51 A Man Only Loses When They Give Up
(Morgan Pov)
"Welcome to the arena!"
"What's going on in there? It sounds pretty lively here, I heard the cheers from the street ."
"Today we are running the iron man matches, folks love seeing fighters competing to their very limit. Are you here to watch or to compete? "
"What are the requirements to compete?"
"You got a weapon?"
"Yeah."
"Good enough for me."
"That's it, are you serious?"
"It's your decision, I'm just the person they pay to watch the front. You interested or not?"
"Depends on if I'm getting paid for competing. What are the rules?"
"The rules are simple, you keep fighting until someone surrenders. We don't pay you, but we allow you to bet on yourself. The higher you bet on yourself, the stronger the opponent we will send out to face you.
You win, you get paid. You give up, you lose all of your money. We aren't in charge of the fight, the fighters are. It's not anyone's fault if someone dies because they refused to give up. You know the risks, you still up for it."
"This could be a good way to see how strong I am. So how much can I put down for a wager?"
"We accept gold and silver."
"I'm confident in my skill, I'll bet 100 gold."
"Gold and not silver, you must be better than the average fighter if you can throw around gold like that."
"I'm better than most because I always have a trick up my sleeve. Here's the 100, is there anything else I have to do?"
"I need a name. I'll also take a nickname or a title. Choose the most famous one, announcers need something to get the crowd excited."
"I only have the one to choose from. I haven't earned one from my tribe."
"Let me hear it. If it's bad the announcer will make something up."
"The merchants know me as 'The Slick Sacaen' because I always take a little less than their bottom line."
"You have a nice voice, it makes you want to listen. You also have something about you that makes me want to want to pay attention. You want to work here?"
"No, I'm just passing by."
"Shame, you could have made us more money by just talking."
"Are you really Sacaen?"
"I'm from the Lorca tribe."
"Had to ask 'cause you don't look Sacaen and you aren't dressed like one either. Got a horse and bow?"
Huh, it's been a while since I have encountered racism. Holy shit, this shocked me more than I should have.
"Well, my mother was from Bern and my clothes got destroyed on the journey here. While it may not look like it, I can fight like a Sacaen. I want my horse to get some rest, so it will just be me and my bow against the odds."
"I got everything I need. Walk in there and when you get to the split take a right. Tell the guard to let you in the room and wait there until you're called."
"Thank you."
"Good luck. Don't get yourself killed."
-------------------------------------
I'm away from the crime scene and I have an alibi for the time being. Wearing a bandana and deel stands out wherever the fuck I am. This is the last thing you need when distancing yourself from a crime.
At some point, I would have needed to buy clothes that would allow me to blend in more easily. I don't mind wearing the traditional Sacaen garbs, I just like having options available to me. You never know when you might need them, this is a good example of this.
There are not a lot of people here in this waiting room. Is it a slow day? I don't see any mages so that's disappointing, I would have loved to battle a mage. I guess this is good, no one will see me use magic to pull my bow out of thin air.
I also need my quiver, so I should take that out now. Normally I would just use inventory to dispense arrows into my fingers, but it's good to not be too dependent on magic. I'm glad my aim isn't complete dogshit now and I have another viable long-range option.
Dark magic is cool and all, but it does fuck with my mind and emotions. I love using a spear, but it's not ideal for long-range. I always have the option of throwing my spear. The problem with that is I am technically unarmed if I do that.
It usually works out in the end for me. For some reason, I'm more accurate in chucking things at people than shooting at them. I don't think I have ever missed a spear throw. Does that mean I have talent? No, this means that brute force is the superior solution.
I guess the human brain, despite being a marvel at processing information is at its best when it conducts basic actions. Or maybe I am a defective human being that is only suited for performing simple actions.
Autopilot is the state of mind I constantly strive towards. It's nice when you can lose track of time and stop thinking. The day goes by quickly and work gets done, nothing more satisfying than that. I should make that a life goal, go an entire day on autopilot.
For now, I just have to live with the fact that the only thing I can do without subconsciously is breathing. Fuck me! I thought about it, and now I have to do it manually. I need something to do to restore the balance.
I should probably restring my bow and load up my quiver. I could be called up to fight at any moment now. I wonder what type of person I'll be fighting. Knowing my luck, the guys who run this arena will put me in an unfavorable matchup.
Then again that isn't necessarily a bad thing for me. It's better to learn now in a somewhat safe environment than when I am dying and I have to learn to live. While death is a powerful motivator, I don't trust my ability to learn under pressure.
I got everything I need ready. And now I wait.
-------------------------------------
So that's my opponent, that small figure in that black armor with red accents. The so-called "Indomitable Knight." This will be my first time fighting an armored foe, this is a learning experience for sure.
I'm using a bow which isn't ideal for this type of opponent. Arrows have much less penetrating power than a spear. Then again I can't be too sure of anything until I try it and definitively rule it out. For now, I need to gather more information.
My opponent might be able to brush off my attacks, but how good are their reflexes? Finding out my advantages is paramount to my success.
In
*Inhale*
.
.
.
.
Out
*Exhale*
Let's see how you respond to this.
*Twang*
*Ting*
They blocked it with their shield, but their movements are sluggish. I could get another attack in, but I need to reposition myself quickly.
*Twang*
*Ting*
I got a clean shot at the person in the armor, but that arrow did Jack diddly nothing. It bounced off and didn't even deter them from advancing. And judging by the sound of the impact I doubt they felt anything underneath.
After that pathetic display, I'm guessing my opponent is now a lot more confident. Here's hoping that they get cocky. They are using a spear, a mid-ranged weapon that has a surprising amount of speed. That is if you are using both hands, with one hand it's a defensive-sided weapon.
Still, it doesn't take a lot of force to get a spear to move fast. And with all that armor, there is going to be a lot of weight behind that thrust. One hit from that spear and I'll sustain severe damage. Distance is everything when using and fighting against a spear.
I need to carefully watch the spear point-
*Whoosh*
-and move accordingly. They are kind of good, but they were slow and predictable. With just one hand, they have less finesse. Once the thrust is made, they have to commit to it fully. They need all the speed they can get from their attacks.
They can't move as fast as I can, so they must carefully choose their strikes. Depending on how quickly they can shift the position of their wrist, they might be able to land a hit. I won't get stabbed, but they may land a glancing blow on me.
Even if the spear tip misses, the rest of the blade can still cut me. My current advantages are range and reaction time. I don't have to get close to land a hit. I also give myself a bit more time to dodge by staying just beyond their reach. Not a lot, but everything adds up.
*Twang*
*Ting*
That was another good hit, but there was not enough force behind my arrows. I can't harm my opponent.
*Whoosh*
And my opponent can't seem to land a hit.
*Twang*
*Ting*
"Surrender!"
"I'll consider it if you can land a hit."
My opponent sounds a bit feminine, it was hard to tell with that armor. That's not that accurate, I just did not want to be too judgemental. Hmm, what are the odds I have never fought a woman till now? Oh well, my mom raised me to be an advocate for equality.
*Twang*
*Ting*
Shit, even that didn't leave a mark. What else can I do? I fired that shot at my maximum draw length. My arrows are too weak, they can't pierce through that armor. I need to find a way to make my arrows stronger. Sorcery Blade won't work here bee-
*Whoosh*
-cause I need physical contact with a weapon. By letting my magic flow from my hands, I can coat the weapon with magic to add a little bit more force to my attacks. This skill isn't perfect as it requires a constant and consistent source of magic.
I can't do much about this because it's caused by one of the inherent properties of magic. The farther magic is from its source, the faster it will dissipate. That's why most beginner-level combat spells at their core are dense balls of magic.
The sphere acts as a shell to contain the ma- I'm a fucking idiot savant. Contain not cover. It's so simple. Instead of coating the arrows with magic, I should be imbuing them with magic. Theoretically, this should be possible.
Every object can hold magic which means anything can be a medium for magic. What stops most objects from holding magic in the first place is their conductivity. Which isn't a problem if I'm pouring magic directly into it.
To make this work I need precise control over my magic. The first step is finding openings I can use to inject magic into. After that, I need to direct the magic and find a way to make it circulate. I need to identify where it is empty and where it is full.
Then I have to direct the magic where it needs to go until the object is permeated with magic. The final step is keeping the magic trapped in there. If I try to condense the magic-
*Crack*
-the arrow will get crushed from the inside.
"If you aren't going to surrender, then be a man and fight me!"
*Whoosh*
"Shut up! I'm working on something!"
Women always have something to say. Why do they always try to attack masculinity? I have lots of irredeemable character traits they can go after. Anyways, what if I try applying a coat of magic?
*Sizzle*
The grip of the bow is slowly being singed. I'm not sure what kind of damage or even if this is even actually damaging my bow. Worst-case scenario I have the materials to make another bow. More importantly, I need to see if this method works.
*Twang*
*Thud*
The shot bounced off after it hit, but it sounded different when it hit. I'm guessing they felt that hit, which means this method succeeded. That was just an arrow fired from my usual draw length.
*Whoosh*
Now let's try some at maximum draw length.
*Twang*
*THUD*
*Twang*
*Thud*
I left two dents in the armor and one of the arrows managed to puncture through. This means she will now start to block my shots with her shield. She leaves herself open when she attacks. I just need to use my speed to daw-
*Whoosh*
-dge move in and take the shots when I see an opening.
*Twang*
*THUD*
*Twang*
*Thud*
Is that blood? Holy shit, this is fucking effective for an impromptu tactic. I mean it could be better and this technique can be refined a bit more. Overall this was an overwhelming success for what it was.
Granted firing a normal spell would be more effective than this. But if I am ever running low on magic this is an excellent budget option. This might work better if I get arrows specifically designed to pierce armor.
*Whoosh*
"Nice try! Tis but a scratch."
"A scratch!? I can see you bleeding out!"
"No, I'm not. You're the one who's bleeding"
*Whoost*
*Pllkkkcchhhh*
*Twang*
*THUD*
*Twang*
*THUD*
Fuck me, this hurts a lot. This lady is packing some serious heat because that one brush with the spear tip cut pretty deep. Not enough to debilitate me, but enough to draw blood. If I get hit head-on by her I'm 90% sure I'm dead.
On the bright side, 4 of my shots managed to pierce through the armor. This fight is almost over, at the very least 2 good shots and at most 6 shots will get the job done.
"Looking a little pale there, how about surrendering?"
"I'm completely covered in armor and this isn't over yet!"
"If you value your life, then you will surrender now. You have already lost this fight."
"A person truly loses the moment they have given up."
"I'm not saying this because I want to win. This is quite literally a matter of life and death. You need to get medical attention before it's too late. You may not be bleeding much from the arrows, but you run the risk of getting the wound infected."
"If it's such a big deal, then why don't you surrender?"
"Lady, I am not responsible for your life. I'm only responsible for mine. I'm just giving you a chan-"
"AAAAHHH"
Why is she running? Oh shit, this bitch just jumped and dived at me. Nuh-uh, I'm not even going to risk this. I'm going as high as I can and over. I'm so happy I never skipped leg day. I can probably land a shot from here. Fuck it, I'm going for it.
*Twang*
*THUD*
God damn, that was a hell of a shot! Her body was flying parallel to the ground and I just shot her down. Hit her right in the neck and I landed the flip. The arrow didn't pierce through but that must have hurt a lot.
….And she's not moving. I have to at least check if she's dead. Just in case I'll keep the bow aimed at her head.
"You dead yet."
"No…"
"Do you surrender?"
"No, I got you right where I want you."
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
I hate women. What I'm about to do is going to be very petty and is not going to matter at all. And despite all of that, I am going to enjoy this way more than I should.
*Twang*
*Thud*
"Ow, my head. Alright fine then… we'll call it a draw."
I could kill her right now, just one more arrow. No, she isn't worth it. I'm walking away from all this absurdity and stupidity. I came here to have an alibi for the murder I committed. I didn't come here to deal with a stupid person, I already got enough from this trip.
And I can take a loss if it means not dealing with this dumb shit any longer. All of this money belonged to Gael anyways, so nothing of value was lost besides my sanity.
"Why are you walking away?! I can still fight!"
"Don't care I'm leaving."
"Yes, another flawless victory!"
Don't acknowledge her and get away from her as fast as possible before you end up killing her out of spite. Why is this guy running towards me? And why does he look so happy? Are those tears? Oh no, my gut is telling me this isn't going to be good for me.
"Young man, please take her away. She won't leave the arena and no one has been able to hurt her until now. We tried getting rid of her using other methods, but her luck saved her every time. I'll give you 200 gold if you just take her and leave."
"I don't think she's in the right condition to leave. I don't want to kill her after all of this, I just want to leave."
"I will pay for a healer, just get her away from my business."
I'll flip a coin and leave this to the whims of fate. Heads I leave tails I take her.
*Flip*
Fuck
