Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 25
A breastplate and brassard were the only armor he wore. They were lighter than full armor and allowed him to move quickly and freely. It was as though he knew the queen would do something like this. How could a man fight that beast alone? It was a death sentence masquerading as a fight and everyone seated knew this. Ragnar wouldn’t stand a chance against the beast’s strength and claws.
Circe couldn’t look away from the fight but she did so to glance at the queen, whose eyes were on the beast, studying every sharp swipe and lurch.
" You need to stop this." Circe said. She was used to the violence of war and bloodshed. But this was different from what she knew. This was cruelty packaged as entertainment and no one seemed to care.
" I don’t need to do anything, least of all at your bidding." The queen didn’t bother looking her way as she spoke. " This was Ragnar’s choice after all. This is the way of our people. Here men earn their brides through bloodshed. He wanted this so stop acting like I planned any of this."
It made no sense why someone would willingly choose this. Even though Circe didn’t know Ragnar well, she doubted he would willingly ask for this, especially with how hesitant he acted about returning to the palace.
" You should have stopped him. You are the queen, you should have tried to talk him out of it."
The queen’s lips thinned in displeasure which told Circe she had overstepped with her words and crossed an unseen boundary.
" I’m not fond of playing nursemaid to the children my husband sired behind my back." The queen returned her attention to the fight and Circe knew she wouldn’t entertain any more questions or demands. The conversation was over and Circe was left to watch this sham of a fight unfold.
The beast was quick but its large build slowed it down at times. Ragnar was faster in comparison, the way he moved and darted away from the beast’s sharp claws— no man or vampire ever moved that quick.
Anticipation and suspense made the minutes feel like an eternity. The beast was all ferocious snarls and snapping teeth and Ragnar was still running circles around it, still yet to land a proper hit.
Circe knew what Ragnar was doing the moment he dodged the beast’s eleventh strike. What he was trying to do at the very least. Ragnar knew he couldn’t stand a chance against the beast when it was at full strength so he was drawing out the fight, weakening it.
It would have been a solid strategy if there wasn’t a huge risk of Ragnar tiring in the process as well.
Ragnar and the beast circled each other, looking for any openings or weaknesses they could use against the other. When the next strike came, Ragnar wasn’t fast enough and claws tore a gash down his leg. Blood poured from the wound.
Circe’s heart sank. The crowd cheered.
The beast lurched at him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there. Ragnar bared his teeth at the beast, sharp fangs glinting like knives. He used his blade to block the next attack, using the beast’s momentary distraction to roll away.
Tendrils of shadows slowly spilled out of him, like the smoke from a dying fire. Circe’s eyes widened. Surprise pushed her to sit up straight. She couldn’t understand what she was seeing. She never knew of any Vampire that possessed such abilities. Despite not understanding it, she couldn’t deny its existence.
His clothes were now covered with dirt, chest heaving with every breath. He swayed slightly when he tried to stand. His leg still bled. He must have grown tired of dodging and retreating because the next second he was swinging his sword and slashing at one of the beast’s legs, blade slicing through skin and muscle.
The beast let out a blood-curdling howl of pain. Its eyes glowed brighter in anger. It launched itself at Ragnar but its actions were no longer seamless. It struggled with its injury just like Ragnar currently was.
The injury made its movements jerky and messy. The pain and exhaustion was slowly getting to it, it was clear in its poorly timed attacks and sloppy strikes. But the beast’s anger and determination to defeat Ragnar, more than made up for its waning strength. It charged at Ragnar once more, hitting him so hard it sent his sword flying out of his hand.
The crowd’s screams reached a deafening crescendo.
The hit from the beast tossed Ragnar’s body in the air like he weighed nothing, sending him crashing right back on the ground with a harsh thud. A second passed then two. He didn’t move, he was barely even breathing. He remained unresponsive for the next ten seconds, the crowd’s excitement ratcheting higher and higher with every second Ragnar stayed down. fгeewebnovёl.com
A loud growl erupted from the beast as it lumbered towards Ragnar’s unmoving form on its injured limb, teeth bared, claws at the ready. It only made it halfway when Ragnar suddenly rolled out of its path, right before he launched a throwing knife at the beast. It struck the beast’s side, causing it to let out another ear-splitting howl.
When Ragnar stood back up, the action should have been difficult given the hard hit he just endured. Circe expected him to struggle, to groan and wince as he fought to steady himself on two feet.
Unarmed and bloodied, when he stood, he did so with the ease of a man who hadn’t just endured a blow capable of shattering bone. The shadows poured faster out of him now, flowing down in thick streams, pulsing with life.
The beast was still growling. When Ragnar moved, he did so with an uncanny fluidity. There was an unnatural quality to it.
" gods," Circe muttered. She no longer recognized the man in the arena. He was different, the shadows swirling around him were just as menacing as the man himself. She glanced at his sword that had landed at the other end of the arena. By the time she looked back at the fight, the beast was heading straight for Ragnar.
Without a sword or knife at his disposal, he grabbed one of the tendrils of wispy shadow. It turned solid in his hand, taking the shape of a whip. He struck the ground once with it. The second strike landed on the beast. Ragnar pulled his hand back and lashed at the beast’s injured leg. Once, twice, the third time, the whip coiled around the limb. Ragnar dug his feet into the dirt and yanked. Not to topple the creature but to make it delirious with pain.
The beast snarled but otherwise didn’t move.
Ragnar released its leg before lashing the whip at its side where his knife was still embedded. The beast’s screams soon drowned out the sound of the crowd.
The whip caught one of the creature’s horns, and wrapped around it. Ragnar yanked at it with so much force, the beast’s head lowered slightly and it stumbled forward. Another rope of shadows shot out of Ragnar’s hand, and wrapped itself around the beast’s neck. The creature struggled and bucked against its restraints but it was significantly weaker than it was at the beginning of the fight.
The noose around the beast’s throat tightened the longer it struggled till it began visibly panting for breath. The look of determination on Ragnar’s face as he wrestled against the beast’s strength, sent a spike of fear through Circe’s chest. He looked more wild and crazed than the writhing beast.
Ragnar was starving it of breath, strangling it.
For the first time since the fight began, Circe allowed herself to believe the possibility of Ragnar coming out victorious. She glanced at the queen from the corner of her eyes. Nheera’s lips were pursed in disapproval.
When the beast finally fell, it did so with a resounding crash.
The crowd went silent as Ragnar’s rope and whip disintegrated into smoke. They watched him with rapt attention as he staggered over to where his sword lay abandoned. He bent to pick it up and inspected the pommel. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Circe gasped when he turned and stabbed the blade deep into the beast’s neck. Blood spread, portions of it landing on Ragnar. His clothes, his hands and face. The beast gurgled and wheezed as it choked on its own blood. It used its remaining energy to twist and writhe before going completely still.
A sound of stunned silence passed before the crowd erupted in deafening applause.
Ragnar acknowledged the spectators for the first time since entering the arena. When he looked up at the crowd, Circe found it hard to swallow. Ragnar’s pupils were blown, completely consuming the whites of his eyes. Blood spilled out of a cut on his lip.
Right then he resembled the creatures from the grim tales her lady’s maid would whisper to her at the dead of night as a child. Dark malevolent beings that called the forest their home and terrorized anyone that got too close.
The queen’s look of disapproval deepened when Ragnar’s black eyes found her but she masked the emotion quickly. She stared at the lifeless beast, then let her gaze drift to Ragnar’s blood-soaked clothes before rising to her feet, offering a slow, deliberate clap.
The crowd quietened once more.
" Truly remarkable." The queen began, her lips twisting into a knowing smirk. " But you know as much as I do that victory isn’t so easily won, especially when we all saw that you had a bit of help. Which is why I am calling on to the crowd. If there are any challengers amongst you, please step forward."
