The People v. Eleanor Warwick
Proving Ground

Jessie wants to slap herself.

She isn’t quite sure how long she’s been in the small cage or how long it’s been since Beck stepped out, yakking away on one of his earpieces. Regardless of either duration, it took her far too long to conclude the weakness of the cage is the floor.

Unfortunately, the confined space hinders her attempts to smash through. She can’t put as much power into her strikes as she liked due to minimal drawback room. Nonetheless, she’s making headway. When the hard wood paneling splinters, she smiles satisfactorily. She balls up her fist for one final, liberating slam.

Familiar pain shoots through her. Her fist broke through the wood, only to find a metal plate underneath. Clearly charged with the same magic, the metal reacts to her touch the same way the rest of the cage does.

Clutching her hand, she curses loudly. Getting angry is preferable to giving way to the growing feeling of helplessness that’s beginning to set in. She’s done everything she can think of and it had all gone for not.

“All right, all right. Are we ready?” The hellblood growls menacingly at Colby Beck’s return to the poorly lit room. “Oh, don’t be so grumpy. I’m sure in time you’ll forget what being free felt like and you’ll accept this little cage as your new home. You know, like birds do.”

“Yeah. Get real cocky, you fuck. I’m gonna get out of here and then the only thing birds are gonna be doing is pecking at your fucking corpse!”

“Save that fire for the show, rock star.”

The hellblood eyes him curiously. “What show?”

Beck leans over the top of the cage. “I can’t very well ask people to pay good money for you without getting a look at the goods, can I? So, we’re going to have a demonstration. A proving ground, if you will.”

“Well, you can forget it! I’m not doing a damn thing!”

“Yeah, I thought you might say that. That’s why I brought this.” Reaching into his pocket, the smuggler produces a small crystal.

Jessie stares at the translucent rock for a moment. “Am I supposed to know what the fuck that is?”

“The box that Warwick opened sent her into another dimension. A dimension that exists solely within this crystal. If anything should happen to it...” Beck pretends to drop the crystal only to quickly catch it.

Surprising herself, Jessie gasps and tightened her fists. Beck grins obnoxiously at her reaction. “Even if you don’t give a shit about her,” his voice takes on a more taunting inflection, “which I think we just found out is not true,” Jessie sneers with a low growl as he continues, “your only chance of ever getting out of this is to remain bound to Warwick. If one of my customers binds you, it’s all over, hon.” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She wants to hurl another threat or two or 20 at him, but she knows it won’t do any good. There’s no way out of the cage and now he has Warwick’s life in his hands as well. Jessie tries to push the later out her mind. At some point, she’ll have to address the panic that nearly took her when she learned Warwick’s life was in danger, but that will have to wait.

Beck walks over to the double doors and removes the bolt. Dusting off his hands, he returns to the cage. Taking place behind it, he prepares to push. “Now, when the cage passes through the doorway, the enchantment will dissipate. So, feel free to smash your way out of it. Make it look nice for the customers.”

Before Jessie can respond, the smuggler shoves the cage forward. Clearly, the prison rests on wheels as it moves easily and slams through the doors. After a long time in the dark, the bright lights on the other side nearly blind her. Without waiting to get her bearings, Jessie rips her way out of the cage and stumbles to the ground.

The concrete floor is filthy. She brushes dirt from her arms as she stands. Behind her, the double doors slam shut. She can hear the bolts being put back in place.

High fencing surrounds her. It’s the same wire that comprised her cage. It doesn’t take much of a leap to assume the same enchantments wait to punish any foolish enough to touch it. Industrial floodlights shine down and a cherry picker sits dormant.

The combination of the bright lights within the fence and the darkness beyond prevent Jessie from seeing these customers of Beck’s. She picks up shadows moving about and hears chatter, but nothing more.

The hydraulic groan of the cherry picker brings her attention to Beck as he maneuvers the nest of the machinery to hang over the proving ground. He gazes down at her with a smug smile as he activates the megaphone he carries.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. As you can see, we have a fantastic specimen on the block tonight. Rest assured this impressive creature is not a demon. Oh no. She is 100%, bonafide hellblood.” Murmurs from the other side of the fence pick up at the mention. “It is a certainty that she will become the baddest beast in your stable. But I don’t expect you to take my word for it. We are prepared to offer a demonstration.”

The double doors swing back open. Jessie turns to see eight large men with various manner of improvised weapons approach. As soon as they’re through, the doors shut once again. The men brandish their pipes, baseball bats, butcher knives and table legs in a clear attempt to be intimidating as they begin to form around her.

“Remember, gentlemen;” Beck calls over his megaphone, “$1000 apiece once you kill this woman.”

Jessie looks up at the smuggler with rage in her eyes. She’s killed before. She would kill again. Hell, she killed her own mother. But killing greedy fools led like sheep to slaughter for the amusement of wealthy sociopaths crosses a line she doesn’t want to cross.

The Louisville Slugger across the back of her head encourages her to adjust her focus. A lead pipe to the stomach follows quickly, dropping her to a knee. The bat comes in for another strike to her temple. The lead pipe swings around again but is caught mid-attack.

The men freeze as Jessie returns to her feet, not a scratch on her. Her pitch black eyes are enough to give each attacker several pauses.

Ripping the weapon from the man’s hand, Jessie slams her head into his. As he staggers back, she plants a foot into his sternum, sending him flying backward.

Beck can practically hear the price going up as Jessie tears her way through the unfortunate clowns he gathered. It only took moments for the hellblood to lay waste to the lot of them.

One has his head busted open by his own bat. One is slammed onto the concrete with enough force to make the smuggler cringe. Two have their faces horribly gashed in a single motion. The remaining assailants drop their weapons and try to climb the fence to escape the makeshift arena. They shriek in agony as the enchantments did their sadistic duty.

Black eyes glare at him from below as Jessie stands amongst the devastated foes she left in her wake. He just stares back for a moment before slowly clapping.

“What did I tell you?” he shouts. “Impressive, I know! And now on with the auction! Let’s start the bidding at half a million! Do I hear $500,000?”

“Are you nuts, Beck?” one of several protesting customers asks loudly.

“You want 500 grand and all you showed us was that?” another adds.

“Any demon could have done the same!” a female voice insists. “I want to see more before I’d even consider bidding that much for your supposed hellblood!”

“I understand your hesitation!” Beck attempts to maintain control of the situation. “But this was the best I could do on short notice!”

“Then allow me!” one of the customers offers.

“Now let’s not do anything rash!” the smuggler pleads.

Jessie can barely make out a feminine figure come closer to the fence and raise her palm to the arena. A knife appears in her opposite hand. She slashes her palm.

Blood runs from her at an alarming rate. The speaks words of power. The blood moves through the air, spreading like the roots of a tree. It passes through the fence and joins with a pool of blood under the head of one of the attackers.

Bubbles form and pop as the blood boils and the pool begins to spread. Taking a few steps back, Jessie tries to prepare for whatever is about to happen.

“From blood spilled in rage,” the wizard shouts. “I summon you; avatar of wrath!”

An inhuman hand suddenly burst up from the pool. Another follows as a frightening figure rises from the red fluid. Blood runs down a thin but muscular frame. The creature resembles a human body missing most of its skin. Fibrous muscles are exposed, as is bone in numerous places. Long claws extend from both hands.

The head was most disturbing of all. Bits of skull are visible between patches of sickly flesh. Rusty, metallic spikes jut out, circling its head like a horrific crown. Razor sharp teeth fill its mouth. It glares forward with black eyes.

Jessie stares at her new opponent with trepidation. She doesn’t know what an avatar is, but she certainly hopes it’s one of the many Shadow Side denizens hellbloods outclass. There’s only one sure way to find out.

Without another second’s hesitation, she flings herself forward and drives her fist into the creature’s grotesque face. She follows with another strike. And another. And another. After the fourth falls, the avatar seizes her by the throat. It screeches a shrill and horrifying cry before slamming her to the ground. With a hard kick to the ribs, it sends Jessie tumbling across the concrete.

Wiping her hair from her face, she looks up to see the avatar stoically awaiting her next assault. Glancing up to the cherry picker, she finds worry has replaced Beck’s smugness. Seeing as how he needs her to live, it’s a most troubling discovery.

“Fuck,” she curses.

With another piercing screech, the creature charges.

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