The next twenty minutes were filled with flamboyant flips, sensational strikes, and thrilling throws. The six friends felt that they were putting on one of the best fighting shows they had ever performed. Reflecting on it later, they would believe that it was because they were doing it entirely for themselves and not to entertain the rest of the townsfolk. There is just something about doing something entirely out of the love of the activity and with people that you care deeply about that makes it that much more exceptional.
Kre was pausing to take a breather after Pete and Cal teamed up to pin him down, forcing him out. Sy had Landar in a guillotine style neck hold with one arm and had a hold of Geoffrey’s wrist with her other. In between her taunts of “Take that quill boy!” and “Why’re you hitting your friend?”, she was forcing Geoffrey to punch Landar on the top of his head. Eventually, Landar won the next round and he and Geoffrey were tossing Sy back and forth like a sack of potatoes.
As Kre started to stalk back into the ring, he caught a glimpse of reflected torchlight from someone standing next to the crate, just outside of their little arena. He changed his course and jogged over to greet their bystander.
“Evening Jem,” he smiled.
“Kre,” she returned curtly. She narrowed her eyes just a bit at the antics occurring behind Kre’s head. Jem didn’t exactly despise the event per se but she certainly didn’t understand the appeal of it.
“I didn’t see you at the Lodge earlier. I wasn’t sure if you were still mad about… you know.”
The look on Jem’s face told Kre that she did know and that she was still probably a little upset by whatever it was. Jem was another friend of Kre’s whose family was part of the military. Most of the Milo region had some sort of connection to the military given the region’s reputation as still being part of the unsettled frontier. She and Syonette didn’t get along too terribly well either, with Sy being more of the tomboyish beauty and Jem being an artistic soul wishing she were somewhere other than this provincial little village.
“Um…” Kre pressed impatiently, stealing a glance at the fracas behind him. “Did you have something specific you wanted to talk about?”
She paused for a moment, with her lips moving slowly as if trying to find a word, before she simply shook her head. “No, not really. I was actually just walking around when I heard the commotion and found you guys here doing… this.”
Kre placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head, “Jem, you shouldn’t walk around at night alone. Especially not after, well…”
“Not after some local murderer was released on his own parole?” she smirked.
“Not funny,” Kre muttered.
“Kinda funny,” Jem retorted. It was an old banter between the two of them and it let Kre know that they were back in their usual swing, despite the prank he and the other guys had played on her just a week prior.
“Jem, I gotta…” he offered weakly.
“I know. You and your little fight club. Well, glad I got to see you before they sent you away.” She wouldn’t look him in the eyes which somewhat indicated to Kre that her eyes might be a little misty. His own were starting to get a little hazy and he know that if he didn’t do something foolishly distracting, like jump back into a pretend skirmish, he might actually tear up a little.
“Kre!” came a shout from behind them. “Think you can keep me from my birthright?”
Kre turned and they both caught sight of Pete, now shirtless and with some colored paints smeared across his chest and face. He carried a long wooden torch in each hand and used them to gesture around himself. “I have laid waste to this field of challengers. Now it comes to you and me, as has always been foreseen in the prophecy. To the winner, goes the world.”
“Impressive,” Jem breathed softly. Kre wasn’t sure if she was referring to Pete’s showmanship or his half-dressed state. Regardless, he was impressed by the extra effort Pete was putting into this event.
“Child of rot,” Kre called back in a sort of chanting intonation using the made-up insults they had made up some time ago. “Flee before me before I wipe you from existence.” He turned away from Jem and started to take slow steady steps back into the circle of torchlight.
Pete laughed in a slow exaggerated way, “None shall flee this arena. Only death can save you now.” With that, he threw one of the torches to Kre and started to spin the other one around his body in a seemingly dangerous show of fire and menace.