Dimi was still locked inside the ruined office, trying to break the planks that covered the windows with one of the legs from a broken chair. It did not work and only resulted in her sore hands feeling worse. Dimi threw the piece of wood at the floor and made an angry almost animal-like growl. She scowled at the window as blood still dripped from her head wound and greased her eye. Even if she could somehow remove the wood that blocked the window then it was unlikely she could squeeze herself through it or at least not in a way that wouldn’t result in her getting hurt. But the only other way out of the damn room was through the door and that was locked most likely guarded. It wasn’t like whatever goon who worked for Veronica would just open it for Dimi.
Dimi sighed. She took a glance at the bookshelves in the office. Then she began to pull them and move them around as well as she could. Because she realized that Veronica’s goons WOULD open up the door for her.
***
The parrot-harpy known as Sweeper had just gotten a massive cut on her face as the bison-type minotaur Claressa had rubbed her in the face with the laces from her boxing gloves. This furiated Sweeper who then dug her talons into the leg of her opponents, making the ox-girl’s leg worse for wear.
Veronica clapped while the rest of the creatures around the rind roared in approval. She adjusted her sunglasses while while watching Sweeper and Claressa being separated by the referee as well as their corner guys since the two pugilists kept battering each other despite the bell signaling the end of round three.
It had been a good night so far. Everyone in the room had witnessed one slugfest after another, Veronica knew she had made a lot of money tonight. But as her snake hair started to hiss, she turned her head to see that Corny the Goblin had just appeared in a puff of smoke. “Boss, we got a problem. Some bull knocked Gon’s lights out and he looks like trouble.”
Veronica groaned. “Lousy wolf. Alright, Mez and Goz. Go get the... wait.” Veronica adjusted her glasses. “This minotaur... he has a broken horn?”
“Yes, boss.”
Veronica couldn’t help but make a goofy grin. The night was gonna be much better than she had hoped for. “Is this my birthday? I expected him here at least tomorrow! Mez, Goz... Take a hike. My guest is gonna need your seat.” The two onis stood up and were about to leave. “Oh and Goz!” The blue oni turned around. “You better get changed. Ivan is here and you are gonna break him in half.”
Goz made a grim grin and nodded before leaving.
The diverse group of creatures who stood up to watch the fight inside the ring all parted to make way for a very angry looking minotaur with one of his horns being broken. Few wanted to mess with minotaurs, and no one was gonna be in the way of this particularly angry looking and broad shouldered one. There were murder in his eyes as he was looking for the creature that had ignited his rage. Behind him was some sort of foreign creature with traits of a lion and wings on her back. She snarled as her eyes turned left and right while her unsheathed claws were practically itching after tearing in something.
Veronica had the same effect on the spectators as Ivan had as they twitched when she stood up from her seat and waved at Ivan.
“Ivan! Sweetheart!” Veronica smirked while her hair aggressively hissed at the minotaur. “This is nice! Your human pet told me you wouldn’t get home till tomorrow.”
“Say the word, Ivan.” Aura narrowed her eyes as she she stepped to Ivan’s left side. Her tail was swinging in an aggressive manner as she cracked he knuckles. “Say the word and I will tear up this whole joint!”
“You will do no such thing, sweet cheeks. Sit.” Veronica pointed at the empty seats next to her.
“Where is Dimi?” Ivan glared at Veronica while he tightened his fists so hard that his fingernails were practically digging into his flesh. He did his best not to explode as he knew that one wrong angry word could be fatal for Dimi.
“I said sit.” Veronica pointed toward the the two empty seats one more.
Ivan did as he was told. Aura raised an eyebrow at her husband who just nodded. She rolled her eyes as she sat down.
“What have you done with her?” Ivan asked, his hands itching after getting around Veronica’s neck.
“Me? I ain’t done nothin’! You little human pet though? WOW! You should have seen her in the ring tonight.” Veronica made a nod toward the ring where the harpy and minotaur were at hard work rearranging each other’s faces. “She was vicious! I was surprised she let the other guy live. Or I assume he is. Damn ugly fight, I tell ya. Ugly!” She patted Ivan on the shoulder. “And she came all by herself. That’s why you are here and not the city guard, right? You know the penalty for participating in these events.”
Ivan’s nostrils expended. “Where is she?”
Veronica shook her head. “Wrong question, baby.”
“Is she okay?”
Veronica clicked her tongue. “Wrong again.”
Ivan closed his eyes and sighed. “Okay... What do you want?”
“Finally! Right question.” Veronica patted Ivan on the shoulder once more, as if he was a kid she had assisted with doing homework. “See, I thought you would arrive tomorrow and I had make all sorts of arrangements. But since you are here now, I can save time and resources on advertising your return and instead let you be an extra surprise for my fine customers.”
“You want me to fight?”
“No, I want you to sell nuts and snacks to the audience.” Veronica snickered. “Yeah, I want you to fight, you big beef. I want you to step inside that ring over there as soon as those two are done.” Veronica turned to look at the fight. Sweeper was practically toying with Claressa who was unable to defend herself after her arm had been broken. “Hmm, shouldn’t take long, so you have to make up your mind quickly, honey.”
“And if I win, you will let Dimi go?”
“What?!” Aura looked at Ivan with disbelieve in her eyes.
“Sure thing, beefcake. And you don’t have to worry about gloves or nuthin’, I feel in a nostalgic mood for some bloody knuckles.”
“And if I lose?”
Veronica tilted her head as she made a broad grin that made Aura uncomfortable, even slightly startled. “I don’t think I can do nothin’ to you if you lose. Nobody can. You dig?”
Ivan shallowed. “Okay. Deal.”
“Then take your shirt off and wait for when I call you up to fight. By the way, see that big blue bastard over there?” Veronica pointed toward the big blue oni who was half naked and gave Ivan an almost hungry glare. “That’s my boy Goz. He’s the one who’s gonna make sausages out of ya. Excuse me.” Veronica stood up and left Ivan and Aura to talk to Goz.
Aura who looked at him with disbelieve. “What the hell, Ivan?!” She elbowed him and slapped him on the back of the head with one of her wings. “Why not let me go monster on her ass? Tear that stupid smug smile off her face?”
“I have three good reasons to agreeing to play ball with her.”
Aura rolled her eyes. “Only three?”
“First off all, I know you could turn this whole place into a pile of broken bricks and wood stumps, but we are outnumbered. Second, this is the best way to make sure Dimi won’t get hurt.”
“IF that slimy snake can be trusted.” She looked past Ivan’s shoulder to see Veronica step inside the ring while the minotaur girl was being carried out of said ring. “And the third?”
“Well...” Ivan took a glance at the blue oni with a massive bulky body. He then looked at Aura and smirked. “Are you telling me that I can’t take that punk?”
Aura blinked twice. Then she snorted and made a small laugh. “Knock his god damn block off!”
***
The satyr twins Angel and Ben tapped the floor with their hooves impatiently.
“This blows.” Ben picked his nostril. “I can hear the fights next door and we are wasting our times keeping an eye on a human who has already been beat up.”
“The boss lady says she is important.” Angel spit out some loose-leaf chewing tobacco as she leaned against the door. Her horns scratched the wood. “But yeah, when Biff said he could get us a job, join a real gang, I had hoped-”
They heard the sound of glass shattering.
“What th-” Ben opened the door. He saw a hole in the window and and a tumbled over bookshelf that had been the reason for the broken window. But most importantly, he saw no human girl. “Shit! Angel, the human escaped!”
Angel looked at the window. Then she smacked Ben in the back of his head. “Moron, that hole is too small for that! Unless you think she can shrink.”
“I mean, maybe she can?” Ben looked terrified as he shrugged. “Humans can do all sorts of magic BS, right? And I can’t see her.”
“She is probably hiding, dummy.” She slapped him again. Go in and look for her, I will guard the door.”
Ben did as he was told. But as the young satyr entered the room, an arm came that had been hiding behind the now open door and grabbed Ben by the horn and pulled him away from Angel’s sight. Angel heard a heavy thud and a groan from her twin brother.
“Hey! Come out here you-” Angel realized too late she had made a mistake as she entered the room and had a massive bookshelf fall on her.
Dimi loosened her arms she had locked around Ben’s neck and let him drop to the floor as he groaned. She checked that Angel was barely conscious as she was trapped under the heavy piece of furniture. She waited to see if anyone else would come, but she had apparently been so lucky that Veronica had thought two guards would be enough.
“Shit, that hurts...” Dimi nudged her sore hand. She was still in no condition to fight, but she had to get out of this damn place.
As Dimi stepped out of the room to try and see where the heck she were and how to get home, she noticed someone at the end of the hallway she had just stepped into.
“What’s going on, I heard a- HEY!” It was an eagle-styled harpy in a sleeve-less blouse. She was apparently part of security and she held a lease. At the other end of the lease was a three-headed monster. It looked like a hound from hell. It was twice as big as a normal dog, had dark-brown fur and six red eyes. It growled and bared its razor sharp teeth. “I don’t know who you are or what you are doing here, human!” The harpy yelled. “But you are not allowed here. BITE!”
The harpy let go of the lease as the cerberus leapt toward Dimi, snarling and drooling.
***
Nora had managed to crawl up and sit on a wooden beam below the roof of the building. She had her bow in one hand and a quiver on her back filled with arrows. She unfortunately had not had time to enchant them. She looked down toward the arena where Ivan and Ivan stood, waiting to see if there would be trouble.
She saw that Ivan had taken off his shirt and Aura split the ropes of the rings to help him inside it. Aura blinked. “What kind of macho BS have you agreed to, Ivan? God, you suck...”
Veronica stood in the middle of the ring next to the referee. She held a megaphone and smiled satisfied. “That’s right! No reason to leave just yet! We have us a surprise matchup tonight! And, for your entertainment, they will duke it out with their bare hands! And EVERYTHING GOES THIS TIME!”
The audience approved loudly.
“In the blue corner, we have a former pugilist of a higher degree! He was contender of the year, has fought professionally as well as duked it out in the blood-stained world of underground boxing! Heck, this bull has been in jail! They call him HAMMERHAND IVAN!”
The spectators cheered, few because they recognized the mostly obscure former boxer, most because a huge minotaur with a broken horn had stepped inside the ring, that was always promising. Ivan acknowledged the crowd with a nod, then rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck
“And in the red corner we have an orca from the East! He-” Ivan didn’t really listen to anything Veronica said as he studied his opponent in the other end of the fight ring. The big blue oni stood on the lowest ropes and raised his fists in the air with his back against Ivan’s direction. After a quick scan of the naked over body of the big fella, Ivan could spot some scars. But they were few and they were old. But he could also see on his knuckles that they were used quite often. Meaning he was often in fights but rarely got hurt. Either because he was an excellent hand-to-hand fighter... or more likely, he hadn’t been in a fight where it was fair for the other guy. Veronica kept on. “- skin often more red than blue, they call him GOZ!”
Goz turned toward Ivan and cracked his knuckles. Veronica stepped out of the ring while Goz’s brother split the ropes for her.
“Hold on, I have a question.” Ivan said to Veronica. The gorgon turned her attention to him and leaned against the ropes of the ring. “You said that anything goes in this fight?”
“Sure.” Veronica took a seat at ringside. “Do whatever. Just keep everyone entertained.”
“Good.” Ivan raised his voice so he was sure Goz could hear him loud and clear. “Good to know that I can go for the SOFT PARTS!”
Goz lost his confident expression for a second and blinked nervously.
The spectators clapped and awaited the fight to start. Veronica cut the end of a extra special cigar she had saved for a special occasion. She held the unlit stogie up to her nose and enjoyed the sent of fresh tobacco, leather, wood, cinnamon and salted peanut.
She enjoyed the delicious smoke as well as the sweet revenge. She had a front seat as she would watch Ivan’s brain and face be turned into mashed potatoes. And she didn’t even have to spend a single coin on it, she would even make a profit from the bets on the fight. Ivan was past his prime and Goz was young and in great shape, he couldn’t possibly win. And even if he did win and somehow didn’t get permanent brain damage, then Veronica still knew where he lived as well as his family. She owned his ass. There was nothing he could do to ruin that for her.
Or so Veronica assumed.
The room practically exploded as the bell started the fight. Veronica was about to place her cigar between her teeth...
... but then her cigar dropped to the floor as Goz fell to the canvas.
The entire room went silent. The fight had lasted less than half a minute.
Ivan looked down at the oni who coughed and groaned. Ivan had always been surprised by how few realized that it was the throat, not the crotch, that was the most vulnerable part of most creature bodies.
Aura couldn’t help it but laugh.
Ivan nudged his fist. “Man, that’s gonna smart. Whelp, glad that’s over with.” He smiled as he waved at the dumbfounded spectators. “Well, show’s over, everyone. Get home safe.” He then bend down to get through the ropes and join Aura.
Once again, the room practically exploded. Not from cheers, but from yelling and boos.
“WHAT THE HELLS WAS THAT?!“
“THAT WAS RIGGED!“
“THAT WAS NOT A FIGHT!”
“I WANT MY MONEY BACK!”
Veronica looked horrified as her customers started a riot, kicking chairs and pushing her staff who tried to keep them calm.
See, the problem with running a business the way Veronica does is that you have to keep your customers happy. If they are not... well, calling the authorities is not an option.
She was shocked... then she was pissed. “HEY!” she yelled at Goz who leaned against a corner of the ring while nudging his head and throat. “Get up you fat loser! Go kick his ass!”
Goz didn’t reply due to a mix of feeling dizzy and having a swollen throat.
“Boss?” Mez the Oni looked at Veronica, then at the chaos around them as the security Veronica had hired were outnumbered ten to one by the angry mob of unsatisfied customers who threw and broke chairs. “Let me get you out of here-”
“No.” Veronica grind her teeth as all of her snake heads hissed aggressively. “No, go find Gon, tell him to do his damn job.” As the red oni left to find the bouncer, Veronica took off her shades.
***
“Ouch! Stop! Mercy!”
“What the heck?!” The eagle harpy was confused as she watched her guard-dog cerberus not only NOT attacking Dimi, it licked her.
“Ouch, easy now! I’m not in my best shape.” Dimi giggled as all three heads of the monster-dog used their tongues to kiss her. She nuzzled the ear of the head to the left while scratching the beast’s back. “But you are a good girl, aren’t you?” Dimi kissed the middle head. “Yes, you are! Oh, yes you are!”
“Dumb mutt, I paid good money for you!” The harpy practically screeched. “You are not a pet, you are a killing machine! Now bite already!”
Dimi smirked as she patted the cerberus on the back. “You heard the lady. Bite.”
The eagle harpy could feel her heart jump up in her throat as her vicious three-headed guard dog started to bark at her.
***
The doorman Gon nudged his eye. Getting suckerpunched by that minotaur had resulted in him getting a black eye. “Son of a cow...” he mumbled for himself. “When I get my claws on him-”
“Gon!” Mez the Oni opened the door to the building filled with angry creatures. Gon almost got a bottle thrown in the head but managed to dodge. “Everyone are pissed. The boss tell you to do something about it!”
Mez gulped as Gon transformed before him and lept though the door and howled.
“Man...” Mez gulped. “Werewolves still gives me the creeps.”
***
“Well, that was kind of stupid.” Aura rolled her eyes. “Badass.. but stupid.”
“I ended the fight quickly.” Ivan got dressed again. “We made a deal so Veronica-”
“Veronica is royally pissed, Ivan. You think she is gonna keep her promise now that you made the place go crazy?”
Ivan opened his mouth. Then, closed it. “Um... she might?”
“I lost 200 coronets because of you- AARGH, MY LEG!” A satyr who was about to sneak up on Ivan to smash a bottle against the back of his head fell to the floor as an arrow penetrated his left leg.
“Your welcome.” Nora mumbled as she fetched a new arrow from her quiver, still sitting on a beam right below the roof.
Ivan and Aura noticed how creatures who were angry seconds before now ran toward the exit filled with fear. It was soon clear why as Veronica walked toward them. Her now exposed eyes glared at them as her eyes began to glow and the veins near her temples bulged. “You son of a bitch! What was that?!”
“A deal is a deal.” Ivan made sure to evade eye contact and instead looked at Veronica’s neck. “Now tell me where my... where Dimi is.”
“Oh, the deal is off, shit for brains!” All of Veronica’s snakes stretched as far as they could, itching to get their fangs into Ivan’s flesh. “You just cost me a fortune. You think you get to walk away from this? I’m gonna kill you now with my bare hands, should have done so from the start!”
“DON’T GET NEAR HIM, YOU BITCH!” Aura turned into her monster form, stepping in front of Ivan.
“Shit...” Nora mumbled as she pulled the string of her bow with an arrow. “Aura, move. I can’t get a clear shot.”
“Hey!”
Veronica made a very satisfied smile as Ivan and Aura turned their head to see the guy who guarded the door when they had arrived.
“Gon, about time you showed up.”
The room was almost empty now, most had fled in fear. Gon had that effect on creatures. Ivan’s eyes widened as he saw a monster on all four legs with fur as black as the night all over it’s enormous body All the hair on it’s black tail were spreading so it looked like he had a black cactus attached to his behind. It’s five red eyes glared at Ivan. “You! Minotaur! You think you get to suckerpunch me and get away with it!”
Ivan gulped. “Crap, you are the doorman, aren’t you? I just make so many smart decisions today.”
Gon the Werewolf answered the question by leaping toward Ivan, only to get tackled by Aura who roared as she dug her claws into the beast who was about the same size as her. Ivan was so confused, and Veronica jumped him, wrapping one arm around his thick neck while her legs got around his torso. Her limps were strong and flexible, Ivan felt as if he was being squeezed by a python as he tried to pull the gorgon off himself.
“Great!” Nora slapped her forehead. “Now I can’t shoot the evil snake woman without shooting Ivan. Perfect!” She instead took aim at Aura’s new opponent. The lion beast and wolf monstrosity were locked in mortal combat. Nora fired three arrows toward the back of the black werewolf.
It looked like three toothpicks had been stuck to his back.
Nora sighed. “Well, that did jack shit...”
***
Dimi and her new three-headed animal friend entered the room where the fights had taken place, hoping a match was being held so she could sneak unnoticed out.
The room however was practically empty as a completely different fight was taking place.
She spotted Ivan who slammed himself against a wall while Veronica had wrapped herself around him and dug her teeth and nails into his flesh. And she spotted Aura exchanging clawed slaps with a dog-monster even more scary-looking than her. But then she heard a whimpering and noticed that someone were hiding behind a desk that had been used for bar.
The whimpering was made by Sticky the Dwarf who had served as Dimi’s corner guy.
“YOU!” Dimi grabbing the dwarf by the collar of his clothes as he had noticed her too late to make a run for it. “You little bastard! You gave me bad instruction during my fight on purpose, didn’t you?!”
“Nothing personal, human!” Sticky blinked frantically Dimi lifted him him up and sat him on the desk as if he was a child she was about to berate. He noticed the cerberus that growled at it’s new friend’s object of wrath. “I just did what I was paid to do! I really have no beef with humans, I was against it when dwarves decided to join with the orcs, I never-”
He did not get to finish his load of BS as his nose was violently introduced to Dimi’s forehead. Sticky fell from the desk and landed on the floor as he groaned and tried to fix his bloody nose.
Dimi gave him a glare but decided she couldn’t waste more time on him. Her... family needed her and she had two thirds of an idea.
She got on her knee and ruffled the middle head of the monster dog. “You poor thing, all they did to you. Go to the forest, I have some friends there who will look after you until I find you a loving home.”
The cerberus ran away to do as it was told. Dimi stretched her very sore body as she was about to do what she should have done the moment she had seen Veronica’s carriage.
***
Nora aimed her last arrow at the back of the head of the werewolf Aura was fighting. The black beast buried his fangs in Aura’s shoulders as she made a roar of frustration and agony. “Shit, I made an oath to never take a life...” Nora narrowed her eyes as she prepared to fire an arrow to penetrate the skull of the werewolf. “Well, I’m technically not a healer anymore...”
But her moral dilemma didn’t matter much as three red eyes appeared on the back of the black monster and they looked directly at Nora. The short elf got so startled by this that she let go of the arrow that instead penetrated the werewolf’s left foot.
Meanwhile, Ivan screamed as his rips popped. Veronica had to let go of her hold on Ivan as she had been squeezed between the minotaur’s back and a wall that now cracked as the wood was rather old and worn. They both fell outside the warehouse and landed on the wet dirt. Veronica let go of her grip around Ivan so she could push him away from her before she was crushed under the weight of the massive bull-man. Ivan stood up quickly and took a couple of steps away from her and turned around with his fists raised. Some torches placed around the building made light enough so they could see each other, if barely. Ivan still tried to look past her to evade eye contact while Veronica’s eyes gloved in the dark, she had removed her high-heeled shoes so her naked feed were planted in wet mud. She was now armed with a brass knuckle.
***
As Dimi hurried out of the front door, she could see a lot of carriages had either left or started to get moving. No one was apparently gonna stick around as two massive monsters tried to maul each other.
But Veronica’s carriage was still there. More importantly, the hippogriff that pulled it was still there. The fact that it was extremely calm despite the ruckus made Dimi sure that something was wrong with it.
Corny the Goblin, the coachwoman of Veronica’s fancy carriage, had been hiding inside said carriage when creatures had left the closed-down workshop in haste. She stepped outside as the noise had died down and noticed that the human her boss had brought to the fights was about to approach the animal used to move the vertical. “Oy!” Corny stepped out and gave the human a glare. “Step away from the critter!”
“Piss off.” Dimi looked at the bald goblin-woman with contempt. “What have you done to this beautiful creature?”
“None of your bloody beeswax. Now step away.”
Dimi narrowed her eyes. “Make me.”
Corny accepted the invitation and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Dimi was unfamiliar with goblin magic and was confused, then in a lot of pain as corny appeared behind her and stabbed her in the thighs. Dimi kicked backwards and turned to get her hands on her assaulter, only to get smoke in the eyes as Corny disappeared again.
Dimi coughed as she looked left and right to spot the bald goblin. Said goblin had hid behind the carriage. The hippogriff was still alarmingly calm.
Dimi’s eyes turned left and right. She then heard the small poof the goblin made when making her disappearance act and a second later got a knife in the lower back of her back as Corny appeared again. Dimi once again did not get a chance to attack as Corny disappeared before she turned around.
Dimi was starting to get dizzy from the pain. But not dizzy enough to not be able to make a fight plan. She raised her fists and panted, going around in a circle.
As soon as she heard the poof, she threw herself backward and planted her entire weight against Corny who too soon realized that attacking from behind was not as sneaky as it were predictable. Corny got an elbow in the face, breaking her nose and lost the hold of her pocket knife.
***
Aura got a paw in the face that could have shattered her jaw if she had not rolled with the strike. Gon roared furriously as the lion-eagle woman slashed his face, temporarily blinding three of his nine eyes. He grew two more on his forehead to not lose to make of for the vision he had just lost.
Nora, being out of arrows, decided to get down as she had spotted Dimi leave the building and went to look for her. She found her outside, bleeding from the back and the leg as she stood triumphant over a goblin woman who covered her face.
“Dimi, you little shit!” Nora felt so relieved and so furious at the same time. “What the world happened to you?!”
“Nora!” Dimi turned around to see the short elf. “I’m so glad to see you!”
“For crying out loud!” Nora grimaced as she saw the poor state of the human girl’s face. It looked like someone had used her head as punching bag. “If I were taller, I would put you over my knee and spank you. But I guess I have to tell Ivan to do that. Get on your knee!”
Dimi did as she was told, letting Nora take a bottle from her purse and pour it over her back. It felt like acid but also somehow relieving. “I’m sorry...” was all Dimi could say as Nora less than gracefully wrapped bandages around her waist to cover the wounds she had just received.
“Sorry?! SORRY?! You are not a little kid, you are sixteen!” Nora tied a knot on the bandage. “You can’t just say sorry and think that fix-”
“I know it won’t fix anything, I’m still sorry.” Dimi blushed. She then turned her attention toward the half-horse-half-bird creature. The red gem-stones attached to the collar around the hippogriff’s neck made an ominous light.
Nora raised an eyebrow. “What are you... HOLY SHIT, DIMI?!”
Dimi wrenched and took a step backward as the hippogriff had tried to slash her arm off, instead leaving a big rift on her left arm. The poor creature was in so much agony and so scared that Dimi’s animal empathy didn’t work right away.
“Heh...” Corny the Goblin had managed to lift herself up and looked at Dimi. “That monster has been trained to attack strangers who get to close. I don’t know what you try toooOOOOAAAGH, MY FACE!” She fell to the ground after Nora had splashed the healing salvia in her face.
Nora smiled. “It should heal your broken nose, but too much juice stings like seven kinds of hell. My bad.” She then looked worried at Dimi. “Kid, what are you doing?!”
“Getting the collar off!” Dimi licked her bleeding arm. “I know what I’m doing!”
The beast opened its beak and made a terrifying noise that could be similar to a mix of that of a bird of prey and a horse. It scratched the ground with the left talon and tightened its hind legs as it looked at Dimi with burning hate.
“I know some animals like you.” Dimi said with a calm voice as she held her hands up to show she meant no harm. She took half a step closer. “I bet you are like them. Proud. You wouldn’t let anyone boss you around.” Dimi pointed at the hippogriff’s collar. “So they put that thing on you. It hurts you if you don’t do as you are told, right? They forced you to pull a wagon like a lowly mule.”
The hippogriff flapped its wings in a threatening manner.
“And they even made you scared of any creature who might want to take that stupid collar off of your neck.” Dimi was unsure if she was shedding a tear because it was awful what had been done to the hippogriff or if her eye was just watering because she was generally feeling less than great. “Trust mmmnnnNAAAARGH!” As Dimi had taken a step closer, the hippogriff lashed out for her. She managed to step back, but the back of her hand received a wound.
“Dimi, you stupid brat!” Nora bit her lower lip.
Dimi sucked her wound. “I know you are only attacking me because the collar makes you feels like your neck is on fire. But I can take it off. Trust me.”
It had taken longer than Dimi had expected. Animals normally heard her almost instantly. She swallowed as she slowly tried to get closer to the beast.
The hippogriff growled. Its head hurt like hell but it could understand Dimi. It could feel she wanted to help, but it did not want to believe it, not after the awful month the goblin and the gorgon had used to make it tame. But then it looked at Dimi’s bleeding hand.
Then, it lowered its head.
***
Aura and Gon were moving in a circle as they glared at each other. The werewolf had more bite wounds and claw marks than the sphinx. But the winged lion-woman was not as young as the many-eyed canine creature.
Aura could feel that she was getting thirsty. She had used so much magic that she would end up dehydrated pretty soon. There was one way she might win this fight, but it would reacquire that she killed her opponent. And she was not sure she could make herself do that as her past in the Sun Kingdom still haunted her.
She stopped up and dug her claws in the wooden floor and scratched it as hard as she could. Small pieces of wood flew around as she glared at the werewolf. She growled as her tail and wings moved aggressively. And then she spoke with a voice that could make a mountain shake. “I USED TO BE IN THE ARMY, YOU LITTLE PUNK. YOU SURE YOU WANNA SEE HOW THIS ENDS?”
Gon bared his fangs as he bend all four of his knees, getting ready to throw himself at the sphinx.
Their eyes were locked for a moment. Gon could see the promise in Aura’s eyes that whatever would happen next, it would make the rest of the fight seem tame.
Gon grunted. “FORGET THIS! I DON’T GET PAID WELL ENOUGH FOR THIS KIND OF SHIT!
And then he ran away. Aura roared and stood on her hind legs and flapped her wings for the dramatic effect.
But once she was sure Gon had actually left, she turned back to her humanoid form. She still had some of the wounds she had received in monster form and she gasped after air and was as thirsty as if she had been in a desert. “I’m too old for this shit...” she gasped as she leaned against the boxing ring. “God damn... Everything hurts...”
***
Some might think that the exclusion of gorgons from the sport of boxing might be due to bigotry.
And sure, that is probably the main reason. But gorgons also had a couple of advantages in unarmed combat.
Ivan, while still being slightly disoriented from the pain of having broken ribs, had given up trying to connect his fist with Veronica’s face or throat as he tried not to look too closely at her face since her eyes were there. Safe to say, his aim was off. Not to mention that the snakes attached to her head would bite his hand if he got too close.
Ivan instead sent a solid punch against Veronica’s stomach, making her gasp for air. He then caught her in a clinch and tried to squeeze the life out of her. He knew that the snakes would burry their fangs in his shoulder, but he hoped to win an endurance contest, that Veronica would black out before he would be overwhelmed by pain.
But Ivan underestimated the gorgon’s flexibility as Veronica managed to free her arm and slam her brass knuckle into the side of his torso. This resulted in Ivan coughing blood.
Veronica grabbed the big minotaur by his horns and pulled his head to hers so he would look her straight in the eyes. Once eye contact was made, the big bull-man was trapped. His entire body was frozen despite his brain sending signals to every single fiber of his body to move, to do anything to get away from the snake-creature who had petrified him.
Veronica’s eyes were still gloving and veins still bulging. “You know, when I was forced to leave this kingdom, my travels proved pretty, shall we say... enriching. I managed to learn that even though us gorgons can’t turn creatures into stone, our eyes have other abilities besides making you stiff as a board.” Veronica let go of Ivan’s horns and dried her nose for blood with the back of her hand. Ivan could still not move an inch. “Like this fun little trick I managed to master two years ago. I can hypnotize you, make you my slave for a couple of mins. Nifty, eh?” Veronica cracked her neck. “I can make you do anything, such as... stick two fingers inside your mouth.”
Ivan did as he was told.
Veronica tightened her fist. “Now, shove them down your throat.”
Ivan obeyed the order. The result was not pretty as he began gagging and throwing up.
Veronica crossed her arms as her snakes studied the minotaur. “And now, before I kill you, how about-”
“Hey!”
Veronica blinked and turned her attention toward the hole in the wall that allowed entrance to the old workshop. The human girl stood near it. She looked angry and she looked awful. Her face was still bloody and her arms had new wounds. “Leave my... leave Ivan alone!” Dimi tried to make a threatening fist, but her hands hurt too much. “Or you are dead!”
“Oh, this is rich.” Veronica stepped closer to Ivan who was on his knees after throwing up. She kicked him in the stomach, making him fall flat. She then looked at Dimi again, not even bothering to activate her eye. “Alright, human. This should be fun. I just hurt the bull. What are you gonna do about it?”
Dimi placed two fingers on her lips and whistled.
Veronica was startled as the hole in the wall got larger as a massive talon ripped in the wood as if it were paper. The hippogriff screeched and slowly walked toward her.
Veronica felt afraid for the first time since she was a kid as her eyes were glowing again. “What the f-”
“You didn’t bother naming her, so I call her Sarah. And she told me everything you did to her so your carriage would be pulled by something fancy. She is a little pissed off.”
The hippogriff neighed and roared as it lept toward her abuser. Dimi went to Ivan and helped him up as well as she could.
“Ivan, I’m so so so SOOO sorry!” Dimi looked at her godfather with concern and guilt as he cradled his ribs. He looked grim. “I just thought I could make-”
“Not now.”
“But-”
“I said not now.”
Dimi opened her mouth, then shut it immediately. Something about the tone in his voice made her feel like she was six instead of sixteen. She then realized that she no longer heard the roars of an beast getting revenge but instead heard the sound of a wounded animal. Dimi turned to see the hippogriff alone and with blood near its neck. There was plenty of blood, but it was not all hers. Some of it belonged to the gorgon who had managed to get away from the beast’s rightful furry.
Veronica had disappeared into the night.
***
The hippogriff had agreed to pull the carriage to get Dimi and the others home after having her wounds treated by Nora.
The trip home was rather awkward as Dimi looked at her toes, Ivan looked gloom and Aura and Nora didn’t do much but cough awkwardly now and then. No one said a word during the ride besides Ivan who shut down Dimi before she could open her mouth with a stern Not now.
Ivan who had the worse injuries got out of the wagon to find a healer when they reached Orangestone, a village about five kilometers. “Don’t think about me, I will go home once my rips have been looked after. A good long walk might...” Ivan shrugged. “... clear my head.”
“But Ivan-” Dimi practically whimpered.
“Not. Now.” Ivan closed the door to the carriage as he left.
***
Once they reached Aura’s farm, the sun was about to rise. Dimi removed the harness from the hippogriff and scratched the beast’s beak. “You can stay for a while, I’m sure the griffins here won’t mind you if they know you are my friend.”
The hippogriff stretched its wings and lied next to the house instead.
“You want to be alone? Sure, that works.” Dimi nudged her head that still felt like shit. She went inside the house and found Aura in the kitchen. She sat on a stool and let Nora remove the bandages she had tied around her in a hurry after the fight and the elf was now treating her wounds properly with salvia that smelled like something had just died.
Dimi blushed and could feel that she started to sweat. “So...”
“How can you be so god damn stupid?! OUCH” Aura’s tail twitched as she glared at Dimi with anger. “Underground boxing? Haven’t Ivan told you how dangerous that is? Not just because of the actual fighting?”
“Well, he only said I weren’t allowed to try getting in those fights, not why or why they-”
Aura growled. “Don’t try to be cheeky.”
“And try to stand still.” Nora groaned as she got a wing in the face. “But she is right, Dimi. You suck.”
Dimi closed her eyes as if that somehow would make the situation less terrible. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m so stinking sorry! Veronica played me like a sucker, she told me I was tough and offered me five-thousand coronets to fight, so I thought-”
Aura flapped her left wing. “I don’t care if she offered you a basillion coins, you are not a little girl and... wait hold on.” Aura blinked. “Did you say... Five-thousand? In cash, or OUCH.” Aura could feel Nora punching her on her side. The elf gave her an annoyed glare. “Which is completely besides the point!”
“I was stupid, okay? I didn’t mean to get you guys in my mess-”
“How about you go to your room?” Nora tied a knot on Aura’s fresh bandage. “I will come up and give you a looksee, see how many bruises you actually managed to get yourself.”
Feeling defeatist, Dimi groaned and left the kitchen to go and feel sorry for herself.
When Aura and Nora were the only creatures in the kitchen, the winged lion-woman coughed. “So... you think Dimi was paid upfront, or-”
Nora slapped her face. “For crying out loud, you suck!”
“I’m just saying that five big ones is a lot of money.”
***
Dimi couldn’t sleep. She lied on her bed and scratched the bandages around her head. The healing salvia itched. Being tired of not being tired, she stood up and looked out of the window to see that the sun was about to get up.
She heard a knock on the door. It was opened by Ivan. The middle-aged minotaur looked tired and stern, making Dimi feel even smaller than she already did, as if she was six, not sixteen. “Okay...” He crossed his arms. ”Now I will listen.”
Dimi felt great relief to finally get her apology off her chest. “I was stupid, I should have known she was super shady! No, I knew she were shady, I just really wanted to fight again! And she flattered me and offered me money and I fell for it like a sucker! I got the worst beating in my life and I got you guys involved and I’m so so SO stupid! I’m super sorry...” Dimi practically gasped after air as she had finished the apology she had waited hours to be allowed to give her father figure.
“Yes.” Ivan closed the door and stepped inside the bedroom. “Yes, you were stupid. I’m glad you admit that without trying to excuse it. And you know why you were stupid?”
Dimi looked at her own feet as she shrugged.
Ivan went to Dimi’s bed and sat on it. “Because you are sixteen years old. That means you do stupid things thinking you are an adult.” He patted the bed, signaling to Dimi he wanted to sit next to her. She did as she was told, still looking at her feet and blushing.
“So...” Ivan continued. “You could say you... sort of... are excused being stupid.” He patted Dimi on the head. She normally hated it when he did that, but this day it felt reassuring. “Teenagers get suckered by scumbags like Veronica, it happens. Me though... I was in my twenties, I should have known better.”
Dimi blinked and stopped looking at her feet and instead looked at the bull-man next to her. “What? You fought for Veronica once?”
Ivan groaned. “Saying once could mean I did it one time. I did it many times.”
Dimi was confused. “But... why? I don’t get it, you fought professionally. Why would you do underground fights?”
“Because I was vain and wasteful. I never wanted to tell you this because...” Ivan nudged his eyes. “Because I don’t want you to stop respecting me.”
Dimi didn’t say anything.
Ivan sighed. “We have never talked about my boxing career... it started pretty well. I was newcomer of the year, I got some great fight offers and I even fought against the famous Devil Daisy in her last match and won, making it her only defeat in her twelve years as the national champion. Money was not a problem and I was... well, full of myself. So I spent a lot of money, sometimes even spent money I didn’t have yet. That ended up biting me in the ass.”
Dimi couldn’t imagine Ivan being full of himself or that he would be financially irresponsible.
“Long story short, Veronica learned about me being in debt. She talked me into fighting for her to make some extra on the side so to say. I was... easy to convince. I actually thought it could be kind of fun, to be allowed to fight rougher, be allowed to fight dirty... but it was not so fun after I sent a guy into a coma.”
“Holy shit...” Dimi covered her mouth, and blushed over her comment.
“Yeah... holy shit, that about covers it... I realized how wrong these sorts of fights were as my opponent was a bloody mess and he didn’t get up. Not to mention that no one would get him to a healer since that would mean risking their own skin. I went to the city guard and confessed everything because I hoped it would shut down Veronica’s fights. It did, Veronica had to leave the kingdom since prison is not a nice place for gorgons. I should know, I had to spend some time there.”
“Wait... That’s what dad helped you with, right? Aura told me he helped you once at your lowest. right?”
Ivan made a meek smile. “I was sent to prison for planned assault, but it could have been much worse. Your dad used his influence as prince consort to make the judge be less harsh. He even offered me to make the whole thing just go away, but... I didn’t feel like I deserved that. Though there were some things about jail I would have liked to evade...” Ivan pointed at his broken horn. “But all in all... Prison gave me a big bite of humble pie. Anyways, after I got out, I lost my license to fight professionally.”
Dimi felt like she had lost her breath. It was quite a lot to take in.
Ivan gave her a stern glare once again. “One thing is you could have gotten hurt. REAL hurt. But what if you had been found out, if you had been arrested. The guards would have to get some actual documentation on who you are. Forget prison, you might have been exposed as Dimicatio, the human princess who the orcs assume have left the country. And what about me, your pseudo parent who had an enemy of the state in his home? And what about Aura? Do you realize how much trouble not just you but the creatures you care about could have been in?”
Dimi heard about half of what Ivan said as she were in her own thoughts and held a firm grip on her bed sheet she sat on. “I’m so sorry...”
Ivan sighed. “I’m not sure if an apology is gonna cut if after what-”
“No, not that.” Dimi interrupted him. “I mean, that too. But, like... I’m so sorry that happened to you. That you lost everything.”
Ivan blinked. “Oh. Well, it was my own fault-”
“You got tricked and manipulated. Veronica took your career away from you. You didn’t have someone to come save your ass, I did. That’s not fair...” Dimi looked at Ivan with a mix of regret and pity.
Ivan tapped the wooden floor with his one hoof and scratched his hair. He felt a bit embarrassed. “Well... You know what? Don’t be too sorry.”
Dimi was confused. “What? Why not!?”
“Well, you are right, I could never get in the ring again to fight, I had dedicated a lot of time to become a good fighter... but looking back... I don’t think I liked the creature I was back then.”
Dimi tilted her head. “Seriously?”
“Yeah, I told you, I became full of myself, I was... not a good man. I had fame, money and...” Ivan remembered his first wife. “Well, other things. But I was obsessed with what others thought of my, part of why I spent so much money on myself. Despite the bumps on the road, despite prison and shame... I’m happy about, you know, the end result.” Ivan placed his hand on Dimi’s head and ruffled her hair. “I like who I am right now. And the life I have right now? I wouldn’t trade any of it.”
Dimi smiled awkwardly. “Seriously?”
Ivan nodded. “Yeah. The last couple of years have all in all probably been the best of my life.”
Dimi blushed.
The Ivan gave her a stern look. “But I’m still VERY angry at you.”
Dimi made an awkward smirk. “Yeah, makes sense-”
“You are going to work an extra hour in the forge every day till I say you don’t.”
Dimi blinked. “Ah, that seems a bit...” She paused as Ivan raised an eyebrow, somehow making his glare worse. “Um, that seem... totally fair.”
And then Ivan gave Dimi a hug, practically squeezing her with his massive arms. “Do you have any idea how scared you made me?”
Dimi locked her arms around her godfather’s neck. “I was stupid, I am so so so so soooo sorry.”
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