The taxi cab brought us to a shady part of town, a place referred to as Firefly District. It was a place I'd hardly ever visit. It was infamous for the amount of crimes that took place there, yet it was still the nightlife hub of the city.
Even though it was now close to midnight, the street was still bustling with activity. Neon signs hung from every store, turning the night into a tapestry of colors. The air was polluted was smoke. That, mixed with the colorfulness of the city earned it the name Firefly city. The buildings here were old and dilapidated. Most of them looked ready to topple down from the slightest tremor.
Men and women paraded the streets, with women in loosely fitted clothing showcasing themselves for all to see. The men, who were dressed in the darkest of clothing, kept to the corners, smoking and making jests at the women. This was the kind of place parents normally warned their kids not to go to.
Cassian gave the driver a brief description of the place we were headed, and the cab driver seemed to know exactly where he was talking about.
He dropped us off outside a rundown building that was bustling with activity. We paid our fare, and the cab driver saw us off with a warning about how dangerous this place was.
"Is this it?" I asked Cassian as we exited the cab.
He stared at me for a while before answering.
"Have you always been this tall?" he asked suddenly. "Anyway, this is the place." Cassian took the lead and walked toward the entrance of the building.
Two guards stood at the entrance; they were as tall as I was but twice as big.
"We're here to see the match," Cassian told them confidently.
"You'll need an entrance fee for that."
Upon his request, Cassian and I both paid the required fee to enter. After that, they patted us down to make sure we didn't have any weapons and then sent us in. The moment we stepped into the building, we were hit with loud screams and cheers.
A bright smile lit up on Cassian's face as he rushed to see what was happening. There was a crowd of people; if I had to guess, there must have been more than a hundred people there. They all stood in a circle with a ring in the middle.
Inside that ring, two boxers were going at it. The first thing I noticed was the blood. One of the boxers had a gushing wound on his head, smearing blood all over his face. The blood was obviously getting into his eyes, affecting his ability to box, but no one seemed to care.
The other thing I noticed was the obvious weight difference. The boxer who was bleeding from the head was much smaller than his opponent, who towered over him like a giant. I saw little to no skill being used during the match.
It was more like someone had given two opponents gloves, tossed them into the ring, and told them to beat each other senseless for the entertainment of the crowd. The smile plastered on Cassian's face told me he was enjoying it nonetheless.
The smaller boxer staggered around the ring, even slipping on his own blood at times. The crowd only jeered and mocked him. Soon, he was knocked out cold with a devastating blow that sent a ripple through the air.
The behemoth who won screamed at the top of his lungs, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. A short, funny-looking man wearing a buttoned shirt and a rather large bow tie rushed onto the stage. He had a microphone in his hand, which told me he was the announcer.
He limped onto the stage with his two crooked legs. Something told me they hired this man because of his amusing appearance.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The winner of tonight's fourth match, the beast among beasts… Iron Stag!!!"
The crowd roared. The winner, Iron Stag, flexed his muscles and returned the same energy as the crowd, but my eyes mainly lingered on something else: the defeated man. He was dragged out of the ring like an old carpet.
The men who dragged him were covered in tattoos and had annoyed expressions on their faces. The defeated man's body was limp as he was being dragged, almost like a corpse being taken to a grave.
The thought sent a cold chill through my body, and suddenly I wanted to go home. The feeling only lasted a few seconds because after that, I was as calm as could be. I still had a bad feeling about this place, but I was less panicked.
Cassian was staring at the man in the ring with glowing eyes, almost as if he had found a new idol. Iron Stag left the ring shortly after finishing his celebration. I took in the faces of everyone shouting and cheering; it felt as if I were at a gladiator match.
While looking around, I spotted someone—someone I never expected to see here. For a second, I thought I had mistaken her, but the more I looked at her, the more I was certain it was the person I thought it was.
She was making her way through the sea of people as if looking for someone. I decided to follow her. Cassian would be alright on his own, so I only informed him that I was stepping away for a bit. He seemed more engrossed in the upcoming match and brushed me off.
I left him and followed the girl in question, making my way through the crowd of excited onlookers. The more I observed her behavior, the more I was convinced that she was looking for someone. She stopped for a moment and approached a group engaged in conversation.
I couldn't hear their discussion, but she showed them something on her phone, and they shook their heads. Her shoulders slumped when they did, and I saw a sadness on her face that I had never seen before.
She looked half ready to burst into tears, and I could see her fighting them back. It felt strange to see her like that after all I'd heard about her being stoic.
When I finally reached her, I touched her on the shoulder, pulling her out of her haze.
"Is everything okay, Ivy?"