Chapter Text
Neuvillette despised the fighting rings.
A secret problem rampant in Fontaine but protected by all the wealth the nobles of the court poured into. Along with keeping the courthouse busy with frivolous squabbles that entertained the princess she rather much enjoyed the over the top spectacle than actually tackle real issues.
The main reason these fighting rings existed was well, the people who ended up in these situations weren’t those that will be missed.
Fontaine also had a rampant child abduction problem but most of the children taken from the streets were orphans or those of the poor, the rich didn’t bat an eye. If these children lived through their horrid childhoods long enough they end up here.
Neuvillette pulled the hood over his head more to conceal his identity. If the Chief Justice was found here all hell would break loose and while his moral compass wanted to tear this place to shreds he was here for a reason, something he is not happy to admit but needs to be done.
A sizable crowd is gathered around the ring, there are even elevated seats for the wealthy to watch and not be with the commoners. Neuvillette glances up and recognizes about a handful of lords and ladies that frequent the courthouse and are a part of high society. Bile rises up in his throat as he is surrounded by corruption.
This was the big match up, Neuvillette had heard the rumors and talks about how the champion has been undefeated for years. It was interesting to hear why, apparently he was a wolf hybrid.
Hybrids weren’t exactly rare, you just never saw them amongst the lower class in Fontaine. Neuvillette could count dozens of wealthy families who adopted hybrids off the street out of the goodness of their heart when it was all lies, perhaps maybe one or two families actually cared but usually these children were ripped from their parents arms and sold off.
Again, more corruption he was powerless to stop, but all in due time.
The announcer walked out to the middle of the ring and began his fanfare. Getting the crowd pumped up, it was actually stifling being in the pit so Neuvillette walked over to where a relatively empty raised bleacher was. Taking a seat he watched as the runner up entered the ring. It was hard to tell if some of these fighters were here against their will or volunteered to engage in combat that could end in death, some of the twisted enjoyed killing and here there were no consequences.
The opponent was a large man, looking to be perhaps a nobushi from Inzuma. Perhaps a paid fighter for a noble trying to rig the match in his favor.
Now for the champion to enter the ring, he was escorted in handcuffs, most likely a safety precaution.
Neuvillette could get a better look at this champion, he was riddled with scars all over his body, easy to see since he was shirtless. The man had black hair with streaks of gray, either natural or from premature graying due to stress, and of course the identifiers he was a hybrid. Wolf ears that seemed to blend into his hair and a tail the same coloring as his hair.
Neuvillette couldn’t get all the details from where he sat but this was good enough.
Already the bets were going off, ridiculous amounts of mora or this place currency of coupons were being called out.
The announcer finally introduced the undefeated champion as the Duke.
“Now gentlemen just remember the rules…there are no rules! Fight!”
The bell went off, the announcer practically threw himself out of the ring, the handcuffs were removed from the Duke, clattered to the ground and grabbed quickly by the handler.
It seemed the duke was fighting with his fists, pulling them up into a boxing stance. The samurai however drew out his long sword taking his own stance.
How unfair and absurd!
Neuvillette couldn’t believe the clear disadvantage the Duke had. He was obviously the ones here against his will if the chains were any indicator and he was just sent to a sword fight with no weapon except his fists. Just how many suffered an even more grim fate in this ring, who quietly died and will not be missed or given justice?
The two opponents in the ring have just been sizing each other up, ignoring the hollering from the crowd.
The samurai moves first, lunging fast with his sword to strike. The duke easily dodges and lands a blow to the samurai’s exposed ribs. The punch must have hurt as the samurai let out a grunt of pain, he tried to move to strike again with his sword but the Duke did a quick maneuver around his opponent landing more blows.
Neuvillette could see it already, this fight was already decided.
The Duke toyed with his opponent, easily moving out of the way from the sword strikes. It was starting to frustrate the samurai who raised his sword up with every intention to kill the Duke. The wolf reeled back his fist and aimed the punch right under the chin of the samurai in an uppercut. What happened next shocked Neuvillette to his core.
Frost coated the Duke’s fists creating gauntlets of thick ice. The blow landed with a sickening crack, most likely breaking the jaw of the samurai. An explosion of frost followed after freezing the samurai.
Everyone was shocked into silence especially when the duke coiled his fist up again, punched the samurai who was frozen solid and he crumbled into frozen pieces killing him.
It was so quiet only the dripping from the leaks in the ceiling were heard until everyone erupted in cheers or rage.
Neuvillette was startled by the loud noise, patrons happy they won while others mad they lost their money. One noble was throwing a chair lamenting how much mora he lost paying for the samurai and lost betting for him. No one batted an eye for the man just killed.
The duke summoned the ice away as his handlers approached, he let out a growl and snapped his sharp teeth at him. But his handler was hardly phased as he used his electro powers to shock the Duke into submission, the handcuffs were back on along with a spiked collar and muzzle. The Duke was taken away from the ring and towards the holding area.
Neuvillette sat up and descended down the bleacher stairs, ignoring everyone placing bets for the next fight after the mess in the ring was cleaned up.
“Boss, you have a visitor.”
“Didn’t I tell you I’m busy.” Dougier snapped at the man, occupied with counting his mora and coupons earned from the most recent fight.
“You might want to listen to this one boss.” The man’s next words didn’t come out as the hooded figure stepped inside and plopped himself down in a chair before Dougier.
The man pulled the hood back revealing familiar white hair anyone who lives in Fontaine would know in a heartbeat.
“Fetch us some water, I am quite parched.” Neuvillette ordered the man who let out a noise but closed the door leaving the two men alone.
Neuvillette looked at Dougier and narrowed his eyes.
“Well I’ll be, the Chief Justice of Fontaine honoring little ol me with his presence. I’m flattered, or are you just incredibly stupid Monsieur?”
“Unlike your fighters down here, Mister Dougier, if I go missing, all of Fontaine won’t hesitate to find me so you best drop the threats. I’m not here to shut you down.”
That caused the ringleader to raise a brow, the door opened and the requested water was brought, the fighting ring’s ‘holy water’ that was sold during matches. Neuvillette grabbed the bottle, opened it and took a whiff like he was sampling wine. Taking a sip and holding back the desire to throw the water up he set it down on the table. The man left the two back alone again.
“Then what brings you down to my corner of hell then chief? If it’s not to shut this operation down then I’m mighty curious you’re down here all alone.”
“That fighter, the Duke. I wish to purchase him.”
Out of everything Dougier would think the chief justice would say that was hardly on the list, his eyes widened as he digested the words.
“Pardon?”
“Do your ears need to be checked? I said I would like to purchase him. Since my legal authority can’t be used down here I will instead implore the methods of scum like you. Mora makes everything down here go round, so name your price.”
Dougier adjusted his tie hiding a cough. “Monsieur, I’m sure you saw today that the Duke is my biggest money earner, losing an asset like him, why the mora you have won’t possible cover for all of my future losses.”
Neuvillette narrowed his eyes. “Have you been taxed on that mora?”
Dougier raised a confused brow. “What?”
“Hmm, I am aware you have a hat making business, which is your cover up for the fighting ring. Though the hats you make are subpar and barely make you anything it seems you have another income you fail to make mention on your tax documents. Now I’m no mathematician but guessing from all the bets I heard while being made I think the amount earned was, and this is a rough estimate, three million mora? Now if you’re making that kind of money and not telling Fontaine about it well, then the marechaussee phantom will be at your business looking for all that missing mora and you know how good they are at their jobs.”
Neuvillette won’t be able to shut this place down by making a report but through tax evasion and if they happened to find evidence of the nefarious things done here well that's just icing on the cake.
Dougier is a smart man, given how he’s sweating in that gaudy suit.
“Now now there is no need to get rash here. I hear you, so let’s talk business.”
“I’m so glad you have come to understand Mister Dougier. I am aware I’ll be taking a valuable income earner so how does one hundred million mora sound?”
Dougier did a good job at hiding his surprise, that amount of mora is unheard of. The man cleared his throat with a cough. “I didn’t know our tax money was being used for dealings like this.”
“None of this mora is from the treasury, this is a personal purchase.” With how old Neuvillette is hoarding away and ridiculous amounts of mora was easy. “I have a down payment of fifty million mora on me right now, the rest will be brought on a later date.”
Though there will be no second payment as in three months time Neuvillette will make the anonymous whistleblower report and this place will come crumbling down.
“That is perfectly suitable, it will be sad to see the Duke go but I’m sure you’ll enjoy him. I’ll draft up a contract, you sit tight, I'll have the boys get him ready. You do wish to examine the product before purchasing?”
It made Neuvillette’s skin crawl to hear a human being being spoken like this but he nodded his head.
Neuvillette was escorted by Dougier to where they were holding the Duke. It was borderline prison cells with more captives. Neuvillette dawned his hood again to not get the other fighters antsy.
“We spruced him up for you.” Dougier commented as he opened the door with a key and let Neuvillette inside.
Stopping short at the sight before him.
Both arms strung up in what Neuvillette could deduce were silver chains the Duke was put on display, void of any clothing.
Neuvillette kept his eyes focused on the face of the man who perked up when Dougier entered. Snarling at the man, his hair bristling and ears drawn back.
“Ain’t he a mighty fine specimen your honor? Can hardly find a more good looking hybrid, especially a wolf in these parts.” Wolves were more abundant in Monstadt or Snezhnaya, human trafficking didn’t seem like a crime above someone like Dougier.
The man went over to the Duke, grabbed his face to make the hybrid look at Neuvillette.
This close Neuvillette could see his facial features better.
The duke had icy blue eyes, a scar under one of them, sharp chiseled features. Obvious sharp canines that looked ready to tear one of Dougier’s fingers off but the Duke must have immense self restraint.
“We don’t know his age however, when he came to me his previous handlers weren’t too sure. My medics believe he may be late twenties early thirties.” Dougier removed his hand and stepped back letting Neuvillette inspect the merchandise.
Neuvillette approached, pulling back his hood so the Duke could look at him better. There wasn’t any kind of emotion behind those eyes, except an instinctual urge to raise his hackles and bare teeth.
An appropriate reaction face to face with an apex predator.
Neuvillette reached a gloved hand out and gently touched the Duke’s chest, feeling the thrum of cryo, this one blessed by the Winter Sovereign. Pulling his hand away before frost appeared and perhaps making the Duke uncomfortable with the cold.
“I assume you have a binding spell in place.”
“You assumed correctly your honor, only way to keep an animal like him obedient. Of course once you hand over the deposit I’ll transfer the hold to you.” Dougier held up his hand, on the middle finger was a ring.
There were different methods to bind a soul to someone, the practice was rather taboo and one found supplying methods of this archaic practice could face jail time. Neuvillette narrowed his eyes to get a better look and this spell seemed to be that of blood binding. There must be a mark somewhere on the Duke’s body where the cut was made, his blood collected, a mark placed and the blood condensed into the gem on Dougier’s finger.
Sparing one last look at the Duke, Neuvillette pulled out the heavy pouch of mora. Dougier smiled, taking off the ring.
The exchange was quick, Neuvillette pulled off his glove to place the ring on. Now the Duke was under his control, a necessary evil for now.
“Pleasure doing business with you, your honor, you can find your way out.”
Dougier not wanting to stick around exited the cell, on the way out pulling on a lever that dropped the chains, the shackles remained but the Duke was no longer held up.
Neuvillette and him shared some tense eye contact for a few minutes.
“Shift.”
Testing the command and hold of the seal on the Duke. The fighter went on all fours and shifted into that of a large black wolf. Shaking the shackles off that didn’t fit his canine wrists. This form is another reason why hybrids are so sought after.
Neuvillette pulled the cloak back over his head, hiding his hair. “Follow.”
Unable to deny his new master, the duke followed.