Champion Revised: A Songs of War Novel

Chapter 2

"I take the Primes in pursuit of their true power! There is no need to fetter ourselves with restricting them!"

Guards surrounded the arena, covering its large diameter and cutting off any escape. The masters straightened, outrage evident on their faces. The soldiers lowered their spears to be level with the ground, and the defeated contestants readied their blades once more. Thalleous' platoon ran in, having heard the ruckus. Seeing what was occurring, they looked to their commander for orders.

"Draw your weapons and stand fast!" yelled the lieutenant. Thalleous noticed that one soldier was trembling slightly, his sword clattering in his hand.

"Keep your eyes open," The lieutenant whispered to the scared-looking private standing next to him. "Who knows what he may do?"

Evidently, Ingressus heard him, for he turned to him and yelled, "Who knows what I may do? None but my brothers! Long suffering from the injustices of Champions like you, Thalleous Sendaris!"

"Enough of this," yelled Aegus, master of the Nestoris clan. "Clap him in irons!"

Ingressus turned to the elder Ardoni. "You betrayed me!" He screamed, surprising those who could hear the exchange slightly. How could the master of a clan ever ally with him? However, these thoughts were pushed out by Ingressus' next command: "To arms!"

At first, as the troops closed in on Ingressus, Thalleous thought that this command was not issued for a purpose, but out of madness. He was wrong. Spectators in the crowd and even some guards flashed from yellow, green, blue, and purple to deep red, ripping weapons out of their inventory.

This was an ambush.

Thalleous raised his greatsword, charging at Ingressus. The master twirled his staff, slicing the necks of two Ardoni guards: Thalleous' men. His platoon had gone from twenty-one men to nineteen. The bodies went flying as their blood sprayed. The Voltaris master turned to face a Kaltaris spearman, chopping at his head. The spies, about fourty in all leapt and clambered into the arena. They brought sharpened swords and serrated knives. They slashed and hacked, screaming in rage.

The young Sendaris lieutenant tried to kick Ingressus from behind, but was deflected by an interloper. Thalleous spun his sword in a wide arc, beheading the Voltaris. As the corpse fell to the ground, Thalleous rounded on his next foe, a Voltaris formerly disguised as a Nestoris. He prepared for a knife blow, but the warrior pulled out a crossbow and fired a bolt. It hit Thalleous in the leg, tearing his skin and making his lower marks flicker briefly. He cried out in pain as he lunged, slashing his blade at the victim's chest. The Voltaris screamed, looking down and seeing his exposed ribs. His eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground, twitching and bleeding profusely.

Thalleous turned to see a Voltaris spearman charging at him. He brought up his claymore, cleaving the shaft in two. The Voltaris caught the sharp half as it flew through the air. He brought down his two sticks, dexterously spinning them between his fingers. Thalleous leaned back, getting behind his foe and going for a strike to the legs, but the Voltaris was clever enough to expect this. He brought his leg up, hitting Thalleous' head and knocking him to the ground. The Voltaris raised his weapon. Thalleous' sword was down, there was no way to block this attack. He flinched at what would surely be his demise as the spear drew closer–

Bang.

An Aggrobeam flew into the Voltaris' head, leaving a gaping hole in his skull. The spear dropped to the grass. Thalleous looked and saw his savior: Aegus, wielding the Aggressium Prime.

The Masters had joined the fight.

The Mendaris master wielded the Supportium Prime, restraining assailants as they stood. The Sendaris master shielded his comrades as the Kaltaris master zapped around to aid them, a yellow-green blur in the fight. Thalleous stood and glanced at his leg. Crimson blood had run down his calf, obscuring the wound. The lieutenant grunted as he tried to walk. A Voltaris ran at him, knife at the ready.