20. Plaything

"Look over there," Fritz pointed at the cages where dwarves were imprisoned. "There's more of them."

Newt glanced in the direction. "You're right. Are they being forced to fight monsters into a deathmatch?!"

At the far end of the colosseum, that was where Fritz and Newt were. It seems like the deathmatch has been going on for a long time. There were dead dwarves and monsters piled up at one part of the stage.

"Kill the dwarf! We want to see more of them dead!"

The monsters despise the dwarf. They wanted the one fighting the monsters, dead. Viciously cheering for their own kind, monsters threw insults at the dwarf.

"What are we gonna do? There's too many of them here." Newt asked. The monsters' numbers were countless.

"In a war, there is a general. He's the head of the warriors, of the knights, of the cavaliers. He controls them and everything. But what happens when this general die?"

"I don't know. Haven't participated in a war before."

"It's easy. Their force will crumble and, the general-less soldiers will decrease their morale. The remaining forces will lose their will to fight. Imagine having your general, the strongest among the forces lose its life in a fight. There could be nothing more perfect than that!"

There were times where Fritz acted gentle and, there were times where he acts and thought wickedly.

"Wow, so smart! But, wait," Newt put a halt to Fritz, who's currently walking towards the boss-looking monsters.

"What is it?" Asked Fritz.

Newt shook his head. "I was gonna ask if we can beat the final boss. But then I remember what Demiurgus said."

'Never doubt your own abilities.'

Fritz, alongside Newt, began towards the swarm of monsters with a plan on their mind. The two of them will propose a fight against the boss of the fifth level. If Fritz and Newt come out victorious, they'll free the remaining dwarves captured by the monsters. And if they lose, well, it's the end of the line for them.

"Humans! I can smell humans!" Monsters shifted to the two kids' location. 

"And kids at that! They're mine. I want to kill them and eat their meat!"

'Fucking monsters think they are hotshots. Just you wait until I slaughter 

all of you.'

Three significant figures of monsters surged from their seats at the same time. It wasn't what Fritz was expecting. He thought that there would only be one final boss.

'It seems that the missing monsters and bosses were here after all.'

"What are these kids doing here?!" Said one of the three bosses. They looked alike, must be brothers. "This isn't the place for kids!" He ordered his lackeys to get rid of the two kids, which the monsters immediately obeyed.

"So, we must prove ourselves first. Okay, that's fine. Small fries will do the 

warming up!"

Enraged by Fritz's words, the monsters rashly threw themselves in and attacked the two kids. Newt brought out the Blemish Dagger. It was pretty damaged. It could break at any time. Fritz took out his bow and arrows inside his spatial inventory.

The stairs, where there were countless numbers of spectators' seat on both sides, was where the fight took place.

Easily, Fritz and Newt didn't even sweat themselves after taking down all of the monsters who rushed towards them.

"Who would have thought that these kids are promising! Splendidly done!"

Monsters who can and can't speak gave the two kids a round of applause. Seconds passed by but, the monsters didn't stop applauding. Not until one of the three brothers put a stop to it with his loud growl.

"Let's hear what the two kids want."

Among the five dwarves who were fighting for their lives against many monsters, one remained standing swarmed by many vicious monsters. From the looks of it, the dwarf girl who was fighting the monsters were all bones and skins. She mustn't have eaten for days. She looked famished and fatigued, her skin's dull and dry. She couldn't even lift up her weapon given to her.

"The little girl's mine!"

"No, she's mine! I'll add her to my collections!"

"I'll feed her with her own kind first! She looks so thin. After she gains 

weight, I'll make her my pet!"

The monsters argued about who the dwarf girl belonged. They quarrel and throw punches at each other, causing a ruckus on their side.

The deafening growl of the monsters' boss caught everyone's attention, even the girl. She didn't bother covering her ears with all that noise.

Two particular figures caught everyone's attention. These two kids made every monster crave for their flesh, blood, and life.

"Let's hear what the kids want!"

The eldest among the three boss brothers was the one who growled and was willing to listen.

"They seem promising. Those kids took out ten opponents with pure physical abilities."

He came after the eldest. Resting magnificently on his seat, gobbling on what seems to be dwarf meat.

"That's absurd! Speaking equally to humans is unreasonable and, kids at 

that!"

Louder, as always, the youngest of the three does not like sharing a conversation with any race but his.

All monsters who were eager to have a share of the two kids' flesh and blood stood patiently. They will not defy their leaders' orders, for it will cost them their lives.

"We're here to fight whoever the boss here is." For such a kid, Fritz talks big. That's what it looks like to the monsters who were listening to him. "If we win, you'll let all the remaining dwarves out."

"And if you lose?" Asked the eldest.

"We die, of course. Ain't a bad deal, right?" There were no traces of arrogance in Fritz's tone.

Without having second thoughts, the eldest of the three brothers agreed to Fritz's proposal.

"But before that, we'd like to test the two of you again. Our little brother here's not convinced."

"Mardok will do the assessment!"

The youngest of the three brothers is called his right-hand man. Carrying a mace around him, Mardok walked towards the middle of the stage.

[Mardok, the Wild Orc]

Surprisingly, Fritz could see the title of the monsters who reaches a certain level among their tribe or clan.

"Are you sure he's the only one you're calling out to fight us?" Newt said confidently. Fritz's statement and plan earlier steeled his resolve.

The Orc brothers liked Newt's confidence. They desire humans who love to fight and prove themselves.

"Mardok himself will do the job of eliminating you brats!"

Orc monsters cheered and yelled Mardok's name. "Bash their heads and tear them into pieces!" One orc supported the others' yelling.

Triumphantly, Mardok raised his mace. The cheerings of the orcs boosted his confidence in himself and his abilities.

Fritz and Newt went down the stage. Orcs' and dwarves' dead bodies lie everywhere on the stage.

"You can start the fight anytime you want. You lose, you die. Simple as that."

Fritz has a bow and arrow, whilst Newt has a dagger and karambit on both hands.

"Make sure you don't hit me," Newt said to Fritz with a bitter smile on his face.

The latter grins and replies, "what are the odds?" Fritz burst into laughter.

"Enough with the idle talking and, let's begin!"

Mardok initiated the first one to attack. Vigorously, swinging his mace at Newt. The latter was leaping back repetitively. One single swing from Mardok could break a few bones.

"Stop running around and fight me! Come! Attack!"

From afar, Fritz shots three arrows aimed towards Mardok. Unfortunately, the latter used his mace to fend off the arrows.

"Annoying little bastard!"

'They are crazy! Who do they think they are? Do they really think they 

could beat those disgustingly ugly pigs?!'

Resting on her back against the wall, the dwarf girl thought that Fritz and Newt had death wishes.

'I shouldn't put my faith in them. They're just kids like me. What can they do?'

The dwarf girl brushed the thought of Fritz and Newt annihilating the Orcs' forces off. She closed her eyes to rest and sleep, even if for a short time. She's been awake the whole time and got little sleep, or should I say naps, ever since the Orcs appeared.

But, when she was about to sleep, the crowd of monsters lets out an awed expression. Curious to know why they were flabbergasted, the dwarf girl threw quick glances in the direction where Fritz, Newt, and Mardok were.

"You fucking rats! How dare you cut me!"

Down on one knee, Mardok groaned. His left eye was of no use anymore and, his right foot's tendon was cut. He tried to stand straight, enduring the wound.

The dwarf girl silently realized something as the fight continued. Winning the battle against the Orcs is was possible.

'Hey, hey, hey, aren't these kids too good?!'

Mardok became Fritz and Newt's plaything. Every time Mardok decided to attack, Newt would advertently put his guard down and, when Mardok threw swings at Newt, Fritz from afar would shoot arrows stopping Mardok's track.

~