Beastly Dealings

"I'll sign it." I slapped the quill onto the booth, shadowed by my hood. The same drunken and cheery man greeted me, his shirt still too tight. What began as a slimy grin morphed into a poorly disguised surprise. A look that said 'Can you be that stupid?'

I knew the contract I signed was a one-way ticket to legal slavery. To any normal person, this would be no different than gambling their life away. A risk with no hope of escape. I had confidence in my ability to escape, but more than that?

I had confidence in my ability to win. 

"Of course, sir! Here, here," Two grubby hands pushed the contract towards me, stamped and ordained by the Head Magistrate. Pen dipped into ink back onto paper, swinging across with a loopy signature. The paper retreated into his grip, hands returning holding two tickets, one with 10 gd (gold) written on it. "There is ten gold promised in this ticket," He explained, "This other ticket is proof you hold the other ninety in savings. Now if you'd like to bet with the 10 gd..." 

I laughed, shaking my head. "No, no. I want to bet them all. All one hundred." 

"You-" He stuttered, confused, "That is fine, but, losing a single round will make you unable to pay back the debt. Are you aware of this? As it is written in the contract, if the debtor loses more than twenty gold at once-" 

I cut him off. "Put it down, won't you?" I didn't care what the rules were. I wasn't playing by them anyway. 

He took back the tickets and returned a single, confirmation amount of a 100 gd loan. Stamped and approved by the Head Magistrate. 

"A pleasure. Here's my ballot." I gave him my bets. The slip of paper displayed each of the six rounds. All had a check box and line for writing monetary amounts. I scribbled in the first check box for each. Each matched up to the betting poster I had been provided before, making the faces of the first column my targets. It kept remembering things easier. On the monetary line for each, I wrote 100 gd, then 200 gd, and doubled it each time after. This was based on how their gambling paid out 2x the amount for a win. I would win the first round, double my cash, and then place that amount for the second fight. At the end of it all? 

I would have 6,400 gold. 

My fingers twitched with anticipation, and I held back a grin. 

'One more thing.' 

It wouldn't be prudent to let anyone here forget how much I had bet; and how much I would win. The debtors could easily try and dispose of me quietly if I won enough to bankrupt them. I suspected they often pulled that trick. Trying to do so with the eyes of the entire arena on me would prove harder. 

My dark, heavy boots slammed onto the table as I raised the bag of one hundred gold coins above my head. 

"Listen up, one and all!" I cried out, drawing the busy crowd's attention. People in line to place bets, those at the booths, and others downing drinks at seats and in the rafters turned to look, "Don't forget my name; I, Raven, intend to bet one hundred gold on the first fight, and to put down all of my winnings on the other five!" I held up my ticket, displaying my decision. Eyes grew wide, seeing enough money to buy all the food, women, and property a poor fool could want. 

Most people ignored me, but a few let out cheers, jeers, or laughs. Regardless, I had what I wanted; their curiosity. The young boy in the black cloak would place quite the bet for the coming fight. Most knew it was a beyond crazy amount to loan out and gamble away. People would be watching to see the outcome. Enough that if I disappeared I'd be noticed. 

'Just insurance.' 

Tonight I would return to scope the place out. I needed the locations of the contestants and a plan of action. Then during the day, I would find a way to transfer the poison. My bets were on using food. Everyone needed to eat, and it didn't seem they were letting their competitors out. That must mean there is a kitchen. Find out whose meal is whose, and the route is secured. 

If all else didn't work out, I'd knock out a server and steal their clothes. I'm sure the burly fighters wouldn't be suspicious of a pre-battle snack. They didn't look the type. 

Leaving the arena, I utilized the rest of the day snatching food and observing the city guards. Some patrolled the Outreaches, but not many. The ones that did were paid off or only checked around the entrances. Even the knights could not escape the monsters of fear and greed. Powerful beasts those two, so I couldn't blame them. Time passed, and night fell again.

I'd never get over the sunset in Sonhest. Only a few nights here and it awed me every time. Blurred but brilliant paints of red, orange, and yellows streaked the sky. Stark contrast faded to tears of blue and pink as the light gave in to the forest's jaws, finally consumed. The stars reemerged, and I regained focus. 

No more eyeing up the scenery. The hunt had begun. 

One burly guard remained outside of the arena door, even as night fell. I suspected more within, so I didn't want to alert the others with outdoor commotion. A few moments away from the door would be enough for me to slip in.

But first, the lock. 

Hidden in the eaves of a rooftop, I eyed the door and stretched my magic towards it. That same, thrilling sensation awoke in my limbs. I pushed my fingers against it and met with resistance. So it is locked. A few careful twists and a push later, the lock loosened. The final turn would make a clicking noise, so I left it just shy of open. 

Now, for the guard. How should I do this? 

Normally a team would be required for something like this. I was alone, however, and neither of my contracts had the skillsets to deal with this. What did I have at my disposal? 

...desire? 

I reached out, feeling not for any lock but for the deepest abyss of the bouncer's heart. 

'He doesn't want anything.'

His dreams were simple. All he desired, not unlike me, was comfort and security. His job paid well and kept his daily routine intact. Who would've thought a thug could be so ambitionless? 

Still, I dug deeper. Instead of desire, things that existed within the forefront of the heart fueling each moment and action, I found something else. Something tender and trembling. 

Fear. 

'He is...afraid of the dark.' 

Are you serious? The dark? 

A second look at the man showed things I hadn't noticed before. His jaw clenched a tad too tight, eyes snapping to every little noise. When a shadow darkened along the roadside, his pulse quickened. 

'How can I feel his pulse?' 

Magic continued to prove itself strange. However, now I knew what to do. A little scare would send this man sprinting into the dark. He'd come back for his paycheck, but he'd be gone long enough to allow me entrance. Once in, I had confidence I could outmaneuver any internal security. I couldn't pass through men guarding doors, but I became undetectable in the shadows. Such was my gift. 

When Yiriel and I made a deal, I accentuated her desires by digging up and tugging them to the surface. If I could sense fear, who is to say I couldn't do the same with that sensation? 

Sweat trickled down my neck, perspiring on my forehead. My fingers twitched with each reach deeper and deeper into the subconscious. The separation between his mind and my own started to blur. That familiar vertigo rocked my senses, accompanied by nausea. 

'I want my paycheck. Why did I- he- get the night shift? What is in the dark? I am afraid. He can't show he- I- HE is afraid.' 

The moment I secured that string, that piece of his fear in my grasp, I yanked. Hard. My head pounded. Blood rushed to my heart and throbbing cranium. I could barely open my eyes without holding back the need to vomit. Unable to hold on any longer, I let go, already sweating through the clothes Yiriel had cleaned for me. 

The sound of heavy footsteps forced my eyes open, and I saw the bouncer escaping in a full sprint before rounding a corner to hide. 

I pushed through the sickness and lept to the ground, twisting my wrist through that final inch of the lock. It loosened with a click, allowing me to escape from the night and into the arena. With no eyes upon me, the silent trip down to the fighting ring went smoothly. Torchlight, dimmed but still alive, cast plenty of shadows across the room to slip through. A few men remained down below. Most sat at tables, tossing cards back and forth. They sipped at drinks I suspected they shouldn't have, being on duty. The second set of stairs I had yet to explore remained unoccupied at the back of the room. Step by step, I descended into unknown territory. The light dimmed even further and the air grew thin. This place must be kept intentionally dark, but that would prove no problem for me. I unwound my bandage, peering back into a series of hallways now perfectly visible. 

Mapping the series of tunnels proved no issue. Everything connected along two major hallways, the front one branching off into a bathroom (a few chamber pots), a storage room, and most notably, a kitchen. The second, farther hallway had locked rooms with single windows for viewing. In each was a similarly bare room with a chamber pot, and a cot. Asleep in their beds were the competitors. Thankful again for my night vision, I could determine despite the near pitch black of the rooms the features of each contestant. I made note of the rooms containing the ones I had bet on, and receded to the kitchen. 

A few bowls of fruit and bags of grain. Scanning through the cabinets, this place proved barren. Spiking fruit wouldn't be easy. Grain was easier, but I couldn't just feed them handfuls of grain. Tainting the whole food supply was also off the table. I needed specific members infected. Not all of them.

Dressing as a servant would be my best option. I re-entered the storage room to look for something to wear, any way to blend in. One crate was full of liquor bottles, another full of dried meats, and another was...empty? 

The crate lid came off with a puff of dust, and I held back the urge to cough. What purpose did an ancient, empty crate serve? Pushing it aside, I found my answer. It wasn't for storage. It was to hide that.

A trapdoor. Big enough for people to come up and down. The large metal handle was cool to the touch as I gripped it. It pulled up and away with ease, showing more use than the crate stacked above. A ladder descended into the dark from its opening. Just to be safe I shut the door behind me after descending fully below the hatch. The rungs creaked despite my careful efforts, and in response to the sounds I sensed it; eyes on me. Not just one pair, but at least four. 

The air thickened with apprehension, but no movements were made to attack me. Silence. I turned around. In front of me was a long tunnel lined with cages. Not small ones, but large cages with thick bars, chained to stone rods bracing the walls. The first thing that hit me was the pungent scent of excrement; like that of mammalian waste. What were they keeping down here? Circus animals? 

I crept across the dusty, stained flooring to get a better look. Dirty rags and worn, bare feet came into view. 

'Ah. I see.' 

So these were their slaves. Amongst the ten cages along the walls, seven were filled with humanoid figures dressed in rags. Somehow even worse in quality than the potato sack I awoke in. Several of the figures didn't move as I approached. The shivers and hacking coughs made clear as to why. Expensive slaves, enough to allow loaning gold pieces, but not so scarce that it matters if they get sick and die. They were running quite the terrible, but profitable business here. 

Wait. How can humans see in the dark? The eyes weren't searching around, no, I met them each in succession and they stared into my own with intention. One individual, a man looking to be in his mid-30s and sporting brilliant jade-green hair caught my attention. He was the most lucid of the group, and his eyes seethed with a fury that tempted me to step back. 

'What incredible bloodlust.' 

The man's lips curled up, and a low, guttural sound like a wolf's growl emitted from him. His teeth shone white, with long, sharpened canines. From atop his head, two jackal ears coated in green fur leaned back like that of a dog before it bites. 

'...Dog ears?'

So elves weren't the only thing about this world that made it magical. 

'There are beast people here too?!'