72 – A simple fight… right?

We talked until night, snacking on fruit and drinking a bit of alcohol.

I had no rest at night, finding myself unable to fall asleep once again.

By the time dawn arrived, I had read some books from my storage. They had information about the game's lore but that was boring in my opinion. Reading in the dark is easy peasy when my body, and especially my eyes, emit light.

I did my morning routine and woke the three up at around six thirty and took a group shower with them, then had breakfast with everyone at the table. I tried making pancakes but that was met with resistance.

By seven thirty we finished breakfast and chatted for a while at the table.

Thelea was giving me a funny look, smiling to herself and chuckling.

I arched an eyebrow and raised my chin a little. “What?” I asked, looking at her.

She shook her head with a small smile. “Nothing.”

I leaned back on my chair and squinted my eyes at her. “Ready to get the shit beat out of you?” I taunted her.

She nodded in silence.

Yolin stood up and stretched. “Aghaaahh...” she yawned then sighed. “Okay, let's go to the arena.”

I sighed and stood up. “Sure, let's get this over with.”

We all left the apartment and went down the stairs, then fetched out mounts.

I fed Sonya and played with her for a couple of minutes.

The Ratnak was happy and full of energy, licking me and pushing my torso with her claws.

We mounted up and followed the Oni through the city towards the East. I noticed Thelea simply walked next to us, the woman tall enough to keep up with the mounts at a relatively fast pace.

The buildings got taller and wider, and the people walking the streets grew in volume. Their average appearance also shifted to armor, worked leather, and carrying weapons around. The majority of people I appraised had combat classes, with around a third being Warriors.

Yolin guided us to a massive coliseum even the Romans would envy.

The thing was easily a hundred meters tall and three hundred wide. Flags were planted at the top every few meters, arches were carved on the walls holding statues made of gold and silver, and weapons of all kinds hung on the otherwise empty spots of the building.

My eyes were wide looking at the colossal construction.

People around us rudely pointed at me and whispered among themselves with excitement.

I shook my head and ignored them. Maybe pointing at others wasn't rude in Lumin Kingdom.

We approached the tall gates of the coliseum behind Yolin.

The Oni dismounted from Pochi and approached a small window.

She knocked on it and it soon opened, revealing an armored Dwarf on the other side.

“Yeah?” the woman asked in a tired tone.

“We'd like to arrange a fight,” Yolin replied, pointing at our group over her shoulder with a thumb.

The Dwarf squinted her eyes at the Oni, then realization struck her. “Six Fists of the North! You've returned!”

The Oni sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Can we, or not?” she asked a little annoyed.

The Dwarf excitedly nodded. “Yes. Of course! Give me a second,” she replied and closed the window.

Yolin turned to us and let out a troubled chuckle.

The gate opened and the Dwarf approached Yolin. “Lady Makav, I'm sorry this is so sudden but I'm a fan of yours! I'd love it if-,” the woman stopped talking when her eyes met mine.

I winced.

The Dwarf looked at Yolin, then back at me. She leaned closer to Yolin and whispered something.

Yolin nodded.

The woman's eyes widened along with her smile. “I see!” she cheered. “I see! You should have told us sooner so we could arrange an event!”

I groaned.

Yolin shook her head, “N-”

“EVERYONE!” the Dwarf shouted at the people walking the streets.

They all looked at her.

“A HALVE WILL FIGHT AT THE ARENA! ENTRY IS FREE FOR TODAY!” she announced with a huge smile.

“Oh, fuck off!” I groaned.

The bystanders exploded in cheers and rushed at the numerous windows on the walls along the building. The loud chatter of hundreds of voices drowned the quiet of the morning.

The Dwarf laughed and turned around. “Come! Come! The arena is this way!” she gestured for us to follow.

“Fuck my life,” I whispered and shook my head in defeat.

Yolin turned to me and gave me an apologetic smile.

I shrugged. “Nothing to do about it,” I whined.

Lapia chuckled next to me. “You could just say no, you know?”

“And abuse authority?” I replied, rubbing Sonya's neck. “I don't think so.”

“The Pitmaster did,” she argued.

“And she will join the fight,” I said in a voice loud enough that the Dwarf could hear.

She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around. Her face was tight with regret.

“You WILL join, correct?” I gave her a big, warm smile. “I mean, such a big crowd. Would be foolish not to brag you fought a Halve, correct?”

The woman gulped and gave me a small nod. “Yes, Your Excellency,” she squeaked.

I hummed and nodded. “That's good.”

“Not abusing authority, huh?” Lapia chuckled.

I gave her a big smile as well, “Everyone will join.”

The Elf's smile vanished.

Behind us, Bonte laughed.

“I mean,” I shugged. “Not much of a fight if I go against three people only.”

“True,” Alyssa joined, then giggled. “We'll try to kick your butt.”

I chuckled, “Good luck.”

__

Ten minutes later, I was in a spacious room inside the coliseum.

The Dwarf had guided me there, asked me to wait for someone to come and introduce me to the audience, then left. Probably to prepare for the fight.

I could hear the distant cheering of the crowd over my own breathing.

The room was pretty empty save for a bench, buckets of ice, and Sonya.

I equipped my armor and my helmet, retrieved my spear and shield, then summoned an elixir. It was time to juice up.

[Draught of Fire Resistance]

I smiled and chugged half. A burning sensation went down my throat to my stomach, then I let out a loud burp. It had the flavor of cherry soda. I turned to Sonya and smiled.

She let out a low growl and opened her mouth wide.

I poured the liquid and she gulped it, then retched a few times.

“I'm sorry, little one,” I whispered and caressed her face. “I don't want you to get hurt.”

Next was a Dew of True Sight for Sonya in case Bonte tried some sneaky business.

The Ratnak was pretty high level after the two dungeon dives and I doubted my companions would try to maim my mount, so I didn't go crazy with the potions. Just a Dew of Iron Body which I hoped did more than the name suggested since iron is pretty much harmless to us, and a Draught of Lasting Regeneration that I hoped would last for the entire fight.

I took out a scroll and appraised it.

[Writings of Superior Reflexes]

“How do I use this?” I muttered, opening the scroll.

Nothing happened. The contents were a few symbols along with numbers and words that didn't make sense to me. There was no recognizable language being used in the parchment.

“Activate,” I said out loud at the scroll.

Nothing happened.

My face burned in embarrassment and I retrieved my journal, then searched for the pages Lapia wrote. I had given her a scroll and she had used it with no problem. I found the answer and felt pretty dumb.

After pushing E'er into the scroll, the drawings lit up and vanished from the parchment. The E'er in the scroll shimmered and shifted in my direction, moving like a ripples in a pond.

My nerves tingled and I felt my mind sharpen.

“That's cool!” I whispered in surprise.

More than that would be excessive, so I stopped there even though I had a collection of over fifty different scrolls.

I turned to Sonya. “Can't bully lowies, especially since three of them are my lovers, right?” I asked her with a chuckle.

She growled and nodded.

I stared at the Drake-looking beast for a few seconds. “Do you really understand what I say?”

She nodded again.

“What's the E'eral root of thermodynamic transformation?” I quizzed her.

Sonya blinked and growled, then scratched my torso with a large claw.

I giggled. “Okay, got it. I don't really remember that one,” I admitted and sighed. “Are you happy being my mount?”

She nodded and licked my helmet.

I laughed and hugged her neck, “Good girl!”

Alyssa had mentioned the Ratnak were quite smart but simple minded creatures, and it kind of made sense with Sonya. The bit of them following those stronger also made sense with me being pretty damn strong.

Footsteps from the hallway caught my attention and I turned to the open door.

A short Urkile Tigea wearing a leather set of armor showed up and entered the room.

“Your Eeee... Lady Natasha,” he corrected himself with a smile. “The Royal Family caught wind of the fight and would like to attend. It seems His Majesty the King feels better than ever so he asked if you could please wait for their arrival.”

I shrugged then nodded, “Sure. Not a problem. I'm sure the audience will be elated to see him.”

He smiled widely. “Oh, they will. Of that I'm absolutely sure.”

“Would that be considered a political move?” I asked him with a serious face. “Him showing up now, when the people know he's indisposed?”

He nodded, “Naturally. A lot of people have heard of your visit to the Royal Palace, Lady Natasha.” He gave me a knowing smile. “They will naturally connect the dots.”

I sighed, “Seems awfully honest.”

He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh. “I'm sure you've heard that honesty, cooperation, and respect are the cornerstones of society,” He muttered, looking me in the eye.

I nodded.

“A King is not exempted from that, Lady Natasha,” he said with a small smile. “If anything, that's why the people loves a good Ruler.”

I shrugged, then stared into his eyes, “Makes sense. Otherwise I'd come into the picture with a different approach.”

He looked down at the floor and nodded. “Nobody forgets that, Lady Natasha.”

“Good,” I muttered. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Not at all,” he replied with a bow. He stayed like that for a second then asked, “Did you heal His Majesty?”

“I did,” I admitted. “But don't spread that around. Let Gordon have that.”

He straightened up. “I won't,” he replied and turned around, “And thank you,” then he walked off.

You're really loved, Gordon, I thought, listening to the man's footsteps. A good King makes for a good Kingdom, I suppose.

Sonya growled and pushed my with her head.

I giggled and pushed back.

__

Twenty minutes later, I was rubbing Sonya's stomach and playing with her when a new set of footsteps approached the room.

I glanced at the door and saw a tall Shishi Tigea come around the corner.

She gave me a deep bow and spoke, “Your Excellency! The Arena is ready to welcome you!”

“Finally!” I cheered and stood up.

Sonya copied me and headbutted the back of my head.

I chuckled and gently pushed her head away.

“Come this way, please,” she suggested and turned to the left of the corridor.

I followed, carrying my weapons and with Sonya behind me.

We walked through tall and wide corridors until we reached a massive gate.

The Tigea stepped aside and lowered her head, “Please enter the Arena fter the master of ceremony calls your name. That will have a bigger impact on the crowd.”

I smiled, “Fair enough.”

The gate slowly rose, revealing a stadium-sized arena. The audience seats were packed to the brim, the sound of thousands of people cheering and talking growing in volume.

Then, a magnified voice echoed in the coliseum.

“THE TIME HAS COME, CITIZENS AND VISITORS OF PAARJO!” The announcer... well, announced.

The audience went silent.

“FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THIS ARENA...” He paused for a second, letting the audience grow impatient. “IN THE SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS THAT THIS VERY ARENA HAS EXISTED! AN EVENT WITH NO PRECEDENT! A FIGHT ONLY HEARD OF IN TALES, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS! A HALVE WILL TAKE THE STAGE!”

The crowd exploded in cheers, straining my ears a bit.

“Holy shit,” I groaned. “How many people are there?”

“Three hundred thousand,” the Tigea next to me replied. “It's full house. We haven't seen this many since the last tournament's finals.”

I sighed, “Well... fuck. Should I make a show out of it?”

She shook her head. “The audience prefers an honest show, Your Excellency. Do make it last a bit, however.”

I nodded in understanding.

“HER KIND PROTECTED OUR ANCESTORS AND ALLOWED FOR CIVILIZATION TO EXIST! THE MAIN PROTAGONIST OF THIS EVENT! A WOMAN OF ACTION AND DESICION! ONE WHO HAS BEEN ON THIS WORLD LESS THAN TWO MONTHS! THE ONE AND ONLY! LAST OF HER KIND TO BLESS THIS WORLD OF OURS! GIVE A THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE TOOOOO!!! NATASHA NOVAK, THE HALVEN WARRIOR!!!!!!”

The audience once again erupted in screams, shouts, and all manners of loud noises.

I sighed and mounted Sonya.

“Well...let's go, girl,” I patted Sonya's neck.

Looks like this got blown out of proportion... I complained in my mind while entering the arena.