“Hm. Crowd’s not really into it today,” Aran’s manager Jace noted, glancing around. A crowd of at least two dozen clio had gathered outside the fence to watch the fights. In all his years doing this he had gotten pretty good at reading a crowd. “Go ahead and make it quick. I think these guys just wanna collect their winnings and leave.”
Aran nodded. To be honest she preferred to end fights quickly, but when the crowd was excited she had to give them what they wanted and draw things out. Luckily that wasn’t the case today.
Her opponent was some new kid she’d never seen before. Tall, with black hair. A little scrawny for a fighter, but then again she wasn’t one to talk. He looked nervous. She’d felt the same way before her first fight.
She stepped into the cage opposite to him. She gave him a solemn nod, as if to say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.’
A young, pretty Earalas girl shot a ball of fire into the air, signaling the start of the fight. Aran’s opponent moved first. He was quick, like she’d expected from someone so thin and wiry. Not quicker than her, though. She caught his fist with one hand and jabbed the other into his rib cage, sending a jolt of electricity through his body.
He dropped like a sack of bricks. The Earalas girl began the countdown, but Aran knew this kid wouldn’t be getting up soon enough. Usually took clio his size a good thirty seconds to regain their muscle control after a shock like that.
The clio in the crowd cheered half-heartedly when the count reached zero. Aran had a reputation by now, and most of them had bet on her.
“Alright, kid,” she said, bending down to help the poor guy up now that the fight was over. He didn’t look up at her, didn’t even move. She shook his shoulder. “Hey…”
Nothing. He was like a rag doll. She slowly drew her hand back with a dawning sense of horror and stood back up, taking a step back.
“What the fuck?” came a voice from the other side of the fence. It was a man who Aran assumed was her opponent’s manager. He stormed in and over to his fighter’s limp form, kneeling over him. “She fucking killed my fighter!”
He looked up at glared at Aran accusingly. She didn’t react, just stared down at her opponent’s body in shock.
Jace was there in an instant, trying to smooth things over. “Hey, calm down Chris, it was an accident. These things happen all the time. You know that.”
The formerly uninterested crowd was suddenly buzzing. Clio in front were pressed up against the fence, and clio in the back were straining to look over their heads. Aran suddenly felt very closed in, like she couldn’t breathe. She looked around and saw an opening, right near the gate of the fence. Without a word she darted off, confused stares following her as she went.
She staggered into an alleyway and collapsed against a dumpster, breathing heavily. A guy was dead…a guy was dead because of her. She killed someone. Oh gods. She wanted to throw up.
“Hey.”
She looked up. Jace had followed her.
“You okay?” he asked her, eyebrows raised, as if he was surprised by how she was reacting.
She stared up at him. “I just killed someone,” she said hollowly.
“Hey. Clio die in the rings on accident all the time,” Jace told her, sitting down next to her. He paused. “It was an accident, right?”
“Yes it was a fucking accident!” Aran snapped loudly. “Fucking hell, Jace! I don’t even know what happened!”
She’d done that jolt-to-the-ribs trick dozens of times in previous fights. Those clio had all gone down, and got right back up moments later unharmed.
“So, what?” Jace asked. “You gonna quit fighting now or something? Cuz one guy died on accident.”
Aran glared at him. “I. Killed. Him.”
Jace glared right back, getting up in her face. “On. Accident,” he spat back. He leaned away. “Fuck, Aran, I’ve killed clio on purpose. It’s not a big deal.”
Aran looked down at the ground, the glare still on her face. Yeah, well, I don’t wanna be like you, she thought furiously.
“Look. Take the week off,” Jace told her, getting back to his feet and brushing off his pants. “Get over this, and get back to winning fights and making money. Deal?”
Aran really wanted to knock Jace’s teeth out right now. Each and every one of them. “Fine. Deal,” she said instead. Jace nodded and walked away, satisfied.
Aran sighed and stood up on shaky legs. She really needed to get the fuck out of this city. It was turning her into someone she didn't wanna be.
Aran nodded. To be honest she preferred to end fights quickly, but when the crowd was excited she had to give them what they wanted and draw things out. Luckily that wasn’t the case today.
Her opponent was some new kid she’d never seen before. Tall, with black hair. A little scrawny for a fighter, but then again she wasn’t one to talk. He looked nervous. She’d felt the same way before her first fight.
She stepped into the cage opposite to him. She gave him a solemn nod, as if to say, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.’
A young, pretty Earalas girl shot a ball of fire into the air, signaling the start of the fight. Aran’s opponent moved first. He was quick, like she’d expected from someone so thin and wiry. Not quicker than her, though. She caught his fist with one hand and jabbed the other into his rib cage, sending a jolt of electricity through his body.
He dropped like a sack of bricks. The Earalas girl began the countdown, but Aran knew this kid wouldn’t be getting up soon enough. Usually took clio his size a good thirty seconds to regain their muscle control after a shock like that.
The clio in the crowd cheered half-heartedly when the count reached zero. Aran had a reputation by now, and most of them had bet on her.
“Alright, kid,” she said, bending down to help the poor guy up now that the fight was over. He didn’t look up at her, didn’t even move. She shook his shoulder. “Hey…”
Nothing. He was like a rag doll. She slowly drew her hand back with a dawning sense of horror and stood back up, taking a step back.
“What the fuck?” came a voice from the other side of the fence. It was a man who Aran assumed was her opponent’s manager. He stormed in and over to his fighter’s limp form, kneeling over him. “She fucking killed my fighter!”
He looked up at glared at Aran accusingly. She didn’t react, just stared down at her opponent’s body in shock.
Jace was there in an instant, trying to smooth things over. “Hey, calm down Chris, it was an accident. These things happen all the time. You know that.”
The formerly uninterested crowd was suddenly buzzing. Clio in front were pressed up against the fence, and clio in the back were straining to look over their heads. Aran suddenly felt very closed in, like she couldn’t breathe. She looked around and saw an opening, right near the gate of the fence. Without a word she darted off, confused stares following her as she went.
She staggered into an alleyway and collapsed against a dumpster, breathing heavily. A guy was dead…a guy was dead because of her. She killed someone. Oh gods. She wanted to throw up.
“Hey.”
She looked up. Jace had followed her.
“You okay?” he asked her, eyebrows raised, as if he was surprised by how she was reacting.
She stared up at him. “I just killed someone,” she said hollowly.
“Hey. Clio die in the rings on accident all the time,” Jace told her, sitting down next to her. He paused. “It was an accident, right?”
“Yes it was a fucking accident!” Aran snapped loudly. “Fucking hell, Jace! I don’t even know what happened!”
She’d done that jolt-to-the-ribs trick dozens of times in previous fights. Those clio had all gone down, and got right back up moments later unharmed.
“So, what?” Jace asked. “You gonna quit fighting now or something? Cuz one guy died on accident.”
Aran glared at him. “I. Killed. Him.”
Jace glared right back, getting up in her face. “On. Accident,” he spat back. He leaned away. “Fuck, Aran, I’ve killed clio on purpose. It’s not a big deal.”
Aran looked down at the ground, the glare still on her face. Yeah, well, I don’t wanna be like you, she thought furiously.
“Look. Take the week off,” Jace told her, getting back to his feet and brushing off his pants. “Get over this, and get back to winning fights and making money. Deal?”
Aran really wanted to knock Jace’s teeth out right now. Each and every one of them. “Fine. Deal,” she said instead. Jace nodded and walked away, satisfied.
Aran sighed and stood up on shaky legs. She really needed to get the fuck out of this city. It was turning her into someone she didn't wanna be.
