Chapter 15) "Street Fights" Part II
The ring wasn't much , just four corners of oil-stained pavement lit by hanging bulbs that buzzed like flies. The crowd pressed close, their shouts echoing off the brick walls. The smell of cheap liquor, sweat, and wet concrete clung to the air.
Cael stepped inside, flexing his fingers, feeling the faint hum of his System in the back of his mind. Across from him stood his opponent , broad, scarred, and moving with the slow confidence of someone who'd won more fights than he'd lost.
The bell wasn't a bell. Someone just yelled, "Go!"
The man lunged first. No warm-up, no testing the waters , a haymaker aimed to end things early. Cael jerked back, but not far enough; the fist grazed his jaw, rattling his teeth and sending a sharp sting down his neck.
"Come on, boy!" the man barked, already stepping in to throw another.
Cael tried to sidestep, but the guy was faster than he looked. A knee slammed into Cael's ribs. Pain exploded in his side and he stumbled back, breath leaving him in a rush.
The crowd roared approval.
Cael circled, forcing himself to focus. Don't match his strength. Make him miss.
The big man came in again, jabbing twice before hooking low toward Cael's stomach. Cael blocked with his forearm, pain shooting through the bone, and used the opening to throw a quick strike to the man's ribs. It landed , barely , and the man just grunted, shoving Cael back with raw force.
He hit the crate wall hard.
Vey's voice cut through the noise somewhere behind him. "Keep moving!"
Cael rolled to the side just as the man's fist smashed into the crate where his head had been. Splinters flew. Cael ducked under the follow-up, letting instinct take over, and drove his palm up into the man's chin. The impact jarred his own arm, but the man's head snapped back , not enough to drop him, but enough to buy a breath.
The crowd wasn't chanting his name. They were chanting kill him.
Sweat blurred Cael's vision. His breath came ragged. The man kept pressing, heavy steps shaking the ring. Another swing , Cael blocked high, but the next came low, slamming into his thigh. His leg buckled.
If I go down now, I'm done.
He faked a stumble, baiting the man forward, and at the last second slammed a burst of magic into the ground between them. The small shockwave threw dust and bits of concrete into the air, making the man blink.
Cael lunged, ramming his shoulder into the man's gut and driving him back. They both hit the ground hard, scrambling for advantage. The man's elbow cracked against Cael's temple , stars flashed in his vision , but Cael kept moving, twisting and planting his knee on the man's chest.
"Stay down!" Cael spat, driving his fist into the man's jaw. Once. Twice.
The man went limp.
Cael rolled off, lying there for a moment, chest heaving. His hands shook. Every muscle burned.
The crowd howled. Somewhere in the noise, he saw the man with the crimson insignia watching , arms crossed, head tilted slightly. Not smiling. Not frowning. Just… watching.
Cael dragged himself to his feet, spitting blood, and limped out of the ring toward Vey.
"You look like hell," Vey said.
Cael managed a half-grin. "Shut up…"
---
The air was thick with sweat, smoke, and the metallic tang of blood.
The crowd formed a tight circle around the ring, yelling over each other , some placing bets, others just here to see someone bleed.
"Break his jaw!" someone shouted.
"Twenty credits on the tall guy!" yelled another.
Someone in the back just screamed incoherently, shaking a half-empty bottle.
Vey stepped onto the cracked concrete floor, his boots crunching on grit. He rolled his neck, scanned the crowd with calm eyes, and then looked at his opponent.
The man across from him was lean, wiry, with jagged tattoos crawling up his throat. His grin showed a missing tooth.
"Pretty boy, huh? Bet you've never been in a real fight," the man taunted, bouncing lightly on his feet.
Vey smirked. "You talk a lot for someone I haven't hit yet."
The crowd ooh'd at that, several whistling.
The fight runner barked, "You ready?. Go!"
The man lunged instantly, a blur of fists. Vey slipped left, the first punch passing so close he felt the air brush his cheek.
"Fast," Vey admitted, pivoting, "but predictable."
The man snarled, swinging again. This time Vey ducked under and tapped his palm against the man's ribs , a faint blue shimmer flashing as frost licked across the fabric.
The man staggered back, glancing at the ice. "Ohhh, magic boy! That's cute. Let's see if your ice saves you from this!"
He charged, aiming a vicious kick at Vey's head. Vey caught the leg with both hands, a shock of cold racing up it. The man gritted his teeth, twisting out of the hold and slamming an elbow into Vey's shoulder.
Vey hissed in pain but smirked. "Finally landed one. I was starting to think you were just warming up my boots."
The crowd roared in laughter. "Shut him up!" someone bellowed.
They circled each other, tension building. The man spat on the ground. "You think you're clever. But clever doesn't win fights."
"Neither does missing," Vey shot back , and darted forward, feinting left before raking an icy palm across the man's forearm. Frost spread fast, locking his elbow in place.
The man yanked hard, freeing himself with a sharp crack of breaking ice. He swung again, grazing Vey's cheek, drawing a warm line of blood.
"Now you look less pretty," the man said with a grin.
Vey wiped the blood with his thumb, flicked it to the ground, and stepped in close. "Now you look less confident."
They traded blows , quick, sharp, each hit answered with another. The crowd was a storm of shouts, stomps, and curses. Vey's breath grew heavier, and so did his opponent's.
Finally, the man overcommitted , a big right hook that Vey ducked under. In the same motion, Vey slammed his palm into the man's chest, frost spreading in a spiderweb pattern across his torso. The man gasped, his knees buckling, and Vey swept his legs, dropping him hard to the floor.
The crowd exploded. Some cheered wildly, others groaned at lost bets.
Vey stepped back, breathing hard but still wearing that calm smirk. "You done?" he asked.
The man grunted, rolling onto his back and raising a hand in surrender.
Vey left the ring to a mix of cheers and boos. Cael was waiting at the edge, grinning.
"Not bad. You even bled a little."
Vey brushed past him, muttering, "You should've seen the other guy."
---
Cael pushed through the sweaty crowd toward the payout booth, Vey trailing behind and rubbing his knuckles.
The payout clerk barely looked up, counting a stack of grimy coins into Cael's palm.
"Two hundred and thirty coins. Don't spend it all in one place," the clerk muttered.
Cael smirked. "Too late. I'm already thinking about dinner."
Vey glanced around, scanning the crowd for that man with the Crimson Fang insignia… but nothing.
"Hey," he said quietly, "he's gone."
Cael's grin faded. He looked where Vey was staring , empty space.
"Damn. He left fast."
"Maybe that's good," Vey offered. "Means he didn't see us trying hard only for them."
Cael snorted. "We screw up. We just… didn't make him stay." He pocketed the coins. "Either way, we're done here. Let's get to the Undermarket before the food stalls close."
---
The Undermarket smelled like roasting meat, wet stone, and too many bodies crammed into one tunnel. Neon signs buzzed overhead, flickering in fractured colors across stalls stacked with cheap weapons, questionable snacks, and piles of scavenged tech.
Vey slowed at a cart selling skewers of something vaguely animal.
"You think that's rat?"
Cael squinted. "If it is, that's the biggest rat I've ever seen." He handed over a few coins anyway. "Two."
The vendor, an old woman with a milky eye, grinned. "Best meat in the Undermarket. Don't ask what it is."
Vey took a bite, chewing slowly. "Tastes like… mystery."
"Yeah," Cael said through a mouthful, "mystery with extra grease."
They kept walking, weaving through the press of people. At a stall selling old bedrolls and torn blankets, Cael tapped Vey's shoulder.
"We're gonna need one of these unless you wanna freeze your ass off tonight."
Vey shrugged. "I've slept in worse places."
"You've also complained in worse places," Cael shot back.
They bought a threadbare blanket, a few more skewers, and a dented water canteen.
"So where we crashing?" Vey asked as they climbed a narrow stair out of the market.
"I saw a warehouse near the east wall," Cael said. "Half-collapsed, nobody's touched it in months. We'll hole up there tonight."
Vey grinned. "Perfect. Just us, the wind, and probably a family of giant sewer spiders."
Cael smirked. "Don't worry. If they show up, I'll let you handle the negotiations."
---
The warehouse was colder than they'd expected, but at least it was dry. A broken skylight let in a sliver of moonlight, painting pale streaks across the dusty floor.
Cael dropped the blanket and bedroll near a wall with the least amount of holes. "Alright. This'll do. For tonight, anyway."
Vey stretched out, leaning against a rusted support beam. "Yeah. Not bad. Beats getting stabbed in an alley while we sleep."
Cael chuckled, pulling the blanket over them both. "Don't get too comfortable. Tomorrow we move. The people wearing those insignias? They never stay in one place long. If we want a second shot at finding them, we've gotta keep moving too."
Vey nodded slowly. "Makes sense. We follow the trail."
"Exactly." Cael's tone softened. "And we stay clear of the other gangs. Crimson Fang's the only crew around here that isn't knee-deep in politics or blood feuds. Every other clan would gut us before they asked our names."
Vey smirked faintly. "Yeah, assassins, syndicates… all bad news."
"Right. So no friends except them," Cael said firmly.
For a moment, they lay in silence, the hum of the Undermarket far away now, replaced by the soft drip of water through some crack in the roof.
Vey let out a slow breath. "You know… today was a good day. Productive."
Cael grinned in the dark. "Productive and profitable. Not bad for two nobodies."
They both closed their eyes, letting exhaustion finally catch up...
...and then, faint but distinct, came the sound of crunching gravel outside.
Not just one step. Several.
A slow, deliberate movement.
Cael's eyes snapped open in the dark.
"Vey…" he whispered.
From outside, a low, muffled voice murmured something they couldn't make out… followed by the creak of the warehouse door.