Shadows Over the Pit

On an island, far off the coast of the mainland, exists a thriving community, full of commerce, business and development. People are always moving back and forth, going about their business and making sure everything stays running. It’s a group effort, after all. However, what that business is, at least at surface level, would be completely unknown to an outsider. All of the true business thrives underground, where the true city exists. Dirt roads and poorly made homes hide hundreds upon hundreds of people who work not for profit, but out of obligation. Debts bind the majority of those who work, while the very few at the top profit off of their suffering. Many have no hope of ever removing their debt, leaving them as nothing more than property to accomplish tasks, like transit, commerce, importing, and, most notably, the Pits.

The Pits are the underground fighting matches between those that have nothing to lose. The fights are fast, brutal, and filled with all sorts, and the betting that surrounds them is one of their biggest sources of income. People come in secret from all across the world to bet on the matches, and in their circles, are quite popular, regardless of how legal they are.

One such owned person was Zoe, yet another cog in the machine that was stuck in the system with little hope of escape. Bound by the debt of her since passed parents, Zoe had taken the initiative and was determined to find a way out of this hell she had lived in for her entire life. Volunteering for an extremely dangerous operation early in her life, the success granted her a deadly poison that flows through her bloodstream, and using it along with her wits and a bevy of tools she’s both picked up and come up with herself, she’s made a name for herself down in the pits as someone to be feared.

All of that changed when she met Eri, the red haired fox that became her first friend, along with first love. Together, the two managed to escape the island, taking a tanker to the mainland in the hopes of starting fresh, and making a life for the two of them.

However, this story is long before Eri ever came into Zoe’s life. Two years before Zoe ever felt like she had a chance of escaping to freedom…

“So, what’s the next one looking like?”

“No one’s really sure. This guy just came out of nowhere and started climbing the ranks entirely on his own! He’s got some kinda cloak on, and always wearing a mask, so no one can get a bead on him. Those ears peeking out of the cloak definitely paint him as something not human, though.”

“Ears, huh?” Zoe was preparing in the back of the arena for her next match, the last of today’s. Winning would knock off a large chunk of her debt, so she couldn’t afford to let it go without trying. The last few opponents hadn’t worn her down too much; all of them were newbies, who took one look at her size and expected it to be an easy win. The majority were still waiting for the poison to leave their system, in pain. “What kinda ears?”

“Well, they look Fox-like, like yours, but much taller. And no tail, to boot. No one has a clue about this one. But some people have noticed he’s been holding back.” Every fighter that gets some amount of noteritiety ends up having a trainer to keep them balanced. A pep talk, to keep them going during the long hours. Zoe’s was a small, round, bald man named Madason. He was one of the good ones, and has more than once stepped in for her sake. Part of her worried that the higher ups would notice that he was being too soft on her compared to most, and might remove him for that, but nothing of the sort seemed to happen yet.

Zoe was sipping an energy drink through a straw, wiping the sweat off her brow with a towel. “Holding back? What gives people that impression?”

“A few people noticed a few weapons underneath that cloak of his. He’s made it a point not to use any of them. There’s at least one crossbow in there, and probably a few others. Some people have heard rumblings that he’s some sort of an assassin, not a pit fighter.”

This was enough for Zoe to almost choke on her drink. “Assassin?!? The hell is someone like that doing down here?!?”

Madason had his arms crossed in thought. “No one knows. That’s only rumors, though. I don't know all the details, myself.”

Zoe sighed to herself. “Any idea on a fighting style?”

“Hand to hand. He seems very passive, letting someone take the first move in every match, and using it to gain the upper hand incredibly fast.”

Hand to hand meant that she might have the distance advantage. If this guy was trained to kill, she’d need to pull out all the stops to pull this one through. The field should still have a few weapons lying around, and she’s still got her own strategies in mind.

However, the red buzzer was a sign to cut her thoughts shut. It was time.

“Don’t get careless out there!” She heard Madason say as she left to get ready. They always liked to play up these entrances even if it wasn’t really her style. But, it’s not like she had a say in it.

She’d been down this hallway so many times that it felt like a natural occurrence. She hated that. That this routine had become something her body had grown used to. She’d heard people talk about how some people that stay down here too long start not wanting to leave, that it just becomes standard in their body and they start to not want to live without the thrill. She wasn’t sure if it was something in the water, or the air, or just their own minds playing tricks on them, but they can rot here as much as they like. She will escape one day, no matter how little hope there was.

She could already hear them announcing her entrance. “In this corner, we have the crowd favorite! She’s been with us all her life, and kicking ass the whole time! You know her all too well! The little spitfire! The endless bag of tricks! The poisonous vixen! Give it up for...ZOEEEEEEEEEE!”

Zoe covered her eyes as the blinding lights of the arena hit her face, the sounds of the crowd deafening.. The arena was massive as usual, with a number of hazards, weapons lying around, constantly shifting platforms...the whole thing was enough of a deathtrap that it’s killed more people on its own than any one fighter. There was a few bloodstains on it today from some of the recent fights, but other then that, it was business as usual. Zoe peered over to the other side to see a figure walking up to his spot. He had a black hood over him, and his face had a strange mask. She was able to make out some tufts of grey hair peeking out, and Madason was right about the ears. They perked upwards like little knives.

“And in this corner, we’ve got a new face! No one knows where this man came from, but we know he means business! Shrouded in mystery, he’s worked his way to the finals with incredible force, and he’s out for the prize! I present to you, the Living Shadow...ZIIIIOOOOOOOOO!”

She noticed his gaze lock with hers, across the field. Even behind the mask, it felt piercing. It was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She’d fought people three times her size and hadn’t batted an eye, but something about this one was unnerving in a way she’d never felt before. It was observing her, like a predator stalking its prey.

“Our Pint-Sized Champ versus this mysterious newcomer! Who’s going to come out on top?!? All you big spenders out there, take a look at today’s odds! It’s going to be tight today!” As he finished that sentence, the scoreboard blared to life and showed off the betting averages of today’s match. Zoe was the clear favor, at a low 3:1 ratio, but the odds for Zio were higher than most people expected, at an actually reasonable 10:1. The odds are crafted by the highest rungs in the ladder, so it makes sense that things would be skewed. However, most people against “the reigning champ” never break 50:1 odds. And this one was a total newcomer, at that! It reeked, at least to Zoe.

If Madason’s tip was right and he’s not a pit fighter, then it would make sense that those running the odds would know more about the fighters themselves. And if he’s actually some sort of hitman, like they say…

Zoe shook off those thoughts for now. Worrying about what kind of fighter she was dealing with wouldn’t get her anywhere. Plus, her own internal clock was telling her the announcer was almost done.

“Remember, folks: All bets are final! If you’ve got a problem with that, take it up with our complaint department! You know them as the big, musclebound thugs patrolling the area! This is shaping up to be an intense match between these two unlikely fighters! Count it down with me, folks! 3...2...1…” The crowd mimicked his counting, each second ticking away at Zoe. She was already formulating a game plan for this one, even though she knew nothing about this target. That said, she always had a few tricks she could pull out when she needed to.

“GOOOOOO!” The light above both Zoe’s and this new fighter’s head turned bright crimson and a sound blared out from behind the both of them, signaling for things to get started.

Zoe burst out of the gate, strafing to the side of her opponent but her eyes never leaving him. To her surprise, he didn’t seem to be moving all that fast, almost as if he was taking a leisurely stroll. He wasn’t taking this seriously at all! But she couldn’t let that get to her, not while she was still at a disadvantage of not knowing anything about him.

“The reigning champ is off as a blistering pace, her steely gaze not leaving this new combatant! What kind of tricks and traps is our little firecracker going to pull out against this mystery man?!?”

Even though Zoe had a veritable arsenal in her outfit, she would never turn down the chance to arm herself even more, especially now. Zoe reached out her arm as she ran, shooting out her signature silver claw to various points on the map, grabbing various items strewn about the arena.

“Oh, it looks like she’s playing it safe tonight! Zoe’s on a shopping spree! This just in, there’s a sale going on in the deadly weapons department with her name on it!”

Two beartraps, an extra brick, and two lead pipes that she couldn’t store in her jacket. She figured this was enough. Right before grasping the last two, she reached out her claw towards a nearby battle axe. Lord knows how that got there, but she wasn’t going to question the stroke of good luck. Grasping it, she hurled it towards her opponent, the bladed edge whistling at it flew.

“Oh?!? The first attack’s been thrown! Zoe’s not one to bring on the offensive! This new fighting must have really gotten under her skin!”

The blade catapulted towards Zio at an incredible pace, the blade looking as though it would pierce directly through his skull…

And then, the craziest thing happened.

He caught it.

With his bare hands.

The large gasp could be heard from the crowd. “I don’t believe what I’m seeing! That was moving fast enough that it should have chopped off not only his head, but the hand that stopped it. And yet, there he is! Perfectly fine! Just what kind of monster are we dealing with here, folks?!?”

For once, he and Zoe were in agreement. She had stopped all forward momentum and stared, mouth agape, at the display that had just occurred. Zio casually took the axe in his hand and tossed it behind him, the axe clanging as it connected with the ground. Zoe noticed that his palm was bleeding from the catch, but it should have been so much more than that. As he did, his gaze once again fell onto Zoe, which now was enough to send a chill down her spine.

“Is that all?” The sentence was not the voice she was expecting. It was...softer, than what she normally fought. Composed. Collected. The crowd was in an uproar from the comment, with every emotion you could possibly think of.

“Is this newcomer taunting the champ?!? Normally, that’d be a death-wish when it comes to Zoe, but even I can feel his confidence from all the way up here! How’s Zoe going to take this insult?!?”

Zoe could feel herself reacting to what she was seeing. And yet...she forced herself to calm down. Fighters down here do tricks like this all the time. She wasn’t going to take an insult like that lying down, but at the same time, she wasn’t going to let it get to her. That was how people ended up dead.

In this one moment, she was confident that she could take this moment. He seemed ready and waiting for her to make the first blow. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before her eyes opened and locked on her one target. There was only one thing to do now.

She bolted towards Zio, ducking and weaving from side to side as she did, crossing the distance incredibly fast.

“It took a moment, but it looks like the fight is finally underway! Zoe’s going in for the first blow, but after that perfect catch, will it be that easy for her?!?”

Zoe leapt right above Zio, both pipes raised over her to deliver a decisive first blow. All the while, he stood there, simply watching her movements. However, right as she should have felt the pipe crack against bone, she heard a distinct clang that was definitely not what she expected. Opening her eyes, she found the blow being held back by an absolutely massive...claw? The individual blades were so long that they encompassed her entire body, and one swipe could covered every bit of her at once.

However, the blades were caught on the pipe, digging in but not capable of going all the way through. It was definitely a local brand, because they were made to last. She could feel him trying to pull back the oversized weapon, but he couldn’t without removing Zoe from the picture. And Zoe, now firmly planted on the ground, was holding strong with a look of determination in her eyes. Even if she wasn’t quite sure how he had quickly pulled out a weapon of that size that quickly, she had nothing to do but press forward.

Wordlessly, Zoe pulled one of the pipes off of the wedged blades in a clean motion before swinging it at his side, an area not blocked by the wall of sharp claws that stood between them. However, Zio clearly had other plans, as yet another claw seemed to appear out of nowhere and stop the thick pipe in its tracks, stopping it as a loud clang rang through the stadium, and digging in but not being capable of pushing all the way through to a clean cut. The two were locked in a stalemate, with both of their hands occupied and their weapons clashed, locked to each other. Zoe could make out no hint of emotion behind the mystery man’s mask, but the focused look on her own face said a thousand words.

A sound that could only be described as a small laugh came from behind the mask. “You’re as good as they say.”

“W-Wha…?” was all Zoe could get out in confusion, the one statement throwing her off of her game long enough for the two claws that were holding back her strikes to seemingly vanish into thin air, causing Zoe to fall forward without the leverage supporting her. The entire exchange had only lasted a second or two, and yet it had felt much more.

“I was hoping you’d be worth trying against. Come on then, Zoe.” As he said those words, the bright red eye that was on the mask seemed to glow a bright red, making the rest of the world grow darker and darker. For the life of her, she couldn’t bring herself to look away, and by the time the sensation had faded, she could tell something was very, very wrong. It was as if the two of them were in the eye of a storm, nothing but blackness surrounding them. All of the crowds around them, all of the noise and bustle, seemed to cease to exist. All she could make out was those two glowing orbs beyond the darkness, moving like a specter through it. “Fight me with everything you have.” The voice seemed to echo all around her, as if it was everywhere at once.

Fear gripped her like a vice, and she could feel herself growing short of breath. She had no concept of understanding what was happening around her. Was it an illusion? A trick? A cold sweat trickled down her face as she tried, and failed, to gain her bearings, mouth going dry as she kept her eyes focused on Zio’s own, the one thing through the nothingness that surrounded her. It moved all around her, circling her like a predator stalking its prey. Zoe was at a complete loss as to how to feel, how to react, and most importantly, how to proceed through this. All she could do was play cautious, and wait.

It felt like an eternity of watching the bright red orbs move around her. She wanted to shout “GET ON WITH IT!”, to answer his earlier confidence with her own, but she couldn’t find the words, any attempt coming out as a weak squeak that showed her true emotions. She hated that she felt this way, like a weak, mewling child, shivering uncontrollably and yet, she couldn’t make herself stop.

In an instant, the glowing orbs closed, vanishing from sight. Zoe let out a light gasp as she was alone in the silent darkness, before a familiar figure burst out of the nothingness. Zio lunged towards her at incredible speed, looking more like a silhouette than the real fighter, the only thing that stood out on his figure being those damn red eyes.

Her hand instantly went to her chest, the fear building to an incredible and uncontrollable height. Her mind was screaming to move, to react, to do something, anything at all, and yet it wouldn’t. Like a deer caught in headlights, it was as if her body accepted its fate even as the mind rebelled. She couldn’t even feel herself breathe, as if everything stopped for just that one moment.

“Zoe, my little girl. You have to live.”

Zoe screamed as her body sprang to life, taking the pipe and delivering a fierce and swift blow to his head. It was faster than the figure could react to, and would have been a perfect hit...had the figure not truly been there. The pipe went straight through, dissipating the figure in front of her, and leaving Zoe with a confused look on her face. That stroke of instinct, spurred on by an image that wanted her to persevere, had sprung her to action, and yet...had it gotten her anywhere?

There wasn’t time to process this action, as she felt a sharp pain in the side of her shoulder. Looking down, an arrow was sticking out of it, stuck to the side, and very likely coated in a poisonous substance as she felt it entering her body. From the direction it had come from, she could also make out the appearance of those same damn eyes, peering out at her.

Normally, for anyone else, being injected with poison would be something to be afraid of. Zoe, however, showed no fear as she ripped out the arrow in her arm, some of it dribbling out with the blood. If anything, fear was starting to leave her and be replaced with a growing anger.

“You wanna play these games?!? Then get the hell out here and fight me for real!” She screamed out into the darkness, her previous anxiety all but vanished and instead feeling exasperated at the game of cat and mouse that was being played with her. The eyes once again vanished, and she braced herself for something, anything, to get things going. Almost instantly, she felt a sharp pain in her back, as if she was raked by multiple blades and causing them to bleed. He had wasted no time going for a strike this time, and although it wasn’t a deep wound, it was one that she would be feeling for quite some time.

However, Zoe was not about to let this opportunity slip through her fingers. As soon as she felt the presence on her back, she quickly turned around and collided the pipe with the closest thing she could land it on. The lead object whistling as it flew, the pipe collided with Zio’s side, finally breaking into a few pieces from the blow and throwing him back into the darkness from where he came with a pained groan that echoed through the dome they were in. The impact seemed to throw him off of his game, as the darkness seemed to slowly dissipate around them, showing Zio rising to his feet shakily and the roar and bustle of the crowd was once again heard by the two fighters.

“...ot sure what just happened, folks! But, there’s our two fighters, both of them looking pretty worse for wear! In my years as a commentator, I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I’m just as baffled as all of you are!”

Zoe was doing everything she could to stay standing after that hit, but more than that, she was doing everything she could to make it look like it wasn’t bothering her. Those wounds on her back were starting to burn, likely due to the open air. Both fighters were staring each other down, panting heavily at each other’s blows. Zio hadn’t turned to face her yet, but she could see his familiar mask off to the side. The impact with the pipe had clearly knocked it clearly off his mask, and part of her couldn’t help but be a little curious about his face. His hood had been blown off too, showing more of his hair, a dark silver, and those ears that had gotten people talking.

Slowly, the man rose, brushing himself off. He turned to face Zoe, and she got a look at the person she was fighting. His eye color was the same as his, a light, pale blue. He was bleeding from his lip, likely from that perfect strike. His expression was unreadable, but as he readied himself, he did something that she never expected.

He smiled, and then laughed. It was a hearty laugh, from his core.

He wiped the blood from his mouth. “Forgive me, I didn’t take you seriously enough.”

Zoe could only stare, still in a battle ready pose, but unconsciously tilted her head as one of her ears twitched in various emotions. “...is this a joke to you?”

“Not in the slightest. The other ones just seemed like brutes that wouldn’t know a real fight if it killed them.”

“I know, right? They’re jus-” Zoe covered her mouth midway through her sentence, a look of anger crossing her face. Just from one sentence, she had let her guard down for a fraction of a second. She threw the broken pipe out of her hand, it clanging to the floor, as she pointed the one good pipe in his direction.

“Right. No more words.” Zio put both of his hands together in a unique pose, clasping together in a way that Zoe couldn’t possibly understand. And then, he uttered a phrase.

“Cer...aen.”

Was it another language? Some form of mantra or saying? She didn’t have time to think about specifics though, because right as he said it, something felt...different. It was as if every sense in her body was screaming at her, to run, get away, don’t fight. She didn’t know why she had a sudden fight or flight response blaring at her from every possible angle, but she could tell it was something he was doing. She felt her legs quiver as that same fear from earlier crept into her.

“Well? Are you going to continue?” His voice boomed to her specifically. He suddenly had a presence to him, one that Zoe couldn’t ignore. She felt cold, empty, alone.

All she had was her memories. And her anger, as she clutched the pipe in her hand as tight as she could.

“SHUT UP!” She shouted as she went for another hit of the pipe, aiming directly at his face. Sure enough, he seemed to pull that gigantic claw out of seemingly nowhere and take the blow effortlessly. However, before he could pull out the other to deliver a blow back, Zoe let go the pipe, it still embedded in his claws, before producing two needles from her sleeve and stabbing his sides with it, injecting him with poison.

He cried out at the sudden blow, before being silenced by a kick to the other side of his head. The blow sent him a considerable distance, but he was able to right himself before he connected with the ground, skidding across the floor but still standing. Zoe was at a disadvantage now, with no physical weapon to separate her from the clearly skilled fighter and his own. However, even he would be able to see that Zoe’s state of mind was quite different. Her breathing was irregular, her pupils were dilated, and she was jittery and antsy. Zoe’s instincts had taken over.

“I...I HAVE…” She could only get out just a little bit at a time inbetween pants.

“I HAVE TO LIVE!” She shouted at the top of her lungs, producing the claws from her sleeves and shooting them skywards, both of them landing on the floor around her. However, when she retracted them, her hands reached out to stop the blades as they fell. The sharp metal cut into her skin, embedding themselves into her hands. She cried out in pain at the act, but now she had a weapon. The voices in the crowd, and the announcer, and the bright lights all felt so distant in this moment, and all that was on her mind right now was one thing.

Live.

She let out a cry of both anger and pain as she rushed forward, the claws clanging together. Zoe was completely absorbed in the fight and its sensations now, no more than a wild animal fighting for survival. It was life or death for her now.

The fight was a blur. The audience could barely follow the flowing motions, the two of them in a deadly dance of steel that rang out from the fight. It had grown quiet as everyone’s eyes were on them fight, the silence only permeated by the fight going on between them.

Emotions had left Zoe as they fought. Most thoughts had to. Those that came to her came in one or two words at a time, short bursts that didn’t distract her from the carnage on display. The two landed hit after hit against each other, even if Zoe was taking more.

Parry. Dodge. Pain. Block. Strike. Pain. Gone? Where? Vanish? Behind. Block. Hurt. Still. Speaking? Can’t Hear. Doesn’t Matter. Gotta Fight. Rush. Hit. Gone Again? Where? Gotta Find. What? Above? Three? Fast. Can’t Dodge. Pain. Pain. Red. Red Everywhere. My Red? Going Dark. Gotta live. Can’t Die. Mom Wanted. Really Dark. Really Tired. Keep Going. Can’t. Going...Dark…

____________________________________________________________________________

Zio, once again composed with mask and hood, walked through the complex on his own. Now that the main events were over, most of the audience had already cleared out. The building was exceptionally quiet, each step echoing through the halls.

He heard a sound behind him, turning to see a few paramedics wheeling out his opponent on a stretcher. He eyed her as she rushed by, still clinging to life. Her resolve was incredible, probably just as much as his. He knew that this wouldn’t kill her. Even in the pain she was in, it was only going to make her stronger. He didn’t say a word as they rushed her off to the infirmary.

Chances are, she’d get proper treatment, considering she won that fight.

The crowd watched as, when taking that absolutely monstrous blow, Zoe collapsed, no longer able to stay standing. It was a miracle she was still breathing in the first place, that last hit enough to cause severe bleeding in multiple places.

“I-I don’t believe my eyes, folks! The champ has had enough, and is down for the count! Is this the end of a regime, the end of our little champion?!?”

The crowd waited with anticipation. The match isn't over until someone died. That was how it worked down here. And the girl was still alive. Everyone knew what was coming next.

Some people were riled up at the sight of a titan like her falling. Others were booing Zio, and even a few were in tears. Whether they cared about her, or their bets, the world might never know.

However, Zio did something that no one would have ever expected. It looked up at the announcer and gave a unique hand signal.

“...W-What?!? It seems that the challenger is...forfeiting?!? Even as Zoe is on death’s door?!? Just what in the world is this mysterious man planning?!?”

The uproar of the crowd erupted even further. Everyone knew who really won that fight, and the confusion at the action was enough to throw the crowd into a tizzy. It got so bad that a few officials had to come out and put a stop to things. Even if Zio hadn’t meant to, that action had damaged the integrity of the entire system.

Such concepts were not his problem, however. The state of an illegal fighting ring was the least of his worries. Instead, it was best to focus on what he came to do.

Zio made his way to the office where he was scheduled to meet after the fight. Inside was a woman of bright red hair, and a look that screamed professionalism.

“My, you certainly made a mess of things in there, didn’t you, Zio?”

“I figured you might appreciate that. What’s the saying about ‘no such thing as bad publicity’ or something like that?”

“Hah...well, you’re not wrong there. That little stunt is sure to get people talking for some time.”

Zio took a seat adjacent to her desk. She had already lined up his payment. Whether he won or lost wasn’t necessarily an issue or part of the contract. Him showing up at all was the deal, and he had performed that flawlessly, and the briefcase of rewards was plenty enough for that.

“Still, I’m surprised you took a job like this. Sure, you might be a hitman, but the name getting out like this seems a little...counterproductive.”

“In a way, you could say that publicity is good for me too.”

“I suppose...one such as yourself doesn’t get many options to promote. Still, I’m eternally grateful for you showing up at all.”

“No trouble at all...I had some other business here too, so it worked out well.”

“Oh, knocking off multiple things at once? Well, I’m glad things worked out the-” was all that she got out before a giant claw slicing her head clean off of her shoulders, the head rolling across the floor.

With his free hand, Zio seemed to grasp at the air, close to the now-dead body of the woman. While anyone who had watched such a thing would see it as a strange, questionable gesture, for Zio it was a signifier of a job coming to its conclusion. Another to add to the tally.

Zio made the giant claw vanish into the shadows, getting up from his seat nonchalantly and leaving the office, closing the door behind him. As he walked, he took out a piece of paper and started to formulate a note with it.

The extortionist has been eliminated. Her removal was swift and silent. I confirmed that her actions were costing your company extra behind your back before her death. By the time anyone realizes it, no one will have any idea what had happened. I’ll expect the second half of my payment at the usual location.

Finishing the note, Zio stuffed it in his pocket, off to deliver it and move on to the next job that presented itself. A place like this would always have work for someone like him.

Debts bind those that work here, one way or another. Whether it was their own or the debts of others, everyone had them to pay. And for some, the only freedom they had was someone like him, either through the sweet release of death for themselves, or the removal of someone binding them to this wretched pile. Like that girl she had fought...Zoe. An unfortunate case of circumstances beyond her control.

He couldn’t let that girl get to him, though. There was work to be done. And contracts to fulfill.