Fool's Gold | God Tamer x Tiso

Chapter 8 - In Which Tiso Challenges His Freedom

"No, I know better than to pity you, Tiso. It'll only make this harder."

Tiso gets his rematch. Tamer gets her closure.

THE LAST SECTION OF THIS CHAPTER CAUSED ME SO MUCH PAIN TO WRITE CAUSE I DIDN'T WANNA DO IT AJJLFLKSDJ IT WAS THE SOLE REASON THIS CHAPTER TOOK SO LONG

—

Tamer's absence quickly became the most popular topic of discussion in the colosseum.

Tiso heard it the most in the warrior's pit, murmured and muttered about constantly, as if it were a debate that couldn't be settled upon. All eyes followed him now. He had made a reputation for himself in this colosseum, despite his status as Tamer's prize. Warriors watched him carefully, assessing his threat level whenever he came near. They weren't frightened of him per say, nor were they exactly intimidated, but they were interested, waiting and perhaps even anxious to see when he would finally challenge the Ultimate Fool.

As much as the audience had grown to love him, they were the ones most anxious to see the battle that was soon to come. Tiso swore he had his own fans up there, who cheered louder than the rest. They adored him, he was certain of it, and he pushed himself everyday to give them the show they were looking for.

After finishing up a trial, Tiso caught wind of an argument between warriors in the pit. It was a stupid argument, like all the other ones he overhears down there. They were fighting over which one of them could take down the champion, nothing new. Weak warriors were like a broken record, saying the same lines over and over again.

He glanced over at them. They were nothing remarkable, about the same skill level. The only reason one may have had an advantage over the other was due to the fact that one of them had wings, and might've had better agility. But even then, flight is no escape when you're in the God Tamer's arena.

If there was one thing Tamer taught him, it was how to pick out the strong from the rest, and neither of these bugs would be worth her time. He let out an amused breath as he passed them, half smiling to himself. The warriors heard him, and in an instant they blocked him from walking away, glaring.

"Just what are you laughing at, grub?" the heavier one tells him, a beetle. Gods, they weren't just a broken record, they all practically used the same script.

"You're in the way," is all Tiso says to them, uninterested in whatever petty fight they wanted to start. He pushed past them.

As soon as he did, a cry rang out. The warriors really thought he wouldn't watch his back? They were weaker than he first assessed. As quickly as it had come the cry was silenced. The winged fool had tried to attack him. Tiso used his weapon to block and punish the blow with two quick swipes.

He glared at the fool who was now on the ground clutching their side, and when he turned his gaze to the beetle warrior they quickly stepped back.

He turned and scoffed, annoyed at the whole situation. He needed a long soak.

Those weak bugs... they weren't worthy of his time.

—

He was ready, and everyone in the colosseum knew well before he made the announcement.

Perhaps there was something different about him that made it so obvious, something that didn't need to be spoken aloud. An air, or a look in his eyes, his posture, or maybe his demeanor. Whatever it was, it surrounded him. If eyes didn't turn to him before, they did now. The whole colosseum held their breath as he walked to the Little Fool.