Armored Passion | The Mandalorian

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"Let's go, pretty boy!" 

The guy in front of me snarls with an obvious distaste for me as he tries to punch my face, but I effortlessly slip the punch and whip my hands to cup the back of his neck. Once I get a hold of him with my fingers practically digging into the skin of his neck, I bring my knee to his ribs while yanking him down. 

He hunches over in pain, giving me the opening that I've been waiting for this whole fight. I bring my elbow down on his shoulder blades, forcing him to drop down to the ground with a loud slam. I lift my boot and press the thick sole down onto the back of his thick neck, making sure he stays down on the nasty floor of the slightly padded fighting ring. 

Though I had been dodging most of my opponent's attacks, he had managed to knock me in the nose earlier on in the match and my eyes were involuntarily starting to water. It's not that the hit actually hurt me, it was just my body's way of reacting to that kind of hit. And let me tell you, it's a little annoying when you're trying to look tough in front of a roaring crowd that's making bets about whether or not you'll win the match. 

I could feel the slight flow of blood trickling from my nose, the sticky red liquid running over my lips. I smile, not caring that the red substance was probably staining my teeth as I looked down at the man beneath me. 

He suddenly reaches back and swipes my foot off of the back of his sweaty neck while rolling onto his side. He grabs onto my other ankle before completing his full rotation, easily whipping my feet off of the ground and forcing me to slam down on my back. The wind instantly gets knocked out of me and my head roughly slams against the floor. I groan out in pain and slowly let my head lull over to the side for a moment. 

The screams and cheers from the large crowd muffle in my ears, becoming fuzzy for my mind as my eyes started to focus in on someone who was sitting near the edge of the ring. My breath hitches and my brows furrow, my mind wondering if I were really seeing what I thought I was seeing. 

I spot a familiar glint of a beskar helmet and I couldn't figure out whether I had hit my head too hard or if my eyes were actually processing the scene in front of me correctly. I tilt my head up to get a better look, but a harsh punch to my jaw brings me back to the actual reality I was currently stuck in. 

The screams and cheers of the crowd quickly resurface in my head, the noise flooding back into my ears. I focus back on the fight, knowing that it wouldn't be good for anyone if I actually lost this fight just because I thought I was seeing things. 

Something sharp and cold slices through the skin of my right arm, making me yelp and look back towards my opponent who was towering right over me. I send him a harsh glare as he smirks down at me, holding a shiny knife in his hand. 

"Looks like we're not complying with the no knives rule, huh?" I spit at him, watching him skillfully twirl the knife between his thick yet nimble fingers. His free hand drives down to punch me again, but I move my head to the side to slip his next attack. I clamp down on his arm, blocking his leg and flipping him right over. 

I straddle him and trap his torso between my knees, driving my fists down and smashing my knuckles against his face before he had another chance to use the knife in his hand. I keep going and going, continuing even past the point of him falling limp. The knife slips away from his fingertips, flopping down onto the padded floor. 

Unfortunately, passionate brutality is the only thing that really raises the number of credit-bets I get. So for the sake of my bank account's sustainability, a few more seconds of heavy punching won't hurt. 

Well, it might hurt him. 

A blaster suddenly goes off and the bolt just barely grazes the skin of my neck, leaving a small burn on my smooth olive-brown skin. I instantly reel away and loop up to see the whole crowd scrambling out of the large fight club. There were practically fleeing from the building and from the rickety stands they had all been perched upon like vultures to watch the perilous fight in front of them.