by Jez Cajiao
I glowered at him and he went on, hissing at me quietly so no others could hear. “All of the Houses will have sent a representative, even if they have not submitted a challenger. We will all bend our magic to open the gate tonight after the tournament, regardless of who wins, but I tell you now, you had better win! If you don’t, and you survive somehow, I will have you tortured to death! No more failures!”
I just grunted at him and we walked down the steps and across the tarmac over to a large luxury Humvee. I’d seen them before and never would have associated the word ‘luxury’ with a Humvee, but the seats were deep leather, the back had drinks cabinets, a tv, a satellite phone; it had everything, and it was long! Easily twice the size of any I’d seen before.
The Baron looked around disdainfully. He might be totally unimpressed, but I decided I liked it. The seats folded down into a double bed, after all! I’d never need a house if there was a bathroom installed. I could tour the world…. or not, if I was leaving it, but hey, I still wanted one.
When we pulled up to a large driveway with an impressive citadel at its peak, I started to get out until the Baron stopped me. I would be taken to the arena next, he informed me, where I would be able to prepare, and I would be given further instructions. This entrance was for the nobility only, not common scum.
If it was possible to kill with a look, I’d have managed it by now, but he just laughed and told me to ‘earn my place’ again.
Being the absolute bastard that I was, however, I decided it was time to start getting a dig in here and there, considering how stuck up this lot was. I leaned over and propped the door open before the Baron could walk away, and immediately spotted a likely target. He was the biggest and most heavily muscled man in sight, and he was another noble, judging from his attire. so, I shouted at him before anyone could intervene.
“Oi, ya baldy bastard!” I quickly closed the door and leaned back out of sight. As everyone turned around to look, they saw only the Baron standing there, getting redder and redder by the second. I saw the muscled man start shouting at the Baron as I was driven away, and I began sniggering as I relaxed. Childish, maybe, but still funny.
I was driven around the back and into a covered garage, which was barely large enough to contain the hummer. A door to the outside world was closed before I was let out. The guard up front dropped the privacy shield between us and spoke up when he saw me looking around in confusion.
“Apologies, my lord. We were instructed that no challengers were to see each other before the beginning of combat. The interior doors will open in a minute, once the guards have ensured that the route to your dressing room is clear.” He spoke with a clear American accent, without the nasal twang of New York, but beyond that, he could have been from anywhere, as far as I knew. I shrugged and reclined back in the seat, enjoying the luxury and trying to distract myself from what was to come tonight.
A short while later, I was led through the bowels of the citadel and brought to a pleasant dressing room. A deep pool was in one corner, steam rising from the water’s surface and steps leading down into its depths. Two servants stood waiting for me, a tall man with short blonde hair, and a shorter red headed woman. Both bowed as soon as I entered and called out in clear voices in unison.
“We exist to serve, my lord. Use us as you will.” When they straightened up, the woman announced that they were both skilled courtesans, and could give medical aid and advice, and would do all they could to make my stay enjoyable. I thought I recognized the eager look in their eyes straight away: another Geas. Even here, the bastards were enslaving everyone. I’d hoped it was just the Baron, even though he had said they were all at it.
I had them leave with instructions to come for me ten minutes before my first fight, then I settled down to stew and worry. I’d decided on the course of action I would take, but I didn’t know how to pull it off. It would be the luck of the draw if I managed it, but it was the best I could do.
The hours passed slowly, but all too soon, they returned, announcing that the first round would begin in ten minutes. With them came a pair of officials, who checked my blood to be sure I was who I was supposed to be. They also asked a series of questions, from my background to any wishes for my remains if I fell in battle. They finished by reiterating the few rules, making sure I knew them. No attacking the nobles booths, no magic in the corridors, and no use of healing potions in the arena. I gathered my gear when we were done and followed them out into the corridor.
A detachment of guards in the black livery of the Baron waited for me. They formed up and led me through a series of short, bare walled corridors until we stopped at a large portcullis. West turned to me and gave me a quick grin.
“Don’t disappoint me now, lad. I’ve got money on you winning this!” He winked at me, clapped me on the shoulder, and walked away. Turning back, I exited the corridor into an arena similar to the Roman colosseum. It was circular, with enclosed areas built into the walls one level up for our ‘betters’ to watch from in comfort. I peered into one of the alcoves and, sure enough, the Baron sat there glowering at me. I made finger guns with my hands and pointed them at him, winking, before turning my back on him. I wanted to do a lot more than just annoy him, but this wasn’t the time.
I examined the arena more carefully, noting that the sand was shallow, enough to soak up blood, but not deep enough to bog you down, and there were various small walls dotted about the place. Finally, there were sections of the walls that were flat, while others had spikes protruding from them in waves. They’d probably come in useful later. The entire arena was maybe a hundred feet across, and fifty feet high, with the onlookers enclosed in clear glass that I just knew was bulletproof. They wouldn’t want to risk being injured during the ‘festivities,’ after all. On either side of each booth were banners that hung in the air. I’d entered through the iron portcullis, which had closed after me, and there was another one on the far side of the arena that remained steadily closed. The Baron, I noted, had a hunting cat as his sigil. It looked vaguely like a panther and was all black, outlined in red, with a black background. I shook my head at its crudity; any halfway decent graphic designer could have done better. I’d have a better one made once I killed him and took over…. I paused at that idle thought, then shrugged. I’d kill him for a penny, never mind replacing him as a ‘Baron’. Fuck it.
I walked around a little, getting a good look at the inhabitants of the boxes. Several were empty, but most had a few people in them by now, with servants providing drinks and food. I heard a rattle and I turned back to the portcullis opposite the one I’d entered from. It slowly rose, and a tall man entered. He was dressed in leather armor, with a sword on one hip and a bow in his hand. A green cloak covered him from head to ankle, and he kept his face hidden, but I saw a hint of a short blond beard as he pulled his hood further forward, twisting its sides until they met in the middle and wound tight. As the cloak sealed shut, he straightened and started circling me.
I’d frozen, wondering what he was doing, until a gong rang out, and he drew an arrow back, letting fly almost at once. I barely had time to dive aside, and it missed me by inches. I rolled to my feet, and then on instinct, I jumped to the right, feeling another arrow pass through the air I’d just occupied. The bastard could see through the fabric of the cloak! His face was totally covered. It even looked like someone had stitched it closed, and I couldn’t even see a seam, but he could see me just fine! I set off running, left and right, zig-zagging towards him as fast as I could, trying to cover the distance and close in on him before he could hit me. I managed to dodge the next two arrows and cover three quarters of the distance to him before he managed to hit me with the third. It hammered into my left shoulder, piercing the armor to cut into my skin, but luckily it only embedded an inch or so. The real issue was that it staggered me, giving him time to fire another arrow, this time aiming for my head. It struck a glancing blow, but the small steel strips woven into the helm protected me, turning what
could have been a stunning or even fatal blow into a painful and annoying one. He was backing away as he fired, but I’d still managed to approach close to a dozen feet from him, and I staggered back on track. Sprinting the remaining distance, I saw him throw his bow aside and draw his sword.
While I was fixated on the sword he swung back and forth, his other hand had been hidden from view until he shoved it forward. Red light danced across his fingers and flashed over the intervening space to strike me.
My world erupted into madness as the spell took hold of me. My limbs spasmed and shook as every nerve from my brain to my toes seemed to fill with agony. The spell was over in a few seconds, but I fell forwards, my mind blank with pain. I felt his sword slash across my prone form. Thankfully, most of the damage was deflected by the leather armor and the thin bands of metal sewn into it, but the tip dug in, almost severing my ear in a spray of blood as it clipped the side of my helmet..
I rolled away instinctively, lunging to my feet as my mind cleared from the pain and shock and bringing up the naginata. I’d only managed to keep ahold of it by luck and my convulsing muscles’ inability to drop it.
I rushed in and feinted at his head with the blade of my naginata before spinning and striking his left hand with the butt, numbing his fingers and sending the dagger flying. He lunged at me, his sword being deflected down by my blade, but it left me out of position, and he knew it. While our blades were entangled, he shoved forward, driving his shoulder into my chest and sent me staggering back. I fell hard, landing on my back, losing my grip on my weapon, so I immediately kicked out and swept his feet out from under him. He hit the ground next to me and struggled to hold onto his sword while I rolled over and grappled him. I grabbed his right wrist and banged his sword hand off the ground repeatedly until he lost his grip and it went flying. At that point, the fight broke down into a barrage of fists and jabs. We rolled back and forth, sand flying everywhere, until I ended up on my back. It was a risk, but I needed to end this fight fast, as the arrow in my shoulder was doing more damage by the minute. The arrowhead was sawing back and forth, and my arm was already numb and weakening. I knew that soon I wouldn’t be able to use it at all.
He took the bait, lunging on top of me, only realizing how easy it was when it was too late. I grabbed both wrists, twisting them inwards as I pulled his arms straight. Locking his elbows, I pulled my feet up and planted them hard on his hips. I straightened my legs, powering him backwards, leaving his arms fully extended, and before he could move, I wrapped my left leg around his neck, tucking my foot under his chin for leverage. I pushed him back again with my right leg, then wrapped my right foot around his neck from the opposite angle. With his arms locked and his neck trapped between my feet, I twisted and straightened my legs as hard as I could, pile-driving him into the floor, face first. I pulled him back and did it three times more, before I felt something give and his struggles stopped abruptly. I paused for a second, then unraveled my legs and kicked him away from me weakly. The cloak came undone and his face was exposed for the first time since the fight began. It was a bloody ruin, and the angle his head sat at meant his neck was clearly broken.
I’d won my first fight.
I coughed and laid back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to calm my racing heart, as a voice rang out across the arena.
“My lords and ladies! We have a winner! House Sanguis wins and is through to the next round. House Orbis is defeated. The next bout will begin in ten minutes!”
I looked up at the booth where the Baron sat, and he raised his glass to me. The smug bastard actually looked proud. I hated him even more.
I slowly got to my feet as four people entered and raced towards me. I grabbed my naginata, but recognized the first two as my chamber attendants from earlier, and none of them were armed. The other two ran to my opponent’s corpse, sobbing, and fell to their knees in the sand to check him over for signs of life. They didn’t find any.
“My lord, you were amazing!” the male attendant gushed at me, while the female was already stalking towards the other two on the ground and saying something. I ignored their byplay and spoke to the man.
“Just get me back to my room and get this thing out of me.” I grunted, lightly touching the arrow with one hand.
“Of course, my lord! This way. Helena will see to your spoils, never fear! I can have that wound taken care of in no time. You were amazing though, my lord, truly! The way you baited him in, ignoring every defense against the arrows; you must be the bravest of all the competitors!”
No defense against the arrows? I didn’t have any…. then I remembered the small walls, dotted about the floor. Looking at them as I passed, I realized I could have run from one to another and covered at least half the distance safely. Damn, I’m a fucking idiot, aren’t I?
I staggered along to my room, feeling exhausted and depressed. Once the adrenaline wore off, the knowledge that I’d just killed another man, a real human from my own world, not in a dream came crashing down. I felt sick, I felt confused, I felt elated, and that made me feel sick all over again.
Once inside my room, I let the servant, Johan, help me. He stripped my armor off and gently eased the arrow from my shoulder. When we looked at the wound, it was a mess. All the fighting and movement had allowed the sharp tip of the arrow to carve me up.
“Shit, man, can you stitch them?” I asked, knowing that if I lost the use of that arm, I had no chance of surviving the night, let alone keeping my ear attached.
“I can, my lord, but surely it would be better to heal them instead?” he asked me confusedly.
“Heal it? How can you heal it?” I asked, latching onto any hope like a drowning man.
“With a healing potion or spell, my lord. I am experienced with several basic healing spells, but using them now could mean I don’t have enough mana to heal you fully later tonight? We also have one potion, but it is a single use, so using it for minor injuries like these would be a waste?” He stood waiting expectantly as I considered the options.
“No, if I don’t have the use of that arm, I’ll die anyway. Fuck it. Heal me.” I held my ear and tried not to think about how close the blade had come. There was no point saving the mana; if I was going to have to fight another round, I needed to be at peak condition.
Johan lifted both hands to my shoulder, and began to chant the words clearly, the accompanying gestures similar to those I had learned for my own ‘Weak Healing’ spell.
“These spells, do they work on diseases? What about cancer?” I asked suddenly, a horrible suspicion in my mind.
“Of course, my lord. Cancer is a simple thing to rectify using healing spells. Provided it has not gone too far, it would be relatively cheap in terms of mana, as well.” He announced this merrily, as though it was such a simple minor detail, only of note because it allowed him to show his knowledge. Johan moved his hands, glowing with energy, across my wounds, healing them as he went and filling the air with inane chatter about his pride in his skills.
So not only could the Baron have saved my mother if he’d wanted to, but it would have been simple for him. That rat bastard. I seethed inwardly as Johan finished up his spell. I watched the wound fill with healthy muscle as impurities, sand, and debris were pushed out as the skin knit together. Within a handful of seconds, it was healed, with only a faint white line left to mark out its location.
“Uh, my lord, is something…”
“Just drop it. Now,” I growled at him. I sat there fuming, trying to tamp my anger down as Johan tried to work out how he’d angered me. until his partner Helena returned. She came in with an armful of gear, dumping it on the bench next to me and curtsying. I looked it over and recognized the cloak my opponent had been wearing, as well as the rest of his gear. I stared at the blood seeping out of it, staining the bench next to and turned to her in shock to find her smiling widely.
“Seriously, what the actual fuck?” I asked her, gesturing at the gear. “What is this? What, you stripped h
is body, just in case I fancied a trophy?! What is wrong with you people?” The smile dropped from her face and she spoke up quickly.
“But…my lord, these are your spoils. Some of it could serve you well. The bow is strong and grants an increase to your Archery skill, the armor is unenchanted but strong, and his breastplate is intact, in case your own is damaged? Lastly, his cloak was an heirloom of his House, and so must be powerful?”
I stared at her in confusion before turning back to the pile of gear. She didn’t see any issue with looting a guy I’d just killed. Logically, I supposed neither should I. He certainly hadn’t paused before trying to kill me. I checked through the gear, not seeing anything besides the occasional carved symbol in the wood on the bow to suggest it was special in any way. I touched the cloak, but it was drenched with his blood, and I could see bits of flesh in the hood. I backed away from it, refusing to touch it.
“Clean it, clean it all and put it aside for me.” I muttered, trying to keep myself from being sick. I turned away and stripped off, walking down the steps and wading out into the small pool until I could submerge myself. I took a deep breath and sank to the bottom, sitting cross legged and letting the world above recede from my mind. I concentrated on my heartbeats, surfacing only to catch my breath, breathe deeply again, and then sink to the bottom once more.
When I eventually felt myself in control again, I slowly waded out, climbed the steps, and laid down on the table. Johan and Helena began to massage my skin, rubbing the aches and pains away until I fell asleep.
Helena awoke me two hours later to tell me that the first round was over, and the second would begin soon. That meant six people were dead, and I had to survive this round to get to the final. I felt…different…. about things, for some reason. More at peace with it. The assholes I had faced had gone in there to kill me. I was a prisoner. I had decided to try to win this and go help my brother, but I could have refused, and I had no doubt the Baron would have locked me away and then thrown me into this arena without the training and weapons. I had no choice, but the rest of them? They wanted this. Fuck it; I’d take their heads, and I’d go through the portal, alright. But the joke would be on the Baron yet. I’d get him somehow, even if I just embarrassed him as thoroughly as possible before going through.