Gigi put her hand against the smooth stone wall as she rode gravity into the pit. She could feel the two admittedly large casks of mead working their way through her bloodstream. A tingling euphoria was dancing in her fingers and toes, but her mind was clear, her mission righteous. Nobody was going to treat her hero so shamefully. Least of all, some cheating fishy snake. Not while she could still stand on two feet and draw breath. Guilt pricked at her for leaving Drake to fend for himself, but she had to do this. She hoped he understood.
The goblin kicked off the wall when she felt she was near enough to the ground. Gigi leaned her weight forward in the air and made sure to land on her shoulder before rolling through onto her feet. She took off at a sprint directly for the entangled fighters. Jörg had only continued to tighten his lock on Mai, who had long since passed out.
“WHAT’S THIS!” Cried the man-bat monsoon. “It appears a fan has jumped into the pit! I will remind the audience that doing so forfeits any right to life you may have. Check the back of your tickets.”
Gigi was on top of the fighters right as Jörg began to turn his head to look around. His body was low to the ground, still constricting the mammoth Mai. Gigi jumped. Jörg watched as her two boots came crashing directly into his face. She smiled in satisfaction as a dark blue liquid, which she assumed to be blood, began to spurt from his flat nose. The goblin landed hard on her hip, but she didn’t care. Pride coursed through her entire form.
The crowd gasped and then began to laugh and cheer at the spectacle. Jörg looked at the crowd in horror as his moment of triumph turned to ash. Then his predatory slits turned back to Gigi. She could see them fill with rage, but she didn’t care. She rolled to her back and then kicked up to her feet.
Jörg began to uncoil from Mai, who finally was able to slump to the stone beneath them. He drew up to his full height. She could see his muscles tensing under his slick skin. Jörg hissed, Gigi hissed right back. She wasn’t scared of him, and she wouldn’t be intimidated. She raised her fist and slid her right foot back. If the scaly dirtbag wanted to fight, she wouldn’t say no.
“Do we have a second main event on our hands here, folks? I don’t think this is a fan after all, but one of our own fighters… no idea who she is, though. Whoever she is, she has more guts than sense, for sure!” cried Monsoon.
“I’m going to skin you alive and make you beg me to kill you,” Jörg spat.
“You’re going to try asshole,” Gigi shot back. Drake was right. She needed to make him play her game. She thought her best move was offense, to cut him down before he had a chance to do any of his poisonous tricks. That meant the goblin was going to take the fight to him. She leaned forward and exploded toward him.
Jörg snarled and cracked his tail like a whip against the stone floor. A moment later, he lashed out the limb at lightning speed. Gigi saw the incoming appendage sweeping across the floor toward her. She jumped up, hurtling over the tail, before landing gracefully and continuing to sprint. A look of surprise came over Jörg’s bloody visage but was quickly replaced by one of fury.
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He coiled his tail back to him and then let it fly again. This time, it seemed his aim was directly for Gigi’s head. The serpent slashed with rage and a hiss. Gigi gasped as she saw the tip shooting toward her face. She shifted her weight down and used her momentum to slide under the hammering strike. The cut had been so close the goblin felt the wind ripple against her nose. Past the threat, she popped back up. Now, she was practically face to face with the serpent.
The crowd stood on their collective feet now, their attention wrapped in the exhibition below them. They had paid to see blood, and Gigi had delivered it. Maybe they didn’t know her name yet, but they would soon. She was sure of it. She cocked her fist back and rocketed a punch cleanly under Jörg’s guard. Her fist landed squarely into the squishy underbelly of the serpent—the impact sent out ripples in the slimy flesh.
Jörg’s eyes went wide with pain and shock. Cheers erupted from the audience. “WELL THAT WAS A PUNCH!” Monsoon shouted with relish. Gigi moved to strike another blow, but Jörg retreated. Instead, she connected only with the air. She was about to pursue him when she felt her center of gravity shift and fall out from under her. In an instant, she found herself hoisted skyward. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but she hadn’t felt the end of Jörg’s tail wrap around her ankle.
Terror began to spread within her like wildfire. How could I have been so careless? He had done literally the same trick on Mai. Gigi cursed herself, and she cursed out loud. She could feel herself being wrenched up by the ankle. His grip tightened. It felt like he intended to break the bone. She cried out in pain. Jörg grinned hungrilly.
A moment later, all of the lights in the arena winked out. The crowd began to jeer, and some panic bubbled amongst them. “FOLKS WE WILL SORT THIS OUT MOMENTARILY!” Monsoon pleaded. Then Gigi felt weightless for a moment before being pulled free from Jörg’s grasp.
She slipped from the serpent's cold vice to a warm embrace. She found herself breathing against a familiar heartbeat and smell. Her own heart beat faster as it dawned on her whose arms she was in. “Drake,” she whispered.
“I’ve got your back, always. Even if you do something incredibly stupid like this,” he said, smiling in the dark. The pair landed right as the light returned to the arena. Drake held Gigi for a moment as the crowd took in this newcomer.
“NOW A HUMAN IS COMING TO THE RESCUE OF OUR MYSTERIOUS FIGHTER!” Monsoon shrieked in surprise.
Jörg looked at Drake in stunned disbelief. For a moment before beginning to menace the pair. Drake set Gigi down on her feet.
“Enough,” commanded Lili. Jörg turned and stared at the vampire mistress. Gigi did the same, fear soaking through her frame. The goblin had lost count of the number of rules she had just broken. However, she had done it for a noble cause. Gigi hoped that her reason meant something to Lili.
“All three of you, in my office, now,” the mistress of the pit said while pointing to Monsoon and snapping her fingers.
“AND THAT WILL BE OUR SHOW FOR TONIGHT FOLKS! PLEASE COME AGAIN! WE HOPE YOU HAVE A LOVELY EVENING!”