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The fight had come to its last round. Ameryst from the Sucharra vs Elder Ket Oudb, He had the reputation of being uncompromising. Unlike her namesake from Fendiq, this Ameryst did not have iron fists. What she did have was stamina and footwork. Oudb tried to land punch after punch with little or no success. Third round he was tiring. She kept him moving around the ring with her striking a blow every now and then that struck home across his jaw.
Fury? The anger at seeing her outpacing him, wearing him out was too much. Another blow to the jaw but this time she followed it with another and another in quick succession.
Caught completely by surprise, one blow he had expected. THREE? Down he went and stayed down! Her fellow Kets, were ecstatic! Carried aloft from the ring to the Ovir where they celebrated. "Van Ea!" The illuminated screen was showing her vs the Vendaran Arkanaje.
First round, second, third and so it went on. Arkanaje was getting respect from Van Ea. Unheard of for a Jogarth to have such when it came to a Vendaran. Yet, he had earned it but not just from her. Ameryst too was impressed by both of them. Ten rounds? It had been debated in the beginning that not one of them would make it past the third round, certainly NOT the full ten rounds.
Blow for blow matched. He was she thought a mirror image of her. Arkanaje was thinking the same thoughts re her! She had not cheated. That had surprised him most of all. Why did he suspect that were her mother here, the infamous Isabellani!
She would have almost certainly tried a few tricks to cheat? He had admittedly been warned on what to expect. Aware and prepared. Van Ea was unsure of what he could have done to cheat other than what she already knew from having dwelt upon the possibilities.
So why had she not cheated? Even to the final blows and the match brought to its standstill? An impasse of sorts. Both of them declared winners! "If its OK with you." As they left the 'ring' Arkanaje had stopped to talk to Van Ea. "I'd like to join you for training sessions? The ones I normally do with others are a bit soft for my liking. I'd appreciate an opponent of your calibre to keep me." He smiled. "On my toes." He wondered what Fre or Illia might have to say about that, perhaps would be the reason she might turn his offer down?
"I guess your brothers wouldn't like that idea." The moment he said that, it had made her mind up! "From tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow!" "I was thinking of watching the race. I hear its started?" Minutes later, they were sat watching, whilst sipping on drinks. Van Ea, had noticed, that at no time had Fre or Illia, attempted to move ahead of Anora.
Why, she wondered was that unless?
Aisha had been fiddling with the Tslec unit to gain access. On edge, nervously the Kets fidgeted as she waited for the response to come back from the unit. She turned to them. "One at a time, move ahead of me NOW!" Becci went to move, nothing different in front of her other than? Suddenly there was a ripple in the air forming a vortex of sorts. She was understandably apprehensive. Aisha hissed at her. Stepping forward she walked into it, gone! The last one passing through it was Aisha.
Within seconds after, the vortex closed behind her.
Anora was smiling. She was about to win this! Suddenly the Monotac started to shake. About five meters from the finishing line and it flipped over! She was holding on desperately clinging to it as it continued shaking. Those watching transfixed and some terrified for her. If she dropped and hit the ground there she would be seriously injured, if not dead.
She could feel the controls. If she could get her fingers onto the guidance lock and turn it off she might stand a chance of shifting the Monotac to the right and across to bring it over the Estuary. A drop into the water would not kill her from this height. She was also a good swimmer. Her finger moved. If she made the wrong movement or failed, that was it. No second chances.
Van Ea was furious, she should have been delighted at the prospect of Anora falling but why did she not feel good about this?
It must have been Fre or Illia up to no good. Again! If Becci, that brat from Fendiq found out? She smiled.
If Anora dies, I will make sure Becci knows who was responsible.
The Monotac continued but changed course! It veered, alarmingly as some might say, to the right and across towards the Estuary. Now over the water Anora let go and plummeted downwards to hit the water. Immediately rescue craft were scrambled to find her.
When Anora had hit the water she had not realized the impact would be severe. She was stunned. Unconscious. Drowning? To recover fighting for her life all over again. Struggling with the weight of the suit and about to give up? From beneath her, it had tucked it self in, so that its back was now rising and on it, laid out upon it. Anora.
When the rescuers got to her, she was still there and the Grovok waited, as she was taken off its back and attended to, before it slunk away to the cheers of the Kets.
Elite Pvedi had seen events. Fre and Illia had raced each other over the finishing line? Congratulating themselves on poor Anora's demise? Shocked when the news came back that she had been rescued? As for her rescuer! The Grovok??!!! If that was bad news, there was more to come. Pyedi had been talking to Serenia. He grinned as she took up one of the Shelde units and moved over to Fre and Illia.
Only they, could hear what she had to say. "I don't know how you did it, but I know one of you did compromise that Monotac.
I will have it removed from the Estuary and carefully examined. If I find ANY evidence to link it to either or BOTH of you, I will personally ensure you are suitably punished, on my part that will be a pleasure I will look forward to." She stepped back waved the Shelde in the air. An Opticon moved close to her, directed to do so as had been arranged by Pyedi and Serenia.
"I have the results, for the winner of the race, between Anora, Fre and Illia." She paused as they stared at her. Fre was mocking Illia, muttering he had won. "If, you look at Anora and the Monotac, the route that it took, before she fell into the water, you will see it occurred OVER the winning line. Therefore Anora, despite the tragedy that occurred, IS THE undisputed winner!"
"Yes!" Van Ea shrieked as Arkanaje almost spilt his drink. "That'll teach you you pair of cheats!" She sat back down, glanced at Arkanaje. "I'm really nothing like my brothers Ark." He leaned in close to her. "I've seen that today with the way you were nothing less than a winner in my eyes."
"The what?" "The Grovok. Apparently it lifted her out of the water. She was shaken up and stunned I think by how much impact she made hitting the water. That suit won't have helped, I gather she might have caught the back of her head on the collar. Concussed." "Whoa, I want to be around when she hears about her rescue, does she know it was the Grovok?"
"I don't care what you say, you have to rest!" Uanita was fussing over Anora. Eula and Torvan were also more than insistent.
She relaxed after hearing the news that she had won. "I hope when she knows the truth, we are not going to have to put up with her, going through a round of sleepless nights, her waking up in a sweat, screaming; over the Grovok!"
"We have the Strat challenges coming up tomorrow."
The Kets from the teams, had gathered to prepare, psyche themselves ready.
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