Hathian Ring Event - "Fight Night 1: Settle The Score"

Please be advised that what you are about to read contains graphic descriptions of sex, violence, animal cruelty and potential homicide.

I was asked by the Hathian Observer to attend the first event held by the Hathian Ring, an underground events organizer. I can’t say I was too thrilled about it, the contact that had gotten the ticket on our behalf had warned me that this was “not for you” and how a male colleague would be best attending, and I really understand his concerns now, having been to the first event. No doubt expected to attend and report on future events, I may be better equipped for the trauma visually and sensually (the smell of beer, tobacco, sweat and blood is not one I will forget in a hurry).

The event started out auspiciously. I arrived early to secure an interview with a member of staff and was met by a protester outside decrying the event and proclaiming all in attendance as well as those holding the event as sinners, blasphemers and, well, you get the idea. Seeing it was a man of the cloth (Local ‘God’ bother the Reverend Maddox Martin), I approached him and asked what his problem with this event.

- - “REPENT SINNERS! THE LORD WILL HAVE HIS WAY WITH YOU! HE WILL BATHE YOU IN HIS HOLY SEED OF SALVATION, IF YOU ONLY REPENT! FALL DOWN ON YOUR KNEES, SINNERS AND BEG HIM TO COME TO YOU! ALLOW HIM TO COME TO YOUR FACE AND BATHE IT WITH HIS MAGNIFICENCE! REPENT!”

The Reverend referred to the publicity posters as being “vile,” though to an impartial eye, there was nothing all that offensive about them, though he continued to describe it as a place of “sinnery” and a “vile temple of Satan,” and described those inside as “Philistines,” “Sinners.” Apparently, though, women driving was also a sin. This was not a good sign for things to come, but another lady showed up and escorted the Reverend from the area for his own welfare after he had attacked me with his little cardboard placard like we were in 5th Grade. His protests had caught the attention of a less than impressed security officer at the door. A representative of the Hathian Ring came out, and the lady gave a run-down of the events: a sex show, music by the local unsigned recording artist Cash ‘The Don’ Ramirez (I would highly recommend his new CD “Up Next” which is out now), a cage fight a mix of MMA/UFC type no holds barred fight, and a final event. I was also advised it would be better to redact names and references to outside lives of those to keep the anonymity of the patrons of the Ring, and of course that being a journalist, I would probably be best keeping to myself.

I entered the building and gave my ticket to the security, whom the description “a bulldog chewing a wasp” was made for, his gruff demeanour and the dog at his side gave no doubts that this was truly stepping into the unknown. I made my way through the curtain and was met with a bar ahead, a few people already ordering drinks, to it’s left the wooden bleaches where I found my seat, had a smoke and prepared my notepad as the introductions were made. There was a palpable feeling of expectation and a buzz was already spreading through the audience as more people started to fill in the seat. I would not like to guess how many people were there, but it seemed to fill out quickly. I saw a variety of people from all walks of Hathian society in attendance, very few I recognized, and those I did, I know just from seeing on the streets of Hathian rather than actually personally knowing them.

To start off with a man, well built and muscular, and a smaller maybe younger woman came out and started to dance. The woman seemed nervous to start with and the dancers slowly started to get accustomed to each other, to me it looked like they were new partners so could just be by the next show they are more accustomed to working with each other. It was not long before the dancing soon became a strip-tease as the man awkwardly started to strip the woman. He started dancing close to her, and they seemed to be gradually getting more into the performance; I swear I even saw a few smiles a sure sign that they were enjoying their act. The announcer made the announcement that they needed to spice it up and add some “heat,” suggesting the man rip the woman’s clothes off, which he duly did, and she reciprocated by undressing him, too. It’s at this point things go all sorts of messed up, they seem to be licking each other and preparing for sex, but the woman seems very reluctant, the man seems to know what is coming, she doesn’t, and so the attempt at sex comes across, well, more rapey than two performers trying to screw each other.

The announcer also looks a little confused, as this didn’t seem to be going as part of the act, and it all descended into farce a little as she announced the next attraction and out into this, dressed in what was obviously an orange jumpsuit bearing the Hathian Police Department badge on it’s chest, walks local recording artist, and as of writing, still to be signed local musician Cash ‘The Don’ Ramirez. The shot of what sounds like a high powered hand gun blasts over the P.A. announcing his arrival lights marked him out as the intro played a shout of “hurry the fuck up” and cop sirens wailing as he starts off breaking into “Anti You,” the second track of his latest album “Up Next.”

“Anti You” is a hard beat driven tack, a mix of tight hip-hop/rap lyrics spat out over heavy rock guitars with the keyboards and percussion melding it all into one of the many great tracks on the album, is one of the more well known tracks on “The Don’s” latest album and is a often requested track on local radio.

Next was “UP” that followed in the same vein as the previous track, the guitars muted giving it a heavy drum and base influence driving the music forward while the guitar and keyboards mirror a melodic backing track complimenting each other, the vocals in the “Crunk” style are shouted giving more emphasis to the lyrics.

Third up was “Cemetery”, a ballad reflected by the slowed down tempo, the guitars resemble a more Southern Rock feel to their sound, but with an RnB style to the melody giving you that impression that it is all laid back and sedated especially with the drums following suit. A haunting discordant melody weaves its way out of through the verses and the choruses of this song. The end of it finds the music slowly passing into silence while that melody continues and eventually just rings out, matching the tone of the beeping the heart monitor heard in the intro. His singing is mournful and brooding for this track, giving the over all feel of a funeral dirge.

“Girl” music wise continues in a similar vein and is much the same as Cemetery, a ballad, with the melody being a bit happier, more catchy than cemetery which is a leaning towards a dirge. This song sounds more sweet and the vocals reflect it as well, unlike Cemetery, is not RnB; its a rock ballad with a simple 4/4 rap beat behind it.

Finally for an encore came the ultra pissed off, “End it All Today,” the vocals barked with aggression and malice. The guitar work here is more distorted, heavy, muted and a bit more technical. The drums are hard hitting and steady following closely to what’s being played by the guitars and bass, a much more metal sounding track. The keyboards are in opposition to what’s being played with the guitar, stretching from measure to measure one note at a time and melodic. This song literally sounds like a wall of sound so much so that when it ends, which is abruptly, it makes the silence after its ending seem deafening before the crowd reaction fills in the void. With the set over came the third part of the nights entertainment, and, this is where it became much more sicker.

The next event was the cage fight, between a man well-built muscular tattooed man in his mid-to late 20’s I would have to guess, against a woman who may have been a little younger, was much smaller, and certainly looked to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and one of the guard dogs that had been used on the front door as tickets were taken from those in attendance. The man was bought in first and it seemed a few people knew him. It also seemed like there was concern for his welfare as it appeared he was under the influence of some sort of rage inducing drugs.

The fight started off with the man trying to attack the woman by shoving her into the wire of the cage in an attempt no doubt to wind her and give him an early advantage, but she managed to avoid it and hit him clearly in his groin, his mashed spuds however were nothing compared to the pain the woman would then feel as the dog bit into her leg, not sure how you would even tell an animal which side it was on, but the dog must have decided pretty early it was the pack alpha and on it’s own side, or maybe she had kicked it on the way in who’s to know. Then, in what can only be described as Hathian does the Three Stooges, the dog had bitten the man, so he kicks the dog, and the woman kicks the man and punches him in the balls, and the dog then bites the woman, if he wasn’t already half loopy from whatever he’d been given to take two punches to the plums would certainly make him quite unbalanced you’d imagine.

However, the fun and games were little more than failed attempts to inflict real damage and real blood shed, as the rabid man bit until this quite seemingly quite stable dog and the dog bit him back streaking the ring with blood but things got so much worse. The woman was trying to break the man’s leg with a stomp, but it had little to no effect as he bit the dog again, and picking it up used it to bludgeon the woman till the poor dog had been killed. The ring was covered in blood from all three combatants by then as the man tore the lifeless dog in two, spraying himself and the ring with it’s innards. The man seemed to be so out of it that the woman was pummeling him with him seemingly shrugging off the heavy blows, though she did make a hell of an impact on him, he somehow managed to struggle to stand despite an obvious broken ankle from the amount of kicks the woman had laid into him.

I must admit to have turned away and only glanced back by this point, busy drinking to forget as the man was eventually declared the winner after hitting the woman in the crotch with part of the dog. By this time, I had my head in a bucket throwing up and could not watch this wanton act of animal cruelty. It also has to be said to the credit of some, that it had become too much for some of the audience, who had also left, willing to watch two humans rip themselves apart, but like myself drawing the line at cruelty towards animals. I had seen enough myself, and found my way onto the street for some fresh air and to try getting rid of the sick feeling I had in the pit of my stomach about what had just happened. I have since learned from an unnamed source that this however was not the end of the nights proceedings.

As I was leaving, a heavily beaten woman was being brought out to the ring area, there were rumours that she was a known kidnapper who had tried to abduct others locally. From what I later learned, the woman appeared like she had been brutally tortured and showed scars and open wounds to indicate this may have been going on right up to the event itself. The woman was not limping, but the leg looked dead and gelatinous with what appeared to be a broken or fractured leg as well has numerous broken fingers and looked to have had both her arms broken too, her face was beaten black and blue and showed signs of heavy bruising and was covered in blood from open wounds. She had a blood coming from her mouth and it appeared her tongue may have been cut out or her mouth had been mutilated. She was paraded around the ring before a knife was drawn out and the woman was brutally beheaded with it, pretty much hacking through the neck till the head was lose in what can only be described as one of the sickest acts the Hathian Observer has ever reported on. As if that was bad enough, the woman was stabbed in the chest and her heart was ripped ou, taken by one of the people in attendance there.

One thing that had stood out about the event was the strange site of a old man on the balcony above the entrance over seeing everything, sitting on what looked to be a throne, surrounded by very attractive young women in chains with a few members of staff seemingly at hand should he require anything at all, who was vocally getting involved during parts of the event. While I have not seen the man before it does beg the question of who he was and how did he hold such sway over the event? Only time will tell if this man’s identity is revealed.