A Different Virus - Laura's Story

Chapter 113

Rick blinked slowly, "I will take your word about the bull. I can't exactly see myself scratching such a big creature behind the ears."

A zombie didn't faze Rick, but the thought of petting a tame bull did. Yes, bulls were big and could be very dangerous, but this one was very friendly. There would be no way to convince Rick of that though.

I shrugged, "So what game are we going to play now?"

"One that involves less running on my part. How about you show us what you have learned and we can see if we can possibly teach you a new trick or two."

I clapped my hands in excitement, "Okay!" I turned and jogged towards the obstacle course to show Rick how much better I had gotten.

Rick took a seat on a bench and gazed at me in disbelief, "How are you not tired yet? It is absolutely unfair that you aren't breathing hard either."

I grinned at the middle aged man, "I spent over a year trying to keep up to Diane. It rubbed off."

He chuckled, "Ah, yes. I can believe that one. I think I can count the number of times I have seen that lady tired on one hand. Those times usually involved a full out sparring session with half a dozen of the best fighters."

"I hope that Ace and them can give her a good workout because no one else has been able to."

Rick grinned, "Well, why don't we go see if they have given Diane a run for her money?"

I giggled and nodded. If Diane had gotten slack from the lack of good practice partners, Ace would be the first to take advantage of it. I walked between Rick and Donovan down the hall to the room that Diane usually sparred in. It was at the end of the hall and people rarely came down here.

I heard the sounds of their practice before I got to the open door. I assumed that it took a lot of force for a padded sword or dagger to make a thump noise when hitting thick padding. I also had a feeling that they were going to be sore after this. At least Diane's bruises would be mostly healed by bedtime and just a memory come sunrise.

The moment we passed the doorframe, eighteen sets of blue eyes from the spectator's bench glanced at us. The traders were clearly enjoying the show. They even had a video recorder out to film the event. We went to take a seat on the bench to observe the match that had their almost-complete attention.

Diane was surrounded in a fast paced whirlwind of motion as her six opponents tried to take her down. I recognized Ace, four Guard Group Leaders, and a Raider Group Leader. They were the best of her old sparring partners, but she was holding her own. Somehow. Even with my Heartfire, I was having a hard time keeping track of everything that was happening.

Diane wielded a padded sword in one hand and her padded dagger in the other as she moved at insane speeds. Most of her adversaries also used weapons in both of their hands. Both Diane's speed and her glowing blue eyes showed that she was relying on her Heartfire abilities to get her through this session.

All of them were breathing hard. Diane somehow managed to block four different strikes before managing to get out of the circle of people. Ace and the Raider hung back as the four Guards spread out to try and circle her again.

The eighteen traders were silent, but their glittering eyes told of their excitement. Rick was amused as he watched Diane fake a strike to Ace's legs before landing a blow on his ribs. He darted back out of reach as two others tried to get their own touch in on Diane. She somehow managed to block or dodge their blows.

Diane was pulling her blows so her enhanced strength didn't do major damage, but the others weren't pulling their blows. The thought of a high energy exercise appealed to me, but not quite like this. I loved games of tag and they helped me increase my speed and agility. Playful wrestling was exciting, although it was hard to wrestle with adults if you wanted a fair game.