Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 68: Hidden Moves (party 10)

As Laz finally got on stage after talking of his shoes, shirt and jacket, all he could hear was the crowd. Many people were betting against him as they didn't think he had what it took to beat the killer he would be facing. There was also discussion going around about why this fight was taking place as many assumed that other fighters would do better from the crowd who seemed one part horny and one part blood thirsty. Several hostesses were going around and quietly giving some bullshit reason for it, but Laz didn't even bother to listen to it. Pretty soon, his opponent was on the stage across from him.

The only one who didn't bothering questioning this was Tommy. He could figure out pretty quickly that it was probably something the old man had arranged after watching him fight. He knew that the only reason he would do this was because the old man felt that none of the other fighters were worthy. Jesse didn't care either way but Annie was looking on with die hard fervor.

"Your not going to have him killed are you? That would be such a waste," she commented while looking over at Tommy. Tommy, who was still in the middle of of being forcefully ridden by his one pet, just looked over at the girl who had just closed her legs but was still getting her feet licked.

"Does it really matter? Besides, you of all people should understand that in a situation like this, the best thing to show power is to be able to kill someone who disrespects you. These aren't like the times back when our parents could easily make someone disappear. Nowadays, people are to soft to do that. And besides, it's a lot easier to notice when someone goes missing. I don't even know who this fucker is, but I bet he isn't important. Therefore, he makes the perfect little promotional piece for this party. Honestly, I should thank that bitch, Karen, the next time I see her. She delivered me the perfect little sacrifice." Tommy was grinning like an idiot as he thought things through and started to get excited. He also finally started to get into the action of the girl on top of him. Wrapping his hands around his pet's waist, he forcefully slammed her down onto his hard member as the once gentle sounds became slaps of flesh against flesh. After only a few moments, he finished inside of her and threw her to the floor before cleaning himself up and calling for a drink. He didn't want to be distracted from the up coming entertainment.

Annie on the other hand, just sat there as calm as could be. Had one not been watching, they would never have guessed she was just going at herself like a dog in heat. If anything, she started to give off a somewhat cold vibe after being somewhat brushed off by Tommy.

Surprisingly, Jesse actually opened his eyes at this moment, as though he felt something while taking a look at her. Annie was just watching the stage somewhat casually, basically ignoring Alex who seemed to really be enjoying his 'treat,' but she now seemed to be giving off waves of coldness. Jesse spent a few moments observing her before smiling a bit and closing his eyes. He was the only one who knew what he was thinking.

Laz stood on stage while facing Smiles. Even with the mask on his face, Laz couldn't help but think that this guy was actually smiling quite stupidly. Interestingly enough, even though Smiles had removed his shirt to show off his well toned and tanned muscles, Laz had this feeling like he was hiding something. There was very little reason for why he felt like this, but it almost seemed like Smiles was moving his arms stiffly, like he was holding something in his palm that he didn't want to let go of.

The judge quickly called for the match to begin as the cheers rocked the open hall. It was at this point that Kennedy had reached the exit as she ran swiftly up to the security there.

"Hurry up and move, I left most of my cash in the car and this match is going to be an easy pay off." Immediately, Kennedy used the lines she had planned with Laz. Apparently, this wasn't the first time this had happened, despite the small number of fights, so the guards gave way quickly, leaving Kennedy to walk outside in a swift manner. Although she was on her way to the bike, she couldn't help but glance back at the massive building every time she heard a cheer and cringe a bit. She couldn't help but lower her head and pray for his safety, even as a few tears escaped from down her face.

As Laz faced Smiles, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. As it stood, he knew this guy was no pushover. If you add up every fight that Laz has been in so far, never once has he fought someone who could be considered skilled. All the same, he wasn't going to back down.

Something Laz noticed while training the other night was that he didn't feel pressure while fighting. Minus the monster that was Joey, but that was a different kind of pressure. It's like the difference between seeing a truck racing towards you and being surrounded by a hungry pack of wolves. At least, as far as the truck is concerned, you can dive out of the way at the right time. As long as you stay moving, you will be impossible to hit. When you are surrounded however, there is no place to go. If Laz was going to choose what described this current pressure, it was definitely like he was surrounded.

For a brief moment, nothing was said as both fighters just looked at one another. The crowd was somewhat hushed at this point as it seemed as though everyone was focused on the stage. Smiles ended up moving towards Laz first. At most, the two men were about 30 feet apart, but Smiles just took on slow step after another towards Laz. Laz didn't move, but just stood there and watched. If anything, he was a bit excited. In truth, since he had no experience fighting, he thought this was the perfect time to learn. Of course, had Kennedy known his thoughts while she was outside worrying about her, who knows what her reaction would be.

As Smiles got to within a foot of Laz, he tilted his head, as though he was confused. After all, this was suppose to be a fight, yet so far all this guy did was stand there and not move. Unfortunately, because of the masks they were both wearing, there was little that could be read off a person. In Laz's case, he was either scared solid or completely unconcerned, Smiles just had no idea which.

Without warning, Smiles turned around quickly and swept a leg at Laz's head. Due to Laz's senses, he was able to see this move coming and just backed away a slight bit. The problem came the next second as despite the kick missing, Smiles was able to extend his other leg while supporting himself with his arms and kick straight at Laz's leg. The result was Laz's legs were swept out from under him and he fell backwards while being stunned.

He was using his sense to monitor Smiles every move, but he didn't register what had happened.

As Laz hit the ground, he quickly rolled back, using the dodging techniques he had learned thanks to his inspired run through the woods. He had just barely managed to get back upright in a squatting position before another hidden kick connected to his stomach and sent him flying. As he landed, Laz rolled a few times before stabilizing himself, taking a deep breath, he stood back up. Although the wind had been knocked out of him with that kick, he was able to quickly get his breathing under control. As if by instinct, he started circulating his energy through out his body while looking at Smiles with alarm.

'How the hell can I not see it?' Laz desperately worked through the sequence of what had happened, but it seemed like nothing more than a blur each time. Although Laz was alarmed, he wasn't worried. As it was so far, he didn't feel any pain. If anyone was hurting, it was probably Smiles Laz thought.

And he was right.

'What the fuck is this kid?' Smiles was thinking from behind his mask.

'I've fucking hit him with enough force to break a wooden beam and he's just standing up like it tickled. The only thing fucking hurting right now is me.' Looking down, Smiles couldn't help but lift his foot slightly and move it around. It felt stiff and sore. He knew it was badly bruised but not broken. He couldn't say the same thing about a few of his toes.

The first time, when he had kicked Laz's leg, he hit dead on the side of Laz's knee. A normal kick of that strength at that spot would have broken it for sure, but that didn't happen. Then, he aimed a straight but powerful kick right to his stomach to crush a few ribs and maybe puncture a lung, but the only thing it felt like he kicked was a sandbag. No, even sand bags had a little give in them, this felt more like a steel beam..

While Laz was engrossed with trying to find the secrets behind the moves, Smiles was trying to figure out how to fight this rock solid flesh bag. He could already tell from how his attacks went that Laz had no idea what he was doing. If anything, he had just relied on his solid body to get him through so far. Oddly, he was exactly what that old man had told him before rigging the match. The only thing the old man didn't figure out was exactly how hard Laz's defenses would be.

Of course, there was always a solution. Not every part could be rock solid on a person, no matter how much they trained. Therefore, Smiles was going to have to fight dirty. And he knew just what to do.

Laz was paying even more attention now as Smiles slowly backed away, his mind going through things again and again. When he had dodged those rubber bullets in the past, he could figure out where they were coming from and where they were going. Putting one plus one together, he could figure out exactly where he should be to avoid them. But as he was fighting, he felt more and more like he was being attacked by a flowing river. Just because the attacked started at one place and was aimed at one place, it was constantly changing where it was going. Because of this, it was impossible to know just where it was going to land and therefore, impossible to dodge.

Of course, this didn't discourage Laz in the least and instead, made him more excited. He felt like he was training his brain by taxing it with figuring out Smiles moves while at the same keeping his body tense to help reduce the damage he was taking. Even Laz had to pause for a moment and wonder if he was some sort of masochist. He brushed this thought off quickly since this wasn't the time.

Looking ahead, Smiles was now a few feet away and looking strait at Laz.

'What's he doing?' Laz asked himself. He was starting to get a feeling of danger from him.

Before Laz could entertain another thought, Smiles charged straight at him and jumped, as though he was going to use the downward momentum to empower his attack. This sort of attack seemed simple enough to Laz who brought his arms up to defend himself.

As he noticed this, Smiles smirked before changing his aim wide to allow the attack to miss. As he landed not a half a foot in front of Laz, he instantly did a complete split, dropped down and pulled back his fist to attack. He was looking to see if Laz's iron body could handle a point blank range, world shattering nut punch. Without missing a beat, he swung his first forward as hard as he could.

BOOM...