An underground fight event in Port Laveau drew more than two dozen onlookers last night. Competitors from across the bayou entered a makeshift pit to settle scores with folding chairs and bare fists. Two bouts were staged under a local organizer affiliated with a criminal outfit, with bets exchanging hands openly.

In the second bout, a newcomer was battered into unconsciousness, blood streaming from his head and mouth, before a clinic worker checked his pulse. Affiliates of three rival organizations, including members of the Nocturne and the Tenebrae, were present in the same room, watching and betting.

Sheriff's Office sources note this is not the first time a single venue has served as neutral ground for Port Laveau's most dangerous residents. A department spokesperson said: 'Those who seek the pit find it. Those who run it answer to something older than law.'