In Korgadar, strength was often idealised. It was therefore not unexpected that arena fighting was a common pastime.

  Bob was bringing him to one such arena.

  According to him, their destination wasn't one of the big ones that 'sold their history for cheap glory'. No, it was the real deal.

  "The Bluesky Collective is on another level, you visit the mainstream venues and it's all spins and frills. No real fighting, I tell you," Bob spat with disgust.

  Kerek didn't know that his colleague was so passionate about the subject. However, his speech soon grew repetitive.

  He tried to fight it, but his attention still drifted away.

  Nodding regularly saved him from suspicion while he eavesdropped on a conversation between two mothers.

  "I've been studying in my free time so that I can help my daughter with math. Why does it have to be so difficult?"

  "I know what you mean, Martha. If my husband didn't help with schoolwork, I don't know what I'd do. You know, it reminds me of Anna's childhood. She tried to persuade me that 3 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 3 is eleven."

  The other woman chuckled. "Was she having trouble with addition?"

  "That's the strange part, not at all."

  "If I said it's ten, she'd say it'd be ten if it's normal numbers. But then she'd say something about stories or whatnot, which somehow makes the result eleven."

  Both laughed heartily at that, and he couldn't help but chuckle himself. Kids can be so cute sometimes.

  Bob cleared his throat, and Kerek turned around guiltily to face his colleague. "Sorry," he apologised.

  "No, no, it's okay. I just get so excited when it comes to arena fighting, like did you know that ..." he continued animatedly as if Kerek's misstep never happened.

  This time, he listened carefully while they walked next to the low wall. The arena was in the city's center, but in a different district.

  It was interesting to see the variation of homes.

  While Kerek's walk to Ekklesia brought him around mostly decrepit houses, here it was more diverse.

  The poorest of citizens still lived here, but occasionally a much wealthier neighbor bordered them.

  Many moved closer to the Tree for religious reasons, while others were descendants of the original tree sympathisers.

  Others still moved for different purposes altogether.

  Unexpectedly, Bob's monologue touched upon the topic.

  He described the importance of gladiators during the Freedom Siege and their role in the subsequent formation of the United Army.

  Everyone was tired of the years of warfare. Not to mention that many nobles hid with their private armies. They weren't viewed positively for that to put it lightly.

  It was the ideal time to push for the idea.

  At the forefront of that movement stood experienced fighters, heroes of the siege.

  A lot of those figures were gladiators before running from the Sunny Empire.

  Capable they were, but poor they were even more.

  At this time, the settlement still lacked an official administration. That was one of the reasons why their contributions were never rewarded adequately.

  With the city destroyed, people had to build new homes from scratch.

  A lot of the war heroes ended up settling in what became the poorest parts of Korgadar.

  "However, they didn't give up. Hungry, desperate, and hopeless, they got together and not only survived, but thrived.

  Don't let yourself get fooled, Kerek. The houses might be run down, but their crumbling walls are filled with culture."

  He wasn't sure if Bob timed his speech. However, the arena walls could now be seen.

  They were made from sandstone, and it showed. What in the ages past were statues of gladiators were now vague humanoid shapes.

  The rough weather of the Black Desert was equal in its hatred for everything lasting. It wore things down before there was nothing left.

  Even the main body of the construction looked weathered. In some parts, the walls were even crumbling.

  The place was in dire need of reconstruction.

  On top of the wall, that's where the seating area was. The closer to the center, the lower your seat was.

  However, even the most central of seats were around 30 feet above the pit.

  It was his first time in an arena, but he'd bet that his colleague's rumbling made him more knowledgeable than most casual visitors.

  A stall was set up before the entrance, and there Bob bought them two tickets.

  He said that it was his treat, as it is a sacred duty to enlighten the uncultured.

  Free is good, so he didn't even complain about the insult.

  They took the seats in the general section. From the inside, one could see that the walls had a second floor to them.

  Above the general seating, there were two big balconies and countless smaller lounges from which the richer viewed the spectacle.

  It was the only reconstructed part of the arena.

  Even the 'famed' Bluesky Collective wasn't above pursuing profit.

  Currently, no event was underway. Instead, countless fighters sparred on the arena's sand.

  There, both newer gladiators and enthusiastic visitors received tutelage from more experienced fighters.

  Before he could even think about joining them, Bob tapped his hand. "The student section will be starting soon. Prepare to be blown away."

  "Students?" he questioned, his eyes glued to some of the more flashy combatants.

  When no answer graced his ears, he turned around and noticed that Bob had departed to god knows where.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The people started departing the stage. When the space was empty, a tall woman in heels and a revealing black leather outfit entered the arena.

  A few more visitors took their seats. Nevertheless, the arena couldn't be called full.

  That didn't stop the fans from shouting:

  "We love you, Scarlet!"

  "Looking good!"

  "Please marry me!"

  He noticed that most of the shouting fans were sitting together. They raised signs and banners, some were even dressed similarly to her.

  Not a show my ass Bob.

  The announcer started warming the crowd up: "Today, two of the rising stars will clash their weapons. But only one can emerge victorious!!"

  "Coming through the left gate is Metal Man. A genius engineer piloting a war suit of his make."

  A circular piece of stone slid out of the way a few yards above the ground. A metallic figure jumped out of the hole, making a burst of sand go airborne.

  While the audience erupted in cheers, the silhouette got up. When the sand settled down, it revealed a vaguely humanoid body.

  The suit had a pot-shaped structure where the head would normally be and thick metallic hands. The whole machine was painted pristine white.

  Metallic Man raised his hand, pointing it at the sky. During the movement, the body part morphed into a state-of-the-art rocket launcher.

  The explosion that followed was deafening.

  The fireworks painted a logo in the sky. A metallic head crossed through by two arcane rifles.

  Kerke couldn't help but grow excited too and joined the now even intensified cheering.

  "And from the right gate comes the challenger. A rookie holding an undefeated strike, Emerald!"

  A woman dropped down from the opening in the right wall. Her black robes stood in stark contrast to her green face mask.

  Unhurried, she walked into the arena.

  Both the announcer and the audience looked disappointed by the lack of flashiness.

  "I didn't miss the beginning of the fight, did I?" he heard Bob's voice from behind him just as the announcer departed the arena.

  "Now that both fighters are in their place. Let the fighting begin!!!"

  Instantly, Emerald pulled out a revolver from her loose robes, emptying an entire chamber into the war suit.

  The bullets didn't even reach it, exploding in midair. "What's that?" Kerek questioned instead of answering.

  "It's an experimental shield. No idea how it works, but it seems widely effective in most fights," Bob answered while passing a beer to him.

  "The line was endless. Took much longer than I expected."

  Kerek thanked him, happily accepting the beverage. In the meantime, Emerald kept cycling Metal Man.

  He seemed happy enough to let her waste ammo. When another six empty shells hit the ground, he made his move.

  She stuck a new group of bullets inside the revolver while the suit's right hand morphed into a machine gun.

  Emerald jumped back and then kept running circles around the war suit.

  Bullets buried themselves deep in the sand or pinged off the invisible barrier protecting the spectators.

  "How's that possible? She's not even that fast, how is he not hitting her!?"

  Kerek expressed his confusion. Bob grinned knowingly.

  Metal Man lunged forward with his left hand, now a blade. Free from dodging bullets, she aimed and pressed the trigger.

  An explosion in midair occurred, but to the surprise of everyone, the war suit was still hit.

  Its impressive form was not only pushed a step back, but also sported a solid dent.

  "What an upset!!!" roared the announcer.

  A slow motion of the moment appeared midair while the fight continued below.

  There, one could see a shield the size of a coin materializing in the way of a bullet. It blocked it, and the explosive munition did its part.

  What the suit's automatic defense system didn't know was that she fired two bullets in quick succession.

  The second hit its target, marking the success of the strategy.

  It was too efficient a defensive system. The shield only lasted long enough to block the first bullet and then deactivated itself.

  Using the shortcomings of the prototype, Emerald kept her distance and used hit-and-run tactics.

  "Booooo"

  "Coward; I saw goblins more courageous than you!"

  The insults grew. At first, it was only a few voices among the die-hard Metal Man fans showing their displeasure.

  Soon, the whole arena was repeating the slogans.

  If she was affected by the crowd, she didn't show it.

  Emerald's advantage seemed secured as she danced around bullets without receiving a single scratch.

  "Wait, is she teleporting out of the way. Is that why the machine gun is so ineffective?" he asked.

  "Her fans call it blinking, and she's the queen of it.

  At times, she reappears less than an inch away or even teleports her limbs into different positions," Bob explained nerdily.

  Indeed, when Kerek focused on it, it couldn't have been more obvious.

  Her movements were unnatural, like a puppet being jerked around by its master.

  The war suit stopped trying to engage her in melee, and even the machine gun grew silent.

  A barrier enveloped his form, blocking any further shots.

  "I," the machine started. Excitement spread through the audience like wildfire.

  "AM," this time it wasn't only the war suit. Many excited viewers shouted it, and even the announcer joined them.

  "METAL!" screamed the fighter together with the fans. His barrier exploded outwards, making Emerald's form hit the arena's wall.

  No longer stood the war suit operational. The machine stood motionless, its capsule door open.

  Before it stood a much sleeker figure. Barely taller than the average humanoid.

  Its colour scheme was a combination of red and black, and it wielded a crimson glowing longsword.

  While the red color was more prevalent, the black paint created pathways reminiscent of a simplistic full-body tattoo.

  It didn't rush Emerald, instead, it turned towards the audience and gave them a gentlemanly bow.

  The fans loved it.

  "Metal Man!"

  "Metal Man!!"

  "METAL MAN!!!" They chanted

  Then, to the surprise of Kerek, the fighter spoke. His voice cut through the excitement. "You dare hurt my baby. I will never forgive you!!!" he screeched.

  He was weirded out to say the least.

  Bob turned towards him and gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "You'll get used to him in time. He's actually a very chill guy."

  "My babyyyy!!" he screamed, his previous demeanor completely evaporated.

  Emerald blinked herself into existence behind him, now wielding a longsword too.

  A third arm shot out of his back, grasping for the sword. Before it could catch it, she teleported away.

  He raged and screamed, his insults loud enough for the whole audience to hear.

  "You know how long I worked on those sensors you bitch?

  Your whore mother could spread her legs for a hundred mechanics and it wouldn't come even close to repaying the engineering community."

  "Emmm, what's happening?" wondered Kerek.

  "It's a regular occurrence. He'll come begging her for forgiveness after he cools down in a few days," answered Bob.

  "That guy has no impulse control," he added.

  Metal Man lunged at her, his sword missing by a hair's breadth. The war suit's form lit up.

  This time, Kerek couldn't even see the strike. A shallow wound marred Emerald's midsection.

  If she was surprised, she didn't get the time to show it.

  Two automatic turrets popped out of Metal Man's shoulders while a beam of mana shot out of his fingers.

  A wall of stone went up in front of her, blocking the attack, only the beam went through.

  She blinked to her left, dodging narrowly, but then disappeared again when it changed its trajectory midair.

  Her dodging of the projectile brought her in front of the wall just as Metal Man erupted on its other side, his sword shining ominously.

  But instead of dodging, she rushed forward and hit him with a front kick that sent his metallic body flying.

  He tried to block it, but the leg's position changed midair.

  Metal Man's back hit the wall, only for the teleporting maniac to already be there. She kicked his head, and then she just kept on kicking.

  A strike after strike.

  She showed him no mercy, the kicks were strong enough that the stone wall was crumbling behind his sitting form.

  Two more hands shot out of his sides, but they were useless before her teleporting strikes.

  The earth held him in place while she went for a sword strike this time.

  Turrets popped out of his shoulders, but with lightning speed, she switched to her revolver and blew them apart.

  It seemed that this model had no shield to speak of. Nevertheless, her sword strike never hit as Metal Man's form glowed again.

  He ripped his left arm out of the stone, then his right.

  Before she could finish him, he was rushing at her with such speed that teleportation barely kept her out of harm's way.

  The fight was a flurry of strikes. She defended while he pushed her back.

  Their strength was evenly matched, but in terms of speed, he had the obvious advantage.

  Stab, slash, block. His punch caught her by surprise, and she flew through the air.

  He caught up to her, his sword hungry for blood. Disoriented, Emerald blinked out of the way.

  Her severed hand dropped onto the sand. It seemed that he was expecting the dodge.

  Rolling on the ground saved her from a stomp aimed at her head. She jumped to her feet while pulling out the revolver with her left hand.

  For the first time in the fight, she felt uncertain.

  Metal Man stood above her, looking down at her condescendingly.

  She waited for a strike that never came.

  The shining pathways turned inert black again, and the suit fell unceremoniously.

  "And the winner is Emerald!"

  She fell to the ground, her body weary. Healers swarmed her, but she could only think about her success.

  Undefeated once again.