Chapter 7:

Seven

The Scorned


Walking up to the building, I heard a slight noise to my right. A very content-looking Selene seemed to materialize from the darkness next to me. She let out a long sigh and said, "Thank you, master; I really needed that." Smirking at her, I responded, "See what happens when you quit pouting."

Throwing open the doors, we entered the building. The room was thankfully, relatively empty, and I was able to find the same lady who had helped me previously. When she noticed me walking towards her, it was safe to say that she was surprised to see me alive.

Smiling at me, she said, "I'm glad that you thought about what I said and didn't go after the monster." Selene let out a snort next to me, but I ignored her and kept my attention on the lady. Forcing a smile on my face, I replied, "Thanks for worrying about me. I did go, and I was able to defeat her, so I have come to collect the reward."

The lady stared at me for a moment, then started laughing. This really angered me. I heard Selene snickering next to me, "Even this weakling doesn't respect you."

Ignoring Selene, I cleared my throat to get the lady's attention and asked, "Why are you laughing if you don't know what the monster looks like? This woman with me is the monster you were worried about."

The lady eventually calmed down and replied, "Sorry for laughing, but people try that all the time, and it never gets old." Getting very tired of her attitude, I responded bluntly, "If you don't believe me, put her to the test. I'm sure this building has warriors. Call one to fight her. If they can make her surrender, then she is theirs."

Hearing this, Selene spun angrily to face me and yelled, "What? Are you just going to get rid of me?!" I raised an eyebrow at her little outburst and asked back, "Do you plan on getting defeated by a human?" Staring at the floor, she mumbled, "No, but that is beside the point."

Before I could respond, I heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind and turned around. The first thing I saw was a brute of a man walking towards us. He had to be at least a foot taller than me, with thick muscles all over his body. In a booming voice, he called out, "Dear maiden, I couldn't help but hear what this man was saying, trying to pass you off as a monster. Please come with me, and I will protect you from the likes of men like him."

Completely ignoring the man, I turned to the lady and said simply, "He will do." This pissed the man off, and he reached for the sword on his back. But the lady quickly jumped between us, saying, "You know the rule. Fighting has to be outback." Turning her attention to the man, she said in a pleading tone, "Please just accept his challenge. You don't have to hurt her. I'm sure she will surrender as soon as it begins." The brute only scoffed at her words and turned away, yelling over his shoulder, "I will be waiting outside!"

The lady quickly scurried away, muttering something about getting things ready. This left me alone with Selene.

Selene stared at me for a moment, then asked, "So how do you know I won't just surrender right away and kill my new master?" I just shrugged at her words and said, "I don't. But if you want to accept defeat to a human, be my guest." Selene let out a menacing growl at my words but stepped beside me as I slowly walked after the man.

The two of us walked in silence until we stepped outside and saw the brute standing in a clearing. He still had his sword on his back, but he was now covered in bulky-looking armor. Turning to Selene, I said, "Well, this is your moment. Kill him and stay under me or submit to him and know the rest of your life that you bowed to a human." Selene gave me a look of pure hatred, but before she could say anything, I strolled away. Spotting a tall tree, I walked over to it and let out a long sigh as I leaned against it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the lady running up to me with a worried look on her face.

Standing in front of me, she breathed heavily and panted out, "You understand what you said was official, right? If this match begins and she loses, she will be taken from you. Your little prank will have gone too far." I turned my attention to the lady and asked gruffly, "You remember what I looked like when you first met me, right?" She stared at me with a confused expression and answered, "Yes, I just met you yesterday."

Tilting my head towards the sky, I asked, "And do you remember me having this nasty scar on my neck?" The lady stared at my neck for a moment, then her eyes went wide with realization. She tried to run away, but I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her next to me, saying, "Come now. What's the rush? Our night in shining armor is about to save his damsel in distress. Let's see how this works out."

The lady was ignoring me and trying to free herself from my grasp, so I leaned in and hissed in her ear, "If you don't stop struggling, you can fight her next." My words finally got through to the lady, and with an audible gulp, she nodded her head in understanding.

Happy that was taken care of, I got comfortable and was ready to watch the show.