((Ayo! I'm new to FF14-ish and first time poster. Working on some writing since I am pretty rusty at it. Please feel free to correct me on FF14 lore (and writing) via PM if anyone spots something out of place. Other than that, please enjoy and hit me up for RP in game if anyone wants!))
-Story contains foul language, drug use, and violence.
-1467 words long.
----
The floor mat tasted like broken dreams and wasted potential. The putrid smell of failure permeated the air as he laid flat on his face against the ground. The stains of past brawls littered the space around him like clusters of faded memories. Splotches of blood, sweat, and vomit had turned the once pristine mat into a dingy shadow of it's former self.
The crowd roared as a beefy Roegadyn climb on top of his barely conscious Highlander opponent. The crowd watched with bated breath as he cocked his fist back, ready to hand the final blow. A balding man, barely half the size of the Roegadyn rushed over. On his arm he wore a black and white bandana and did his best to corral the fighter to his corner. From the side of the ring, an assistant referee rushed over to the downed fighter with his hand held high.
"One!"
In an exhilarating and brilliant moment, all his senses that laid scattered on the mat came back to the highlander. He took in an swift and sharp breath. The humid air filled his lungs with much needed oxygen. With his second wind, he managed to pull himself together enough to roll over on his side.
"Two!"
Pain churned throughout his body. His limbs burned like he had immersed them in Ifrit's asshole for days. In front of him, the referee slammed his hand into the mat again. His nasty breath was more than enough to give him the much need inspiration he needed.
"Three!"
He had to get back into the fight. He had to try. His arms and legs shook as he summoned all his strength to push himself up and back onto his feet. The world was a mix of blurred shapes and muffled noises. As he looked around, the crowd became a mess of flat, indistinguishable shapes.
"You ok?" The referee said "Can you tell me your name and what round you're in?"
"K-Kazex Voss...round twelve?"
"More like round three but good enough."
Once on his feet, Kazex raised his fists. From the opposite corner of the ring, the Roegadyn stood up and grunted. He looked bigger than before. What was his name again? Mash Potatoes? Marsha? Masher? Kazex shook his head but it didn't help.
After a quick inspection and a pat on the shoulder by the referee, he darted to the side of the ring. What was his problem? From the other corner, the Roegadyn ran at him with thunderous footsteps.
Kazex braced himself as a mass of fury and rage barrelled straight for him. Each blow that landed seconds later caused Kazex to die a little inside. His body shuddered under the force of each fist that smashed into his tender flesh. It felt like a meteor plummeting into the ground over and over.
Kazex did his best to deflect what hits he could but his body could not take the strain any longer. He ducked a jab but failed to block against the follow up. The impact crushed his shoulder and sent him into a spin. In his daze, he managed to stumble toward the edge of the ring to prop himself up against the corner post.
The Roegadyn came in fast with his right fist up to finish Kazex off a second time. The world spun. All he could see was three ugly and massive shapes barrelling toward him. Kazex raised his hands to braced for the worse.
The crowd's thunderous roar of approval turned into long winded disappointment. Kazex peeked out from behind his guard and tilted his head.
His opponent laid face down on the mat. The referee rushed over and began to count. Exhausted, Kazex stumbled over and fell to his knees. Was he dead? The pale faced referee turned to the panel of shady judges and shook his head. Kazex turned just in time to see a hand grabbed his and raised it to air.
"Congratulations..." The assistant referee said "Champ!"
The crowd resumed it's furious roar for blood and cheered for Kazex. He didn't feel like the champ though or much of anything. He stared at the Roegadyn's lifeless body and shook his head. This wasn't right.
The walk from the ring to the locker room was unsatisfying. It was hollow. His new fans reached out to their champion only to receive a half hearted shrug. They called his name, sang his praise, and placed him on a pedestal meant for gods. Kazex kept his eyes forward and his feet moving as fast as he could. Escape could not come fast enough.
He spent hours sitting in the empty locker room, thinking to himself. What happened? He shouldn't have won that fight. The Roegadyn shouldn't have died like that.
The door to the locker room opened up. A Lalafell in a nice suit walked in with a grin spanning Ul'dah to Ishgard. He sauntered over to the nearest chair and sat down.
"Kazex 'The Boss' Voss," He said "When they told me you wanted to fight The Mad-Eye Masher, I thought you wanted a death wish. Six months ago, my colleagues thought you were crazy but lo and behold, we were wrong."
Kazex stared at the Lalafell from behind his long black hair. Dealing with him was the last thing he wanted to do. His voice reminded him of a chocobo dragging it's claws along stone.
"What do you want, Halo?"
"You best remember whom you're talking to, boy. You also best remember who got you that title shot. I invested a lot into this and now, I'm here to congratulate you on your victory. You made a lot of us a hefty profit."
"It was a one sided fight. I didn't deserve it."
"Lalafell's ass. Look here, boy. I came here with a bag of gil with your name on it. Now you have two choices: take the money and live it up for a while or sulk like a chump. I don't care."
The Lalafell stuck out his right hand. A large gem sitting pretty on a ring caught Kaxez's attention. Halo wiggled the massive rock several times and smiled.
"Go on. You offended me." Halo said "Kiss it, be forgiving, and never forget what you are."
Kazex tightened his fists. His body began to burn. How easy would it be to snap the little rat's neck? And all the necks of his associates that would come for blood? The thought tired him out. It was the last thing he wanted to deal with, especially after today. Kazex narrowed his eyes, got on one knee and pressed his lips on the gem for several gruelling seconds.
"There's a good boy." Halo said "See, that wasn't so hard was it?"
The Lalafell laughed and snapped back his hand. He slapped Kazex with the force of a weak child before hopping off the chair. The hotness returned. Kazex watched with all the restraints he had left as Halo walk to the door. Before he left, he turned to laugh one last time.
"A worthless bag of meat." He said "You'll never be nothing more than that. Enjoy your merger life while you can."
Kazex sat in silence. Outside, the sounds of a bustling Ul'Dah nightlife called out to him. He looked over to the bag of gil and stared at it.
"Fuck it."
The Quicksand was alive and kicking that night. Kazex made his way to the bar and sat down in the nearest seat. The music and crowd were what he was looking for. He signaled to the bartender and plopped his bag of gil onto the hardwood.
"I'll have the finest drink in the house." He said "Make it a double."
A short and gorgeous Miqo'te with blonde hair and silky tail leaned in next to him. She purred as she smiled. He delicate finger ran up and down his arm as she spoke.
"You can't afford me twice, sweetness..." She said "But for you, champ, I'll make an exception."
That voice. That purr. It was unmistakable. He turned his head and smiled back at Rose.
"Did you watch my fight?"
"If I wanted to watch a slab of meat get tenderized for 45 minutes, I'd wear my red shoes and nylons. You look like Titan rubbed your face up and down his ass crack a few times too many. You better make it a triple."
"Whoa whoa. I got local Bush League champ money, not Worlds! But I'll buy you a drink?"
"Save it, Champ. A girl's gotta pace herself. I'm three deep with no fuel in the tank. Speaking of which, duty calls..."
Kazex watched as Rose saunter over to her next victim and slid her arm around his waist. Her slender fingers worked stole his attention as well as his money purse. When Kazex turned his head, his drinks were pinning down a small note. He looked around several times. The crowd seemed distant to him, like he was the only one there at that moment. Curious, he unfolded the paper.
"Stardust Pluto."
-Story contains foul language, drug use, and violence.
-1467 words long.
----
The floor mat tasted like broken dreams and wasted potential. The putrid smell of failure permeated the air as he laid flat on his face against the ground. The stains of past brawls littered the space around him like clusters of faded memories. Splotches of blood, sweat, and vomit had turned the once pristine mat into a dingy shadow of it's former self.
The crowd roared as a beefy Roegadyn climb on top of his barely conscious Highlander opponent. The crowd watched with bated breath as he cocked his fist back, ready to hand the final blow. A balding man, barely half the size of the Roegadyn rushed over. On his arm he wore a black and white bandana and did his best to corral the fighter to his corner. From the side of the ring, an assistant referee rushed over to the downed fighter with his hand held high.
"One!"
In an exhilarating and brilliant moment, all his senses that laid scattered on the mat came back to the highlander. He took in an swift and sharp breath. The humid air filled his lungs with much needed oxygen. With his second wind, he managed to pull himself together enough to roll over on his side.
"Two!"
Pain churned throughout his body. His limbs burned like he had immersed them in Ifrit's asshole for days. In front of him, the referee slammed his hand into the mat again. His nasty breath was more than enough to give him the much need inspiration he needed.
"Three!"
He had to get back into the fight. He had to try. His arms and legs shook as he summoned all his strength to push himself up and back onto his feet. The world was a mix of blurred shapes and muffled noises. As he looked around, the crowd became a mess of flat, indistinguishable shapes.
"You ok?" The referee said "Can you tell me your name and what round you're in?"
"K-Kazex Voss...round twelve?"
"More like round three but good enough."
Once on his feet, Kazex raised his fists. From the opposite corner of the ring, the Roegadyn stood up and grunted. He looked bigger than before. What was his name again? Mash Potatoes? Marsha? Masher? Kazex shook his head but it didn't help.
After a quick inspection and a pat on the shoulder by the referee, he darted to the side of the ring. What was his problem? From the other corner, the Roegadyn ran at him with thunderous footsteps.
Kazex braced himself as a mass of fury and rage barrelled straight for him. Each blow that landed seconds later caused Kazex to die a little inside. His body shuddered under the force of each fist that smashed into his tender flesh. It felt like a meteor plummeting into the ground over and over.
Kazex did his best to deflect what hits he could but his body could not take the strain any longer. He ducked a jab but failed to block against the follow up. The impact crushed his shoulder and sent him into a spin. In his daze, he managed to stumble toward the edge of the ring to prop himself up against the corner post.
The Roegadyn came in fast with his right fist up to finish Kazex off a second time. The world spun. All he could see was three ugly and massive shapes barrelling toward him. Kazex raised his hands to braced for the worse.
The crowd's thunderous roar of approval turned into long winded disappointment. Kazex peeked out from behind his guard and tilted his head.
His opponent laid face down on the mat. The referee rushed over and began to count. Exhausted, Kazex stumbled over and fell to his knees. Was he dead? The pale faced referee turned to the panel of shady judges and shook his head. Kazex turned just in time to see a hand grabbed his and raised it to air.
"Congratulations..." The assistant referee said "Champ!"
The crowd resumed it's furious roar for blood and cheered for Kazex. He didn't feel like the champ though or much of anything. He stared at the Roegadyn's lifeless body and shook his head. This wasn't right.
The walk from the ring to the locker room was unsatisfying. It was hollow. His new fans reached out to their champion only to receive a half hearted shrug. They called his name, sang his praise, and placed him on a pedestal meant for gods. Kazex kept his eyes forward and his feet moving as fast as he could. Escape could not come fast enough.
He spent hours sitting in the empty locker room, thinking to himself. What happened? He shouldn't have won that fight. The Roegadyn shouldn't have died like that.
The door to the locker room opened up. A Lalafell in a nice suit walked in with a grin spanning Ul'dah to Ishgard. He sauntered over to the nearest chair and sat down.
"Kazex 'The Boss' Voss," He said "When they told me you wanted to fight The Mad-Eye Masher, I thought you wanted a death wish. Six months ago, my colleagues thought you were crazy but lo and behold, we were wrong."
Kazex stared at the Lalafell from behind his long black hair. Dealing with him was the last thing he wanted to do. His voice reminded him of a chocobo dragging it's claws along stone.
"What do you want, Halo?"
"You best remember whom you're talking to, boy. You also best remember who got you that title shot. I invested a lot into this and now, I'm here to congratulate you on your victory. You made a lot of us a hefty profit."
"It was a one sided fight. I didn't deserve it."
"Lalafell's ass. Look here, boy. I came here with a bag of gil with your name on it. Now you have two choices: take the money and live it up for a while or sulk like a chump. I don't care."
The Lalafell stuck out his right hand. A large gem sitting pretty on a ring caught Kaxez's attention. Halo wiggled the massive rock several times and smiled.
"Go on. You offended me." Halo said "Kiss it, be forgiving, and never forget what you are."
Kazex tightened his fists. His body began to burn. How easy would it be to snap the little rat's neck? And all the necks of his associates that would come for blood? The thought tired him out. It was the last thing he wanted to deal with, especially after today. Kazex narrowed his eyes, got on one knee and pressed his lips on the gem for several gruelling seconds.
"There's a good boy." Halo said "See, that wasn't so hard was it?"
The Lalafell laughed and snapped back his hand. He slapped Kazex with the force of a weak child before hopping off the chair. The hotness returned. Kazex watched with all the restraints he had left as Halo walk to the door. Before he left, he turned to laugh one last time.
"A worthless bag of meat." He said "You'll never be nothing more than that. Enjoy your merger life while you can."
Kazex sat in silence. Outside, the sounds of a bustling Ul'Dah nightlife called out to him. He looked over to the bag of gil and stared at it.
"Fuck it."
The Quicksand was alive and kicking that night. Kazex made his way to the bar and sat down in the nearest seat. The music and crowd were what he was looking for. He signaled to the bartender and plopped his bag of gil onto the hardwood.
"I'll have the finest drink in the house." He said "Make it a double."
A short and gorgeous Miqo'te with blonde hair and silky tail leaned in next to him. She purred as she smiled. He delicate finger ran up and down his arm as she spoke.
"You can't afford me twice, sweetness..." She said "But for you, champ, I'll make an exception."
That voice. That purr. It was unmistakable. He turned his head and smiled back at Rose.
"Did you watch my fight?"
"If I wanted to watch a slab of meat get tenderized for 45 minutes, I'd wear my red shoes and nylons. You look like Titan rubbed your face up and down his ass crack a few times too many. You better make it a triple."
"Whoa whoa. I got local Bush League champ money, not Worlds! But I'll buy you a drink?"
"Save it, Champ. A girl's gotta pace herself. I'm three deep with no fuel in the tank. Speaking of which, duty calls..."
Kazex watched as Rose saunter over to her next victim and slid her arm around his waist. Her slender fingers worked stole his attention as well as his money purse. When Kazex turned his head, his drinks were pinning down a small note. He looked around several times. The crowd seemed distant to him, like he was the only one there at that moment. Curious, he unfolded the paper.
"Stardust Pluto."
