Chapter 59 - 59: Underground Arena II
When Charlton reached the cage, the scout earlier greeted him.
"good luck Mr. Manny!" he said as he motioned him to enter.
Charlton gave him a nod.
Inside the cage was the manager making some announcements.
"Good evening everyone. Tonight, you will witness another round of exciting fight in the arena. We have here at the right side, our undisputed champion for the last 3 months, Rocky." He paused, letting the crowd cheer loudly. "Then to our left, is the challenger, Manny!" a resounding boo was heard.
"Hey little fellow! Don"t go crying to mommy when you get all beat!" a random man started shouting.
Charlton paid him no heed as he concentrated on his opponent.
"Now, let me say that killing your opponent or making them permanently disabled are against the rules. But other than that, everything in this cage goes. Once I step out of this cage, the fight shall commence." He said as he stepped out. Then he continued from outside "So, without further ado, let us start the match!" He bellowed.
Tightening his grip on the sword, Charlton approached Rocky slowly. Rocky was in an easy stance, he had his hatchet ready in front of him while his hammer was raised above his head. Charlton adjusted his step, circling to Rocky"s right. Just outside the reach of Rocky"s hammer swing.
Rocky shifted to ensure that Charlton was just in front of him. He held himself with confidence, a.s.sured in his superiority. He was larger and stronger.
"He is being arrogant. That is good" Charlton thought. He has been trained with the sword for as long as he can remember. Although their country has been in peace for roughly 30 years, his family was still a military one, holding the command to an army of 100,000.
Aside from skills, he was taught that there were four factors that govern a sword fight. Timing, distance, reaction time and reaction ability. The reason why he chose not to wear an armor was precisely because of these. In war, wearing an armor was necessary, but in a duel like this, the advantage it can bring would only wear him down.
He continued to drift around the man, maintaining the same distance while holding the dulled sword to his side.
"Move! We"re not here to watch you two just observing each other!" a man yelled.
Charlton did not let the yell get to him as he continued to a.s.sess Rocky, trying to ascertain a weak spot of his opponent. He stopped being aware of the surrounding, even of his own breathing as his mind unconsciously focused on the subtle shift in Rocky"s posture and position.
Having rounded Rocky twice, Charlton settled into a low stance. Sword ready as he wondered "how long?"
Rocky was more impatient, and he leaped forward. The dulled hatchet lashing out at Charlton"s neck. It was a marvelously delivered blow. Charlton took a step back, evading the attack, but trailing behind the hatchet was the hammer, held high in preparation to swing down and shatter Charlton"s bones.
A less experienced fighter would have tried to take another step back, moving away to evade the hammer that was coming immediately. However, Charlton stepped forward as he used his sword to push the hammer aside, using the weight of his opponent to make him off balance.
He thought that he now has the upper hand, as the man was slightly bent forward. However, he did not expect that despite his burly body, the man was quick to react. He used his elbow as he turned, effectively hitting the base of Charlton"s ribcage.
The crowd roared with delight.
"Go Rocky, beat that unknown fighter to a pulp!"
Kylo felt cold sweat drip from his forehead. Were they to lose all the money, leaving Charlton broke with some broken bones too as souvenir?
Charlton felt his breath abandon his body when he got hit, but he did not allow that to make him falter. He felt the hammer coming and he darted to the left.
As he moved, his right hand with the sword slashed across Rocky"s body, hitting him at the side. However, Charlton was left with no opportunity to investigate the damage as Rocky"s Hatchet came whirling past his nose.
The only reason that the hatchet missed was because the move was something familiar to Charlton. The whirling arm-over-arm a.s.sault which was an impossible tangle of limbs to the untrained eye was the style of one of his father"s knights. So instinctively, he pulled back before it can hit him.
Rocky"s attacks continued to rain over Charlton who evaded. Charlton knew that he can not win Rocky with brute strength, so he continued to be on the defensive. Making a slash and stab from time to time. Then he saw an opening.
Charlton did not wait around to see if Rocky could still continue the whirlwind series of attack. As he saw that his opponent was at a bad angle, he took the opportunity to kick Rocky behind his knees causing him to kneel on the ground. With Rocky"s back behind him, Charlton put as much strength as he could in the attack. Using the flat middle of his sword, ensuring that he would only make his opponent faint and not cause any permanent damage, he hit the back of Rocky"s neck.
Rocky jerked forward as he fell completely. He was left unconscious as his saliva pooled from his mouth.
The crowd fell silent, shocked to see their fallen star.
Then loud cheers instantly erupted. The name Manny instantly becoming a sensation.
Kylo instantly felt that they hit the jackpot! Their 16,000 becoming 160,000 plus the 3,000 entrance fee.
Charlton walked out of the cage, even when another set of fighters, thinking that they have better chances of beating him than Rocky, lined up, wanting to compete with him.
Ignoring the calls of the people around them, the two left the establishment faces full of smiles and pockets full of cash.
--
"Who were those sc.u.mbags trying to ruin my business!?" the owner of the arena angrily said. Rocky was their carefully cultivated star. He was just telling the Marquess who visited today about their seasoned warrior, but he didn"t expect to get slapped on the face immediately. He was about to go and order his men to chase the boys when the marquess gripped his arm to stop him.
"You won"t be able to afford offending the man behind that boy." the Marquess advised. Although it was a myth that there were secret moves pa.s.sed down in every generation, he was able to recognize some of the moves only someone who studied directly under the Duke of Suffox for years can do.
The boy who looked no older than 20 was quick on his feet. Also, he was dexterous in his movements. Without a doubt, the boy must have undergone formal training with the sword since a young age. Aside from that, the expensive shoes, brown hair, and gray eyes were the dead give-away.
"You have an idea who?"
"Yes. We"ve been trying to recruit Charles to become one of the leading faces of our cause a few years after the war ended. However, he has always been loyal to the crown. A straight man who knew no crookedness. A face you will never see in a place like this."
"Then?" the owner asked not getting his point.
"I see that the son doesn"t share the same traits as the father."
--
TBC