"Riyu, how long have we been down here..?"
"At least 2 hours.. well, from what my watch is telling me."
"Forget the watch! You broke it coming down here, remember!?"
"Wait, stop talking.. I can hear the crowd.. They're pouring in right now."
"Riyu, I'm scared.. why did they choose us? We were on our best behavior! I don't want to die.. I don't.."
"We're not gonna die, Kizuno. We're going to escape this place, I promise."
At least, that's what Riyu Yasuhiro thought. He was stuck in a wet, and cold stone corridor, with walls so weak that you could hear a full conversation through them. His best friend Kizuno sat across from him, shaking out of pure fear. She was covered in bruises, and a cut was etched into her forehead. He hated seeing her like this.
"Kizuno.. listen to me. It's okay. We're going to push through this. Like we always did in the past, right?" Riyu asked, slowly crawling over to his friend and wrapping an arm around her. If this was really going to be their final night alive, they were going to die with honor. He wasn't going to let emotion take them over.
"But look at what where pushing through has gotten us.. almost all of my friends are dead, and now I'm gonna have to risk losing you too!"
Kizuno began to cry, tears running down her face. They were tears of anguish, and also deeply felt agony. Like Kizuno, Riyu had to bear witness to the deaths of his very own friends. Every single one was merely beaten to death, and tossed away like a dead animal on the side of the road. It was a horrible thing, but Riyu knew it wasn't going to be stopped. It would take more than a few escapees to stop any of it.
He could hear the sound of a lock being turned, as the door entering into this corridor pulled open. The deafening sound of a crowd emanated from outside, full of mad people who wanted to see the two fight to the death.
"You're up, Riyu. And tell that bitchy friend of yours to stop whining. She's gonna need to see what's happening in the ring, not have her eyes blinded with tears."
Riyu tensed up, hearing the venomous words of the man who captured them. If only he had an ounce of respect...
Despite this, Riyu stood up and walked towards the door. "If I ever get out of this place, I will kill you. Mark.. my.. words." He said, jabbing a finger into the man's chest.
"Shut the fuck up and get moving.." The man replied sternly, kicking Riyu in the back. He grunted and stumbled forward, making his way towards the ring. The crowd was significantly bigger this time.. this meant the fighter he was going against was a top rank.
As he made his way into the gated ring, the overhead lights hooked to the underground ceiling blinded him a little. He let his vision adjust as a man came up and began wrapping his hands with some fresh tape.
"My fellow watchers, thank you for showing up to the most intense fight you'll see yet! As you can see, the rookie fighter Riyu Yasuhiro has come onto the ring. His fighting skills are surely not that of an amateur, but we all know he hasn't faced up against the Black Lotus!"
Riyu gritted his teeth as the crowd opened up to allow his opponent inside. The Black Lotus was an intimidating woman. Standing at almost 6 foot 2, and formed with a strong muscular build, she was guaranteed to be a favorite among the fans watching. He cracked his knuckles as she hopped onto the stage, a cold look in her eyes.
"And like it always goes, these two will be fighting to the death! Make sure to place your bets on the table, because this place is about to become a fucking bloodbath!!"
Hearing the voice of the Ringmaster made Riyu want to hurl. This person was the creator behind this sick show, and even had the audacity to announce every fight. How could a human being do this..
"This fight will now start in 3... 2... 1...! and it's on!"
Riyu instantly became tense, as he and Lotus began circling eachother. She leaned in close, an evil grin forming on her face. "You better do good, Riyu.. or you'll end up dying a painful death, just like your friend real soon."
Riyu took this moment to throw the first punch, as his fist collided with her face. Spit and a mixture of blood flew into the crowd, who cheered in response. He then threw a kick into her gut, which was enough to make Lotus slam into the fencing that enclosed them.
"Wow, and it seems that the Lotus herself has taken quite the first attack from Riyu! How will she retaliate?"
The woman smiled, wiping the small line of blood that trickled from the corner of her mouth. "Damn, Riyu, I was going to go easy on you. But with a combo like that, you're really asking for it now.."
Before Riyu knew it, she had come under him and took out his legs, causing him to tumble back and slam on the ground. A pain shot through his upper back, as he watched the woman take her elbow and drive it into his gut.
"Oh, and that was quite the hard trip! I certainly hope Riyu didn't get the air knocked out of him, because he'll certainly need it!"
Riyu reeled in pain from the blow, as he struck Lotus back on the shoulder, which was enough to break them apart. When they did so, he picked out a new area to make his second attack.
He dashed to the left, gripping into the chain links of the fence. He would then propel himself at Lotus, taking a fist and slamming it into her forehead, before using his legs to strike her in the chest and throw her down. He would effortlessly land on the floor, turning to the woman and getting back into his stance.
"Woah, where did that come from!? Riyu just used his surroundings to his complete advantage! The Black Lotus can not let herself down in this very moment! This means she will use her very own signature weapon!"
Riyu's eyes went wide, when he heard the words signature weapon. The highest ranking fighters all had one, and he knew for a fact that Lotus's weapon would end a rookie like him.
The Black Lotus laughed as the crowd cheered her on, even tossing cash into the ring out of excitement. She would reach down into the top of her heeled boot, pulling out a long, black strap. Connected to this, was a kunai made of pure damascus steel. It was a whip, purely made to lash and slice its victims.
"Your act ends now, Riyu! Never underestimate a top rank! Never!"
The whip cracked across the ring, as the blade sliced into Riyu's shoulder, drawing a significant amount of blood. Screaming and grabbing his wound, he fell back against the fence, as the Black Lotus twirled the whip in the air. It would then come back down, as he rolled away.
This caused the kunai to get stuck in the floor, as he charged at the Black Lotus and punched her in the gut, this time with even more force. He would then arch his fist and send it into her jaw, as she stumbled backwards herself. But the woman would quickly regain her balance, and look down at Riyu with malice in her eyes. "Bad choice, Riyu Yasuhiro.."
A piercing pain was sent through Riyu's back and chest, as he could feel something sharp going into him. Looking down, he could see the very tip of the kunai, cutting through the skin. Blood then channeled it's way into his way into his throat, as he spat some onto the floor.
"Oh my! It seems that the Black Lotus has finally made the final move on her prey! Riyu now has her own signature weapon right in his back!"
"My kunai has just pierced through your spine.. it made a thin slice right across your heart, and fractured the upper part of your ribcage. You will not be able to stand up, nor live to see the next day of your pathetic life." Said Lotus, as Riyu weakly fell to the floor by his knees, coughing up more blood.
"Will this be the end of the champion in the making? Will Riyu be able to fight back, even after gaining this nasty infliction!?"
Riyu couldn't lose this fight.. he had something to live for! Kizuno.. his family.. his brother...
He stood up, grabbing the whip from behind and pulling it out. It made a sickening crunch, which was followed by a guttural scream by Riyu himself. Lotus stood and watched, like he was a mere sickly dog.
"Riyu, you poor, poor, boy.. you have a lot of courage even for a teenager like yourself. But you've made one fatal mistake.." Lotus said, pulling up her right fist. "You have an open wound."
The crowd would then watch, as the Black Lotus sent her fist directly through Riyu's chest, both cracking open his ribcage, but also crushing his heart. A look of shock was plastered on Riyu's face, as blood pooled from his mouth.
"RIYU! NO!"
And as the light began to fade from Riyu's eyes, he could see Kizuno breaking through the crowd.. and rushing into the ring herself. Lotus let out a hearty chuckle, as she let Riyu fall to the floor, a crimson colored pool of blood forming around his body.
"You.. you killed him! You bitch!" Kizuno screamed, taking her fist and throwing it at Lotus. But as she did this, she felt her arm lock, and saw that her punch had been stopped by Lotus's hand.
"I believe you're still not familiar with the rules of the ring.. no other fighter is allowed to interrupt an ongoing fight!" Lotus said, before using her other hand to grab Kizuno by the neck, and hoist her into the air. The crowd roared with joy and anticipation, as they watched this situation go down.
Kizuno gasped and choked for air, as the taller woman's hand slowly crushed her windpipe. She desperately kicked and beat at her arm with her hands, but it was no use. Tears would eventually flow down her face as she struggled to even breathe.
"Wow, this is quite the chaotic fight! We have just lost Riyu, and Kizuno is about to join him! This might mean that the Black Lotus will be collecting her fees!"
"I'm so sorry it has to end this way, pretty little girl. But that is what the Ringmaster wants. I hope you have a blessed time in the afterlife, Kizuno.." The Black Lotus said, before squeezing her hand inwards, and crushing the girl's neck. Her body would limply fall to the floor, only a few feet away from Riyu's.
"And that is the end of the fight! In conclusion, the Black Lotus is our victor, making this her 63rd win!"
The Black Lotus would raise her hands to the crowd, as the people below and around her cheered and yelled wildly. Two men would soon enough make their way through this crowd, and escort the female fighter away towards a backroom.
"Lotus.. you have done very well tonight. Since you have won, your prize award is on the table. $45,000 in US dollars, or in Yen?" Asked a voice from the corner of the room, as Lotus entered and began taking the bloody wrapping off of her hands. "I will take the US dollars, thank you very much."
"A classic western woman.. I like your style." The figure replied, tossing a silver case across the room. The case would be caught by Lotus, as she opened it up and peeked inside. A smile grew on her face, before she closed it and sat it down.
"That takes two people away from the roster, Lotus. Do you know what this means?" Asked the figure, as they paced around slowly.
"What is it, Ringmaster?"
"This means that two seats will be open to the public. If we ever gain any new students, I'd like for you to notify me. You know what they say, the more, the merrier.." Said the Ringmaster, with a dry chuckle.
The Black Lotus smirked in reply, as she left to go wash up. It would be interesting to have some new rookies enter the ring, but she also needed to wait. In an environment like this, it was always a common thing to know that patience, was key...