After the incident, I couldn't stand being in the palace otherwise I'd end up wrecking the place. I packed my things and took the closest tavern we could find. Yui, Kawa, and Frey followed after me, but Kain and Mildred stayed behind to smooth things out.
The four of us occupy a single room that's a lot less extravagant and a lot more louder than our previous lodging. There are two beds in here, but one of them has a leg broken so it leans to one side. The wash bin is filled with murky water that hasn't been changed in ages. Drunk patrons downstairs are talking up a storm, no shortage of creaky wagons pass by the building, and a couple of people next door have been in an argument for the past hour.
Kawa, who normally sleeps on the floor at the foot of our bed, has climbed on despite being too big. She was having a hard time falling asleep without Loraine, and I had to stroke her head until she did.
At this rate, the racket was going to wake her up.
I hop out of bed, walk out into the hallway, and knock on the room of the people screaming at each other on the other side. The door swings open to a shirtless, barrel-chested man with enough hair on it to call a jungle.
"I didn't order no second prostitute," he growls.
Behind him, a woman with bruises on her arms sits on the bed with the covers pulled up to her shoulders.
"Hey! I'm talking to you—" as soon as he reaches out, I crush his hand in my grasp.
He drops to his knees, screaming. Then I grab his face to muffle him, pull him by the head over to the open window, and chuck him out the second floor.
"I'm trying to fucking sleep here," I respond, spitting out the window.
When I get back to my room, Yui's wide awake.
"Are we really not gonna take Loraine back from that sleazebag?" Yui asks, staring up at the ceiling from her bed.
Frey sleeps curled up around Yui's legs. She reaches down to scratch the beastling's ears, eliciting a low purr which brings a smile to Yui's face.
"Kain said he'd look into it," I answer.
"That's enough for you?" Yui turns to face me as I lay back onto the bed next to Kawa, but I don't have a response for her.
When did I start falling in line like a grunt?
I was right there. I could have slugged the Emir, killed him even before Anya could stop me, but I didn't take the shot.
I'm getting weak. Chika would have said the same thing.
No more playing nice.
Tomorrow is the fight. I'm going to plow through every single one of those fuckers, including Anya. If Owyn doesn't plan on giving Loraine back to me then, I'll take her back from his cold, dead hands.
***
We make our way to the Lannarkis Ring in the morning to meet up with Kain and Mildred. Stalls and vendors with merchant wagons park along the roadside leading towards the ring, selling food and merchandise to passersby. It's like a whole festival sprung up overnight.
The rhythmic banging of drums and stringed instruments fill the air, loud enough to drown out the murmur of crowds. A rowdy group gets into a fight with another until they are broken up by an army of guards. There are even designated locations for people to gamble away their wealth.
The roads are packed full of people, and getting there is a snails' pace of a walk. It's as though the city became three times more populated since last night. There are plenty of other races other than dark elves and beastlings now wandering the streets.
I'm seeing some familiar guild members from the Cynderace Branch. In fact, a lot of strong-looking people have come to watch, and it's putting Kawa in the mood to fight.
I'm also quickly getting familiar with people from Jinwa, the same people whose representatives in the Ring I met yesterday.
Their most defining characteristics are black hair and lidless eyes. If I didn't know better, I would have thought the whole of east Asia back on Earth was transported here. Of course, that isn't the case. But they do share a lot of similarities with the asian folks back home which threw me off at first.
I hear an overexcited group of elves talking amongst each other.
"Who are you taking bets on this year?" a fair-skinned elf asks her friends.
"The Emir's personal bodyguard, obviously. Anya's the ring's champion. It's an easy win," another elf answers, making a poor imitation at boxing the air.
So even people not from around here have heard of Anya, but I only learned of her after coming to Ash'tar. They make it sound like she's been here for a year, but that can't be it… can it?
The Lannarkis Ring is a massive coliseum built of pale yellow stones. Two large statues, each carrying a spear and shield stand on either side of the entrance. There are a lot more guards than usual, keeping an eye out for any unwanted trouble.
At the toe of one of the enormous statues sits Bogart, who is almost unrecognizable without all the soot, heavy clothes, and thick goggles. She's wearing much less now, all she has on is a band around her chest and sarong on her waist. Scales run up her arms up to her shoulders and feet up to her thighs, and wear no shoes to accommodate her clawed feet.
"Ready to see us kickass and chew—? Aw, man. There's no bubblegum in this world..." Yui says to Bogart.
"I came to see my benefactors in action. Don't make me regret my decision," she answers, flashing her sharpened fangs.
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Just as she does that, Kawa dives in to sniff Bogart, even going as far as licking parts of her body. Bogart's face turns as red as the scales on her cheek.
"Get this freak off me!" Bogart shouts.
"Kawa, down!" I wrench her away from Bogart, but the damage is done. She's covered in slobber.
"Kawa couldn't resist. Master's new friend is tasty!" Kawa exclaims, much to Bogart's displeasure.
As Bogart wipes the saliva from her body, she offers some advice, "I watched the Emir's champion fight last year. My only suggestion is you don't get hit."
"Solid advice, don't get hit." I note down her sarcasm, but know that she seriously meant what she said.
I saw first hand how Anya annihilated the sand worm. Yui and I couldn't hope to do what she did.
I pinch Kawa by her nose and tug. "I get that you like protecting the pack. I love ya for that. But Yui and I are gonna throw down with a whole bunch of people in a bit. You absolutely can't jump in or we get disqualified."
"O-Oh, Kawa understands. Will we get to see Loraine after?" Kawa asks.
"I'll get her back. That's a promise," I assure her. "Until then, stay with Frey and Bogart. Behave like a good girl, or you're getting the stick."
Her tail suddenly starts wagging like crazy. "Kawa likes the stick!"
"Not that stick!"
Behind me, Frey is wishing Yui well for the fight.
"Make sure you come out of there in one piece. I need you in top shape for all the work waiting back at the guild," Frey says.
"Hehe. Anego and I got this in the bag. But… I could go for a good luck charm." Yui extends her arms eagerly towards Frey's head.
Frey, on the other, is apprehensive. "In front of all these people? This is degrading and embarrassing, but as long as it's for you…"
She walks into Yui's arms, who, instead of hugging Frey like I thought she would, ruffles the beastling's hair into a complete mess.
All the while Yui is meowing like she is a cat herself. "Nya, nya! I love my Frey-kitty!"
I feel embarrassed watching them but with a hint of jealousy. Loraine would be doing the same to me right before the fight if she was still here.
As they leave, Yui and I take another entrance escorted by guards to a downstairs area of the coliseum.
The underground is fashioned into a garrison. Low-lit corridors and long, wide passageways with many doors that lead into rooms where off-duty guards and soldiers of the city play cards and sleep. Weapon racks hang on walls ready to arm wielders at any moment. Arenas and pits surrounded by barbed-wire fences hold smaller scale matches where the residents make bets on.
"Hey!" Someone's screams echo from below. I look down to see a beastling's furless face marked with a black eye glancing up to me. "Get me out of here! I didn't steal anything, I swear."
More prisoners shout at us from underneath iron grates below our feet. They clutch onto the metal slats, shaking it to make noise. Passing guards make a game out of trying to step on their fingers. We even pass by what looks like a kennel full of hound-like creatures snarling at us from behind their cages.
This place is a living hell. It makes me sick just being here.
Eventually, we come to a much cleaner area of the underground coliseum. Walls are smooth with magical torches lighting the way. The screams of prisoners can no longer be heard.
Our escorts open a double iron-wrought gate that leads into another tunnel. They don't follow us any further. Light pours in at the end, trickles of sand clattering across the ground, gathering along the bottom of the walls.
Two silhouettes await us at the end of the tunnel— Kain and Mildred.
Prince Kain glances at me with an apologetic expression and says, "Lady Micchi, I'm sorry I didn't—"
"I ain't interested in an apology," I cut him off, walking up to the threshold into the arena itself.
A shimmering barrier stands between us and the other side, light and dry winds are all that passes through. Even though we went underground, a set of stairs leads down to the actual arena floor. From here, we're given a full view of the fight. I can also make out more stairs leading into tunnels presumably where other fighters are waiting like us.
On an elevated platform in the seating area, partitioned from the rest of the spectators, is a booth. Emir Owyn Medir and Loraine, dressed in a lavish green and gold gown decorated with more jewelry than silk, sit next to each other with Anya standing between them.
I bash my fist against the barrier and feel it crack on impact, then it begins to repair itself, removing any trace of it having been damaged.
"Wait for me. I'm coming to take you back."