Bob gave Games a blank stare. He did not appreciate the god's response to his predicament. Games had a casual smile on his face that also irritated Bob. He just wanted to get some rest and now he was stuck here with this god.

"Have any advice for me," Bob asked with exasperation.

The god chuckled a little bit. "Don't die."

Bob flipped him off.

Games laughed shaking his head at Bob. "Rely on your stats, you are incredibly strong. The favors you gained will be a tremendous boon and should put you above the other fighters. You are incredibly lucky in that regard. And don't ask why that is, I can't tell you just yet."

"Have any idea why the rules changed," Bob asked.

"I do, and it's to kill you specifically."

"What? Why? Am I really that big of a deal?"

"Not yet, but you will be along as you survive all your matches. There are major plans in the works right now that need to remain quiet. That is why I'm being vague with you on some of your questions. It is too early for you, when you are granted more favors, and survive another five rounds you will have the bare minimum requirements to be told some of the information."

"I. Uh. You know what, fuck it, whatever, not going to ask about that. If I win this match, and right now it seems like a big if, regardless of what you say of my strength, what are future matches going to look like?"

"Wise choice, and as far as the future matches go, as long as they don't keep changing things up, matches six and seven will be solo. Eight should be another duo round, while nine goes back to solo. The tenth is always a mystery."

"That helps at least. Am I going to be in another cage if i win?"

"No, you will have a nice furnished room, shower, and bath. Oh, and the meals get way better."

Bob perked up at that. It sounded way better than what he currently had.

"Time for me to go, good luck," Games said as he waved goodbye.

~~~

The day had finally arrived for the free-for-all match. Bob was up and waiting for the Pitboss to come get him. He already finished his morning routine and was standing by the bars of his cage. He looked at the other cages in the room that he could see. He had never paid any attention to them until now. All he could see was despair on the other avatars faces. Some were crying, others looked like they were in a daze. It was a horrid sight, and he found himself disgusted. He started to get angry with the other avatars, it looked like they had already given up hope. He didn't understand why they were acting the way they were. He knew deep down he wanted to survive and keep growing stronger. He stepped back from the bars, not wanting to look at the other avatars anymore, sat down, and started to meditate. About an hour later the Pitboss finally came in to get him.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"You ready," the Pitboss asked as they entered the hallway.

"As ready as I can be," Bob said. "I have a question though, what is with the other avatars in that room? They all look like they have already been broken and are just waiting to die."

The Pitboss gave Bob a sad look and shook his head. "The fights mess with some of them, It scrambles their brains. They either barely survive their first one or two fights, getting emotionally scared by them. Or during the duo fight they see their partner die in some gruesome fashion. Some of the avatars just aren't mentally built for this."

Bob nodded. "The fights are brutal. I mean, I ripped an elf's dick off the first fight I had. The fact that we had to fight naked was horrible. I want to survive, so I just focus on being the best fighter I can be."

The Pitboss laughed at the memory, he had seen that fight. He remembered the look of shock and disgust on Bob's face when he saw the dick still in his hand. "You are strong, unfortunately, most aren't."

They had reached the changing room by this point and Bob had started putting on his armor. He admired his new gear and was shocked when he saw the bandolier. It had flasks inside. Bob looked up at the Pitboss, showing him the bandolier.

"This is amazing," Bob said.

"It is a really good piece of gear. It will save you tons of mana points," the Pitboss said.

Bob finished donning all of his gear and nodded to the Pitboss. They walked to the antechamber. Bob felt his heart rate rise, as nervousness started to flood in. He took some cleansing breaths and walked in. The Pitboss wished him luck before closing the door. Bob stood there in the dark, eyes closed, focusing on calming his nerves.

~~~

The Coliseum was completely full. Not a single seat was available. Everybody had showed up for the fight. They were all excited to see how the new bout was going to play out. There was rarely big changes like this to the early matches, so everyone had high expectations. The private boxes around the arena were all magical structures. The sizes of them could be altered based on how many occupants were in them, or by status and rank. Today the largest box was occupied by the greater gods Life and Death, and they had the best view of the arena. The boxes grew smaller from there, ascended gods, and then lesser gods.

Hunt was in a box with War. They enjoyed each other's company so they planned on being in the same box. They were focused on the match to come. Both had substantial wagers on this match.

"Do you think he will win," War asked. "He fought well against my favored in his duo match."

"I do, and Im glad you aren't bitter about that loss," Hunt said.

"Win some lose some," War said.

Hunt smirked at that.

In a smaller box, Michief, Pain, and Luck sat looking over the arena. They had serious looks on their faces. This fight would make or break them. They could not afford to lose today.

"His new gear and attribute bonuses should put him above the other fighters today, right," Mischief asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"He will win," Luck said matter-of-factly.

"He is strong," Pain agreed. "As long as he keeps his focus, his strength and skill will carry him through to the end."

"Well looks like things are getting started," Mischief said.

Life and Death blinked above the center of the arena. The crowd went silent, waiting expectantly to hear the words from the greater gods. Life and Death looked at the crowd and smiled.

"Thank you all for attending this exciting matchup we have for you today," Life said.

"Murals will be painted and statues carved in memory of the fight you are going to witness this day," Death said.

"Ten fighters are going to enter the arena, and only one will walk out," Life said.

"This will be entertainment on a grand scale," Death said.

In unison, they spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen let us welcome today's fighters."

Ten doors opened. Ten fighters walked out to the lines drawn out for them.

"LET THIS MATCH BEGIN!"