The Exiled Gem

Dueling A Buffalo

But how?

She stood there, for a second, calculating. Hefty... right? So he must be weak somewhere. And that place, most probably, was his face: the skull. Alexandra had to be careful to make no serious injuries. But a simply smack on the head was impossible because of his towering height.

Maybe, when the hands couldn't be used, that was where the legs came in. Alexandra moved backwards, her eyes crossed in concentration. She then sprinted forward and leapt up, twirling once in the air and landing a kick right on Blaise Quill's head. 

Quill looked like he'd been pulled out of a good dream. He caught Alexandra's leg and pulled her over, lifting her other feet off the ground as well. And then, he dropped her carelessly. Alexandra got a mouthful of dust as she landed down, on her stomach. Spitting it away, she got back up in a second. She'd done her Step One well.

And after that, whatever else happened, Alexandra aimed at his head. Smacking - if possible - otherwise kicking, enraging the man further with each passing second. It was a good thing that Quill was not offensive. Had he been so, things would have been much tougher to handle for Alexandra - who was not even half his expanse. Though a little afraid, she kept pushing him back and back and back, until they were at the edge of the ring.

Blaise Quill's patience snapped. 

Maybe he had realized that his opponent was a puny eighteen year old, or maybe that Alexandra barely came up to his chest. In any case, he finally did what Alexandra at once expected, wanted and feared: he decided that ditch defending. He decided to actually combat.

Blaise Quill whirled around and halted right behind Alexandra, putting his arm around her neck and gripping her in a possibly fatal choke-hold. She gasped as a warm, suffocating feeling spread through her chest. Alexandra elbowed the hefty person in the chest - in an unsuccessful attempt to get free. But it was of no use, his parts below the shoulder-blade were too strong. 

Finally, Alexandra did the most desperate thing of her life. As her eyes began feeling droopy and her head swam, she opened her mouth and bit into his arm.

'Aaargh!' Blaise snarled and let go. Spots danced in front of Alexandra's eyes as she pulled free. But she also got the chance she had needed. Alexandra hastily turned a hundred and eighty degrees around, slightly infuriated. She indiscriminately delivered blow after blow - first in the gut, then on the neck, on the head and as the finisher, launched up and kicked him right onto the chest.

Blaise looked almost defeated and dazed. 

Just one blow more ... a single well-aimed strike. 

Alexandra knew that. She moved a step back and then sprinted forwards, leapt off her feet and brought a two-handed punch upon his skull.

Blaise's knees buckled and he finally collapsed.

And Alexandra's ears then automatically opened to the commentary. Kane was yelling, 'THERE YOU GO, AGENTS! SECOND SECOND-YEAR WIN! AN UNCONVENTIONAL DUEL, HIGHLY LOP-SIDED, ALL IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, TRAINING, GENDER! BUT HERE WE HAVE OUR WINNER: MABEL! THIS GIRL DESERVES A SPOT IN THE INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING SQUAD!' Kane was standing upon his tiptoes and almost falling over the commentary box.

'MASTER GEORGE? THE END OF THIS DUEL, IF YOU PLEASE?!' He then asked.

Master George's Red Flag went up. Alexandra sighed, finally it was over. 'Sorry,' she muttered to the fallen senior and first ran to the water stall to entirely drain two jugs of water. Then she ran up to the commentary box once again. 

Alexandra was mightily glad that her duel was over. She could strap the dagger to her waist from the next day, as she had officially passed. And now, it was just watching and enjoying: she would love to watch what Watson did in his turn. That fellow was too up to the brim with conceit. Reading between the lines, he appeared to Alexandra like a person who didn't at all know what suffering was. Or how challenging life could be. The laidback joker personality that she so despised. A person had to be balanced. If they were too reserved, like Austin: no, Alexandra certainly wouldn't like them. And if they were too open and thoughtless, like Watson: no again, Alexandra expected people to have some depth. Shallowness was not a quality she appreciated.

I know this chapter's real short, I think the one before was short, too. Please bear with me, I've got no idea when to stop or where to start. It's just a feeling which comes - "'kay, that's enough for this chapter!" And I stop at it. On a completely unrelated note: Blaise Quill has a good bit of me.

In case you're wondering, that does not mean I'm a buffalo... it's more like this: comparing me to them will be an insult.

To the buffalos.