I wondered how the fighting pits existed if they were illegal. Pits are not easily moved to circumvent the law. While I am sure there is a certain amount of bribery, the land surrounding Jern is also dotted with old quarries and exhausted mines. This week, or until we were chased off, an old open-cast quarry was the designated pit.

For being illegal, the fighting pits were very popular. There were two or three thousand people on the rocks watching and gambling.

At the mine entrance were a dozen gang members. They all looked like they knew what they were doing and were veterans of the pits. To the right was a fenced-off area for the fighters, their seconds, and the healers.

Jack was watching for me and met me near the entrance. "Are you sure you don't want more armour?" he asked when he saw me.

"I am good," I said. I was wearing a leather vest, shorts and a belt with two steel knives, and that was it. Felix was close but didn't come in with me. I got the sense he had met with friends, I assume Pānihi, Kevin and probably Kahz.

There was an area where the fighters could watch the pit from. Two Orcs manned the gate to the pit itself. Only the fighters and their seconds were allowed through for their fight. I looked into the pit. It was just stone underfoot. There were a few puddles from the recent rain, but otherwise it was all stone. My claws will be of minimal help as they won't grip the stone. Even though it was stone, it wasn't even. There were ruts and cracks and marks from mining equipment. You could easily turn an ankle if you were not careful.

A combination of torches and Glow stones provided lighting. It flickered in some areas. Most people here will have decent Nightsight.

Jack introduced me to one of the healers, although they were probably just someone with some healing abilities. "Most people pre-pay for a couple of potions," he said. "That means there will be no delay if things go badly."

I looked at the elderly orc. "Your coin is safe, lad. The Shadow Busters enforce this." The Shadow Busters were the gang running the show. I forked over the coin, and he noted it down in his list.

I looked at the other fighters. There were various gang colours. The Shadow Busters might run the Pits, but other gangs fought here.

"Yeah," Jack said to my question, "Shadow Busters make sure this is neutral territory. If you start a fight here, you will get thrown in the pit, and Open Season is declared. The betting is on how long you will last. A lot of gangs use the Pit to settle differences without a full war."

Most fighters were tough-looking bruiser types. There were fifty to sixty of them, which would mean 20-30 fights, depending on whether they were all one-on-one fights. Orcs were the most prominent, which was understandable from their love of fighting. Some would be fighting with their full weapons, and swords and maces were the most notable.

The Orcs were about evenly split between male and female, but the dwarves and Humans were primarily male. The desire to fight and test yourselves must be predominantly a male personality trait in dwarves and humans. I know Goldie was a master axe-wielder, but she would think fighting like this was stupid. Why would you risk life and limb for a few coins and the recognition of idiots? When I think of it, Yoboc would think the same, but say it nicer.

I could tell who the regulars were as they were in various costumes. One had a funny smiling mask on, and another had a skeleton painted on his armour. Most just had coloured cloth, to identify them, or animal symbols, or weapon names.

There were only two female human fighters, and only one had the body size and shape that fit Kiri.

She had dyed her hair pink and had pink war paint on her face. She wore tight leather that hugged her curves, with pink paint in strategic places. She had a full leather body suit and a chainmail over her shoulders and chest. Her bracers had metal plates and spikes, as did the knuckles of her gloves. The spikes were painted pink, as were her knee-high boots.

It was bold and outlandish and completely opposite to the Kiri I knew in Hunters' leathers. I didn't really recognise her, even though I knew it must be her. The way she moved was different as well; she was more flamboyant and over-the-top. Her voice was loud and she spoke in an accent I didn't recognise.

"Helloooo, big boy," she said as she flounced over to me, "I haven't seen you around here before. Do you like my costume? It is brand new." She did a twirl for me, "I had such a great time here last week, I wanted to spice things up."

I looked around at all the eyes on her, "You have certainly done that. I am called the Beast, and you are?"

"Jinx!"

"Jinx, as in you are also called the beast?" I asked, confused.

"Funny Beastman. My name is Jinx."

I gave her my toothiest smile and was reminded of Makara's smiles.

"Hey, Beast Boy, you are up next," Jack butted in. "I got you a fight against Monster Man," He pointed to an orc with large tusks, who growled at me.

Stolen story; please report.

"Beast boy?" Jinx said, "I wouldn't put up with that."

I decided she was right, emitted a growl, and infused it with a bit of Dread.

"Hey, sorry," Jack said backpeddling, "The Beast is who you are."

"Where did you pick him up?" Jinx asked.

"On the street," I said.

"You might want to dump him back there."

"Hey!" Jack complained, "I got you a good first fight!"

"A Newbie against Monster Man? No, you didn't," Jinx said, "You set him up for a beating." A knife appeared in her hand at Jack's throat, "How much did they pay you?"

"N…nothing, I swear!"

I looked at Jack; it was probably intimidation rather than coin. "You fired," I said. "I will find my own fights."

"But…but."

"Beat it, shorty," Jinx said. She looked to the nearest Shadow Buster, "He has been fired, escort him out. I will act as The Beast's Second for this fight."

Jack was escorted out to the public area. Jinx leaned in and whispered so my Hearing Aid had trouble hearing it, "You will have to cheat to get out with all your limbs intact. Last week, he ripped an arm off his victim. He should only be fighting in the Open section." Louder, she said, "Monster Man is vicious and I would not want to fight him. He's a senior enforcer for the Gutter Saints."

I nodded, and I used my senses to study him. Strong physical stats, probably strong in Mental Strength. He had scars, but the underlying wounds were healed. He had two large war knives. He was wearing a leather vest with bare arms. The arms had a metal band around his bicep, and he had gauntlets with studded knuckles. He was wearing leather trousers and boots with steel caps on the toes for kicking.

This was going to hurt. I was regretting my lack of armour, but I am not sure it would have helped. Teeth and claws were my thing. I did regret not bringing my throwing knives.

The smell of blood suddenly increased, and the previous combatants were carried out of the pit. It was not obvious who won.

Monster Man looked over at me and grinned, so I grinned back. He was trying to intimidate me before we even got in the pit. I rolled my shoulders to loosen them up.

I heard the announcer this close to the pit, who must have some sort of voice-amplifying skill.

"Settle with the bookmaker quickly because next up is the Monster Man's first fight of the night! Regulars here call this his warm-up fight! Welcome, Monster Man, to the Pit!"

Monster Man entered the Pit to a mix of cheering and booing. He raised one hand up to acknowledge the crowd, but was not really responsive to them.

"Tonight, the Monster Man is facing The Beast! The Beast is fresh off the street, where he left a trail of bodies. The word is that those bodies belonged to the Gutter Saints! The Monster Man is here for revenge. How long will The Beast last? Place your bets quickly, or this could be over before you have a chance! Welcome to the Pit, theeee Beeeaassst!

Kiri/Jinx grabbed my arm, and I felt the Spiritual energy enter me. "Strengthen Bone will only last 5-6 minutes. Don't melt the Pit if you don't have to."

I was then shoved into the Pit by one of the door guards. There was a scattering of noise from the audience.

I jogged away from the wall. Monster Man was waiting in the centre with a knife in one hand. I didn't draw a knife.

"I am going to take my time with you, boy," Monster Man said in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Careful, you will sway the betting pools," I said, shrugging and seeming unfazed. I raise my voice to the crowds, "Did you hear that? He is going to take his time!" I yelled.

"You think you are funny? Think you can take out some of my boys and get away with it?"

"I think your boys were shit. Six on one, and I left them mewling in the mud. I am only at the apprentice level. They were shit, and if you trained them, you are shit."

That got him mad, and a low growl emanated from him. It wasn't just a growl; it was an intimidation skill, and it was building. Orcs were known for their Physical and Mental Strength, and he was pouring his Mental Strength into this.

I marshalled my resistance through my Cosmic Aura, but it was clear I was much weaker and going to lose. I went on the offensive and sent out a mental Tremor laced with Dread that might have clipped some of the audience, but this orc was tough mentally. Tougher than me.

Then I remembered Goldie's advice for fighting Mental Attacks. Strike hard and fast physically. The orc was tough physically as well, but I bet his mental agility is not great, and he can't keep two things going at once.

I struck again with all I had in Tremor, regretting now the loss of the two levels. At the same time, I used Swift Hands to draw my knife and threw it at him. He saw it coming and went to dodge, but I switched my Mental Tremor for Frigid Void. I know my Mental Agility was not great, but he was not expecting it, and it slowed him down, so the knife drew blood. It wasn't a deep cut, but if the bookies were betting on who got first blood, then that was me.

Now it was fully on. I was Sprinting at him, following my knife. His dodge turned into a charge at me.

I roared and launched into a Lunging Maul. He growled, and a skill increased his speed, and we crashed together, my claws and teeth moving into a Rake and Roar and his fist and knife striking me hard.

His knife glanced off my ribs, and his fist crashed against my jaw. The fight would have been over if Kiri hadn't strengthened my bones, and this was despite my Damage Mitigation and Tough Hide. The knife would have gone deep, and my jaw would be a mess.

I tried to counter with Tooth of the Mountain, but my footwork let me down, and I was thrown away. I rolled and then stayed on all fours like a beast, and I roared again, pushing more into Dread. My Cosmic Aura allows me to maintain my skills at a minimal cost.

The Monster Orc was bleeding in several places now, and I could see the shallow wounds healing. He has Regeneration or similar.

I remembered to Blood Clot and Close Wounds, but I knew that was not the same as healing. He was Stronger than I was by quite a bit, but we were about the same physical speed. His Regeneration was a big problem.

This was bad.

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