Bound in Spirals

Chapter 14 - Intuit

——Sam——

"My lords and ladies, merchants and knights! Please, allow me to quickly state the rules." The finely dressed elf said as he twirled on the mat, flourishing with his coat.

Sam's gaze turned up from his hands, and once more he hurriedly looked around for someone he recognized. Again he saw Dettella's worried expression as she spoke to Giela rapidly. He realized that the balcony they stood on wrapped all the way around the arena. It was filled with elves in overly elaborate clothes and expensive looking hats. He noted that the majority were women, and the only human he could see was Dettella.

'Darrel! Where's Darrel?!' The man was nowhere to be seen on the balcony. Sam's attention was brought back down as the black-suited elf spoke again.

"There are four rules the fighters must know! Rule number one! You may only use fists to attack! Rule number two! You may only hit above the waist!" The man paused to settle the crowd once again as they got too loud. "Rule number three! You may not cross onto your opponent's side of the mat for longer than three seconds! Rule number four! The final rule; you may not use magic until at least one of the contestants is judged to be defeated!"

Sam looked down, and realized that the mat had two colored halves. His side was dark blue, the other was dark red. 'Am I really going to have to fight this dude? I'll get my ass kicked! Crap, what do I do?! I can't just run away, Dettella's up there watching! Shit, maybe I should do it anyway! I really don't understand what's going on! I–'

"With that, let the match begin!" The elf bowed smoothly and stepped off the mat.

His opponent lumbered forward, glaring at him through his nonexistent eyebrows.

"Well, fuck me..." Sam muttered, and began to walk forward slowly, bringing up his fists.

Being as distracted as he was, he didn't react nearly quick enough when the first blow came. The feeling of a barely covered fist hitting his jaw was quite a shock, to say the least. The pain didn't come at first, just the sudden jarring movement as his head snapped back. He fell straight backward, already unconscious as he hit the mat. He woke almost immediately to the reverberating roar of the crowd.

He was hit a second time, and although it wasn't physical it was just as jarring. The memories slammed into his mind ruthlessly, and he recalled some of the things that had happened.

—

Unsurprisingly, Sam was feeling quite depressed following his most recent bout of madness. Seeing the verdant green of Dettella's eyes had mostly woken him from the spiraling insanity, but the kiss had been a good way to ensure that the spell was completely broken for now. After telling her the truth of where he had come from, he sat in silent reflection.

In such a mood, Sam found no more delight in the beautiful city. The oversized mansions and elaborate decor just seemed excessive now, as did the people browsing that part of the city in their garish clothing. He now saw the straining smiles and forced cheering for what they were, a facade. Well, most of them were anyway. Some of the elves seemed genuinely happy to see them, but it was not nearly as many as he'd first assumed. The joyous children, of course, were true to their feelings in the innocent way they all are, yet untainted by the prejudices of the world.

He let out a breath as they approached the castle gates and, despite his subdued state, Sam felt a very faint flutter of anticipation in his stomach. 'I can't let my self-pity get in the way. I will trust Dettella to do her part, but I must be ready to assist if necessary.' The gates began to open as they slowed. They continued into the castle before coming to a complete stop.