Chapter 25 – An Easy Fight

It wasn't long before lunchtime arrived, and by that point, Titus had all but switched off in his Spellcasting lesson with Instructor Torres. The man had spent more than a reasonable amount of time displaying the Fog of War spell for the entire class to witness. When finally everyone present claimed they'd been offered the skill by The God of Balance, it only seemed to double down on Torres' resolve to get full coverage. With that being said, it quickly became apparent that the Instructor wasn't going to rest until Titus had been offered Fog of War, a spell which he wouldn't be able to take until he leveled up anyway, and one that he was sure he wouldn't be taking even if he could afford the ability points.

The rest of the Contestants had become understandably annoyed with the fact that Titus was holding up their lessons, a fact that he felt radiating from each and every one of them.

The following event was an exciting match though, because it was going to be the first time that one of the latest Contestants to call the Arena home was to take to the sands, to face a monster and proclaim their dedication to the people of the City.

"You get a good lesson this morning?" Jordan asked as soon as the three friends, Titus, Jordan, and Petra, took their seats overlooking the wide-open arena sands.

"I'll say," Petra answered first. "It really opened my eyes about how much I've got to learn about being a Rogue. I had no idea everything was going to be so complicated. I'm just glad I've got a good Instructor."

"Yeah, I saw," Jordan said, sounding rather jealous. "You've got Andrea Peak."

"I'm supposed to know who that is?" Petra asked.

"Well, she was a Purple-Ranked Contestant a few years ago; I saw her fight once or twice. Faster than anyone I think I've ever seen before."

Petra nodded. "She was fast," she said. "I hope I can match that one day. Who's your Instructor?"

"Benjamin Watson," Jordan said. "He was a Purple too, but it was a little before my time."

"My guy's called Ferran Torres?" Titus offered.

"What?!" Jordan almost shouted in surprise. "Don't tell me your Instructor is THE Ferran Torres?"

Titus shrugged. "I have no idea if he's THE Ferran Torres or just A Ferran Torres."

"Spellcaster Class, specialised in air and fire magic?" Jordan asked, squinting.

"Sounds about right," Titus said.

"You're telling me your Instructor is The Tornado?!" Jordan asked, his voice filled with wonder and disbelief.

"Is that good?" Titus asked.

"The man's a legend!" Jordan said, nodding enthusiastically. "I once saw him face off against three monsters his own level on his own, and he made mincemeat of them! His spells... they're really something else. And he was a Black Rank when I saw him last. A Black Rank, Titus... tell me he's teaching you how to be as badass as he was as a Contestant."

Titus could see how excited this made his friend, but he couldn't lie.

"Actually... I don't think he really likes me too much," Titus said. "After I wouldn't take the spell he was suggesting... and a lot of the other Contestants seemed to take offence to that too, actually."

"What?" Jordan asked, shocked. "Why wouldn't you take the spell? The hell, man?"

Titus frowned and gestured to himself, not wanting to say the words out loud.

"Ah, right," Jordan said, remembering who he was talking to. "Still, I bet he's got so much to teach you. Can't say I'm not jealous, man."

"Well I guess we'll see soon enough," Titus said. "Because if I don't learn anything useful, I don't know how much help I'm going to be to you guys out there tomorrow."

The arena then quietened, and Titus watched with the rest of the crowds as Henderson walked out onto the sands. He had a cocky grin on his face, and standing on either side of him were not two of the newly promoted Blue ranks; he was walking out into the centre of the sands with two hulking Blues, which Titus immediately analysed.

Tarik: Level 6

Class: Defender

Profession: Arena Contestant - Blue

Omar: Level 7

Class: Defender

Profession: Arena Contestant - Blue

Henderson's cocky gait didn't sit well with Titus, Petra, or Jordan, who couldn't help but exchange knowing glances. It seemed like Henderson was relishing his newfound status and attention. But what truly irked them was the sight of the two muscular Defenders, Tarik and Omar, flanking Henderson. Their levels were significantly higher than the trio's own and even Henderson's, and it just didn't sit right with them. They had expected to watch a fair fight against a formidable opponent, not a situation where higher-level Contestants were essentially babysitting Henderson.

"Look at that," Jordan muttered under his breath. "He's bringing bodyguards to the fight. What kind of Blue-Ranker does that?"

"It's ridiculous," Petra added, her frustration evident. "This is supposed to be a test of his abilities, not a cakewalk with two high-level Defenders by his side."

Titus nodded, feeling a mix of disappointment and anger welling up inside him. It was clear what Henderson was doing.

"I wonder how much he had to pay them," Titus said, scowling.

He didn't have the chance to hear the guesses returned from his friends though, because a moment later Miss Kane stood up from her vantage point in the stands and cleared her throat. Somehow, the gesture seemed to quiet everyone down, and she began her announcement.

"Well, this was unexpected, wasn't it?" She asked with a smile. "Today is the very first outing for our own Henderson Valeri. Recently promoted to Blue rank and already making new friends, I see." Then she paused once a cheer was returned to her. "So, I am pleased to announce for the first time, the party of Henderson, Tarik, and Omar! May you protect the people of the City for years to come!"

"For the people!" Omar and Tarik responded loudly with their fists placed against their chests. Titus saw that Henderson mimicked their action but kept his mouth decidedly shut. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

Then a quiet calm washed across the arena sands, and as Henderson and his Defender companions watched, the iron gate on the far side of the sands opened, and Titus caught his first sight of the Horned Gator. The monstrous reptile, with its imposing size and menacing horns, sent a shiver down his spine.

Horned Gator Level: 3

HP: 120/120

It was a formidable opponent, and this fight should have been an opportunity for Henderson to prove his worth as a Blue Rank. Instead, Henderson stood back, smirking, while Tarik and Omar stepped forward and placed themselves between Henderson and the Gator.

"Two Defenders that outlevel the monster, and Henderson as the Warrior?" Jordan whispered. "What a joke."

Titus couldn't help but agree, but watched intently and in silence as the fight began. The two Defenders didn't carry any weapons or shields, and their rippling muscles betrayed the fact that they were going to lean heavily on their physical prowess. It seemed odd that they weren't carrying any equipment, though at their levels compared to the Gator, were they even really in any danger?

The Gator didn't seem to have any qualms about making the first move, though, and the moment it saw the three individuals standing out on the sand waiting for it, it began to lurch across the sand towards them on all four of its legs.

Tarik and Omar stood shoulder to shoulder as the Gator approached. It was a long, reptile-like creature with an elongated jaw flanked by two long tusks, much like the Deadlands Boar had. The thing looked angry and fast, and Titus felt like he wouldn't have wanted to be in there with that monster.

The Gator crossed the distance in a few moments while the pair of Defenders stood still, blocking the path to Henderson. It would reach them in a matter of seconds, and then right at the last minute the pair separated, both rolling away just before the Gator reached them.

The creature screeched to a halt and looked side to side, not entirely sure which of the Defenders it should go for first. Then it made up its mind. Focusing its intention on Tarik, the Gator hissed and slithered towards the large Defender, but before it had taken two steps, Omar beat his chest and roared. Instantly, the Gator snapped at the air and turned around to face this new threat.

"He's taunting it," Jordan explained. "Makes it want nothing more than to attack him instead. It won't last long, though, so just..."

Before the Gator made it to Omar, Tarik had then copied Omar's action, and the Gator once again whirled on the spot to face his new enemy.

"This is hard to watch," Jordan said. "They know it can't really hurt them, so they're just messing with it. I almost feel sorry for the poor thing."

"Almost?" Petra asked, grimacing. "It's downright evil." Then she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Go Gator! Woooh yeah!" she shouted. Of course, the Contestants could probably hear them as well as presumably the Gator, but none of them made any movements to suggest they were moved by the call.

"Bite their heads off!" Titus called, joining in with Petra.

Jordan didn't join in, covering his face with his hands.

"That's pretty much the worst thing you can do here," he said through his fingers. "Just try to remember what the Arena stands for, OK?"

Petra frowned. "Ah, sorry, Jordan, you know we're just messing around."

"Yeah," Titus agreed, "You know we don't really want the... GATOR TO MANGLE HENDERSON!" he finished his apology with a shout obviously directed at the fight across the sand.

Jordan shook his head, and the pair decided that enough was enough. Titus returned his attention back to the fight, and now to Henderson for the first time, who he'd mostly ignored. The Warrior had a short sword attached to his belt, though it was still sheathed, and it looked like he had no intention of retrieving it yet, content to watch the battle unfold without his intervention.

The two Defenders had moved on from passing the Gator back and forth between them, though neither had been so much as scratched yet. It was actually kind of difficult for Titus to watch, and now the two were dancing around the monster, keeping it moving at all times but unable to strike. The Gator was clearly upset by this fact and thrashed about, realising how futile all of this was.

The crowds, too, seemed a little subdued at the unexpected one-sidedness of the fight.

"He's not even participating," Jordan muttered, frustration evident in his voice. "He's just letting them do all the work."

Petra clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on the unfolding battle. "This is ridiculous. It's not what The Arena is about. It's not about taking the easy way out."

Titus couldn't agree more. It went against the principles of the Arena and what they had learned so far. The fights were supposed to be a test of their skills, courage, and above all about the challenge. But it seemed Henderson had different ideas. Henderson always had different ideas.

It was clear that Henderson's strategy was to let the two Defenders tire out the creature, to perhaps break its spirit, and then he planned to swoop in for the kill when the time was right.

But the longer the fight went on, the more obvious it became that Tarik and Omar could handle the situation without Henderson's intervention. The Horned Gator, despite its intimidating appearance, was unable to land a hit on the skilled Defenders.

"I hope The God of Balance is watching this," Titus said, "because…" but he was interrupted by a new development within the battle.

Eventually, sensing that this wasn't the way things were supposed to be, Henderson then whistled once and stepped forward.

Tarik and Omar then abruptly stopped in their game of cat and mouse with the Gator, and Tarik allowed the creature who was already heading towards him, to finally reach its target. But as the Gator reached Tarik, he did something that Titus hadn't been expecting; he grabbed hold of its horns and faced it head-on.

The Horned Gator was a formidable opponent for sure, and at first Titus thought the monster might be able to overpower the muscular Defender. But then he realised the skill in action.

Root in Place was a skill Titus had already seen, and he knew in a situation like this it would mean the end of the Gator.

"Start counting," Jordan said. "That skill only lasts six seconds; then that Gator's going to be free again."

"Right," Titus said. "Then it'll be close enough to give at least one of them a good bite." He couldn't help but notice Petra smile at that.

After three seconds had passed, Henderson had unsheathed his sword and stabbed it unceremoniously into the Gator, which was still unable to move. After a second attack, the six seconds were up and the Gator made its move. Unfortunately for the Gator, and to the chagrin of Titus, Henderson had skipped back to safety and Omar had cast his taunt, followed by his own Root in Place.

The salvo had caused the Gator to lose almost half of its health points, so a repeat of that action would have brought it dangerously close to death.

"Try doing your own dirty work!" Titus shouted, and where the crowd had all but silenced themselves, his voice carried across the arena sands. He even heard some of the spectators laughing in response.

Henderson turned bright red and it was clear even from where Titus was sitting.

But the Defenders did their job once more as Omar rooted the creature, and Henderson took his fury out on the Gator, dancing away at the last moment again, leaving the Gator with just a sliver of its HP.

"Boo!" Petra shouted, then remembered what Jordan had said and abruptly brought her hands to her mouth.

The damage was already done, though, because following Petra's booing, a few of the crowd began to join in, and after a few seconds had passed, their annoyance at the poor showing and one-sidedness of the fight was evident.

Henderson looked around at the crowds, some of which were actively booing him, and then he looked to his two Defender bodyguards and came to a decision.

Henderson raised his sword and gestured for Omar and Tarik to let the Horned Gator go, which they did a second later.

Titus wondered if the Gator was going to turn on the two Defenders who'd tormented it for what seemed like an eternity, but contrary to that, the creature slithered away to make its escape. It knew that it wouldn't win this fight, and it was going to do whatever it could to flee.

The only problem was though, that the Gator's escape took it right into the path of Henderson, who still had his sword raised.

For a moment, Titus thought that maybe the fleeing monster would bowl the Blue-Ranked Contestant over during its escape from Tarik and Omar, but in just a moment, it became clear that the Horned Gator would not be so lucky.

It simply didn't have enough HP to survive what happened next.

The Gator reached Henderson in a second, and as soon as it was within striking distance the Warrior stabbed out with his sword, impaling the creature cleanly through its skull. The Gator's HP fell to zero, and it fell limply down to the ground with a slight puff of dust from the sand. A pool of thick, red blood stained the ground beneath it as Henderson retrieved his sword with a smirk.

There were no cheers from the crowd.

"Well, wasn't that a fight?" Miss Kane announced, having returned to her feet. "Sometimes it's not how the monsters are bested, rather that they are removed as a threat to everyone who calls the City their home. And let that be a lesson to any monster who wishes our Citizens harm!"

The crowd gave a half-hearted cheer this time, but it was clearly with respect for Miss Kane rather than for the heroics - or lack thereof - of Henderson and the two more experienced Blue-ranked Contestants.

"What‽" Henderson's voice rang out above the drone of the crowd, and Titus turned to watch the Warrior who was now pushing Omar away.

"No experience? What kind of crap is this?"

They were words that Titus presumed most of the crowd couldn't appreciate, but he, and along with all of the Contestants present knew exactly what that meant.

Henderson had been punished by The God of Balance for manufacturing such an easy fight.

And he was pissed.