The instant the signal was given, the arena dissolved into chaos.
Men rushed from every direction, shouting over one another as the first clashes exploded across the sand. Wooden swords cracked against staffs, fists slammed into ribs, and bodies collided in a frenzy so wild that it was almost impossible to tell where one fight ended and another began. Some charged headlong at the nearest person without a thought. Others tried to hold back and watch for an opening, only to get blindsided by someone faster or more desperate. Sand rose into the air beneath stamping feet, turning the lower half of the arena into a blur of motion and dust.
Nathan barely had time to take two measured steps before several fighters set their sights on him.
It was almost predictable.
