Something in his tone didn’t sit well with me, and apparently, with Ra’av as well. My appointed mayor waved his stinger threateningly. “You will address the chief with respect, Glaive. Or else—”
The thin hob raised his arms. “I’m merely here in the capacity of my role as an arena master.”
“What is it?” I asked.
Glaive grinned at me again. “Why, the challenge for the championship, of course. You left rather in a hurry last time, so we didn’t have a clear victor. But now that you’re here …”
“You gotta be kidding me,” I protested. “I’m the freaking chief of this entire clan.”
Ra’av turned to me. “He is correct, my lord. The laws of the arena must be held. A challenge has been issued and accepted, but the result has yet to be determined. You must face The Champion at the arena to determine who is stronger.”
“Shadow-crap.” I’d come there to make sure Akzar was ready for the war ahead and instead got caught up in a gaming logic pitfall. There was no help for it. If I refused, I would be challenging the entire social order on which the city was based. As the overlord, that could come back to bite me in the ass. “What if I lose?” I asked.
Glaive shrugged. “Then you die, and Bonecruncher remains The Champion.”
My daughter heated up instantly. “My father shall not lose!”
“I’m more worried about killing Bonecruncher …” I said. As a tier 3 boss, he would take days, maybe weeks to respawn. However, I realized there was probably enough time before the attack on Everance. “But never mind that. I accept.”
“Good!” Glaive’s expression lit up. “The match will be held in four hours, Chief. I’m looking forward to seeing you clash.”
“Fine,” I said. I wasn’t too worried. Bonecruncher was a level 100, tier 3 Ettin gladiator. He was powerful, but I had a whole boss tier over him, which counted more than the 24-level gap he held over me. And this time, I wouldn’t have to fight on two fronts at once. The Champion was as good as dead.
“May I show you the improvements I’ve made to the city, my lord?” Ra’av asked, putting a sinister emphasis on the word ‘improvement.’
“Sure.” It was a good opportunity to see how the scorpion-tailed hob’s management differed from mine. And it would help pass the time until the match. I wasn’t too concerned about the outcome, but my daughter didn’t seem to share my view.
“Father,” Lirian said, sounding worried. “Perhaps a little planning would be advisable?”
“Hmm.” I scratched my chin. “As long as I can use my magic, I’m not too worried. The arena has some anti-magic crystals, but they only used it last time to skew the chances in favor of ranged fighters, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“I’ll make sure of that,” my daughter said adamantly.
“Alright,” I said, but Lirian still looked worried.
“Maybe I should go and bring Yulli to help you? As one of the champions, she’s entitled to—”
“No.” I cut her off then winked. Akzar’s well-fortified arena could be a great opportunity to test out my new Master-ranked spells. “Let’s do it.”
***
Four hours later, I found myself back at the gladiators’ waiting room adjacent to the arena.
The tour Ra’av had given me was enlightening. It gave me a deeper understanding of the mind of a truly monstrous being whose only concern was martial superiority. Akzar’s army’s training regimen had escalated into a life-threatening gauntlet. Soldiers were encouraged to fight with real weapons instead of wooden training ones and often held citywide skirmishes as training for conquering new settlements. Traders were encouraged to invest in warfare items, and females were instructed to breed with bosses to provide more soldiers. The entire city had turned into a solider-minting factory, producing tough, seasoned warriors. The cost in lives and hardship was great, but I couldn’t argue with the results. Ra’av was following my orders to mobilize the city, and he had delivered. I needed military might to fulfill my plans, and time was pressing. Once we’d won, I’d order the brutal hob to tone it down – but not before.
“And now …” Glaive’s magically enhanced voice boomed across the arena and wafted into the waiting room. “The fight you’ve all been waiting for, the challenge for the championship, will continue! Our very own chief will fight The Champion, Bonecruncher, to the death!”
The crowd roared in approval.
The portcullis to the arena rolled up and I walked inside. I spotted the huge, two-headed Ettin entering the arena from across the field, his four eyes alert and brimming with malice.
The arena had changed. It was now filled with stone spires that seemed to have grown out of the ground. Several of the pillars were adorned with mana-sucking crystals that would interfere with my spells, but not all. Instead, I detected what looked like buzzsaws, giant swinging axes, and other forms of traps cleverly interwoven into and around the pillars.
The ground had been turned into one giant boobytrap.
And I had to fight a raging, hulking Ettin inside of it.
My Vicloak disengaged from my shoulders and started crawling back into the waiting room.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
The purple cloak transformed into a purple, crawling goblin. “Ah, have you seen some of those traps farther inside, Boss? I have zero interest in being drenched with boiling acid.”
“So you’re just going to abandon me?” I asked, feeling a little more hurt than I thought I would be.
“Oh, don’t pout, I promise I’ll be back around your shoulders and you can continue carrying me around like the magnificent stallion that you are. I have the utmost faith in you, Boss.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly. “What would I have done without you?”
“Still be trying to figure out how to do basic math to organize your clan? Put on your armor backward? Have no idea how much damage your attacks were doing?”
“That was a rhetorical question.”
“Hey, if you can’t turn to your soul companion for these sorts of things, then to whom can you? Anyway, have fun battling that giant puppet. I’m sure you’ll make a great snack.”
You mean I’ll make a great snack out of him, right? I asked mentally as the portcullis started to close behind me.
I sighed and prepared myself for the battle. I took a moment to summon my clone but kept it hidden inside the shadows, outside of the crowd’s sight. I preferred to win the battle by myself, so I decided to keep the clone hidden unless I was in trouble.
Across from me, Bonecruncher closed in on the first row of stone spires and, to my surprise, bowed both of his heads at me respectfully.
I returned the gesture by touching the tip of my staff to my temple.
“Activate the arena,” Glaive’s voice boomed.
There were sounds of clicking metal then the entire arena came to life. The giant axes started spinning. Smoking pits opened and closed randomly, and several of the pillars lit up in different pulsing colors.
Bonecruncher moved forward hesitantly, careful to step over a pit of boiling mud, and entered the stone forest.
I couldn’t let him show more confidence than me. I was the chief, darn it.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside.
My mana sense came in handy, coloring several of the magical traps around me, and I moved in carefully to avoid them. The pillars partially blocked my view, causing me to lose sight of my opponent. Unfortunately, I couldn’t as easily detect the mechanical contraptions, and my foot hit a hidden trigger. A giant, jagged spike, large enough to impale even the Ettin, erupted from the ground below me, scorching my armor and shaving off a few dozen points of damage.
The crowd roared at the first draw of blood.
Bonecruncher came into view behind a pillar, and I wasted no time in sending a volley of drilling arrows at him.
It was the first time I’d cast any offensive spell since I
’d upgraded my level and skill, and the extra effect nearly blew me away. Ten spinning projectiles of pure energy materialized and hurled through the arena toward my enemy, swerving and curving between the pillars. Three arrows got too close to the mana-draining crystals and winked out of existence, and one more impacted against suddenly sprung traps, but six found their mark. The magical projectiles easily burrowed through The Champion’s armor and tough skin, scoring deep gouges in his flesh.
Drilling Arrow hit Bonecruncher for 316 damage.
[(88 average damage X 6) -30% spell resistance]
I stared at the notification in awe. Even though only six out of the ten missiles had impacted the Ettin, the damage they’d caused would have killed most creatures below level 30. And I hadn’t even used the Master-ranked ability to instantly empower them.
I was spared the need to respond by my enemy’s counterattack. Bonecruncher’s chain came hurtling toward me, the spiked metal ball at the end exploding through one of the stone pillars between us.
I had a split second to react. I could either try to dodge or raise my shield. In my haste, I attempted to do both. The glowing mana shield appeared around my body as I threw myself sideways. Unexpectedly, the dodge was completely unhampered by the shimmering barrier, and I narrowly avoided the attack as the spiked ball passed above me and reduced another stone pillar to rubble.
I cursed as I recalled that reaching Master rank meant my shield would no longer impede my movement and that I should have raised it as soon as I entered the arena.
Not that it mattered. The Ettin came into view between two pillars, and I utilized the full power of my armor set by launching two volleys of drilling arrows at him, both of them instantly empowered to increase their damage.
But this time, the Ettin was ready for the maneuver. His giant, acid-dripping cleaver blurred in the air, intercepting many of the spinning projectiles. Coupled with the mana-draining crystals nearby, only eight arrows hit him this time, but the damage they did was more than satisfying.
Drilling Arrow hit Bonecruncher for 638 damage.
[(133 average damage X 8) -30% spell resistance]
The Champion’s prodigious health pool of over 4,000 shrank by nearly a quarter.
He roared and yanked back his arm holding the chain.
I heard a crash behind me as the metal ball was hurled toward my back. I’d just used two spells in rapid succession, so I couldn’t teleport away. I tried to dodge.
I failed.
The spiked ball slammed into my shield and went through it – its magical enhancement proving strong enough to break through my barrier.
Spiked Chain hit you for 226 damage.
(base 580 - 269 mana shield - 85 armor)
Even though my shield had blocked some of the blow, the damage was still significant. My health bar dropped by ten percent as shooting pain rushed from the point of impact on my back to the rest of my body. But The Champion wasn’t finished yet. He yanked the chain a second time, and it ripped away from me, inflicting more damage and throwing me to my side.
Right into an awaiting trap.
My shoulder slammed into the side of one of the pillars, and it exploded with yellow energy that passed through my shield and seared my flesh like acid.
Holy Light Trap hit you for 750 damage.
(base 500 + 50% light vulnerability)
My health dropped at once to just over half. I clenched my teeth at the pain and forced myself to my feet. It was still the heat of battle; I couldn’t afford to be caught flat-footed.
I was right in time too, as the Ettin’s spiked chain came hurtling at me again, but this time I managed to teleport away, appearing on top one of the pillars. The chain wrapped around the bubble shield I’d left behind and the spiked ball at the end slammed into it, puncturing through it like an eggshell. Whatever enchantment The Champion had on his weapon, it was a formidable one.
From my new vantage point, I could see most of the arena spread below me, and I could appreciate the effort that went into the many traps.
Bonecruncher’s giant bulk was partially visible between several pillars. His wounds seemed to be healing quickly, and he was already scanning for me. I had a few seconds to decide my next action. A clear vat of green liquid suspended above the Ettin drew my attention, and with a smile, I channeled my mana – forming a shadow limb next to it – and pushed it off.
The Champion’s instincts were amazingly sharp though, and he jumped sideways, avoiding the splashing liquid as the vat exploded on the ground and started eating through it. The move, however, cost the Ettin his balance, and I used that moment for my real attack. I summoned a direball, concentrating it into a small bead, double-charged it with mana, and then hurled it. The condensed volatile spell flew toward my enemy like a dark bullet, but with the destructive potential of a battering ram. The Ettin’s four eyes widened as he noticed the spell hurtling at him. Having just evaded the acid trap, he wasn’t positioned properly to dodge another attack. He could still use his cleaver to try to intercept the spell, and I was mildly curious to see what would happen if he did that. But Bonecruncher went for none of those options.
The Ettin wasn’t called The Champion for nothing. Instantly realizing that dodging was out of the question and that trying to parry would probably be bad for him, he went for an option I didn’t foresee. His powerful arm tugged the chain, toppling down one of the pillars in the path of my direball.
The small bead of force impacted the falling stone and blew them away, turning them into a storm of shrapnel. The Ettin’s skin got scored dozens of times, but each wound was superficial, and his health pool barely budged. Before I could cast more spells, the Ettin wisely slipped away between other pillars and out of my line of sight.
“Damn,” I said. The Ettin’s health was steadily crawling back up to 80 percent, and I was still at 60 percent. I knew I had far better offensive-ranged options than him, but I was also more fragile. If Bonecruncher somehow cornered me, he could burn through my remaining health in a second. It was time to change the rules of the game.
I concentrated, pouring my mana into my new spell.
A small bead of pure blackness appeared over the part of the arena The Champion was hiding in. The air whooshed past me as it got sucked into the Singularity I’d opened. The effect was relatively weak, and I had no trouble resisting the slight pull I felt.
The spell was expensive, and along with all the empowered spells I’d been flinging around, I’d burned through roughly 3,000 MP, but my mana pool was comfortably holding at 80 percent. A boss of my tier was meant as a challenge for an entire group, I could fight against a single opponent for hours and not run out if I chose to pace myself.
I was just about to carpet-bomb the entire area with direballs to flush out my opponent when something bright that reflected the light came hurtling at me.
My eyes widened as I realized what it was; a giant axe head that was bigger than my entire body.
I teleported away at the last second as the upper half of my pillars exploded away.
As soon as I appeared on another pillar, however, a second axe head was thrown, and this time I was forced to jump down to dodge the impact. I landed in a shower of sharp stone and rolled to the side to avoid getting hit by the shrapnel.
A bear trap triggered and closed around both of my legs. I cursed as I felt the giant spring threatening to sever my legs, dropping my health below 50 percent. I channeled mana directly into my veins, making my arm muscles bulge, and pried the trap open with my bare hands.
I contemplated calling for my clone backup, but something else caught my attention.
The constant whooshing sound of air had intensified and was now accompanied by the cracking of stone.
Away from me, on Bonecruncher’s side of the arena, a tornado of sto
ne and debris rose into the air and got sucked into the Singularity that now boasted triple its starting size.
Once all the loose dirt and rocks got sucked away, the top of the pillars started disintegrating as they too surrendered to the tremendous pulling force. I doubled the mana coursing through my veins, focusing it in my hands, and used that to hold myself steady against a stone pillar.
A couple of traps detonated, accompanied by the Ettin’s roar.
I gaped as my huge opponent’s body suddenly came into view between the disintegrating pillars.
Bonecruncher was using all his strength, his entire body straining, to crawl away from underneath the Singularity. His fingers burrowed into the ground as he tried to pull away.
He looked up at me and his eyes narrowed. That was the only warning I got before he let go with one hand and threw his cleaver at me.
If not for my already empowered muscles, I might have been struck, but I was able to dodge the attack and watched the cleaver spin away in front of my eyes as if in slow motion.
The throw had cost him, though. The struggling gladiator’s lower body rose into the air as he desperately tried anchoring himself to the ground with one hand.
Then the ground crumbled and he flew upward, directly toward the Singularity.
More stone, debris, and trap parts shot passed the Ettin, some even glancing off his thick skin, and got sucked into the condensed gravity field, but the creature itself didn’t. He was held up, helpless, but not consumed. Presenting me with a perfect target.
The force of the pull became even greater, and the magical barrier around the entire arena started fluctuating, sending lightning crackling over it. The Singularity spell still had a good while to work, and if allowed to do so, it might catch me, and even the spectators, in its gravity field. A Master-ranked spell was no joke.
I held up my palm and conjured a direball over it, then condensed, charged, and triple-charged it. I didn’t go for the fourth empowerment charge, as that would lock me in place for crucial seconds, but I figured triple should do the work.
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 11