RISE OF THE IRON DRAGON

Thadius watched as two men stared each other down in the arena. The competitors for the Silver tournament were ushered to the stands until the conclusion of the Gold semi-finals. After the bout was over, Thadius would make his debut.

The match was black versus red with the winner going on to face the Gold Champion later on. A rogue, dyed head to toe in crimson leather armor, stood with his face half covered by a cloth. He faced a dark warrior clad in onyx plate mail that mirrored the surroundings and matched his dark hair.

They readied their weapons and took their stances. The rogue was armed with a single dagger, and the warrior was carrying two guardless longswords. The combatants stood at the ready, and the spectators were buzzing with anticipation.

"Who's the red guy? Is he supposed to be a ninja?"

"I'm more interested in the warrior. Dude looks like he's about to deal some death."

"Not with dual longswords he's not. He looks ridiculous just holding them."

Thadius agreed with the last comment. His master had been against using two weapons of the same length.

'Well, these guys are gold semi-finalist, so this match is bound to be good regardless.'

The drums sounded for the match to begin, and all eyes watched as the dark warrior spread his arms out wide. His swords blazed in the sunlight, and with a flick of his wrists, they shattered into dozens of shards. Each shard was connected to another by razor sharp wire.

"Bro!!"

"FUCKING CHAIN SWORDS!?"

Thadius rocked on his heels in surprise, and the entire stadium shook with excitement as the warrior twirled. The rogue wasn't impressed, and charged for him with reckless abandon.

The fight turned into a deadly game of double-dutch as the rogue ducked and jumped over the blades. He threw two hidden knives at the warrior, but they were easily dodged with perfect timing.

However, the knives were more than they seemed. Flames erupted from the blades, swelling into humanoid forms. Then two identical rogues, with matching daggers, entered the fray.

"FIRE CLONES!?"

"Holy shit!!"

"That guy's a friggin' Pyromancer!! He has to be!"

The dark warrior responded immediately, sweeping the chain swords high and low to force the Pyromancer into taking defensive measures. The original rogue was caught by the high sweep, but he burst into flames as soon as the blades touched him. Having swapped places with one of his clones, he tossed a barrage of fireballs into the warrior’s lethal vortex.

The move proved ineffective as the warrior killed the flames by ripping through them. He arched the blades high and whipped them down into the balls of fire. While his response was brilliant, he failed to notice the knife that had fallen from the destroyed clone. The knife glowed an ominous red until an explosion erupted at his heels, blowing him away.

"Ah, they're at it again." a voice said from beside Thadius. The elf wore glittering armor with a helmet to conceal his face, but his pointed ears were clearly visible.

"You know those two?" Thadius asked.

"I do. They've been competing against each other for ages. Mages always want to prove that their magic is stronger."

"The warrior is a mage too!?" Thadius cried in astonishment.

"Watch..." The man said. In the arena, the warrior lay face down in the sand, struggling to get up.

"I'm surprised he wasn't incapacitated from that. Still, this match is over."

"Yep, all the Pyromancer needs to do now is finish it."

"Killing blows just makes duels so much better. No more dragged out fights."

The crimson mage walked up confidently to the dark warrior and pinned him to the ground with his knee. Then he grabbed a handful of the man's hair and jerked his head back to slit his throat.

As blood pooled on the sand, the crowd went wild. The red mage basked in the cheers with his arms raised in victory.

"The fool has completely forgotten who he's facing." The mysterious man laughed as Thadius looked down at the fight in confusion. The fight was clearly over, yet this man was waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, the body of the warrior twitched and stood up. Blood was still gushing from his throat, and his eyes gleamed bright green. The drummers, that were about to signal the end of the match, watched in astonishment while everyone else completely lost their minds.

“NECROOOOOOO!!”

“What!?

“How’s that fair!? NO REVIVES CHEATER!!”

Thadius’ jaw nearly fell to the floor. The stranger beside him laughed at his expression.

“Remember this, friend.” he said as he turned to Thadius. “In this world, judging your opponent at first glance can get you killed. Expect anything and everything.”

“Marius!” a voice called from the stairway. It was a man in the same armor as the stranger.

“What is it? Have you found them?” Marius replied with a serious tone.

“They fled the city. Fourscore managed to pick one of them off from the outer wall, but they made it past a hill. He says he can’t hit what he can’t see.”

“Right. We’ll leave immediately. Oh,” Marius turned back to Thadius, “try not to use Pressure out of combat. I know you want to increase its strength, but you’re going about it the wrong way. Just a tip.” he said as he followed the man down the stairway.

Thadius shook his head. The man had mistaken the strength of Thadius’ Fighting Spirit as Pressure. Had he actually used the skill, the man would likely have gawked in surprise.

Out on the area floor, the Pyromancer was fighting for dear life. He had turned around in confusion from the surprised gasps of the crowd, and was caught by the blades and wire that wrapped around his neck. One tug from the Necromancer dug the blades deep into his flesh, and he helplessly spat out blood as he grasped at the wire.

With a gurgled word from the Pyromancer, the wire and blades glowed white hot. It was a final attack to try and make his torturer drop his weapon.

The Necromancer’s hand caught fire, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Then the second tug dropped the Pyromancer to his knees.

“Damn, he’s out cold.”

“Yeah, he’s as good as dead now…”

“FINISH HIM!!”

The final tug separated the Pyromancer’s head from his body while the heated blades seared the flesh. A headless man fell to the side in a smoking heap as beating drums signaled the end of the match.

Arena hands came out and cleared away the body as an organizer came and addressed Thadius and the waiting competitors.

“All Silver tourney competitors follow me please.” the man said as he descended the stairs.

More than 50 people followed him down. They were lead back to the entrance way of the coliseum and through the door that was used for gladiators. A staircase lead down into the gladiatorial compound, where huge iron wrought gates separated them from the killers on either side. The walls were lined with men sticking their hands through the gate, trying to rattle the newcomers.

“I like that robe boy! Give it to me!”

“Uh oh, that one looks like a squealer!”

“Go home back to yo’ mammy boy!”

Thadius could only smile at them as he passed. He had always wanted to experience this atmosphere. His heart pounded as each step brought him closer to the center of the coliseum, and his palms sweat with anticipation. He wanted to yell. He wanted to bellow a battle cry at the top of his lungs. But he stopped himself so that all his pent up energy could explode into a hurricane of swordplay.

With his thoughts on the battle to come, he completely lost control of his Ambient Pressure. The gladiators along the walls fell silent one by one, and the competitors all looked at the back of the man in the white robe as they stood in front of the gate leading to the arena outside.

The crowd that was usually cheering for more, was now talking in hushed tones. Something truly terrifying was about to come out of the gates below, and they all could feel it.

The organizer turned around and nearly soiled himself when he saw the devilish grin on Thadius’ face. “E-everyone! Everyone listen please!” he said nervously. “We have many competitors for the silver tournament! So we’ll be holding a battle royale until eight people remain standing! Should you wish to yield, please come back to the gate!”

“Excuse me sir?” Thadius asked as calmly as he possibly could.

“Y-yes sir!?”

“Are we the only competitors?”

“N-n-no. There are three other entrances into the coliseum, s-so there are three other gates with competitors.”

“I see..” The smile faded from Thadius’ face. At the mention of even more opponents, his Fighting Aura had caught fire, threatening to burn him from the inside out.

Not yet….

“Is everyone ready!?” the organizer cried out. Taking another nervous glance at Thadius. Everyone nodded.

“Then please enter the arena, and don’t start fighting until the drums sound!” the organizer said as he nodded to the men outside. The gates slowly opened.

Thadius activated his Concentration as soon as the gate was up. Everything slowed down, and every movement he made was deliberately slow as he walked out. Other competitors walked around him in a wide berth while they rushed out the gate. Warriors and other melee classes spread out in the middle, sizing each other up and appraising equipment. Archers and mages took the outside perimeter, picking their targets while keeping an eye on each other.

Thadius ignored all of them. His eyes were down as he walked to the very center of the arena. No one had wanted to be in the middle when the fight broke out, so all eyes turned to him as he took the hotspot.

Thadius bent down and grabbed a handful of the ancient sand. How many men had fallen in this very spot? How many people had immortalized themselves on these grounds? Such questions were the only thing on Thadius’ mind as he rubbed the sand against his sweaty palms.

His pulse thundered in his ears as he slowly drew his shield and sword. There were at least 70 people in the arena, and they all knew he was dangerous. Even though his equipment was of low quality, his pressure told a different story. The only question was, exactly how dangerous was he?

The drums of battle sounded throughout the silent arena. The audience held their breath, and none of the competitors moved. They all wanted to see what the man in white would do.

’Not yet’ Thadius willed himself. He turned his head to look at the closest opponent, and raised his sword to call him out. As if a spell had been broken, the warrior charged Thadius with his sword raised high.

Thadius zeroed in on the warriors neck, looking for any sign of the chain that signified a status card. He had no qualms killing Travelers. To them, death was but an inconvenience. He was; however, reluctant to end the life of an NPC. They only had one life to live.

The man that ran towards him showed no signs of a tag, marking him as the first victim of the day. Thadius swayed as the sword came down at him. The speed was laughable, and he turned the blow aside with ease. With his opponent off balance, he aimed for the collar of his armor. The sword pierce the warriors neck, severed arteries, and punctured a lung.

In moments the unfortunate warrior was sliding off of Thadius’ sword to the ground.

You’ve killed Glorious Ross in single combat.

+242 Fame You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

…

The crowd went wild, signifying the official start of the bloodbath. Archers nocked their arrows, Mages prepared their spells, and warriors charged each other.

In the center of the arena, 3 fighters charged Thadius, aiming to bring him down early. The Traveler on the right went down just as quickly as the first. Thadius smashed his face with the edge of his shield and quickly slashed his throat.

Thomas Fancy killed in single combat. +198 Fame You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

…

Thadius turned to face the other two. One of the attackers was equipped with thick leather armor. The other looked to be a warrior type, and was armored from head to toe in massive steel plating.

The rogue hid his presence, or tried too, and circled around him. The steel plated warrior charged from front.

"Piercing Thrust!" the warrior cried.

Thadius watched his opponent’s sword carefully while keeping tabs on the sneaking rogue with his Aura and Sense Presence. Time seemed to slow as he watched the warrior lose himself to the skill while red after images followed his every move.

’This is!’

Thadius’ nearly lost his head to the thrust in his momentary lapse, but he ducked and raised his shield in time to deflect the blow. A fierce screeching rang in his ears as the steel blade shave his iron shield. It was at this moment when the rogue decided to strike.

He’d thought he’d caught Thadius on his knees and unaware. Yet, he received a surprise of his own when Thadius disappeared right in front of his eyes, reappearing behind him to thrust a sword into his back. Unfortunately, the material was much too tough, and the rogue escaped to hide his presence again.

Thadius wouldn’t give him the chance. Following the afterimages from before, he tried using Piercing Thrust: a quick lunge, with a subtle twist of the wrist. Thadius made the twist perfectly, but he’d lunged too far. The result was a light stab into the rogue’s abdomen.

’Dammit! I should’ve known it wasn’t that easy!’ Thadius cursed silently as the plated warrior came in for round two.

“Triple Slash!” the man cried out.

Thadius swayed with his opponents sword, letting his shield barely touch the steel as he guided every strike. A tracing of the move followed, and this time, he was ready. A monstrous Triple Slash was unleashed with a speed and strength behind it that made the previous one seem like child’s play.

The first slash came from below and removed the warrior’s helmet. The second slash was a spinning attack from above, slashing opening the warrior’s face. As he crashed ground, a glint of a silver chain flashed around his neck.

’Dammit! Thadius cursed as he slowed down the final slash.

The rogue had jumped up behind him, and was planning to strike from the air. Carrying the momentum of the third slash, Thadius swept low and flipped horizontally, slicing a large cut in the rogue’s thighs. They both fell to the ground, but Thadius fell on his shield and rolled upright. The rogue wouldn’t be standing anytime soon.

You’ve learned Triple Slash LV. 19 Intermediate

Thadius quickly surveyed the battleground. To say it was a mayhem was an understatement. Flames could be seen on the other side of the crowd. Giant towers of rock rose up from the ground where an archer had perched himself on top, only to be shot down by another archer.

Several presences approached him then. They had watched his previous battle, and felt that they could overwhelm him with numbers. He could tell by the way they looked at each other that they were cooperating.

Five warriors, two rogues, and an archer. Eight on one. The odds were against him, but Thadius’ Holy Fighting Aura was fitting to burst from the challenge. If he didn’t let in out soon, he would explode. As he thought that, the rogue he let get away, latched onto his leg.

“Get ‘im!” he cried out.

A brief lapse in concentration was all it took to end up dead. That’s what Thadius learned at that moment. He barely dodged an arrow because he was unable to pivot to his shield arm, and it slashed his cheek. Taking advantage of his immobility, the others came in all at once to attack. It didn’t matter who killed him as long as the threat to their tourney spot was dead.

“Final Wave!”

“Hurricane Cuts!”

“Heavy Smash!”

They all cried out their skills as Thadius’ skin burned with his Aura, and just when he thought he’d combust, he let it out. A terrifying roar echoed through the stadium and steam rose from from his skin. 20 people instantly dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.

Thadius’ Holy Fighting Aura had capped, and as money can burn a hole in one’s pocket, his Holy Fighting Aura nearly burned a hole in him. With half of it spent to power his Dragon’s Roar, his body cooled down. It seemed that he would have to constantly spend it during combat, or risk the burn.

With his Aura flowing through him, and stretched to the limit, Thadius stepped on the fainted rogue at his feet. There were skirmishes all around the arena, and Thadius was eager to hop back into the fray.

When he turned to stalk the ranged fighters at the edge of the battlefield, new victims came to attack him. Thadius used his shield to ram an NPC rogue that came too close, successfully using Piercing Thrust on her shoulder as she was blown back from the force.

You’ve successfully learned Shield Bash LV. 1 Novice You’ve successfully learned Piercing Thrust. LV. 2 Novice

Then a warrior with flaming sword approached him from behind, trying to sneak in an attack from his blind spot. Thadius turned on a dime to unleash a full powered Dragon Claw.

“Flamin-” the Spellsword’s words were cut short as four slashes raked her torso, causing him to flip from the strength behind it. The woman died as she hit the ground, but Thadius didn’t receive any experience from the kill. Nor did he receive any fame. The woman must have received damage from another source before she ran into him.

Thadius fought anyone that approached him. He showed no mercy to Travelers while removing NPCs from combat. Shouts and screams filled the air along with the smell of blood and iron. He lost track of time as he fought, but after a while, only a few were left standing.

Near the end of the battle, an arrow flew through his Aura, and Thadius raised his shield to block it. Half the arrow pierced right through his shield, and the arrowhead glowed an ominous red. It glowed just like the knife that had sent the Necromancer flying.

’Shit!’

Thadius threw his shield without a moments delay. It flew through the air, sailing back into the direction of the archer that shot at him.

Thadius pushed his Aura completely from his body to hide himself. Then he sprinted for the archer, hoping to get to him before he could shoot anymore exploding arrows. Fortunately, fate was on his side. His shield exploded in mid-air, and the force of the blast brought it crashing onto the head of the archer.

Your expert aiming has unlocked a new skill. Throw LV.22 Novice

Able to use objects as projectile weapons. Damage increase with level.

The archer was still dazed as Thadius made his presence known. “Stand up archer! If you wish to face me, then face me while my eyes are on you!”

Thadius pressured the archer little by little with every step he took. The archer, who’d regained his senses, struggled to nock an arrow with his unsteady hands.

“I’m coming for you archer! You’ll have a few moments to attack before my blade reaches you!”

The archer dropped to one knee to balance himself and to save his rapidly depleting stamina for the shot. Thadius sprinted for him with barely 10ft(3m) of distance between the two. Then the archer fired his last shot, only to watch it sail over Thadius as he slid on his knees in the sand. The showdown ended with Thadius looking down on the gasping man.

He raised his sword to deal the final blow to the Traveler, but the distant banging of drums stopped him. He immediately sheathed his sword and reigned in his Ambient Pressure. Then he helped the shivering acher off the ground.

“That last shot would have killed me it I hadn’t dodged it. Your eyes gave you away though. You’ll have to work on that.” Thadius said as he brushed the man off and patted him on the back.

“A-as if I could aim properly under all that pressure!”

Thadius laughed as he picked up his shield a few feet away. It was covered in deep scratches, and there was a gaping hole from where the archer’s arrow had pierced through.

“There’s a blacksmith that can take a look at it when you get back inside.” the archer said to him as he turned to head back for the gates. Thadius nodded to him in thanks and made his way back in the opposite direction. He passed the arena hands on their way out to collect the dead and the unconscious.

70 people had been reduced to 8 in less than an hour, and all of the winners were taken to see a priest inside the gladiator’s compound to heal. After the gash on his face was taken care of, Thadius asked for directions to the arena blacksmith.

He was taken down a side passage, not far from where he entered the arena, by one of the organizers . The end of the passage opened into an enormous space with dozens of forges and blacksmiths swinging their hammers at white hot metal.

They stopped at one of the first forges, where a bald dwarf was checking on the temperature of the flames.

“A competitor? What can I do for you?” he asked gruffly.

Without a word, Thadius handed over his shield to the man.

“Shield huh? Shouldn’t be too long before I have it in fighting shape.” he said as he hobbled over to his forge.

“How much will this cost me exactly, Mr.?”

“The name’s Durnon. And It won’t cost you a single coin. The coliseum takes care of the repair fees. So just take a seat, and I’ll be done if a jiffy.”

Thadius sat on the floor near the edge of the forge while the dwarf set to work. He had gained quite a few levels from the last battle, and it was about time he actually used some of his stat points. Since he’d first leveled up from killing Corban, he didn’t think it was actually necessary to use his stat points since he was already far above his counterparts stat wise. Yet, in the battle royal, he’d learned that fights won’t always come down to one on one.

Not only that, he was constantly reminded that he was still green behind the ears when it came to actual combat. When his ankle had been caught, why didn’t he just kick the rogue off of his leg with all his strength? He may have been able to move just enough to shield himself from the arrow that scratched him. There were many things he could have done, but until he could gain enough experience on the battlefield, he would have to rely on his stats and abilities to keep him safe. So now was a good a time as any to apply his stat points.

“View status.”

Available Stat Points: 530 The Iron Dragon, Hand of Tegaia CLASS Sword Scholar NAME Thadius RACE Human FAME: 2207 LV. 54 ALIGNMENT Good +784 HEALTH 15700/15700 STAMINA 20540/20540 VITALITY 1570 STRENGTH 3052 DEXTERITY 1842 WISDOM 912 INTELLECT 1598 LEADERSHIP 0 CHARM 223 FAITH 684 FIGHTING SPIRIT 5077 ENDURANCE 147 CHARISMA 16 MAGIC RESISTANCE ICE 99% FIRE 0% EARTH 0% DARK -10% WIND 0% LIGHTNING 0% HOLY 15% WATER 0% +Weapon mastery skills gain x10 EXP

- No experience from lower level enemies

+50% EXP from higher level enemies

+100% EXP and from solo boss kills

+Bewitching smile

+Divine White

+NPCs intimacy raises faster

What he found himself needing in the battle royale, was speed. Mainly, the speed to react to unfamiliar situations. So he was definitely going to invest heavily into dexterity. On the other hand, he also wanted to raise his intelligence. He hadn’t really been using it all that much, but it was one of the skills that could be easily boosted thanks to his class. It would be a shame if he needed it later on and it wasn’t as high as it should be.

With those thoughts in mind, he invested 200 points into Intellect and the rest into Dexterity. Since the number of points he invested into both were doubled, it was equivalent to investing 100 levels worth of stat points, leaving his Intellect close to 2000 and his Dexterity a little over 2500.

By the time he was finished applying his skill points, the dwarf was walking over to him with his shield and a confused look on his face.

“Is there something wrong?” Thadius asked with concern. Carson had said his shield could be repaired normally, but he was still worried that it couldn’t be done without some extraordinary measures.

“It’s nothing really... I could have sworn this shield was made of iron, but the iron I used didn’t take hold. So when I used steel it- Here, have a look for yourself.” the dwarf said as he handed Thadius his shield.

The soul-bound weapon had gone through considerable change. The first thing Thadius noticed, was that it was lighter than before, despite having been repaired with steel. It was also a tad bit larger. The shield had covered most of his torso before, but now it completely defended his chest and abdomen. Should he need to block from the front, the shield would adequately protect his vitals.

In addition to the weight and size, the composition of the shield had also changed. The front of the shield was still bald and plain; however, if viewed from the side, there was now a ultra thin layer of iron that was sandwiched between two layers of steel.

“How did you make two layers in such a short amount of time?” Thadius asked curiously.

“I didn’t. I was only going to patch the hole and fill in the scratches. Then your shield just sort of… absorbed it. It’s the strangest thing…”

’So the shield had flat out refused the iron ingot and settled for steel instead? That doesn’t explain the lighter weight...It didn’t change when I leveled after fighting the Chaotic player. So does it grow when I apply my stats? ’

Thadius’ Battle Buckler Type: Shield Durability: 1475/1475 Quality: Normal Defense: 1480 The shield of the Iron Dragon Thadius. Tested, not long after its forging, in the arena of the Grand Coliseum in Todos. Even after it was hacked by swords, slammed against armor, and punctured by an exploding arrow, Thadius picked it up from the blood stained sand. More tests are yet to come.

+Always infused with Holy Fighting Aura

+Shield skills level 5% faster

The name and description had also changed with its evolution. Thadius felt a tingle down his spine as he thought of how epic his shield would be in the future. And all he had to do was use it.

“Thank you for your work, sir. Should I need anymore repairs, I’ll come straight to you.”

“Please do. I’m extremely curious about that shield of yours. Might I ask who forged it?”

“That depends...can you keep a secret?” Thadius smiled as he looked down at the man.

“I’m a dwarf. Whatever you tell me in my forge is just between us.”

“This weapon was soulforged by the the blacksmith Carson.”

“A soulbound weapon....” the dwarf said in awe. “I’d never thought I’d see one myself. The art was abandoned long ago when it was discovered that it shortened the forgers life span. Whoever forged that for you must have thought very highly of you. Treat it well.”

“...I will.” Thadius said quietly as he turned to leave.

So Carson had shortened his life span to give him, what could quite possibly be, his greatest weapon. Thadius hoped that he would get another chance to truly thank his master’s brother as he made his way back to the amatuer waiting area.

If the reaction to him was bad the first time, then it was terrible the second time. After his overwhelming display in the arena and the fame he’d gathered from killing, Thadius had proven himself as someone to be feared. Thankfully, there were fewer people in the pseudo tavern than there were earlier. The bulk of them were still being cleaned out of the arena.

Thadius took his previous table, setting his shield against his chair as a familiar face came out to greet him.

“So the Iron Dragon returns to our humble establishment.” Sarene smiled as she sat down in her previous seat. Thadius struggled against temptation as her beauty monopolized his senses.

“I’m just thankful that I survived. I had no idea it was going to be a free-for-all.”

“From what I heard, many are thankful that they survived you.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Thadius waved his hand.

Sarene raised an eyebrow. “We could hear your mighty roar from here Thadius. One of the few that quit the field came in running from what he called ‘a dragon in a man’s body’. And look at your robe, all those cut and scratches, but not a single drop of blood. Just how skilled are you?” she wondered with narrow eyes.

Thadius smoothed out his ruined robe. His master had made it so that no blood could be spilled on it. It could still get dirty, but he’d never have to worry about blood stains. “I could ask you the same thing. All this terrible talk about me and you seem to be the only one who’s perfectly fine with it.” Thadius countered.

“What can I say? I was raised by Amazons. To them, beauty is strength, and strength is beautiful.”

“Raised by Amazons? Now that sounds like quite the story…” Thadius said as he leaned forward in interest.

“Oh no you don’t. You still owe me the story about what you wrote for that man earlier.” she laughed. The sound was music to his ears.

“Well, it seems I have a bit of time till the tourney rounds actually start. But if i’m going to tell such a long story, I’m going to need something to drink.”

“I know just the thing.” she said, tapping the table as she walked to the back towards the kitchen. She returned with a pitcher of Seredin tea and two glasses, pouring some for the both of them before she sat down.

One look at the glass had Thadius suddenly parched, and he drained the contents quickly. The extra bit of tang caught him off guard. “Mmm!”

Sarene laughed at his facial expression. “I told you I’d try it.”

“It’s even better than I imagined.” he replied as he poured another glass.

“Much better.” she agreed, taking a generous sip from her own glass. “Now, tell me about what transpired between you and our guest.”

“Well, first I’ll have to explain to you about the game of football.”

---

Church of Thena, Todos, Todos Kingdom ~ Sometime earlier...

Christina was being lead down a wide corridor to the girls dormitories by one of the priests. Yuna was following beside her using Vanish. After years of being blind, she could sense presences to some extent, but trying to find Yuna was completely beyond her. As such, she felt all alone as she trailed behind the stranger.

As soon as she walked into the building after being dropped off by Thadius, she was immediately given a set of robes and a tour by the priest. He was tall and thin with hair only covering the sides of his head. He seemed nice enough, but whenever he smiled, Christina had to resist an urge to shudder. Even though she didn’t really know him, she could tell that he was one of the men that Thadius had warned her about so long ago: a man without self control.

“And this here is the girls dormitory.” he said as he stopped by a staircase that lead to the second floor. “Now should you need anything Christina,” he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Be sure to let me know.”

“Thank you, but I’m sure I can manage.” she replied as she moved away to walk up the staircase. She didn’t want him to touch her under any circumstances.

The priests eyes flashed with anger briefly from such a quick refusal, but he quickly concealed it. “Well, in any case. I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Of course.” Christina replied. She waited a few seconds for him to walk away before she climbed the stairs. She didn’t even want the priest to watch her without her knowing.

“That guy feels really weak.” a voice said from beside her.

Christina jumped. She couldn’t even tell that Yuna was standing right next to her! It was a weird feeling. “W-what do you mean?”

“I mean, I know he can’t fight since he’s a priest and all, but he just feels really weak mentally I guess. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. It’s like the way he acts and talks is a complete lie.” Yuna whispered beside her.

“Well let’s just hope we won’t have to run into him too often. I don’t like the way he looks at me.”

“I bet if it was Thadius that looked at you like that, you’d be happy.”

“That’s because Thadius is different.” Christina replied with her chin raised. Yuna sighed heavily beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your head is filled with ‘stuff’ isn’t it?”

“No it’s not! And you brought it up!” she blushed.

“Your lies hurt my ears.” Yuna sighed again, shaking her head at her friend’s hopelessness.

“Yuna!”

“Who are you talking to?”

Christina looked up at a face peeking from behind the doorway at the top of the stairs. It was a young girl with freckles and dark brown pigtails. Her thick spectacles made her eyes look huge.

“Oh, I’m just...talking out loud. Please forget about it, it’s quite embarrassing. My name is Christina. I’m going to be a priestess initiate starting today.”

“I’m Teta.” the girl said as she opened the door.

Behind the door was a one large room with several rows of bunk beds. When Christina walked in, several faces turned toward her from the beds while the Teta examined her closely.

“You’re really pretty.” Teta said, tugging on the sleeve of her coat. She was even smaller than Yuna.

“Thank you.” Christina smiled at her.

“Oh, we got another one!” One of the girls rushed over from her bed. She had a darker skin tone with cat ears and a long tail. “Hi! My name’s Esaa. I joined today too! Just like Teta. There’s an open bed beside mine so all of us initiates can be together!” she said excitedly as she pulled Christina by the hand.

“Right. Here’s where home is gonna be for the time being. I sleep on the top. Teta sleeps on the bottom, and you can sleep over there!” Esaa pointed to the bottom bed of the bunk next to her. “I hope we can stay together when we become priestesses too! I heard that priestesses only sleep four to a room, so I want to make some friends so we can stick together.” she said as her tail swished happily. Her slanted yellow eyes were dancing with happiness.

“It’s good to have friends.” Teta added as she looked up at Christina, pushing her spectacles back up her nose.

“That’s fine with me, it’ll be lonely if I don’t have anyone to talk too.” Christina said as she removed her coat. “Is there anywhere I can change? I’d like to change into my robe.”

“The bathroom is on the first floor, so you might as well change here. No one will mind. Right everybody!?” Esaa asked the room. There were a few murmurs of agreement. Otherwise, no one paid her much attention.

Christina shrugged as she changed, stripping down to her undergarments to put on her priestesses robe.

“What’s that!?” Esaa asked excitedly as she looked Christina over with wide eyes.

Christina was wearing a black set of the first generation of Wolf Gear. The black sports bra and matching briefs complemented her fair skin.

“Oh, this? It was a gift, I suppose.” she blushed. She never thought she’d get the chance to show off her gift from Thadius.

“Who gives you undergarments for a gift!? Don’t tell me… YOU HAVE A LOVER!?”

“Shh!!” Christina hissed as she rushed to cover Esaa’s unnecessarily loud mouth. “It’s not like that….yet.”

By this time, other initiates had gathered to take a look.

“It looks pretty comfortable. Where did you get it?”

“How much did it cost? It is better than a strap?”

“I don’t like black though, does it come in different colors?”

“Wait a minute! The person who makes these hasn’t started to sell them yet. So even if you ask me, I can’t really answer the questions about how much it cost or the colors. It is quite comfortable though.”

“Then tell us who made it so we can ask them instead!” Esaa demanded.

“Well his name is-”

“So it is a man! Tell us everything!” Esaa demanded as she grabbed Christina’s shoulders. Christina looked around for some help from her fellow initiates, but the rest of them looked just as interested as Esaa.

“Well, his name is Thadius, and I met him in Yune more than four years ago-”

---

Grand Coliseum, Todos, Todos Kingdom

After waiting for the first matches to conclude. Thadius stood once more in front of the iron gate leading into the arena. This time he was alone, swinging his sword to test his new found Dexterity. The sword itself was in a sorry state. It had a huge dent in it from when he slashed off the warrior’s helmet in the battle royale. He’d given priority to his shield’s repairs and had neglected to get his sword looked at. Still, the fact that it dented so easily was a bad sign.

’What else could I have expected from something I got for free?’ he thought as he swung with renewed speed.

From what the organizer told him, the main tournament matches would happen in rapid succession, followed by the bronze tournament. After all the tournaments were concluded, the winners would then be given the opportunity to face the Champion of the tier for coin and a Champion’s Belt. Needless to say, if he wanted to get repairs done, it would have to be right after this match.

The gate opened as his thoughts were occupied. An identical door opened on the other side, and his opponent cautiously walked out as the drums sounded.

When Thadius walked out, the warrior went pale as a ghost. Thadius wasted no time, running straight for his opponent with his shield raised in front of him. The warrior was stricken with fear as the imposing Thadius rushed him, and he lashed out in desperation.

The attack was so slow that Thadius hid his presence, fearing that the attack was a feint. Yet, the warrior just looked around wildly. Then it occurred to Thadius that the poor man wouldn’t be much of an opponent.

In one fluid motion, Thadius cut into his hamstrings and held a blade to his neck when he fell back to the ground.

“Please spare me! I have a family!” the man cried out desperately. He’d hoped he wouldn’t face the monster from the battle royale, but his prayers hadn’t been answered. All he could do was beg for mercy.

“Status card.” Thadius said quietly.

“H-here it is!”

“You are a fortunate man, Mr. Riley. I strongly suggest you go home and spend time with your children.”

“Yes!!” the man quickly crawled out of the arena, much to the disappointment of the crowd.

With the last match of the first round over, the second round commenced immediately. Thadius hurried down to the Durnon’s forge.

“Back so soon?” the dwarf asked as he hammered away.

“I completely forgot to have my sword repaired. Can it be done in time for my second match?”

The dwarf scratched his thick beard with a sorry face. “No can do. I have a pile of repairs at the moment. If you leave it with me, I can definitely have it done by the third round though. If you make it that far.”

“I’ll make it!” Thadius declared as he handed over the iron sword.

All he had was a dagger, but if the last was any indication, he wouldn’t need to worry so much.

Thadius paced in front of the gate leading into the arena. With only one match ahead of his second match, he decided to stay close instead of heading back to the waiting area. The chance that the match would end just as quickly as his was a possibility he couldn’t ignore, and he was far too excited to sit still.

A thick mist covered the arena beyond the gate, removing any chances of seeing who his opponent would be for the last round. So while he waited, he acquainted himself with the range of his dagger, flowing through the movements of Dragon’s Scales to quickly get accustomed to the change in range. The form wasn’t made for a dagger, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem if he stayed attentive.

Minutes passed, and before long, a resounding scream echoed from the arena. Then the mist cleared, and in the center of the sand lay a motionless rogue with a hooded figure standing over him. From the staff in his hand, Thadius knew immediately that his last match would be against a mage if he could make it past the next round.

Arena hands immediately rushed out to the sound of drums to clear the body from the field. Then an organizer came up behind Thadius, surprised to find him already in place before him.

The gates opened, and Thadius’ Ambient Pressure washed over the arena once more. Unlike the first time, the audience in the stands yelled louder once the shiver rolled down their spines. To them, it was all a part of his appeal as a fighter.

He walked out into the evening sunlight with his eyes glued to the opposite gate. Would his opponent be a better match this time?

Out the other side came a warrior clad in sparkling white armor. He walked out with his sword raised to the sky and a face full of confidence. It appeared that Thadius would get the fight he was looking for.

They stopped a few feet a part from each other in the center of the arena. The drummers had delayed the start in an attempt to raise the tension since the last few matches had been let downs.

“Thena watches over me, sir! I will attain victory in her name this day!” the Paladin spoke reverently. Even Thadius could feel his faith, but the sweat on the man’s brow betrayed his discomfort from Thadius’ Ambient Pressure.

“And Tegaia watches over me. I look forward to seeing who emerges victorious.”

“As do I.”

The sound of drums echoed across the arena, and the Paladin wasted no time.

“Holy Light!” he cried out. His armor immediately blazed to life, robbing Thadius of his sight.

The Paladin had taken initiative, hoping to use his advantage to end the match quickly.

Unfortunately for him, Thadius was more than able to fight without his sight. The downward slice that was aimed at his head was swiftly turned aside by his newly evolved shield. Thadius responded quickly with his dagger, thrusting it at the man’s neck.

*Chink

The dagger found no purchase against the shirt of chainmail that lay beneath the armor. If the underlying chainmail was a no go, then the armor would definitely pose a problem.

’Then how the hell am I suppose to do this!?’

“Holy Slash!” the warrior cried as he recovered with a diagonal slice. The angle was low, forcing Thadius to roll to the side, but there was slight burning sensation as he dodged the move by a hairs breadth.

Thadius slowly opened his eyes to find small white flames on his shoulder. He patted the fire out quickly, then parried the lunge that followed after him. As the Paladin stumbled, Thadius hid his presence to give him time to think.

The Paladin wasn’t slow, but he wasn’t fast enough to give Thadius any trouble. The problem was his defense. Without any way to inflict some damage, the match would drag on. Not that it wouldn’t be a favorable situation for him. The one pressed for time in this situation was the Paladin, who was already starting to breath rapidly.

’I need more power, maybe if I…’

Thadius drew his Holy Fighting Aura from his body, which removed it from his shield, and infused his dagger with it. Small white flames danced on the edge, and the light bounced off of it beautifully.

Then Thadius rushed the Paladin, using shield bash to knock him off balance. He thrust again for the chainmail protecting the man’s throat. This time, the tip of the dagger slid through the links, resulting in a superficial wound. However; progress had been made.

The Paladin jumped back from the thrust to create more space between him and his foe, but Thadius had hidden once again, determined to try once more. This time he came from the side, slashing at the warrior’s helmet. A brilliant flash of white left an afterimage as a deep groove was made. The result was less than satisfactory.

’If that’s the case. Then I’ll have to try my theory.

His dagger, infused with Holy Fighting Aura, could get passed the high defense of the metal. Yet, he still needed more strength to push it a little farther…

“...and let my enemy know that he walks on sacred ground.” the Paladin chanted. While Thadius had been using his time to think of a plan. His opponent was preparing for a huge skill.

’Shi-’

“SMITE!” the Paladin bellowed. A huge wave of white flames washed out from him in every direction. Thadius crouched to the ground, using his shield to take the brunt of the attack. Holy flames still licked at him from the edges, and they were much hotter than before.

“Argh!!”

-6765hp

Thadius rolled into the sand to try and kill the flames. Most of them were put out, but the fire highlighted him while his presence was hidden, leading the Paladin directly to him. He rose to one knee and raised his shield to stop the Slash that aimed to take his life. Then another, and another as the Paladin slashed at him in desperation.

’Now or never!’Thadius thought as he reached out to stab the Paladin’s knee. Unlike the previous attacks, he waited until the blade was inches away from his target before he fused the weapon with his Aura. Then when the dagger pierced the armor, he returned his Aura to his body and drove the blade in with sheer strength.

The Paladin screamed as he fell to the ground. Thadius was on top of him in an instant, ready to drive the blade home. Just before he went for the kill, he pulled on the chainmail that had given him so much trouble to find the familiar chain hanging around his neck.

“Yield, and I will spare you.” Thadius declared through gritted teeth. Had he killed the man with his first attack, he would have ended yet another life. He was disappointed at himself for acting so rash.

“I will not yield! Do what you will! I will gladly go to Thena’s side.” the Paladin spat.

“Last chance. Do you really want to end your life in a coliseum when you could be out there doing your Goddess’ will?”

The Paladin lay still as he thought. Thadius watched as the emotions played on his face. In the end, he just nodded and dropped his sword.

+12 Wisdom

“I’m glad you saw reason.” Thadius said as he helped the warrior off the ground.

Just as they were making their way back to the gate, one of the organizers came running out to Thadius.

“Sir, this is a bit unorthodox, but we’d like you to start the semi-final match immediately. We have an exceedingly large number of bronze tournament participants today, and we would like to get the last tournament underway as soon as possible.” he gasped as he leaned over to catch his breath.

“I understand, but I’d like to have my sword before we begin. There is a dwarven smith by the name of Durnon who was working on it.”

“I’ll retrieve it immediately!” the organizer said as he ran back into the compound.

“Then I’ll take my leave. May your Goddess watch over you.” the Paladin said as he patted Thadius on the back. Life or death struggles had a funny way of making friends out of enemies.

“I’ll ask her to watch over you as well. Don’t be too quick to throw away your life in the future.”

“If my Goddess demands it, then I will give it gladly. Though… I understand what you’re trying to say.” the Paladin said as he headed back towards the gate he came out of. Just as he was leaving, the organizer returned with Thadius’ sword. Sweat was pouring down his face.

“Here..you go. The match… will begin immediately.” he said. Right on cue, drums echoed across the stadium. The organizer sprinted for the closing gate as if he gained a second wind, and Thadius turned to face a blue robed figure whos face was hidden beneath a large hood.

With a staff in one hand, he lifted the other in Thadius’ direction. Thadius braced himself for a projectile as he raised his shield, erasing his presence and moving closer to the mage in a wide arc.

Suddenly, water gushed forth from his hand, turning the field into muddy ground. The move didn’t stop Thadius’ approach, nor did it give away his position. Masters of Hide Presence didn’t leave any traces of their passage no matter what ground they walked on.

Thadius soon discovered the mage’s intentions as he pointed his staff toward the wet ground.

“Ice Age.”

A wave of frost quickly spread from the staff to the wet ground, freezing everything in its path. Unable to escape the range of the AOE spell, Thadius was instantly encased in ice.

“Not so tough now…” the mage muttered as he aimed another spell at his frozen opponent. Against really troublesome opponents, all he had to do was freeze and destroy.

He formed several ice lances to finish off Thadius, but while he was preparing the spell. Steam started to rise rapidly from the frozen man. Then the ice cracked and shattered as Thadius shook off the the frozen chunks.

“What!?” the mage cried out as he shot out his ice lances.

Thadius just grinned as he sprinted through the rain of spears. He finally got his opportunity to fight a mage. He just hoped that Curtis was watching.

The mage wouldn’t let him approach so easily, shooting out a jet of flame from both hands as he retreated further. Thadius couldn’t see the mage past his shield as he blocked the flames, but he honed in on the mages presence to drive him into a corner.

-2409hp

The heat of the fire started to warm the steel touching Thadius’ arm. He grit his teeth as a scream tried to escape his lips. If he threw his shield down now, he would know the true meaning of hot.

The mage shut off the flamethrower as soon as he realized Thadius was still pushing through the flames. Then aimed his staff at his hand, spraying water into his burning hand like he did in the match before. From inside, he could set the stage for some of his deadlier spells.

A dagger to his shoulder interrupted his spell casting.

’It’s a lot harder than it looks.’ Thadius thought as he sprinted for the wounded mage. He had aimed for the throat.

The mage raised his staff in his uninjured arm. Knowing he could at least give Thadius pause with his ice magic, he pointed his staff at the ground. He was interrupted again as a sword flew in his direction. He managed to dodged it, but the maneuver cost him precious time.

Thadius bashed the mage with his shield, sending him sprawling to the ground. Then he grabbed his sword and drove it into man’s chest before he could even have time to breath.

“I caught you mage! See you in a few days.” Thadius smiled as he looked down at his fellow Traveler.

The mage smiled in return. “Hellfire…” he gurgled with his last breath.

“.....!”

Thadius was immediately engulfed in flames.

-6001hp

He screamed as he jumped into the moist sand in an attempt to quell the fire. His skin boiled and sizzled as it burned. The smell of his own flesh rose to his nose and he gagged while he rolled.

-6709hp

The last of his health was consumed by the dying fire. Had he been at full health at the start of the match, he probably would have survived.

You’ve been incapacitated

00:01:59:57

---

It was the first message he received when he opened his eyes to his hospital room.

He took a deep breath as he looked at the figure sitting in a chair in the corner.

Curtis slowly turned around in his chair with a mocking look on his face. In his lap was a lotion for burn wounds.

“Ointment?” he asked comically.

“Shut the hell up!” Brandon laughed. As pissed as he was, Curtis had been fully prepared to rub it in.

“Man, I told you about those mages. I told you! Your face when he lit your ass on fire was like ‘Mercy!!’. Ha ha!”

“I had half my sword in his chest! I had him!”

“But you underestimated him and got roasted. Had you used your pressure, you would have completely overwhelmed him. That’s what you should have done instead of taking on a mage with any long range moves.”

“But I have throw!” Brandon protested.

“How’d that work out for you?” Curtis laughed as he removed the Deep Dive from Brandon’s head. “You just learned it, and you expect it to be immediately ready for combat? And let’s not even get started on you throwing away your primary and secondary weapon. What if he had summoned some sort of elemental? You would have been screwed, trying to get to your weapon while being attacked by a force of nature. You have much to learn my friend.”

“So it seems.” Thadius sighed heavily. “I didn’t expect my first death to be so embarrassing though.”

“You’re not dead.”

“Come again?”

“You’re incapacitated. If something doesn’t kill you outright, or kill you in less than 10 minutes, you’ll be knocked out instead of dying. Say a guy lost the rest of his health from having a Banshee burst his eardrums. It’d be pretty dumb if he died from something like that right?”

“If it doesn’t seem like it’ll kill me in real life, then it won’t?”

“Sonsoft wanted to make it as real as possible. Remember your little nap when you first went up the mountain? Had it been scorching hot that day, instead of freezing, you probably would have died from dehydration. But you would have been fine if you lost the rest of your health from sunburn. You get what I’m trying to say?”

“I follow. So I can go back in… 2 hours? Or is that how long I have until I die?”

“That’s where it gets tricky. It can vary depending on how you were incapacitated. In your case, you could wake up to unbelievable pain, wake up with your wounds fully healed, or not wake up at all. Sometimes the timer will go away entirely once you’re healed. Other times, you’ll be killed before the timer runs out. You just have to be aware of your situation when you go down.”

“Well, at least I’m not dead yet.”

“Lucky bastard. Come on, it was about time for your bath anyway. I’d prefer if I didn’t have to wash around the tech. It makes my job easier.”

Brandon had a bath and a meal before he logged back into Chaos Online. He couldn’t shake the thought of himself burning alive, but it was more like an uncomfortable nightmare rather than a vivid memory.

---

Coolkid killed in single combat.

+822 Fame You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

You’ve leveled up

....

Thadius woke up on a bed with an arena organizer sitting by the bed. He sat up and slowly moved his body. He seemed to have been healed, but his Corbae robe was in tatters. It would take a lot of cloth to restore it to it’s former glory. But then would it really be the robe his master gave him? Thadius shook his head as he moved to stand up. The organizer that was beside his bed had dozed off.

“Hello, sir?” Thadius said as he gently shook the man.

“Hmm? Oh! Y-you’re awake!? To be honest I didn’t think you’d make it, sir.”

“I won’t die so easily.”

“No, not that, the tournament! The Gold tier Championships are already under way. Your match is about to be next!”

“I’ve been out for hours, how’s-”

“The bronze matches took a while since we had two royales, and we always take a break before the Walk of Champions.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad I made it in time.” Thadius said happily. As soon as the word left his mouth, the sound of drums could be heard in the distance. The roaring of the crowds was many times louder than when he was fighting. He was a little disappointed that he had missed out on watching the Gold Champion in action.

“It’s time.” the organizer said as he stood near the door. Thadius picked up his equipment that had been laid at his bed side and followed the man out.

Night had fallen over the compound, and torches lit up the space every few feet. But when they reached the arena gate, it was flooded with bright light. All along the top of the stadium were giant white orbs that blazed like tiny suns.

There was no waiting for him this time as the gates opened as soon as he approached it. He walked out into the arena to an uproar as the crowd chanted.

“”“ Silver! Silver! Silver!”””

When Thadius reached the center of the arena, the gate on the opposite opened up. A figure dashed out into the light, circling the arena at a breakneck pace. The mythril armor of the Silver Champion was completely build for speed. The legs were unprotected in the back and there wasn’t any armor to cover any joints. There were vambraces to protect the forearms, yet the arms were exposed from the elbow to the shoulder, ensuring complete arm rotation during combat.

When the champion finally came to face Thadius, the first thing he noticed was the helmet. At the top were two holes where a pair of jet black rabbit ears poked out from the top. Then his eyes fell to the large silver belt that hang on her waist.

It wasn’t until the moment Thadius looked into his opponents eyes, that he receive a shock. Staring back at him with eyes filled with amusement, was a pair of hazel eyes with a prominent green sheen.

“Surprise!” Sarene said as she lifted her hands in the air.

“.......”

“The look on your face! Ha ha!” she laughed, holding her sides.

“So the champ is pretty strong huh?” Thadius said as coldly as he could manage. The twitching at the corner of his mouth betrayed his efforts.

“Yes I am, and I look forward to our match Iron Dragon.” Sarene said as she lifted her mythril longsword.

“Well, I hope you said goodbyes to that belt. Cause it’s going to be wrapped around my waist pretty soon.” Thadius declared, taking his stance and letting out his Ambient Pressure.

He pushed his Aura out to the max. Then turned on his Concentration. From what he just saw, her speed was going to be the focal point. If he could shut that down, then he would be in good shape.

The beating of the drums signified the start of the fight, and Thadius watched as Sarene slashed more than 10ft(3m) in front of him. When he felt something cutting through his Aura, he quickly raised his shield, only to be blown back. He wasn’t knocked down, but he was knocked off balance. And Sarene capitalized on it as she rushed in at high speed.

She aimed a slice from below at his face with blinding speed. Thadius was able to see it thanks to his concentration, and he knew he could react to it in time. Yet, for some reason, his body was moving slower than usual.

’Time out!

Thadius used his Pressure to target her directly, punishing her speed with an absurd amount of stamina reduction. Sarene jumped out as soon as she felt the heavy pressure. It wasn’t enough to send her to the ground, but enough that he could seal her speed until he found out what was affecting him.

“No wonder they call you a monster. That kind of pressure should only be found in dungeons!” Sarene said, smiling menacingly.

“I’d prefer not to hinder you like this, but you seem to be slowing me down somehow. It seemed only fair that I return the favor.”

“Hmph.” she charged again, swinging her sword like she did earlier. Thadius could barely make out the tracing of the move before he was forced to dodge. Whatever the move was, it was exactly what he needed against the mage in the semi-finals. If he could learn it here…

“Focus or die Thadius!” Sarene screamed as she came in from below with a lunge.

Thadius hid his presence and spun in a circle. He used his Aura to create two feints aimed at her legs. She moved out of range of both attacks and he closed in behind her. She stopped mid-step and rolled forward just a Thadius was about to use Shield Bash.

’Does she have spacial awareness? Or is it because of her animal senses?

Thadius revealed himself and approached her with caution. If hiding his presence wasn’t going to be that effective, then it would be best if he didn’t use it often. It would come down to swordsmanship, and he was quite confident in that.

“Neat trick. Disappearing like that…”

“I don’t think it’ll be as effective on you, and I think you’d respect a more direct approach.”

“Smart man.”

They clashed together in a dazzling display. Sarene wielded her sword with an unyielding ferocity. Using her speed to find and attack the gaps in his defense. Thadius countered for every attack, using her speed against her. Wherever her sword went his shield followed.

The sound of their ringing blades filled the air as they dueled under the light of the 12 suns. The crowd was glued to their every swing, and when one looked to be on the verge of defeat, they stood and roared for the potential victor.

It was a battle that Thadius would have dragged out comfortably, but as the fight went on. He could clearly see his disadvantages. The iron sword in his hand was chipped and jagged from repeated clashes with the mythril blade. His shield was littered with cuts and some of the steel had been clearly shaved off in several places.

If that wasn’t enough, he could feel himself slowing down. Every time his eyes met with hers, he could feel his swings slowing. He could feel himself dragging his feet, and it was as if his entire body was reluctant to attack her.

You’ve been charmed.

-25% Dexterity

-25% Strength

Thadius shook his head as he defected another blow. He could hear her heavy breathing in his ear, and it aroused him.

’Dammit’

He’d figured it was something like that when he couldn’t concentrate. If this continued, he would eventually make a fatal mistake, and the first clean blow would be the last. He’d experienced this type of condition in games before, and there was a sure fire way to get rid of it, but it wouldn’t put him in an advantageous position.

She lunged for his shoulder again, aiming to disable his shield arm with another skill. Usually, Thadius would stop it with all his might, but this time, he let his shield drop slightly. The mythril sword cut a chunk out the edge of his shield and slid through his chainmail to stab his shoulder.

“Argh.”

-6543hp

It was like a light bulb had been lit in his brain, and everything became clear. He jumped back to gain some much needed space.

“You took it on purpose?” she asked with narrowed eyes. The smile had disappeared from her face long ago.

“It was the only way to break free of your charm. I’ll admit, it’s a pretty effective.”

“I’ll use any weapon at my disposal, even those I can’t control!” she yelled as she unleashed another invisible slash.

Thadius had his eyes glued to her every movement, watching until the attack unleashed at him. He raised his shield again to block it, but pain surged through his arm. He dived to the side to avoid the attack instead, but it gave Sarene more than enough time to rush.

The crowd went wild, sensing the end of the epic battle before them. Sarene swung down, and Thadius moved to parry it with his blade. Under the ferocious attack the blade shattered into the sand.

Her blade came down once more, and Thadius struggled to raise his shield in time.

’Fight the pain! he thought as he brought his shield up to to meet the blade.

The sword sunk deep into the shield, becoming stuck between the folds of steel. Sarene tried to dislodge the blade for another swing, but a crushing pressure brought her to the ground. Thadius tossed their weapons to the side and rolled in the sand to his feet, taking the stance of the Dragon’s Grip.

Sarene stood up slowly, gasping for breath as Thadius lessened the pressure so she could stand.

“You’ve been...toying….with me…..all this time.” she glared at him.

“No I haven’t. I’m gaining experience by learning as much as I can from you. However, this fight is going to have to end soon. I did tell you I’d be taking your belt. Didn’t I?”

“Rah!” she screamed as she threw a fist. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as skilled with her hands as she was with a sword.

Thadius broke her down with a blow to the side of her knee. Then as she kneeled in pain, he dealt a swift blow to her temple.

A new silver champion was crowned to the sound of beating drums.

---

30 minutes later...

Sarene woke up with a start. She was back in her bed behind the kitchen with a throbbing headache that couldn’t possibly be real.

“Ugh…” she groaned as she rolled over. The last thing she remembered was eating a knuckle sandwich from the Iron Dragon Thadius.

He had been far stronger than she anticipated. To think that he had been hiding such monstrous pressure for the entire fight. Sarene just shook her head in exasperation, and groaned again at the pain it caused.

“Thirsty?” a voice said from the corner. Thadius was propped up in a chair repairing his robe with a shiny silver belt hanging over his shoulder.

The startled Sarene couldn’t find her voice in time.

“I know you think I’m handsome, but it’s never made you speechless.” he said as he flashed a devilish smile.

“You don’t think the fact that you’re in my room uninvited could be the cause?” she raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll have to pardon me. I’ve suddenly become somewhat of a spectacle in the coliseum. I was looking for a place to hide, and the granny sent me back here.”

“I... don’t mind. I was just making sure you had some common sense.”

“Oh? When did you begin to doubt?”

“Hmm, let’s see. Could it be the fact that you prolonged a battle that could have ended in two seconds?” she asked sarcastically.

“I’m sensing some anger there…” Thadius said, mockingly. He crossed his hands over his legs in a classic therapist pose.

“Anger my ass…” Sarene said as she rolled over in her bed. She’d been humilitated enough for one day.

“Oh, and I apologize for your sword.”

“What happened to my sword!?” she shouted as she sat up with a start. Only to lay back down. “Ugh.”

“Well… my shield ate it. Or some of it.”

Sarene just had a confused look on her face as an old woman came out from the kitchen.

“Thadius, the food is ready. Oh, Sarene. It’s about time you woke up. Thadius has been worried sick about you.”

Now it was Thadius’ turn to be speechless.

“Do you often worry about the people you knock out? Or is it just women?” Sarene said as she glared at the man.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about. I came back here to hide.” Thadius looked at the old woman. Pleading with his eyes for her to keep their conversation on the down low.

“But Thadius, you said you’d cook for her as an apology. You see Sarene, Thadius is a proper gentleman. He doesn’t like to hit women.” the granny said as she blushed. Thadius’ charm was beginning to work against him. He never thought it would out do his Fighting Spirit.

“Yet, I distinctly remember him punching me in the face.” Sarene said with narrowed eyes. The granny rushed back into the kitchen to get the food.

Thadius rubbed his forehead in embarrassment. A kind gesture had suddenly turned into this.

The granny returned with a plate of chicken alfredo and a glass of red and yellow liquid. The color in the glass started out red and faded to yellow near the bottom of the glass.

Sarene eyeballed Thadius as the granny set the dish beside her. Without releasing him from her glare, she took a bite. She chewed slowly, fully enjoying the taste.

“Well?” Thadius asked as he looked at her expectantly.

Sarene enjoyed watching him sweat. “It’s not bad.” she said as the corner of her lips turned up slightly.

“Then accept it as my apology. I hope it doesn’t come to fists next time.” he said as he got up to leave.

“Next time?” Sarene said in surprise.

“You don’t want a rematch?” Thadius looked at her quizzically.

“Of course.” she responded immediately.

“Then until we meet again…” Thadius smiled as he left for the waiting area. He needed to find and inn for the night so he could visit Yuna and Christina first thing in the morning.

Sarene waited until she could hear Thadius’ footsteps disappear into the waiting area before she tore into the chicken alfredo. The taste was absolutely divine, and she simply couldn’t eat it fast enough. After wolfing down the meal, she took a sip of the lemonade and nearly fell out of the bed. She had to look at the glass to make sure she wasn’t just imagining the taste.

“This is pretty damn good Thadius.” she muttered to herself as she quickly emptied the contents of glass.

---

Military Compound, Todos, Todos Kingdom

An old man with large bushy eyebrows was playing chess by himself at the counter of the enlistment office. At night, no one really came in, so he had plenty of time to enjoy a game. Who else could he play? He’d run out of competition long ago.

“Ho ho, I win again!” he declared as he checkmated himself.

Just then the door to the office open, and a man with dirtly blond hair and a clean shaven face stormed into the room. He was dressed like a member of the nobility with a slick navy blue suit and gold trimmings.

“Old man! I need you to help me!” the man raised his voice in fury.

A door in the back opened and another man stepped to the counter. He was middle aged man with dark brown hair and mutton chops. The tightening of his belt suggested a ‘healthy’ diet, but large strong arms hinted at the strength in his limbs. “What’s all this ruckus!?”

“I want to join the army. Is this where I sign up or not?”

“Why would you want to join now youngin’? Most of the army is gone now.” the old man asked as he reset his chess set.

“My business is my own…”

“When Commander Antony asks you a question, you answer it!!” the older man shouted. The young man glared at him with tears in his eyes.

“I want to learn how to kill Travelers. Is this the place or not?”

It was the man with the mutton chops that spoke up first. “Yeah, this is the place.”

“Then sign me up.”