L.A.W. - League of Anime Wrestling

Thus far, Long had been content to stay where he was and feign unconsciousness, but what he was hearing now proved finally enough to push him over the edge. At the sight of the hulking tiger man shoving himself back up, the crowd gasped at first, unaware that he still had any fight in him. The sight of Long pushing himself to his feet, in and of itself, was enough to shock anyone, but the anger in his voice proved even more threatening, as the spectators shrunk back out of his way, too afraid to be near him.

Sirya noticed it, too, and her gaze turned to meet Long's. Though a minute ago she had been bristling with anger, intent on getting back at the guard holding her down and frustrated with her inability to do so, for those few seconds her blood went still in her veins, and her freckled face turned pale. As the officiator gave the order for the guards to kill her, Sirya felt the shiver run further down her spine. Everything in that instant seemed to stop, as though time itself had stood still. She saw the guard raise a sword higher, and she sucked in a breath, her body tense and tingling as she was left anticipating when the moment would come.

She didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like ages when it couldn't have been more than a few seconds. Regardless, Long burst into action. Sirya heard his cries before she saw him. In a flash of movement too quick for Sirya to fully see, he slammed into the guard, tackling him aside. Sirya dropped to the floor, rolling to her hands and knees and propping herself back up just as Long was guiding her back to her feet. At this, she dusted herself off before letting her gaze rest on him, her eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I can still fight, stupid! I was doing just fine..." A moment later, however, her features softened as she cracked a smile. "But...thanks. I owe ya one...but until then!"

She saw the guard closing in on her out of the corner of her eye, but that was something Sirya was ready for! Just as the man was closing in, she kicked off the ground, throwing one leg behind her as she spun around in a circle to land a roundhouse kick against his chest!

The guards didn't see it coming with Long's sudden interference and Sirya's roundhouse kick to send another guard flying away. The owner of this tournament started to back away slowly as his eyes grew wide with fear and when he thought that the coast was clear, he turned tail and started to book it out. Seems as though this man was more of a watcher than a fighter and at the faintest sigh of things going wrong, he tries to escape. Long though, wasn't ready to let him get away with this.

Backhanding another guard away, Long went down on all fours and started to pursue the cowardly entertainer. It didn't take long before Long was able to catch up with him and pounce right onto his back, knocking him off his feet and straight to the ground. A loud growl would emit from Long's mouth before he gave him two quick swipes across his back that would tear through his clothing and break the skin, revealing the crimson color of blood from the scratch wounds.

With a jolt from the pain, the tournament holder would quickly spin around underneath him, only to now be face to face with Long, "Now... It's time for revenge on what you put us through!" Long thrust his head downwards and opened his jaws and latched them across the throat of the man. A yelp of pain would emit from him mouth as the feeling of Long's sharp teeth met his skin. He was now at the complete mercy of Long, just a slight amount of power from his jaw would be enough to end this mans life, but he heard footsteps coming up from behind him and Long would recognize their sound... It was Sirya.

Before deciding to end him, Long shifted his eyes over to Sirya and gauged her reaction. Did she want him to do this or let him go? Or did Sirya have something else in mind?

Sirya smiled with a sense of smug satisfaction as she watched the guard fall back, taken off his feet from the sudden swipe of her leg. While Sirya wasn't the largest of women, she had the advantage of momentum, with the guard's charge toward her working against him as he came right into the path of Sirya's foot. But the satisfaction she had gotten from that little move was nothing compared to what she witnessed next - as she turned to the sound of the official's screams as the man ran in terror, with Long rushing behind him!

This whole time, Long had been holding back. Not only had the rules of the tournament forbade him from using deadly force, but he had to make sure that Sirya wasn't hurt too badly, as the girl would be instrumental to his plans. But now, there were no such things holding him back - and Sirya could truly witness the terrifying power her opponent could wield. Long had their captor in his sights, and he was ready to get back at him for all he had put them through. Though he tried to run, he was no match for Long's speed, and with a few swipes of the tiger's claws he fell before him, prone and vulnerable.

The spectators gasped in terror. A few of them were already trying to flee in the commotion, while others stood silently, paralyzed in fear with their eyes wide and their mouths agape. Sirya, on the other hand, was perfectly happy to see the man responsible for their torments pay for his deeds. She thought back on all she'd suffered - being taken from her home, having to sleep in a cold cell, and all the grueling battles she had gone through to get to the finals. But now, when that very man who had orchestrated everything was pinned beneath Long's claws, it all felt worth it. She cheered and clapped, urging Long on - but soon after, the panther girl came closer. She had to see this up close.

The official looked up, trembling in fear as Sirya loomed over him. Even at her short stature, she seemed like a giant when he was staring up at her from on his back, especially when a ferocious set of fangs hovered just beside his throat. Sirya enjoyed being in control like this, and she let it show from the grin on her face as she crossed her arms. "Heh...not so fun now, is it? Now ya know how we all felt bein' yer slaves...but I don't think you ever realized how keeping captives stronger than you wasn't gonna work out, huh?"

Wanting to let the moment sink in, with one parting humiliation to let the man truly know what she thought of him, Sirya dragged the soles of her boots across his face, scuffing off the dirt. Once she was satisfied with that, she looked back at Long and nodded, giving him the signal. It was all she needed to say.

Seeing Sirya walk right up to him and look down upon him like the pitiful man he was put a smile on Long's face. There was something about the way she smiled both made him smile and put the fear of god in him. He was just glad not to be on the receiving end of it this time... Sirya then started to talk and mocked him, but the man didn't say anything back. Probably too scared right now to move any part of his body and just to ad insult to injury, Long watched as Sirya dragged her boot across his face. A nice touch indeed.

Long then locked eyes with Sirya who gave him a nod of approval and he knew what to do next. His teeth were already set and there was only one thing left to do... "CRUNCH!" With one swift bite, Long would crush his throat. Blood would pour out from the fresh wound as Long spit out the excess of what was left in his mouth, "He really got what was coming to him... Urk!" Long would drop to one knee and he would place his paw across his chest. With all that energy he exerted to save Sirya from the guard and hunt this bastard down, he was at his limit. "Sirya I... I don't think I can go on anymore... I'm going to transform... Back." He said as his breathing became more and more labored.

The guards were starting to catch back up to them after recovering and if Long transforms back now, he will surely go unconscious and hold Sirya back, "Go... Save yourself!" He pleaded with her as his body started to slowly glow white.

With her feet dragged across her captor's face, Sirya had made one final parting gesture of disrespect to make her feelings known. She smirked down at him, satisfied with her efforts. To think that just a moment ago he had been in control of everything, thinking he could decide their fates - and now, the tables were turned, just like that. Sirya took a moment to feel proud, letting that sense of superiority sink in. After all she'd been through, she felt she earned it.

As she heard the crunch of bone splintering beneath Long's powerful jaws, Sirya's grin only grew wider, and she let loose a small chuckle at the man's expense. However, her celebrations were soon cut short. Suddenly, Long stumbled and dropped to his knee, and Sirya spun around to face him with a gasp. "What..!? Hey-! What's going on! You were fine a minute ago-!" she barked. Her voice had notes of frustration and annoyance as always, but her words wavered. Sirya was...she didn't know if she'd say she was worried for Long. But it seemed so sudden that he faltered like this, and her heart quickened. Their plan was to get out together, wasn't it? And it was working up until now! How could he suddenly take a turn for the worse? It wasn't supposed to end up this way!

Reaching out, the panther girl grabbed Long by the shoulders and began to shake him. "HEY! Come on! We're this close! We can't back down now-!" Gritting her teeth, Sirya heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and she looked back from Long to see the guards closing in on them. She groaned under her breath, but nevertheless got up, standing protectively in front of the prone Long as she held her spear out in front of her.

"Oh, no!" she snapped to Long's warning. "I deal with these bastards myself!" With that, she grasped her weapon with both hands, going to deliver a forceful thrust into the chest of the nearest guard!

Long's consciousness would fade in and out as he faded back to his human form. He would hear Sirya call out to him, trying to make him get up and shake it off, but it was just no use. He needed his rest and this was a very bad time for him to be having it. Luckily though, Sirya was more than capable of taking care of herself so Long would give her a half smile as he would go out.

When Long came to, he was surprised by what he saw! Sirya was breathing heavy as bodies were all around her. Her weapon was stained with their blood as it seemed like all the guards in the facility were down beneath her feet. "S-Sirya... Did you... Do this?" He would call out weakly to her. He tried to stand up, but all he could muster was pushing his heavy body upwards with his arms and getting to his knees. He was still too weak to even stand. The sight of her though, taking on all of these men and destroying them, was truly something to behold.

The fact that he was able to even stand toe to toe with her for so long in a fight, not once, but twice was a testament to his training back at home. With warriors like her though in this world, he felt like he wouldn't have a snowballs chance in Hell to survive. "You're amazing..." He breathlessly said to her and gave her another smile.

With her spear impaling the nearest guard through the chest, Sirya let herself sink into the rhythm. Her motions were quick and spoke of a life of practice, honing her skills through living through the harshest of environments. Though the guards slashed at her, ganged up on her, tried to control her movement, Sirya dodged and swerved around everything as though the motions were coming to her as easily as breathing. She was always in motion, slipping underneath their strikes and rolling between their legs, and the blows she returned on them were guided through instinct alone, as she seemed to know intuitively where to strike true.

Sirya's mind was guiding itself now, and she gave little heed to anything beyond herself and her opponents. It all went by in a blur; she could only focus on keeping herself alive. But time went on, and soon, whatever guards hadn't fallen had retreated in fear. So too had the spectators, having hurriedly ran for their lives, and any other competitors lucid enough to flee had done so when the opportunity of freedom presented itself. Eventually, the only people left in the room were Sirya and Long - and the latter of them was steadily coming back to his senses.

It was only at that point that Sirya even noticed that Long had passed out. She had been so lost in the flurry of activity that was the battle that she didn't give a thought to where her companion was, or what he was doing. But seeing him there, only now starting to get up, brought it all flooding back to Sirya's mind, as she recalled how the two of them had gotten into this situation. A groan left her, and she rolled her eyes as she walked over to Long's side.

"Yeah, I did all that...some help you were," she huffed. "You're lucky I could handle all that myself..." But as irate as Sirya had been about going at it alone, she couldn't help but smile as Long praised her. Her expression softened, and she grinned ever so slightly. "But...thanks."

Just then, Sirya dropped her spear, the weapon going clattering against the floor below. "Nngh-!" She grimaced as a wave of pain went through her body, and she clutched at her side. It was only then, as she looked down, that Sirya noticed the wound in her side she'd incurred in the commotion; she'd been so lost in the whirlwind of action that it hadn't even hurt. Now, though, blood was oozing through her fingers, and she dropped to one knee. The exhaustion, too, was catching up to her, and her muscles began to feel sore from how much she'd worked them in battle after battle. She panted with short breaths, sweat dripping from her dark bangs. "D-Dammit..."

The emotions in the air now just seem to be on a never ending rollercoaster for both Sirya and Long. With the battle seemingly over now, the fight for survival had just begun as a fresh wound was opened up on Sirya during the fight with the guards. Judging by the blood that was leaking out of her fingers, Long didn't know how much time they had left until she would pass out from blood loss, "S-sirya!!!" Long would call out to her and crawled over as she fell to one knee, "No! Stay with me!" The sound in his voice and the look in his eyes showed just how much he cared for her.

This fighting spirit though, with the sight of his friend now in pain, awoke in Long as he cast away his fatigue and pain to get back upwards and standing. He would droop his neck down under her right arm and lift her up back to a standing position, "We are not going to die down here!" With anguish written all over his face and sweat on hers, Long and Sirya would slowly make their way towards the exit of the arena. Stumbling every so often and having to rest on the walls as they went.

Soon though, the light at the tunnel began to show as rays of sun from the outside world could be seen through the door way, "We're... Almost... There!" Just a couple more steps and they would be out. Each step though felt like they were trudging through molasses until finally, they were out into the fresh air of the outside world. Relieved, Long would breath out a long sigh and then breath in the lovely outside air for the first time in what seemed like eternity. We did it! We made it out!" Long turned to look at Sirya with a smile on his face, but that quickly turned back into a frown once he saw her wound again.

We need to get you to a hospital. Wait, do they have hospitals here?" Long just remembered that he wasn't on Earth and knew nothing of their medical expertise here.

"E-Ehh..?" As the fatigue was setting in, Sirya found it harder to keep her senses about her, especially now that she didn't have the adrenaline rush to draw on. Her eyes lidded, she fell to her knee and clutched at her bleeding wound. But she could still see the panic in Long, in the way he had adressed her and the pain in his voice. Sirya's eyes met his, and she stopped, realizing just how concerned he was. If anything, though, Sirya was baffled. They had just been opponents, and if things hadn't turned out the way they did, she was fully prepared to leave him behind if it meant earning her freedom. Her harsh life had tempered a ruthless spirit, and she had no qualms about throwing others to the wolves for her own advantage. But now he was worried about her, even if she had been his opponent. The concept was a foreign one to her.

Slowly, and with labored breaths, she was guided up to her feet and carried out toward the exit. Her stamina was fading fast, and she fell against his side. Her steps plodded against the ground. Even still, she found the strength to utter a few words. "Why...do you care..?"

But as they at last exited the arena, seeing the first light in days, Sirya had to stop. She smiled, her tired eyes widening a little more as the light hit her, and her body eased as she felt the air against her skin. Freedom. What she had been striving for this entire time - and now, it was in front of her. In front of them, rather. Perhaps, in the end, it was all worth it.

Sirya looked back at Long, and though she seemed confused by the mention of a hospital, she was still able to understand well enough what he meant. "You...think we can find a physician?" Her voice was weak, and she fell against his side, clinging to him for support.

Hearing her say the word, "physician" made him breathe out a huge sigh of relief. "So they do have medical personnel here then." He would say softly, but then felt her fall to his side. There wasn't much time. Long quickly darted his head around from left to right to see if he can find any kind of clue as to where to go. The audience was already long gone by now, but they did leave behind one important clue, footprints. They all seemed to be going in one direction and a pseudo path was formed, "This has to be the way out." Bracing Sirya upwards, they began to trot down the already broken path.

The path was relatively clear with few obstacles in their way, which was reassuring since they both didn't really need to strain themselves as they walked. "Just let me know if you need to rest." He would say to her as they kept on walking. Long started to see why this kind of competition was held here though, it was well secluded and if there wasn't any footprints to follow, he would have probably gotten lost pretty easily. Just as though he was thinking that this path would never end, he finally heard it... The faint sound of civilization.

"That's... We have to be close!" Long said as his excitement started to grow. Without realizing it, he began to pick up the pace towards the sounds as newfound energy began to flow through his veins. "Do you recognize this place or these sounds at all?" Long asked Sirya as he hoped that she would so they could get to a physician faster. Sure, getting to civilization was one thing, but actually finding some sort of doctor's office was another. For all they know, it could be on the other side of the town!