Seeing the colosseum floor close above him, finally relaxed, now underground in the confines.
"What was that!" Someone shouted at him, pushing a finger against Norbert's shoulder, sending him stumbling backwards a step and still reeling from the shock of his body to escape from the quicksand. Lights on the side illuminate the way downwards, making them go from daytime to half-light, only the lights above them throwing any light for Norbert to see.
"I'm tired. Can you be a bit more specific?" Norbert asked, unable to see who it was as they were engulfed in darkness.
"That you don't have anything about you was augmentation right there, so why not tell us earlier? We could have planned around it?" They asked again, Norbert just sighing in annoyance.
"Ok, whoever it is that's speaking to me. I tried earlier but was shut down from speaking in your little group. So thank you for that." Norbert said as he stood there, drowning out any other complaints that came his way.
The platform finally stopped Norbert from stepping out. Finally able to see appropriately, he looked out the rest of the room, heading towards his bed. Hearing footsteps crowd around the bed, Norbert asked his group standing near him aloud, "Another match today?"
"In two cycles." The voice from before said. Norbert nodded as he continued to lie there, not giving them any more time or day, feeling the energy sluggish around his body as he tried to move it around himself to the best of his current ability.
"They allow potions between bouts?" Norbert asked aloud.
He did not hear something in response, but something dropped into his stomach. Opening his eyes, the archer stood above him, the man's bow slung over his shoulder. Looking down, Norbert saw the healer hiding behind the archer, and he could see their staff sticking out to the side.
Picking up the glass bottle, he looked at the contents, and the green potion looked back at him.
"Do you have a mana potion?" Norbert asked.
"Take that first." The archer spoke domineeringly over Norbert, staring into the man's eyes, seeing he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Breathing out in annoyance, Norbert flipped off the bed and started to take his tattered coat and top off. Presenting his body with a flourish to the archer, "See, not even a scratch," Norbert said to the archer, exposing his body for them to investigate.
Several moments later, as the archer leaned closer, rubbing their chin with their fingers, the stubble starting to grow there moved about. Leaning towards Norbert, able to feel the air on his chest, turning around with a finger wave, getting a slap on the back as a reward, Norbert placed his ruined clothes back over his body, hiding the red welting handprint he knew would soon appear.
A clear potion with flashes of colour throughout was handed over to Norbert. He identified the mana potion and smiled as he downed it. The mana flooded his system as his body rejoiced, no longer starving itself.
Placing the stopper back on Norbert, he nodded his head in thanks. He threw the empty glass bottle up into the air, and the archer caught it before it fell.
"Anything that I should know about the next bout?" Norbert asked him.
The archer turned to Norbert, shrugging after a moment of thought. "You seem capable enough to figure it out as we go along," the archer said as he walked off. The healer looked at him for a moment before running off, and Norbert watched them group up once more.
Sighing out loud, Norbert flopped onto the bed once more, sending his energy spinning around his body as he waited for the timer to go down once more.
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***
A hand came over Norbert, and just before it touched his arm, he sat up, smiling underneath his helmet. He stood up, looking around and seeing everyone in his team heading for the platform. Taking his mask off, Norbert ruffled his hair again, stretched his body again, and swung his arms around as he patted himself down, confirming he hadn't left anything behind.
Hand going over his coin pouch, thankful that it hadn't been dislodged in his last fight up there. Stepping up, Norbert waited several moments until finally rising into the air again. Clamping his helmet back over his head, Norbert asked them, "You are doing the same strategy of sweeping up at the end?" Norbert asked them.
"Well, that depends if you make yourself an enemy out of an entire nation." The fire mage said to Norbert once more the light flashing
"Wait, what?" Norbert asked around as the car came to a halt, looking out on the arena once more as the commentators once more made their introductions.
Staring over at the other side, Norbert squinted as he looked, seeing themselves wrapped up in bandages. Looking up at the sky and the sun overhead, Norbert at least knew he wasn't fighting any Grimm, having no clue who they could be.
As Norbert stared, staying at the back as the barrier finally came down, Norbert saw his teammates look towards him. They stared off at the other side as their opponents stood at the very start of their barrier, as close as they could towards them that they were permitted.
Norbert looked around, watching as they all looked at him expectantly, having planned for him to have the same explosive start he made last time.
He sighed to himself as he rubbed his arms, feeling them tingle a bit as he prepared himself for what was to come soon. Looking around the crowd for a moment, he did not see anyone he recognised there, the sea of people's faces merging from one to the next.
"ONE!!" the commentator shouted, echoing in Norbert's head and pushing him into action. Norbert felt the barrier collapse around him, his eyes flicking back to their opponents. He calmed himself down as he saw them start to jog towards him, their slow pace allowing Norbert to catch his breath as he made his way to the front of his group.
Norbert turned around, confirming that they were all still behind him. Shaking his head, he went into a jog as well, keeping his sword sheathed as he waited. He didn't see any flesh for him to cut underneath the rags, hoping they weren't sand creatures he was up against. He didn't want to deal with that annoyance like in his training all those moons ago.
Unsheathing a dagger Norbert threw it towards one of the individuals in the group, Norbert now able to see correctly that they had no armour that was obvious to him. Reminding him of mummies being wrapped up rather than sand creatures.
Hearing a clang as it hit them, Norbert knew they weren't sand creatures, but the wrappings over them for some other purpose that Norbert didn't see how it would matter the specifics of their culture.
Going forward with the others, Norbert let himself be swallowed by them, going to the back of the pack as he watched, wondering what they would be fighting against the two of them, curious about how two groups would normally start off one another, having seen how it could finish between two groups by now.
As they came within twenty meters, all the range attackers stopped in their tracks, including the healer on their side as a barrier was once more erected, Norbert watching as the fighters that he saw before practising stepped out of it, the archer just in front of him turning around, the man eyeing Norbert's inaction, drawing his bow knowing he couldn't move Norbert even if he wanted to.
The two barriers were erected. Norbert saw the range weapons crackling outwards, going against the two barriers. Norbert watched an arrow land at one of their opponents. Another clink of two pieces of metal hit each other as it went wide, hitting the barrier. The projectile caught on fire as the barrier fizzled out around it, once more hiding itself.
Watching Norbert see their melee take on hits, the healer holding back from their side, Norbert saw they were in rapt attention, focusing on their people to ensure that nothing would go awry without their intervention first.
Turning to the crowd, Norbert sees several people looking at him, some in angst and annoyance that he is just standing there, doing nothing, and others in joy. Norbert notes that those with joy are also wrapped up, like their opponents. Norbert wonders what it is about and hopes it won't be an action that will bite him later on.
Turning to the booth Norbert not seeing Sally standing there anymore the fox and Obsius having disappeared as well. Norbert understanding why being so much time between the two bouts that to be watching the entire thing is an enjoyment that not everyone can use.
Seeing, a body flying through his vision, could beat centred on the fight outside the barrier. The one with the mace having gone flying, not seeing what could have sent him, as the healer tried to get them into action as soon as possible.
The handicap he created by not interacting was too big for his team to overcome alone. Shaking his feet, Norbert stepped behind, leaving the barrier as he looked at the crowd again. A group of individuals stared at him, not caring for the fight, several of them licking their lips as they looked down at him. The reptiles examined their prey before going into the kill.