Through the morning, Nicole was restless. Inside, she felt a mix of nervousness and excitement. She paced around the hut until finally sitting down, trying to calm her nerves.
Calm down. This shouldn’t be too hard. Soi mentioned he’s just a fisher, so there’s no way he could’ve become that much stronger in two weeks. I got this.
The duel was set for the evening on the sandy beach. To pass the time, Nicole decided to take a walk. Dressed in her newly acquired armor clothes and with her spear in hand, she stepped outside.
As she walked through the village, some of the cat-people nodded or raised their fists in the air in support, smiling at her as she passed.
She found herself atop the same small hill she had visited during one of her first nights on the island. As before, she sat down and looked out at the village. People were busy with their daily routines—walking around or sitting in the shade of tents, working.
At least this isn't so different from Earth. Back then, I could’ve looked through the window in Annie’s lab and seen a similar scene—just more modern.
She spent some time reflecting on the past, then sighed, stood up, and continued her wander until it was almost time. She glanced up—the sun was well past its zenith. With that, Nicole headed toward the agreed location for the duel.
When she arrived, people had already begun gathering. Though it wasn’t dark yet, large torches were burning brightly. She quickly found Soi and approached her. The catgirl was talking to a man unknown to Nicole, who was likely in his late thirties. Judging by the bow on his back, she assumed he was Soi’s hunting mentor.
"Hey, Soi," she said, tapping the catgirl on the shoulder and making her spin around.
"Nicole! This is Vyrik, my teacher. We just got back from the forest."
Nicole shook the man’s hand. "Nice to meet you, Vyrik."
The man nodded. "Likewise. Soi has told me great things about you."
Before Nicole could respond, another person joined them—Morilia, who grinned widely as she smacked Nicole on the back with her open palm. The sudden impact almost made her trip.
"Hey, what was that for?"
Morilia brushed off her reaction. "Eh, don’t overreact, girl. Are you ready? I bet most of the villagers here are on your side and just waiting to see Dellas get crushed. Don’t make us wait."
As they chatted, the crowd of villagers grew by the minute. No one wanted to miss a free show, even if it was likely to get bloody.
After a few minutes, Izab’s loud voice rang out.
"Make space for the elders!"
The crowd shuffled quickly, forming am empty circle inside the crowd. In the center stood all three village elders. Terl, holding a large stick, walked within the circle, drawing a thick line in the dry sand to form the arena. Satisfied, he stepped back to stand with the others.
"Are the duelants present?" Izab called out.
Nicole stepped into the arena’s center. Moments later, Dellas emerged from behind Terl. Nicole noticed the two exchanged a few words, but she couldn’t hear them.
Huh? I wouldn’t be surprised if that scumbag helped him get stronger.
Dellas wore a leather armor set similar to Nicole’s, except his had pants instead of a skirt. As he approached, she noticed he seemed taller and more muscular than she remembered. The veins on his arms and neck bulged unnaturally.
Is he on some kind of steroids? Ugh, why didn’t I think of something like that? I’m sure there’s something that boosts muscle growth here, too.
Dellas grinned. "Maybe you should surrender before we start?"
"And why would I? There’s no way I’ll lose to someone like you."
His grin widened. "That’s the spirit. I’m going to enjoy putting you in your place—and making you submit."
Nicole spat on the ground in response.
Izab’s voice cut in again. "Are you both ready? Get into position."
Dellas stepped toward the edge of the arena. Nicole mirrored him.
"Now, since Nicole might not be fully aware of the duel rules: the duel ends when one of the duelants surrenders. Try to stay inside the circle to avoid injuring bystanders. Any questions?"
"Uh, is stepping out of the circle punished in any way?"
"No. That all?"
Nicole nodded.
"Good. You may begin."
Just like that? No countdown?
Nicole gripped her spear with both hands and held it defensively. Dellas cracked his knuckles and slowly approached.
"What’s the matter? Afraid of me?"
He made a swinging motion and his claws extended, and flames engulfed them. Nicole’s eyes widened.
"Look what I’ve got! Hehe! Now come here, bitch!"
Dellas charged. Nicole thrust her spear, trying to keep him at bay, but he parried with his claws. She managed to step back, narrowly avoiding a hit, the heat of the flames licking at her skin. With a quick half-spin, she struck his head with the wooden end of her spear and backed off again. Dellas lunged, slashing horizontally. Nicole felt a scratch and a wave of heat across her abdomen.
Looking down, she saw a thin cut on her armor and a trickle of blood. Fortunately, the wound seemed shallow, so she ignored the pain.
Nicole kept swinging the spear, stepping back, and managed to land a few scratches on Dellas. But none were enough to stop him as he kept advancing. On one swing, he grabbed the spear and tried to pull it away. Nicole held tight, forced closer—and Dellas’s fist slammed into her torso. Terrified of his claws, she kicked him, using the force to break free and reclaim her weapon. Surprisingly, there were no new wounds on her except the bruises.
Dellas smiled and claws appeared on his hand again.
"It’d be too easy to kill you like that. What would be the point of a dead slave?"
Despite the grin, Nicole saw blood at the corners of his mouth, and he coughed. She took the opportunity to stab him several times, aiming at his legs. His wounds bled slowly. With a growl, Dellas caught the spear tip between his claws. Nicole tried to pull it free, but he grabbed the shaft with his other hand, sheathing his first claws. Now using both hands, he overpowered her grip. Nicole suddenly let go—causing Dellas to stagger backward—and struck him with her fists.
Her punches hit under his ribs, but his armor dampened the blows. He tossed the spear away and swung at her. Nicole barely dodged. She kicked under his knee, and Dellas dropped to one knee—then grabbed her arm and dragged her down with him. They grappled, exchanging punches and kicks. At one point, Nicole landed a knee to Dellas’s face, stunning him. She used the moment to back off and stand up. Dellas did the same.
Both were breathing hard. Nicole’s nose bled, and she saw Dellas breathing through clenched teeth, his veins even thicker and his eyes reddening.
I probably don’t look any better myself.
Pain radiated from her ribs—possibly broken.
She spotted her spear a few meters away. Dellas saw it too. They both sprinted toward it. Nicole got there first, grabbed it, and spun in a wide arc. The spear’s edge slashed across Dellas’s raised arms. He screamed in pain.
„ARGH!"
She pushed forward. His forearms were badly gashed—she could see bone and blood. Frozen in shock, she stared—she’d never hurt anyone that badly before.
Dellas just stood there, breathing deeply. His mouth was open and she could see blood mixed with his salive dripping out. His eye’s turned completely red, both whites and pupils.
"RRAAGH!"
He charged, fire blazing from his claws. Nicole tried to fend him off, but he didn’t stop. In desperation, she thrust the spear into his belly—its tip protruded from his back.
"RAAAHH!"
But he crashed into her anyway, knocking them both down. She struggled beneath him, trying to block his attacks, but he seemed stronger than ever.
Lying on the sand, an idea struck her. She kicked him in the head and grabbed two handfuls of sand. Her hands tingled oddly, but she didn’t have time to think. She flung the sand into his face.
What happened next defied explanation.
The world blurred. When she could see again, she was in a deep sand pit with Dellas, who screamed and clawed at his face.
What the fuck?!
She didn’t have time to question it. Dellas’s blinded punch missed. She pushed off his shoulder and climbed out. As she did, the pit started collapsing. Yet he emerged before he could get buried, now red-skinned and slightly trembling. He still had her spear sticking out of him but Nicole decided not get closer and risk getting cut into pieces while trying to get it out.
He charged. Nicole dodged easily—his rage made him predictable, though his strength still made him dangerous.
Shit. What now? My fists aren’t enough, and I’ve got no weapon.
She noticed the sand beneath him turning red—he was still bleeding.
This is it. I just have to hope he will bleed out faster than my adrenaline level drops down and pain gets unbearable.
Dellas leapt forward. Nicole tried to block his slash. She braced for pain… but it never came. His claws passed through her—her body briefly turned to sand before reforming.
She didn’t understand, but she accepted it.
She kept moving in circles, avoiding him. Despite his previous speed, he began to slow down. Crimson blood was pouring out of his mouth, stained his chin and dropped down. With terror Nicole saw the same thing happening to his eyes, though in lesser amount – bloody tears ran down his cheeks. Dellas’s breathing was getting rougher, as if somehting started to block his lungs. In a few minutes, his shouts turned from aggressive to something more fitting to be described as pained and scared, yet still he moved on after Nicole.
Then, with a gasp, Dellas stopped. He staggered, took a few more steps, and collapsed, like a sack of potatoes. Bleeding, redskinned potatoes. Pool of red liquid started to form around his corpse, while his body was rapidly loosing all color and turning pale.
Izab coughed. "Nicole won! Uh… everyone, please return home."
His usually calm and loud voice sounded strange, as if the duel disturbed even the old elder. Crowd of villagers talked loudly, exchanging expressions and emotions, as they started to head away.
Nicole stood still, a few meters from the corpse, trying to process what had happened.
"Hey! That was unexpected—but you won!" Soi jumped around her.
Morilia clapped Nicole on the shoulder. "Good job, girl. Now, what do you two say about a celebration at my place?"
Only when Soi took her hand and pulled her along did Nicole come back to reality, coughing blood.
"You alright? We can go home if you need to rest."
"I’m, uh—" Nicole groaned as pain shot through her ribs. "It’s alright. Let’s go."