I walked at the front of the crowd, the entire guild had woken up and joined in.
“You sure about this, boss?” Chris asked me.
“Too late to back out now either way,” I answered. “But let’s be clear on something, if I do lose, then its my debt. I’ll take the same per diem as each of you. The rest goes towards the party’s joint fund, just as always.”
“It will take you forever to pay him back in that case,” Chris said.
“I don’t plan to lose, so it won’t be a problem.”
“But Tsarina,” Alura said. “What about Rin’s blessing? If it’s something powerful...”
“I’ll start off cautiously until I know what it is… Actually, no… I think that is exactly what she is hoping for.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why would she tell me she has her blessing, but not tell me what it is? If she is really concerned with fairness then she would say it up front. One advantage I can see is she would expect me to be cautious while I try to figure it out, and she could then take advantage of my uncertainty.”
“So therefore, you should start off aggressively?” Chris asked.
“Perhaps… but, it may turn out doing so walks me into a trap. It was a clever move by her. In a way, the battle had already started right there in the bar when she revealed that piece of information. I do feel better about one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I no longer think she is as vulnerable to Leon as I originally imagined. It was a brilliant tactical play. She is far more clever than I gave her credit for. Perhaps she’s the one using him.”
“It’s pretty cold-hearted for her to try to set you up like this,” Zelik said. “Whether or not she can handle Leon, she knows he’s a maniac. Being in that kind of debt to him, who knows how it will turn out.”
“What’s he going to do? Break my kneecaps if I don’t pay up?” I said. “I’ll work out a weekly payment plan. I’ll have to forego some luxuries and hold back on upgrading my equipment, but I can have the debt cleared in a month, I’m sure.”
I looked up when I noticed a white-robed mage standing in our way. It was Victoria. “You sound confident...” she said, blowing out a puff of smoke.
We were now outside the coliseum, the crowd appearing from all different directions and surrounding the building. There must have been thousands of people here now.
“What are you doing here?” Zelik asked.
“Word spreads fast,” Victoria said. “Leon’s got quite a reputation around here. If he were actually the one fighting the crowd would be triple this size. Still, people are aware he has a dog in the fight, so I suppose that was enough to grab the interest.”
The way Victoria spoke made it hard to know when she was being sarcastic or not. Was the term dog purposely selected to refer to Rin?
“How could it have gotten around so quickly?” John asked.
“Everybody loves a good duel,” she shrugged. “Personally, I was sitting in the park reading when word passed by me, and I would have continued to do just that before I heard Tsarina and Rin were the ones fighting.”
“Do duels normally not interest you?” I asked.
“Not when they are to settle disputes. Training, entertainment, sure… but, I’ve come to tell you, Tsarina: Do not lose this fight. You do not want to owe Leon a debt.”
“It will be a hindrance, but I believe I can manage it.”
“You don’t understand,” she said. “If he doesn’t want to get paid back 25 silvers a week, or whatever you were planning, he can go to the court and call the debt.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“He can take your armor and weapon, and if that doesn’t cover it, he can force you to abide by a new farming location. Or, he can select a quest for you to do. Basically, you’ll be his slave until the debt is paid.”
“And if I refuse those terms?”
“It’s possible the debt will be transferred to the court and you will go to one of Goliath’s work camps. Basically prison.”
“I wasn’t aware of that,” I said.
“No, I didn’t think so. From the looks of it, it's also too late for you to back down.”
“What are these work camps like?” I asked.
“I do not know firsthand as I have never been to one. However, I’ve never seen someone come out of them fully intact mentally. So I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“I-it’s not too late to back out,” Alura said. “I know at this point it would be embarrassing… but...”
“No,” I said. “It is actually far too late for that.”
“But...” Alura’s eyes dropped. “I understand how you feel, but is it really worth such a risk?”
“I have a feeling backing out now will be a greater risk,” I explained. “The audience is already here and bets have already been made. If the angry mob doesn’t get to us tonight, then my reputation will have been shattered. I’m more confident I can deal with whatever Leon throws at me if I lose… however.” I smiled and patted her shoulder. “I don’t plan on losing.”
“She’s right, Alura,” Victoria said. “If she was going to back out it should have been before leaving the guild hall. Those who have bet on her will lose their money by default if she forfeits the fight now. It’s possible some of them may be looking for vengeance. There are laws against assault, but the Castle Guard may look the other way if it's for someone with the reputation of forfeiting a fight they’ve already agreed to.”
“Is that really how things are?” Alura asked.
“I’m afraid so,” said Victoria. “For wielders, fighting is our life. A wielder who backs down from a fight this publicly will face consequences.”
Alura gripped her staff nervously.
“It’ll be alright,” I said once again, trying to reassure Alura. “As I said, I don’t plan on losing, but even if I do, I can handle whatever Leon tries to throw at me.”
The front of the arena had five admissions counters and the workers were doing their best to turn the huge crowd into single-file lines. I did not envy the job they had in front of them. Were this many people really interested in seeing me and Rin fight?
“Here, I’ll escort you inside,” Victoria said.
We followed her to the front and she explained to one of the workers that I was one of the combatants, and the other six were my siblings who wanted to watch the duel. Once inside, Victoria said, “This is where I go my own way. All of you will get front-row seats since you’re with Tsarina. I don’t want to stick around because people will get the wrong idea if they see me on one side of the ring and Leon on the other.”
“Excuse me, you are Tsarina?” a new attendant asked as she stepped up to me.
“Yes,” I said, taking one glance at her wrist showed me she was not a wielder.
“Please, come right this way, to the preparation area.”
“Good luck,” Victoria said. “I’ll be watching from the stands. I’m afraid there is little advice I can offer. Just be sure to give it your all.”
“Yeah! Kick her ass, boss!” said Chris. “Don’t hold back!”
Alura came over and gave me one last hug. She rose on her tiptoes and added a kiss on the cheek. “I know you can do it,” she said.
The preparation area was dimly lit, with only a few torches casting flickering shadows on the walls. A simple wooden bench sat in the middle of the room, and a full-length mirror stood in one corner. It was a stark contrast to the vibrant energy of the audience outside.
As I sat on the bench, I took a moment to collect my thoughts and focus my mind. The upcoming duel weighed heavily on me, knowing that the stakes were high, and the consequences of losing could be dire. Yet, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Rin's challenge than met the eye. Why had she revealed her blessing but kept its nature a secret? What was she hoping to achieve?
The attendant came back. “The battle will begin in a few minutes. Please place your deep satchel and all items not directly related to your class on this shelf.”
I supposed class items must have meant things like arrows or throwing knives. I know assassins could use throwing knives, but I hadn’t observed Rin use them yet, but that did not mean she did not learn the skill by now. It is something I would have to watch out for.
“Everything I have is in the satchel,” I said, holding it up to show her before setting it on the shelf.
She bowed and said, “Right this way.”
“So when does the duel end?” I asked, walking through another dark, stone corridor.
“There is an area of effect spell on the arena that will not let your HP fall below 1. When that happens, you will be fully healed and a horn will sound signaling the end of the duel.”
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“Have there ever been mistakes with the spell? Has anyone ever fallen below 1 hp during a duel?”
The attendant smiled. “Not at our arena. There are arenas in other cities that are truly to the death, but Goliath law does not allow it.”
I could hear the rumble of the crowd from the other end of the corridor, it became louder and louder as the light at the end came closer. Upon stepping out, I was hit with a wave of sound. Looking up and around, I saw the arena was not quite as full as I would have expected from the sound alone. Some areas of seating were densely packed, while others only had scattered observers, and yet others were completely barren. I guessed only two thousand were here, which was still a lot, but I wondered what a duel with a full house must look like.
I looked over as I saw Rin and Leon come out of another corridor. I supposed that meant Victoria could have escorted me instead of this random attendant, but as she explained she did not want to do that with Leon being on the other side. I wondered just what exactly their relationship was. On one hand, they seemed to be friends, but on the other hand, she was the first to warn me about him and she seemed to generally act against Leon’s intentions. It certainly wasn’t a romantic connection as she did not seem to care at all about how he flaunted Rin around.
I followed the attendant clockwise along the arena while Rin and Leon went the other way, until I was stationed at the 9-o-clock position, and Rin and Leon directly across at the 3. The attendant bowed to me and said, “Good luck combatant,” then walked back to the corridor we had come from. I observed Leon lean in to Rin with his hand on her back, speaking into her ear, no doubt giving some last-minute coaching.
When he was done he raised his arms to the crowd, eliciting more cheers, before bowing and exiting the arena as well. I wondered just what he had been saying to Rin. I felt like I had blindly stumbled into a trap. Had they planned this from the moment Rin approached me to give the silver back? No, that was paranoid thinking, they could not have predicted my actions so clearly.
Still, my class was rather straightforward, there was nothing I could surprise her with. Even my imbue skill, the biggest perk of being a red knight, was useless in a duel as wielders did not have elemental weakness to take advantage of the way monsters do. On the other hand, I could be sure Rin had several surprises waiting for me.
Just as my thoughts were beginning to race, a booming voice echoed throughout the arena, silencing the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's thrilling duel! Two fierce combatants, Tsarina and Rin, will face off in a high-stakes battle that has captured the attention of the guild and our city!” The announcer's voice was filled with excitement, causing the audience to cheer and roar in anticipation.
“In one corner, we have Tsarina, a level 15 red knight. With only a week as a wielder and living in Goliath, her growth has been quite a feat. She is the leader of her party, which have grown a solid reputation in GreenHaven, where their adventuring has culled the goblin population. With impressive skill with her sword and shield, she is a wielder with an impressive balance of offense and defense. Outside of her element in a solo fight, how will she fare against her opponent? Everybody! Give it up for - TSARINA!” The crowd erupted in applause as I raised my sword in salute. I was surprised they had so much information on me and gathered those notes so quickly.
“In the opposite corner, we have Rin, the enigmatic and cunning assassin, sibling to Tsarina. With only a week under her belt as a wielder, her growth into a level 18 Assassin has been even more impressive. Guided by the infamous Leon, The Shadow of Death, she has grown a reputation in the Deadlands for her solo assassination of some of BlackVeil’s most corrosive and vial monsters! Truly impressive feats! This up-and-comer has been whispered in hushed tones throughout Goliath, her abilities showcased here and now for the first time ever! Will her level advantage be enough to overcome her class's poor pairing against a red knight? What secrets and tricks lay behind her enigmatic smile? Everybody, give it up for the beautiful, cunning, Reaper of the Scorched Earth! RIN!”
I wondered how much of that script came from Leon. The thought made me want to vomit in my mouth. Reaper of the Scorched Earth? That was definitely a product of Leon’s grandeur. Had she really been adventuring around BlackVeil already? Not to mention solo. Leon did not even have healing spells, so I couldn’t imagine the risks she had been taking to earn that reputation. Her blessing must be the secret to her success in farming a higher level location like that.
“Combatants! Ready your weapons!” The announcer's voice boomed, reminding me to get serious. I readied my sword, staring across the wide-open area. Rin whipped her daggers out of their sheaths, tossing them into the air above her where they spun into two flying rings before coming back down and landing in her hands. The action grabbed a huge cheer from the crowd.
On second thought, I take it all back, she and Leon belong together. Why was I going out of my way to try to help her again? Oh well, too late to think about that now. I just had to make sure I didn’t lose.
Rin and I locked eyes for a brief moment, each assessing the other. The crowd roared with anticipation, their cheers drowning out all other sounds.
“Combatants! Ready! And! FIGHT!”
Tsarina- 3,000/3,000 ~~ Rin- 2,400/2,400
I took a deep breath, then charged towards Rin as I cast empower on my blade, deciding to begin with an aggressive approach. She would expect me to be more defensive, so I had to defy her expectations. Maybe I could overwhelm her early on, put her on her back foot and make it harder for her to do anything clever. Assassin was a far more strategic class, I had to take that angle away from her as much as I could and make her fight on my terms.
She deftly evaded my initial strike, her body going low to the ground and she pivoted around me on one leg, then jolted forward as if there were springs in her heels. I barely got my shield up in time, parrying her first blade, then, she was above me, coming back down with a second attack. I dodge to the side, her second daggers slashing across the chainmail below my shoulder guard. I felt a bit of pain there, losing some HP from the strike but nothing too serious.
Now she was behind me, I spun around, my sword leading my motions, coming close to hitting her, but her stomach must have sucked in with how closely I came to grazing her skin. She grinned, flipping backward, landing in a crouch, then diving forward at me once again.
I put up my shield, feeling two quick knocks against the steel as she slipped to my left, a third clink ran across my side, more HP gone, but the slash attacks were not very effective against my armored class. One strike from my blade would be far more effective against her unarmored flesh. I just had to wait for my opportunity.
She flipped backward in the same motion, landing in a crouch, clearly ready to spring forward with the same maneuver. I readied my shield for a low attack, but realized too late as her right dagger disappeared behind her back.
Her arm shot forward, a throwing knife coming loose from her fingers and flying right at me. I tried to dodge, tried to lift my shield, but was too slow. The throwing knife found a home right under my shoulder guard, sticking into my bicep. I put my other hand on my sword and pivoted backward as Rin came in for a follow-up attack, but my aggressive posture as I retreated caused her to back off. She was aware of her main disadvantage in the damage I could deal to her with a single strike.
With some distance between us, I reached for the dagger and pulled it out of my shoulder, wincing before tossing it to the ground.
I glanced toward the screen above the arena, as it was a quicker display than going through my crystal.
Tsarina- 2,700/3,000 ~~ Rin- 2400/2400
It was good to see her attacks did not chip away too much. Most of that damage came from the throwing knife and the tricky maneuver was less likely to work a second time. Still, 10% of my HP was gone, and I had not given her so much as a scratch. If I could land peirce against her, I bet that single attack would take far more than 10% away from her, so I couldn’t lose spirit yet. I just had to find a strategy that worked.
Rin was circling around me now, tossing a dagger up and down in the air. A sly smile across her face. “What’s the matter?” she asked, “Losing your resolve already? You started out so aggressive.” Her dagger went up, and down, up and down.
“How about you?” I asked, pivoting to keep her in front of me as she circled around. “You’re clearly so much faster so what are you waiting for?”
Up and down.
“Just savoring the moment,” she said. Up and down. “I really am enjoying myself here.”
Up and-
Her hand shot to her side, then out again, another throwing knife flying loose from her hand right before deftly catching the falling dagger. I was ready this time, my shield easily batting the projectile away. She began to come towards me, but I came forward as well. She did not seem to expect my advance. I could see the surprise in her eyes. She tried to slip around my side to find an opening in a similar maneuver that had already worked.
I brought my sword around, or, at least started to. Her motion slowed too, her fear of my blade clear, but my sword stopped. I feinted.
I brought my back foot forward, leading with my shield now, she tried to turn, but her momentum was all wrong and she could not avoid it. I drove my shield into her, causing her to lose her footing and fall backward. She quickly scrambled to get back to her feet, but I gave her as little time as possible.
My sword came forward in a straight motion, using my pierce skill, feeling the sense of surety inside my muscles as if the blade was honed from some natural instinct. I saw her eyes widen in fear as I dove down on top of her. My blade met minimal resistance as it sliced through her flesh.
She rolled, and sprung back to her feet, her side quickly turning red and slippery as she ran backwards, putting distance between us. It was not a direct hit through her center as I would have hoped, but a solid hit nonetheless. She looked down at the wound. In a single moment, the humorous expression that came with her over-confidence was stripped from her face.
I took my battle stance, sparing a quick glance at the display as her health ticked away before stopping on a solid number.
Tsarina- 2,700/3,000 ~~ Rin- 1800/2400
Six hundred! Six hundred points of damage and it was not even a direct hit! How much would pierce deal if it were to go through the center of her chest? A thousand? More?
She took her stance, but I could see her hands shaking. Surely she was too shaky to toss her daggers up in down in that taunting gesture now.
A smile spread across my face, savoring her fear. I wasn’t that type of person, usually, but seeing her put into her place so quickly was overwhelmingly cathartic. “A little overconfident, were we?” I asked.
“Lucky shot!” she hissed. “It won’t work again!”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
Her brow lowered, grip tightened on her daggers. The redness from her side trickled down her thigh now. Her lithe figure finally marred. All around us, the crowd roared with excitement.
“Ladies and Gentleman!” The announcer called, “What an incredible exchange that was! Rin, clearly with speed on her side must be wary of Tsarina’s attacks. What an incredibly well-placed shot by the red knight! This is anyone's fight so far!”
He was right. Rin still had speed on her side. Therefore, the battle would move at the pace she dictated. I didn’t follow up with another attack because I couldn’t. While she was on her feet she could easily evade my attacks, and whittle away at whatever openings I exposed. Counterattacks were my only recourse. The one thing I had on my side was that I could afford to make a few mistakes. Rin could not.
A smile pierced her lips. She must have realized this as well. The shock of that first strike finally passing her. “Who’s overconfident now?” she said, her eyes flickering with secret knowledge.
She ran at me again, arcing her path in a semi-circle, but then, something unexplainable happened, because she ran straight at me, and also to the left, and the right―there were 3 Rins!
Was this her blessing? I put up my shield to block the Rin coming straight at me, I tried to keep the other two in my sight, but it was impossible. The first Rin’s attack fell short―a feint. I turned to block the one to the left, then felt a dagger sink deep into my back, piercing through my armor.
I lashed my sword behind me and I might as well have missed by a mile as Rin somersaulted backwards, jumping up and splitting into multiple versions of herself as all three landed in a crouch side by side.
I glanced to the display.
Tsarina- 2,450/3,000 ~~ Rin- 1,800/2,400
A direct stab from her dagger took 250 health away from me. It didn’t seem like much in comparison to my own attack, but it could quickly add up. Especially if I had 6 daggers to watch out for instead of just 2.
If only it would be THAT easy, though. All 3 Rin’s laughed with a haunting echo as they started walking to the left, and also the right, the laughter doubled into a small gang as there were now 6 Rin’s circling around me!
I gripped my sword. What the hell was I supposed to do now?
“I didn’t want to have to use this.” The echoing of her voice sent a chill down my spine. It was so eerie, cutting through the din of the crowd that rumbled in the background. “But you’ve really pissed me off!”
All 6 Rins turned on their heels and ran right at me. I had no idea what to do, my shield was useless against this many attackers. I slashed my sword out in a wide arc as they all descended on me, hoping for the best.