content warnings: extreme gore!! (blood, breaking bones, exposed flesh etc..)
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‘And here he is gentlemen and under city residents!' The voice gargled through the megaphones into the dome stage, booming over the screaming crowd. '...our competitor Kurzol!' A gargled grunt followed the announcement slouching itself into the opposing archway. Knuckles grazed the ground as he stomped through, arms longer than him, covered in dirt and poor tattoos. He turned to the unruly crowd and released a chesty roar with his boulder chest raised.
Drinks of sully yellow lager sloshed into the air and tickets whipped into piles . Dirty exchanges began of money and goods. Tickets between bookie and bettor. Owner, ringleader and runner Zilo laughed, juices seeping from the cracked sides of his mouth, as he looked down at his top fighters competition. Vi ripped the last sealed bandage with her teeth, throwing the roll to the side and leaned back against cold concrete in the dark corner. The last competitors blood was now stained and dried into the white fabric on her waist and just from the corner of her eye, Vi could witness his steel metal arm still sitting at the base of the dome wall.
Tonight was a late week triple royale consisting of bloodbath fights and one big cash prize. The pit was getting busier and busier as Piltover descended into turmoil, more people precarious from the events up top came to the pit, spent their family working cash just to witness the carnage of the underworld trench. It was easy money for Violet and a simple way of living. The boom of the crowd, the chaos of the punches and the anarchy of the combat. The dirt grit of each round leaving its mark on her through gash, knuckle velvet bruises, flesh exposed skin and mind numbing head shots.
I mean, who could ever hear their own thoughts through all of that?
When they were particularly loud in the beginning, Vi used to lose on purpose. She used to crave the numbness of her rose head crashing against the hard concrete knocking her mind straight out. She was eager and addicted.
After some amount of time however, she became Zilos best and his sure win. As the crowd continued bellowing he turned to her corner. With one bony hand his glass of ale raised towards her splashing his mob and the other hand, its purple dry thumb showed a slight subtle thumbs up of silent agreement. He cackled, rolling his fat body around in his chair, flashing his shimmer filled eyes and taking a large bite of rotten stink cod still left in his mouth. Violet sniffed, securing her bandage and slowly raised from her chair.
With another showcase roar raising his trunk arms, the towering beast finally turned and the bell clanged, nearly drowned by the disorderly crowd. Vi faced her opponent as he grunted, his smiled flashing the few teeth he had left to the above mass of mob, soaking them in.
He didn't stand a chance.
Before he could even consider his fighters presence Violet sunk her fresh wrap knuckle in the deep sink of his left jaw. The impact was instant, his body followed his head sending it into the far wall. Vi could feel the addicting crack of bone in her fingertips and the blood pumping in her ears. She felt that sweet sickly high and let it lapse over her.
As the troll collapsed against the far wall he let out a curdling screech. He immediately scrambled and raised himself, his jaw swinging loose from the fresh broken bone . He instantly gunned for her thudding his fat feet against the floor.
The first punch was always like poking the bear. Like a slow rhythmic dance, playing with her food. A flow of prodding and teasing until you could see the blind white rage in their eyes and deliver the final blow. It was fucking euphoric.
Violet considered losing this one but recently Zilo's taken attention to her and his rewards were too great to refuse. The cash wasn't the interest to her, money had no relevance. One thing Zilo had down here, something Vi held years ago, was connections. Through a few exchanged words with his henchmen Violet could gather all the words she'd be craving for months. Delicate sweet rare information on her.
Her love, her torment, her who filled her mind with obsessive sick thoughts of seeing that face again. The person whose betrayal stung so deep in her core she couldn’t breathe. Not until she had a strong drink.
Vi had reached a stage of acceptance months ago. An acceptance that this was her life now. Fighting was a good mind numbing diversion however she itched for a whisper, even a tease, of her previous life. Any rumor of blue up top and Violet lapped it up.
These conversations usually occurred after post fight drinking with her companion Loris. Loris was gentle, something Vi needed right now, not that she would admit that fact.
Violet bounced on her feet and instantly dodged the fat ogre that was bounding for her. He was boring her and she wanted to end this quick if she was going to make last call at the tavern. She had gained a sudden devotion to her nightly post fight drinks with Loris and well, she wouldn't want to let him down.
In one quick swivel she bounced and twisted to make another gut wrenching blow into the side of the trolls head. His jaw swung finally disconnecting and sliding to the wall, with a few incisors following it. Blood was sprayed across her good pants and began pooling out of the giants face, from which part you couldn't tell. His face was a black mass of deep seething blood. She felt it in her feet when his fat body collided with the concrete.
Different groans and cheers erupted in the crowd, Zilo was cackling manically as he took his winnings from the gang around him before waving Vi off, signaling she was done for tonight. She sighed stepping over her opponents twitching body and collecting her belongings in the corner. Her head pounded as the crowd still bellowed around her.
It was tiny it was minuscule but she caught it.
Vi's head whipped around fast towards the left stands. The small flash of cobalt blue hair amongst the crowd was enough to send Violet west, send her mind spiralling. She twitched for a fleeting glimpse of that face to be sitting amongst the mob. Her eyes whipped manically and her heart pounded in her hollow chest. But after a few moments all they laid upon was shimmer undercity junkies prancing grabbing and roaring at each other, ready for the next fight.
This phenomenon wasn't new, Violet stopped trusting her mind long ago. Her sanity was fleeting she had felt this before. Years of isolation in prison rubbed her mind and body raw and this sensation became familiar. However this time, she felt like she was in withdrawal. Her mind craved a glimmer of her past, any glimpse of her. It itched and scratched and she saw that fucking gorgeous face everywhere.
After treacherous working nights when Vi let herself close her eyes, she would feel Caitlyn's graze on her cheek begging and teasing her to open them. Sometimes after pounding drinks that evening she would reach for her in response, only to be met with the rotting mattress and stale icy air.
In the dark she could hear her across the room. In that fucking top side tone.
“Fuck!” She would yell and collide her knuckles with the headboard.
She let herself listen though. She was terrified to lose the sound of her voice.
Even sleep wasn't safe. I don't think Vi had gotten more than a couple of hours for months. She always woke frantic, on edge. And then willed her body to go back to sleep so she could see her again.
She swore she saw a glimpse of blue in that crowd. But again, Violets mind had betrayed her a long time ago.
The crowds ear numbing roars followed Violet as she lumbered through the exit tunnel, trying to hold on to that merage of flashing blue.
'I need a fucking drink' she thought almost instantly.
thanks for reading! let me know if you want a part 2!