It was going to be a special day. At least that is what Penelope was told. The young 13 year old didn’t know why but apparently some people were beginning to get a little bored with the matches that were going on lately. They all seemed so one sided. Only the mutant versus mutant fights were drawing any attention and there seems to have been a lull in those lately. Therefore, Mr. Bug (that is what Penelope called the large Roach), decided that he would give the audience what they wanted.

Penelope stood at the gates, waiting for them to part open as she tried not to think about the fight ahead. She really didn’t like going out into that arena because it usually meant that it was time for Mrs. Tickle to come out. But she knew that if she didn’t do so, she would die. And despite the world being in its current state, she didn’t want to die.

The young girl nibbled on the bottom of her lip in thought. She knew that she, or rather Jezebel, was supposed to be fighting another mutant today. But she had no idea who it was. She just wanted it to be over so that she could go back to her room and player with the remains of some stuffed toys that were brought to her.

Standing there, in the darkness of the corridor, Penelope peeked out through the gate, eyeing the blazing white hot light that lit up the arena. She could still smell (and taste) that metallic crimson blood that was strewn all about the pit, shed for the enjoyment of others. It was not a game that Penelope really understood but considering that she had nowhere to go and no one to care about, what was the point in leaving. The world was demonically cruel place and the young girl didn’t want to face it by herself.

Nor did she want to face it with Jezebel.

“YEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

The roar of the crowd--it thundered in young Penelope’s ears. Wearing only a the tattered remains of a skirt, the rest of the young girl’s outfit consisted of makeshift armor that was comprised of scrap metal and automotive parts. It was obvious that the armor was much too big for the girl, but it really was not intended for her. It was instead meant for someone far larger and who would look far more terrifying in it.

Creeeeeeeeeak![/b]

The gates opened and thunderous applause met her. Penelope felt her heart immediately start racing, but she had to hold back the shift. Mr. Bug said it would add…what was the word he used?...pizza? Pizazz! She didn’t know what that word meant, but she would comply with his wishes. After all…who else take care of her?

She took a breath, squared her shoulders and marched out into the blinding light of the arena, leaving footprints in the sand and blood…

Elke hated days like these... Absolutely haaated them.

She'd spent the last year and a half here, in the Pit. Every day was the same thing, pump out come duplicates and send them to their doom in a fight to the death with some other poor shmuck. Those days were painful, of course, as she felt every punch, kick, stab, and bullet wound as if it had been landed upon her own body. Muted pain, yes... but pain all the same. A constant ache until every twin was dead, and then she was allowed to watch. Maybe she'd grown lazy at some point, too content to sit around and toss her clones out at Roaches beck and call. Maybe that was why he'd started throwing her in with the clones.

Days like these, when she was expected to fight for her life with the others, were particularly horrible. She always got her ass handed to her, before she was ultimately dragged out of the ring. Because that great big bug couldn't very well lose his source of Elke snacks, now could he?

She shuddered despite herself, and gripped her bow all the harder. She didn't know who it was they had placed her against, but she had been allowed some weapons. Her bow, a bag of small rocks and a sling, as well as her knife. This was a first for her to have been given enough weaponry to actually protect herself... and she was honestly a little bit worried. The feeling of hardened leather and rubber armor didn't help to squash the apprehension, either.

The gates groaned as they slowly opened before her, and the native tried to brace herself for what was to come. With a deep breath, she marched out. The roaring of the crowd wasn't new to her ears. She'd heard it many, many times before. The barks of laughter that followed when people realized it was her, also weren't new. By now they knew she was fodder, meant to break up any stagnant air between the other fights.

What greeted her eyes, however, was not the beast or monster her mind had conjured. It.... was a little girl? She glanced around as she approached, wondering where the real threat was hidden.... but she couldn't see any one else. Her eyes were then drawn to the seat that Roach usually occupied, and she was sure the surprised, slightly insulted look on her face would earn a few giggles from him.

With a frown, she turned her gaze finally to her opponent. A slip of a girl who didn't even fit into her armor... Really, whoever set this fight up had been sick. The feel of the knife at her side and the bow in her hands was suddenly stomach turning, since it was probably fully expected to use them. Against a child...

"...I'm sorry..." She muttered, unsure of what to say in such a situation. "...I... I'll try to make this quick, alright?" She found herself absently wondering if the girl was just as frightened as she had been, the first time she'd been thrown into the ring.

Penelope squinted against the light that shown up above. For whatever reason, she always felt like the sun was hotter, brighter, when inside of the arena. Right now, though, her mind was taken away from such thoughts when she turned to look ahead; the sounds of giggling and “Ooo”-ing had taken her out of her musings. She prepared herself for whatever it was that Jezebel was about to face. Monsters, men, mutants, Jezebel had faced them all and won. Today would not be any different.

It was then that her eyes fell upon teenager dressed in leather and rubber. Instantly she recognized the face, that of a young girl she had seen around the pit before. Penelope had watched fights from hiding and had seen three or four of these girls, all looking exactly the same, come marching out to meet their doom. Was that what was going to happen now?

No…she was too heavy armed. Bow and arrow, armor, bags of surprises, no, this had to be the REAL girl and not just some clone that would dissolve. Penelope instantly felt a pang of guilt. She was supposed to kill her? Jezebel was actually supposed to end this young girl’s life?

They marched on until they stopped a little ways from one another. Penelope let her big, brown eyes settle on the girl as she peered at her closely. This was so not a fair fight, especially not for the little cloner. Penelope frowned, not liking this situation at all; especially not when she looked to the right and spotted the makeshift trident that had been pushed into the dirt, specifically where she was supposed to stop. The damn thing was easily twice her height.

That was Jezebel’s favorite weapon to use in the pit.

>> "...I'm sorry...I... I'll try to make this quick, alright?"[/color]

Penelope blinked in confusion as she looked up into the stands and spotted Mr. Bug. Why was he giggling? He could be so mean sometimes. Her frown deepening a bit at the young woman’s words, she raised her gaze to face her, slowly shaking her head.

“No, you don’t understand,” she tried to plead. “You need to stay away from me.”

Her heart thundered in her chest, audible to anyone who was too close. It may have sounded like she was trying to convince someone to be scared of her just so that she could win, but that was obviously not her intent. Instead, she nibbled on her bottom lip in thought, trying to wrack her brain to think of something to say or do so that she, or rather Jezebel, didn’t have to kill this girl.

“Please, just give up,” she said nodding her head. “Just don’t fight! Take the loss. Please?”

Meanwhile, in the back of her head, already she could feel that pressure, that echoing and malicious laughter. Mrs. Tickle wanted to play…

“No, you don’t understand, You need to stay away from me.”

The fifteen year old quirked an eyebrow, but remained silent. Maybe there were stings attached to this fight, or something... and the moment she moved to touch the girl armed bad guys would leap in from out of nowhere and hand her her own derriere.

“Please, just give up, Just don’t fight! Take the loss. Please?”

Before everything had gone to hell, she would have instantly assumed the girl was trying to get a leg up on her. Throw the fight, there by making herself look better in the eyes of the crowd. Old Elke would have politely told her to shove it, and started a brawl. New Elke, however, had been in those shoes before. She'd once thrown a fight against a very scary man... all it had resulted in was her getting the snot beaten out of her, and then getting punished later for insubordination.

But... she really didn't want to beat up a little girl. She liked to think that all things aside, she still had at least one shred of humanity left inside. After a beat, she smiled and nodded silently. "Alright... I'll submit. You win." She was sure that there would be terrible repercussions later for what she was about to do.. but she was willing to deal with them. A little pain now was well worth not having to taint her soul in the long run by going through with such a fight.

"I-" She started, tossing her bow to the ground, "-GIVE UP!" She smiled at the girl, thinking herself a hero, before sticking her nose in the air and turning her back too stomp out of the arena.

Eyes wide, big and brown, she pleaded with everything she had. She could already feel Jezebel pushing against the boundaries of her mind but hopefully, if she could get through to her opponent, then they could end this without Jezebel going haywire. Obviously the only option was that the girl would have to bow out first because if Penelope did, she knew that would only anger Jezebel enough to come out. So, she prayed, she hoped that her opponent would listen to reason.

A stillness filled the air between them as they regarded one another closely. Penelope watched her, listening to the emptiness of the air as her last words hung in the air. It was only a few more moments, though, before she would finally find out if her prayers would be answered…

>> "Alright... I'll submit. You win."[/color]

The sigh that fell from her lips was filled with such relief that she wanted to collapse. She couldn’t believe that this worked! Normally her opponents scoff or try to attack her but apparently this young lady was going to listen to reason. Hallelujah!

She smiled, warmly as she nodded firmly. No blood would have to be shed today…

>> "I--GIVE UP!"[/color]

Lips stretched into a small she lowered her gaze, thankful to have one less body on Jezebel’s hands. The girl turned to walk away and Penelope turned to do the same thing. Unfortunately, the crowd did not seemed pleased with the turn of events.

“Boooooooo!!!!”

“Where’s the fighting!!!??!”[/b]

“Laaaame!!!”[/b]

“Blooodd!!!”[/b]

Shouting and screaming erupted from the stands as people cried out that this was an injustice. Two were supposed to fight and therefore it should be done. But scream as they might, it seemed as if the two competitors were not going to give them their rewards. So, as all mobs do when things don’t go their way, they descended to their only recourse…

Debris flew through the air and straight at the pair. Rocks, glass, trash, various other items all flew into the area followed by shouts of discontent.

THUNK![/b]

“Ahhh!” Peneope winced and cringed as she felt a tiny stone that was thrown strike her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut and held the sore spot with her open palm, but god that pain just seemed to radiate everywhere! And, it didn’t do well to keep her anger in check…

There weren't enough saints to curse, seriously. Elke had gotten maybe six steps away, before those gathered to watch the fight had erupted into a lynch mob. Out of everything Elke had seen so far, she had to admit, it was a pretty terrifying sight.

Rocks, trash, and random articles of debris were suddenly raining down upon them. A glass beer bottle shattered at the Native's feet, and she danced back a few steps. Apparently, people weren't so willing to let her bow out of a fight today, and she honestly wasn't sure if it was because they were simply that bloodthirsty, or if it was because of her track record in fights. Maybe people got their kicks out of seeing jerks sweep the floor with her?

The sounds of pain from behind her prompted Elke into action. "You want blood you @#^$* gargling m*%#$@&ers? I'll give you blood..." The sling was fished out from her back pocket, and just as quickly a smooth stone was snatched from the bag at her hip. In one swift motion her weapon was loaded and she was swinging it wildly over head. The sound of the cloth snapping when she let her rocky ammunition loose was barely audible over the roar of the outrages crowd, but she heard the faint cry of pain when it struck a target solidly.

Unfortunately, if didn't help to quash the rain of projectiles. It only made things worse, riling the mob to greater extremes. Someone managed to dislodge a chair, and with help it was thrown into the area. It crashed behind Elke, between her and the other girl, and the Native backed up again. Her foot bumped into her bow, and she quickly bent to retrieve it.

Her own temper was growing, even as she was oblivious to the other fighters plight. With a deep scowl on her lips her bow lifted, an arrow already nocked and ready, and pointed the deadly four pronged head up into the seating. With a soft thwack the arrow was let loose, sailing off into the crowd in the blink an eye. A moment later a man's body tipped over the edge and fell into the arena. Elke watched him fall, a satisfied smirk on her lips, before turning to face the other girl. She'd neglected to make sure she was alright, after hearing her cry out in pain.

"Hey! You alright back there?" Another bottle of something landed just before her, spraying some dark liquid onto her legs. The fifteen year old cursed, and moved to nock another arrow.

Penelope could hear the mayhem that was occurring around her. She didn’t catch onto the fact that her opponent was on the attack or that people in the stands were completely losing their cool and wanted to rip the combatants apart. Instead all she could feel was pain echoing on the side of her head and that dark, maniacal laughter echoing from the depths of her psyche. She knew that she was losing her hold on Jezebel, and the cheers and jeers of the gathered crowd was simply not helping.

Teeth ground, eyes closed, Penelope visibly struggled to maintain her hold on Jezebel but with every passing second it was slipping away. The sounds of shattered glass and debris all around her, the smell of blood in the air, the general feeling of anger and bloodlust only made her control wane all that much more…

Arrrgh!! Let me out, Penelope![/b][/color]

No!! Not again!! Not this time!!

Stupid child! You don’t have a say anymore![/b][/color]

NO!

I won’t be denied![/b][/color]

>> "Hey! You alright back there?"[/color]

Penelope blinked as her concentration was shattered. She was so focused on trying to keep Jezebel in check that the sudden voice from her opponent that startled the young teenager. She gasped, she shook, and that was all Jezebel needed to take over.

A gasp fell from Penelope’s lips as she fell onto her knees, struggling and crying, trying to hold onto her chest, then her neck, then hair, but there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it now. Small fingers clawed at the dirt as she ground her teeth, trying to distract Jezebel or herself, or anything that could just allow her to gain the smallest foothold of control back. But it was gone. In horror, Penelope felt her mind slip away as her body was hijacked by another.

The crowd witnessed all this and immediately their onslaught died down. In pleasure they cheered and Ooo’ed for what they knew was going to be coming. They had seen Penelope do this plenty of times before and it was because of that that they knew a fight was going to be breaking out soon. There was no need to jeer them on any farther.

Dots of red began to appear from every single one of Penelope’s pores. It used to be that this process took longer but in a world where speed and timing was everything in order to survive, the process had sped up. Penelope didn’t have a single chance to take another look at the world before she was completely encased in red.

Before long the crowd had shut itself into a stunned silence. From the arena, in the place where a young 13 year old once stood, now stood a seven foot tall, muscular amazon with gleaming red skin, long, raven black hair streaked with red, and glowing yellow eyes. The armor that had fit Penelope so poorly now molded perfectly to his woman’s physique. Slowly she moved onto her two feet from her kneeling position and grabbed the trident that was shoved into the dirt.

A sadistic grin crept over her face as she turned to look over her shoulder at her opponent.

“The only forfeit I take…is death!! she growled and violently ripped the trident from the ground and charged.

She got no reply, and had no time to stand around and watch the girl. The frenzied crowd was hurling everything they could. With her arrow nocked, she hoisted her bow high and took aim at one rather large fellow, someone she'd spotted tossing bottles.

'Let's see how you fare with an arrow in your face, shall we?'

Suddenly, however, the fever died down. People started cheering, throwing their arms into the air. The rain of litter gradually stopped, and then a strange hushed silence fell over the crowd. Elke felt a new wave of fear ripple through her at this odd reaction, and her grip on her weapon strengthened. Had someone called for a new competitor? God... she hoped not. Slowly, she turned to look behind her where the girl had been, and what she spotted wiped the grim frown from her face entirely.

Why was the girl doing that? Clawing at the dirt and--... what was with the odd skin color? She hadn't remembered seeing that bef-.... Oh. Ohcrap! She was some sort of shifter! That had to be it... That was why she'd been paired up against her, that was why the crowd was suddenly going cray-cray. Her weapon was instantly pointed at the girl, as she slowly changed. It was a horrifying image, one that made Elke wonder just what kind of sick pleasure Roach was getting out of this fight.

She kept the point of her arrow trained on the gir-...er... lady?... as the woman stood. The Native didn't know what was going to come of this new.. uh... development, but she was sure she wouldn't like it.

“The only forfeit I take…is death!!"

Ohgod! It was charging right at her! The native abandoned the thought of loosing an arrow into the woman's face, and turned to dash away to the left. In doing so, however, she split into two others. One twin took off quickly to the right, while the other scrambled after the original. To outside eyes it looked as if she had popped out a few clones in surprise, before the three scattered in every direction.

"Jesuschrist!" The duplicate hot on her heels started, kicking up dust in an attempt to sprint past her. "What the hell is that thing?!"

Elke ignored the question, too busy keeping one eye on where she was running, and the other on the lady's giant fork weapon. She really didn't want to be skewered on that thing like a wet noodle. "I don't know, shut up and keep running!"

As she made it to the wall, and her other, lone, twin reached the far side of the arena, Elke found herself wondering if the little girl she'd talked to before had all been a ruse. A trick to lull her into some sense of comfort. The very thought of it angered her. She turned, snatching her dagger from her belt, and passed it off to the twin beside her. Then she dashed off along the length of the wall, nocking an arrow as she ran. She needed to get to the other side, to pass off her sling to the other clone. With all three of them armed, maybe... maybe they had a sliver of a chance.

THUNK!![/b]

The trident points were driven into the ground where some a young girl had stood. Jezebel snarled a bit, angry that her favorite toy did not get to spill blood at its first attempt. But it was only a momentary irritation since she knew that it was not going to last. Before long, whether her opponent wanted to or not, she was going to die. And Jezebel was only too happy to be the one to wring the life out of any opponents that she faced.

With a snarl she pulled the trident out and spun to see that the one opponent…had turned into three. So, that was the interesting factor in this little game, was it? Jezebel knew that Mr. Bug liked to do anything to entertain his guests. It was a small wonder that he didn’t set this up a while ago.

She shrugged. Oh well, one, three, fifty, she’d kill them all simply for the pleasure of doing it. As a matter of fact…

Fiery eyes settled on a lone clone that had run off from the duo. She knew that was not the lead one, but she had no problem wasting time by slowly whittling down their numbers (in as many gruesome ways as possible).

Hefting up her trident, she spun it expertly and aimed it high like a lance. She winked an eye and smirked as the crowd waited with anticipation. Then, with held breath and a hefty throw, the trident went sailing through the air, humming like a scythe from the reaper himself. The sunlight bounced off the metal, illuminating in shades of gold and silver before finally the prongs were stained red. Blood pooled around them before falling helplessly onto the sand.

Jezebel grinned as she saw the one clone drop like a sack of heavy potatoes. With a saunter in her curvy hips, Jezebel walked up to the fallen creature and griped the shaft. As she did her, her head rose to reveal the sadistic smirk across her lips. Eyes settling on her real opponent, and the remaining clone, she laughed heartily.

“Come on you little *****!”[/b] she laughed. “You’re not giving the crowd the show they want!!”

A searing pain shot through her, and a startled cry left her lips. It wasn't like a fall, nor a fist... not even a simple knife stab. Three prongs of pain stopped her dead in her tracks, and Elke had to lean against the wall in order to stay standing. One glance toward the hulking red woman, and she spotted the reason for her pain. One twin was down... with that awful weapon pinning her to the ground.

A moment later, the duplicate expired. The pain lifted instantly, and Elke was able to move again. She instantly lifted her arms, aimed, and fired off the arrow she had nocked in the woman's direction. It was two against one now, but she still had another up her sleeve. As soon as the fletching left her fingers, she was running again. Her opponent was unmerciful, savage, and apparently foul mouthed. It was just the kind of thing the crowd loved.

Sick @^%$#...

As she ran, she kept an eye on her other twin. The girl was circling around the other side of the arena, knife out in her hand. She figured that there was a fifty fifty chance that the beast woman would go for either of them, but was hoping she'd go for the easier prey. If she turned her back and went for the duplicate, Elke would have a chance to sink a few arrows into her.

If she didn't, she could only hope that her twin was smart enough to see a chance and run for the woman. A direct attack would leave her a different type of opening.. and if she wanted to walk away from this encounter with all of her body parts intact, she needed some kind of advantage.

TWANG![/b]

Jezebel grinned as she felt the initial impact of the arrow but listened as it harmlessly bounced off the breastplate that struggled to cover her ample bosom. The arrow was well placed, she would have to admit that. If she had not been wearing the breastplate (and had been a weak human), she more than likely, would be dead with an arrow through her heart. While the knowledge of such would have shaken the resolve of anyone else, for Jezebel it only added excitement to the battle.

She grinned as gripped the trident and pulled it out from the muck and sand that had once been the clone. Tilting her head, she turned the trident so that the prongs were pointing up into the sky. Casually she leaned forward and licked the blood that had stained it. A satisfied smile on her lips, she winked at her opponent and began to stalk towards the little arrow shooter.

“There’s that piss and vinegar,”[/b] she smirked.

Hips swaying as she walked, the amazon looked completely in her element. The blood that dripped from her trident mixed perfectly with the color of her skin; that, added with the armor she wore, she truly looked like some gladiatorial goddess.

White teeth gleaming, she smirked as she stalked closer and closer to the original opponent. But, that didn’t mean she didn’t know that a second clone was attempting to circle in on her from behind. As a matter of fact, she was counting on that type of recklessness.

Still eyeing the one with the arrows, seeing that as her most immediate threat, Jezebel cackled as she tried to keep the girl’s attention on her so that she could let the clone draw in closer.

“What’s keeping you firing another one?”[/b] she grinned. “You scared, you little ****?”[/b] She roared with laughter as she hefted up her trident and held it in a more threatening manner. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” she said with a little pout. “I just…I want us to stop. To talk. To look into each other’s eyes. And I want…to rip out your ****ing spine!! Hahaheheheahahaehehe!!!”[/b]

It was then that she thought she felt the presence of the clone that attempted to get the drop on her get close enough. With a smile the amazon suddenly spun and lashed out with the butt enough to trident, swinging it in a fast arch. Should it make contact, no matter where she hit, she knew that bone would be shattered and a limp body would be sent sailing…

“What’s keeping you firing another one? You scared, you little ****?”

Elke did her best to ignore the woman. Letting the mutant rile her into anger would only prove to be her downfall... not that the chances at winning were tipped in her favor or anything.

“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I just…I want us to stop. To talk. To look into each other’s eyes. And I want…to rip out your ****ing spine!! Hahaheheheahahaehehe!!!”

Cringing, she waited until her clone was close enough to the large woman, before she stopped and nocked another arrow. When the woman spun, she saw a chance and jumped on it. Before she let her arrow loose, she split once more. Another clone stumbled away, before she nodded her head in the woman's direction. The duplicate took a moment to assess the situation, before turning and ripping a blade off of the wall behind her.

The other clone, who was charging head-long toward the red woman, barely managed to dodge the attack. She dropped hard onto her knees in the dirt, skidding through the gritty sand. The butt end of the woman's weapon streaked past her face, clipping the flesh of her forehead as it passed hard enough to sting. She tried to ignore it as best she could, while lurching forward and attempting to slash at the woman's legs with her knife.

The other clone, armed with a gleaming, stained Kukri, sprinted toward the mutant opponents turned back. Meanwhile, Elke darted off to the side, still clinging to the wall, pausing only when she had an unobstructed view of her target. Once she stopped, it took her a second to lock onto her chosen target on the woman, the knees, before she let her arrow fly. Not wasting a moment to see if the arrow hit it's target, she reached back and fished another arrow out, nocking it, aiming... and firing once more.

Jezebel was just having far too much! She had attempted to dislocate the jaw of one of her opponents but the little worm managed to be far faster than Jezebel could have anticipated. She swung, hard, with the trident, but only struck empty air as the young clone slipped through her legs and attempted to slash out with a pair of knives. Just as those sunk in, Jezebel turned in time to see the leader of these clones notch an arrow and let it loose in fraction of a second. Jezebel barely heard it soar through the air before she felt the THUNK of it piercing her skin of her collar.

Yellow eyes wide, she gasped and fell to her knees with a loud THUD[/b]. She didn’t acknowledge the clone that was charging directly at her with a rather wicked looking blade in her hands. Instead, the amazon knelt there, looking like she was on the verge of death and was going to slip away at any passing moment.

Apparently the slacked look on her face, the slumping of her shoulders, and the trident lifeless on the ground made her look just harmless enough for the clone to stop. She lowered her arm and slowly moved closer, keeping the blade at her hip but beginning to grin with naivety. The clone was happy that the fight was looking like it was over. As a matter of fact, as she stepped closer, she nudged the red woman with her toe before she turned and beamed proudly back to her original.

“Hehehe, boss! We won! We did it—URK!”

The movement was so fast that it was too late to dodge it. Jezebel’s massive arms suddenly lashed out, grabbed the young clone and began to stand. Hefting her up be her arms, she squeezed, tightly, crushing the bones underneath and forcing the clone to drop the blade she had held. Though Jezebel had looked like she was close to dying, a cautious warrior would have noticed something…she wasn’t bleeding. That’s the good thing about being the warrior avatar for a little girl…much harder target to hit.

A look of soothingly, motherly attention crept across her features as she regarded the clone she held closely. Sweetly she tutted the squirming girl who was obviously wracked with pain due to two broken arms.

“Shhh baby, shhhh,”[/b] she smiled. “It’s okay, it won’t hurt that much longer. Come here, let auntie Jezebel give you a hug…”[/b]

The clone flailed as Jezebel slowly pulled the clone in for a tight hug. But it was a horrible sight to behold. Not only was there red muscle and stained armor everywhere, but clone watched every second as the arrow that had pierced the woman’s collar drew nearer. Jezebel smirked as the clone attempted to flail harder, an action that is to be expected when one see’s the shaft of an arrow edging closer to within one eyesight.

The scream was choked against Jezebel’s bosom and, just as quickly as it began, it ended. Jezebel smirked as she stood up right, paying little attention to the lifeless form that was impaled upon the still embedded arrow. She grinned, wide, wearing her new “trophy” proudly as she picked up her trident and turned back to the clone and the original.

“Come on, sweeties,”[/b] she said gently. “Auntie Jez isn’t done yet…”[/b]

With each step towards them it was followed by a Sway…Sway…Sway….

The pain... oh, god... the pain. It was almost too much. Broken bones were just about as bad as losing appendages, only, the pain didn't stop because the clone wasn't going to bleed out. Elke dropped to a knee, hissing between her teeth as phantom aches wracked her small body. There was nothing she could do to stop it... no amount of willpower would make it go away. She had to wait until the clone died, or melted, to be free from it.

She could barely pay attention to the fight any longer, with her eyes squeezed shut and the sound of her own heart beating wildly in her ears, she didn't hear a word of what was said. She did, however, notice when a new pain started up. A fire that bloomed behind her eyes and spread across the majority of her face until it felt like she was doing to die. A high pitched wail broke through from behind clenched teeth, and though she could see that nothing was wrong with her, the torture made it hard for her to concentrate.

Black eyes, squinted against the onslaught of pain, lifted and stuck on the red mutant. One clone was struggling weakly in her arms, her screaming becoming ever muffled within the woman's chest. The last remaining clone had darted away, out of reach, and circled around to Elke's side. It was spared the torture it's creator was going through, and could only watch as the Native writhed in the dirt in mock death throes. Then, mercifully, the torment ended. The pain vanished, leaving the duplicator gasping for breath.

“Come on, sweeties, Auntie Jez isn’t done yet…”

"Yeah, @!$%#&, I guess it isn't..." Staggering back into her feet, she braced herself against the wall as she hooked another arrow into place. "I want you to act as a distraction... never get to close, dodge her attacks as best you can... I will try and find an open spot and make the shot." She kept her voice low, hushed so only the two of them would hear it over the roar of the crowd, and lifted her bow up to aim in the direction of her opponent. Squinting one eye, she honed in on her target. A split second later, just as her clone was rushing back out onto the battle field, she let her arrow fly.

It flew in a blur, sank into it's target a second later, and the body of the clone dangling from the red woman's chest flopped from the impact. The projectile had punched clean through the dead girl's neck, a killing blow had she still been alive. The Native wasn't sure if it had been delivered with enough force behind it to send it all the way through the dead clone and into it's target, but by the time it had reached it's destination, she was already in the process of nocking another arrow.

She realized, while aiming, that she was running out of ammunition. Five arrows remained in her quiver, and while there were certainly a good number of weapons still scattered around the arena for her to use, her bow was the only one she really had any expertise with. The clone still up and moving had her knife, which was her second best weapon... Taking a second to try and spot something else to use if it came to it (if she even survived long enough to use one).

On the other side, the last duplicate was trying to decide which way was best to go about distracting the woman. Running in hadn't worked before, and the boss had told her to keep her distance. Which, didn't leave a lot of options. "Eh! Eh, Big Red!" Maybe flapping her yapper would work? "Wassa'matter? Lemme guess, yer Boyfriend dumped you because ya got more'uva a package than he does! Naw, wait... Ain't you the governor of California? EauggEUUAAgggGG! EEEUUgGGAHAHUUUGAGAG!" Her impression was poor, but loud and annoying. So it worked in her mind. She added something onto the end by stooping and scooping up a handful of dirt, which she then threw at the red woman.

Elke ignored the act, her aim locked on to try and get a good fix at the mutants face. Because as the saying goes, when all else fails, got for the eyes!

THONK![/b]

Jezebel laughed hysterically as she strutted towards the arrow shooter, feeling the last volley strike her chest, well, barely. It had to pass through the body of her last victim whom she worn like a brooch. The arrow point barely pierced into her left breast, but it was just enough pain to make her laugh hysterically at the attempt. The little native sure was a stubborn one who didn’t seem to get that this fight was already over. She could pop out as many clones as she wanted Jezebel was just going to have fun decimating one after another, after another, after another.

But, at the same time, she secretly rooted the girl on. After all, Jezebel always loved a good fight since the constant action seemed to provide the fire in her belly that kept her going. So, by all means, let the little Indian continue her onslaught. It would only prove to her own undoing.

She tilted her head as followed the lead knowing all too well that she had probably sent the other clone off on another suicide mission.

“How does it feel, sweetie?”[/b] she asked in a sultry manner. “You produce and send off so many to die. You think I’m a monster?”[/b] She laughed, loud and hard, twirling her trident around her as she stalked forward. “I kill! But I kill strangers! You? Hehehehehe, YOU SEND YOUR OWN CHILDREN TO SLAUGHTER!!! HAHAHAHAAHAH!!!”[/b]

She smirked and dragged the point of her trident along the ground, leaving a groove in the dirt as she watched native back away, her arrows dwindling down to nothing. But, as he made ready to heft up her trident, she paused when a rather obnoxious voice called at her from behind.

>> "Eh! Eh, Big Red! Wassa'matter? Lemme guess, yer Boyfriend dumped you because ya got more'uva a package than he does! Naw, wait... Ain't you the governor of California? EauggEUUAAgggGG! EEEUUgGGAHAHUUUGAGAG!"[/color]

The Amazon rolled her eyes. If ever there was a more pathetic attempt at causing a distraction, she didn’t know of it. But, she might as well play along since the crowd seemed to be enjoying all the bloodshed. The body of her former badge melted away and she frowned a little at that. She grinned as she turned to eye the second clone that was causing the disturbance.

“Aw, honey,”[/b] she pouted a little as she looked at her. “You broke my heart saying all that.”[/b] she pretended to sniffle and rub fake tears out of her eyes. But that look quickly disappeared and was replaced by one of disturbed malevolence. “Why don’t you give me yours?”[/b] she said as she hefted up her long reaching trident and stabbed outward, towards the clone’s chest. “I could always use a snack!! HAHAHEEHEHEHAHAAHEH!!”[/b]