"Here," I said, handing Gelda one of those huge swirly lollipops you often see at carnivals. "I told you I'd get you one, didn't I?" The young blond girl didn't immediately answer, she stared at me as if I had just asked for her hand in marriage or something equally ridiculous. She opened and closed her mouth several times before timidly asking:
"F–for me?"
Her accent was heavy as she spoke the few Deci words she knew.
"I don't see another Gelda here," I insisted, smiling at her disbelief. Gelda was an orphan from the south who had been brought to Deci during the Second Southern Purge. Her family hadn't been very rich in the south and her situation only got worse when her parents died of an illness.
She hesitantly reached out to take the treat I offered her and took a small taste. She couldn't help but hum in delight upon tasting such a thing for the first time.
"Thank you!" She said in Deci, though, if I hadn't been spending as much time with her, it would've been hard to tell.
Only after waiting for her to finish the oversized sweet did I lead her back to the tent we had built together not far from a police station. It was made out of stray metal beams and wires but it held up pretty nicely. I bent down to be eye to eye with the blue eyed orphan, "I'll be gone for a little, okay? Do you remember what I told you to do if you're ever in danger?"
Gelda nodded her head, "I have to go to the …"
"Police station,"
"Yes, police station! I have to go there and ask for help!" She said, delighted that she had properly remembered my instructions.
"And if you can't make it to the police station?" I asked.
Gelda took out a card from one of her pockets. "T-then I use this."
The card seemed to be made out of an illusory black mist. On its surface was a golden outlined pair of lips calling for help. Turning the card over, the word "Thula" could be read.
"I know this word! It means… ummm… help!"
"Exactly, if you ever need help, just say that word."
She once again nodded fervently before entering her tent. Once I had made sure she had enough food, water, and other essentials to last until I returned, I kissed her on the forehead and left for an alley half a kilometer away.
Despite the sun's illumination, the alley was poorly lit, its state worsening upon my entry. At some point in time a misty black card had appeared in my hands, golden symbols and drawings decorating both of its sides.
Parting my lips slightly, I let a single word escape:
"Vanir!"
The card I once held slowly faded, filling the alley with an abyss black mist. My vision was blanketed with a dark veil. Everything around me seemed to shift widely in size and proportion before my vision went fully black.
My body had disappeared from the alley.
…
I took form in a damp room, my figure condensing from the surrounding darkness. I didn't even have time to take in the familiar surroundings when a gruff voice called to me from behind.
"Finally!"
The man who had spoken was none other than James Mario, my boss. His white shirt, decorated with flickering flame patterns, strained against his protruding stomach as he adjusted his beige pants, which sat uncomfortably tight around his waist. He had a dirty blond head of hair and two piercing green eyes, in them seemed to dance the literal avatars of Greed and Gluttony..
A flick of the card once again between my fingers was enough to make me appear behind the criminal.
"Boss," I said with a nod.
"You're late," He growled, irritation radiating from every pore in his fat body. "A little later and I would've had to cancel the match."
I almost sneered. Well, my life doesn't exactly revolve around this godforsaken place…
He ignored my silence. "Any new Nexi?"
Do you think I can just walk into a store and buy one? If that was the case then those pompous pricks in the crowd would all be presidents and governors. If I want a new Nexi then I have to rip it from someone's cold, lifeless hands. And if I fail mine would be up for grabs next, why risk it!
"As if they grew on trees. Even a Tier I could turn some two-bit thug into a one-man crime wave." I spat.
James shrugged, "Fair enough. If you come out of this fight alive then I should be able to get you a new one next week." He took a puff of his cigar and blew the smoke in my face.
"Dan's waiting for you in the changing room, find him."
Cough! Cough!
I hate when he does that! My hands twitched at my side as the thought of strangling my boss flashed through my mind. Luckily, the thought of my empty wallet managed to stop me.
"Fine" I wheezed once the smoke had been cleared from my lungs. My steps hurried toward one of the doors to the left of the caged boxing ring. I reached out for the handle and pushed the door open.
"Took you long enough," Dan said with a smile. His scarred face brought me a comfort that was hard to find in this place.
"Today's fight is a tough one," He said, snapping me out of my comfort. "The person you'll be fighting is known as the Executioner and he has two Nexi, tier I and II, respectively. Under normal circumstances, you should never be fighting him, but seeing as you've won every fight James has put you in he thought it might be time to gamble with your life a little."
On his face was glued a cheeky grin, like one of a friend who was about to do something dumb.
Why are you so casual about this? They're trying to kill me! I couldn't help but lampoon. My life really doesn't matter at all to these people…
"How much?" An opponent with a tier II Nexi was bound to be worth a lot, it almost made the thought of the upcoming death battle bearable.
"You're in luck, this could be a big haul. Including bets and entrance fees as well as the money put forth by both sides, winning this fight means you could walk away with almost 300 Marks"
300 Marks! I almost couldn't believe my ears, three hundred Marks was more than alot of people in Deci made in months. Though the law stated that every Deci citizen had the right to a livable wage, around 500 Marks a month, many people found ways to pay their employees much less. Recent studies even showed that close to 40% of the Deci population had given up on the idea of even earning a measly 60 Marks a month.
My mind was already reeling with thoughts of what I could do with that kind of money. Dan's voice was what snapped me out of my reveries.
"That is under the condition that you come out of this alive. There are no rules here, the guy you're about to fight wouldn't lose anything if he killed you. If he's lucky, he might even gain your Nexi. You're going to need to be prepared."
No sh*t! I thought as I placed myself in a killer's mindset. I put together any relevant info that could help me in this fight to come up with a plan.
There are two main differences between a tier I and a tier II: power and versatility. Tier II's can often be used with more flexibility and pack enough punch to collapse a small building if used properly. On the flip side, that means the drain on their user has to be greater…
Vanir only came with the drawback of minor lightheadedness whenever I teleport, a drawback I had quickly grown accustomed to. In contrast, my opponent was likely to suffer a much harsher punishment from repeated use of their tier II.
This implies that they'll only use it if they absolutely have to…
"Do you know what my opponents Nexi are?" I wasn't too disappointed when Dan shook his head.
Sigh, this is going to suck soo much….
Throwing useless thoughts to the back of my mind, a rough plan had already formed itself in my mind.
"Alright, give me fifteen minutes."
…
The lights almost blinded me as I stepped into the caged boxing ring, the shouts of the crowd only making my anxiety worse. All I could do was take a deep breath while adjusting the loosely fitting shorts I had been given. Their main color was white, but orange and red flames decorated the shorts here and there.
"Prepare yourselves!" A voice boomed from all around.
"Tonight's match is sure to be a lively one, so I hope you're ready for a blood bath!!!!!
"In one corner we have our Fever Dream's very own undefeated, uncontested, DENZEL NIGHTINGALE!
"In the other corner we have the visitor from the east, the man known for his explosive left hook, the EXECUTIONER!"