Chapter 32: Mistakes
When I woke, I found myself laying over her snout, my skin very warm. I can't believe she let me lay here through the night. Glancing around, it appeared I was lucky enough to wake up before anyone entered. Forcing myself completely awake, I started checking her over, fixing anything that wasn't quite in place or removing crusting. By the time I'd finished, the door creaked open and I rushed out of the cage. The old man from a few days ago had entered, walking to me with several guards behind him. I bowed and kept my eyes trained on my feet, refusing to do anything that might cause insult. "Have you prepared the beast?"
"Yes." I kept my voice low but made sure it was still loud enough to be heard clearly.
"Check 42's work." The guards shoved past me and I stumbled off to the side, catching myself just before I fell. When they reached for the bars, the dragoness who'd seen everything snarled at them, not allowing them to come any closer. "Get in there." Four of them charged in, getting a hold of her muzzle and keeping it shut so the other three could look at her.
"Looks good sir."
"Take it to the arena then. Hurry it up. And you, get to the pit." I'd rather not...but my legs move automatically, carrying me off. Not looking up even briefly, I abandoned her to their whims, feeling useless. All I'm good for is to be used and thrown away...they've got the right idea, enslaving me. Right now, I'm no better than any of them. As before, we were shuffled among a giant crowd around the base of the arena, but I felt a bit sick. I could hardly even listen to the announcer or the guards yelling at us.
"Welcome! Today, yesterday's champion will be facing off with a new opponent...a dragon!" This riled up the crowd and struck fear in the slaves. I fought tears as the gates opened, nearly dropping to my knees when she was forcibly removed from the holding cell. They had to get her out first before they could release the cawl. There was clear disappointment when the dragon looked so dull and lifeless, causing the higher up guys to worry. The cawl screeched when it saw her and came right for her. I was on edge as it rammed into her, its claws scraping over her scales. With the sudden attack she momentarily lifted her wings in defense, but then seemed to go limp, as if telling it to kill her. As it witnessed this action, the cawl stamped its paws in anger and left her there, aiming for the slaves instead. I knew something like this might happen. It ran in circles, as if looking for something, then froze and locked its eyes on me. That isn't good. With both beasts being still, bad responses were bouncing around the crowd.
Another man, who was apparently the old man I'd talked to around an hour ago, stepped up and had the announcer use his magic on him. Clearing his throat, he said, "Slave 42, the one it is targeting, didn't take care of the dragon as ordered and caused it to give up before even starting. Send him into the arena between the two." I shivered hearing my number, then froze after knowing what he wanted. Without hesitation, a guard took me away and walked through the lower ring until he was in the correct place, then slapped my back with added earth magic, throwing me violently into the midst of the fight. I flipped myself over and sat up, looking at the two. The dragon lifted her head up slightly when she saw me, but I was more concerned over the cawl. It made a trilling sound, showing pleasure, stepping lightly as it stalked me. Making sure to move slowly, I scooted myself backwards, heading for the dragoness. Even if she didn't fight, I could hide underneath her strong scales for defense or something. It didn't take long until I was only ten meters off, so extremely close to safety I could practically taste it. But it was a smart creature and caught on to what I planned, going in for the kill the moment I moved again. Too far to run from its speed and too weak to fight back, I covered my head, ready to die--not truly, but it was the only option I currently had. Or so I thought.
The cawl was tackled when its claws were inches away from ripping me apart, stopping its attack. Looking up, I saw the dragon pinning it down by the wings and growling. Not one to be outdone, the cawl kicked her off and spun into a swipe. She ducked under its claws, moving out of the strike zone and forcing it to beat its wings to change direction. Her eyes landed on me holding a confusing emotion in them, part of the cloudiness cleared. I watched as they circled each other, flaring their wings when one tried to charge, changing their mind. When she was near me, she placed her paw beside me and remained there. What is she doing? In a sudden flurry of scales and feathers, I was blinded and covering myself again, unable to see what was happening. Taking a peek after it calmed, I was horrified to see her laying still and the cawl limping towards me. I prepared to be ended for the second time, when the faking dragon leapt directly for its throat, tearing it out and swallowing it. Placing her front legs on its corpse, she spread her wings and shrieked, claiming her victory. Was that supposed to be a roar?
As the battle rush left her though, her eyes glazed over and she crumpled, drained. Out of seemingly nowhere, groups of men had appeared, all but one dragging her back into the holding cell. The last one had tossed me over to the pit, carrying on as if nothing had happened. My heart was pounding in my chest. Two near-death experiences only minutes apart...this is worse than anything I've experienced until now. "42." The old man had returned, scowling at me. "I will be giving you one more chance to complete orders in light of your survival. Tend to the dragon's wounds and make sure it can fight again in the future." I bowed my head to him and he scoffed at me before leaving. This sucks. Using the bars to pull myself up, I limped to the cages past the unrestful slaves. I wasted no time getting there, not even sparing a moment to think in order to ignore the agony wreaking havoc across my stomach and down my spine. Hauling myself where she'd already been caged, I sat momentarily to catch my breath, leaning against the cage. It was most likely around two or three hours of sweet unconsciousness when a boot slammed into my gut.
"Wake up! I was sent to see if you were doing your job because of the silence, and this is what I find?!" Like most others, the random guard grabbed my hair and lifted me with it, drawing his fist back and punching me. "Learn your lesson, you trash!" He kept hitting me over and over, until a loud bang resounded behind me. He dropped me and bolted when a growl and hiss followed after. Glancing back, I saw her hitting her head against the bars in a fit of rage. Oh...again...my whole body felt weak and I collapsed, gasping through the pain. An unknown amount of time later, I blinked and realized I'd passed out. Getting to my feet with a groan, I climbed into the cage and lay in front of her snout, staring at the confusing dragoness.
In a raspy voice, I asked, "Why did you save me? I let them take you away." Of course, it was no surprise to receive silence as an answer. If it doesn't get anywhere with the last two clumps this time, I'll stop. I was almost killed because of her, even if she's the only one treating me kindly. Dragging myself to the two locations of the blockages, I set my hands over them. Using my pain as a fuel, I entered a mode of deep focus. Circulating it throughout myself first, I directly sent it into the blockages. One around her heart and one in her mind. The one in her heart started to break down first, but at a certain point about halfway through, I entered into the dark realm where the girl was. It happened again, and just like before, all pain was gone. Her hands were bloodied and her face swollen from crying. I wonder...approaching her casually, I tried to reach for her.
She screamed and slapped my hand away, deranged and hurt. "Don't touch me!" If that won't work, then...I dropped to my knees behind her and just all-out hugged her, refusing to let go. After a long period of struggle, she eventually slowed and just rocked quietly, her hands gripping my arms with impressive strength. At the point when she leaned back against me, I was returned to my body with a jolt. It didn't take long to notice the clump at her heart disintegrating on its own, as if there'd never been a problem in the first place. It worked. Now, putting both hands on her head, I closed my eyes and fully accepted the transportation. To help this dragon, I have to calm this girl inside her. I gazed at the rocking girl sadly, aware she was suffering, even now. The only thing I could think of last time was to hug...that was an effective method my parents used to use and I'm glad it actually worked. What now? I went to stand in front of her, kneeling so I could see her better. I don't know how to fix a mind. Thinking back to her actions throughout the few days I'd known her, I pictured how penetrating her eyes had been. Placing a hand on either shoulder, I kept her still and locked eyes.
There was no pause between then and the immense pressure they carried through to me. I have to endure it. The dark space shook, seeming to be attempting to interrupt me. When her head began to turn, I grabbed her cheeks instead, refusing to back down. The glazing was washed away after intense internal battle, and she truly saw me. Her eyes were wide as I left, back to being me. The last clump crumbled, vanishing. Pushing myself away when she began to glow, I was prepared for anything. I was blinded as the light rose and condensed, soon showing me something I definitely hadn't expected.
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