"Why is this a sport?" Theo sighed, leaning against the guardrail, and looking down at the staged arena below. The crowds were already getting rowdy with anticipation, and who could blame them? Watching two nearly naked women about to wrestle one another was a spectacle few horny college students couldn't enjoy.
"Come on, you know why it's a sport?" Mike grinned.
Theo wanted to laugh, but resisted. His arm was still sore, even after being freed of the cast, and whenever he exerted himself, even just a little, it seemed to ache. He regretted even thinking he could play a friendly game of Thrashball. Watching the wrestling match below, it reminded him of his folly.
Inside the domed theater, the sounds of the packed crowds bounced off the walls and ceiling, creating a raucous of applause. It was starting to rain confetti from the rafters, which ruined the buckets of popcorn they had been carrying.
"What are they thinking?" Theo looked up above, seeing the harpy's carrying bags full of glitter and unleashing it upon the crowds.
Reflecting on it, there was a lot of money and resources poured into these events. It was one of the reasons so many applied to compete in the first place.
There were many ways to pass the time in-between classes, only three of which guaranteed a monetary income. Outside of the weekly stipend the university provided, anything extra had to be earned through one of these three ways. That was, of course, if you didn't want to do anything illicit.
The first, and by far the most enriching, was to work for one of the many restaurants or establishments on campus. Theo had considered working at the campus bookstore, but there were no positions available.
Truth be told, he had other ambitions anyway. His eyes were set on dreams that were so outlandish, few would conceive of them. He wanted to venture beyond the wall, and somehow, he was going to find a way to create an expedition to do it. He spent most of his nights studying magics that might help resist the tumultuous weather, or researching new technologies that might be converted to help.
Needless to say, there wasn't much to find. He wasn't giving up though.
The second way to earn money was to work at the universities esteemed 'Gentlemans Club'. Men acted as bartenders, servers, and hosts. Women, on the other hand, found themselves wearing exotic clothes and performing as serving girls and dancers. Succubi thrived here. The amount one could earn entirely depended on how far one was willing to go. The more scandalous the attire, the more salacious they were willing to go, the more they could make. Some of the employees easily made a killing.
In truth, only a fraction of the workers there crossed the line, and officially, campus guidelines forbade such lewd acts. Regardless… It was an open secret that one could get a blowjob from the lamia girl who always worked on Wednesdays, or that one could enjoy a private booth with the twin succubi girls that worked on Friday if you were willing to tip them a little extra.
Theo only knew this from rumors, of course.
The third way to make a small fortune, was to compete in intramural sports like this one. Foxy boxing was the most popular thing on campus, and it was easy to see why. Originally started by wolfkin athletes who wanted to blow off steam, especially during breeding season, the sport seemed to take on a life of its own.
The rules were simple; the uniform was final, and no magic was allowed. There were of course others on the number of rounds, knockouts, and a point system, but those were just semantics compared to the first two.
Despite its name, it wasn't limited to wolfkin. The sport was segregated by gender only. As such, wolfkin seemed to have the most fun, with their natural athleticism. Humans could naturally keep up with them, pound for pound, and lamias were great at grappling, and binding their opponents. Succubi were tougher than they let on, and used their enchanting allure to fool their opponents. Vampires and elves were fast and agile, often having to weave around their opponents, rather than taking them on directly. No one wanted to fight an orc, unless they were crazy. Harpy's and dragonkin rarely fought, as they preferred to take to the air, which was frowned upon.
Theo had toyed with the idea of competing in the sport, at least to make a bit of extra money. Swimming, archery, marksmanship, and even thrashball all appealed to him, but there was something about a one-on-one fight in the ring that didn't make sense. The problem was, these fights restricted all magical arts. He wasn't permitted to use his shadow magic, and he wasn't about to fight without it.
So here he was, watching the fight from the gallery, all because his roomie just had to watch a couple of chicks wearing their ridiculous outfits.
The previous fight had been between a sophomore vampire girl, who was quite flexible, and a senior elf, who was remarkably agile herself. The two of them sharing jabs with the occasional uppercut for several rounds before the vampire landed hard on the mat.
Theo couldn't help but find that matchup interesting; two lithe opponents who were naturally gifted to be agile having to compete without magic to aid in their efforts.
This second pair of competitors were different. The crowds cheered as a stunningly attractive wolfkin girl walked onto the stage. She had tanned skin, pure white hair, and a flawless tail. Her fox-like ears were perked up, her elegant face betraying her tomboyish hair style. She had washboard abs, taught muscles, and the uniform showed off her arms and legs with all their splendor.
The human across from her, by contrast, looked like a brawler. She was taller, with short chestnut hair, broad shoulders, and scars covering her abdomen. Tattoos coated her arms, and her chest barely fit into the ensemble; the underside of her pliant breasts were showing.
There seemed to be a competition as to which looked best in the ridiculous fighting uniform. The stockings, the see-through mesh skirt, and the tight fitting tube-top shirt, fit them both differently. Theo had to admit it, the wolfkin's legs were spectacular, and the other woman's chest was… Something special.
The match was about to start, the lights were dimming around the stadium, as the spotlight focused on the main event.
"Not that I don't like seeing girls squirming their tops off, but… I'm not sure how I feel about them actually fighting each another." Theo grimaced as the bell rang.
The wolfkin was eager to rush forward.
Her opponent lept aside, and with a dancers grace, caught the other girl off guard.
This match was going to be short, Theo knew. Either the wolfkin was going to maintain momentum, or the taller woman was going to—
The crowd went wild as the human quickly got the upper hand. The way she moved, it was instinctual. This wasn't a student, Theo realized, but someone who knew how to fight.
A teacher perhaps? Theo wondered. Wait, were teachers allowed to compete?
Either way, it wouldn't take long.
The two began rolling around the stage, the wolfkin struggling to get a grip, while their sweaty clothes were slipping free.
"I don't know whether to be worried, or aroused?" Mike gasped, watching the spectacle.
Theo bit his lip. He turned away, his face feeling warm. "I'm going to get another bag of popcorn. Maybe this time they won't spoil it with freaking confetti. Want some?"
Mike didn't hear him; his attention was fixated.
Theo couldn't blame him. He eyed the fight for a moment longer. The older woman had pinned the wolfkin to the ground, and was already beginning to tear off her shirt. While the fight wouldn't end if either competitor was stripped, it certainly caused a lot of embarrassment. Most threw in the towel the moment that happened. Judging by the anger in the wolfkins eyes though… Theo wasn't sure she would give up, even if having to fight topless.
"I'll take that as a yes." Theo strolled away. He could hear the crowds applauded as more clothes were likely ripped off.
I really need to get laid, but this is going too far. Theo rubbed his wounded shoulder. Memories of thrashball flashed before his mind. It was stupid, thinking he could compete with those brawlers. It wasn't like he needed the extra money, so why did he even try to play?
Maybe I'm just getting bored… Theo sighed to himself.
Up further in the stands, a succubus girl hid amongst the pact onlookers. Her attention was solely fixated on Theo. She hadn't come for the match, and now that she saw that he was walking away, Lorelei was eager to follow.