Thaedric would have preferred to stay put until they took themselves out, but he saw Urlk, still in the corner and looking confused. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"I don’t like this," he muttered, then he ran straight into the thick of it. The first attacker that met him was wielding a sword with a thick edge. He shouted and slashed at Thaedric.

Thaedric was faster than him and his mace was a heavyweight metal weapon that crushed his attacker’s head before he knew that Thaedric had stepped inside his attack.

He stretched and jumped on his tiptoes, then he lurched forward into the parrying and blocking that was happening around him. He left any attack to his unprotected side to Sandskar and did what he liked to do best with blunt weapons.

He called it sweeping. He held the mace with two hands and used it like a hand fan. He swept right and then left with all the strength in his body.

The result was the crushing and snapping of bones of those fighting in front of him. And the clearing of a way. "All right!" Thaedric said and brought the head of his weapon down on the ribs of a moaning opponent who was lying on the ground.

The fight had stopped momentarily. They all stared at Thaedric. That was how all his opponents always looked at him in surprise when he was still actively fighting in the training room back in the days before Thaedric stopped fighting and started hiding in his room.

They could not believe such strength could come out of a body that small. They always underestimated him because of his slender build.

They wouldn’t underestimate him again, that’s for sure.

And he was right because seconds later, shadows thickened around him and one fighter appeared behind him, his dagger making straight for Thaedric’s back, but an invisible force stopped it, bouncing the dagger back.

Thaedric was already reacting before the surprise on the fighter’s face fully registered, but the fighter was sneaky and was gone before he turned. "Oh...your Bloodline technique is very good."

The fighter appeared beside the tall one, gritting his teeth. "You slimy shit! You are protecting yourself with a technique!" He said it as if he should not be doing it. As if he was cheating.

Thaedric snorted. "And you appeared behind me like a coward," he raised his weapon and pointed it at all of them. "Lie down and accept defeat. Surrender and I will not harm you."

As expected, they disagreed with him and raised their weapons, while the tall and the short fighters shared a look among themselves.

So it didn’t surprise Thaedric when the short one disappeared into the darkness and the tall one ran towards him. Before the tall one got within striking distance, he was already cutting the air with his sword.

It was a Bloodline technique. Probably something related to air because the wind gathered into a sword slash that was stopped by the invisible barrier surrounding Thaedric.

At the same time, he was attacked from the back again by the short one.

They probably thought to overwhelm him with the attacks so he would be confused or lack the power to defend himself. "You should have listened to me."

Because immediately the short one disappeared, Thaedric was already moving. He lifted his weapon and turned, swinging with it.

The short one tried to disappear immediately after his failed attack but he was too slow and he took the full force of the mace on his chest. His chest was crushed, bones and all.

Two more sword slashes from the taller one failed to penetrate and he came close himself. He attacked Thaedric with his sword, but Sandskar’s shield was flicking it away as if it were insects attacking.

"So your Bloodline technique is shielding! I should have known a coward like you would have such a power, Reaper Blood!"

Thaedric lifted his weapon and bashed him on the head with it, sending a broken skull shattering back. "Shut up."

He looked at the remaining fighters. They drew back from him, holding their weapons with tight grips. "What will it be? Surrender or die?"

Thaedric admired them for one thing. They took their pride as fighting slaves seriously, and they all died for it. Only Thaedric and Urlk remained standing.

"When did you get to Tier Two?" Urlk asked. He still had that look on his face as if he would be happy to be crushed on the ground too.

"Yesterday," Thaedric looked him up and down and he let him know it. "I thought the Scuridae clan were loyal to their members. I thought they were fighters, I thought the...."

"Shut up! Don’t mention them!" He lurched forward, cutting at Thaedric with his daggers, but it was fruitless. Nothing reached him.

Thaedric smiled. "I thought you lost your fire. Good that you still have it. You should be planning your revenge. You know, the one who planned your clan’s death. Orso. And for the Iridessa.... stick with me and I’ll give you a chance."

Anger still shone in his eyes, glinting like a sharpened dagger. "Very well."

Thaedric smiled. He would need people who would fight with him if he entered the palace. He touched the scarf around his neck as he made his way to the opened cage, dragging his mace on the floor.

Sandskar served him well tonight. Without him, Thaedric would have been wounded too. Maybe too wounded to even fight in the pit.

Orso was smoking hard. His jaw was clenched tight. This wasn’t what he expected. This wasn’t what he planned. Now he had no choice but to depend on Thaedric to represent him.

"Your fighters are weak," Thaedric said.

Orso didn’t reply immediately. He got himself under control first. "Is that so?" he said flatly.

"Yes. I didn’t even get to enjoy it." Thaedric smiled. "You are lucky to have me as your representative." The only representative. He didn’t add.

But Orso heard it in his voice. He had been planning this for years. Carefully putting together his top fighters, training them, and sending them to fight always. Yet, they were killed so easily. He didn’t like it. "Where are you taking my slave?" He gestured at Urlk.

Thaedric smirked. "I need someone to serve me. You wouldn’t want your only not-dead fighter to be lacking, would you?" He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked away, still dragging the mace that trailed blood. Urlk walked silently behind him.