Tasting 344
Tasting
344âMy First Battle
Nora:
I held my breath
s the mome like
finally arrivedâI was about to be introduced. My cage was slid I was some kind of animal. Since it
was daytime, I didnât have to worry about the light shining directly on me, but that didnât make it any
less terrifying.
I carefully stepped out of the cage, swallowing hard as I felt the weight of everyoneâs gaze on me.
First, they unlocked my cage, and then everyone else quickly moved to the safety of the silver bars,
standing behind them alongside the crowd. I was the only one left exposed, the only one the beast
could reach. In fact, I had been given the responsibility of opening the beastâs cage.
I took a deep breath and moved closer. As soon as I did, the beast let out feral growls, thrashing
violently inside his cage. The entire cage rattled as it lunged and thrashed.
With trembling hands, I unlocked the cage and stepped back, watching as the beast finally found the
exit and emerged. The instant it was free, it roared, and the arena fell into a tense silence.
My body trembled with fear, but somehow, Akira was able to soothe my
nerves.
The arena buzzed with anticipation, the crowdâs cheers bouncing off the stone walls. In the center, I
stood frozen, my eyes locked on the beast that loomed before me.
âI can do this,â Akira reassured me, her voice carrying only the slightest
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hint of doubt.
The beast was a hulking mass of muscle and fur. Its claws dug into the ground, leaving deep
grooves in the earth as it prepared to strike.
With a deafening roar, it lunged forward, claws outstretched. I sidestepped just in time, rolling across
the ground to avoid the attack. Springing to my feet, I spun around and drove my fist into the beastâs
ribcage with all the strength I could muster.
A loud howl of pain escaped the creature, and the crowd erupted into noise once again. But I
noticed something strange; the more noise they made, the more agitated the beast became. It was
as if the sounds fueled its rage.
Despite the damage I had inflicted, the beast quickly regained its footing and lunged at me once
more. Even though I could have dodged, I saw Brody shake his head from the sidelines, urging me
to take the hit to quiet the crowd.
The moment the beastâs massive paw slammed into my stomach, I was sent flying across the arena,
crashing hard into the ground. The pain was excruciating.
The crowd fell silent again, and I lifted my head, tears of agony filling my eyes as I watched the
beast charging toward me.
Snarling, it swung its enormous arm, striking me in the side once more. The impact hurled me into
the arena wall, and the air was knocked from my lungs. The crowd gasped, holding their collective
breath.
Blood trickled from my brow, and it took every ounce of strength I had to push myself to my feet.
As the beast charged again, I ducked low, grabbing hold of one of its massive arms. With a burst of
strength, I twisted, using its own
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momentum to flip it onto the ground. The arena trembled as the beast crashed into the sand, dust
swirling around us.
The crowd exploded with a mix of cheers and gasps as I straddled the beast, delivering blow after
blow to its head and neck. The beast thrashed wildly beneath me, but I didnât stop, each punch
fueled by precision and fury.
But the beast wasnât done yet. With a deafening roar, it threw me off, sending me skidding across
the sand. I scrambled to my feet just in time to see it charging once more, its fangs bared, eyes
blazing with fury.
I knew I had to end it now. The battle had been raging for nearly half an hour, and I couldnât drag it
out any longer. I was severely wounded, bleeding from multiple places, and the beast wasnât faring
much better.
The adrenaline coursing through me, after suppressing Akira for so long, could have kept us going,
but I had to stopâfor the sake of my babies. I needed to at least be in a condition where I could
feed them and care for
them.
As the beast closed in, I made my move. Leaping forward, I dodged to the side at the very last
second. In one swift motion, I grabbed the beast by the neck, twisting with all my remaining strength.
There was a sickening crack as the beastâs own momentum carried it forward, its weight snapping
its neck.
The arena fell into a hushed silence as the beast crumpled to the ground, its body twitching briefly
before going completely still. Then, all at once, the crowd erupted into wild cheers, their deafening
roars filling the air.
Yet, amidst the chaos, the warriors shifted the narrative. Their chants turned to praise for Brody,
claiming his greatness for training someone like me. Soon, the entire crowd joined in, their voices
chanting one name:
âGo Alpha Brody! You are our king!â