Ball of Nothing

Truen didn't know why he felt like a son going to school with his embarrassing family on meet-the-parents day. Dwayne didn't come along for obvious reasons. People would go crazy if they saw the strongest man in Deadman Town in the Dirt Ring. Instead, Brutus was assigned the Zero-sitting duty. Bob was tucked away nicely in Zero's shirt and Jermine held the doctor's hand so that they wouldn't be separated in the crowd. Truen walked ahead of them and Brutus followed behind Zero who tugged on Truen's sleeve so that they formed a mini conga line.

It was the finals for this season's matches in the Dirt Ring. Naturally, there were plenty of people curious to see the two new semi-finalists fighting for the championships. One of them was a very famous guest who frequented Deadman Town with the reputation of ripping wyvern wings like paper and playing with emperor scythe scorpions. The other was an elf who made the notorious Griffin punch himself two hundred and eighteen times in the face until he was completely disfigured. Against each other, nobody could tell who was going to win.

Desert Lily was also here to watch the match. As the one who helped Truen arrange his match, the assassin guild's leader felt the need to be responsible for the outcome of the match. If Truen wins, she has her men around to help the elf make a safe get away from all the attention. If the elf lost, she had the mission to protect Zero and bring the younger brother to a safe place until Truen returned. Monoman wouldn't let Truen so quickly if he won. There were things the two men had to negotiate.

"Alright, this is where we split. I'll see you after the match. Remember, if there are people from Black Mamba coming to escort you, ask them for their badges before you follow them. Brutus, I trust that you can differentiate the real from the fake. Desert Lily is my ally, for now. I don't know what's going to happen after the match but I assume that Monoman is not going to let me leave that easily regardless of the outcome."

Zero nodded. "Don't worry about us," the doctor smiled. "Have fun!"

Shaking his head with a fond smile, Truen left to get ready in the waiting room before the match. Only Zero would tell someone to have fun in a fight ring.

Brutus led the way to their reserved spots in the Dirt Ring and Zero had to admit, the venue wasn't as grand as he imagined it to be. Jermine couldn't see what was going on but she sensed that there were many people underneath the ring. Bob simply ignored everyone and took a nap in Zero's shirt. Despite having the heat-regulating bracelet, the sun was getting to him.

The Dirt Ring was simply marked out by some pummelled rocks lining the perimeter. It wasn't even a ring, it was a rectangular shape with four entrances. The ground was full of red sun and dirt whenever someone walked across it. The cleaners were doing their best to pull away unconscious opponents of the previous matches and Zero suddenly had a realisation that the colour of this sand might not be natural.

The viewing area for those with reservations was at the very front, nearest to the action. Here, slabs of stone were cut and roughly put together into what would appear as benches. Brutus, Zero and Jermine were ushered to one of the reserved seats together with a few dangerous-looking individuals.

Seeing that Jermine was stiff with fear from being in a place full of dangerous people, Zero offered to sit at her other side so that the girl was sandwiched between him and Brutus. He hoped that this made her feel safer.

With only fifteen minutes left before the match started, the Dirt Ring was becoming noisy and the sun burned down mercilessly on Brutus, making the stoic ex-mercenary sweat profusely. Zero took pity on the stablehand and secretly cast a temporary heat-regulating spell. Almost immediately, Brutus felt relief even if he didn't understand what just happened.

"Brutes and crooks!" the announcer shouted and the rowdy crowd cheered. "The long-awaited match between two very dangerous individuals and the strongest of this season's champions!"

Zero clapped and Jermine dumbly followed his example. Someone overly excited from the standing area behind them threw a rock towards the ring but fell short and the rock fell towards Jermine's direction. Brutus noticed it too late and was one step slower to react but Zero easily pulverised that rock with his transformed tonfa. He glared at the poor sod responsible as a warning and the crowd quietened down a little around their area. Brutus apologised but Zero shook his head with a warm smile before returning to the exciting match.

As the announcer went over the achievements of the match contestants, Zero wondered if Truen would be alright. Monoman the Mammoth sounded like a tough person to be able to rip wyvern wings out. In Zero's mind, Monoman must be a metal machine or a tough man encased in muscles.

His expectations were dashed when The Mammoth made his appearance. Monoman had a reddish-orange hair that was rough and tangled, reaching past his shoulders. He had a long and scruffy beard matching his hair's length and for some reason, he was looking right at Zero. The doctor looked behind him to check if the Mammoth was looking at someone else but there was nobody else in that direction apart from him. Zero felt slightly uneasy with that intense stare but he was saved when Truen made his appearance on the other side of the ring.

Zero cheered loudly for Truen and screamed "Truen I love you!" much to the archer's embarrassment. Sure, he loved Zero too in a brotherly manner but having that declaration heard so loudly in front of a few hundred bloodthirsty thugs was a whole new level of awkward. Only Desert Lily found it amusing. The brothers were truly cute together and she could finally understand why Truen had such a bad brother complex.

The announcer finished his introduction and this was when the atmosphere changed. The rowdy crowd died down and Monoman finally turned his focus to his opponent. Truen also took his eyes away from Zero and focussed on his competitor after giving Desert Lily a look. It was finally time to fight.