Falling For The Gentle Devil Of New York

Lara Axgorn.

It’s Monday noon.

Lara stood at the center of the fighting arena known as The Pit, her body tense and alert.

She wasn’t just standing in any ordinary place—this was an underground world of savagery, where bloodshed was entertainment.

Through the gaps in the steel cage surrounding her, her eyes roved over the crowd of men and women shouting for blood.

The Pit was stifling.

Not just from bodies packed into the windowless room, but from the heat of fury and desperation oozing from the crowd.

It was mid-October, but the room felt like the depths of a midsummer hell.

The air was thick, suffocating, laced with the smell of cigarettes, stale sweat, and cheap booze.

Freddie Mercury’s ‘We Will Rock You’ blared from speakers mounted in each corner of the room, the rhythm rolling with the stomps and chants of the crowd.

This place thrived on violence. On bloodshed.

But there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

Because even the most influential folks in New York couldn’t resist the lure of the Pit.

You’d see powerful, moneyed people betting on the fighters—some covertly, others openly.

The fight announcer entered the cage and came over to her.

“Hey, you okay, kid? You still wanna go through with this? I can call it off if you want,” he said, fast-talking like Harrison Page in Lionheart. He had the kind of nervous energy that came from knowing you profited off the pain of others.

“We’ve been over this. I’m going ahead with it. Stop whining,” she replied, her tone hard and final.

Feck looked at her, his face a mixture of confusion and awe.

“Geez, you know, I’ve never seen a girl come in here to do this. It’s… it’s totally mind-blowing,” he said, glancing toward the crowd. “You see'em? They’re going nuts'cause they’ve never seen anything like this before. Sawbones is gonna kill you. He’ll crack your skull open, kid. It was a mistake letting you in. I think I should call this fight off.”

Lara looked at the man intensely.

“Williams Feck, right?” When he nodded, she continued, “Listen to me, Mr. Feck. If you call this fight off, I’m gonna make you regret all your money-making days running this dump!”

Feck paled, his mouth falling open slightly.

This girl scared him. And she should.

Something in the way she carried herself, something unspoken, told him she wasn’t bluffing.

He had a bad feeling about her, like she was more dangerous than any fighter he’d ever seen.

"Okay, I’m not calling it off," he muttered.

Lara gave him a smile, but there was no warmth in it. “Good. Now get out of my sight.”

As Feck scurried away, Lara’s focus returned to the entrance where her opponent would emerge.

The cheers of the crowd swelled as the door creaked open.

But Larissa Nyx Axgorn wasn’t just any fighter.

At just 21, she was one of the Firstborns of the Axgorn Clan—a lineage feared for their extraordinary natural fighting skills and unique mythical ability known as Emosunder.

This deadly ability allowed them to transform their intense emotions—anger, rage, hatred—into formidable, tangible weapons that could manifest as blades, shields, or even bursts of energy in combat.

But with this great power came a curse.

Each Firstborn inherited a darkness that lurked deep within, a part of their soul that could consume them if they weren’t careful.

Lara had given her darkness a name: Lilly. And right now, Lilly was silent. Waiting. Ready.

Participating in underground fights, especially in a place like the Pit, was strictly forbidden for the bloodlines of the superpowered clans, with severe punishment awaiting anyone who broke this rule.

That was why Lara had given Mr. Feck a false name to conceal her identity. She was here for a specific reason—a deeply personal one.

The Pit's fights weren’t broadcasted to the outside world due to their gore and brutality, which gave her some comfort.

Thankfully, the Talkers—clad in frightening black overcoats and raven-shaped helmets who acted as watchdogs for the clans—weren’t allowed here.

If they saw her, they would report back to their headquarters, the NYT (New York Talkers), who would, in turn, notify the clan leaders.

The leaders would then decide the necessary punishment for breaking the law.

Just then, the crowd exploded with vigorous energy as a mountain of a man entered the steel cage.

His name was Sawbones. The champion of The Pit.

He was a brute—huge, with muscles bulging beneath his black studded jacket and leather pants. His face, scarred by a knife wound, was twisted into a permanent sneer.

His fists were the size of melons, and his eyes were bloodshot, like a rabid animal itching for violence.

The crowd chanted his name in a frenzy.

“Sawbones! Sawbones!”

Sawbones towered over Lara, his eyes narrowing as they stared into hers. He was surprised.

She was taller than most women he’d seen—nearly 5’9” with a body built for combat, wearing a black singlet vest tucked into leather pants and boots.

Her oval, beautiful face, framed by thick black hair tied back into a ponytail, and her cold blue eyes stared right back into his, unafraid. Challenging.

“What the hell are you doing here? You wanna die?” Sawbones growled, his voice loud as the sound of a cannon.

Lara said nothing, her eyes boring into him.

Sawbones narrowed his eyes on her.

For a girl, the raw confidence and bravery she radiated were overwhelming.

It was disturbing.

“Where’s your mummy?”

“Leave my mummy outta this! Let’s fight! I wanna get this over with.”

He leaned in closer, grinning to reveal teeth that were yellowed and sharp.

“You’ve got a big mouth. I don’t wanna mess up that pretty face of yours,” he taunted, reaching out to touch her.

Before he could lay a hand on her, Lara’s reflexes kicked in.

She grabbed his wrist, twisting it with enough force to make him wince.

“Touch me again, and I’ll break every bone in your hand,” she said through gritted teeth.

Sawbones’ face twisted with fury, but beneath the rage was something else: fear.

For the first time, the giant realized this girl wasn’t scared of him. And that made her dangerous.

Feck hurried over, sensing the tension between the two.

“Any problems?” he asked, his voice shaky.

Sawbones didn’t take his eyes off Lara as he answered.

“No problems, Feck. In fact, I’m looking forward to this. It’s gonna be the fight of my life,” he said, stepping back with a wicked grin. He raised his arms, feeding off the crowd’s cheers.

“Sawbones’ gonna crush you, kid. I was a bloody fool for agreeing to this,” Mr. Feck lamented.

Lara’s face tightened.

“We had a deal. Quit whining and think of the cash. I'm here to make money for you. You got a problem with that?” Mr. Feck shook his head vigorously. “Then put that damn mic in your mouth and do your job.”

Mr. Feck scurried away from her.

Lara’s heart pounded, but it wasn’t fear that gripped her—it was anticipation.

The fight hadn’t even started, and already she could feel Lilly stirring inside her, ready to be unleashed.

Mr. Feck lifted the mic with a grin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s a special night! In the Pit for the first time—170 pounds of raw power and pure grit. She’s here to conquer. She’s here to destroy. Give it up for the unstoppable savage—Nikita.”

Lara smiled to herself, recalling the fake name she'd given Feck.

When he’d asked for her name, the name of a heroine from a movie she'd seen had popped into her head.

The crowd erupted with boos, catcalls, and a few applause.

Some threw handkerchiefs, crumpled papers, tissues, and empty beer cans at Lara.

Someone from the crowd yelled, “She’s just a kid, Sawbones! Go easy on her, will ya?”

Mr. Feck continued.

“Remember, fighters! This is a fight to the finish. Total knockout! Only one fighter’s walking out victorious! Let’s get down to business! It’s showtimeeeee!”

As Mr. Feck finished his speech, ‘Prodigy - Breathe’blasted from the speakers, shaking the room and driving the crowd into a frenzy.

He came over to where Lara stood.

“Good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it,” he said, then left the steel cage.

Lara inclined her head but said nothing.

As Feck's words echoed through the arena, Lara’s gaze wandered to the far side of the room.

She glanced around quickly.

Her sharp eyes rested on a man sitting in the farthest corner of the room.

The man wore an expensive, tailored white suit. His mouth was set in a tight, vicious expression, and his black, beady eyes glared at her with intense hostility.

Irritated by the vile expression on the stranger’s face, Lara turned her head—and that’s when she saw him.

Griffin Cubson…

It was actually Griffin Cubson!

One of the super-powered heirs from an enemy's bloodline clan was here too!

She stiffened, clenching her jaw.

What the hell is he doing here? Why’d he risk being here too?

Sawbones noticed Lara was distracted.

He tightened his fists with vicious intent.

In that moment of distraction, Sawbones, with the speed of a jungle cat, lunged at her.

Sawbones.

The crowd continued to yell for a fight but Lara didn’t hear them.

Even when Mr Feck was bawling into his hand mike that the fight had started, she still didn’t hear him. 

She couldn’t keep her eyes off Griffin.

Why’d he come here? she wondered. And how? How did he find out about this place? Through the steel cage, his eyes glued to her, excitedly confused.

Then a wild, scared look appeared on his face. 

Amidst the noise of the crowd, his voice rang out; 

“Lara! He’s coming for you! Look!” He was pointing agitatedly at Sawbones. 

That moment, Lara’s senses kicked in.

She became aware of where she was.

But it was too late. 

As she turned her head to look at Sawbones, a hard punch landed on her face. 

The punch threw her off her feet and flung her to the cold floor.

Myriads of blinding colors began to flash across her eyes.

She lay on the floor, dazed, momentarily stunned.  

The crowd went mad with excitement. 

They never expected a fast knockdown like that in just a few seconds.

They were all screaming for Sawbones to go in and finish the girl. 

Sawbones was standing just a few feet from Lara. There was no pity in his eyes. 

“Come on! Get your ass up! I still want a piece of you! Get up,” he yelled.

Lara slowly rose from the ground.

She shook her head vigorously to clear the fuzziness in her head.

 She remained on her hands and knees, looking up at Sawbones, a glazed stare in her eyes.

Her heart was beating very fast. Her breasts rising and falling. 

She tasted something metallic on her tongue—blood, maybe.

Damn it, you fool, she thought, what are you trying to do, catching me off guard like that? Trying to scare me? Do you even know what I could do to you if you scare me? Do you know what fear makes me do, you idiot? 

That familiar voice—the voice of Lilly—stirred in the back of her mind, cold and relentless.

He has to be destroyed! It whispered, clawing inside her. He strikes when you're unaware. He’s a bad man. Bad people deserve to be punished. For your sake, l’ll deal with him—l”ll end him. 

Her muscles tensed as her dark side beseeched Lara to be unleashed, but she couldn’t let it happen.

She couldn’t let that part of her take over.

It would destroy Sawbones. 

Back off, Lilly! She said to that voice in her. Back off now! 

“Come on, girl! Don’t you want a piece of this?” Sawbones continued to yell, closing and opening his huge fists. 

After a few moments of inner battles with her dark side, Lara finally got to her feet.

 The crowd was screaming wildly like animals.

 They couldn’t believe their eyes. How the hell did this girl come back from that solid punch? 

Even Mr Feck was screaming into his hand mike saying he had never seen anyone come back from that kind of punch. 

“Is that all you got?” Lara said to Sawbones.  She was grinning at him. 

“What the fuck?” Sawbones yelled. “When I hit you, you stay down!” and he rushed at her. 

Lara didn’t even move. She kept on grinning.

Sawbones reached her. His closed fist swung up and round towards her head. Lara weaved her head aside. 

Sawbones’s fist hit space.

Swiftly, he launched another punch at her face, intending to smack her down.

Lara dodged the blow.

She jumped, raised her leg and released a powerful swiping kick. 

The kick was so hard that it sounded like a .32 handgun going off at a close range as it hit Sawbones right on his face.

For a man of his build, he lost balance. 

He thudded to the floor, and lay gasping. 

A terrifying scream erupted among the crowd. 

Mr Feck was screaming so loud into his hand mike, you will know he would definitely need a throat reliever after that fight. 

Sawbones got to his feet. 

His face was black with fury. There was water in his eyes. The kick hurt like and he damn well knew it.

 He pointed a trembling finger at Lara. 

“You will pay for that,” he gasped. 

 He came at Lara again, half-crazy with rage. He raised a tightened powerful fist and launched it at her. 

Lara stepped back and the fist went past her face. 

Sawbones threw another violent punch.

She dodged it again.

Sawbones went mad.

He swung his closed fists, raining it frantically at Lara’s face; powerful, energy-sapping punches.

 Lara dodged them all. 

After a while, Sawbones got tired of throwing punches.

Sweets was rolling off him. His chest was rising and falling.

He was panting like a dog that had run the length and breadth of a football field. 

“Who the hell are you?” He wailed, his eyes looking strangely at Lara. 

“Are you here to talk or give your fans a good show for their money?” She snapped at him. “Come on, give’em all you got!” She screamed at him. 

“You cocky little brat! You will regret this!” he snarled.

 He came at her again.

He launched a kick at her.

Lara bent down and the kick went over her head.

Then she tapped a solid punch to Sawbones’s belly. 

The punch sent Sawbones staggering.

He fell on his hands and feet. There was a look of utter disbelief on his ugly face as he fell. 

 The crowd went mad again. 

This was something they had never seen in all their Pit fights watching days.

 Some of them were screaming Lara’s name, while others were yelling at Sawbones to get up and fight like a man. 

Lara stole a quick glance at Griffin.

He was watching her, smiling, his eyes filled with awe and respect.

He was an enemy of her clan—someone she was supposed to hate—but the encouragement in his gaze only fueled her strength and confidence.

She turned to look at Sawbones.  

Sawbones got to his feet again, but the agility and confidence he once had were gone.

He swung his fists at her, snarling and cursing, but Lara could see how tired and scared he was from the wild, desperate punches.

All he could think about was landing a sucker punch to bring her down.

He was not here to entertain.

Neither was she. Instead of stepping back from his punches, she moved closer.

Each time he aimed a punch at her face, she dodged and countered with a quick punch.

When he threw another punch, she wove around it and struck back. 

She kept throwing punches at his face.

When he tried to shield his face, she delivered a solid blow to his belly.

As his hands dropped to protect his midsection, she seized the opportunity and landed another powerful punch to his face.

The crowd was really enjoying these antics. They kept on screaming like mad men. 

Sawbones’s face was twice swollen now and red as a ripe boil. 

Blood was running down his nose like catarrh.

He kept swearing at her, calling her every derogatory name that is stored in the in-built memory card of his brain.

It must have dawned on him that this girl was going to win this fight, and in a maddening fit of rage and desperation, he suddenly released a powerful kick. 

The kick caught Lara on her face. 

She dropped to the floor as if pole-axed. For the first three seconds, she was out. 

The crowds heaved to their feet.

They screamed and rocked, yelling for Sawbones  to finish her. 

Sawbones was yelling, a comical insane expression on his face; 

“This is my world. I rule here. No one beats me. See her? I’m going to turn her face into tomato paste."

Lara opened her eyes and found herself flat on the floor, looking right up at Griffin.

Griffin was on his feet, amongst the crowd, his eyes wild and frightened.

Their eyes met, and Griffin started screaming at her; 

“Get up. Get up and fight! You’ve come this far!” 

Half the ringside crowd, those who had placed their bets on Lara, were on their feet, screaming for her to get up. 

Griffin was agitated.

At that moment, the fact that Lara was an enemy of his clan didn’t even cross his mind.

All he wanted was to help her, to save her from this demonic, brutish giant.  

But how? How could he do it without breaking the fight rules? Without making things worse for her? Without blowing his own cover?  

Encourage her. Let her know she could do this. Let her know she could win.  

Yes! That was the only thing he could do.

It wasn’t much, but it was something—because right now, she needed every ounce of support she could get.  

Without thinking twice, Griffin shoved his way through the crowd, pushing toward the ring.

He reached the steel cage where Lara lay inside, gripping the bars tightly, his knuckles turning white as he yelled:  

“Come on, Lara! You can do this—I know you can! If you don’t get up, he’s going to kill you! This is your fight, Lara. Win it and send these blood thirsty bastards home!” 

His face twisted with anxiety, anger, and desperation—all of which seemed to electrify Lara.

It was exactly what she needed.  

Even though she had come here hoping not to be recognized, seeing a familiar face—his face—gave her something to hold onto.  

Slowly, with tremendous effort, she rose to her feet.

She readjusted the bloodied tape on her hands, then clenched them into tight fists.

Raising one hand in a combative stance toward Sawbones, she smiled wickedly. 

“Playtime’s over, big boy. It’s time for you to realize who you’re fighting.”

Sawbones face contorted with raw fury.

“You just won’t fucking stay down!” He charged at her, fist raised in a brutal arc.

As Sawbones rushed forward, Lara built momentum and leapt.

Her body-wrecking kick slammed into his chest, sending him staggering back with a scream of pain.

Before he could recover, she drove a crushing knee into his jaw.

The massive, monstrous Sawbones toppled like a felled tree.

Blood mixed with shards of shattered teeth sprayed from his mouth as he crashed face-first onto the floor.

He didn’t move.

His body lay still—motionless, like a corpse.

Lara stared at the unmoving form, her chest rising and falling from exhilaration. 

A deafening silence gripped the crowd.

No one moved. No one spoke.

They stared, horrified, at the brutal handiwork of Lara.

The chorus of Prodigy's "Breathe" echoed in the background: “Breathe the pressure, come play my game, I’ll test ya.”

Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a voice whispered, “Is he... dead?”