PROLOGUE: PART 2

Rampage struck first, launching his arm forward, and a large pillar of stone ripped out of the ground and arched toward him like a tentacle, ready to slap down on top of him. Karma had not expected that, but stepped aside as it came down, laying his hand on it as it impacted to feel just how strong it was. The impact sent a gust of air and dust at him from the shear weight and force of impact, and then there was a second one, which he dodged right away, setting his hand on it as it crashed down again, the vibrations of the impact shot through his arm and into his torso, he felt it in his rib cage. Strong indeed. He smirked and came forward as yet a third one came out; his opponent lobbing attacks at him as he just stood there.

Karma curled his right hand into a fist and threw a well wound-up punch straight into the tip of the tentacle, his punch shattered the stone instantly, making it crumble into tiny pieces that shot out in every direction, filling the pit floor with stone debris.

He stood there, near the centre of the arena, studying his opponent who had leaned forward, laying his rock covered hands on the floor. Karma soon found out what he was doing as he felt himself being lifted in the air, a spire of rock forming under his feet and shooting him up, trying to get him to the stage level to disqualify him for a ring out. Karma just turned and stepped off the spire just as he did the stage, landing softly on the ground with the spire to his back, it being the only thing between him and his opponent. He turned and punched the spire which had stopped lifting around three quarters of the way to the top. The bunch snapped the spire like a tree, the length of it breaking off its base and being sent forward at Rampage at a hellish speed, leaving just a stump in its wake as pebbles were broken off in a powerful frenzy.

Rampage rolled out of the way of the incoming spire, and it crashed against the opposite wall of the arena. The sound of it echoed through the colosseum, temporarily drowning out the cheering.

The noise made Ella shudder as she covered her ears and looked away. She preferred the glass. She wanted to leave and didn't know how much more she could bare to watch.

Bing was ignoring it all, focusing only on his tablet where Karma's vitals which were displayed on the screen.

There was so much dust from the broken stone that Karma was having a Karma time seeing his opponent. He was looking for him when he was hit in the back by something. It made him stumble forward, knocking off his balance with a powerful shove he was not ready for, and before he could regain his footing, he saw a large wrist of stone right before him, delivering a powerful upper cut that hurled him into the air and across the pit into the wall. He slid to the ground and sat there wreathed in pain. He didn't have time to block it all. His jaw felt weird, he reached up and grabbed it. It was not in the right place at all. He tugged it to one side and locked it back home, and then bit down a few times to make sure it still functioned properly.

"His heart rate's spiking. He's in pain. His calculations are off and dropping." Bing reported. "He can't get a good reading of this guy."

It was stuff like that which made Ella think she would have grey hair before she was thirty. Every time Karma took a hit, every time he was in danger of death, the feeling she got could not be described in words. Stress, worry, anxiety, fear, they did not even begin to describe it.

Karma stood and kicked the ground, sending a massive cloud of dust and stone debris at the man to create a smokescreen so he could get in close. He knew the attack, as deadly as it usually was, would have little effect against his opponent. He merely needed to create a screen to get close. He was surprised to see the stone debris he had launched form onto his opponent's psyche along with the rest. Rampage was slowly turning into some sort of stone golem, collecting the debris from all around which Karma had so nicely provided for him with his theatrics. Every bit of debris only added to the monster growing before him.

Rampage leaped across the pit and came crashing down with a slam of both his fists on the stone. Karma rolled out of the way and went for a counter. He used a protruding rock on his opponent's leg as a foothold and stepped up, using it as a springboard to go for his head to deliver a powerful punch. He was blocked by a back handed swat from one of Rampage's arms that sent Karma across the pit again. That one hurt, and as Karma recovered, he wondered how in the hell the woman was ever worried about their bet.

Perhaps it was that because after all of that, Karma was still standing back up. Either way, Karma was fighting hard to not show the shooting pain that was surging through his body. He was getting a better read on the man though, and Karma felt more ready for the next bout. He charged forward this time, taking the offensive as he shot himself toward Rampage at a hellish speed. He dropped and slid under a deadly punch, and then under his legs. He took too steps off the wall behind and jumped off and onto the back of the half rock, half human monster before him. He hooked his arms around his neck but was soon grabbed and effortlessly lifted off of Rampage.

Before Karma was slammed to the ground, he slammed his own fist into Rampage's stone covered arm, which shattered the stone around it, freeing Karma and letting him drop to the ground on his back, pebbles landing all around and on top of him. Karma shot himself off the ground and onto his feet and ducked instantly under a hook from the other arm, before reacting with an upper cut of his own to the base of Rampage's jaw. The rock around his head broke as well as he was thrown onto his back. Karma's knuckles were bloodied from the hits, but his bones were not broken, that was all that mattered. The pain was negligible.

He let Rampage stand, knowing that ending the fight too quickly would get a very bad crowd reaction, and less money on his part. Karma had to drag out the fights, he always did. If he ended them too quickly, no one would ever want to fight him. As much as Ella just wished he ended them in a single hit, Karma had to keep telling her that he needed the work.

Rampage was against the wall and tried to break free. A punch, a block, a reverse punch from Karma that was dodged with expert boxer like reflexes. Karma's fist went into the wall and stayed there. He was stuck, and looked a little confused at first as Rampage came back, punching down onto him which brought Karma only one knee. Then he took a rock covered knee to the face, and karma ended up pressed against the wall. Rampage got visibly angry at the smile that formed on Karma's face and went to knee him again. The rock on his knee shattered, and Karma was unmoving. Rampage stepped back, confused, a look of disbelief painting on his face clearly, and Karma ripped his arm out of the wall, taking a chunk of it with him, and throwing it at Rampage. It hit him hard, shattering on impact, and sending Rampage stumbling back.

Karma stepped forward, going to meet his opponent in the middle of the pit as the dust was clearing and the cheers were still deafening. He looked up at the cheering crowd and knew that he was going to win a lot of money for this one. For once, he actually felt a bit of a buzz from their energy, a small grin creeping on his face.

"He's stabilizing!" Bing shouted over to Ella, who nodded in understanding, though her breathing was still heavy from the worry.

He was distracted by a noise coming from his opponent. He looked over, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw what was happening. After just breaking nearly all of the rock off him, Rampage was taking even more back onto his skin. He was growing larger and larger, into this massive beast of stone. More than just a golem or a suit of armour, he was letting the rock completely cover him in layers of stone, until this massive man shaped formation of rocks that was easily five times the size of Karma stood before him. It was a beast, a monster, an absolute tank of a thing that made Karma wonder why this guy was never weaponized like he was.

There was a crowd reaction that Karma had never heard. He wondered if they were unaware that he could do this? Or if he had ever done it before. Karma liked to research his opponents, but the last-minute change meant he was going in blind to the fight. Then, his assumptions came true. He figured with a power like that of Rampage, he would have boulders thrown at him. And boulders came. One in each hand, rampage threw them both, one after another in Karma's direction. Karma ran forward, jumping to the side of dodge the first, and sliding under the second as it came close. He had to close the gap, get out of Rampage's reach. Two more boulders were formed, lifted, and tossed Karma's way.

The first was heading right to hit Karma directly. Karma punched it, it shattered instantly, and he came shooting out the cloud of dust it left behind. The second one was coming right at him. Karma jumped, grabbed it and lifted it out of the air, taking it with him as he went high, flipped and held it high above his head as he came crashing down on the beast of stone who was now beneath him. It was big, clumsy, slow under its weight and strength, unable to move out of the way or get its arms up in time as Karma came down on Rampage, smashing the boulder into the top of his rock covered, armoured head.

Both the boulder, and the stone on Rampage's head and shoulders shattered, and Rampage fell backwards, dazed, and disoriented from the impact. He rolled over slowly, got up onto his hands and knees to slowly try to stand, but Karma was faster, and kicked him in the side which sent him across the stadium, once again into the wall. The whole suit of rock shattered off Rampage's skin, sending debris flying in all direction, peppering the walls of the pit. The ones that hit Karma seemed to just bounce off inconsequential. Karma was there, on top of his opponent in seconds, lifting him with ease, much more easily than it appeared his skinny little arms could ever lift, and with one hand tossed Rampage into the centre of the messy pit that was broken, jagged, and littered with rocks and debris.

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"Yes!" Bing shouted out.

"Fucking yeah!" Ella screamed. Every fight was a gamble on her friend's life. Karma's comeback had given her faith he would not die that day. To her, that was worth celebrating. She let out a breath that felt like it had been held in forever. She felt lighter, she felt better, overwhelmed with joy. She was giddy and excited. Bing had always warned her not to celebrate too early. Anything could happen, but this time, she had a good feeling.

Rampage tried to get up, slowly got to his feet, but was grabbed from behind as Karma had his arm around his neck and head, holding him back in an uncomfortable position where he could not do much to hit him hard or break free, and forcing Rampage to look up at the bellowing, cheering crowd around them.

"It's over. Yield!" Karma told him. "Walk away with your life at the very least." Karma always gave his opponent a chance to yield. They often took it. Yielding was seen as cowardice. Yielding saw no money, and a person's position revoked. They had to start again from the very bottom, and they would always be known as someone who surrendered. It was impossible to build a good reputation after that, no one would ever see someone who yielded as fearless and powerful. Yet, they still got to live. Karma was responsible for causing more people to yield than anyone else did. Most fighters didn't give their opponent a chance in the end. Most of them didn't care. Most of them were too buzzed from the crowd. Morality had no place in events like fighting pits.

Rampage did not agree like so many others. Karma stepped out of the way, still holding onto the man as a rock spire came out to hit him, and Karma ended it instantly, smashing the man's head against the rock spire and killing him instantly.

Rampage fell forward, dead from a shattered skull and bleeding from the head. The crowd erupted once again, and Karma bent down, pressed his fingers into the man's back, tearing open the skin in a spray of blood and gore, and grabbed a hold of the man's spine. Karma ripped it free, holding the spine of Rampage high in the air above his head and slowly spinning around, brandishing it to the crowd, before carelessly tossing it away. It was his signature move; it was the thing he was known for. Solstice, the collector of spines. For some morbid reason, the crowd loved all of it.

The woman was there, sitting within the crowd at the very front row of the first level of seats. The best seats, the most expensive ones. She had watched it all. She sighed heavily, leaning forward, and burying her face in her hands. She was the only one in the stadium not actively cheering or booing.

The three were back in their waiting room, sitting on the couches in the same spots as they were before. There was laughter and talking, and drinks being had by both Karma and Ella. Bing did not drink, or eat, or breathe for that matter. But, he counted as a person, which meant they got more bottles per order.

When they had got back to their waiting area, there was a bucket filled with ice, and six bottles inside waiting for them. It was normal to wait around after a win to collect winnings, and there were usually parties. Karma was never interested in such things, only getting the money. Free drinks however were never something he'd turn down, especially when he was in pain.

Karma was covered in bruises and scratches but had suffered nothing too serious. That did not mean he wasn't in pain head to toe. He had a bottle in each hand, drinking out of one, and using the other as an ice pack which he held against the side of his jaw, right around where he was punched. Unfortunately, the place didn't offer much for pain relief or first aid. Battle scars and damage was seen as a good thing. They would take winners to a hospital if it was needed, but they never did any more than that.

Ella had just finished a swig and threw the bottle away, hearing it chime against the wall as it bounced off and clanged against the floor when it landed. She was feeling little buzzed from the drink. She was always a light weight, as was Karma due to his scrawny nature. Yet, toxins in general never really stayed in him long. He had his ability to thank for that. "I'll be honest." Ella said, "I thought he had you there. Don't scare me like that again!" She said, pointing at him.

Karma just brushed it off. "As if." He said, unimpressed. "That was textbook."

"I've never seen you flip a boulder like that. We liked it as much as the crowd did." Bing added.

"Well, I admit, it was kind of nice being under a crowd like that. Maybe I cared about the show just a little bit."

"Woah! Who the hell are you? Is Karma still in there?" Ella joked.

"I wanted to rack the money. Sometimes people throw extra at you in the end if they liked the show. The guy never stood a chance and I wanted to show it."

"Apparently not if he battered you up this much." Ella argued.

"This is nothing in the grand scheme of things. His power played right into him. I see why they tried to pay me off. Though he was juiced up, did you notice that?"

Ella cocked an eyebrow. Even Bing looked over in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"You seriously didn't notice?" Karma shook his head. "It was obvious, I can recognize it when I see it. I've seen enhancement supplements enough times to know it.

"But they check you when you first enter, you can't be let in if you have those, they'll disqualify you."

"Yet, there he was."

Ella chimed in, but spoke quietly, so no one outside would hear. "Are you saying, they would have let him in drugged up?"

"Maybe, but it's more likely he took them afterward. This was his second fight of the night, remember? My opponent didn't show up, so they had him fight me instead. There's no way he got in with them. Someone would have had to have given them to him."

"Who would have-" Ella stopped, "The woman." She concluded.

"Would have been the only way he stood a chance. She couldn't afford to lose her money. I didn't take her up on her deal. She had to find a way to maybe pull a win."

"I knew we shouldn't have done this." Ella said, worry starting to take over her face.

Karma took the last sip out of his bottle, swallowing the foul liquid and tossing it away. He looked back in the bowl to find it empty, the only one left being his makeshift ice pack. "Out already?"

"There was two for each of us. I had two and you had three." Ella said.

Karma removed the one from his face and went to toss it to her. "Here, take it."

"No, keep that. Keep the wound cold, I'll go get more." She said, standing up and losing her balance. She stumbled a bit but regained her composure before drunkenly heading for the door.

"Bing, come with me. I'll need help carrying them. I haven't eaten enough today and it's hitting me already!"

Bing just nodded and stood up. "Back in a minute, Karma." He said, following her out.

Karma leaned back on the cough, enjoying the silence as he stared at the ceiling, pressing the bottle back against his face. The silence, unfortunately, only lasted a few seconds.

A familiar face poked around the doorway and looked in at him with a smile. Brown hair, dark eyes, make up, leather. Their caretaker from earlier. "You were right." She said, slowly stepping into the room. "That was amazing. Disturbing. Confusing. But amazing. You were amazing."

"Can I help you?" Karma asked, not interested in the pleasantries. He also found nothing amazing about it. He spent most of the time being tossed around.

"I just wanted to see you guys after and congratulate you on your win. Though your friends just left."

"Thanks." He said. "They'll be back. Just getting drinks." He said, then looked up at her, having still been staring at the ceiling. "You, don't look like you belong here, in this place."

Avery's hands came together, and she looked at the floor. "Is it that obvious?" She asked, once again digging the palm of her foot into the floor.

"So why are you here? You're obviously trying to look the part, but a blind man can see how innocent you are. You can't even make eye contact with scary looking people, how the hell can you handle any of this?"

Avery gave a little nervous laugh. "Yeah. I know. Even the piercings are fake." She explained and started taking them off. Apart from the piercings on her ear lobes, all the others she had decorating her face were clip ons. Karma just sighed. "My dad." She said. "Well, he's involved with these people. My whole family is. I was never made for it, never really liked it, people killing each other and all that. All this illegal stuff. Don't wanna go to jail, you know?"

"Sure," Karma said. "Why don't you just leave if you hate it so much? Go somewhere where you belong, where you can do what you want to do?"

"Oh yeah. I could become a waitress." She said. Karma was no social genius, but even he could sense the sarcasm teeming off of her. "If only it were that easy. I can't just up and leave. Where would I go? How would I live? With what money? I was raised in this family, this is one of the man things they do. I can't just go off on my own, you know how expensive living around here is?"

"I've heard. Not that I've ever paid rent myself, I don't have an ID." Karma said. "The man you put you in charge of us. Your dad?" He continued, sitting up from the couch and taking the bottle off his face. She shared the same nose as the man, and a similar facial structure, though more feminine. She had the same brown eyes too.

Avery nodded. "So, I'll be stuck serving people, half of which ill have to watch die. Maybe eventually I'll work my way up the ladder and do something better."

The girl seemed nice enough, not at all like the people so typical of places like where they were in. He believed that she didn't want any of it, neither did Karma. It was only ever a temporary gig for him, a mean to an end. "What's your name again?"

"Avery." She said.

"My friends and I aren't planning on doing this forever." He explained. "I found a place, a city far from here, up north. It has an opportunity for a good life, but its not nearly as cheap. Once I make enough to get a start there, we'll have that chance."

Avery wasn't really sure what to say to that. She wished she could have been in the same situation. "That sounds nice."

"You want to come with us?" He asked.

She looked confused, cocking an eyebrow. "Me? Why would I do that?"

"You see another way out?"

"No, but I don't know you. And you kill people. Forgive me for not trusting you but I hardly see any reason to go with you anywhere."

Karma shrugged. "Suit yourself. Not that I care. You want to stay in this shithole? Go for it. But I need someone who can add a human touch to things. You seem like the type."

"And why's that?" She asked, looking away a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"You remind me of someone I once knew." Karma said. "She too was innocent; caught too deep into something she should never have been involved in."

"If I leave, I'll be in danger, they'll want me back. My family will-"

"Not be a problem. You saw what I did in there. You're considering it though, you clearly are." Karma said. "Bing and Ella have been traveling with me a while. They're friends, and good people."

"What about you? Are you a good person?"

Karma shook his head, almost smirking. "No. No one who goes into those pits can ever call themselves that. But I have no reason to do anything to you, if that's worth anything."

"Absolutely." She replied, her sarcasm still at full force.

Karma shrugged. "I'm offering you a way out. It'll suck, it'll be dangerous, and you'll see more shit. At least for a little while. But if all goes well, we could be living decent lives. Can't be any worse than what this place is doing to you. At least then you would've tried."

Avery looked down, twisting her foot again, though Karma could tell she was actually considering it.

"I'll, think about it." She said, still not really sure what to make of everything.

"You already have." Karma said, tossing her his last bottle. She caught it and stared at it; she was hesitant, doubtful. Karma grinned as he eventually watched her screw off the top and take a drink.