"You sure this is the right place?" Vaunea nods at my question, motioning to the fountain in the center of the square with her head.

"See the centerpiece of the waterwork?" I follow her gaze and study the fountain closer.

"Is that?" She nods her head and shoves me further down the street, nearly making me stumble.

"They made the centerpiece after the rebellion. As a reminder of what happened, and what would happen if anyone tried again." I shake my head as we find a semi quiet place to wait next to what appears to be a giant message board.

"Still a pyramid of skulls seems kind of over the top. There had to be a better way of handling that situation." Vaunea shrugs, her eyes scanning over the crowd.

"We may need to move again." At my curious look, she motions to the board beside us. I start to remind her I can't read shit in this world when she motions to it again. Letting out a huff, I turn to face the board.

"Well damn." On the message board is a fairly passable likeness of me. The drawing looks almost exactly like me, even down to the armor I had on when I arrived. It included the patch on my left peck with my blood type. I scratch at my beard, hoping it disguises my face enough.

"So what does it say?" Vaunea gives me a look like I'm losing my mind, but she starts to read it off.

"Reward offered for enemy of the crown. Last seen heading south of Delure. That's the name of the capitol by the way. If brought in alive, reward to be paid in the sum of sixty platinum coins, a noble title, and land. If brought in dead with all gear he possesses, forty platinum coins." She looks around the square, then motions towards an empty alley. "Now can we please move?"

"Sure, let's go." We make our way across the square quickly and duck into the alley. Vaunea takes up a position by the mouth of it, watching the square while I lean against the wall. The stones feel cool against my back, and I lean my head against them. Vaunea glances back at me as I take deep breaths to try and calm my nerves. Between the people and the poster, I feel half fried right now.

"You going to be alright?" I nod slowly, feeling my skull bounce off the stones. I wince as I lean forward to give my head some room from the wall.

"I'll be fine. I just hate crowds." She stares at me for a second so I continue with a sigh. "I'm from a small town, and grew up away from big cities. By the time I saw a group of people bigger than maybe two hundred, I was sixteen. I was catching a flight to a cousin's wedding." I feel a laugh escape my throat that causes Vaunea to tilt her head at me.

"I never made the wedding. I ended up getting drunk with her dad and hiding in the church basement. Between the plane and surrounded by people, I just couldn't cope. Ever since then if I have to be around a large crowd, I damn near lose it." Vaunea nods at my story, seeming to be thinking.

"I'm from a small village in the mountains. I'm not a fan of large cities either. Though I think I have an easier time with them than you do." I'm about to reply when the sound of leather stroking flesh echoes in the alley.

"Worthless son of a whore! Do you even know how much of my product you ruined by touching it with your filthy hands!? More than your life is worth!" The angry voice has me moving back toward the mouth of the alley.

I have to force myself to be still when I see what's going on. Less than twenty feet from the alley a man in a stained red robe is beating another man. The one being beaten is laying on the ground, not even attempting to defend himself. A vaguely canine looking tail and pointed ears tells me he is a beastkin of some sort. Seeping welts cover most of his back, and the man beating him shows no sign of slowing down.

My hand flexes on the pistol grip of my AR. My arm wants to flex and bring it to bear on the man in the red robe, but I know I can't. If I do, it's going to mean we have to run again. If we have to run, then I don't get the flask for the truck. Yes, Alexis can make more right now, but she won't be with us forever. Also if we have to run now, Shiva and Thea are both not here with me. Anything could happen between us running and when we meet up. I know if anything happened to them because of me, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself.

Letting out a deep breath, I force myself to relax. My hand slowly let's go of my rifle, and I push it further under my coat. Vaunea is staring at me, almost cautiously. Without saying a word, I step back into the alley. My head bangs against the wall as I lean against it again. Each time I hear the whip come down on the man, I slam my fist against the wall. My teeth are clenched tightly together as my jaw flexes over and over. I can feel myself getting more and more worked up.

"Where the fuck are they?" The sound of the whip striking flesh finally stops. There is more yelling from out in the square, but I'm doing my best to block it out. I close my eyes as I lean my head back against the wall, taking a deep breath through my nose to try and calm down.

"I thought you would try to step in and help him." Vaunea's voice almost sounds accusatory.

"If I stepped in, we would have to run. I wanted to help him, but I can't risk Thea and Shiva to do it. It's killing me that I didn't help, but there was nothing I could do." I concentrate on taking deep even breaths through my nose.

"I understand, and I know it can't be easy on you to listen to it." I feel myself starting to chuckle as I open one eye to look at Vaunea.

"It was the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time. It's probably going to haunt my dreams when I finally sleep again." I close my eyes again and try to relax. "Just let me know when they show up, ok?"

"I will. Just try and relax a little bit." A dry laugh escapes my throat as I try and take another deep breath to calm down. I listen to the sounds of people passing by in the square. The smell of pine needles and sunshine hits me slowly, and I feel myself start to smile.

"Hey, Shiva." Before I can open my eyes, I feel her punch me in the arm.

"How the hell did you know I was there? I know your eyes were closed, and I know I didn't make a sound." I open my eyes, Shiva is pouting and standing in front of me. At the mouth of the alley, I see Jacob and Thea watching our interaction with a smile.

"True. I knew you were there because I smelled you when you got close to me." Shiva looks confused, so I explain. "You smell like pine needles and sunshine. It's a smell I'll never forget." Shiva looks more confused now. She lifts her sleeve up to smell it gently.

"What smell are you talking about? I don't smell anything like that. All I smell is sweat and smoke from where we have been on the road." I push myself off the wall and wrap my arms around her. Thea steps up to us so I pull her in close. My nose ends up buried into the top of both of their heads. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon mixes with the smell of pine and sunshine.

"Both of you have your own scent. You smell like pine needles and sunshine, and you smell like vanilla and cinnamon." Shiva presses her face in close to Thea, smelling her as she scrunched up her face. She turns her head up to look at me.

"My nose is stronger than yours, and I can't smell what you are talking about. I think it's all in your head, and Sarge tipped you off." I laugh and start to move us all towards the square out of the alley.

"Sarge didn't tell me shit. I don't know why you can't smell what I'm talking about. All I know is as soon as you got close to me, I knew it was you. The same way I knew when Thea slipped into the bed roll beside me last night." As we step back into the square, Shiva and Thea pull away gently.

"It might hurt your reputation in this part of town if we are all over you." Thea hip checks me as we continue to walk. Shiva takes the lead, and Jacob slips almost into my shadow.

"Everything alright?" Jacob looks around, then pulls the hood on his cloak up.

"Yeah, just some history I'd rather not dig up in this city." Glancing back, I see Vaunea taking up a position at the rear of our group.

"Anything I need to worry about?" Jacob shakes his head slowly after thinking for a second. "If it is man, just let me know. I know we haven't known each other very long, but I consider you to be a friend." Jacob's head spins to look up at me, and I can see he is surprised.

"You consider me a friend?" I give him a small shrug, then nod. "I don't have many friends." His voice is so quiet. I'm fairly sure I wasn't supposed to hear him.

"I don't either as I didn't have many in my world. I was always one that would rather have one true friend, than a hundred fake ones." Jacob is nodding his head along, so I'm pretty sure he understands.

"You two done gossiping like a pair of old ladies? 'Cause we're here!" Shaking my head slightly, I realize we have indeed stopped.

We are standing in front of a two story building with a wrap around porch. A pair of double saloon doors sits between two wide windows. I raise one eyebrow as I realize the windows don't have any glass in them. I'm about to ask about it when a man comes flying through the empty window.

"I thought there were no violence tolerated inside the city." Shiva shrugs as she steps onto the porch.

"I thought you were going to buy a weapon, but you dont hear me asking about that. Stupid questions don't always need an answer." I feel my jaw drop, and I can't hold back a laugh. Jacob let's out a low sigh, and gently shoves me up onto the porch beside the door.

"She's just giving you shit. She is like that. You are right; violence is not allowed inside the city. The only exception is in city approved fighting rings and pits. There is one inside the Broken Blade. That's where he came from." Jacob motions to the man currently unconscious on the ground.

"Sounds like a fun place." Thea clasps her arms around mine as she looks through the window. Shiva shrugs, eyeing the opening in the door.

"It's not so bad. Just try not to make anyone too mad. If you get challenged to a match in the pit, you have to accept. Don't accept, then you have to leave the city. That's the rules of the Blade. You can have a substitute fight for you, but someone has to fight. So keep your head down, and try not to cause trouble." Shiva glares at me as she is speaking.

"What!?" I throw my free hand up in mock surrender, making Thea laugh. "I don't ever start anything! It's not my fault people start shit with me." Shiva rolls her eyes, turning towards the door.

"Vaunea, just stay close to him and keep him out of trouble." She pushes open the door and steps inside. Thea gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and disappears through the door behind Shiva.

"Why do I feel I should be worried about how close those two are getting?" I'm not expecting an answer, but Jacob gives me one.

"Because Thea and Shiva being close means they are going to gang up on you." He shoves me gently towards the door. "Now come on. We probably shouldn't leave them alone too long."

As we step into the tavern, I blink my eyes quickly to force them to adjust. When I see how crowded the room is, I stop moving. Jacob prods me gently to keep me moving, speaking to me in a low voice.

"Just keep moving, it will be alright." I nod slowly and concentrate on pushing through the mass of close packed bodies. For every step I take, it seems like three people bump into me. Jacob keeps his hand on my shoulder. I see Thea and Shiva watching us from the bar. The two seem to be enjoying how much we are struggling to get through the crowd. I glance back, seeing the crowd part for Vaunea.

"Vaunea, how about you part the red sea for us here?" She looks confused for a second, but seems to understand what I mean. She squeezes past us and starts to part the crowd easily. I see Shiva and Thea leaning in close, laughing at us. Then I see Shiva's face fall, and she slips off the barstool and starts pushing in our direction.

"BASTARD!" Jacob's hand is ripped from my shoulder, and I hear a grunt of pain behind me. The noise in the room drops by a noticeable degree as I spin around. For a split second, Jacob is lost in the crowd. It takes but a moment for me to see him. His head is just above the height of the crowd. Someone is holding him by the front of his shirt, and shaking him wildly.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING FUCK!" I don't know how, but the crowd has already closed up between me and Jacob's attacker. When it doesn't part quick enough, I shove my way through. I ignore the protest of the men I'm shoving, just focusing on getting to Jacob.

"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO SHOW YOUR WORTHLESS FACE AROUND HERE AGAIN!" I don't know who the man is, but he is pissed, that's for sure. I finally edge my way through the crowd, and I get my first good look at the man who grabbed Jacob.

He is a big man, standing a few inches taller than me. He's barrel-chested, his muscles seeming to bulge bigger as he shakes Jacob. His shaved head seems to be sprouting right off his shoulders. His shirt has the sleeves ripped off to show off his arms, reminding me of the tough guy wannabes back home. Judging by how everyone is moving back from him, I don't think he is a wannabe.

There doesn't seem to be any good way to get him away from Jacob. It also doesn't look like I have a lot of time to act. Jacob is starting to look like he is about to pass out. I don't want to kill the man, not if I don't have to. So I move in behind him, gripping his wrist as I twist my body around. For a moment, I'm afraid that I can't shift him. Then we are all three shifting, and he slams into the floor beneath me.

Jacob scrambles away as I realize this is far from over. An elbow comes out of nowhere, slamming into my already broken nose. A growl escapes my lips as I twist us both around, leveraging his arm against my hip.

"THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!?" I don't bother answering. Instead, I drive my heel down into his ribs. As I feel him shift, I let go of his arm, shuffling to the side as I come up onto my hands and knees. My fingertips are barely touching the floor. My eyes are glued to the man in front of me. As he starts to stand I move to his left, trying to keep moving. As I straighten up, I raise my hands into a boxer's stance. My feet are moving on their own, keeping me just out of his reach.

"Who the fuck do you think you are stepping between me and that shit!?" I shrug, not sure how to answer him.

"We were minding our own business, you attacked us. The better question is, who do you think you are attacking my friend like that?"

"He calls himself Thrasher. We kind of have a history." Jacob's voice comes from behind me, but I'm not taking my eyes off the man in front of me.

"YOU!" I'm forgotten as he tries to charge past me. I hook his ankle with my own, grabbing his wrist and twisting it behind him as he falls. This time I control our fall. Still, I feel the grip of my rifle dig into my side. I wince as I hear his face slam into the floor. I'm stuck trying to pin Thrasher to the ground. I'm nearly thrown off him twice before I see Vaunea reach me.

"Fucking hold him for a second!" Vaunea kneels down, pinning the larger man easily. When he tries to break free, she just shifts her weight to hold him still. I'm panting lightly as I drag myself to my feet. Looking around, I see Jacob standing at the edge of the ring of people watching the scene unfold.

"What the fuck was that about?" Jacob opens his mouth, then closes it without saying anything.

"Get your slave off me. I have business with that fucker!" Thrasher is still yelling, even if I am mostly ignoring him.

"You still got him?" Vaunea nods at me, almost looking bored. As I'm taking a step towards Jacob, I feel a hand grip my shoulder.

"Don't move, you are bound by law!" I have a bad feeling that I know that voice. Turning my head, I see I was right about who it is. Rook Stein the overzealous watchman is holding my shoulder, looking smug as he does. I let my eyes flick down his body, going over every way I could break his hold and put him on the ground.

If I do that then I'm going to have to run. Kinda need to stay in town for at least another day. So I best behave myself and not make the rookie eat the floor. I'm about to open my mouth to ask what the problem is, when I hear Vance screaming over the crowd.

"Rook, let him go before you get hurt! That's an order, rookie!" At Vance's words, Rook let's go of my shoulder like it's on fire, jumping back as he does. He spins around to face Vance as he pushes his way through the crowd.

"What did I say before we came in here, Rook? What did I say?" Rook flushes and looks down at his boots, mumbling his reply.

"We are off duty, so check the attitude at the door." Vance slaps Rook on the shoulder, then makes him lift his head to look at him.

"That's right, and do you know why I said that?" Rook looks confused for a moment, then shakes his head no. Vance let's out a sigh, and then starts to explain. "You aren't ready to take on any of the people in here yet. Yeah, I know you have those academy fighting lessons we all got. However, take a look at Thrasher here, who is currently pinned to the ground." He motions to the still struggling man then continues.

"Just last month, he put three members of the watch in the hospital. He just got out three days ago. Good behavior and all that." Vance rolls his eyes as he continues. "Now, Silas here just took him down, and yeah, I remember you. My mind ain't slippin that bad yet." He gives me a small nod as he continues.

"So after Silas put him on the ground, you try and arrest him? I'd bet you every coin I have he was thinking on how to take you down." He pauses and looks at me for a moment. With a shrug, I answer the unspoken question.

"I counted four without hurting him too bad. Another ten or so depending on how bad I wanted to hurt him. One of which he wouldn't have walked away from." I see Rook's face pale a little at my words.

Good, kid needs to think more. Vance does seem to be trying to get him to do that. So I hope it works out for him.

"Anyway, so you go and tell him he's under arrest. What if he had decided he wasn't going with you? Then you end up hurt, possibly crippled or dead. All because you rushed into the situation without knowing what's going on." Vance moves around Rook, and comes to a stop to look up at me.

"Now, tell me what happened and we can all get on with our day." I give Vance a small shrug as I feel a pair of arms wrap around my waist. Glancing over my shoulders, Thea and Shiva are both standing right behind me.

"Not much to tell. I finished up my business from earlier. Met up with the rest of my party, and came in here for a drink. While my friend and I were still trying to push our way to the bar, that fuck grabbed him." Vance nods along to my story, but I can see Rook is looking kinda twitchy. "When I saw my friend being assaulted, I stepped in to defuse the situation. I was about to find out what happened when I was told that I'm bound by law."

"Don't worry about that. I'm going to have a chat with the owner of this place. If I was guessing, I'd say he isn't going to press charges. Since we didn't see any actual fight we can't bring charges of disturbing the peace." He waves his hand at Thrasher who Vaunea is still pinning to the ground.

"Any idea what his problem with your friend is?" I shrug, and turn my head to Jacob.

"That's what I was about to find out when Rook showed up." Vance peeks around me in an exaggerated fashion. When he sees Jacob, I see him start to smile.

"Jacob, long time no see. I guess staying out of trouble is not working out for you, huh?" Jacob shrugs, glancing down at Thrasher and back up to Vance.

"I've had better luck staying out of trouble till I came here." Jacob steps closer to the two of us and offers Vance his hand. "I wasn't planning on being here long, so I figured it would be alright. Besides last I heard, Thrasher was drinking at the Fallen Maiden." Vance chuckles as he let's go of Jacob's hand.

"Oh he was, till about a month ago when he ran afoul of the Janthers. He ended up injuring three of us watchmen in that fight. He decided on a change of scenery." Jacob tilts his head and has a confused look on his face.

"I thought the Janthers were farther east in the city?" Judging from the conversation, I'm pretty sure I'm missing something.

"They were, but they are making a push west. It's gotten pretty bad the last little bit." Vance shrugs, almost as if he is saying, what can you do. "Since this is a personal dispute. We are just going to move along. Remember no fighting outside of the ring, and no causing problems." He nods to Jacob again, then grabs Rook's arm. "See you around Jacob. Come on Rook, time to go."

"But, we can still arrest them for…" Rook's voice is swallowed up by the crowd as Vance drags him away towards the bar.

"What the fuck are the Janthers?" I turn to face Jacob as I speak.

"Street gang that's apparently pushing into another's territory. Bigger problem is what are we going to do when Orin realizes we started a fight in his bar."

"Aren't we supposed to be meeting with him anyway?" Jacob shrugs, then motions to Thrasher who is still struggling against Vaunea.

"Beside the point, and we should probably let him up." I raise an eyebrow at Jacob's words.

"You sure about that?" Jacob shakes his head no, but shrugs.

"Can't just leave him pinned to the ground all night. I'll have to deal with him sooner or later. May as well be now." I feel Shiva and Thea both squeeze me tighter from behind. I let out a long sigh as I turn my head to look at Vaunea.

"Let him up, but don't let him charge Jacob again." Vaunea stands up quickly, dragging Thrasher to his feet.

"GET OFF OF ME, YOU OVERGROWN BITCH!" I ease out of Thea and Shiva's grips to stand in front of Thrasher.

"Settle down, or I will put you down. Understand?" Thrasher glares at me, and for a second I'm sure he is about to try and kick me. "Vaunea, let him go." She gives me a curious look, but let's go of Thrasher's arms.

"At least you have her trained right. Now, step aside. I have a score to settle with that little shit stain." He tries to push me aside, but I move in front of him again.

"If you have an issue with him, you are going to have to go through me." I can see he's angry, and for a second, I'm sure that I'm prodding an angry bear.

"Thrasher, I didn't mean…" Before Jacob can finish, Thrasher is interrupting him.

"Didn't mean what, to sleep with my brother? To turn him into a fucking boy fucker like you!? Now you hide behind your friend when we both know you have a beating coming!" He starts to lunge at Jacob again, but Vaunea catches him and pulls him back. "I'll kill you!"

"Woah, he really doesn't like you." I turn to face Jacob, who is watching me carefully. "There any truth to what he's saying?" Jacob nods slowly, opening his mouth over and over before finally speaking.

"Yeah, but it didn't happen like he thinks it did. I didn't chase after his brother, his brother chased me."

"SHUT YOUR LYING MOUTH!" I feel Thrasher crash into me, then he's gone as Vaunea pulls him back. "MY BROTHER WASN'T NO FUCKING BOY FUCKER TILL AFTER YOU CAME AROUND!"

"Oh shut the fuck up." I turn back to face Jacob, who still looks nervous. "He hates you because you're gay, or because his brother was?"

"Mostly the second one, I think." Jacob winces before he continues. "In the life they live, being like me is seen as a weakness. Thrasher doesn't like anyone to think he's weak, or any of his men and family are. For his brother, his own flesh and blood to…. Well he didn't take it well. His brother fled the city, and I… well, I left not long after." I know Jacob is not telling me something, but I don't have time to think on that now.

"So, I guess that explains why you didn't mind me dating Shiva. I was about half sure the two of you were together at one point." Jacob laughs gently at my joke, shaking his head.

"No, I always said if I was into women, I'd be with her. I'm just not, and never have been. She is just a friend, family to me really." Jacob glances around the room, scanning the crowd like he is still nervous.

I look around and notice the room seems to be split. Half of them are trying their best to not look at us. The other half is watching the scene unfold like it's the most interesting thing they have seen. I let out a sigh, and turn to face Thrasher. I doubt there is anything I can do to calm the man down, but I have to try. I open my mouth to speak, when Thrasher yells out loud enough to surprise me.

"JACOB, I CHALLENGE YOU IN THE PIT!" The crowd goes completely silent at his yell. For a few seconds, the silence hangs over the crowd, then I hear a chant starting.

"Pit! Pit! Pit! Pit!" Turning my head to Shiva, I see her shaking her head. I cross the distance between us in an instant and lean my head in close.

"Remember when you told me not to get in trouble, did you mean like Jacob just did?" Shiva nods, and I can see that she is worried. I glance over at Thrasher, who is smiling at Jacob. Jacob looks like he's about to run, or maybe pass out.

"Well, what's it going to be Jacob? You climbing into the pit with me, or leaving Shevel right now? If you're leaving, then I'll make sure I see you outside the walls." Thrasher smiles as he finishes talking. I'm shocked to see he has sharpened his teeth down to needle-like points. I lean down close to Shiva again.

"What are the rules in the pit?" She glances at Jacob and starts speaking in a low voice to me as the crowd keeps chanting.

"There aren't any. I mean you are not supposed to kill the other person, but it happens. Whatever happens in the pit, stays there. They bind the fighters mana so that it's an even fight. So there are no skills or spells in the pit. Just two people fighting till one can't anymore. Or till one of them is killed." I grit my teeth as I think about her words, trying to see a way out of this mess.

If Jacob doesn't fight, he is just going to catch him outside the city. Somehow I don't think this fucker is going to back off. Thea looks worried too, and I can feel that she is through the bond. I know we need to stay in town for at least tonight, but it's starting to look like we are going to have to leave.

"Wait, didn't you say someone else can fight for whoever's challenged?" Shiva's head snaps up to look at me at the same time as Thea's.

"Ji.. Silas, you can't! You don't know what Thrasher can do. Besides, you won't have mana to strengthen your muscles. You may have taken him before, but do you really think you can without your mana?" I shrug as I turn and start to move towards Jacob.

"I wasn't using it before. That was just me." I can see Shiva is shocked as I turn to face Thrasher.

"He accepts, and he said I'm going to sub for him in the pit." Thrasher smiles when I hear him say he accepts. His smile turns into a glare when I say I'm substituting for Jacob in the pit.

"No fucking way! My fight is with that useless ass rider not you!" Before I can respond, a loud voice cuts through the roar of the crowd.

"Doesn't matter, rules say he can substitute a different fighter. You know the rules as well as anyone, Thrasher!" The crowd parts, and I see an older man walking towards us.

He's fairly short. I'd guess somewhere around the five two mark. However, the look in his eye makes me sure he is far from a pushover. Hanging from his belt is what looks like a Billy club on one side, and a long dagger on the other. He comes to a stop in front of Thrasher, staring the taller man down.

"It's my place Vincent, a fact you seem to forget. The rules state he can sub in a fighter if he chooses. Now, you can respect the rules, or get out of my bar." Thrasher stares at the shorter man for a moment, then starts to grin.

"No rule saying I can't challenge him again after I beat his friend, now is there?"

"No, no there isn't." He turns to look at me for a second, then grins. "I don't think that's going to be an issue. So go get ready, I'll prep him and start the pit." Vaunea let's Thrasher go and he pushes his way through the crowd, knocking his shoulder against Jacob as he does.

"Ji… Silas, don't do this. You don't know him. He's killed ten men in the pit. We can just go. We don't have to wait around." I wrap my arm around Jacob and pull him close.

"Just trust me, ok? I'm not going to do anything stupid. We can't leave right now, and if we did, he would just follow you. You know I'm right and you don't have to like it. I'm just asking you to trust me." I turn back to the older man, letting Jacob move away from me as I move.

"So what all is involved with prepping someone for the pit?" He starts to chuckle to himself as he turns around and starts walking.

"Just follow me, and I'll get you set up." I start to follow him before the crowd has a chance to close up behind him. I glance behind me to make sure everyone is following. Luckily they are, and are sticking close to me. As I turn my head back around, I hear Alexis start to talk to me.

"Jim, if they are going to bind your mana, hand me off to Thea. She is strong enough to keep me going for about an hour. So don't take too long kicking his ass, ok?" I almost forgot about her, so I'm glad she spoke up.

"No problem, sorry I didn't think about that before." Thea comes up beside me, she is biting her lip nervously.

"Jim, I don't like this." Her voice is barely audible over the sound of the crowd. I wrap my arm around her shoulder as we come to a stop next to a descending staircase.

"It will be alright, babe." I give her a smile that she doesn't return.

"No armor or weapons in this match, so strip them off here." I glance at the man who led us here, he is tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hi, my name is Silas. Maybe buy me a drink before you tell me to strip." He sighs, and I can half hear him mumbling something about jokers.

"I'm Orin. Now lose the armor and any weapons you have on you." The crowd starts to push in close, so I take a deep breath. When my rifle shifts against my side, I realize I may not have thought this all the way through.

"Orin, you own the place and work the bar too?" I strip my left arm from my jacket as I speak. When I go to pull my right arm out, I slide my harness off with it. As I pull the rifle free, I wrap my jacket around it tightly and hand it to Thea.

"Yeah, I work the bar too. What's it to you?" I nod to Thea at Orin's words. She still looks worried, but she nods back.

"When this is over, we need to talk for a bit." I pull the pouch that holds Alexis off my waist and hand it to Thea. I lean in and whisper in her ear. "She says you can manage her for about an hour. I'll be back before then." As I finish, I pull back gently, then lean in to kiss her gently. She smiles at me, but I can still feel she is nervous.

"You going to take all day or what?" Orin looks annoyed at how long I'm taking, so I decide to hurry. I shed my armor and belt quickly, handing them to Jacob. He gives me a small nod, but I can see he is worried too.

"Vaunea, stay close to Thea, ok?" She nods once and moves to stand behind Thea. "Jacob, anything about this guy I should know before I get in there with him?"

"He likes to gouge eyes, and he's a biter." I give him a small nod before I turn to Shiva. She looks worried like the rest of them, but also excited.

Oh yeah, violence gets her excited. I don't know what to say to her, so I just give her a quick kiss before turning back to Orin.

"Alright, now what?" Orin lets out a sigh, pulling out a metal bracer from a box by the stairs. Without saying a word, he slaps it onto my wrist. It makes a small click as it connects with my wrist, then immediately gets scorching hot. Before I can yell out, a loud pop echoes in the room and the bracer falls to the floor.

"Huh, never seen that happen before." Orin is staring at the bracer on the floor, which is laying in two pieces.

"What's that mean?" He turns to look at me, his eyes squinting.

"It means you have a shitload of mana. You broke one of my mana seals just by putting it on." I shrug, looking around to see if anyone else is watching. Lucky for me, everyone seems more interested in what I assume is the pit.

"So, what now?" Orin gives me an angry glare as he reaches back into the box. This time he comes out with a bracer in either hand. Without saying anything, he slaps both of them on me at once. This time they get warm, but it's a manageable level of heat. Orin looks at them for a second, touching one before mumbling under his breath. He pulls another bracer out of the box and looks at me.

While he is doing that, I take a second to look over the bracers on my arms. They are well made from what I can tell with a complex set of lines carved into them. As best I can tell the lines match, but I have no idea what they could mean. I stare at them and see the lines start to glow gently. They turn the pale silvery metal a lighter color along the lines. Orin clears his throat loudly to draw my attention back to him.

"Yeah?" I tilt my head as he continues to stare at me.

"You need one more to actually hold you. So which arm you want it on?" I shake my wrist, feeling the added weight of the bracers. After a second, I hold out my left arm. While they aren't very heavy, I feel like two on one arm will slow it down just a little. When Orin slaps the third on, the first two cool almost instantly.

"So we good now?" Orin looks over the bracers, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, looks good. So follow me." Orin starts walking down the stairs without waiting to see if I'm following. I turn to look at my friends one more time, smiling at them.

"Don't worry, I got this." As I turn back and start down the stairs, I mumble to myself. "I think I do at least." Fucking shit, Jim. This was a real bright idea.

At the bottom of the stairs, Orin is waiting beside a steel door. His hand casually resting on the bar that it uses for a lock.

"Last chance to back out." I shake my head gently, there is no backing out of this one.

"Boss, what do you want me to do?" I can't help but grin as I hear Sarge's voice.

Just stay in Shiva's shadow, and keep an eye out for me. If I miss something, or someone is trying to get to our friends, let me know.

"Ok, boss. You got this, right?" My grin turns into a smile as Orin opens the door. As I step into the pit, I see Thrasher glaring menacingly at me. My smile seems to make him mad, and he starts to pace back and forth by the door behind him.

I think I do, but only time will tell. I can feel Thea worrying still, but I also feel Sarge too. It feels like he's pushing positive feelings at Thea and me. I roll my head around, feeling my neck crack as I do. My boots squeak on the stones of the floor as I flex my feet. I bounce gently to work out any other kinks as I twist at the waist. Shaking my arms, I flex my fingers before pulling my hands up to a loose boxing stance.

As the door shuts behind me, I shadow box for a few seconds. The added weight on my left arm has it feeling slightly sluggish. The one brace on my right arm doesn't seem to be slowing that arm down though. I don't know what we are waiting on, but I'm keeping Thrasher in my sight. He isn't moving very far, just back and forth maybe three steps.

"Alright everyone, we all know why we are here. Thrasher challenged an unknown with someone else jumping in his place. House odds have Thrasher winning at two to one. Two minutes until poles are closed, place your bets now." I glance up, seeing Shiva standing beside a rough wooden railing.

I give her a smile, then focus on the inside of the pit again. My eyes search over the area, looking for any hidden surprises. The walls are rough wood boards, so I need to stay off them. I can see where blood has been splashed on the walls countless times. This includes a broken board behind Thrasher that is covered in long splinters and blood.

The floor is hard stones mortared in tightly together. I need to make sure I don't go down. I wouldn't put it past him to try and crack my skull on the floor. The good news is there is no sand or loose soil that I can see. That means I don't have to worry about the typical movie trope of sand to the face. I'm rolling my neck again when I hear Orin yelling out above the crowd again.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE. POLES ARE CLOSED. ALL OTHER BETS ARE BETWEEN YOU ALL." Orin appears at the edge of the pit, looking down at the two of us.

"You both know the rules, no weapons and you go until one can’t. Good luck to you both, and may the Gods have mercy on you. At the sound of the bell, you fight." I nod to Orin before I turn to face Thrasher.

Fuck, did he get bigger? I shake my head to clear any doubts trying to creep in. There's no time for any of that now. When I walked in, I heard the bar slam home. Until this fight is over, I'm stuck in here with this man. Thrasher smiles at me as I hear a bell ring out, then he charges.

Well fuck, here we go.