บท 91: Brutal Melee
"Missed you too, sister." Gazing above at the veranda, Antani casually dismissed the hostility.
Alara clicked her tongue, her sister wasn't crazy or anything , but it's downright lunacy to drag a dark elf into their new home, doubly so since the dark elf in question was her supposed slave master. The blue giantess jumped down and sauntered in front of the party, stopping in front of the lovers, looking down at them with scorn.
"I still haven't forgiven you for resorting to cowardice, and you have the gall to bring this shitstain here?"
Downplaying her sacrifice as cowardice didn't sit well with Antani. She enjoyed fights as much as any other Amazon but engaging in a war was a whole different story. If Antani could save the lives of other Amazons, then why not let her be the sole casualty?
"Of course, a year has passed and you're still not over me sacrificing my life for our sisters, but let's just call it cowardice, why don't we!?" Antani mustered a tone so combative that it wouldn't surprise those around if a fight between the two suddenly broke out. "And one more thing, don't you dare refer to my lover as a shitstain!"
Lover? It was as if Antani had just casted a fireball spell that obliterated Alara's sides, the giantess couldn't stop laughing. Alara's laughter died and the uttered word became an even deeper source of ire once she noticed her little sister was serious.
"Did this dark elf tell you to spread your legs for her one night and now you're suddenly lovers? Disappointed doesn't even cover it, Mother raised you as a princess, not a whore, Antani."
"Did your mother also raise you to be a gigantic blue bitch?" Ellamir, who had been holding back until now, spoke her mind at Alara's affront.
"Ellamir! We agreed you would let me handle the talking!"
"We did, but I'm not going to let this blue brute disrespect what we have."
Alara chuckled, "And what do you both have? The way I see it, you just took advantage of my sister when she was at her most vulnerable." Alara spat onto the ground, maintaining the furious eye contact with the dark elf. " I spit on your twisted relationship. I'll never accept you both as long as I'm alive."
The anger inside of Ellamir made her launch her fist upwards into the giantess' face, unfortunately, Ellamir's target wasn't just some random thug. She was up against a half-frost giant who grew into adulthood alongside combat training. Alara's experience allowed her to intercept Ellamir's suckerpunch.
Almost instantaneously, the dark elf wasn't given the chance to admire Alara's reflex as the giantess' fist crashed into Ellamir's nose, breaking it and knocking her out unconscious.
Satisfied with Ellamir's bloody nose, Alara smirked.
With Alara preoccupied with the dark elf, she failed to notice the furious Antani. A fist that slammed into Alara's jaw, making the giantess stagger sidewards.
"Stefano, heal Ellamir." Antani commanded as she stared daggers at her sister. Maybe Ellamir's action was right, maybe violence is the only thing the hard headed Alara would answer to. Antani's fists clenched, she had plenty to provide after witnessing Alara hurt Ellamir.
Reoriented from the dizzying blow, Alara spat blood, flashing her little sister a bloody grin, "That's more like it, come at me, sister."
With the Queen absent to declare the right of succession, Antani acted in pure rage as Alara opened up memories that her and Ellamir had already moved past, never minding if the bout was official or not, it would end with her sister battered for making Ellamir bleed.
Antani's opening blow consisted of a fake punch to throw Alara off guard. Antani's real aim was made apparent as she targeted Alara's shin with a kick, forcing the giantess to bend on one knee, the furious Antani shouted before unleashing a powerful kick straight into Alara's temple.
The mighty blow shook Alara's vision, but her constitution would never allow her to fall from a singular strike.
The now livid giantess used her left fist to slam into Antani's side stomach, making Antani visibly winced. The pain was great enough to almost knock her out, but Antani's anger tethered her to consciousness.
It was a pain that signaled Antani to retaliate or else the giantess would overwhelm her. Antani grabbed Alara's arm buried in her side, pulling her sister close so she would face the full brunt of her attack. Antani launched her knee straight into Alara's nose as a payback for what she did to Ellamir.
The agony Alara experienced hinted that she should start getting serious, Antani was emanating a different kind of aura. An aura that was forcing Alara to submit. But the destined Queen would do no such thing, Alara used the arm that her sister was grabbing to lift Antani up in an arcing motion that transitioned into ground slam.
Antani screamed as she felt like she was dropped from a towering height but she wasn't afforded a single moment to bask in the pain as Alara's boot was about to stomp on her face.
Antani rolled to the side, before getting up and facing her sister in a stare down.
The two sisters engaged each other once more in a brutal melee, everytime Alara would always overpower Antani but Antani's quick wits allowed her to always get even.
The Amazon guards were confused on whether they should stop the fight or not, both are of higher status than them and they had known both long enough that they would likely get chewed on by either of the two for stepping in.
The sisters spared no kicks or punches, each blow carried the frustration and contempt they have for the other, leaving them all bloodied and bruised.
They would have likely gone on until one of them had lost consciousness. Fortunately, it wouldn't have to come to that as two blunt mana arrows hit them straight in their heads, containing enough force to subdue both combatants and make them fall to the ground.
There is only one archer in their tribe skilled enough to hit both moving targets at the same time.
It was Queen Ysbeil, her legendary artifact, the 'Bow of Artemis' drawn. The bow's motif was lush green, carved with exquisite patterns befitting a gift from the Goddess of the Hunt. After making sure that Alara's gigantic catch would be butchered properly, imagine her surprise when she returned to her palace with two of her daughters engaged in a vicious fist fight.
"Mother!" / "Mother!" The sisters both regarded the Queen with reverence.
"You two are hopeless." Ysbeil gazed at them both with disappointment, before turning her attention to her daughter's party. Antani had assembled a formidable crew, Ysbeil's brow raised, they even have a wyvern. From raising her brow to making it look like she had just witnessed the sky falling down. Is that the dark elf that her daughter had escaped from!? What in the seven hells is she doing here!? Her daughter has A LOT to answer for. "Moja…"
"Yes, my Queen." Moja stood ready to receive the orders alongside the other warriors behind her.
"Escort my daughter's companions to a room." The Queen had given the order to her guard captain, now to settle the matter between her two daughters. "You two, follow me."
+++
Her battered state didn't stop Antani in admiring the Queen's new chambers with awe. Deadly warriors the Amazons might be, they aren't exactly known for their architecture.
Although made of Elderwood, the dark brown doric pillars would put the ones made of stones and marbles to shame. The chamber was voluminous enough to host 10 speared warriors on both sides of the room. The Queen's throne even depicted the carved image of Artemis with a bow. The chamber was nothing but elegant, a far cry from the Queen's mediocre chamber from back when they were still near Elaria's borders.
Two Amazon healers tended to Antani and Alara's wounds, the healers' open palms pointed at them, bathing them in verdant light that would inevitably cleanse any injuries on them.
"Mother, this place is gorgeous. How?" Antani simply ended her question with a 'how'.
"Fairies. We helped them kill a magic immune monster that's been plaguing them, they helped us to settle." Sitting upon her throne, Queen Ysbeil crossed her legs as she curtly answered.
Soon, the wounds that the sisters inflicted upon each other had fully healed.
"Leave us." The two healers bowed before their exit. The Queen's voice resounded with dignity as she addressed her guards. "That goes for all of you as well, I want to have a personal chat with my daughters."
All 20 guards paid their respect with a bow before leaving in unison.
The Atmosphere became tense as it was now only the 3 of them, for Antani that is. Alara's lips twist into a cruel smile because as much as their mother is benevolent at times, she dishes out quite the verbal lashing.
Antani gulped before Queen Ysbeil's hardened gaze.
"I have answered your question Antani, now answer mine. What in Artemis' name are you thinking by bringing that dark elf that enslaved you into our new land?"
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