chapter 18 The killing field

Muna is one hell of a deadly game.

CHAPTER 18

THE KILLING FIELD

“I’m gonna kill you” Mick roared at me from where he stood (which was on top of the overturned table).

“Don’t say that remember what happened last time you said that”

“Amy!” I hissed at her as Mick clearly got angrier “now is not the time for you to say things like that!” I turned back to Mick “I thought you weren’t allowed to carry a weapon anymore?” Mick smiled ruthlessly.

“not being allowed doesn’t stop you if you know how to fight” he said to me. “We took ‘em”

“Look” Emily said “the last group of trouble makers we faced ended up needing constant healer care and we didn’t have so much as a scratch to show that we were the ones that dealt the blows so just hand over the weapons and be on your way.” Every member of Mick’s group drew their swords and lined up across the room in a semi circle stoping us from being able to leave without engaging at least 2 men in total standing behind Mick was about thirty men I guessed use me to scare them cut their blades in half but don’t kill them and they may leave you alone it took me a moment to realise my sword was once again talking to me you can talk more than once?

Of course if something can talk once it can talk again, and again, and again, and agai...

yes ok point taken I thought back at the sword now shut up and let me do it unless you have something reasonable to say. Drawing my sword I walked forward all eyes flashed to it and most mouths gaped I stopped just out of range of Micks sword and held up my sword turning it as if examining it

“Beautiful sword isn’t it” I said “the centre is made of diamond and it can cut through any   normal sword” Mick screamed in rage and stepping forward swung at me. With a flick of my wrist my sword swung to parry but instead mick’s sword was reduced to a length less than that of a dagger.My sword had gone straight through without the slightest bit of resistance. If Mick was lucky his blade was now about 4 cm in length and due to my perfect swing it was a straight cut so there was no point on it at all. He stared dumbfounded then in a deadly quiet voce I said

“Now is a very good time for you to leave and never trouble us again Because if this happens again you will either end up missing a few limbs or dead” dropping the now useless sword Mick turned and fled his friends followed.

 

Over the next 4 weeks we busied ourselves training for Muna and any spare time consisted of sparing with each other at the sparing field across from the Muna field’s. There were 28 here and other Muna fields throughout the city though the other locations only had 3 or 4 Muna fields. Because of the placement of the sparring fields whenever we were not playing Muna those not sparring would watch the team’s practice for Muna while they waited for their turn to spar. 3 days before the competition day I saw a team arrive and begin to practice at the Muna field that I had never seen before all of them wore a red ribbon somewhere on themselves. I pointed them out to Emily who was like me waiting to spar.

“they turned up yesterday nobody knows who they are or where they come from some are human or at least human shape but the others are not it’s the only mixed race team apparently what’s interesting though is that it’s always the same 6 that practice and there aren’t any others that look like them, not in the city at least.”

 

The Day of the 1 day tournament of Muna arrived. And as we sat in the room the 6 of us had been assigned as our team room I could hear the voices outside as if there was a thunder storm just 6 meters’ above my head. It went on for another 10 minutes after the gate had been opened to let spectators in then suddenly it went quiet and a single voice boomed out.

“Welcome all to the 1 day Muna contest!” there was a loud cheer then the voice continued

“We have many teams competing today some of them you know and love some of them you know and hate and some you will grow to love as you see them for the first time today!”Another loud cheer followed this then

“The teams are ready so without further ado let’s begin” the voice of the pronouncer then called out the name of 28 teams pairing each with another.

“That’s 56 teams all playing at once!” Amy (who had obviously been counting) exclaimed. Throughout the day we listened to injured players go past our door every 10 minutes and played Muna our rounds were the quickest only lasting 5 minutes max. Only one other team seemed as quick as us. It was the team that wore red ribbons and that I had pointed out to Emily only 3 days ago. We would hear them leave than about f minutes later hear the announcement that they had won. As the day wore on every one acquired a bruise, only to have it removed by a healer immediately after the match. Finally there were only 2 teams left. Us and the strangers with red ribbons. Because the whole day had been knock out games (if you lose once you’re out) we hadn’t faced them yet but as we were called out to the field I noticed Ryan’s knuckles whiten slightly on his to staffs and I held the two metal balls a little more tightly than I had in earlier games. This was it if we won this we had the book and we would be closer than ever before to getting home and hopefully ending this war. We took our positions Ryan was at the front with his two staffs Then there was Emily and Amy Amelia was next to Amy and Daniel was next to Emily I was at the back The other team simply lined up in a straight line the game started and we all raced forward Ryan stuck his arm out in front of him and as he slid to a stop his staff extended and wedged itself in place Emily Ryan and Daniel jumped and rolled under his Staff. Amy stayed behind. As the other three came back up Emily punched one of the other teams stealers in the face then kicked them in the stomach sending them stumbling back into their own protector Daniel and Amelia flew past the other teams Basher without a second glance But Emily wasn’t so lucky. The basher jumped onto her shoulders driving her to the ground then he dropped so he was sitting on her shoulders spun around her neck so they were both facing the same way and began choking her. It all happened in a matter of seconds. And in that time both Daniel and Amelia had received several bruises from the guard which was now choking Daniel and had Amelia pinned with her back against the wall by having one of his staffs wedged with the wall at one end and her at the other I could see it pressing hard on her stomach. I ran up and past Amy grabbing her wrist with the hand that had held, until I had thrown it into my right hand so I now held two in my right, one of the metal balls’s and pulled her up to Ryan.

“There not trying to win” I said “their trying to kill us the others nodded and we sprang forward Amy punched the other protector in the throat then kicked him in the face after which he fell on his back and she jumped landing with two feet on his stomach when she got of the protector rolled over and on his hands and knees vomited then Amy pushed on the protectors back with her foot and he fell flat, face first into the vomit and mud. Ryan who was slightly behind Amy seeing what she had done struck a stealer across the throat with his staff and then ran to Emily. I struck the stealer firmly on the top of his head with one of the ball’s and he crumpled. I ran forward and as I bent down to hit the protector on the back of the head I saw Ryan throw one of his staffs it suddenly extended wedged itself so the second stealer (who had dropped back slightly) ran into it coat hanger style. As I straightened I saw Ryan slam his remaining staff into the basher’s throat and then removed it so he could strike freely with his staff. However when he had slammed it into the bashers throat the basher had loosened his grip slightly on Emily’s neck and she threw his hands off and crawled out of reach gasping for breath but finally free. Amy ran to Amelia then tried to remove the staff. Ryan was struggling with the basher one stealer was dead another was rising struggling to get their throat working the guard had pinned Amelia and was fighting Daniel who had somehow gotten the guards hands off his throat. The protector was also dead. The globe was the only one who hadn’t really moved... Until now. He seemed to take a step then seem to teleport 2 steps ahead his hand were human the only difference was the fur and the nails could extend like claws. All of us except perhaps Amelia had met this species before. They were called Aceyo (ah-see-yo) or mover in our language they could teleport whenever they wanted but must (for they have no choice) teleport after every step. The claws were used for ripping apart pray they ate only raw meat and only opened there mouth to eat they never spoke. I ran at the stealer Ryan had taken out by throwing his staff I was heading a little to his right so when he swung at me I ducked spinning in front of him and around to his left under his arm. Then hit with the ball in my right hand and ran on forward again when I got to the staff that pinned Amelia I simply smashed through it with my ball (right hand again) and without braking step sped past Daniel and the guard and stoped in front of the mover globe. The mover dropped the metal balls and his nails extended into sharp claws he disappeared and I ducked as his claw waved through the air where my throat had been a moment earlier Again the mover disappeared and I jumped as the claw swept underneath my feet from my left I landed and grabbed the wrist of the Movers right claw as it came at me again I twisted it behind his back and pulled it painfully before the Mover teleported behind me. I spun to face him taking a step away as I did but he hadn’t swung at me. Instead he stood there studying me. There was no way I could beat him without my sword or pendant. Suddenly to hands grabbed him and twisted his head so violently it broke and so quickly he couldn’t teleport when the dead mover hit the ground Ryan nodded to me.

“We should probably help Daniel he seems to be struggling” Ryan said to me. I looked over at Daniel in time to see him block the guards staff swing with his hand he pulled away shaking his hand and holding his wrist after the contact. Amy and Amelia were with Emily and with Amelia hurt how she was and Amy’s track record of losing every fight that included her being unarmed facing an armed opponent when she didn’t have her pendant I didn’t blame them. We ran over Ryan grabbing the staff while I grabbed the guard from behind then I rammed my knee into the middle of his back snapping his spine he went limp and we let him drop to the floor Daniel stood there panting.

“Thanks” he breathed.

 

“We have had deaths from Muna but never have we ever had Attempted murder during the game of Muna!” the pronouncer said his voice magically magnified “today there were 5 deaths and the last player had their back broken and died shortly after of mysteries causes but due to the fact that this team only fought back to survive and because they or the team that is now dead were going to be the winners it is with great pleasure I pronounce them the Muna one day challenge champions and present them with their prize” Daniel accept the book Which Amy promptly ripped from his hands and started looking through it. A cheer erupted from the crowd and people ran up to us congratulating us inviting us t dine with them and a few of the men called out to the girls with offers of marriage which made Emily blush Amy simply ignored it and Amelia hit them if they were close enough and if not made a rude gesture at them. All the men that received this from Amelia stood looking slightly stunned. Amelia was about to hit another when I grabbed her hand.

“Fame brings friends. In war you need friends you could have hit a man who would have give us cheaper beds but because you hit him will now give us unfair rates. We are in a war and we cannot afford to make enemies this fame will not spread far but it can help us” I told her. She nodded and lowered her fist. I let go then she spun around and hit the man I had originally stoped her from hitting.

“I won’t hit another I promise” she said to me. She didn’t which was good but I was still angry when I saw and heard Marick shout out to us

“join me for a drink same inn as last time!”