“Five to one odds, sir.”

Max nodded, signing the sheet as the man watched him with dismay.

“You realize you could walk away now with over four hundred gold?”

Nodding again, Max turned around, looked at his usual guard, and gave a thumbs-up.

The man smiled and returned the gesture before his fellow guard grunted.

“May the gods have mercy on you,” the worker said as he walked away.

Max didn’t reply but stood at the gate, watching it slowly open to the floor and listening to the noise of the crowd as it did.

“I bet everything,” the guard shouted over the noise. “Show these nobles a beating.”

Max strode out and considered the words the guard had just spoken.

The man he was about to fight was walking from another gate fifty yards away. No guards or escort had ever been with him, and Max was starting to understand why.

This man is nobility and strong. He has to have three skills, and one must be maxed.

Realizing these things, Max tried to figure out what he might face.

The man was fast and strong and hadn’t used a single weapon yet.

Does he have a weapon skill?

Max crossed the line that marked the magical barrier and moved to the tiny dot representing his starting point.

There, across from him, was the man wearing his black chain outfit, smiling.

“I’m not sure I can tell you how excited this moment makes me. It has been a long time since someone has played with me.”

Snorting, Max shook his head as he took his halberd out of storage.

“It appears people don’t want you to die. I was told I’m not allowed to kill you without upsetting some people. That is unless you choose to fall upon my weapon like my last opponent.”

Alfred started to laugh, wiping a single tear that had formed away.

“That was a thing of beauty. For a moment, I wondered if Adaneth’s old trick would work, yet you didn’t fall for it. Tell me, have you researched her so well? How much time have you spent to learn so much about us?”

Max tried to keep his face blank.

Does this fool actually believe I only won because I have been researching them?

“Are you planning on surrendering or offering me that chance?”

Laughing again, Alfred shook his head no. “I won’t surrender. My parents believe I will, but I won’t ever let someone beat me and get away with it. You should also know I like playing with my food before I eat it.”

The young man grinned, displaying every tooth he could after that comment.

“I suggest you don’t kill yourself then,” Max shouted as he prepared for the bell.

Moving forward slowly, Max watched as Alfred stood there as he had his previous fight, knees slightly bent and waiting for him to come. No weapon presented itself, and Max was thrown off by that.

I know there are hand-to-hand fighting skills, but…

When he got within ten yards, the notifications started.

[ Consume has detected an attack by the Ability: Drain Power ]

[ Consume is trying to defend ]

[ Consume has resisted attempt ]

[ Consume is trying to defend ]

[ Consume has resisted attempt ]

[ Consume is trying to defend ]

[ Consume has resisted attempt ]

[ Consume is trying to defend ]

[ Consume has resisted attempt ]

Max ignored them as they flooded his vision and saw a look in Alfred’s eyes.

The man's face reacted with every step he took, and those notifications kept coming.

“Impossible!”

Max saw the opening and went for it.

Closing the last few yards, Max thrust with his halberd while setting up for a spin.

Alfred leapt back, dodging the attack and trying to figure out why what he was expecting to happen didn’t.

“How?! How come it doesn’t work?!”

A child cannot consume the father… yet a father can consume the child…

Max heard those words and almost froze. So many questions filled his mind, and nothing else came but a desire, more intense than any other, to end Alfred’s life.

The man continued to move away, keeping his distance and looking bewildered with every attack Max made.

Then his face changed.

“You have one!”

“One what?” Max taunted as he went for another attack, keeping Alfred from being able to stand and talk.

“That is the only way! There is no other way you could resist my skill!”

Max shook his head, playing the fool and slowly closing the gap between him and Alfred.

“I’m going to have fun killing a noble brat,” Max said. “Can’t suck on mom’s teat all your life, can you?”

Rage filled Alfred’s eyes as he realized the easy fight he had anticipated was gone, and he tried to find a way to overcome the situation he was caught in.

“Keep running. Perhaps your parents will still love you even if you are a coward, and the whole Kingdom sees it.”

Max felt foolish as these taunts kept coming from his mouth. They came from inside him, not from his own mind but from inside. Knowing what would drive the other man crazy.

“Perhaps they will adopt me and see I’m the one they should love!”Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The second those words left Max’s mouth, Alfred dashed forward, still holding no weapons and no longer caring about the halberd cutting for his side.

He ducked under the strike, barely avoiding the blade, and Max realized Alfred had activated a skill when he shimmered green for a brief moment.

Unconcerned, his weapon twisted, the momentum bringing the butt toward Alfred, who held up a hand to block it.

The impact sent him backward, stumbling a few steps back, into range of the blade that Max sent once again at him.

For the first time Max could remember, Alfred looked afraid and confused.

His hands came up, sliding the blade slightly out of the way and sending the attack high.

Max smiled as he realized that Alfred had evasion.

Half a second remained, and Max saw his only chance. He knew it was going to be the only way he might win and end the man's life.

Twirling on his heels, he brought the axe head around, quickly driving it toward Alfred, who prepared to deflect it to the side once again.

Max felt the power inside him take over.

[ Power Strike ]

Only a few people would have noticed the weapon flash just as it crashed into Alfred’s hands.

Most of them believed the glow was from the man's ability ending.

He had timed it perfectly, two seconds, knowing when it would end, and as it did, the blade cut through both hands, slicing down the man’s shoulder and into his chest.

Max saw the light in those brown eyes fade as he turned his axe slightly, slicing through the heart, then watching as the body fell to the ground.

Healers rushed forward, smacking into the barrier that had not come down. apparently, the person responsible for it was caught off guard.

The healers pitched forward, but not before Max felt the rush of cold power and a burning sensation fill him.

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Skill conflicts with Consume ]

[ Skills are trying to merge ]

[ Merge Unsuccesful ]

[ Skill failed to Merge. Attempting to Consume Rank of Skill ]

[ Skill Rank is equal to Current Rank ]

[ Power Stored for Future Use ]

[ Consume is Evolving ]

Max fell to the ground, breathing hard as his body fought against him.

People were running past him, laying hands on the young man who had just died, and Max felt someone pull him back.

The crowd was shouting and cheering as twenty soldiers rushed out and surrounded Max, each pointing a spear at him.

Yet Max couldn’t stand.

Inside him was a war, a change. Something was taking place, and he didn’t know how to explain it. The power of his skill battered against the walls of his will to hold it back.

And then it vanished. The feeling of the struggle was gone.

“I SAID STAND!”

A spear poked his side, and Max realized someone was talking to him.

Rising to his feet, Max had a grip on his halberd, not having yet realized his situation.

“Drop the weapon!”

Seeing and sensing he was surrounded, Max put his halberd in storage and watched as the soldiers waited.

The Colosseum was filled with boos at the soldier's actions.

He glanced over and saw the healers shaking their heads and looked to follow their eyes.

The two Queens stood on the edge, watching him and the situation unfolding before them.

Outrage filled the crowd as the soldiers started to herd Max toward the Queen’s box.

One of them raised a hand, the one with red hair, watching him intently.

The sound from the building ended faster than one could snap their fingers.

Max glanced around at the soldiers who appeared scared to be this close to the Queens and perhaps also suffer from their outrage.

“Seth Pendal, why did you kill him?”

Max stood there, feeling his mind being tugged at and something wanting him to speak a certain way.

[ Consume has detected an attack by an unknown ability ]

[ Consume is trying to defend ]

[ Consume has partially resisted attempt ]

“I didn’t think it would kill him.”

Max’s words felt like he was talking into a long hallway. They felt distant, but he knew they came from his mouth.

“Were you warned about killing him?”

Max nodded.

“Yet you still killed him.”

Max found himself nodding again.

The other Queen moved up next to her sister, and Max realized the one talking to him had eyes that were glowing red.

The two of them conferred for a moment, but Max could not hear any sound coming from them.

Each glanced at him a few times before returning to their conversation.

He wanted to turn his eyes away, to scan the crowd, the soldiers, but he couldn’t. He was somehow drawn to them, unable to look away.

Are you there? Can you help?

No response came, and Max wondered why it had gone silent. Those last notifications had seemed different.

What does evolving mean?

A force drew him from his thoughts as he felt the Queen’s eyes staring at him.

Both pair of eyes were locked on him, and each of them were glowing red.

“Was there any way you could have not killed Alfred?”

“I could have let him kill me.”

One of the Queens laughed at his response, and the other shook her head.

They waited, watching, thinking, and Max could only stand there, unable to move.

“Did you expect to kill him?”

The question seemed weird, yet Max saw many ways to answer. His mind raced around in different circles in an instant. He felt the tugging, pulling an answer they wanted from him, yet he found a way to reply that would satisfy them and protect his secret.

“He used some skill that blocked every attack that I made. It appeared that skill wore off as my attack struck, and he was not able to resist it.”

Both sisters nodded slowly, and the pressure he felt began to ease for a moment as their eyes started to dim.

He felt they were waiting and wondered what they might ask next.

A man with weird clothes appeared next to them, barely in his vision, but Max realized it was the announcer.

The Queen with the red hair stared at him, her eyes glowing like rubies with a light behind them.

“Your actions will cost you the money you have made tonight. That will go to the family whose son you killed. That shall be your punishment. I will not let them collect your life. You have my word. If anyone asks you, this was your idea to forfeit the money. Do you understand?”

Max nodded.

With that, she turned, the pressure that held him was gone, and the world seemed to roar back into existence.

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! PLEASE SETTLE DOWN AND LET ME INFORM YOU OF WHAT YOUR QUEENS HAVE PROCLAIMED!”

The crowds turned and looked at the box, watching the massive ball that was hanging from the room and the vision on it.

“The winner, Seth Pendal, has informed me and my sister that he is saddened that his one attack ended the life of our previous champion, Alfred. As such, he informed us that he would donate the gold he earned tonight to the family to help ease their pain and suffering. Please congratulate our victor.”

She motioned to Max, who turned, raised his hand, and waved. A smile was on his face, and yet he couldn’t understand why. It was like he was acting without his own will.

The crowd roared and cheered for him. His name was being chanted.

“BUT WE ARE NOT DONE!”

Max walked off with the soldiers, none pointing weapons at him now as they left the floor.

He ignored the announcer, talking about the remaining fights they had to do. There were still four more brackets of higher levels to compete.

The only thing on his mind right now was returning to his inn.

Staring at the ground, Max saw the gate open, and the guard who had escorted him all night looked ready to grab him and dance.

The soldiers waited for Max to enter the room before dispersing elsewhere along the Colosseum floor.

“That good?” Max asked, smiling at the guard.

“Dear gods, yes! Over five years of my pay in a few hours!”

Max realized it had only been a few hours. What felt like forever was just the first part of a long night for the city.

As the gate closed and Max prepared to leave with his guards, Unrol appeared suddenly.

Max watched the older man stare at him. A minute passed, and neither of them moved or said a thing.

“Sir, we need to get him out of here.”

Unrol looked at the guard and held up a hand.

“Seth, I understand what happened. Tell me, were you going to keep your part of the deal we struck had that one blow not ended it?”

Max studied the older man, obviously needing an answer for someone else.

“I honestly didn’t want to kill him. I would swear that on all the good that lies within me.”

The man nodded, studying Max as he spoke.

“Very well. In that case,” Unrol took a moment to pull a backpack out of storage and dropped it on the ground. “Inside is the equipment you won tonight. Fine choice of words when you offered to give the gold to the family. Know that you are safe from us and most likely his family.”

Max nodded, and took the backpack, putting it immediately into storage and not bothering to glance inside.

“Pray we never meet again.”

With those words, the man turned and walked away, leaving Max with his two guards.

“Come on, sir, something tells me you need a few drinks.”

Max nodded and let them lead him toward the exit.

He would need more than a few.