"In our left corner today, we bring you a visitor from afar! A barbarian from the cold north! Give Vrolas some love!" The host introduced the fur-clad Benjamin.
*So, that's why he wanted you to wear the hat.*
*Probably.*
The ones arranging the fights clearly wanted to spice up the fights a little. Even if Benjamin couldn't fight, he could at least make it livelier by bringing some personality and variation to the event.
Brock said he would be paid by how well he did., not whether he won or not. So, Benjamin put on his best stoic face and glared at the crowd as coldly as he could.
"And in our right corner! A local from the very trenches of Bellinger! Mangy Mike!" The host pointed at the homeless, slightly older guy opposite Benjamin.
The crowd wasn't all too interested in a fight between newbies. But a barbarian from the north, if that was his real identity, was a little interesting. The host also had a powerful voice that dragged attention to the fight.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We're here for the fight, not the mess. Simple brawl. That means: No kills. Nothing too cheap. And…No other rules! Newbies, at the ready!" The host shouted to the crowd and the fighters.
Benjamin shook off his coat with a shrug and threw it to the side. A fur coat that thick would be useful in a brawl since it would block some of the impact from Mangy Mike's blows. But it also slowed him down, and he would die from heatstroke before Mangy Mike could beat him up.
If they had been fighting outside, it might have been worth it. But the warehouse, the fight pit, was hot.
The simple tunic he wore underneath felt like a cool autumn breeze in comparison to the coat, and a smile of relief crept up on Benjamin's face. To the others, it looked like he was excited to fight.
Benjamin raised his hands and faced Mangy Mike, who had also put up his sinewy arms.
"Fight!" The host didn't waste any time. With a shout, he started the fight and backed up to the edge of the ring, which was just a simple wooden fence.
Benjamin and Mike circled each other, slowly closing the distance.
"Boo!" That wasn't what the crowd wanted to see.
Mike, a little more desperate than Benjamin, charged.
Mike was decisive but not explosive. Long years on the streets had left him half-starved and malnourished. His muscles didn't have what it took to launch him forward faster than Benjamin could react. And while this was Mike's first fight at the fight pit, it was not his first skirmish. He knew how to fight, and he knew how to fight with his life on the line.
Benjamin wasn't an athlete but he had a decent physique for a young man from Earth. In that area, he was better than Mike. Stronger. He also had experience fighting, even if all of his fights had been one-sided and not in his favor.
So, he wasn't caught with his pants at his ankles when Mike threw himself at him.
However…
Mike's bony fist struck Benjamin's cheek. Benjamin's head rang, and he stumbled to the side.
*Did you let that hit you?!* Eluzan exclaimed.
"What was that?!"
Benjamin had lowered his guard when Mike punched him, letting the skinny fist go past his arms and strike his face.
*...Force of habit.*
When Rydell and the others got physical, the thing that infuriated them the most, second only to when he fought back, was when Benjamin defended himself. Whenever he did, they went all out to punish him to the point where they no longer found entertainment in it. All to make sure he didn't defend himself again.
The pain Benjamin associated with defending himself sat deep in his bones at this point. Out of reflex, he let Mike hit him.
After Benjamin raised his guard again, Eluzan was about to remind him to keep his guard up this time. But he stayed silent.
Being punched in the face reminded Benjamin of everything Rydell and the others had put him through, all the beatings they had given him. All the pain. The powerlessness. The frustration.
Those memories and feelings bubbled up within Benjamin like a cloud of darkness.
'Peaceful world, my ass! What kind of peace raised a kid like this?' Eluzan thought to himself.
'You have my gratitude, peaceful world and Rydell.' Eluzan smiled to himself.
Mangy Mike had been just as confused as the crowd when his blow went right past Benjamin's guard and hit his face. He didn't even aim for it. It was like Benjamin had presented his cheek for him to hit.
"Heh." Benjamin scoffed.
"Mangy Mike indeed. I've been hit harder by bunnies!" Benjamin said loud enough for the crowd to hear.
The comparison took the edge of the situation. It was difficult to take the fight seriously when all they could imagine was Vrolas fighting a bunny instead of Mike.
But it added some color to the fight. Shit-talking was always fun to watch.
Mangy Mike glared at Benjamin.
"And I've seen bunnies with bigger muscles than you!" Mangy Mike shouted, sensing the atmosphere. He needed to get in on the show to get a bigger share of the money cake.
"Size isn't everything, old man. You should know that, though."
"...You—!"
Benjamin cut the chit-chat and Mike short with two quick steps forward.
He hadn't learned only how to take a hit from Rydell and his goons. They liked to practice shit they had seen on him. Benjamin couldn't look away, even if he wanted. He couldn't call himself an expert by any means since he had only watched and never tried it himself.
But if Rydell could do it, how difficult could it be?
Two steps to close the distance, a third to feint right, and the final fourth to get inside Mike's shabby guard. Bend down slightly and use the momentum from leaning forward and turning to the side to drive the fist into the opponent's torso. Aim for the center and knock the air out of them.