Post by Sheogorath on Nov 11, 2007 19:03:45 GMT -5
And here it is, the much awaited Chapter 4. I ask everyone to remember that for a few chapters herein, it gets a little violent. I'm holding back, ever holding back, but it's still enough to post a warning. Also, it is a bit long.
Chapter 4: Traitors
We are the same. Though we never raised sword or fist to our fellow Earth Nation citizens, because we renounced our heritage, you and I are traitors.
The words haunted Suki as plainly as any vengeful spirit taking it's anger out on the foolish residents of a village that forgot to pay tribute. You and I are traitors. She replayed the words in her head over and over again for the past three weeks, and they stung just as much as when the large man said them and no amount of cuddling with Azula could do anything to alleviate the pain.
Three weeks before, Azula took Suki to a rather large city with an arena where a somewhat famous, albeit only in the Fire Nation, ancient weapons-based fighting tournament had been held. The princess had been impressed with Suki's fighting when they first encountered each other and decided to test her against some of the best non-military fighters in the Fire Nation, though, these men and women were trained to fight solely for the purpose of entertaining the masses.
The tournament hadn't been particularly long, only five days of fighting with the festival and opening ceremony on the first day and the awards and closing ceremonies on the seventh day, totaling a full week, but the fighting had been no less grueling, each participant doing his or her best to win, among the large sum of money, fame and personal glory. And such a number of entrants the tournament yielded this year to take a full week. Well over a hundred men and women entered to be recognized for their combat prowess.
The rules of the tournament were simple: to win, all one had to do was knock their opponent out of the ring, force them to give up, or knock them down and have them not be able to answer a ten count. Killing was not allowed, but death found its way to a few who hadn't been treated and healed in time. This made Suki nervous, as she had won, whether by skill or luck, she could not determine on her own, all of her matches without much bloodshed, but the man she was to face in the final round was responsible for the deaths of all the men and permanent injury of all the women he had fought.
The day of the final round arrived, and Suki and her opponent made their way into the ring where the emcee introduced them to the crowd as "The Challenger, Suki and the Reigning Champion, Orcus Yang."
The two faced each other as the emcee went over the rules for them one last time. "No hitting below the belt. A winner is decided when one of you is knocked out of the ring, admits defeat, or is knocked down and does not get up by the time I reach the count of ten. If you both understand, begin!"
Suki and Orcus started by circling around each other at first, trying to gage each other's strength. Orcus made the first move by charging in, his sword leading, attempting to end the fight quickly and retain his title, but Suki was able to dodge, being smaller and swifter. The large man stumbled, but was able to recover, and seemingly out of nowhere, was able to reverse his weight and turn to attempt to attack Suki again, but this time was met with a hard jab in the gut with a fan.
"Ugh!" the warrior grunted as he was actually forced back by the blow. "You're better than you look, but no where near my level. You should give up now, before you get hurt."
"Not on your life, you butcher," Suki spat as she charged in, trying to knock Orcus down. His words had touched a nerve for some reason, and she suddenly felt like she needed to avenge the men who lost their lives to the wounds he gave them and the women who wouldn't be able to do this or that as well as they used to, also because of him.
"Butcher," the man returned as he sidestepped Suki's charge and slapped the flat of his sword against her hips, sending her to the ground. "I am no butcher. I assume you're speaking of my opponents unto now, and I tell you, they knew full well what they were doing entering this competition."
Being slapped with a sword hurt, and Suki could swear she felt the blade dig in, but that didn't matter. She had to teach this man to calm down in the ring, so she attempted to get up, but was met with a sharp kick to the face, sending her crumpling back to the ground.
"You're a monster!" she screamed at the large warrior. "You don't have to be so rough! Those men... they died because of you. Most of them were outmatched and didn't have any chance at all!"
Being called a monster touched a nerve in Orcus. "Monster?" he said, walking over to Suki, still on the ground. "I'll show you a monster." He kicked the girl in the stomach once. "Those men knew what they were doing. They would have survived had they been treated in time." He kicked her a second time. "Or did you not notice the fact that there were a large number of others who had been wounded? Have you forgotten the fact that you, yourself were responsible for the wounding of others during your fights?"
Suki expected another kick, but it never came. She looked up at the man with disdain in her eyes. "I-I didn't kill anyone," she protested, struggling to get up. "I didn't wound anyone to the point that they wouldn't be able to walk or use their arms again."
The third kick to the stomach came then and stole her breath from her lungs. "Don't get all high and mighty," Orcus said, pinning her to the ground with his foot. "You're just as responsible for the wounding of others as I am, you little wretch."
The man removed his foot and began to walk away, bidding the emcee to begin the count, but Suki would not be denied. "You... stay... and fight me, you coward," she struggled to catch her breath as she managed to pull herself to her feet. "I may not dress like it, but I'm from the Earth Nation colonies, and if the citizens there have taught me anything, it's never give up, even against impossible odds. Someone has to teach you a lesson on behalf of all the people who have died or been permanently injured because of you, and I'm going to be the one to do it."
Orcus stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear the lie in the girl's voice, and he turned to face her. "Earth Nation colonies, indeed," he said, striding over to her, "I can see it in your eyes. You're not from the colonies, you're an actual citizen of the Earth Nation, like me."
Suki was shocked. This man? she thought, her breath coming in labored gasps. There's no way She gasped, now holding on to her stomach, which had not been troubling her til she had actually regained her feet, "Th- that can't be true. You can't possibly be from the Earth Nation. If you were from the Earth Nation, why are you walking free here?"
Orcus sheathed his sword. "Look at yourself. You dress the same way I do, in Fire Nation clothing. Do you know why?" His gaze at her had been neutral until then, but now, he looked at her with severe scrutiny. How can she not realize that she and I are the same? How can she not see that we both had to turn our backs on the Earth Nation in order to survive? When no answer came forth from the battered girl, he explained it to her. "We are the same. Though we never raised sword or fist to our fellow Earth Nation citizens, because we renounced our heritage, you and I are traitors."
"No..." Suki said softly. She didn't renounce her heritage, or at least she didn't want to admit it, but deep in her heart, she knew the man was right. She was a traitor. She didn't have any right to call herself a daughter of the Earth Nation any longer.
"It's true," Orcus said, turning his back on the girl, but not walking away. "You live here now, as a citizen of the Fire Nation because you were brought here and had to do so in order to survive. I was the same way. Fighting is all I know. Ever since I was a boy, I was trained to fight as entertainment for others, and the only way I can survive is if I continue to fight and live as a man of the Fire Nation."
Suki couldn't take it anymore. She was Azula's lover, not a woman of the Fire Nation. "Shut up," she choked, "Shut up, shut up, shut up! You lie! You're not from the Earth Nation! There's no way! A man as strong as you, brought here against your will? There's just no way!"
"Believe what you want," Orcus said quietly.
Suki screamed a primal sort of scream, one that came out of nowhere, and despite the pain, charged forward, her fans leading, to attack the man. What happened then took both her and the spectators by surprise. Orcus turned around quick as a flash, and snapped his leg up to catch her face with his foot, sending her crashing back to the ground.
"Stay down," he said, his eyes now full of the fire of rage. "Stay down, and I won't kill you."
Suki's face hurt, and she wanted to just curl up and let the world fade away, but her pride wouldn't allow it. "No," she growled defiantly. "I have to stop you from hurting anyone else, even if it kills me."
"Stubborn to the very end," Orcus lamented. He then kicked her in the stomach three times before putting all his might into one last kick that caused Suki to cough up blood. "It's over," he said quietly. "It hurts now, but you'll survive. Think about what I've said, and come find me when you realize what I said is true. You've got spirit and the will to survive. You're talented to make it this far, but like I said, you're no match for me. You want to teach me a lesson? Get stronger. That's the only way."
The emcee, though stunned as the crowd at the large man's brutality, began the ten count, and announced Orcus as the winner.
That was three weeks ago, and even Azula realized the pain Suki had been in, so she decided it best not to even touch Suki for a time. Eventually, she came back to Azula and told her that despite the fact that she was still in mild pain, she could stand being touched again.
It still hurt whenever she thought about it.
And that's that. Chapter 4: Traitors. I said it would be violent, and I said it would be long, but I hope you enjoy it. Chapter 5 will be up next week.
Chapter 4: Traitors
We are the same. Though we never raised sword or fist to our fellow Earth Nation citizens, because we renounced our heritage, you and I are traitors.
The words haunted Suki as plainly as any vengeful spirit taking it's anger out on the foolish residents of a village that forgot to pay tribute. You and I are traitors. She replayed the words in her head over and over again for the past three weeks, and they stung just as much as when the large man said them and no amount of cuddling with Azula could do anything to alleviate the pain.
Three weeks before, Azula took Suki to a rather large city with an arena where a somewhat famous, albeit only in the Fire Nation, ancient weapons-based fighting tournament had been held. The princess had been impressed with Suki's fighting when they first encountered each other and decided to test her against some of the best non-military fighters in the Fire Nation, though, these men and women were trained to fight solely for the purpose of entertaining the masses.
The tournament hadn't been particularly long, only five days of fighting with the festival and opening ceremony on the first day and the awards and closing ceremonies on the seventh day, totaling a full week, but the fighting had been no less grueling, each participant doing his or her best to win, among the large sum of money, fame and personal glory. And such a number of entrants the tournament yielded this year to take a full week. Well over a hundred men and women entered to be recognized for their combat prowess.
The rules of the tournament were simple: to win, all one had to do was knock their opponent out of the ring, force them to give up, or knock them down and have them not be able to answer a ten count. Killing was not allowed, but death found its way to a few who hadn't been treated and healed in time. This made Suki nervous, as she had won, whether by skill or luck, she could not determine on her own, all of her matches without much bloodshed, but the man she was to face in the final round was responsible for the deaths of all the men and permanent injury of all the women he had fought.
The day of the final round arrived, and Suki and her opponent made their way into the ring where the emcee introduced them to the crowd as "The Challenger, Suki and the Reigning Champion, Orcus Yang."
The two faced each other as the emcee went over the rules for them one last time. "No hitting below the belt. A winner is decided when one of you is knocked out of the ring, admits defeat, or is knocked down and does not get up by the time I reach the count of ten. If you both understand, begin!"
Suki and Orcus started by circling around each other at first, trying to gage each other's strength. Orcus made the first move by charging in, his sword leading, attempting to end the fight quickly and retain his title, but Suki was able to dodge, being smaller and swifter. The large man stumbled, but was able to recover, and seemingly out of nowhere, was able to reverse his weight and turn to attempt to attack Suki again, but this time was met with a hard jab in the gut with a fan.
"Ugh!" the warrior grunted as he was actually forced back by the blow. "You're better than you look, but no where near my level. You should give up now, before you get hurt."
"Not on your life, you butcher," Suki spat as she charged in, trying to knock Orcus down. His words had touched a nerve for some reason, and she suddenly felt like she needed to avenge the men who lost their lives to the wounds he gave them and the women who wouldn't be able to do this or that as well as they used to, also because of him.
"Butcher," the man returned as he sidestepped Suki's charge and slapped the flat of his sword against her hips, sending her to the ground. "I am no butcher. I assume you're speaking of my opponents unto now, and I tell you, they knew full well what they were doing entering this competition."
Being slapped with a sword hurt, and Suki could swear she felt the blade dig in, but that didn't matter. She had to teach this man to calm down in the ring, so she attempted to get up, but was met with a sharp kick to the face, sending her crumpling back to the ground.
"You're a monster!" she screamed at the large warrior. "You don't have to be so rough! Those men... they died because of you. Most of them were outmatched and didn't have any chance at all!"
Being called a monster touched a nerve in Orcus. "Monster?" he said, walking over to Suki, still on the ground. "I'll show you a monster." He kicked the girl in the stomach once. "Those men knew what they were doing. They would have survived had they been treated in time." He kicked her a second time. "Or did you not notice the fact that there were a large number of others who had been wounded? Have you forgotten the fact that you, yourself were responsible for the wounding of others during your fights?"
Suki expected another kick, but it never came. She looked up at the man with disdain in her eyes. "I-I didn't kill anyone," she protested, struggling to get up. "I didn't wound anyone to the point that they wouldn't be able to walk or use their arms again."
The third kick to the stomach came then and stole her breath from her lungs. "Don't get all high and mighty," Orcus said, pinning her to the ground with his foot. "You're just as responsible for the wounding of others as I am, you little wretch."
The man removed his foot and began to walk away, bidding the emcee to begin the count, but Suki would not be denied. "You... stay... and fight me, you coward," she struggled to catch her breath as she managed to pull herself to her feet. "I may not dress like it, but I'm from the Earth Nation colonies, and if the citizens there have taught me anything, it's never give up, even against impossible odds. Someone has to teach you a lesson on behalf of all the people who have died or been permanently injured because of you, and I'm going to be the one to do it."
Orcus stopped dead in his tracks. He could hear the lie in the girl's voice, and he turned to face her. "Earth Nation colonies, indeed," he said, striding over to her, "I can see it in your eyes. You're not from the colonies, you're an actual citizen of the Earth Nation, like me."
Suki was shocked. This man? she thought, her breath coming in labored gasps. There's no way She gasped, now holding on to her stomach, which had not been troubling her til she had actually regained her feet, "Th- that can't be true. You can't possibly be from the Earth Nation. If you were from the Earth Nation, why are you walking free here?"
Orcus sheathed his sword. "Look at yourself. You dress the same way I do, in Fire Nation clothing. Do you know why?" His gaze at her had been neutral until then, but now, he looked at her with severe scrutiny. How can she not realize that she and I are the same? How can she not see that we both had to turn our backs on the Earth Nation in order to survive? When no answer came forth from the battered girl, he explained it to her. "We are the same. Though we never raised sword or fist to our fellow Earth Nation citizens, because we renounced our heritage, you and I are traitors."
"No..." Suki said softly. She didn't renounce her heritage, or at least she didn't want to admit it, but deep in her heart, she knew the man was right. She was a traitor. She didn't have any right to call herself a daughter of the Earth Nation any longer.
"It's true," Orcus said, turning his back on the girl, but not walking away. "You live here now, as a citizen of the Fire Nation because you were brought here and had to do so in order to survive. I was the same way. Fighting is all I know. Ever since I was a boy, I was trained to fight as entertainment for others, and the only way I can survive is if I continue to fight and live as a man of the Fire Nation."
Suki couldn't take it anymore. She was Azula's lover, not a woman of the Fire Nation. "Shut up," she choked, "Shut up, shut up, shut up! You lie! You're not from the Earth Nation! There's no way! A man as strong as you, brought here against your will? There's just no way!"
"Believe what you want," Orcus said quietly.
Suki screamed a primal sort of scream, one that came out of nowhere, and despite the pain, charged forward, her fans leading, to attack the man. What happened then took both her and the spectators by surprise. Orcus turned around quick as a flash, and snapped his leg up to catch her face with his foot, sending her crashing back to the ground.
"Stay down," he said, his eyes now full of the fire of rage. "Stay down, and I won't kill you."
Suki's face hurt, and she wanted to just curl up and let the world fade away, but her pride wouldn't allow it. "No," she growled defiantly. "I have to stop you from hurting anyone else, even if it kills me."
"Stubborn to the very end," Orcus lamented. He then kicked her in the stomach three times before putting all his might into one last kick that caused Suki to cough up blood. "It's over," he said quietly. "It hurts now, but you'll survive. Think about what I've said, and come find me when you realize what I said is true. You've got spirit and the will to survive. You're talented to make it this far, but like I said, you're no match for me. You want to teach me a lesson? Get stronger. That's the only way."
The emcee, though stunned as the crowd at the large man's brutality, began the ten count, and announced Orcus as the winner.
That was three weeks ago, and even Azula realized the pain Suki had been in, so she decided it best not to even touch Suki for a time. Eventually, she came back to Azula and told her that despite the fact that she was still in mild pain, she could stand being touched again.
It still hurt whenever she thought about it.
And that's that. Chapter 4: Traitors. I said it would be violent, and I said it would be long, but I hope you enjoy it. Chapter 5 will be up next week.