by Jamey Sultan
The lights moved between the mages, slowly at first, but they gained speed with each passing second. Soon the four separate lights became indistinguishable, a pillar of blue extending to the sky. They curved inward and formed a dome around the Arena, separating the fighting pit from the surrounding bleachers.
The dome was a multi-hued blue with abstract patterns flowing around it. James recognized a few runic characters flowing through the patterns but couldn’t make them out. It muffled the jeers coming from outside the arena down to a dull roar. All four Barrier Mages collapsed, sweat dripping from their skin. A few Dwarves in the crowd helped the mages back to their seats and brought them drinks.
Before James had time to process the feat of magic, a portcullis set high in the wall of the arena dropped open.
The arena fell deadly silent. An ear-splitting screech cut through the silence, and a shiver ran through James’ body as he resisted the urge to run. His hand rested comfortably on Tyrfing, the sword filling him with a calm warmth.
You resisted the status effect [Fear].
James glanced at Nidra to find her standing straight-backed, her face set with determination. She noticed him looking and nodded toward the portcullis. A shadow appeared on the ledge, and a bird flew out. It was grey dappled with white spots. The feathers tipping its wings glowed with a faint blue light and had sparks dancing between them.
Adolescent Heloha (Level 23)
The Heloha was large and plump, with fat wings meant for gliding. It soared overhead and let out another screech.
That’s one, but where’s the other? James looked back to the gate in time to see a flash as another bird swooped out.
Adolescent Melatha (Level 21)
The Melatha looked similar in coloration to the Heloha and had electricity crackling along its wings, but the similarities ended there. Where the Heloha was slow and plump, the Melatha was quick and agile, with thin, lean wings, like those of a hawk.
James glanced at his Essence bar, which hadn’t fully recovered. He’d only been in the cell for about a day and barely gotten any light. It hovered around 493, and as he watched, it ticked up to 494. He had less than a quarter left. Above, the Melatha glowed brightly, and a bolt of lightning shot from its body toward James. Nidra tackled him just as the bolt hit the ground where he’d been standing.
“Focus,” she snapped at him.
Right. James almost slapped himself. He had to stop getting distracted. With so little Essence left, he needed to make every drop count. Keeping that in mind, James cast Mage Armor. A glittering blue shell sprung to life, just barely visible against his skin. With his Arcane Mastery Ability, the armor only cost 81 Essence but protected against almost double that in damage.
James had Tyrfing halfway out of its sheath before it hit him: he was fighting birds. A fireball flew at the Melatha, but the agile bird dodged out of the way and returned fire with a crackle of lightning. James slammed Tyrfing back into its scabbard and swore. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a crackling light. Without thinking, James jumped and tackled Nidra, throwing them both out of the way. The column of light hit the sand with a roar and diffused in a wave, leaving a field of glass where it had been. That bolt had been much stronger than the previous one. High above, the Heloha had lost its glow while the Melatha was building up for another strike.
James didn’t wait for the bird to attack again. This time he extended his hand and cast Arcane Missile. Energy coursed through his body, and a bolt of pure arcane energy launched toward the Melatha. His Essence dropped by a little over 40, but the bolt streaked towards the bird. At the last second, the Melatha swerved out of the way, and James’ bolt passed it harmlessly. The Melatha crowed in triumph. A ball of lightning sizzled the air around it as it prepared another attack. Then, James’ Arcane Missile crashed into it from behind. The lightning surrounding the Melatha exploded, and the bird plummeted out of the sky, smoldering.
As the bird flapped its wings, James’ heart fell. It seemed to struggle in the air for a second but soon stabilized. A trail of smoke spiraled up from a smoldering wing. The bird flapped gingerly as if each flap of its wings pained it. Somewhere behind James, Nidra had finished casting a spell. A volley of flaming arrows exited her hand and arced toward the Melatha.
For a second, it seemed like the arrows would hit. Then the Melatha got its second wind, beating his wings forcefully. The arrows hovered in the air for a split second, their forward momentum blocked by the wind. They flickered and, one by one, all died out.
High above them, there was a booming screech and a devastating flash as the Heloha struck. A pillar of lightning crashed against the sand between James and Nidra. James’ world exploded into white-hot pain.
The lightning tossed him senseless as he flew across the arena. His Mage Armor flashed and vanished, and the Essence bar in his corner dipped down to 300.
With ears ringing and skin burning, James lunged to the side just in time to avoid the Melatha as it followed up the Heloha’s massive strike with a volley of quick flashes of energy.
The Melatha flew crookedly, but it was alive.
James’ gaze flicked between the two birds, sizing up his opponents.
The last few strikes seemed to have taken their toll out of the Melatha, and the electricity crackling around the bird sputtered and sparked rapidly. The Heloha, meanwhile, looked relaxed as it hovered high above. A crackling field of energy surrounded the larger bird as it charged up for another devastating attack.
“Nidra,” James called out to his partner, “we need to take out the big one.” They couldn’t let the Heloha get out another one of those massive strikes. It would absolutely wreck them.
Nidra followed James’ gaze up to the Heloha. Her eyes widened at the sight of the massive cloud of energy surrounding the bird.
“Alright,” James said. He’d noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. The Melatha was gearing up for another attack. “I’m going to distract the Melatha. You deal with the Heloha.”
James blasted the Melatha with another Arcane Missile, and the surrounding lightning fizzled out as it bobbed and wove through the air in an attempt to escape. With a loud crack, the Arcane Missile smashed into the Melatha, which exploded into a maelstrom of light.
The Melatha crashed to the ground, where it lay twitching. Behind James, a pillar of fire swirled around Nidra as she gathered her energy. James was on the bird in a flash. As soon as it hit the ground, he punched it, driving his fist straight through the bird and into the sand below.
You have killed an Adolescent Melatha (Level 21).
+ 207 experience points
He grinned in grim satisfaction as he shook some of the gore off of his hand. Through the barrier, he could hear an explosion of sound, but the barrier muffled the noise too much to make out what it was.
James turned just in time to see the sky explode with white light as the Heloha unleashed a blast of lightning. The bolt of lightning hit the whirlwind of fire around Nidra and exploded.
Chapter 5
A thick cloud of white smoke obscured the arena, which was covered in chunks of molten glass.
“Nidra,” James screamed, rushing towards where his friend had just been.
He found her prone and unresponsive, her hair and skin peppered with shards of glass. He dropped to one knee and immediately checked her pulse.
…Ba-Dum.
…Ba-Dum.
…Ba-Dum.
Relief spread through him at the beat. It was weak and thready, but it was still there.
A weak cry came from nearby, and James spared a glance for the Heloha, which had been injured by a chunk of molten glass. The bird lay on the ground with one wing broken, flapping its other wing pitifully. It let out a low keening cry of pain, but James ignored it, satisfied that it wasn’t a threat anymore.
James rolled Nidra to her back. Normally, he’d worry about a spinal cord injury, but as long as Nidra was alive, they could heal her. It was more important
to make sure she didn’t die.
He placed his ear against her chest and listened for breathing. There was the soft whoosh of air as she inhaled and exhaled.
He ran his hands down her body, checking for blood.
When James got to her leg, he saw an expanding red puddle under her robes. He used his dagger to slice off a section of cloth, exposing her leg. The robe was covering a femur fracture. Bright red blood spurted out from her leg, and the bone jutted out. James didn’t have time to try anything else, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He sliced a long strip of cloth from Nidra’s robe and tied it around her leg. He then grabbed the beaten Iron Dagger from his pouch, and, taking care not to cut himself, he tied it to the cloth with a surgeon’s knot. He twisted the dagger, tightening the cloth until the blood stopped spurting from Nidra’s leg.
James ignored another weak cry from the Heloha as he felt on the top of her foot for a pedal pulse to make sure the tourniquet was tight enough.
You have gained 1 Skill Rank in Medicine.
You are now Skill Rank 2.
Once he’d finished making sure that Nidra wouldn’t bleed to death while he finished the fight, James turned to the Heloha, which was fluttering on the ground nearby, frantically flapping its remaining wing in vain. Every flap of its wing kicked up a cloud of dust that coated the bird with sand that clung to the blood leaking from its body.
As James approached, he drew Tyrfing. He drove the sword into the beast’s body without a shred of hesitation or mercy.
You have killed an Adolescent Heloha (Level 23).
+ 221 experience points
James sheathed Tyrfing and shook his head to clear his thoughts. The arena was completely silent—no booing or jeering. Shocked faces stared down at them. The barrier fizzled out, and then, cheers.
“I… I can’t believe it!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the raucous crowd. “They actually won.” After a brief pause, as if he were still processing the fight, he continued, “Your champions! James and Nidra!”
The crowd roared.
James heard none of this; he was focused entirely on Nidra. He felt his heart leap in relief as she opened her eyes. She sat up and blinked blearily, looking around. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. When they landed on her leg, she reached for the tourniquet. “What’s this?” Her voice was slow and slurred.
James grabbed her hand to stop her from messing with it. “Stop that.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a tourniquet; it stops your bleeding.”
She groaned and flopped back down. James was concerned for a second, but her chest rose and fell with her breathing. He rubbed his knuckles against her sternum in an attempt to rouse her, and she groaned, opening her eyes. He placed a hand under her arms and helped her to her feet. Together they hobbled to the exit as the crowd continued cheering.
As they crossed the threshold into the arena, they were met by a Dwarf that James recognized.
Name: Thon Munsey
Race: Dwarf
Level 36
Class: Healer
“Hey, Thon,” James said in surprise. Thon was the apprentice to Eugenius, the healer that had healed James’ Sepsis debuff when he’d arrived at the city. James scowled at the memory, recalling countless hours spent wasting away in a cell.
“James? I almost didn’t recognize you without the coating of filth,” Thon replied with a good-natured wink.
“I’m sorry, can you save the heartwarming reunion for later?” Nidra snapped. “Some of us are bleeding to death over here.”
“Oh, right.” Thon nodded and leaned down to inspect James’ makeshift tourniquet. “This… I’ve never seen anything like it. What is it?”
“It’s called a tourniquet; we use them to stop bleeding.”
Thon nodded again. “I see that. Quick thinking. I’m not allowed to interfere in the actual matches, but I’m allowed to heal the fighters after the fights.”
He reached for the tourniquet, but James grabbed his hand. “You might want to have a potion ready. As soon as you take it off, she’s just going to start bleeding again.”
Thon nodded at James and withdrew his hand. He dug through a bag at his waist. Glass clinked as the Dwarf searched through the bag, which seemed to be like James’ pouch. Then he pulled two vials of a soft-glowing red liquid from his bag.
Strong Health Potion (x2):
Rank: Uncommon
Heals 1,000 Health
A powerful Health Potion crafted by an expert. This potion will heal all internal injuries and broken bones.
Thon handed one of the potions to Nidra and another to James. Nidra downed her potion in one gulp. Immediately, her wounds knit back together. Her leg made a sickening sucking noise as the bone sunk back in and merged back together. She let out a sigh of relief as Thon removed the tourniquet, allowing the blood to flow back into her leg. “Ahhhh. That feels better.” She gave him a grateful smile. “I’m Nidra.”
James chugged his potion.
You have drunk [Strong Health Potion].
You have no health.
You have absorbed 3,729 Essence from Strong Health Potion.
James felt the energy from the potion completely refill his Essence gauge and grinned; maybe they’d be okay.
“Well met, Nidra.” Thon reached out to clasp her wrist. “I’m Thon.”
She clasped his wrist. “So, how do you know James? I’ve been with him since we got here, and I don’t remember meeting you.”
Thon bobbed his head in a nod. “We haven’t met. I took care of James after you arrived in the Iron City.”
Nidra gave Thon a broad smile. “Any friend of James is a welcome friend of mine. Thank you for healing me.”
Thon returned her smile. “Of course.”
He turned to James and opened his mouth to speak, but a nearby guard snapped, “What’s taking so long?” The guard approached them and grabbed James by the arm, “Your job isn’t to chat with the prisoners. It’s to heal them for their next fight.”
James wanted to argue. He could feel his hand twitch towards Tyrfing, fingers itching to grasp the handle of his sword, but he took a deep breath and resisted the urge to cause bloodshed. It was getting stronger, though, almost as if he had a voice in his head whispering at him to rip, tear, and kill.
Chapter 6
Cheers echoed around the arena as James and Nidra walked back out into the Coliseum. Their performance during the last match had earned them some goodwill from the audience. Or maybe it had just gotten rid of the bad will.
Within the magical dome, they could still make out the announcer as his voice boomed through the Coliseum. “Welcome to the second and last match of the day. We will pit the winner of this fight against the winners of tomorrow’s fight in the semifinals. No matter what happens here today, I’m looking forward to a hell of a show.”
At that, the crowd went wild, cheering and stomping their feet. The announcer continued, “Today, we celebrate the coronation of Remaksta, 315th king of the Dwarves. May his reign be long and prosperous!” He continued in an almost ritualistic way, “The king is dead, long live the king.”
The entire crowd echoed his words, “The king is dead. Long live the king.” The phrase echoed around the arena, loud enough for James to hear it clearly through the barrier.
“—finish placing your bets because the match is about to start.” The cheering died down, and James could hear the announcer again. “You have one minute to finish placing bets.”
There was a frenzy of movement as the crowd rushed to place their final bets. Meanwhile, James checked in with Nidra. The color had returned to her face, and she appeared to be recovering.
“You doing okay?”
“Yeah.” She grimaced and shook her leg. “I’m okay to stand now. My leg still feels strange, though. Like it fell asleep.”
“Are you ready to fight?”
Nidra nodded with determination. “I’m—”
The announcer�
��s voice boomed from all around them. James flinched. He hadn’t expected that. “I hope you had a fruitful minute because betting is now closed.”
James concentrated and refreshed his Mage Armor.
“Let the match begin!”
There was a grinding of stone on metal as another portcullis opened.
James stared into the darkness anxiously, and his breath caught against his throat. Something moved in the darkness.
Two long horns emerged, followed by a massive beast. James inhaled sharply and took an inadvertent step back. Massive was an understatement. Easily eight feet tall and clad only in a loincloth, the creature’s olive skin and coarse red hair covered taut muscles. The Minotaur’s shoulders were easily four feet wide, every inch honed. He had a massive battle-ax strapped to his back.
And those horns…
Fuck.
The horns were magnificent, emerging from the Minotaur’s head before taking a sharp turn, curving toward the front like a bull’s horns, where they ended in wicked points. James shuddered, imagining what those horns could do to him.
Minotaur (Level 43)
“Hey there,” James said, backing away. “You know, we don’t have to fight. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
The Minotaur let out a gurgling laugh. “Only cowards run from a fight,” he said, taking an aggressive step forward. “And I hate cowards.”
As the Minotaur spoke, a thin silvery sheen settled over his skin. The Minotaur’s muscles bulged, the already powerfully built beast growing even larger. A red glow built up behind his eyes, and he let out a roar. The air in the arena shook.
Shit…
James dropped his hand to Tyrfing. He felt different when using the sword but couldn’t classify how. It was bothering him, but he didn’t know why. Warmth spread through his skin as he felt the familiar power of the blade course through him. What was I worrying about again?