Ch 24: Into the Arena

Around nautical twilight, Zane was woken up by the loud bell sound. The sound was like a war chime singing to his ears. He woke up ready for battle with bloodshot eyes, grabbing his sword next to him.

'Where is the enemy?!!!' as he looked left and right of his room.

"All Blood Warriors, gather to the training area!" A loud shout from Boza can be heard all over the place.

'Hmm. Today is the day huh?'

Zane quickly started packing his equipment, a bow on his back and a long sword on his side. Although he had dimensional space, he has to wear all his equipment before coming to the arena.

Coming out of his bunker, he heard a voice, "You seem very prepared." A brown-haired man, with thick eyebrows and fierce eyes, was looking at him. His weapon of choice was steel axe and lightweight iron armor.

"You as well." Zane replied while in his mind using 'Identification'

He smiled and extended his arm to Zane.

"Heh, Theo"

Level 8

Strength: 8

Agility: 5.4

Perception: 4

Constitution: 3.3

Passive Skill: Lvl 1 Axemanship

"Zane," grabbing his arm for a handshake. 'Hmm, he is worth befriending. His stats are not too bad, and has level 1 Axemanship.'

Meanwhile, when Theo shook his hand, he can feel the strength of Zane's hand. He was surprised, Zane's body is not muscular and can be considered lean. His main focus is strength so you can know someone just with a handshake.

He nodded and started walking outside. He waved his hand, "Don't die, Zane"

"You as well."

Meanwhile, Zane observed other Blood Warriors coming out of their rooms. It seems that many were not able to sleep well last night. Many of them still have bloodshot eyes and suffer fatigue.

...

This time it was Gerax who brought gathered the slaves. When sunset arrived, the 200 of them started walking down the streets. As expected, cheers from the sidewalks are raining them. When people saw that Gerax, more cheers came from them. With his handsome face and heroic body, many are cheering for him.

"Look that is Gerax! The last time we saw him he killed more than 300 people in one Arena battle."

"Ptui! I heard he was previously a noble but was branded as a slave!"

"Shush! If he hears you, he can kill you with one swing."

"Who cares, he is but a mere slave."

This is the first time Zane heard of Gerax's story. He quickly glanced at Gerax and saw him smirking. Being awakened, it is definite that he heard it as well.

...

The company arrived around lunch hour. Entering the Arena, the Blood Warriors are quite nervous. They can smell the stench of the rotting meat. All around them, they see dried bloodstains, one can only imagine the death and carnage that happened before their arrival. Although there are no dead bodies, there are broken earth and rock strewn all over the place. It seems that it was prepared for them.

They looked at Gerax waiting for him to say something.

Gerax seeing everyone looking at him, "What? Are you guys expecting me to tell you some glorious speech?" he laughed.

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then, they heard Gerax casually say:

"Kill"

For some odd reason, many got pumped up by his simple word. They started brandishing their swords and shield.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud horn was blasted on the arena.

"HONK" "HONK" "HONK"

Then the rhythmic drums also started,

"BADUM" "BADUM" "BADUM"

Even the crowds felt the excitement building as they started their cheer.

"You have seen the battle of two houses, the House of Flame and The House of the Badger. They fought to the death of the last man."

He then chuckled, "Many of you became rich in a day and some became poor," when the crowd heard it, they laughed.

"However, the day is not over yet, we have another house participating in the area. Blessed nobles and commoners - I present to you the House of Umbra!"

Many stood up and clapped widely.

"But before we begin, this time, we received a gift from one of the respected young generations of the Vermillion family."

When the crowd heard the last name Vermillion, they were shocked. Vermillion's family has been in power for hundreds of years, especially on the Western side of the continent. Currying a favor to them will give endless benefits.

Everyone looked at the center podiums where it hold respected nobles. Even Zane couldn't help but look as well. They saw a young man in his teenage year, with an air of pride and self-confidence. With just one look, he can already tell that the man is full of arrogance and a typical brat.

In Zane's mind, the smugness on the man's face is something you want to punch badly. Probably, break his nose and his perfect teeth as well. Basically, he has a punchable face. Unfortunately, he can't check his stats due to the distance.

"I introduce to you, Mr. Ash Vermillion!"

Ash Vermillion stands up with his head high and waved his hand. Please with the crowd 'These insects, bow before me.'

"Continue."

Claps and cheers can be heard all over the arena.

When Gerax saw Ash, he grabbed the handle of his sword tight. A high noble in the arena is something to be wary of. Many unpredictable things can happen.

"Today we will be witnessing the House of Umbra battling an interesting beast of the forest!"

"OPEN THE GATES!"

Suddenly, when the doors were opened, the sound of chain rattlings can be heard. The ground started to shake and blasting roars can be heard.

"Release the chains"

Feeling the shackles off, the beast released one long roar and stepped outside the cage.

Everyone saw a 25-foot black mammal with two long tusks that reached up to 10 feet in length. It also has a long trunk and shining scally skin.

When the beast came out of the gigantic door, the crowd was in an uproar. This is the first time they have seen this massive mammoth.

"I present to you the Blazing Tusk Mammoth"

*Blasting Trumphet Sound*