A Desperate Fight

Back in the pitch-black stone cell, I tossed the five Silver Coins I'd just won into a corner and lay on the crude bed with nothing to do until Jeram returned.

He clutched a small purse. It looked like he'd made quite a haul, but in the light of the guards' torches, I saw that he was covered in blood.

"Are you all right, Jeram? You look badly hurt."

"This isn't just my blood. It's that beast's, too!"

Jeram panted, his words full of hatred. I didn't know what kind of beast he meant, and he looked exhausted, so I didn't press him.

After dawn, I faced my third fight. Eight people stood across from me, all brimming with murderous intent.

Beating three people was easy enough, but in a fight against multiple opponents, each additional foe made things exponentially harder. I didn't think this battle would be so simple.

These poor slaves belonged to some tribe or other. Most of them were poor fighters on their own, so their masters grouped them together to make the gladiatorial bouts more exciting—or, rather, bloodier.

To put it bluntly, most of them were expendable. Winning was a bonus; losing cost their masters little. Today's eight were no exception.

Compared with the first two fights, this one took a lot more out of me. I was slashed in plenty of places, but they still weren't my match. Before long, I'd killed one of them.

I didn't want to slaughter them, so after killing one, I stopped attacking, hoping they'd surrender and spare their lives. But they didn't stop. They kept fighting desperately, and in the end, they provoked me.

I picked up a dead man's spear and thrust it at them. They hadn't been able to beat me barehanded; with a weapon, they stood even less chance.

It wasn't long before I'd run the remaining seven through, one by one. I gave each of them a chance to beg for mercy, but none ever surrendered. Their master must have been very good at training them.

I didn't care about their wails or the blood covering the ground. All that belonged to me were the cheers and shouts rising around me.

Even a place like this had glory to rival the battlefield. No—this was a battlefield, too. A small one for each person, perhaps, but its spectacle might even surpass the real thing!

As the guards escorted me back to the stone cell, Jeram started making a fuss. He said he was going to die and needed medicine.

Only then did I see the horrifying wounds on him: claw marks deep enough to expose bone, and chunks of flesh missing from his thigh and shoulder.

No weapon could inflict wounds like those. Only a beast's claws and fangs could!

The guards didn't care about his cries. They barked at him and left. I suddenly remembered what Jeram had said the day before: "This isn't just my blood. It's that beast's, too."

"Jeram, what were you fighting yesterday?"

"A Northland Giant Wolf."

"Making people fight beasts—that's cruel!"

"I'm a Berserker from Freljord. They've never treated me like a person..." Jeram told me about his tribe.

He was a member of the Berserker Clan, which belonged to Sejuani's Winter's Claw, one of the tribes in the southern part of Freljord.

Sejuani had once raided the northern border of Noxus. Later, Noxus invaded the Winter's Claw to take revenge, and the Berserker Clan bore the brunt of it. Jeram had gone out to find his older brother so he could help fight the enemy, but he'd been captured along the way.

"If my brother were here, he'd lead us in driving back the Noxian army. He can make fate itself run backward. It's a pity I was captured before I could find him..."

Jeram couldn't stop praising his older brother, telling me about all his heroic deeds with obvious admiration. I guessed who he meant: Olaf!

I didn't have any particular feelings about Olaf as a champion, but in this world, hearing a familiar name always made me feel a little closer to home. Knowing who Jeram's brother was made me like the talkative giant even more.

"Don't talk for now. Rest a while. I'll call a doctor for you."

"It won't do any good. They don't care whether I live or die."

"Maybe there's another way!"

I shouted for the guards, then handed over all the Silver Coins I'd saved and asked them to find a doctor.

The trick worked. Before long, the guards brought a doctor—and an unexpected message: Tahm Kench had invited me to dinner.

I had no idea what he was plotting, but I had no choice but to accept. The guards led me to his quarters, where Tahm stared at me with a sly grin.

"Sit down, Zhao Xin. Make yourself comfortable. Eat your fill first, then we'll talk."

"Let's talk first, Lord Kench. Otherwise, I won't be able to enjoy the food."

"Very well. Having you face eight men today was a test. Just as I expected, you passed with ease. Now I want to give you a chance—a chance to turn your life around. Are you interested?"

I was intrigued. I studied his eyes, not believing he was acting out of kindness. But beyond greed, I couldn't read anything else in them.

"I'd be glad to serve you. What do you need me to do?"

"I want to see what you're really capable of. So once you've healed, I'll arrange your next fight. You know that Uzi fellow has already lost twice, and now he's furious. He's demanding another chance to fight you. Your bounty is a hundred gold coins, and if he loses, he's willing to pay double."

"What do I get out of it?"

"If you win this fight, I'll give you your freedom!"

My heart stirred at that. Freedom? Wasn't that exactly what I needed right now? I was about to thank him when he spoke again:

"Don't get the wrong idea. You'll be free within the arena. That means you won't have to return to that gloomy stone cell. There's a training ground here besides the arena, where my loyal servants live. You can train with them, and you won't have to worry about food."

This catfish monster really knew how to make a bargain. I'd figured he wouldn't let me go so easily. So all he was offering was a different place to live. Still, that wasn't bad. It would at least be more comfortable, and I could spar with the others and hone my skills.

When I got back, I told Jeram what had happened. He looked a little sad. "I finally found someone I could talk to, and now you're leaving so soon. Still, congratulations. This is a rare opportunity."

"Don't worry, brother. If I can get close to him, I can earn his trust. Then I'll ask him to help you. But until then, you have to stay alive!"

We hadn't known each other long, but I'd taken quite a liking to Jeram. Especially since he was Olaf's younger brother—we might well meet again someday.

Once I'd healed, I couldn't wait to have the guards pass a message to Tahm. His reply came soon: I could fight that afternoon!

This time, Uzi brought ten men. They felt completely different from my previous opponents. They wore animal hides, their exposed skin covered in all sorts of tattoos. Their eyes were as savage as wild beasts, and the steel blades in their hands gleamed.

Tahm shouted from the high platform: "In this bout, Lord Uzi's 'Ten-Man Squad' will challenge Zhao Xin! You know the Ten-Man Squad is Lord Uzi's trump card. They've never been defeated, and no one dares accept their challenge. But today, my warrior Zhao Xin has volunteered to face them! Let's cheer for the victor! Let the match begin!"

At Tahm's command, the Ten-Man Squad charged at once. They were so fast I could barely react, so I hurried to the wall to make sure no one could attack me from behind.

This time, I wasn't unarmed. I'd been issued a steel spear, but even so, it was hard to fend off their strange techniques. Before long, they'd slashed my side.

"Kill him! Kill them! Make their throats gush blood and their brains burst!" The spectators in the stands screamed themselves hoarse.

The Ten-Man Squad worked together seamlessly. They always managed to deflect my attacks and seize the chance to slash me.

At first, they only cut the surface of my skin. As the fight dragged on, I began to suffer deeper wounds. Worse, they were nearly surrounding me.

Against such a disciplined attack, striking recklessly would only give me more wounds. Once they completed their encirclement, victory would be almost impossible. I had to calm down and think of a way out!

Then I remembered the swordsmanship Fiora had taught me. I used to think it was all flash, but now I realized there was a lot of subtlety to it.

I had a steel spear in my hands, but the techniques could be adapted to any weapon. In this situation, the spear even gave me an advantage.

With that in mind, I used Laurent's Rapier Technique. My fierce attacks suddenly became unpredictable. The Ten-Man Squad was caught off guard and immediately eased up on their offense to strengthen their defense. At last, I could catch my breath.

But the respite didn't last long. Once they'd adapted to the rapier technique, my situation grew difficult again, and my wounds kept piling up. But after fighting for so long, I couldn't feel the pain anymore. My mind was focused entirely on how to win!

In the end, they still cut off my escape route and surrounded me. As they closed in, I began to despair. It seemed I could only risk everything!

I still had a trump card I hadn't played. I just didn't know if it would work!

They kept tightening the circle, drawing closer and closer to one another. With so many people packed together, they'd only get in each other's way. I just had to find a weak point and knock one of them down with all my strength to break their formation.

Then I spotted the man to my front left. He was relatively tall and strong. Men like that were usually powerful but not very agile. Rather than target someone weaker but more nimble, it was better to go after the big guy. Once I'd made up my mind, I decided to break through there!

I leveled my spear and thrust. As expected, the men behind me immediately attacked, trying to deflect my move as they had before.

But this time, I didn't stop. I leaped into the air. I was already covered in wounds, so I didn't care if I got a few more. I just had to avoid anything vital!

My move took them all by surprise, but the big man didn't panic. He chose to meet my challenge head-on. That was exactly what I wanted!

As his steel blade came down, I unleashed my trump card: I applied Laurent's Mind Blade to my spear, parried his attack from an impossible angle, and then pierced his throat!