It Rained Red Upon the Arena (9 page)

The bell rang, and the two men began their fight. Bird had a heavy battle-hammer, which he held with both hands. He did not equip a shield. The other Paplon had a shield and a steel sword.

Bird was the first to strike; he spun and landed a blow against his opponent’s shield. The hit was so heavy it knocked him off balance.

He landed another swift blow to his opponent’s feet, which made his feet lift up from under him and he landed on the ground.

Another consecutive hit landed upon the man’s face.

Although Nick was a fair distance from the fight, he, too, could see the blood splatter as the man’s face was caved in with the battle-hammer.

Benny laughed and started to clap his hands. “See, that there is a proven warrior. No one hits as hard with such of a heavy weapon than him. I love the red rain, don’t you?”

The crowd erupted into the same chant: “Bird! Bird! Bird!...” Bird stood proud and waved to the crowd. He blew kisses to a few attractive ladies, then took a bow. He proceeded to make his way back to the gate where Nick was.

The gate opened and shut behind Bird as he walked in. Bird hugged Benny and said, “It was just a few minutes, wasn’t it? I don’t know how that man got through one battle let, alone five.”

Bird and Benny laughed and Nick let out a few chuckles with a shy grin on his face. Benny put his arm around Bird’s neck and messed up his hair with his other hand. The two laughed more, and Benny said, “Bird, killing is your talent, always has been. In the outside world we all know you had no chance with women. That was probably the first and last pair of tits you’ll ever see.” All three laughed together. Benny then pointed his hand at Nick, “Bird, this here is Nick. As you know, he is the newest inmate at the arena. What you didn’t know is that he is ridiculously fast, he’s tactical, and he is the first man here to kill someone with a shield.”

Nick smiled at the statements and said, “Nice to meet you, Bird. You have great skill with that hammer there. Also, I didn’t kill Grimey with my shield, I only nearly killed him. I finished him off with my dagger. I thought the dagger would be a better way to die rather than twenty bludgeons to the face with my shield.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Nick,” said Bird.

The misty and fair rain that had started when Nick took foot in the arena now began to come down harder. The rain fell and turned the sandy arena floor into a slushy mud. The civilians in the crowded arena became soaked, but they did not dare leave.

The Refect walked over to the elevator once more to retrieve the final two combatants of the day. The chain rattled to a halt as he reached the bottom. Moments later the chains rattled and echoed through the rocky room as the combatants came up to the arena.

A husky Paplon and a short Reza walked out from the elevator. The Paplon equipped himself with a bow and arrow, sword, and a shield. The Reza was equipped with two short swords and a shield as well.

Bird and Benny were not smiling or talking to either of the combatants. Only a few glares were exchanged between the four of them. The gates rose up once more, and the two stepped foot into the arena. The crowd erupted into a frenzy and chanting began. Nick could hear two names being chanted, “Light!” and “Twin Blade!” The crowd erupted louder than Nick had heard before. The combatants continued to hype up the crowd by raising their hands and enticing their fans to get louder.

Benny stood with his arms crossed as he looked through the gates. “This is kind of funny because I’m sure you have no idea what is going on here, Nick.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, basically these two have bled for the arena for just over a year,” said Benny. “They both arrived around the same time. The final match of the day is almost always the most important or supposedly the most entertaining. I heard that this match was advertised on every street in Vincot this past week. The crowd loves them. They have gained devoted fans over the past year and many will go home today saddened because their favorite fighter lost. They call the Paplon Light for a reason nobody really knows. They call the Reza Twin Blade; we call him Twin for short. Apparently he coined this name because he killed someone not with magic but with his two swords within his first matches. The name is ironic because he really has no skill with a blade; he always sticks to his magic in his fights. A Reza will lose to a Paplon in close quarter combat nine out of ten times.” Bird looked over and nodded in agreement with a grin on his face. “Everyone knows this and that’s why I always keep my distance and use accurate attacks. These two that are about to fight are good, but they are nothing special. I could make quick work of them; they are just popular for how long they have been in the arena.”

Benny was cut short by the ringing of the bell and the start of the match. Arrows flew from Light and fire raged from Twin Blade.

The two fought behind a pair of stone pillars which blocked the view from where Nick was standing. He tried to move around to get a better view from the gate but it was no use. A few moments had passed and all they could do is see flickering light from the flames from behind the pillar. A rogue arrow flew and hit the right wall.

All of a sudden the crowd erupted into a loud cheer. Twin Blade appeared from behind the pillar. He had won. The crowd chanted his name, and he circled the arena giving thanks to his fans.

“Sometimes these front row seats don’t work out that well,” said Bird. “I couldn’t care less who won. Those two who just fought are both scum and Twin will meet with death soon enough.”

“Well, that’s it for your first match day of the arena,” said Benny as he looked towards Nick. He then turned and walked towards the elevator as he looked down at the cuffed gloves on his hands. “I’m hungry, I can’t wait for some mush dinner,” he said.

Twin finally finished his celebratory rounds in the arena and walked back to the gate. All four men accompanied each other in the elevator. The Refect guided them back to the kitchen where they ate leftovers. All the other inmates had eaten already while the fights were going on.

Nick sat at a table by himself, as did Twin. Benny and Bird sat together and conversed while sharing a few laughs.

Nick held firm in his belief that making friends in the arena was not a good idea. Being alone felt more comfortable for him. The Refect walked Nick back to his cell. In the cell hall he heard a familiar voice come from one of the cells, “Good job.”

“Hey, shut up! It’s lights out. No talking,” said the Refect.

Nick knew it was Phillip who spoke out. He could not help but have a smile light up on his face. Nick arrived at his cell and sat on his blanket. He had a little time to reflect on the day. The first encounter with the arena made him tired, he laid down and shut his eyes. Sleep never sounded better to him.

***

Before he knew it, Nick found himself on the sandy grounds of the arena again. Rain was pouring heavily before he made his first steps towards the center of the arena. The gusts of wind made the climate unbearably cold, his body began to shiver. He looked up into the heavens and saw that snow had begun to fall. He was wet, cold, tired, yet determined. A young Reza male stood in front of him as he reached the center of the arena. A smile so twisted and malicious, Nick could not wait to deliver a similar result to the man as he did in his first match.

The bell rang, and the fight had been initiated. The crowd grew silent, the snow fell heavily, and Nick drew his sword.

The Reza conjured a reckless fireball that missed Nick entirely. Nick took advantage and lunged his mighty sword towards his foe. The Reza quickly turned sideways to dodge the attack.

A high-pitched roar was heard from the sky. Nick pulled his sword back towards him and looked into the Reza’s eyes. Nick had seen fear before; he was good at spotting it in people’s eyes. What he saw in the Reza’s pupils was terror. The Reza dropped his hands to his side and began to run away.

Nick turned his head and looked up into the snow filled sky. A loud gust of wind was created by an eerie yet unfamiliar sound. Beyond the thick haze of the snow Nick witnessed the terror first hand. A black dragon descended from the sky and was heading directly towards the arena.

It flapped its wings and made a deep sound as it caught the wind. It’s black scales were darker than night. It’s eyes were a dark red, just like blood. Its body was massive; it was nearly thirty feet in length. Dragons had not been seen around civilization for centuries, yet here was one heading straight for Nick.

The black dragon placed the claws from its feet along the gate that was above Nick’s head. It gripped the gate and with ease, it ripped a massive hole in it. The dragon landed and stood in front of Nick on the sands of the arena. The crowd was in a panic and nearly everyone had already left.

The dragon had to lower its massive body to be close to the ground in order to stay under the gate above. The dragon opened its mouth and revealed its hundreds of razor sharp teeth while unleashing a terrifying roar. Nick took no time to think, now was his chance. As the dragon roared, its eyes were shut. In that split second, Nick took his sword and hurled it towards the dragon’s mouth. As he released his sword, he noticed that it had become a sword made of solid gold. The gold blade whipped through the snow and twirled towards the beasts open mouth. In a split second, flames spewed from the mouth of the dragon. Fire reached Nick before his golden blade even made it halfway to the dragon. A click and ramble of metal was heard.

***

Nick’s eyes opened to a Refect unlocking, and then opening his cell.
A nightmare
, thought Nick as he looked at his sweaty palms.
It was only a nightmare, a terrible one, nonetheless. It was strange how it felt so real. The dragon, it was as if I could feel the heat from its flames.

He hoisted himself off the cell’s floor and stood at his feet. His stomach growled at the thought of what would come next.

Nick met with Phillip in the kitchen for breakfast. Phillip spotted Nick walking towards the table and gave him a big smile. “Come and sit down, Nick. Tell me about it. Some guys were saying you killed Grimey with your shield. What happened? How do you feel?”

Nick chuckled, “Wow, look at your enthusiasm today. Glad to say I’m still breathing. I did not kill Grimey with my shield. I merely knocked him to the floor with it and bashed his head a few times with it. I actually killed him with my dagger. Who was saying these things about me? Benny and Bird?”

“No, no. Listen, everyone is talking about your fight,” said Philip. “Word is spreading about how you defeated Grimey. They’re talking about your fight much more than any of the others. So, yes, I am happy this morning, I’m happy for you, Nick. So tell me how do you feel now? How did you feel in the arena?”

“I felt extremely nervous before the fight yesterday, I can’t lie,” replied Nick. “But once that bell rang, I was in a different state all together. My body and mind were ready for the fight. Throwing the daggers did not work out, but luckily, I am a fast sprinter.” Nick paused and took a bite of his food. He looked up at the rocky ceiling, then gazed back at Phillip. “You know, for the moments after the fight when the crowd was cheering, it felt good. I felt like some sort of champion in that moment. However, after all that is said, I don’t enjoy killing in the arena. I don’t believe it’s right, I don’t believe any of it is right. I mean, why are we the ones to pass the final judgment on someone we know nothing about? I don’t believe Hentrio needs the arena system at all. If they want us all dead, then they should just kill us quick and cleanly.”

Phillip nodded his head in disagreement and said, “You’re a smart young man. Too smart for your own good maybe. Trust me when I say this, you will enjoy the kill you make in the arena soon. What we do here at the arena takes hold of us; it’s addictive. I didn’t like it the first time I killed someone in that arena, either. I had a similar thought process. But in time I got used to it, and before long I enjoyed it. Now for the topic of the arena system, do me a favor and just don’t think about it. You’ll waste energy sitting there and thinking about something you can do nothing to change.”

“Not everyone is the same, you know,” replied Nick. “I won’t bug you about the arena system. I only have one question. A Refect who operated the elevator told me I had lost him gold, and that the next fight I have he would put gold on me. I thought Refect were forbidden from gambling on the matches. Isn’t that true?”

Philip threw up his hands in disbelief and said, “Kid, you can’t be serious, right? Of course, they can gamble. There is no law that states Refect cannot gamble. Many Refect do everything they can to be stationed at the arena. They get a behind the scenes look at the combatants, and place their bets based on that. The Refect here get rich off the blood we spill, and yet they have the audacity to make us call them master? I can’t believe you wanted to be one of those leaches.” He took a couple deep breaths and put his hands on the table. “Please tell me you understand the importance of gambling at the arena?”

“I know people are allowed to gamble here. That’s about it. My parents never mentioned much of the arena as I grew up.”

Phillip stared blankly at Nick and said, “Gambling at the arena is essential to the actual existence of many things. It makes each city and the king richer than you could believe. People lose more gold here by a huge margin than the arena pays out. People are addicted to everything about the arena. From the social aspect, to the drinking, to the death, and, most importantly, to the gambling. Sure, you can gamble with cards in taverns, but people come here to gamble big. The rich become poor, the poor become poorer, and the lucky ones become rich. It’s all a bit too sickening to think about.”

“Well, thank you for explaining,” replied Nick. “You’ve basically become my arena teacher, so thank you for that, too.”

“You’re welcome, Nick. I’m really glad you made it through your first battle. I knew there was a warrior within you as soon as I laid eyes on you. Call it my intuition if you must. I wish I could have seen you fight Grimey, though. I’m sure it was glorious. Just so you know people, here might be noticing you more after your debut.”