I don't need to

Hold on.

Lets look at the situation calmly.

Her right arm is in ruins. That means Cassandra will not be able to use her bow. Furthermore she lost her knife and is exhausted. She’s pretty much done.

This pain is bad, but not unbearable. I just need to suck it up.

On the other hand, this box is so obviously a trap it’s not even funny. What was I thinking even accepting anything from that witch?

That was close. I almost fell for it. Beatrice almost got me.

But now my path is clear. I can still win this. No, I WILL win this!

“Fourteen Minutes”, Cassandra began to talk while keeping her distance. “That's the time you need to make it to the time out. Doesn't sound too bad, huh? Well...”

Like I had any intention to time out!

I lunged at her, but Cassandra deftly avoided my attack. Don't let up! I kept attacking but she didn't even attempt to fight back. She was playing for time, I realized. Meanwhile, the pain was slowly but steadily increasing.

“Pious toxin only gets worse with time”, Cassandra explained with a satisfied smile. “Your done, boy. Spare yourself the suffering and give up.”

As if!

I can handle this!

I rushed her once more but barely caught myself and jumped to the side a split second before the explosion. Right. The bombs!

Shit!

“Careful there, boy”, the huntress sneered.

The jerky movement caused me to have another coughing fit. It was starting to get really bad. I need to end this fast.

I screamed and rushed her once more. But this time Cassandra did not attempt to flee. My dirk whiffed it’s target and Cassandra countered. She punched me in the stomach hard enough to send me to my knees.

“By the way, I'm left handed. Bit of a fuck up on your part to injure my non dominant arm.”

I coughed violently and vomited another squall of blood. No, I had to get up! Mustering all of my strength I slowly rose...until Cassandra kicked me in the face. This time the pain was so bad that I dropped my dirks.

Cassandra did not waste that opportunity and mounted me. I tried punching her, but Cassandra only laughed, grabbed my arms with her one good hand while smothering me with her cleavage.

I struggled to free myself but somehow couldn’t. The hell? She shouldn’t be that strong with just one arm!

“In case you’re wondering”, the huntress calmly spoke while rubbing her boobs against my face. “Pious Toxin works by attacking the nerves. Weakens the victim quite a bit as well” I tried biting her. Cassandra jerked her upper body back and sneered. “You can try resisting all you want, the pain roughly doubles every five minutes. It will kill eventually, but the **** throes can last up to two hours. Aren't you glad this round only lasts 20 minutes?”

Screaming, I made one more attempt to break free of her grapple, putting all of my remaining strength into it.

Cassandra grunted. “Impressive!” She now used her injured arm to further pin me down.

I grit my teeth and pushed. I need to get her off. My body was screaming in protest, but I was making headway. Free myself, snatch my dirk and cut her throat. I can end this within five seconds.

Then, Cassandra bend down and gave me a kiss, I could feel how she let spit dribble in as her tongue invaded my mouth.

The effect was felt instantaneously. I screamed as the pain intensified at an insane rate. Any thought of fighting back was gone.

“Poor boy”, Cassandra tittered. “Here’s the deal. For each minute you make me wait, I have you endure half an hour of this once you’re my ****. Oh, don’t worry, I have an antidote. I’m not a fool who ruins her own merchandise.”

At this point my whole body was shuddering and convulsing. I never felt that much pain in my life.

The huntress gently caressed my cheek. “How about it? Make it easier on yourself and surrender. This pain can all go away in an instant.”

That was psychological torment. I couldn't give in. Just make...it through...these few remaining minutes.

“Well, if you so desperately want to do it the hard way...”

Cassandra grinned and started to take her top of, which got a huge reaction from the crowd. “This is after all a sexual tournament, right?” Her voice felt as if someone was pushing needles in my brain. Even breathing was akin to inhaling hot magma. “Might as well give the crowd what they want.”

The Huntress stripped herself down to her underwear, while I could only helplessly look on. There was no way for me to enjoy this though, as the pungent smell that emanated from her body got even stronger.

Without a sense of shame, Cassandra stripped out of even her black panties and proceeded to rub them all over my face. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. My entire body was only focused on receiving pain.

“By the way, you made it to the halfway point. Good job, only 10 more minutes to go.”

I can't! Impossible! Thankfully, I ordered Aiju to watch this. She can run away the moment the fight is over. Aiju’s safety was the last mental wall that held me back. And it just crumbled.

“I...surrender!”

I spoke the words, and for a moment there was silence.

“Mari Beta has surrendered! Cassandra is the victor!”, Ben declared and within seconds I found my body engulfed in a strange light.

I was worried that poison would not be accounted for, but that was unfounded.. The immense pain I felt vanished in an instant. And something else occurred as well. The relief almost made me miss it, but there was a gentle tightening around my neck. The Obedience spell, I realized as my relief was slowly overtaken by a sense of dread.

Unlike the first round we weren't immediately transported out of the arena. Perhaps it was because the fight ended early or perhaps the organizer where simply worried about Cassandra's poison. The reason mattered little.

“Miss Cassandra!”, Ben spoke cheerfully. “Would you care to give your cute new **** a first order? Maybe make him do a strip to match your outfit?”

I don't think I like Ben.

I probably should have excepted this. This was a **** tournament after all. Might as well throw in a bit of public humiliation to pad the runtime.

“Very well, boy. Here is my first order”, Cassandra spoke in a commanding manner. “You will tell your cat **** to remain just where she is.”