Tuatha came at Datton with the Triear raised in both hands. Datton sidestepped him and ran behind a small pole holding up a sail. Tuatha swung at Datton who was between two poles where it split into two. Datton dove to the left, and Tuatha's swipe down, split the pole in half. Tuatha raced around the pole and Datton stumbled onto his face. Tuatha raised the spear over him. Datton rolled over, Tuatha aimed and lunged. Datton grabbed a discarded and broken spear bit and held it up at the triple points. It held the spear for a bit. Tuatha grunted in rage and applied pressure. The bit split, the points dove at Datton's face! Datton squirmed aside barely avoiding the points which stuck down hard in the wood. Datton grabbed the shaft and pushed it into Tuatha's face. The spear stuck down, wobbled and hit Tuatha a few times. Drake looked relieved and wildly surprised. Drake's throat seemed to close. Datton got up and ran. Tuatha abandoned the spear and dove headfirst at his prey. Tuatha caught Datton from behind, about his waist, felling him. They both rolled across a fallen sail as one kicking fighting being. Tuatha hit Datton's sides when he could, Datton blocked most of the tries but a few painful blows got through. Artrix loaded up one of his arrows onto to a bow, directing the albino and mulatto boys to watch over the hidden weapons. Tuatha ended up ontop of Datton, laying across him to hold him down. "A Vel!"
The albino boy smiled and from the ground tossed a Vel up to Tuatha, who snatched it from the air. As the gladiators continued to yell and encourage their leader on, he raised the Vel at Datton's neck. Datton held Tuatha's wrists but the gladiator freed the wrist whose hand held the swivel knife. Datton saw
it gleam in the sunlight. Tuatha brought it down and aimed at Datton's heart. Datton grabbed Tuatha's forearm and they struggled chest to chest! Tuatha managed to rip the skin across Datton's pec as Datton used both hands to slow the forearm. Tuatha tried to force it into Datton's heart. Tuatha's free hand
punched Datton's chest and he fell back again. Tuatha sat up on Datton's hips. He raised the Vel once more, angry that this human should be giving him so much trouble. To Drake, Datton looked unconscious. "No. No." Datton feigned unconsciousness but as Tuatha lowered the Vel, the sweeping motion was diverted. Datton used the back of his forearm against Tuatha's forearm. He pushed out. The Vel struck sand and swiveled it up. Datton shut his eyes as sand spurted up, the Vel swiveling it mere inches from his ear. He was thankful it was sand being swiveled and scattered, not his veins and arteries. Tuatha had let the Vel go, "Good form! But die ye shall!" On the ground Datton found some sand probably that came off the gladiators' boots. Datton got an idea and tossed a handful of sand into Tuatha's face. Tuatha fell back, helped by a kick from Datton's foot. "Bad form," Phoenix called. "Shoot him, Artrix!" Nobi ordered as Datton stood and backed away from a struggling Tuatha who was trying to clear his eyes. Artrix pulled the arrow back, now becoming the threat. Datton looked warily at him--there would be no escape from that arrow. He had a thought in his head, that he could catch the arrow, or even use a weapon, if he had one in his hands, to deflect the life taking pointed arrow back at Artrix. But he had none and he wondered if he ever had this skill in the past. Was it still there buried under his memory? Tuatha rubbed his eyes, on his knees, and saw this. Datton looked at Artrix's arrow and crouched down low. Tuatha held out his hand, "No! He is mine! You are not allowed! I and only I kill him!"
Datton caught his breath as Artrix, no protestations toward the angered Tuatha on his lips, lowered the arrow. Datton looked at the enemy he was facing, "T-th-thank you." Tuatha stood and ran at him, "A Fi!" The mulatto tossed two to Tuatha, who in turn quickly spiraled them at Datton. Datton ducked from one and then jumped up to a spear stuck in the wall overhead. He grabbed on with two hands and pulled himself up to avoid the second Fi. Before he knew it, a third Fi flung at the spear, cutting it. Datton and wood fell to the ground. "Macer!" The albino tossed the double pointed sword to Tuatha, who lunged. Datton stood this time, then ducked under the sword. Tuatha, ready for this, kicked Datton in the chest. Datton fell back but as he did he kicked up at the sword hilt. Tuatha, backed a bit by this, merely lunged again at Datton who determined himself not to fall. Datton caught Tuatha's arm under his own and smacked a palm into Tuatha's jaw with his opposite arm. Datton kneed Tuatha's hip and sent him sprawling. As the other gladiators lowered and lessened encouragements stifled to a low murmur, if that, Datton easily took the sword and looked at it. Recovering quickly Tuatha rushed at Datton weaponless. There had been so much killing. Datton thought maybe he could get out of this by not killing. "Yeah right!" He turned the sword around and smashed the hilt right into Tuatha's lean solid stomach. Tuatha doubled over and gasped. As the quieted crew took time to get over this shock, Datton ran at Drake. An arrow imbedded itself near his foot. Datton shielded his face from flying sand. Artrix laughed. Another arrow. Avoiding it, Datton found himself on his back once more. The crew looked at the recovering Tuatha. Looking coldly, Drake stood over Datton's head, behind him, his legs spread. Datton peered up and back at him, "Help me." "How?" "Throw me into the Tuatha. That's all."
Tuatha picked up Datton's fallen Macer and ran at him. Datton stood, sidestepped him, and palmed Tuatha's shoulder as he passed. Tuatha's forward motion continued and he fell forward. He turned and started to swish at the air. "Now you die!" Tuatha came at Datton, swiped at his chest. Datton ducked down again, Tuatha kneed him, and hit him in the back, Datton went down on his face. Tuatha raised the Macer over Datton. In a flash, Datton rolled somehow and stood up. He bumped face to face with Drake who had a knife held up in the air between him and Datton. Tuatha laughed, "Kill him yourself then white hair, either you or I will..." Shivering the knife, Drake sneered, "You're dead!" Datton's thoughts raced as Drake seemed to grab him from the front with both hands on his arms: had he decided to deliver him up to Tuatha and was he even now flinging me over to him? All throughout the fight, Datton had been slowly drawing the fight over to Drake. Drake flung Datton straight at Tuatha. Datton gained his senses, recoordinated his out of control body, and gathered himself together as he embraced Tuatha in a bear hug, holding the gladiator's arms to his sides. Tuatha made a sound like, "Oooohhhh." But then Tuatha was not amused as he found out that Datton was holding him, his arms pinned to his sides, "Okay, it' s not fun anymore! Not fun! Continue the fight!" "YOU DO IT!" Datton held him tightly, "If you can!" Nobi and Troy were completely caught off guard. Phoenix wasn't. He took out a knife from his hip holster, wearing little else, and raised it over Datton's back as Datton concentrated on a squeezing. Looking over Datton's shoulder, Tuatha saw Phoenix behind him. He inched Datton closer to him, then as close as possible, feeling his body against his own. This gave him the room to put his head over Datton's shoulder. Datton wondered, "What're you doing?" Tuatha's head was behind Datton's back, making a move of them toward Phoenix' s face as Phoenix moved at them. Tuatha's head dove and moved Datton at Phoenix. The head struck Phoenix's jaw. Phoenix fell back, then recovered and lunged his knife at Datton's spine. "Damn you Phoenix! I said he's mine!" Half an inch away the point struck. Datton turned Tuatha into it and the point hit Tuatha's shoulder. Tuatha gasped but Datton moved him away. Datton turned and let Tuatha drop. Tuatha got up fast and looked around, "The bright haired paladin boy put up a good show."
Drake grabbed up Phoenix's knife from his surprised wrist and while Datton moved around Tuatha to look at Tuatha's wound, Drake grabbed Phoenix's wrist, tore the knife from it and tore it into Phoenix's bare belly button. Phoenix screamed and put his hands to his sides and as Drake removed it, Phoenix felt up his belly button to hold it all in. Drake ploughed his own knife in and out. Phoenix squirmed quickly and his loins leaped. He fell and died in a quieter than usual manner. Drake put his head up to show the other gladiators. Tuatha's eyes found Drake. Drake hoped Tuatha wouldn't realize what he had done to help Datton but knew that was futile. Tuatha smiled at Drake, as the gladiator leader walked at him. Then the smile fell. "But now the blonde baby dies...!" Tuatha grabbed the bloody knife from Drake's hand and a sword from the ground, "Doubly so!" Tuatha ran at Datton who stood his ground. Drake yelled, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" And he got between Tuatha and Datton. The knife and sword ran right into Drake's tucked in belly and cut in straight lines, until meeting in his guts. Datton yelled, "NOOOOOOOOO!" He ran at Drake and caught Drake as the white haired boy fell into his arms. "NOOOOOOOO!" As Drake fell, Tuatha pulled out both weapons with thick sticky sounds filing forth. "You're next!" Tuatha yelled and came at him with both weapons. Lying dying in Datton's arms, Datton sitting under him, Drake managed to squeak out, "I did good?" Datton looked down and rubbed Drake's hair, "You did fantastic." His voice cracked a bit but he looked up at the sky. Drake gulped, "See I wasn't so selfish after all? And I didn't get it in the end." Datton said, "You got it. You helped others. You got it real good." "Good...good. Good bye..." "Wait," Datton leaned down and kissed Drake on the lips. "Roblemaker," Drake said, trying to call Datton a trouble maker again, one last time. "I love you..." Drake's eyes closed. Tuatha was coming at Datton, "You are a dead boy, blondie!" Datton's face turned red and he gently laid Drake's head in his lap and then slowly placed it down on the ground. "I'M DEAD!!!??? YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THE NAME GLADIATOR!!! I'M GONNA KILL YOU NOW!!!!!" In his mind, Datton thought he could see innocent boys and honest warriors with noble intentions and honorable warriors whom he could not help, could not save in time. They all went down due to lying scoundrels, stabbed from behind, stabbed in the back, stabbed in their bellies. Betrayed, lied to, used and then slain. Discarded. Those who died for others. Saving others. His face turned red, his chest turned red. Tuatha saw something in Datton's eyes. "Good! Now ye are mad as hell! That's how I like em before I slay em!!!!" Tuatha rushed now with his knife in one hand and a sword in the other.
"THIS TIME I'LL DO YOU RIGHT!!!! RIGHT THERE!" Datton knocked the sword out of Tuatha's hand with one swipe and the knife in Tuatha's other hand swooped at him. That knife was whisked away with a hit from Datton's sword which didn't stop there. It kept going, rounded down and twisted and then Datton, undeterred this time, kept his body moving at Tuatha. Thus he was able to quick jab the sword he held into Tuatha's navel. Hard. Tuatha looked at the sword in his navel, "So..." He gulped. His men looked at him. Nobi went wide eyed. Atol looked upset. Artrix smiled. A few of the other smiled too. Tuatha looked at Nobi, who rounded on Datton, " So...this...this is what it feels like...I...I don't like it..." "Too bad fucker! DIE! Know how it feels son of a bitch! Scurvy scum!" Datton bent his wrist a few times and in his fist whirled the sword so that it screwed into Tuatha's belly button more and more and more. The other gladiators just watched. Stunned. "You got me, blond boy!" Datton shoved the sword all the way and split Tuatha's belly all the way, a long open slit in him, "THE NAME'S DATTON!!!!! DEAD BRUNETTE BOY!!!!! DIE!"
"Ho oh no. Ho,ha ho," Tuatha gasped, knowing his time was up. Datton pulled the sword out and did so in order to make Tuatha's body fall to one side. It did with a guffaw of pain and suffering. "DATTON'S THE NAME. DON'T FORGET IT! OH WAIT! YOU WON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER IT CAUSE YOU'LL BE DEAD! " Tuatha turned onto his belly and then turned over again. No one had time to notice. Datton turned and rounded on Nobi and jabbed him in the gut hole too. Nobi tried to rush onto it more in order to get to Datton and reached out with his sword and knife at Datton, who didn't seem to care this time. Datton's upper arm was knicked by Nobi's sword but Datton shook Nobi so much that the sword Nobi held could do no harm now. Nobi was wiggled bodily on the sword and his death gurgle quivered through the air. Datton shoved Nobi off the sword, "Getoffa my sword, you follower of evil! DIE!"
Dropping the sword, Nobi's free hand went to his belly and he fell to his knees, "Not me...." He threw his knife at Datton but Datton ducked, eyes telling that he knew Troy was behind him. The knife embedded in Troy's rippled but somewhat thick belly too. "Right in that belly button, wasn't it?" Datton turned, "Not sure?" He got between Troy and the other gladiators, blocking the others gladiators---Artrix, the albino, the mulatto, and Atol. Atol ran over to Tuatha's kicking body, crying. "Not sure? Here lemme make sure for ya!" Datton kicked the knife in Troy's belly, well, into Troy's belly more and Troy fell away in absolute pain, yelling.