I didn't know how much time had passed, but I estimated it was around 30 minutes when an orc brought Grandma back.

""Grandma!""

Si and I were both happy that she had returned, but she had a skeptical look.

"What's happening?"

I asked in surprise, and she turned to us.

"I think those fucking orcs mistook us."

She looked at me with worried eyes.

"What do you mean?"

“The fight was the first of tonight, in the betting arena, and my opponent was a full-grown tree crab, a little bit rare around here, but their size is just about your size, En. Besides, they're not the best fighters.”

If what Grandma says was correct, it could be a severe problem for her and me!

The later evening came closer and closer, and another of the new ones was taken away. And when we were ready and sure that our cage was done for today, when they came again.

"You fucking b*st*rd!?"

Grandma cursed when one of the orcs grabbed me. She hurled a little lightning at his hands. The associated orc just twitched and then tossed grandma with his hand away. He grunted very loudly twice and put me in the transport box.

“En! You can do it! I am sure."

As sure as Si was, as insecure, I was. The orc took the transport box and carried me towards the exit. Outside I could see the other barns where all kinds of beings were kept. But the orc's goal was the huge building we were in before when the four orcs quarreled.

The orc opened the door and entered the back area of the arena. The arena was huge, and the tiers were packed to the brim.

The view reminded me a bit of the Colosseum.

The orc literally threw me out of the cage into a small dark box. He grunted a few times before closing the gap, and I was left alone in the dark.

A loud voice that could be attributed to a female orc echoed through the arena. It sounded like she was introducing my opponent because the whole stadium cheered. My paws were starting to shake. No matter what awaits me, it would not be easy to get out of here alive.

A sidewall of the box raised, and the light of the arena blinded me. When my eyes got used to the light of the hall again, I could see my opponent. A young orc stood across from me. In his hands, he held an iron ax and a wooden shield. But he wasn't wearing any armor, just plain cloth clothing. He didn't look nervous, so I assumed this fight wasn't his first.

Laughter came from the stands when I left the box towards the arena.

I will show you! You lousy assholes!

I hopped forward a few jumps and shortened the distance between the two of us.

*Ding Ding ding*

A bell rang, and without wasting a second, the orc shortened the distance and stroked his ax vertically. I just managed to jump aside when his ax crashed into the ground.

Ha!?

I didn't expect orcs to be that fast. It was a surprise, but that didn't mean I gave up. I jumped back and prepared a ball of fire.

Damn! Now of all times!?

I failed to summon the fireball properly, and instead, I had a somewhat slimy looking mass of fire. It was unstable, but I still hurled it at the orc. The orc cut the mass lengthways and leaped towards me. He lashed out from the right and swung the ax horizontal. I immediately jumped in the air to avoid the attack, but I saw how the corner of the orc's mouth lifted.

Fuck!? I fell into his trap!

The orc's shield came up to me quickly and slammed the side of my head. I was thrown several meters through the air and landed hard on the gravel floor.

Ouch!

My foot, which had previously been grazed by the arrow, began to bleed, probably the scratch reopened.

Fuck you! Really Fuck you!?

There was no clear thought in my head. Nothing came to mind, my emotions overwhelmed, and I cursed inwardly.

Slow steps approached me. The orc had become arrogant and wanted to end our fight with one last blow. He slashed at me, but I jumped aside and threw a fireball, successfully, at him.

The fireball landed on the orc's face, who screamed miserably. He dropped the ax to put out the flames on his face. I took the chance and stole the ax from under his feet. The ax handle was firmly in my mouth as I turned around and looked at the orc. The part of his face that the fireball hit directly was burned.

It was when he looked at me that the orc realized that I had stolen his ax. He ran towards me, but I kicked another fireball at him. He raised the shield to defend the ball, but it paved the way for me to attack him. I ran beneath his shield, past his legs, but the blade of the ax brushed his leg. I couldn't allow a direct hit with it because I couldn't swing to cause deep wounds. I would also injure my teeth if I hit with the ax directly.

The orc buckled through the wound, but he immediately pushed himself up again.

What shall I do!?

With his shield out, he rushed towards me. I had to act quickly. I didn't have time to think about it for long. I jumped back a few meters and threw the ax as well as I could on the platform to my right. The ax flew and landed with the blade in the wall, where it got stuck.

He lost his weapon for now.

It was only a matter of time before he would get a new weapon, so my only chance to end the fight was now.

So, then!

I reached out and ran towards the orc, who was also running towards me with his shield first. I waited until he was within range when I conjured up a ball of fire and, together with the ball, jumped head-on against the wooden shield.

The fireball exploded and shattered the shield. My horn struck the orc's shoulder and pierced the skin and flesh to the bone. Out of reflex, he shook me off. He reached for one of the pieces of the ruined wood shield. He waved it in front of me and tried to hit me, but I kept backing away.

In one of his turns, he made a step mistake and started to stagger. Whether it was fate, luck or coincidence was not necessary to me because I use this opportunity. He was wide open, so I jumped toward his chest and rammed my horn as closely as possible into the place where the heart should be. Then I started scratching his chest with my front paws. I tore his cloth shirt and cut open his skin. When the orc recovered, he pushed me away.

When I landed, I looked over at him. Except for the wound through my horn, the injuries on his chest, even if they were innumerable, didn't look life-threatening. I had to be prepared for anything else, so I prepared for another attack from him.

*Bam*

The orc's body suddenly dropped to its knees. He began to cough and spit blood.

What's going on here?

He leaned forward and vomited a mixture of his stomach contents and blood. An orc's blood was surprisingly bright, more orange than red.

*Bam*

This time the orc had collapsed entirely. I was a little surprised, but it appeared that the stab wound on the chest was deep enough.

Two orcs entered the arena. While one watched me, the other leaned down to the orc. He then looked into the upper tiers. To be precise, his eyes went to the female orc I once met. The orc shook his head, which led me to conclude that my opponent was already dying. However, what surprised me was that the orc was looking at the cut I had made with the ax. When I tried to look more closely from the side, I could see a swelling and a bluish tint.

Poison!?

I turned my gaze to the spectator ranks where the ax should be. Some orcs were about to remove the ax.

I looked back at the orcs in the arena. The female orc's voice echoed through the hall, and as a result, the orc drew a dagger next to the wounded man and cut his throat. It was strange how emotionless my adversary's death left me, but he wanted to kill me first.

A blue ball left the dead orc's body.

A soul? Wait a minute, can no one else see this soul?

Nobody noticed this ball. It reminded me of the shapeless sphere of magic Grandma created. The ball began to move back and forth.

Is that normal!?

The ball, or soul, whatever it was, came closer and closer to me.

Huh? What do you want from me!? Go away.

I waved in the air, but the sphere ignored my efforts. When the orb almost reached me, it broke into small particles. These tiny particles were sucked into my horn like it was a vacuum cleaner.

What the... F*ck!?