Hero Gothic 1
Part 10
The Arena.
Today was the day, I was going to fight in the arena. I had prepared as best as I could, I had new armour, a set of dark chainmail, a kick ass magic sword, as well as plenty of potions.
"Ah, you must be that new Hero everyone's talking about" a guard who standing just outside the area said "I don't think we've ever had someone so young compete before".
Well I'd been reincarnated, or something like that, so I was older than I looked.
"No pets allowed" said a larger guard.
I ordered Oggy to wait for me by the entrance.
"If you'd follow me" the shorter guard then requested.
I followed the man.
"Welcome to the Hall of Heroes" the guard said as we entered the main building "Now, I'll take you to the Arena Preparation Area".
As we walked through the Hall of Heroes, I looked around with great interest at all the statues of great Heroes. The guard noticed my interest and began to talk about what I was looking at.
"I tell you, the history of his place is wasted on the public" he told me "These are the Arena's first Heroes. Our land's heritage, but do the people care?"
He answered his own question.
"No, they don't" he said.
He looked at me as if he expected me to comment on what he had just been taking about.
"I wonder why?" I asked him.
It looked interesting to me.
"I don't need to wonder, son, I know why" my escort was now saying "The people don't want history. All they want is blood on the sand. Still, I suppose every era needs its own Heroes".
Personally I thought people would be better off if they lived in a world that didn't require any heroes at all, or at least not super powered ones. But as long as there were magical creatures around and bandits running amok in the countryside this world would need people like me.
"Still it's a shame that they forget all the great deeds these Heroes have done" my escort when on to say "All their sacrifices and, in some cases, the misery they caused. Though I can understand why people would want to forget all the evil bastards".
Having met Twinblade I could understand that point of view, even if I didn't agree with it as forgetting their horrible acts and the suffering caused could led to other generations repeating those mistakes.
"Who knows, maybe one day there will be a Hero everyone will remember throughout time" the guard then said "Maybe you're that Hero".
Well given that I was the Hero of Oakvale I would remembered for a very long time, assuming that I could defeat Jack, and if I didn't then it wouldn't matter what anyone remembered.
"Maybe I will be" I said as we entered the Arena Preparation room "and one day you can tell your grandkids that you met before me before my stunning victory in the arena".
My escort smirked.
"Just go and stand with those contestants over there, and you'll be filled in what you have to do" said the guard while nodding to a group of men "Good luck, lad"
I would need it. That I didn't doubt.
"Thank you" I replied, before going over to join the other competitors.
I noticed at once that everyone here was male. Whisper was suppose to fight with me in later rounds, assuming things went as in the game, but I wasn't too worried as it could just be that the female arena fighters had a different staging area than the men.
Moments later, a man with a warrior stripe hairstyle, that he had died green for some reason, joined us and explained what was going to happen.
"Welcome to the Witchwood Arena" the event organiser said "A couple of basic points first. First of all, I must remind you to keep your aggression for the Arena itself. Anyone caught trying to cut up his rivals in here will be in trouble. You have been warned. Secondly, the way out. You can come in here after each round, not during a round".
I assumed that meant we could quit after finishing a round. Not that I intended to quit, as I needed to win in order claim the prise money, which I was going to use to fund myself while I looked all over Albion for legendary weapons and armour. Which I would use to fight Jack. I had no intention of going to prison so I would need something to do over the next year until Jack of Blades made his move.
"Hey Roth, it's getting really ugly out there" a guard yelled as he hurried over to us "You better send someone out there to keep the crowd entertained".
The man I now knew to be called, Roth, nodded his head.
"Alright" Roth said with a sigh "Chameleon, you've heard all of this before, so go on out there for the first round and keep the crowd happy".
"No problem" a guy who was roughly the same build as Thunder, said to Roth "This'll be easy".
I figured he'd die. It was gut feeling I had, that or a very distant memory.
"Okay, when it's your turn I'll call your name and you will enter through the door Chameleon just used" Roth explained to the rest of us "Once in the Arena you will battle foes from all over Albion. Every group of creatures you defeat wins you prise money, and increases the prize for the next round. The aim is to stay out there as long as you can to earn the big gold. Now, you can come back here at any time you like to buy potions and what not. Do this, though, and your prize for the next round will be zero. Not to mention the crowd will think you're a big loser. Real Heroes get out there and stay out there!".
The guy with the funny hair still had more to say.
"Whether you rest or not, the Arena Bonus Prize, given by Jack of Blades himself, will go to whoever gets through every single round alive" he told us.
I wondered what would happen if I attacked Jack here at the arena rather than later on. He might not be as powerful now as he was later, or he might be able to destroy me with ease given how tired I would be after fighting my way through so many rounds.
"So when you get out there" Roth was now saying "Use your skills well, make sure the crowd enjoys it and if you have to die, do so bravely".
While the other competitors went to stock up on potions, I sat down. Then I checked my weapons for the tenth time today. I made sure that there was nothing wrong with his bow, and then I tested the edge of my sword before going to make sure I still had all my potions within easy reach.
"Er… Roth, bad news" I then heard a guard say "I think Chameleon's, er, you know, dead".
The guy with the silly hair was not happy.
"What? Already? That idiot!" Roth yelled angrily before addressing those of us who were waiting for our turn to go out and fight "Right, people, it seems Chameleon only made it through one round before dying like a wuss in front of a few thousand people. So we need a new volunteer".
I stood up.
"I'm next" I informed Roth before anyone else could say something "anyone got a problem with that?".
No one did.
"It's your funeral, kid" someone unimportant said.
I wasn't worried. I'd died before.
"Ignore them" said Roth as he walked me over to the gate that led into the arena "Just remember what I said. Fight in as many rounds as you can, and keep the crowd entertained. Oh and don't die".
That sounded simple enough, but it wouldn't be.
"Now, talk to Al up by the door" I was instructed "He'll let you into the Arena".
I nodded.
"Will do" I then said.
Al turned out to be another guard and after making sure I was ready, he allowed me to enter the arena.
(Line Break)
Ladies and gentlemen, the commentator began to say as I entered the arena 'for your entertainment, I give you Gothic, newly graduated from the Heroes Guild.
In fact it hadn't been that long at all since I had finished my education at the Guild. Yet I had done quiet a lot in that short amount of time.
He is famous for quests such as protecting Orchard Farm and saving Knothole Glade from a nasty balverine problem! Like our other brave challengers, this up and coming hopeful has an eye on tonight's grand prize, presented by Jack of Blades himself.
As the crowd cheered, I readied my bow. My plan was to hit a few foes with my ranged weapon before switching to the sword. That way I could keep my Will abilities, which had grown greatly since seeing my sister, unknown to Jack of Blades. I might have to use them later, but I would try to keep them hidden for as long as possible.
And now, we're onto the first round! An old arena favourite… it's the Wasp Horde
I sniggered as I remembered the first time I had faced the wasps. They'd hadn't been such a big deal then, and now I was far more powerful.
As planned I shot a few down with my bow, and when they got too close to fire at I continued the fight with my my magic sword. As expected the creatures weren't much of a threat.
He may be new to the Arena, but he got through round one and is now ready to take on round two. Let's see how he does with this audience favourite. It's the cruel, the smelly… hobbes!'
This time I used only my sword as I had limited number of arrows and enough experience of fighting Hobbs to know that it was best to charge right in and start hacking and slashing. Hobbes didn't organise very well so it was best to keep things chaotic, because if they did get their act together they'd bury me with their sheer numbers.
Thankfully that didn't happen, and once the last of the monsters fell to the ground the bodies faded away. I assumed it was kind of magic that been built into the arena.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the team rounds! Two Heroes… side-by-side… fighting together for their very survival.
I figured that the following rounds would be a sight to see as Whisper and I had never fought together, only against each other. We'd both fought Hobbs at Orchard Farm, but we'd been competing rather than working together.
Before she or I could say anything to each other, the Balverines were set lose. While Whisper went and met them in hand to hand combat, I picked them off from a distance with silver tipped arrows. Unfortunately I didn't get them all and one leaped at me.
I reacted by sending surges of electricity through the beast's body. Which led to the commentator going on about my ability to use Will.
It's amazing! It's incredible! Before us is a Hero of two of the three disciplines!
"Three out of three, you mean" I muttered as the last balverine fell to my sword.
I didn't blame the commentator for thinking that I only had the two of the three disciplines. After all I didn't look much like a Hero of Strength although I was very strong for my size and weight.
By now I had reasoned that there was little point hiding my Will Powers as they'd been seen by thousands. Besides Maze had most likely told Jack all about what I could do.
The next round of creatures Whisper and I faced were Hollow Men. To kill these undead creatures I used my Will powers. I sent fireball after fireball at them, then watched as they either burned to ashes, or in some cases they simply exploded. Unlike the Hollow Men I'd faced when being test by Maze, there undead chaps weren't being magically protected. Which was good because even with fire they were not easy to put down. I used my Mana during this found, and I knew it would take a while for it recharge.
Thankfully round five consisted of bandits who been arrested and given a choice between fighting and perhaps dying while in the area or simply being put to death, which made them very eager to kill Whisper and I as it was their only chance at life, but they didn't cause too much hassle, compared to the balverines. They were human, as such blades and arrows could easily pierce their skin, and what they wore as armour was questionable at best.
The massive Earth Troll that Whisper and I had to fight in round six, was a far more dangerous foe.
While I stood some distance away, shooting the troll with the multi arrow spell, Whisper was right in front of her troll and was constantly being knocked about. However, she was doing some damage to the troll
However, the troll was nothing compared to the giant, scorpion-like creature, the Archanox, we had to fight in the last round. Whisper and I even exchanged a nervous look before we attacked it.
I managed to half blind it by shooting out its eyes with my last physical arrow while also using the multi arrow spell, while Whisper hit it with something that exploded, and then I had to fight it up close.
Together, with Whisper's aid I was eventually able to slaughter it, but it had taken a lot of effort. I'd drained my Mana again and if not for the fact that I had a magical blade with augments that made it good at penetrating armour, such as exoskeletons, we would not have won.
We have two winners! the commentator informed the excited crowd. Incredible! So what will happen now? Two winners and only one prize? Well as you know, we have a special guest here today. It's the one, the only… the Hero of Heroes, Jack of Blades!
Then I turned and looked up at the terrace overlooking the arena. Up there was a man, who was not really a man, he was dressed completely in red, also he was hooded and wearing a mask.
"I have returned" he said "After an eternity away from you all, Jack of Blades is back!".
The people cheered.
"This Arena is all that is great in Albion and you all that is worthy in it" Jack was now saying "I am honoured to stand before you again".
There was more cheering. I found this odd because I was under the impression that Jack of Blades was a bad guy, and that people knew this. There was even a saying that went: this kind of joy even Jack can't destroy. Which made him sound like a villain.
"And I have a proposal to mark this occasion; one final round" Jack went on to say "A fight to the death between the two Heroes still standing".
I turned to see Whisper, who had understandably gotten a little nervous.
"The winner will receive a special prize" Jack continued "The loser will have the privilege of dying before you".
That didn't seem like much a privilege to me.
"What do they think they're doing?" Whisper asked of someone "They can't do this!".
The crowd seemed to think otherwise, and I wondered if Jack was influencing them somehow.
"Apparently they can" I said to my fellow Hero.
Whisper then turned to look at me.
"Listen, I'm going to put on a good show, but I'm not killing you" Whisper told me "I can't kill you. You're my best friend".
I nodded, and then raised my sword.
"Well then let's give them a show" I said.
And so we did. Our weapons met in a clash of steel and sparks.
I used one hand to keep her staff away from me, while using the other to throw a few weak fireballs about. Not because I wanted to hit anything, or anyone for that matter, but because fireballs flying about got the attention of the crowd. Also they distracted the people watching from the fact that Whisper and weren't actually trying to kill each other. Not that Jack of Blades would be fooled, but I didn't care about his approval.
When my mana, or whatever it was called, became low the nature of the fight changed.
Whisper charged and she flipped over me. On the way over she landed a foot on my head, which while very annoying didn't do me any harm even though I wasn't wearing a helmet. But it must have looked cool as the crowd made a sound that indicated that they were impressed.
Then I was twisting to the side, which wasn't easy to do in full armour, so that when Whisper tried to jab me with her fancy stick it went wide.
When she tried that again I grabbed the staff, and pulled hard with the intention of bringing Whisper to me so that I could kick her. However after releasing the spear, she drove a fist into my face, which again while annoying didn't really do any harm as I was a lot tougher than I looked.
Now we stood an arm's length away from each other, and I didn't that the crowd was waiting for one of us to commit to some course of action. Whisper moved first. She brought her staff to her hand, using some sort of magic I guessed, and tried to strike me with it.
My enchanted longsword met the blow and I counter attacked, only to have my strike be deflected by her staff.
Then to my complete surprise Whisper threw a bottle of something at the ground, the glass shattered on impact with his dirt, and an explosion sent me to the ground.
I was on my feet in almost an instant, but before I could recover my sword, my arms and legs became busy. I had to use to them to block or divert a lot of punches and kicks.
This went on and on, as while Whisper was very agile, and faster than me since she wasn't wearing metal armour. I could take hits and keep on going.
The sort of stalemate ended when Whisper knocked my feet from under me, but as luck would have it I landed within an easy reach of my sword.
Snatching it up, I was able to deflect Whispers attempts to hit me the head with her staff. Her blows wouldn't haven't killed me, she was trying to knock me, but this was not something I would allow her to do.
Using Force Push I blasted my foe away from me, and had more than enough time to get back on my feet. I even had the chance to go on the offencive.
Whisper parried and blocked furiously, but she couldn't find an opportunity to attack due to the sheer power of my renewed assault.
She was forced to defend herself as I brought my sword down in an overhead chop which Whisper blocked. I kept up the pressure with one hand and then used the other to blast Whisper again with a Force Push, which sent rolling across the arena floor.
As the crowd cheered Whisper managed to climb to her feet, and I noticed that she was leaning heavily on her staff spear.
I knew that it was time to end things. I was in slightly better shape than Whisper, having not gotten knocked around nearly so much during the earlier rounds, but I was tired, sore and badly in need of something to drink.
With this in mind I triggered a Will Power known as Assassin's rush and in flash the tip of my blade rested against her throat.
"Yield" I ordered.
There was tense moment then, when I thought she would try to keep fighting, but it didn't last. She backed away from me and waked out of the arena, making it clear that I had won.
(Line Break)
The Arena.
"But, my dear Lady, it was mere luck!" Thunder was saying when I got back to the prep area "He's nothing but a..."
I had to say something.
"It wasn't luck, Thunder" I said.
Thunder and the 'dear Lady' turned to look at me. The woman had shoulder length blond hair and was wearing a well-fitted, slightly revealing, purple dress.
"Ah, there you are" the woman said me "The Hero they're all talking about, though people are going to talk even more now that you are an arena champion. You've impressed me, and isn't something people do very often".
I'd expected the arena to be more of a challenge in truth. Whisper had been far harder to defeat than most of what I'd fought, and I knew how to fight her.
"But I forget my manners" the woman was now saying "I'm Lady Grey, the Mayor of Bowerstone".
I'd heard of her of course, but I'd never seen her until today.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lady" I said with a polite bow.
She smiled and walked right up to me, and didn't stop until we were merely inches apart. I wasn't sure what to do as I'd had very little to do with the opposite sex, aside from Whisper, and a few serving girls back at the guild who hadn't done much more than kiss me on the cheek and giggle. So I wasn't sure how to talk with a proper lady. I had experience from my last life time, but not with women from the nobility.
"I can see you are a man of worth" Lady Grey said quietly. "You should pay me a visit at my Bowerstone Manor".
Whisper's brother was not happy to hear this.
"My Lady, if I could only..." Thunder began to say.
Lady Grey cut him off.
"Thunder, I am tired of your protests and your jealousy" she informed him.
I was also unhappy with Thunder, however what bothered me was that rather than go check on his sister, who had gotten smacked around in the arena, he was here with Lady Grey.
"Your best days are behind you" Lady Grey went on to say "You should learn to accept that".
She then looked back me and smiled.
"As I was saying, Hero, I do hope you will accept my invitation" the noble woman urged "We have much to discuss".
Again I did my best to bow.
"As you wish, my Lady" I said "I would be honoured".
She smiled and then left the room. I relaxed somewhat once she was gone, but then I was all tense again when Thunder got all up in my face.
"This is not over" he said coldly.
Thunder was scarier than the Archanox had been, and he only smelled slight better than the Troll had.
"New blood spills just like any other" he threatened "and yours will spill soon enough!".
He then marched off, making me feel very small all of a sudden. But that feeling didn't even compare to how I felt when I saw that Jack of Blades was standing behind me.
"Well I suppose we shall have to put your statue next to your mothers" he said.
I didn't reply I was too nervous.
"She was a fine Hero" he said next "More soft hearted than you, she cared more about the people, but her dedication to doing good came at a price. After her final battle she was never the same".
I didn't remember my second mother because I couldn't remember much about the early childhood I'd had in Oakvale. I assumed I'd been reincarnated or something like that, but the only person in that family I'd had any sort of connection with was Theresa. I could remember her from a very young age.
"She lives in complete solitude" Jack was now telling me "She was crushed by her failure to save her family long ago and yet, here you are".
As attempts to wipe out a family go, the attack on Oakvale hadn't been a very successful one.
"I knew her son would end up here one day" the being then said "It's in your blood and in your sister's too. You should bring her to me. I so long to reunite you both with your mother. Just think of the happiness it would bring her".
This wouldn't happen as I had no intention of walking into a trap, to save a woman I barely knew.
"I don't even know where Theresa is" I told Jack.
If Jack of Blades had any kind of power over people's minds it didn't seem to be working on me as I felt no desire to do what he wanted.
"Anyway, this is yours" the bad guy informed me while handing me a decorative object "The Champion Seal. People everywhere will recognise you as the winner in the Arena and it will grant you access to Bowerstone North. Don't lose it. It is rather valuable".
I didn't trust anything that this creature had handled, but I took it anyway and promised myself that I would stash it somewhere rather than carry it around with me.
"Oh I won't lose it" I promised.
With that Jack moved away, and I wondered when it had gotten so cold down here.
(Line Break)
Home - Bowerstone.
The first thing I did upon returning home was to stash The Champion Seal in a chest, in the basement of my house. While I didn't fully understand why I'd wanted to that I figured I had a good reason, something about the Seal just seemed wrong.
"There you are" I then heard Whisper say "I was wondering when you would get home".
I turned to see my fellow Hero, she was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, and she looked grumpy.
"What's the matter with you?" I asked.
I'd spared her life, so she should have been happy.
"Well aside from losing to you again" she said "I'm now your slave for life, or at least until you don't want me in your harem any more".
I was very confused.
"Did you forget about our deal?" Whisper asked before going on to remind me "I said if I made Arena Champion before you did I'd get you for my harem, and I agreed if you won before I did that I would be in yours. Well I lost".
I had forgotten.
"Well I..." I started to say.
Whisper stood up, and gave me a very angry look.
"Don't you go backing out of it now" she said "I wouldn't have let you get out of our deal. If I'd won you'd already be rubbing my feet, and then some some other parts".
Knowing her as I did I was sure that she wouldn't have let me off.
"How many women other than me have you had sex with?" Whisper then said.
I felt compelled to tell her.
"Zero" I admitted.
Not counting the nymph.
"I've been busy" I then added "Its been non-stop since I graduated, and before that you made sure none of the other girls came near me".
Not that I'd minded that much.
"Oh your poor farm boy" Whisper was now saying "I should take you to the Bordello, or we could tag team a tavern wench. See how that goes".
Whores weren't really my thing, but a drink sounded nice and if it led somewhere that involved two young ladies in bed with me then that was fine.
"Well I'm planning to go off and look for some of those legendary weapons" I informed my fellow Hero "You're welcome to tag along".
Whisper smiled at me.
"I'm pretty much your slave now" she said "Just do me one favour and don't tell Thunder about this. Its bad enough I lost in the arena".
That request I would grant.
"Okay let's go for a drink, or ten" I decided.
I would go to see Lady Grey before I left, but that could wait until tomorrow.
