The game of survival

The unfamiliar sound of chatting in an unknown language grew louder as he slowly regained consciousness.

Dan sat upright, cracking his stiff neck and slowly opening his eyes. His arm felt heavy and difficult to move, causing a moment of panic until he realised they were shackled together.

Scanning his surroundings, he noticed he was in what appeared to be an underground prison cell. It was dimly lit, with only the flickering candlelight from outside providing any illumination.

A guard, dressed similarly to those who had kidnapped him, stood just outside the cell with a long knife strapped to his waist.

"So, she was one of them," Dan sighed.

Thinking back, he had never expected Naya to be one of the bandits. Even now, he wondered if he could call them bandits, as they usually just stole and looted rather than kidnapped people on orders.

Speaking of stealing...

"Hey! You over there, where are my things?" Dan shouted. He didn't expect an immediate response; he just wanted to know if his belongings were safe. His only way back was through the dark amulet he received from Valerie, which was in the bag they stole.

The guard turned slightly, glanced at Dan, and then ignored him.

"Tsk, are you ignoring me?" Dan clicked his tongue, looking at the large iron shackles on his wrists. A silly idea flashed through his mind, and he began hitting them against the ground, hoping they would break.

"Don't waste your time and energy; those cuffs won't break," the guard said in a foreign language.

"That damned language," Dan cursed, but he deduced the guard was talking about the shackles.

Suddenly, the prison erupted in loud noises. Previously, Dan thought he was alone due to the silence, but that notion vanished as screams and shouts echoed around him.

"Hey, what's happening?" Dan asked but was ignored again.

Wondering about the cause of the commotion, he speculated it might be a jailbreak. However, the guard seemed too relaxed for that. As Dan pondered, a group of people approached his cell. Two guards flanked a man, with Naya beside him, her hands shackled.

[Open the door,] the man instructed the guard, who removed a bunch of keys from his waist, selected one, and opened the door.

The man pushed Naya into the cell, causing her to fall.

[From now on, both you and that thief will fight for your lives in the arena,] the man said to Naya, then turned to Dan. "As for you, I would have liked to give you to the Seven, but I think I'll keep the dark amulet for myself. There's nothing wrong with having one or two possessions, don't you think?" he asked with a grin but didn't expect an answer.

"My master gave me that amulet," Dan said.

"A well-decorated lie," the man scoffed, turning his back to Dan. "So, tell me, who is this master of yours? What's her name?"

"Her name is Valerie," Dan's voice echoed through the cell.

The man fell silent, shock written all over his face. He turned back to look at Dan's serious and proud expression.

"Pfft... ha ha ha, there is no Seven named Valerie," he laughed. Turning to the guards, he said, "Did you hear him? He said Valerie," prompting chuckles from the guards, who dared not remain quiet after their leader's joke.

"Listen, kid..." He placed his hand on Dan's shoulder. "We are all humans, survivors who will do anything to survive. But lying about the Seven is punishable by death. I'll let you go because of the amulet, but that won't happen again. Do you hear me?" He asked but received no reply.

"In four hours, you'll be sent to the arena for your first battle. From now on, you live by fighting for your life," he concluded, signalling the guard to lock the door and follow him, leaving Dan and Naya alone.

"You have quite the guts to lie about the Seven," Naya chuckled.

"Cheap talk from a bandit, liar, and betrayer," Dan scoffed.

"I didn't betray you, okay?!"

"Coming from the person who stabbed me in the back."

"Alright, I'm sorry, but none of this is necessary right now," Naya said.

"Then what is?" Dan asked.

"We need to focus on winning our next match. There are lots of fighters in this prison, and they will crush us–"

"Fighting? Oh, that's on you. I'm going to break out of this cell," Dan stood up and walked closer to the cell door.

"I advise you not to do that," Naya warned, but Dan paid no heed.

Taking a deep breath, Dan exhaled sharply before launching a kick at the door. There was no sound, no contact, as if nothing had happened, but Dan was sure he had kicked the door. Suddenly, a strong force hit him in the gut, sending him crashing against the wall and causing a loud sound but surprisingly nobody was alerted not even the guards

Cough cough

Dan curled up in pain, rolling on the floor.

"I told you so," Naya rolled her eyes.

"Huff... what was... that?" Dan asked, gasping for air.

"I don't know either. It's made from a special metal that absorbs any attack and doubles it, sending it back to whoever made the attack," Naya explained.

"Oh, is that so..." Dan finally got up, resting his back against the wall. He accepted that there was no way out except to fight.

"What's the battle like?" Dan asked.

"Finally," Naya said. "Well, I don't know much either. I've never fought in an arena, but I've seen one. Based on what I saw, it will be deadly and gruesome."

Hours passed, and it was time. A guard opened the cell door, and two others escorted Dan and Naya out. As Dan stepped into the corridor, his eyes widened. It was filled with people of all sizes, and the thought of fighting them all sent a cold chill down his spine.

Minutes later, they arrived at the arena, which was large enough to hold over ten thousand people. The crowd was shouting, cheering, and rejoicing at the prospect of watching people kill each other. Dan wondered what was so enjoyable about such violence.

As he looked around, his gaze fell on the high chamber where the man from the prison stood with others who looked like nobles.

The man stepped forward and, with a wave of his right arm, the arena fell silent.

"Welcome once again, my brothers and sisters..." He bowed to the nobles behind him. [...my lords and ladies…] Turning back to the audience, he cleared his throat. [...we have been blessed by the Seven with life, food, shelter, and progress to see this day and witness another entertaining, thrilling, and heartwarming combat in this sacred arena. Today, unlike other days, thirty warriors will fight to the death until only five remain standing. We will pray for the fallen and celebrate the victorious…] He signalled the guards to throw various weapons into the arena.

[...with no further ado, let the battle begin.]