Inside the club, what could be seen could only be described as something out of a movie, not that anybody in Irvana would have known so.
The interior of the club had dirty concrete floors, orbs of contained light floating near the ceiling, and 3 separate fighting rings arranged in a triangle. There were booths on either side of the entrance, one for registering to fight and the other for betting on said fights. In the far back of the room was a bar that stretched from end to end of the back wall, which looked just as busy as the crowds around the 3 rings. Everywhere around the two travelers was an aura of excitement, one which Leone was really starting to feel.
Riva, on the other hand, was not as thrilled. Dozens of strangers were giving them looks as they walked in, and the ones directed toward her were definitely somewhat… aggressive. Riva knew she did not belong in a scene like this, and she could tell those around her thought the same. Before she and Leone could walk anywhere, they were approached by a large man, who was accompanied by a young woman in each arm.
The man seemed to be an Amphione, a humanoid species with amphibious traits similar to that of a frog or lizard. The stranger had a webbed fin that stretched down the middle of his head, and webbed hands to match. He had curved fins like that of a shark protruding from his forearms, and tan skin with turquoise highlights on his chest, neck, and inner arms. The amphione was 7 feet tall, with enough muscle to put him at about 300 pounds, Riva estimated. The girls on either side of him were amphiones as well, though did not have nearly as intimidating of a presence. Riva wondered if they were being paid.
“Who do we have here?” the amphione boomed with a grin. “You two don’t look like locals. So what are you doing in a place like this?”
Riva was unsure what to say, but Leone didn’t waste a second. “We’re looking for some good entertainment,” the young man shot back. “Know where we can find some?”
The amphione was not amused but did not break his demeanor of dominance. He was not going to lose his cool in front of his lovely company. “You know, I’m not sure,” the hulking figure replied with mocking ignorance. “I do know where one can find a fun time. Why don’t I show you where, young lady?“
Riva was not amused. She didn’t need to say anything, however, because Leone was not backing down. “I’m sorry, she’s not going anywhere. If you’re so unsatisfied with your current company, that’s a real shame, and an insult to these lovely ladies, but this woman is not the solution. Sorry.”
Now the amphione was flustered. The girls in his arms looked up at him in suspicion, almost as if they themselves were starting to wonder if he even found them desirable to look at. The man was starting to lose hold of the situation. He took his arms off of the amphione women beside him and walked up to Leone, so their faces were merely a foot away from each other. He stared down at the young man, and was surprised to see that the young man was staring just as intensely back at him. Leone would not back down, nor would we regret his choice of words.
“Alright then, smart guy, I got some entertainment for ya’,” the amphione spat. “You’re gonna watch a fight… from the best view in the house.”
“Oh yeah?” Leone asked. “And where’s that?”
Leone knew the answer even before the amphione said it: “The ring.”
“If I win,” the hulking figure continued, “I’m taking that lovely woman with me. After all, she wouldn’t have any need to be around a loser like you, ha, ha, ha!”
“Are you delusional?” Leone asked. “You leave her out of this. What is wrong with you?”
“Believe me, man. I get whatever I want in here,” the amphione replied cockily. “And what I want, is to get to know her better. Don’t you, girls?”
The girls laughed and nodded in response, which only boosted the man’s confidence. Leone could tell Riva was getting uncomfortable, but he was unsure of the balance between legal and illegal in a place like this, and did not want to test the waters. Rather than making a real enemy, he decided to shift the focus from Riva entirely. Leone assertively told the amphione that Riva was not going to be a part of this, but offered the bag of gold they had on hand as a replacement. The aggressor in front of him was hesitant to accept the deal, but Leone turned the pressure on him, suggesting the amphione could spend the money on his “company”, unless he didn’t want them around anymore. The suggestion prompted the girls to look at their host, which pressured the large man to reluctantly accept the deal.
Stolen story; please report.
After a few moments of awkward tension, the amphione eventually walked off with his girls, leaving the other two alone. They walked over to the registration booth to sign Leone up for a fight against the stranger, and while they did, tried to get some information on him. “Hey, how ya’ doin’?” Leone asked the clerk. “I’m looking to register for a fight against… that guy over there. Can you tell me anything about him?”
The clerk looked at Leone like he was stupid. “Um… Yeah…” she said dryly, every word being spoken as if Leone should have already known them. “That’s this week’s champion. He’s been showing up for about a month, but he’s made a name for himself this past week. He’s won every fight he’s had in the last 5 days?… Filio? The self-proclaimed ‘Incredible Amphione’?”
The young man looked at her with a blank stare, leaving not a single thought behind his eyes. The clerk could tell he hadn’t known any of this, yet her uninterested expression remained. “Yeah…” Leone finally replied. “Yeah. Yeah! Him! Obviously! I… would like… to fight him. It’s time someone finally takes that loser down.”
Riva stifled a giggle from behind him, amused by both Leone’s confidence and the clerk’s dryness towards the entire situation. After an awkward exchange with the clerk, Leone successfully registered for his fight and walked off. Riva followed shortly behind, trying to tell the young man that he did not have to do what he was about to do. He surprised her, telling Riva that he did, in fact, have to, because there was no way he was going to let Filio get away with his misogynistic and demeaning behavior. He wasn’t just trying to stick up for her, he was trying to stand up to the amphione, who seemed like he needed to be taken down a peg. Leone wasn’t sure if he could win, but he was going to make sure he did.
Minutes later, Leone’s fight was ready, so the two walked over to the gate that led into the ring. Before stepping inside, the referee reminded the young man of the rules. There was no exterior magic allowed, meaning no spells or anything that fired anything out of the user, affected other people, or changed the surrounding area. However, fighters were granted one internal spell, allowing them to boost their power, change their body, or protect themselves from attacks. The final rule was one regarding the fight itself: a winner was not determined until a fighter either yielded… or fell unconscious.
Before stepping into the ring, Riva grabbed the young man’s shoulder one last time and checked with him one last time. “Are you sure you want to do this? We were just looking for something to do! The only reason we’re even here is because we're waiting for Azim. We can just leave. If he chases us, you and Azim can handle him together.”
“Riva,” Leone assured her. “I’ll be fine. I promise. This guy’s going down.”
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Filio’s punch came just a second after the starting bell. Leone felt his head ringing as he hit the mat. He had no idea how the giant amphione made contact with him so fast.
The two fighters had entered the hexagonal ring on opposite sides. They stayed apart from each other, their backs up against the fence of the ring, waiting for the starting bell. Filio was in nothing but navy blue shorts, taunting Leone from 5 meters away. The young man cursed himself for not thinking to ask the clerk if Filio was known for a certain spell when fighting.
Then came the ding of the bell, and the blow that slammed Leone into the fence behind him. Filio had launched himself across the entire ring in the span of a second, hitting the young man before he was even aware of how close his opponent was. Filio slowly walked back, letting his target get up so he could knock him back down again. Filio was a brute. The reason he spent the last month in the surrounding club, fighting match after match, was because he found no better joy in the world than beating someone weaker than him. The amphione didn’t really care about getting stronger and stronger, or working towards bigger goals. He had been blessed with his giant height and had naturally brutish strength. Most conflicts Filio had found himself in, he had come out on top of without any extra help. The amphione round his purpose in life beating on people, and when he eventually checked out fight clubs like this one, he knew he had found his home away from home. Filio had been lucky enough that most locals in this part of the city were not as strong as him, so he was always able to carry around a dominant swagger around the club. In the past week, his rack of wins had earned him a few fans, though the girls he kept by his side were not. Leone was right in his assumption; the hulking amphione paid for the company, because he thought it gave him a more successful look. The facade was only further perpetuated by the fact that his status and fame did not extend past the fight club crowd.
Leone slowly got up, spitting a slight amount of blood as he did. The amphione started mocking him, asking, “What’s the matter? You seemed confident with your friend… what happened? Realizing how much of a loser you are, you loser?”
Filio’s lack of clever insults was a bigger insult to Leone than any other part of his mocking. There was no way he was going to be bested by a man who couldn’t think of any other insult besides “loser”. And he knew he wouldn’t be. Leone knew he just had to be patient. As long as he held out, he could turn the fight around.
Another rush by Filio, but this time Leone was ready. As the brute lunged forward, Leone ducked under his arm, letting the man crash into the fence of the ring. The young man almost went in for a hit, but caught the amphione already turning back around and abandoned the idea. Filio swung his other first around from behind, letting the fin on his forearm take the lead. Leone rolled out of the way just before the brute’s fin could smash into him. The two were now on each other’s starting side of the ring. Leone figured the distance worked in his favor for his plan, and resolved to maintain the distance as much as possible. It did not last long.
The amphione sent his long, frog-like tongue flying toward his opponent, wrapping it around his waist and sending him flying into one of the side fences. As he was struggling to get up, Leone felt something wrap around his left foot. A moment later, he was flying through the air again. Filio dropped the young man at his feet, before telling him to get back up. Leone’s back was turned to Filio, who was still taunting him. “Come on, you can do better than that, loser,” he chided.
Just then, Leone spun around and punched the amphione in the stomach. He saw the brute flinch, but it was not enough. In response, Filio smacked the young man across the face, sending him flying into the fence behind him. “WEAK!” the amphione yelled.
Leone was desperately trying to hold it together. He knew how outclassed he was in raw strength. But he was still conscious. As long as he could hold out a little longer, he could win. He knew, if he could keep himself conscious for the next minute, he could come out on top. It was only a matter of time.