As he made his way toward the arena, Nolan gradually felt the roar of the crowd intensify. The further he walked, the narrower and more bustling the passage became.
The sheer diversity of the people there was astounding.
Ordinary locals mingled with half-human, half-animal beings, elves, goblins, bird-women, and many other races Nolan had never encountered before.
Everyone seemed caught up in the same excitement. Shouts and shouts echoed from all directions. Some people brandished their betting slips while others crowded around small windows where employees collected bets and distributed tickets.
"BET ON NUMBER FOUR!"
"NUMBER SEVEN WILL CRUSH HIS OPPONENT!"
"I BET FIFTY CUTS ON HIM!" The clamor was becoming deafening. Nolan advanced calmly through the crowd, Tempête still perched on his shoulder.
After a few meters, he spotted a strange, slightly raised, square wall. An opening allowed him to look directly into the arena.
Intrigued, Nolan approached.
He glanced inside.
His eyes widened slightly.
"...Impressive."
Before him stretched a gigantic arena.
Thousands of seats surrounded the fighting area, forming a vast circle. In the center, a sand-covered surface extended for a considerable distance.
All around the arena, imposing metal pillars had been erected.
On each of them stood a mage.
They seemed focused, their hands sometimes raised, maintaining an immense, invisible magical structure that completely enveloped the arena.
Nolan carefully observed the barrier.
A faint glow periodically flickered across its surface.
"A magical barrier…" He immediately understood its purpose.
"So that's what the mages do. They probably prevent the fighters' attacks from crossing the arena's boundaries." A tremendous roar from the spectators pulled him from his thoughts.
"GO!"
"FINISH HIM OFF!"
"NINETY! NINETY!" Several thousand people roared with delight. Beer steins were raised in the air while hawkers circulated between the rows with trays piled high with food.
The atmosphere was more like a gigantic festival than a place where fighters risked their lives.
Nolan stood for a few moments watching the spectacle before walking away.
He then noticed a staircase leading deeper into the complex.
He started down it.
The steps were narrow, rigid, and particularly old. The stone was worn smooth by the passage of thousands of people over the years.
"This staircase must have been here for centuries..." People had to squeeze and jostle each other slightly to get through. Some grumbled, others laughed, as Nolan descended slowly.
The deeper he went, the more distant the shouts from the arena seemed.
But another sound was beginning to emerge.
Clanging metal.
Weapons being sharpened.
Doors slamming.
And, from time to time...
The low rumble of a fighter yelling from behind a door.
Nolan slowed slightly.
Tempête pricked up her ears.
Nolan gently placed a hand on his head.
"It sounds like we're going backstage."
As he descended the stairs, Nolan noticed several doors on either side of the corridor. Some were closed, while others allowed voices and noises to filter through.
At times, howls of pain echoed from behind some of the doors. It was clear that several seriously injured fighters were receiving treatment after their battles.
But some of the noises were of a completely different nature. The Black Dog Tavern was clearly not just a place for underground fights and a black market. Part of the complex was also reserved for the carnal pleasures of certain clients.
Nolan, visibly embarrassed, immediately looked away.
He scooped Stormfly into his arms and gently covered his ears.
The little wolf looked up at him, completely perplexed, as if trying to understand why his master was acting so strangely.
Nolan gave an embarrassed smile.
"Don't worry, Stormfly." "It's for your own good." Storm blinked several times before letting out a small, questioning whimper.
Nolan continued downstairs without lingering.
After a few moments, they finally reached the bottom of the stairs.
Before them stretched a long, dark corridor, dimly lit by lanterns fixed to the walls. The flames flickered gently, casting shifting shadows on the old stones.
The atmosphere had completely changed.
The roar of the arena was now nothing more than a distant rumble.
Nolan looked down the corridor ahead, Storm still in his arms.
"Well... now, let's see where this place leads." He walked slowly into the darkness, the sound of his footsteps echoing against the walls.
As he walked down the corridors, Nolan glimpsed a woman's figure in the distance.
Because of the dim lighting, it was impossible to clearly make out her face. Yet, as she approached, her features gradually became visible.
She was a tall woman, nearly 6'3". Her skin and long hair were a vibrant green. Her yellow eyes fixed on Nolan with a clearly interested expression. She wore a light fur outfit that covered most of her body.
She approached with an amused smile.
"Mmmm..."
She looked Nolan up and down before continuing in a seductive voice:
"My... You're quite handsome. Would you like to spare me some of your time?"
Nolan raised his hand slightly to interrupt her.
"There's no point in flattering me to try and get a moment with me. The answer is no."
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by his refusal.
"Oh? Are you really sure?"
She moved even closer, a provocative smile playing on her lips.
Nolan instinctively took a step back.
Her scent was particularly pleasant. He knew that some races used elixirs specifically designed to enhance their natural scent and attract attention.
Nolan looked away slightly.
"I have to admit, she's rather attractive… but it mostly smells like trouble. Best to decline."
Suddenly, Storm bared its teeth.
The small creature leaped toward the woman, attempting to push her away with a snap of its teeth.
The goblin woman quickly retreated to avoid the attack.
She looked at Storm with amusement rather than anger.
"For a small creature, you've got quite a temper."
Storm growled again, her small wings slightly spread.
Nolan quickly placed a hand on her head.
"Easy, Storm."
Then he looked at the woman.
"You're a very attractive woman, I won't deny it. But I don't really want to get into trouble right now."
The goblin watched him for a few seconds, clearly amused by his frankness.
Finally, she nodded slightly.
"Okay... whatever you say."
She walked past Nolan, patted him lightly on the shoulder, and let out a small, mocking laugh before continuing on her way.
Nolan watched her walk away for a few seconds.
Then he looked down at Storm.
"Storm… you mustn't get angry at every little thing. You'll end up scaring people away, you little bad boy."
Storm let out a small grunt, as if he categorically refused to admit his wrongdoing.
Nolan smiled, gently picked him up, and placed him on his shoulder.
"Come on. We still have things to discover."
He then continued down the dark corridor, while the lanterns continued to cast their faint light on the walls.
Walking further, Nolan arrived at a wide alley filled with fighters. Some seemed to be preparing to enter the arena, while others had just left.
The diversity of the combatants was impressive.
Giants over three meters tall stood alongside ogres, human warriors, and representatives of many other races. Assassins moved silently in the darkest corners, while pirates chatted loudly amongst themselves. Rangers, knights clad in leather armor, mages, sorcerers, and many other classes occupied the space.
The list seemed endless.
The walls were covered with weapons held by thick metal chains: machetes, sabers, daggers, axes, greatswords, wands, nunchucks, katanas, and all sorts of strange weapons Nolan didn't even know existed.
The fighters simply had to help themselves.
Everything was provided so they could enter the arena fully equipped.
But the place also told another story.
Traces of blood covered the ground. Some were old, long since dried, while others were still fresh.
Further on, Nolan spotted several seriously wounded fighters.
Some had lost a limb. Others bore deep gashes and struggled to move. The grimaces of pain on their faces spoke volumes about the violence of the fighting.
Nolan continued on his way nonetheless.
Suddenly, a huge figure loomed before him.
An ogre.
The creature was well over three meters tall. Its gray skin was covered in scars, its red eyes stared at Nolan with contempt, and several teeth protruded from its wide jaw.
But it wasn't its appearance that surprised Nolan the most.
An absolutely atrocious stench emanated from its mouth.
A strange greenish smoke even seemed to rise from it.
Nolan immediately put a hand to his nose.
Tempête, perched on his shoulder, also placed his small paw on his snout to protect himself from the smell.
The ogre sneered.
"Hey, you, human! You're far too frail to come fight here. Get out of here before you get slaughtered."
Nolan waved his hand in front of his face to disperse the smell while coughing slightly.
"You should be worried about your own smell... It's truly unbearable."
The ogre's smile vanished.
Visibly annoyed, he leaned closer to Nolan and opened his mouth even wider, deliberately exposing his teeth.
"Want a closer sniff, little human?"
Nolan immediately took several steps back.
"No, thank you. I've suffered enough already."
Without wasting any more time, he walked around the ogre and continued on his way.
The ogre stood motionless for a few seconds, stunned.
Then he yelled behind him:
"HEY! YOU FAILED HUMAN! HOW DARE YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME?! COME HERE WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
Nolan didn't even turn around.
He simply kept walking.
The ogre groaned in frustration, but finally gave up.
"Tch... What an insolent human..."
He finally turned on his heel and walked off in the opposite direction.
Nolan continued on his way until he reached a massive metal gate.
It was completely sealed off by enormous black bars.
He approached and peered through them.
The sight before him was even more impressive than anything he had ever seen before.
The arena seemed truly gigantic.
The stands stretched as far as the eye could see and were filled with thousands of spectators. The roar of the crowd was so loud that Nolan could almost feel the vibrations in the ground.
"OOOOOH!"
"FINISH HIM OFF!"
"GET UP!"
"NUMBER FOUR! YOU CAN DO IT!"
The shouts never stopped.
Even the fighters waiting their turn or those who had just finished their bouts had gathered behind the bars.
Some were yelling with joy.
Others expressed their disgust.
Some frantically cheered on one of the fighters while others mocked the one who had just fallen.
Nolan remained silent, watching the spectacle.
Tempête pricked up his ears, also captivated by the sounds coming from the arena.
Nolan placed a hand on his head.
"So this is it... the true face of these underground fights."
In the distance, a tremendous roar echoed through the arena.
The crowd erupted again.
Nolan stared intently at the battlefield, his expression gradually becoming more serious.
[Fighters' Perspective in the Arena]
The roar of the crowd echoed throughout the arena.
Two fighters stood facing each other, ready to clash.
On one side stood a bare-chested warrior, clad in black trousers. His short, slightly disheveled purple hair framed a face marked by confidence. His sculpted physique spoke of considerable strength.
In his hand, he held an enormous sword with a particularly heavy blade.
Facing him stood a tall, athletic young woman with distinctly feminine curves. Her dark hair was tousled, and her piercing gaze was accompanied by a predatory smile that revealed sharp teeth.
She wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, a dark cape billowing behind her, a reinforced crop top, and fitted black trousers equipped with two holsters, as well as several belts and straps. Her high boots and the bandages around her arms completed her warrior's appearance.
A long rifle rested on her shoulder.
Beside her stood an immense wolf with black fur. Its sharp fangs protruded from its mouth, while drool dripped slowly down its jaws. Sturdy bony growths covered its forelegs.
The warrior raised his enormous sword and pointed it directly at the young woman.
"My name is Raa'l, the Grave Digger. And you, woman?"
The young woman gave him a mocking smile before pointing her rifle at him.
"Honestly? I don't care what your name is. I didn't ask you."
A silence fell.
Raa'l sighed deeply, clearly annoyed.
"Ah... women. Always throwing a tantrum, no matter where they are." "
His expression suddenly turned serious.
"But it doesn't matter. You're going to die right here and now anyway."
BOOM!
Raa'l lunged forward.
His power was such that the sand exploded beneath his feet. Several torrents of dust were thrown in his wake as he charged straight at his opponent.
The young woman remained perfectly still.
Then, at the last moment, she slid her rifle behind her back.
Her hands moved down to her holsters.
CLICK.
She drew her two pistols.
"Come on then."
She squeezed the triggers.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Bursts of energy erupted from the weapons.
Raa'l immediately raised his enormous sword.
CLANG!
He parried the first projectile.
Then a second.
" Then a third.
The impacts made his weapon tremble, but the warrior continued to advance.
The young woman moved quickly to the side.
"Too slow."
She fired again.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The projectiles struck the ground around Raa'l.
Explosions of sand erupted one after another.
The fighter continued to move while firing relentlessly, her two pistols spitting out bursts of energy.
Raa'l parried the attacks as best he could.
"Stop running away and come fight!"
She sneered.
"Who said I was here to please you?"
Another salvo struck the ground.
BOOM!
A huge cloud of sand rose up.
Then another.
And yet another.
In a matter of seconds, torrents of sand engulfed the entire arena.
Visibility plummeted.
Raa'l vanished behind the gigantic cloud.
The young woman herself became almost invisible.
The sand continued to swirl through the air until it completely covered the magical barrier surrounding the arena.
From the stands, the spectators could no longer see anything.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"WE CAN'T SEE ANYTHING!"
"DO SOMETHING!"
"WE PAID TO SEE THE FIGHT!"
Thousands of spectators rose to their feet simultaneously.
Some pounded on the barriers, others shouted their displeasure, while bets continued to pile up in the various sections of the arena.
But amidst the commotion...
In the arena, now completely opaque...
A metallic clang rang out.
CLANG.
Then another.
CLANG!
Someone was still fighting.
But no one, apart from the two combatants, could see what was really happening behind that wall of sand.
In the middle of the arena, the situation had become particularly dangerous.
The sand was still swirling in every direction, making perception almost impossible. Neither fighter could now pinpoint the location of their opponent.
Irene advanced slowly, one arm resting on her shoulder while she held her pistol in the other.
Her gaze scanned the sandstorm with suspicion.
"You really think this deluge of sand is going to help you hide, you filthy vermin?" A predatory smile appeared on his face.
"You're only delaying the inevitable."
Suddenly...
She felt something rushing straight toward her.
Her instincts kicked in immediately.
Irene raised both pistols.
"I've found you!" But before she could fire, the cloud of sand in front of her abruptly dissipated.
A powerful blast of fire pierced the fog and hurtled straight toward her.
"What?!" Irene quickly leaned to the side.
The attack passed inches from her face.
But it was only a diversion.
A figure immediately appeared from behind the flames.
Raa'l.
Taking advantage of the opening, he spun his body and swung his sword in a sweeping motion.
"DIE!" The blade headed straight for Irene's ribs.
But just as the sword was about to strike... CRASH!
The great black wolf leaped forward.
Its jaws snapped shut on the blade.
Raa'l's eyes widened.
"Huh...?" A second later... CRASH!
The magic sword shattered cleanly between the creature's fangs. Silence seemed to fall over the arena. Raa'l froze.
His eyes trembled.
He slowly backed away several meters, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"It's... impossible..." He watched the fragments of his sword fall into the sand.
"This sword is magic... It has withstood dozens of battles... How could this wolf just break it so easily?" His breathing became ragged.
For the first time since the start of the fight, fear was clearly visible in his eyes.
"What... are you...?" The cloud of sand finally began to dissipate.
Little by little, the arena reappeared before the spectators' eyes.
Then...
The crowd erupted.
"OOOOOOOOOH!" Shouts and cheers echoed throughout the arena.
In the middle of the field stood Raa'l.
His magic sword was broken.
He was standing, but his expression had completely changed.
Facing him, Irene remained perfectly calm.
She slowly holstered her two pistols.
Then she grabbed her rifle.
The weapon gradually transformed, its size increasing until it became an imposing barrel.
Raa'l gritted his teeth.
Despite the fear gripping his stomach, he refused to give up.
"I'm not going to... die like this!" He concentrated all the energy he had left.
Flames erupted from his hands.
Heat spread around him.
"BURN!" A huge fireball was hurled toward Irene.
She didn't move.
She simply placed her enormous rifle in front of her.
Her finger rested on the trigger.
"Too slow." BOOM!
A beam of energy shot from the barrel.
He crossed the arena at lightning speed.
The fireball was pulverized as it passed.
The beam continued its trajectory without slowing down.
A fraction of a second later...
IMPACT.
Raa'l's body froze.
Then he collapsed heavily into the sand.
A few seconds of silence fell.
Then the stands exploded again.
"IRENE!"
"IRENE THE CRUEL!"
"I WON!"
"DAMN IT! I BET ON RAA'L!" The winners roared with joy while the losers ranted and raved.
Irene slowly raised a hand in victory.
Her smile widened.
"HAAAAA!" She beat her chest confidently as her wolf let out a powerful growl.
The crowd roared louder.
The wolf then approached Raa'l's body and began to devour his remains.
The scene was gruesome.
But no one seemed truly shocked.
Here, death was part of the show.
Irene finally turned on her heel and headed towards the metal gates.
[Nolan's POV]
Nolan had remained silent throughout the entire fight.
He had observed every movement.
Every attack.
Every reaction.
This woman possessed an impressive power.
"She's really strong..."
Beside him, a group of pirates shouted her name.
"IRENE THE CRUEL!"
"CAPTAIN! YOU WERE AS BEASTLY AS USUAL!"
Nolan raised a slight eyebrow.
"So... her name is Irene." The massive metal doors opened.
Irene stepped out of the arena.
Her pirates greeted her immediately, some raising their arms while others laughed and congratulated her.
She was walking through the middle of her crew when she passed near Nolan.
For a split second, their eyes met.
Irene continued on her way. Yet, even after passing him, she glanced slightly in his direction.
Nolan noticed the detail.
"Is she still looking at me?"
Beside him, the black wolf also stopped.
His eyes fell on Stormfly.
Stormfly, still perched on Nolan's shoulder, stared at the creature without looking away.
The two wolves glared at each other.
An eerie silence fell between them.
Then Stormfly curled his lips slightly.
"Grrrr..." The black wolf responded with a deep growl.
Nolan, clearly amused, placed a hand on Stormfly's head.
"Well... it seems you've already found someone to compete with." Stormfly continued to stare at the black wolf, refusing to look away.
Nolan smiled slightly.
"This day is getting more and more interesting."