Battle Arena.
Ork City, Teasei.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the 100th ever, Power Games!" A man screamed at the top of his voice, his voice magnified by an amplifier he held in his hands.
The crowd went wild. "POWER GAMES! POWER GAMES! POWER GAMES!!!" They screamed, their voices ecstatic.
The Battle Arena was filled to the brim. Thousands of Orks along with their families had come to witness this momentous event.
Designed like a grand coliseum, the Battle Arena spanned for several meters and was the most impressive structure in the city of Orks.
The part of the stadium above ground had thousands of seats that were arranged in a sloped manner to give each view maximum viewing.
And below the stage was where the monsters, prisoners as well as the volunteer Warriors were kept.
High above the floor, standing on a floating platform was a charismatic Ork with long black hair, a cocky grin and a pair of dark shades.
The announcer gripped the voice amplifier tightly and brought it to his lips. "Ladies and gentlemen I am pleased to announce that the venue is SOLD OUT!"
The crowd responded with a wave of applause as well as shouts.
The Power games were so popular that not only Orks attended, mixed in with the crowd, one could spot humans, elves and even beast people.
"Now for the order of events. The power games will start with a series of individual matches."
"The contestants will be made to face monsters and demons based on a gacha roll!"
"The winners of these matches will go on to participate in team battles after which they will once again break up and begin the second bouts, singles matches."
"This will follow an elimination style battle and finally, the winner will get a chance to fight for the legendary Power Games championship held by last year's winner!"
He paused, allowing the cheers of the crowd to style down before continuing.
"We now call on last year's champion to present the title belt, please a standing ovation for our very own, Princess Aofie!"
The crowd exploded with motion, fans were jumping in their seats and screaming at the top of their voices as the massive doors at the side of the stadium creaked open.
Out of the stadium came Aofie, dressed in a flowing silk garment made of the finest fabric.
She had a wide smile on her face as she raised her hands to greet the crowd, and resting on her shoulders was a rather beautiful championship belt.
The belt shone underneath the sunlight, the precious gems etched on its surface sparkling like diamonds.
Its large buckle was made of pure gold and carved into it was an artistic inscription resembling a phoenix spreading out its wings.
She walked over to the Center of the stadium where an old man with pure white hair and beards stood, bowed and presented the belt to the old man who took it with shaky hands.
The belt was then placed on a red platform which floated into the sky shortly after for all to see.
Aofie then proceeded to bow to the queen who sat at the most prestigious seat in the arena.
The queen nodded in response, and Aofie turned around, moving back towards the door she came to.
The queen on the other hand rose to her feet and walked forward the edge of the barricade that stood between her and a very high drop.
"I hereby declare the 100th ever Power Games open!"
In the arena, seated among the crowd were Daphne, Freya and Esme. The three girls had been informed about Wise's fate and given front row seats to watch the event.
But that doesn't mean they were free. A female guard sitting beside them, a bowl of snacks in her hand as she watched the games.
By their left was a burly Ork that seemed to be in his thirties. He had a nasty scar running from his neck down into his shirt and strapped to his back was a double edged axe.
Behind them were two more Orks who paid as much attention to the games as they did to them.
Daphne watched the opening events with a bored expression. Unlike Esme who seemed worried for Wise, both she and Freya were perfectly calm.
They had lived with him longest and so they knew he was no pushover.
Still, the event irked Daphne to no end. 'They are treating him like some sort of commoner.' The thought of it made her blood boil.
She gritted her teeth and shot a deadly stare at the Ork that sat beside her.
Taking off her head would be easy if she didn't see it coming, the problem was that she was not the only Ork guarding them.
Thankfully, there was no need to escape. Daphne knew that Wise had a plan, they just had to see it through to the end.
And so although annoyed she sat back and tried to to enjoy the show as much as she could.
***
Underneath the Battle Arena…
"It's about time I killed you."
Clack!
Came the sound of wood slamming against wood.
Wise sat comfortably on a small stool with a game piece in his hand.
Opposite him was a middle aged man with a broad smile on his face and right on the table between them was a chess board.
Surrounding the small table were the other arena contestants who had since become engrossed in their match.
They had been playing for about thirty minutes now and with the battle games about to begin, it was about time they ended it.
After an old man traded in his antique chess board for a few dollars, Wise had taken an interest in the game and had since become a master.
He could not be defeated!
A smile appeared on his face as he placed his bishop forward, capturing the enemy queen.
Wise chuckled. "You can give up if you want, I won't hold it against y—"
"Checkmate."
"Huh?"
"You really suck at this game don't you kid?" The middle aged man said, laughing heartily.
Wise stared at the table in disbelief. "Well damn, you're pretty good old man."
The man frowned. "Don't call me that."
"And for the first match! Astera Steelbone, come forward and spin the gacha of fate!" The voice of the announcer boomed over the arena.
"Finally, I was getting bored of waiting," Wise remarked as he rose to watch the match through the window.
The old man stood up and walked up to him. "Should you really be so happy kid? Don't you know…"
Wise cocked a brow, his eyes still locked on the first contestant who had just made it to the gacha wheel. "Know what?"
The old man hesitated before speaking.
"You're on the death row."
[A/N]
All/most typos this far have been fixed, thank you for your patience.