Chapter 16

Dusty started to run into the room, but he stopped and took a good long look around first looking for traps.

As he stepped into the room he saw Galvin as he basically finished hanging his wife next to Daniel and Rachel from a hook by a chain around both of her wrists.

When Galvin stepped back he could see that her shirt was ripped badly in the front and one of her breasts was in danger of spilling out of her already heavily overworked bra.

He watched Galvin seem to take a good long look at her unconscious body and face for a moment before he started to reach out and touch her tenderly.

"Keep you filthy hands off her!" yelled Dusty across the room.

"You are earlier than I expected," said Galvin almost wistfully as he stared at Suzan from where he was.

"Get away from her!" said Dusty as he started to walk into the room.

Looking down he just barely caught sight of a trap that he almost stepped on. Not sure what it was, he wasn't curious enough to set it off to see either way. Sliding sideways along the way he made it past all the traps and started for where everyone was.

"You did the same thing as the other one. You are both pretty well trained aren't you?" asked Galvin as he turned away from softly touching Suzan's face.

Knowing he was touching his wife was pissing Dusty off.

"Well, shall we get too it?" asked Galvin as he looked at Dusty in amusement.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Dusty as he approached Galvin getting ready to fight.

"I'm doing it because someone needs to put you in your place. You don't have the right to butt your nose into everyone's business just because you want too. I'm here to remind you of the consequences of doing that," said Galvin.

"You were trying to kill my friend," said Dusty.

"I was paid to kill him. That's my job. Your job wasn't to defend him or we wouldn't have a problem. You decided to butt into my job and scare me off. Now it's my problem," said Galvin as he looked at Dusty smiling.

Dusty was close enough that he charged and brought around a swift round house that Galvin seemed to low block. But as Dusty started to throw a punch Galvin twisted to the side and used his arm to push the punch past his head.

Dusty brought up his knee up and Galvin easily used both hands to block it. Because of how he blocked, Dusty ended up flipping over Galvin's head and landed behind him, but he threw his elbow at Galvin and tried to hit him. But Galvin wasn't there.

Galvin had ducked under the move and used his fist to strike Dusty squarely in the face and knocked him backwards.

Dusty attempted to throw a front snap kick at the same time to catch him while he was flying backwards, but Galvin used his right hand to not only deflect it, but step into the blow in one motion and he hit Dusty a second time in the face as he started to fall.

Sprawled out on the floor Dusty was completely baffled as to what happened.

No had ever managed to double hit him before. That kind of speed was unmatched and unheard off.

"Oh come on, are you even taking this seriously? Be honest, are you even giving this your best effort?" asked Galvin in a mocking voice.

Dusty did a bicycle kick and used that to get back to his feet while at the same time trying to keep Galvin away.

Standing with his leading hand facing palm outward Dusty started getting ready to attack.

"That's better, so tell me is that fighting style what everyone fears? I can't wait to see how this plays out. Man I gotta say, it doesn't look like you're really putting your heart into it," said Galvin as he smirked at Dusty.

Dusty slowly approached Galvin and just when he was in range he again struck out, but Galvin easily ducked under his shot, and when he did Dusty did his back flip and tried to hit Galvin with the sonic attack that he invented a few years back to fight a Drake using magic.

It was a risky attack that could rebound and hit him if it hit any of the magic reflection crystals.

But it missed and hit a support bean, and as he landed he looked and Galvin wasn't there. Looking around Dusty was surprised to see what looked to be Galvin standing sideways on the side of the support beam he had just hit above him, looking down at him smirking

As Dusty quickly turned to be in a better attack position, Galvin was already gone from his perch because he had already landed behind Dusty. While he was still looking around for Galvin, Galvin then stabbed Dusty in the side of the neck from behind with his thumb. He was able to easily do it while Dusty was looking still looking up in the air for him.

Dusty flipped away from his attack and slapped his hand on the side of his neck and looked back at Galvin.

He had made sure to not be near any shadows because he was sure that Galvin would use those to attack from, but he hadn't counted on his speed being faster than his, and that Galvin must be using that to bounce around before he could land a solid attack on him.

Dusty could feel the blood flowing across his fingers as he watched Galvin. He couldn't even take the time to heal himself in the middle of the fight.

The thing that puzzled him the most was the question of just how strong were the man's fingers that he could just puncture the side of his neck like he had just done. Dusty had no way of knowing that Galvin could hang on to the side of a building for hours using just his fingers.

"For the love of God man, you have to at least give me something to work with here. I thought you were going to be the best of the three. I thought you were the challenge, but your wife gave me a far better fight. I saved my best for you, and this is what I get?" said Galvin disappointed, as he wiped his thumb on his pants leg.

Dusty could feel the blood seeping through his fingers as he pressed them to the side of his neck and he looked at Galvin.

This was insane. No one should be able to move faster than him. He was a Battlemage. HE was faster than everyone else and stronger, but he couldn't lay a glove on Galvin during the few blows that they had traded so far.

"If you aren't coming to me then I'll come to you," said Galvin smiling.

Dusty tried to not let the pain distract him but his movements were already too late and two steps behind Galvin's.

Galvin got in close before Dusty could stop him, and even though Dusty got his arms up to try and quickly block what he knew must be coming, but Galvin easily slid under the guard of his outstretched right arm and savagely hit Dusty with his right elbow in the right side of his body breaking several ribs.

Dusty was barely able to tense up and cushion the blow to prevent it from doing more damage, but it still rocked him.

But before he could recover, and as he realized he was now having problems breathing, almost as if it was a follow up move Galvin stayed in motion and used his right hand to catch Dusty's collar and step past him, pivot, turn, and slam Dusty backwards on the ground.

Gasping at the sudden turn of events, and this new inability to breathe, Dusty tried to roll away but just as he got to his feet he realized that at some point Galvin had also stabbed him in the right side of his body with one of the fingers of his left hand. As he moved he looked at Galvin and Dusty saw it was Galvin's index finger and it was dripping his blood.

Still trying to get to his feet Galvin moved very quickly, and Dusty was then kicked by a similar front snap kick that he tried to hit Galvin with earlier to start out the fight, and it caused him to fly backwards while it lifted him up in the air.

His legs led his backwards flight and he was trying to get them work so he could land on his feet, but they just weren't listening to him.

As Dusty then had no control over how he landed he came down hard on both of his knees painfully. He looked back at Galvin trying to see if he was following up this last move with another attack.

Sitting back on his heels in pain Dusty was desperately trying to calm his mind though the pain. He had to think clearly or he was going to die here. He had to figure out a way to make his body move faster. He enhanced himself earlier magically before he entered this room, but it still wasn't enough as Galvin was clearly getting the better of him.

As he quickly thought about what was going on he then realized that the jerk was playing with him, and it was then that Galvin could see that Dusty was starting to understand the situation.

That thought made Galvin smile as he flicked the blood from his finger onto the floor beside him. He was so much faster than him that he couldn't get in the time to setup any of his best moves in which to hit Galvin with. Galvin was breaking all the stances for them before he could get them adequately started.

It was like a child being toyed with by an adult as they futility tried to best them.

Dusty for his part sat going over his options with his right hand over the finger hole in the right side of his neck and his left hand was over the one in his right side just over his broken ribs.

Thankfully Galvin didn't push too deeply into his neck or he would have torn an artery and this fight would have long been over.

The one over his ribs was a different story and that one was seeping blood pretty profusely and only added to his breathing problem. The wounds so far were not enough to kill him, but enough that with more time would make him too weak to continue this fight.

"Soooooo, how do you feel about your ability to protect people from me now? Still feel it's something you can do? So far three people who depend on you to protect them have ended up hanging around as my prey.

"Just look at them just hanging there waiting for me to finish you off. Maybe once I'm done I'll send a note to the mage's council where to find the bodies so they can see what you really have to offer them," said Galvin.

"Is this all a game to you?" asked Dusty in pain.

"No it's business and you are screwing with it. I'll make sure the right people know what I've done here and it will only drive up my asking price and my demand. I'll have people who fear you looking me up, maybe to do you in as well," said Galvin almost with a snarl before he switched back to his cold smile.

That smile was by far more menacing that anything else he was doing.

Dusty tried to struggle to get to his feet and failed. He fell back against his feet, still on his knees and tried very hard to stay conscious. The loss of blood was starting to affect him and he knew it was slowing down his reaction time.

"If you say you're sorry and beg me for your life I'll let them go. I also might only leave you with a small scar like mine before I do it, maybe something to remind you of your loss here every time you see it in the mirror. But for now it will be enough of a start to hear you say it and then we'll go from there," said Galvin as he started for Dusty.

As much as it galled Dusty, he looked over at Suzan hanging there helpless and he knew that he would accept any wound or any humiliation to keep her safe.

"Galvin ... look ... I'm begging. Please..." Dusty started with his head down.

"Oh, and no matter what you do I'm keeping the blonde. I like her spunk. She's more of a fighter than you ever were. Once she realizes that I'm far superior to you in every way she'll come around to her new life. I bet the two of us can be the "best" of partners both in and out of bed. We'll rule the underworld," said Galvin interrupting him.

Galvin was reaching Dusty and getting into position to slash his face with his fingernails to leave him a scar over his eye, similar to the one he sported, when Galvin jerked his hand back.

He had intended for Dusty to look up in desperation and beg for him to leave his wife alone and then he would strike. That would just make the humiliation that much sweeter, depending on how he reacted he might still take his wife, but something made him pull back.

"You will not touch her," said Dusty quietly.

Dusty was so scared that he couldn't believe how terrified he felt.

He knew that he would lose Suzan one day, but he had no idea when that day might be. It might be today, it might not be for years. For all he knew it might happen right now because of how weak he was against Galvin and he was in no position to stop him if he took her.

It also might be because he was too weak to save her that he she took her own life as opposed to being with this monster. Today might be the last time he laid eyes on her because of his own weakness.

While Galvin looked at Dusty it looked to him as if he could see waves of red heat rising off of his body. His body took on that shimmering look like what one might see in the desert during great heat.

"You will not touch her or you will die," said Dusty softly in a very cold voice.

"Oh, and what is your plan to stop me said Galvin as he started forward again grinning.

Dusty's head snapped up and his eyes were so red that they made Galvin gasp in shock before he realized he had done it. While he heard that Dusty could do that, seeing it first hand was something actually different. The look of a wild animal flashed through Galvin's mind when he saw Dusty's face.

Galvin smiled. "Now this is more like it," he thought

Then just a quickly Dusty's eyes took on a golden swirly appearance, and then Dusty screamed out a roar that was so loud in the cavern that it all but deafened Galvin. Galvin clapped both hands over his ears and tried to leap backwards but he was already moving too slowly for what happened next.

As he watched with wide eyes he saw Dusty launch himself at Galvin, but as he did Dusty's shirt was shredded as it ripped open, and a large set of scaly reptilian wings spread out of the shredded remains of his shirt. Also Dusty's body, the now exposed chest, hands, and face, all took on a reddish brown scaly hue. His head appeared to elongate and his mouth now had a slight protrusion to it.

In his desire to protect to protect Suzan overrode everything else in his mind. His mind reached desperately for the one thing that could possibly save her.

Galvin, unsure what this form of Dusty's was, he tried to dodge, but Dusty hit him cleanly in the side of the head before he could quite get out of the way with both of his hands joined together in a fist.

If Galvin hadn't rolled with the blow it would have taken his head clean off, but he did and he tried to turn it into a back flip, but Dusty wasn't letting up.

As Galvin twisted in the air Dusty hit him with one exposed wing just behind the shoulder. The move propelled Galvin face forward, but still upside down, into the nearest wall.

Smacking the wall hard Galvin attempted to get away from it but Dusty was long in motion following him into the wall and he grabbed him with his left hand and hit him in the back with his right, just off to the side of the spine, so hard that he the sound of several ribs cracking could be heard in the cavern.

Galvin didn't scream but he did throw his elbow backwards and hit Dusty in the jaw hard enough to break his hold. As Dusty backed away with his head angled up Galvin went for a leg sweep and caught both of Dusty's legs.

But Dusty didn't fall.

As Galvin hit him in the face Dusty's wings spread and they were already beating so that when his legs were hit he was already starting to move up into the air.

Beating his wings away from Galvin to get some room Dusty was caught off guard as Galvin ran up the side of the wall, disappeared into a shadow, only half a second later to appear above Dusty's head and hit him with both fist on the top of his head.

Dusty was knocked out of the air, but as he was falling he twisted and Galvin saw flames licking around inside his open mouth.

Roaring again Dusty breathed flames out of his mouth and Galvin, who had already kicked off the falling Dusty, at first sought to return to the above shadow but had to change his direction by kicking off the wall that no longer contained a shadow.

He then was leaping to the side as Dusty's flame changed where the shadow used to be and hit the ceiling near him. The heat from the flame was too hot to be believed.

There were no longer any shadows on the ceiling close to where he was due to the light of the Dragon fire.

Galvin bounced off the nearest wall and launched himself at Dusty but never quite made it. Dusty had been tracking him and when he hit the far wall Dusty was already in pursuit.

The moment he hit the wall and turned to launch himself at Dusty, Dusty caught him cleanly with an upper cut that should have again separated his head from his shoulders, but Galvin again was just barely able to roll with the punch. The force of the blow though lifted him high into the air.

This time however Dusty caught his feet, pulled back down, and held him with his left hand as he hit him again several times in the chest with his right and he again broke something.

Galvin didn't intend too but he went limp.

He was in too much pain to keep up this level of fighting with all his broken bones in his back and chest. Dusty now held Galvin by both his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. Galvin was shocked at the lack of anything remotely resembling humanity in Dusty eyes while he was like this.

The golden swirling eyes were the most terrifying of everything.

It looked as if Dusty was trying to make up his mind to either bite his head off or breathe fire on him, given the flames that were showing up in his mouth.

Having made up his mind Dusty quickly started to open his mouth wider and Galvin could see the several rows of impossibly sharp teeth. It looked as if Dusty was going to take a bite out of Galvin's face, just like how a Dragon would have done it.

"WOAH THERE! What are you doing!" said Galvin excitedly as he gasped for breath.

Dusty appeared to stop and look at him questioningly.

"You're not a Dragon! You're not even a wild animal! So just why are you trying to eat me! What, are you going to go cannibal on everyone who crosses you?! What do you have to gain by this?" asked Galvin while still out of breath.

"It will make sure you never mess with my family again," said Dusty in a raspy and thoroughly gravelly voice.

His voice was nothing like its normal timber.

"The fights over you've won. There is no profit in continuing this and its bad business sense. What would the council say when they hear of you eating your competition? You're supposed to be a professional," said Galvin weakly smiling at him.

"I DON'T CARE!" roared Dusty loudly again in his Dragon roar as he again opened his mouth wide again.

"Maybe and maybe not, but now that you've stopped attacking me, you've given me the chance I needed to heal up. So now I'm good as new," said Galvin as he put both feet on Dusty's chest and kicked off.

When he did he reached in a hidden pocket as he flipped, and he then threw two knives with both hands, and they harmlessly bounced off Dusty's chest as Dusty watched Galvin move away from him.

"Yea, thought as much. Waste of time for me to even get my sword and try the same thing I bet. Tell you what, let's stop here and call it a day. I proved my point and you proved yours. We'll get the chance to do this dance again someday I know. I'm sure you'll piss off someone enough that they will pay me well to take care of you," said Galvin as he stood and grinned at Dusty.

Dusty started to beat his wings again as he started for Galvin. Galvin's mocking voice and wagging finger brought him up short even though he was still in the air.

"Ah, ah, ahhhhhh. What about your friends. They've been hanging around for quite a while you know. The brown haired one has been with me the longest, and I broke two ribs near her lungs hours ago. By now they should be trying to puncture it based on how long it's been and by the way she's hanging. Can't you hear her harsh breathing?

"That man, as you know, I beat him as well. But what you don't know is that I broke his thigh bone, and if you don't heal him soon he'll have a permanent limp. Not good for a warrior at his age. He'll have to give up using the sword or any other weapon. If you don't move fast I'll have crippled him for life. Oh, and he also has a concussion and I'm pretty sure he's going to need aid pretty quickly.