What was I fighting for?

With half my face planted in the sand, I tried to get my hand up underneath me. The crowd's roar slowly rose in volume, crushing me from every side as the ringing in my ears diminished.

Two years of this seemed like hell.

Now on my knees, my other hand searched for my axe, lost somewhere when Rath had dropped me with a violent hit to my chest—then head—with the shaft of his spear.

Driftskull was somewhere else in the pit, lying motionless on the ground. I had done that, a chop from my axe severing his leg just below the knee. Now only Rath and I remained—soon to be just Rath.

Lifdol had put all three of us in the pit together, fighting in a free for all. We were instructed to fight to the last one standing, as usual.

Axe located, I gripped it in my sweaty palm and backed away from where I could hear Rath approach me. His spear swings were deadly and faster than my arms could keep up with.

I could've set his weapon on fire much earlier, but I wanted to keep my upgraded skill under wraps. It would be an unknown for Olmor, in case he was quick enough to try and stop me. So I had resolved myself to only light it up if I got one of my hands on Rath's spear. However, I was now regretting the plan.

My mana was nearly empty, suffering from using [Spectral Hand]. It had been necessary to stop one of Rath's stabs that had aimed right at my heart, as I hadn't been able to get my axe up in time. [Silent Blade] was now carrying me, giving me a boost to keep up with his pace.

Wiping blood from under my nose, I braced myself as Rath charged me with a roar. His spear was a high-speed windmill, slashing down at my head.

I threw my axe up, Rath's weapon rebounding back, and he was quick to stop my attack aimed at his side. Hitting the shaft of the axe, his spear knocked it down, and the blade dug into the ground. His spear circled back, whipping up a storm, the butt of it catching under my chin and snapping my neck backward with a head-ringing crack.

Raising my axe just in time to block his stab for my chest, the point of his spear clanged against it. Pulling it back, Rath followed with a flurry of jabs, all trying to get past my defense.

[Dexterity +1]

He lashed his weapon to the side, and when he pulled it away, it left a bleeding cut on my arm. Gritting my teeth, I lunged for Rath as he retreated.

My mana was seconds away from empty, and I could feel my headache begin to worsen as a result. Regretfully, I deactivated [Silent Blade], knowing I wouldn't be able to keep up with Rath for much longer.

The next twirl of his spear got past my defenses, the spike piercing a hole in my gut. I swore it was right where Scorne had stabbed me. Dropping my axe, I grabbed the spear shaft as Rath meant to pull it back, letting the rest of my mana feed my flames.

His weapon lit up from my fire, which quickly began to burn the leather and wood. Rath cursed, dropping his weapon as the flames traveled to his hands. I let the burning weapon drop to the ground, my hands shaking.

I was tilting, my empty mana core threatening to knock me on my ass. Bending to retrieve my axe, I was thwarted as Rath charged at me with a yell, hands pushing my shoulders to the ground.

His fist meeting my cheek knocked me awake, and I shoved up at him, catching the next punch in my hand. Then, getting my knees up, I planted my foot in Rath's stomach, kicking him off me, and his breath whooshed out of him.

Rath gagged beside me as I rolled up, punching him in the nose. He fell to his back with a cry, and I planted my knee on his chest, hands strangling his neck. He choked, bucking underneath me. Then, pressing my knee down even harder, I heard something crack.

A minute went on like that until Rath's clawing hands stopped to tap rapidly against my forearms. I released him, leaning back.

“I…fuck…I surrender," he coughed out. Not soon enough, I thought. The familiar swimming in my brain warned me I would pass out, and I slowly moved back, sitting on the dirt and sand and putting my head in between my knees.

I could hear the medics rushing out onto the arena, preparing to drag us out so the next fight could start. Finally, chuckling, I found the answer to my question.

I only fought to win. Nothing more, nothing less.

***

Lifdol gave me an astounding fifteen gold pieces for the win, and I wondered if the increase had to do with fighting two other people at once. Whatever the reason, I now had enough to buy the axe, so I headed to Victor's the next day.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He gave me a strap along with it, and it had a loop where the axe's handle slid through along with a piece that slid over the blade and kept it in place.

I looked over the armor Victor had available before I left, but I no longer had enough to buy anything else.

Back in the training room, I got Eskal to spar with me, trying out my new weapon. It was a slight struggle to get used to the shorter length, but I adapted quickly, finding reach lacking but an increase in speed making up for it. I soon had Eskal's weapon knocked out of his hand, and he backed away with a chuckle.

I mainly focused on [Silent Blade] during the week, disappointed that it still had not leveled up. Those I had already fought agreed to spar with me when we were in the training room at the same time.

Scorne, I never fought, as he never seemed to train—at least, not in the practice area Lifdol provided. Rath was always eager to fight again, and I could sense he was still miffed over our battle. He proved that my win had relied heavily on luck, often disarming me or knocking me to the ground.

Rath did have a skill that increased his spear speed, linked to wind and air. It was similar to [Silent Blade], and we agreed to only use those skills when we fought. I could feel myself improve against him, my reactions to his strikes improving.

At certain moments, it was like multiple spears were coming for me simultaneously, challenging my blade to keep up. I kept [Silent Blade] activated almost all the time, my now larger mana core able to sustain the skill's rapid usage of mana.

It was through Rath that the skill improved, only two days away from the next fight. He had been exceptionally vicious that day, making me back up with every swing of his spear.

I pushed [Silent Blade] to the limit throughout the week, and as I fought to keep up with Rath, I could feel my weapon begin to lighten. It met Rath's spear more often, keeping up with what I could sense. Before, my body had been slow compared to what I could perceive heading my way.

Now, my axe moved when I wanted it to, almost as if a resistance that had been there previously dissipated.

[Strength +1]

Then right after, it happened.

[Skill Upgraded] - [Silent Blade (1) → (2)]

I felt elated, but my lack of concentration resulted in a spear slicing open my side. I groaned, my axe dropped, and pressed a hand to the wound, feeling the blood begin to soak it.

Rath huffed. "Pay attention next time," he chided, and walked away. I only slightly exhaled in response since I couldn't blame him and technically owed him for my skill upgrade. But it had finally happened, and for a brief moment, I had felt the difference it had made.

I wondered if class skills were more challenging to upgrade than others since you don't really earn them at first. [Silent Blade] had just been given to me along with the class, and it had always seemed less natural than [Summon Flame].

Whatever the reason, I was now stronger.

I fought Solvich in the pit next, a double dagger user who I couldn't keep track of despite my [Enhanced Sense] skill. He would appear from nowhere, barely giving me time to block his stabs with my axe. Many dug into the shaft, stopped by the leather wraps. One caught my hand, almost cutting a finger off.

My weapon was slippery afterward, making it even harder to grip with one limp finger. I used [Map Line] to try and pinpoint Solvich's movements, but every time he activated the skill that made him disappear, the red line would fade for seconds at a time, and then he would be somewhere else.

He ended it with a knife to my throat, making my blood flow, but only centimeters from hitting any vital parts. I had no choice but to surrender, frustration tightening my gut.

Why didn't Olmor and Frederick try to hire Solvich? His skills were clearly more suited for assassination, and I wondered what they knew about the King that they weren't telling me. Or perhaps I was the only safe one who was guaranteed to not be secretly working for the government, all because I was an outsider.

Many other possibilities seemed to be the reason as well. Maybe they didn’t even want me to win against the King, and I wondered what they hoped to achieve.

It all made me uneasy, and I resolved to head to the docks soon, and figure out what ship I wanted to escape on. It wouldn’t be easy, not knowing exactly when Olmor would come for me, but at least he had given me a tentative time frame.

The following week passed without any tangible improvement, but I could feel the control over my flames become more refined. The fire could jump away from me even farther, latching on and burning whatever was in its path. However, I still couldn't summon it anywhere that wasn't on me, but the possibilities had grown so vast.

A level two [Silent Blade] had my smaller knife flying through the air, silent as the grave. I practiced it equally with my axe, and the skill made both weapons all the more deadly. The axe was my forte and one of the primary reasons I was still alive.

The next fight I was subjected to had a format much like my first night in the pit. Weasel was with me this time; he was a smaller man than I and carried a large sword that dragged along the ground like a snake.

Six crovians were set against us, slinking past the raised gate on the opposite side of the arena. My dexterity was better than the first time, and my upgraded [Silent Blade] had no problem keeping up with their speed.

One leaped at me through the air, and I threw my body into a sideways chop, and soon after the match had begun, I had lopped off its front leg. I then severed its spinal cord at the neck, finishing it off.

It was the most boring fight of the night, the booing crowds giving it away. Weasel easily finished off the crovians that came for him, his massive sword slicing through flesh with a sickening strength. As he fought, the noises coming from him were macabre, frequent enough that I couldn't tell if he was just butchering the creatures for fun.

I ended the last crovian with a downward swing that cut through several rib bones, the blade of my axe fully buried in the mangled body. The swing was so heavy and violent that I wasn't surprised by the message I received.

[Skill Upgraded] - [Chop (3) → (4)]

After such frequent use of the axe over the past two months, my first skill upgrading felt fitting. Sole focus on my progress with minuscule distractions had really boosted me, power-wise. When I had fought against Rath and Driftskull, the power of my swings had seemed to reach a breaking point. I had felt it when I chopped Driftskull's leg off.

I could guess Lifdol was not pleased with how fast the fight ended and how easily we killed the crovians, but it was really his fault for not adding more of them. Perhaps to show his displeasure, he only gave me five gold pieces for the win.

I'd hoped for more to maybe buy armor from Victor, or otherwise pay off passage on a ship, but I could only aim to win my next battle in the pit. It would most likely be my last.