"In the spirit of District 9, I would appreciate it if everyone could remove any valuable personal belongings, including weapons. Then, I will have Riyaal kindly open these large doors and escort you inside. How does that sound?"
Riyaal stepped into the light so that Thalia could see him more clearly. His honey-brown skin was marked with scars, mostly on his arms and legs, which appeared to have been caused by some kind of blade. As they approached, Thalia felt the powerful presence of a relic emanating from him.
"However, I am a fair man regarding the rules of the black market. If you believe you are being mistreated in any way, you have the right to declare an official gamble. The only collateral for each gamble is your life—specifically, a life of servitude under the Troupe," the small, frail man said, chuckling.
Thalia could have sworn that Kindred's eyes sparkled with excitement. Dante stepped forward, gripping the hilt of his katana. "Alright, let's make a bet. I wager that I can kill both of you before either of you can scream the word 'help!' So, what do you say? Do we have a bet?" Dante's body became enveloped in an intense purple aura.
"Now, now, let's be reasonable here," Kindred said, raising his hands. He pressed a button, and men in black cloaks began to drop down from above them, each armed with a different weapon. Within moments, they were surrounded by at least fifteen individuals. Thalia couldn't sense any power radiating from them.
It was clear that they weren't contractors. While Thalia couldn't determine their exact strength, she knew they were outnumbered. The tunnel was too narrow for a proper fight, especially considering the presence of so many unknown threats.
"Captain, do I have permission to kill them?" Alexander asked with a sinister smile. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a series of marbles, each glittering in various colors.
Kindred raised his hands again. "Hold on. We can end this peacefully with just a single battle. I propose a fight between one of my men and one of yours."
Dante scanned the room, still unsure if playing Kindred's game was necessary. "What do you have in mind? I'm more than willing to battle any of your flunkies."
"The battle will be a good old-fashioned bare-knuckle brawl—no weapons, just fists," Kindred explained. His expression told Thalia everything she needed to know; he had something up his sleeve. She was sure of it.
"Okay, that sounds like fun," Dante said, taking his hand off the hilt of his katana.
"Great, that's the spirit. I wager my life as well as the lives of my men. I nominate Riyaal here as my champion." Kindred's men lowered their blades and retreated behind him. Thalia felt at ease now that they weren't surrounded. However, she still couldn't shake the feeling that this bet was rigged.
"Something strange is going on here, Dante. I've been here many times for research and have never been greeted by anyone at the gate. The black butterflies heavily patrol the gate to prevent situations like this from occurring. They understood that discouraging business and visitors was bad for their bottom line," Valerie said, staring intensely at Kindred.
"Well, my fiery-haired goddess, the black butterflies are now under new management. I have been appointed as a gatekeeper to one of the black market's four entrances. As such, I would appreciate it if you all wouldn't make a big fuss and just gamble with me a bit," Kindred replied with a sinister smile.
Thalia was a little worried that Kindred might be trying to trick them, but considering everything, she couldn't imagine Dante losing, even if something strange was happening.
"Theo, you're up!" Dante called, gesturing for Theo to come over.
Theo pointed at himself, looking just as confused as Thalia. "Me?" His voice sounded a bit hoarse. "Okay, here I come!"
Thalia stepped in front of him. "Hold up, Theo! There's something strange about that man. I can feel a relic's power emanating from him. I don't think Theo can handle..." Thalia began to say.
"Theo, how long?" Dante asked, cutting her off mid-sentence.
Theo walked past her and stood in front of Riyaal, who towered above him. In comparison to the giant, muscular man, Theo looked so small.
"Five minutes, give or take, Captain," Theo replied as he began rolling up his sleeves, revealing his arms covered in bandages.
"Get it done in under four minutes," Dante commanded.
"Roger that." Theo started stretching and rolling his arms in circles.
"Little man, I think you should just forfeit now. I don't want to break a fresh slave before he even has the chance to do any work," Riyaal taunted, flexing his muscles. A green aura surrounded him, creating a whirlwind around his fist.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that I first met Riyaal in the pit? He had remained undefeated in hand-to-hand brawls against even the strongest demons in the underbelly of the black market. They called him the Colossal Demon of the Whirlwind Fist because his punches were as powerful as a whirlwind, knocking back even the toughest opponents. It's said that his fists move faster than the naked eye can follow."
Theo continued stretching, completely ignoring Kindred's lengthy explanation. "Hey, Captain, can I remove the bandages from my left arm?"
Dante pulled out his black katana and drove the tip of the blade into the ground.
"You have my permission. Do not kill him if you can help it. We are only here for two bodies today, nothing more, nothing less." Dante said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
Riyaal clenched his fist in anger, focusing all his aura on his right hand. "I warned you, kid!"
Ignoring Riyaal's threat, Theo began to unravel his bandages with intense concentration.
"You arrogant bastard," Riyaal shouted in a fit of rage. His fist came barreling down into Theo's stomach, followed by a rapid succession of devastating blows to his head, ribs, and face. Thalia started to walk toward Theo, who was completely silent. His face was gushing with blood after face-tanking the barrage of blows.
"Theo, are you okay?" Thalia asked as she began to draw on the electricity stored within her body. The challenge was building up enough of a charge without the assistance of the sky and clouds. Thalia usually tapped into electricity from the sky and the molecules in the air. However, being underground limited her powers.
"Don't move! No one steps past my sword!" Dante commanded in a stern voice.
Thalia halted, feeling tempted to join the battle. "He needs our help!"
"Look again and tell me your brother actually needs help," Valerie said, grabbing Thalia by her shoulder and pulling her back. Thalia couldn't believe her eyes. Theo was smiling—no, he was laughing. He didn't look hurt at all. In fact, he had a strange red aura emanating from him. He honestly looked overjoyed.
"What is so damn funny? Stop laughing. I am going to kill you!" Riyaal yelled out before unleashing an even more brutal onslaught of punches. Only this time, Riyaal had slipped on a pair of Bronze brass knuckles around his fingers. They were leaving quarter-sized holes in Theo's skin, each bleeding more profusely than the other.
"Okay, I'm all warmed up now." Theo's arm began to emit steam, and the wounds on his body started bubbling as smoke rose from them. They healed at an unnatural pace until they closed completely, leaving only dried blood stains behind.
Theo's left arm, still radiating heat, expanded to ten times its normal size. As he clenched his fist, the skin on his arm turned a dark gray. His arm was now larger than his entire torso. The steam finally cleared, revealing the intricate black tattoos that covered his arm.
Theo raised his enormous arm in the air, casting a shadow over Riyaal. His reach was so extensive that even Kindred stepped back nervously.
"Okay, now. I am not going to lie; if I were to close my fist and strike you, then you would everyone in this tunnel would probably die. So I will leave your fate up to you!" Theo said confidently.
"Front hand or back hand? I will let you choose."