Chapter 8: Phantom swordsman
The surge of energy was met with a wicked smile from the phantom blade, who twirled his blade and charged at Kaleb with lightning speed. The clash was immediate, the blade swinging down and Kaleb catching it between his palms. He grunted, trying to keep hold of the blade.
The swordsman kicked him away knocking him off balance, but he held firm, staying on his feet.
The swordsman was relentless, his swings quick and precise, each one pushing Kaleb further back. Kaleb dodged and waved till his back was against a wall. Cornered with no way out, the phantom swordsman swung his blade in a large arc, Kaleb gathered all the energy he could to the point of impact, blocking the strike.
His arms tremble from the force, but the swordsman is already on the move, leaving a blur of shadows and steel in his wake.
Kaleb spun just in time to dodge a lethal thrust, the phantom's follow-up slash slicing across his arm, blood spilling into the ground. Kaleb hissed and groaned in pain, but refused to back down, getting back to his feet.
"Is that all you've got?"
He teased, summoning every last bit of strength he had.
He swung at the phantom blade, but the swordsman effortlessly dodged, delivering a vicious kick to Kaleb's side that sent him sprawling into the dust.
The crowd gasped as Kaleb hit the ground hard, struggling to catch his breath.
Phantom blade dashed forward, his blade dragging across the ground aimed at Kaleb's throat for the final blow. But just as the blade cut through the air, Kaleb rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the strike.
The sword sent sand and stone flying through the air. Kaleb shot to his feet, his energy surging once more, even fiercer than before.
Phantom Blade lunged forward once more, but this time, Kaleb met him with equal ferocity. Their movements blurred as they clashed, exchanging blow after blow in a flurry of sparks and power. Kaleb felt every muscle in his body scream in protest, but he refused to give in.
Finally, in a swift counter, the swordsman thrust his blade catching Kaleb by surprise.
He tries to block, but, but his hand is pierced by the blade; he winces but regains composure quickly, twisting his arm and prying the sword from the Phantom' grasp before throwing it aside.
Charging forward, his hand bleeding profusely, energy crackling around his fingers, the two were locked in a battle of strength, neither willing to give an inch as they threw blow after blow at each other.
For a moment, the phantom faltered as Kaleb's power surged once again, beyond anything the swordsman could match.
Kaleb roared, pushing forward with all his might, landing a blow on his chin with his right and In one smooth motion, he spun and delivered a devastating punch to the phantom's chest, deforming his armor and leaving an imprint of his fist, sending him flying across the arena.
Breathing heavily, Kaleb staggered, but remained standing, his eyes locked on the fallen swordsman as he struggled to rise to his feet, but his body was broken, and strength depleted.
"This ends now," Kaleb declared as he picked the mans blade and slowly made his way forward.
The swordsman now sat on the floor gasping for air chuckles.
"What is your name slave!" he asked.
Standing over his fallen opponent, Kaleb paused for a moment, "Why would you want to know the name of a mere slave?"
"It is only right that I know the name of my killer is it not?" he replied, groaning and coughing up blood.
Kaleb continued to look down as the crowd jeered and demanded for the swordsman's death, his eyes filled with reluctance lifted the sword and placed it against the man's throat.
"Kaleb... My name is Kaleb"
With a defiant gaze, he lifted his head, locking eyes with him.
"Kaleb," he repeated. "A man's worth is not in his name, but in the choices he makes. Mercy is a lie in this world, if you choose to show it to others they'll see it as your weakness, twist it and use it against you."
Kaleb's hand trembled, as he pressed the blade against the man's throat. He bit his lip, his thoughts swirling.
"If you don't take my life, I will take yours, and later someone will take mine,, that's just how it is." the swordsman continued, his voice steady despite his wounds.
"This is one of the moment that defines you. Either you stand with your convictions and morals no matter the situation and let them break you, or you fight back, determined to survive no matter the situation. Strength isn't in the the act of killing or being physically strong, it's in the strength of one's mind, doing what must be done, no matter the cost."
Kaleb's heart raced as the weight of those words sank in deep. The crowd's cries faded to a distant murmur as the swordsman's gaze held him captive. With a heavy breath, he knew there was no turning back, not when he had already begun walking down this path.
In one swift motion, he thrust the blade through the man's throat, sealing his fate, along with his own.
Kaleb now stood victorious once more, bloodied but unbroken. The crowd cheered for the rising star of the pits as he was proclaimed the winner before falling to the ground unconscious.
Shortly after, he awoke to the gentle sway of a carriage beneath him. His body ached, and the memory of the fight slowly came back to him. He groaned as he shifted, feeling the bandages tightly wrapped around his chest and arm.
"You're awake," a familiar voice said.
Kaleb turned his head to see the guard he made a bet with sitting across from him, a small smile on his face. Kaleb tried to sit up but winced at the pain.
"Don't overexert yourself kid, just stay put"
"Where are we?"
"On our way back to the estate," the guard replied. "You gave quite a show back there.
The crowd loved it."
"They better have! I risked my life in there for their entertainment"
The guard laughed before throwing him a bag, the sound of metal clinking filling the carriage as it dropped in front of him.
"I thought we agreed on ten, how many are in here"
"Consider it a bonus, you made me a lot of money too"
"How?"
"There's a betting ring in the pits, It was a risk but I staked all of last month's wages on you"
"What would you have done if I had lost?" He asked with a brow raised.
"I guess whenever you know," he said as a grin spread across his face.
Kaleb took it with a tired smile. "Thanks."
'This could work...' Kaleb's mind churned, 'The money from this fight is good, but it's not nearly enough to get us free'
The thought gnawed at him, but he quickly buried it. 'If start betting on myself to win... higher stakes, bigger risks... maybe I can speed things up.'
He clenched his fists. 'It might be dangerous, but if I am to make the one year deadline what choice do we have?'
The carriage ride continued in silence from then on until they reached the estate.
Kaleb stepped out, his legs shaky but his resolve firm. He knew his next fight wasn't far off, and he couldn't afford to rest for too long. He needed to be stronger.
Later the next afternoon, Kaleb stood in a field behind the estate his shirt off, muscles glistening with sweat as he ran laps around repeatedly. His body still recovering from the wounds of the previous fight. But he pushed through the pain, each lap a reminder of his promise to the girls.
His thoughts raced as fast as his legs. He replayed the events of the past few days in his mind, over and over. The tension with the girls, their protests, the deal with the count. His jaw tightened with frustration, and he pushed himself harder, his emotions fueling his movements.
The weight of responsibility sat heavily on his shoulders; the deal he had made with the count and his promise to the girls were a constant reminder of the delicate balance he had to maintain.
As he rounded the field one last time, he skidded to a halt, his heart pounding in his chest. His muscles ached, but he welcomed the pain. A distraction from the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind. He bent over, as he caught his breath, sweat dripping down his brow and falling to the grass below.
In the distance, the girls watched quietly, concern etched on their faces.
"He's pushing himself too hard," Rayna said, her ears twitching with worry.
"He always does," Eliora replied. "But he's taken care of us. This is his way of protecting us."
Atara, sat on a window sill beside them, sighed deeply, furrowing her brow.
"He's been through so much already. And… he keeps risking his life. I don't know how much more he can take."
Rayna glanced at her curiously. "You know, you've never treated us any differently from a normal human… We thought all humans looked down on our kind."
"With everything that's how could I?" she continued, "It wouldn't make any difference to our predicament would it?"
"Well. I guess not"
"By the way, what's up with you and Kaleb?"
"Well, he's an idiot! Why would he make a deal with that piece of trash! It gets me riled up just thinking about it, urgh!"
"You really care about him, dont' you?"
Her cheeks turned bright pink as she averted her gaze.
"I.... well.... of course I do, don't you? He's… he's protected us!"
"Yeah, sure we do. But maybe you like him a little too much?"
"Look who's talking!" she shot back. "You two follow him around like lost puppies every chance you get!"
They all laughed, their playful banter a welcome escape from the heavier thoughts that had weighed on them earlier.
Headmaid Laura stood hidden behind the door, listening quietly to their conversation.
Her sharp eyes never leaving Kaleb as he trained. As her expression remained unreadable, she turned and walked away, her thoughts her own.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone