Badly Broken

Chapter 6

Lucas's POV

He shoved past my shoulder, but I chose to ignore it. I heard him outside the room, beating the crap out of the wall.

I knew better than to pry, better than to ask questions. I'm not stupid, I know abuse when I see it.

Once I couldn't hear pounding on the wall anymore I decided it was okay to go out.

Kai's head was pressed against the wall, his eyes closed. He was taking short, deep breaths trying to calm himself down.

This was a sore spot, and I wasn't one to press where it hurts.

I slowly stepped out and closed the door behind me. I leaned on the wall next to Kai and crossed my arms, "Hey, It's time for your fight."

He turned his head, still pressed against the wall and looked at me. He gave me a faint smile, "Thanks."

As he started walking I followed him. We went through the back along a dark hallway with no one else in it. There was only one door at the end of the tunnel. It was lit with very few lights and you could hear the echoes of the crowd chanting. It was almost surreal.

As we reached the end of the dark tunnel Kai turned to me and gave me a bright smile. Doing this seemed to really make him happy.

He opened the metal door leading him into the pit. The crowd grew louder, chanting the name "Furiae" (pronounced fury, singular of furies, the Roman name for the goddesses Erinyes). It must be the name Kai goes by down here.

Furiae... I knew the name. Whenever I came down here I would always hear people talking about some legendary fighter. Someone who has been training down here since he was 14, a true beast. Some even called him a demon, others called him a god.

I smirked at Kai. Although I knew he was a legend, the name is just so cheesy I can't help it, "Furiae?" I asked, a laugh dying to come out.

He stiffened again. He opened the large metal door and turned to me and said, "A Furiae is a god of vengeance."

Vengeance?

As he let the door close I heard him mutter something, "under earth take vengeance on men, whosoever hath sworn a false oath"

The door slammed shut. The echoes grew louder and louder. The announcer began his commentary. "Ladies and gentlemen..." I turned around and sprinted down the hallway, "The event you have all been patiently waiting for..." I turned the corner, nearly running into a woman with piercings all over and tattoos covering the majority of her face and neck. I ran and ran until I was amidst the rowdy crowd. "After three months of gruesome fighting, here we are..." I shoved my way down so I was in the front row, right above the pit.

"After all the bloody battles and the broken bones, we stand here with the two best fighters in the entire state! On our left we have GRIFFITH!!!" The crowd roared, mostly men, chanting his name. He's a lot bigger in person, but Kai still has several inches on him in height. "And on our right...." He paused, building up the tension, "We have... Furiae!!!!!" The crowd went wild, everyone was screaming and cheering.

This was mad. Out of all the fights I had ever been to here, this was the largest crowd I had seen. Opposed to the usual hundred or so people, this fight drew the attention of nearly a thousand.

The crowd started chanting, I could hear the countdown to the fight.

"3...2...1, START!"

Kai's POV

I could hear the countdown starting. Draining out any surrounding noise, I could barely hear the cries of the crowd, "3...2...1, START!"

"So, old man. What brings you round' here?" I asked.