There was no escape from The Pit.

Heavy metal doors locked behind me; walls of dirt and stone surrounded me. Unless I sprouted wings, I didn't expect to be able to leave this place. Whatever Zakren Lifdol decided to throw at us, we would face.

My skin seemed to be burning, hot and tight around my bones. However, my pulse stayed even. The crowd was a constant roar in my ears, making me dizzy.

"WELCOME!" came Lifdol's voice, amplified and echoing throughout the stadium. "ANOTHER NIGHT BRINGS US NEW BLOOD! I GIVE YOU CAIN, THE BLIND—AND AN OLD FRIEND, BLOODY ERIC!" The people in the stands grew even louder at his introduction.

Eric chuckled nervously next to me. "Old? I've only been here a month." I squeezed my axe a little tighter at his words.

"FACING THESE TWO ARE THE ANIMALS YOU KNOW AND LOVE—CROVIANS!" Some cheers, some groans. "DON'T WORRY; WE WON'T MAKE THIS EASY FOR THEM." Zakren's booming laughter was the last thing out of him.

From the opposite side of the pit, I heard the creaking of doors opening wide, probably a match to the ones behind me.

"Shit," Eric muttered.

"Eric, what's a crovian? How many are there?" I quickly asked him.

"You don't know what a crovian is?" he laughed a little hysterically. "Fuckin' figures. Crovians live outside the walls, in the sand. They're skinny but fast, running on four legs. But their front arms are more like humans, except for the fact that they end in three claws that will gut you in a second." He took a breath, and across the pit, I began to hear the sounds of multiple animal steps over the sand.

"Don't ever let a crovian's mouth near you. Their jaws are massive, and once one bites down it won't let go. Well, by then, you'll probably be dead 'cause the fucker's teeth are about the length of your hand."

Eric sliced his sword through the air, and it whistled like a scream. "That crazy bastard Lifdol has put 4 against you and me, and they've already spotted us."

"Anything I should know about them that will help?" I asked.

"Sure. Crovians don't work well together. Not a lot to eat out in the desert—makes it hard to be friendly even with your own species. They're loners by nature, so there might even be some conflict amongst themselves." Eric took a deep breath, bracing himself. "Get ready."

I did as he said, focusing my ears on the feet that padded and scraped along the pit floor. They had sped up, much closer than before. The crowd watching was still an annoying distraction, like a fly the size of my fist buzzing directly in my ear.

The crovians stopped only a few feet away from us, slowly shuffling to the sides and closer. I tried to imagine a mix between a hyena and a gorilla, wondering how it would first attack. But there was no time for that.

It moved fast. Eric's comment hadn't done justice to its speed, and we barely dodged as it shot between us, sand flying into the air. It turned on Eric, and before I could think, another was coming for me. Its growl rumbled through my chest, and its arm swiped for my head.

The wind from the crovian's first strike was still making my hair sway as it tried again. Under I ducked, coarse fur brushing my forehead. I swung my axe up as I straightened, aiming for the arm the crovian was pulling back.

No hit.

Another crovian came from the side, aiming for my stomach with a snapping mouth. I swung at its head, whistling metal only hitting air.

How does one enhance dexterity? To make muscles move faster than they are capable, with more control than is possible. How do you dodge speed?

The first crovian lunged for my legs while the other circled back. A razor claw grazed my calf, hooking on my flesh. I groaned but still swung my axe down at that arm.

A split second had me activating [Silent Blade]. A swift blade that will not be heard.

It delivered, a pained screech ringing through my head while blood splattered onto my arms. Some dripped down my nose to my lips.

Unconsciously, my tongue flicked out.

The other crovian took the chance to jump at me, a fierce ball of pure muscle, skin, and bone. I tried to move out of the way, but its claws hooked onto my right shoulder—almost like a hand—and pushed me down.

Despite the burning in my shoulder, I swung at its side as the creature attempted to flatten me against the ground. With a wet thunk, my axe sunk past its skin, somewhere near its stomach.

It screeched, long and low, and my ears began to ring. Its heavy weight finally managed to push me down, and the crovian laid half on top of me.

Mangled fur that reeked of sun and burnt flesh entered my nose and mouth; three claws sunk even deeper into my shoulder, pushed in by the crovian's own weight. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, and it felt as if I were dead.

I could not move mountains, despite how much I tried. My hoarse yell was lost in the crovian's mass and its wet, ragged breaths. My arms strained up—one weak from the knives in my shoulder. Then, pushing with my body, I rolled until I had switched positions with the animal.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

With shaking arms, I lifted myself up, and the crovian's claws slid out of my arm, feeling as if they grazed past the bone.

I could feel the other crovian approaching from behind my kneeling form, slower and clumsier over the ground after my axe had almost taken its arm off. It dragged along the ground, sounding like a snake.

Rolling to the side as it lunged, the creature landed on its dead companion instead of me with a pained screech. Then, with a burst of adrenaline fueled by the panic that I would not get another chance to finish this, I jumped on the crovian's back as it attempted to regain its footing. The knife from my pocket was already in my hand.

It threw itself back with anger, howling at what I imagined to be the sky. It mattered not as my blade found the side of its neck through its fur. It screamed and thrashed as I grunted, twisting the knife deeper.

Raising onto its back legs, the crovian tried hard to throw me off, and my face twisted as the movement strained my damaged shoulder. I could feel my nails breaking as I tried to hold on, finding no purchase on its tough skin. My other hand stayed glued to the knife, and the crovian's movements inadvertently caused the blade to tug down from my weight, blood gushing out faster and flowing down the creature's body.

The crovian stumbled, falling back down to its remaining front leg. It no longer made any sound.

With a final thud, it fell onto its side, and I rolled off with a groan. The knife I had in a death grip followed me. The fight had lasted eons but was somehow over so fast. Flat on my back, I wondered what was above me. Were there clouds in the sky, or was it a clear canvas?

Sound finally punched through the haze that had scrambled my mind: screaming people, the final howls of a suffering crovian, and a pained yet victorious yell from Eric. Yet, through it all, I could still hear blood trickling onto the ground, sounding like a peaceful stream.

[Dexterity +1]

[Dexterity +1]

One for each crovian, it seemed.

My nose was stuffed with the smell of dirt and sand, damp with blood. I felt suffocated and had no desire to stand back up. Despite that, my body remained tense, wired from the fight and adrenaline.

I could hear Lifdol yelling again. No part of me wanted to process his words and allow the screeching sound to push through my haze. My senses didn't let me drown him out, however.

"DID YOU ENJOY IT?!" Cheers, disappointed cries, and screams for more responded. "WHAT WAS THAT? YOU WANT MORE?" His following laugh was maniacal, compelling me to sit up. One of my hands dug into the ground, fingers sliding through the dirt, and the other clenched around my knife.

More entertainment for the masses; no rest for the weary.

I barely registered Zakren's instructions for me to turn on Eric, demanding only one survivor. My hands shook as I stood, probably due to blood loss or from the chemicals still flooding my brain. I chalked it up to a mixture of both.

The filth that watched us fight screamed in approval at Lifdol's words, excitement growing until I could smell it through the grime and bloody metal—it was something electric in the air. Eric's feet shuffled through the dirt and sand, though he made no move toward me.

For a moment, I could only hear his loud breaths, ragged from exertion. No sound of Lifdol urging us on, threatening death for both if we did not comply; no cheers from the endless crowd; no pounding of my own heartbeat in my ear.

Now was not a time for deliberation.

Sand and dirt kicked up as we both lunged, some of the particles lodging in the wound on my leg. Eric screamed, and it was one filled with anger. At what, I couldn't comprehend.

His swinging sword made me wary, as his reach was much longer than mine. For wordless minutes, I could only dodge his weapon. There was much skill in his sword mixed with tangible desperation—on the other hand, his speed was nothing compared to the crovians.

I ducked and lunged, deflected with my knife when needed, sending ringing pain up my arm. Wait for an opening. Every time the heated metal of his sword swung close to me, I could feel the breeze brush against my flesh like a warning. Eric did not seem to be running out of energy—he appeared to be gaining it as he pushed me back.

There would be no opening, I realized. His endurance was clearly superior to mine, especially after dealing with the crovians. I did have more speed, but I knew I would falter before Eric and end up a mere decoration on his sword.

The edge of his blade clipped my arm as Eric lunged forward, leaving a gash on my forearm that sent trickling pain down to the hilt of my knife. I could hear him inhale deeply as if he could smell victory along with my blood.

A plan was forming in my brain, pushing against the idea of simply running. That was no long-term solution, and I knew Lifdol would not tolerate surrender.

My arms had begun to shake.

I had misjudged Eric's fortitude and needed to act before I made a more fatal mistake in the face of that endlessly swinging blade.

Eric swung for my head, more violent than before. I could smell a bead of sweat running down his nose, slow compared to his swinging sword. I raise my knife to deflect instead of dodge, the hilt gripped tightly in both of my hands.

All the while, I searched for that phantom feeling again, and it came much more easily than the first time I had summoned it from nowhere.

Our blades crashed together near my ear, and the earth-shattering sound rang through my head. My injured shoulder screamed and screamed at me, my black world turning white for a fraction of a second. The dizziness had me stumbling, and I could hear Eric stepping back as the impact rebounded his sword away from me.

Now.

I solidified my [Spectral Hand], moving it with difficulty behind one of Eric's legs. It felt like a string was tugging on something vital in my chest, creating a hollow, aching throb. Eric fell, tripped by my third hand, and I gained a thousand pounds.

As soon as I heard him begin to hit the ground, I withdrew the skill, moving towards him now that I had regained some strength. I had to move fast since no part of me expected him to go without a fight.

His sword came at me with a wild, uncontrolled swing, and I dodged it easily with my superior speed. I grabbed his wrist to keep that sword from coming at me again, unconsciously summoning my flames.

A scream rattled my ears, and the smell of burnt flesh and bubbling blood entered my nose until it was a heavy weight on my tongue. My knee fell to Eric's chest—my knife fell to his throat.

That horrible yell cut off with a sputtering gurgle as I pierced his neck. The very tip of the blade scraped against the ground. I pulled my knife out with a squelch, then plunged it back down. And then did it again, and again, and again, and again and again and again.

The only thing I could hear was the gurgling of blood as it pulsed up, pushed out by each desperate pump of Eric's fading heart.

A large piece of my knife broke off in Eric's mangled body, too damaged from the earlier block against his sword to carry on. I pulled out the handle and the attached remains, the hand I had gripped around it completely numb.

My lips had pulled back, and I could feel blood splattered on my teeth. Little drops of wet warmth had spread all over my face.

I could no longer feel skin against my palm, only smooth bone.

[Skill Upgraded] - [Summon Flame (2) → (3)]