Chapter 38
Dogs and Mongrels
**Characters and text are protected under copyright law
Disclaimer: This story is not meant as 'erotica', but dark adventure-fantasy. It may contain material that sensitive readers might find uncomfortable. Please be advised.
Down below him, Oscar Bellock's hyneri warrior, Axuvi, stalked around his opponent like a circling jackal, carefully waiting and watching for the slightest opening. Given that his race bore a very strong resemblance to a canine that walked like a man, it seemed a rather natural action for him. The oruhk woman he faced, a foot shorter than him, even at over six feet tall herself, turned in place as he paced around her. She was Miskga 'The Wolf', one of House Gravemaker's gladiators. This was the third time these two had faced one another, each winning against the other once in the previous two combats.
Today would be their tie-breaker and both had allegedly swore that they would break that tie by killing the other. At least, that was what Oscar Bellock had been quietly spreading about the city. Neither of them ever held back in a fight and each of their previous bouts had ended with both of them needing to spend significant time healing before they were able to fight again. The possibilities that one of them might not make it out of the arena today was a very real one. That was just how the arena worked. Fight with sharp steel and you will get cut, eventually.
Axuvi circled his opponent only another few moments before suddenly lunging forward, his glaive arcing around in a flash. Miskga caught the weapon in the crook of one of her two axes, directing it safely away. As part of the same motion, she stepped forward, reaching out with her other axe and swung towards the hyneri's midsection. However, he'd already expected the counter and was already in motion, avoiding the swing and shifting his weight to give him leverage.
He dislodged the blocking axe from Miskga's hand, sending it sailing away, then let the motion speed his rotation of the glaive's shaft, thrusting out with the spiked butt of the polearm towards Miskga's chest. She dodged the attack only barely, the sharp point gouging a long line across her boiled leather cuirass. Staying in motion, she moved even closer to Axuvi and made a fresh hack at him with her remaining weapon.
He dodged her first blow, managed to get the glaive back in control to block the second, but failed to register Miskga kicking out into his left leg, knocking him off balance. That loss of co-ordination was long enough for her to score a palpable hit to his side, a fan of blood trailing behind the cleaving axe-blade. He scrabbled away from her, but she relentlessly stayed on him, her axe landing another blow and drawing more blood.
In the seat beside Oscar, Zinnia squealed at the gory scene, hiding her face like a child. As much as she enjoyed accompanying him to watch the fights, she had always been a touch squeamish when it came to blood. Her reaction made him chuckle and glance over at her. She peeked back at him through her fingers.
"Zinnia not like seeing Master's dog-man getting hurt." She whined, pouting at her owner as though he could do something about it. "Want Master's dog-man to win."
She was nothing, if not faithful. There was also the amusing irony of a being that so resembled a cat cheering for one that even more closely resembled a dog. Her loyalty to him was a part of why she was very much his favorite pet and why he occasionally brought her along with him to the arena to watch. That and her wonderfully talented mouth, which she sometimes sneakily put to use during boring points.
"Looks like he's already got the upper hand back. Don't worry, my delicious kitty." He said to her soothingly. Axuvi had already recovered from the hits and was now forcing the oruhk woman back with a series of brutal sweeps of his weapon. Hyneri were notoriously tough, able to withstand quite a bit of punishment, despite their lanky bodies. Of course, the same could be said of oruhks too. Both combatants were only getting started and would likely be equally bloody messes before one gave.
"Lord Bellock, you have a visitor." Reece whispered into his ear from behind.
He turned to look to the entrance to his private box and frowned at the sight of the expected visitor. He sighed out a breath. "Here we go then. Let's hope this doesn't get physical." He muttered to no one, then directed the next words at Reece. "Please escort Lord Angorr to a seat next to me." He then looked to Zinnia. "Go sit near the guards."
As the fyera obediently rose and moved to make room, Reece guided Weston Angorr down the steps to the front of the box and ushered him into the seat where Zinnia had previously been sitting. He looked like someone you'd expect to be fighting in the arena, not running a service for it. He was the size of a bear, his skin weathered into rawhide over a bone structure that might have once been handsome. His previously raven dark hair was becoming overwhelmed by grey, most prevalently at the temples.
Those rugged features scowled at Oscar as the big man took the seat. "What is this nonsense, Bellock?" He seethed before his ass was even on the cushion. "I've just been told that your House is taking over as the 'official' supplier of the arena. What does a middling little fighter house like yours know about what I do?"
The Angorr family made its fortunes as monster hunters, his ancestors originally renown as the people you contacted to handle creatures that no one else could kill. Weston's father had turned that trade into something a hundred times more lucrative by shifting the efforts from killing monsters to catching them and selling them to the Grand Arena as 'feature foes', as well as more common beasts. While the most popular battles were always gladiator versus gladiator, pitting gladiators against fantastic beasts and wild animals was always the bread and butter of every arena.
Weston had taken the business to a whole new level, hiring dozens of people who scoured the nations looking for interesting creatures to be killed in arenas. And the man didn't just run the business, he often led expeditions and personally caught things that would make Oscar piss his pants to come across. Angorr might be twice his age, but there was little doubt the big man could probably pummel him into a puddle of goo.
Oscar tried to put on as casual an expression as he could. "All I have done is fund my own little side business, Lord Angorr. It was meant as a supplement, something to fall back on for when my stable had no popular fighters. House Bloodwalker is well known for its mongrels, but few of our gladiators ever grace banners or get merchant deals. I can't be blamed for the administration deciding to favor my little venture with contracts you make them overpay."
Angorr's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice rising with every word he spat out. "You undercut me?! Is that it?! My people have been supplying the Grand Arena with creatures since before you had hair around your cock!" His face showed barely contained rage for a moment and Oscar deeply considered signaling for his guards to come closer. However, Weston seemed to get his emotions back under control after a moment.
"Tell me, Bellock, what happens when you can't fill all those cheap contracts?" He asked, his eyes staring daggers. "I've never failed to deliver and I've never charged the Grand Arena more than my work was worth. Never! I think you'll find anything lower than what I ask is less than it takes to actually do the job, Bellock. There is no fucking chance of you managing to make this work."
"As I say, Lord Angorr, it was never my aim to unseat you as the Grand Arena's primary supplier." Oscar said, forcing himself to sound calmer than he really felt and calming patting at the air in hopes of pacifying his guests rage. Weston's temper was near legend and he was strong enough to literally kill a man with his bare knuckles. "My original venture was only meant to be a sideline, supplying to smaller arenas outside Solace. However, I'd be a fool to pass up a good offer for business. Surely you can respect that. And, as you say, I couldn't possibly fill all the arena's contracts with just this paltry side business. I am sure you will be offered to pick up what I can't take."
The truth of it all was that he'd been told by the Prime that he was about to become the owner of this sideline and they would be influencing the Grand Arena to use that service over Angorr's. He wasn't sure what the purpose of it was, nor did he care, but it had put him into this very predictable situation of having to handle Weston's indignation at having his little monster-catching empire take a serious hit. He'd been expecting the man to come badger him, either here or at his estate. He'd hoped it would be the later, where he'd have more ability to control the situation.
"Now you offer me your damn scraps, Bellock? You're a fool to challenge me like this." Angorr growled at him, eyes boring into Oscar like spears. "I will not have my family's legacy dismantled by some puffed up jackass who thinks he knows how to handle dangerous things, just because he owns a bunch of killers for gold. You don't know shit about what it takes to deal with the horrors I put in cages on a daily basis."
Despite that he'd kept up his old military fitness routines and maintained the fighting skills they'd trained into him from his career as an officer, Oscar honestly didn't doubt the man's words. While, as far as he'd really seen, he was the only House owner who had real skill in combat, aside from 'the great' Donovan Solivier, he wasn't arrogant enough to assume he would last more than a couple seconds against Angorr or Solivier. If he'd not been handed this enterprise, he'd never have decided to create it on his own. He didn't even have the first idea where to find even regular fearsome beasts, much less the monsters and legendary cryptids that Angorr's people shipped into Solace each month.
Of course, he couldn't say any of that right now. He had to keep up the appearances. "You might find I am very quick study, Lord Angorr, and while I certainly respect your own level of involvement in your own business, I prefer to simply hire those who are experts in such matters. Again, this is just a sideline for me, my good man. My primary focus is still my House. The Grand Arena approached me, not the other way around."
