The native brow furrowed, and she clenched her jaw. "You ain't a monster... the big stupid bug who keeps me trapped here is a monster..." Nothing could compare in her mind to the horrors she'd had to suffer because of that @*%#$@%. Not the pit, not Big Red, nothing. "You're just a big angry pair of boobs." Still, the bit about the clones being her 'children' and her sending them off to die irritated her a little. When were people gonna get it through their thick skulls that the duplicates weren't people? They were flesh and bone, sure, but not truly alive. They were constructs, simple as that.

"Nice try, lady, but they aren't alive. They're distractions, simple as that." Unfortunately short lived, typically useless distractions. Nocking another arrow, she took aim and let it fly, aware that her last duplicate was probably about to die in a very painful manner. If she didn't get a shot in how, she'd be too overcome by pain to try and get another one out after.

Surprisingly, as shocked as the clone was that her masterful taunting hadn't driven the big red menace into tears, she managed to hop back out of the way of the trident just in time. Barely missing the pointy bloodstained tips of the weapon by fractions. Luck had been on Elke's side so far throughout the match, luck that was swiftly running out. Wherever her arrow landed, whether in it's intended target or not, the clone tripped on her own feet while back peddling and ended up on the ground.

"GET UP YOU IDIOT!"

Elke's shout probably landed on deaf ears, she really couldn't tell. The Native ground her teeth together in frustration, knowing full well that her opponent would no doubt skewer the clone before she could get back to her feet.

The girl was pretty strong-willed and was adamant of her innocence in this whole matter. Jezebel could only scoff at that. No one was innocent in this world, absolutely no one. Even Penelope herself was guilty of crimes that Jezebel promised that she would keep secret. She would never tell because deep down, Jezebel was actually proud of the little booger that she was attached to. In the wasteland of the apocalypse, everyone finds out exactly who they are.

She sneered as she turned her attention to the last clone again. It was time to get rid of this last irritation and hopefully end this fight. She was beginning to get bored and if there was one thing that Jezebel Tickle didn’t like, it was to be bored.

She lunged, as fast as she could, wanting to skewer the little beast so that she could turn on her real opponent before another could pop out. Her first strike only kicked up dirt, though, as she struck the ground. But, forcefully she pulled the trident from the dirt and lunged for another as soon as the clone stumbled back down.

>> "GET UP YOU IDIOT!"[/color]

Jezebel grinned, practically tasting the blood that she was going to spill. The trident points drew closer and closer with every passing fraction of a second. As a matter of fact she could practically see the points pressing against the soft flesh as pressure built up from behind and readied to punch through. But such a satisfaction never came.

THUD!!

Jezebel actually cried out in pain. She snarled as she straightened up and whipped around to the main cloner. A glance over her shoulder and she could see the feathers of an arrow, stuck in her lower back, pretty deep down the shaft. The mumbling whispers in the back of her mind, the sensations of pain, it could mean only one thing.

“Penelope….” she growled as she felt her time slipping away. Twirling her trident, she kicked dust back against the clone she was mere seconds away from killing and ran head first at her opponent. “YOU LITTLE B****!! YOU B****!!!!” I’LL F****** KILL YOU!!! RAAAAAWWWWRRR!!!!![/b]

No…you…won’t…! she could feel the little voice echo in her head along with the pressure of Penelope trying to pull back on the reins.

Jezebel snarled and kept running unperturbed. “SHUT UP, PENELOPE!!”

NO!!

Jezebel gasped and she suddenly felt a loss of control in her legs. Falling to her knees she skidded across the dirt, head back and neck exposed as she struggled in vain to stop Penelope from taking control.

She landed a hit....

She did?

She did! A brief flare of hope bloomed when her opponent actually cried out, simmered for a moment while Elke crowed and reached for another arrow. Then, that hope was completely and utterly crushed when the red woman turned her full attention on Elke.

The jig was up.... and she only had two arrows left! "@%#$!" Her duplicate had picked herself up off the ground, and was already sprinting after the red woman with her knife in hand. Elke didn't know if it'd make it in time be any help. The idea to turn and flee came and went, as she barely inched away from her current position as the bull of a mutant came careening toward her. Though fear clutched at her, she felt no reason to run. Either her next arrow would hit again, and she'd see another glimmer of hope at wining, or she'd become the next casualty of the pit. In all honestly, the second option wasn't all that bad... Dying meant no longer being a puppet. No more fights, no more pumping out duplicates at Roaches beck and call. Death did really seem like paradise in contrast to her current lot in life.

....Unfortunately, that wasn't good enough. She couldn't just hang her head and wait for the red woman to crush her like a pop can, anymore than she could turn off her mutation. Survival was ingrained into her. She'd been thrown a bad bone long before the city had been lost, and she wasn't about to throw herself in the gutter now. As her opponent charged, she latched onto hr second to last arrow, swiftly locked it into position with her bow, and hauled back the string.

If she was going to die, then it would be while kicking, screaming, and clawing for survival. On that, she was determined.

When the woman fell, Elke didn't flinch. She didn't care if it was some kind of trick, her opponent had left her neck open, and the Native was determined to jump upon the opportunity. The arrow, guided by the tension in the string behind it, sailed into action with a dull thuk as she released it.

What’re you doing you little brat!!??[/b][/color]

I’m stopping this fight!

You stupid little F***! She’s gunna kill us!![/b][/color]

No. You know you can’t die. She’s going to kill me.

Stop it!! You don’t know what you’re doing!![/b][/color]

Yes. I’m ending this…

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!![/b][/color]

Penelope had gained enough control over the struggling body of Jezebel and exposed her neck as far back as she could. It looked almost like suicide from the outside, but if anyone could have glimpsed into the girl’s mind, they would have seen the true and powerful struggling that was going on. Penelope was fighting with all her might to end these atrocities, to bring peace. Even if she didn’t die, she was going to make sure that Jezebel lost this fight.

Penelope was the one in charge and it seemed that Jezebel forgot that as the years passed by. It was time for a refresher course.

Jezebel gasped and gagged as she fought, trying to pull her own head back down, tried to light her own arms, tried to do anything that would give her a foothold. But every second, Penelope became stronger as the arrow embedded in her back poked and jabbed at the younger female inside and bringing her more into consciousness.

“YOU B****! YOU STUPID B****!!!”[/b]

No! It’s done!!

“YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!! YOU HA—URK!!”

THUNK!

Jezebel went wide-eyed an arrow passed effortlessly through her exposed neck. Gasping, struggling to breathe, the red Amazon attempted to remain in focus. Normally such a thing would have barely hurt her, but with Penelope gaining control, she was swiftly losing the fight to stay awake. The world began to shrink away and Jezebel flailed futilely as he slipped onto her back, arching and fighting tooth and nail for consciousness. But it was swiftly over.

Red melted away, reentered pores and suddenly all that was left was Penelope, dressed in oversized armor, moaning exhaustedly.

It was over. It was finally over.

The arrow hit.

.... the effect was... not really what she'd been expecting. The woman didn't straight die or anything... she... melted? No.. shrank? Maybe. It looked like the reverse of how she'd come into being in the first place.

Not willing to drop her guard until she was sure the fight was over, and the woman was truly dead, Elke nocked her last arrow and took a few hesitant steps toward the girl-- as she was currently the only opponent left in the arena. The duplicate trotted over as well, knife back in her hand, to see what had happened.

It was just the little girl. The one that had begged her to throw the fight in the beginning. Maybe... maybe it hadn't been a trick, then? From the looks of her, she was in no shape to fight. It was possible that she was injured, considering how many time's Elke had landed shots on her.

Hesitantly, the Native lowered her weapon, frowning because of the situation. She couldn't just let her die, if she was injured. Not if she'd already won the fight and there was no reason for it. "Hey... hey, stay with me, okay?... I'll get you out of here."

She started forward, waving her clone over as she moved, intent on hefting the girl up and getting her out of the arena as swiftly as possible. "Help me get her up... be gentle, though.. she could be injured."

POCK...POCK...POCK...POCK

The slow clapping sound echoed through the arena, perfectly displaying the haunting silence that had settled over the crowd. They had come to see Jezebel ruthlessly tear her victim apart. They had come to see people DIE. They got a little of that, but honestly... what was this crock?

The clapping continued for a moment, and the source stood from his throne, staring down at the two.

"Well... This certainly is a surprise, isn't it! Elke my dear... I never thought I'd hear myself say this... but you earned your freedom! Yes, that's right! You've won!" He clasped his hands together, and looked down at her, soaking in the silence of the moment... The crowd was staring; perhaps he had gone soft?

"Well... Almost... You see, there is the matter of this being a fight to the death... But! A little warrior like yourself? I'm sure offing a helpless little girl won't be too hard." He paused for a moment, and his mandibles opened wide, his version of a toothy grin. "Kill her, Elke... Kill her, and earn your freedom."

Both the Native and her duplicate froze the moment the clapping started up. Elke refused to even look at him, dread already inching it's way down her spine. The clone on the other hand, started back pedaling away from the girl as if her short life depended on it.

Both of them held no great liking of the giant bug, and a strong, buried fear.

"Well... This certainly is a surprise, isn't it! Elke my dear... I never thought I'd hear myself say this... but you earned your freedom! Yes, that's right! You've won!"

... Any other fighter in her shoes may have grinned, or crowed, or even shed a happy tear at that news. Elke's fists clenched, and she glared solemnly at the ground. She knew what was coming next... she knew it inside, without even having to hear the words from his mouth parts.

"Well... Almost... You see, there is the matter of this being a fight to the death... But! A little warrior like yourself? I'm sure offing a helpless little girl won't be too hard. Kill her, Elke... Kill her, and earn your freedom."

The crowd was still silent. Waiting... watching. Her clone had backed far away, hoping that she'd escape the Roach's attention if she wasn't anywhere near Elke when the inevitable happened.

A long, tired sigh left the girl, before she gripped her bow and re-drew the string into a drawn back position. Her last arrow... pointed down, aimed at the gently rising and falling chest of a little girl. An unconscious, helpless little girl...

This world was a cruel one.

"No... No! I won't do it!" She swung around to face him, bow at her side, and aimed a frustrated, angry glare his way. "I won't kill her!"

He paused for a beat as she responded; the audience had to see him be surprised that she was refusing her chance at freedom, after all, didn't they? He couldn't very well let them know that he'd gone into this almost 100 percent sure that even if Elke did manage an upset victory, she wouldn't have the stomach to kill a girl even younger than herself. No, they had to see that he was fair; that she had chosen to disobey him, and that's why she was going to be punished.

"Elke, my child, I am disappointed... You know what happens when someone disobeys the rules of the pit." He spoke as if he were deeply concerned, and regretful. A guard next to him leveled his rifle at her; he held up a hand to stop him. Things hadn't gone exactly as he'd planned, tonight... He'd almost lost Jezebel for one; she was rather important when it came to his future plans. Still, he could, at the very least, entertain the crowd some more, and this night wouldn't be a complete bust.

Yes. That sounded like a plan.

Elke's clone was wisely backing away from her creator; unfortunately she was very unwisely backing toward him. It was good for him, though. When he descended from his perch, he landed right behind the unfortunate facsimile of a real child. A vice-like grip wrapped around her throat, and he spun quickly, ramming her face into the wall of the metal dome repeatedly until her struggling body went limp. He then tossed it to the side like refuse, and started walking calmly toward the small native. "I respect your wishes, though... You will have to be punished. Rules are rules, after all."

The grip she had on her weapon tightened, and she watched as he joined her on the filthy arena floor. A little too late, considering what he had in mind for her duplicate.

"WATCH OU--AAUGH!"

The native dropped to her knees, one hand flying to her pounding, pain racked cranium. The assault lasted only moments... but it was painful enough to leave her dizzy by the time it was over. When she managed to gather herself, she spotted Roach heading toward her and lifted her bow again.

"You're a @$#%&^ing LIAR! You NEVER would have let me leave! Snarling as she yanked the string of her weapon back sharply, she aimed as best as she could for one of his giant, stupid bug eyes, and let the arrow fly.

Oh? She was taking aim at him?

To tell the truth... Death didn't sound so bad. The look on Agnes's face... He imagined you could only be that happy in death these days... He walked forward casually as the arrow zoomed past his face, and into an audience member's gut. It was a bit of a let down. In hindsight, it probably made him look incredibly brave to his audience. Oh well, it wasn't like they didn't look at him like some sort of sick deity already.

"Elke. Elke, Elke, Elke." He spoke the name slowly as he closed the gap between them, and knelt next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You missed your chance at freedom. You broke my rules. Your punishment starts now. From now on... you are cattle. You are not a sentient being, but rather a living object, to be harvested for the entertainment of the crowd. I would ask you if you understand this, but cattle don't speak. So nod. I think it acceptable for you to nod to acknowledge this." His hand... it started to grip her... firmly at first, and then a bit too firmly; it would hurt.

"Guards... Get poor Penny out of here; she wins by default." The minions were already on their way in to retrieve the girl. "I have to take the cattle to her cage."

Truth be told... she was too frightened to move. The object currently haunting her in both nightmare and waking moment was right before her, one clawed hand keeping her rooted to the spot. She had to look him in the face, listen to him as he basically removed all of her rights as a person... and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

She should have felt hope die. Cold and dead inside. Rightly, she should have.

Instead, she felt more alive than ever. Fire was burning within, and all of its fury was directed at him. She wasn't allowed to talk anymore? Fine. She could be silent and still get her point across. She did so right then, even with him physically causing her pain, by spitting a fat glob of spit directly into his face.

Go to hell.