Chapter 5: Waves
Storm clouds started to gather above the already gray skies.
The slaves watched on.
Zan would not go down without a fight, whether if it was for his life or simply because it was not his temperament.
The bald man watched on, the band of youths and the beautiful girl too.
Hidden in the crowd however, a skinny boy with blonde hair weeped and sobbed, gasping for air every few moments as he saw Zan struggling for his life.
The unyielding boy’s ruined and ravaged back was small but seemed so great and massive. That did not take away however, from the gruesome torn muscles that unweaved and the fresh spewing blood that ran crimson rivers out of his back. It was a horrid and repelling thing to see, but the onlookers could not turn away from the grisly macabre sight.
A few showed great respect and admiration, though most looked at the boy in thoughtless sorrow and horror.
Some others thought he was a goddamn fool. For what do you stand tall for? Why do you insist on raising your head to the sky? It was easier to keep your head down and go without the stinging and burning pain of the whip on your skin, without the pummeling punishment of your body to the slavers and your fellow slaves.
Cole thought this too, he hated himself for his cowardice everyday, and at this very moment.
Perhaps if he kept his mouth shut through the beating, Zan would not be an inch so close to death.
Zan did not think about these things. A light drizzle started as the twenty slaves gathered enough courage to lunge at him, intending to make it quick.
Their plans took a turn however, for the boy was a genius at fighting.
Dodging multiple blows, directing their strikes at each other, and counter-attacking with devastating efficiency, they withered the boy but the youth smashed them.
The men seemed to not be too dumb as they surrounded the shifty boy, intending to grapple him and prevent him from striking anymore.
However, the boy seemed to find the most miniscule of gaps in their formation at the most opportune time, just barely escaping their attempts to lock him in their clutches.
The struggle had already started. One boy against twenty men. They fought on and on as bodies hit the floor, one after another.
Despite his talent, Zan would not last for much longer. His energy started waning and it was already a miracle for him to have lasted such an amount of time.
Twelve bodies had already hit the dry cracked ground, a testament to the monster before them. At this point the crowd looked at the boy as if he was inhuman.
Though as he took men out of the fight, he took more and more blows, and soon he would be one of those bodies.
On pure power of will he resisted the urge to simply fall over.
A punch hit him in the gut, then a kick to his left thigh, before a driving blow hit him to his left cheek. Zan swung a powerful right hook in return, shifting his body again with destructive flowing efficiency. The man’s head closest to him swung back, the crackling of bones could be heard as he fell unconscious.
Zan’s right fist shattered too, one could only punch bone for so long until his own broke. His hand fell limply to the side as he felt a fist hammer into his back. Zan winced in pain but the pain did not stop. A blow to the liver, his chest, another to his back once again, and then to his right cheek.
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Zan swung his head to the left as soon as the impact hit, softening the blow before he grabbed at the man’s head, and struck it with his own.
Bleeding from his forehead, he stumbled to the ground as the man fell unconscious.
Another came at the fearless boy, intending to kick him while he was down, but Zan dodged the kick and delivered one of his own to the man’s groin. The man grabbed at his crotch and the bloodied boy shifted upwards as he delivered a swift left punch to the solar plexus.
WHOOSH! SWOOSH!
The wind stirred like a miniscule storm, Zan spun, twisting to the right as he lightly hopped off his left foot.
The red flash whipped his right leg and at the same time, blue lightning struck from the heavens. Thunder roared as Zan finished the spinning wheel kick onto the man’s face. The man’s brain smushed inside his head before losing all function and slumping to the ground.
Zan’s right heel broke. His workout and diet meal plan simply did not construct strong enough bones for his devastating strikes. The broken boy fell to the ground as rain fell like oceans from the skies. The five men remaining sprinted at him in agitated desperation, they fell on the limp bodies, slipped on the blood and rain, before reaching the boy and wailing on him. The men battered him, fear showing in the assaulters’ eyes as opposed to the sufferer. They hoped and prayed he would not get back up. The men started to focus more on the boy’s back hoping he would fall unconscious from the pain.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!!!”
Nel shouted as he brandished his whip.
The crackle of the leather snake snapped the men out of their panic episode. Rain continued to fall, precipitating the scene with dark and moody undertones while threatening to drown the very sinners.
The crowd watched on. Before they knew it, more slaves and slavers had come, but it was not just them. The commotion brought even the merchant traders, common workers and visiting nobles to the scene.
All had their eyes plastered to the stage. Cole, the bald man, the youths and the beautiful girl, they watched Zan as he fought rebelliously against the twenty men. Their emotions rising and falling as the boy dropped body after body, and in turn taking a thrashing and pounding, all for the sake of his mad proving. His mad proving to show…nothing. He simply did not want to be obedient.
“He fights for freedom, honor, and pride.”
“He fights for ego and vanity.”
“He fights for nothing. The animal probably doesn’t even know why, himself.”
The youths discussed. Their princess, keeping silent.
In the end…they saw as the boy fell. The remaining men swarming at him like mad crows and beating him further into supposed submission. Cole fell on his knees crying, the bald man kept a stoic expression but his eyes betrayed his intent to hide any and all emotion. The band of youths shared looks of mockery, sorrow, gloom, displeasure and indignation. The youth that confronted Zan, clenching his fists, and shaking from rage and discontent. The thousands of slaves that saw the scene, reacting the same as the band of youths.
Their reignited spirits were drowned out by the slavers, their own fellow slaves, and the rain.
The beautiful girl, once again, held an unreadable look.
Thunder boomed in the skies once again as the torrential rain became relentless. They saw the bruised and bloodied boy raise his head at the crying sky, he was not able to lift anything else.
Delon, that scum, walked up to Zan, grabbing his wet hair, he pushed the boy’s head down towards the mud and dirt.
He smiled in joy and malice,
“This is your view. Bend or break, slave.”
The red haired rebellious youth forced his head up, looking at the slaver with cold resolution. Zan’s trembling body shook as he slowly raised his shattered bloody fist to the man.
The bald man's eyes turned wide.
Zan’s body vibrated, and his left heel spun on the Earth from his collapsed position. He snaked the energy to his right fist, before punching at the man in spiteful fashion.
The fist inches away from Delon suddenly moved like a wild animal pouncing on its prey, like a stone dragon coming to life. The sudden shift surprised Delon, before the fist remodeled his nose, free of charge.
“Mmmph!”
Delon let out a pathetic whimper as he held his crooked bleeding nose, before turning to Zan in furious rage.
The slaver kicked the poor boy over and over until he saw the little shit’s head fall to the ground, to which he continued to lay waste upon him until CRACK!
He felt the boy’s ribs break.
Nel pushed the slaver over as he rushed to the destroyed boy, looking at him in truly pitiful fashion. He carried the demolished bag of muscle and bone in his arms, then rushed off.
“Nel!”
Delon shouted, but Nel ignored him.
“Make way! I said, make way!”
Nel dove into the crowd consisting of slaves, slavers, common workers, merchant traders and nobles. The kind man pushed and shoved anyone and everyone who served to delay him.
Everyone saw as he carried the polarizing star, and their source of entertainment, further and further away until he disappeared into the sea of bystanders.
Mother nature spoke as silence descended upon her children. Storming winds and engulfing rain oddly placated the scene, but the waves that stirred tumultuously within the hearts of many were impossible to pacify.
A bright flash and crashing thunder snapped the crowd back to their senses. Slowly, they started to collect themselves and remember what it was they had to do that day.
Though, one look at the skies and their surroundings decided against that.
In Redrock Canyons it never rained, yet when it did it was like the skies wanted to drown the Earth.
The crowd dispersed, changing their plans for the day, they each went on their own merry endeavor.
Shortly after exiting their caves, the slaves would go right back in and hope it did not flood. Unfortunately on days like this they were not given lunch because they did not work…But it did not matter, there were thoughts and emotions stirring within that they had to digest.
Under the cover of rain and cloud, the sun went to its slumber. Darkness loomed as shadows conquered the light, and the slaves looked up to see a moonless sky.