The Soul Keeper

We once again stepped onto the sand covered floor of the coliseum. The crowd cheered as the announcer started the match.

This time, we were up against a different group. Three men and one woman stood before us. One of the men wielded a massive warhammer – much like the ones seen in movies. It was comically large though he seemed to lift it with ease. One hit of that monstrous weapon would be enough to kill me.

Another man wielded a scimitar. Its slightly curved blade reflected the sunlight, momentarily blinding me. The man grinned; he was doing it on purpose.

I diverted my gaze to the other two. The woman wielded a dagger and stayed a little to the back, much like Joshua usually did. The man had a large tower shield and a mace. I guessed he was also a paladin, though his class didn't matter much as he couldn't use any magic here.

"Joshua, take the woman. Erik, the shield guy. Vincent, survive against the hammer for ten seconds." I quietly said.

"I can do that." Vincent mumbled, tightly grasping the hilt of his sword and assuming his usual combat stance. The others also nodded.

With a deep breath, I lightly held onto my sword and dashed forward. Erik and the others followed my lead.

And thus, our battle began.

I was the first to reach my opponent. Our swords clashed and the sound of metal, hitting metal echoed in the battlefield. My opponent grinned as our swords clashed again and again. So far, he was the first human I'd fought who moved like he knew what he was doing, even if only a little.

I clenched my teeth and focused. I had asked Vincent to stay alive for ten seconds. I needed to beat this guy – fast!

To my left, I heard the sound of a mace hitting Erik's shield. Erik grunted, but didn't step back. To my right, I could see Vincent dodging the massive, slow swings of that comically large warhammer.

I didn't have the time to look for Joshua, as my opponent reengaged almost immediately after I stepped back. With a grin on his face, he swung his scimitar to my neck. With narrowed eyes, I raised my sword to block his strike.

"Ha!" He shouted as he feinted his strike, redirecting it towards my sword arm. I flinched and threw myself to the side at the last second. I felt a sharp pain on my right shoulder as my blood wet the sand.

I got up on one knee after rolling away from his next attack. I'd underestimated him and now, I was paying the price. How long had passed? Seven seconds? Eight? All I could hope was that I'd be the only one paying a price.

I got up and lunged at my opponent. I couldn't let him stall me any longer. I had to go help Vincent. My opponent blocked my next strike easily and tried to trip me. I stepped back, then once again lunged forward, extending my right arm as far as I could.

With a huge grin, he stepped aside. With my momentum, I'd never be able to stop in time – or that was what I wanted him to think. I let go of my sword, spun around, and caught it with my left hand. My opponent's eyes widened as he noticed he couldn't block my strike in time.

My sword pierced his left shoulder. I quickly pulled it back and with three swift strikes, wounded his right arm, hand and shoulder as well.

"What the hell?" He asked, dropping his sword. I kicked it away and without a moment of hesitation, lunged towards Vincent and his opponent.

The crowd didn't even get to cheer for my victory before I engaged with the warhammer wielding man. If his defeated friend hadn't shouted a warning to him, he probably wouldn't have even noticed me.

He stopped his relentless assault on Vincent as soon as he saw me approach. "Vincent, go help Erik!" I shouted as my sword met the shaft of his warhammer.

"Got it." The young fighter replied with some worry in his voice.

I once again lunged forward. I couldn't afford to take this slowly. Our weapons clashed a few times before I disengaged and stepped back a little. He didn't really know what he was doing, but his wild swings were incredibly dangerous simply because of the immense strength behind them.

I let myself take a few calming breaths as I glanced at the others.

Vincent had reached Erik and they were pressuring their opponent. I didn't think he had a chance of winning against both of them as all he could do was try to block everything with his shield.

Joshua was locked in a very fierce and painful to watch battle with the dagger wielding woman. They were both covered in tiny, insignificant cuts. None of them had the upper hand right now.

I once again directed my attention to my opponent. He was approaching, ready to start his relentless assault again. A smile appeared on my face as an idea occurred to me. I dashed towards him again, but not engaging. Instead, I let my sword touch the sand behind me. As soon as I was in range and he started swinging, I lifted my sword and attacked his right shoulder with a single swift motion, throwing some sand in the air in the process.

He closed his eyes and stepped back with a surprised shout. At the same time, I dashed forward and circled around him. Only a moment later when he regained his balance and opened his eyes, I was already behind him. I put the tip of my sword against his back.

"Drop the hammer." I said with a cold voice.

He hesitated a moment, then dropped it with a loud sigh. "You're a monster." He grumbled.

"Sure," I said as I glanced at everyone else. Vincent and Erik had just beaten the paladin – he was unconscious. They glanced at me, then rushed towards Joshua. Once his opponent realised it was a three to one battle, she gave up with a sigh.

"And Team Torchlight wins again!" The announcer's voice echoed. "Now, for the next match…" He continued to speak as we walked back inside, through the large metal door.

"That was a good one, Kai." Vincent said as the door closed to hide us from the onlooker's view. "I thought he was going to crush me there."

"I barely made it. I'll be faster next time," I replied as I finally allowed myself to relax a little. Before I could continue, an unfamiliar voice sounded.

"How intriguing."