thearena | And Then There Were Three...

WHO | Arena 3's Dream Team (Ariadne and Don) and Alex Rider
WHAT | Its the end of the Arena with three left! But just when the identity of the Victor looks certain, a shocking twist occurs!
WHEN | Day 10
WHERE | S4
WARNINGS / NOTES | DEEEEEATH

He'd kept count. Tried to. If he was right, there was only three left. Himself, Ariadne, and one more. Which meant that victory was so close.

It made him a bit nervous, and Don didn't sleep that last night. He hadn't kept track of exactly who it was that was left. Would he be strong enough to save Ariadne again from whoever it was? And if he was, how would he get Ariadne out as Victor? Would he have to fight her? Fake out of the fight? What was he going to do?

Very quietly he began to gather his weapons - the machete, the kanbo, his last spear. Today was going to be the end. He could feel it in his bones, that thing which Master Splinter called a feeling of premonition. Out of the four of his brothers, Don was decidedly the least connected to his spiritual side. But as he walked out of the tent, he couldn't help but feel a shiver.'

He was not looking forward to today. But there was no more delaying the inevitable. Today his arena alliance with Ariadne would - one way or another - come to an end.

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Oh. Oh no. Suddenly Don saw something wrong. Ariadne was open.

"WAIT-"

Alex felt a streak of fire across the top of his shoulder as he straightened, Ariadne's speak grazing him as it flew past. He didn't pause to look at his injury and instead jumped to his feet in order to fling his spear back in response. Despite his earlier assertions against wanting to kill anyone, he still aimed for her torso.

She wasn't so far away from the treeline that she offered up a completely open shot. Only if she remained in place would she have taken the spear to the chest; Ariadne ducked to one side, dodging behind a tree quickly when she realised that she hadn't taken him out point blank. His spear caught her in the upper arm, the tip burying itself into her flesh, and though she didn't think it was near an artery, it hurt like a bitch. She bit down on a scream, instead stumbling and falling to the ground, pressing herself against the back of the tree to figure out how bad the injury was while she had the chance.

"NO!!"

He'd been so close. He'd been--why didn't he--he should have been in front of her, not behind--

Everything suddenly became a blur as, suddenly, Don acted, landing right in front of Alex with a slam. His kanabo was out, and he was in an aggressive - almost angry - stance.

It was almost as if to dare Alex, to say try getting Ariadne now.

Even after some of the strange things he'd seen in the Arena, a giant turtle landing in front of him was still one of the strangest. To say he felt a bit intimidated was an understatement, and that wasn't even counting the giant spiked club the turtle was holding either.

Alex backed up, flicking the spear Ariadne had hit him with off the ground with his toe and back into his hands.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to kill her first?"

More than just an understatement, if the dried blood on the kanabo was any indication. If looks could kill, Alex would have likely combusted spontaneously under the withering glare the turtle was now sending him.

That wouldn't be possible. So he guessed would just have to do Alex in the old-fashioned way. It was now his primary objective.

"No." Don's voice is cold as he responds, slowly pointing at Alex. "But I will kill you."

Edited 2012-10-15 16:04 (UTC)

She only half-registered the conversation going on on the beach; her focus was primarily on her wound, snapping off the spear's handle so she could slowly work the tip from her arm. It was bleeding, and understandably so, hot blood soaking her shirt. Ariadne pressed one hand to it, arming herself with the spearhead in the other as she peered around her cover to the sight before her. She wouldn't get into the middle of it - she couldn't, really, not with her arm injured like this. It was a liability, and she just thanked herself for making it to the end so she wouldn't have to deal with it for another few days. She pushed herself up slowly, bracing herself against the tree, prepared to dart forward at any moment.

Alex was intimidated, but that didn't mean he was frightened. He settled into a defensive stance, keeping in mind that Ariadne was still there, somewhere behind this giant talking turtle. The club would definitely be a problem, as the spear he was holding probably wouldn't stand against even one direct blow. He would definitely have to avoid getting hit with it.

"You aren't the first to try," Alex quipped, falling into the old habit of smart mouthing his opponents. "And yet I'm still here."

"That's because you didn't face me."

And quick as lightning, he advanced, as if to swing his weapon - but at the last moment shot his knee up to get him in between the legs.

Alex could make all the quips he wanted, because as far as he was concerned, Donatello was through talking.

An inexperienced fighter would have fallen for the feint. Alex almost missed it, due to the difficultly of trying to read someone in a shell, but he shifted just in time and jabbed at Donatello's leg with the butt of his spear.

He felt nothing. Or if he did, he ignored it. His mind was on one thing only, and that was to destroy this other person, this opponent. So that kanabo was going from feint to the real thing, even as the spear butted his leg.

Alex felt ribs crack as the weapon struck his side, a sensation he was not fond of. And those spikes in it... well, that didn't help either. The force of the blow knocked him back a couple meters, but he managed to stay on his feet. Alex whipped the spear around, trying to use it's length to slash at the arm holding the studded club.

The spear slashed him. Not deeply, but he bled.

It only made him even angrier. It only made him see more red. Instantly he went forward, to grab at Alex's shoulders. If he was successful, well - there was a headbutt coming. And it would hurt.

Just like Don wanted.

Alex immediately dropped the spear when Donatello's hands grabbed his shoulders and jammed his hands upwards, trying to both break the hold on his shoulders and protect his head. Following the concussion he got earlier in the Arena he was trying to avoid a second one at all costs.

Normally that maneuver would work. Normally Donatello would back off and not try and smash his head even as someone was trying to pry him off of them.

But each attempt to stop him only enraged him even more, pumping up his adrenaline, increasing the haze. He didn't care. He wanted Alex to pay. And the longer he had to wait, the worse, he decided, it was going to be for Alex.

Wasn't that how Raphael thought? Maybe. But maybe Don wasn't even thinking about that.

Having a turtle's skull slam into your forearms was not a pleasant feeling. Alex grunted at the impact, not sure at first if the blow had fractured anything or not... until he noticed his right wrist bent a bit funny.

Great.

Darting his left hand out, he took advantage of the headbutt and went for the turtle's eyes.

Only his wrist. No, he wasn't satisfied.

Oh, his fingers were coming for his eyes. No, he was not going to let that happen. So Donatello, in his whipped-up haze of rage, did something remarkable un-Donatello-like.

He tried to lean and bite off the invading fingers.

Edited 2012-10-27 16:32 (UTC)

And Then There Were Three...

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