Gods of Arena

They walked up the stairs, together, though Romeo remained awfully silent. "Won't you run back, Kang?", Jin asked. "The drug doesn't always work" "Uh... I'll just take the chance. I won't be picked, this time", Kang said.

"You three can actually excuse yourselves, if you want", Jin said, referring to Romeo with his eyes.

"Why the state? I'm not scared or weak, okay?", Romeo replied and walked past them.

"Well, I need my first fight too", Finn said, as they got to the spin and clicked their buttons.

Their faces appeared on both sides of the screen. Finn's heart pounded, heavily, as he imagined himself on the Arena with a stronger fighter again. He glanced at Romeo again and again. Romeo's face remained inscrutable. He didn't look angry. He didn't look scared. He didn't look weak. He didn't look strong... he just looked pretty confident. Probably confident that he wouldn't be picked or confident that he would beat whoever he was pitted against. Finn imagined a fight with Jin, as he remembered the story they told him about the former occupants of the room who got pitted against each other and killed for refusing to kill each other.

The beep appeared and started moving, speedily, from one face to the other. Kang's heart skipped, every time the beep passed his face. He should have just ran up the stairs, while he could. He looked at Finn, who seemed just as nervous as he was. "Don't pee in your pants, yet", Jin whispered.

"Now that you've said it, I really want to use the bathroom", Kang whispered back.

"Now that you've mentioned bathroom, you really can't go to the bathroom so you'll have to pee in your pants", Jin said and smiled at him. "Don't worry. I think I know where the first spin will stop" "Really? Where?"

"Two faces beneath mine", Jin said.

Kang looked at the faces around him. "The guy beside Romeo?"

"Yea, that one", Jin said. "It's just a guess though... don't get too happy. It might fall on you"

The beeping slowed down, on the left side of the screen, but kept moving down till it stopped on the face Jin had predicted. Jim smiled and Kang squeezed his hand. "You're a genius", Kang muttered.

The beeping also slowed down on the second screen. Jin didn't guess who it was, this time. The beeping light moved over Jin's face and lasted close to a second, like it was going to stop there. It moved to the next face and to the next face, dropping on the same face that was picked on the left side of the screen. It wasn't possible for it to stop there since the face already had an X on it. The beep moved to the next face and Jin's face brightened up. Kang looked at him and at Finn. The beep had stopped on Romeo's face. They all looked at him, waiting for a reaction. He didn't budge. His face remained as inscrutable as it was before the spinning started. His opponent was standing right beside him, up there. His name was Roku. Roku cracked his neck, confidently, and smirked at Romeo.

"Rokurokubi!", one of his friends said, as they walked towards the staircase.

Roku put his hand behind Romeo's pant, joking with it. Romeo didn't move. He just kept his face forward, without showing any expression. Jin looked their way. Romeo definitely wouldn't want him to intervene but he was pretty sure Romeo would do something rough if the joke continued. Roku slapped Romeo's butt

Immediately, Romeo dropped his elbow on his face and threw another punch at him. Roku was about to retaliate when Jin stepped in.

'Fighting outside the arena will no longer be tolerated', a voice made the announcement and they walked away from each other. 'The fighters should get ready. The event is coming up in less than two hours........

****

".... This is another unpredictable fight between the great mid-tier- The Rokurokubi, and the low-tier human-grinder, Romeo. Stake your bets while you can. Anybody can win the fight. Sit back and enjoy...' "Did they just call him the human-grinder? I never asked for his Shin Zhu", Kang asked.

"How can I explain his ability? It's pretty dope", Finn replied. "He removes these weird thorns from his hands"

"Just his hands?"

"Yea. He can't do more than that", Finn said. "You said the Shin Zhu grows, right? It'll probably grow and he'll be able to have it all around his body"

"I'll tell you a secret about having this kind of trauma", Jin said. "What happens next depends on what path you choose. He seems angry and I bet his strength and his Shin Zhu are growing rapidly" "Really?", Kang muttered. "I probably need that to unlock my Shin Zhu❞

"You can't use your Shin Zhu?", Finn asked.

"You didn't know about that. I thought I told you"

"You can choose to go with the girl but the shame, the pain and the trauma never leaves you", Jin said. "Watch him play"

The both of them moved in circles on the arena. Roku ran at Romeo with his spear. Romeo dodged all attacks with a sword in hand and kicked Roku backwards. Roku pulled off his shirt and swung it at Romeo. The shirt turned elastic and elongated sliding Romeo off the ground. Romeo flipped back up, down on one knee. Before he could look up, Roku ran at him and drove the spear into his shoulder. Roku twisted the spear, smirking evilly, as he could sense Romeo holding back the pain. "You think you're strong, uh?", Roku said, glaring devilishly. "Let's see how you'll handle this"

Roku put his hand at the end of the spear, ready to push it deeper. Romeo held the spear quickly. "I have handled greater pain", Romeo said, getting up slowly. "But I won't give you the chance to feel it. It's too horrible. I'll just end you" Romeo tugged the spear out of his shoulder and the other end hit Roku by the ribs. He pulled Roku closer with the spear and raised his knee, hitting Romeo in the stomach. He clenched his fist and sharp short spikes sprung out of his hand, as he punched Roku's face with it. Roku fell on the ground and rolled away, groaning in pain.. He swung his shirt at Romeo, sliding him off his feet again but Romeo bounced back up and shot the spikes out of his fists at Roku. Roku swung his shirt, collecting all of the spikes with it.

He stretched out and elongated his arms and touched the ground, pulling his full body forward, into the air. He leaped at Romeo and kicked him in the face. Romeo sprung back up angrily, and Roku rolled and grabbed his spear. Romeo shot the spikes out of his fists, angrily and endlessly. Roku spun his spear in his hand, shielding himself from the spikes, and moving back. He tripped and slowed down, allowing the spike to get past the spear and slash his arm. He pulled his shirt and shielded himself from the spikes, moving around and thinking of a way to put Romeo down. He rolled on the ground and swung the shirt at Romeo's feet again. Romeo jumped and flipped immediately. Roku pulled the spear and threw it at Romeo's feet, immediately he landed on the ground. Romeo fell back and groaned.

Roku elongated his arms and wrapped his arm around Romeo's neck, squeezing with an Anaconda's strength. "Fuck! That looks like he's going to lose", Finn said. "We should have brought the stunners"

"Calm down", Jin said, staring at Romeo with admiration. "He is still angry. He will do anything to win"

"That's if there is anything to do though"

Romeo struggled with the heavy arm on his neck, choking. His eyes darkened, as he snarled angrily. He clenched his fist and stabbed the heavy arm with his spike repeatedly. Roku loosened his arm a bit, gritting his teeth in pain. Romeo pulled the arm down with all of his strength and opened his mouth. His teeth had turned into spikes and multiplied in his mouth. He bit down on the arm and Roku screamed in pain.noveldrama

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?", Kang muttered, gaping in awe.

"I don't know what you're seeing", Jin replied. "I'm seeing power"

"Are you sure you can handle this guy if you get in a fight?", Finn teased.

"You should be the one careful... if he doesn't watch himself, he'll turn himself to a full-blown monster"

Roku's elongated arm retracted back to it's normal size, as he fell on his knees and held onto it, healing slowly.

Kang and Finn looked back, as they heard a wild laughter. Roku's friends jested, pointing at him, as he looked defeated.

Before Roku could heal completely, Romeo ran at him. Roku sprung up and spread out his arms, expanding his full body. He jumped into Romeo and covered him up, completely. The Gamblers and everyone gaped, as all they could see was Roku's face. No one could tell how it would end or what was happening at the moment.

"What is he doing?", Kang muttered.

"Just hope he wins this one"

Roku's jaw dropped, followed by a stream of blood. Romeo tore through Roku with his spikes and jumped out, covered in blood and Roku's guts. He picked up his sword, raised Roku's head and sliced into his neck, cutting and cutting, till he cut off Roku's head completely.

He looked up at the crowd around him, breathing heavily, then he focused on the Gamblers. He picked Roku's spear and threw it towards one of the Gamblers.