SATURN FIGHTS – PART II

After three hours of waiting, the first of four fights had begun and lasted little about three minutes before the winner came back into the catacombs. The man who came back was known to everyone present. Nol ‘Greedy’ Bazso had already fought and won two times in the Saturn Fights years ago, but he kept on getting caught for numerous crimes. Naturally, a large majority of bettors had put their coins on Bazso winning the fights and rightfully so. His mixture of experience and well-timed brutality gave him an undeniable advantage. Especially because Cal’s physique seemed rather compact and kind of average, in comparison to his adversaries.
Finally, the second fight was over and Cal had to prepare himself for his upcoming battle against the ‘outrageously muscular man’, who had been selected as his opponent. The supervisor had already waited for them to step forward, as they approached him still in restraint. »Weapons?« Cal answered calmly but quickly: »The Electroblade.« The deep and crude voice next to him immediately grunted: »Same.« As the gunsmith attached the additional Photon-Guns to the back of their belts, Cal observed the big man’s hands wielding the electronic blade. In those enormous claws, the blade almost looked like a small dagger. Cal felt a little bit better, his plan seemed to be working.

A few moments later, both fighters walked out into the arena. Cal didn’t notice the roaring noise of the thousands of spectators, because his eyes were locked on the ground of the arena. Probably the most shocking sight he ever had to witness, as his feet had to walk over the force field that closed off the arena from actual space. One outage or a faulty generator and everybody in this area would die almost immediately, but then again, this was Saturn. Just as they reached their designated starting point, Cal’s focus came back to him, and he decided to proceed with his plan: »Come on big boy! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!« His theatrical outburst surprised and infuriated the big man at the same time. Even though they were over 15 meters apart, Cal could feel the man’s heat. He did not like to be shouted at, especially in front of a big crowd.
The light in the arena started to fade into a dark orange theme. After a few seconds, the light slowly turned into a red shimmer, which was the final phase before the lights would turn back on and the show could begin. Cal tried to stay as calm as possible, because he knew what was at stake and that there was no room for mistakes. Suddenly, a stunning roar of noise rose from the stands as the lights turned back on and the fighter’s restraints opened simultaneously. His counterpart immediately went for his Photon-Gun to shoot his shot. Luckily, the big man’s heaviness offered Cal enough time to react and dodge the shot with a skilled body roll to the side. With no time to spare, the man charged at him with heavy steps of rage followed by an uncontrolled overhead strike, nearly missing Cal’s body as he rolled away once more. The big man turned around and went for another blow. Cal, back on his feet, evaded the first, then a second and a third blow in a quick sequence, all by keeping him at a safe enough distance. Then he used the small perimeter of movement he had, to make a step forward and insert his blade into the uncovered lower torso of the man. Cal immediately saw, smelled and heard the sizzling wound, as the screams of surprised spectators blended in with the final cry of his dying opponent.