Infinity's End

Vendetta, Part 2

Within the hour, Drayden found himself back in the same sterile hallway leading to the arena, only this time; a fully armed Theo accompanied him. Understandably, this addition wasn't much for conversation. Couple that with his new-found hostility towards Drayden, and the march to the arena didn't seem much different than going through it alone. And so they walked on, with their heavy boots echoing in the hallway tenfold, neither of them willing to break the fragile pact of silence between them.

In this stale bitterness, Drayden remembered his own first fights in Vendetta. Strangely, it was never his time in the actual arena that stood out to him. All his memories were about this very hallway. This was where you would feel the anticipation before a fight, and where you would feel the glory or remorse afterwards. Never in the arena, but here on these marble tiles. Those feelings had disappeared long ago for Drayden, and a revival of them seemed overdue. Would this be the day those memories returned?

"I got a notification while you were gearing up," Drayden told Theo. "Magnus went on a bit of a streak while we weren't watching. The score is now 23-23. So you know, don't lose."

"I thought you said my death would be inevitable."

"I've changed my mind. If you fight anything like your father, you may just have a chance out there."

"This is a far cry from how you talked to me back in the barracks."

"Look kid, just go out there and give me a good fight. That's all I ask." Theo grunted in response. The newbie should have been trembling in fear, like he was back in the lounge, but now he seemed more annoyed than scared. It was exactly what Drayden wanted. Throughout Theo's entire warm-up, he had turned all of his paranoia and anxiety into a deep, burning hatred for Drayden; a hatred that he would surely release in his upcoming fight. The Demon of Vendetta knew the workings of a man, and as such he could manipulate them when he saw it fit. Theo, although young, would be no exception.

The two turned and walked down a corridor that branched off to the right of the exit tunnel and the paramedics. Up a short flight of stairs lay a large circular gate leading into the arena. It was still closed, which confused Drayden. Theo was registered to go next, so it should have opened as soon as they got near it. Frustrated, he pulled his cell phone out of his jacket and dialed a number quickly.

"Oi, Wilson! You there?"

"Yeah chief. I hear you loud and clear. What do you need?"

"Why in hell's name is the gate not open? The match before this one is over, right?"

"The match is over, but there're still escorting Isabelle off the arena. It's taking a lot longer than anyone anticipated."

"Escorting her off? What the hell's wrong with her?"

"It's hard to tell, but from the looks of it, she went into shock after she killed her opponent."

"She went into shock just by killing someone? I mean, I knew she was weak, but seriously?" Theo looked at Drayden worriedly. He had raised his voice more than he had meant to again. Calming himself down, he listened to what Wilson had to say.

"It was clear that Magnus was outmatched from the very start. Isabelle crippled their fighter quickly with arrows to the legs. That Magnus fighter must not feel pain, because he kept going at it regardless of his injuries. Isabelle could have ended it at any time, but she simply kept him at bay with non-lethal shots until he was a human porcupine. The crowd wouldn't let her end it though. She screamed at them until her lungs gave out, but they weren't going to have this round go without blood. Honestly, it was difficult to watch."

"But Isabelle killed the guy eventually, right?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Once she realized she wasn't leaving without one of them dead, she started to look faint. She was stumbling and shaking all over. The Magnus psycho charged her as his last resort, and she was forced to fire a point blank shot straight at his heart. Isabelle managed to stand a few seconds more with her bow in hand, but she fell to the ground trembling after that. Since then the paramedics have been attaching all sorts of IVs to her, trying to heal her enough to escort her off."