Floor 5: Goblin's Arena
Threat Level: H - F
You have stepped foot in the Goblin's Arena, fight in the arena to win glory, prizes, and wealth, compete with your fellow climbers or against them. This is for sport, Violence and Bloodshed! Shops are available at the goblin's stalls if anything suits you. Be warned for if you attack neutral parties, Guardians will descend upon you.
Waking up bright eyed and well rested, rolling my shoulders as I finish putting on my gear. 'That bed was stupid comfortable. Best sleep in ages, and for once I didn't get any dreams of any type to interrupt, a nice wonderful void and abyss." a smile on my face as I walk down the stairs to the main bar area of the inn. I see Luri the bartender standing behind the bar, sliding the key down the counter to her she snatches it up without looking. "Want some food?" she asks as she turns around. "Yea, just a small quick meal, maybe to go. Portable." She looks at me for a second then says, "Skewers good? 5 TC for 5." seems like the rate of coin you can go through is light for this floor for day to day necessities. "That is good for me i'll take the five, you probably know quite a bit owning an inn on the floor, can you tell me the average gain of TC for an average Climber from the arena per day?"
She wipes her hands after dropping a bag of skewers on the counter for me. "Hmm." placing a hand on her chin she tilts her head, "Average gain for an average Climber, can range between 100-150, a good amount for those who stay on the floor, but not a big amount for those looking to climb high. The above average climber in the arena though, is where the big money can come in, if you do well enough, either fighting other climbers, or regular waves, you can gain a big bonuses. Supposedly there are better arena's higher up in the Tower, some of the #)@_##@__!%(# are immense." She blinks for a moment. "Ah not aware of it yet so I can't let you know." a cheshire smile graces her lips as she turns to another customer. 'Well that is some good information, though she mentioned higher in the Tower.' shrugging off the thought, "Thank you!" picking up the skewers and shoving one in my mouth pulling meat off of it. I walk out of the inn munching away at the skewer, it is early morning so some shops are just getting set up along the district, while others are just getting in from hunting on different floors.
Reaching the entrance after passing through the early morning crowds of people. "Hurry up wanna get my arena run done for the day, go back to the Red District and have some fun with the lusty ladies if you know what I mean." a boisterous voice yells out, shoving past a group. A short man barely 5' 4" stands there with a flared mohawk. He is talking to another man with a puffed out afro. "I know what you mean brother! Did you see Kiwi yesterday she was banging." the duo chatter on boisterously as they walk through the entrance to the arena disappearing into the corridor depths. Conversations of all types are happening in groups around me. Some solo members talking to others who are walking out of arena, to see if anything new was showing up in the rounds today. I walk up in through the entrance past groups looking for new members or temporary members.
As I make it through the entrance I come upon a wide open room with plenty more people. A large screen on one of the walls shows ongoing fights, how many rounds have been completed per person. Current bets, Time Completions etc. Quite a bit of information that was displayed. I walk up to a large counter that has receptionists discussing with various Climber's or Residents on Arena fights, bets, or other things.
After a few minutes of waiting for a receptionist to be free, I finally get motioned to come forward. Walking up to a short child sitting on a stool, he looks at me, "Ah a new climber for the Arena! Glorious, or are you one of the few who only want to do a single run to pass to the next floor?" Listening to that reminds me I didn't read about how to advance to the next floor after the fifth. "You have to pass a specific amount of rounds or a special fight of some kind to advance to the sixth floor?" The child shakes his head, "You just have to pass 10 rounds to be eligible to pass to the sixth floor. You can continue on for more rounds earn more rewards or immediately be transported to the floor above. All depends on you." putting a hand to my chin, "I'll go ahead and sign up to fight rounds if I feel like passing to the sixth floor so be it, if not I'll take my time with the arena rounds."
The child nods, "Very well, please place your palm on the the screen, and it will register you and move you to your own arena when you are ready. If you wish to gain better rewards remember to not use a safety net, death as a possibility is the path to greater power. There is not penalty if you use the safety net do not feel pressured." Smiling, I place a hand on the screen that popped up infront of me.
Would you like to have a safety net in your arena fights?
YES NO
Slapping the No mentally, 'No reason to mentally shackle myself. If I accept something such as a safety net, I don't want to depend on it being a possibility in the future.' there have been many climbers in the past that have relied on the safety net or other means in the tower that allowed you to fight over and over again with "death" temporarily put on hold while you fight, it lead a lot of those same climbers to a false sense of confidence, where they died for real trying to climber higher without gaining the necessary skills and sharpening that edge where you know if you are about to die, your life's on the line to hone yourself to become more.
"Now that is what I like to see!" the child in front of me shouts he is standing on the stool he was sitting on a moment ago. "This man knows what it takes to climb! You pansies need to grab your pair and man up!" the child glares in the direction of a group of men lazily standing about on the far end of the room. The disconnect between the child-like appearance and his words has thrown me for a loop for a second. He turns back to me, "Heh, I am a lot older than most of the people here." I turn my head slightly looking at the child as he jumps off his stool, and starts walking away. One of the receptionists looks at the receding figure of the child, "Arena Master, they need you area 5!" the child waves a hand before disappearing as a crowd of people pass behind him.
A popup for the arena comes up a moment later.
Are you ready to fight for Glory, Power, and Wealth?
Remember you have chosen to NOT have a safety net.
If you perish in your fight in the Arena you will Die. Fight for your life, fight for your path, fight to climb!
Ready Not Ready
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Mentally thumbing the ready, I disappear in my own flash of white, appearing in the a large coliseum, the gritty sand beneath my feet as my boots crunch, sends me back to my vision fighting in the roman coliseum. 'Ah..' rolling my shoulders, as relax my body. A voice booms out over the arena, "WELCOME TO THE ARENA! HOME TO GLORY, WEALTH AND POWER!" "The crowd wants to see you fight with all your worth! Win, be rewarded, Lose, lose your life!" the stands all above the arena floor are packed with all types of beings. 'Real, or fake crowd? what is real or fake..' shaking my thoughts off and concentrating on the next box that appears.
"FOR YOUR FIRST FIGHT WE WILL HAVE YOU SQUARE OFF AGAINST WHAT YOU STARTED AGAINST ON YOUR CLIMB! GOB, GOB, GOB, GOOOOBLIIINSS!"
Floor 5: Goblin's Arena
Round 1
5 Goblins(Lvl:???)
"FIGHT!"
A group of goblins teleports in on the opposite side of the arena facing me. Looking confused for but a moment they notice me, instantly they start shrieking and running in my direction. All of them unarmed, staring at the goblins unimpressed I was tempted to hold back on using the Dark, however after thinking about it i didn't understand why I would, sure people could be watching but who cares. They can assume the some specifics maybe its a skill or spell, but thats on them, I highly doubt they can determine the truth of the Dark. Raising my right hand I smirk, 'Might as well make it indiscernible.' snapping my fingers, standing there I drop my hand down waiting for the goblins to reach me. The moment the first goblin leading the pack reached five feet from me its shrieks turning to a gurgle as it lurches forward falling to the ground in bloody pieces.
Two more goblins come through the same radius as the first, do the same as the first goblin falling to the ground in bloody chunks. The last two skitter to a halt seeing what happened to the first three that came within range of me. Chuckling, I swing my arm in an arc, the lines of Dark, that I had spread throughout the arena chime as the last two goblins lost their heads. 'So simple. Lets hope I can get pushed at least a little before I leave to Floor 6...' the bodies of the goblins disappear into ground of the arena, blood still staining the arena floor.
"What a show, no idea how this young man killed those goblins, maybe we should throw something heavier at him!"
"ON TO ROUND 2!"
Floor 5: Goblin's Arena
Round 2
3 Goblins Warriors(Lvl:???) 2 Goblin Archers(Lvl:???)
"FIGHT FOR IT CLIMBER!"
Three goblin warriors teleport in followed by a couple goblin archers. The goblin warriors taking a more methodical approach the start rushing at me much like the goblins before, the goblin archers taking up post, knocking arrows from their quivers launching them in my direction. As the warriors came close the warrior in the lead has the same thing occur as the last, as the wires of infinitely small size of pure Dark spread around the arena criss-crossing it, cut it to pieces. The two other warriors pause for a moment before rushing to different sides of me, not paying much attention to this, I let my mind wander. The arrows that the archers shot dissolve colliding with more threads of Dark.
'Dark's use is easier more fluid, the qualitative change from before.." Coming back to the fight mentally, the other two goblin warriors have a lance each nailing them to the fair walls in the arena, while the two archers suffered the same fate as the last goblins from the previous round. Standing there the commenters words strike the air.
"NOW THAT IS A FINISH FOR ROUND 2, NAILED PERFECTLY IF I MUST SAY! HAHA! the voice laughs for a moment longer.
"Our new Arena gladiator is doing fantastic, 2 rounds fought, 2 rounds decimated!"
"Are you Ready for ROUND 3!"
"They are bigger, they are meaner, These Goblins are Heavier than the last!"
Floor 5: Goblin's Arena
Round 3
2 Goblin Shieldbearers(Lvl:???) 3 Goblin Spearman(Lvl:???)
"Are you ready Climber?! GET READY!!!"
Two shieldbearers appear in front of me, maybe 6 feet away, definitely closer than the last two spawns of enemies. The three Spearman appearing directly to the back of the shields, their spears falling down between the cracks and sides of the shields. They advance as one unit marching on toward me. I let the lines of Dark go slack free around the arena, still not enough for them to visibly show to lower tiers or levels but if you were high enough you would glimpse them. The goblins coming toward me get closer to me second by second, I lean forward and rush toward the goblins, 'Time to get a workout in at least.' The moment I get close a spear thrusts forward towards my head. Shadow pulling off of me knocking the spearhead to the side away from my head and above my shoulder. 'Not aiming for the center of mass, thats.. interesting.' I slam a hand into the shield to my right, "Have fun, in the next cycle." the threads I had let slack reel themselves around the group of 5, cutting into shield, armor then finally killing all five as the other two spearman tried to stab me in the sides in their final moments, twin shields the size of a palm made of shadows stop the spears from hitting my sides.
"Amazing use of skill! This Climber is Going Places!"
"Can he keep it up?"
"Will he fight a group or will he fight something new, Let us Watch and See Folks!"
Floor 5: Goblin's Arena
Round 4
3 Goblin Wolfriders(Lvl:???)
"Can he survive against a team of Goblin and Beast?"
"ROUND 4 START!"
'These rounds are certainly rolling one to the next, wonder what is going to be the next, first time coming across wolfriders here, wonder if they are anything-.." the three goblin wolfriders rush out from three Gates from the north, west, and east, they start circling me. 'They remind me of Tarn and his pack, though a lot skinnier.' the wolves the three goblins were riding were little more than mangy wolf pups in my eyes, mistreated.. a sigh escapes my mouth as I look at the goblins riding them, much like the skirmishers or ambushers they all have light gear. keeping them light and maneuverable with spears to lance an enemy.
Frowning as I pull in the threads of Dark around the arena floor, I pivot on my heel as the three attempt to close the circle and lance me from multiple sides, crouching down the lances all strike at where my chest was the threads coming in and criss-crossing all three forms close to me, leaving nothing but shreds of goblin and wolf quickly dispatched.
"My, oh, my, even that was a quick turnover!"
"Now Climber I'll Give you a choice, Amp up the Difficulty, get greater rewards, pass through quicker, or slow and steady route that you do not seem to need?"
Are you ready for a more difficult challenge?
The rewards are just as great as the risks.
Remember you have chosen to NOT have a safety net.
If you perish in your fight in the Arena you will Die. Fight for your life, fight for your path, fight to climb!
Greater Danger, Greater Rewards Steady Path, Steady Rewards
"Choices, Choices..."
"What will it be Climber?"