UNAFRAID

Umber - ONE

"Life is a constant war. Wars with yourself, with other people, and with life in general. Remember that if you win a fight, there will still be more fights. The cycle will never end" I remember vividly what father had said to me. It was because of this that I took on being a gladiator. It was freeing, being the champion of your stadium, shedding your opponent's blood, and declaring victory!
I am the victor. I will win. I will never stop winning. For Ochre, for father, for Wysteria.

"Alright. Which one of you will fight today?  

The captain, Rigmus, announced. 

"Really? No one wants to fight?

He laughed, then grew serious once more.

"So what's the Chromian Code? Of course you already know it, right?"

"Yes, sir! We fight for victory! Honor and pride! And bloodlust!"

The many, many people in the lobby shouted. 

Rigmus was at a loss on what to do. He had an idea, but wasn't sure if it will work. In the end, he just accepted it.

"Fine, we'll draw lots for the qualifier." 

Rigmus went to the front and took out a basket filled with papers. He inserted his hand and took out two of them.

Hadrus. Umber.

So there were two people that came to the front. Umber, of course, and Hadrus, one of the less known in the stadium. 

"So Umber, back at it again, eh? Mr. Unbeatable? Ha ha! I'm not a pushover. Now it's my turn to prove myself."

While he said that, a bit of his voice cracked.

Fear. It's always fear.

-----

It seems as though Umber underestimated him. Hadrus is actually a good fighter. He honed his skills in the spear, a dangerous weapon. Umber wields the bow, which is unusual, but his creativity and intelligence can more than make up for it. 

The announcer arrived.

"Fighters to your positions! 

"The tournament is as always, Scavha*. 

Hadrus rushes in, each step carefully targeted as to avoid Umber's bow, with every step closing in. Umber raises his bow and waited for the right moment.

Now! 

And just in time! As he strikes, Umber kneels and strings his bow in the spear and tightens the ends of the bow, sandwiching it. Then he pulls down and jumps at the spear. He dealt 2 successive punches, and Hadrus loses his balance.

He seemed shocked at the attack, and could not recover in time for another jab. Umber then locks him into a vice-like grip.

Then Hadrus, just in time, reached his spear and dealt damage to Umber's side by stabbing the spear. He tried to writhe out of Umber's grip, but to no avail. He desperately aimed for Umber's  head with a pebble, and it hit him. He retaliated with a strike using an arrow. It didn't seem to faze him one bit. Hadrus also hit Umber's face twice. Umber was dazed for an instant, and he used that instant well. He then used the same tactic Umber used, to take out his bow. He put the spear in the space between the string and shaft. He threw the spear 90 degrees, then, the sound of falling wood can be heard. But no matter what he does, Umber still overwhelmingly won.

"1...

"2...

"3...

"4!

"Umber is the winner!" The crowd went wild with applause.

I then lifted a hand to Hadrus who spoke in a low voice:

"Aye mate, you sure are clever, aren't ya? But your tactic can also be your undoing. Now do what you want to do with me, master."

Then I broke into a laugh.

Undoing? What crap.

"Hadrus? You are joking right? Of course I dominate, but I dominated for victory, and for my family. Stand up, please. I can't bear to see you like this.

Then he saw Hadrus stand up.

"What you can do for me is treat me to dinner sometime."

I raised a hand and waved, then the crowd erupted into applause. The noise covered the whole stadium. Umber then left with Hadrus to the clinic.

Umber Note
*Scavha means circumference. The reason why we do Scavha is because this tournament is round-robin. It cycles through 3 rounds, and declares the winner. The person who wins shall do anything to the loser. If he does not stand up in 4 seconds, he will lose.