Marc woke up excited for his weekend of staying home and reading. However the first thing he noticed was the smell. It smelled like his dog just went to the bathroom. As Marc started to get up he realized that he was on the ground, and it was covered in sand.

What the hell, where am I?!

System Message Welcome to the system! As you are new to the system you have been given an introduction and will learn your stats and traits after you reach level 1. You will be able to choose a class once you speak to a class trainer.

Not of this world? What the hell does that mean? Am I dreaming I am in a portal fantasy? Man, I really need to stop falling asleep with an audio book on. It leads to the most bizarre dreams for me. Might as well see where it takes us, though. It should be entertaining, at the very least. Looks like I am inside some sort of prison cell with iron bars locking me in.

System Message For your introduction you have been placed in a Tutorial Dungeon. Welcome to the Colosseum. Fight to survive, fight to advance. The farther you advance the greater your reward.

Okay...so I need to fight to advance. Hopefully I can grab a weapon before the first fight. It’d be nice to know what I’m up against, for starters.

"Hey, slave! Get up! It's your time to fight," An armed guard barked orders from the outside of my cell.

"Do I get a weapon for the fight?" Marc asked hesitantly.

"No, all first time fighters are required to fight unarmed," the guard said matter-of-factly.

"Who am I fighting?" Marc inquired frantically, desperate for even the smallest amount of information that might help prepare for what he was about to walk into.

"You will find out when you get inside."

Marc clambered to his feet, still feeling disoriented, and clumsily made his way across the sandy cell towards the door as the guard unlocked his cell. As Marc walked into the tunnel, he heard a dull roar in the distance. It grew louder and louder with each step as he made his way toward what looked like the exit. Eventually he reached another gate where he was finally able to get a glimpse of the arena he was about to fight in. The arena floor was about the size of an Olympic track and field arena. Marc took in the crowd that was packed in all screaming out for blood as only a mob can do upon witnessing the brutal blood sport that was on display in front of him As Marc took in the current fight appeared to be coming to it's final moments. In the center of the arena was a man in black armor that looked a lot like lorica segmentata.

The voice of a seasoned commentator boomed from the loudspeaker

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"Aaaaand Victor, our champion, has slain the wretched Ancient Vampire and leader of the Vampiric Cabal!"

Marc's gaze locked on to the lifeless body as it fell from the man's sword with a wet squelching sound and slumped into the sand in the center of the arena. He was still pretty certain this was just a dream, but seeing the carnage of the fight before him still filled him with dread. He struggled to swallow down the lump in his throat and regain his composure.

Man, I hope I can pick up this fighting stuff quickly. All I need to do is survive. It doesn’t have to be pretty. There’s the announcer again…hopefully he’s about to give me some idea of what I’m up against.

"And now we have our new hopefuls entering the arena for the Blood Bowl! Some were forced to participate, others are here to seek glory! You all know the drill — time to throw out some weapons for our contestants and see who will be the last one standing!" As the announcer finished his enthusiastic introduction, the roar of the crowd became deafening and the gate in front of Marc began to rise..

Okay, here we go. This is it. I need to find a weapon. Hopefully something that will give me some reach and doesn’t take much skill. I’m not exactly a weapons expert.

Marc dashed around the perimeter of the arena, frantically searching for a weapon he could wield. On the other side of the arena, Marc could see what appeared to be a vampire already slaughtering his way through the other combatants. Marc tried to stay focused. He scrambled to the first "weapon" he could see: a broken broomstick. As he bent over to scoop up the wooden broom handle, he was shoved from behind, catapulting him onto the hard ground in front of him. He managed to snag the "weapon" on his way down and roll with it, leaving him flat on his back with the jagged broom resting on his chest. He hit the ground, forcing all the air from his lungs on impact. His mouth gaped as he let out a raspy breath.

Before Marc could process what had just happened, he felt a second impact. The broom fragment was nearly ripped from his hands as someone landed on top of him. The corners of his vision started to blur and fade to black as he writhed in pain from the back-to-back blows. He struggled to stay conscious as a warm liquid sprayed into his still-gaping mouth.

Marc began violently coughing, desperate to clear his airway as more of the unidentified liquid found its way into his airway. Finally, he stopped seeing stars long enough to realize there was a fanged face directly in front of his own. He swallowed in fear as he mustered up the last of his strength to shove the body off of him. Almost immediately, a burning sensation pierced his bones and Marc felt as if his body was being torn apart from the inside out. He vaguely recalled hearing some of the announcer's commentary as he lost consciousness from the excruciating pain.

"Ladies and gentleman, the first kill has happened and the killer is immediately onto his next victim — who he tears the head off of without hesitation! Did he just take a bite out of that man?! Looks like we have a second vampire in the pits today!! What a massacre, folks! Will anyone be able to slow him down? No, it appears not! He’s making quick work of this Blood Bowl. The vampire is closing in on our last remaining contestant, who seems to still be struggling to locate a weapon! He rushes the unarmed contestant...who ducks! No…falls!? He appeared to be reaching for a weapon but he is now on the ground, folks! The vampire is going for a bite to the jugular, and…what just happened!? DID YOU FOLKS SEE THAT?! Our seemingly unarmed contestant seems to have snatched a wooden stake from the ground and pierced the vampire straight through the heart! Ladies and gents, looks like we have our winner of the Blood Bowl! Join us again in one week to see this fearsome champion take on his first challenger in a one on one fight to the death! Will his streak of luck continue? Will we see what skills his challenger has? Who knows! We'll see more blood next week at the Coliseum! Fight and die for our entertainment. Live through this gauntlet and you may earn your freedom!"

The last thing Marc saw as his consciousness faded was a system announcement.

System Message Congratulations! You have been reborn through blood as a Bloodborne!