“To your left.” Her boss warns, a sound like a fired bullet whistling through her ears. She curses, narrowly jumping back against the wall as the weapon of mass destruction slams into the floor, sending a cloud of dust, sand, and shattered concrete up like a hammer to flour.

  Confident, Liv had been far too confident, an Icarus flying too close to the sun, doomed to fall to the earth. As soon as she got the go ahead, she ran in to end the fight in a single blow. She should have known it was suspicious that Kara was standing still, that she had a hand behind her back; unfortunately, she was a fool, and that had nearly taken her out of the fight in the first few seconds.

  Liv narrowly dodges another strike, a crater where she had once. From the crater rises the core of her issue, the weapon of Kara, and a nightmare wrapped in one.

  A Loong made of concrete writhes before her, its body spasming in air like a puppet on strings, its maw covered in Liv’s blood. Long whiskers taper from its snout, a golden talisman running down the length of its face. That damn dragon had, without warning, sprung out of Kara’s jacket, shattering Liv’s arm on impact. Liv shuddered at the memory, the bone still knitting itself together in her arm as her boss worked overtime keeping the wounds from accumulating on her body.

  Her skin is marred with bruises, still bleeding bite marks accumulating on her torso and forearms. It was fast, faster than the Demon Queen by leaps and bounds. Every time Liv attempted to swing on it, it nimbly dodged, giving Liv a bite or bash for her troubles. That left Liv with one option– dodging every strike it throws. Did she like it? Not in the slightest. Was this sustainable? Absolutely not; unfortunately, there wasn’t an abundance of choice at the current moment.

  “Ughhhhh. Come on, Liv!” Kara groans, her arms crossed, standing on the opposite side of the room with a bored expression. “You’re, like, totally dragging this out for no reason! It’s, like, totally not fetch.”

  Liv grits her teeth, ducking a head on assault from the Loong. She could feel that seed of anger begin to bloom within her chest, that molten rage seeping into her blood like magma melting her veins. She pushes off her good arm, skidding against the sandy floor as her boots scrape to a stop. She’s on the other side of the damn room, and that stupid dragon wont let her move an inch. Even now, she can hear the sound of the Loong whizzing toward her once more.

  “Ol’ reliable it is.” Liv mutters internally, narrowly sidestepping the Loong barreling toward her at top speed…

  At least, that was the plan.

  Her face of frustrated triumph turns to horror as it stops midair, its maw open as torrent of flame plumes out from its mouth.

  With no time to react, Liv throws her arms up, taking the flame head on as her arms are engulfed in flame. She grits her teeth, her jaw clenching as the flames run across her arms, trying to stop the shout of pain that wants to tear itself from her throat.

  As the flames cease, Liv’s arms fall, the exposed skin of her arms black and charred, pink flesh knitting the cauterized wound together once more. Two of her heal charges have been exhausted, leaving her only one in her back pocket. She heaves, glaring daggers at Kara from across the room, the Loong already zipping back to her pink haired adversary. It swirls around her like a worm on a string, sliding just under her arm and around her torso before settling between the crook of her shoulder and neck.

  “Can you, like, throw in the towel?" Kara requests, a hint of genuine concern on her face. “You’re super cool and stuff, and I totally still want you on my team when I get top five.“ She says, the stone Loong curling just over her shoulder, its dead eyes staring right into Liv’s defiant glare. “So if you could, like, give up? We could get a bite to eat, go out on the town, and explore! That'd be super fetch, right?"

  “Nah,” Liv grunts, her chest heaving with every heavy breath. “I ain’t down yet, am I? Reckon that means yer not a winner yet.” Her hand raises to wipe her mouth, the abused tendons screaming in protest. Let them scream, she had something brewing in her mind, the faintest wisp of a plan; however, she had to remain calm, a fact that was getting harder and harder as she saw the look of disappointment spread across Kara’s features.

  “Ughhh, FINE!” Kara groans, throwing her arm out as her stone Loong begins to wiggle, loosening itself up. “Gettem!”

  Liv steels herself as the Loong lurches forward, barreling forward like a train off rails. She could hear something nagging int he back of her mind, her boss giving her it's own, stupid advice... But she felt wisps of her own plan forming in her brain. She could easily get to Liv if the Loong was just gone.

  In a split second decision, Liv goes full in on her plan, her body twisting as she throws her fist to meet the charging dragon. A sickening crunch sounds out as the stone gives... Alongside the bones in her arm.

  Liv bites her lip hard enough to draw blood as they're both launched back by the pure force of the exchange, her arm rendered useless, hanging limp at her side. The Loong fairs even worse, cracks running down the length of its body. A visible, fist shaped dent remains firmly placed in its head. Somehow, the talisman remains perfectly intact, shining with that same golden hue. She could hear her boss basically screaming at her... But her plan had actually worked. She could do this all her own without the need of hand holding.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  “ARE YOU INSANE?” Kara’s voice rings in Liv’s ears, a shrill cry full of horror and distress. “That’s, like, the SECOND time you’ve broken your freaking arm today! It’s just a stupid test! Why do you keep doing that!?”

  Liv cocks her head to the side, her arm snapping back into place, the final heal she had. Why did she keep doing that…? Well, wasn't it simple?

  “Cause I wanna win?” Liv says, shrugging her shoulders.

  Kara’s face twists in a horror filled disgust, her nose scrunching up. “You’re, like, an actual freaking psycho!” She screams, waving her hand back to her Loong.

  It’s eyes lock onto Liv’s as Liv raises her hands, immediately noting something strange… Her gauntlets were glowing a bright orange. Strange, she had only accumulated one charge. Still, a plan clicks fully into place, a wolfish smile spreading across her features, much to Kara’s chagrin. She had a win condition, the element of surprise. She could win.

  She jumps to the side, the Loong whipping past her like a bullet. Another roll puts her out of range of the flame it spews. She’s forced to push herself back up, jumping as the Loong flies under, the soles of her boots grazing its stone body. It coils around midair, snapping at her feet, earning a boot to the face as Liv jumps off its stone body, backpedaling to the nearest wall.

  THUNK THUNK.

  Liv’s hand slams into the wall twice, her gauntlets shaking with power. The orange is impossible to ignore, shining like a flame in an open nights field.

  Her hands with anticipation as the Loong recovers, wriggling as it prepares to charge. Liv steels herself, her fist clenching in anticipation, feinting a dodge as it charges, her fist impacting against its stone face.

  THUNK

  BOOM

  Her gauntlet detonates, sending a massive shockwave through the room as any sand within Liv’s range reforms to a glassier structure. Liv feels her back collide with the wall, the breath stolen from her lungs as she craters into it, only stopping once half her body is embedded into said wall. Her arm hangs useless, every bone in the affected arm turned to a fine dust by the combined force of the Loong’s charge and her own explosion powered swing, coughing with the mixture of pain and sand in her lungs. She smacks her lips, a coppery tang left in her mouth as she manages to open a single eye, looking for any sign of the Loong.

  Floating down with the sand like fresh snow in the winter, a now dull talisman descends to the floor, the Loong nowhere to be found. A small smile graces Liv’s lips. A regular explosion would have done the trick, and she can see that now. Still, it worked. All that was left to do was finish the fight.

  “What the HELL?” Kara screeches, her eyes wide in horror. She takes a step back as Liv tears herself from the wall. An arm hangs limp at her side, her body crying in pain with every step, crimson blood soaking her clothes.

  Liv didn’t know a lot about people, and she certainly didn’t know what to expect Kara to be feeling right at the current moment. What she never expected, however, was the mix of sympathy, disgust, and abject horror on the now exposed woman's face. Still, Liv treks on, feeling victory just in her grasp.

  Euphoria laced adrenaline courses through her veins, mixing with the molten frustration she had experienced earlier. Kara waves her hands in panic, one reaching into her pocket, throwing some golden ball at her. Liv manages to sway to the side, the object whizzing by her easily. Compared to the Loong, it was pitifully slow.

  Liv continues to shamble forward, even as Kara continues to backpedal. An annoying nag begins to tickle at the back of Liv’s brain, a nag that she ignores, her shaking eyes still locked on her target with a fanatic fervor. Even as it grows to an unbearable cacophony, she ignores it. She wouldn't be distracted, couldn't be distracted. She was right there, victory within her reach.

  Kara’s back presses against the wall, her feet shifting across the loose sand. There was no more distance to cover, and it seemed Liv wouldn't give out just yet; even if she was running on pure willpower.

  Liv reels her arm back, aiming to knock a few of Kara's teeth loose with a single, decisive blow. Kara manages to block it, her body tumbling with the sheer force behind the blow. An angry red welt begins to swell up on her slim arm. Tears well up in the senior fighters eyes, watching as Liv continues forward. She kicks back, a cloud of sand billowing directly into Liv's eyes.

  “P-psycho!” Kara cries, her eyes widening.

  Liv ignores the jab, stumbling forward like a zombie, blinking the sand from her hazy eyes. She didn't need eyes, she could hear the heavy heaves of her opponents breath. They could have her eyes. That annoying cacophony in the back of her mind, however... She groans mentally, allowing herself to listen for a moment. She might as well share in the victory, even if it was all hers.

  “Liv, behind you-!” Her boss warns, just a moment too late.

  Liv’s body folds sideways as a stone head crashes into her side, sending her careening away. She skids on the floor, leaving a trail of blood on the sand covered concrete. For a brief moment, her eyes flick to the thing that hit her.

  Beside the now standing Kara is that damn Loong, gold cracks running down the length of its body, the talisman on it's forehead shimmering like gold.

  She hacks up a mouthful of blood, dying the sand beneath her red. That had shattered her ribs, no doubt about it.

  “Freaking hell!” Kara yelps, her Loong coming up to shield her on instinct. “You’re, like, actually dying! Just give up!”

  Liv tries to stand, her legs scabbing at the floor before she falls back down, her body slowly giving out on her. That was the game. She couldn't find any more strength. She failed.

  She lost.

  Just before she goes out, she can hear the doors opening, footsteps crunching toward her. Worries for later… For now, she allows herself to relax, her mind melting into a dreamless sleep.