A match

I was just wiping my hands on a rag when I noticed movement on the stairs, so I turned my head in that direction and saw our boss coming down from the higher floor. I nodded my head in a greeting and partly tucked the rag into my overalls pocket.

Mr. Cheng just came to tell us that if we're done, we can go home. There was no more work for today. We all nodded in understanding, to which the older guy by the stairs said goodbye to us and went back upstairs.

Hideaki and Chris immediately got into a debate while I started cleaning up the mess I made while working. I picked up the spread tools, the stool I sat on for a while, and other things I used. My actual work was supposed to be finished during the next shift.

"Rayne?"

"Huh?" I turned around with a questioning look on my face as soon as I heard one of my colleagues addressing me.

"Wanna go to a bar with us?" asked Hideaki, to which I shook my head in response:

"Sorry, I already have plans."

What I said was true. I had a match tonight. And not one if I won´t lose immediately. I had just enough time to pack up here, come home to change and eat and head to the bottom of the center of the city. And that's exactly what I did soon afterwards.

I said goodbye to the guys and headed with my things to the quite newly commissioned hoverbike, where I collected my helmet, which I then put on, after which I got on the dark-colored machine and flew towards home.

The workshop wasn't extremely far from the apartment complex, but it wasn't close either, it didn't take long to get to work, though. But I didn't just use the hoverbike to get to work. I often went out anywhere around in the morning or evening just to clear my head.

In the flat, I immediately headed to my room, where I threw on something to change into, after which I headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. I found some dumplings that the neighbor across the coridor had brought us to wish my grandmother good luck in her recovery. I never had much contact with the people living around here. I mean, when I was a little kid, I used to play with some other sometimes, but there weren't many people my age in this apartment complex.

Before I left the apartment, I went to look in the room opposite mine. Grandma was already lying in her bed, about to sleep while struggling to read something. Sighing, I knocked on the door as she didn't seem to notice my presence: "Grandma, I'm goin´ out. I'll be back late, so don't wait."

Despite the verbal notification, I also left her a written message, as the situation was more than clear to me. But I came to check on her anyway to make sure she was still somehow okay. It seemed like she was.

She gestured for me to come closer to her, which I did with a small smile. I sat down on the edge of the bed next to her while she put her reading aside, to which she took my hand with a small smile: "Oh, my sweet child... be careful, okay?"

I nodded in agreement with a slight sense of relief as it was now again the phase where the person in front of me remembered me. So I put my free hand on hers: "Of course."

Grandma nodded, to which I slowly got up. Before leaving, I said goodbye to her and headed away from the apartment. But this time I left the hoverbike there. I had no idea how exhausted I would be at the end of the day, and I didn't want to risk any problems, unnecessarily.

As always, I jammed my hands deep into the pockets of my favourite and only coat, the hood of which once again covered my head. I walked the way to the stairs to the train, which I then waited for at the stop with some other people after I bought a ticket from the machine there.

I could already recognize a little bit which of the people inside the wagon were heading in the same direction as me, but sometimes it was not possible to tell on a person, because there were different types of people, but especially two - those who had it under their thumb and those who went to fight in duels or to watch.

Once I got off at my destination, I headed down the stairs lower and lower while not forgetting to check the time on the communicator to make sure I had enough time so I could walk around in peace.

There were already several dozen people under the city, through whom I passed towards one of the buildings located down here. Although I must have given it in the wrong words. The buildings that could be seen here were only the lower parts of those that rose higher in the city.

I turned a corner and headed for the side door where the security guard was standing. I pulled out of my pocket the emblem of the Wen family that I fought for in the matches that I was paid for. But there was only a small monetary compensation for participating. There was a better and more promising sum for the win, though. And that was the reason why some stayed with this lifestyle for a long time.

The guy in black uniform must have remembered me by now, because he let me in without looking at the sign of the family he worked for. I gladly accepted the relaxed way and went inside the building.

I headed down the dimmed corridors to a room that was set up as a gym and that was also connected to another room which functioned as a martial arts training room. Of course, this wasn't all the powerful family had, but all that was offered for those who had a temporary contract like me.

I went to the locker room to change into clothes more suitable for the later fight, after which I sat down on a bench by one of the dark walls in the gym and picked up a bandage, which I began to wrap around the backs of both hands, including the knuckles. I was going to do some boxing before the first fight. For practice.

There was a big screen in the room on which the events outside were played. The start of the evening and the first fights. It was only a matter of time before they announced my name, for which I later had to wait in the corridor by the exit towards the rings.

As soon as I heard the announcement of the end of one of the other matches, I stood up. If I counted correctly, it was my turn now. And so I went further to the exit, where my opponent was also standing.

The double iron doors opened and in walked the two figures who had fought in the match that had just ended. And the initiation of another began. The guy who always reported it here started to speak: "Welcome another warrior! ..."

There was silence for a moment, after which the first name was called - my opponent, who therefore went to the ring first. Everyone clearly deserved a 'VIP' welcome. And then it was my turn.

"And Rayne Guerrero."

When I heard my incomplete name, I made myself walk. I only used my father's last name since I was little, because that's what my grandmother wanted. I had no idea why, even though I had it whole on my birth certificate. But for some reason I didn't know, I didn't ask, I´ve never looked at that document even though it could sound pretty stupid.

In the ring, I stood in the middle opposite my opponent, who was obviously trying to intimidate me with her gaze. However, I didn't let myself get scared, instead I looked at the referee who was standing next to us and who was supposed to start our match.

My opponent and I both had bandaged wrists and had already taken up fighting positions. We were just waiting for the referee's opening words, which came in no time. And the fight could begin.

I was waiting for the first step from the girl across from me. While my both arms were slightly raised and bent at the elbows with my hands almost in fists, I scanned her movements but also her gaze.

Another thing was that she was a bit taller. Such a giantess, I would say. It didn't have to be true that she would be stronger right away, but I still remembered one thing - if you don't have strength, you have to be faster, and if you don't have either, use your brain. Fortunately, I was perhaps fast enough, but even if not, there was never enough time to think.

The person across from me with the shortly cutted hair attacked with his right hand. Right handed. I swerved to the side and parried hers with my left hand, while I hit her with the side of my palm with my right. She staggered a bit, but she didn't let herself be thrown, as she immediately attacked again.

For a while, the match continued with such light attacking and defending, and it could be seen that it started to get a little boring for some of the spectators. And I was getting a little bored too. It needed more action. And so I added more strikes against my opponent. The edge of the palm to the shoulder, the side of the hand to the neck. I cornered her, it seemed. And finally I bounced off with my legs and jumped with a spin, to which I hit her with my leg in the jump. It was okay, we had mouth guards in these fights. For a case like this one.

Once I landed back on the ground with both feet, I stepped back while scanning the body on the ground with my gaze. It still didn't have to mean the end of the fight. And this was also confirmed to me when I heard a growling sound from the lying body. She started to get up, but it seemed that she was more than just exhausted. Even so, she managed to kill me with her look.

I chuckled a little and backed away a bit again, while raising my arms a little, again bent and hands in unfinished fists. It seemed like the fight was going to continue and I wasn't going to lose.