“VINN WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?” Nicole yelled, circling him like a vulture.

“You don’t understand how these purists are, honey. You don’t understand how insane HE specifically is. He’s right, for once. We’d never be safe, and he would always be watching. One day he’d get the drop on one of us and it could be you. I’m not taking that chance.”

“Report him! He threatened our lives!”

“This is Delmar, people do that constantly, and it’s legal. It’s called a challenge; they have like one a week on this moon, at least. Nobody heard him threaten YOU, they all saw and heard him challenge ME. Totally legal here. Unless he actually makes a move on our lives, he’s not breaking any law. He’s special ops, and bat shit insane, and unfortunately, one of the best in our class so if he makes a move, he’d succeed, especially if he went after you. And he would, because if he killed you and got away with it I’d challenge him anyway, because I’d lose my mind. So we’re both dead in that scenario. There’s no way I could live on knowing your killer was walking free, I’d either challenge him and probably die, or I’d kill him in his sleep and then hang for it. So what is the best option here? I step up and fight him, legally. Problem solved.”

“And you really think you can beat him?”

“NO, probably not. That’s why I’m so freaked out. I could get lucky or some shit but he’s probably gonna murder me. Maybe he just wants to prove something, maybe he’d just kick my ass and let me live. I’ve seen it once in the pits…once. Probably not, but I need a coping scenario here I’m probably gonna die.” He admitted.

“We run.” She said firmly.

“We can’t run, we don’t have passports, security is locked down for the political conference. We don’t have connections, he’s got military connections and security clearance so he has access to guns and we don’t. That’s just really guaranteed double suicide.”

Vinn this can’t just be the only way, it just can’t. It’s not fair, it can’t be legal. They can’t allow that!” she yelled.

“It’s a crack in the system, honey. Delmar sucks. That’s why a lot of us leave it. Before Gizzy got on the council you could challenge humans to Fupar. You know how many humans just got stomped in 2 seconds over some stupid cultural law they didn’t know about? Progress takes time and steps, and in the mean time there are shitty scenarios and we’re in one. If you haven’t noticed I seem to create those just by existing.”

“Talk to Gizzy. We can explain it, have him put on some kind of mental instability watch. Maybe she can…like… give us a security detail.”

“He IS security detail. He knows a lot of those guys from the core, and a lot of the core guys are purists! There’s a good chance one of them would kill you on their shift if he ordered it. I have to fight him. If I fight him and I win, it’s over. That’s how the pits work. It’s a score settling endgame. Any other scenario is your life at risk and both of us going insane looking over our shoulders until something bad happens. He’s patient, he’s trained, he’s dangerous but he’s got one weakness…he’s cocky. He thinks he can’t lose and there is no way I’ll even stand up to him. He won’t expect it if I just nut up and rush his ass and that’s literally the only plan I have. Pretend to be scared, which is gonna be super easy to do, because I am, and then right before they ring the gong for the blade round, I just bumrush him and hope he doesn’t expect it. I’ve seen fights go like that.”

“How often?” she asked.

“You don’t want me to tell you that number, just trust me it’s a thing. Weird shit happens.”

“I’m going to find Jack, he has to have some magical solution up his ass like usual.” She said stomping out of the room, brushing past Dee, who she completely ignored. Dee knocked and waved.

“Hey big guy.” She smiled.

“Heard the news, I guess?”

“Yea, pretty upset about it. Everyone is.”

“I’m working on it.” He sighed.

“Hey, I’m sorry I’ve always treated you kinda shitty. You’re risking your life for my best friend and I can’t ignore that. I wasn’t any better then those shitty purist dicks, and I was wrong. She’s lucky to have you and I’ll miss you if you die. I wanna give you something.” She said, holding out her hand.

“Better not be a damn bead.” He joked.

“Silver bullet. Got it online, it’s probably not even real but there’s symbolism there and you can have it, because I don’t want it anymore.”

“Human superstition luck charm?”

“Yea something like that, it’s complicated but it’s a compliment and we’re not getting married if you take it, there’s no real strings attached. It’s mostly just symbolism and when I got it I didn’t know you. Now I do.”

“Well it means a lot, so thank you.”

“You earned a hug, big guy. Come on, bring it in. Nope, squat down lower, too close to the…there ya go. Platonic elevation, that’s good. Above the waist contact. Those shorts really do not provide any support, do they? God, Nicole is a real trooper. Good for you though.” She nodded.

“May your token bring me luck.”

And may the force be ever in your favor.” She saluted.

Gizzy stood arms crossed as Kraken stomped back and forth in her office, stepping angrily up to her and looking her in the eyes.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“How dare you. I was promised her blood and you denied me that?”

“I promised you satisfaction and honor, you didn’t feel that the other night, all that show and speech didn’t feel powerful? I promised you blood, not Nicole’s blood, you’ll get your reward at the fight, all the honor, all the glory, let all the purists respect you, first blood you’ve spilled in ages I bet. Back in the Fupar pit like the old days. Face it Krackhead, you’re just mad because you grew to respect that little human and she was never part of our deal. You got that in your head for some reason. You wanted Vinn, glory, and recognition, and I got Gandalf to bring his best man for the job. So congratulations Punkin, you get everything you wanted and promised, just not the bonus treat you decided you wanted midway. Never part of the deal. You’re not actually getting a bit of a crush on that human are you? That doesn’t make you much better then Vinn now does it?” she provoked.

“I want her as a prize, not as a wife.” He objected. “I want Vinn to see her head on my wall.” He said, cut short by an impact to the neck. Gizzy grabbed him by the throat and arched her back, growing taller than she was, and pinning him to the wall, slowly lifting his hooves off the ground. Her eyes glowed white and her canines lengthened. She growled in a deeper voice than he could.

“Listen here you dickless throw-rug. I could snap your neck for the insult and call it self defense.” She said as he struggled to twist her wrist and break free, to no effect. “Now listen carefully. The deal is done, the prize is yours, in the pit as you wanted. Nicole is not your trophy, and if you even so much as consider altering the deal or step within 50 yards of her, I will pull your spine through your ass and make it look like a suicide, go ahead and ask me for the details. You wanted blood, go get it, you wanted your job, you have it. But don’t you dare try that intimidation shit on me. You’re nothing, furr covered worm, an order-taking bitch on my leash, and you need to remember that. Now act like a Delmarian male and go prep for the fight, and at least act like you did it for honor.” She said releasing him. He sat on the ground dizzy and spinning. He throttled the urge to slap her face for the insult, knowing full well he may not have a hand to retract if he did. With tail between legs, he staggered up and stomped out.

“Dude I am freaking out right now.” Said Vinn, nervously bouncing his knee as Jack prepped the needle.

“It’s just a shot buddy.”

“Not the shot, asshole, the whole, you know, death battle I’m probably gonna lose while my wife watches me get beaten to a carcass for 8 minutes. That part. The needle is not a big deal, the other part feels like a deal that’s more significant in size. He said as Jack stuck a syringe in his bicep, and gave him a huge dose of clear liquid.

“That didn’t hurt a bit.” He shrugged.

“That was a sedative cocktail used to make prisoners docile, it’s a low dose so you should just be more relaxed and mentally focused, and then it’s gonna wear off before the fight, and then you’ll feel the good stuff kicking in.” He said giving him the second shot, a vial of glowing green gel that had lightly etched the syringe glass over a few minutes of prep.

“GGGgyad what the hell is in that? Powdered glass and hot sauce?” he clinched

“I told you it sucks going in. The burn will last about a minute. Now tomorrow when it soaks in you’re gonna feel a burst of energy, like you had the best sleep of your life and a strong coffee right before a big exciting vacation. You’re gonna feel confident and indestructible. And then it’s gonna gradually increase until you feel uncomfortably energetic like your bones are gong to take off running without your muscles wanting to.”

“Oh great this is fun.” Vinn sighed.

“But wait, there’s more!” Jack announced. “Your senses will heighten, and before long your own heartbeat will be so vivid that it will annoy you and you can see your heartbeat in your eyes like dark flickers of lighting. That’s the blood vessels in your eyeballs under tension. Then you reach a peak stage where instead of feeling nervous and scared with anticipation you just wanna kill something. Anything, everything, just the primal urge to murder something with you bare hands and teeth and you’re gonna sort of like it and that’s gonna frighten you a bit. It feel like losing yourself and giving in to something dark you don’t wanna be, but it’s temporary.”

“How many times have you done this?” Vinn questioned.

“Lost count. Then you stop forming short term memory, and every few seconds it feel like time jumped and you don’t remember the last 30 seconds, it’s dreamlike and disorienting. At this stage you’re actually more impaired than enhanced; you would fight like distracted shit and be wildly out of control, and that’s the night before the fight. The day of the fight, you need to play some music, something soothing and deep, not intense, but meaningful and complex with a slower pace, I have a playlist for you. You get used to the feeling and your body feels lighter. That last for about an hour and that is when you should be ready for the fight. You’re gonna go in fully coherent and feeling like it almost wore off, it’s gonna freak you out a little because you’ll think oh shit it ran out before it needed to, but that’s not the case, your body has just equalized to it. It binds with your adrenaline, so the more angry you get and the more abuse you take the meaner you’ll get.

The first part of the fight is hand to hand so he is going to pummel the shit out of you for a while and seem to be winning but he’s actually just activating the serum, take the hits. At some point it will take over you and your mind will just be on autopilot, stay with it, don’t fall asleep, stay in the passenger seat and watch the fight, and always watch your opponents’ moves. Your body is operating without you, but your mind is still giving it information so watch his hands, his footsteps, where his head turns before he moves, get ahead of his movements and use that slowed down feeling to scan the fight so your body can react to it.

“So I’ll just be damn near indestructible?”

“Absolutely not. You’re still flesh and blood, and any stab or cut will do the same damage as it always would, you just don’t care or feel a damn thing so your body reacts but your mind doesn’t actively know you’re injured. At this point they’ll introduce swords. One good hit to the throat on either of you is still a done deal, so you may be a concrete wall of hulk rage impervious to punches but don’t think the sword is gonna bounce off you. It won’t, they still cut the same as ever. At that point you need to switch tactics, you’re no longer letting him hit you and build your rage, you’re not tanking it, and studying his moves, learning and pretending to be losing. Foreplay is over, give in to the serum, unleash hell. Your body should know everything it needs to win, and all you do from there is fall backwards into the darkness and remind yourself you WILL come back out of it…unless you die, obviously, but the good news is that if you die then you wont really be aware of it so it’s like going under medical sedation and then dying in your sleep. You’ll either wake up or you won’t and if you come back, you likely won.

“None of this sounds okay. I assume nobody does this recreationally.”

“If you survive, you’ll want to. It’s highly addictive. The cravings are pretty severe. If you wanna have sex with your wife, Do that tonight, because for the next 2-3 days you do NOT wanna have sex. Trust me.

“Oh super. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“But once it flushed out of your system via about 6-10 gallons of water and really unpleasant pissing, you’ll feel fine and there will be no further side effects. Not after one dose at the level I’m giving you. It’s the accumulative effect that causes issues and don’t worry about getting hooked, you can’t get more of this anyway if you wanted. In fact as far as anyone knows from this point forward, you never had it the first time. Got it?”

“Loud and clear captain.”

“Now go home, spend some time with Nicole, rest up. Shit’s gonna get real later on.