Ultimate Level 1

Max stood among a crowd of at least two hundred other fighters. Each Level had its own section, and Max was surprised by how many men and women showed up for the lowest bracket. The level twenties had at least fifty fighters, all ready to die for a chance of money they could never expect to make elsewhere.

The roars of the crowd above shook the room he was in.

He watched the other fighters that were in his section. Some wore their armor, while others were like him, waiting to put it on until the last minute. A few talked, and some walked around like they were the biggest, baddest person there, but no one fought down here. The rules had been simple. Doing that and wasting a bracket or a slot would have far worse consequences than death on the Colosseum floor.

His mind was racing. He didn’t know if Tanila was there, but knowing Fowl was provided some relief.

When his level bracket was up, they were led off to an area where they could watch the fights. Winning provided a chance to go again. It also allowed you to see what your competition could do.

Thirty fighters for his bracket. He had counted twice and was doing the math in his head. Even if he didn’t kill anyone, there was still much money to make. Once he won, he could bet on himself from that point on.

Surrendering was allowed, but there was no guarantee the other fighter would accept it.

Max let his sonar do the job his eyes couldn’t. He could feel how people moved. He sensed their hesitation and excitement. Some of them had hearts he swore were about to explode from how fast they beat. Others were whispering prayers for protection or strength. Three others were as calm as he was.

Max was seeded in the third fight, so he stood near the windows that showed the fight. The competition was far away, and he couldn’t see the screen above, so the information he gained was not as useful as he hoped.

One was a mage, and the other was a warrior with a massive two-handed hammer.contemporary romance

Thirty yards separated them, and as soon as the bell rang out, the mage led with a root spell.

The warrior roared as his feet became entwined, and then fire leapt from the mage multiple times.

In his head, Max counted the seconds. A typical ensnare spell would hold fifteen to twenty seconds.

Potions weren’t allowed, and the warrior had suffered three massive spells, his flesh badly burnt, and it appeared he was barely standing when the roots broke.

One more fireball came from the mage, knocking the warrior, trying to move toward him, to his knees.

The crowd was roaring, shouts of ‘kill him’ coming from all around. The other fighters stared, watching and waiting to see what would happen.

Using his hammer to stand up, the warrior moved toward the mage. A fire bolt came this time, giving the tell-tell clue that he was running out of mana if the mage was not still using the fireball spell.

It hit the warrior, and Max saw flesh burning. His hair was almost all gone from his head. His chain armor looked like it was burning the warrior's flesh from the multiple spells he had endured.

His steps were heavy, and Max saw the panic on the mage’s face as the warrior drew near.

They were trapped in a fifty-foot invisible sphere. He could run, but only so far.

“That mage is dead,” one of the fighters near him muttered. “He is going to reach him.”

“I’d bet money he won’t,” said another, eliciting more comments from others until a loud grunt from the guards in the room silenced them.

Max watched, knowing how classes were typically specced. The warrior most likely had at least a fifty in his constitution. He was low on health, but he could still survive another spell. Maybe two. His dex was probably lower, and that just meant while he wasn’t fast, he was still faster than the mage. One or two hits from his weapon were all it would take.

The crowd sensed it. They sensed the change.

Then, the mage made the mistake of his life, casting his ensnare spell when the cooldown ended.

The warrior was stuck fifteen yards from him.

“Show’s over,” Max muttered to himself.

He heard a chuckle and turned, seeing an elvish woman with a red braid nod.

As soon as the ensnare broke, the warrior charged, covering the distance with his weapon ready to strike.

The mage held up his hands, “I SURRENDER!”

Boos came from the crowd as the warrior slowed down, his hammer dropping to the ground behind him.

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“Accepted!” The warrior shouted.

As the crowd roared, the warrior held up one hand and then fell over backward in the dirt.

Laughter came from the crowd as the healers who had been standing around the arena rushed out, casting spells and bringing him back to his feet.

“One more spell,” Max said, shaking his head. “That’s all he needed.”

The second fight was much more exciting as two dwarves, male, and female, both apparently rogues, used their daggers and dual wielding to entertain the crowd. Cuts appeared on both of them, their faces, arms, and legs all dripping blood from the constant clashes they made with their weapons.

Both had tried stealthing at the beginning, but all it had done was delay their ability to strike until both were visible again.

Now, it was a battle of skill. They appeared almost equal, small mistakes being the deciding factor. The male dwarf went for a double slash, leaving his midsection open but wanting to take advantage of the cut over the female dwarf’s eye. She read it, adjusting and dropping low, plunging a dagger into the male rogue's gut and raking it down toward the ground as he stumbled past her.

One hand went to the cut, trying to hold in his intestines as he raised the other and started to shout, “I surr–”

It was cut off as the female rogue came up from behind and sliced his throat, letting his body fall to the dirt.

She held up both daggers, and the crowd went wild, cheering for her.

“Peralit! Peralit! Peralit!”

She gave a slight bow before staggering on her feet. Healers rushed to her and gave her healing. Max saw, from the corner of his eyes, the two queens applauding the dwarf for the fight. He didn’t remember them doing that for the first one.

“Seth Pendal! You’re up!”

Standing in the center of the arena floor, Max tried to calm his heart from the noise and surroundings. To say he was prepared for this would be a lie. It was intoxicating.

Across from him was a male warrior with a shield and a sword wearing plate armor.

Chuckling to himself, Max spun his halberd and remembered what Fowl had said.

Maybe I do need to get some plate armor…

The bell rang out, and the warrior with the shield began to move toward him. His steps were steady, and he waved his sword a little. He was a human male who was slightly taller than Max, with blond hair streaming out the bottom of his plate helmet which made him slightly jealous.

“You can surrender if you want,” Max shouted, still not moving from his spot.

The warrior slowed his approach, ignoring the crowd’s chants for action.

“You think you can scare me,” the warrior said, laughing and motioning to the crowd. “There isn’t a chance you are going to win.”

With those words said, the warrior charged at Max.

Max had almost brought out his shield but needed a few secrets. There were a lot of fights still to take place, and Max was well aware everyone who won would be watching.

Max swung his weapon using his reach, forcing the warrior to try to parry it.

The moment the hammer portion of Max’s weapon struck the sword, the warrior experienced Max’s strength for the first time.

Those stats he had listed with his conceal skill didn’t tell the truth. Max’s strength was over sixty with his gear, and this warrior was maybe in the low forties.

The shock of the blow caught the warrior off guard, leaving him struggling to keep his sword in his hand.

Spinning his halberd and delivering another blow, the man absorbed it with his shield and found himself driven to his knees.

Shifting his hips, Max used that moment to drive forward and pierce with the tip, sliding it along the shield's edge and into his foe's right shoulder.

Right there, where the arm piece and the shoulder piece connect, a small gap could be found. The sound of the warrior's bones shattering from that attack and his scream was drowned out by the crowd around them.

The warrior's arm hung limply to the side, and Max smiled, pulling his spear back and watching the man try to back away.

“Remember I offered,” Max said, fighting the desire that was welling up inside him.

Seeming to forget the pain he was in and his lack of a way to fight back, the warrior charged Max, shield out.

Max stepped to the side, bringing his halberd around and sending the blade into the back of the man’s left knee.

The bones and tendons were cut, and the man fell to the ground, sliding through the dirt on his shield for a few feet.

The crowd roared, cheered, and shouted, most calling for the man’s blood.

Moving to where his foe struggled to turn over, Max yanked the man’s sword from his hand and put it into his storage.

Max shoved him with his foot, assisting the man's attempt to roll, and stood back.

“Tell me what you want. Do you want to give up or die?”

He felt the man glaring at him with rage but also with the fear of knowing he never stood a chance.

“I SURRENDER!”

Max shook his head.

“I’ll allow that for all your equipment.”

The man’s eyes went wide from behind the slits in his helm.

“But if I do that, what will I fight with?”

Max nodded and leaned over the man, putting his foot on the arm that was injured. “But if you don’t, you’ll be dead and unable to ever earn it back.”

The crowd waited to hear what the man would say and what Max would do.

“Take it!”

Max nodded and moved back.

“I accept his surrender for his equipment!”

Some of the crowd shouted in joy, and others bemoaned the ending, hoping to see more blood.

Max saw the two queens sitting in their seats as he walked away. They both gave small claps, but neither stood for him as they had for the rogue in the last fight.

Everybody wants to see blood… even the damn royalty…

Yes, and soon, you will have to make it flow… soon you will desire it, too…

Max almost missed a step, waving away the healer who had come to check on him.

Inside, he felt the truth. He knew the voice was right. It had taken everything he had to not end that man’s life.

He tried to convince himself those points in constitution wouldn’t have been worth it. Deep down inside, the voice didn’t care.

Fowl plopped down into his seat next to Tanila. He saw her face. It had been whiter than normal for a few moments.

“He fought it,” Fowl said over the noise in her ears.

She nodded.

For now… for now…

done.co