his head with his jaw clenched. 

We lean forward on the couch, perched precariously over the floor to get as close as possible to the television.

Another arrow pierces DeNyle's body, making him look like a pincushion. His movements slow and arrows narrowly miss Jez's head. His body shudders and then he falls to his knees, sword gripped in one hand to hold himself up. His blue eyes glare as a stream of blood trickles down his forehead to his cheek. 

"I won't let you pass," DeNyle snarls at the enemy team. 

The archer and axe wielder stalk within ten feet of DeNyle's slumping form. 

Jez's eyes spring open glimmering.

"Apocalypse Inferno!" she bellows with raised hands.

The screen flashes off.