![](http://cobalt-company.wdfiles.com/local--resized-images/writing:2022-06-09-all-our-scars/style="margin:/medium.jpg) |
| Details |
| Author: | Disknight |
| Summary: | Terrineth takes on another challenger in the ring (response to 'the mask and the mirror' weekly prompt) |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
Chain: Prompt Responses
Terrineth bounced in place, holding her swords lightly at her side. Her flask sloshed on her belt. She had drank just enough to get a nice buzz going. Perfect. Her neck cracked as she rolled her head around.
“In this corner!” yelled Bizmo, “You know her! You love her! Our fearsome red-thorned flower and lady of the ring! Roselash!”
Terrineth stepped forward to the cheers of the crowd. They roared and whistled to welcome her to her stage. Terrineth broke out into a wicked grin. She sheathed one of her swords and took off her helmet to better bask in the attention. It was hard to make anyone out in the dark of the Tram, especially with the bright lights blaring in her face, but she knew they were there, and that’s what counted.
“I’ll buy you a drink if you can do this one with one hand!” yelled a fan.
Terrineth chuckled, “Ha! How do I know the other guy didn’t pay ya to say that and set me up, huh?” She smiled and pointed her sword in the direction of the voice.
“But tonight she’ll have her work cut out for her!” cried Bizmo.
The crowd quieted down again.
“In the other corner, we have a visitor all the way from Stranglethorn’s own Gurubashi Arena! A real pro who just recently won his freedom from the trolls and is joining us here now to make it big!”
The crowd stirred in anticipation. A great murmur arose as dozens of whispers were made about who they might be or what they might look like, as well as what they thought each fighter’s prospects were.
“Everyone! Give a warm welcome to Toz’ghan!” Bizmo pointed over to the opposite corner.
A tall, well muscled human man stepped out into the ring. The crowd roared once again, cheering him on. Some of Terrineth’s more fanatic admirers booed him instead. Terrineth took a good look at him to size him up. His hair was in long, matted braids behind his back. There were beads and little bits of bone woven into them and he wore a heavy leather harness decorated with tiger skin. Bizmo hadn’t just made up that story about Gurubashi to sell the fight. He was the real deal. Toz’ghan hefted a huge, two-handed macuahuitl and regarded the crowd, taking his turn to soak up some praise before the fight.
“Hey asshole” Terrineth grinned, “You ain’t in the jungle anymore. I hope the trolls didn’t scramble your brains too bad with all their voodoo shit. I was hoping for a decent fight tonight.” She adjusted her helmet so that it rested more comfortably in her arm.
Toz’ghan rested his weapon on the floor in front of him, “I didn’t get sent off with any of the mushrooms.” He spat on the floor to his side, “So I’m afraid I’m at a bit of a disadvantage.” His face was as serious as the grave.
“Heh.” Terrineth chuckled, “So I don’t get to see what it’s like to fight someone who’s jacked out of his mind on drugs? How disappointing.”
Toz’ghan’s macuahuitl made a satisfying boom as he thumped it on the floor, “Then we can both be disappointed. When they told me I was up against the flower of the Brawler’s Guild, I wasn’t expecting her to be so ugly.”
The corner of Terrineth’s lip twitched, “Watch your mouth, bub…” Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword like a vice, “I ain’t in a too welcoming mood today.”
“Of course not.” He lifted his weapon to his shoulder in one hand. With the other he traced a line across his nose, right where Terrineth’s scar was on her face, “Not with that thing on you.”
Terrineth’s eyes flamed and her nostrils flared. Bit by bit, Toz’ghan started to look less like himself and more like someone else… She shook her head and blinked, trying to make it stop.
“What’s the matter?” Toz’ghan finally broke his stony gaze with a smirk, “Angry because men won’t look you in the face when they fuck you?”
Terrineth saw red.
“Roselash! that’s enough!” bellowed Crim.
Terrineth felt her hand being pulled back by the orc. It was holding a dagger that was aimed for Toz’ghan’s throat. She growled at him for a second, but shook her head and backed away, “Alright, alright. I’m going.”
Crim eyed her as she retreated from where she was, perched over Toz’ghan’s prone body. She wasn’t sure what was going through his head as he did. It could have been anger, confusion, or maybe even pity. Probably a combination of the lot, Terrineth thought. The shaman had a discerning eye. He didn’t speak much, but he always listened, and he kept a close watch on Terrineth whenever she was around. A smart choice. Under different circumstances she might have found it funny, maybe even flattering.
“Blacked out again, huh. Damn you…” Terrineth muttered to herself. She reached up to her nose and was surprised to find that she was able to touch it. She wasn’t wearing her helmet. She patted her sides and found that her swords were also missing. She furrowed her brow and looked about the ring. She eventually found all of them lying on the ground near Toz’ghan, wet with blood. Toz’ghan himself didn’t look much better. He was covered nearly from head to toe in cuts and bruises. Crim didn’t waste any time in healing him.
The crowd was screaming and cheering “Roselash! Roselash! Roselash!”
Terrineth blinked a few times when she finally noticed. She smiled and raised her arms, facing her fans so they could see her. As she did, Terrineth took a second to inspect herself too. She was a bloody mess, but somehow she had a feeling that most of it wasn’t her own. Specks of red covered her mail. Her gauntlets especially dripped and stained the floor.
“Once again, folks! The winner is Roselash!” yelled Bizmo.
The crowd’s cheers grew louder.
“A great show once again! This is one gal you don’t wanna mess with!”
As soon as the applause began to die down, Terrineth grabbed her swords and hemet and darted out of the ring. She smiled and nodded at fans who came up to greet her, but she pushed them aside as she made her way out. Now that the adrenaline was gone, she could feel her heart pounding out of her chest.
“Hey! You don’t get to just waltz outta here after pulling a stunt like that! We need to talk.” said Nack. The goblin stood, arms crossed, in front of her.
Terrineth shuffled in place and groaned, “Whatever it is, it can wait. I gotta get out of here.” Terrineth was sweating like a pig and was suddenly feeling very very cold.
“Like fel it can! Do you have any idea what you just did?” Nack stared her into submission.
Terrineth rolled her eyes, “Gimme that fuckin bottle I asked you to hang onto.”
“You first toots.” Nack snapped.
Terrineth’s eyes flashed, “I’m not fucking playing, Nack. Give it. Now.”
“You keep up this attitude and we’re through, Roselash.” Nack reached into his pack and produced a bottle of rum, “You’re lucky you’re a fan favorite here.”
Terrineth snatched the bottle, pulled out the cork and chugged.
“Back in Tanaris, chuckin your damn helmet at your opponent’s head before they say fight and pulling a knife after it’s already been called?” He shook his head, “You’d be lucky if you never worked again. More likely you’d find yourself gutted by the other promoters in an alley somewhere.”
Terrineth brought the bottle down from her lips. It was halfway empty now, “It won’t happen again.” She stepped to the side.
“That’s what you said last time.” Nack got in her way again.
Terrineth clenched her jaw, “Listen.” She was starting to lose her breath, “I got places to be right now. We can save the lecture for next time.”
Nack made her wait a few excruciating seconds before he finally made way, “You better believe I’m finishing giving you an earful next time. I’ve had about enough of your crap, lady.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Terrineth skirted past the goblin without looking back…
It took Terrineth a few tries to get the key into the lock of her room in Old Town. “Fuck fuck fuck…” she cursed as her hands shook.
She sighed once she finally got it right. She slammed the door behind her and leaned back on it. She took a couple deep breaths then uncorked the bottle and chugged again. She stumbled over to the counter and pounded the bottle, now empty, down on it, knocking over several other ones that were also empty in the process.
Terrineth stood there for a minute and panted. Her breathing slowed gradually and she shook her head. She wobbled as she tried to stand up straight, but kept her balance. She pulled off her gauntlets and threw them on the floor. She stepped over to her washbasin and dunked her head in it, scrubbing her face with her hands. She looked up and blew off the water that was clinging onto her lips. She closed her eyes and took one more deep breath. When she opened them, she saw her reflection in the mirror. She almost jumped at it. Slowly but surely her gaze drifted down from her eyes to the big, white scar on her nose.
“Raaghh!” Terrineth screamed and slammed her fist into the glass, shattering it. She growled and panted again. A few thin trails of blood flowed down the mirror.
“Fuck…” She retracted her hand and rummaged to find some bandages. Once her hand was wrapped, she felt a lurch in her stomach. Terrineth bolted across the room to a bucket sitting in the corner and threw up into it. The taste of bile and alcohol stuck in her mouth.
“Great…” she muttered, “Fucking great…” She wiped her face clean with her arm, “What a fucking waste…”
Terrineth stormed back to the counter and swept the empty bottles off of it. They fell to the floor with a crash. She grabbed a pitcher of water first and filled her mouth. She gargled and then turned around and spit in the direction of the bucket on the opposite end of the room, though almost none of it got far enough to make it in. Next she grabbed the nearest bottle and ripped the cork out with her teeth, spitting that on the ground too. She put the bottle to her lips and took a couple healthy swallows. She set it back down. The cork rolled back around and hit her in the foot. Terrineth looked down and tried to kick it away but it just rolled right back around and did it again. She growled and kicked again, harder this time. It shot up and bounced away, but not nearly as far as she hoped it would.
Terrineth shook her head and put a hand to her brow, “That should be enough…”
She stripped down to her underclothes, tossing her armor carelessly onto the floor around her. Then she careened over to her bed and fell in. She squirmed about trying to get under the blanket, but only managed to get one leg in before she passed out.