Chapter 50: The first fight

Chapter 50: The first fight

Over the course of the next hour or so, Chance watched the crowd grow in the stands across from them. He couldnt see the entire thing since about half of them were probably somewhere above him, but a little over a quarter of the seats looked to be full.

That didnt sound like much, but with the size of the colosseum, that was probably several thousand people. He wasnt particularly surprised that the turnout wasnt higher people probably found more entertainment attending the tournaments for higher level Shikari.

Still, even with only a fourth of the arena full, Chance could feel the buzz of adrenaline pumping in his veins. Hed never really gotten much of a chance to compete with anyone in a meaningful way before the first, preliminary tournament notwithstanding. This time, he wasnt going to get disqualified.

Ready? Yeo asked, rubbing his hands together. I cant wait. This is my debut.

Why are you treating this like its a popularity contest? Bella asked. Its a competition. Youre about to do your best to beat the life out of somebody. You might be a little too excited for it.

Bah. This is all a performance, Yeo replied. If you win every fight but nobody likes you, it doesnt matter. In the end, the coolest fighter is the true winner. Getting first place sure helps, though.

A small metal disk ringed by a flowing fence lowered from the sky, suspended in a golden cloud. Within it, Chance could just barely make out a woman with long, white hair. She was too far away to make out any details on her face or appearance beyond that.

Welcome to the quarterly tournament for Squire ranked Shikari! the woman called, her voice echoing through the entire arena clearly empowered by some sort of magic. Im sure all the contestants are absolutely thrilled to have you here. As always, weve got a lot of promising talent looking to prove themselves. Make sure to keep a keen eye out.

The platform raised, moving her in a slow circle around the crowd as she continued to address them. Shadows passed over the arena, but the angle of the window prevented Chance from seeing what had happened.

It was evidently intentional, as a large spotlight shimmered to life, highlighting the woman as she flew back to the middle of the ring.

My name is Analise, and Ill be your announcer today. Well be getting started very shortly but first, a word from our sponsor. Dayeds Raid Shop has kindly provided funding for all the healing pills and emergency devices that may be used during this tournament to ensure that none of our talented trainees are injured seriously. If you like raiding outside of Gleam, make sure to check out his shop. Hes got some great deals. Just use our promotional code, Gleam-Official. Thats one word, ladies and gents.

Chance gave Yeo a side eye. Seriously? Theyve got ads?

After every fight, according to my dad, Yeo replied, not taking his eyes off Analise. He said they were supposed to be a bit of a problem back on Earth.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

Thats an understatement. Wait, did you say every fight?

Now, it looks like the doors to the colosseum have been shut, Analise continued. That means its time to get started.

The golden lights flicked off her and lit up the arena, illuminating the painted stone ground with a gentle glow that wouldnt blind the fighters but would enable the crowd to see what was happening.

Number One and Eighteen, please come out onto the stage! The window at the front of your room will slide open and a pathway will form for you. Make sure to watch your step. We dont want any premature injuries, after all. Those should be saved for the actual fight.

Analise tittered as if shed just said an incredibly witty joke. Chances nose wrinkled slightly in distaste.

Lets get this on with! Analise called. Number Ninety-three versus One Hundred and Fifty Two! We all know the rules. Get to fighting!

The larger boy pitched into a charge, and the head of his axe glimmered with Essence. Chance shifted his weight to the balls of his feet and swayed, waiting for the charge instead of rushing to meet it.

He wasnt sure what kind of Essence his opponent was using, but it wasnt hard to deduce that getting hit by his axe would be bad news. Chance staggered forward just as the other boy reached him, twisting his body.

The axe whistled past him and slammed into the sand, missing Chance as he shoved his shoulder into the other boys chest, then stuck his leg between his feet. Even though his opponent was significantly larger than him, Chance didnt need strength to push him over. He just needed leverage.

As the boy shoved Chance back, he transferred the weight to his other leg and swept his opponents legs out from under him. The boy crashed to the ground with a grunt, but quickly rolled to the side.

He grabbed his axe and lunged for Chance, who swayed out of the way and brought the hilt of his urumi down on his head as he passed. The boy grunted, hitting the ground and coming up in a roll instead of dropping like Chance had expected.

Hes sturdier than he should be. It must be something to do with his Essence, or maybe his aura is just really strong.

Chance narrowed his eyes and flicked his urumi, shifting the offensive. It whipped out, screeching as it scraped across his opponents armor but failed to bite through it. As Chance drew the blade back, the boy charged him again.

He met the dash headlong, leaning out of the way of a slash and using all of his bodyweight to slam into the other boys shoulder. The metal of his breastplate stung to hit, but the sudden redirection of motion threw him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

As he fell, Chances knee caught him in the head. The boy hit the ground with a crash, but the axe didnt leave his hands. Chance flicked his urumi and the blade coiled around his opponents armored arm, constricting with a loud screech.

Surrender, Chance said, driving a foot down into his opponents chest and slamming him back into the ground as he tried to rise. He pulled on the urumi, tightening the razor-sharp links around the creaking armor.

I give, the boy spat, letting the axe fall from his hand. Chance flicked his wrist and the urumi unraveled, snapping back to its blade form before reforming into a wristband. Chance offered his fallen opponent a hand, but the boy pushed himself upright on his own.

Number Ninety-three takes the win! Analise called. And now, a quick word from our sponsors before the next two fighters join us on stage.

Chance mentally tuned her out. Golden pathways arched down, arriving on either side of the arena. Once theyd formed, Chance headed back up to where Yeo and Bella were waiting.

That was fantastic! Yeo exclaimed. You made that other guy look like a complete klutz.

It was impressive, Bella agreed. He didnt even land a single blow on you.

Well, this was just the first round, Chance said, rubbing the back of his head. Im sure future opponents are going to be a lot stronger. Thank you, though.

The golden bridge disappeared behind him, and the window slid back shut. Chance flopped down into his chair, his heart still beating fast, and repressed a grin. Now that the fight was over, he realized that it had actually been fairly fun. He was actually looking forward to the next one.