Requested by: @ZukusLostHonor

Prompt: #8

"All that blood brings out your eyes."

Warnings: None

Extra: Little short

~*~

I couldn't say I didn't enjoy being one of the Grand Master's favorite gladiators. Well, alongside the Hulk but I couldn't compete with him and I didn't dare try. Still, it gave me perks that none of the other "slaves with jobs" had. I had more trust for one, and had a better room, better food. All I had to do was kill someone when I was asked to.

"Give me a Hexicarian Elixer, cold," I ordered the barkeep, leaning against the counter without a care in the world. I was up just before the champion and the Grandmaster's newest competitor, and that required some liquid courage.

Tipping back the heavy shot, I groaned at the burn in my throat but enjoyed it all the same. Walking to the weapons rooms, the guards shut down the field just long enough for me to step through. None of the prisoners even tried to escape. They had been conditioned not to, and the new ones learned soon enough.

"Hey, hey you!"

Perking up after picking up my favorite weapons, dual swords, I caught sight of the Grandmaster's newest competitor talking to a haltingly gorgeous woman across the barrier. Whatever conversation they were having, it was a heated one.

"Hey, Lord of Thunder," I finally called out, approaching them with all the confidence in the world, "I'd watch it if I were you, this world isn't kind to those who disrespect the people on the other side of the prison."

Stuck between wondering if I was giving him advice or being rude, the Lord of Thunder was finally called over by Korg to find a weapon and left the woman alone. Sighing, I turned to her with a smile. She was even prettier up close. I was whipped.

"The newbies are always questionable," I chuckled. The right corner of her lips quirked, and she nodded once, "After this, what do you think about getting a drink?"

"Is someone on the other side of the prison trying to disrespect me," she raised a brow.

"Hey Nurn," I called to the guard, "Let me out for a sec."

He did as I asked, and the woman's eyes widened in surprise when I stepped through the field.

"Well, now we're on the same side of the prison. So, what do you say?"

"We'll see how you do in your fight," she left it at that and walked away.

Smirking confidently, I looked back to Nurn, "What do you think, do I have a chance?"

He shrugged. Chuckling, I stepped through the field again only to be greeted by the Lord of Thunder. Jumping in shock at his close proximity, I tightened my grip on my swords, making it known that I wouldn't be intimidated.

"Why do you get let out?" He finally asked, his voice the perfect middle between confused and frustrated.

"Because the Grandmaster trusts me. If you're here long enough, don't cause trouble, entertain the crowd," I drawled on, "Then you'll be able to do it too someday. Depends on how long you think you can last."

"I need to get off this planet. My people are in danger," the man insisted.

"Your people? Well, isn't that an interesting excuse," a guard called my name, and I knew it was my time, "We'll talk later Lord of Thunder."

"God of Thunder."

~*~

My fight went well as always. Not that I had any doubts about it. I always won no matter what thanks to my prior skills and because the Grandmaster wanted to keep me around. But that night I had extra motivation. A drink with a gorgeous woman.

When I stepped out of the ring, I sent the Lord - God, as he insisted - of Thunder a smile. He gulped in fear. I didn't have much hope for him against the champion, but maybe he would surprise me and live long enough to have a conversation.

"Look at that, Nurn, I get my drink," I called to the guard as he let me through.

My eyes scanned the bar for the woman, and I easily found her at the counter. She stared at me, a glass in her hand and another one at the seat next to her. I didn't care about looking too eager and rushed over to plop down in the seat, taking a look at the alcohol she set in front of me. Strong, but not enough to get me wasted. She wanted to talk.

"Can I get your name now that I've won my match?" I asked while picking up the glass and taking a sip.

"Valkyrie," she responded absently.

"Valkyrie? That's an interesting name."

"Well, maybe you'll learn my real one if you're lucky," she responded lightly. So Valkyrie was a stage name of sorts, "So, you're a contender but you're free to leave. What's the story behind that?"

I shrugged, running a finger along the rim of my glass, "I came to Sakar after I was lost. Got brought in as a contender after I took out a horde of the trash hunters. Then I was offered a choice between a contender, a guard, or one of the Grandmasters... female servants. A contender seemed like fun, easy to take out my aggression like that. Because I chose it, the Grandmaster had more trust for me."

Valkyrie hummed in understanding. Truth be told, sometimes I thought about why I didn't choose a guard. Being a contender was hard work, and I knew that if there was a time that I made the Grandmaster angry, he'd put be against someone that I couldn't win against. But, I was careful, clever, and god I loved a good fight. The thrill, the power, it gave me the control that I never had in my former life.

"What about you?" I asked after a few seconds of silence, "What's your story?"

"Well, I'll leave my past to be discovered," she chuckled, but there was something deeper there that I wanted to uncover, "But I ended up here, evaded the trash hunters, got a ship, and became a Scrapper. I brought the Grandmaster his champion, became a favorite, and now I've brought him the Lord of Thunder."

"Is that why he was so mad at you earlier?"

"That and some other reasons," she nodded vaguely.

She was a closed door that I wanted to desperately throw open and step through. An enigma well-worth solving. As we stared at each other for no other reason than to take each other in, she made a comment that made me want to marry her on the spot.

"All that blood brings out your eyes."

Not realizing I still had blood on my face, I used one of the bar napkins to wipe it off. She could have ran for the hills. Instead, she stayed, talked, and admired the carnage I based my life around. Where else would I find a woman like that?

"Thanks," I smiled sheepishly.
When she smirked in return, I had a good idea of where the night would lead.

~*~

The next morning, I woke up in her room. I'd half woken up when she left that morning, pulling on clothes and strapping a weapon to her side.  Quickly after that I was back asleep.

Rolling out of the bed, I held the sheets close to me, relishing in how they smelled so much like her. With the knowledge that I'd have to leave soon, I figured a shower couldn't hurt. While passing through the kitchen to get to the bathroom, I paused. On the counter was a little slip of paper with four little words.

Back in an hour.

It implied a lot of things. But the implication that I relished in was that she wanted me to stay. Grinning, I ran to the shower.

Valkyrie was back a lot sooner than I expected. Around 30 minutes, 30 minutes earlier than she said in her note. Not only that, but she came back fuming.

"That damn Lord of Thunder escaped, and the Hulk went right along with him."

"The champion is gone?"

"Yes, and the Grandmaster has sent me and Larki or whatever, Lord of Thunder's brother after them. We have an hour to bring them back."

"Wow."

Valkyrie picked up a few things, rushed to the door, and paused when I didn't follow.

"You're coming, aren't you?" There was a playful gleam in her eyes when she asked, "You haven't given up on learning my name and tragic backstory, have you?"

Shaking my head in response I jumped up and raced her out the door.