Cyber Mortality

Chapter 33:

The scent of sweat and leather fill the underground tunnel as the competitors herd through like cattle.

"Ahead you will be led to the seats where competitors will watch the fights. If you are in the mage class, please follow Soreno to the right. Everyone else you can follow me."

Jez turns her eyes on us. She grabs Rocky and pulls him in for a kiss.

"For luck," she replies before sauntering off with her skirt bouncing and flashing more of her legs.

"She obviously didn't wear the shorts provided," I snort.

"Yet she doesn't care," DeNyle chuckles. "Always so confident in her own skin."

"Are you wearing shorts?" I raise an eyebrow and glance down.

"Wanna find out?" he whispers seductively and wiggles his eyebrows.

"No," I shrug and imitate Jez, sauntering away to follow Rocky into the stands. I turn back for a second to wink at DeNyle before disappearing around a corner.

"I hope she wins," I sit down beside Rocky and watch as the Mage competitors' names show up on the giant screen in the middle of the arena. Nearly two hundred people signed up for the mage class fight.

Two hours and many groans of impatience later, from DeNyle, Jez is finally about to fight.

"From Team Ultra, Jez!" the announcer, who's voice was exciting at first but is simply annoying now, booms. "And from Team WattsIt, Electra!"

"Oof," Rocky mutters. "Sounds like they might have the same element."

Jez struts out from one of the openings in the wall and into the dirt floor arena. Her hair whips behind her in fiery tendrils and her lips turn up in a smirk.

"She's not even worried," Rocky shakes his head with his lips turning up into a smile.

The two women stand starring at each other from twenty feet apart as they wait.

"Begin!" the announcer commands and the crowd roars.

Jez opens and closes her palms in anticipation, waiting to see if Electra would move first.

Electra moves her foot in a subtle circle and her silvery hair begins to stand on end.

"Is she building up static electricity?" I whisper and the boys nod in amazement. "Why isn't Jez doing something?"

"She's waiting to see what Electra will do," DeNyle answers. "It's never good to rush at an unknown opponent."

Jez focuses on Electra's foot, her muscles coiling in preparation to dodge a projectile attack.

Electra's hand moves quick as a whip, but Jez is faster. As a wave of lightning erupts from Electra's palms, Jez dodges to the side and throws a ball of fire toward Electra.

The crowd goes wild as the fight starts to heat up. Jez propels herself faster with bursts of fire out of her feet, which melts her sandals, but she doesn't seem to mind. Now barefoot, with just the straps of her sandals winding up her legs, Jez bounces back and forth, dodging volleys of lightning and returns them with her own. In a split second, Jez propels herself into Electra's space and with the speed of a trained fighter, she smashes her fist into Electra's face.

Electra's head snaps to the side and she stumbles back.

Seeing an opening, Jez leaps forward to pummel her opponent with deadly jabs across her body, burning holes in Electra's tunic and scorching her skin. Though her affinity from lightning protected her from some fire, it did not protect her from the power that Jez put into her strikes. 

After a few more jabs, Jez stepped back to see what the girl would do next.

Electra lay there, unmoving for a moment before lolling her head to the side to glare at Jez.

"Do you give up?" Jez questions with fire lacing up her arms. "Or must I kill you?"

The crowd goes silent, waiting for Electra's answer.

"Kill me," she grunts. "Or I'll kill you."

Jez leaps forward, grabs Electra's neck, and twists quickly. Electra goes limp, before dissolving into golden dust. "The winner is Jez, from team Ultra!" Jez pumps her fist into the air and she finds us in the stands. She grins before disappearing back into the bowels of the stadium. We cheer along with the crowd and scream until our voices go hoarse.

"Well, only two of us have to win now," Rocky smiles softly and he turns to both of us. "You're up next Nyle."

"I'll do my best," DeNyle salutes us before leaving with the rest of the two-hand class.

"No kiss for luck?" Rocky smirks.

"He didn't ask," I shrug and sink further into my seat. Should I have kissed him for good luck? Should he have kissed me? I am most certainly not a go-getter like Jez, but it's not like I haven't kissed him before.

"Agh," I groan and cross my arms over my chest.

"Conflicted?" Rocky cocks his head to look over at me as I pout.

"Shut up," I mutter and look down at the next fight. "I don't need you patronizing me."

"You're worried about your mom," Rocky suggests and turns his full attention to me. "This is a long time for you to leave her alone."

"Mrs. Grahm said she would keep an eye on her," I shrug. "I can't just sit back and watch her die. At least here I'm trying to save her. I need to win."

"We'll try our best," Rocky sighs.

"I know this is about more than the money for you," I mutter. "You want revenge on Birch, don't you? What happened between you two?"

Rocky's eyes flash and his jaw clenches.

"Nyle shouldn't have told you about that," he growls.

"He didn't really," I sigh and turn to look at him. "What did he do to you?"

"He sold us out," Rocky scowls and tightens his fists. "We were in the semi-finals and he told Vyra my secret weapon. She saw it coming and that was that. I could have beaten her if Birch hadn't betrayed us."

"Then we will beat Birch," I clasp his hand and squeeze it. "We will win. For you and my mom."