by Sarah Lin
"Doesn't matter," the official said. "I'll give you a few seconds to get in that circle and then I start the match. Anything you bring with you is fair game, anything else is forbidden. Match goes until one side surrenders, is knocked unconscious, or leaves the ring. Those are the rules."
Bloodwraith hissed in irritation, but he couldn't force his way through. Baratak's partner raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Let's not fight before the match starts. I didn't have time to put my equipment back on either. Surely that makes us equal?"
Though Bloodwraith wasn't certain about it, he didn't think he could argue. Meara appeared beside him, grabbing his Extra-dimensional Bag from him - his instinct was to snap at her, but he presumed that she must have a reason and just focused on his opponents.
Baratak smiled at them. "If you're not ready, we don't need to fight today. There's always next tenday."
The official raised a small bell. "There are others waiting. Get in the ring if you want to fight."
Stepping forward quickly, Bloodwraith entered the ring, with Danniah at his heels. Just before he entered, he felt Meara shove his bag back at him. When they entered, Baratak gave an exaggerated sigh.
"That was a dumb move. You should have taken the loss and learned your lesson." He unsheathed a thin sword with one hand and raised it into the air. "But I suppose you need a harder lesson."
While Baratak sneered, Bloodwraith calmly looked inside his inventory... and discovered that it now contained all of his equipment. How Meara had done it so fast, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't surprised. There was another problem: Danniah was wearing her old helm instead of the new one, just when they needed the extra edge. There was no time for either of them to change armor, so Bloodwraith simply took out his enchanted rings and began placing them on his fingers while Baratak was being smug.
"I see you!" Baratak lunged forward in a lightning-fast thrust, but Bloodwraith reached into his Extra-dimensional Bag and pulled out his Lodestone Greatsword.
He might have exhausted all of his personal mana, but his weapon still held a charge. Bloodwraith first deflected his opponent's thrust, then powered forward, releasing a shockwave of force that forced both of them backward.
Though Baratak watched him sourly, his partner chuckled. "Not bad. But I have a better trick."
It looked as though he had nothing but a loincloth, but the man turned his hand to reveal that he held a small silver sphere. A heavily enchanted sphere. The man jumped into the air and activated the spell, creating a burst of wind as a dimensional spell unwrapped itself, very similar to the spells woven into Extra-dimensional Bags.
When the man landed, he was wearing the heaviest armor Bloodwraith had ever seen, covered in thick plates of steel and wicked spikes. It would have to be exhausting just moving around in that... but the man had been conserving his stamina for exactly this. Bloodwraith scowled and admitted that these two were no amateurs, both in skill and in cheating.
"Wow!" Danniah stared at him in amazement. "I want one of those!"
"You'll have to win a lot of matches to earn one." The man raised a massive gauntlet and gestured to his partner. "Come on, Baratak. Let's stop wasting time and beat these amateurs."
The two moved forward carefully, Baratak staying behind his partner's wide shield. They might have tried to cheat, but they were hardly weak. Though Bloodwraith wanted to check their boxes, this was no time to distract himself. Without his armor he was at a huge disadvantage, so this fight would end quickly, one way or another.
He tried to strike first, but Baratak was faster, thrusting out with his thin blade again. Fortunately, Danniah had gotten over her awe and moved to block it. Unfortunately, the armored man immediately bore down on her, using his superior height and weight to force her backward. When Bloodwraith tried to defend her, the man simply took the blow on his armor and let Baratak force Bloodwraith back.
Winning fairly against such experienced cheaters would be impossible... but Bloodwraith had no intention of playing fair. If his opponents were willing to win via cheap tricks, he could too.
Lunging forward, Bloodwraith slammed directly into the armored man's shield, knocking him back a step. The attack was completely foolish, so of course he felt Baratak darting forward to stab him. Bloodwraith simply took the blow, ignoring the steel cutting into his body, and swung his sword.
At the ground behind him.
The burst of force propelled him forward, colliding heavily with both opponents. For a moment he feared it wouldn't be enough, but then the armored man tipped backward. They staggered and crashed to the floor, all three of them in a heap.
Baratak cursed and darted to his feet, lifting his sword to thrust into Bloodwraith. That was when he realized that all three of them had fallen outside the circle.
Leaving a surprised Danniah the only one still in bounds.
"That's a match." The official rang his bell again, apparently unmoved by all of the twists of the fight. "I don't have your winnings, so you'll need to head to the main desk to collect them. Now clear out so we can start the next match."
Ignoring the man, Baratak sheathed his sword and glared at Bloodwraith furiously. "This isn't over."
"That man just said it was." Bloodwraith got to his feet, enjoying how Baratak now needed to look up to meet his eyes. His side ached, but he ignored the pain. "Thank you for your lesson about what kind of place the Red Sands Arena really is."
Seething, Baratak turned away. He left his partner lying on the ground, though after a short time, the man pulled his armor back into the sphere. After a dirty glance at them he left as well, leaving Bloodwraith to turn back to his allies.
"That was great! You j-" Danniah cut off. "Oh, wow, that is bleeding a lot. Are you okay?"
"He'll be fine." Meara appeared beside him, holding out a Health Potion. "Sorry that I didn't see something like this coming. I assumed that all the adventurers here would be really serious about the competition itself."
"No," Bloodwraith said, "I should have seen it too. Where there's money, there will be those doing anything they can to get it."
Danniah took off her helm and swiped at her sweaty hair with one hand. "They might have been cheating jerks, but I really liked that magic sphere he had. I've always gotten sweaty in armor, even before coming to a place as hot as Manascas. Plus, I've always worried that somebody might attack while I was still trying to get on my armor."
"Such magic is certainly expensive, but we can put it on our list." Bloodwraith took the time to strap on all his own armor while they spoke. Though he was unpleasantly sweaty from the exertion, he felt better when the enchantment settled over him. In the future, he would not be taken unawares like that.
Meara glanced between them. "So, did you two have fun at your first tournament?"
"Definitely!" Danniah smiled at them as they headed out of the arena. "When can we do the next one?"
"These smaller events are every ten days."
Ten days. Bloodwraith thought about that as they left the arena. For a brief moment, he thought that someone was watching them, but when he turned he saw no one. Setting it aside, Bloodwraith focused on the future.
Next time, he'd be ready.
Chapter 12
It wasn't even a full day before Bloodwraith found himself approaching the Savages Guild. Meara was focused on earning money in the markets and she'd found several easy quests for Danniah to earn EXP, which left him free to pursue power directly.
If Meara hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even considered that their arrangement wasn't exactly equitable. Money earned benefited all of them, and he received EXP from quests Danniah completed because she was "in his party," but his own training would benefit only himself. He had denied the logic, arguing that any strength he earned would be used in their service, but the thought did distract him.
Regardless, training with the barbarians seemed the easiest way of working with the boxes to gain power, much as he disliked the idea.
Wh
en he reached their building, he was glad to see that it wasn't a giant pile of mud and weapons, at least. The "Savages Guild" looked like any other respectable building in Manascas, though someone had drawn symbols of skulls and wolves in paint that looked nearly like blood. It was also guarded by a set of musclebound men and one woman who was nearly as muscular.
They glanced up at him when he approached, but one of them waved him in. "Kantan said you might show up. Just don't start anything."
Bloodwraith nodded and passed them, ducking into the main building. Inside, he found a large room with scattered tables and chairs of many kinds, from what looked like stolen bar tables to ornate Nereenese seats to low sitting tables. It was all lit by only a few torches, but he appreciated the low lighting since it reminded him of his old crypt.
Nobody paid much attention to him, so he headed in. Some of the people at the tables were celebrating loudly while others were quiet, and at one of the latter he spotted Kantan. Bloodwraith headed toward him as he scanned the room.
Not everyone was high level, but he saw an unusual number of adventurers at Level 14 or above. There was a striking half-orc woman in one corner, her curvy and muscular body barely covered by ragged furs. She was Level 16, but didn't even look up at him, focused on a talisman of bone around her neck. He ignored her, since she didn't seem to be a threat, and headed for Kantan.
The old man gestured for him to sit and slid a heavy mug of beer toward him. "Glad you could make it. If you want to train, we have grounds for that out back."
"That's what I'm most interested in, but I'm guessing you weren't offering it for free."
"Nah." Kantan leaned back and took a long drink from his own mug. "We're not much for formal rules and ranks here, but we keep trades fair. Your fight was good enough to earn you a place here, but if you want to learn more, you need gold. Or favors."
"I plan to be in Manascas for some time. I'd like to learn what I can."
"Good. For a start, I'd like to know why you had to run off so fast."
Though he considered whether the question could be a test or whether there was some advantage to gain by lying, Bloodwraith decided to tell the truth. When he told them about the pairs match and how their opponents had tried to cheat, no one seemed surprised. Kantan and a few others chuckled when he explained how he'd won, though he simplified the details of it.
There was only one woman at the table, lean and wiry in heavy leather armor. She leaned forward when he finished speaking. "Was his name Baratak?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Damn coward. He's not just a tournament boy, either, he's been implicated in some shady shit."
Bloodwraith frowned. "Tournament boy?"
"Slang around these parts," Kantan explained. "There are some who use the Red Sands to test themselves, but there are others who only care about the tournaments. They only train for the events, not real combat. And some of them just care about winning, whatever it takes. They like to take advantage of new arrivals."
The woman nodded. "But we'll welcome you, since you're not that type. You obviously know something about death."
"Heh." Bloodwraith was glad his helm hid his smile. "You could say that."
"But be careful. He probably doesn't have the balls to attack you himself, but he might send somebody at you, or try to make you attack him. Did the guards tell you about the rule?"
"What rule?"
"They don't want adventurers fighting in the streets, so they take it seriously here. Get in a fight outside the Arena or a Guild, you'll be thrown in prison for a tenday and have to pay for any damage. If they can pin a murder on you, the penalty is death, and any guard can be the executioner. Obviously some people still die, and they can't pursue everything, but they try to keep adventurers from following their own laws."
Kantan nodded in agreement. "Comes from the old days. Lot of angry groups getting into honor fights to the death. Can't run a city that way."
"Anyway, the rule is that serious fights need to be taken to the Arena. Rumor has it there are even fights to the death there, but the guards don't care. The main thing is that you don't get into anything on the streets - so Baratak might try to provoke you, then let the guard punish you."
Bloodwraith nodded thoughtfully, already glad he had come here. "Thank you for the warning."
"No problem. If you get a chance, punch the smug look off his face for me."
"But you said Baratak might be involved with something more serious than the tournaments?"
"He has enough gold, so it seems like the tournaments are an ego thing for him." The woman shrugged and sat back. "I don't know the details, but he'll definitely remember that you slighted him. So just just keep your eyes open, alright?"
Kantan banged his mug on the table. "Enough talking about that little shit. I want to hear where you learned the Wolf's Fang."
Though he needed to stretch the truth to avoid sounding suspicious, Bloodwraith was glad to talk about it. He discovered that the barbarian skills were slightly more complex than he thought, though not compared to true magic. It seemed that the version the boxes granted him was simplified, allowing him to skip the normal training.
Based on what he could gather, he didn't think improving his skills would prove too difficult or costly. It was elementary material and the Savages Guild was fairly free with those they liked. The problem would be mana reserves, because it wasn't as if the empowered burst was simply more efficient: no, it would definitely consume more mana. Still, having that option would be useful, since his skill had often done limited good against stronger opponents.
Eventually Bloodwraith realized that he was actually enjoying himself. The barbarians were rough and far from intellectual, but those with Kantan weren't idiots. He might once have scorned the strength they sought, but now he could see that power was power.
[Quest Complete!
Clear the tribal well of jackals.
Local Reputation +10
Alignment: Good +10
Reward: Money
EXP +1000]
The box interrupted his conversation, and though he was familiar enough with the boxes now that he didn't give any outside indication, this one distracted him. That was the quest Danniah had been on, finished sooner than expected. Meara had said the request was likely to be easy, and Danniah had gone together with several other adventurers, but it would be good to confirm that she was well.
They had agreed to meet after she finished, however, so he needed to move to meet her. Bloodwraith spent a while longer with Kantan and his friends, making arrangements to learn more from them, and eventually headed out.
On his way, he was surprised when the half-orc woman stepped into his path. For a moment he thought that she was going to fight him, but instead she stopped him by placing a hand directly on his chest. Despite her barbaric appearance, her fingers looked surprisingly smooth.
"You strong."
Bloodwraith had met half-orcs capable of normal speech, but apparently she wasn't one of them. "Yes?"
"Me Gharavi. Saw you fight cheating man."
"And?" When he started to step around her, irritated at the distraction, she moved directly into his path again.
"Strong male. Want mate?"
That finally got his attention and he spent a moment staring at her, glad his face was hidden by his helm. Unfortunately, they'd attracted attention now, most of it amused. He eyed the thin double-bladed axe on the half-orc's back, wondering if she might use it. "No, thank you."
She grunted and reached forward, touching the base of his helm as if to pull it off.
So Bloodwraith headbutted her in the face.
The half-orc woman crashed backward, smashing through a table. One of the men who lost his drink roared in anger, but his companions just laughed. Meanwhile, Bloodwraith was surprised that she went down so easily. She was far from the thickest-skulled half-orc he'd seen, but he'd expected her to take the blow better than that, being Level 16.
As she
got back to her feet, he examined her more closely.
[Name: Gharavi
Race: Half-Orc/Half-???
Class: ???
Health: ???
Mana: ???
Stamina: ???
Level: 16
EXP: ???
Affection: ???/100
Statistics:
Might: ???
Vitality: ???
Quickness: ???
Intellect: ???
Charisma: ???
Willpower: ???
Wisdom: ???
Luck: ???
Piety: ???
Skills: ???
Proficiencies: ???
Inventory: ???]
Once he would have scoffed about the uselessness of the boxes, but now he knew that they reflected his own uncertainty. In any case, Bloodwraith realized that the others might misinterpret the way he was looking at her, given how little she was wearing.
The half-orc woman pushed herself back to her feet, wiped blood from her lip, and chuckled. "Huhuhu. Very strong male. Will change mind."
With that, she moved away from him, swinging her hips. Bloodwraith monitored her only long enough to confirm that she wasn't going to come back to attack him, then headed out the door. He heard more than a few of the men nearby asking aloud if he was mad or preferred men. She had certainly been attractive, with pure green skin and relatively small tusks, but that was not the issue at hand.
Before he got out, Kantan followed him. "That's just Gharavi. Don't worry about her."
"She's a regular here, then?"
"Only lately. Not sure why she came to Manascas, but she gets around." Kantan stayed alongside him as they stepped out of the Guild. "You're the first person she's propositioned, though. Why'd you turn her down?"
"Did you see the short woman who was with me?"
Kantan nodded in understanding. "Ah, yes. Tough little thing. I can see it."
"Does it matter?"
"Just wanted to ask. If she's really here to find a mate, could be a problem. You know the stories about how half-orc women can be." Kantan abruptly shrugged and turned back toward the Savages Guild. "But you shouldn't believe everything you hear. We'll see you later."
