by Prax Venter
Mark nodded and finished the drink. "This is really good news. Great thinking, Vale."
He stepped through the doorway to their suite at Buried Treasures and put the glass back on the bar. When he stepped back through the door into the house dimension, Roo was in the process of redecorating the foyer they always started in.
With a wave of her hand, the original, dusty, old furniture sank into the floor, and clean, new shelves, chests, racks for clothes took their place. Roo danced around the room on her long legs, lifting her hands into the air, and orchestrating a whole new area for them. Iron sconces emerged from the walls like blossoming flowers, complete with flickering flames and banished the gloomy eternal darkness that had always made Mark feel uneasy here.
Roo stopped moving and faced one of the walls, her hands held out straight in front of her. It looked like she was focusing on something beyond the wall.
Then, she started to walk forward, and the wall moved with her.
Mark couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was happy enough with being able to store things here that they wanted to keep safe or that they just didn't want to carry. But Roo was carving out a comfy, livable area with ample storage. All they needed was a big bed and-
And she knew what she was doing. In the new space she had just created, a massive bed rose out of the floor with white, silk sheets. She pointed her finger at various places on the bed, and soft pillows of different shapes and colors popped into existence.
When she was done, she clasped her hands together and looked around the room.
"Well? What do you think?" Roo asked everyone.
"More than I could ever hope for," Mark responded.
Vale was looking around in awe. "Magnificent," was all she could say.
Ahnix went over to the bed sat down and crossed her legs. "Our little Roo has made quite the home for us. Impressed. That's what I think."
Mark walked over to Roo and looked deep into her pure black eyes staring at him from behind her white mask. He stepped in and wrapped his arms around her.
"Ahnix is right," he said. "From now on we should call this place home."
"I've never been so happy," Roo said, squeezing him tight.
He held her a little while longer and then broke the embrace.
"Well, we have a world to save. Ready to head to... that city with the arena?"
"Hanno," Vale said.
"Right. Think you could put us in an alley this time, Roo? The ideal situation is if no one saw us emerge from a magic door."
Roo nodded and put her hand out to the floor in the middle of their spacious, new home base. It seemed to Mark that she was spending more time concentrating than she had before.
He left her to it and walked over to one of the newly created tables and placed the handkerchief with the bit of fallen star wrapped inside on its surface.
Even though they did a few tests, he was still uneasy about leaving a key quest item behind. He shrugged, it seemed safer here than carrying it into an area where he'd be battling to the death.
Mark walked back behind Roo and waited for her to do whatever it was she did to find a suitable spot for their entrance when movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
He noticed Ahnix uncrossing her furry, toned legs, standing up from the bed. She was walking right towards him, and he took a moment to take in her golden thighs and the leg-warmer coloration of her black fur, further down. They were some sturdy, thick legs, and he suddenly had the urge to rub his hands all over her sleek fur and massage her firm muscles.
Ahnix caught him staring at her, and he was pretty sure she had felt where his mind was going.
"Later," she whispered into his ear as she walked right past him.
Roo let out a breath she was holding and a wooden, black painted door emerged from the floor. She reached out and turned the knob, and everyone crowded around the threshold to see what was on the other side.
And, just like he requested, there stood a wall made of brown bricks. Mark could also hear what sounded like a noisy clamor of people echoing off the wall from the other side.
"Okay. Let's see what's out there," Mark said, stepping through.
The first thing he noticed was how much hotter it was here than it was in Camille village and wondered again just how far apart these places were. The alley he was in continued in both directions, but on his left, he could see a colorful throng of people walking by in bright sunlight.
He made room for his Enthralled to follow him though, and when everyone was across, the door blew away like smoke in the wind.
Mark led his girls out into the chaos of a busy street and a multitude of colors, sounds, and unidentified smells assaulted his senses.
They found themselves standing in the middle of what looked like a marketplace. A more fitting word would be a 'bazaar' as everything had a middle east or ancient orient feel to it. Countless stalls and shops lined the streets with brightly colored awnings and tarps fluttering in the dry, arid breeze.
Directly to his left was a stall that sold erotic tapestries, and one of the more prominent works of art depicted a certain, familiar looking, blond succubus.
Across the street was a topless, human-sized, bright red naga, wearing a pink veil across her face. And apparently working at a stall that sold different colored veils.
Mark turned to Vale to make a joke, but a shadow accompanied by loud growling noise from above drew his attention, sure it was a monster swooping down to eat them.
What he saw was a not a monster, but what looked like a fast moving, flying wooden ship.
The boat had a forest of propellers on its deck and a handful of smaller ones on the aft, pushing it forward. The massive barge seemed to defy physics as it floated above the street they were on and disappeared over the tall stone structures that ran along either side.
"Mark," Ahnix said, pulling his mind back to the ground. "Maybe we should get moving? Best not look like we don't belong here."
She was right. Mark suddenly realized he had just been standing there gawking at everything around him like some rube. He noticed a few mangy looking wolf-men in another alley, across the way, whispering to each other as they shot looks at Mark and his girls.
Mark turned and spoke to his Enthralled, "Let's try and locate this arena first and then go from there. Stay close."
Vale nodded and took up the rear, pushing an even more distracted Roo ahead of her. They joined the flow of people and creatures moving through the marketplace like leaves caught in a river.
There were equal parts humans and all manner of beast-hybrids populating the city of Hanno. Directly ahead of him was a dry and cracked alligator person he assumed was male but couldn’t really tell. The creature was wrapped in a vivid blue cloth and carried a thick wooden staff with a bell on the top.
Another snake woman coming the other way caught his attention because she was the reverse of Vale, in that she had a full-on snake head and neck, emerging from a sexy human body with two shapely legs. The snake-headed woman flicked her long, black, forked tongue out as she walked passed Mark, and he was sure she was tasting his scent.
He couldn't help but stare at the countless stalls and shops they passed, as well as the equally diverse merchants that hawked their wares in front of them. There were plenty of armor and weapons for sale, but they also passed peddlers selling enormous candles, children's toys, caged furry creatures, piles of spices, wicker baskets, crystals and amulets, rare books, musical instruments and even a booth that sold nothing but various sized, polished stone dicks. Mark slowed his pace when they came across a row of despondent, naked beast-women in chains, being sold as property.
Ahnix prodded him forward and whispered in his ear, "There is nothing you can do for them."
Reluctantly, Mark moved past the slave traders and adjusted his opinion of the city of Hanno.
They continued through the market streets, twisting and turning for a long time, and he was starting to feel like they
were getting nowhere when the smell of charred meat captured his attention.
Just a bit down the road was a collection of food stalls, and Mark followed his nose to the sizzling grill of a kebab vendor. A plain wooden sign above the counter was painted to read,
'Monty’s Meats – Beef Kebab 10 C – Rhino Kebab 25 C – Narwhal Kebab 80 C'
"Okay, It's been too long since I've had actual beef. Let's take a break and get a bite to eat. Sound good?"
"Yes please," Vale said, drooling.
Ahnix nodded, but it seemed like her attention was focused on the line forming. Roo just shrugged, and he wondered if he should feel bad for her.
"Roo, I know you don't need to eat, but can you? Would it be bad to try?"
Her perfect, puffy lips pressed into a tight line. "I have no desire to put meat in me, well... your meat- That's a different story. Don't worry. I am fine. You three go ahead."
Mark nodded, and they went to the back of the line for Monty's meats.
Ahnix tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned to look, she nodded to the group of three owl-men standing in line in front of them, arguing. Mark stepped loser and tried to pick up their conversation out of the clamor around them.
"You insect brain, not every first-year enters," the smaller of the three said.
One of the other owl-men rolled his enormous eyes. "Yeah, you're right. The failures don't."
"Come on Bon, stop being such a fucking mouse. Let's do this, just the first match, and that’s it," the third one said, leaning his beak close to the short one called Bon.
The owl called Bon was facing away from Mark so that he couldn’t see his face, but he could tell he was trying to think of a way out. Mark was pretty sure they were talking about the arena.
"Is the pit even taking walk-ups today?" Bon asked.
"Duh, and I also know Safris and her friends were planning on watching the fights today."
The line moved forward, and the owls were next. Bon shook his feathered head, stepped past his friends and up to the relatively normal looking human male standing behind the counter.
"I'll have one Rhino kebab today, Monty. And make it a juicy one. It might be my last meal."
The food vendor smiled. "Tough day at the college?"
"We're going to tear up Sizor's Pit today! Oh, and a Rhino for me too, " said one of the other owls.
"Make that three Rhinos," said the third.
Monty handed them each a skewer of meat. "To the victor go the spoils, boys. Seventy-five coppers."
The young owl-men paid Monty and walked off down the street, directly away from the kebab vendor, arguing about what their team name should be.
Mark stepped up to the counter and nodded.
"I'll have a beef kebab and..." he looked over his shoulder at Ahnix.
"Beef."
"Three beefs?" Vale asked, looking sheepish.
Mark smiled and turned back to Monty. "That’ll be five beef kebabs please."
Mark paid for the food with coins from his pocket. He handed the skewers to his girls and moved away from the stall. Bon and his owl friends were still in sight, walking slowly while they talked and ate.
"Good ears, Ahnix. Now we just follow these guys. This Sizor's Pit sounds like a place we should check out."
Mark tore into his beef kebab as they moved and was surprised at how the well-done meat practically melted in his mouth. They were dusted with a strong, spicy garlic seasoning that made his mouth water. Vale had devoured all three skewers before Mark finished his.
As they were following the owls through the crowded city, Mark started to get that uneasy feeling that came from being near corruption, and he saw the tear as they turned onto a wide intersection, right in the middle of the dusty, dirt road. The large patch of swirling chaos was surrounded on all sides by iron bars like a changed animal. Although the reverse was probably true, he thought.
The bars were there to keep people out. Walking up to it and closing the tear in front of dozens of onlookers didn't seem like a good idea. They were here for one thing and getting that much attention in a sleazy city like this might cause other problems.
A fat, white-furred, half-cat creature caught Mark's attention. He was waddling up to the iron bars, carrying a wooden box between his paws. Mark watched with disbelief as the cat-man dumped what looked like fish heads out of the box and into the swirling blob of white noise.
They were using the tear as a garbage disposal. Mark shook his head and pressed onward after the young bird men they were following.
It was only a few blocks more before Mark could hear the unmistakable sounds of a cheering crowd and knew they were close. They rounded another corner, and enormous building that looked like a coliseum came into view. There were huge, black banners hanging from the high, curved walls that had 'Sizor's Pit' painted on them with letters like red slash marks.
The young owls walked right past the main entrance where two, burly lizard-men stood guard in front of a ticket counter and circled around to a side entrance labeled, 'Combatants'.
Mark paused and turned to face his girls. "Looks like this is the place. We could either just go right in and enter, or we could go back to the front gate, watch first, and get a better idea of what to expect. Thoughts?"
"The cowardly owl asked a question that implied that they don't accept walk-ups every day. If we wait we might miss a good opportunity," Ahnix said.
Vale nodded. "If that's true then we have no idea how long we would have to wait. I'm sure we could always go in the combatant door and see what the rules are before committing to anything."
Mark gave her a sideways look. "I'm not sure of anything anymore. Roo, what do you say?"
The velvet-girl's pure black eyes sparkled behind her mask. "I say we destroy our enemies."
Mark nodded, his eyebrows high on his forehead. "Okay then. Let's go."
They followed the young owl warriors through the combatant entrance, and it took a little while for Mark's eyes to adjust to the torch-lit interior. The first thing he noticed was a rope maze indicating a normally long line. There were only a few beast-people waiting now, including the owls.
At the front of the line was a teller window, and Mark watched as the group of skinny looking skunk-men finished their business and walked into a door to the right.
Above the teller window was a large sign explaining the rules.
'WARNING! All fights are to the death. Kill, be killed or leave now.'
'5 Silver for Level One entry - Max 5 Combatants per Team'
'Level 1 Victory - Choose: Level 2 Token OR 50 Silver'
'Level 2 Victory - Choose: Level 3 Token OR 2 Gold'
'Level 3 Victory - Choose: Level 4 Token OR 10 Gold'
'Level 4 Victory - Choose: Level 5 Token OR 50 Gold'
'Level 5 Victory - Choose One Item From Sizor's Epic Prize Chest'
Mark and his girls got in line as the excited, young owls moved up to the teller. They were far enough away that he couldn't really hear, but it wasn't long before the owls moved through the door on the right, and he was called next. All four of them approached the counter with Vale in the back.
Working the booth was an older, furry lady that looked like a weasel with black beady eyes.
"You understand that you are about to fight in the pit, to the death, and that no one will stop the fight. You also understand that should you lose, all possessions on your corpse belong to Sizor. You understand there will be no refunds." She didn't even look up at him and spoke while shuffling some papers around on the counter.
"Um, yes," Mark said.
She looked up and sighed. "I need an affirmative from each combatant on the team."
"Yes," said Ahnix.
"Yes ma'am," said Vale.
"I am looking forward to it!" Roo said, bouncing on her toes next to Mark.
The teller shook her narrow head, ticking some boxes on her sheet. "Good enough. I need twenty silver and a Team Name."
Mark's m
ind raced as he dug around in his pocket for the coins he needed. He felt like an idiot for not thinking of this sooner. Mark and Friends? Alpha Team? Six Tits and a Dick?
He looked around at his Enthralled as he placed the coins on the counter hoping for some suggestions.
"The Saviors," Ahnix said quickly. Mark looked at her and smiled. It was perfect. The teller took the pile of coins and slipped Mark a stiff slip of paper with their team name and 'Level 1 - Paid' written on it.
"Take that with you to the big, wrinkly man through that door. To the victor go the spoils." The weasel teller pointed to the door on Mark's right before going back to sorting out papers.
Mark thanked the Teller and did as he was instructed. Beyond the door was a long stone hallway that curved along under the arena. As they moved forward, Mark heard the cheers from the crowd grow louder.
There was another doorway at the end of the hall that led to waiting area with a dirt floor and wooden benches along the walls. No one was sitting on the benches though.
Everyone in the room was pressed up against the iron bars that made up one of the walls, except a giant elephant-man, sitting on a stool by the door.
Mark walked up to intimidating beast sitting on the stool wearing nothing but a ripped shirt that said 'Sizor's Pit' on it. He tried not to look at the three-foot penis, dangling towards the floor.
"I'm supposed to give this to you," Mark said, offering the paper the teller had given him. The elephant-man took the paper with a grunt and shoved it through a slot in the wall behind him.
"Wait to be called," he said, with a rumbling nasal voice.
Mark nodded, moved away from the huge creature and joined his girls standing in the middle of the room. He could hear the crowd cheering again, and the weight of their situation was starting to press in on him.