Chapter 38: First Duel - Part 1
Kir cracked his neck as he took the elevator up to the 80th floor.
A sense of anticipation overtook him as he ascended, his heart beating faster at the prospect of a fight.
It was the fight itself that mattered to him. Not as a proof of his manliness or any such nonsense, but as proof that he belonged here, in this school.
It made him wet his lips in anticipation, realizing that battle, for him at least, came with its own form of lust.
By the time he exited, he had on a wide, villainous smile as he stepped into the arena that only yesterday had been a testing ground.
The raised stone floor was still there, and as he ascended the few steps to it, he saw that the tables and podium had all been put away. The only objects on the stage were a pair of stone pillars, one on Kir's side and the other opposite the stage.
His bully, pun intended, marched up the stage with his two cronies. Kir didn't think much of beefy minion number one, but the skinnier of the two looked much smarter than his boss.
He made a mental note to watch out for that one as he stepped into the stage, noting for the first time that there were plenty of students arriving for the school year's first duel. It would have made him nervous if he thought the three in front of him posed any actual threat.
A sense of hushed anticipation permeated the crowd, and Kir watched as the three boys grandstanded to the audience.