A look of shock came over the serpent Jörg, but it was short-lived. It was replaced by a hideous grin made up of hundreds of needle teeth. He began to make that horrible guttural laugh again. “You aren’t worth the effort to strangle,” Jörg laughed. The orange quills rippled as he bellowed, moving as if they were alive.

Gigi could feel white-hot rage crescendoing within her chest. She wanted to knock that smug look off his fishy face and break those pointy teeth. The ropes of the rules of the league were all that held her fist still. Aware as she was that a loose punch in here, of all places, would get her expelled. Still, she could feel the tingling in her arms, as if she were really about to fight.

“Okay, when you’re ready to stop being a coward, I’ll be waiting,” she said frostily.

Jörg slithered closer, menacing over her, easily double her height. “That mouth will catch up to you someday, goblin,” he spat.

“Why not today?” Gigi asked, her brown eyes staring down Jörg’s predatory slits.

“Because he still had to get his tail thrown around the pit by me,” Mai stepped in. Her horns gleamed threateningly.

Jörg scowled. “I’ll see you later…ex-champion, and you,” he pointed at Gigi, “see you in the gutter, where you and your human filth belong.”

“Goodbye, Jörg,” Gigi replied, crossing her arms so they didn’t shake from fury.

The serpent snorted before skulking away. Gigi made a rude gesture at his back. Mai laughed.

“You’ve got the nerve for the pit. I’ll say that,” Mai said. “Maybe, someday, you’ll wear the strap. Just watch yourself out there.” Mai turned and went back to her warmups.

Gigi stared dumbfounded at where her hero had been. Had she heard what she thought she had? Did Mai figure she could be champion someday? The goblin swelled with pride. She felt six feet tall.

“You should try not to let guys like him get under your skin,” Drake said, breaking into her joyful stupor. Gigi looked at her companion as if she hadn’t heard him right.

“Are you saying I should have just let him slither all over Mai and me?” her elation quickly ebbing to irritation. What in the seven hells did a “Sword of Paxia” know about being looked down on? Yes, he had been isolated, but he was feared. People knew who he was, and some even said his name with reverence, like Qarl.

“That’s really easy for you to say,” she glared back.

“No…it’s not,” he said, slowly shaking his head. “But it’s true.”

She was brimming with anger now. “I thought you were on my side? You don’t think I can take him?”

“That’s not what I meant. I just mean…guys like that win when you let them get to you when you believe what they say is true,” he said, his calm blue eyes meeting her fiery gaze. “I have no doubt you could beat…whatever he is, but you need to be smarter than him, not just stronger.”

Gigi’s ears twitched. She knew what he was saying wasn’t wrong. Still, was it so much to ask him just to back her up? Doubt was starting to gnaw at her. She had challenged him so quickly she hadn’t thought at all, just acted. Perhaps she had behaved too rashly?

“Whatever, I need a drink,” she said, waving away the conversation.

***

Drake watched as his companion stomped off. He sighed in defeat. With only a few words, he had managed to spoil her mood and possibly the night. The soldier was only trying to help. He had met dozens of jerks exactly like Jörg. Perhaps the ones he knew had been human, but the boasting and bullying remained the same.

A little late, he realized she was actually leaving the training ground, and him with it. Pulled from his thoughts, he began to walk. Drake looked around to see that while Jörg had backed off to the free weights' neutral ground, he was staring down Gigi like a snake ready to strike.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Drake instinctively returned the glare, but Jörg seemed not to notice. Drake shook his head and followed Gigi into an adjoining corridor. He wondered what made so many people mean and full of hate, above and below the surface. He knew that hard lives made hard people, but he despised it all the same.

The pathway was well-lit, and a smokeless fire burned on golden torches until they came to an intricately carved archway in the stone. They stepped through, and what was waiting on the other side appeared to be a massive lounge for the fighters. On the side farthest from them, there was a gigantic rectangular portal in the wall, but beyond it, only darkness was visible to him.

The lounge was the most extravagant space Drake had ever been in. The only comparable spot he could think of was the throne room, where he had taken his oath of loyalty before the king. However, even that seemed austere compared to the plush furniture and vibrant, rich, dark colors that painted the room.

Gigi walked up to a bar rimmed with gold, and behind it stood a well-dressed ogre. Clean-shaven and wearing a button-down shirt with a black tie.

“Two meads, please,” Gigi requested. Drake looked at her quizzically. She turned to him. “They are both for me. Get whatever you want,” she said curtly. Then she shuffled off toward the rows of chairs lined in front of the portal.

Drake looked at the bartender, whom he found was already giving him a hard stare from across the bar. “Umm, do you have anything other than alcohol?” he asked innocently.

The ogre rolled his eyes. “We got blood humie, if that tickles your fancy,” he said, drumming his massive digits on the bar.

Drake blanched. “Anything else? Maybe milk?”

The ogre gave a gravelly laugh. “You’re a funny one, humie,” the ogre smiled, showing its huge yellow square teeth. A look of remembrance came over the bartender. “Actually, we might have something for you.” The ogre turned away and reached for a large metal kettle. He poured a stream of steaming hot black liquid into a tankard and placed it down in front of the intrigued human.

“What is it?” Drake asked wide-eyed. The liquid was black and smelled rich and nutty. Drake thought it smelled heavenly.

“Not sure, actually, just know how to make it,” the ogre said, picking up a glass to clean. “I know the spider-folk go crazy for it, makes them…goofy. Doesn’t seem to do much to anyone else, though.”

Drake said thank you and scooped up the steamy beverage. He scanned the room, looking for Gigi as he blew on the hot, inky liquid. He spotted her at one of the closest chairs to the portal. The room began filling up, a line forming behind him at the bar where he had just been. The soldier made his way over toward his companion.

Drake took a sip of the black liquid as he walked. It was bitter and foul-tasting. He nearly spat it out but held it. He wasn’t sure what kind of offense a “humie” spitting in here would be and what punishment it might carry. Instead, he forced himself to swallow the scalding acrid liquid. It burned his tongue and throat. He was disappointed that it tasted nothing like it smelled like. Maybe spiders like the bitterness?

A moment later, as the liquid began to dissolve in his stomach, he felt a strange buzz come over him. It was warming and brought with it a newfound sense of vigor and energy. He looked at the black liquid again; perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all.

He took his seat next to Gigi. He sunk into the plush armchair, struggling to stay fully upright. He looked over to her. She was gulping her second drink, the first sitting empty on the floor next to her. Drake felt a twisting inside of him. He hated her being upset with him. She finished the drink and slammed it down on the arm of the chair with a gasp.

She turned to him brusquely. “What?!”

Drake realized he had been staring again. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out.

Gigi turned to the portal and gave him a side-eye. “For what? Trying to crush my dreams, don’t worry about it.”

That one hurt. He wanted to tell her that he believed in her more than himself or anyone, for that matter. However, the words caught his throat, and he frowned.

“You can just admit that you don’t think I can ever be champion, just like everybody else,” she said with a strained voice, like she was fighting back tears. However, she didn’t meet his gaze and stared ahead.

“Gigi…you saved my life…you’re already my champion. Whatever happens here, that will never change.”

Her ears fluttered. She turned to him with a face red from drink and embarrassment. “Stop being sweet when I’m trying to be mad!” she collapsed back into the chair.

“I know you could beat anybody in that locker room,” he said, motioning behind them. “Just make sure to do it on your terms, not theirs.”

Gigi struggled to an upright position. “You mean that?”

“With all my shadow.”

At that, the portal before them erupted in light. Multicolor flames blazed beyond the open window. An immense display of pyrotechnics heralded the fighting was about to begin.