Chapter 24

The whole city had gathered around the Eye of Water with the arena in its center. The news of the duel spread faster than fire on dry straw. The crowd was excited as they awaited the event. Gygy leaned against one of the wooden bridge's overhangs, alongside her two companions, receiving aggressive stares all the time, and some children approached to see the famous Ravens. Fishermen appeared from the deck, carrying their fishing rods slung over their shoulders, wearing wide-brimmed hats made of corn husks. Builders also joined the crowd, their arms covered in mud and clay.

Cecilia stared at a group of women who returned her gaze. When she grew tired, she turned her blue eyes to the water, seeing dozens of colorful fish and seaweed all over the Eye of Water. A commotion took over the crowd when Rafael appeared, escorted by two figures. One was an extremely short woman wearing something resembling a brown sack to cover her body; some of the local children were taller than her. The other was a man two meters tall with an extremely muscular body. His arms reached his knees, and his hands were so large they could easily wrap around a human head, but to balance out, his legs were short, with the right one clearly longer than the left.

Rafael walked confidently between the two figures, with the shield strapped to his back, and in his bony hand, he held a megaphone. The crowd parted for the trio, shouting encouragements and telling them not to show mercy. Rafael stepped onto the wooden bridge, glaring at the Ravens, raising his muscular arm, silencing the crowd instantly. When he was satisfied, he brought the megaphone to his mouth and spoke.

— Today we have a special challenge! — his words echoed in all directions, amplified by the megaphone, and the construction of the area helped to reverberate them off the walls. — The Ravens have provided the combat challenge!!

The crowd went wild, shouts of all kinds filled the area, so much so that it agitated the fish in the Eye of Water. Naomi thought about the Ravens' terrible history with the Pit, barely hearing her own thoughts—the massacre weighed heavily against them. Rafael asked for silence again, taking a bit longer to get it this time.

— We have prepared for decades to see our skills against the Ravens! — Rafael roared, pointing to the trio across the bridge. — Finally, the day has come!!

A sea of bodies pointed and hurled threats and insults at the three women, the entire place was against them. Gygy remained indifferent while watching Rafael.

— But we are fair! — the man spoke again. — The combat challenge is respected by all of us, but since there are three Ravens, we'll have to change the rules a little!

The crowd murmured, some agreeing with the man's words. Naomi stayed silent, watching the situation slip out of control, that man would do anything to harm them.

— There will be three combatants on each side — Rafael explained, indifferent to the uncertainty of the onlookers. — The three Ravens, against Ingrid — the small woman stirred when her name was called — Fabio! — the muscular man grinned maliciously — and of course, I won't miss this, the last fighter is me!

The man was cunning, Gygy thought, he made the whole place turn against them, and increased the number of fights to give himself a better chance of winning. His fighters seemed dangerous, she could feel that both had trained their whole lives by the way they looked at them.

— The rules remain the same: if you admit defeat, you lose; if you fall into the water, you lose; if a clearly deadly blow is dealt, the one who delivered it must stop in time to avoid killing the other, and the one who received it loses. — Everyone agreed around, and Rafael spoke. — But since there are three Ravens, and it's three against three, I plan to add two more rules!

There was the trick, Gygy realized, as the whole crowd quieted down to listen to what Rafael was going to say.

— Whoever defeats the first three from each side wins, it doesn't need to be one-on-one, but whoever wins keeps fighting, thus eliminating another or even defeating all three from the other team alone. — The crowd cheered at that rule. — And finally, the use of bladed weapons will be allowed, but I must emphasize, no deaths—if one occurs, the team that caused it loses right away.

Unlike what Naomi expected, the reaction from the crowd about the use of weapons by the Ravens surprised her. The roars, which would normally be atrocities, were frequent among other obscenities. Cecilia moved suddenly, speaking.

— What do you think? — a bead of sweat ran down her face.

— Two things could happen — Gygy replied, turning to them. — Either Rafael intends for us to keep one of them so we lose, or he's confident in his combatants' skills.

— I bet on the second option — Naomi commented.

— I also believe in the second — said Cecilia, walking toward the bridge. — I'll be the first, I should finish them all quickly.

— Of course — Gygy replied, concerned. — Just be careful, they use their mutations to their advantage.

— Yes — the blue-eyed Raven replied. — I'm aware.

Noticing their movement, Rafael approached the short woman and whispered to her. Ingrid nodded as she listened to the instructions, making her small body shake as she walked. Ingrid stood at the tip of the bridge, staring at Cecilia.

— Our first representative! — Rafael roared, clearly excited. — Ingrid!!!

Cecilia ignored the sounds around her, watching her adversary who walked with hesitant steps toward the arena. Following her enemy's example, the young woman stepped onto the bridge, which creaked under her feet, the wood touching the water at certain points, creating ripples that startled the colorful fish.

Placing her hands on her thighs, Cecilia pulled out two iron sticks, their grips made of leather. Her weapons. Each stick was forty centimeters long and dyed black, similar to the grip. She held the weapons beside her body, unconcerned, as she entered the packed dirt ring. The two women sized each other up coldly, and Cecilia realized that Ingrid wasn't a novice in combat. Even with her small body, the woman had a commanding presence. It was impossible to hear anything else around her, only the sound of her heartbeat in her eardrums.

The Raven saw the cloth covering Ingrid's body move for a moment, and then felt an intense pain in her stomach. Vomit rose instantly to her mouth. She staggered backward, catching her breath, seeing what had struck her. One of Ingrid's arms was slowly retracting, the woman's limb was over two meters long and articulated in ten parts. Ingrid held in her hand a glove made of clay, perfectly fitting her fingers. The material was so dry it resembled stone. The arm coiled like a spiral. Cecilia spat the bile out of her mouth, which left a bitter taste, and gripped her weapons tightly.

— Sneaky move — she said, grinning aggressively. — Won't happen again.

— We'll see — Ingrid replied.

Once again, the attack came, but this time Cecilia was prepared. She spun her body, clashing her weapon with the opponent's hand. The impact traveled up her arm, leaving her hand numb. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Ingrid shifting slightly to the side, and the other arm of the opponent launched toward her. Caught off guard by the fact that both of Ingrid's limbs were extremely articulated, the young woman cut through the air in front of her, striking the attack before it was too late. The new impact threw her backward, making her fall onto her back.

Struggling to get up, the Raven saw that one of Ingrid's arms had already coiled into a spiral again, and like a spear, the attack flew toward her. She swung both her arms simultaneously from top to bottom, making the clay ball ricochet off the iron of the batons, sending it flying backward. Both of Cecilia's hands were numb, but she had begun to understand the pattern of her enemy's attacks. Ingrid coiled her arms to gain speed, then struck one single point with devastating force. The speed of the attacks was concerning, as the pause between them was only two seconds.

With her stomach aching and both arms heavy, Cecilia advanced but threw herself to the ground to avoid an attack that passed where her torso had just been. She managed to see just in time the other blow coming from above, like a hammer, forcing her to roll across the packed earth. The sound of the sand being hit by the blow made it clear to the young woman that it would have been her end had it landed. Jumping backward to increase the distance between them, Ingrid began launching consecutive strikes, which were blocked by the Raven's batons. Both were exhausted, but neither dared stop—Ingrid attacking and Cecilia defending. They didn't realize it, but the whole place had fallen into complete silence, watching their clash. The tension was almost palpable.

— She underestimated her opponent — Gygy murmured.

— Yes — Naomi agreed, not taking her eyes off the fight. — That first blow really complicated things for Cecilia. I don't think she broke a rib, but at least two are cracked.

— Likely. The first one to slip up will lose.

Cecilia and Ingrid breathed heavily, sweat soaking their bodies, but neither dared blink. A new blow was about to be launched at the Raven's face, who prepared to defend herself by swinging her right arm, when something hot and wet made the baton slip from her hand, heading toward the ground. In a moment of desperation, the young woman turned her head and saw that her nails were all cracked and missing pieces. As a result, blood began to drip, turning her hand red. The viscous liquid made the weapon fly far away, and Cecilia saw the blow coming toward her face, powerless to stop it. Realizing what had just happened, Ingrid dodged in time, the cracked clay mass passing close to the opponent's neck.

The Raven collapsed from exhaustion, knowing that if the attack had landed, it would have broken her neck. Falling on her bottom, she started laughing, tired; she had lost. Everyone watching stared in silence, taking a few moments to comprehend what had just happened. Then, like a wave, cheers and congratulations filled the area.

— Congratulations — Cecilia managed to say as she recovered her batons. — A well-deserved victory, you're strong as hell.

— I'll say the same — Ingrid replied with a tired smile.

— And the first victory! — Rafael shouted excitedly. — It's Ingrid!!!

Cecilia walked back across the bridge, lifting her shirt to check the damage from the attack. Her ribs were turning purple, but she could breathe without pain, so her lungs hadn't been damaged.

— You did well — Naomi praised.

— I got my ass kicked — the young woman replied, collapsing against the bridge's railing. — She's really strong, but I left her pretty tired.

— Leave the rest to me — Gygy said, heading toward the arena.

The crowd fell silent as the new Raven crossed the wooden walkway. Once again, a tense silence took over the place. Gygy calmly put on her right gauntlet, having an idea of how to end this quickly.

Ingrid was panting with exhaustion, but her eyes were that of a predator, not prey. They both exchanged a nod of acknowledgment before Gygy entered the ring.

— The next challenger has entered the arena! — Rafael yelled. — Start whenever you're ready!

Gygy had an idea of what the other woman would try, likely aiming for the same surprise strike to incapacitate her, but unlike the previous match where she was rested, this time she would deliver follow-up blows to take Ingrid out of the fight.

Clenching her teeth, the Raven stepped forward, feigning an advance when the expected strike came. Sliding her feet to the side, she saw Ingrid's attack pass where her stomach had been just moments ago. Using her left arm, which wasn't wearing the gauntlet, she grabbed her opponent's limb, pulling it toward her. The sudden movement completely threw Ingrid off balance, making her stumble forward, giving Gygy the perfect opportunity to advance. With a few quick steps, the Raven was close enough and, using her body, she delivered a punch with her gauntlet to the enemy's stomach.

She felt her arm vibrate upon impact, sending Ingrid flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground. Without wasting any time, Gygy jumped on top of her, placing her left knee on the opponent's chest and raising her gauntlet-covered hand, threatening to punch the fallen woman's face.

Ingrid only smiled, accepting her defeat, as the rigidity in her body faded. Silence reigned in the arena as the crowd processed that their representative had lost. Gygy got off the other woman and extended her hand, helping her up. Applause and congratulations filled the place as people praised Ingrid for her performance.

"The first victory for the Crows!" Rafael shouted, his voice full of sorrow. "Our warrior did well, making way for our next champion! Fabio!!!"

The man waited for Ingrid to pass by his side on the bridge, giving encouraging pats to the woman who walked with her head held high. Fabio strapped two square metal plates, each one meter long, to his arms as he walked to face the woman. Gygy put on her other gauntlet, sensing that this would be more complicated than before. The man was thirty centimeters taller than her, clearly stronger due to his muscles.

They studied each other for a few seconds, looking for an opening, while laughing. They knew this would be a straightforward brawl, no strategy needed. And so they did, advancing at the same time. Gygy attacked first, but Fabio raised one arm, taking the blow on the plate strapped to his arm, and with his free arm, he swept the air, trying to hit her head. Gygy ducked just in time, and with two quick steps to the side, she threw a new punch. Gygy felt her hands shake when the blow hit the metal, her bones vibrating. Fabio suddenly twisted his body, launching his colossal fist towards her ribs. She jumped awkwardly backwards to avoid the blow.

The excitement of both fighters was contagious, and unlike the first fight that left everyone tense, this one made people shout with every new move. Naomi noticed that Gygy was enjoying herself as she fought.

Fabio advanced with his short legs and prepared a punch aimed at Gygy's face. Seeing the move, she mimicked it and threw a right hook aimed at his blow. Both fists collided in the air, sending the young woman backward. The force of the fight made her lose track of the size difference between them. Seeing her stumble, Fabio threw a punch with his free arm.

Gygy, being quicker, raised the arm that hadn't been affected by the clash of fists just in time to take the hit on the part of the gauntlet that covered her forearm. She gritted her teeth as she was pushed almost a meter back.

Managing to land on her feet, she saw that Fabio was recovering from the blows and advanced while smiling; she was having fun. Fabio, in turn, spun his body, sweeping the air with an overhead punch.

Gygy saw the blow coming toward her face and, intertwining her legs, spun around herself, narrowly avoiding the punch. Using the momentum, she stretched out her left arm and hit Fabio's ribs with the back of her hand. It felt like punching a sack of cement—the muscles were incredibly stiff. Groaning in pain, Fabio bent down, lowering his head to target her. He struck her forehead in the middle of her face, making her stagger back, her lips and nose bleeding. Without yielding to the pain, Gygy lunged forward, taking advantage of his face being close to hers. She stretched out her left arm and hit him in the mouth, feeling several teeth break, and blood splattered in the air. With tears in his eyes, Fabio smiled a bloody grin at her, who was thoroughly enjoying the fight.

"She's crazy," Naomi commented, feeling a shiver down her spine.

"Completely," said Cecília, who was massaging her ribs. "They both completely forgot why they were fighting. These assholes are enjoying themselves."

Gygy waited for the punch aimed at her face, and with a counterattack targeting Fabio's wrist, she let his punch pass while landing a blow to his arm. She advanced again, landing a hard punch to his chest, causing him to shrink back for a brief moment of pain. It was her chance to attack when she felt something slide past her legs.

Lost as she fell, she realized she had just been swept. She had completely forgotten about the leg work during the fight. She landed on her backside, watching Fabio recover from the chest punch and launch a hammer-like two-handed punch at her. Unable to avoid it, Gygy raised both arms, protecting her face with the gauntlets. When she felt the blow, if it weren't for the weapon, her arms would have been completely crushed. She was thrown hard backward, hearing her fingers snap. Her body tumbled across the dirt and plunged into the water. The weight of the gauntlets threatened to pull her under when a pair of hands pulled her out of the water and placed her on the sand. The shouts came from all directions, leaving Gygy confused about what was happening. She saw Fabio, who had pulled her from the water, raise his arms victoriously. That was when the decision came: she had lost.

"For stepping out of the ring!!" Rafael yelled at the top of his lungs. "Victory for Fabio!!"

Exhaustion hit her all at once; her whole body ached, and she gently removed the gauntlet from the hand that had collided with Fabio's fist. Three fingers were broken. She chuckled softly.

"My turn now," Naomi said, having crossed the bridge and standing beside her partner.

"Sorry," Gygy replied awkwardly as she walked toward Cecília at the end of the bridge. "I got carried away."

"It's fine," Naomi replied without looking at her, focused on the opponent before her. "It was good watching your fight, it made my blood boil."

"I left two for you," Gygy murmured bitterly.

"Don't worry," Naomi turned and looked directly at her. "I'll handle it."

Gygy crossed the bridge, hearing the buzz of the fight she had just had. The inhabitants of the Pit threw congratulations at her, but she was intimidated by Naomi's gaze—her eyes were wild.

"Do you think she can handle it?" Cecília asked as her companion sat beside her.

"I'm more worried," Gygy replied, removing her shirt and shorts, leaving only her top. "About the two who are going to fight her. I hope no one dies."

Fabio looked at Naomi, clearly disappointed. After facing Gygy, a large, muscular woman, facing someone shorter and more average-looking was discouraging. The girl noticed and, smiling, said:

"I've faced plenty of brutes," she said casually, walking toward him. "The biggest mistake is trying to hit the body. Muscles are a great 'shield'. The idea to take one down is simple: hit where there's bone."

Fabio felt a chill run down his spine and immediately threw a punch with all his might aimed at her chest. But Naomi was already expecting this reaction. Using footwork, she passed just beside the punch, remaining only twenty centimeters away from him.

The young woman ducked, avoiding a wild punch, and using the momentum of her downward movement, she struck the top of her heel against Fabio's foot, hearing the sound of bones breaking.

The man instinctively shrank back in pain, lowering his head. Naomi seized the opportunity, stretching with all her strength to strike her elbow upward, aiming for his chin. The impact made his body tremble. The blow hit Fabio hard, sending his head flying back. He collapsed, unconscious, his black eyes unfocused as they stared at the ceiling. The silence that followed the knockout lasted a few seconds, everyone wide-eyed, staring at the young woman standing over the brute.

Naomi raised one hand and pointed at Rafael, shaking a finger at him, calling him to fight. The crowd went wild, the whole place vibrating with excitement, momentarily forgetting the rivalry with the Crows.

Five men were responsible for removing Fábio, and with difficulty, they managed to drag him across the bridge towards a group that came to his aid. Rafael crossed the space between them while preparing his shield on his muscular arm. His face was unreadable.

— Aren't you going to use a weapon, Corva? — the man asked aggressively.

— Do you know why my companions lost? — Naomi replied. — None of them entered with the intention to kill, but you were once a Crow, so I'll give it my all. As for your question, no, I don't plan to.

— Overconfident — the man answered, gritting his teeth in anger.

Naomi didn't say anything else, just preparing herself in silence. Seeing that, Rafael felt his fury take over, and he attacked recklessly, with a move straight ahead. The Corva jumped back as the strike hit her clothes, tearing a long piece. Seeing the damage the shield caused, Naomi realized the edges of the object were sharp.

Rafael expected blood, but all he had done was tear the fabric. He attacked again, and once more Naomi dodged while the blade grazed her clothes. Frustrated, the man struck in all directions. Seeing the attacks coming, Naomi relaxed her body and began to slip between the gaps in the strikes. She felt the touch of the shield scraping her mail, getting used to its weight. The amount of force she put into each movement was different than when she fought with just a shirt. This was her first real battle since returning from her training, and she intended to use this moment to revive her reflexes. The man attacked with technique, even in his fury, and the young woman dodged his blows with increasing skill. Angering the man had been a good choice.

— Are you just going to keep dodging? — Rafael shouted in frustration. — You think you can win like this?

— No — Naomi said, feeling her body ready. — It's my turn now.

Rafael managed to block Naomi's kick aimed at his chest with the shield, but the attack caught him off guard, and he quickly moved the shield to block a second kick that aimed at his right knee.

Naomi pulled back from her first strike, feeling both feet vibrating from the impact against the shield's iron. Rafael moved, surprised by the sudden assault.

This time, the man attacked suddenly, catching the young woman by surprise. With a twist of his waist, Rafael cut the air from below upwards, scraping the shield against her belly and chest. Naomi jumped back, her shirt torn in half, revealing the black scales she had hidden underneath.

All eyes turned to her when they saw what the Corva was hiding. Irritated, Naomi ripped the torn fabric off her body and put the hood of her mail on. She no longer felt the weight of the material, her body was flooded with adrenaline.

Rafael stared at the strange, serpent-like figure before him, gripping the shield's handle tighter and advancing on his opponent, thrusting with the weapon, which passed through the air without hitting anything. He saw the Corva dodge to the side and then land a punch to his stomach, making bile rise in his mouth.

Naomi had finally landed her first attack and again dodged another strike from the shield effortlessly, this time landing a punch that made the man's ribs crack with the impact. Her opponent seemed a little dazed from the blows, raising the shield instinctively to defend himself. But using her forearm, protected by the scales, Naomi knocked the shield down with a quick shove and landed a fast punch to the man's face, twisting his nose.

Rafael felt his eyes fill with tears and blood pour from his newly broken nose. He couldn't read Naomi's movements, and even though she was smaller, her attacks were powerful. Naomi advanced again, narrowly avoiding another attack aimed at her stomach. Getting close to him, she delivered a quick kick to his knee, making Rafael collapse onto the knee that wasn't attacked. Twisting her body, she landed a punch to the side of his face, throwing him to the ground.

Rafael rolled on the ground to avoid leaving any openings, but his body was on the verge of fainting from the blow to the head. He put all his strength into the next move, throwing the shield. The iron piece cut through the air vertically, flying towards Naomi. But, in a reflex, the Corva clapped her hands together at the right moment, stopping the shield mid-flight.

The crowd roared during the fight. Naomi held the shield and advanced toward the now unarmed man. Cecília and Gygy screamed excitedly while watching the completely unequal fight. Seeing the woman covered in scales and holding her shield, Rafael felt terror rise in his chest. There was no way he could win, and his opponent hadn't even used weapons. With his mouth dry, he managed to speak in a hoarse voice.

— I give up.

Naomi dropped the shield immediately, while unfastening the Velcro on her mask. The crowd went wild, no longer caring about the reason for the fights, they were just thrilled to have watched a spectacle. Gygy clapped while Cecília shouted obscenities, jumping with satisfaction. She had forgotten the pain in her ribs.

— Are you okay? — Naomi asked as she approached the defeated opponent.

— I thought I was going to die — Rafael said, struggling to get up.

— I said I would go with that intention — the Corva retorted.

The crowd began to disperse, excited to return to their work, with some children mimicking moments from the fight they thought were incredible with their friends. The other two Corvas came across the bridge, Gygy leading, practically dry.

— This is the level of a Crow with a title — Gygy murmured to herself.

— Now that we've won — Cecília said, satisfied. — You should tell us everything you know.

— I don't know why you're being so cocky — Rafael commented. — You were the first to lose.

— Fuck you.

— She's right — Naomi interrupted. — You said you knew something, and since we won, we want answers.

— Fine — said Rafael. — There's a part of the sewers where the sounds of torture and screams are frequent.

A sense of unease spread through the trio, exchanging concerned looks. Rafael continued.

— I sent some men to investigate the place through the sewers, of course. They all came back pale, saying they heard people begging for someone named 'Doctor.'

— Doctor — Cecília whispered.

— People referred to someone this way. At first, I thought it was some club for people with strange fetishes, but blood and pieces of people started to appear in the sewers.

Naomi had to hold back the urge to interrupt him. Rafael knew something of this magnitude was happening and hadn't said or done anything about it. By the looks on her companions' faces, they all thought the same.

— The body parts had iron pieces or tubes in them. — Rafael continued, lost in some memory. — I saw an arm where the nerves had been replaced by wires.

— We need to go to this part of the sewer — Gygy commented.

— I can show you the place, or tell you what's above it.

They all stopped at this new information from the man. Gygy forgot about the pain from the broken bones in shock at the revelation.

— I had some men look at the place at night, above ground — Rafael said. — Behind the Figo hotel, there's a door. Just go down through it, and they'll find this Doctor.

Without saying anything more, the trio left Rafael alone. No one spoke to each other as they crossed the bridge. The energy from the place no longer affected them, even though they were greeted by people in a different manner than before. Gygy was the first to speak.

— This hotel is in my Nest's area, I can take us there today.

— That would be good — Naomi commented.

— Doctor, looks like we've got a madman on our hands — Cecília said. — Another messed-up madman.

— He hid important information — Naomi continued. — If Rafael had informed us earlier, the number of deaths could have been lower.

— Stay calm — Gygy responded. — He'll pay for it, but not now. We've got a doctor to catch.