ZP Short story: Anne vs Khita

    Surrounded by a large steel cage in the middle of a large room, Anne and Khita swung blow after blow at one another as they fought, not sparing their energy for a moment. Both were in their human form which was bruised and swollen from the many hits they had received but neither showed any signs of letting down. Anne threw a swift punch aimed for the head but Khita held her arms in a cross and blocked before responding with a high kick, which Anne also blocked as she raised her elbow. They were at a complete standstill.

    “You fucking suck, I thought you could do better than this.” Khita taunted with steady breathing as she glared at the more muscular woman. “You are shaming all of the world’s muscular women with this sad display.”

    “Weren’t you supposed to be a professional martial artist? So far you’ve only fought as if you had been brought straight out of the Junior League.” Anne retorted before throwing another punch.

    The younger woman’s eyes narrowed and she raised her left arm then nimbly moved to the side and flicked the punch away by the wrist. With a click of her teeth, she wasted no time in responding with a punch that rocked Anne’s head to the side, only to grunt as the sheep infected swung a solid kick that connected to her side. Both women stumbled but kept their eyes locked onto each other, neither wanting to back down as they had their arms raised in a guard. While they were busy fighting however, the door leading to the room opened and a member walked in, having heard the sounds coming from the cage.

    “Goddammit Anne, you forgot to lock the door.” Khita groaned as he threw a glance at the member.

    Her distraction proved costly as Anne wasted no time in delivering a sudden sucker punch to the jaw which threw the smaller woman to the mat. Before she could get up, the sheep infected grabbed her legs and crossed them in a way to make them resemble the number four as she dropped to the canvas herself and applied a figure four leg lock. Khita groaned in pain as Anne applied pressure to her opponent’s knees and shins repeatedly before letting go. Before the woman could respond, the sheep infected grabbed the right leg with her arms and locked her legs around the left leg before forcing them into a full split. The martial artist wanted to scream from the intense pain but she held it in as she tried to come up with a way to free herself.

    “My bad, it won’t happen again.” Anne said as she did a sudden pull, nearly making Khita yelp as a shot of pain coursed through her body.

    The sheep infected let go before rolling Khita on the stomach then placed both knees on her back before grabbing the legs and neck as she rolled on her back. With her opponent now in a painful bow and arrow hold, Anne placed a ridiculous amount of strain as she pushed her knees upward, bending her victim’s body.

    “This is what happens when you show openings Khita. You’re still fresh.” the sheep infected taunted.

    Anne dropped the now panting and vulnerable woman to the canvas on her stomach before stretching. She hooked her feet around Khita’s ankles and grabbed the wrists, then rolled on her back once more as she raised the woman’s body in the air, having now caught her in a painful ceiling hold. The torturous pain continued and Khita struggled to not cry out in pain, not wanting to show any weakness as she was now a victim of Anne’s wrestling chain. Few members had managed to free themselves from this and most had already given up at this point but Khita was too stubborn to ever give in. Despite the pulling and pressure, the following pain was not enough to break her spirit.

    “Your pain tolerance isn’t too bad.” Anne said as she finally released Khita, allowing her limp and worn body to drop on the floor. “Too bad it won’t save you from this humiliation.”

    Anne walked over to one of the nearby corner posts and climbed onto it then stretched as she aimed at Khita. She bent her knees and leapt into the air before landing on top of her opponent’s back with a heavily bodyslam, making the raptor infected’s head jerk up and spit from the impact. Anne then got in a sitting position on the woman’s back and grabbed hold of her legs before abruptly pulling back, bending Khita’s body painfully as she was caught in a Boston Crab. The muscular sheep infected continued to pull back until she heard audible creaking, warning her that the back would be broken if she added more force. Knowing that the raptor infected’s body was near the breaking point, she stayed in the same position to strain her back as much as possible. Khita was nearly on the verge of crying from the pain as she had her hand balled into a fist and repeatedly hit it against the canvas.

    “Give up?”

    “N-n-no… Th-this...is nothing…”

    If this was not enough to make her tap out then nothing was, Anne thought to herself. She let go and stood up, looking down on her opponent who struggled to get back up on her feet before then grabbing the fellow Harmony member by her black hair.

    “I’ll just go ahead and put you to sleep then.”

    She pulled Khita up and held her back against Anne’s chest then wrapped her arms around the martial artist’s neck. With the raptor infected caught in a vicious chokehold, the more muscular Harmony member could not help but show a dark smile as she squeezed, forcing out gasps and wheezes as drool escaped Khita’s mouth.

    “How does does it feel to be humiliated like this? I wonder if it feels worse than the actual pain.”

    The raptor infected struggled to free herself as she flailed both arms and legs. It proved futile against Anne’s strong grip and in the end her black eyes rolled back and she went limp in the sheep infected’s grip. Seeing that the fight was now over, the bulky Harmony member hoisted Khita on her shoulder, unlocked the cage door and left without uttering a single word to the fellow member who witnessed it all.



    Khita groaned as she finally opened her eyes, moving them about to see that she was now in the infirmary. She cursed under her breath at the realization that she lost before looking at Anne, who was sitting on a chair beside her sickbed, smirking.

    “How does it feel to be completely humiliated like that?” she asked tauntingly. “Especially since a fellow member witnessed it. Now the whole of Harmony might find out that I completely destroyed you in a spar~”

    “Tch.”  Khita rolled her eyes. “The entire base believing will be believing a lie. You only won because I got distracted.”

    Anne raised a brow.

    “Hah, that’s a good one. Face it Khita, I’m way too experienced and strong for you to handle. Since I’m a generous woman however, I’ll ignore our bet since I messed up and didn’t lock the door. You better be thankful.”

    “Too experienced? Bitch please, I’m a fucking martial artist. I went to public tournaments and even underground matches so I know everything that’s needed to know about fighting. I can handle everything thrown at me you moron!”

    “Except being seen in public, that is. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been distracted.”

    “Oh yeah? Then let’s find out if that’s true. Let’s do our next spar in fucking public and I’ll show you that I’m not affected by that shit. I’ll kick your ass so hard, you’ll have to hide your face in shame for weeks.”

    The sheep infected snorted and covered her mouth with a smile.

    “Forgive me for not believing you, but you’d never be able to kick my ass that hard.”

    “Oh really?”  The raptor infected crossed her arms. “Have you forgotten the time I knocked out your teeth? You know, our first spar? The one where I tied your head to the cage wiring? The one where I used you as a living punching bag until you were a bloody, drooling mess on the canvas? I completely dominated you in that fight.”

    Anne looked away in embarrassment. She had really hoped that the woman had forgot about that event but that was definitely wishful thinking on her part considering the rival’s competitive nature. God, she could really wish she did not underestimate the martial artist’s skills back then.

    “J-just dumb luck. What about the second spar though, the one where I got serious? Kicked your ass then.”

    “Though not as much as I did.”

    There was no objecting that.

    “Okay, you know what? Fine. We’ll have our weekly spars be public from now on. The loser does whatever the winner tells them to do, no complaints.”

    Khita waved her arms dismissively.

    “Woah woah woah, not so fast! There must be taboos with this shit. No sexual favors or stuff like that, okay? There’s no knowing what kind of gay thoughts lurks in that messed up head of yours and I don’t want to find out.”

    The sheep infected let out a heavy sigh.

    “You make it sound as if I’m some disgusting perv. Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean I’ll involve that kind of stuff in our bets.”  She paused for a moment before wagging her eyebrows. “Though it is tempting.”

    A horrified expression surfaced and Khita immediately scuttled backwards, leaning her back against the far end of the bed, pointing vigorously at Anne.

    “That! That shit’s what I’m talking about! Stop that!”

    “Relax, relax. I’m just kidding.”  She then leaned forward and stroked herself on the chin with a wide grin. “Or am I~?”

    That comment rewarded her with a swift punch to the nose and the bulky woman fell off her chair with a thud. While holding her bloody nose, Anne looked up at Khita with a playful smirk.

    “Don’t worry, I’m not going to involve any sexual stuff into the bets. Well, unless you decide to do it, to which I’d reply in full~” she chuckled. “Seriously though, my bets will only involve things that’d embarrass you like no tomorrow. Heh, as if getting your ass kicked by me wasn’t enough.”

    “You’re going to regret those words, you know? Once I’m done, there won’t be any teeth left in that mouth of yours.” Khita said confidently with crossed arms. “You’ll regret challenging me to a public spar. That’s my element, bitch.”

    “Hmph, I’m not unfamiliar with fighting publicly either so don’t expect any difference.”

    Their bickering knew no end and time passed by until both were thrown out of the infirmary by an increasingly stressed Milicent. Even still they continued to bicker, throwing swears and taunts at one another as they walked down the hallway. The days following were spent on creating fliers to announce their public fight and despite various hitches, like the two starting fights with one another about the tiniest detail, the growingly bruised women finally came to an agreement mere two days before their fight. They hurriedly spread said fliers inside the Harmony base, hanging them on walls, in the training hall, cafeteria, not even the infirmary was safe, though Milicent was quick to pull them down.

    When the day finally came, Anne stretched against the ropes inside the cage, glaring at Khita standing before her. Inside the spacious room, a surprising amount of spectators had attended and when the two fighters were not looking, some had already opened a betting booth. Anne could not help but chuckle.

    “This really is no different from the competitive scene. I suppose that’ll make things even worse for as I humiliate the shit out of you.” she said with a cheeky smile on her face. “Now, about our bets. If I win, you’ll do favors like cooking, cleaning and so on for one whole day, no complaints.”

    “In that case, if I win, you’ll be my slave for two days.”

    “Oh yeah? Then you’re mine for three.”

    “Four!”

    “Five!”

    “Six!”

    “Seven, I win!”  Anne smirked. “You’ll be my slave for the entire week until our next fight then.”

    “Oh really? Not if I win. Now that we’ve agreed on our bets, let’s get this fight over with.”  She raised her fists. “I can’t wait to sit and relax while you do me favors.”

    The younger Harmony member went on the offense, gaining on Anne as she threw repeated jabs aimed for the chest and face. The sheep infected wasted no time blocking and deflecting the fists with her arms, making it seem like it took no effort whatsoever. Spotting what she thought was an opening, the sheep infected threw a kick aimed for Khita’s ribs, only for the raptor infected to block it with her right elbow. Blows flew from both sides, none connecting as the two were on the exact same page. Even though neither had even shifted into their symbiotic forms, their fight gave off a powerful aura which clearly demonstrated how strong the two really were. As they witnessed this fight, the crowd cheered and whistled at the fighters in excitement.

    Standing near the front row of spectators, Emmett calmly stared at the two curiously with crossed arms, taking note of their movement in the hopes of possibly learning a thing or two. As he observed, he heard sounds from behind and almost fell on his side when a powerful force bumped into his shoulder. Holding a large bag bigger than her head, Lavinia cruised casually past the crowd, munching on popcorn as she looked at the event unfolding in front of her very eyes.

    “Hey, you two started before I got here you fucktards! Okay, here’s some quick Lavvy rules for ya! One, have a clean fucking fight, no cheap shots! Two, there is only one rule!”

    Anne and Khita paused for a moment once they heard their leader’s booming voice before resuming. Fists, legs and knees were flying in every direction as the two clashed, blocking every move until the sheep infected suddenly slid her foot forward and bumped it into Khita’s ankle. With the raptor infected’s footwork disrupted, the bulkier woman stepped forward and dug a fist into the younger Harmony member’s ribs. She gasped from the blow and tried to recover but was too slow as Anne swiftly followed up with a punch to the mouth.

    The former professional martial artist stumbled back and fell on her behind before glaring at Anne. She spat a loose tooth at the sheep infected as she charged forward and quickly got up on her feet then thrust a knee into the opponent’s stomach. The sharp blow pressed against Anne’s thick abdominal muscles and as she spat, Khita rocked her head sideways with a firmly placed hook to the jaw. While the mammal staggered backwards in a daze, the raptor infected started pressuring, swinging punch after punch at the grown woman until she was pushed against the turnbuckle at the very corner of their stage. It was only a matter of time until the sheep’s guard would break, Khita thought.

    “You fucking bitch! You went straight for my teeth just to taunt me didn’t you?!”

    “Yeah! You got this Khita! Beat her to a pulp!”

    Standing at the very edge of the cage, Ivan jumped up and down in excitement. Seeing a fellow raptor and friend have the upper hand against Anne in a fight filled him with adrenaline. It was not until Keira placed her hands on his shoulders that he finally stopped jumping, though the amazed look in his eyes did not falter.

    “Ivan, don’t encourage her.”  She glared at him, then stared at the two fighters. “I hope those two won’t go overboard with this.”

    “Oh fuck you Keira, there’s nothing wrong with some harsh violence every now and then. You could learn a thing or two here.”

    “Lavvy!”

    “I don’t mind this one bit, personally.” Ivan said with a smile. “Especially when it’s Khita doing it. She’s just so badass and cool! And she’s a raptor too~”

    As she heard the compliments, a light blush emerged on Khita’s cheeks and her wailing blows slowed down for a brief moment. This proved to be enough for Anne who then kicked off the turnbuckle and tackled the raptor infected to the ground, pinning the woman’s arms down. Now straddled on top of her opponent, the sheep infected cracked her knuckles then brought her fist down. Khita’s head rocked back and forth, unable to defend herself as the mammal infected let it rain on her face, showing no signs of stopping. Knowing there was no other way, she immediately shifted into her symbiotic form and, with her enhanced strength, threw Anne off of her. While the sheep infected was pushed into the ropes, the raptor infected leapt up on her feet and drove a fist into her stomach. Anne’s eyes shot open and her cheeks puffed up as she was forced against the stretchy ropes, not given enough time to enter symbiote herself. Khita then reeled her arm back and decked the sheep infected with a blow strong enough to knock out several teeth which clattered on the canvas in a bloody mess.

    “I’ll turn you into paste, little lamb!”

    Bruised and dazed, Anne had enough. She shifted into her own symbiotic form and forcefully pushed the smaller opponent away to take a breather, moving her tongue along the gums. That one punch just then had knocked out four teeth in total. She frowned and cursed under her breath for being too slow to react before glaring at Khita. With the two in their symbiote forms, this spar had just turned into a full-blown fight between the rivals and knowing the raptor infected, she would not back down unless knocked out. This had just turned into a knockout match without rules. The sheep infected cracked her knuckles.

    “You’re awfully cocky, looking down on a superior like that. Compared to me, a longstanding Harmony member, you’re just a little kid trying to look cool in front of their parent.” she taunted, wiping her bloody mouth. “Everyone here knows it as well. I’m one of the strongest members the Harmony got, not counting the veterans, generals and Lavvy of course. Isn’t that right, everyone?!”

    Lavinia’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Anne. All that boasting reminded her way too much about Hadrea.

    “Getting high on ourselves, are we?” she muttered to herself.

    Cheers could be heard from a fair number of spectators who then began to chant her name. While it was far from the whole crowd, their sheer volume was enough to make it seem like the entire room was cheering for the sheep infected. With the taunting and the loud chanting clouding her mind, Khita grew frustrated, hissing at her foe before charging forward. With her hot temper, the raptor infected had just fallen into Anne’s pace. Just as she threw a punch, the older infected knocked her prosthetic arm against Khita’s wrist, deflecting the blow with relative ease. Now that her rival was carried forward by the momentum, Anne jerked her left fist back then immediately shot it forward, burrowing it deep into the poor raptor infected’s stomach at full force. Her feet were lifted eight inches in the air as the punch lifted her upwards, drool and spit leaving her mouth as she landed on her knees. With wide eyes and her mouth drooling, Khita clutched her stomach as she wheezed.

    “Khita! Stand up! You got this!” Ivan yelled, slapping both hands against the edge of the cage. “Don’t listen to her, you can still win!”

    With her breath almost gone from the punch, Khita struggled to stay focused as Anne grabbed hold of her hair and flung the woman into the corner post. As she hung with her arms on the ropes, Anne loomed in front of the raptor and stepped on her feet, then grabbed a firm hold of Khita’s wrists. The sheep infected then proceeded to force both arms against her opponent’s back, holding both in a tight grip with her prosthetic. Once done, Anne leaned in against the raptor.

    “Remember when you said you’d turn me into paste?” she asked, showing a snarky smile as she jabbed Khita’s face. “Well, looks like I’ll be the one turning you into paste.”

    While the raptor infected was dazed and restrained, Anne began to hammer blow after blow into Khita’s gut, showing no signs of stopping as she worked the woman over. It did not take long until the victim was coughing up blood and bile from the repeated punches but she showed no signs of giving up. Hearing Ivan’s constant cheering made a fire burn inside and she finally had enough of the torture. She let out a loud yell and forced her foot back from beneath Anne’s hoof then without a second’s notice kicked the sheep infected between the legs. A collective “oooooh” echoed in the room as everyone winced at the sight, empathizing with the pain Anne felt as she crumpled to the canvas in a fetal position.

    “I hope...you’re...ready...for...public...humiliation…” Khita panted, slowly walking over to the suffering woman before grabbing a hold of the horns. “You…one of...the strongest…? Don’t...make me...laugh… You’re...complete...garbage…”

    With a weak smile, she lifted the woman’s head by the horns and thrusted a knee into her face. A loud crack followed as the impact broke Anne’s nose and a couple more teeth as the sheep was thrown into a massive daze. With the older opponent’s skull rattled, Khita dragged the body back to the turnbuckle and began tying the long brown hair against the cage wiring, knitting it tightly.

    “Remember...this…? This...is how...I wasted you...on our...first...spar…”

    Before Anne could do a thing, Khita grabbed hold of the sheep infected’s throat and pushed her against the corner as she worked the woman over with rapid knee strikes to the stomach. While she was stunned and coughed from the many blows, the professional martial artist threw a barrage of punches going for the face. Anne’s head rocked back and forth with blood, spit and fractured teeth flying in every direction. The spectators closest to the scene backed away to not be hit while Keira frowned in disgust.

    “This is way too much, someone should stop this fight. It’s clear who won now, even though it was through cheating...”

    “Oh shut your trap, will ya? It’s not over until it’s over. Besides, stopping those two in the middle of their fight when they’re so into it would just be disrespectful to them both..”  Lavvy then smirked. “They were nice enough to let us witness this fight to begin with, though the foul play disgusts me. She’s gonna get some extra harsh training lessons after this.”

    Khita could not help but frown as she kept punching. No matter how much she hit, Anne kept standing and it did not look like she would go down anytime soon. Frustrated, she reeled her fist back with the intention of knocking her lights out. Just as she was about to throw it forward however, the raptor infected’s head rocked upwards and she was thrown upward as Anne’s hoof connected with her chin from below. That movement just then had bought the sheep infected just enough time to perform a high kick and Khita cursed under her breath as she hit the canvas hard. Not wanting to waste any time, Anne grabbed her hair and began to pull at it, ripping it off the cage wiring with a whine.

    “Don’t...take...me...so...lightly…” she groaned, blood spilling out of her mouth for every word she uttered.

    “Why not…? You can barely...stand…” Khita retorted as she pushed herself up. “Especially...after that...kick...of mine…”

    “Sh-shut up…”

    Anne stepped forward and threw a punch, only for Khita to take it with her forehead before responding with a kick to the ribs. The sheep grunted but drove a fist into the Utahraptor’s stomach, to which she replied with a solid hook to the jaw. While their movement had been slowed substantially, there were clearly more fight in the two as they fought, trading blows like nothing had ever happened.

    Amidst the crowd, Akhet could not help but look at the two with great interest. He had studied their movements and now he was unable to even look away. It was a great show of skill from both and it proved to be greatly entertaining, not only for but for everyone else as well. Despite the large gap in rank, they were nearly evenly matched, a fact that amazed the onlookers. The feathered raptor infected could not help but smile; he had learned quite a few things from watching the spar.

    As the fight went on, Ivan crossed his arms and pouted, which gained Keira’s attention.

    “Where did your excitement go? Weren’t you excited about Khita’s fight?” the general asked with a raised brow.

    “She cheated.” the teen replied with a huff. “I thought she was above that kind of thing.”

    The canine general placed a hand on his shoulder with a sigh. He was right. The spar had gone too far for her tastes and she could see from the corner of her eyes that Lavinia was visibly annoyed by the moves Khita pulled.

    “Considering the bet they made, she probably wants to do anything in order to win. Even cheap shots. Don’t worry Ivan, she’ll hear from us once this is over. From the looks of it, the fight is nearing its end anyway.”

    The raptor teen looked at his older cousin before returning his attention to the fight, not sure what to say as he watched the two rivals fight.

    It was then it happened.

    Just as Anne reached her prosthetic out to grab Khita, the raptor instinctively snapped her leg upwards, delivering a clean blow near the base of the sheep infected’s shoulder. A crack could be heard as the metal frame shattered from the impact and was knocked backwards, tearing at the many red and green wires until they were all ripped apart. When the fake limb hit the canvas limply, both Anne and Khita stared at it in shock while the crowd gasped, surprised that the raptor was capable of such power. To the sheep infected, the only explanation was that her opponent had hit at a precise point with perfect pressure and angle. She stepped back uncertainly, no longer sure what to do now that her prosthetic was gone. Khita saw this and stepped forward, trying to push back her shocked state.

    “Oh...? What’s with...that look?” she asked, slowly forcing a dark smile.

    A chill ran down Anne’s back as she backpedaled, unknowingly nearing the ropes as she did.

    “Where did...your confidence...go? Weren’t you...going...to beat me?”  Khita ran towards Anne.

    The sheep infected gritted her teeth and threw a desperate punch but the raptor ducked below. With renewed vigor, she responded in kind with a punch of her own that sent Anne rocketing into the ropes before she was then bounced back, only for Khita to plow a knee into the chest. The older Harmony member let out a gasp and leaned against her opponent, panting and wheezing while Khita rewarded her with repeated punches to the stomach.

    “You got easy...really fast… I can’t believe...I struggled...against...a piece of shit...like you.”  Her smile dropped and she started glaring. “It’ll be fun...getting...a personal slave… But first...”

    She pushed her opponent into the ropes, letting her hang on to it with her one arm as she began doing light hops on the floor with both fists raised. Intending to humiliate Anne in front of the audience, Khita proceeded to lightly jab at the sheep infected’s face, letting her head bob weakly back and forth. As she was toyed with by the Utahraptor, things began to boil within the older member. Khita had become way too cocky, thinking that the fight was won by something as simple as detaching her prosthetic.

    “You’re so pathetic… Though I must admit...that this is fun…” Khita taunted before stopping the jabs. “Now that…I’ve worked you over… It’s time...to end you.”

    The Utahraptor infected stepped back all the way to the other side of the ring, her chest heaving as she began to stabilize her breathing. Aiming all of her force into the legs, she kicked off the ground and charged forward before leaping up in the air with her lower body pointed at Anne, aiming to drop kick the woman’s face. The sheep infected then suddenly moved to the side, hanging on to the rope as Khita slammed both feet against the cage wiring. Noticing that the woman’s talons were stuck which left her hanging from the wall upside down, Anne glared.

    “End...me…? That’s...funny…”

    With a condescending look on her face, Anne stepped her prosthetic foot against Khita’s face and began rubbing, eager to return the humiliation. She stared at the opponent’s bruised stomach and a dark glint shone in her silver eyes. The sheep infected reached her arm back and, while Khita flailed about in an attempt to free herself, plowed her fist deeply into the raptor’s stomach. The prehistoric infected’s sight became blurry as she fought the urge to throw up from the blow but became puzzled as she felt Anne releasing her legs.

    “Time...for you...to be...worked...over…” she said, holding the raptor up by the legs. “I’ll...pay you...back...in kind…”

    Anne dragged her weakened opponent across the floor then threw her into the corner. Before she could act, Khita recieved a solid kick to the head which threw her into a daze. Once she finally regained her senses, the raptor found herself restrained, her arms and legs tied against the ropes.

    “Ready...for...your...beatdown…?”

    “N-nngh...shit…”  She began to move, trying to free herself in desperation. “Fuck...no…”

    “Wrong answer…”

    Anne then proceeded to deliver several kicks to Khita’s face, chest and ribs while she was suspended by the ropes, making the Utahraptor bounce up and down from the raining blows. Once the opponent was substantially bruised up, she showed a slight smile and raised her fist. In a form of cruel karma, Anne began to playfully jab at the raptor’s face while she was restrained, throwing her in a groggy state as she was slowly losing consciousness. Chuckling, the sheep infected grabbed her chin and leaned forward.

    “How...does it...feel...being...toyed...with…?” she asked, panting.

    All Anne got in response was Khita spitting a piece of blood on her face.

    “So...you won’t...give up… Right.”  She wiped the blood and sighed.

    Stepping back, the sheep infected raised her left leg, keeping the knee close to her chest as she took aim. While the raptor infected was still weakly trying to remove her limbs to continue the fight, Anne shot her leg forward and plunged a hoof into Khita’s abdomen. A mix of blood and bile left her mouth as the older infected twisted said hoof against her skin until she finally pulled back. Knowing the raptor would offer no more resistance, Anne pulled Khita out of the ropes and led the woman to the center with her arm leaning on the sheep infected’s shoulder.

    “Looks like we got a winner!” Anne yelled, raising her fist in the air for everyone to see as Khita drooled beside her. “Since she can’t offer any resistance, I’m not going to knock her out, so this is my win!”

    Although the cheers were less due to the violent nature of the spar, it was still enough for Anne to revel in it. Having beaten and humiliated her rival in front of so many people was incredibly satisfying.

    So satisfying in fact, that she completely forgot to keep her eye on said rival. Before the sheep infected knew it, a hand quickly stretched out and grabbed hold of her horn. Her head was jerked down and a sudden knee to the mouth followed, shattering a majority of the teeth left in her mouth. With a loud whine of pain Anne staggered backwards while the raptor infected slammed a knee into her chin, fracturing her jaw in the process. With the muscular woman off balance, the Utahraptor shot her leg up aiming for the neck. Acting in pure desperation, Anne mirrored the move.

    The crowd looked at the scene dumbfounded at the sight that met them. In the very center of the ring, both kicks had hit their mark and the two rivals slumped to the canvas, drooling blood and saliva as they twitched.

    It had ended in a draw.

    “Aaaaand Anne fucked up. Big whoop.” Lavvy said and heaved her arms in frustration. “She’s way too showy for her own good. Now...“  She cracked her knuckles. “I need to show her what I think of her little monologue back then…”

    “Crapcrapcrap, I’m late!”

    The tiny figure of Milicent desperately pushed through the crowd as she made her way over to the cage. Holding a key in her hand, she began to fumble as she tried to unlock the cage door.

    “I knew this wasn’t a good idea. Those two always take it too far…”

    She finally unlocked the door and entered. She grabbed hold of Anne and began to slowly carry her out. The very moment she left the cage however, Lavinia came from above and hit Anne’s unconscious body with a drop kick.

    “That’s what you get for being so fucking boastful! Both you and Khita will be having super harsh punishment training for an entire week for all this shit you pulled!”

    Unfortunately for the leader, the very same drop kick knocked the nurse over and she fell backwards with a yelp before hitting the back of her head against the edge of the ring, knocking her out cold. Lavinia looked at the unconscious woman and a chill ran down her spine upon realizing what she had just done.

    “Fuck…”

    Loud rumbling was heard in the distance and the wolf infected hurriedly bent over Milicent and tried her best to wake her up. Holding a tight grip on the nurse’s shoulders, she began to violently shake the woman, turning her into a ragdoll in the process. Before she could do any more harm, Keira quickly held her arms around the muscular woman to make her stop.

    “Lavvy, you’re hurting her even more!”

    The leader stopped for a moment before looking down.

    “I just thought...violence was the solution.”

    The walls suddenly burst and a large hulking dinosaur infected charged in, his eyes glowing brightly in fury.

    “Did someone hurt Mint?!” Cabal roared.

    His gaze then locked onto Lavinia and the unconscious Milicent in her arms before narrowing his eyes. The leader quickly dropped the nurse into Keira’s arms and pointed at the young general, faking innocence.

    “Lavvy! Don't mix me up in this!”  She looked at the large behemoth of a man and fought the chills that were descending her spine. “Look, Cabal, it was just an accident. Lavvy didn’t mean to-”

    Most of the spectators had already left the scene, fearing what to come while those staying behind were the ones who decided to carry the two unconscious fighters to safety. While the two were carried to a safe distance, Cabal charged forth and the Harmony leader shifted into her symbiote form, cursing under her breath.

    “Just my fucking luck…” she groaned.

    The two clashed and what followed was a fight of utter destruction. During the three hours that it lasted, the cage room was ground to dust and four neighbouring rooms suffered the very same fate. Following that, both Anne and Khita suffered intense punishment training for their actions and behavior during the spar.

    Anne liked it.

    In the following weeks, Anne then received a permit to build another cage room, this time combining the five destroyed rooms into one. With the ring in the center and rows of tribunes where the two rooms on each side were situated, the scene of their future spars were now of a much greater scale. In the following weeks before their mission started, the two rivals resumed their public spars which grew in popularity as time passed by.


    Their current score? Anne: three, Khita: two, Draws: two