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The green kobold peered out from behind the curtain. Hoots, hollers, and jeers rang out in wall-to-wall chaos. Every seat in the house beyond packed, standing room only. A human wave of tattoos, scars, and leather jackets pushed and shoved at one another while rougher men kept an eye on things. A quick tap of the railings with the heavy batons they toted kept the crowd from turning too violent. Bright lights hung haphazardly from poorly installed rigging. The unequal illumination swayed over the catwalks that lead to the center stage, one for her and one on the far side for her opponent. The sound of breaking beer bottles and drunken humans grew louder every second. She looked at herself in the cracked mirror, a nervous green kobold with blue eyes dressed in a tight costume looked back, her stomach turned.

“God, how did I talk myself into this? Okay Vriss, you can do this. Just think about the money, go out there, and…God and elders help me.” She held her tail in her hands.

“You’re not chickening out, are you?”

Vriss whipped about. A fat, balding man with several missing teeth and deep jowls looked down at her, tapping a clipboard in his hand. A food-stained shirt proudly displayed “Fat Earl’s Hole in the Wall '' on his chest with silhouettes of kobolds in compromising poses on it alongside humans. “If you’re chickening out, do it now so I can get someone else, hate when they puss out at the last second, always havin’ to find another kobold and they’re never around when you actually want one, hate it, hate it.” He went on repeating himself and shook his head.

“I’m not chickening out,” she said with a sneer.

“Good. No tapping out early either, or you don’t get a cent.”

“I know, you’ve already told me two dozen times.” She tugged at the bright yellow and red colored suit she wore. “But you never told me what early was.”

“Early is before you lose, so lose first.” He laughed.

Vriss glared at him and went back to pawing at her costume. “I think there’s something wrong with this, it feels...off somehow and it itches.”

“Don’t scratch.” The toothless grin he flashed made her wince and the foul smell emanating from his mouth made her gag. “You’re cute. You even know what this is?”

“It’s just mud-wrestling, isn’t it?”

A guttural laugh roared out of his whiskey-stained throat as if it were the funniest joke in the world. He nodded, wiping away a tear. “Oh yeah, they’re gonna love you. Remember to wash really good after the match, really good.” He turned about and walked off, still chortling.

“Wait, what is…damn it.” Vriss crouched down, placing her hands on her knees. The stupid costume itched at her scaly hide and despite the choking heat of the makeshift arena she felt cold as ice. She wrung her claws together a few times, trying to fight the urge to cry. Rent two weeks past due and all her odd jobs dried up. She’d given the signup sheet a once over but desperation fogged her mind. It didn’t matter, whatever was waiting out there paled in comparison to her landlord. She knew how to fight, she’d spent most of her childhood fighting other hatchlings, how hard could it be?

“Vree?”

She looked up to see a young, muscular man with short hair and a bored look in his eyes. He had a tag on the front and a thick, wooden baton in his hand.

“Vriss,” she said.

“Whatever. You’re on in five. When Earl calls your name, walk straight out onto the catwalk and then the center ring, stand on the blue corner.” He pointed at the stage with his club. “Got that? B-l-u-e and then wait for the referee to come out and say his spiel.”

“And then what?”

He smirked. “And then the fun begins.” He eyed her up and down, tapping the oversized nightstick in his hand. “Yeah, they’re gonna like you, I bet you’re a screamer.”

A prickly feeling ran down her tail. She didn’t bother asking, she just went over and stood on the mark designed by the thick line of duct tape and breathed deep. Notices on the walls told contestants not to stray from the backstage and that the food court was for humans only. “Mic check, one two,” a voice boomed over the speakers, making the crowd roar all the louder. Her tail twitched, her claws shook, and her heart threatened to leap right out of her throat.

What am I doing here? I can’t do this.

She turned tail when a deafening blast of loud rock music spilled over the speakers, making her cover her tympanum. “Good evening and welcome everyone to Fat Earl’s. How’s everyone out there doing tonight?” The savage howl from the crowd made her shrink back, light-headed with anxiety. Her shaky legs almost betrayed her as she tumbled off to the side.

This is insane.

“Everyone ready for this week’s Blood and Mud?”

Thunderous bellows and the drumming of booted feet replied back, for a moment Vriss though the whole place might come down. “How did it come to this? I’m better than this,” she muttered to herself. Her self-talk did little to restore her dignity. In the end having a place to live in a world where a bold can barely get by was more important than self-respect.

“I said are you ready to watch two lizards get dirty?!”

The building shook with cheers.

“Great! So, let’s meet tonight’s contestants. In the blue corner…”

She bolted three feet into the air, this was it. The green kobold stumbled forward into the blinding spotlight, almost tumbling over into the curtain. The audience to roared with laughter. Her green cheeks turned a deep, rose red. Every beer-goggled eye in the place focused on her, cat-calls and wolf-whistles called out from the dark. She kept her head down, putting one clawed foot in front of the other, making her way to the center. A big, square pit filled with mud awaited her. As she took her place, she noticed a large, chain-link cage dangling above her head, big enough to cover the ring.

“…some fresh meat right off the street, Vree!”

A mixture of laughter, insults, and applause filled her tympanum. She focused on the mud pit in front of her, avoiding eye contact with the crowd. The green kobold shifted back and forth on her legs and groaned. Too preoccupied with signing up, getting dressed, and trying not to panic, she didn’t even know who she was fighting and to top it all off they got her name wrong.

“Hey, go easy folks, don’t want to scare her off before the match even starts. And in the red corner…”

The spotlight swung over to the other side of the catwalk and Vriss looked up.

“…it’s your favorite blue bitch, that azure asskicker, Krilla the Killa!”

Vriss stood up on tippy claws amid to get a better view. A dark blue kobold strode out onto the catwalk like a seasoned predator, thick tail swaying behind her like a pendulum. Even from this distance Vriss could see the muscle underneath her thin, black costume. Bright yellow eyes, black wavy horns, and a sharp, pointed muzzle with a malevolent grin aimed right at her. The scars on her scaly face made her look mean and she curled her lip so that a single jagged fang poked out, accenting her wicked features. She stood an easy head over Vriss and looked like she lifted anvils every day just for fun. The blue kobold took her corner and rested a claw on her thick, muscular hip. “You’re a cute one isn’t you, luv? I’ll try not to make you eat too much mud. Before I make you eat me,” she shouted over the din.

The green kobold’s stomach turned; she didn’t have time to ask before a man in a clean, striped shirt stepped onto the edge of the ring. “Alright ladies, get in. Center of the ring.” Krilla stepped down into the pit, mud riding just past her ankles. Vriss followed suit, wincing as the lukewarm sludge sucked her feet under, every step forcing her to lift straight up, kicking large flecks of mud along the way, nearly making her fall twice. The blue kobold laughed, making a slashing motion with her throat. Vriss shook her head, more at herself than her opponent. The two wrestlers stood face to face.

Krilla looked her up and down. “You’re green in more ways than one, ain’t cha? I’m gonna enjoy this way too much.” She rubbed her claws together, ready to dig in.

Vriss opened her mouth to say something, but the ref interjected. “You both got the instructions beforehand.”

We did?

“But let’s go over it again. No biting, no clawing, no intentionally breaking bones, horns included. No trying to drown each other and no excessive orifice packing, got it?”

Krilla smirked. “Got it.”

“G-got it,” the green kobold stammered, trying to figure out what the hell orifice packing meant.

“Otherwise, anything goes and I do mean anything.” He said the last part particularly loud and everyone laughed including her opponent. Amid the sinister giggling came more wolf-whistles and a few cries for them to take it all off.

What kind of mud-wrestling is this?!

“You fight until one of you taps out, or cries uncle.” The ref looked up to the ceiling. The massive cage descended around them while he took a step back. Vriss looked puzzled as to why the ref would be outside the ring. The cage landed with a hard slam, startling her and leaving her trapped with the scaly pile of muscle inside the ring. “Fight!”

“Wha— “Krilla dove forward, barreling right into the green kobold’s stomach. Vriss went down, skidding into the muck with the blue kobold wrapped around her middle. Boos and screams rang out from the crowd. Vriss struggled to unwrap Krilla from her body, but it was like trying to uncoil an anaconda. “Hey!” Vriss screamed as Krilla hoisted her up over her head and did several reps with her new kobold barbell. She flailed her arms about while everyone laughed at her. “Put me down!”

“Whatever you say, luv.” The mud cushioned the impact, but not so much that she wouldn’t feel the bruises in the morning, if she lived that long.

“Ohhh….” She landed face first. Not even a minute into the match and already caked in mud. She spat out a mouthful and pulled herself up expecting to get another beating only to see Krilla facing the crowd, egging them on. That’s how little a threat she posed to the seasoned wrestler. The green kobold felt insulted and charged in, plowing through the mud with bad intentions. The blue still had her back turned; arms raised to the screaming audience. It filled her with rage, time for payback.

Except she never laid a claw on her, a thick wave of scales struck her across the face, sending her tumbling. Krilla’s heavy tail slapped her aside like a cow swats a fly. Her whole world spun a clawed hand grabbed her by the neck and the azure monster lifted her back to her feet, pulling her into a bear hug, her spine let out a disturbing pop.

“Hope I didn’t break nuthin’ yet,” The blue said. Vriss groaned and yelled; Krilla kept squeezing and laughing. The crowd laughed with her. Her back made a second cracking sound and she envisioned the rest of her life as a cripple. Filled with desperation, she wrenched her hands free and brought them down hard, boxing Krilla’s “ears” for all she was worth. The muscular bold yelped and dropped her, stumbling back, claws around her head. Vriss grinned for the first time since the carnage started and rushed her, exchanging tit for tat by hammering her nemesis right in the middle.

Vriss learned the hard way that those azure abs were chiseled from granite, her snout hurt something fierce. “Get off me, little bitch.” Vriss flew backwards, shoved away by a pair of scaly tree trunks that vaguely resembled arms. “Hope you enjoyed your beginner’s luck because it just ran out.” Krilla rose to her feet and stomped towards her, skidding and almost falling.

That freaking blue alligator is going to crush me, come on Vriss, think! She’s too big.

Krilla made a grab, but missed Vriss’s shoulder by inches due to another slip.

Big…

The blue kobold corrected her stance and held her arms out dramatically, about to put her into another death hug. She ducked at the last second, intentionally belly sliding into the muck and right into Krilla's legs, sending her tumbling. That muddy thump gave her hope, she pulled herself up and looked at her opponent, face down. She needed to do something, something wrestling-like. She dug her claws into the back of Krilla’s costume, hoping to tug her up high enough to toss her, instead she flew back with a portion of the black material in her hands.

So that’s why these things feel so loose, they tear right off! What the hell is this?!

Krilla got to her feet and felt around the bare spots on her back. “So, you wanna start the rough stuff early then, luv?”

“It-it was an accident.” She backed away, still holding the shreds in her hands.

“I was going to put a few more moves on you first, but if you wanna skip the foreplay that’s alright with me.”

Vriss turned about to flee, crashing into the chain link cage around the ring. Something pelted her from out in the stands, rowdies in the crowd tossed peanuts, ice cubes, and anything else small enough to fit through the gaps. A beer bottle shattered nearby, almost peppering her with glass. The green kobold snarled at them, but when she tried to pull away something pushed her face against the cage. “Thanks for saving me the trouble of getting you in position, now let’s give these people what they want,” Krilla said as she pinned her arm behind her. Her claw scraped the surface of her neck as it dug into her collar. The ripping sound gave the audience pause for a moment. Vriss felt half of her costume peel away, leaving her clean hide exposed to the open air for all to see.

“No!” But her protests went unheeded and the other half of her outfit followed, leaving her bare and in the muscular kobold’s grip. “What kind of wrestling is this?!” Vriss shouted.

“The best kind, luv. Come and get it,” she called out. The humans closest to the cage rushed forward, grimy, sweaty hands groped and pinched at her through the links, touching, rubbing, poking. Poking, in the mass of flesh she felt something prod her sex, she screamed much to the joy of the audience. Krilla kept her firmly stuck against the wall. “Go on boys, help yourselves.”

Filthy men shouted insults as they violated her. Fingers pressed deeper inside her tight passage with no thought to comfort, every time she tried to pull away that blue bitch shoved her forward again. She cried out for help, but the bouncers stood by. Phone cameras recorded her shame and snapped mementos. If the cage hadn’t been between her and them, they would have raped her for sure. The gaiety of the arena made her sick. The ref watched without a care in the world, all normal doings. It only got worse as those rough digits plunged deeper, working her pussy for all it was worth. A steady stream of lubrication trickled down her legs and the crowd scolded her like a naughty child and she began to weep bitterly. “They love you, listen to that crowd,” Krilla said, keeping her pinned. “You’re really into this, ain’t cha?”

Like wolves, starved for a meal they shoved each other out of the way to have a chance to violate her. “Come on girl, we can do better.” Krilla lifted one of Vriss’s legs up, giving them access to her tailhole and they went at her openings with renewed vigor, jamming what she only hoped were fingers into her tail pucker.

“Help! Help me!” The guards seemed to be biding their time, waiting for the crowd to get their fill. Her hips bucked, her legs buckled, and a cry louder than any she’d ever made before rumbled out of her throat as she came. Onlookers cheered like they were the ones winning; and her tympanum stung with mocking applause. At last, the bouncers swooped in, striking those late in getting away from the cage. It was over.

Only it wasn’t, Those strong arms pulled her back, tossing into the mud. “Thanks for loosening her up boys,” Krilla shouted to the crowd. “My turn.”

Her hips kept spasming of their own accord making it impossible for her to get up. Krilla stood over her, enjoying Vriss’s afterglow as she spasmed and writhed. “Did we pop a cherry here?” she asked, arms folded. The blue kobold pressed a knee into her back and tugged her arms behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Krilla grab up shreds of her torn costume and then she wrapped them around her wrists. “There, all nice and wrapped for me.”

Vriss pulled and strained. “No, please.”

“Can tap out any time you like, luv.”

No, not after this. She’d be having nightmares about this for months, years. But to call it quits and walk away empty clawed, she might as well die. Vriss found herself hoisted up over the other kobold’s horns again and then firmly planted onto her back in the center of the ring. Someone up in the rigging shined the spotlight down just in time to see Krilla peel away her black costume from around her crotch. Vriss looked on in terror. “Now then, as I was saying…my turn.” The azure mass of muscle stepped forward. The green kobold wriggled backwards in the mud like a worm trying to burrow. Grabbed by horns, the azure nightmare smiled wide. “You know what I love most about this job? Combining business with pleasure.” Vriss didn’t even have time to scream, her snout jammed into the blue kobold’s cunt, smooshed between those muscular thighs. “Now, lick.”

“Mmmph! Errrrggg!!” She changed her mind, no money was worth this, but now she couldn’t tap out, let alone cry uncle.

“I said lick.” The blue kobold pressed her knee into Vriss’s stomach, making her groan into the scaly pussy. The edge of her forked tongue tickled Krilla’s folds and she wretched at the taste. Every attempt to recoil got her horns yanked and her snout buried deeper. The acrid smell of kobold sex combined with earth and sweat made her gag. Writhing and twisting, her arms stayed firmly tied behind her, buried in the muck. Warm juices began trickling down, coating her muzzle. The cage rattled with the sound of spectators desperate to get the best view of her humiliation. "That's a good little lizard," Krilla said, holding her steady, her eyes drooped in half-lidded stupor. “I think we found your hidden talent, luv.”

Tears rolled down Vriss’s muddied cheeks. She coughed and gagged as stray beads of kobold juice ran down her throat. The knee buried in her stomach combined with the smell made her want to vomit. Yet on she went, licking and lapping for fear of something worse. The blue kobold’s tongue lolled from her maw amid coarse laughter. Her hips bucked into Vriss’s face, ramming her as she used her snout for stimulation. A muffled hiss escaped Vriss’s lips and then she noticed her arms were just a tad looser. That stupid tear-away material around her wrists.

"Keep licking." Krilla yanked her horns again.

The green kobold thrust her tongue deep as her eyes narrowed to slits, lapping with abandon while she tugged at her bonds, feeling them give with each pull. Krilla looked skyward, eyes glazed over, completely lost in the moment. “Just a little more now.”

Vriss nodded as best she could, letting her tongue twist and twirl around inside. The insides of Krilla’s pussy contracted, grabbing hold of her tongue, trying to milk it like a cock. ”You’re enjoying it more than I am.”

Little by little the fabric gave out. The blue kobold panted; her legs began to buckle under the onslaught Vriss gave. Her insides pinched and squeezed at the bound kobold’s tongue. The cage rattled and shook with spectators climbing up. Krilla used her muzzle to fuck her and she smothered in pussy. “T-that’s too good, I should be paying you. What’s the going rate for a green whore?”

Vriss fought to breathe, but she kept up her oral assault. Rivulets of lubricant flowed down her chin and trickled down her chest. The blue kobold gripped her horns and pushed hard, letting out a scream.

At the same time the green kobold’s arms burst from the mud and grabbed Krilla's wobbly legs. With a bellow of rage she lifted, tossing the muscular beast onto her back, hard. Krilla gasped, staring up in shock as she rode out her orgasm in the mud. "Ha!" Vriss leapt into the air, slamming her elbow into the kobold’s stomach. All the wind escaped from Krilla's lungs. She laid there dazed, helpless, and squirting. The crowd went berserk, bouncers forced themselves to the front to bat away the over enthusiastic fans who threatened to bring the cage down. Vriss spat out a mawful of kobold juice. "You think you can do whatever the hell you want? You stupid bitch!” Blind with rage, she tried to lift Krilla over her head, but only managed to roll her instead, ass up in the mud. It gave her a new idea and she planted herself down onto the kobold’s back, not at all gently and gripped those muscular hips.

"Let's give the crowd what they want.” She exposed Krilla’s unblemished tailhole to the thrill of the all. They laughed and she laughed with them in half-mad giddiness. Her claws trembled with the adrenaline and the arena spun, but she kept her eye on the prize, revenge. “Now if I do this…”

Krilla tried to push herself up, but continued to slip, banging her face in the process. She tried reaching around to get a grip, but Vriss’s small, mud-covered body made her like a greased pig. Next, she tried to roll, but her strength failed her, too spent to force her off. “When I get my claws on…EEEE!!”

Vriss jammed her thumbclaw square up Krilla’s hole. Never in a hundred years did she ever think she’d be violating another kobold in front of a sold-out crowd, but lust for revenge drove her. She picked up a clawful of mud to jam in when the ref banged on the cage. “No packing!”

The green kobold growled at him as she tossed aside the muck. Krilla kept trying to toss her to no avail. “I’m going to—mff!”

Vriss shoved the blue kobold’s face into the scum, "Sorry, didn't quite hear that."

The audience laughed and cheered, the same ones not moments ago who groped her. She spread Krilla's cheeks to the audience once more. “There’s only one punishment for a brat like you.” She raised her arm up high, spectators quieted, anticipating the coming blow. Her claw flew downward and slapped that muscular thigh hard enough to sting her hand, but it felt good so she gave her another and then another.

"6...7...8..." the men counted each slap. Krilla's muddy blue bottom turned red beneath the beating. Vriss’s arm cramped up and she lost count somewhere around twenty-three, but oh how she laughed, drunk on the feeling.

“Stop, are you nuts?” The pinned kobold’s attempts to get free became more violent, grunting and straining.

Vriss slapped her again. “No, just having a good time, aren’t you, ‘luv’?”

Krilla snarled and went for her arm. Vriss felt her claws poke into her hide.

"You so much as scratch me and I'll get the ref on you.”

Krilla spat out a glob of mud. "I'll get you for this, fresh meat, I swear.” She bucked and bounced, batted and swatted, cursed and fumed, but Vriss stayed on top.

The green kobold groped at the blue’s thighs, looking for something. A malevolent grin swept her dirty face when she found it and the dirtier humans grinned along with her. “It’s pretty big and it looks so neglected.”

“D-don’t you dare…”

Her mucky claws slipped into the other kobold’s sex and pressed down hard on the shiny pink clit that presented itself. Vriss rubbed the blue kobold's exposed pearl with righteous indignation, exposed for all to enjoy. She shouted out to the rowdies, who all cheered her on. The blue's legs quivered, her whole body convulsed in a fit of pleasure, spattering her juices all over Vriss's claws as she orgasmed a second time. "No…no more…”

"Not so green now, am I? Tap out."

"Go spit!”

Vriss stuck her fingers over the swollen clit and started round two. The once intimidating kobold squealed like a hatchling. "Alright, alright dammit. I give up."

"Then say it."

The blue kobold hesitated and glanced about, trying to find a way to break free. Vriss started rubbing again.

"Ahhh! Uncle, damnitall! Uncle!"

The ref's whistle deafened them both. Dazzling lights, some from phones, some overhead half-blinded Vriss. The roughest crazies rushed the cage with enough force to move it. Vriss stood up, arms outstretched to savor her victory. She did a slow turn, welcoming the praise and adoration of the twisted crowd and then she remembered her own nakedness and covered up in a deep blush. A spotlight shone down on her and the fat, toothless man ran out onto the stage, clutching a microphone. “If that ain't the biggest upset in Blood and Mud history. Let's give it up for the fresh meat, Vree!”

“It's Vriss!" but her correction went unheard in the frenzied cheers of the audience. It hardly mattered, she'd won against all odds, there had to be some extra money in that. The fat man came over and raised her muddy claw up in victory while she kept the other over her privates. The moments after that were a blur of her slipping and sliding towards the backstage.

***

Hot water washed away the mud, but not the creepy sensation crawling across her hide. Euphoria and adrenaline abandoned her to muddle over the events in the ring. She rubbed her slit sympathetically, shuddering at the memory of all those vile hands prodding and groping her and that monster who called herself a kobold, how could she do that to her own kind? Vriss forced herself to stand up out of the ball she’d huddled into and laid a hand on the white tile in the stall. She looked over at the row of rusted, battered lockers that shared the room with her, one of them containing her clothes. "Why do they treat us like this?”

She felt tempted to cry, but a stray thought kept her stable...she'd won. She clung to that. The thought of turning tide on her opponent, the cheers, she needed that to hold her until she got home. The green kobold arced her head up and savored the soothing water.

"Ahh, there you are, fresh meat.”

Vriss panicked at the sound of that voice. Krilla stood right beside her, naked and still muddy. “G-get back you freak. I don’t want any more trouble.” She stumbled away from her.

Krilla sneered. "Rookie mistake there, luv.” The blue kobold advanced. Vriss’s horns tapped against the wall behind her, trapped. Krilla leaned in, water tumbling over them both, snout to snout. "What happens in the ring stays in the ring," she said with a smile and patted Vriss on the shoulder.

"W-what?”

“Never make it personal.” The azure wrestler took a step back and rinsed the mud off her face. Vriss stood there dumbfounded, trying to find the words.

“H-how can you even say that? After— “

"Luv, I've had far worse done to me in far worse places. This is all part of the show.”

"’Show’ what the hell kind of show is this?”

Krilla laughed as she worked the bar of soap in her claw. “You don’t really mean to tell me you didn’t know what kind of place this was.”

Vriss’s cheeks burned with denial. “I knew it was a gentlemen’s club, with a kobold fetish.”

The blue kobold laughed even louder. “Gentleman’s club, I need to remember that one.”

“But I didn’t know about this.”

“So, you just signed on the dotted line for fun then? Is that it?”

Vriss pushed herself off the wall with a glare. “No, I needed money.” She tried to snatch up a bar of soap from the wall, but it slipped out of her hands.

The blue kobold glanced at the bar and then raised an eyeridge at her. “Dropped the soap, luv.”

“I know!”

“Tsk, tsk. No need to get upset, it’s over. Won’t make it very far around here holding grudges.”

Vriss grasped up the bar from the floor. “I don’t intend to do this ever again. How can you be so casual about this? You…God, I can’t…” The bar fell to the floor again. She pressed her clenched hands to her face, winning couldn’t hold back the feelings of despair and she started to cry. She didn’t even notice herself curling back up into a ball, nor the arms wrapping around her.

“Shh, take it easy luv. First time is always the hardest, why do you think they’re always looking for new bolds?” She would have pushed her away, but she needed a shoulder to cry on and no one else offered. Several minutes passed with Krilla just consoling her. Steam rose over them as they sat there, hunched down. “You’ll feel better when you get paid, trust me.”

“How can money make up for this? How do they let this kind of stuff happen?” She continued to sob into the blue kobold’s chest.

“We’re pretty far out in the sticks, luv. Law doesn’t care; besides I don’t know if you noticed, but humans on the whole don’t think much of us.”

“I did notice,” Vriss said in anger.

“Feeling a little better then?”

“No.”

"Earl bring you your winnings yet?"

"No. The money, what if…”

"Don’t fret, man's a pig, but he's honest.” Vriss noticed Krilla rubbing her back, it felt nice. “You’re tense, let me help.”

“I shouldn’t— “

"Luv, this isn't the kind of job for holding grudges and you could use it, come on, I’m just about as good at soothing kinks as I am at causing them.“ She giggled at her joke. The familiarity she showed made Vriss even more uncomfortable, but she ached something fierce. The green kobold rose to her feet and shrugged. Krilla went to work rubbing her down. For someone with such rough hands in the fight, she had a soft touch in the shower. Vriss hung her head down, watching traces of mud as it circled the drain and vanished.

"How can you stand this?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Krilla sniffed at the air. "It's not for everyone.”

"It shouldn’t be for anyone, am I supposed to pretend you didn’t shove your cunt in my face or let those people…” The tile squealed as her claw slid against it. “Why did I do this?”

The blue kobold placed a hand on her shoulder. "Luv, I was just like you, needed money and in over my head. But they can only take what you give them. They want you broken, it’s what they pay to see. Soon as I figured that out it became nothing more than a job, an act.”

"But how can you keep doing it?” Vriss asked, sniffling.

Krilla flashed her teeth in a smile. “I had a real talent for it and it’s better than any other job I’ve ever had.”

“You call that talent?”

“There are worse things, believe me. Better we put on a show for them behind a cage than to spread legs and let them have us.”

The green kobold grimaced. “That’s no comfort.”

“You’ll feel different when Earl gives you your money. Now come on, this is no place for tears, you’re wound way too tight.” Krilla's hands went lower, easing out the tension in her back. Tense, those claws pressed her hide and she almost expected a group of humans to jump out and start groping her. Her rival felt out the tight spots and worked them. The pain started out numb and began to build as the kobold went deeper, becoming sharper with each push on her hide until it became a dagger working its way in, Vriss cried out in agony.

“Stop, what are you doing?”

"Barely touching you, luv. You got it bad. Take a deep breath and grit your teeth.” She pressed into her again, Vriss winced at the touch, but the pain ebbed. “You have a talent too.”

“Me?”

“You beat me and if I do say so myself, I’m no pushover, been doing this for years now.”

“Beginner’s luck.”

“I had you between my legs right where I wanted you and next thing, I know I’m on my ass. Beginner’s luck? Maybe, but you think on your feet and you’re a cutie. Stage material.” Vriss’s green cheeks turned deep red. All of these things coming at her at once and much too fast and no one ever tried to flirt or flatter her before. “Besides, you have a knack for it, you went wild out there at the end…my end…” she rubbed her rear for emphasis.

The green kobold paused. “That was…I don’t know. I’m not a violent person and I’m not some degenerate.”

“So, it was some other kobold who poked my hole? Some other laughing, giggling kobold who spanked my ass?”

The green kobold rubbed her eyes and groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough, anywhere else that hurts?”

“My dignity.”

“I can’t massage that, luv.”

She bit her lip. “Shoulders.” Her eyes screwed shut and her tail twitched at every move, but the tension started to fade and she let out a sigh of relief. The blue kobold’s claws went lower, towards the small of her back. "That's a good girl."

“No funny business.”

“None, unless you want to chuckle.” Minutes passed and she started to feel better, like a new kobold. It couldn’t make up for the trauma, but it felt damn good. A month’s worth of tension let go from her body, the stress of living day to day, her money troubles, all of it went down the drain with the dirt. Krilla’s claws dipped again just above her tail and with just a few rubs she realized how much tension could hide in the base of that thing. The green kobold arced her head up and without her realizing it she started to thrum. The world went away leaving her in a trance. “Well? How am I doing?”

“Great,” Vriss mumbled. She didn’t notice Krilla shifting closer to her, or her claws on her rear. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so relaxed. Her breathing slowed, her tail drooped, something brushed her cheek, nuzzling her, she leaned into it, tilting her head slightly and then Krilla gave her a quick lick.

“Gah! Okay, that’s enough.” She slapped Krilla’s hands away.

Krilla giggled and gave her a knowing look. “You liked it then?”

“You tricked me.”

“Was just waiting for you to say ‘when’, luv. You never did.”

“Hmph. I have a boyfriend.”

“Sure you do luv, sure you do.”

“Am I interrupting something?” A whiskey-soaked voice called from the doorway. The two of them turned to see Fat Earl standing there, flashing his gaping smile at them. Krilla merely rolled her eyes, but Vriss squealed and covered up.

“Why don’t these damn things have curtains?”

“Nothing me and a hundred other guys didn’t already see tonight, sweetheart.” The fat man stepped into the bathroom and leaned on the nearby sink. Vriss tried to find a snappy comeback, but she slumped in defeat. The toothless man plopped a fat, white envelope on the edge.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“Your money of course. Good fight out there, good fight. It’s all there, sign up bonus, winner’s purse, and a little incentive on top.” He looked over at the blue kobold. “Krill, your money is waiting for you in the usual place, what little there is.”

“Don’t rub it in, fat boy,” the blue kobold said with a snarl.

Vriss cocked her head. “What do you mean, incentive?”

Earl yawned long and loud, she could smell him from here. “Gotta spell it out for you? You’re new, crowd loves fresh meat, especially fresh meat that cries and screams. Always pay big for a newcomer.” He nodded to himself. Vriss felt like shriveling up. “Now they got a taste for you, they’ll want to see you again, all of you. Hear you too.” His belly jiggled as he laughed, like a filthy, food-stained Santa.

“I don’t— “

“Maybe you should count it before you say no, luv.” Krilla nudged her. Vriss stepped out of the shower, not even bothering to towel off. Earl watched her naked form with hungry eyes, but she shook it off and reached for the bulging envelope. The flap sat open and she could see a hint of money and when she flipped it up her maw fell on the floor. A slight squeak escaped her throat.

“Good deal, eh?” Earl asked.

“Oh my God, there’s enough here to pay my rent twice over and still have cash left over for therapy.”

Krilla and the fat man both laughed out loud and she almost laughed too, this place was already messing with her. Vriss stuffed the money back inside and clutched the envelope tight in her wet claws, dampening the paper.

“So, next week Vree?” The fat man raised his eyebrows.

Vriss shook her head. “This was a one-time performance. No way in hell and it’s Vriss.”

“Sure, sure. Hell has a way of freezing over. Think about it, Vree.” Earl turned about and walked off, chuckling to himself, she scowled at him as he went.

“You need to strike while the iron is hot, luv.”

Vriss turned about with a befuddled look.

“I’m no fortune teller, but let me take a crack at it. You go home, pay your rent, tell yourself you’ll never do that again, but two months later the money runs out and here you are. Only now you’re old hat and you don’t have beginner’s luck to save you.”

“I can find something between now and then. I’m not degrading myself any more than I already have, I’m not meant for this.”

Krilla turned off the water and stepped out of the stall, tossing a spare towel to Vriss. “What are you meant for then? Running errands for nickels and dimes? Living on scraps? Spreading legs in an alley somewhere when hard times hit? You’ve got potential and you’re a looker, the crowd will eat you up.”

“They almost did.”

“I got some moves so that kind of thing doesn’t happen as often.” She winked at her.

“I can imagine what your price would be.”

The blue kobold toweled off while she eyed her up and down. “I don’t work for free, that's true, but you didn’t seem to mind it a moment ago. Instead of being so defensive why don’t you come over to my place and see how a successful showbold lives. You like beer?”

“I don’t drink, can’t afford it.”

“You can now.”

The envelope felt thick in her claw, she eyed the wad of bills inside again. More money than she’d ever seen in her short life, but the cost. “No, I don’t think so.”

Krilla huffed and walked over to the lockers, she ripped an old advertisement off the wall and left, still completely naked. She came back a moment later with the torn paper. “In case you change your mind. You got a phone?”

“I can get to one, but really…”

She pressed the paper into her hand and got dressed. A black tank top, ripped denim shorts, and a pair of shoes with holes for her toeclaws. Vriss marveled at them, they looked made-to-order. Krilla looked nice in the get up, especially the spiked collar she slipped around her neck. “Think it over,” she said with a wink and walked out. Vriss looked down at the number.

Think it over, like a massage is supposed to make us even.

“Screw her and screw this.” Vriss crumpled up the paper and tossed it on the floor and went to dress. A plain brown t-shirt with more than one hole in it, a pair of ill-fitting pants trimmed by hand to fit her legs, no shoes.

“I’m done.” She strode out of the locker room and out the back exit into the night and made it halfway down the alley before she paused to look at the money again. Images of her scummy landlord came to mind and the tumbled down shack she called home. Of how he threatened to shove the whole thing over with a bulldozer. And those shoes, she wanted a pair of shoes like that. “God damn it.” Vriss turned about and slipped back into the building, running for the locker room. She swiped up the crumpled note and stuck it into the envelop with the money and left.