Vitmori POV

As the sun sank beyond the horizon and disappeared into the ocean, the crystal street lamps began emitting a cold, stark blue light, illuminating the streets around us. However, there were occasional bursts of warm light here and there as we passed various restaurants and venues that intended to stay open late into the night.

Arm in arm with Basti, we quietly walked the streets for a while, enjoying each other's company as we drew closer to the temple district. At the first glimpse of the rows of various temples illuminated by flames or crystal lights, I felt a sudden thought come to Basti's mind as she raised her other hand and patted my arm while looking into my eyes. "It just occurred to me... Wouldn't this Head Priest of yours still be awake? As would a majority of the temple folk if we consider it." She reasoned as one of her rounded ears flicked. "Wouldn't it be far more delicious to catch this man in his sleep? There would likely be less security to contend with, too, since it's not like these sorts of places usually experience break-ins, no?"

That was a very good point. I had been in a slight rush to get back at this man who managed to catch me off guard... "I suppose we could postpone our little trip to the temple and kill some time elsewhere... What do you suggest?"

She flashed a toothy grin, pulling her other hand away and leading me by the arm down another road. "How about we watch some fights? Maybe we make some bets and enjoy a show?" She mused excitedly while her tail slowly lashed from side to side behind her.

"Sounds like a good time. Is this one of those underground fights you were telling me about?" I asked as I couldn't help but share in her excitement.

It's been decades, but even I used to partake in some risky underground fights where equipment, medicine, and even the occasional vehicle were on the line. Most of the time, I fought other people, but there was a rare fight where I had to take down some zombies while half-naked with only a bat or a club. I usually wasn't in those sorts of fights for my own sake, but I won't lie and say that I didn't enjoy the thrill of forcing myself to brush so closely with death for no other reason than to feel something. Regardless, fighting for the sake of entertainment was always good fun, and I wondered what it would be like with people who were magically enhanced in some way or another.

Basti bobbed her head at my words before continuing. "Yeah, I'm signed up for a fight tomorrow night, but maybe I can squeeze in a match or two; we'll see how it goes." She enthused with a cute waggle of one of her ears before continuing. "The fights there are called 'Cage Matches,' and the main spectacle follows one named fighter who has to survive ten rounds of challengers who are generally regulars to the coliseum, some kinds of mercenaries, or even the occasional guard or soldier. The main fighter earns coin for each round they survive, while others bet on how many rounds they'll last. Of course, the challengers get a slice of the earnings too, but that's only if they either beat the main fighter or last more than four minutes with them."

Is it strange to find a strong and muscular woman who was my equal in height... Adorable? All she's doing is talking about fighting, but the look on her face, the excitement in her voice, and all her little feline mannerisms... Frankly, I can't think of another way to describe her now that she's like this.

"...I haven't done one of those fights myself, but a friend of a friend put in a good word for me after seeing me go a few rounds in the coliseum. So all in all, I think this will be quite the learning experience in general." She continued, having been excitedly talking about the days she'd spent around the capital's coliseum and how she was pointed towards this particular venue.

The words started flowing from my mouth before I could reconsider them, but then again, it's not like I wanted to say anything different, as I just leaned in with a smile. "I hope you know just how painfully cute you are. If I were flesh and blood, I don't think I'd be able to keep myself nearly as composed as I am now."

I watched as her sunkissed brown cheeks clearly flushed in the cool light of the crystal lamps above us, though she then flashed another smile as she gazed into my eyes. "That's really not fair, you know. Saying such a thing, knowing I won't be able to return the favor properly." She mused, leaning in and lightly thumping her forehead to mine as her tail audibly tapped against her leg before pulling back. "Speaking of flesh and the like, have you heard from that Empress yet?" She asked, gracefully pivoting to the next topic as we continued our walk.

"Not yet; we haven't really talked all too much since I left the mountain. I can only assume she'll reach out once she actually has something for me." I explained as the crystal lamps along the sidewalks took on an almost rosy red hue.

The further we walked, the more lively things became. Now that the sun had fully dipped beyond the ocean's crest, the nightlife truly started to kick off as there were now many more people on the streets around us—beautiful people, average-looking people, and some less-than-average-looking people of all sorts of races. Quite a few stood by the entrances of various venues, calling out in sweet, alluring voices as they advertised whatever delights and debaucheries might be inside.

As a petite wolfkin man with more exposed fur than fabric on his body eagerly beckoned me to the bar he represented with a visibly swaying tail, I glanced over to Basti and quirked a brow. "So... Uh... There's supposed to be some fights going on around a place like this?"

Basti chuckled softly as her eyes trailed the various buildings around us. "Supposedly, it's better to keep all the risky activities in their own sector, so fights are on the same level as pleasure, among other things." She mused as her ears suddenly perked, and a smile crossed her lips. "Ah, here we are."

We approached what looked like a plain warehouse in the middle of the veritable party sector. The building seemed rather unremarkable at first glance despite two well-armored individuals standing guard before heavily reinforced metal doors. However, at a second glance, I could see that some kind of barrier wafted in and out of the brickwork of the building itself; as for what it was supposed to do, I wasn't all too sure.

One of the guards looked us over as we walked up before holding out her hand to stop us in our tracks. I could feel them glancing at the badges on my collar and sleeve, but even with those, they still spoke up with a tone of authority. "My apologies, sir and madame, but you're not allowed inside."

Basti flashed a confident smile as she procured a small slip of blue metal stamped with a fist and some writing before holding it out to the guard. "It's alright; we're invited. " She stated ever so casually.

The guard hardly blinked, taking up the slip of metal and flipping it back and forth before placing it back into Basti's palm with a measure of polite respect. "Welcome to 'The Rat Pit,' have fun and good luck.' She stated in what sounded like the usual customer service tone. The two guards now moved with practiced unison as they grabbed a pair of twin levers and pulled on them, heavy-sounding mechanisms replying in turn as the thick double doors parted for us.

We were greeted by a vibrant mix of colored lights from sources that were out of view. However, what took me by surprise was that once we crossed the threshold of the barrier that encompassed the building, we were hit by a wave of sounds and smells: music, talking, incense, food, alcohol, sweat, and drugs all intermingled in a strangely familiar way that tends to permeate from these sorts of places no matter what world they're set in.

Making our way down the only hall, we came to a massive room that seemed to make up most of the warehouse's interior; the room layout looked like a nightclub had raised an ugly stepchild with a boxing club. A massive fifty-foot-long octagon surrounded by a thirty-foot tall cage took up the center of the room, which was then encircled by a large variety of both relaxed seating with padded lounges accompanied by tables with a spread of drinks and foodstuffs to bare metal and wood benches and chairs which directly encircled the ring for those who wanted to watch things unfold nice and closely.

Within the cage, two warriors battled it out while wearing skin-tight clothes that wouldn't seem out of place for TV wrestling. However, I could hardly claim that the fighters in the cage were putting on anything less than the real deal, unlike the showboating one would expect from a TV wrestler. Punches and kicks were traded as the attacker moved with almost reckless abandon, doing their level best to get the other fighter's back to a corner; all the while, the defender moved just enough to swipe away their opponent's strikes, seemingly settling for a battle of attrition to try and run up the clock. What took me by surprise was when the fighters made contact. The sound seemed utterly ridiculous to me at first, as each punch or kick that landed sounded like a hammer slamming on a slab of stone. Yet, with those sounds coming off people being hit, they kept going and kept trading hits.

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Before I could really decide where to settle in to watch the ongoing fight, Basti gently pulled on my arm and guided me to a set of stairs. "We shouldn't get too comfortable yet; my friend told me that we need to present ourselves to the owner of this establishment on our first visit; we'll find him up there. " She explained, tilting her head and flicking her ears towards the balcony overlooking the entire room.

"Ah, well, if that's how things are done around here, we shouldn't step on any toes or cross any lines in this place so soon." Especially if this individual has the authority to have their guards turn away this country's elite... There's likely a very short list of those who could do such a thing.

Crossing the room and making our way up the stairs, we are allowed onto the balcony with surprisingly little resistance. Though if the six sets of eyes quietly locked onto me and Basti were anything to go by, the owner likely rarely had to worry about anything going wrong for them while they were here.

The clientele on the balcony appeared to be a somewhat mixed bag of backgrounds, ranging from what looked to be hardened mercenaries with expensive equipment to scantily clad men and women, with what little clothes they had on looking like the price tags started at several gold and only went up from there.

Along the far wall and in the middle of the balcony was where most of the security seemed to be casually posted around, and in the center of that detail was a slender and rather petite-looking ratkin man with mostly human features laying on an array of pillows, the top half of his body leaning back against the coils of a charming snakekin man wearing a see-through and very loose fitting chemise. Though in the ratkin's lap, or at least sprawled across it, was a muscular, full-furred catkin woman draped in a simple but revealing black silk robe; nowhere near the level as Basti and a couple heads shorter too, but she was a fighter of some sort, no doubt about it. As for the ratkin himself, even though I described him as slender, his blue and black silk robes left little to the imagination, revealing an incredibly toned body that marked him as a trained fighter. But... That's all I could make out; his thoughts were closed to me for one reason or another.

The ratkin man's body was littered with what I could only assume were enchanted accessories and jewelry—rings, bangles, necklaces, and armbands. He practically glittered with gold, silver, and other odd metals in the club's crystal light. All that, along with a silver and gold half mask stylized to look like a rat's face with tinted lenses covering his eyes, the only thing I could make out about this man's mood was that he seemed incredibly cheerful if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

The ratkin turned to look at us, his rounded ears perking at our approach as he vaguely shifted around against his snakekin backrest. Even with him looking right at us, I couldn't feel his eyes. "Ah, some new faces, I take it?" He mused cheerfully, casually opening wide as the catkin affectionately fed him fruit. The man hummed in delight, chewing as he glanced between Basti and me, the ratty nose of his ornate mask serving as a helpful indicator of his slight head movement to show who he was looking at in particular when he swallowed and continued. "Well, not entirely new... You're Basti, right? As far as I've seen and heard, you've been making a name for yourself as a rising star in the Coliseum." He enthused, taking a drink of something from a cup held by the snakekin before sighing with delight as he turned his head to face me. "As for you... I don't recognize you." He said almost dismissively before vaguely gesturing at me with his right hand.

Basti, no doubt taking advantage of Dhalia's memories of etiquette, took a half step back and lowered her head in polite respect at the ratkin's praise. Soon, she stood tall again and glanced at me for my response.

I took her cue, bowing in a similar fashion before making my introduction. "My name is Vito, and I am an art merchant from the frontier here in the capital for business. Basti and I are... Partners, she's my right hand in everything that we do."

The ratkin nodded intently as he watched me, tilting his head slowly from side to side in what I can only assume is thought. "Are you any good?"

Well, he's certainly direct; I'll give him that. "I'd like to say I am, yes... Would you like a demonstration?"

His ears twitched at the offer as he flashed a toothy smile, showing off a pair of ratty buck teeth. "A demonstration? My, you're confident... Sure... Make something of my darling here." He ordered as he ran his fingers along the catkin's back fur before lightly tapping her hip as she slowly got to her feet, her robes barely clinging to her shoulders as she flashed a mischievous feline smile and began to pose for me.

She stepped away from the pillows along the ground, sauntering with every step before coiling her tail in a circle to frame her shapely rear. She gave me her back and glanced back at me over her shoulder seductively before stretching as she interlocked her fingers together, raised her hands above her head, and pushed out her chest, clearly showing off her flexibility when she finally relaxed and sat on a nearby table with her legs crossed and her tail slowly flicking from side to side. I could feel her watching me now, clearly enjoying herself as she wondered how I would show off my 'art.'

"Do you need some time to gather some materials? I could fetch you an easel and canvas if you need it." The ratkin offered with amusement, leaning into the snakekin as the man gently toyed with one of the ratkin's ears.

"I have everything I need on me, don't worry about that." I mused back while reaching behind myself. I could sense all the guards tense as their eyes locked onto me and my hand, and even as I pulled a brick of white marble out of thin air, they remained focused on me as my apparent spatial magic presented an unpredictable variable in this moment for them. The ratkin silently tilted his head as he appeared to watch the marble brick as I slowly began molding the material into a one-foot statuette of the catkin while she was mid-stretch, taking my time with adding most of the details, though skipping on the finer things like the consistency of her fur or her fingernails.

All in all, it only took me three minutes to finish molding the marble brick as I held the statuette out to the catkin, who looked clearly delighted by the display, as she plucked it from my hands and rejoined the ratkin, admiring it with him.

"This will make an excellent addition to my private study... I think I'll put it right on my desk." The ratkin enthused warmly to the catkin.

Much to her cheerful embarrassment as she pressed her hand into his chest and leaned into him. "Oh, stop; what will the others think?" She mused, looking up at the snakekin, who flicked his tongue in amusement at her.

The ratkin chuckled softly as he looked back up at me from where he'd been comfortably seated. "You are pretty good; I'll readily admit that. I want to commission you to make statuettes of the rest of my wives and husbands. Maybe something with the kids, too." He considered while gently passing the statuette back to the catkin. "Consider this me giving you a little boost in revenue with some exposure in the Capital art scene. But don't worry, I'll pay you with coin, too." He offered, rubbing his fingers together to signify money while his bracelets and armbands jangled against each other.

I couldn't help but glance at Basti, who looked equally surprised by the turn of events as I was. "I certainly won't turn down the commission... Might I ask how many... Err... Husbands and wives you have? Oh, and please excuse my ignorance, but who are you?"

The ratkin laughed at that, flashing a toothy grin as he reached for his half-mask. "Ah, of course, a frontier elite like yourself probably wouldn't recognize me just by looking at me, let alone looking like this." He reasoned, pulling the mask off as it became clear that the mask had been magically clinging to his face. He had a rather nice-looking face, with naturally narrow and almost shifty slate gray eyes that looked fit on the face of a scoundrel rather than the pinnacle elite of an entire nation. "My name is Redgi Nialtiro, of the Tier 1 Nialtiro family." He finally introduced himself with a flourishing handwave of his mask before placing it back onto his face. "As for my family... I have three husbands and five wives; with those wives, I have had thirteen children, with another four children I adopted from my husbands' old relationships." Though at my surprised expression, he only smirked and continued. "I'm planning on having at least twenty-five children, five more than when my old man was churning out my siblings." He mused, earning a polite chuckle from the two spouses he had been cuddling with.

That… Was almost too much information… Does… Does he talk about planning on having that many kids with everyone? With a brief glance around, it seems at least the other patrons and guards on the balcony with us were well aware of his proclivities. “That sounds like a big order, though I certainly don’t mind fulfilling it on such short notice for a man of your position.” I offer, since I don’t particularly mind playing into his very confident sense of self. “When would you like to meet so I can get started on this particular commission?”

Redgi just hummed for a moment, his ears flicking in apparent thought before he just shrugged. “I’m not quite sure, it’ll take a bit to gather all my husbands, wives and kids… But don’t worry about it; I’ll find you when I’m ready. So keep your schedule open.” He demanded in a strangely playful way as his lips pursed into a small smile. Though he then looked towards Basti, his perking and swiveling towards her. “And I can’t wait to watch your upcoming fight… I can already tell that night is going to be exceptionally fun for sure, we desperately need the fresh blood.” He enthused before tilting his head for a moment. “Say, what are your thoughts on children?”

Excuse me? Is… Is he coming onto her? Just like that? What the fu- How dare he!

Though the moment I go to open my mouth and step forward, Basti immediately threw her arm around me, just pulling me back into her embrace as she flashed a feline looking smile. “Oh I just love my children, we have four together and they’re such wonderful little darlings. Right?” She asked me, playing up a rather warm and sweet tone that she didn’t have to exaggerate all too much when it came to her children.

“Y-yeah, they’re great. I couldn’t imagine my life without them, they’ve really helped me discover the man I want to be, for their sakes.” I say with a smile, gazing into her eyes as I decide to pay the ratkin no mind. If Basti didn’t care about him making a pass, then I won’t care either.

Though looking back at Redgi, I could seen his smile faltering as he looked between us. “Ah… So when you said partners… You meant more than just the business sense? That’s… A shame.” He said while scratching his cheek. Though I watched him start to look me over, the ratty nose of his mask all but pointing at me as I could imagine his eyes take in my features. “Well… You certainly cut an impressive figure yourself. I almost didn’t notice... Perhaps the two of you would like to join me in my household together? It would be splendid having a talented artist among us as well as another powerful fighter.”

“Yeah, no thanks.” I say rather bluntly, standing a little taller and draping my arm around Basti, trading places as I pulled her into my own embrace, which she greatly seemed to relish; playing it up as her long tail curled along one of my legs. “I’m a very greedy and possessive man. So sorry, but I’m just not the sharing type.”

Redgi flashed another smile, holding up his hands in mock surrender before chuckling with what sounded like utter amusement. “Alright, alright… I know when I’m not wanted…” He mused as he then shrugged a bit. “But don’t think this changes my mind about the statuettes… I certainly still want to commission you despite whatever just happened right now, so good on you for having such a sturdy spine, I truly like that in man.” He offered before sighing in delight and leaning back cozily against the snakekin. “Anyway, you all have fun now. I guess I shouldn’t take your time any more than I wanted to.” He said while giving us a fairly dismissive wave of his hand all the while the catkin women began lovingly feeding him some small fruits and cheese cubes.

“We’ll definitely try.” Basti mused in a rather polite way while pulling on my arm. Though the moment we started down the stairs, Basti just smiled up at me while gently grabbing my wrist and lovingly kissing the back of my hand before reaching up with her other hand and gently poked my chest with her clawed fingers, walking them up to my chin and tapping at my wooden lips. “Well… That was certainly an interesting experience… Now then, how about we forget all about that little rat and see which one of us can pick more winners tonight, hm?”

I could help but smile at how composed she was, leaning in and touching the side of my head to hers. “Yeah… That sounds nice...”