Where home Truly Is

prologue

Cheers erupt from the crowd, the rock walls of the underground caverns shaking as the sound of people screaming and laughing bounce off the walls of the large space.

Spotlights high above the crowds of people swing side to side softly as they light up a large arena of sand and the two people within it.

One, an American with short blond hair, stumbles as he stands bleeding and bruised. His eyes are swelled shut as he struggles for air and tries to make space between him and the monster that he made the mistake of fighting.  But his attempts for breathing space prove fruitless as blow after blow continue to contact with his body, the air escaping his already straining lungs.

Jab after jab connect to his jaw, the small number of teeth still standing trying their hardest to stay hanging.

Knee to the gut before having his hunched back straightened by a brutal uppercut.

The crowd roars as they see the poor man fly into the air and onto his back.

Thinking quickly, the poor man gets up before turning on his heel and begins to run towards the arena's edge, his only hope for escape.

It is not to be as an iron grip takes hold of his shoulder.

With great force, he's pulled back and thrown to the floor in a tumbling mess of limbs and blood but he is given no respite as kick after kick impacts his fallen body.

His eyelids begin to feel heavy, his body feelings weaker by the minute. The man smiles. Maybe he could escape this hell after all. It would be so easy to just give in into the darkness. So easy to just close his eyes and...

His eyes slam open, bloodshot. Not being able to stop it, he lets out a scream to the heavens and beyond, letting anyone who hears it know of the sick pain he is in.

Looking down to his legs, he sees what robed him of his escape. Had he not done so already half an hour ago, he would have lost his dinner here and now as he saw the state of his left leg. Bloody and broken, the sharp bone is visible for all to see as it point towards the ceiling.

The horror doesn't end there, however, as the monster in the Aztec skull mask looks down at him before going to the right of the fallen man.

With sadistic intention, his opponent steps on his leg joint and starts to press down. Screams rupture from the poor man on the grown. With effort, he opens his swollen eyes and sees the dark outline of the monster, no, emperor that he had made the mistake of opposing.

He sees him look at the crowd and horror takes hold of him as he sees the monster bring up his arm and stick out his thumb.

The american's heart beats harshly against his chest as he hears the traitorous chant of the people.

"DOWN!DOWN!DOWN!"

He looks up to the monster again and watches horrified as he brought his thumb down.

The emperor looks down at him. And stomps down hard.

Welcome to the illegal fighting pits of New York. One of many fighting pits around the world where the emperor rules above all.
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The crowd cheer in fanatic fashion as the victor walks towards the tall rock walls that surround the fighting pit.

A rumbling disturbs the sand under his feet as a large chunk of the wall slides down into the ground, behind it, a medical group of three people rushes towards the down and broken victim of the fight, making a large space between them and the winner of the fight as they do.