Tru Grit’s Fight Pits: Entry Test (Pt. 1)- Dealt A Bad Hand

--- Joshua ---

“Well, if I need to duel someone for their slot in the tournament… I might as well do that.” He shrugged, not really impressed by what little he could see of the other competitors.

“Oh, uh, yeah…” The Traveler rubbed the back of his head as he looked over the other people there. “Just going to have to see if anyone is up for a fight, so give me a minute to see if I can talk anyone into anything.”

“Uh, will you be able to talk someone into a fight?” He wondered. “I mean, I doubt anyone is in a hurry to risk their tournament slot.”

“Eh, it’s a fight pit. I'll find someone.” The guard assured him before walking away.

“Right.” He clapped his hands together. “So… what now?”

He glanced around a bit wondering what exactly this place had going on, besides the whole fight pit thing that he was waiting on and probably wouldn’t actually kick into a gear worth watching until the sun had begun to set. “Fuck, I really did get here too early didn’t I?”

(Maybe that Cameron girl is here somewhere?)

“Oh, right!” He’d almost forgotten about that. “But uh, where would she be?”

(Hmm, if we don’t know where to go, close your eyes, spin in a circle three times and walk forward.)

That… was an extremely weird idea, but given how he had no better ideas (randomness it is.)

Not caring what the people who saw him thought, he closed his eyes, made a few circles, and started walking forward, and then continued to keep walking forward without ever opening his eyes.

As logically expected, he eventually walked straight into someone.

“Hey, watch where you’re g-oh, it’s you.”

He blinked before finding himself looking at the very person he’d been hoping to find. (Okay, surprised that worked.)

(Madness is weird. Effective but weird.)

“Right, uh, sorry about that.” He told her. “Got a little… turned around.”

“That’s uh, yeah.” Cameron shook her head. “No, I’m still a little out of it. I asked the pit’s medic to patch me up for anything from that whole mess on Halloween, can get a little disorienting.”

“You waited until now to go to a healer?” He frowned. “I mean, if you know where one is why not go as soon as you were able?”

“Medic gives a discount on the weekends.” Cameron shrugged. “One of Tru’s ‘help the people’ initiatives so people don’t have to take a day off in the middle of the week.”

“Right… still haven’t seen this infamous Tru Grit.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, he only really shows up on tournament days… Speaking of, have you talked to any of the people here about entering the fights?” The other teen asked.

“They said they need to find me a qualifier to test against or something like that I guess.” He explained. “The guard said he’d be back in a minute once he found someone for me to fight.”

“Ah,” Cameron nodded. “Didn’t want to take the Ballroom or the guard tests?”

“I live for the audience and the other people here already have theirs built up.” He shrugged.

“Huh, in it for the fame then?” Cameron noted, an odd tone to her voice.

“And the fortune.” He added with a grin.

“In that case you probably should’ve picked a fight with Zaum, he’s the guy with a tail and no idea how to wear a shirt.” Cameron told him. “Guy’s also a massive show off, like you I’m guessing, and would’ve drawn a crowd the size of the ass kicking he would’ve given you for it.”

“Yeah… I don’t think I’d want an asskicking to be part of any show I put on.” He admitted. (We’re the star of the show, not the joke.)

“Well, given how you spent most of Halloween running away, that might be what you’re in for, given how everyone here enjoys a good fight.” Cameron smirked.

“Fire and I don’t mix.” He frowned, trying to save what little face he could. “My continued involvement would’ve made things worse for both of us. And it would’ve left you without someone to bail you out.”

“Won’t know if you’ll win if you won’t fight.” Cameron argued, looking around the pit before her eyes locked onto the Traveler guard walking up to them. “But hopefully you’ll put up a fight against whoever Zaum found.”

“Ah, you found your friend, wonderful.” The Traveler -Zaum(?)- smiled as he got closer.

“Uh, yeah…” He nodded, not dense enough to miss the slight tension coming from Cameron. “Uh, did you manage to find someone for me to… fight?”

“Yes, well no, and yes.” The Traveler answered. “I couldn’t find anyone willing to risk their slot even when I mentioned you saying their wives did deplorable things with farm animals -side note, maybe watch your back when you leave- but I did find a visitor from a different pit for you to fight.”

“Okay…” He blinked, wondering how worried he should be about the whole ‘watch your back’ thing. (Eh, with our mouth we’d have pissed someone off at some point anyway.)

(Fair.) He had to admit to himself, because he did enjoy doing that.

“So uh, who am I fighting exactly?” He asked, hoping the traveler would clarify that bit.

“He’s a fighter from a different pit, but occasionally he’ll come to this pit instead. Says his wife knows to find him at the other one, so when it’s less about the job and more about blowing off steam he’ll borrow our pit’s Bloody Ballroom circuits.” Zaum explained, leading him -and Cameron, who’d decided to follow- towards what looked to be a wall of light where several small explosions were going off. “He just asked we let him finish the current set before you fight him, that way he doesn’t lose his progress when he walks away.”

“Oh, that’s fine?” (Not like I have any problem fighting someone who’s running on low.) (Just means we’ll put on a better looking show.)

Something he felt all the more confident about as he noted the dozen or so people standing around this particular fight ring. A number notably greater than what he could make out when looking at the other rings.

They got to the wall of light just in time for it to begin fading as the figure within began to play around with something in his hands before looking up at them with a pair of glowing yellow eyes visible from within a darker than normal shadow cast by the man’s brown cowboy hat. “So this the kid?”

“Well, you’re fucked.” Cameron noted with some amusement, clearly recognizing the man smirking at them from within the ring. “At the very least kicking will put on that show you wanted.”

“Eh, I’m sure I can take him.” He shrugged, not that concerned given how if worse came to worst he could just consume a bit of Madness to put himself back in the fight.

Cameron gave him a look before shaking her head. “Yeah, sure you can.”

He had the distinct impression she didn’t mean that.

(I’ll just have to show her she’s wrong.)

“So kid, you’re the one looking to get into Tru’s fight pits?” The man asked, smirk never leaving his face as he continued to fiddle with what Josh now realized was a deck of cards.

“Yeah, supposedly I have to fight you as an entry test to join the next tournament or something?” He nodded, feeling a prickling of… something in the back of his mind as the man stared at him before it immediately faded.

The man tilted his head as Josh stepped into the circle. “Ah, a Madness user? You lot are rare in these parts.”

He narrowed his eyes, something about the man in front of him being… familiar. “Tell that to the Gamer’s Guild, they’ve got Madness users a dime a dozen.”

The man let out a brief chuckle as a wall of light flashed into existence around them. “Fair enough.”

After a moment of silence, where he continued to watch the man shuffle his deck of cards all while the feeling of familiarity grew, he eventually found himself asking, “Do I know you?”

“Oof.” The man gasped and staggered as if he’d been shot. “I know I’m not wearing my duster to complete the look, but surely I’ve been round long enough for a youngster such as yourself to recognize me.”

He gave the man in his brown cowboy boots, dark pants, white undershirt, and cowboy hat another once over trying to place where he’d seen those glowing eyes and that trimmed beard before.

“Sorry, not too into Masks really.” He half-lied, knowing that while he was into Masks -both because he and his brother were Masks- he also wasn’t overly familiar with the local Masks. Each one having been a reminder of what he couldn’t be prior to getting his powers.

(Might want to rectify that at some point.) Some little part of him noted.

(I’m working on it.) He defended thinking of all the Masks he’d met and how he’d researched the junior heroes’ guild.

The Mask -because what else could he be- in front of him gave him a look before smiling. “Again, fair enough kid. Not every Deviant needs want to be a Mask. Actually, it’s kind of refreshing to meet a kid your age who doesn’t want to be one. Means you got a decent head on your shoulders.”

He didn’t bother correcting the man’s misconception.

“Still makes me wonder what you’re doing in a fight club though?” The Mask asked, something to his tone beyond the playful curiosity being projected.

“A pretty girl asked me to come here.” He answered, realizing a second later Cameron could probably hear him. (That’s good, pretend that was on purpose later.)

The Mask let out a bark of laughter. “I was your age -Hell if I wasn’t married.- I’d probably do the same.” The man seemed to consider it for a moment. “Then again I do whatever my wife asks, and she is a pretty lady herself if my opinion means anything.”

“You’re the one married to her.” He shrugged.

“And lucky that I am.” The Mask nodded, beginning to shuffle his deck more thoroughly as he gave Josh another appraising look. “Alright, since I like ya kid, I’ll go ahead and introduce myself all proper like.”

The Mask drew a card from the top of his deck before flipping it across his fingers and spinning it into the air. The card seemingly grew in size until it completely cut the man off from view, before shrinking back down as it spun behind the man now wearing a dark brown duster.

“The name’s Puck.” The Mask introduced himself, swiping the card out of the air as he flipped the entire deck of cards from one hand to the other three feet away. “Puck, The Card Caster”

Despite his general -and admitted- ignorance towards the Masks of the city, even he was aware of who Puck was -even if by name only- given how the man had been a heroic Mask for over a decade. A decade the man had spent dismantling Deviant gangs, arresting Masks, and combating Deviant threats of all sorts. All while out maneuvering and outplaying the numerous enemies coming at him from all angles, the infamous Mask keeping one step ahead of the numerous gangs after his head with little more than a deck of magic cards and smirk on his face.

He stared at the now revealed Hero and could only say, “Well, I’m pucked.”