It felt like electricity had just shot through SJ's body when she heard Cristian's voice from the girl's mouth. SJ tried not to react, forcing herself to remain calm. Smiling and nodding at the woman, Carlito moved away, smiling as she did. SJ followed her movements until she stopped by another table and stood, turning to face the cage.
"Here's to the fighters," the chief said, holding a small glass in her hand and turning towards the promoters. They all returned the salute and downed their drinks. SJ stared at the chief for a moment, enough to be clear that it was not in sync with the others, and downed hers as the chief downed her own. The drink burned her throat as she swallowed it, only just stopping herself from coughing from the harsh, fiery liquid.
"Now that all are ready. Let us begin the countdown," the chief announced.
SJ looked back at the cage. Jay positioned himself on the far side of the cage from Lurtew while the other five brawlers stood, rolling their shoulders and looking at their opponents. The twelve shark bait looked terrified amidst the brawlers.
"Five, four, three, two, one. Let the battle begin," the chief's voice boomed over the noise erupting from the crowd.
Absolute chaos erupted in the cage. With so much going on, SJ struggled to track who was doing what. Then, the liquid she had drunk kicked in, and her display triggered.
Acute visibility - the world slows to your gaze.
The brawlers immediately turned to their closest opponent, except Jay, who moved straight across the cage towards where Lurtew was standing, frozen to his spot.
Kylian, the dwarf, turned towards a kobold, stood to his left, and immediately ran towards him. Failing to move fast enough, the kobold screamed as a fist connected with his jaw. The swing packed enough power to send the kobold flying, making him bounce off the cage wall before he collapsed to the ground, immobile.
The opening few seconds made it obvious that the brawlers were disposing of the bait. The human Olpi kicked the bugbear, who had been forced into the cage, limping in his groin area, causing him to crash to the sand on his knees. Then, Olpi delivered an elbow to the side of his head, sending him sprawling and knocking him unconscious. Within moments, five of the twelve shark bait were disabled, none moving. Lurtew had backed against the cage side and briefly looked upwards as if he was going to climb the bars.
Jay shoved a human who had run screaming into the middle of the cage out of his way as he moved towards Lurtew, reaching the far side of the cage as Malaki's gnoll fighter approached him. The gnoll went to grab Lurtew, whom SJ could see scream but couldn't hear over the din. Jay was to the side of the gnoll and punched him in his left shoulder, remembering SJ's comments about his weakness. The shock of the punch caught the gnoll by surprise, not expecting to be attacked so soon, and he turned to face his attacker. Sneering, his face contorted in anger, he attacked Jay. He didn't show any pain from the blow, which concerned SJ.
"That punch should have broken his shoulder," Dave said.
Jay blocked the gnoll's strikes with a speed that belied his size. The gnoll was slower and more cumbersome in his movements. Jay didn't appear to be trying to fight back as he easily parried the blows. Watching Jay fight defensively was astounding. His feet moved as quickly as his arms as he continued to jink and move his body away from the attacks.
A body suddenly blocked SJ's view as Dash stood up from his chair, screaming towards where Kylian was now. Four more sharks were down, and Kylian was face to face with the huge orc that Lenny had spoken to. SJ's pulse raced as she watched. She was standing now to see past Dash.
The orc caught Kylian on his jaw with a strike that would have decapitated many. The dwarf's head didn't move as his powerful, muscular frame absorbed the impact. Striking back with a kick towards the orc's knee. SJ had witnessed Friday night street fighting outside clubs in London, which reminded her of it. Most fighters show no grace, just sheer uncontrolled aggression and power. The only other fighter apart from Jay showing any fluidity in their moves was Olpi.
One of the shark bait, a tall, thin man, took advantage of the fight between Kylian and the orc, jumping onto the orc's back and sinking his teeth into his shoulder. The orc, grunting from the bite and reaching, grabbed the man by his head and wrenched him over his head, throwing him as if he weighed nothing at Kylian. Kylian punched, connecting with the man as his body was cast towards him; the man screamed in pain, falling to the ground at Kylian's feet; his momentum stopped in an instant. Groaning, the man clutched his arms across his chest. He wasn't joining the fight again. Kylian stamped on the man as he moved past him to approach the orc, and there was a snapping sound of a broken bone.
In the meantime, Jay still absorbed or blocked the gnoll's attacks. Olpi had overpowered the other fighter he was with and was now wrestling on the ground with him. His arm wrapped tightly around his throat as he attempted to render him unconscious. His legs curled around his body, the strain clear on his face as he performed a chokehold.
The bugbear fighter that Olpi was trying to choke was struggling to grab at Olpi's arms locked around his neck. The bugbear's promoter, the other human, stood by the cage bars now screaming at him, telling him if he didn't win, he would be abandoned to the slums of Asterfal. SJ had moved closer to the cage as the fight was underway. Lurtew looked terrified, leaning against the bars as though trying to press his body through them.
Only two of the bait remained, Lurtew and the tiny gnome. The gnome had huddled in a corner of the cage, cowering in fright at the violence unfolding in the cage. As the orc fought against Kylian, he successfully landed a kick on the dwarf's left arm, leading SJ to notice the dwarf wincing slightly from the impact. The jarring sensation of the blow must have affected its weaker elbow. The dwarf cried in rage as it launched towards its much taller foe. A crazed look of anger shone in its eyes. Getting in close range, SJ noticed the dwarf's muscles tense all across its back as it flung its head forward with such speed and force that the sound of impact was heard above the screaming crowds.
The orc's arm was now bent at an obscure angle, where it had attempted to block the impact from Kylian. The orc showed no sign of pain and punched with its good arm, connecting with the left side of the dwarf. SJ winced from the blow as Kylian grimaced from the impact of the vicious blow.
"I think the potions that have taken remove pain," Dave said.
'I agree. There is no way that orc couldn't have felt the damage to its arm. That headbutt Kylian performed was a special move, and his arm's state is in. It's useless now,' SJ thought. Her mind was going at a million miles per hour as everything happening in the cage appeared in slow motion. The fact that she could flit from one fight to the next so quickly and see everything that was happening was strange. Whatever the drink had done had changed her perception of time.
Jay was still blocking, and the strangest sight was seeing the huge grin on his face. He was loving every moment of the fight. The gnoll snarled and panting as it continued to hit him. Jay absorbed all the strikes without even a hint of anything hurting him. His arms were like tree trunks being hit by a bare fist. The gnoll changed its tact and suddenly lunged forward to grab him. They were nearly equal in height, and as he did, Jay grasped one fist with the other and swung his elbow inwards with such speed and force that when it connected with the gnoll's outstretched arm, its arm was sent whirling away in front of it, making the gnoll stagger off balance. That was all that Jay had been waiting for, and as its body turned away, Jay stepped in and struck again at its left shoulder blade. His kick he rendered seemed to defy a being of his size firmly connecting. This time, the gnoll's face contorted slightly in pain.
SJ couldn't help but scream at Jay, "That's it! You have him now."
The gnoll leapt forward suddenly, giving itself distance from Jay as it turned again to face him. Jay ushered him forward with his hand as he stood in a boxer's stance. The gnoll came at him, fists blazing, and this time, as he did, Jay retaliated. He didn't block the blows as they connected with his chest and upper body, returning the favour directly with his fists on the gnoll. His fist connected squarely with the jaw of the gnoll, making its head shudder from the impact; Malaki was now standing at the cage screaming obscenities at the gnoll. The gnoll shook its head slightly as it continued to punch at Jay. Again, Jay absorbed its blows and struck back with another perfect blow on its chin. SJ noticed the gnoll's eyes flicker slightly.
'That must be his iron fist,' SJ thought excitedly.
The next fist was against the left of the gnoll's jaw, again making it stagger. This time, Jay didn't hold back anything. As the gnoll's body turned slightly, he grabbed its left arm, wrenching it backwards and upwards behind the gnoll's back. There was a popping sound, and SJ saw the deformed shoulder as it was popped from its socket. The gnoll hissed angrily as Jay let go, and it spun at him again, its arm useless.
Glancing over at Olpi and the bugbear, he extracted himself from his opponent's now-still form. Standing, he noticed his closest target being the orc that Kylian was fighting, and without hesitation, he launched himself at the orc's side, wrapping his arms again around its throat and pulling it backwards. The orc tried to maintain its balance, but a swift kick from Kylian turned its knee, making it fall backwards in Olpi's grasp.
Kylian didn't need a second invite and jumped onto the orc's midriff, his compact and substantial weight landing two feet on its stomach. An audible rush of air escaped its lungs. Its arms moved to defend its abdomen from Kylian, and then it realised it needed to pull the man from its throat. It was now torn between the two who attacked it, unsure which to prioritise.
The gnoll screamed as it lunged at Jay, its good arm outstretched and its claws prominent as it tore down his chest in a raking motion; red welts appeared on Jay's chest, spilling the first sign of blood from Jay. Jay again attacked the left side of the gnoll, where its wrecked arm was now hung useless, either dislocated or with an even worse injury preventing it from using it. It couldn't properly defend itself with only one good arm, and as Jay rained more and more blows onto its left, it began to falter more visibly. Whether it was feeling any pain, SJ couldn't tell its face remained in a snarl. The repetitive strikes took their toll as the gnoll staggered more from each blow before a brutal kick sent it staggering into the cage bars near Lurtew.
Lurtew, in absolute terror at the violence, lashed out with his claws; his movement was uncontrolled and rabid, like that of an animal, as he scratched more like a feline would a post rather than any controlled physical assault. His claws raked across the gnoll's face, drawing streaks of blood as they did. Jay stepped back and allowed Lurtew his moment of glory. The gnoll raised his hand to block Lurtew as Jay stepped in swiftly, bringing his knee towards the gnoll's side with power and precision. It had to have been his special ability. As his knee struck, the gnoll's side seemed to concave under the impact, the gnoll letting out an audible groan this time as its left side became even more deformed. Malaki stood next to SJ, his hands on his head, pulling at his hair as he screamed at the gnoll. The gnoll was beaten.
Olpi was choking the orc, and it lashed out with a vicious kick from its prone position, catching Kylian in the groin. The expression on the dwarf's face changed to a picture as both his hands clasped at his groin as he staggered from the blow—pain radiating from his face. The orc reached behind and clawed at Olpi's face, trying to reach his eyes. Olpi turned his head sideways to protect his eyes from the onslaught.
Resting on his knees, Kylian tried to steady himself, taking deep breaths, attempting to regain his composure. Olpi let out a grunt as he sharply wrenched the orc's neck backwards in a vicious movement. The orc's eyes fluttered as he held on tight, and within moments, its flailing hands slowed. As the orc lost consciousness, Olpi slid out from the still form again, pushing himself to his feet. His face had welts from the orc's frantic scratching. He stood for a moment, looking at Kylian before he ran at him. Kylian saw the movement at the last moment. The cage was a maelstrom of violence and movement, making it nearly impossible for SJ to follow the action. Then, the liquid she had consumed surged through her, triggering her heightened perception of his arm to block a vicious kick aimed at his head.
Jay punched out with a straight jab at the face of the gnoll as he turned his head from Lurtew's attack and caught hit perfectly on its broad nose. Blood flowed from its nose and along its gums; it snarled; its teeth were now coated in blood, giving it a ravenous, evil appearance. Lurtew backed off as Jay attacked again, moving away along the cage edge. SJ was uncertain if Lurtew acknowledged Jay or if he had even noticed her standing outside the cage since his eyes were filled with terror. The gnoll took a final attempted swing at Jay with its remaining good arm before its time on Amathera ended. With a punch that seemed to come from the depths of hell, Jay stepped inwards and punched upwards with such force that the gnoll's head snapped backwards. The cracking sound of bone resonated in the room as the audience gasped as the gnoll's head tilted backwards unnaturally as its lifeless body fell to the floor.
Malaki screamed in anger and turned towards SJ. "You cheat," he bellowed as he stepped towards her. SJ's senses had been triggered by the danger, and she turned to block a fist from Malaki as he lunged at her. Stepping back and away, SJ didn't retaliate, as beings she hadn't even noticed rushed out and grabbed Malaki, restraining him. One of the beings was Henry, who stood at the promoter's entrance.
"Calm down, Malaki," he said calmly, holding one of his arms.
"This fae abomination has cheated. She needs to be dealt with," Malaki spat.
"I have seen no wrongdoing. Now take your seat, or you will be removed."
Malaki fumed at the words, but in Henry's hands, with the bugbear grabbing his other arm, he was helpless. "Unhand me. I am a councillor," he hissed angrily.
"Only if you take your seat quietly," Henry reiterated.
Malaki put his hands up placatingly, and Henry and the bugbear released their grips. He turned and stalked off towards the promoter's tunnel. For the first time, SJ noticed Lenny standing to the side of the cage, leaning over, talking to the largest and most obese orc SJ had ever seen. Sat next to the large orc was another female orc who looked beautiful. SJ could only guess it was Gasgut and Juniper.
"Sorry about that," Henry said. "Jay is doing well," he finished as he turned away.
Turning back to the cage, SJ watched Jay stand back from Olpi and Kylian, who were now slugging it out. A choke hold was not something that Olpi could manage on the dwarf since he had no visible neck. He was so muscular, so they were trading vicious blows. Jay stood, taking his time watching them fight, and drifted to Kylian's side. It was as though he was weighing up who would win. It looked as though Olpi had the upper hand after the groin kick Kylian had suffered from the orc. His form was not as pronounced as before and wincing when he moved from the radiating pain.
Lurtew had moved as far away from the fighting as he could, now stepping over other beings' inert and groaning forms as he made his way to the far side where the gnome was curled in the corner. The two shark baits were now cornered together.
Jay took his time before he attacked, but it was a violent onslaught of punishment when he did. Kylian suffered the torrent as Jay pummelled him with blows to his left side. Jay attacked the left side of the dwarf while Olpi continued to attack its front, soon overpowering it. After several moments, the dwarf dropped to its knees, exhaustion on its face. For all its strength, its stamina didn't seem as good as either Jay or Olpi, and Kylian eventually raised a single finger in the air. As soon as he did, Jay and Olpi backed off.
Dash cursed beside her.
"Submission," the elf said, now stood beside SJ. She hadn't even noticed the other promoter appear. "Looks like it's down to our two now. May the best being win."
Olpi and Jay turned to face each other. The looks in both their eyes showed respect, and Jay nodded towards him slightly. Olpi returned the gesture before the chaos again broke loose. These were old combatants, both having fought each other several times before, and SJ noticed how Jay had changed his form. He didn't stand as square to Olpi or allow him to get in grappling range, ensuring he kept his distance, knowing how potent Olpi was on the ground when wrestling. Instead, he bided his time, blocking or absorbing strikes from Olpi. Olpi was doing the same as he attempted to get in range to grapple.
There was an intellect to the match now that had been missing during the intense battle of so many. Both beings focussed entirely on their prey. SJ hadn't realised she had been shouting support for Jay until Dave spoke.
"Your love for violence is growing, I see," Dave said.
'What?'
"Have you heard yourself screaming at Jay?"
SJ felt her cheeks redden at his comment and attempted to compose herself more. The elf beside her smiled wryly at her sudden change in demeanour.
"I think Olpi has this," he said smugly as SJ watched Jay take a perfectly timed kick to his knee, making Jay stagger. The blow took him off balance momentarily, and that was all Olpi needed. Moving in, he wrapped his arms around Jay's body and clung like a limpet to his back, trying to draw his arm up under his chin. Jay had dropped his chin in defence of the move, preventing the man from getting at his throat. His eyes still held a calmness to them, even as he fought the man clinging to his back. Olpi was trying to unbalance Jay and get him to the ground, where he knew he would have the upper hand.
SJ watched as Jay clenched his fist tightly before bringing it in sideways with force at Olpi's hip—the immediate look on Olpi's face changing from the impact. Again, Jay pulled back his fist and struck him—a third successive strike made Olpi lessen his grip around Jay's body slightly. With the fourth punch, Olpi let go and, landing clumsily, stepped away from Jay again. Jay turned and smiled at Olpi. Olpi grimaced before nodding at Jay again. These two combatants respected each other and their abilities.
The fight continued for several minutes, and neither got the upper hand. Until Jay successfully landed a kick on Olpi's hip again. The impact drew visible pain on the man's face. He limped sideways from the blow again, and Jay stepped back. Sweat covered their bodies from the exertion, and SJ saw Olpi glance briefly at the elf standing next to her. The elf sighed deeply.
"Congratulations," he said, holding his hand out.
SJ looked at him confused and then turned as Olpi raised one finger. SJ took his hand. "Olpi fought well," she said.
"He did, but Jay hasn't lost his touch, it seems," the elf smiled. "Maybe it will be Olpi's turn at the championship."
Not understanding when that was, SJ just replied, "Maybe."
The crowd roared at the fight. Jay turned and looked at where Lurtew and the gnome were still cowering. The gnome he picked up from the ground wailed in protest, kicking her small limbs in a maddened frenzy. He gripped her throat in one fist until, within moments, her eyes rolled, and she also fell unconscious. Carefully, he laid her on the cage floor.
Turning back to Lurtew, he spoke briefly.
The elf suddenly spoke. "Is he going to do what I think he will? If so, that hasn't happened in over a century."
"What?" SJ asked.
"He is going to rescind the fight to the gnoll."
"Why would he do that?"
"No idea. Maybe it is his way of thanking him for the help during the fight. If he wins, it is the only way he can gain his freedom from the debt."
Turning back, SJ watched in amazement as Jay lifted a finger into the air. Gasps and shouts filled the chamber. Jay grabbed Lurtew's arm and lifted it into the air. The crescendo of noise continued for several minutes. Lurtew stood in shock, looking around the chamber until his eyes eventually met SJ's. Tears flowed freely as he did.
"Congratulations on your decision," the chief's voice suddenly cut across the chamber, "it has been 112 years since the last fight was rescinded to another."
Jay nodded towards the chief politely and walked over to the cage where SJ was standing.
Smiling, Jay looked at SJ's shocked expression. "It is the only way for him to be freed from the debt." Turning back around, Jay walked to where Olpi hunched, holding his hip, to help support him. Then he moved over to Kylian and helped him stand, his face still contorted in pain, one hand remaining on his groin.
"Shall we?" the elf said, offering SJ to return to the promoter's tunnel. "You have a purse to collect."
"Did he not just give it up?"
"No. The purse is for brawlers only. That gnoll's freedom is more than he would ever require as a reward."
As SJ turned to follow the elf, she saw Carlito standing where they had been since the fight started, nodding at her knowingly as she entered the tunnel.
