Gods of Arena

"Kabir!", Jae walked out of his room, howling. "Kabir!!.... Kang, have you seen Kabir?"

"You think I'll let you kill someone?", Kang replied in a carefree tone. "I don't even know who bears the name"

"Fuck off!", Jae said and kept looking around. "Kabir! Come out now. If I have to find you myself, I swear I will shove your head in your throat" Kang walked into the room. "Hey, Crane. What's up?", he said and jumped on the bed.

"Nothing's up. I want to start training", he replied.

"Hmm... alright. We should get to the gym before breakfast. Just one hour left"

"Kabir!!!!!"

"Shut the fuck up! Damn!", Kabir retorted, as he stepped out of the bathroom. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?!... What did you do with my lube?"

"What did I do with your lube? Dummy, I never touch your lube", Kabir replied, walking to the room. "Get out of my face"

"Come back here, dumbass", Jae pulled him back. "Take another step and I will stuff your breathing holes with rock. You want to dare me?" "What do you want, Jae?"

"I need another lube and you're going to get it.... 'cause somebody exhausted my lubricant and it's not me but it's definitely someone"

Kang and Crane stepped out of the room and walked into the gym, ignoring the two of them. "You're not going to bully me, Jae. If you really need a lubricant so badly, just use your spit instead of wasting it all over my face" Crane laughed, as they stepped into the gym. "What does he need a lubricant for?"

"Trust me. You never want to find out"

****

"Carmichael!", King called, loudly, approaching him. "Open the door to the Grimm's cage and get me the captain"

Carmichael nodded and opened the door, heading out immediately. King walked in and stared into the cage. A standing dog, like the Night Hound, with one large eye on it's face, stared back at him. "You want something now?" "Have you been communicating with the Grimms?", King asked. "I have a feeling you've been sending messages to them from here"

"We are not so advanced and you know that", the Grimm replied, indifferently. "Are you in trouble or something?"

"No but you might be in trouble if you don't tell me what is happening now"

"Me? I don't even know what you are talking about"

A soldier walked in. "King".

"I just checked one of the reports and it's recent", King said to the soldier. "It's recent and strategic. It's only possible if someone is communicating with them from here... or they have someone working for them amidst us" "We will get the Grimm to talk"

"You should do that... and make sure you investigate the doctors, the cleaners and your men. If you suspect anyone to be giving us away, bring him or her to me immediately"

"Yes, sir", the soldier saluted, as King turned walking away.

"You won't find anything!", the Grimm said. "They don't have your time and they will never come for me... You better check yourselves for whoever is playing the prank!"

The soldier left, after the king.

****

"that's if you can catch me", Kang said, excitedly, running up the stairs, as Crane ran after him.

"Come on!"

Kang stopped, abruptly, staring at a passage. Just like the one in the hall, the fighters were not able to walk through. That was where he caught Dea and Jin in a conversation; the same place Ana caught the two of them. "Hello?", Ana waved at him.

"What are you doing here?", Kang asked.

Crane smiled, as he saw her. "Hi, Ana!"

"Keep your voice down", she said. "Come closer"

"Do you need our help with something?", Kang asked. "Or you're here for something special?"

"No. I came to see you"

"You don't want to come to the room so we can sit and talk?", Kang asked. "How did you know we would be here?"

"I was watching... I can't come in. They must not see us talking so I'll just stand here", Ana said. "Can Crane excuse us, please?"

Crane faked a smile and walked away. "Alright. Good luck", he said.

"Is there a problem?", Kang asked and stepped closer.

"Sincerely, I only came here because I got bored", she said. "The soldiers have been finding notes and signs of an impending attack by the Grimms" "Grimms?"

"Yes. That was what Jin was being prepared for. Now that he's not here, someone has to stand up and protect us", Ana said.

"Protect us? I'm pretty sure many of us will be glad that this place is going down. How do you expect to find one among us willing to fight for you?" "We don't need all the fighters. We need the strongest"

"And I'm supposed to find the strongest?"

Ana stepped closer but she made sure she was still covered in the shade. "I have a feeling you are already with the strongest"

"Who? Crane?"

"Yes. Now, this is not about you convincing him to fight for us. You have to teach him to learn his Shin Zhu before it's too late for any of us"

Kang sighed. "Okay. I hope you are right about the Shin Zhu thing. You're going to do something for me too"

"What is that?"

"You will be the one to convince him to fight for it", Kang said. "He likes you"

She stared back at him and a smile slowly carved on her face. "Teach him to control his Shin Zhu first", she said and turned. "Aargh!"

A one-eyed dog jumped at her, pushing her down, immediately she turned. The dog zoomed in, madly shoving Kang aside, as it ran around in the hall. "Fuck!", Kang muttered, breathing heavily. "What was that?"

"That's a Grimm. It has escaped!", she muttered, getting up slowly, and staring with a look of horror at the footpath she had left behind.

Kang looked up at the ceilings. The lights turned red and started blinking. Then the irritating emergency sounds blared through the speakers. He put his hands bon his ears and glanced at her face. "What's going to happen? How dangerous is it?"

"I led it here", she muttered and ran back

He stretched his hand out, testing whether the invisible barrier was still standing in the passage. His hand was bounced back by the bubble.

Crane stepped out of the room and glanced at the blinking red lights on the ceilings. Apart from the horribly disturbing noises emitting from the speakers, the blinking lights would be dangerous, especially if he was about to get attacked. A punch would go straight to his face and, before he could raise his head to look at the attacker, the lights would be off. When the lights come on again, another punch would have landed on him. He looked around. He couldn't see any problem..... except many of the other fighters walking out of their rooms to check the same thing. His eyes met with Jae's. He pushed the door with his back and walked back in, closing the door.

"What the hell is that?", Jae asked, loudly.

Everyone else was busy staring at the ceilings too. They stepped back, as the dog-like creature jumped into the hall. "Isn't that the thing that small guy fought with on the Arena?", one of them suggested. They all stood still, watching the Grimm as it crawled slowly, looking at all of them viciously.

"That one didn't have an eye", Jae noted, as he clenched his fist and turned it into stone.

The Grim growled and charged. "Challenge accepted!", the Grimm said and stood on two legs, growing bigger and muscular.

"Damn me", Jae muttered and stepped closer. "Come at me, you frea-"

The Grimm swung it's arm at his head, slamming him against the wall. Jae stood up quickly and made his stone fist bigger, jumping at the Grimm with a swing. The Grimm held his hand and his shoulder, holding him in the air, and slammed him on the wall. The Grimm growled and opened it's mouth wide. He was going to bite Jae's head off. Jae shook his head, turning it into rock quickly.

"Stand down!", a voice emitted from the speakers, as soldiers started rushing in through the passage with guns.

The Grimm dropped Jae on the ground and shrunk back to it's initial size.

****

King rarely called her to his office but she was back there again. The last person she called is nowhere to be found. Her heart pounded heavily and she was almost sure it was obvious on her chest, as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She tried to fix the look on her face but she only ended up twitching.noveldrama

"What's it, Ana? I can almost hear you breathe", King said, wearing a serious blank face, as he took a seat in front of her. "Why are you scared?"

"I'm not scared", she muttered.... But the break in her voice betrayed her. She was obviously nervous.

"Come on, tell me", King said and smiled, as he poured a drink for himself. "The last time you were here, you were furious and you wanted to do something irrational. I only called you to ask for your opinion" "On what, sir?"

"Before we get to that, let's talk about why you are scared", he said and sat up. "So what is it that you are hiding?"

"No- Nothing, sir"

"The Grimm got into the hall. Anyone would believe it got in there through the direct front passage, right?..... But it didn't", King said. "There was no way it found it's way to the back without being led by someone....or something. What were you doing in the back entrance?"

"I'm sorry. I was bothered and I was just taking a walk", Ana blurted. "I didn't know my shoes would leave a track behind"

"It's alright. I want to have an epic match and I was thinking we should bring the Blank into the game with a top-tier... You wanted him dead, anyway"

"Right... but I don't think it's a really good idea yet"

"Really, what do you think?"

"I think, since it's going to be a bet, we should make them doubt the two or trust the two", Ana said, confidently. "They gave him a name after the first fight. I'm sure they love him already and they will want to watch him win. I bet they will all vote for him. That can be profitable for us, only if he loses.... That will be a huge loss if he wins"

"So what do you suggest we do with him then?"

"Let's make him a show, instead", Ana replied. "Whenever you'll make him fight, make them pay to watch him. Trust me. A lot of them will turn up."

"And now that we have to present a fight to them and it has to be an exciting one, what do you suggest we do?"

"I think we should pitch two popular top-tiers against each other"

"That would be a good idea if you gave a reasonable example, Ana", King said and stood up. The wry smile on his face showed he liked the idea. He was hoping the suggestion would impress him more.

Ana smiled back at him, as though her idea would give him the satisfaction he obviously sought. "Dan and Jae"