It's finally fight day, and the prison is unusually loud. Senshi hasn't been able to sleep since six this morning when the staff and inmates started making noise throughout the building. On top of that, a sizable crowd is outside, with over ten thousand people gathered, eagerly waiting for the fight to begin.
It's an excellent way for the prison to make money; people bet money on prisoners to see if they'll win, even though nobody has ever survived these "fights."
"Can they just shut up? I want to rest," Senshi muttered, holding his pillow over his head. "This can very well be the day I die, and this is what I have to experience in the morning? Ugh." Senshi continued, stuffing his face even deeper into his pillow.
"Wakey, wakey, it's your big day," a guard shouted from outside Senshi's metal door. Still in the same outfit for the past week, he got up, brushed off his pants, and wiped his face. Senshi slowly got up and stretched, walking over destroyed chairs and tables.
Before walking to his door, he stopped and thought to himself.
"I'll live for Nale. No matter what happens." Senshi thought before walking to the door, turning the unlocked handle, and opening it.
He walked out and was immediately bagged again and led to the arena. While being guided, he heard many whispers and giggles without considering what they could be discussing.
***
Eventually, Senshi made it to a room and felt an immediate warmth over his body.
"Check it out, boys!" said a man with a deep voice, apparently in the room with him. The guard snatched the bag over Senshi's head and walked back into the prison, closing the door behind him.
"I'm… outside..." mumbled Senshi, watching the blue sky through cell bars. It was deafening, with thousands of crowd members screaming from their seats. The arena was circular with an open roof, exposing the sky and sun to the field. The field was pure sand and twigs, complimenting its gladiator-esque style.
"I haven't seen the sun in years; this is great!" said Cindy, poking her nose through the gate bars. The room was dark and had dirt ground, but it was illuminated by the sun outside the metal bars.
Sand and dust flew throughout the field, some entering their room.
"Ah, well, would you look at that? It's the scrawny guy." Said Cindy, pointing at Senshi and giggling. Three men were around here, all decently buff and built. The other 2 were a boy with short brown hair and bandages across his face, covering everything but his mouth, nose, and right eye. The last one was another male with a bald head and bandages across his forehead.
"Don't think you're gonna make it out of here alive; my men already agreed to give up their lives for my sake," Cindy yelled, laughing hysterically.
Suddenly, two guards appeared at the gates and pulled them up, allowing the prisoners to walk onto the field. All six prisoners walked into the sand field, awaiting any instructions. The crowd cheered and booed, throwing various food at the prisoners.
"There he is." Said Percival, clapping his hands in excitement. "I can't wait for you guys to see what he can do!" Percival continued, looking at his father, the king of Scredmore. They sat on an elevated bench at the top of the arena, away from the crowd and with a good view.
"I doubt he'll do much." Said the king, waving his hand for a refill of the empty whiskey bottle he had in his left hand.
"ALRIGHTY FOLKS, WHO'S READY TO SEE THEM RUMBLE!!" said a loud voice. A man with a makeshift funnel shouted into it and caused a loud voice to appear in the arena, causing the crowd to scream excitedly. The six spread out, facing each other in a combat stance.
"God, what am I doing? I'm fighting other people for crowd enjoyment as if I'm some pet. This is pathetic. But, to be free and fulfill my promise, I must show what I've been hiding."
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"Remember, boys. Target the boy with the purple eyes!" Cindy whispered to the three men that surrounded her. The other two stood in their areas, away from everyone else.
"GO!!" said the voice. And so it began, the brawl that'll make or break Senshi's freedom.
Immediately, Cindy darted forward, aiming to punch Senshi square in the nose.
"Shoot, she's faster than I anticipated. But it's mediocre."
Senshi swung his body to the side and lifted his leg into her stomach, knocking her backward into the sand. The crowd roared in absolute excitement, watching the first attack be thrown.
Two muscular men ran towards Senshi, attempting to clobber him with both of their punches together. The one on the right tried a punch to his side, but Senshi dodged. Senshi flipped backward, avoiding the punch. Keeping his eyes on the left-side attacker, he launched forward and delivered a decisive blow to his chest.
"Cindy, you said this guy was weak!" Said one of the men, watching Cindy slowly get up, sand covering the entire frontal part of her body.
"He's not, you idiot! FIGHT HIM." She yelled, pointing her finger.
"C'mon, bring it," Senshi whispered, signaling them to come closer. Suddenly, the air was knocked out of Senshi. He fell forward, almost immediately picking himself back up and stumbling around. He locked his eyes on the brown-haired boy, gripping his fist after delivering a punch to Senshi's back.
"You too? Come on, you guys can't be serious." Senshi mocked.
Cindy ran forward, attempting to deliver a kick straight to the throat. Her leg swung in the air, sending a quick gust of wind onto Senshi. Immediately, Senshi grabbed her leg and broke it.
"What did I tell you?"
He let go and shot her forward, sending her tumbling towards her men. Cindy lay in the sand, screaming in pain, holding her leg. Her foot was crooked compared to her leg, the bone being completely shattered.
Her third henchman ran forward, attempting to strike. Senshi reacted quickly, dodging out of the way, swiftly striking him in the cheek, and knocking him back. But then, another henchman approached from his left. He reacted quickly, moving his eyes to the target. He stopped his movement mid-air, stabilizing his momentum. Instantly, he launched his body forward, delivering an axe kick onto the henchman's neck, sending him sprawling and causing a large cloud of sand to burst up around them.
The crowd was shocked, watching Senshi annihilate any opponent trying to fight him. But something was off.
"What's that… feeling? Something is coming, something horrifying."
The prisoners stopped fighting before massive footsteps were heard from the gate across from them. A dark room was almost one hundred feet away, covered by a gate. Chains were being torn each step. Subtle growls with intervals appeared, leaving the prisoners in awe. The crowd got even louder, knowing what was coming.
"What is this.." Senshi said before realizing what the group was facing.
"HERE COMES THE BIG ONE! OPEN THE GATES!" said the voice over the arena. Two guards came in from the arena's corners, unlocking and lifting the gate.
Immediately, a large muscular beast, its height around ten foot three, and its weight at 1500, it was a prominent figure and a monstrous creature. Its body was muscular and ragged, with fleshy bits sticking out and sharp teeth. Its teeth were like blades, sticking up from its gums. Its eye glowed red, like an Aestari's. Its claws were like machetes, awaiting its next cut. It glared in the sun like steel freshly forged. It rushed out, resembling a gorilla's form. With each step taken, its claws sunk into the sand, shooting out large amounts of sand into the crowd.
"What is that thing? What are we fighting!?" said Cindy, still holding her leg in agony. The prisoners were mortified; the utter fear that shot through them was like a bullet.
The monster rushed through, and one of Cindy's guards attempting to protect her was utterly torn apart like Swiss cheese, torn into two halves and disposed of by the monster, throwing both halves of his body into separate ends of the arena. It sunk its claws into another henchman, killing him instantly. After its claws sunk into him, it immediately bit into his head and ripped it off, gulping it and roaring with all its might. Its grotesque figure was that of a demon, which enjoyed eating what feared it.
The monster locked eyes onto Cindy and rushed forward, attempting to attack her. She was a vulnerable target, after all, lying in the sand with a broken leg. Her last guard tried to save her before he was ram-sacked, wholly run over, and embedded into the ground, all of his bones completely crushed.
Cindy closed her eyes and screamed at the top of her lungs, awaiting her death. Tears flew off her eyelids, knowing what would come in the following seconds.
Suddenly, the monster was struck in the cheek, knocking it back a few inches. After the attack, a figure landed onto the sand, his black hair flowing in the wind.
"Y-you saved me? Why?" Said Cindy, holding her face in fear.
"It's not personal; I only want to fight it," Senshi said, looking back at her. His eyes finally glowed a distinct pink hue.
"Bring it, you filthy beast." Yelled Senshi, gripping his fist and looking up into its glaring eyes.
"YEAHH, SENSHI! WHAT DID I TELL YOU!" said Percival, watching with nothing but happiness. His father was in complete shock, his mouth completely open, and was for minutes straight. He clenched his whiskey bottle, it almost cracking from his grip.
"Who is this child, Percival? I've never seen an Aestari behave like this.."
The monster roared, its anger growing and its body pulsating with intensity.
To be continued Chapter 6 ("To Survive")