Chapter 31: Downtown

Eliot and Levi had a lot of fun in the city. They had played games, taken shots, and explored all the shops that sold games and cool shoes. They were now headed downtown to see if Sunaru was like Earth where the gap between the rich and the poor was large.

Turned out Sunaru was like Earth. Downtown was so ratched and underdeveloped that you would think it was another city altogether.

"Look at this place. "

The lights were dim and there were beggars on the streets. There were sketchy groups of people hanging out at different corners of the alleyways. Eliot gulped and stopped.

"I think we should go, " he said, wondering why Levi even wanted to go here.

"Relax. We're fine. I just want to see the whole city."

In truth, Levi was looking for a fight. He was itching to try out his sword and level up. He hated to drag Eliot into this but he knew he could fight. He was just as strong as Levi, if not stronger.

Levi was still building his physique while Eliot had his already built. He also had experience with fighting and Levi knew that.

Plus, he was confident that he could beat anyone and defend Eliot at the same time.

"These streets don't look safe, " Eliot pressed.

The last thing he wanted was to be beat up and die. But Levi didn't stop walking for one minute. If Eliot wanted to go back, there was nothing stopping him.

He was going on. His money was safe in the system storage so in case he lost in a fight, he was able to keep the money from being stolen.

"You can always go back. I'm going forward, you pussy. "

Eliot's ego took a hit after being called that. He hated it when his masculinity came into question.

"Why do you always have a penance for trouble? It's like you're always looking for it. "

"Maybe that's how I was born. Now quit complaining and try to act tough. Those guys over there are looking at us. "

Eliot straightened his shoulders and pocketed his hands to match Levi's carefree walk. They walked side by side as they passed by abandoned buildings and destroyed ones.

"What exactly are we looking for? " Eliot asked, already feeling stupid for following his friend around. The longer they hung out together, the more he started to be more and more like Levi.

"Something to do so we can kill time. You don't want to go back to school and stare at the ceiling all night, do you? " When Eliot stayed silent, Levi smiled in satisfaction. "Didn't think so."

A group of guys passed by them while laughing and talking. Then another and another. It looked like they were going somewhere. Wherever there was a group of many people, it was fun.

"We should follow them. Maybe there is a party somewhere. " Eliot suggested.

So the fair followed the groups of people that were heading in the same direction. They were led in the sketchiest parts of town where the government didn't even provide electricity.

The street lights in that area were so far apart that there were places the light didn't even touch. Just when Levi thought they were going further downtown, they stopped at an abandoned building.

He watched the group of guys climb in through the shattered window and disappear inside. The pair followed suit.

"Do you think we're stupid for following people we don't know? What if this is some type of secret society and shit. " Eliot asked. He was concerned for his safety.

Now that he had heard what happened to students who were expelled from the school, he was scared. He didn't want to be shipped to manual labor.

He was going to have to be very careful. Levi had nothing to lose. However, he, on the other hand, had everything to lose.

"We are but you only live once, right? "

People walked into the building and climbed down a set of stairs. There was a guard at the bottom of the stairs frisking people to see if they had carried any weapons.

When Levi and Eliot were cleared, they went through an alleyway. The further they went, the more they had the cheers and screams of excited people. They could also hear music playing but it was hard to make out.

They emerged out of the alley into an area where all the masses were. The area looked like a knock off arena except it was underground and it was cheap looking. There was a boxing ring in the middle and two opponents fighting.

One of them had blood all over his face and body while the other smirked. The one who was smirking had metallic hands even though the rest of his body was human. Ouch.

Levi and Eliot winced when the guy with the metallic hands punched his peer in the balls. It was physically painful to watch and it felt like they were the ones being punched.

"I would hate to be in a fight with that guy. "

The guy took a stance and got ready to finish off his opponent. He grabbed his opponent by the hand, twisted it, kicked him in the stomach, and then finished him off by kneeling and punching him from below the chin.

The guy fell off the ring with a tud. Levi didn't know if he was dead or alive but either way, it was all fucked up. The loser lay in a pool of his own blood as some woman came into the ring with a microphone and grabbed the hand of the winner.

"And the winner is: Shadowbane! "

The crowd erupted into a series of cheers as they chanted his name while others started handing over money,probably because they had lost bets.

Some fights even started breaking out but the guards rushed to stop them before they got out of hand. Fights in an arena like that could lead to the murder of innocent people.

"Stop blocking the entrance and find yourself some seats, " a guard said.

Levi looked around and pulled Eliot to the side.

"Do you want to stay?" Levi asked Eliot who nodded his head enthusiastically. "Then take off your jumper. Anyone could see the badges on them and land us into some trouble. "