Daniel laid on the floor, slamming the bottom of his fists into the ground. Remy averted his gaze to look at the crying man, Gonzalez stopping his strikes to face him.
Daniel: Papa lost! Papa lost!
Gonzalez: That is a rather sad result. He was meant to be the strongest of us, but he couldn't make it to the next round…
Remy: If he couldn't make it, how will we… Can we even win?
Gonzalez: Of course, we can. He was up against the man known for his preparations. Theodore went in with nothing more than his wits and barely lost. Don't forget he was able to knock out Daymond for a small period of time.
Remy: Yeah… That was the first time I've ever seen him knocked out on the ground before…
Daniel: Papa lost… Daniel is sad!
Remy walked over to Daniel, getting down on one knee, and started stroking his hair.
Remy: It's okay, Daniel. There's still the three of us. We can do it!
Daniel: Three… of us?
Daniel looked up, tears running down the sides of his face. He moved his gaze from Remy to Gonzalez, who were both covered in sweat. Both fighters were wrapped up in bandages from their previous matches, but not a single look of worry laid on their faces.
Daniel: Win… we can win?
Gonzalez: Don't ask us. That's something we'll decide on our own. Don't forget that your match is up next.
Daniel looked down, staring at the tiled floor. He smiled, jumping high into the air as a wide mouth smile came across his face.
Daniel: Daniel will win for papa!
Gonzalez: We all want to win for the king. I plan to get revenge for Abraham.
Remy: Yeah… You're up against Joseph. You think you can do it?
Gonzalez: It doesn't matter if I think I can. It's something that I must do.
Gonzalez turned to face Daniel once more, pointing at the now energetic animal boy.
Gonzalez: You know what group you're up against now, right?
Daniel: Uhhh….
Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, his face scrunching. Remy's face grew with worry as he continued to watch Daniel deep in thought. For a moment, he thought he could see steam exhaust from the boy's ears.
Daniel: Daniel fighting…
Remy: The Arachna! You're up against the Arachna!
Daniel: What that?
Gonzalez: Their leader is the one that beat your papa. And now, it's up to you to beat their last fighter.
Daniel: The people that hurt papa? Then Daniel will beat them to the ground!
Remy crouched down in front of Daniel, raising his index finger in front of him.
Remy: But remember, no killing!
Daniel shook his head before meeting Remy's look with a smile.
Daniel: Daniel too smart for that!
Daniel waddled out of the room, his face remaining in his energetic smile.
Gonzalez: I hope he understands how not to kill someone.
Remy: You're not much better, you know… You tried to kill your opponent.
Gonzalez: My opponent was a serial killer who had every intention to kill me. It'd be stupid not to fight for my own life. There's a difference between a normal match and a death match.
Remy: I guess that's fair…
Gonzalez threw a rapid strike, Remy dodging it by just a hair.
Remy: H-Hey!
…
Magnus sits in a room connected to Bodin's infirmary. He sifts through a duffle bag, inspecting different objects as the door behind him creaks open. Simon pokes his head in, watching his teammate entirely focused on the task at hand. He tiptoes over to Magnus, tapping his left shoulder. Magnus turned to his left, only to be met by the open air. A finger pushes against his right cheek, Magnus' eyes darting to see Simon's smile.
Simon: You're pretty deep in thought there.
Magnus: Of course I would be… My opponent is a top ten fighter…
Simon: And?
Magnus: Did you see what he did to his opponent?! Maybe I should swap with someone, I'm not built for these types of matches…
Simon: I'm not going to allow you.
Magnus: What?! Do you want to see me die out there?!
Simon: There's a reason no one asked you to switch with them. Even if someone like Nupan could swap with you, he wouldn't want to. You got this far because you had the strength to pull through.
Magnus: I could hardly beat one of the Imperium's weakest fighters… A stupid ninja at that too…
Simon: But you did. You beat him, and now you can keep fighting. You made it here of your own violation, so push forward!
Magnus smiled, dropping his head. The clicking of things in the bag dropping echoed in the room as Magnus turned around to look at Simon.
Magnus: Did Daymond write that little speech for you? I swear, you guys are way too cheesy. I'll get my things, then I'll make sure I win for us. I won't have us lose now.
Simon smiled, moving out his fist. Magnus grinned, meeting his fist bump. He turned back to the bag, grabbing everything he knew would be of use.
…
Zachary stood in the center of the ring, women holding signs walking around him. We smiled widely, the audience getting riled up.
Zachary: WHAT AN UPSET MATCH! WHO WOULD HAVE EVER BELIEVED THAT SHUN WOULD BE THE ONE TO FALL IN ROUND 2?! BUT THE ARACHNA IS HAVING THEIR THIRD MATCH IN A ROW, SO CAN THEY REDEEM THEMSELVES?! LET'S INTRODUCE THE FIGHTERS FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF BLOCK C!!!
Zachary swung his arm to one entrance, his eyes peering over his sunglasses.
Zachary: THE FIRST FIGHTER TO ENTER THE RING IS ONE THAT STRUCK FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF MANY OF OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS IN HIS FIRST MATCH! HE REMINDED US ALL OF HOW BRUTAL AND DANGEROUS THESE MATCHES CAN TRULY BE! WILL HE GIVE US THE SAME GRIM REMINDER AGAIN THIS ROUND?! HE'LL GIVE US A TASTE OF THAT, SO LET'S WELCOME BACK "THE KING OF MONSTERS" DANIEL ONEIROIIIIIII!
A figure formed at the entrance Zachary pointed at, the shape small and low to the ground. Daniel appeared with a smile on his face. He looked no different from a child barring the sharp, animal-like teeth that lined his mouth. He stopped next to Zachary, giving him a thumbs up.
Man: Is he going to kill again?
Woman: These matches are known for their bloodiness, it'd be quite interesting if he did it again!
Whispers became chants as Daniel blinked blankly at the opposite corridor. Zachary spun around before pointing at the opposite entrance.
Zachary: AND HIS OPPONENT LEFT PLENTY SHOCKED! DEFEATING THE IMPERIUM'S OWN NINJA IN A FAMOUS BATTLE OF THE UNDERGROUND! HIS WITS AND WEAPON USAGE MAKES HIM AS BIG A THREAT AS ANY! HIS RANK MAY SAY ONE THING, BUT HIS DETERMINATION WILL SPEAK LOUDER THAN NUMBERS! HERE COMES "THE HEXED OPERATOR" MAGNUS KIBSOOOOOON!!
A figure formed at the entrance Zachary pointed towards. The items it carried on its person shined from the lights that blared down on the ring. His glasses glistened, creating a reflection before his body was illuminated. Magnus walked into the ring, his face full of determination. His belt seemed like it had appeared from a comic book, lined with different pockets filled with items none could begin to dream of. His sword stood up from behind him. Magnus seemed like he was a moving military unit. He came to a stop meters away from Daniel. He looked down at his opponent, reaching down into his pocket.
Magnus: Catch.
Magnus threw a piece of meat he had in his pocket at Daniel. Daniel jumped up, latching onto the meat, and swallowed it in a single movement. The audience gasped as Magnus pointed at him.
Magnus: Now you're fed, so don't you dare try to bite into me.
Daniel looked up at Magnus, who stood proud. His simple brain had assumed his opponent would be too scared, but Magnus was the opposite of what he had expected. Then a new thought appeared…
Daniel's thoughts: This man hurt papa… But Ratty said no kill… So Daniel win!
Magnus caught onto Daniel's change of thought, rubbing the back of his head. Zachary walked past the referee who came between the two fighters.
Magnus' thoughts: He's fairly simple-minded, but his animalistic nature makes him very adept in combat. Thanks for being a useful stepping stone, Alexander.
Magnus reached behind him, pulling out a combat knife. Daniel saw the blade shine, immediately brandishing his teeth and nails. To an outsider, this situation seemed like a hunter ready to catch his prey. But with the thoughts that filled the audience, no one was sure who was the predator and who was the prey.
Referee: FIGHTERS! TAKE YOUR STANCES!
Magnus widened his stance, hiding his face behind his arm as the other holding the knife stayed firm. His eyes shook, watching a figure form around Daniel.
Magnus' thoughts: That's… a honey badger…
The animal was fierce, feeling like it was a moment away from pouncing and eating him alive. Yet Magnus stayed firm. A single drop of cold sweat formed on his forehead as he stared down at Daniel.
Magnus: Are you an animal or a man? Or are you just as your fighting style suggests: a chimera?
Daniel: Daniel… is Daniel!
Magnus: About as good of a response as I should expect…
The referee raised his arm, staring intently at the ground in front of him.
Referee: ARE YOU READY?!
The audience burst into a scream of cheers. Magnus and Daniel locked eyes, the pressure between them getting tighter.
Referee: BEGIIIIIIIIIIN!!
The referee swung down his arm, marking the start of Block C.