The Traitor of Inlustris

XVII

Before I realized what was going on, I was standing on the ring. People yelled at me in Jubarian. I assumed they were howling disgusting words by the scowls on their faces. I trembled beside the referee as he announced the match.

For my benefit, he spoke in Flamberin.

"Here we have the mighty Ella Lune!" He announced, spreading his arms to me. People booed. I figured as I wasn't a regular, I must be an enemy. They were right. However, the negative energy was not helping my current situation.

"She will be fighting..." He trailed off, gathering excitement from the crowd. They stomped their feet in anticipation. My heart dropped to my stomach as the seconds piled onto one another. "The...Broyeuses!"

I paled as three huge women entered the ring. The crowd cheered for them. They towered over me; they even made the referee look miniscule. They walked around me, studying me as if planning what limb they were going to rip off first.

"Good luck, princess," the referee whispered before turning back to the crowd.

I made eye contact with one woman. Her hair was buzzed off, but her features were soft and dainty, a large contrast to her enormous muscles from the neck down. The other two had long hair, one was braided while the other had it in a loose ponytail. They all had eye-catching features: large brown eyes, high cheekbones, and angel-winged lips. I figured they were siblings by their similar appearances.

One look in their eyes told me everything I feared: they were reckless.

"Look at what we have here, ladies," Braids pointed, "fresh meat."

They laughed as they walked around me.

I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm so dead...

The referee walked out of the ring, and the bell sounded. My entire body numbed as they continued walking around me, waiting for me to make the first move. They snarled my way, urging me to start fighting. The crowd yelled with them, but I blocked it all.

"Why would I fight women? That is disgusting," I said.

They stopped for a moment, taking in my words. I thought I had changed their minds about fighting me in front of so many Jubarens, and they would spare me from my Initiation. The thought was gone when one of them swung their arm, knocking me right to the ground.

The crowd cheered.

I scoffed, getting right back up. They surrounded me again. I tried to find the best way to trick them from not hitting me hard enough to knock me out.

Braids threw a punch to my face, but I ducked in time. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to block Buzz's kick. I rolled onto the ground, groaning at the jolt of pain.

Ponytail grabbed me by the shoulders, and punched me square in the face. Suddenly, I knew what Adonis had felt. Blood pooled inside my mouth, but instead of letting it out and showing weakness, I swallowed it all in one gulp. I grimaced at the metallic taste. Buzz came back and kicked me in the stomach, leaving me gasping for air.

The three raised their arms up. The crowd cheered in response. Scraps fell onto the ring all around me. They all believed I was about to lose.

It had only been a few minutes. I couldn't accept defeat so easily. I needed to continue until I made them bleed.

Would I be able to spill their blood?

I rose again, only for Braids to push me back down with her foot. I stared up at them as they cackled before me.

Anger swelled inside me. I tried to keep it at bay. It wasn't ideal to let emotions run loose, but receiving hit after hit without having a chance to do anything myself, I snapped.

Those three were stronger, but I had magic.

When Buzz straddled me, choking me with her large hands, I locked eyes with her and twirled my finger slightly, casting a weakening spell. No one could see the movement, but she could feel the inability to keep choking me. My gasps for air turned into laughter.

"What's wrong?" I whispered. She tried to choke me harder, but her fingers merely caressed my neck. They were unable to move unless I bid them to do so. "I was expecting it to be rough."

With that, I punched her in the face, throwing her off of me. Shocked gasps filled the arena. I stood back up. The other two stared in confusion as their teammate lied in pain on the ground.

Braids swung her arm. I caught it and twisted it behind her spine. The same move Adonis did on me. I turned and kicked Ponytail's chest before she could knock me over.

I lost my balance, and Braids flipped me over. I groaned, rubbing the back of my shoulder. She came at me, fist in the air. I snapped my fingers, willing her aim to miss. Sure enough, she punched the ring's floor. I rolled over before she could get back to me.

Ponytail was there to greet me, and kicked me right back. I gasped out in shock. Buzz came over, and pushed Ponytail out of the way. She snarled down at me.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" She asked.

"Because you're quite terrible at this?" I suggested. Her eyes narrowed. I grimaced expecting her to throw a nasty punch to my face, but I beat her to it. I could hear Herc yelling at me to take the offense. I straddled her this time, throwing punch after punch until her skin broke. When I was certain she was unconscious, I stopped my attack.

Arms pulled me off of her. Braids yanked at my curls, and I dropped to my knees.

Now this is just pathetic.

Grabbing my hair in an attempt to stop her from pulling, I hid the small twirl of my index finger and casted a beginner electrical spell. She let go of my hair in shock. Her eyes widened at her fingers, but there was nothing there. I smirked and used that as an opportunity to kick her in the face.

Ponytail wiped the smirk off my face with a punch of her own. I snapped and watched her tumble to the ground. I followed her, and punched her as hard as I could with an injured hand. Blood dripped from her nose as she lost consciousness.

I didn't have time to catch my breath as Braids threw herself on me. By this point, the crowd was wild. The noise was faint in my ears as Braids used all of her weight to pin me down and punch me like I did her teammates.

"Who do you think you are?" She growled in between punches. "You look like a mere child."

I stopped her punch midway to my face. "I'm not a child," I growled. I dug my nails into her skin and tried my best to bend her wrist in an unnatural position. She punched me with her other hand.

"Give up," she snarled.

I laughed. Blood dribbled down my mouth, but this time I didn't care. I let everyone see it.

"I never give up." With a small twirl of my finger, I numbed her body enough for me to strike her face. Her nose bled as she struggled to get up. I took advantage of her predicament, and punched her again, feeling her nose crack.

I stood up and faced the crowd. The bell rang signaling the end of the match. The brutal cheers dazed me. I didn't even notice the referee come in and raise my hand to show I won.

Herc entered the ring, shouting at me. I couldn't hear a word he said; the crowd was too loud. He shook his head and guided me away as the referee announced the new match.

"You did it, Ella," he whispered in my ear. "You passed Initiation. You're a Bleeder now."