Date: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 13:14:16 EST
From: Jerazk@aol.com
Subject: ARENA  pt2

Tuatha came at Datton with the Triear raised in both hands. Datton
sidestepped him and ran behind a small pole holding up a sail. Tuatha swung at  Datton
who was between two poles where it split into two. Datton dove to the  left,
and Tuatha's swipe down, split the pole in half. Tuatha raced around the  pole
and Datton stumbled onto his face. Tuatha raised the spear over him. Datton
rolled over, Tuatha aimed and lunged. Datton grabbed a discarded and broken
spear bit and held it up at the triple points. It held the spear for a bit.
Tuatha grunted in rage and applied pressure. The bit split, the points dove at
Datton's face! Datton squirmed aside barely avoiding the points which stuck
down  hard in the wood. Datton grabbed the shaft and pushed it into Tuatha's
face. The  spear stuck down, wobbled and hit Tuatha a few times. Drake looked
relieved and  wildly surprised. Drake's throat seemed to close. Datton got up and
ran. Tuatha  abandoned the spear and dove headfirst at his prey.
Tuatha caught Datton from behind, about his waist, felling him. They  both
rolled across a fallen sail as one kicking fighting being. Tuatha hit  Datton's
sides when he could, Datton blocked most of the tries but a few painful  blows
got through. Artrix loaded up one of his arrows onto to a bow, directing  the
albino and mulatto boys to watch over the hidden weapons. Tuatha ended up
ontop of Datton, laying across him to hold him down.  "A  Vel!"



The albino boy smiled and from the ground tossed a Vel up to Tuatha,  who
snatched it from the air. As the gladiators continued to yell and encourage
their leader on, he raised the Vel at Datton's neck. Datton held Tuatha's wrists
but the gladiator freed the wrist whose hand held the swivel knife. Datton saw
 it gleam in the sunlight. Tuatha brought it down and aimed at Datton's
heart.  Datton grabbed Tuatha's forearm and they struggled chest to chest! Tuatha
managed to rip the skin across Datton's pec as Datton used both hands to slow
the forearm. Tuatha tried to force it into Datton's heart. Tuatha's free hand
 punched Datton's chest and he fell back again. Tuatha sat up on Datton's
hips.  He raised the Vel once more, angry that this human should be giving him so
much  trouble.
To Drake, Datton looked unconscious. "No.  No."
Datton feigned unconsciousness but as Tuatha lowered the Vel, the  sweeping
motion was diverted. Datton used the back of his forearm against  Tuatha's
forearm. He pushed out. The Vel struck sand and swiveled it up. Datton  shut his
eyes as sand spurted up,  the Vel swiveling it mere inches from his ear. He was
thankful it was  sand being swiveled and scattered, not his veins and
arteries.
Tuatha had let the Vel go, "Good form! But die ye  shall!"
On the ground Datton found some sand probably that came off the  gladiators'
boots. Datton got an idea and tossed a handful of sand into Tuatha's  face.
Tuatha fell back, helped by a kick from Datton's foot.
"Bad form,"  Phoenix  called.
"Shoot him, Artrix!"  Nobi ordered as Datton stood and backed away from a
struggling Tuatha who  was trying to clear his eyes. Artrix pulled the arrow
back, now becoming the  threat. Datton looked warily at him--there would be no
escape from that arrow.  He had a thought in his head, that he could catch the
arrow, or even use a  weapon, if he had one in his hands, to deflect the life
taking pointed arrow  back at Artrix. But he had none and he wondered if he ever
had this skill in the  past. Was it still there buried under his memory?
Tuatha rubbed his eyes, on his knees, and saw this. Datton looked at
Artrix's arrow and crouched down low. Tuatha held out his hand, "No! He is mine!  You
are not allowed! I and only I kill him!"



Datton caught his breath as Artrix, no protestations toward the  angered
Tuatha on his lips, lowered the arrow. Datton looked at the enemy he was  facing,
"T-th-thank you."
Tuatha stood and ran at him, "A Fi!" The mulatto tossed two to  Tuatha, who
in turn quickly spiraled them at Datton. Datton ducked from one and  then
jumped up to a spear stuck in the wall overhead. He grabbed on with two  hands and
pulled himself up to avoid the second Fi. Before he knew it, a third  Fi flung
at the spear, cutting it. Datton and wood fell to the ground.  "Macer!"  The
albino tossed the double pointed  sword to Tuatha, who lunged. Datton stood
this time, then ducked under the  sword. Tuatha, ready for this, kicked Datton
in the chest. Datton fell back but  as he did he kicked up at the sword hilt.
Tuatha, backed a bit by this, merely  lunged again at Datton who determined
himself not to fall. Datton caught  Tuatha's arm under his own and smacked a palm
into Tuatha's jaw with his  opposite arm. Datton kneed Tuatha's hip and sent
him sprawling. As the other  gladiators lowered and lessened encouragements
stifled to a low murmur, if that,  Datton easily took the sword and looked at
it. Recovering quickly Tuatha rushed  at Datton weaponless.
There had been so much killing. Datton thought maybe he could get out  of
this by not killing. "Yeah right!"  He turned the sword around and smashed the
hilt right into Tuatha's lean  solid stomach.
Tuatha doubled over and gasped. As the quieted crew took time to get  over
this shock, Datton ran at Drake. An arrow imbedded itself near his foot.  Datton
shielded his face from flying sand. Artrix laughed. Another arrow.  Avoiding
it, Datton found himself on his back once more. The crew looked at the
recovering Tuatha.
Looking coldly, Drake stood over Datton's head, behind him, his legs  spread.
Datton peered up and back at him, "Help  me."
"How?"
"Throw me into the Tuatha. That's  all."



Tuatha picked up Datton's fallen Macer and ran at him. Datton stood,
sidestepped him, and palmed Tuatha's shoulder as he passed. Tuatha's forward  motion
continued and he fell forward. He turned and started to swish at the air.
"Now you die!"  Tuatha came at  Datton, swiped at his chest. Datton ducked down
again, Tuatha kneed him, and hit  him in the back, Datton went down on his
face. Tuatha raised the Macer over  Datton. In a flash, Datton rolled somehow and
stood up. He bumped face to face  with Drake who had a knife held up in the
air between him and Datton. Tuatha  laughed, "Kill him yourself then white hair,
either you or I  will..."
Shivering the knife, Drake sneered, "You're dead!"  Datton's thoughts raced
as Drake seemed  to grab him from the front with both hands on his arms: had he
decided to  deliver him up to Tuatha and was he even now flinging me over to
him? All  throughout the fight, Datton had been slowly drawing the fight over
to Drake.  Drake flung Datton straight at Tuatha. Datton gained his senses,
recoordinated  his out of control body, and gathered himself together as he
embraced Tuatha in  a bear hug, holding the gladiator's arms to his  sides.
Tuatha made a sound like, "Oooohhhh."  But then Tuatha was not amused as he
found out that Datton was holding him, his arms pinned to his sides, "Okay, it'
s  not fun anymore! Not fun! Continue the  fight!"
"YOU DO IT!"  Datton held  him tightly, "If you can!"
Nobi and Troy were completely caught off guard. Phoenix wasn't. He  took out
a knife from his hip holster, wearing little else, and raised it over
Datton's back as Datton concentrated on a squeezing. Looking over Datton's  shoulder,
Tuatha saw Phoenix behind him. He inched Datton closer to him, then as  close
as possible, feeling his body against his own. This gave him the room to  put
his head over Datton's shoulder.
Datton wondered, "What're you  doing?"
Tuatha's head was behind Datton's back, making a move of them toward  Phoenix'
s face as Phoenix moved at them. Tuatha's head dove and moved Datton at
Phoenix. The head struck Phoenix's jaw. Phoenix fell back, then recovered and
lunged his knife at Datton's spine.
"Damn you Phoenix! I said he's  mine!"
Half an inch away the point struck. Datton turned Tuatha into it and  the
point hit Tuatha's shoulder. Tuatha gasped but Datton moved him away. Datton
turned and let Tuatha drop. Tuatha got up fast and looked around, "The bright
haired paladin boy put up a good show."



Drake grabbed up Phoenix's knife from his surprised wrist and while  Datton
moved around Tuatha to look at Tuatha's wound, Drake grabbed Phoenix's  wrist,
tore the knife from it and tore it into Phoenix's bare belly button.  Phoenix
screamed and put his hands to his sides and as Drake removed it, Phoenix
felt up his belly button to hold it all in. Drake ploughed his own knife in and
out. Phoenix squirmed quickly and his loins leaped. He fell and died in a
quieter than usual manner. Drake put his head up to show the other gladiators.
Tuatha's eyes found Drake. Drake hoped Tuatha wouldn't realize what  he had
done to help Datton but knew that was futile. Tuatha smiled at Drake, as  the
gladiator leader walked at him. Then the smile fell. "But now the blonde  baby
dies...!"  Tuatha grabbed the  bloody knife from Drake's hand and a sword
from the ground, "Doubly so!"  Tuatha ran at Datton who stood his  ground.
Drake yelled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  And he got between Tuatha and Datton.
The knife and sword ran right into Drake's tucked in belly and cut in straight
lines, until meeting in his guts.
Datton yelled, "NOOOOOOOOO!"  He ran at Drake and caught Drake as the white
haired boy fell into his  arms. "NOOOOOOOO!"  As Drake fell,  Tuatha pulled
out both weapons with thick sticky sounds filing  forth.
"You're next!"  Tuatha  yelled and came at him with both weapons.
Lying dying in Datton's arms, Datton sitting under him, Drake managed  to
squeak out, "I did good?"
Datton looked down and rubbed Drake's hair, "You did fantastic."  His voice
cracked a bit but he looked up  at the sky.
Drake gulped, "See I wasn't so selfish after all? And I didn't get it  in
the end."
Datton said, "You got it. You helped others. You got it real  good."
"Good...good. Good bye..."
"Wait," Datton leaned down and kissed Drake on the lips.
"Roblemaker," Drake said, trying to call Datton a trouble maker  again, one
last time. "I love you..."
Drake's eyes closed.
Tuatha was coming at Datton, "You are a dead boy,  blondie!"
Datton's face turned red and he gently laid Drake's head in his lap  and
then slowly placed it down on the ground. "I'M DEAD!!!??? YOU ARE NOT WORTHY  OF
THE NAME GLADIATOR!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU  NOW!!!!!"
In his mind, Datton thought he could see innocent boys and honest  warriors
with noble intentions and honorable warriors whom he could not help,  could not
save in time. They all went down due to lying scoundrels, stabbed from
behind, stabbed in the back, stabbed in their bellies. Betrayed, lied to, used  and
then slain. Discarded. Those who died for others. Saving others. His face
turned red, his chest turned red. Tuatha saw something in Datton's eyes.
"Good! Now ye are mad as hell! That's how I like em before I slay  em!!!!"
Tuatha rushed now with his  knife in one hand and a sword in the other.



"THIS TIME I'LL DO YOU RIGHT!!!! RIGHT THERE!"  Datton knocked the sword out
of Tuatha's  hand with one swipe and the knife in Tuatha's other hand
swooped at him. That  knife was whisked away with a hit from Datton's sword which
didn't stop there.  It kept going, rounded down and twisted and then Datton,
undeterred this time,  kept his body moving at Tuatha. Thus he was able to quick
jab the sword he held  into Tuatha's navel. Hard.
Tuatha looked at the sword in his navel, "So..."  He gulped. His men looked
at him. Nobi  went wide eyed. Atol looked upset. Artrix smiled. A few of the
other smiled too.  Tuatha looked at Nobi, who rounded on Datton, "
So...this...this is what it feels  like...I...I don't like it..."
"Too bad fucker! DIE! Know how it feels son of a bitch! Scurvy  scum!"
Datton bent his wrist a few  times and in his fist whirled the sword so that it
screwed into Tuatha's belly  button more and more and more. The other gladiators
just watched. Stunned.
"You got me, blond boy!"
Datton shoved the sword all the way and split Tuatha's belly all the  way, a
long open slit in him, "THE NAME'S DATTON!!!!! DEAD BRUNETTE BOY!!!!!  DIE!"

"Ho oh no. Ho,ha ho," Tuatha gasped, knowing his time was up.
Datton pulled the sword out and did so in order to make Tuatha's body  fall
to one side. It did with a guffaw of pain and suffering. "DATTON'S THE  NAME.
DON'T FORGET IT! OH WAIT! YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER IT CAUSE YOU'LL BE  DEAD!
"    Tuatha turned  onto his belly and then turned over again.
No one had time to notice. Datton turned and rounded on Nobi and  jabbed him
in the gut hole too. Nobi tried to rush onto it more in order to get  to
Datton and reached out with his sword and knife at Datton, who didn't seem to  care
this time. Datton's upper arm was knicked by Nobi's sword but Datton shook
Nobi so much that the sword Nobi held could do no harm now. Nobi was wiggled
bodily on the sword and his death gurgle quivered through the air. Datton
shoved  Nobi off the sword, "Getoffa my sword, you follower of evil! DIE!"


Dropping the sword, Nobi's free hand went to his belly and he fell to  his
knees, "Not me...."  He threw  his knife at Datton but Datton ducked, eyes
telling that he knew Troy was behind  him. The knife embedded in Troy's rippled
but somewhat thick belly too. "Right  in that belly button, wasn't it?"
Datton turned, "Not sure?"  He got between Troy and the other gladiators, blocking
the others  gladiators---Artrix, the albino, the mulatto, and Atol. Atol ran
over to  Tuatha's kicking body, crying. "Not sure? Here lemme make sure for
ya!"  Datton kicked the knife in Troy's belly,  well, into Troy's belly more
and Troy fell away in absolute pain,  yelling.