Dell whispered through the bars, his voice barely audible over the dripping water. "The stones in these walls are old. Every time the rainy season passes, the moisture weakens the mortar. I can remove them, but..." He paused as a guard's heavy boots crunched past their cell.
Once the footsteps faded, he continued. "Taking the stones out will make a huge noise. Plus, I don't know what's behind the wall, and the guards are always circling. They say this place is isolated—escaping won't be easy."
"I can help with that," Rei said calmly. "I can mask the noise, I can even remove the rocks from both of our prisons without making any noise and sense the layout of the building through the vibrations in the floor. But after we're out, I won't know which direction to go. First, I need to get out of these chains."
"If you can remove the rocks without making any noise, you're useful," Dell nodded. "I'll find a way to get those keys. But we still need to know where to run once we hit the surface."
"We can just ask the owner of this place where we should go," Rei suggested.
Dell let out a dry laugh. "Oh, I wish it were that easy."
"I'm not joking," Rei replied, his voice cold and serious.
The next day, the heavy iron doors of their cells groaned open. A guard roughly undid Rei's cuffs to lead him to the arena. As he went to unlock Dell, Dell "stumbled" and fell directly onto the guard.
"Watch it, scum!" the guard barked, striking Dell with a wooden baton.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Dell wailed, playing the part of a broken man. But as the guard turned away to hand Rei a sword and Dell a pair of brass knuckles, Dell shot Rei a quick, sharp look.
"Did you get it?" Rei whispered as they walked down the tunnel toward the light.
"Yeah," Dell murmured, subtly showing a piece of soft clay hidden in his palm. It bore the perfect imprint of the guard's key to unlock your coughs however Rei unable to see just sense the clay imprint and confirmed.
They stepped into the blinding sunlight of the arena. The announcer's voice electrified the crowd. "Welcome back! Today, we have a special treat—a Battle Royale! Only the strongest will leave this sand alive!"
The crowd roared, placing bets. "Let the slaughter begin!"
A massive man wielding a heavy war hammer charged at Rei. Dell moved to intercept, but Rei was faster. He sensed the man but didn't use his sword yet. He dropped low, grabbed the giant's wrist, and used a perfect Judo throw to slam the man into the dirt.
The crowd erupted. "The Blind Swordsman is fighting barehanded!"
While Rei handled the brute, a marksman in the corner began raining arrows down on Dell. Dell tried to close the distance, but the archer was skilled, forcing him toward a group of other hungry fighters.
The hammer-wielder scrambled up, swearing under his breath, and swung his weapon in a wide arc. Rei sensing it, flipped backward, then surged forward before the man could recover. He struck with his elbow at the man's vitals, followed by a flurry of Muay Thai knees and another Judo throw.
Dell, watching Rei's fluid transitions, felt a sting of pride. He's a martial arts expert! I can't let him show me up. Dell locked eyes with the marksman. Trust your instincts, he told himself. As the next arrow whistled toward his face, Dell's hand flashed out—he caught it. He threw it back, forcing the marksman to dive for cover. Dell sprinted forward. He took four arrows to the arms, using his arms as shields, but he didn't stop until he was inches from the archer's face. He snatched one of the arrows from his own arm and drove it into the marksman's stomach before finishing him with a devastating punch.
On the other side, Rei used Karate strikes to hit the hammer-man's pressure points until he coughed blood and collapsed unconscious.
A new challenger, a lean swordsman, stepped toward Rei. "Impressive, kid. But don't let it go to your head." He lunged with a quick slash.
Rei drew his sword and blocked it with a loud clink. "I've fought in more battles than you'll see in a lifetime," Rei said.
"Don't make me laugh!" The man slashed again and again, but Rei used the Central Sword Style: Earth Form to parry every blow effortlessly. "You're not worth my time," Rei said. With one powerful strike—Sword meets Sword—he shattered the man's grip, sending his weapon flying across the arena. The man turned to run, but was immediately cut down by another burly fighter who decided Rei was an "irregularity" not worth messin' with.
Dell, on the other side of the pit, was facing his final opponent. He dropped into his family's signature offensive stance and threw a punch. When his fist collided with the opponent's, the sound of breaking bone echoed—the other man's entire hand was shattered by the force of Dell's strike. Dell took one large step forward, closing the gap, and sent a punch into the man's chest that sent him flying backward. He finished with a charging kick that pinned the man to the floor.
The announcer screamed, "We have our survivors! Dell the Fighter, Rei the Blind Swordsman!" and listed the others.
As they were led back to the pits, Dell couldn't stop staring at Rei. He's something special, he thought. Something dangerous.
While Rei fought for his life in the Houlthart Arena, Lyla, Tylon, and Tenko were trekking through the outskirts of Midgard.
"Another dead end," Lyla sighed, looking at her map. "Rei's scepter stopped responding days ago. What if something happened to him?"
"Don't think like that," Tylon said. "If we can't find him, we find someone who can."
Tenko barked and nudged a book out of Tylon's pack. He pointed his paw at a page describing the White Dire Dog—a rare beast with a sense of smell so powerful it could track a scent across entire provinces.
"A White Dire Dog..." Lyla mused. "That's perfect! If we can find one, it can lead us straight to Rei."
Tylon checked the map. "The book says they're rarely seen in North-East Astria. It's a long journey, but it's our best shot."
Tenko barked in agreement, and the trio turned their steps toward the distant mountains.