Sapphire:Sessions:20151107
The group decides that they will enter Yasser (under the nom de guerre The Demolisher) into the arena fights. Chalker, using only the name Jackson, is his backer/manager, and Ahn-Lee and Branamin are his handlers. Molly provides Chalker with a letter of introduction to get Yasser placed on the next fight ticket. Dash drops a few hints into certain ears around the city to stir up speculation about the mysterious new fighter.
Taking a carriage to Bay Ridge, the group is met by a security contingent and checked for weapons. They are led into a building and through an archway (on one side of which is a figure carved in reddish jasper that looks like a spiked club). The arena is rectangular, with two tiers of seating arranged to look down into the combat area. The pit boss is Stacy Moss, a woman with a perpetual smirk on her face, who directs them to one of the small (10' x 10') cells leading into the combat area. There are eight bouts scheduled on tonight's card, and The Demolisher is to fight in the third. The matchups in the second round will be set by the pit boss.
Chalker and Ahn-Lee mingle with the rest of the attendees. Yasser waits stoically in the cell while Branamin and Dash examine the cell. Burning torches provide light, but there is no air movement or ventilation system. Something about a section of ornamental stone near the ceiling draws their attention; it "feels creepy." Climbing upon the protesting Branamin's shoulders, Dash easily breaks the stone away from the ceiling and smashes it on the floor. Immediately the cell door is magelocked. The pit boss demands that Chalker pay a fine for the damage, but refuses to explain the purpose of the broken object.
The Demolisher's fight is announced, with the betting odds at 4:1 against Yasser. Unlike the first two fights on the card which ran for several minutes each, it takes less than ten seconds for Yasser to trounce his opponent.
Yasser's second-round opponent is a giant of a man, standing fully nine feet tall. Despite the disparity in size, the odds against Yasser are only 2:1 (and each member of the group bets a substantial amount of gold on The Demolisher). The giant is a capable fighter, but Yasser's quickness and unexpected wrestling tactics soon have the giant lying prone on the arena floor, unconscious and seriously injured.