The two men went to the center of the ring, and the crowd fell silent. Chaghan rose from his position seated on the ground with his back to his tent. He looked over both men and then gave a solemn nod of his head before returning to his seat.
The two faced off, bowed and then lowered themselves into low stances.
I didn't want to care about what happened. But I didn't want Batu to die, either. He shouldn't become the next name on the list of people around me to suffer, and I wasn't looking forward to another layer of guilt.
I didn't deserve to have someone fighting for me. I had done so much harm in my first adventure …
My thoughts were soon dashed when the giant landed his first punch against Batu. The solid smack of fist on flesh made me flinch. I had never seen a fight, aside from glimpsing UFC matches while flipping through television channels. There was a reason I never stopped to watch; I didn't care for violence, especially something this brutal.
I was soon immersed in the battle before me. It stretched longer than I expected, with the two men sometimes locking up in wrestling moves before one of them broke free and they began beating on each other with such ferocity, I started to feel sick and couldn't always look. Batu was as quick to react as he was thick, which seemed to be his only real advantage, aside from apparently taking a beating pretty well. Every time the giant knocked him down, he bounded to his feet as if he hadn't just been smashed by a three hundred pound rock.
The giant went down less often, but when he did, struggled to recover. Batu was more of a gentleman and let his opponent get to his feet before continuing. At first, I thought this considerate in his unique way, until I realized one of them had to die before this was over.
Tense enough for my neck and chest to ache, I watched the giant draw first blood while Batu landed more direct punches. They locked up in mid-grapple on the ground once more, both of their chests heaving. Sweat and dirt coated their bodies. The men around us were cheering, some for Batu and some for the giant, while Khulutei remained stoic and tense beside me.
"Batu is hurt," he said for my ears only.
I peered more closely at my guardian, unable to see what Khulutei did. "They're both bloody," I said.
"Batu is favoring his right arm. It is likely broken."
"Broken?" I identified which arm was his in the tangled limbs of the warriors. It looked fine to me, and it was currently wrapped around the giant's neck. His expression was that of someone in extreme concentration, not pain that I could tell. The blood of both men was mixed and smeared everywhere, though I didn't see anything like a bone piercing his skin. "Are you sure?"