Chapter 2:Of Innocence Lost

(Part 3 coming soon! Comments appreciated!)

Pain was a fact of life for many monsters, something all competitors knew well. Aches and bruises, burns, broken bones, they were all steps that had to be taken on the road to glory. Some monsters grew tougher to weather blows with ease, others learned to move like the wind, dodging and weaving. But the toughest skin couldn't turn every blow, and the fastest monsters couldn't always evade. Pain and injury... perhaps even death, were always a possibility in the coliseum, and this they accepted.

Oshin, however, could not accept the pain that coursed through her now. The sting of her cuts, the numbing ache of a wing that had been nearly torn from her back, these she understood. But what hurt the Undine most was a sort of pain she wasn't used to. She felt betrayed. That Ripper wasn't wild, nor did she wear the symbol of Moo. It didn't make sense, it wasn't right. Monster's just didn't do this sort of thing to each other.

Did they?

Titanus ground his fist into his palm, standing over her like a hammer over an anvil, just waiting for the signal to pound her into the dust. He was about to taunt her, flaunt his inevitable victory, but a glare of defiance from the little Undine gave him pause. Perhaps it had begun to dawn on him that this battle wouldn't be as easy as he assumed. There was a long silence as the too monsters eyed each other. No doubt the officials were waiting for Oshins trainer to show up and declare the match forfeit. Lillian never arrived, and it could only be assumed that the match would continue as planned.

The bell rang.

A moment later the arena shook and a cloud of dust flew into the air as a golems fist came down to crush the hopes of a thousand fans. Everyone in the coliseum thought it was over, that the dust would clear and they'd all see the once beautiful Undine smashed into the ground. What they saw instead brought a roar of applause and a noise of frustration from Titanus. Oshin still stood, having leapt aside just in time to avoid the blow. Shaking a bit of dizziness from her vision, Oshin gave the Golem a cute smile.

"I knew you'd be too slow."

Titanus made an enraged noise, which sounded a lot like water through a grated drain, and attacked again. Heavy fists rained down as Oshin narrowly side stepped another blow. She ducked beneath a right hook meant to knock her head clean off. Another fist came quickly, straight down, and Oshin rolled forward to avoid it. Already her body was screaming at her in protest, but anger and adrenaline helped fuel the battered Undine. She came out of the roll, twisted around and unleashed a sphere of lightening into the Poseidon's face.

Electrical energy pulsed and crackled around the Undine's arm, the static causing her hair to lift slightly. Titanus was barely stunned by the first blast and came in fast and hard, only to catch another lightening sphere in the chest, and then another, and another. Oshin charged the final sphere for a moment before hurling it at the dazed Golem. The explosion that followed rocked the arena, causing clouds of dust and sand to fill the air. The crowd went silent, unable to see who was still standing..

As the veil lifted Titanus was just getting to his feet. He had been knocked down, but otherwise seemed completely uninjured. Oshin, on the other hand, was in bad shape..

She lay on her side, gasping for breath, trying desperately to shake off the wave of agony that threatened her with unconsciousness. She had to get up. Had to keep fighting. But what could she do again this monster? A nauseous feeling crept into her stomach at the feel of her broken wing. Her fractured arm throbbed uselessly at her side. If only she could heal it.. avoid Titanus just a little longer.

Oshin had only just pulled herself up when she realized her opponent taking aim. What he was about to do flashed into the Undines mind mere seconds before Titanus launched his clenched fist like a rocket.

Luck saved her, along with a wispy, thin frame as the Oshin barely hurled herself out of harms way, drawing more protests from her body. The Golems fist flew passed and slammed several inches into the side of the coliseum wall. Desperation took over for reason then, as Oshin leapt onto Titanus's fist, still buried in the wall. As the Poseidon called back his hand, Oshin rode along atop it, holding on with her good arm as if her life depended on it.

Titanus thought his eyes were playing tricks for a moment, it was so absurd. What did she think she would accomplish with this stunt, aside from putting herself in striking distance? The Golem/Jell's fist flew back across the arena and back to it's arm, a little Undine hanging onto it desperately. Then, to the crowds amazement, Oshin kicked off, leaping into the air and diving into a flying kick that connected squarely with the Golems chest.

There was no resistance, Titanus being half jell after all, and Oshin found her foot stuck in his chest. She kicked desperately with her other leg, only managing to trap herself further. Titanus laughed, pulling her in like quicksand. She wouldn't be the first monster he'd suffocated to death this way. Oshin struggled, be just didn't have the strength to pull herself free. The crowd screamed there disapproval and called for Titanus to be disqualified for using an illegal move, but the officials didn't seem to interested in stopping the match for whatever reason. The little Undine could do nothing to save herself as all the world turned a dark blue and breathing became impossible.

**************

"Boo! You call this a fight??" A Ripper yelled from the higher reaches of the coliseum. She grumbled, reaching for another mango, her fifth so far. Nadira had hoped the battle wouldn't last more then a few seconds. That Titanus would end this all with one punch, be awarded the victory, and then she could round up Grim and Jabber and head home for a well deserved rest. Assault and battery was hard work after all.

She leaned forward just a little, hoping for a better look at the action. The wind had picked up and the sky was beginning to darken. The drop in temperature didn't bother Nadira, though, as Rippers didn't get cold easily. In fact she rather enjoyed the feeling of chilled air on her fur. It was some small comfort to the fact that Titanus 'still' had not beaten the Undine. Nadira watched was Oshin flung herself out of danger time after time, despite her injuries.

"Come on! Smash her already so I can go home. Idiot Golems..." Nadira caught sight of something that distracted her from the battle. In the rows just below a human child was gazing, not at the fight, but up at her. The little boy had obviously never seen a Ripper before, his eyes wide with a sort of curious wonder. Nadira couldn't remember the last time her Trainer had looked at her with such warmth in his eyes. She shook her head violently, forcing such thoughts away and responded to the child as she usual dealt with things that bothered her.

"And what are YOU looking at?" She hissed bitterly and turned her attention back to the fight, and to Titanus, who looked like he was finally about to claim victory. "Human brat..."

***********

The battle was over, it had to be. The crowd watched in horror as poor Oshin was absorbed into the Poseidon, a terrible, torturous demise for a great fighter. Many spectators, and even trainers, called out for Lillian to forfeit, but she was nowhere to be found. Titanus formed a big grin on his jelly like face. All he had to do now was wait for the last sparks of life to drain out of the Undine. He was so caught up in his 'victory' that he didn't at first realize the flicker of golden light emanating from his chest.

The explosion that followed showered the arena with globs of jell and sent both monsters to the ground. Oshin landed hard, covered with bluish gunk and gasping for air. She had managed to use her healing ring ability, and then promptly blasted her way free. The Undine had managed to heal her broken arm, and some of her lesser scraps and bruises, but little else. Titanus struggled to his feet, the huge hole in his chest slowly mending.

It was then that Oshin saw her target. Beating within the Poseidon's huge chest was a red sphere. She had been so panicked before that she had barely noticed it. Titanus had many of the same strengths as a jell, but also the same weakness. The sphere, his very heart. It was her only chance.

"You little gnat!" Titanus bellowed, stomping a huge foot against the arena floor. "I'm going to kill you once and for all. Stomp you! Smash you! I'm gonna-."

He couldn't say another word as Oshin stalked towards him, her hands and arms bristling with energy. Fear and adrenaline kept her standing and alert. She suddenly broke into a full out run, charging the larger monster like a creature possessed. Titanus launched his fist at her, but the Undine surprised him again by spinning aside before resuming her charge. His other fist aimed a punch to stop her, and Oshin leaped back at the last moment. Without the use of her wings, she used fairy dust to take to the air and with everything she had, poured surges of magical energy into her fists. It was a strange attack for a pixie to use, but Oshin wasn't thinking rationally anymore. She slammed her fists into Titanus, the magical energy exploding from her blows and causing the Golem to reel back. Every punch blasted through another layer of his jell like form, desperate to reach and destroy his heart.

"NO!" Panicking, Titanus back handed Oshin away from him, just as she had wrapped her hands around the crimson orb. It was the first time he'd struck her the entire match, but it was more then enough. The poor Undine went flying with the force of the blow, and the crowd gasped as he fragile body slammed into the coliseum wall.

Pain like she had never felt before exploded through Oshin as she fell to the ground in a broken heap. The crowd had gone silent, but only partially because of Oshins injuries. Even Titanus didn't realize at first, until he felt something very wrong deep within. Trapped between Oshins slender hands was the Poseidon's heart, she had held on.

"Impossible... you little wench, I'll kill you!!" Enraged, Titanus rushed forward and leapt into the air, coming down in a huge body slam. The Golem Drop.. a suicidal move, but one few opponents could survive.

Struggling to remain conscious, Oshin was only dimly aware of her danger. The only base thought she could manage was anger towards the sphere that pulsed in her hands. That and the need to destroy it. She pressed her palm to the sphere. A ray cast was all she could manage, but luckily it was enough.

Like a jell no longer able to hold it's form, Titanus began to come apart in midair. When he finally landed it was with a splash of azure that coated the walls of the coliseum and even a few fans on the lower rows. For several long moments Oshin disappeared, buried beneath what was once Titanus, now a very large puddle.

A few voices cried out as a the little Undine clawed her way out of the mess. The crowd burst into wild applause for a moment before Oshin collapsed once again. The world grew hazy and the voices of the fans distant. She knew no pain then. In fact she soon knew nothing at all.

****************

Nadira nearly choked on her eighth mango. Titanus was dead, he'd actually managed to lose the match. Oshin was down as well, but whether she lived or died meant nothing. Titanus wouldn't be around to compete in the championships as the 'powers that be' wished, and that meant Nadira was in big trouble.

The Ripper stood up amid the cries and jeers of the crowd. Many complained vocally, calling it a mockery of a monster battle and calling for officials. Why had it had been allowed to go so far, they wondered. Nadira left them to wonder, she had her own problems to deal with. She jumped over the side of the wall in a graceful back-flip, free falling for a long moment before her claws caught the side of the coliseum wall. The ripper leapt off from there, hitting the ground with perfect balance and then taking off into the night.

She could only hope to be forgiven for this failure...

**************

Mr. Dalton sat behind his fine mahogany desk, relaxing in a ridiculously well cushioned chair. While members of the F.I.M.B.A committee were known to pull long hours and late nights, there was no paperwork on the man's desk. There were no licenses to examine and no tournament charts to look over. Indeed, Mr. Dalton seemed to be doing little aside from idly rolling his pencil back and forth along his desk. When he realized, after an hour of this activity, that his desk now had a rather unsightly scratch on it's finish, he merely shrugged and resolved to buy a new one first thing in the morning.

The thought of getting in a little extra work while he was still in the office was alien to this man. Why should he be chained to a desk, slaving all day and night over permits so a few lousy peons could start more third rate ranches? Dalton had more important matters to worry about, like who won the tournament over in Kathela. Of course, he already knew who would win. He had gone through some considerable lengths to make sure it happened. Dalton wasn't the only committee member with a hefty amount of money bet on that fight, but he was the one that presented the idea. Thus, it was his personal responsibility to make sure their 'investments' didn't go to waste.

He laughed to himself, knowing that Titanus would come out the victor. Titanus... that blundering idiot would have never gained half of his renown without the little 'push' he'd received here and there. And despite all this, the trained apes that stood cheering in the stands were completely clueless, oblivious to it all.

"Nadira won't fail me." He spoke to himself. "Not on a task so simple."

A sudden knock on the door freed him of such thoughts. "Mr. Dalton?" His assistant Helena spoke in a rather meek voice. "I-I have the news you requested."

"Well, spit it out. I'm a very busy man." Dalton faked disinterest, though he was hanging on every word. "Speak up."

"Um, sir, your monster just arrived. Should I-"

"Send her in then!" Dalton smirked, "I can hear the news from my monster. You get back to work. I'm sure there must be SOMETHING around here for you to do."

"But Mr.Dalton, I finished hours ago. I'm only here this late because you'd fire me otherwise..."

"Keep talking and I will indeed fire you. Just do as your told and send in Nadira!" Dalton propped his feet up upon the desk, not caring if he soiled it. He was buying a new one tomorrow after all. The door swung open a moment later and Nadira walked in. Odd, she was usually so bright and bubbly around him, hanging on his every word as if it were law. Ah, the power of the bond between Trainer and beast...

Now, however, she seemed strangely nervous, hanging her head in what looked like shame. Even her long, well groomed tail no longer stood up proudly, dragging low across the floor. Could it be that... something had gone wrong?

"Master... I have news." She spoke in a weary, beaten voice.

"What is it Nadira? Titanus won the match, hasn't he??" Dalton swung his feet off of the desk and leaned forward, his eyes searching his monster for some kind of answer.

"...No, Master, he did not." Her ears drooped slightly and her voice sounded broken and forced. "I attacked Oshin as you ordered but she... managed to win the tourney. Titanus is dead."

Dalton sat there, stunned, for a long moment. How could this have happened. How could they have failed such a simple task?? Slowly that shock turned to a deep rage. Nadira just slipped to her knees, arms at her sides and gaze stuck on the floor. In that moment Dalton felt nothing for the monster he raised. All those passed accomplishments flickered and died and all he could see was her failure this night, and thus responded in the way he knew would hurt her the most.

"I'm very disappointed in you Nadira." He forced the anger from his eyes and pretended to look heartbroken. "I trusted you above all. I thought you were the one being in this world who I could depend on. But... I see that trust was misplaced. Oh, where did I go wrong with you? Did I not raise you like my own daughter?"

"That's not true!" The Ripper leapt to her feet, tears in her dark eyes. She rushed to his desk, knocking off his nameplate my accident. "You can still depend on me! I messed up this time... but.. but I'll make it up to you! You know I'd do anything for you. Just give me the word... I would..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I would kill for you..."

Mr. Dalton ignored her pleas, waving her off with a lifted hand. "I... I cannot bear to look at you right now Nadira. Leave me.."

Nadira hung her head low, her clawed fists clenched in anger and sadness, tears running unheeded down her fur. She turned away, she left just as he asked. But not before returning the fallen nameplate back to his desk were it belonged.

The nameplate that read, Mr. Andrew Dalton.

*****************

The lone, Zuum drawn carriage looked quite lonely beneath the sky on that star-less night. Oshin sat in the back, peering out the window as she wondered for the hundredth time where her trainer was. Lillian was nowhere to be found when the coliseum's staff of Angels brought her back around. Oshins cuts and bruises were gone, and more of her bones mended. However, her poor wing was beyond all healing. The decision was made to amputate both wings rather then just leave one behind. Oshin could still sense their absence, and doubted if she would ever stop feeling like a part of her had been stolen away.

The carriage slowed to a halt and Oshin stepped out, finding herself home once more. The ranch was a pleasant sight to say the least. She couldn't help but smile, spotting the reading machine that Lillian often used in her training. A flash of memory brought a smile to her weary face, memories of countless hours of teaching under her trainers watchful, compassionate gaze.

Lillian... where was she?

Oshin waved good-bye to the nice trainer who volunteered to drop her off. He offered to walk her in, but Oshin would hear none of it. Soon enough, the little Undine was alone, standing in the midst of a silent ranch.

Tired didn't begin to describe the way Oshin felt when she finally entered the house in search of her trainer. She felt numb inside, as if her body and mind simply could not deal with anymore stress and pain. The muscles on her back twitched as she tried to flutter her wings, but the sting quickly reminded her they were gone and she was just to weary to even grieve over the loss. However, nothing could have prepared her for what she saw once stepping into the dinning area.

There was Lillian, laying cold and still on the dinning room table. The color had drained from her feature, her mouth slightly ajar, her eyes gaze frozen to the ceiling, seeing nothing. Her body, particularly her torso, was rent and torn. Not by talons or claws, but by a very small, very sharp knife. Of course, such details were lost on Oshin, who turned away with a horrified cry. All she knew in that bleak moment was that her life, her world had been destroyed in the course of twelve hours. She could only find one face to blame for this travesty, only one who taunted and laughed as she screamed and cried.

It was the face of a Ripper.

Arggh... I can't believe I forgot to put 'Chapter 2' in the title....