Tempest: The Champion

Phase 1: The Castaway, part 1

"Welcome to the final round of the Neoclash tournamment 131 in Rome, Italy!"

The commentator's voice resonates through a big, enclosed arena. The stands around the main ring are filled with people. Today's match was hopelessly sold out just a day after the tickets became available. The atmosphere isn't as thick and magnificent as during the European Neoclash Showdown, the main Neoclash event of the year, but it was still an important fight.

The better is the Champion in the second-league fights, the better position will they have during the main event. The prize for today's victory, alongside the prize money, is the Golden badge - the Italian one looks like a miniature of the Colliseum. The Champions need one to qualify to the main Showdown.

"Both fighters have a motivation to win!" the commentator continues. "Our current Champion of Champions has her place in the Neoclash Showdown ensured, but she's still not gonna give the fight easily! Is today's challenger strong enough to kick her off her throne?"

The audience shouts and cheers, impatiently waiting for the fight.

"Let's introduce today's Champions!"

Cheering intensifies.

The arena is about twenty meters in diameter. Today, there will be no special modifications of the battlefield, so the Champions will fight fair and square. The arena is enclosed by a forcefield that prevents the audience from getting hurt, no matter what the Champions do. Overall, the whole scene looks like a boxing ring, only much bigger. The atmosphere resembles an ice hockey or a football match more than a martial arts event.

To ensure everybody will be able to see the fight well, there are four giant TV screens in a square formation installed above the arena, attached to the ceiling. They finally stop showing ads and start broadcasting the view of cameras aimed at the arena.

The same sight is offered to viewers at home. Millions of people from around Europe are now sitting in front of their televisions, ready to watch the match, cheering for their favorite Champions.

"Let me introduce you the first Champion!" the commentator announced. "He made it to the Showdown last year, and now, he wants to try it once more! But it won't be easy. Brave enough to challenge the Champion of Champions herself, please applause for SPARTAN!"

Across from each other, there are two entrances into the arena imitating ancient wooden gateways. The building itself resembles a modern version of Colosseum, only twice as big. The stadium is, obviously, called Colosseum II and has both open and indoor arena. The random choice before today's match decided that today, the indoor arena will be used.

One of the gates opens with a theatrical creak and the Champion steps into the arena. The Castaway warrior is hulking, over two meters tall and muscular. He is wearing an imitation of ancient Spartan armor - a leather breastplate on the chest, legs covered by a dark red pteruges and greaves, a red cape on his back.

The Champion's face is sharp and manly, with several pigment scars he didn't bother removing. His black hair is trimmed into a short haircut and his chin is covered by a menacing beard.

But his main strength lies in his right arm. The artificial prosthesis looks like it's forged of bronze, while in fact it's made of the hyper-durable metals and plastics the scientists from DIANA use to create faithful, durable artificial limbs.

Spartan raises his mechanical arm and clenches the hand into a fist which looks like giant hammer. Any Healthy person wouldn't be able to withstand even one direct punch of this mechanical monstrosity, carefully pieced together and decorated with ancient Roman themes, then connected with the neural system of the Champion's shoulder.