Chapter 2 - The Dungeon
Xander contemplated what he wanted to do next with his life. He grew up poor and had very little skills or education but the one area in life where he excelled was fighting. Living a life as a street fighter however, wasn’t very profitable and nearly got him killed so he knew something had to change. He decided if he was going to fight and potentially die it would no longer be for the small bit of money he earned as a street fighter but as an arena fighter.
He decided to enter a well-known fighting tournament where arena fighter sponsors gathered to watch potential prospects who they may want to financially back. Xander won two one on one fights and a third with his woodland wolverine companion he gave the name Logan. He made it to the final four where he eventually loss to a fighter who clearly had more experience and was a good rune user. Many of the sponsors were impressed with his raw abilities but most believed it would take too much time and money to refine his fighting abilities.
Xander felt this loss would be a major setback in his plans but a sponsor named Sloan gave him an offer and walked away. Some of the other sponsors told Xander that Sloan ran a low budget training facility called the Dungeon that is known for its hard training methods. Many of his fighters either died in death arenas or got injured to the point where they could no longer fight anymore. Instead of these warnings being a deterrent this actually made Xander feel like that this type of hard training would help him reach his potential.
For the next year Xander trained his body to its limits becoming arguably the Dungeons strongest fighter despite his age. His wolverine companion Logan also grew in strength as well, his claws and teeth now becoming strong enough to pierce soft metal. Despite his accomplishments within the Dungeon Sloan still had not entered his name in an actual arena fight yet until finally the day came.
Sloan announced to his fighters that Xander would compete in a death match against a veteran fighter called Tower, a man who hasn’t lost in forty nine straight fights. The other Dungeon fighters were stunned that Sloan would send such a young fighter against an opponent of Towers caliber to a death match. Sloan looked at Xander and asked him, well? Xander picked up his sabre and simply replied, when?
Entered by: 0xDb07…C704
Chapter 3 - Xander and Logan Versus Tower
After a year of training, Xander finally made it to his first arena fight. While waiting for his name to be called he closed his eyes to meditate while Logan slowly paced back and forth. Once his name was announced Xander stood up and ran into the middle of the arena with Logan by his side. He could smell the dried blood coming from the ground and could sense the crowd’s blood lust. Tower was announced next and a large man walked into the arena carrying a large axe and shield. Xander never saw a man of this size before but instead of having fear he became more focused. He noticed Tower was tall and muscular but he was dressed in murmillo gear so most of his arms and legs were exposed.
The drums sounded to begin and Logan charged at Tower lunging at him. Tower swung his axe and Logan easily dodged the attack and tried to bite through it but the steel was too thick. Xander attacked with his sabre trying to hit his exposed arms and legs but Tower was able to block most of these attacks with his shield.
Tower began to counter attack swinging his axe at Xander who was able to dodge them. The two would go back and forth for about five minutes and it became clear to Xander that this battle would come down to nutrition. He could not penetrate Towers defense and he was too slow to hit him or Logan. Xander decided it was time to change his strategy. He took his shield and threw it to the ground and pointed his sabre at Tower inviting him to do the same. The bloodthirsty crowd who was becoming bored with the fight began to cheer. Tower angrily threw his shield down as well and charged at Xander.
The two began trading weapon blows. Towers axe versus Xanders sabre. During this exchange Logan jumped onto Towers right arm and began biting it but this did not seem to faze him as he continued to swing his axe. Xander finally was able to get a blow on Tower cutting his left leg. Instead of slowing him down this seemed to anger Tower who put both hands on his axe and swung with all his might. Xander was too close to him to dodge this attack and he raised his sabre to block it. The force of his swing was so strong it broke his sabre in half and pierced through his armor cutting his left shoulder. Tower then was able to pry Logan off of his arm and throw him to the ground.
Xander stumbled back to get out of Towers range and to try to get his bearings. He could see Tower was starting to wear down. He was bleeding from his left leg and his right arm had a chunk of flesh missing from where Logan bit him. Xander realized he may not have the strength to capitalize on this unfortunately. That last flurry of attacks had physically drained him and his left shoulder was injured. To make matters worse his sabre was now cut in half and Logan while still conscience was moving slowly.
Despite his injuries, Tower once again charged at Xander attacking him with his axe. Xander knew he would need his shield but it was too far for him to reach. At the corner of his eye he saw Towers shield nearby so he ran to pick it up. Tower came in with another two handed attack which Xander was able to block it but the impact knocked him off of his feet. Tower then stood over him and began swinging his not allowing him to get up.
While holding the shield up to block Towers attacks Xander noticed a symbol engraved on the inside of the shield which looked like some sort of rune symbol. Out of nowhere Logan bit one of Towers calves causing him to be distracted. Tower kicked Logan and began to walk towards him with his axe raised to kill him. Xander saw what was about to happen and tried to get on his feet but he knew he would be too late.
All of a sudden the Rune symbol inside the shield began to glow and he felt some sort of energy flow through his body. He felt his strength and stamina begin to return and his left shoulder no longer felt pain even though it was still bleeding. Xander used this sudden burst of energy to charge Tower shield first hitting him in the back knocking him off balance. Xander went to pick up Logan and he noticed that after touching him he also seemed to find a sudden burst of energy.
With no hesitation Xander took what was left of his sword and the shield and ran towards Tower who by this time was tired and losing blood. Tower’s axe swings were not nearly as strong or as quick now and Xander stuck his half sabre into his chest. Tower dropped to one knee and tried to take the blade out but before he could do that Logan quickly ran up his back and slashed his throat with his claws causing him to fall backwards dead. The crowd went silent for a brief moment and then roared with excitement. Xander, the young new comer who had never had an arena fight had done something that forty nine other fighters could not do. Defeat the Tower.
Entered by: 0xDb07…C704
