The Varied Path (Akatsuki no Yona Fanfiction)

Chapter 126: The Annual Cull

The cell was dark and musty.

She could feel the dried blood encrusted on the walls and floor from previous fighters who had been kept here. She was in with a couple others, but they were badly beaten and not very talkative at the moment. Not that she minded.

The quiet suited her just fine.

Shifting to get more comfortable, not that it was possible given the circumstances, she sighed heavily, fingers grazing over her now bare wound.

She had gotten rid of the bandages prior to coming here since it wouldn't do much once the fights started. The shards of metal she had posed as weapons when she was browsing the market were confiscated early on but she still had one in her boot just in case.

She only trusted the Enforcers as far as she could throw them.

A loud groan sounded in the corner where it was too dark for her to see clearly. The two forms huddled together were lumpy, almost merging together into one and she pitied them.

None of the fighters were allowed to tend to each other. If the Enforcers caught her doing anything of the sort, they would immediately take her to the High Leader and he would most likely execute her on the spot.

Even if he did favor her, she didn't want to push her luck.

Still, if the injuries they sustained went untreated for a long period of time, those two wouldn't be able to stand let alone fight. So, that's what the healers were there for.

They usually consisted of people who were either related to a fighter or knew someone who died of their wounds. Their intentions were pure for the most part, though she had a run in with someone who had changed quite a bit after witnessing the damage a person could inflict on another.

Cracking an eye open as the barred door swung open, she watched as a girl dressed in rags went immediately over to the two hiding in the back.

Calista shook her head forlornly. Since injuries could be a show of weakness and strength at the same time once they were revealed to their opponent in the ring, most fighters rejected any kind of medical assistance. The only reason most largely accepted the help was when they were in no position to refuse it. Unless of course, they wanted to die.

Given that survival is the one thing that everyone down here fights for, I'd say that is a definite no. She snorted to herself, flinching when a jagged rock cut into her back as she adjusted.

Ignoring the healer while she tended to her patients, Calista closed her eyes. Her head thumped against the cold stone of the carved out cave they had used specifically for a holding cell, blood drumming through her veins in anticipation the longer she waited.

They would surely start soon. She had been on edge ever since she entered this place where death reeked around every corner and sapped all the energy in her being. Slowly and deliberately, she took a deep breath and exhaled, keeping her eyes close and blocking out the noise coming from within the cell.

Breathe in through the nose... and out through the mouth.

Eyes opening slowly, she took a moment to take in her surroundings. The caverns they were kept in were nothing new. There were at least a couple hundred cells in Kuuto's base alone, the layout so extensive that even after years, she still didn't know all of it.

But at least I know where the most important ones are...

Cries of outrage coming from the other cells had her eyes closing once more to keep the headache at bay.

The Enforcers had dragged her and the other fighters to the underground base in the capital city. Not far away was Hiryuu Castle. And Soo-won.

She was uneasy being so close to the palace after what had happened with the most recent battle that had taken place and didn't dare think of what would happen if he attended the fights. Settling back, she tried to sleep instead of thinking more about the blonde-haired man who had stolen the throne from Yona.