The Grimly Gladiator

Her hair, frizzy and drenched from being cooped up in the helmet all day, hung over her right eye as she took a gasp for fresh air now that she was finally free. Null still hadn’t removed the arrow from her arm, worried that the bleeding would become too much of an issue if untreated. She clicked her tongue at the sight of the injury. The fatigue of the night before and the series of matches she’d had to fight at the Colosseum had gotten to her.

Gen and Null’s heads both craned over to the door as it clicked open.

“Good work out there,” Mikk said to Null, gently shoving Tiff forward through the door.

“G-good work…” the young mage said, his eyes glued to Null’s unmasked face.

“Good work, keh.” Gen scoffed. “She busted her arm like a fuckin’ moron a month away from Peregrine’s Grace. I thought I told you to take care of the ranged fighters first.”

“I couldn’t help it. He kept leading everyone my way. I needed to get rid of them.”

Gen sighed and folded the newspaper. “Forget about that fat ugly sword of yours then. You’re fast for your size. You could mow crowds of people down just as quickly with your speed. Look, we’re getting another Circuit Breaker from the Bones soon so you can keep that one. Mikk, when’s your brother getting back?”

“He should be back sometime this week. When it comes to Mekk you never can be too sure, though.”

Gen nodded before spitting into his ashtray. “Melt that hunk of iron down already. Sell it to the blacksmiths.”

“Leave Tommy out of this!!”

Null held her sheathed great sword tightly while glaring Gen’s way. The man hadn’t bothered returning her gaze, remaining focused on striking a match after placing a cigar in his mouth.

“She named her great sword Tommy…?” Tiff asked with a confused expression.

Gen looked over at Tiff, who panicked and stared down at his feet the second he felt the gaze. “Are you sure you don’t mind this fucker knowing what you look like?”

At his question, Null’s tense stare softened as she nodded. “You want him to become one of us, right? Then he has to know who I am at some point. He has nothing to gain but everything to lose from telling people about it, so I think it’s fine.”

Null recognized the expression Tiff was wearing. He figured her a flower, no doubt. He was bewildered that someone like her could be the crazy Blue Devil who had gone on a murder spree inside of the Colosseum earlier. While her hair hadn’t been particularly grown out, there was certainly something about her feminine face that played to people’s sensitivities. It appeared that Tiff would be no different.

“Why… that is, if you don’t mind me asking…”

Null turned her gaze to Tiff when he spoke up. “What is it?”

“Why don’t you want people to know that you’re a woman?”

Her gaze fell back to her great sword Tommy. “It’s not…”

“It’s marketing,” Gen said.

“Marketing…?”

“Women don’t usually come to watch matches in the Colosseum, so we had this idea to create a character that played to women’s sensitivities. A tall, silent and mysterious serial murderer. We had a team of people work it out by surveying women from all over the country on their tastes. That’s how we came up with the Blue Devil. Besides, it helps that hiding that she’s a woman gets rid of any… uh… what do you call it?”

“Preconceived notions about gender,” Mikk said.

“Whatever, that bullshit. Look, I get it. I also hate the idea of a woman who can beat the shit out of me. But put Null in the ring with any of these guys and she’ll clock ‘em in seconds flat. I’ve seen it. Girl hasn’t lost a damn fight since she put that helmet on. Did she have a few close calls? Yeah, course she did. Everyone does. But she always fuckin’ wins. My girl ain’t a goddamn loser.”

“Gen…” She pouted, embarrassed.

Tiff looked down. “Really? I’ve never heard of her in The Tillows though, everyone keeps talking about others. Last year’s champion, Reg Bones… The ace adventurer, Hero...”

“Hey, who asked you about your snobby rat-infested shithole of a country? Hurry up and heal her fuckin’ arrow wound already.”

“Y-yes sir, apologies…”

Gen clicked his tongue once Tiff ran over to her. “I’m not worried about Reg. Even if he recovers in time for the tournament, I think she’ll give him a good run. But… yeah. If the tales I’ve heard about that other one are true, then Hero’s speed will be a problem for her. That’s why I keep telling her to let go of that fuckin’ great sword. If she used a short sword or a Circuit Breaker, he’d be quick work for her if he decides to show up to the Colosseum next month. Her reflexes are a good match for his speed.”

“I’m not going to let go of Tommy!”

“You did today,” Mikk said from near the door.

Null grimaced, and not at the arrow being removed from her arm by Tiff. It was the fact that the blade had meant so much to her, and she was forced to abandon it for the first time for the sake of winning. Gen had hounded her about Tommy for years, but it was the first time she’d actually had to follow through. Was he correct? Should she switch to a different type of blade?

“I’m going to heal you,” Tiff said.

“Okay.”

Gen eyed the mage intently, but Null gazed off into the distance and pondered the future of her career as a gladiator. Spots of green light slowly descended from the air out of seemingly nowhere and coalesced around his hands as a radiant glow began emitting itself from her wound. The cells in her arm began to multiply, reshaping what was once her arm’s neat internal structure, working inside then outwards until her skin regrew almost instantaneously.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Phew…” The mage wiped the sweat from his brows once he was done. “There. That should do it.”

Null refocused her gaze to look down at her forearm, opening and closing her hand then rotating her arm at her elbow.

“How is it?” Gen asked.

“Yeah, feels like before,” she said.

“Good.” With those words, Gen stood up. “Alright Mikk, take Tiff over to the cell.”

It had been so sudden after his purpose was served that he shot up in surprise.

“T-the cell? But…”

“No buts. You’re still a dirty fuckin’ rat and I don’t trust you one bit. If you think we’re gonna let you walk around like you’ve got any sort of clout over here then you’ve got another fuckin’ thing coming.”

Tiff’s face was broken.

“Gen, my building’s got some rooms for rent. If you want, I could…”

“No.”

“But-“

“No means no. What part of ‘I don’t trust him’ don’t you understand?”

Gen stood up and paced towards the door.

“I’ll make him trustworthy.”

Her words caused him to smash the vase next to the door with his fist.

“You fucking ingrate.” His voice was a hiss, a murmur. He twisted and pointed his finger at her. “After everything I’ve done for you? This is how you pay me back?”

“Yeah, and you can thank me later for it. I think this is a better idea than locking him in a cell.”

Gen eyed her intently, his rage coloring his pupils a deep crimson.

Null met it without a hint of fear or worry coloring her own gaze.

The tension in the room caused Tiff to freeze in fear, and even Mikk found himself clenching his fists.

Gen slowly drew into Null’s space, their bodies barely apart, and he leaned into her ear as the scent of his cigar assailed her nose. “Remember who the fuckin’ boss here is, you little shit. I will pull you out of the goddamn Colosseum if you do that again, do you hear me?”

Null hadn’t responded. She maintained her cool demeanor as Gen poked near her clavicle in frustration.

Unwilling to wait for a response, he walked back towards the exit.

But before leaving, he paused for a moment, clearly still grappling with the stubbornness of the woman behind him.

“Do whatever you want.”

He left through the door and slammed it shut.

---

Peregrine city was bustling in the evening once Null and Tiff had departed from the Registry. The remaining group of three had spent their time pulling information from Tiff, who confessed that he could cast illusion, healing, and enhancement spells. While Mikk suggested that enhancement spells might assist Null in Peregrine’s Grace next month, she rejected the idea as her victory in that situation would always be doubted in her own mind as a product of a force outside of herself.

She let out an unabashed yawn laced with the fatigue of her thirty-six-hours of sleep deprivation as they strolled through the streets. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail that reached her shoulders and sprouted out in an umbrella-like fashion. Her dark coat that extended below her knees grazed those beige trousers of hers that had folded into the strapped leather boots she’d slipped on. In order to blend in with the common man outside the Colosseum, she would usually leave Tommy inside the VIP room, instead opting to keep the magic blade on the inside of her coat, its sheathed blade hooked and pressing against the leather vest she had slipped on before departing.

Tiff, the freckle-faced, bucktoothed mage who wore his leather cloak with its hood up above his head, was frantically scanning the area as if he was in enemy territory, causing Null to raise an eyebrow.

“Tiff.”

“Y-yes?” He twisted his head towards Null so quickly that she thought he’d dislocated his neck.

“Uh… what made you come over to The Baening?”

“What? Oh, yes. Uhm, well… I don’t think it’s a very interesting story… wait, I thought you’d know about that.”

“Why would I know?” Null asked.

“Your… your boss. He said as much at the game earlier.”

“Oh, sure. He hadn’t told me anything about you though, so I have no idea what exactly he knows. I just thought you looked like you were expecting someone.”

“D-do I?”

The lack of substance in his answers had drawn a sigh out of Null.

“If you don’t want to talk to me it’s fine. Just remember that you’d be sleeping in a cell right now if it weren’t for me.”

“Right… well, about that… why did you stand up for me? There was no need for that, was there?”

“No, there’s a big need.”

“Really?”

Null brushed her bangs. “Mm, it’s only natural. I think people are more likely to stay loyal if they’re given a good reason to.”

“And you want me to stay loyal to the boss? Why?”

“Not to the boss, no,” Null said. “To me.”

“But that’s…”

Null turned into an alleyway; a maneuver taken to avoid too much more of the congestion. Tiff followed hesitantly, still glancing around with shifty eyes.

“He needs a mage to join us,” Null said. “The other families, the Wines of Fort Dusk, and the Bones of Dawn’s Rock, they each have at least one mage among their ranks, which gives them the edge should a war break out. We Canes down at the harbor are the only ones who are lacking in that department. Oh yeah, I know what you’re thinking now. Why treat you like a sick dog if you’re actually a prize horse that could tip the scales in our favor? Well, if a prize horse knew it was a prize horse, it might start making demands, wouldn’t it? That’s just how Gen operates. He doesn’t want a prize horse. He wants a loyal, obedient dog who believes himself to be a dime a dozen. But I don’t believe that such narrow-minded thinking would work with you. I think an illusionist who could escape at any point should he play his cards right is never going to stay an obedient dog, so what you need more than anything is a reason that makes you want to stay, not empty threats.”

“A-ah… so he never planned to kill me then.”

Null laughed. “No, but Mikk was serious when he said that he would, so you should probably keep that in mind.”

A silence fell over them once they left the alley and came out into what was essentially a more rundown corner of Peregrine. The business of the city had been left on the other side of the buildings they crossed. This area wasn’t nearly as heavily guarded as the more traveler-friendly front-facing Peregrine, where the vibrant city was filled with markets and fancy stores. Over in the south-east, that had all been absent. What they were greeted with was a small community where kids ran about playing with one another, older adults sat around tables drinking and playing games, and where the cracks in neglected stone walls only told half the story of the slow degradation of the city’s hidden underbelly.

“You’re awfully thoughtful,” he said.

Null laughed. “Maybe I am.”

She stopped at a more well-kept building that stood about three stories tall, its wooden exterior sticking out among the cracking stone dispersed among the area.

“So, what do you think? Will you take me up on it? Working for The Canes pays a lot, you know.”

She tilted her head downward and glanced at the mage with an inquisitive smile. She thought it was a wonder that she could maintain it despite the conflicted expression Tiff wore as he stared down at his own feet.

“I’m sorry Null. I can’t work for someone like that.”

Tiff clenched his fists. It had crossed Null’s mind, but she had underestimated the psychological damage of what had happened earlier. She’d seen the families partake in the act for so many years that she’d grown numb to it, but she understood immediately why he’d feel that way. “I can forgive you for what you did to me, and you seem to want me to live well enough, but I can’t forgive him. I’ll probably hate him for a long time.”

“I see.” She closed her eyes, maintaining her smile. “Then, why don’t you consider getting close to him to get your revenge?”

“Revenge…?”

“Spy on him for me. Tell me everything that goes on while you’re around him. What he has you do, who he meets, what his plans seem to be.”

Tiff couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing. “But… you’re… aren’t you his…”

“I’ll pay for you to stay a night here,” she said. “We can talk more about it when you wake up.”

Tiff looked like he had more he wanted to ask, but the fatigue from the day’s events were too much for him. He nodded as a bead of sweat slid down his face.

“Good.”

And so, it seemed that an unlikely alliance had been forged between the mage and the gladiator. Discussions of their plans would have to wait until tomorrow as Null was in desperate need of some rest. The croaks of the bolts being loaded into the crossbow were being replayed in her mind since leaving the arena.