Since there were still several hours before the fight began, and since she had just spent so much money on it, Kayden found a spot to read her new book on a pipe near the arena.
She flipped through the book to get a general idea of what it contained before beginning reading it. She stopped when she found a diagram of the human body with seven circles located at various points around the body, each with a title.The Gate of Insight located at the forehead, the Gate of Focus located at the chin, the Gate of Breath located at the throat, the Gate of Power located at the chest, the Gate of Energy located at the abdomen, the Gate of Balance located at the thighs, and the Gate of Speed located at the feet.
Once she had digested all of that information, she read the introduction. It briefly outlined what the author discovered about gate magic while living among the people of Kel. They believed that the highest achievement a person could make was to open all seven gates. When that was accomplished an individual would reach the pinnacle of physical prowess and would no longer be bound by conditions such as fatigue and pain, some even thought death could be staved off.
Each gate offered significant power, but only when all seven were unlocked could one experience gate magic’s true potential. It required extreme discipline and training to open even a single gate.
As Sook mentioned, gate magic was tied to the belief that auras powered the human body. In fact, there was a general philosophy that all life was animated by the power of auras. The aura was tied to certain points of the body called gates. When one trained in a specific manner they were able to begin the process of opening a gate, which allowed for a greater flow of magical energy from the aura into the body.
Instead of imbuing a specific part of her body with her aura as she did with her arms, gate magic was more holistic in nature, not focusing on any particular part but on the whole. What Kayden was currently doing wasn’t so much as strengthening her body itself, but simply using her arm as a focus for the release of the power of her aura. As such when she removed her aura, she lost the benefits.
Gate magic was about opening a permanent gateway between the body and the aura, creating a constant flow of magical energy. The result was that the very fibers of the human body became altered in order to incorporate it. Because of this, gate magic was very difficult to obtain and the results were often disappointing because it was limited by the conditions of the body.
Gates could even close and become harder to maintain if one stopped training. For this reason it was a field of magical study that was often overlooked by serious practitioners of the arcane. The author had no counterargument against this claim other than to say that since it was so understudied there could perhaps be benefits which have not been seen.
The explanations ended there and the rest of the book detailed training regimens for opening each of the gates. The author was limited to the knowledge of the particular people he was living amongst, and from what he said, among the Kel, they hoarded the secret training methods for opening each of the gates in different villages. Therefore, some of the gates had much more information than others, while some only had possible ideas from what the author was able to infer. The most extensively developed training methods were for the Gates of Speed and Energy.
Kayden was somewhat disappointed in what she learned. Not only did it require years of dedication to open a gate, but the results were somewhat vague. The author had no experience with gate magic himself. All of this was taken second hand, and as such his ability to explain it was limited. Added to the fact that the author was translating this from another language with its own unique idioms, the result was somewhat confusing. For instance, the Gate of Speed was about more than simply moving faster, it was about arriving at one’s destination before the chime of the bell, and the Gate of Energy wasn’t about giving your body more access to magical reserves as Kayden had initially thought and hoped, but about not plowing a field with sick soil. It was very esoteric and unclearly defined.
But Kayden didn’t let her initial disappointment get to her. If the author was to be believed, he had witnessed some extremely stunning feats of strength and prowess through the use of gate magic in his time with the people of Kel. For instance, he saw a woman meditate for days without food or water, he saw a passing monk lift a cart which had become stuck in mud with a single hand, and saw a village elder fight off seven trained soldiers with both his hands tied to his back.
Gate magic in a nutshell seemed very unexciting in concept but could have far reaching benefits. The general philosophy seemed to be about not wasting any of the body's capabilities, capabilities which could be stretched beyond their usual limits with the aid of gates.
It excited Kayden to think what she could achieve through a combination of gate magic and her own innate talent to imbue her body with her aura. She would have to experiment and see if she was capable of opening one of these gates on her own without a trainer. She doubted there would be anyone in Mitros who could help her in that regard.
She wouldn’t waste too much time attempting it in case it proved to be useless, but she saw no reason not to at least try. If nothing else, these training methods would strengthen her body even if they didn’t open up a gate.
For now she put the book in her backpack and headed toward the arena. It had begun to get late and the intersection with the arena was packed with people preparing for the fight. It seemed Darris had been right that this fight was some type of big event. Every person who lived Cliffside seemed to fill the streets. It was sold out at this point and people were selling their tickets for three times as much as they bought them for.
There were people from every walk of life here. Dangerous thugs, wealthy merchants, excited kids, several deep denizens, lizardfolk, Kayden even saw a man with glowing red eyes. At first she thought he was some type of demon but then she realized it was a body augmentation like what Darris had mentioned. The man had his eyes replaced with some type of tech that looked like a piece of onyx with a red ember at the center. It swiveled around constantly.
Kayden finally managed to squeeze through the crowd to the entrance and present her ticket. She was waved through by a skinny, but dangerous looking man with lots of face tattoos. He had a short sword sheathed at his side and looked like he was ready to use it if anyone so much as even looked like they were intending on causing trouble.
Kayden had a feeling that he was a member of Nikiphero so she took some time studying his tattoos as she approached. She knew that many of the gangs distinguished their allegiances through their tattoos. She saw many of the tribal looking markings she had become familiar with throughout her short time Cliffside, but didn’t see anything that would particularly mark him as a member of a gang, she supposed that made sense. It wouldn’t be smart to make such things obvious in case they had to go places where such things could get them into trouble.
The doors opened up immediately to the domed arena. In the center was a ring surrounded by rows and rows of chairs. She would be surprised if the people in back could even see the fighters. Her seat however was as close as she could get without having special connections. There were two tunnel entrances on either side of the ring that led underground and which Kayden guessed was where the fighters would appear.
There was a system of marking the seats using letters to indicate the row and numbers to indicate the seat. She was surprised at how organized it was for being run by a gang, but it was a common rule of thumb that in order to have a successful enterprise, it had to be run smoothly. And sloppy businesses didn’t last long. If Nikiphero really was one of the top organizations Cliffside then they would probably run themselves a lot more like a business rather than a band of criminals. She had to stop underestimating Cliffside.
She took her seat and waited for her father to appear. As time went by more and more people shuffled in to find their seats. Kayden had never been in a place crammed so full of people. There were areas in the balconies above that didn’t even have seats and people were crammed shoulder to shoulder. She wasn’t even sure how any of them could breathe in that throng.
She was getting antsy waiting in her seat when all at once a roar like nothing she had ever experienced washed over the crowd of spectators. A man had walked onto the ring and grabbed a microphone that hung from above.
“Welcome, Cliffsiders, to the fight of the decade. Reigning champion Rem, the Fiend, Wesser versus--for his first time in the ring in nine years, and previous champion--Xolan, the Wreckage of Ivossin, Boone. Can the Fiend compare to a legend or will he crack under the pressure? Does the Wreckage still have what it takes or is he just a washed up has been? That is what we are all here to find out. Who do you think will win? The betting booths will close shortly so be sure to lock in your predictions before it is too late. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Now, should we bring out our contestants?.”
The crowd roared its response.
“In this corner we had our defending champion with twenty-two wins and zero losses, Rem, the Fiend, Wesser!”
The doors to one of the tunnels flew open as if kicked and the Fiend walked out, flanked by his team. Rem had a mohawk that was dyed red at the tips. He had the stone cold face of a killer. Wherever he looked he seemed to challenge people to try to take him on. He climbed into the ring to the cheers of the people and took off his shirt before throwing it to the crowd. He wore the traditional tribal tattoos of Cliffside, but on his chest was one that stood out, a hawk being struck out of the sky by a spear piercing its belly.
Kayden had seen that very tattoo before. On her father’s chest. He wasn’t one to go shirtless even in the house, but there had been occasions for Kayden to have seen it. That must have been what marked someone as a member of Nikiphero.
Rem retreated into his corner, and the announcer went on to his next introduction. “And in this corner we have the returning champ, with forty-two wins and three losses, Xolan, the Wreckage of Ivossin, Boone!”
This was what Kayden had been waiting for. She was on the side of the entrance where Rem had come from so she stood up so that she could strain to see her father.
The doors weren’t so much kicked open as they were blasted open. Then her grinning father came out to an even bigger roar than Rem. It appeared he really was a beloved hero here.
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Kayden was surprised by how little her father had changed. With everything she had learned about him, she expected that he would look like a completely different person, but it was still her father. Unlike Rem, who looked emotionless and cold, her father looked excited and happy. He had always been a cheerful person, always quick to joke and laugh. The only real change was that his head was buzzed.
“Dad!” Kayden couldn’t help but immediately call out his name, but her voice was lost in the cries of the crowd. She even stood up and waved at him, but she was hardly the only one doing that.
He reached the ring and climbed in, circling it as Rem had. He took off his shirt and threw it to the crowd, sure enough she saw the same tattoo on his chest that Rem had.
When he reached the side of the ring where Kayden was located, she was about to call out his name again to try to get his attention, but she didn’t need to. As if sensing her presence his eyes found her own.
Surprise flew across his face and he froze, staring at her for a second as if he didn’t believe what he was seeing.
Kayden felt overwhelmed with a sudden burst of confusing emotions.
She saw her name form on her father’s lips, but then he stopped as if remembering where he was. They broke eye contact and her father finished his circuit of the ring. When he reached his corner he briefly spoke to one of his attendants and pointed in her direction while the announcer was joined by a referee.
“Both fighters come to the middle,” the referee commanded.
Rem went to the center of the ring with the announcer, and her father quickly finished speaking to his attendant and joined them.
“I want a clean fight. No magic outside of the prescribed exceptions. Only body enhancement techniques are allowed. If I step in, you must stop fighting immediately and return to your corner. Are you ready?”
Rem and her father nodded. Her father’s eyes found hers. He no longer looked as cheerful as when he came out of the tunnel. He looked grim.
“Then shake hands. When both fighters have returned to their corners, the fight will begin.”
The announcer left the ring and the microphone retracted up to the ceiling. Her father and Rem stepped up to each other. Her father was slightly taller so he looked down on the younger man, but this didn’t faze the stony mask that Rem had in place. They shook hands, obviously trying to crush each other with their grip and glared. It lasted for a protracted second, neither of them seeming shaken. Then they returned to their corners.
A bell rang, and the fight began.
They came at each other immediately. There was no hesitation or uncertainty. The crowd loved it.
Rem was quick. Since her father had the advantage of reach, he led the offensive, but Rem weaved through his attacks with ease. Then he took the offensive, aiming a counterattack at Xolan’s gut with a series of rapid punches.
Xolan retreated from the barrage, but Rem continued to follow through, with a ferocious determination. It was like he was trying to end the fight as soon as possible. She could see why he had earned the title of the Fiend. He sure fought like one, not offering his opponent a second to regain their composure.
This would have been an overwhelming attack for most people, but it became completely obvious that Xolan was no novice. Instead of attempting to counter the attack which would have only opened his defense up, he increased his defense and let Rem wear himself down.
It was obvious that both of them were using some type of aura enhancements on themselves. Rem fought with a speed that was frighteningly inhuman, but despite the number of blows, it didn’t look like they were having that much of an effect on Xolan, which meant he must be hardening his muscles.
There were judges on the sidelines who were peering through some type of aura detecting glasses to make sure both fighters’ magic usage remained within the confines allowed by the arena.
Kayden decided to follow their example and take a look at the pair’s aura as well to see what she could discern. She was still a novice in her aura sense, but she wanted to try anyway.
She concentrated on her father and Rem, and slowly opened her mind to the world around her. It was a process of deep concentration which was hard to achieve with such a rowdy crowd, but eventually she managed it.
The room became awash with shifting colors that made her feel nauseous. There was just too much to process with so many people. She worked on blocking everything out except the fighters. Eventually, she managed to achieve this and only saw the aura of her father and Rem.
Rem’s aura was completely different from how her father had taught her to use body enhancement; instead of infusing his body, his aura rested on it like an exoskeleton, taking the place of his muscles altogether.
Xolan’s aura, on the other hand, was almost completely gone as it was infused with his body. There were brief flashes of released energy when Rem made contact with his fists. This was a battle of attrition. Who would run out of steam first? Her father with his defense, or Rem with his attack.
Kayden couldn’t maintain concentration for long, so she released it. Just as she did, the attendant she had noticed her father talking to before the fight was making his way to her. When he stepped in the way, people shouted for him to move, but he ignored them. He came up to where Kayden sat and shouted across the first two rows.
“Are you Kayden?”
Kayden nodded.
“The Wreckage wants you in his corner. Come with me.”
Kayden didn’t waste any time. People looked at her curiously, having overheard what the attendant said.
She carefully squeezed through the tightly packed seats and went up to the attendant who led her over to her father’s corner just as the bell signaling the end of the first round sounded.
The announcer took back control with another microphone from the side of the ring, dissecting the results of the first round while both fighters returned to their corners. They were covered in a sheen of sweat but relatively unharmed. This had the looks of being a long fight, neither looked like they were worn down in the slightest.
Kayden and her father reached the corner at the same time. At first her father didn’t seem to notice her there. He was receiving instruction from one of his trainers.
“Keep up that defense. It requires him to expend a lot more energy to keep attacking like that then it does for you to defend. He favors his right side. Look for an opening on the left. And keep your distance. You don’t want to see what Rem is capable of if he gets you on the ground.”
Her father nodded along as if he knew all of this already, which he probably did. The brief intermission was coming to an end with the announcer stating the second round was about to begin.
“Dad,” Kayden said before he left the corner.
He finally acknowledged her with a slight smile. “Hey, sweetheart.”
Then he was gone, returning to the fight.
Kayden was pushed toward an open seat on the front row, where she was left by the attendant. She was surrounded by men dressed like what she was used to seeing around the Civil District Uptown, expensively tailored suits.
One of the men in particular was studying her. He was about the age of her father by the looks of it, and had the appearance of a fighter. It wasn’t so much about his physique, because she couldn’t tell much from underneath his suit, but his eyes which were dark and held a cold detachment. He was handsome with a carefully trimmed beard and silver wings in his hair above his ears. There were several scars on his right cheek, thin and almost unnoticeable She glanced away from him embarrassed from his intense gaze.
Somebody leaned in from the second row to speak to her. It was a boy a little younger than herself, wearing a thick coat even though it was extremely hot in here.
“I saw you talk to the Wreckage. You're so lucky, I would give anything to get a chance to meet him. How do you know him?”
“I don’t,” Kayden answered honestly. She really didn’t know this side of her father. They may as well have been strangers.
Except when he had said, “Hey, sweetheart,” that had been completely her father. It had left her speechless like nothing had changed and they were back home and she had just returned from school. For a moment she had forgotten how angry she was and just been glad that she had finally found him, but now her anger was even stronger then before.
The boy, somewhat disappointed by her answer, shrugged and went back to enjoying the fight. She glanced back over at the intimidating man but he had also returned to watching the fight.
It was much the same thing as the first with Rem on the attack and Xolan on the defense. Rem certainly had an advantage being younger. He had much more reserves available then Xolan. It was obvious that Xolan was trying to conserve as much of his strength as possible until he needed it.
Suddenly, the fight escalated. It seemed Rem had been conserving some of his power as well. The rain of blows he was sustaining found a weakness in Xolan’s guard and Rem abruptly broke through with a powerful strike.
While Xolan was caught on his back feat, Rem dived for his legs, lifting him up into the air and driving him down onto the ground. While atop him, Rem increased the ferocity of his attacks even more than before. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of strategy, just a battering ram of attacks that was testing the limits of Xolan’s defense.
In order to drive off the blows Xolan tried to send Rem reeling back with an attack of his own, but that was a huge mistake, and what Rem seemed to have been waiting for. As soon as Xolan attempted to punch him in the face, Rem dodged it then immediately wrapped his arms around Xolan’s extended arm and wrapped his legs around it to give him the leverage for an arm bar.
Rem pulled ferociously, but Xolan wasn’t out for the count yet. For any average person their shoulder would have been dislocated at this point, but Xolan was proficient at body enhancement.
Kayden once again tuned in her aura sense to see what was going on behind the scenes. It was a battle of wills, with Rem having the obvious upper hand. Xolan had to expend vast amounts of energy just to keep his arm in place, but Rem only had to continue to invest a small amount in order to keep the pressure up. If this continued Xolan was guaranteed to lose.
But Kayden knew that her father’s greatest strength was in his ability to imbue his arms with vast amounts of power. And even as she watched she saw not only his aura flooding his shoulder, but his entire arm.
Xolan arched his back and threw off the purchase Rem had on his shoulder with his legs. Then he ripped his arm free and descended upon Rem with the full strength of his aura infused arm before Rem could react.
Rem tried to kick out at him, but Xolan pushed past and slammed a fist down on Rem’s face.
Rem shifted his aura from the exoskeletal frame to a type of helmet just in time to stop the blow. The younger fighter’s head slammed back against the floor, leaving an indent from the force. Xolan raised his fist for another strike, one that was sure to cause even more damage when the bell sounded signifying the end of the round. The referee pulled them apart.
This time when they returned to their corners they were much more shook up then from the end of the previous round. Rem had a bloodied face from that single strike from her father, and although Xolan’s injuries weren’t as obvious, he was favoring his shoulder that had been caught in the arm bar. On top of that they were both plastered in sweat. The real fight had finally begun.
Kayden made as if to stand and go to her father--she may be angry at him, but she still didn’t enjoy seeing him like this--but one of the men sitting beside her grabbed her and forced her back into her seat.
“Stay,” was all he said, and she noticed the knife sheathed at his armpit.
In fact, it looked like all the men around her were armed to some capacity. That’s when she realized who this was, Nikiphero. It made sense that they would be here to support the fight. Kayden swallowed nervously and relaxed back into her seat.
The bell for the third round rang and the two fighters went to meet each other and continue their ferocious battle, but something distracted Kayden from the fight. It looked like an overzealous audience member with a metal arm was causing havoc at the judges table.
He had wrested the microphone from the announcer which sent an ear-splitting screech over the speakers. Rem and Xolan weren’t yet aware of the disturbance, they were too invested in their battle with each other.
The metal armed man punched the announcer in the face which sent a spray of blood everywhere and brought the microphone up to his lips. “Nikiphero will fall! This is for Mistech!” Then he exploded.