Gavin was at least three years older than me, and already the worst bully in the entire clan. His group usually ignored me, but for the first time, I was competing against the other boys in the clan. Some were visibly upset by seeing me on the field.
“What do you want?” I looked up at him.
“Who do you think you are? Who told you that you can be a clan warrior?” He sneered and his even less mentally gifted friends laughed.
“Yeah. Teach her a lesson, Gav,” one of them joined in.
“It’s not my fault that you lost,” I said.
The retaliation was immediate. Gavin slapped me across my face. At the same time, two other boys grabbed my arms.
A burst of anger mixed with humiliation rose up. The skin on my cheek burned. I struggled to break free, but my arms were carefully secured.
“Do you see her suit? Did she steal it?” One of them sneered.
“Yeah. Let's see what she hides under it.” One of them squeezed the side of my chest.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Victor just stepped out from around the corner.
His eyes shifted from the four boys to me, pressed against the stone wall, with a hand on my chest.
For a moment he looked confused then he clenched his hands into fists, stepping toward us.
“Move along, stool stepper.” Gavin hissed.
That was the distraction I needed. Gavin was too preoccupied to protect himself, and with all my strength, I kneed him in the groin. He folded forward with the most pathetic look on his face. I did not want that little victory to be wasted, and proceeded to knee him in the nose, busting his face open with a satisfying crunch. Gavin fell to the ground, tipping to his side guarding his male parts.
I glanced up. Victor was surrounded by the three remaining bullies. He had just taken a hit, and blood dripped from the side of his mouth.
Victor was a grappler. That was his most lethal technique. He had many disadvantages in a fist fight, but as soon as hemanaged to shorten the distance to his opponent, it was over. And it did not matter how big and strong the person was. If Victor got close, there was nothing anyone could do. That was his particular talent, and we all knew it. But, it did not work well with multiple opponents. I had to help.
While Victor was getting a strong hold on one of the boys, I reached for another one from behind. With one fast movement, I wrapped my arm around the boy’s neck in a tight lock. The boy fell backwards, stunning me for a moment when his weight landed on top of my body. Recovering almost instantaneously, I clenched his torso with my thighs and squeezed his neck even harder. He produced a low guttural sound, not willing to give up just yet. His face turned beet red and his hand frantically moved on the ground looking for something he could use against me. Finally, his body went limp in my arms and I immediately let go. I rolled him off me, and kicked him between his legs, just to be sure he learned his lesson.
In the meantime, Victor had beaten the other bully and was dancing around the last one, keeping low to the ground. I watched his beautiful technique, his fast and efficient foot work. He got a hold of his opponent’s body and flipped him over with one violent shove. That was something I would never be able to implement. He had incredible upper body strength I would never be able to match. But, while I was built differently, I was still very fast and decent with my sword. I knew many sneaky ways to hurt someone, but I rarely fought openly. Sucker punches, tricks, and kicks in the groin were my most beloved tactics.
When Victor straightened, I could clearly see that he had taken several hits and his left eye was swollen.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t expect me to save you every time,” he grumbled.
“I didn’t need any help.”
He stared at me for a good moment. His eyebrows lowered. His gaze started to irritate me.
“Stormflower,” he finally said.
“What?”
“You remind me of a wild flower that blooms only in a storm.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”
“By the way, I had it under control,” I said.
