Ori followed him. Nox didn't know if it were out of boredom or anticipation. He would put money on boredom. The pits were dark and deep and the howl of men in pain could be heard from whatever match had ended. It must have gone poorly.
The door behind them opened and Jaxen's friend was being show the way to clean up. Nox wondered if he'd been down there before, he seemed like he knew the place. Nox glanced back and gave him a nod. He looked a lot worse for wear than he had when they'd left them earlier. "Knobs go in the opposite direction." Nox informed him. His first introduction to the showers was a dosing of ice cold deep from the frozen tundra water that was Moscovian winter. It was not pleasant after a beating -- not unexpectedly anyway. The guy who'd shown him the way had laughed as Nox yelped.
Nox didn't really concern himself with Jaxen's friend after that, he doffed the black shawl and put it in a locker with everything else of importance and locked it not only with the padlock but a weave of air tied to last for an eternity and strong enough to stop bullets. He left his arm and his wallet in there for safe keeping. Last thing he wanted was his life to go down even further into the shit hole it was. But Nox didn't go out with out a counter balance.
He and Sage, and even Cruz had worked a bit on throwing a less than ideal makeshift weapon which was mostly just an iron ball at the end of a iron rod at the end of his arm. Cruz had cheated and used Jivana tech to put it all together. It was crude but it worked and he wasn't here to win a beauty contest.
The match he was in had already started. He could hear the crowd cheering for their favorite. Another man hung out in the shadows waiting. He glanced at Nox and golden eyes reflected back at him in the dim light. If he'd had his wallet he'd snap a picture and send it to Raffe. He'd at least keep one last promise to his ex-lover. Not that he'd been looking for the wolfbrother.
He was tapped on the shoulder and lead into the tunnel where he'd enter the match. Fuck! Nox wondered if Oriena knew her prize fighter was in a match with him tonight.
Beyond the tunnel where Kasun had stood a shady man watched with a smirk splayed across his lips. The nearly balding man stared at Nox like he knew a secret. Before Nox could decide what to do he disappeared into the shadows and deeper into the pit.
Nox was tapped on the shoulder and lead to the ring through a different tunnel. Nox disliked fighting mutiple people, but he knew that was on tap tonight. And he wasn't wrong. There was a three way, two of them teaming up on Kasun -- the most dangerous of them it seemed. Or maybe it was part of the whole stick.
Nox stepped into to the ring, and the gate closed behind him. Kasun rolled out of the way of the guy with a sword barely in time before the downward motion would have caught him square in the body.
The other man was making a run for it and Nox threw out a wire of air and the man fell flat on his face in the dirt and blood below him. The crowd laughed and cheered. And the two big men were both glaring at Nox. Kasun was getting to his feet and had yet to make a decision on what he was going to do.
The guy with the sword twirled it around his hand in a threatening motion. Showing off his agility and his skill. Nox smirked and with a thought a flaming sword appeared in his hand and he brandished it much the same way that the guy did. "Bring it." The horde pulled at his mind. He let it out a little. Let the darkness flow into his finger tips. The death in his eyes. There was little left of what Nox would call himself. Just enough to keep himself and everyone safe -- just the edge of himself. Anything more and he'd lose the hordes attention and the night would be forfeit, and his struggles would be deeper the next day. He had a system.
The felled man dusted off his chest and bull rushed Nox from the side. It hadn't caught Nox off guard, but the tackle hurt none-the-less and they crashed into the concrete wall of the ring. The iron ball at the end of his arm struck and a loud gong echoed in their ears. It wasn't from his missing arm. A new entrant and arrived with the sound of it.
They looked to the rising gate as a large gorilla roared into the arena as the shady man from below jabbed a needle into its neck and let go of the cords holding it back.
It pulled through the gate and they slammed shut behind it. Kasun was the first to back away. And the man with the sword didn't have time before the large hands of the gorilla took the man by his head and sword arm and yanked. Blood and guts splattered across the ring. Nox felt the call as the beast roared and beat its chest. It glared at Nox and Nox knew what was in that needle. The horde!
The door behind them opened and Jaxen's friend was being show the way to clean up. Nox wondered if he'd been down there before, he seemed like he knew the place. Nox glanced back and gave him a nod. He looked a lot worse for wear than he had when they'd left them earlier. "Knobs go in the opposite direction." Nox informed him. His first introduction to the showers was a dosing of ice cold deep from the frozen tundra water that was Moscovian winter. It was not pleasant after a beating -- not unexpectedly anyway. The guy who'd shown him the way had laughed as Nox yelped.
Nox didn't really concern himself with Jaxen's friend after that, he doffed the black shawl and put it in a locker with everything else of importance and locked it not only with the padlock but a weave of air tied to last for an eternity and strong enough to stop bullets. He left his arm and his wallet in there for safe keeping. Last thing he wanted was his life to go down even further into the shit hole it was. But Nox didn't go out with out a counter balance.
He and Sage, and even Cruz had worked a bit on throwing a less than ideal makeshift weapon which was mostly just an iron ball at the end of a iron rod at the end of his arm. Cruz had cheated and used Jivana tech to put it all together. It was crude but it worked and he wasn't here to win a beauty contest.
The match he was in had already started. He could hear the crowd cheering for their favorite. Another man hung out in the shadows waiting. He glanced at Nox and golden eyes reflected back at him in the dim light. If he'd had his wallet he'd snap a picture and send it to Raffe. He'd at least keep one last promise to his ex-lover. Not that he'd been looking for the wolfbrother.
He was tapped on the shoulder and lead into the tunnel where he'd enter the match. Fuck! Nox wondered if Oriena knew her prize fighter was in a match with him tonight.
Beyond the tunnel where Kasun had stood a shady man watched with a smirk splayed across his lips. The nearly balding man stared at Nox like he knew a secret. Before Nox could decide what to do he disappeared into the shadows and deeper into the pit.
Nox was tapped on the shoulder and lead to the ring through a different tunnel. Nox disliked fighting mutiple people, but he knew that was on tap tonight. And he wasn't wrong. There was a three way, two of them teaming up on Kasun -- the most dangerous of them it seemed. Or maybe it was part of the whole stick.
Nox stepped into to the ring, and the gate closed behind him. Kasun rolled out of the way of the guy with a sword barely in time before the downward motion would have caught him square in the body.
The other man was making a run for it and Nox threw out a wire of air and the man fell flat on his face in the dirt and blood below him. The crowd laughed and cheered. And the two big men were both glaring at Nox. Kasun was getting to his feet and had yet to make a decision on what he was going to do.
The guy with the sword twirled it around his hand in a threatening motion. Showing off his agility and his skill. Nox smirked and with a thought a flaming sword appeared in his hand and he brandished it much the same way that the guy did. "Bring it." The horde pulled at his mind. He let it out a little. Let the darkness flow into his finger tips. The death in his eyes. There was little left of what Nox would call himself. Just enough to keep himself and everyone safe -- just the edge of himself. Anything more and he'd lose the hordes attention and the night would be forfeit, and his struggles would be deeper the next day. He had a system.
The felled man dusted off his chest and bull rushed Nox from the side. It hadn't caught Nox off guard, but the tackle hurt none-the-less and they crashed into the concrete wall of the ring. The iron ball at the end of his arm struck and a loud gong echoed in their ears. It wasn't from his missing arm. A new entrant and arrived with the sound of it.
They looked to the rising gate as a large gorilla roared into the arena as the shady man from below jabbed a needle into its neck and let go of the cords holding it back.
It pulled through the gate and they slammed shut behind it. Kasun was the first to back away. And the man with the sword didn't have time before the large hands of the gorilla took the man by his head and sword arm and yanked. Blood and guts splattered across the ring. Nox felt the call as the beast roared and beat its chest. It glared at Nox and Nox knew what was in that needle. The horde!
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)