Vlad finished his meal and then stood there in his usual post-feeding stupor. The vampire just grinned drunkenly as he swayed on the spot. Shaggy took a cautious look around and noticed that the other Phreaks were all on the ground and his crew were taking a few potshots at the ones that were still alive. Ephemara was visible again, and she was gleefully stabbing sharp objects into a begging Phreak.

He grimaced, but put his head back down into the dirt, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the pain screaming through his leg. Nearby, he heard Vlad sit down in the dirt.

“Wassup with you?” Vlad asked, slurring a little.

“Apparently, my healing is contingent on me having a full belly.”

Vlad grunted. Shaggy wasn’t sure if he was agreeing or stifling a laugh. “Makes shense. Power like that has to have limits. I’s need to feed for mine.”

Shaggy opened his eyes and looked across at his in-game friend. “Seriously, dude, you gotta mitigate that feeding stupor thing.”

Vlad waved him off. “Am on it, I’m on it.”

Shaggy didn’t push it as he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up again, he saw Ren and the NPCs coming toward them. Behind them, the Ringmaster was slowly descending on the metal platform. The ringmaster looked absolutely overjoyed as they clapped and cheered along with the crowd. Shaggy thought he saw the ringmaster even boo a few times, commiserating with fans. But Ephemara and Blobby stepped into his vision.

Ephemara was grinning widely. “So how did we do boss-men?”

Vlad just raised a thumb as Shaggy grinned back. “Y’all did great. Really. Once we are all out of here, we can meet up at Tinsel’s place and discuss business.”

Ephemara glanced questioningly at Vlad, who was still coming off the blood stupor, but Blobby wriggled. Shaggy assumed happily. Once Vlad didn’t disagree, Ephemara also cackled happily.

“Sounds good boss-man. But if you think we are leaving your side right now, you’re crazy.”

“~Agreed~” Blobby added in its watery voice.

Shaggy stared questioningly at the two until Tinsel explained.

“They were unaffiliated when they got tossed in here. People who knew that and wanted them to die in here would try to kill them later.”

“Wouldn’t surviving with us curtail that?” Vlad asked, sounding more lucid now.

Tinsel just shrugged. “Probably not, and why should they risk it? Right now, we should stick together until we get to where we are going.”

“I need food.” Shaggy muttered as the Ringmaster appeared in their mist, grinning madly, with their wand pointed at themselves.

“Whores and Pimps! We have a winner! Against all odds, it looks like those rotten low-down criminals have been exonerated of their crimes and this unknown crew has saved their fellow member! Shall we give them a round of applause?!”

Cheering and booing resounded through the arena. Shaggy felt the ground shake as the assembled Villains stomped their collective feet. The ringmaster twirled their hat at the end of their finger, before bowing to all of them and speaking into the wand again.

“Well, my newly released friends. Will you be fighting again in our fine Arena!?”

Shaggy and the others stared at the flamboyant ringmaster before Ren gave a curt “No.”

The ringmaster plastered on an exaggeratedly sad face before shouting again. “Then get the fuck out of here! We got work to do and money to make! The Rakgu family doesn’t need you bleeding in our arena!”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Speaking of money folks: Do remember all bets WILL be honored, or the Rakgu Family will hunt you down and kill you. To those who won, good on you. To those who lost, hand over the fucking money or we will break your legs!”

The ringmaster went on to describe the next event as Ren moved to help Shaggy up. The pain in his leg flared, and he yelped in pain as he was unceremoniously hoisted over Ren’s shoulder. Ephemara and Blobby followed along as Vlad and Tinsel lead the way. They were heading for the southern arena entrance, as Ren said.

“Told ya, we need a healer.”

“Just get me some food.” Shaggy muttered. “But you ain’t wrong.”

Their group trooped down a short flight of stairs before they came face to face with a large wooden door. Ren went to push it open, but the doors swung open themselves, revealing a tired looking Slink. He was standing next to a comically large lever built into the wall next to the door. The teenage boy gave them an awkward wave.

“Hey, guys.”

Shaggy felt Ren wave as he lifted his body to glance at the scene. Vlad nearby scoffed and adopted his vampire accent again.

“Took you long enough. Next time don’t vait for us to vin before you get involved.”

Slink grumbled and stepped alongside them as they walked into the arena’s underground level.

“You looked like you were doing fine. Also, I think I was being watched. If I had pulled the lever, I feel like I would’ve gone straight to Deathville.”

“Good instinct.” A voice said from ahead of them.

Out of the shadows, a female alien stepped into the light. She wore a fancy, clean business suit that was at odds with their surroundings. Her orange skin seemed to glow as it caught the light and she adjusted her glasses and looked them over.

“My boss would like a word with all of you. This way.”

Before any of them agreed, she was already walking away down the circular hallway. Shaggy and the others looked at each other before they all shrugged. Ren and the others followed the well-dressed woman until she stopped near a sign that read ‘locker room.’ She waved them toward the door without saying a word.

Even with Ren ducking down, Shaggy’s head still clipped the door as they went through. He grimaced as his nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of sweat and blood. Ren made his way into what looked like a standard locker room. Complete with full-length lockers and wide wooden benches bolted to the floor. Standing near a locker, smoking a cigarette and dressed in a purple suit, was a human man.

He looked to be about forty years old, with graying hair and faint wrinkles under his eyes. The man’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he took them in. Ren set Shaggy down on the wooden bench. The others piled into the narrow row as the stocky man glanced between all of them. Shaggy felt his nose twitch at the smell of the cigarette.

“So, yous guys did a good job today? Made the Rakgu family some money, killed a few of them freakazoids, and even made a small name for your crew. Such as it is.”

The man’s accent reminded Shaggy of the old Vid’s he had seen of pre-unification New York. After the World Unification, most accents had gone the way of fossil fuels, reality TV and war. But a lot of games and vids liked to make use of them. It sounded off to Shaggy, but he just shrugged and started to speak, but the man cut him off.

“Of course, yous guys also threw a couple of ours a beating. Something I will bet our guys ain’t gonna like. But the rules of the Arena are absolute!” The man shouted, smile still not reaching his eyes.

“But you lot should stay off our turf in the future. Who knows what could happen to you? Under-Town is a dangerous place. Where exactly were you thinking about setting up shop, anyway? None of our guys have heard of ya. You part of them new crop of villains that just came to the city?”

Shaggy kept his mouth shut. Although the information about how the game was incorporating, its recent launch was interesting. All the launch-day players were considered to have just moved into the city, apparently. He was happy Ren, Slink, and Vlad also kept their mouths shut, but Tinsel spoke up.

“We were thinking about Dirt Row, Mr. Tillani.”

Mister Tillani took a long drag of his cigarette, looking at each of them before he nodded. He put out his cigarette on a nearby locker before straightening his suit and spoke again.

“Good. That’s real good. Dirt Row is nowhere near Rakgu territory and on the edge of Phreak territory. If them lizards don’t get involved in things, that is. Did you know them big lizards were seen wielding the same weapons what your friend here got caught with?”

Shaggy shook his head. “Nope. Didn’t know that.”

“Mighty interestin’, wouldn’t ya say? My fellow family members would love to know where that lot got some of them weapons. They ain’t much overall. I mean, a gun is still way more useful than a spear or some claws, in my opinion, but I guess you could call it professional curiosity.”

Shaggy and his friends remained quiet as Mr. Tillani moved his gazed between them. Getting no answer, he shrugged his shoulders, fake smile still plastered on his face.

“No one? Not a one of you knows? Am I to believe that these weapons just dropped from the sky one day? That some unknown lizard didn’t show up one day and start hocking these same weapons on the main street of Under-Town? In obvious violation of the accords set down by the Big Five, now the Big Four.”

“It seems you are quite aware of vhere these weapons came from. So, Vhy question us?” Vlad spoke up, in full vampire mode, flashing his fangs and grinning dangerously.

Mr. Tillani didn’t bat an eye as he answered. “Ah. Call it a test of loyalty. A test which you all failed. A test that may very well change the way you lot get to do business down here.”

Shaggy chuckled, causing Mr. Tillani’s smile to drop as he turned an ugly scowl on the werewolf.

“I think, Mr. Tillani, we just proved our loyalty very well.”

Mr. Tillani took a second and let a long breath out of his nostrils. Shaggy thought he saw a flicker of smoke appear below the man’s nose, but it was gone too fast. Mr. Tillani collected himself before he reached into his purple suit and pulled out a cigarette case. Lighting another cigarette, he took a long drag before he turned his eyes back to Shaggy.

“Y’know, it appears you did. Let us all hope it is not misplaced. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few children to discipline.”

Mr. Tillani stomped out of the locker room, leaving a waft of cigarette smoke in his wake. As he slammed the door, Shaggy saw the NPCs all flinch before they turned scared glances at Vlad and Shaggy. Shaggy put a hand up, forestalling all conversation as he gestured for Ren to pick him up.

“Food first, please. I would like to be able to walk before we have any kind of conversation about what just happened.”

Vlad nodded as he led the way out of the locker room. The vampire took a cautious look around the large hallway of the arena before he started walking for a nearby staircase that went to the ground level of the arena. Behind Ren, he watched Ephemara and Tinsel have a whispered conversation. He wondered if they regretted their association with them, but he shook it off as the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, and popcorn filled his nose.