The younger of the two, Lheer, always stood by me. He always paid close attention to whatever I said and followed my orders faithfully. Lharus though, the older one, always had a rebellious side to him. Sadly, even in my old age, I wasn’t able to beat it out of him.
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Kai stopped in place, unable to believe his eyes. He’s changed so much! He met Léandro a long time ago when he first left The Vampire Kingdom. At that time, he wanted to save Orphelia from the hands of some bandits, but he ended up almost getting killed in the process. If it weren’t for him… Though he did try to shoot me right after, the prick.
Reminiscing about the past, Kai reflected a little on himself. Back then he had no mask and his clothes were old and tattered. Although his current set wasn’t any better, their quality could be praised at the very least. He also had no magic powers, so he relied solely on his sword skills. A sudden urge to talk to the guy suddenly overtook him, though he quickly suppressed it. There was just no way he could talk to him, not after so long.
He looks very different though, even his expression… that scar. I bet he went through his own set of ordeals. If it weren’t for the resemblance I would have never guessed… I wonder what he’s doing here?
His question soon got an answer, though, as he watched Léandro walk up to the stall and pay the fee, though with reluctance. After he received the ticket, another six people walked toward the arena. Kai followed suit, heading for the man that sold him the ticket. He gathered the participants on one side inside a small fenced area.
“Alright, take a look at your ticket. You each should have a number from one to eight.” The man said lazily, and the fighters, Kai included, each took out their tickets. Turning it around, he noticed the number seven on his. Then Léandro must be number eight. “We’ll have the odd numbers fight each other”, the man continued, “and even numbers each other. Therefore, the first match is numbers one and three. Please step in the ring and announce your name. I’ll give the go.”
In less than a minute, the two sat on the platform, glaring at each other.
“My name is Han.” The man on the left began, drawing his sword. It shone with a silver-blue luster, and he gripped it with both hands as he readied himself. His simple attire of a black tunic and gray pants, alongside his tanned brown skin, made him look like a peasant. Though, his bearing and the way he held the sword gave conflicting feelings. He scanned the man standing opposite him with an emotionless gaze.
“Ruth.” The man declared as he brandished two axes, one bloodier than the other. He was taller than Han by two or three heads, and similarly twice as wide and thrice as heavy. His naked torso was covered by a sleeveless blue vest, which showcased the countless animal wounds he endured throughout his life.
“Alright.” The announcer said, standing on a raised platform. “On my go, you two can begin fighting. There is one simple rule, no killing. The fight ends when one of you is incapacitated or admits defeat. Now, you may begin.”
The man named Han acted as soon as he was given the go-ahead, taking short, quick steps toward his large opponent. He held his sword pointed at the ground, and swung it upwards in a diagona slash as soon as he was in range. Ruth’s eyes followed the man like a hawk, and his axes met in a cross as he caught the man’s sword in a deadlock. Without hesitation, he kicked at Han’s stomach. He dodged, moving his body to the side and gripping the sword with one hand.
Han squatted and moved under the large man’s arms, then let go of his sword and kicked at the man’s legs. Ruth immediately lost balance and fell forward, almost slicing his belly open on the still-falling sword. Luckily for him, Han had already grabbed it, and he used the hit to strike at Ruth’s neck.
The large man immediately fell unconscious, collapsing on the ground, his axes clattering together.
The crowd erupted into a loud cheer as the man’s body fell. Gasps of awe and shock snuck through the excited yells, yet Han only scoffed and sheathed his sword.
“Who is that guy? He took Ruth down so fast, it’s…”
“I don’t know, but fuck that Ruth bastard, he lost me so many coins… Fuck!”
Kai listened closely to the little he could hear, a tinge of pain tugging at his heart. We had the option to bet? Damn… He thought with a crooked about his meager funds.
“Han wins, drag this man off, and let’s have number two and four fight.” The event organizer said without a hint of pity. “Please step up.”
The following contestants walked on stage before Ruth got removed, seizing each other up. Both had swords tied to their waists and had an average, muscular build. That’s about where the similarities ended, though. The man that held the number two stick had short dark hair and a shaven face while his opponent was the exact opposite.
“I won’t repeat the rules, you know them. Good Luck.” The organizer gave the go-ahead for the fight to start. “Lay,” the dark hard man said, his voice tired and husky.
“Miho.” said the man with blonde hair and blue eyes, gripping his sword.
“Alright, fight!” the organizer said as he jumped off the arena. The two didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately rushed each other. Sparks flew about as their swords clashed. Over and over again metal struck metal, and neither of them had the advantage. At least, that was until the dark-haired man’s body shone with a faint light.
The onlookers’s yells got cut short as the man got the upper hand. Magic? Kai became more attentive, as it was rare he actually saw someone use magic. I think that’s a strength buff, the other man is already sweating… he’ll lose for sure.
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However right as he thought that, the dark-haired man’s opponent exploded with another faint light and a rush of strength. With a grunt, he pushed on his blade and sent his opponent flying. He dashed to where he landed and held the tip of his sword to the man’s throat.
“I give up.” The man said after little consideration and stood up shortly after the organizer announced the results.
“What? So fast?!” The crowd complained at the quick result of the fight, with some voices loud enough to ring over others.
“What’s with these fights? They end before we can even see blood!”
“Yeah, how are we supposed to enjoy this if no one ever gets hurt?”
“I want the money I bet back.”
“Yeah, we want to see a real fight!”
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The organizer climbed up on the arena and sat on one of its supporting pillars, then took a deep breath. “Silence!” His voice boomed through the plaza, the bored tone vanishing. An angry, less reserved manner of speech replaced his previous one as he said. “You want bloodshed? Then why didn’t you sign up to fight? To me, it looks like you are all just butthurt pussies afraid to lose coin!”
Kai looked at the man with newfound disgust after figuring out what this was all about. No wonder they are so generous with the plants, they’re making more off-betting than the loss of the plant. His eyes flew toward the dark-haired man, who limped through the angry crowd. Limping? I never saw him get hit in the leg… Something’s off!
Though his suspicions were just that, suspicions. Regardless of whether these people were scummy or not, it had nothing to do with him. He only needed the plant, and he’d make sure to get it.
“Alright, number five and seven… up on the ring.” The announcer jumped off, then turned to Kai and his opponent as they entered the arena. “Present yourselves. If you make this fight good I will make sure you will get an additional reward.” A sly smirk decorated his lips, though the crowd began chanting even louder.
“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”
“Blood! Blood! Blood! Blood!”
Why are these fuckers so barbaric? Kai thought, calculating his opponent. He had a pair of daggers strapped to his waist, accompanied by an icy glare that wanted to rip Kai apart. A light scoff escaped his body as he looked the man up and down. A scrawny young man with tattered clothes and unkempt hair. Where did he even get the money to participate in this?
Of course, Kai wasn’t looking down on him for that reason. No, he knew better than to underestimate an opponent. More than that, he found the man’s intimidation tactics to be a little subpar. I think I felt more fear when Raymond had my finger between his blades… Well, that’s natural but even Barhm had more of a presence. I do wonder what kind of reward we’d get if we made this fight flashy.
“Hazel.” He suddenly heard the man’s voice. It was faint, sharp, and somewhat eerie. Isn’t that a girl’s name though?
“Ichor.” Kai adopted his fake name, at least for this fight. Better safe than not.
“Oy, who’s that weird guy with the mask? He looks suspicious.”
“I don’t know, I’d worry more about the other one. He looks like a true killer.”
“Killer or not they’re both short…”
“Shh, the fight is starting.”
“Alright lovebirds, make this fight good.” The organizer said, practically giving them the go.
Neither moved immediately, as they still took the time to analyze each other. Kai could never be too careful, especially not in a fight where the opponent has wit. Hazel had other plans though. A light shone on his dagger as he pulled them out. He kicked off the ground and rushed Kai like a flying arrow. Hazel tried to sneak under Kai and slash at his throat. But the two were similar in size, so Kai took a step back and unsheathed his sword.
Its silvery color reflected the light shining down from the sun. He slashed at Hazel, trying to recall Ivan’s fighting techniques. Maybe if I do it in actual combat I’ll have more success.
With that thought he mind, and inwardly apologizing to Hazel, Kai stepped back. Taking in a sharp breath, he recalled what Ivan learned during his years as a warrior. It wasn’t magic that he used, but purely the energy of his body…
Trying to follow that logic proved to be difficult, though. Even though Kai understood how it worked, putting it into practice was another matter altogether. So he simply swung his sword, parrying Hazel’s daggers and rotating his wrist into a counterattack.
Hazel backed away, dodging Kai’s attack, then spat on the ground. He turned one of his daggers into a reverse grip while the other remained in a normal grip. With that new stance, he became more aggressive and dashed toward Kai.
With a quick whisper, his daggers shone with a blue light, after which a faint aura appeared around them. Kai’s hair stood on end upon seeing the spell and took a defensive stance. He attached concentrated mana to the daggers… this guy isn’t simple at all!
By infusing the daggers with mana, he made them sharper and deadlier in addition to extending their range. In normal combat doing such a thing would be risky, with a high risk of injury. However, in a place like this arena and other duels, such a technique could prove to be life-saving if used right.
Fine then, if you’re going to play dirty, I will too! Kai quickly pulled out a dark stone and whispered under his breath. As the stone shattered, a small, elongated barrier materialized around him. I’m glad I took the time to read some of the other books in the library!
“Hey, what the fuck did that Ichor guy use?”
“Magic? Is that guy a mage?”
“No way, mages work for the royal family, why would they be in such a rundown place?”
“Must have been an item of some sort, so wasteful!”
The crowd chatterd and theorized about Kai’s identity. Unfortunately, he couldn’t pay them any attention, as Hazel already entered striking distance. The barrier Kai created would only activate when directly attacked, however, he had no plans of letting Hazel do any more than that.
He swung downward toward Hazel’s shoulder with as much force as he could master. The man quickly used his normal stance dagger to deflect the attack, then countered with the reverse grip. However, in that same moment, Kai let go of his sword. A shattering sound rang out as he caught Hazel’s fist with his left hand and then punched at his stomach.
Minor Flame Fist! A small torrent of fire gathered around his fist as it shot toward the man’s stomach. The force of it sent him flying to the edge of the arena, his clothes burnt and parts of his flesh glowing red hot. Luckily for him, Kai only used a small amount of mana, so it didn’t kill the man.
The daggers fell with a muffled thump, and Hazel’s eyes blinked weakly before shutting. The crowd stood in silence. However, the calm didn’t last long as they broke out into a cheerful mix of thirst and awe.
“A flame fist? That’s a flame fist, right?!”
“Yes! I saw it once when some guards trained, although it seems a bit weaker.”
“Who cares man, this guy is the real deal! He’s kinda short though…”
Kai did hear that last remark, though he couldn’t complain much… they were right after all. He glanced at Léandro to check for any reactions. Though it seemed like he had little interest in these fights, as he stared into the distance and at nothing at the same time.
“Alright then,” the organizer said after waving for Hazel to be taken away. “Ichor won this round, so the last two contestants please step up!”
Hearing that, Kai got off the platform and watched Léandro slowly make his way toward the arena. Meanwhile, the bloodthirsty screams of the crowd intensified with excitement as Léandro and his opponent walked up.