Ring Toss in The Ring Arena

"Ahhh!!" 

Screams filled the arena as the slaves ran helter-skelter, looking for a shelter to save themselves from the monster with red eyes.

Hellaine remained on the ground, partially letting the pain from where she hit her head subside and also trying to analyze her situation here. Her heart was trembling with fear but she watched the monster.

She didn't know which type of animal this was. It looked like an elephant and a buffalo all joined in a single body. The beast had large horns which stretched out to the sky and its thick brown fur was messy with a few flies flying over its body.

The nostrils huffed as the beast remained in one place despite the chaos going on and Hellaine met eyes with the beast. The red eyes, despite looking horrifying was...sad. Or was she imagining things?

A loud growl filled the arena as the beast yelped with pain. Hellaine looked to its side to see an axe driven into one of its limbs. She winced with pain but she wasn't ready for what happened next.

The beast went crazy, running and trampling on everything within its path, including the innocent slaves. Hellaine was frozen on the ground as she watched humans being flattened by just one step of the beast.

Soon, blood filled the grounds and the crowd charged with howls and cheers. 

"Please, help me." One of the slaves hung desperately to the cell which they had came out from as she cried. She looked like she was barely eighteen. "Help!!"

Her cry was shut as the beast grabbed her and ripped her body into pieces. Over her head, someone shot arrows to the beast which made it turn its head in Hellaine's direction.

Shit.

Finally getting her head together, Hellaine got to her feet slowly but she made no move to run. The beast's red eyes was boring into hers and she knew it was only a matter of time before it lunged for her.

Yet, she wasn't budging. She knew trying to run was futile. The beast was ten times faster than the humans. And trying to attack was an even more stupid decision. Besides, there was nothing she could do with a freaking rope!

If she wanted to survive this, she needed to outsmart it. 

The beast moved now, its legs galloping towards her with vengeance in its eyes. The entire arena was in silence, watching the scene on their toes.

"Come on. Come for me." Hellaine muttered under her breath and calculated the time she needed to move when the beast was close enough.

"Now." She gritted out when the beast was just a few inches away from her and jumped to her right.

A deafening sound was heard as the beast's head collided with the stone wall. The crowd roared with enthusiasm.

"Looks like contestant number 030 is giving us a show today! What an impressive move!" the MC's voice boomed across the arena as the crowd clapped their hands.

"O30! 030! 030!" The audience began to chant but Hellaine wasn't in for their praises.

She was clamoring for survival here while they were enjoying the show. Bloody maniacs!

They were all in on this! Just how many lives have been lost because of this stupid Freedom Day? 

Hellaine got to her feet as the beast retracted its steps, shaking its head from the blow it just received. The other slaves saw this as an opportunity and charged for it now, attacking the beast with their weapons.

Hellaine ran as far as she could from the beast so she could re-strategize. There was no way any of them could kill that thing with the outrageous weapons they had. Heck, not even a grenade would bring that monster down!

She needed to think of something, and fast. 

The beast threw off its attackers off its back, smashing each and every one of them into pieces. Hellaine closed her eyes, wanting to unsee the terrifying scene.

Her lips trembled and tears threatened to escape her eyes. How on earth was she going to escape this?!

"Oh, Oh, is contestant 030 already giving up? What a shame, I just thought we might have a winner today!" The MC pouted and the crowd booed in response.

Hellaine snapped her eyes open, her jade-green orbs blazing with determination. She wasn't going to let these psychopaths get the entertainment they were looking. She wasn't going to die here. Not today. Never!

Loosening the rope from her waist, Hellaine kept an eye on the beast who was still fighting off the remaining slaves. They were about ten or less left. It was only a matter of time before everyone was killed here.

Hellaine tied a knot wide enough to fit into one of the beast's horns. If she couldn't get the monster from the ground, she was going to subdue it from the top. It was a wild idea but the only one her brain could come up with now.

She moved closer to the beast who was still occupied with other contestants trying to kill it. Hellaine closed one eye, aiming for the perfect angle the knot was going to catch the beast's horns.

This was the one time she thanked God she was an adept Ring Toss player. She could only pray that her skills proved efficient this time.

She tried once. Failed. The beast was too fast in its movements.

"Are we all seeing what I'm seeing? It seems 030 is up to something. What on earth could she be trying to do with a rope?"

Hellaine tuned out the MC's stupid interlude and tried to focus. It was only a matter of time before the beast turned this way and saw his least favorite contestant.

"One. Two. Three." 

At the third try, the rope got a hold of the tip of the beast's horn before it slid down. Hellaine grabbed the end of the rope with all her might and with the beast's next movement forward, her entire body was thrown in the air.

"Ah!!" Hellaine grabbed the beast's fur desperately as she had missed landing on its back narrowly. "Come on." she gritted with clenched teeth and climbed onto its back fully.

"Oh my world!! Contestant 030 just used an innovative technique to ascend the beast! This is so far the most entertaining Freedom Day I have witnessed!" the MC seemed impressed while Hellaine was gripping the beast's fur for dear life.

She lay down flat on her stomach so she wouldn't fall down from the beast's rapid motions and die after she had managed to get there. Hellaine crawled over its back, thankful for the distraction it had at the bottom.

Getting to its neck, she grabbed the end of her rope which was still attached to the horn. "Oh, shit." Hellaine cursed under her breath. 

She hadn't thought this out well. She had no weapon to tackle the beast from the top and there was no way she could strangle the beast with the rope because its neck was thicker than five humans joined together.

"Oh, oh, it seems contestant 030 is stuck somewhere. Why isn't she making any move?" 

Hellaine gripped the beast's horn, trying to look for a weapon on the ground. She could see a few axes and swords but how on earth was she going to get them?!

Again, she cursed every entity in Bermuda Arch Triangle, especially the heartless silver-haired man. 

Then, her eyes caught a hold of something. It was a blinking red light which was stuck on the beast's head. She had no idea what it was but judging from the look of it, it looked extremely painful.

She could see the raw flesh of the beast as the metal device seemed to be eating away its skin. She slowly reached for it, her curiosity getting a hold of her. It might be the beast's lifeline and maybe it would just die if she got rid of it. 

Hellaine's hand touched the device and she yanked it out of the flesh. Suddenly, she felt her body being lowered as the beast reduced in size.

"What the-" Even the MC couldn't mutter a full sentence as everyone was stunned by what was happening.

Hellaine fell to the ground and rolled off the sand. She winced and coughed out the dust. Then, she turned to see the result of her action.

She saw a tiny frail figure lying on the ground, breathing heavily. It looked like a child and from the looks of it, not up to ten years old.

The fear in her heart warned her not to step forward but the concern she had for the girl took over. She stopped a few steps away from the child and her heart dropped when she realized what just occurred.

The beast was never a beast. It was a child trapped in its body.