{"sf1_id":678105,"sf2_id":"V1YKDwxm","title":"THE ARENA","author":"Lunaire55","words":1088,"posted_at":"2014-03-10T06:47:00.000Z","tags":["Fantasy","Fighting","Humans","writing"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/678105-the-arena","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/V1YKDwxm","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=678105\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"The first chapter to a story I wrote ages ago. Feel free to criticize it as harshly as you want!...Although, maybe not too harsh, I am kind of sensitive. ;w;\n?","content":"-1- Halcyon -1-  \nThe arena. A brutal Colosseum reminiscent of old Rome. The only difference between them  \nwhere the rules, and It was made entirely of metal. Even the ground floor had a cold metallic sheen.  \nHalcyon approached the gray iron bars slowly, his armor jangling ominously. This was his first battle,  \nso he was issued a large and protective set. The rules where simple, the first person to perform  \nhara-kiri lost. The contender must not kill his opponent, only cause bodily or mental harm. That was  \nit, the only rule. Anything goes in the Ranin Cup, as they say. Through the preliminary bars, Halcyon  \nsaw who he faced across the arena. A short, scrawny, and unintimidatory kid at roughly fourteen. He  \nhimself was in his teens, but with more muscle then most. The overbearing clamor of the crowd  \nnearly drowned out the announcer, who was proudly declaring the events into a booming megaphone.  \n\"Ladies and Gentlemen, I welcome you to the four hundredth and ninety-sixth Ranin Cup!\"  \nThe people in the luxurious, and surprisingly not metal, seats roared out their excitement.  \nEvery seat had cost them over three hundred Lume, except for the closest which had prices ranging  \nfrom five to one thousand Lume. Lume was the source of Currency in the Dome, an underground  \nsafetown from the burning above. The year was unknown, for the attack had come in surprise and  \nnobody brought a clock, Digital or otherwise. Lume was a round, flat, and metal coin, similar to the  \nAmerican penny. However, Lume had achieved Its name because the eerie green glow that radiated  \nfrom its center. The cause for this was Radiation. Lume was first mined from an abandoned  \nstorehouse, which pre-eradication had stored massive amounts of coal. The firebombs had  \nmiraculously not destroyed it, only pounded it into giant lumps.  \nThe mining was difficult, for It had to be done with strong pick-axes and was above-ground  \nwhere all the destruction had reined. Once it was brought underground in a black, unadorned truck It  \nwould have a strange chemical reaction that would result in Lume. Nobody understood It, but nobody  \nquestioned It. Any other material brought underground simply vanished mysteriously or burned up in  \nviolent flames. One Lume was equivalent to six hundred American dollars, for Its rarity. Back In the  \nRanin Cup, Halcyon readied for his battle. The warning bell sounded, and the gates lifted.  \nImmediately after the second bell rang, they charged. Halcyon raised his sword and yelled, while the  \nother simply ran meekly, snot dribbling down his nose and onto his armor.  \nThe lack of a strong opponent humiliated Halcyon, so he decided to show the Omanin that he  \nhad true skill. He rolled, spun, and jumped over his enemy and laughed. The dribbly kid was slow,  \nvery slow. It took him a full minute to realize Halcyon had escaped his grasp, and when he did realize  \nhis ignorance, he just stared. Halcyon stabbed with his bronze sword, allowing it graze the youth's  \ncheek. In pain, he yelped and dropped both weapon and shield. \"You've lost, kid. There is no way  \nyou can defeat me. Kill yourself now, before I have to do more.\" taunted Halcyon. He stared blankly,  \nthen whined loudly. \"J-just l-let me g-go!\" he whimpered. \"Oh, no. You know I can't do that. The  \nrules are clear, and I wouldn't want to anger them. You know, the one's watching us. Watching you  \ndisgracefully prolong your death.\" Halcyon laughed. He knew It was over the instant his sword  \ntouched him. In fact, It was over before it began. In final admittance, the weakling reached down,  \nretrieved his dagger, and stabbed himself directly in the chest over his heart.  \nDropping like a rock, blood spilled out and trickled through the armor in a gruesome manner.  \nSilence drowned out the crowd, then In a combined effort they all cheered. Halcyon reached and  \ngrabbed the dagger, holding his trophy over his head and yelling triumphantly. That was It, his first  \nvictory and In only five minutes. Lights flashed and the referee escorted Halcyon to the end of the  \narena, where he was brought into the winners circle. Down stone stairs, and into a large circular  \nroom. It was largely decorated, with banner's in an array of colors, a large floormat with which a  \nfountain sat. Surrounding the fountain where stone benches and chairs, with only two low orbs of light  \nto illuminate the large area. Nobody Important was there to congratulate him, for It was a rather minor  \nevent, but It was enough for Halcyon, whose ego swelled. Roddick, with twelve victories, Zuki, with  \nfive victories, and Husnia, with nine victories, where gathered around the fountain.  \nHow many people showed up for your victory celebration was determined by your rank.  \nRank Victories  \nConstable 0-15  \nNobile 16-25  \nEsquire 26-35  \nBaronet 36-50  \nGrand Dominus 50-75  \nVidame Seigneur 100-NaN  \nThe amount of people in each rank changes daily, some rank up and some die. As of current, only  \nfive warriors where Constable's like Halcyon, which included the three at the ceremony. Those who  \nare available and in your rank are allowed to come to your victory service, higher or lower ranks can  \nonly come with your permission, however it was unwise to decline a higher ranking soldier with the  \npenalty of revenge. All services lasted ten minutes, and Included heavy drinking, cheering, and a  \nsingle Important ritual. The winner would fully engulf his head in the fountain, and the water would  \nchange color. Four colors are possible, Green, Red, Blue, and Gold. The fountain was a sort of  \nreligious Icon, which depicted their god. If the god approved of your victory, it would change Green. If  \nhe or she did not, Red. If he or she was neutral, Blue. And the last color, which it had only changed  \nto once before, described greatness. Any who achieved golden color would be instantly ranked up to  \nBaronet or higher.  \nThe true reason why the color changed was, again, radiation which combated chemically with  \nthe person's skin to change color momentarily as the atoms destabilize. After his brief Intoxication,  \nthe moment arrived for Halcyon. It was tense around the room as he slowly dunked his head into the  \nblue liquid. In a single second, It changed. Everyone was staring, confused, as the water stayed blue.  \nThen It shifted. Red. Then, miraculously, It shifted again. Green. It continued to change between the  \ncolors of red, blue, and green, until it stopped entirely. Gold.  \n-2- The Ritual -2-  \n\nIt was silent.\n\n  \n  \n\n"}