Seventeen

After the scuffle with the dwarf in the alleyway, the rest of my journey to Vulug’s gym went by without a hitch.

Vulug’s gym on the outside just looked like a large hall made of timber and rock. A large painted banner hung across the front, a moving picture of Vulug tensed and raised his eyebrows.

I took a deep breath. There had been a building anxiety deep within that had reached boiling point by the time I reached the front doors of the gym.

I’d never really seen Vulug in any capacity outside of the ring. This was the man that had ruined my career. Changed my lifestyle completely. All because the fairyfolk had brought themselves here to avoid some end of the world event back home. If they had never done that, my life would probably be a lot different.

I pushed open the large double doors and stepped over the threshold. The anxiety had started to crawl up into the back of my head like some ugly creature ready to throttle my brain.

The inside was fairly bare. There were four boxing rings set up, one in each corner. Small crowds were gathered around each one, people of all races. Within each one was a pair in gear, boxing.

A few more painted banners of Vulug hung around the gym, all with him striking different poses. One was of him standing over me. The moment when he became famous.

“Excuse me, but who ar-. Oh, your Vince Clay. What are you doing here, how can I help you?” I turned my head to the voice and was greeted by an elf that looked a little different than most.

They were taller than me, like most elves. However, they were a little broader in the shoulders than most and their ears weren’t as long. They also had a slight green tinge to their skin and one very small tusk. A half elf, half orc.

“Hi, yes, I am. And you are?” I held out my hand and the elf shook it.

“Mazar. Vulug’s half-brother. Bet you can’t tell which half.” Mazar gave a little chuckle. “What can I do for you Mister Clay?” Wow, ‘mister’, that made me feel special.

“I’m after your brother actually. I need to have a little chat with him about some things.”

“Yeah, sure. He’s just in his back office. Come with me, I’ll take you there.” Mazar turned on his heels and I followed close behind.

Vulug’s office door was a heavy timber door with no markings. Mazar gave a loud thud but there was no answer. Mazar thumped again and opened the door.

“I said I didn’t want to be disturbed.” The voice was a low, guttural growl.

“Vulug, I’ve got Vincent Clay here. He said he wanted to talk to you about some things.”

“Oh shit, really? Send him in.” Mazar stepped aside and waved me through the door.

Vulug’s office looked as though it used to be a supply closet. It was cramped and full of bits of equipment. A wooden desk was jammed in there as well as a chair. Photos, trophies, and medals were scattered about, and I was surprised to see a metal filing cabinet was also in here.

However, the first thing I noticed about the room was the smell. There was only one small, rectangular window at the top of the wall, near the ceiling. It was open, but there was no way that was ever going to be enough.

“Vincent Clay, what can I do for you, old pal?” Vulug struggled to stand from behind his desk and gave me an awkward handshake.

Vulug was taller than me and broader than me. His muscles bulged underneath the cream button-up shirt he wore. He had close cropped hair and a tattoo that came up from beneath his shirt. It covered half of his neck and faded as it went up his face. A pair of fully developed tusks framed his mashed face. A kind of face only a boxer developed.

There wasn’t another chair for me to sit at, so I stood as Vulug sat himself back down.

“Vulug. How are you buddy?” It was hard to keep the formalities up, but I needed this guy to work with me.

“Good, good. And you?” His voice sounded a little shaky. He nodded to Mazar to close the door.

“Yeah, I’m good, I’m good. I see the boxing life is working wonders for you. It’s a nice looking gym you’ve got here.”

“Yeah, you think so? Thanks. I think is great. We’re operating at full capacity all of the time. My brother is actually set to make his debut on the circuit soon. His good, but relies too much on his strength alone, throws technique out the window. You would’ve been able to beat him easily, probably still can.” Vulug showed me an awkward smile.

“I saw in the paper today; you’ve pulled out of boxing for a while. With no answer about when you’ll return. What’s up with that?” I pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Vulug, who happily took it.

“Yeah, I’ve had a bit of a health scare. I’ve come down with some kind of thing that affects my heart and lungs. Its hard for me to keep up with my training regime, its really weird.” I watched him like a hawk and saw that his body twitched as he talked.

“That’s a shame, you’re at the peak of your career.”

“Yeah. It’s a real big upset.” He gave a chuckle, his eyes never moved away from me.

“Okay, lets cut the bullshit Vulug. You know I’m a detective. I’ve been hired by Faelana to find out what happened to her now dead fiancée, Heston Barclay. You were a buddy of his. You were also with him the night he was murdered.”

“Fine, okay. Yeah, I was. But I didn’t do it.” Vulug looked nervous now.

“Well, you better tell me a good story. Because before you go too far, I’ve got a witness account that places you in the alleyway where he was found dead. What can you tell me about that, Vulug?”