Reza climbed up the ramp with the others until they reached a simple closed gate at the top of the stairs.


    Someone next to him said. "I expected we would go straight into the arena."


    Reza looked at an older man, who could easily have been over a hundred. His hair was completely grey, pulled back into a long ponytail. The brown robe he wore could practically be considered rags. He held a grey wooden single-bladed sword that curved slightly in his hands. Prolly, some poor fool hoping for some luck.


    "They will probably open it after they announce the first bout. While this is a contest to be the next Archon, it''s still entertainment for the people."


    They could hear the crowd down here now that only a single gate stood between them and the arena. The crowd was a deep murmur with bouts of cheering every so often. Reza looked around, noticing that the man had disappeared from sight.


    Unfortunately, Reza had no time to see where the man had gone as the gate suddenly opened, and the entire hundred fighters around him crowded into the arena. Reza stepped onto the arena floor and felt the hard-packed dirt under his boots. It felt freshly packed, almost like rock. Examining the fighting ground, Reza felt while it was not overly large, all one hundred fighters could spread out, and the fighting would have plenty of room. Reza took a bit more time, walking farther away from the gate to get his bearings on what would help him in the fight. Unluckily, there were no pillars or barriers that Reza could use in a pinch. The fight would be all in the open, and we would need to use his powers liberally and follow his instincts today. Challenging, but this will work.


    Purposely moving away, Reza crossed the entire arena until his back was against the wall on the opposite side. Strangely, only a few people followed his lead, with the majority still standing in a large group around the open gate.


    Observing the individuals that moved away, Reza was more worried about these individuals than the group by the gate; each walked with a calm and deadly gait. It spoke volumes about their talent in magic or fighting. Reza continued examining the many challengers to find any clues that could help him in the fight, but one of the fighters caught his attention before the others. She had joined him at the opposite side of the arena, standing only a short distance from where he leaned against the wall. Strangely, she wore a flowing brown dress, not a uniform or fighting attire. It was cut down the sides to allow her to move freely with dark green pants underneath. And she comfortably held a single short sword with her other hand free, with only a ring on each finger.


    He recognized her immediately: Mycelia, the enchantress. Her wraith, a young woman in a large ball gown, stood beside her.


    Her voice and song were well known to have the power of suggestions; Many individuals could come under her spell, following her will to fight for or protect her. She was a deadly Centurion of the Fifth Legion and one of the members of the Bagora family. Many stories were whispered about her ability to turn enemy soldiers on their comrades easily, and many within the Legions knew what a terror she would be as an enemy. She''s the first to go.


    Keeping his eyes away from Mycelia so as not to give an idea of his thoughts, Reza continued to use the time before the fight began to examine every person in the arena. Each person had a spark of power within them; the dozens of colors of their auras swirling around showed that everyone was at the peak of power within Arkhen. The priests of Sorana had not failed in allowing only the most powerful of the city to join the fight. That did not mean there were no levels of power within the arena.


    Reza recognized only a handful of individuals in the area who were true peak powerhouses in this fight, including Mycelia. But there were two or three more than gave Reza pause, with the old man he had spoken to briefly before one such individual. He stood slightly away from the large group, his hand on the single sword at his side, and an aura of calm surrounded him. He starkly contrasted the many well-dressed fighters, whose clothes were almost too nice for a fight, and spoke to their noble birth. Each held themselves straight and strong, waiting for the melee to begin. Reza was surprised that he only recognized Mycelia; though a few looked similar, he could not identify them.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, the first bout is about to begin." The young orator''s voice spread over the crowd; as always, his voice felt like he spoke only a few feet away. "When it begins, these powerful contestants will fight until one is left. Each person is out when they are hit three times."


    The orator paused, allowing the crowd a moment to talk. "Each individual had been magically spelled by a mark they were given when they signed up. When hit for the third time, the individual will glow from their mark when they have been eliminated."


    Three hits for each person Reza fought; he needed to make sure he stuck them three times. Reza pulled on his power, and Elana appeared just behind Mycelia. He placed her to make her look like another''s wraith.


    "Before the fight begins, please take a moment to remember Marcellus Sulli, the last Archon who died to protect this great city." The orator hung his head in prayer.


    Everyone went silent, and Reza bowed his head. It was another gentle reminder that even with the great power all of them were going for, their lives would be forever in danger because of it.


    Reza lifted his head, ready for the bout to begin.


    "Thank you. Marcellus will forever be in our minds." The orator held a single arm high before he let it fall and loudly proclaimed. "Fighters, you may begin."


    Reza flared his power and switched positions with Elana. He struck out before Mycelia could even utter a word of power, slashing her back three times. She began to glow a soft yellow, and he flared his power again back to his original position. One down.


    He watched Mycelia, her shock apparent on her face. She looked around to see who had attacked her before walking between fighters towards the open gate. He pulled his focus from her retreating form, allowing his eyes to flit around the fight. No one came near, with everyone currently occupied with other fighters; Reza even spied two groups of five fighting against each other in a small battle.


    Reza held his position, leaning against the wall, waiting for someone to come to fight him. His plan was not to actively search for a fight but rather to wait and allow the other fighters to drain their resources as they eliminated his opponents.


    It took several minutes of fighting before a hulking brute finished his opponent about fifteen feet from Reza. Turning, the monster saw Reza leaning against the wall and advanced on him. Coming close, he swung a massive axe the haft longer than anything Reza had ever seen towards his head.


    Flaring his power, Reza escaped the beastly swing, appearing on the top of the wall, twenty feet away from the man and several feet above him. The crowd around him screamed as he appeared in front of them. He looked back, smiling at them, though the people leaned back away from him apprehensively.


    "Are you enjoying the contest?" Reza asked as he watched the man lumber towards him. Elana moved through the fighters and appeared on the opposite side of the fight.


    "Come down here and fight, coward," the man growled. He swung his massive ax towards Reza''s legs with such power that he’d likely break both his legs if it hit.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Reza flared and appeared across the arena; again, people shrieked as he appeared. He flared again, appearing behind the giant, cutting three times across his back before he could even react with his massive weapon. The man still tried to slash at him, but Reza flared again, returning to his perch on the wall.


    Reza sat on the wall, watching the fighting. Having been eliminated, dozens of people left the arena, their bodies glowing the soft yellow of defeat. Few people attempted to approach him on his perch.


    However, as he sat, an arrow shot across his body, and he flared away, the arrow bouncing off an invisible barrier that protected the crowd behind him.


    Looking for the archer, it took a moment, but he found them directly across from them, in the shadows of the arena wall, another arrow already pulled back. Reza flashed and started running through the fight. He slashed at people as he moved past them, never gaining three hits but leaving several people with one less life in the contest. He flared and moved just in front of the archer, the man''s wraith standing just behind him with a similar bow. They had another arrow pulled back; Reza took his dagger and slashed across the bowstring, slicing with a dull blade with enough force that the string snapped half.


    The archer''s reflexes were quick as he rolled away, pulling out a dagger. He held himself on one knee, waiting for Reza''s move.


    Reza flared his power and jumped behind the man, slashing down; the archer rolled forward, and his strike missed. The archer came back to one knee and turned to face him. Well done.


    Reza flared again, appearing behind the archer, but didn''t attempt a strike. The archer rolled, and Reza flared with his dagger, already moving just above the archer''s shoulder. Two quick cuts and the man glowed a soft yellow.


    "Well done. I never expected you to dodge my first attack." Reza flared and returned to his position, leaning against the wall.


    Using the brief lull in his fighting, Reza examined the remaining fighters. It had only been close to ten minutes, and half the fighters had already been removed. He flared his power and took his spot back on the wall. The crowd behind him didn''t react as much as they had. He watched the others, allowing another twenty fighters to get knocked out, while he continued to see how the remaining fighters fought and how their powers worked. Many did not seem to have much in terms of great power from their wraiths, nothing flashy. There were only two remaining that had impressed him, and the only competition Reza expected could rival himself.


    Reza identified his next target and flared in front of a wide-eyed man who controlled a large pile of sand formed under each outstretched hand. Going low, Reza cut across the man''s legs, scoring two hits.


    Slashing back to end the man’s day, Reza was forced to his back as a pillar of sand exploded under him. Trying to regain his footing and awareness, Reza felt a sword slash down on his leg and pain shooting up his leg. Gritting his teeth, Reza flared, retreating away from the sandman. Stupid, got cocky with that one.


    Regaining his footing, Reza stood before the man, a broad smile on his face that did not reach the man''s eyes; those were wide with fear. The man knew he had only one more hit left before being eliminated. The smile fell away, and more sand appeared around him, encircling himself, hiding from view his entire body, creating a protective shield. Well, that’s bloody annoying. Damn, coward.


    Reza knew he had no time to break the man''s shield right now, as many people would probably try to use the distraction to take him out. Retreating, Reza flared his power and returned to the wall. Watching the sand shield, his thoughts were confirmed when several fighters attempted to break through the shield to no avail and were eliminated by other fighters. There is no point in risking that right now; I''ll wait for him to make a move.


    Reza changed targets and went for the other challenger he’d identified, who had turned out to be the old man with his frayed robe. Whenever Reza spotted the man, he’d been impressed with his fighting ability. At the same time, the man didn''t seem to show any flashy powers like Reza. The man''s skill with his sword was beyond impressive, never using more movement than was required. He efficiently handled multiple opponents simultaneously, never allowing a single weapon to touch his robe. Within minutes, each opponent he faced was removed from the contest with minimal effort.


    Reza flared his power and attempted a slash across the man''s back. The man''s sword came from nowhere and blocked his attack. Taken aback, Reza was forced onto the defensive almost immediately, with the old man countering with his sword, flowing down Reza’s dagger and trying to stab into his shoulder. Flaring, Reza retreated out of the man''s reach.


    "Oh, very nice," the man said, his eyes looking over his sword at Reza. "You''ll be a fun opponent. Yes, I think you will be."


    "Let’s see," Reza flared, but the man''s sword was already there. He moved again, but again, the sword was already in place, blocking his way. Reza flared again, about five feet away, throwing one of his daggers, then flaring again behind the man. Reza pulled another dagger out and slashed thrice, hitting twice before the man''s sword stopped the third.


    The man lashed out with his sword, but Reza was gone. Flaring multiple times, he moved around the man, slashing but staying only long enough to get blocked, retreating before the man countered. Reza felt some weariness building as the fighting continued, but nothing compared to the exhilaration from the fight he was having with the old man. Jump after jump, Reza continued to fail to break the man''s defense. He thought he might have to switch to using the sword with a dagger, but he worried that his sword skill was far below the old man''s. They fought across the entire arena, each unable to break the other’s defense.


    "Damn, I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a hit on you," Reza said, taking a small moment to rest, having fought against the man for longer than the rest of the fight the rest.


    "Thank you," He responded, bowing. “I must say you are taking me back to different days.”


    “You’re welcome,” Reza was grateful. This fight brought him to the edge of his marshal skill, which no one had done for a long time. He would have to find some way to get past this man’s defense as Elana and his skill were pressed to the limit. “Let’s see what we can do.”


    The old man nodded, and with their quick conversation finished, Reza and the man continued the fight with such ferocity that few interrupted them. The few who did each were quickly eliminated by either himself or the old man. A quarter-hour passed as they flowed around the battlefield. Reza was still looking for that opening, but the old man failed to score any hits. They finally passed the fighter hidden behind his sand shield.


    "Oh, the scared man." The old man pulled a dagger out from his robe and threw it up in the air; it disappeared behind the sand wall. The sand fell around the hidden fighter, and he appeared to glow a soft yellow.


    "Now that he''s handled," The man said before returning to his fight with Reza.


    Reza retreated away from the man and held his position. Glancing around, Reza noticed only a few fighters remained from the hundred that had started. Flaring his power, Reza began to remove the few remaining fighters, with the old man following his lead until only Reza and his challenger were left.


    Standing in the center of the arena, Reza held two daggers before him. “Let’s begin again.”


    “We shall at that,” The old man nodded and struck with blurring speed, forcing Reza to flare away. Their duel continued, closing in on thirty minutes of their standstill before the man twisted his blade, causing Reza to slip on a patch of sand. The old man, with ease, sliced with his blade and caught Reza in the shoulder for his second hit.


    Damn this man. I can’t continue this, or I''ll lose this. Reza retreated to grab his dagger. He gathered the energy he had to finish this fight. Nodding to Elana, she knew exactly what they had to do to finish this fight.


    Elana reacted first, moving with more speed than ever before as Reza flared, throwing a dagger as he moved, and then another; he jumped, flaring fifteen feet into the air and throwing a dagger down at the man, and finally jumped a final time.


    Reza dropped to the ground and, using his last dagger, slashed at the man''s ankle, connecting with his blade. Reza looked up, and when no hit came, he saw the man glowing a soft yellow, his sword inches away from Reza''s chest.


    "Well damn, just wasn''t fast enough." He laughed and dropped the sword, holding his hand out to Rez.


    Reza took it, and the man helped him up. "Congratulations, young man, that was the best fight I''ve had in decades."


    They shook hands. Reza looked around, confirming that no one was hiding in the shadows to come in at the last moment to win the fight. I''ve done it, bloody Echoes, I did it.


    Reza was forced to wait to speak as the noise from the crowd was so deafening that he could barely think over it. When it finally quieted down, Reza bowed to the man.


    "Marius Reza," Reza said to the man. He had been one of the most skilled men he''d ever fought; there were many things he could learn from him. “I could do with another fight like that someday.”


    "Desmond Vorcan and I think that can be arranged," Desmond replied, broadly smiling.


    Reza could not even take a moment to appreciate that the man before him was part of the Vorcan family, one of the ten families that ruled Arkhen before the young orator spoke, cutting off any chance of him talking to Desmond.


    "With the end of the astounding first bout, Marius Reza is the first fighter through to the next round." The Orator roared, arms raised towards himself and Desmond.


    Reza had thought it impossible for the crowd to get louder, but it rose to such a level that he could not hear Desmond speak next to him. Reza acknowledged the crowd with a raised fist before joining Desmond and leaving the arena.