Randy the Reveler, wielding one of the biggest swords I’d ever seen, immediately threw out an attack, aiming to end the fight before it began. His armor consisted of bracers and tall boots. The only thing missing that would have pinned him as a perfect Conan knockoff was his lack of a loin cloth.
Though his attack was brash, his strength was easy to see. The huge sword whistled through the air, and Steven B. Noobshanks was forced to both backstep and deflect the greatsword with his buckler.
Two more blows landed on the buckler in quick succession and the crowd boomed. By the look of it, Randy had just used a skill. Perhaps this was what Whirlwind looked like if a player was using a greatsword.
To his credit, Steven did not look flustered, though his buckler was dented, and a chunk of wood was missing from its edge.
Rather than dart in and continue the foray, Steven remained calm and waited for the barbarian to explode again. He seemed more like a balanced soldier or maybe a duelist, with a simple vest, bracers, and greaves, all made of thick but flexible leather. He didn’t have to wait long.
A red glow wrapped around the bare-chested man’s body, and when he struck again, his speed had increased. He seemed to have just used Rampage, an HP-sapping ability, and the fight had just begun. The man was either confident or desperate, and I couldn’t help but be disappointed to see that my own hard-earned skills were so common.
Feeling like the fight was going his way, Randy screamed. Whether it was a buff or an attempt to debuff his foe with fear, I wasn’t sure. But no effect landed on Steven. The Barbarian activated Cleave next, the telltale white flash marking the passage of his blade. There was no way the buckler would hold up against the attack, and I thought the fight might be over. But Steven simply rolled under the blade and lifted his shield in place again.
I glanced over and saw a smile on Teegan’s lips. He made a single comment that told me how much I didn’t know about PvP combat. “Watch closely. It’s almost over.”
Randy struck out again, this time trying to land a kick after his attacks. Steven parried the attacks easily then lashed out with his sword, aiming at his opponent’s gut. Randy used Dodge and his whole body jerked to the side with uncanny speed, the attack missing by an inch.
Steven’s next attack was quick and controlled. He hooked the Barbarian’s sword with his buckler and pulled himself toward the huge man, driving the short sword up through Randy’s sternum.
For a moment, Randy the Reveler just stared down at his chest, the duelist still clutching him. Then Steven withdrew, releasing the greatsword by dropping his buckler and pulling his sword free. A line of blood beaded in the sand.
The crowd was tense and quiet, most as confused as I was. Steven bowed to the man even as Randy fell to the ground.
“Winner!” the referee called out and ran to lift up Steven’s sword hand. The blood on the blade trickled down and ran across the back of the duelist’s hand. No smile crossed his lips.
As the man exited the arena, I saw a few people scurry in with a stretcher and remove the fallen player on a stretcher.
I had to ask, “What the hell happened?”
Teegan nodded, “It was well done. The duelist allowed the man to display his skills and avoided or deflected them one by one. Then he used the moment of vulnerability that occurs after Dodge. It is a skill, so it is almost always successful, but there is half a second where the ability can’t be used again. For those who rely on skills instead of training, it can result in an unexpected ending.”
I shook my head and thought of all the times I’d used Dodge thinking it was the best thing to do. “And what of him?” I pointed to the Barbarian as he disappeared from the arena.
“He will be revived by an apothecary that is under the arena’s employ. That way, death penalties can be avoided. Still doesn’t feel very nice, but players wouldn’t compete if it meant risking XP and possibly losing a level.”
A familiar voice interrupted my thoughts. “Another exciting match for the record books! And to think, I almost put money down on the barbarian. Let’s hear it for our next match, Naomi Grymstarr of Nighnigh Town versus Donnell Fabulous!”
As the next two competitors walked out to meet one another in mortal combat, I laughed, sharing a look with Teegan. “Gamers and their freaking avatar names.”
Three more battles were fought before Teegan was called up. He gave me a fist bump then walked out toward the entrance of one of the two tunnels, which wound around the arena and opened up into the pit. When he emerged, his face was a mask.
The Rogue who faced him was a boy that looked to be younger than me, perhaps only fifteen or sixteen. He seemed to regret signing up for the tournament, and even dropped one of his daggers in the sand.
They were announced and the fight started. The boy made some effort to attack Teegan, but after sidestepping a few strikes, the elf showed mercy. He darted into the boy’s next attack, caught his wrist in one hand and struck his bicep with the other. The Rogue dropped his weapon and tried a clumsy stab down into Teegan’s back. The elf just caught that attack and threw the boy over his shoulder.
In a flash, Teegan’s own dagger was in his hand and pressed to the boy’s throat.
The boy cried out, loud enough for all to hear, “Yield! I yield!”
The display pissed the crowd off. A few of them even threw hunks of bread.
Unperturbed, Teegan was back sitting at my side in less than
