The next day I am out, watching in the battleground with the crowd.
Rene didn't say yes or no to me. If he'll decide to refuse it, I will just consider doing it by myself. Though, it is definitely a lot better if someone knowledgeable would guide me.
According to those I've heard, every 10 days they are expecting a battle to happen. They treat this as their way to boost the vibe of the place. To exercise themselves out.
Those who only wanted to watch have the freedom to watch. Those who wants to fight will fight with each other. That's the main rule of the fight.
And there is no proper line or formal basis on who will fight next. Those who wants to enter the battleground will have the freedom to enter. If five fighters entered the arena and wants to continue the fight, then they will fight with each other together. They will also not be stopped if they want to step out of it any time they want. No attacks should be done outside the arena. It is also up to them whether they will fight solo or team up with others who entered.
As I remembered, Remus said my training should start today, but it seems like it is all a bull too. Since I had nothing to do, I better spend time watching.
I thought of just watching the show in the far end but that would not give me a good view. Being infront is also so unideal since people in the front rows are mostly the loudest and restless ones. I have no patience to blend together with them. I might lose my patience there and that is not a good thing.
Even if it is not the given place to fight, I might end up starting a brawl.
So I chose to suffer in the middle to stop that from happening. But that doesn't mean I am free from the loud ones. They are everywhere.
The last one who lose has acquired too many wounds so it is hard for those who attended him to carry him out of the place. The battle is between two over one, and the solo was deemed as the loser in the end.
We all waited for the next fighters to enter. One large guy entered the arena. I saw a teenage boy follow him. And nothing follows after.
The loud ones went brash, judging that the boy won't make it. While some remained still like me, waiting to see what they can give. And how it would turn out. I have also eavesdropped the kid is new here.
I fixed my glance on them, looking closely at the fighters. The large man seemed to be in his early 40's and the boy looks like he is in the range of 15-16 years old.
I noticed that the large man is still waiting for more with his frequent searching in the crowd. The boy is just busy staring at him, observing.
I have no plans to judge the boy, the large man, and the situation. Besides, I do not know what these people are good and bad at, or what they fight for. So I really wasn't allowed to judge them out that easy.
Judging based on the start of something sometimes proves you all wrong in the end. Leaving you disappointed and empty-handed.
When the large man realized he is waiting for nothing, he returned his eyes back to the young boy who has been gazing at him the whole while. Since this battle has nothing to confirm the start, the large man didn't think a second to attack. He ran the distance and bumped the boy's body hard which caused the boy to be shoved out to a far ground.
That is a hard impact.
Take that from a large muscled man.
The large man smirked at the easy fall.
I glanced at the boy who is obviously hurt but still, not tearing his eyes at the large man. He didn't try to move to stand up. All that I noticed at him is the cautious observing. He is not strong as the large man and does not have enough strength to physically match his opponent. So I think he is fighting with what he can do effectively.
The man wiped his shoulders off and smirked at the crowd. An easy win?
"Why did you even bet on the boy. It is obvious that he can't stand the guy. See?" I heard someone said and they are both looking at the arena.
I peeked on what he is holding and realized they are betting on who to win or not because in between his fingers are the money he accumulated. I shifted my eyes to the only man who betted on the boy. He scratched the back of his head when he realized the guy must be right.
"I will win over all of you," he still insisted, although it is evident that his hope is breaking down now.
Taking careless chances. Hope driven.
The guy holding the money only shook his head on him.
The boy seemed to have no plan to attack, so the large man started again. He carried the boy up and threw him down on the floor. What the hell is this? This is not fair! The boy curled in pain and he is now gravely hurt. He is already coughing blood.
I stepped one time, but returned back to my original position. I tightened my lips when I realized I am getting soft.
I shouldn't.
Now, the large man is to crush the boy by his weight. I clenched my jaw at the sight of it and roamed my eyes on the crowd. It seems like no one wanted to help, and that all of it are usual episodes.
This is the mafia.
The large man is being careless on his move now because of the confidence he gained when the crowd cheered for him. The boy is still aching the pain from the critical fall earlier and the next one since he still couldn't properly move to stand. But he managed to closely roll himself out of the way, so the large man fell with a thud. Crushing nothing but his arms.
The boy successfully managed to move on the side, to avoid it.
The large man stands a bit slower because he didn't expect it. The boy firmly used his weak arms to carry himself up to stand. He is not in good condition but he is still successful to do it. The large man eyed the boy while moving his shoulder, which is the part that catched all his weight on the ground when he failed to crush the boy.
Both have something aching now.
Being right-handed, he used that arm to punch the boy's face and it was so close that I almost stop in my tracks too. The boy seems to calculate the possible move and moved himself again just over meter away from the punch.
If that reaches him, I doubt he would be able to live still. The force that is saved on that fist is so strong. You can judge it even from afar.
The man's fail punch slowed him a bit making the boy see an opportunity to finally attack. He used his remaining force to target something in the man's neck. The man was immediately out of consciousness. He fell to the ground hard.
The crowd suddenly becomes silent.
I glanced at the boy and saw something radiating from his eyes. It is not just pride. It is something I cannot fully decipher.
A mixture of iniquity and delight of success?
A single loud laugh circulated and that is from the man who betted on the boy. Following his got-feeling lead him to a successful risk-taking. He grabbed the money out of the man's hands. That is a lot of money to spend.
"I told you, I will win," he said proudly now, as if he didn't doubt his decision earlier.
That is a flawed risk-taking but who knows what might be an outcome. Life is full of surprises.
Flawed decisions can either strip us everything or give us what we didn't expect.
No one knows who will be tripped next. No one knows what will be favored. No one.
The boy slowly kneeled, feeling the pulse in the man's neck. He stood up after a minute. He is visibly aching as he trail the arena quietly. He walked on the side that has a fewer crowd and disappeared there.
The man who seemed to check what happens after a fight kneeled to check the large man's pulse. I saw him order a large wheelchair. A large figure entered it and carried the unconscious man to place on a large wheelchair.
He is still alive, I guess.
My eyes immediately drifted because of a sudden movement. I turned on my back only to see the guy from the first night standing up properly. He just jumped off of his room which is on the second floor. He confidently grinned at himself and stretched his arms for a morning yawn.
I removed my sight of him but caught a new group joining the crowd. The woman who spoke to me in the gym is here, together with some guys and girls. She is searching the crowd, and I felt like it is me she is looking for. The guy from the first night suddenly wrapped his hand around her waist. The woman didn't mind him and continued roaming her eyes on the sea of people.
He smiled at the group and I saw him wink at the other girl. The girl smiled at him and I understood the message their eyes relayed on each other.
I guess he is one of those who cannot contain his balls on a single ring.
And the girl is one of those whose itchiness can only be mended by a guy. No matter if she knows she should back off.
Why can't these kinds of people be fated with each other? So that they can fool and fool each other and not involve someone else anymore?
I retracted my eyes at them. The arena is definitely a better view than theirs.
But no one is already entering it. Is it done already? I glanced at my phone to check the time. I am just about to walk away to ask Rene again but I was interrupted by an announcement.
"Why don't we let the reaper take the ground." the woman from the other night suddenly suggested out of nowhere. She is already in front and is looking directly at me. Seems like she already found me.
She is fond of me.
I only stared at her, unaffected of what she might say next. Do I look like I am scared of what she can possibly bring? She can point the gun directly at my head and I wouldn't even shiver. I know I can make a way to reverse what she started, she's an easy subject.
"Let's see if she really deserves to set her feet on this place. Or just a plain show-off," she continued, emphasizing each word to stress her message.
She grinned at me before she looked at the awaiting crowd.
I roamed my eyes and the gazes are quickly fixed at me because of the sudden declaration. I met different kinds of eyes and they are all expecting me to prove myself. I advanced from my position and the crowd grew silent as I walk towards the battleground.
I faced where she is and focused only on her bright eyes. I smirked at her.
Why don't you prove me what you got?
"Do you dream to try?" I challenged her.
And by that, the crowd is alive again.