FF Chapter 15

Alex gets challenged to a fight by another marked student.

Chapter 15

      Alex, Frey, and Eira walked around the island, enjoying the scenery. Just like when they first arrived, many people were looking at them, but now not all of them were focused on Eira. It seemed Alex had a few admirers now too.

      Frey looked around at the eyes following them. They’d dart away once they noticed her looking, but would go right back to whispering once her back was turned.

      “Eerie, isn’t it?” Eira shivered a bit. She knew she’d be a point of interest, but this was unnerving.

      Alex just shrugged. “I guess?”

      Eira looked at him. “Does anything faze you?”

      Alex thought for a minute. “When people pronounce my home ‘lie-berry’. If you’re not literate enough to say it, you’re not literate enough to use it!”

      “That’s it?”

      He smiled “…yeah. Things always seem to just happen around me, I’ve learned to roll with it…sometimes literally.” He ducked into a roll, and immediately jumped back to his feet with expert timing honed from years of trying to avoid his sparring partners.

      “So ‘just smile, walk, and let other people talk’?” Eira raised an eyebrow sceptically.

      “Haha, something like that.” He chuckled. “I guess after a pack of wolves, dralgs, my mother, and seeing all three Hands fighting; not many things seem scary.”

      Frey giggled “when you put it like that, I guess regular people are disappointingly ordinary, especially to someone with a beast mark.”

      Eira stopped dead “speaking of beast marks, look.” She gestured towards a small group of five, four boys and one girl. Alex recognized the girl with a beast mark from the cafeteria, when she was standing beside Gordian. They all had beast marks, displayed proudly. Several of them had even rolled up their sleeves to make sure everyone knew of their strength. The marked kids were surrounding another girl who had a book in her hands and her head down.

      The trio moved in closer. Quite a group had assembled to observe the scene, although everyone stayed at a safe distance.

      Eira moved close to another kid, and asked “What’s going on?”

      A boy with scales around his neck turned towards her, but kept a cautious eye on the delinquents. “You must be new. The girl with the beast mark is Malent, leader of the ‘rogue arms’. Every beast mark student on campus joins their club.”

      “Who’re they picking on?”

      “That’s Indol, the only Octasect in the school. She arrived a few years ago, probably the youngest student ever admitted. She’s apparently some ‘prodigy’ wonder girl from far away. She flopped hard. She’s stuck around on campus ever since.”

      Alex stared. “An Octasect? Wow!” Alex had only ever read about them, but they were very rare, living in some mountains on a distant island to the very far west, past EK’s resting place. They seemed human, except for one major difference. At the inside hinges of their elbows was another, smaller, arm.  The same went for their legs. Their hind legs could be used for stability, or were folded up when running. Their second set of hands folded up, and could be hidden, with the second hand grasped the wrist of the larger arm. Their forearms and calves had what seemed like scales around them that act as natural armour, while also concealing the sheath for their secondary limbs.

      Indol wore baggy clothes, with loose ends and slits that allowed her to unfold her second set of limbs, which were currently concealed. Her eyes seemed dull, and her face was blank and emotionless as she tried to shut out her tormentors. She can’t even work up the strength to lift her head and face at them.

      Malent sneered. “Come on you half-bug freak, isn’t it about time you go back to your hive and make some room for students who’ll actually DO something?”

      Another jeered “Yeah, isn’t it about time you did everyone a favor and dropped out, maybe off the bridge?”

      Indol was silent; a sitting statue.

      Infuriated, one of the boys stepped closer to her and poked her shoulder. “HEY! Didn’t you hear her?” Indol didn’t respond, so the bully raised a fist. He went to throw a punch, but his arm was frozen; something was grabbing his wrist. He tuned, and met cold blue eyes.

      “I don’t think you should do that.” Alex warned the boy, before releasing his grip. Another bully steeped up and activated a beast mark.

      His arms glowed as he growled “Back off!”

      Without missing a beat Alex activated his own mark and locked eyes with the stunned bullies. Eira and Frey watched anxiously from the sidelines; the child was gone, the hunter had returned.

      It was then that Malent recognized him. Suddenly smiling, she sauntered up to him. “Oh, you must be Alex. Nice to meet you.” She brushed her hair behind her ear. “I hear you’re pretty strong. How about you join up with us? It’ll be fun.”

      One of the boys behind her stepped up “Wait Malent, why-” He started to demand something, but froze as Malent locked eyes with him. He was trapped in place under her cold glare, before slowly backing down without a fight.

      Malent turned back to Alex, smiling. “So what do you say?”

      “Nah.” Alex replied without hesitation.

      Malent was taken aback. “Um, what?”

      “Not interested, sorry. I like the friends I have, and you don’t seem that nice.” He glanced at the boy who was still traumatized by Malent’s terrifying gaze.

      Eira looked behind Alex and scoffed “You mean the stuck-up princess and her slave?”

      Alex locked eyes with Malent “Her name’s Eira, not ‘princess’, and Frey is my friend. Maybe they’d be your too if you weren’t so mean.”

      The crowd watched intently. Someone had just stood up to Malent! She looked at the gathered students. She couldn’t afford to look weak. She pointed a finger and declared “Alexander, I challenge you to a duel!”

      Alex smirked. “Sure, sounds like fun.”

 

      The two walked toward the south side of the island, towards the arenas, but they were joined by more than just their friends. Many followed at a distance, wanting to see what was about to happen.

      Jack noticed Alex arriving and said “back again so soon?” Then he saw Malent and muttered “oh, it’s you.”

      Alex, Malent, and Jack entered the fighters’ area, as the spectator seats slowly filled. Jack showed them a table filled with training weapons, similar to the one from Mr. Foresters’ class.

      Jack gestured to the table. “What do you want?”

      Alex shrugged “I’m good.”

      Malent looked at him, before turning to Jack. “If he’s going in barehanded, so am I.” she faced Alex. “How many beast marks do you have?”

      “Three.”

      She raised her own beast mark and smiled viciously. “Then it’ll be an even match.”

      As Malent and Alex took positions at opposite ends of the open field, Jack took a seat. He was getting things ready when he noticed a faint presence sit down beside him. It was Indol. They didn’t say a word to each other.  Jack moved over to his usual group and whispered “I got twenty on Alex.” Many took him up on the wager, why wouldn’t they? Malent was the strongest in the school against this unknown first year. With his betting done, Jack sat down beside Indol and rung the bell.

      Malent fired off an energy blast, but it was countered mid-air by a shot from Alex. She fired another, then another, but all were shot down. After a few more she grew tired of the light show and dashed in. She swung at Alex’s head, but he dodged back. A kick to his abdomen was dodged with a roll, and her roundhouse missed its mark when Alex jumped away.

      She seethed, mocked by his constant smile and laughing. “Sit still!” She demanded.

      “Why?” Alex asked innocently.

      “So I can hit you!”

      “Why would I want that?”

      “So this can be over!”

      “But I’m having so much fun.” He laughed, dodging another swing.

      Eira and Frey watched from the stands as Alex continued to retreat, but Malent still never landed a hit.

      “What’s he doing?” Eira cried, confused.

      Frey smiled and explained “he’s concentrating all his energy on dodging. He’s not thinking about countering so his attention and energy are focused; he’s not using any more than he needs to. Malent, on the other hand, is going all out.”

      Malent paused, out of breath. She’d swung so many times, but didn’t hit once. “FIGHT ME!” she demanded.

      Alex stopped too. “Sorry, I can’t.”

      “Why not?” She yelled.

      “My Uncle Erald told me to never hit a girl.”

      Malent paused for a moment “Then why did you agree to this?”

      Alex shrugged guiltily. “I was bored.”

      Malent froze and stared. Her mind was fighting between rage and confusion; rage won out. She glared at the boy. “That’s it. I’m done playing around.”

      She placed her hands on the ground as her beast marks surged, a moment later she pulled, and the ground under Alex slipped out from under him like a carpet. He quickly regained his footing and looked at his opponent with questioning eyes, trying to figure out what just happened.

      “You like that?” she smirked. “It’s my ‘beast gift’, not that a first year like you would know anything about that, but I’ll be kind and educate you. Once a person has enough beast marks their power changes, and they acquire another gift. Mine allows me to command the very ground you walk on. Try running now!” She closed her fist and pulled, summoning a small earthquake that made Alex’s legs shake. She closed the distance fast, but Alex managed to duck under a punch that could’ve knocked him out.

      She summoned a column, but he smashed the stone before she could do anything with it. She summoned more rocks, but he shot them out of the air. Debris flew everywhere, even into the crowd.

      He was smiling; this was fun! Yet he still refused to attack her directly, always staying on the defensive. Annoyed to her limits, Malent raised her hands and started to summon all her power.

*ding*ding*

      A bell ringing made both combatants stumble mid-step. Malent angrily turned towards the referee seats and yell “Come on Jack, I was win-” She froze. It wasn’t Jack that rung the bell, it was Ms. Jensing.

      The headmistress was not happy. “My office, NOW!”