Chapter 19: Aftermath (2)

- Third person - 

"Who did you get a bet on?" Isaac voiced, munching on a burger and sipping on a bottle of hard liquor. 

The smell of burnt wood and grease mixed to create a diabolical smell. 

"None, I have not bothered to inquire about the candidates." Xion voiced.

"Buzzkill, can't you relax? It's your day off, take a chill bill." Isaac voiced. 

"Don't agitate me, Isaac. I would hate to see your head stumble across my feet." 

"Which head are you referring to?"

"As usual, your mind returns to such depravity, and eh. What is that stench?" 

"This shits fire, Xion. You want some?" Isaac asked the knight, who appeared disgusted at the offer.

"I'll humbly decline...." Xion voiced, attempting to swat the food away from his face.

"Fine, more for me then." 

"So who's participating in this... barbaric event?" Xion inquired, his eyes darting to the figure of Alexander who sat above them.

"Not sure, heard from a few peeps, that it might be a few bandits and volunteers," Isaac revealed.

"Volunteers?" 

"Yeah, I think I heard that Mordecai and Brick were joining. Why did you want to join?" Isaac quired. 

"How preposterous, something so lowly would be beneath me. Something of such calibre would be best left to you." 

"Ouch, well I would've if Moxxi didn't personally decline my selection. I would've won, to be honest." He voiced sadness.

"Moxxi personally declined you? What could be the reward of such an event..."

"A date with the sweetheart herself of course. Would've loved to have mingled. Do you know how big her boobs are? Man, god why do you have to punish me."

"Most likely due to your lustful habits, she most likely doesn't want any infections you've contracted." 

"Hey! I always use protection and she's most likely got a bigger body count than me!"

"Hmph, this is why your soul is tainted. I shall best myself with only finest lady." 

"Sure, that's if any lady would want you anyway. They probably think you're gay." 

"Silence Mongrel, I do not lay with men. I am a knight, not a whore."

"Hey, gay people are not whores! They're people too, just cause they don't conform to your standards doesn't mean they are any lesser."

"I called them whores not sub-human, Isaac. Do you believe yourself to be of a lower being?"

"No, that's not what I mean. You know what go fuck yourself."

"How could I possibly do so, when you've already done it yourself?" 

Bickering between one another their ideologies clashed. 

"Silence you two." Alexander voiced, their bickering leaving the man agitated.

"Sir, do you believe gay people are whores?" Isaac inquired much to Alexander's dismay. 

"I don't care." 

"Fair enough." 

"Where's Jeremiah shouldn't he be here with us? Don't tell me that guy is working." Isaac inquired.

"I offered but he appeared to be content. He's currently helping the guardsmen with patrols." 

"What a Workaholic should lay back and chill. General Knoxx is dead, doubt there's going to be any big baddie any time soon." 

"You shouldn't bewitch our situation, Isaac. For all you know, we may be deployed on Elpis." Xion voiced, his eyes slowly turning to the cracked moon.

"Is that true, boss?" Isaac inquired.

"Time will tell," Alexander spoke. 

"My liege, I must inquire when shall we be sent next? Surely, there screams another campaign? I hunger for glory." Xion pleaded, the silence and Monotone slaughter paining him.

"Fucking loser, can you just cut the theatrics? No one talks like that anymore, bro. Get with the times." Isaac commented. 

"Can you not remain silent for a moment?" Xion shot back. 

"As of now, we must consolidate our power. There is no point in expanding outposts until we gather enough men. A steady foundation is a foundation that lasts, Xion. Don't be so quick to jump into the fire." Alexander explained, the appearance of Moxxi now coming to the centre.

"I understand my liege, but I must ask of favour. Should there be another campaign send me." 

"We can arrange something," Alexander muttered.

"Hello, everyone~. I thank you for coming today we'll be having the most climatic battle of the century. Inside the dome, we'll have strong, hard, challengers fight for the chance to go on a date with yours truly. The first round will be dedicated to a free-for-all. The final ten, thereby challenge one another until a champion is found. To whoever's the lucky man or woman today, good luck~." 

Watching the murder begin, many prisoners were released alongside a few Mordecai awaited.

The Underdome loomed over the wasteland like a coliseum of despair, its twisted metal and rusted spires piercing the smog-choked sky.

Xion and Isaac stood at the edge of the observation deck, their eyes fixed on the blood-soiled arena below.

The thrum of the crowd's anticipation was a palpable thing, a living current that set the very air to vibrate with fervour.

"Place is a cesspool," Isaac muttered, his lip curling as he surveyed the gladiatorial pit where the last ten would soon vie for survival. "But damn if it ain't electric. Reminds me of that one expedition near the cove."

"Electric?" Xion scoffed, his voice heavy with scorn. "More like a hive of degeneracy. Look at them down there, all desperate to claw each other apart for what? A moment's glory?"

"Got a problem with people finding their way to shine?" Isaac shot back, his tone sharp as a vibro-blade.

Xion sneered. "When it involves this kind of deviancy, yes. It would appear unnatural."

"Unnatural?" Isaac's fists clenched at his sides. "You're one to talk about natural, Isaac. What's 'natural' in a world like Pandora anyway? We're all just trying to survive."

"It Does not mean we abandon decency. Our humanity is what separates the savages from the civilised," he retorted, his gaze hardening.

"Decency?" he spat the word out like poison. "Open your eyes. This place, these people... they don't get the luxury of your so-called 'decency.'"

Their words were a venomous dance, an echo of countless arguments past. 

Below them, the gates of the Underdome opened, and the roar of the crowd crescendoed into a deafening racket.

Moments had passed quickly and the screams of those fallen thickened through, the stench of spoiled flesh and grime now bringing true into the atmosphere. 

The first crack of gunfire shattered the silence, the sound fracturing the air as the combatants unleashed hell upon one another.

Bullets whistled through the arena, their deadly song punctuated by the thud of bodies hitting the dirt. Blood sprayed across the sand, painting macabre frescoes of violence and desperation.

Xion and Isaac's argument was forgotten as they watched the spectacle unfold, two souls caught in the maelstrom of savagery that was the Underdome free-for-all.

Viper's muscles tensed her every sense attuned to the chaos below. Isaac's face was a mask of grim fascination, his earlier moralizing drowned out by the primal thrill of the fight.

One by one, the survivors fell, their cries lost amidst the staccato rhythm of gunfire and the crowd's voracious howl. The air was thick with the copper tang of blood and gunpowder, a testament to the ruthless efficiency with which life was extinguished in the pursuit of triumph.

And as the last shot rang out and the final contender collapsed to the ground, a victor standing tall amidst the carnage, Xion and Isaac remained silent.

For in the face of such unbridled brutality, what words could hold meaning?

The din of combat receded, leaving in its wake a graveyard of aspirations strewn across the Underdome's pitiless sands.

Nine souls remained, each a monument to brutality, their eyes reflecting the grim resolve that had carried them through the bloodletting. The air hung heavy with the stench of iron and spent ammunition, the cacophony of battle now a haunting echo in their ears.

"Looks like we got ourselves the final dance card," Killer B rasped, his voice a serrated edge cutting through the tense quietude.

His gaze swept over the motley assembly of survivors:

Reaver with his predatory grin, Sassy K whose youthful features belied a killer's coldness, Mad Mel whose scars told stories of countless brawls, Mr. Shank with his blade glinting ominously, Motorhead whose mechanical augmentations whirred softly, Viper whose lithe form was coiled tension, Mordecai the taciturn sharpshooter, and Brick the immovable beserker.

"Pair 'em up, let 'em drop~!" Moxxi's voice boomed, her excitement undiminished by the day's carnage. The brackets were displayed on the jumbotron, each name illuminating the path to victory or demise.

Mordecai, his hawk-like eyes scanning the horde beyond the arena, stood unfazed as the bracket sealed his fate alongside the others.

Beside him, Brick cracked his knuckles, an audible punctuation to the silence that gripped the space between breaths.

"Time to show 'em what ferocity looks like," Brick growled, the words rumbling from deep within his chest, a smile creeping onto his face.

"I'll be winning this,", Sassy K voiced twirling his gun with practised nonchalance, his smirk a challenge to the world and its cruelty.

"Let's get this over and done with. I've got a date to secure," Viper hissed back, her movements snake-like, deceptive in their grace.

"Only place you're goin' is down," Motorhead retorted, his cybernetic enhancements whirring with lethal promise.

"Guess we're doing this the hard way," Reaver drawled, his fingers itching at the trigger, eager for the symphony of violence to resume.

"Hard way's the only way here," Mr. Shank declared, his eyes locked onto Mad Mel with the intensity of a predator sighting prey.

"May the best bastard win," Mad Mel spat out, his hands steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Chatter's cheap. Let's do this," Killer B interjected, his words punctuated by the chambering of a round.

The crowd roared, a savage entity unto itself, hungry for the spectacle of death. In this dystopian theatre, where the currency was blood and pain, these warriors would dance to the dirge of bullets and the requiem of the fallen.

"Lock and load, boys and girls," the announcer's voice crackled overhead. "Let the semi-finals commence!"

And with that declaration, the Underdome erupted once more into a vortex of destruction, each survivor a harbinger of the storm to come.

Mordecai stood opposite Brick, the sweat on his brow a silent testament to the gauntlet he'd already run through.

Amidst the cacophony of the Underdome's bloodthirsty crowd, their arena felt like the eye of a hurricane—an eerie, transient calm.

Here, in this bizarre interlude, fate would be decided not by bullets or brawn, but by the child's gambit of rock, paper, scissors.

"Ready to lose, bud?" Brick's voice rumbled, a tectonic force wrapped in a taunt.

"Let's just get this over with," Mordecai retorted, the corner of his lip twitching upward.

Their hands hovered, primed. "One, two, three!" In unison, they slammed their fists down. Brick's hand flattened into paper; Mordecai's fist remained clenched as a rock. A collective groan rose from the audience, the outcome an anticlimactic ripple in the pond of violence they had come to drink from.

"Damn," Brick muttered, though his grin belied any true disappointment. He clapped Mordecai on the back, enough force behind it to stagger a lesser man. "Your go, killer."

The next fight loomed—a return to the Underdome's sanguine roots. Mordecai squared off against Killer B, the latter's eyes gleaming with the cold light of a man who knew nothing but the embrace of the barrel and the trigger's caress.

"Hope you kissed your ass goodbye, 'cause I'm sendin' you to meet it," Killer B sneered, his weapon—an extension of his will, a harbinger of death—levelled at Mordecai's heart.

"Kiss your own ass, Bee. It's the last one you'll see." Mordecai's reply was cavalier, but his grip on his firearm was steady, resolute.

The starting signal blared—a discordant klaxon that unleashed hell. Time contracted, each second bloated with the potential of eternity. Mordecai rolled to the right, the world tilting on its axis as Killer B's gunfire sang past him, notes of destruction seeking flesh.

Mordecai's return volley was a whisper of death, bullets carving arcs of finality through the fetid air. Killer B danced the macabre ballet of survival, his movements a blur against the backdrop of chaos.

"Stand still, you slippery bastard!" Killer B growled between shots, frustration lacing his words like venom.

"Make me!" Mordecai called back, the ghost of a smirk on his lips even as another bullet grazed his shoulder, drawing a line of fire across his skin.

Lead hailed down, a metallic storm that promised obliteration. Killer B's clip emptied first, the click of its hunger echoing in the sudden silence. The briefest of pauses—a held breath in the symphony of slaughter—before Mordecai's final shot thundered its verdict.

The bullet found its mark, a punctuation to the frenetic sentence of their duel. Killer B crumpled, his body succumbing to gravity's indifferent claim, as blood bloomed like a grotesque flower on his chest.

"Game over," Mordecai whispered, his heart a drumbeat slowing after the crescendo of battle. He turned away from the fallen combatant, his survival a weighty anchor as the roar of the Underdome surged to fill the void left by silence.

The acrid stench of scorched metal and gunpowder saturated the air, clinging to the lungs like a desperate spectre as Mad Mel and Mr. Shank faced each other across the blood-splattered sands of the Underdome. A hush draped over the crowd, thick with anticipation, as the two survivors sized each other up—a prelude to the inevitable carnage.

"Ready to dance, Shank?" Mad Mel sneered, his voice a raspy challenge that sliced through the silence.

"Born ready, you crusty old buzzard," Mr. Shank spat back, his own words brimming with venomous contempt.

With the crackle of the announcer's voice giving the signal, both men erupted into motion. Fingers twitched and guns roared, spitting out their deadly hymns in rapid succession. Bullets whistled like furious banshees cleaving the air, seeking flesh with ravenous hunger.

Mad Mel's aim was precise, a product of years navigating Pandora's unforgiving wilds. Rounds from his revolver tore through the space between them, each shot an artist's brushstroke of potential demise.

But Mr. Shank was no novice to the art of death; he danced aside, movements serpentine and unpredictable, a viper avoiding the strike of its kind.

"Missed me," Mr. Shank taunted, his laughter a discordant melody amidst the symphony of gunfire.

"Keep yappin'. Makes you an easier target," Mad Mel grunted, adjusting his grip on the weapon that had become an extension of his will.

They circled one another, twin spirals of destruction locked in a deadly ballet. The audience held its collective breath, eyes wide, hearts pounding in tandem with the staccato beat of gunfire.

It was a spectacle woven from the darkest threads of human endeavour—gladiatorial combat stripped to its most brutal essence.

Meanwhile, across the Underdome, Reaver and Viper prepared to unleash their brand of havoc. Two silhouettes framed by the harsh glare of floodlights stood as monuments to the violence that had consumed their lives.

"Time's up, Reaver," Viper hissed her voice a poisoned whisper that promised pain.

"Bring it, snake," Reaver replied, his tone mocking, almost bored, as if he were merely an observer of his survival.

Their exchange was a catalyst, igniting the fury that had simmered beneath the surface. Viper's twin pistols appeared in her hands as if conjured by dark magics, their barrels gleaming like the eyes of nocturnal predators.

Reaver charged forward, a behemoth of muscle and malice, his shotgun a harbinger of obliteration. They collided in a cacophony of gunfire, a tempest of lead that transformed the arena into a crucible of annihilation.

Viper's shots were a blur, a rapid-fire onslaught aimed at overwhelming her opponent's brute force with lethal grace. Reaver's return fire was a thunderous reply, each blast from his shotgun a declaration of indomitable strength.

"Die already!" Viper snarled, frustration tinging her precision as she dodged and weaved.

"Ha! You first!" Reaver bellowed back, his laugh a guttural rumble that resonated through the din of battle.

Their world narrowed to the space between them, every sense heightened to its utmost limit. The echoes of their gunfire melded with the roar of the crowd, a grim chorus to the unfolding drama of life and death.

In the Underdome, where the currency of existence was measured in bullets and blood, only the merciless could claim victory.

And as the duelists fought with relentless ferocity, each trigger pull drew them closer to the immutable truth of their reality: in the end, only one would stand triumphant amidst the ruins of the fallen.

The Underdome's air was thick with the acrid scent of scorched metal and spent gunpowder as Sassy K squared off against Motorhead, each a titan in their own right, their gazes locked in silent challenge.

The crowd's feverish roar faded to a distant hum as the two combatants stood amidst the detritus of battles past, the weight of their weapons a familiar comfort in their calloused hands.

"I'll make a coat of your skin!" Sassy K spat, his hands gestured into a vulgar stance, his taunt working. 

"Bring it, pup," Motorhead grunted back, his tone a guttural growl that bespoke years of surviving the merciless gauntlet of Pandora's deadly arenas.

Sassy K moved first, a blur of calculated violence, his twin pistols singing death as they spat bullet after bullet. His movements were a symphony of destruction, each step choreographed to maximize lethality while minimizing exposure.

Motorhead responded in kind, his heavy machine gun roaring to life, its thunderous retort shaking the very foundations of the Underdome. Bullets tore through the air like ravenous beasts, seeking the warm embrace of flesh and bone.

The two warriors danced a deadly ballet, their every motion a testament to the brutal elegance of survival. The staccato rhythm of gunfire punctuated the grim melody of their conflict, each notes a harbinger of potential oblivion.

"Back up before I wack your skull in!" Sassy K barked, releasing a volley of shots that cut a swath of devastation towards his adversary. "I'll grind your gears into dust!"

"Try harder, kid!" Motorhead spat, his voice barely audible over the cacophony as he sidestepped, the whir of servos betraying his augmented limbs. His return fire was a hurricane, relentless and all-consuming.

The semi-finals had become not just a clash of bullets but of indomitable wills, as each contestant vied for supremacy in this forsaken coliseum. Sweat mingled with blood, the taste of iron sharp on their tongues as they fought with the ferocity of cornered beasts.

"You're weak." Sassy K snarled, discarding his empty pistols. He drew a serrated blade, its edge glinting ominously under the harsh glow of the Underdome's lights. With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, his every muscle coiled like a spring.

"Come on then!" Motorhead roared, welcoming the change in tactics as he dropped his weapon, his blade emerging from within his mechanical arm—a fusion of man and machine, honed to lethal perfection.

They collided in a maelstrom of steel, sparks flying as the blade clashed against the blade. Each strike was a promise of finality, each parries a narrow escape from the jaws of defeat.

"You ain't nothin'!" Sassy K spat, though his breath came hard and fast, his every move a struggle against the relentless tide of Motorhead's assault.

"More than enough for you!" Motorhead shot back, his eyes alight with the fires of battle, his every blow a testament to the unyielding spirit of the Legion's finest.

In this place, where the spectre of death loomed large and the only law was the will to survive, two titans waged war beneath a sky void of mercy.

Above, the Legion watched, its ranks filled with those who knew the price of power in a universe unforgiving of weakness.

In the end, only one could claim the title of champion in the Underdome, where glory was bought with blood, and legends were forged in the crucible of combat.

"Who'd you bet on?" 

"Of course Mordecai, he's got the best advantage here." 

"Wouldn't Brick?" 

"Bricks too big, he'll be all noise around here. Make him the easier target."

"Doesn't mean he'll lose." 

"We'll see." 

"Damn," Mordecai grunted, feeling the hot kiss of a round as it grazed his side—a warning, a narrow miss that promised a swift end if luck turned its fickle face away.

Utilising Bloodwing's fleight to his advantage, the bird soared into the sky agitating the man from above. 

He continued to duck behind a crumbled pillar, the detritus of past battles serving as his reprieve. His fingers worked swiftly to eject an empty magazine, slamming home another with practised ease.

"Come out, birdie," Mr. Shank taunted, his voice laced with a venomous glee. "Let's finish this waltz with a bang." The man's silhouette prowled the perimeter, his steps silent despite the encumbrance of heavy boots on the gritty floor.

"Only thing ending is you, Shank!" Mordecai retorted, peeking from his cover to squeeze off a trio of shots. Each one sang through the air, hungry for flesh.

"Ha! Promises, promises," Mr Shank chuckled, even as he danced away from the bullets' path, his weapon spitting fire in return.

In a fleeting interlude, their guns clicked empty, and silence descended—a momentary respite, thick with tension. They locked eyes across the battlefield, two predators acknowledging each other's prowess.

"Ever wonder what we're doing here, Mordecai? This endless cycle of kill or be killed?" Mr. Shank asked, almost philosophically, as he reloaded.

"Philosophy now? Really?" Mordecai scoffed but couldn't deny the thread of truth. "We do what we must to survive."

"Ah, survival..." Mr. Shank mused. "But at what cost?"

Before Mordecai could formulate a response, the duel resumed a tempest of lead unleashed once more. 

Mordecai's breath came in shallow gasps, his mind a whirlwind of strategy and survival instinct.

He could see the same calculation in Mr. Shank's eyes, a reflection of his relentless determination.

"Let's see you dodge this," Mordecai muttered under his breath, holstering his gun and reaching for a set of throwing knives.

He hurled them with precision, each blade a glinting arrow of death aimed at his adversary.

Mr. Shank's reflexes were honed by countless battles.

He twisted and turned, narrowly evading the knives, but one found its mark, embedding itself in his shoulder.

He let out a grunt of pain, but the wound only seemed to fuel his rage.

"Nice try, but it'll take more than that to stop me!" Mr. Shank growled, yanking the knife out and tossing it aside.

He charged forward, closing the distance between them with terrifying speed.

Mordecai barely had time to react.

He rolled to the side, his body moving on instinct, but Mr. Shank was already on him.

The two men collided in a flurry of fists and steel, each fighting with a desperate ferocity.

They grappled and punched, the sounds of their struggle drowned out by the roar of the

crowd.

Blood mixed with sweat, staining the ground beneath them as they fought for dominance.

Mordecai's hand found the hilt of his knife, and with a swift, brutal motion, he drove it into Mr. Shank's side.

A pained gasp escaped his opponent, but Mr. Shank retaliated with a vicious headbutt that sent stars exploding across Mordecai's vision.

Dazed but undeterred, Mordecai pressed his advantage.

He twisted the knife, earning a howl of agony from Mr. Shank, and then shoved him away.

Mr Shank stumbled back, clutching his side, his face contorted in pain and rage.

"It's over, Shank," Mordecai said, his voice cold and final.

"Not... yet," Mr. Shank panted, but his strength was waning.

He made one last desperate lunge, but Mordecai was ready.

He sidestepped and delivered a final, decisive strike with his knife, cutting deep into Mr. Shank's throat.

Blood sprayed, and Mr Shank collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Mordecai stood over him, his chest heaving with exertion, as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Could've made this easier," Mordecai commented moving ahead. 

Meanwhile, Viper slinked into her fray against Sassy K, her movements a serpentine grace amidst the chaos. She fired off rounds in a deadly rhythm, but Sassy K was a tempest, his responses a blur of motion—bullets met bullets, cancelling each other out in mid-air.

"What's a gal like you doing here? You should be out in some gay bar!" Sassy K sneered, his confidence bolstered by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"Watch your mouth," Viper spat back, irritation flaring as she attempted her signature maneuver—a rapid sidestep followed by a precise, crippling shot.

But fate was not in her favour; Sassy K's reflexes were honed sharper than the edge of a knife.

He anticipated the move, and his counter was immediate and ruthless. With a single, well-placed bullet, he clipped her knee, sending her tumbling to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Game over, Viper," he declared, his tone devoid of triumph, simply stating the inevitable as he aimed his weapon for the final blow.

"Fuck you," she hissed through gritted teeth, defiance burning bright even as her body failed her.

Sassy K didn't bother with a reply, his finger tightening on the trigger. The shot rang out, loud and final, a punctuation mark to their brief, brutal encounter.

Above them, the Legion watched in morbid fascination, their expressions a mix of grim satisfaction and disquiet—the thrill of victory forever entwined with the spectre of their mortality.

The dust of the Underdome settled like a shroud over the battlefield, particles dancing in the scant light that penetrated the arena's cavernous depths.

Amidst the hush of anticipation, two figures emerged from opposite ends: Mordecai, whose eyes were steely with resolve, and Sassy K, whose swagger was a facade for the tension coiling within him like a spring.

"Ready to eat dirt?" Mordecai taunted, his voice echoing off the pockmarked walls.

"Bring it, old man," Sassy K retorted, thumbing the safety of his pistol.

They advanced, each step a measured beat in the prelude to chaos.

The air between them crackled with impending violence, thickening with every breath they drew. Then, the stillness shattered like glass under a hammer; gunfire erupted as both men unleashed their fury.

Bullets streaked across the void, seeking flesh and finding only scorn. Mordecai, moving with a predator's grace, rolled behind a pillar of stone, his shots punctuating the rhythm of his evasion.

Sassy K countered, his pistol barking death as he strafed, boots grinding against the sandy floor.

But this dance of bullets was not destined to last. With a sudden shift in cadence, the combatants closed the distance, guns forgotten as fists and elbows became the harbingers of pain. Mordecai struck first—a collision of knuckles against jaw that sent a tremor through the crowd.

Sassy K staggered, spitting blood and defiance. "Is that all you got?"

"More than enough for you," Mordecai growled, lunging forward with a ferocity born of countless battles.

Their skirmish morphed into a maelstrom of violence, each blows a testament to their desperate need to survive. Mordecai's experience sang through his movements, a symphony of calculated strikes that wore away at his younger opponent's defences.

"Fuck this..." Sassy K panted, his bravado crumbling beneath the relentless onslaught. His next punch was half-hearted, telegraphed by fatigue.

Seizing the moment, Mordecai delivered an uppercut that seemed to draw power from the very earth beneath their feet. Sassy K's head snapped back, and for a heartbeat, silence reigned.

"Yield," Mordecai commanded, standing over the dazed figure of his adversary.

"Dammit," Sassy K muttered, the fight draining out of him. "I forfeit."

A cheer erupted from the onlookers, the sound rolling through the Underdome like thunder. Mordecai threw his arms up in victory, chest heaving as he savoured the triumph. He had conquered the free-for-all, his name etched into the annals of the ruthless competition.

High above them, within the Legion's viewing box, Alexander leaned forward, his pitch-black eyes reflecting the carnage below.

A small, approving nod was the only sign of acknowledgment he gave before turning away, leaving the echoes of battle behind.

The din of the Underdome receded into a dull roar as Mordecai's eyes found Moxxi amidst the chaos, her crimson dress an ensnaring beacon in the sea of steel and blood.

The electric scent of gunpowder lingered on his nostrils, intermingling with the intoxicating perfume that heralded her approach.

"Killer show out there, sugar," Moxxi purred her voice a sultry melody that danced over the screams of the crowd's fervour. She traced a delicate finger along the jagged scar that adorned Mordecai's cheek—a trophy from a bygone brawl.

"Could've been deader without ya eggin' me on," Mordecai replied, his words rough like gravel but edged with a smirk. His heart thundered against his ribs, not from the battle, but from the proximity of the woman whose reputation was as loaded as the pistols strapped to her thighs.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" Moxxi leaned in close, her breath hot against his ear, whispering promises of violence-laced affection. "You've earned yourself more than just applause tonight."

Mordecai's response came not in words but in action, his calloused hand snaking around her waist to pull her flush against him.

Their lips crashed together in a ferocious clash, a mirror to the savagery they both revelled in. It was a kiss born of Pandora's merciless landscape, each desperate tug and bite a testament to their shared resilience.

The world narrowed down to the space where their bodies met—two survivors entwined in the eye of a perpetual storm.

The distant sounds of the Underdome, the hungry cheers, the clatter of spent casings—all faded beneath the rhythm of two hearts locked in a dance as old as time itself.

"Get a room, you animals!" someone from the throng jeered, their laughter ragged as it cut through the tension.

"Or don't—we all could use the show!" another hollered, the crowd erupting in raucous approval.

But Mordecai and Moxxi were beyond the reach of jeers and leers; they were architects of their dark slice of paradise, carving out moments of raw passion amid the relentless bleakness of their world.

The din of the Underdome's bloodthirsty audience dwindled into murmurs and low whistles, punctuated by the occasional crude shout as Mordecai and Moxxi remained locked in their embrace.

Around them, warriors and wastelanders alike cast envious glances or sneered in disdain, but none could deny the raw power of the victor's reward.

"Damn lucky bastard," a gruff voice cut through the haze of aftermath adrenaline. Xion, his arms crossed over his chest, scowled at the display with an expression that mingled begrudging respect with scorn. His gaze flicked to Isaac, expecting a barbed retort.

Isaac merely shook his head, though the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "Hate to say it, but the man's earned it," he conceded, his tone laced with something akin to amusement. "Fighting like hell, then reaping all—Pandora's way."

"Reaping more than just glory," Xion shot back, his eyes narrowing at the entwined duo. "If only skill decided who gets to bed whom."

"Or what," Isaac added, his open-mindedness not extending past a pointed challenge. His words hung in the air, heavy with implications that drew a line between them—a line as clear as the ones they crossed in battle.

Alexander, silent thus far, turned on his heel away from the spectacle. His departure was a silent statement, each measured step resonating with the weight of unspoken thoughts. The Legion's leader did not need public declarations; his presence alone was a testament to his authority.

"Leaving so soon, Alexander?" Xion called after him, his voice echoing slightly in the vast space of the Underdome.

"Places to be, Captain," Alexander replied without looking back, his voice carrying the distant rumble of thunder—a harbinger of the storms he would undoubtedly weather, or perhaps bring about himself.

"Always the mysterious one," Isaac muttered under his breath, eyeing Alexander's retreating form with a mix of respect and rivalry.

"Let him go," Xion said dismissively. "He's got an empire to build, and we've got a celebration to..." he paused, his lip curling slightly as she gestured toward Mordecai and Moxxi. "...endure."

As the couple finally broke apart, gasps for air mingling with laughter, the crowd's fervour reached its zenith, the Underdome pulsing with the palpable energy of victory and vice.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Isaac voiced lowly, almost to himself. "Tomorrow, we fight again."

"Until then," Xion added, his cold eyes softening just a fraction, "let the victors have their spoils."

A final glance at Mordecai's smirking visage and the captains melted back into the throng, their presence diminishing like shadows at high noon.

Alexander's silhouette, however, lingered at the threshold—a dark reminder that in Pandora, even triumphs were fleeting, and every pleasure bore the taste of ash.

"They won't last long." He mentally thought, his legs taking him back to his office, his eyes wandering back to the people of Ironhold.

Each individual, each life under his rule, represented a piece of the grand mosaic he was determined to craft.

The weight of their lives and futures rested upon his shoulders, but he bore it with the confidence of a true monarch.

He was unsure of what the future awaited him, but he knew that whatever came his way, he would dominate as he always did.

His mind was a fortress of resolve, unyielding in the face of uncertainty.

The shadows of doubt and fear could not penetrate his iron will.

No enemy would escape his sight. His gaze was sharp, unrelenting, a hunter's focus that never wavered.

Those who dared to oppose him, who thought they could outmaneuver or outlast him, would find themselves ensnared in his relentless pursuit.

His eyes, cold and calculating, missed nothing.

No treachery besting his might.

The whispers of betrayal, the schemes and plots that festered in the dark corners of his realm, would be uprooted and crushed under his heel.

His strength was an unbreakable shield, his cunning a weapon that struck without mercy.

He would root out deceit with the precision of a surgeon, leaving no room for treachery to take hold.

The world was his and his alone.

He stood as its rightful ruler, the architect of its destiny.

The lands he surveyed, and the people he governed, all belonged to him. His dominion was absolute, his authority unquestioned.

The iron walls of Ironhold were a testament to his power, a fortress built not just of stone and metal, but of his unyielding will.

It was his conquest.

Every battle fought, every victory won, was a step towards the realization of his grand vision.

The universe itself was his to conquer, its vastness a canvas upon which he would paint his legacy.

His ambition knew no bounds, his desire for supremacy burning like an eternal flame.

The universe is his symphony.

Each star, each planet, and each life within it was a note in the grand composition he conducted. His hands, firm and unwavering, guided the melody of his reign.

The harmonies of power and control, the crescendos of victory and dominance, all played out under his direction.

He was the maestro of this cosmic orchestra, and the universe would bend to his will, echoing the grandeur of his symphonic conquest.

"There is no greater truth than I." 

Author note:

Truthfully we can end it here. We've now arrived at our volume break, and the pre-sequel is soon to start. Tell me your ideas and what direction you're thinking I'll be sure to ponder on it. I'll return on the 1st of July or a similar date. Thanks to all who have continued to support this fanfic, they didn't believe in us. Alright toodles.