Max noticed that, once he returned to the group of fighters, everyone gave him a wide berth except for the female elf, who had chuckled when he spoke about the first match.

“Seth, right?”

Max saw the red-haired, elvish woman moving toward him and nodded.

“I’m Adaneth. Impressive fight last round.”

Max shrugged but smiled. “We both know that wasn’t true.”

She laughed, her voice echoing off the walls and momentarily drawing the guards' attention before they realized no intervention was needed.

“You are smarter than most and have a keen eye. This is your first time here.”

Max nodded, listening to her as he watched the next fight between two mages.

What in the gods name were mages even thinking about coming here and fighting…

It was a boring fight, as both used their mana to deflect spells and attack each other. Max shook his head and turned back to Adaneth when it turned into a fight with staves.

“So are you saying you have fought here before?”

Winking at him, she smiled and shook a finger. “I’m not saying anything, but I know someone who is a real challenge when I see them. Not like most of these fighters here, who don’t have a clue. Tell me, are you planning on going all the way?”Max shrugged. “It depends. I’m here for a little money. I could win if I wanted, but I’m not sure I want the reputation it would give me to do that.”

Max saw something change behind the woman’s green eyes. They narrowed slightly as she took in his words and how he stood, completely relaxed.

“Something tells me it will be an interesting matchup when we meet. Has anyone warned you about the other two?”

Max shook his head but lifted a finger and pointed at the two he knew she was talking about.

She cackled softly and nodded. “You are good. Gods it’s been ages since I have been this worked up.”

Max turned and stared at the women. Even though she was half a head taller, he held her gaze.

“When I offer you the chance to surrender, will you take it?”

His question caught her off guard, and the others who had heard him say it took a step back. One of the guards moved closer, unsure how Adaneth might respond.

She stared at Max for a few moments. The sound of the bell and another match starting broke her gaze.

“I guess we will have to wait and see, won’t we.”

Max nodded and smiled.

“I guess we will.”

The next fight was an uneven matchup. Max wondered how it even made the boards. That was until it started, and everything changed.

An elven mage versus a human rogue seemed like an easy win for the rogue.

The rogue went into stealth immediately, not allowing the mage to ensnare him.

With thirty yards between them, Max knew it would take a good chunk of time for the rogue to get to the mage, who immediately sprinted to the back part of the arena.

Time ticked by, and Max felt the moment coming when an attack would happen or the rogue's stealth would end.

At that moment, Max noticed the mage casting a fire spell.

The area of effect spell went off, catching the rogue, who was just a few yards away, in flames and breaking his stealth.

The moment it broke, the mage backed up, casting his ensnare spell and watching as the rogue found himself stuck in place.

As soon as the rogue was immobilized and the mage began to cast a fire spell, the rogue lifted his hands and shouted, “I SURRENDER!”

The mage nodded, shouting, “I ACCEPT!” and, to Max’s surprise, the mage had lived to see another day.

“You’re surprised by that victory.”

Max glanced at Adaneth and nodded. “I’m assuming the mage has practiced that multiple times. Knowing how long stealth lasts, how far a rogue can go with that skill, and at what speed they can move takes working with or against one.”

She nodded. “A smart mage is a dangerous thing. Thankfully, most are used to fighting monsters who haven’t figured out how to use tactics to fight.”

Chuckling, Max turned his attention back to the floor where they were getting ready for another fight. One he wanted to watch.

The human male that he had pointed out when they first started talking was out there. He hadn’t drawn any weapons yet, but his chain armor told Max he was a fighter of some type. His opponent was also a melee fighter, sporting a hodgepodge collection of chain armor. The female human had two swords and was squatting down some, holding her weapons ready.The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“That Alfred is a bastard,” Adaneth hissed. “He is going to play with her.”

Max glanced sideways before turning his attention to the two fighters as the bell rang. “Play with her?”

She nodded and said nothing more.

Max watched as the woman rushed toward Alfred. He lowered his stance slightly and prepared for the woman coming at him.

She attacked, her swords moving in a combination high-low attack, and the man used his hands to simply deflect the blades, moving to the side before slapping the back of her head with his hand.

The woman spun around, slashing, expecting Alfred to be behind her, only to find he had moved with her, staying so close he was almost pressed against her. His movements were perfect and fast. As she swung that second time, he reached from behind and slammed his thumb into her left eye.

She howled in pain, and Max winced, having felt a similar thing before.

Even in pain, she turned, swiping blindly and trying to catch the man, who had just blinded her, with a lucky strike.

He leapt backward, putting a few yards between them.

Blood was streaming from her injured eye, and Max saw the rage on her face. She was struggling to handle the pain flowing through her optic nerve and still be able to react to and attack the man who was obviously faster and more skilled than she was.

She came at him again, her balance off as she attacked.

Alfred continued toying with her, moving around her attacks and slapping her butt or giving her a shove.

The crowd roared with laughter at his every antic. Each time, she fell away, unable to handle his playful attempts.

Realizing there was no chance, she held up both swords and yelled, “I SURRENDER!”

The second she did that, Alfred darted forward, his hands disarming her and taking both swords from her grip. A look of shock came over her, but only for a second, as the man suddenly thrust both swords into her legs.

She cried out and started to fall as each leg had a sword slid along the bone as he thrust it in.

Max saw what had happened but couldn’t believe it was possible. His attack had gone through her chainmail.

Laughing, Alfred walked around her slightly, raising his hands to the crowd who roared for him. Max turned and saw both queens clapping and standing.

“Kill her! Kill her!”

The chant echoed around the Colosseum, and Max felt the weight of it calling out to him and his hunger.

The man nodded, moving behind the woman, who was unable to fall forward because the swords propped her up.

Unsure what Alfred said in her ear as he leaned forward, Max watched as the man grabbed her head and snapped her neck.

Alfred walked away, leaving her head hanging like a rag doll.

Staring there, making sure his mouth was closed but still taking in the sight, Max heard a slight cough.

“It gets worse,” Adaneth said. “And I haven’t even gone.”

When the male elf Max had felt was different from the rest walked out carrying a massive staff and wearing robes, Max immediately knew it was going to go differently than the first.

The warrior he faced had a shield and a sword, being at least smart enough to try and protect himself from the spells that would come at him.

Max stared at the elven man in his flowing white and red robe as he looked at his opponent with disdain.

The mage shouted something at the warrior and waited for a response. As if the warrior realized it would not go well for him, the man shouted, “I SURRENDER!” and the elf accepted it, walking out from the battleground without casting a spell.

The crowd booed at the lack of a fight, but Max could only wonder why.

“It happens more than you realize,” Adaneth informed him as she started to crack her neck. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must prepare.”

The following two fights were nothing of value, both victors killing their opponents and barely managing to stand on their own. It was evident that some knew how to fight and those who did not, and the lure of gold had cost them their lives.

Max watched as Adaneth strode out into the arena. Her entire outfit was chain armor dyed red to match her hair. A pair of axes with hooks on the end was in her hands.

Her opponent was a mage who looked like he believed he had the upper hand.

The bell rang, and the mage did what all the others had done before. He Cast ensnare and watched the roots climb up the legs of his opponent.

Adaneth smiled and leaned over, using her axes on the vines.

“Elf tits,” Max muttered louder than he had meant to.

He had never realized that one could attack the roots to help break free. It made sense with how stronger monsters broke them earlier, freeing themselves.

Seeing the warrior doing just that, the mage launched two fireballs at her, both inflicting damage but not nearly as much as Max had expected. She never stopped hacking, and ten seconds before the ensnare would usually end, she was free, running at the mage, zig-zagging and making it hard for him to target her.

He released a point-blank fireball that did hit her, but the next moment, a head rolled along the dirt floor, and the crowd was on its feet. Applause and the stomping of feet made the room he was in shake while the noise of their shouting hurt his ears.

As Adaneth walked toward the gate for the fighters, Max saw her look at him and wink. She was obviously enjoying herself and putting on a show.

The last fights of round one were over quickly and, with no delay, the second round began.

Peralit had fought the warrior from the first fight, and for a moment, Max thought she had it in the bag, having hamstrung him from the start. Then a blow Max had not expected the warrior to land crashed into her and shattered her leg. Her greatest asset had been her mobility while doing damage. Now, she was unable to move as the warrior limped toward her.

She begged to be spared, and the man nodded, ending the match and waiting to be healed so he could walk away.

As Max waited for the gate to open, and let him enter the fighting area, he turned to the man with a metal tablet.

“Wanting to bet on yourself, sir?”Max nodded. “What are the odds?”

Tapping the metal plate, the man read something from a screen and smiled. “You have one to two odds. Bet one gold to win twenty-five silver.

Snorting, Max shook his head. “Bet all ten on myself.”

The man smiled and nodded. “Best of luck.”

His opponent was the mage who had won by knocking out another mage with his staff. Max saw the mage shaking even from thirty yards away.

“Would you like to surrender or die?” Max shouted before the match started. “I gave the other man the option. He could have kept his gear had he surrendered.”

The mage took a moment and looked at Max, and the image of what he had done to the warrior replayed in the man’s mind. Holding up both hands, the mage shouted his surrender, and Max accepted, walking away without breaking a sweat.

That’s twenty-five gold. One more fight, and then I’m done.

Max stood in the room, noticing the warrior he would face next, watching him.

Unsure if the warrior would fight him or surrender, Max gave him a brief nod before returning his attention to the fights.

He hoped to see the others in action a little more.