hesitate, charging from his left side and readying a haymaker that would stop the fight in one blow.
He was ready for it, and his vestigial left hand fired out, smacking me in the face despite a flinching move to protect myself. The arm was thin and tentacular, coiled and hidden, but powerful just the same. The weapon was a sharp-looking bladed glove-scythe, and it left a bleeding gash across my chin. The long tentacle circled around me, moving behind before slashing again and stitching me across the chest and drawing blood. The two cuts were slight, as my skin is tougher than most, but he had drawn first blood. He strained and finally ripped the mace from the ground, pointing it at me with what must have passed for a menacing grin. The stone mace head was cracked and crumbling, but he seemed not to notice, rushing in with a wild swing. I ducked, but he spun and swung again, driving me back. The tentacle arm extended, keeping his bladed glove behind me and the mace in front, taunting me with both as he goaded the crowd. They sensed the kill coming, and I knew he would have a special maneuver ready to give them their money’s worth. I looked over at the Captain, but she conversed casually with a fellow that looked rather human. The sexy imp was refusing any more bets, as if there was no money to be had on me and no money to be won on the obvious winner.
My opponent gave me a second respite while the rabble’s mayhem egged him on, but after that brief moment, he crouched again and prepared for the inevitable. His tentacle was held high behind me, more a lure for my attention than anything. The blades could slice my skin open, and if they could do that, they could kill me. He also had the hammer, and I expected a double attack at any moment. The only way for me to survive was to outsmart him, use his own efforts against him.
Then he struck.
First with the tentacle, as I had expected, a downward stab at my midsection, intending to herd me to his right, toward a mighty cross with his mace that was sure to kill me. Instead of avoiding the tentacle’s slash, though, I stepped into it, catching the heavy gloved arm and getting a nice cut on my left upper thigh as a reward. I had little time to register the pain, exerting all my strength on his weaker arm and using it to block the attack.
The blow was devastating, and it felt like holding a punching bag for Bruce Lee on a full flying kick, but in this case, his own arm was the punching bag. I stumbled back, almost losing my footing, and fell to one knee, ready to strike. The warrior howled in pain, retracting the smashed tentacle, still holding the crumpled remains of the bladed fist. His limb was a rended pulp of flesh and black, gooey blood. He stepped back defensively, cradling his injured limb.
The fight’s momentum had swung my way and I charged him, eager to inflict some pain. To his credit, he swung the mace, but it was a haphazard, desperate maneuver and I batted it aside without breaking stride. The warrior’s eyes widened as I grabbed the shoulder straps of his armor and slammed my skull into his hideous face. The explosion of blood almost blinded me, black liquid spraying onto my face and chest, but I wasn’t done. I picked up his dazed form with my fingers clenched around his neck, hefting his entire frame with just my left hand, and I reared back, imagining a point past his skull and aiming for it.
“Et’rethagg!” the captain shouted, stepping forward and drawing her blade. I almost hit the guy anyway, Despite being semi-conscious, the beaten monster clawed at my wrist with his undamaged hand. I eased my grip on his neck and let him collapse to his knees, still holding his damaged tentacle arm.
The crowd was silent for the first time, though a few of the tougher fellows drew their swords or pistols, unsure what the captain had in mind for me. My defeated foe gawked at me in awe. I guess the idea of an unarmed convict smacking him down with such authority was alien to him. Tough shit.
“You’re all right,” I said, braving a smile. “So who’s next?” I taunted. I was tired and a bit bloody,