A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part Eleven

The muffled cheers from the small crowd that had gathered to watch her and the Duchess fight emanated from the walls, and grew increasingly louder as the podium lifted Sierra up out of the preparation zone to reveal her in the Central Arena. She took a deep breath, slowly stepping out of the shadows on the dusty, fake wood floor, walking closer to the red and golden emblem in the middle. Her family, friends, and fellow Seekers sat on one side of the bleachers in the first few rows, and many Sway members dressed entirely in black on the other. Her weapons emerged in a neat pile behind her, and the Sway crowd cheered again as the Duchess emerged on her podium. She stood there as her weapons emerged behind her as well, and turned around and began sorting through her weapons.

     Sierra ducked down behind her pile of weapons. The battle hasn't started yet; what is she doing? She searched for Damien in the crowd of her supporters, and her eyes locked with his. He glanced down at the Duchess, then looked at her again, mouthing something. She could barely read his lips. Potion? What does that mean...? She saw a sparkling, rainbow potion sitting on one side. The strength degree potion - oh no! She suddenly realized they hadn't discussed what strength degree the Duchess would use, and she would most likely try to drink the whole thing, giving her 450 health points instead of the standard 225. Not if I can help it! She scanned her weapons collection, and she discreetly pulled out her Bow of the Fire Faerie. She knelt on one knee, and aimed at the bottle. She pulled back on the fiery string, and a stream of fire emerged where an arrow would be.

     The Duchess, not noticing her, knelt down and picked up the bottle. Sierra kept her aim locked on the bottle as the Duchess lifted it and stood up fully. Sierra fired, and the arrow shot straight at the bottle, quickly engulfing it in flames. The Duchess reflexively dropped it, and the flaming glass bottle shattered to the ground, the rainbow contents disappearing into a puff of grey smoke. She whirled around, and glared at the Xweetok icily.

     "Let the battle begin," Sierra whispered, placing her Sophie's Magic Hat on her head and emerging from her hiding spot behind her weapons. She fired several more arrows, the Duchess merely blinking as they hit her. The Duchess took out her Scroll of the Wise and read from it, and the air shimmered off of the scroll. The shimmer rose, turned translucent white and pale green and rushed towards her. Sierra gritted her teeth and braced herself as the attack hit her, feeling the hat deflect some of it. She picked up her bow and fired two more arrows at as the Duchess picked up a Seti Hilt Sword, then calmly walked toward her. Sierra fired another arrow at point blank range before the Duchess knocked it abruptly out of her paws and slashed at her with her sword. Sierra did her best to dodge it and ended up backing up in a circle, but winced each time it hit her.

     "Well, someone's a little mad at me," she managed to say. "If you're not gonna play nicely, I won't either." She did a backwards somersault, kicking the sword out of the Lenny's hands, reached up to the ceiling on one knee and hurled a giant icicle at her. The Duchess held out her hands towards her, clenched them into fists and flicked her hands open, shooting a stream of fire at her. Sierra grunted and stepped back, then retreated behind her weapons. The green, glowing numbers on her wristband face stuck to the sleeve of her fitted, black jumpsuit read 184 HP then blurred for a second to read 108 HP. She curled her lip at it, then looked up at the hologram scoreboard in front of her. The Duchess' HP read 174.

     "Okay... What next, what next." She scanned her available collection. She kept her hat on and replaced her bow with her Brynn's Sword. She stepped out from her weapons, quietly stepped out into the arena while the Duchess had her back turned, then charged as soon as she turned around. The Duchess flicked her Black Fan of Shenkuu a couple of times, sending a surge of air towards Sierra that threatened to make her stumble and stung her wounds. She swung her sword at the Duchess, keeping a stable stance. In the, air fire tendrils from the rest of the Sear ability appeared and Sierra cringed as they burned her jumpsuit and her fur.

     "You might want to rethink your viewpoint that it's all just a game, because once we're finished it'll be game over for you!" she declared in between swings. If I make her mad enough, maybe she'll be distracted enough to make a bad decision!

     "You know you don't stand a chance against me. I have toppled empires. You don't quite compare." The Duchess pulled out her Rainbow Swirly Thing and reflected her light attack back at her, blinding her for a moment but didn't stop her injuring blows. Sierra blinked and shook her head.

     "Oh, really now? Then how is it you're being so defensive in your approach?"

     "I am making calculated decisions-"

     "Oh, is the great Duchess afraid of me? The one who could quite easily send your organization crashing down with what I know?" She mocked, grinning sarcastically. "Well, I don't blame you." She vaguely heard the crowd on her side of the arena laugh.

     "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

     "Um, yeah, I do actually have a very good idea. That selective wipe potion you had put in my lunch didn't work because something else interfered with it. Ha, looks like you're outta luck!" She took one more final swing at her and then shot another icicle at her. The Duchess sliced her fan through the air, but only glared at her in response before calmly returning to her weapons.

     Huh, it worked. She forgot to use an ability. Sierra smirked as she returned to her own weapons. She hid a slight stumble as pain suddenly shot up her side. That can't be good. She inspected her side before glancing at her wristband, which now read 81 HP. I'd better use my healer now; she might try to wipe me out if I don't and stay defensive. She pulled out one of her Brain Muffins and her Greater Healing Scroll. She muttered a spell under her breath as she stepped out into the arena. The Xweetok turned to face the Duchess, and upon saying the final word a burst of light exploded around the Duchess and blinded her, keeping her from seeing her weapons. Sierra hurled her muffin at her and watched it explode before reading from her healing scroll. She breathed deeply as relief washed over her and her HP meter now read 131.

     "Hey, look! My health is higher than yours now! You didn't think that was possible, did you? Ha!" she taunted, smirking. She pulled out her Brynn's Sword again once she returned to her weapons.

     Hmm... Downsize or Shade? I probably shouldn't use both at the same time. She took out her Brynn's Sword again and a small, opaque green bottle with a green Bruce sticker on it and drank a few drops while reading the text on the side before getting back into the arena. The Duchess twirled her Battle Quill in one hand while gripping her Seti Hilt Sword in the other. Their swords clashed, letting out harsh, metallic rings. Sierra stayed on her toes, her sword becoming heavy in her hand as she blocked and returned the Duchess's light blows. She found a small blip in her rhythmic movements, and she blocked a blow then swung at her hard, knocking the sword out of the Lenny's hands. While she backed up to pick it up, Sierra felt her muscles tingle and the floor slowly, then suddenly, get closer to her as she Downsized. The Duchess whirled around and attempted to attack her with her quill but she missed.

     "Hey, down here! Betcha weren't expecting this!" Sierra quickly swung her sword at her. "And I bet you thought you could predict everything!"

     The Duchess could no longer use the patterns with her sword as she did before, but still swung and sliced at her the best she could. "In the end, everything shall go according to plan. A mere annoyance such as you won't stand in my way." She switched to using her Battle Quill.

     "I may be just a little p-three buzzing around in your ear now, but just you wait. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm not shouting everything I know right this minute." She crouched to avoid a blow, then swung her sword upward as she sprung up. "Why shouldn't I? I bet everyone who works for you is simply dying to know what all of those missions are really for, and why you've been manipulating every single event that has occurred in Neopia... oh, wait, then you'd have to kill them all. You just can't stand having your power threatened, do you? I'm sure that's much more than a little pet peeve." She swung again, then rose up one arm to summon an icicle.

     The Duchess charged at her as the Xweetok grew back to her former size, stabbed her between her shoulder and her neck with the quill and held up a feathered finger to her beak. "Shhhhh." Sierra gritted her teeth to suppress a scream. She found that she was unable to use her ability, so she ran back to her collection of weapons, clutching the side of her neck. She gently cleaned her wounds with a rag, and pressed it against the base of her neck. She glanced at her HP meter, and was reminded of the dull pain as it read 98 HP in yellow. She put her Sophie's Hat back on and kept her sword, planning on using Shade as an extra line of defense. She returned and was about to charge when she involuntarily stopped in her tracks. What?

     She turned to face the Duchess to see that she was reading from a scroll. When she turned around she saw the blue scroll and a thick layer of ice started to form around her feet and the surrounding ground. No, a freezing scroll! The ice travelled up her legs until it covered her entire body and her sword up to her neck. The ice thinned a little but didn't stop traveling, and small holes formed around her mouth and nose so she could breathe and around her eyes. The ice clouded her vision a little, and she scanned the audience, not wanting to see what damage the Duchess was doing in her immobilized state. She couldn't even grimace as pain shot through her entire body from the Duchess's dark attack from her Jhudora's Bewitched Ring. Her eyes fell to Damien, who was sitting in one of the middle rows closest to her side of the arena on her right. He was sitting half out of his chair, clutching the armrests, with a horrified look on his face.

     The ice melted away allowing her to move again after several minutes, but the pain didn't subside. She made her way back to her weapons and sat down behind them. She looked at her HP meter, and it read 35 HP in red numbers. She looked up at the hologram scoreboard to see the Duchess' HP at 53. Dear Fyora. A hoarse sigh escaped her lips. There's no way I can win this... She wiped off her wounds with the rag again then wiped off the blade of her sword with weak, shaky paws. She set it in her lap then picked up her second Brain Muffin, tossed up in the air a short distance then barely managed to catch it when it fell.

     Sierra looked up at Damien again and her gaze locked with his. "You can do this," he mouthed. She searched for Lily, and she found her sitting next to her owner and Isobel near the front. Lily looked back at her with big, concerned eyes. Isobel looked at her, too and mouthed something that Sierra had a hard time interpreting. Full... what? Full on, full out...? Full out? Oh, full out attack... She looked down at the weapons in her paws. If I want to have any chance I don't have a choice, do I? Well, it's worth a shot. She stood up and walked back out to the arena for the final round. I have to do this. I can do this. I can't afford to be scared. She mustered up some of her remaining strength, stood as far back as she could in front of her weapons collection and hurled the muffin at the Duchess. She walked to the center of the arena as the muffin exploded, her sword at the ready, drawing herself to her full height as best as she could and held her head up high. The Duchess whirled around, looking worse for wear, yet her icy expression never wavered. She whipped out her Seti Hilt Sword with her Jhudora's Bewitched Ring on her finger next to her Sway insignia ring.

     "This is it. It's all over for you." Sierra swung her sword at the Lenny before she had time to react and block it. She swung again, but a metallic clang rang out as the Duchess blocked it.

     "You foolish child. Do you really think you can win this?"

     "Don't call me a child," she spat back, blocking a strike then quickly retaliating with her own. I can do this. I can. Their two swords crossed between them, neither of them moving as they pushed against the other's sword with all of their strength. Sierra clutched onto her sword, her arms shaking and threatening to give out. Come on. She squinted at the Duchess and gritted her teeth. When she thought she felt the Duchess weakening a little, she pushed back as hard as she could, hoping that it would allow to her to strike. Instead, the Duchess spun her sword around and stabbed her in the abdomen, sending her to the ground. She shrieked in pain, and her head spun. She grabbed her sword lying next to her, then tried to scramble to her feet but the Duchess stood over her with her sword mere inches from her nose. Sierra's heart raced, and she flinched with every breath she took. She felt her consciousness slipping from her. Stay here stay here stay here don't pass out don't pass out you can do this! She slowly brought her sword in front of her across her chest and inched back as she sat up. She held her sword in one shaky hand, struggling to keep a firm grip. Almost there, then you're free. She grabbed the sword with both hands, knocked the Duchess' sword out of her hands and swung and stabbed at her. One final blow sent the Duchess stumbling back and to the ground and Sierra's sword slipped out of her hands. I'm okay. I'm okay now. Everything faded to black for what seemed like a second, then she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground.

     She squinted, desperately trying not to look at her wounds. Pain shot through her entire body in pulses like her heart beating. The Duchess was crumpled on the ground, her face hidden from sight. Her dress was tattered around the edges and her white hair a mess. What just happened? She looked up at the hologram scoreboard. She had no health points left, but neither did the Duchess. A draw? Did it really work? A voice appeared from the PA overhead. She heard the sound of something electronic powering down as the magic force fields around the bleachers above the barrier were lowered.

     "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that the match is a draw!" The crowd murmured, their rising voices filled with uncertainty, worry, and anger. She turned towards her supporters, filled with victory. I didn't win, but at least I didn't lose! But... what happens now? She slowly stood up using all of her remaining strength, staggered towards them and managed to muster a grin. She scanned the familiar faces that cheered as they saw her. She spotted Damien and Lily in the crowd as everyone moved to meet them outside of the arena. She smiled towards them and waved, and they smiled back. Damien's focus shifted over her head and his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Behind you!"

     She whirled around, but it was too late. A blur of black zipped towards her, and the black dart lodged itself in her shoulder. More pain shot through her shoulder, and everything blurred around her. Lily's screams and everyone's shouts of alarm and worry echoed and became distant. She panicked, and tried to shout but couldn't make a sound. The arena spun and she began to lose her already unstable footing as Damien, Lily, Katie and Isobel jumped the barrier between the seating and the arena and rushed towards her.

     "Sierra, are you okay?"

     "She's been hit with a dart!"

     "They're trying to kill her!"

     "Sierra, please stay with us!"

     "No, Sierra, no!"

     She couldn't tell who was saying what. The ground slowly, then suddenly, rushed up to her and she winced as she hit her head on the hard arena floor. All she could see and hear was the fear in their eyes and their voices as their voices faded out. Everything faded to white, then black.

     ***

     She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a white hospital bed and covered in bandages around her arms and a few on her face. Both of her legs were in a brace of some sort. She scanned her eyes around the room, vaguely noticing the steady beep of the heart rate monitor. She was no longer wearing her black fighting jumpsuit but a plain T-shirt and athletic shorts. A dull, throbbing ache returned through her whole body and she moaned quietly. She saw Isobel sitting next to her bed, and tried to smile.

     "Hey." Her voice was breathy and hoarse.

     "Hey Sierra." Isobel smiled back at her and held her paw. "Are you feeling okay? The paramedics had quite a time getting you here."

     "I think so, why?" She looked down at her left arm, and scrunched her nose at the sight of the IV. "What's the IV for, anyway?"

     "They... they tried to block them from leaving the arena with you, then gave them a lot of trouble getting you into the ambulance and taking you from the arena to here. The nurses told us once they got the IV hooked up to you and bandaged you up that you got here just in the nick of time; any later you... well, you know..." Isobel seemed flustered. She stared at her hands in her lap and played with a blue stress ball.

     "But what's the IV for?"

     "Sierra," Isobel responded, whispering. "They tried to poison you. The IV has the antidote in it. It's almost done working, then they can get you the healing potions and the pain medicine. Right now they said those would interact with the antidote and make it less effective."

     "But... why? Why try to... why?" Sierra's head swam, trying to ignore the pain.

     Isobel's sympathetic expression suddenly turned solemn. "I don't know."

     "How long was I out?"

     "Four hours."

     "Oh my Fyora." Sierra stared at the ceiling, not sure what to make of the news.

     She closed her eyes. "I need to rest a little."

     "Okay."

     When Sierra woke a few hours later, Isobel was gone but a nurse was in the room preparing something out of her line of sight. The nurse turned around and smiled at her.

     "How are you feeling?"

     "Eh, apart from the fact that my entire body hurts and my head still feels a little fuzzy, I'm fine."

     "You poor thing," She checked the monitors next to Sierra's bed.

     "What are you doing?"

     "The antidote is all done being administered and working so I'm about to give you the pain medicine and the healing potions. I have to give them to you through the IV since I don't know if you can stomach them. I took off your leg braces while you were still asleep."

     "Okay." The nurse injected a clear solution into the IV, then got out a different syringe and injected a lavender solution into it. Sierra could feel the relief almost immediately. "Thank you so much."

     "No problem." After a few minutes the nurse took out the IV.

     "There's someone waiting to see you."

     "Damien!" She held out her paws towards him as he walked in, behind the leaving nurse. He grabbed her paws, pulled her so she was sitting up and hugged her tightly.

     "I'm so glad you're alright!" His voice was muffled by her neck ruff.

     "I am, too." She smiled. "But... What's going to happen now?" Her happiness from seeing him was slowly replaced by gnawing feeling inside.

     "What do you mean?"

     "It was a draw... we didn't... didn't discuss what would happen..." Fear built up inside of her and her breathing became ragged and shaky.

     "Oh no..." Damien broke the hug and looked at her, eyes wide. Someone opened the door and they turned to see Lily.

     "Sierra! Oh my gosh, Sierra!" She ran in and gave her a huge hug.

     "Lily- ow ow ow Lily-" Sierra gritted her teeth.

     Lily pulled away. Dried tear stains glistened on her face. "What's wrong?"

     Sierra smiled wearily. "I missed you too, but I already had a broken rib and you might break it again if you hug me like that."

     "Oh. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

     "Yeah. I took a healing potion, but everything still hurts a little. I guess it's just taking a while for it to take its full effect."

     They sat there in silence for a moment, before Sierra spoke again. "We're going to have to get out of here soon."

     "Why?"

     "I... only made a deal with her on the terms of whether I lost or won, but I did neither. I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't think anyone does. We have to get out of here and stay hidden for a while so they can't get to us."

     "They might get to us anyway. They have spies everywhere. One of them might spot us and send word back," Damien said.

     "But we have to go home and get on with our lives somehow," Lily offered.

     "We just have to be prepared, always on the lookout. The Seekers can protect me, and the Order can protect you." She looked at Lily.

     "There's no way I can return to the Sway, not after what happened and now that I'm starting to remember things again. They'll kill me for real the instant I set foot back in that mansion."

     Sierra turned to face Damien, who was sitting on the edge of the cot. "Then we'll protect you." Their heads whipped around to the door as they heard some unintelligible shouts from outside. "We should go now." Sierra lowered her feet to the floor, and Damien and Lily wrapped an arm around her on each side for support as they walked out the door.

     "So, now that all of this is over, how are you guys going to lead normal lives? Isn't that a foreign concept for you?" Lily joked.

     The three of them laughed. "I'm going to start applying to universities and studying for the fast track test," Sierra said.

     "Fast track?"

     "Well, you know how the minimum high school graduation age in Neopia Central is sixteen and it's eighteen in Brightvale? Well, if I pass the test then I can go to BU at sixteen instead of eighteen."

     "Oh, that one. Yeah. I'm going to start sending applications in as well. What about you, Damien?"

     "Well," he began with an ecstatic grin, "I found my sister and I'm going to have lunch with her over the weekend."

     "Oh my Fyora, that's fantastic!" His grin spread onto the girls' faces.

     "I'm so glad you found her! I take it you got the files I left at home?"

     "Yeah, Isobel gave them to me. After neomailing around a bit and picking up where you left off I finally found her. It took my mind off the fact that you were unconscious for several hours."

     "That's fantastic."

     They walked off down the street and loaded themselves into a rickshaw where Sierra's family, Lily's owner and Damien's owner were waiting.

     From a darkened alley a red Korbat kept a watchful eye on them. She pressed a button on the side of her wrist hidden by her jacket.

     "Located all three of them exiting the hospital. They're leaving in the rickshaw now."

     "Copy that, Agent Alabriss. Where'd you get these Virtu-things, anyway? Were they issued?"

     "They're from my personal acquisitions, you idiot."

     "Sorry. What did they talk about?"

     "University plans and stuff like that, nothing of significance until we know which ones they're going to. I'll send Agent Coda the rickshaw number so he can follow it."

     "Copy that."

     Agent Alabriss scribbled out a quick message and stamped a simple wax seal in place. A crokabek waiting on the top of the building swooped down, snatched the letter and carried it off. She smirked as she watched the black bird fly out of sight.

     You think it's over? It never is. Just you wait.

The End