Limits

After that short conversation, I directed my view towards the platform. The last Lizard in our group, was currently fighting a hard battle. He was losing against a Golem, that had four arms, each holding a different weapon. I asked Roland, that stood next to me "Was the competition, always so intense?".

Roland shook his head, and replied "No. I did this four times already, and this is the first time, such thing happened. I don't know the reason, but usually, the hardest battles were fought in 10th round. Sometimes…", before he could finish, the battle on the platform came to a conclusion. The Lizard lost, while the announcer screamed "Another warrior goes down! There are only three warriors left! Will the challengers be the ultimate winners?".

The crowd cheered even more. The announcer then screamed "The next battle, will be between Garond and Jora!". Garond made his way towards the platform, while Roland that stood next to me, said "This is bad. I saw Jora's last battle. He was fighting in the 10th round, and won. Garond may lose here". I looked at the platform, and thought 'Something is fishy around here. Supposedly, the owner employed us, in order to win and maximize his profits. Yet we receive hard opponents, in the 4th round already. This doesn't make sense. I think the owner is on to some shady business'.

Whether I thought like this or not, the Arena had one rule. You are either a winner, or a loser. If we lose, we fail our task, and if we win, we receive the rewards. 'When someone can't win, it's their fault. They were weaker, and so shouldn't participate in such task' I thought. It was a hard reality, and it left a bad taste in my mouth, knowing that someone is rigging the game.

Jora was a Lizard, but not any Lizard. It had a hint of golden colour on its black skin. 'Although this Lizard is not pure royalty, one of his parents must've been. That is why, he has a hint of golden colour on his body. No wonder he is strong, as long as he received some benefits from the royals, he should be strong' I thought. Jora's weapon of choice, was a single dagger. I also noticed something on his left hand, it looked like a bracelet of some sort.

'This thing might be a weapon, or some kind of item with a Formations. Let's see how this goes' I though, and watched the battle. Garond rushed at his opponent, but what happened next, surprised even me. 'This Jora guy is much faster than me. He is also quite strong' I though. Garond received the beating of his life, then Jora threw him off the platform. He had no chances against such an opponent. Even I would have a hard time, fighting that guy, provided I used all my skills and my ice power.

Garond barely picked himself up from the ground, and walked towards us. Roland rushed over, and supported him. They both returned to our area, where Roland placed Garond on one the chairs. I came over, and took a look at Garond. After a while, I said "His ribs are broken, as well as his arm". Roland nodded, and give him some medicine. Although this Garond guy was my teammate, I would not give him stuff for free. His injuries were his problem. I only examined him, as it didn't cost me anything.

The crowd finally managed to calm down a bit, the announcer shouted "This was a quick battle! Let's see if the next one will be even more thrilling!". The crowd screamed again, while the announcer spoke some other rubbish, I didn't listen to. When he was done with his usual gibberish, he shouted "The next fight, will be between Roland and Hagar!".

Roland didn't seem happy, about his opponent. I asked "Can you win?", but Roland shook his head, and said "I don't know. This guy usually appeared in the 9th or 10th round. He is quite strong, I never fought with him, but I saw his battles before". He then headed towards the platform. Hagar was of the same race, as that pig owner and his assistant. Although Hagar was more robust, and taller, than the other two. On his back, a large axe was attached.

The battle started, and both Roland and Hagar ran at each other, with everything they had. Hagar was much stronger compared to Roland, but Roland was faster. They exchanged a few blows, and Hagar seemed to be winning, but then Roland utilised his Aura. His Aura felt like a calm sword, that was about to take someone's life. Roland then released a skill. It looked similar to the one, that woman used to severed my arm. Hagar didn't linger either, and released his own skill. The axe in his hand glowed red, and shot out a beam of fire towards Roland.

Both skills clashed in the middle, and Roland's skill seemed to weaken in power, after the initial clash. It was about to break, when Roland moved to the side, and used the same skill again. His first attack broke, and the beam of fire landed in the place, that Roland used to stand on. Hagar's skill missed, and even worse for him, he was blasted by Roland's skill.

He tried blocking it, but was pushed back to the edge of the platform. Roland shouted loudly "HAAAAH!", and used the skill again. Hagar intended to counter it, but because his skill was used in a hurry, it was less powerful. Hagar's skill dispersed, and he was pushed outside of the platform. The announcer exclaimed loudly "Our warrior Roland, wins!". Roland seemed very tired. 'The skill must've used most of his energy' I thought.

He came back to our sitting area, and sat heavily onto one of the chairs. After a while, he said "If this is the 4th round, I don't think, I will be able to last 6 more". I knew what he meant, if the battles got even harder, he would lose for sure. The question was, how much would he lose. Would it be some minor injuries, or much more than that?

The announcer shouted "We are going for a short break now. After the break, the Dark Traveller will face Flint!". I thought 'Good, it's the guy who won against that Atol. He should not be such an issue' I thought. I decided to go to a private room, and eat some meat. I said to Roland "I will be back soon". He nodded, and tended to his own tiredness. I went to the private room, and took off my mask.

'I wonder, if I'm be able to win all 10 battles as well? My next opponent is not that difficult, so this should give me some breathing time. I also need to play for time. I need Roland, to share the difficult opponents. When I'm alone, I will have to face all of them' I thought, and ate some meat. With my meal done, I went back to the area, and awaited my fight. Roland seemed much better, compared to when he just left the platform.

Soon, the announcer shouted "Welcome back, after this short break! Dark Traveller and Flint, will now battle for the honor! Let the battle commence!". I stood up, and walked onto the platform. I already saw how Flint fought, so defeating him was not an issue. I still planed to take it slow. I needed to gain some time, for Roland to recover. When enough time passed, I thought 'Alright, I will end it now', and kicked Flint off the platform. I left the platform myself, and sat next to Roland.

Roland said "You did this on purpose, to give me more time. I appreciate that". I replied "How are you? Can you continue?". He said "I have about 80% of my strength. It will depend on my opponent, but if it's as easy as yours, I should win". I nodded my head, and awaited the announcement of the next battle.