I was shocked at how fast I moved with the new charge ability, my whole body was catapulted forward nearly instantaneously within range of my opponent. The problem with this was I wasn’t quite ready.

Elrick, too, seemed shocked and stumbled backward. He hadn’t expected me to have that speed. I swung a fast attack but it missed the mark. I took a step forward and swung again. This time Elrick countered with a block from his shield. I rained blow after blow upon him but between his sword and shield, he seemed to block each fast attack.

Damn… damn… damn!

I could hear his hollow tinny laugh through the helmet as he did so. “Is that the best you got, peasant?” he jeered. “I guess it's my turn”

Elrick stabbed forward. I managed to throw up a block in time but his sword passed right through my stance, striking a glancing blow across my breastplate. The armor held but I felt a pain across my ribs and knew they were, at the very least, bruised. I winced and staggered back.

He’s better than I expected. Much better. This is going to be a problem. A big one!

Elrick came back at me, swinging once more and I used charge to rush to another area farther away from him. I heard the crowd boo but I didn’t care, I needed time to think. Elrick tipped back the faceplate of his helm, sneering at me.

I ignored him and looked up to see my girls, Leyanna was cheering, Ella was looking through half-covered eyes and Frannie was on her feet waving her hands in frantic excitement and support. I smiled. I had been in a lot of fights in my dark past, but I’d never had anyone I cared about to cheer me on. Their support gave me strength. Purpose.

I can do this. There is always a way.

“Are you going to run all night, peasant?” I heard Elrick yell.

I checked my energy and was surprised to see it was about eighty percent full, and my health was at about ninety. It seemed he didn’t hit as hard as the golem! Not only that but I was faster and stronger than I was only a day earlier.

I decided that if light attacks wouldn’t work, once I got in close this time I’d have to give everything I had in a heavy attack. Last time I hadn’t been ready. This time it would land, I just had to time it right.

“Run from you? I wouldn’t dream of it!” I yelled back, readying myself for another attack.

I took a deep breath and then used charge and vaulted forward, raising my sword above my head as I did so, ready to slam it down on Elrick.

My blow connected, smashing him in the shoulder and denting the metal. I heard him grunt at the wound but he was quick to retaliate. He smashed my exposed stomach with a jab using the pommel of his blade. The effect was immediate,  I doubled over.

“Shit…” I cursed, feeling my stomach muscles constrict and red-hot pain well up inside of me.

Elrick raised his sword arm and brought his weapon to bear upon me with an overhand swing. This time my block succeeded, though only partially, his blade slipping past at the last second and going astray, slicing my side.

I hear gasps and cheers from the crowd. They were loving this. They were hungry for blood.

Through his visor, I saw Elrick's eyes, blue and frenzied. He was enjoying this! What a psycho!

Elrick growled and swung once more, pressing the attack. I tried to dodge and counter his wild swings but was having a harder and harder time. His reach was longer and his speed outpaced mine, even with having leveled up. I had to admit as much as Elrick looked like a slouch he was clearly well trained.

I checked my energy and saw that it had reached the halfway point and with each glancing blow across my armor, each little cut he drew upon me, my health was fading fast. I gritted my teeth as I raised my block once more, barely saving myself from a heavy blow aimed directly at my head.

Am I really going to lose? Like this?

But then I noticed something. Elrick was heaving and panting. He had all the moves, but he wasn’t invincible and he couldn’t keep up this pace. He was struggling with his heavier armor. I grinned. So he was low on energy, just like I had been in the caves! He doesn’t have enough stamina.

My eyes roamed over his armor, looking for a weakness. I saw that between the joints of his armor he was protected only with fanciful and puffed out red cloth sleeves. Furthermore his helmet appeared to be irritating him. It was loose, and when he flipped up his visor I could see that it would only take a little force applied correctly to remove it.

I can work with this… I just need to hold on a little longer. I need to get him in just the right spot for this to work…

I continued to dodge and slowly walked backward as I did so, letting him press me into the edge of the ring. I knew everyone watching me would be worried or think I was losing, but they would just have to wait and see.

No rules, they said there were no rules… first one to surrender loses. Let’s see if they truly mean that.

When we were nearing the edge my adrenaline skyrocketed. It all depended on this moment. I was backed against the stands. Elrick flipped up his visor once more, his helmet wobbling slightly.

“I have you now!” he yelled and jabbed forward with a twisted smile on his usually regal face.

I didn’t try to block it. I dropped my blade and moved my body to the side, grasping onto his arms and pulling him toward me. The sword slid past me, slicing me at the waist but then scraping uselessly against the wall behind us. I bit my inner lip and focused, ignoring the pain.

Elrick was panting, heaving. He was exhausted, confused, and angry.

Tired buddy? Good. I feel fan-fucking-tastic.

“You know Elrick, there are lots of rules in this world. Lots of ways to play a game, if you will. But I want you to know something When it comes to protecting the people I care about… I’ll break every single one of them!”

I focused my energy, tensing all of my muscles and rocketed myself forward with charge one final time, my arms outspread. I roared as I tackled Elrick and smashed my open palms upwards pushing at his iron helm.

The lanky elf collapsed beneath me, hitting the ground hard. His helmet went flying off into the dust. He cried out, his eyes panicked, his mouth wide in shock. I reached down and punched him square in his now exposed jaw. He spat blood and cried bloody murder, wriggling below me.

Oh no you don't!

I slipped behind and around him, getting him in a rear-naked chokehold, his helm no longer there to protect him. My grip tightened.

To heck with all these fancy abilities, I’m doing this my way. The way I did it on the streets. Before life changed and before I used words as my weapons. When my weapons were these two arms and these two fists.

I heard Elrick spluttering and crying out. I realized I had gotten lost, deep in memories that had sprung suddenly to the surface.

Mercy, show him mercy.

I loosened my grip slightly. “Do you give?” I asked.

“Go… to… hell…” he choked out.

I shrugged.“Fine then, I tried”

I resumed the position, tightening my hold upon him.

Elrick bashed at me with elbows and scraped me up with his armor but he couldn’t shake me. I felt his breath slowing, his body going limp. Finally, he passed out in my arms and I let him slump to the floor. I stood up and turned to a stunned audience. Silence reigned in the stadium. You could cut the tension with a knife. I turned to the referee.

He too, was at a loss for words for a few moments before he stuttered and raised a flag, using his free hand to pull a whistle to his mouth and blow. Then he screamed: “We have a winner!”

A smattering of applause turned into a raucous frenzy. Among the crowd there were people cheering, booing, and every expression possible. They were wild but I didn’t care about them. I had one thing on my mind, despite all my wounds.

As a team of medical personnel rushed the arena I had only one thought on my mind. I didn’t care for Elrick, or for any strangers in the crowd.

I want to see my girls.

***

We were out on the streets of Vale, the cool night area washing over us and the moonlight shining down. For a while, we didn’t speak much, but the air was one of satisfaction. Calm. It was Ella who spoke first:

“Are you sure you are okay, George? And Elrick… he's going to be alright too?” her soft voice spoke.

The truth was I had been fairly well patched up and released. And Elrick, though he had taken a while to wake up, had also come to shortly after getting some water splashed on his face and given a little time to rest. But I supposed to Ella it must have looked pretty grim. I understood that.

“Who cares about him!” growled Leyanna. “Good riddance, I’m proud of our farmer boy!”

She tousled my hair, evidently having forgiven me totally by this point. I got the sneaking suspicion that she might have even enjoyed the fight. Frannie meowed in agreement, worming her way between Ella and my other side, nuzzling up to me.

I chuckled and wrapped my arm around both Frannie and Leyanna’s shoulders.

“Thanks, for your support. All of you. And Ella, yes, he will be okay. He just passed out. I saw that kind of thing all the time back… when…. well…”

My face darkened and I shooed those thoughts away. There is no reason the girls need to know about that part of my history.

“In any case, Elrick was awake before we even left the stadium,” I finished, composing myself.

“Oh… I’m glad. I’m happy you won… but I don’t want Elrick to die. I don’t want that for anyone,” the elf maiden said shyly.

I saw her big green eyes were watery and nodded. “I promise Ella, I wouldn’t do that.”

She smiled and sniffled. “Good. Thank you, George.”

Leyanna interrupted, breaking free of my arm and stepping out in front of the group, rustling in her satchel and stopping us with her free hand extended outwards, palm up.

“Guys, wait! I have some more good news. I may have been a bit of a bad girl and done some gambling,” Leyanna grinned as she pulled out a handful of gold coins to show us. “I made over one thousand gold betting on you, Georgie. The odds weren’t great.” She laughed. “I figured since it's so late, let's take some of this money and stay at a really nice inn! The four of us!”

“That sounds nice…” said Ella perking up.

Frannie nodded happily.

I smiled, “Staying at a five-star hotel with three beautiful ladies? Sign me up!”