Kael moved through the dark streets of Valdris's lower district with newfound confidence. His Void Sense painted a mental map of the area around him, showing him the positions of night watchmen, drunk revelers stumbling home, and the occasional cutpurse looking for easy marks.
None of them registered as threats. His instincts, sharpened by the Void, could distinguish between genuine danger and mere annoyance.
The twin moons cast long shadows across the cobblestones as Kael made his way toward the Ironjaw Arena. He knew the place well—had collected debts there dozens of times for the Crimson Hand. The fighting pits were where desperate men sold their blood for coin, where nobles came to gamble on mortal combat, and where the ambitious came to make a name for themselves.
It was also the fastest way to gain experience.
The arena sat in a converted warehouse district, its entrance marked by a pair of iron statues depicting lions with gaping maws. Even at this late hour, the place buzzed with activity. Kael could hear the roar of crowds, the clash of steel, and smell blood mixed with sweat and cheap ale.
A mountain of a man stood guard at the entrance—Torval, the doorman. Seven feet tall with arms like tree trunks and a face that had clearly lost arguments with many sharp objects. He'd been working this door for five years and had a reputation for remembering faces.
"Entry fee," Torval grunted as Kael approached, barely glancing at him. "Ten silver."
Kael placed the coins on the counter—taken from Dren's corpse along with another fifteen silver and a few coppers. "I want to fight tonight."
Now Torval looked at him properly. Recognition flickered across his scarred features. "Draven? Thought you ran collections for the Crimson Hand." His eyes narrowed. "They know you're here?"
"The Crimson Hand and I have parted ways. Violently."
"Violently enough that you got them markings?" Torval gestured at the Void tattoos visible on Kael's neck and hands. "Never seen ink like that. Looks almost alive."
"It is. In a way."
Torval studied him for a long moment, then shrugged. Those massive shoulders could carry both apathy and wisdom. "Your funeral. We don't do mercy matches here. You step in that ring, you fight to unconsciousness, surrender, or death. We got healers, but they don't work for free."
"Perfect."
Something in Kael's eyes made even Torval take a step back. The doorman had seen thousands of fighters over the years—desperate men, arrogant warriors, blood-drunk berserkers. But whatever he saw in Kael's gaze was different. Colder. Hungrier.
"Right then," Torval said, sliding a leather-bound ledger across the counter. "Sign here. Real name or fight name, don't matter. You die, we ain't responsible. You kill someone, that's between you and their kin. Arena takes thirty percent of winnings. Fights start at bottom tier, work your way up."
Kael signed quickly: Kael Draven - The Voidborn
"Voidborn, huh?" Torval raised an eyebrow. "Bit pretentious, but I've heard worse. Head through the east corridor, third door on your left. That's the fighter prep room. Tell Silas I sent you."
The interior of the Ironjaw Arena was controlled chaos. Kael passed betting booths where gold changed hands faster than he could track, walked through halls where fighters warmed up with practice dummies and sparring partners, and heard the thunderous roar of crowds from the main pit.
The prep room was exactly where Torval said it would be. Inside, a dozen fighters in various states of readiness prepared for combat. Some bandaged fresh wounds. Others sharpened weapons or went through meditation routines. All of them looked up when Kael entered, their eyes assessing, calculating, determining if he was prey or predator.
"Fresh meat!" a voice called out. A man in gaudy purple silk appeared from behind a changing screen, his fingers adorned with rings and his smile full of gold teeth. "I'm Silas, fight promoter and occasional miracle worker. You got the look of someone who can take a punch, which is good because you'll be taking plenty. What's your name and what's your game?"
"Kael. And I'm here to fight whoever you put in front of me."
Silas's smile widened. "Confidence! I like it. Though confidence and competence ain't always friends." He pulled out a small ledger. "We got an opening in about twenty minutes. Crowd's getting restless after the last fight ended too quick. You ever fought in the pits before?"
"No."
"Ever killed a man in combat?"
Kael thought of Dren, bleeding out in the alley. "Yes."
"Good enough. Here's how it works: you win, you get twenty gold. You lose, well, you won't care about money anymore. We got healers standing by, but they can't fix everything. Death happens. We ain't liable." Silas looked him up and down. "Your opponent's name is Crusher. Undefeated in fifteen matches. Killed four men in the ring, crippled six more. He's a crowd favorite."
Perfect.
[NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: TRIAL BY COMBAT]
Objective: Defeat Crusher in single combat
Reward: 100 EXP, 20 Gold, Arena Reputation +10
Bonus Objective: Win without using Void Step
Bonus Reward: +2 Strength, Skill Evolution Token
Kael accepted the quest immediately, though he ignored the bonus objective. He'd use whatever tools he had to win. Pride was for people who could afford it.
"Between you and me, kid," Silas leaned in conspiratorially, "forfeit. Crusher's a monster. He'll snap you like kindling. Live to fight another day, find an easier opponent, build up some experience. No shame in it."
"I'll take the match," Kael said firmly.
Silas sighed and made a note in his ledger. "Your funeral. Head to staging area two. When you hear the horn, you walk out. Try to put on a good show before he kills you, yeah? Crowd loves drama."
Kael found staging area two—a small chamber with a gate leading directly into the arena. Through the bars, he could see the pit itself: a circular space forty meters across, surrounded by tiered seating packed with screaming spectators. The floor was covered in sand, currently being raked clean of blood from the previous fight.
His Void Sense picked up multiple life signatures in the crowd—hundreds of people, their emotions creating a chaotic symphony of excitement, bloodlust, and greed. And one signature that burned brighter than all the rest, radiating strength and violence.
Crusher.
The gate on the opposite side of the arena began to rise, and the crowd's roar intensified. A figure emerged, and Kael understood immediately why they called him Crusher.
The man was massive—seven feet tall if he was an inch, with muscles that looked like they'd been carved from stone by an angry god. His bald head bore ritual scars, and his arms were thick as tree trunks. His weapon of choice, a warhammer the size of a small child, rested on his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
Crusher raised his hammer to the crowd, and they went wild. "CRUSH-ER! CRUSH-ER! CRUSH-ER!"
[Analyzing Opponent]
Name: Crusher (Real name unknown)
Level: 5
Class: Berserker (Common)
Estimated Stats: Strength 18, Vitality 16, Agility 8
Kael felt a smile tugging at his lips. Level 5 versus his Level 2. Most would call that suicide.
He called it an opportunity.
The horn blew—one long note that cut through the crowd noise. Kael's gate rose, and he walked into the arena.
The contrast between the two fighters was stark. Kael, lean and average height, wearing simple leather armor, no visible weapons. Crusher, a mountain of muscle wielding a weapon that could crush bones with a glancing blow.
The betting boards visible on the arena walls immediately lit up with odds: 20-to-1 against Kael.
An announcer's voice boomed through the space, magically amplified: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IN THE WEST CORNER, WEIGHING IN AT THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF PURE DESTRUCTION, UNDEFEATED IN FIFTEEN MATCHES, THE MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION—CRUSHHHHER!"
The crowd's roar shook the rafters.
"AND IN THE EAST CORNER, MAKING HIS ARENA DEBUT, A FOOLISH NEWCOMER WHO APPARENTLY HAS A DEATH WISH—KAEL... THE VOIDBORN?"
Scattered laughter rippled through the crowd. Someone shouted, "Void-dead in about ten seconds!"
Kael didn't acknowledge the mockery. His eyes were locked on Crusher, studying the way the big man moved, looking for weaknesses.
"FIGHTERS READY?" the announcer called.
Crusher roared, raising his hammer. The crowd answered in kind.
Kael simply nodded.
"BEGIN!"
Crusher didn't waste time with words. He charged immediately, his footsteps thundering across the sand, hammer raised high. For a man his size, he moved with terrifying speed. The hammer swung down in a devastating overhead arc that would reduce Kael to paste if it connected.
Void Step.
Reality bent. Kael vanished from Crusher's line of attack and reappeared ten meters to the left. The hammer cratered the sand where he'd been standing, the impact sending up a spray of dust and creating a small shockwave.
[Void Energy: 65/75]
The crowd gasped. Teleportation abilities were rare, expensive to learn, and usually required years of magical training.
Crusher's head snapped toward Kael's new position, surprise registering in his brutish features. "Mage?" he growled.
"Something like that," Kael replied.
Before Crusher could reset his stance, Kael closed the distance. Not with Void Step—he wanted to test his physical abilities first. His enhanced strength and speed carried him across the sand faster than his old self could have managed.
He aimed a Void-enhanced punch at Crusher's kidney, black energy wreathing his fist.
His fist connected with muscle that felt like hitting a stone wall.
[Damage Dealt: 8]
[Crusher's Health: 242/250]
Crusher barely flinched. "That tickled," he said, then backhanded Kael like swatting a fly.
The blow caught Kael across the chest and sent him tumbling through the sand. His Void Body's enhanced durability kept ribs from breaking, but the impact still drove the air from his lungs.
[Health: 115/150]
[WARNING: Opponent's Strength significantly exceeds yours]
Kael rolled to his feet, sand in his mouth, and reassessed. Direct physical confrontation was a losing strategy. Crusher's level advantage translated to significantly higher base stats. In a pure slugging match, Kael would lose.
But he didn't need to win with strength. He needed to win smart.
Crusher charged again, this time swinging his hammer in a wide horizontal arc. The weapon moved like a battering ram, fast enough to be dangerous despite its size.
Void Step—but not to dodge. Kael teleported directly above Crusher, materializing in midair. Gravity did its work, and Kael dropped toward the berserker's unprotected head, both fists wreathed in Void energy.
[Void Energy: 45/75]
The double-fisted strike caught Crusher on the crown of his skull, Void energy detonating on impact.
[Critical Hit! Damage Dealt: 45]
[Crusher's Health: 197/250]
Crusher staggered, dropping to one knee. The crowd went silent—their champion had been hurt. Blood trickled from the big man's scalp where the Void energy had burned through his natural defenses.
Then Crusher started laughing.
"Finally! Someone who can actually fight!" He rose to his full height, eyes blazing with battle-fury. "I was getting bored with weaklings!"
[WARNING: Crusher has entered Berserker Rage]
[Crusher's Strength +5, Agility +3, Pain Resistance activated]
Oh, this was going to be interesting.
Crusher moved with renewed speed, hammer sweeping in combinations that Kael barely dodged. The weapon whistled past his face, close enough that he felt the wind of its passage. Each miss cratered the sand, sending up clouds of dust that made visibility difficult.
Kael used Void Step to create distance, reappearing near the arena wall. His Void Energy was depleting fast—he needed to be smarter about ability usage.
[Void Energy: 35/75]
Think. Crusher was stronger, tougher, and now faster. But the berserker's rage made him predictable. He telegraphed his attacks with his shoulders, committed fully to each swing, left himself open for split seconds after missing.
Kael just needed to exploit those openings.
Crusher charged again, roaring. His hammer came in a diagonal slash that would bisect Kael if it landed. Instead of dodging backward or using Void Step, Kael did something unexpected—he stepped forward, inside the arc of the swing.
The hammer passed over his head by inches. Kael was now in Crusher's guard, too close for the big weapon to be effective. His hands pressed against Crusher's massive chest, and Kael activated Void Drain.
Black tendrils erupted from his palms, sinking into Crusher's body like hooks. The berserker's eyes widened as he felt his strength being siphoned away, pulled into the hungry darkness.
[Void Drain activated]
[Draining: 15 HP per second]
[+15 Health]
[+7 Void Energy]
Crusher tried to pull away, but Kael held firm, the Void energy acting like chains. One second. Two. Three. The crowd watched in horrified fascination as their champion weakened before their eyes.
Then Crusher headbutted him.
The impact broke Kael's concentration and sent him stumbling backward, stars exploding in his vision. His nose was definitely broken.
[Health: 95/150]
[Crusher's Health: 152/250]
"Clever trick," Crusher admitted, breathing heavily. "But tricks won't save you."
He was right. Kael had dealt damage, but not enough. And his resources were running low. Time for a gamble.
Kael wiped blood from his nose and smiled. "You know what? You're right. No more tricks."
He charged straight at Crusher, no teleportation, no fancy footwork. Just a direct assault. Crusher grinned and met him head-on, hammer swinging.
At the last possible moment, Kael activated Void Step—but not to escape. He teleported directly into Crusher's swing path, but positioned himself inside the hammer's arc again, where the weapon had no momentum.
[Void Energy: 25/75]
His Void-wreathed fist drove into Crusher's solar plexus with everything he had. The energy didn't just impact—it detonated, exploding outward through Crusher's internal organs.
[New Technique Discovered: Void Burst]
[Critical Hit! Damage Dealt: 68]
[Crusher's Health: 84/250]
Crusher's eyes rolled back. He swayed like a felled tree, then collapsed face-first into the sand. The hammer fell from his nerveless fingers.
The arena was silent.
Then absolute pandemonium erupted.
[QUEST COMPLETE: TRIAL BY COMBAT]
[Reward: 100 EXP, 20 Gold, Arena Reputation +10]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 3]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 4]
[All attributes increased by 2]
[New Ability Unlocked: Void Pulse (Rank F) - Release a shockwave of Void energy in all directions. Damage and knockback scale with Void Energy invested.]
The power surge hit Kael like lightning. His body strengthened, his Void markings spread further across his skin, and his connection to the Void deepened exponentially. The broken nose healed in seconds, bones knitting together as his enhanced Vitality kicked in.
Healers rushed into the arena to tend to Crusher. Silas appeared at Kael's side, eyes wide with shock and calculation.
"That was... that was incredible!" the promoter stammered. "Twenty-to-one odds! Do you know how much gold just changed hands? Do you know how famous you just became?"
Kael wasn't listening. His Void Sense had picked up something concerning—multiple hostile presences entering the arena. Professional killers, moving with purpose.
The Crimson Hand had found him.