Jed had heard of fighting rings before, seen them in movies and such. Seeing one in person was different, in a way he was having a hard time articulating. The smell was what hit hardest, the copper tang of blood so thick it blocked out anything else.
In comparison, the sounds of the impact was muted as the two men fought in the pit set roughly two feet lower than the rest of the room.
There weren’t many people watching. Just the attendants. For all that he’d always imagined it as a spectator sport, this seemed…
It had taken him an embarrassingly long time to realize they were sparring. Jed would like to say it was the copious amounts of blood, or the pure brutality of some of the blows, but the real answer was simpler.
It wasn’t like any sparing ring he’d ever seen before. Especially since there were little rivulets in the floor that the blood and bits of flesh were being drawn down.
“This… this is exactly what we needed,” Gwen said, thwacking Jed in the arm. “Somewhere we can work out all this energy.”
Jed was worked up enough that it seemed like a good idea to him.
“I am unfamiliar with this style of ring. It seems as though it is separating their blood and storing it. Is this for some form of alchemy similar to the Lover’s Embrace?” Mythlyn asked, her question making Jed realize she’d been quieter than usual since they’d come aboard.
“It’s easier to replace lost blood than it is to generate it new, even if they have to pass it through filters first,” Gwen said as she pulled Jed over to the pair of scantily clad attendants. “We’d like to register for a match, however that works. We’re booked to travel on board to the next hex, if that matters.”
“Not unless you paid for the all access service package,” the man said, nodding.
“And even if you did,” the woman beside him said, bowing slightly. “It would need to be cleared properly before we added your name to the list. I’m afraid that if you wish to fight tonight, it will cost you two silver Crowns.”
“That’s fine,” Gwen said, tugging open her duster and reaching into one of her many, many pockets. “How much to have you watch our stuff?”
“That is part of the service, ma’am,” the woman said, accepting the two silver coins as Gwen handed them over, placing them next to a pad similar to the black one Jate had used with the tokens. This one glowed a faint green after a second. “Your coins are deemed acceptable in weight and purity.”
“Damn, you guys have high end equipment,” Gwen said, eyes lingering on the silver box. “Don’t think I’ve ever had anyone scan my silver before.”
“Unfortunately, we get many guests who believe that just because we are in port for only a couple days, that makes us an acceptable target for forgeries,” the woman said, giving them a smile that send shivers down Jed’s back it was so cold.
On that cheery note, they bid the attendants goodbye, turning back to the ring. Gwen led the process of disrobing, removing all her possessions and stacking them on a bench near the attendants.
Jed followed suit, duster, rifle, both the regular revolver and Mythlyn’s, boots and finally, after a moment’s consideration for the brutalized state of the men in the ring, his shirt. It was a nice shirt.
It left him standing there in just his pants, which wouldn’t normally make him feel uncomfortable, but he could feel Gwen’s eyes practically burning into him, following the markings as she bit her lower lip.
“Maybe this isn’t…” Jed trailed off as Gwen pulled off her own shirt, revealing a set of tightly wrapped bandages holding her breasts in place instead of the bra he’d been expecting.
Much like her eyes had been locked on him, Jed found himself unable to look away from Gwen as she set her shirt to the side, the muscles in her toned thighs shifting as she bent over to leave him staring at her very fit butt. Later he’d realize that she’d taken a lot longer to do so than the simple action required.
At that moment, however, he wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders.
Gwen stood up and their eyes met. Neither of them said anything, simply standing there, looking into each other’s eyes. He couldn’t have said how long it lasted, only that it was until the attendants informed them it was their turn in the ring.
The world came crashing back in and Jed was surprised to find the two men who’d just been viciously beating on each other laughing together on a bench on the other side of the attendants, some sort of device strapped to each of their arms.
As he watched, their wounds slowly wove closed. Jed was pretty sure he heard one of their arms snap. Wide eyed, he watched as they were… well, not healed, not entirely. They still had visible scab marks, and a couple of those wounds were probably going to scar.
But it was a lot better than they’d been a minute earlier.
“Efficient. It utilizes the body’s innate healing mechanisms, but uses refined demon remnants to fuel the process. If you were not warp-enhanced, each use would likely steal at least a year off your life.”
“And since we are?” Jed asked, not loving the idea of losing a year off his life just so he could hit Gwen. Honestly, hitting her was pretty much the last thing he wanted to do with her at the moment.
Well, maybe a little playful smack.
“Your body has been reinforced such that it will not affect your lifespan. As for Gwen… she is certainly more resilient than a normal human, though to what degree, we will not know until you find an intact warp array and scan her.”
“Wish we could just rig up another tattoo,” Jed grumbled as he moved to his side of the ring.
“A lesser version that does not have the access requirements may well be possible. You would need several rare ingredients to make the appropriate ink.”
“Wasn’t so rare on the station,” Jed said as he passed through the edge of the ring feeling the warp practically stick to him once he was inside.
“Because we were in the thickest, most dangerous part of the warp within the system, old friend. There is a reason the Empress trapped me there and not in a prison here on the surface.”
“You gonna chat to our invisible friend all night, or you gonna come over here and fight me,” Gwen said, smacking her hands together.
“Always preferred wrestling to punching,” Jed said as they closed in.
“Then wrestle, partner, show me- ack,” Gwen said as she lunged forward.
Jed tapped her arm and she slid past him, shooting halfway across the ring after Jed’s simple deflection.
“The heck was that?” Gwen asked as she caught herself, turning back as she squinted at him.
“Remember how I told you I used to wrestle grizzlies growing up?” Jed asked, unable to keep the smile off his face.
“The big cuddly demon? Yeah, I remember,” Gwen said as she danced in, paying more attention to his hands, completely missing his legs.
He ducked low, legs spinning, flipping back to his feet as she went down on her back. “Thing about wrestling grizzlies,” Jed said as he danced back. “They’re fast, they’re strong, but they don’t develop technique. It’s literally the only thing we’ve got over them. Most people, understandably, in my opinion, never learn the right techniques to deal with the sort of overwhelming force they bring.”
“Are you trying to make me mad?” Gwen asked, pushing to her feet. “‘Cause if so, it’s working.”
“Ah. No. I just… I never get to talk about it,” Jed said, shrugging and blushing at the same time.
That brought a smile to Gwen’s face. “Okay. If that’s the case, tell me more, oh wrestler of demons larger than a carriage.”
“In my… whoops,” Jed said as he got clipped by her fist, having let the conversation distract him, though he still sent her tumbling across the ring. “In my defense, ours are smaller. Only the size of half a carriage.”
“Ha,” Gwen spit out as she picked herself up, glancing over to the side where the attendants and other fighters were watching with more interest than Jed had expected. “Believe it or not, he’s not the type to brag, so it’s probably true.”
Jed blinked at that.
“I’m not?” Jed asked, not sure who he was asking.
As Gwen charged at him, apparently attempting to take him down without any technique at all, and failing more miserably than she had with the previous attempts, Mythlyn answered.
“You are, if anything, too likely to undersell your abilities. It is rather vexing.”
“Huh,” Jed said, raising his hands. “Well. I’m good at wrestling. Damn good.”
“What wrestling?” Gwen taunted as she picked herself up. “All I’ve seen out of you so far are a couple fancy steps and shoves. Wrestling is all about the grapples and holds, right?”
Jed had, admittedly, been trying to avoid those. Grappling with a grizzly hadn’t ever been half as dangerous as he was sure grappling with Gwen would be. Still, a challenge had been issued. “Okay. No more dodging.”
“Finally,” Gwen said, charging towards him once more.
Jed tapped her wrist, moving it downward, using her momentum to wrap himself around her shoulders from behind, arms going across her chest. A move that had worked wonders against his pops, if not so much against a grizzly.
“How in the ring?” Gwen grumbled half a second before he cut off her air. That move was typically effective against a grizzly, though only long enough to serve as a distraction, since they absolutely would smash him into something to get rid of him. And even if a friendly grizzly smashed you into a nice soft pile of snow, it still hurt.
As Jed shifted his grip, he realized something important. He didn’t know how to win. Winning when wrestling with a grizzly was surviving long enough for them to get bored and amble away.
He’d seen matches on TV, of how humans used submission holds against each other, but he didn’t know the first thing about how they were used outside of a choke hold.
The next few minutes were spent with Jed squirming around Gwen’s body, always half a step, or half a twist, ahead of her.
“Damn, you’re slippery,” Gwen said as she stood up with Jed clinging to her back. “This has been the total opposite of what I was thinking. All your groping has got me even more worked up than when we stepped in.”
Jed was about to object, to claim he hadn’t been groping her. But honestly, with the way things had been going, he’d certainly started enjoying feeling her pressed against him. To the point he’d let her get ahold of him a couple times.
Yeah… a lot of groping had been involved, on both sides.
“You know, I was expecting you to be more forceful, to take my arms and pin them over my head or something,” Gwen said, huffing as she turned, arms trying to grab him off her back.
“That…” Jed said, dropping down, tangling her legs, then slipping on top of her stomach, grabbing her arms and holding them over her head. “Is a horrible idea. Do you have any idea how little leverage I…”
Gwen’s eyes were locked on his, and Jed found his eyes just as fixed on hers.
He’d been right. Wrestling with Gwen had been far more dangerous than wrestling with a grizzly.
As his lips moved down, hovering just above hers, he admitted, that it was probably a good thing, that they could get his blood back where it was supposed to be.
Because he wasn’t sure there was much going through his head when she surged upwards, lips mashing against his.
…Isekai-eh…
Luckily, it wasn’t against the rules to kiss your opponent during a match in the sparring ring.
Equally luckily, though somewhat frustratingly, it was against the rules to go further than that.
“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen a woman do,” said the squat man who’d been watching their ‘fight’ when they came out.
“That means a lot from him, cause he doesn’t swing that way, at all,” his partner said, eyes taking in both Gwen and Jed. “Heard you two are going to be joining us on board.”
“That’s the plan,” Jed said, suddenly super aware of the fact he hadn’t had a bath or shower in days. The teleport might take grime off, but it didn’t leave him feeling clean the way a proper shower did. Nor had the river.
And after the day they’d had, he figured he was well on his way to being extra-ripe.
Despite that, Gwen was standing awfully close. Not touching, but so close he could feel the hairs on his arm standing.
“We’re not looking for more,” Gwen said, though not angrily, wiping a hand across her brow.
“Didn’t mean to imply,” the lithe man said, raising his hands. “I’m Ethward. This is Cathon.”
“Hi,” Cathon said, squinting at Gwen then Jed as if they were some sort of puzzle.
“Yeah. Gotta say, those moves… you really used to wrestle demons? Cause I believe it,” Ethward said, gesturing to the ring.
“Just a big animal. Not even warp-wrought,” Jed said, shaking his head.
“It was an impressive display,” the male attendant said. “Never seen anything quite like it. And I’ve seen hunters pull out some crazy moves.”
“There were those monks from five-eighty who did something similar though, remember,” the female attendant said, moving her hands in mock martial arts poses. “No one could touch them.”
“Oh, there was lots of touching here,” Ethward said, earning a round of laughter from everyone. “That’s what made it so hot. Didn’t know men could bend like that. And we’re fairly expert.”
Cathon nodded, mouth scrunched up. “Are you warp-touched?”
“Uh. Yes. Both of us are Hunters by trade,” Jed said, not even thinking about it when he reached over and put his arm over Gwen’s shoulder to pull her closer. Not until after their sweat had bonded them together and she let out a small gasp. Doing his best to ignore that, Jed quickly added, “Though I’ve been able to wrestle like that since before I ever absorbed an iota of warp.”
“Iota?” Cathon asked, looking to his lithe partner.
“I think it’s a really small amount,” Ethward said, though he was looking back at Jed.
“Yeah. That’s… pretty much got it in one,” Jed said in agreement, having a hard time focusing because Gwen had decided that since his arm was already around her, it was a good time to press against his side, wrapping her arm around his waist.
“You two look like you’re about ready for some alone time,” Ethward said, chuckling.
“It’s been a day,” Jed said, trying not to think about what alone time might mean.
“Oh. I am not attracted to her, but I’d like to try more wrestling like that with you,” Cathon blurted out, eyes wide as he turned towards Ethward.
“Alright, partner, we can try… whatever that was,” Ethward said, waving in Jed and Gwen’s direction.
“Squirming. A whole lot of squirming,” Gwen grumbled, her hand squeezing Jed’s bare chest.
“Any chance there’s a shower?” Jed asked, looking about the room.
The attendants traded a glance, neither of them speaking for a long moment, which got a laugh out of Ethward.
“Problem?” Jed asked.
“There are showers in our rooms, assuming you’re here as an active hunter,” Ethward explained. “And you technically paid for a shower after your ‘fight’. There are just… rules against sex in the public shower. And with how you two are feeling each other up right now…”
“Right. We should probably just… get to our room,” Jed said, directing Gwen towards their gear while carefully pulling his arm off her.
Gwen let out a little mewling whimper as he did so, turning towards him and pulling him into another kiss, ruining all his progress. After over a minute, she pulled away, letting out a long breath. “That didn’t help.”
Jed couldn’t help the startled laugh that came out. “Don’t know how you thought it could.”
“Shut up. Horny brain isn’t smart brain,” Gwen said, thwapping his arm. A more effective blow than she’d landed during the whole fight. “It’s your fault I’m like this.”
“Don’t think I’m doing much better,” Jed said as he struggled to pull his shirt on, managing, somehow, to get his arm through the neck the first time.
After a few minutes of shared awkwardness replacing their kit, they set off for their room. Only to realize they didn’t know where to find it.
“Ten,” Jed said, staring at the key again, squinting at the head. “It only goes to eight on this floor.”
“We should’ve asked someone,” Gwen said, glancing towards the front of the ship where they could still hear the music.
“Wait… this symbol,” Jed said, holding up the head at a 45 degree angle. “It matches that cat-symbol, except there’s three little arrows pointing down. Did he mention that? I feel like he mentioned that but I’m too horny to remember.”
“Good eye,” Gwen said, grabbing his arm and jerking him towards the stairs. “Less talk, more walk.”
He didn’t put up any resistance, following along as they reached the next set of stairs, the symbol now having two arrows.
Another two flights later, and they were counting off numbers, quickly making it to ten.
Jed pushed the door open, taking in the room. It was bigger than he’d expected, though the bed was a little-
His inspection was cut short by Gwen once more drawing him into a kiss. Her lips sucked his lower lip into her mouth before her tongue pushed forward, seeking entry into his.
Soon they were making out, Jed barely remembering to push their door closed.
Then they were moving across the room, Jed only vaguely aware that Gwen was helping him remove his clothes.
The sudden presence of water shocked him.
Gwen was laughing, her hands on his belt, though they’d stilled with the water pouring down around them.
“Damnit, I still have my boots on,” Jed said, laughing as he pulled them off.
“I’ve got everything on,” Gwen said, hand catching on his. “Are you… are we going to?”
“I think… I think we’re both horny and stupid,” Jed replied as he dropped his boots just outside the surprisingly spacious shower. “But the water’s helping. Not so stupid.”
“Right,” Gwen said, pulling her own boots off. “That… wasn’t really an answer, you know that, right?”
“Yeah. And yes, the Lover’s Embrace… that’s a commitment. If you’re in, I’m in,” Jed paused as he peeled his pants off, letting the lukewarm water wash over him as he leaned against the wall, taking in Gwen’s fit body. “I think we could at least…”
Jed trailed off as Gwen unwrapped the bandage from around her breasts, keeping her face turned away, only letting him see either in profile.
As Jed failed to speak, a smile stole its way across Gwen’s face. “That’s a good answer, partner.”