Ava

I feel like shit but I am almost back to full health again since the ravishing of my spirit all those years ago. My spirit-body is finally healed and I have a lot of work to do when it comes to actual training and catching up to those bastards down in Pangaea, complete assholes for leaving me here this way but to be fair I left Sachi sleeping all those years ago. I’ve since learned a lot about spirit wounds and the astronomical amount of time it takes to fully heal from them and I need something to make sure that this shit doesn’t happened again.

The fae healed all of my physical injuries years ago and I have been running security at the Sorcerer House for the past six years whilst still undergoing some training. But I haven’t had to kill any of the southerners for years now and the ambassadors we usually provide an escort for have gained enough of a reputation with the nobles of this land that we no longer get attacked by ‘bandits’ as we travel through the provinces and states.

I get up from the bed I am lying on and feel a warm calloused hand on my rump as the sheets fall off me, I scowl but ignore it turning to look at my guest and scowling some more.

‘’Leave,’’ I say poking him in the chest.

He gives me a grin and tries to grab me by the waist but I sidle away and study him before I can really think of what the appropriate response is. On one hand this is one of the elite guards of the noble House of Izan, the head Spy Master and currently very important figure in the ongoing negotiations. On top of that this ass here was diligent enough when he had his beard in my crotch to give me multiple climaxes so I can at least be civil for a bit longer.

‘’I’m serious, leave. I have work to be done.’’ I say before turning away and walking to the wash basin area to rinse my face.

‘’After all we shared these past few hours you would expel me with so little ceremony, you wound me.’’ He says with a little sigh but at least he gets out of bed and puts on his pants as he complains.

‘’My Uncle could be persuaded to look more favourable at the idea of a Continental intelligence allegiance if we had more to gain from working with you than we currently do. But as things currently are I don’t see much for the kingdom to gain but instead plenty to loose if we open our spy networks and training methods to you and the Hito.’’ He says lacing his booths roughly.

‘’That is none of my concern, my concern is that everyone I came here with leaves with as little injury as is possible, and I liked you better when you weren’t talking.‘

‘’At least lets make plans for another rendezvous between us and-‘’ I cut him off by throwing one of his boots at him which he catches. My own tunic is on having been slipped over my head but my thighs are still bare and seem to be distracting him. I internally grin despite my annoyance at the presence of the pretty man here, the Sandies are very good about stroking a tribeswoman’s ego and a lot of them are are more submissive in bed than the average tribesman, which makes making demands of them a more enjoyable experience for me.

*

Sachihiro

I’m at the Cave because I’ve earned myself the respect to be here amongst them, I think. The old men and the best fighters in a club that is an invite only underground fight club started by the brawlers, battle maniacs and Barbarians in the conclave. Every man or woman here tonight is willing to fight anyone else at any time a challenge is declared and that kind of constant intent creates an ambience in the passages and halls of the Cave in the Underside where the fight club is hosted once every ten-day.

We all get out of each other’s way, we all have respect for each other, we all have ways in which we understand each other that no one else that has never been part of such a community would ever know; something that becomes instinct. But even here there are levels and as only a tier one of a single speciality I am not much of a stand out amongst those that would be my peers in skill and competence unless I use Honour or I use the Rage to compete.

Because of the Rage any Barbarian tribesman that makes it down here is given a certain minimum amount of respect even if they are yet to actually be seen fight because of the absolute advantage of the berserker rage. The depletion of pain, the reduced blood loss, the increased aggression, speed and strength, the monstrous stamina. But a new arrival is just that, a new arrival and will need to prove themself in the fighting platforms as of course someone will challenge them, someone always challenges them.

I’m walking down the dimly light passage of the large circular series of covens interconnected to one another in what is the fight club. Om and da are here with me with Om walking in front and da and I on either side of his shoulder. The peace and eagerness that is coming of me may seem to be a contradiction to some but the excitement that everyone that feels it is getting as we pass them is drawing more fight club crazies towards us for their own chance in what will surely turn into an interesting night.

We walk into the fighter's hall and stand looking around surveying the atmosphere before choosing to go towards the lefter-most conduit side where the very ground of the spectators is marked with powerful runes and enchanted materials so that the power of the spectators doesn’t destroy the building bringing the main floor of the Den crashing down. We find ourselves a comfortable spot to watch the concourse where the single fight between a vampire and an Awakened Lord is taking place.

The two concourses only host a single fight at a time and with the etiquette of the place an audience member that wants to fight another needs to step back into the main floor where spontaneous fights often break out as people have fun and test themselves against worthy opponents. Everyone here is a beast in some way and has a love of battle that borders on perverted and we are here for Om’s coming out celebration as he truly showcases himself for the first time in the club.

He has had an invitation since his most recent master has allowed the rumours of his sparing record with the Volvocane siblings be leaked to the old men of the Proelium, and of course he was already a captain of a squid though no one had considered him a true lover of battle before. I received my invitation after my sparing match with Masashi that ended with him nearly dying and me subdued by Master Zaraya. Didn’t even know the place existed until I was dragged down here for the first time and had to fight thrice to satisfy this hungry crown of warriors.

Om has only had two previous fights but for some reason my big friend has never really let himself loose before except that one time we faced the hag at the Dawn even before his 20 th year of birth where he lost his brother. Much has changed since then and the Om that let himself loose then and an Om that could let himself loose now are two very different sights as I am about to witness this evening.

The vampire is old, very old to be able to go toe to toe with a warrior of Caleb’s calibre I conclude. Not because I can actually tell the age of the undead but because I know Caleb to be a fighter with very few equals amongst the tier 2’s though it is known that Israel is the one that surpasses them all in that division. Not that there are any formal divisions or classes of fights but instinctually groupings do happened, to the extent that it isn’t even by tier that warriors find themselves classified.

We get the attention of the group in dark woollen heavy cloaks that are talking while watching the fight seating on stools around what is a large table carved from a dark petrified tree trunk that goes almost all the way up to the ceiling. Da gives them a nod and they take notice, one saluting with a raised cup of something before going back to whatever it is they were talking about. There is no true fighting boundary in the righter and lefter-most concourses so as the two fighters move and throw themselves around the concourse itself sometimes the audience sees itself dodging bodies and other dangerous weapons that the fighters may be using.

Today is the open season once a ten-daily meet-up and fighters of all levels and strengths mingle without segregation as new warriors are introduced to the club or people meet mentors and master as equals in what is the warrior culture on Gaia. I spot Ragnar sitting there and my heart rate picks up as I reassess how powerful and skilled my friend actually could be and I’m slightly hurt that he never hinted he was part of the Club though I know it’s not something that’s really supposed to be spoken about.

He acknowledges me with a sending of a mental grunt and I grin at that as the dynamics of our friendship have slightly changed now that I’ve mated with Isis, someone who is in all but name a daughter to him and we are yet to really talk about it. I think we just might at some point tonight though, I can feel his gaze still on me and the old man is considering fighting me. I grin a little at that in excited nervousness; I’ve secretly wanted to test myself against Ragnar a while now, especially now that he has a zanpakutō strapped to his back.

The match up eventually concludes in a sort of stalemate with the two fighters exhaustedly facing each other still, no give in either of them.

"Om, we’re up,’’ I send and the big guy steps forward without a word.