The Fighter, Part 1

I'm sitting in a small cell. Sunlight shines through the window near the ceiling and hits the bed I'm laying on. I enjoy the warmth of the sun on my legs. I close my eyes with my head resting on my hands as I lie on my back. I hear the sound of a crowd outside, people coming to pack out the arena stands. The sound of thousands placing bets on who will win. Everyone knows who will win, but people love an underdog.

I doze off briefly before the sound of my cell door unlocking rouses me. The sounds of the crowd are no longer coming through my window, instead I hear the muffled noise from directly above me. I sit up on the bed. The door swings open and the guard signals for me to move. They walk me into the armory. My armor is waiting on the table. It is made to cover every inch of the body, I don't like being closed in like that. I only use the chest, wrist, and waist pieces.

I begin assigning the armor to my boy.

“Louder than usual today.” I mention to the guard

“We've got a special visitor today.” he replies

I give an acknowledging grunt and continue with my equipment. The pieces are beaten and scratched but sturdy. It's made from a metal only found on this planet, it's light but strong, it's the primary export of the world. Some say it's unfair for me to get such superior equipment, I say that I earned the right to have it.

“You'll want to use a weapon today.” One of the guards states

“Weapons slow me down.”

“Stubborn as usual.”

I give a knowing smile, he responds in kind. I begin walking up the steps to the stadium gate. The announcer is introducing my opponents, I don't catch their names or where they're from. They always make things sound so exciting, must appeal to the low intelligence crowd.

I wait inside the gate for my introduction. Personally I wish we could skip the formalities, but this is all for the crowd. The gate opens as my name is screamed over the speakers. I begin walking towards the center, the crowd roars approvingly as they always do. Five opponents today, shouldn't take too long.

I reach the very center of the arena as my opponents encircle me at a distance. I go down to my knee and grab dirt into my hand. I raise it to my face, take a sniff, and then sift it through my fingers. Mostly gravel, no sand, some various kinds of dirt. Mercenaries from Ektai. I return to my feet and adjust my stance, I'll need to stay light on feet to minimize their predictions.

I look up to the VIP box where the emperor is sitting, next to him is our special guest. Maxwell Auren of Corleeria. I look directly at him and loudly speak to my opponents.

“I want you to know, you have my permission to die.”

My brother understands why I glare at him as I speak.

TO BE CONTINUED

Confidently and Honestly,

D.

TL; DR: It's a story, you should read it. Seriously.