Battle Scars

Thorns

The sun outside was beating down on the Sea of Dust, but in this little crevice of the land the wind flowed through and provided a dusty breeze. Hidden under stone slabs, the town itself was cool with the bitter, dry taste of sand. Renova town, a pitstop for adventurers who were making their way to the great sand city of Sentinel. In a small stone hut hidden in the corners of Renova, two men talked quietly as a crowd gathered outside in the center of the town. The first one, Solaire, was a decently sized tannish brown boy with scarlet hair redder than the finest wine. He sat comfortably on a cracked wooden chest, applying bandages to his fists. "You know," he'd start. Without any given context his words could be concluded as mere ramblings. "I don't do it for the money or the rep that comes with it. Not even for the fun of it like some lunatics I know. So simply put, that means I do it for myself, Val. That being said, the wagers put on him don't matter to me. It is what it is." The other person, Val, was a behemoth of a man with smooth dark gray skin, golden eyes, and hair that slicked back into a small, messy bun. Being a Rigan, many dismissed him as a brute with a never ending thirst for blood. Nothing was further from the truth, Val was just a misunderstood gentle giant. He crossed his arms and leaned against the smooth stone wall. He'd glance down at Solaire and after pausing for a moment he'd shrug and sigh. "All I'm saying is it's dangerous, I don't wanna see ya' hurt. Apparently this guy has some disgusting tricks up his sleeve, and a massive reputation backing it." Solaire nodded, but his facial expression didn't change one bit. "Yes, I know. And all I'm saying is your concern isn't necessary. I'll go out there and do what I do best, no bet can change that." Solaire finished wrapping his scarred and seemingly bloody fists, and tightened them before standing. "Tell them I'm ready," he'd kneel down in front of the chest and open it, pulling out a single piece of paper— a letter— that was worn and stained yellow, seemingly old. Val had already left the room, and the crowd outside was getting increasingly noisy. Solaire wrapped the letter into a roll and stuffed it in between his belt and black tattered shirt. He'd swing the door open and find the crowd diverting so he could get through to the middle. Looking around, Solaire noticed there were spectators who had climbed on top of Renova's buildings along with stone slabs just to get a good view.  The arena was small, but big enough for a brawl between two people. Facing the man in front of him, Solaire first observed his deep red skin. Apart from his mouth, which held a stoic expression, everything was completely hidden behind a spiked steel helmet and a dark cowl that seemed to be worn with age. Solaire huffed and tightened the bandages around his arms and fists further before raising his fists into a stance. "What's your name?" his opponent asked. Solaire was completely caught off guard and raised an eyebrow, taking a second before answering. "Solaire," he spoke, "Solaire Rose." His opponent nodded and placed his hands into his pockets. "Well, Solaire. My name is Kaios. Let's have a good match." Val, seeing that both parties were ready stood in the middle of the two and counted down. Three... two.. one... "BEGIN!" he shouted, and dashed off to the side immediately. Solaire was already on the attack, he swiftly rolled up and began throwing out blows as quickly as he could, but each one only hit the air. Kaios still had his hands in his pockets and dodged every single punch with ease, it seemed. Solaire tried to hide his frustration but began getting reckless, his punches losing their pattern. He was tiring himself out, each swing making sweat shoot off of his arms. You could say his sweat was the only thing that actually hit Kaios. Now seeing that his opponent was tired out, Kaios lifted his hands and stepped forward, connecting some of the deadliest hits to Solaire's face that Renova had seen. Solaire let out a roar and retaliated with an uppercut, catching Kaios off guard completely. He was launched back, and in that moment his cowl flew off Solaire noticed the third eye sitting on his forehead. Kaios recovered quickly and scoffed before closing the distance between he and Solaire once more. He'd hook Solaire's face twice, then gave a devastating blow to his femur that knocked Solaire to his knees. Almost instantaneously, he did a double uppercut that launched Solaire into the air. However, the boy was already unconscious by the time the first uppercut hit. Renova's crowd erupted with applause, silver coins being thrown into the arena. Kaios readjusted his cowl on and spat on the ground next to Solaire before walking away. Val was completely awestruck by this fight. In just around thirty seconds this Kaios fellow took down Solaire, one of Renova's most promising brawlers. He'd never seen anything like it. Val lifted Solaire over his shoulder and carried him back into the building they were in before, laying him down on a shabby wool bed. He sat on the chest and placed his hands against his forehead, chuckling softly to himself.

WIP