Chapter 39 – The Pit

The group stared at Miss Kane as if she'd gone insane. Everything they'd learned about what the Arena was, what it stood for, and how it operated had just been completely blown out of the water. It was like they'd been riding horses in a wide-open field, travelling merrily from one side to the other, and then a bull had appeared out of nowhere and clattered them all to the ground.

"I know it's a very closely kept secret here, and I would expect the rest of you to keep it to yourselves as well," Miss Kane finished, smiling at the stunned silence returned to her from the new Blue-Rankers.

"It does make sense when you think about it," Petra whispered so that only Titus and Jordan could hear. "Otherwise, if we did one fight a week, it's going to take us what, three months to reach level two?"

"But how is it fair if there's no risk? Doesn't the God of Balance have anything to say about it?" Titus asked.

"There's always risk," Jordan said. "I get it might not be as grand as fighting out there, but you can still die. And if you did die down here with no one watching, I guess it wouldn't be the best death of all, would it?"

The three watched as the first of the Blue-Rankers stepped forward to face Miss Kane, nodding cordially. She returned the favour and gestured for him to select a weapon from the rack if he wished, and step through the wooden gate into the small arena that had been sunk into the ground and lined with heavy stones. Titus could see exactly why this place had been named 'The Pit'.

It was, of course, a bit of a misnomer because there were dozens of 'The Pit's' scattered throughout the otherwise empty chamber somewhere beneath the central amphitheatre of the Arena. But Miss Kane had just told them something so amazing that Titus could barely gather his thoughts to figure it all out.

They were allowed to train against real monsters, to the death, with no crowd. AND gain experience points.

The Grandmaster had begun her announcement with the question that still rang in Titus' ears: "Did you really think that the people of the City would continue to pay good money to see level one Contestants fight low-level monsters over and over until they were strong enough to actually give them a good show?"

In truth, he hadn't ever thought about what the crowd wanted to see. He'd kind of thought that it was enough to see their beloved City protected and one less monster around to threaten it, no matter the level. Evidently that wasn't the case, and the Contestants were expected to grow with some apparent speed, all the while keeping the masses entertained.

"Now before we begin," Miss Kane said loudly. "Does anyone have any questions?"

There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke, and Petra gave a little start as Jordan's gruff tone rang out.

"Grandmaster?" He asked. "I can only see one set of stairs down into that little arena. I get we can then all stay up here and watch, but how do the monsters get in?"

"That is an excellent question!" Miss Kane pointed at Jordan, and Petra's face twisted into some semblance of disbelief. "Well, you won't have seen this, and it's kind of another secret here, but the monsters don't actually get ferried around the place through tunnels and up to the iron gates you see them enter the arena through. Nor are they hog-tied by the Hunters beyond the walls and carried back here when they're caught. In fact, they're sent through portals, and that is what you are about to see. Do you understand?"

Jordan nodded as Miss Kane's words were met with more than a few murmurs from the rest of the group. It was kind of a lot to take in, given that each and every one of the new Blue-Rankers had seen their monsters take to the field for themselves when they'd taken to the sands.

"Just wait and you'll see," Miss Kane said with a smile. "Now, Alexandria, you can use the anywhere box here to take your own equipment down into the pit, or you can use the training equipment we have available to you. Be warned, though, that if you borrow equipment from this box and do not replace it after your fight – either accidentally..." she raised her eyebrows, "...or because it is damaged in battle, you will be charged a fee. If you cannot afford the fee – which I am telling you is a flat five gold for anything you use – then it will be attributed to you as a debt to the arena, and recovered from your salary. Understood?"

The girl named Alexandria looked a little unsure but nodded and moved to the anywhere box that had been indicated to contain her own equipment. A moment later, the girl had retrieved a long wooden spear with a grey metal tip and hesitated a second before descending into her own personal arena.

With the girl standing on one side of the pit, it was now clearer contrary to first impressions just how large the thing was. It wasn't close to the size of the real arena sands, but it was at least twenty meters in diameter.

"Now you will have to focus," Miss Kane called down towards Alexandria. "Select your opponent and prepare yourself."

The girl stood still for a moment, her long brown hair unmoving without any wind down in the sands below. And then, on the far side of the pit, directly opposite Alexandria, a small black circle materialised at waist height. It hung in the air for a moment before it fizzed and clicked until it rapidly expanded to about a meter wide, the blackness highlighted with purples and yellows. And then a creature burst through.

Giant Rat

Level: 1

HP: 12/12

There was no denying that the ball of matted grey fur, long tail, and pointed yellow teeth was a rat, but it was at least three times the size of any rat Titus had ever seen before. It was almost the size of a cat or a small dog, in fact.

"And the fight has begun!" Miss Kane announced happily. "You'll note that there is no need to make your proclamation to the people here in the pit, but it is always good to remember what you're doing this for."

Titus couldn't tear his eyes away from Alexandria down below. She was out there alone, enclosed in a small makeshift arena with a monster. Not a very strong one, that was for sure, but a monster nonetheless. Titus felt his palms begin to sweat at the thought of being down there himself, with no offensive abilities and no real prowess with any kind of weapons, though at least he had been practising.

The rat saw Alexandria almost immediately and squeaked out a loud shriek before launching itself at the only other being in the field of battle. Alexandria, to her credit, seemed to take the burst of action as the challenge it was and ran forward just as quickly as the rodent had.

"The pit has one property that differs from the main arena sands," Miss Kane said almost nonchalantly. "Where in the arena we can fight in groups, here in the pit you must fight alone."

The revelation about the pit had left Titus, Petra, Jordan, and the other new Blue-Rankers in a state of bewilderment. The idea that they could train against monsters in a secluded setting, gaining experience points without an audience was a significant departure from what they had initially understood about the Arena. Miss Kane's explanation had raised more questions than answers, and the group tried to wrap their heads around the new information.

As they observed Alexandria's battle with the Giant Rat, it became clear that The Pit was indeed a smaller, more confined arena than the main sands, giving a different perspective on combat. Titus couldn't help but feel both awe and anxiety as he watched the lone Contestant face off against the oversized rodent.

While the fight unfolded below, Miss Kane continued to provide insights into the pit's unique rules and conditions. The emphasis on fighting alone in the pit made sense from a training perspective, as it forced Contestants to rely solely on their skills and adaptability. But that was also something that concerned Titus – given that alone he was about as useless as they come.

Titus found himself wondering about the strategies the Contestants employed in the pit. He could see how valuable it would be to practice against real monsters in a controlled environment, but the notion of doing it without the pressure of a crowd added a layer of comfort he hadn't anticipated.

"Can they use their abilities here?" Petra whispered to Titus, trying not to draw too much attention.

"I'm not sure," Titus replied just as quietly. "Miss Kane didn't mention that. But I guess it'd be silly not to be able to. After all, that's what we're all here to train, right?"

As Alexandria and the Giant Rat continued their battle, it was evident that the Contestant was holding her own. The rat's swift movements and sharp teeth posed a threat, but Alexandria's spearwork demonstrated a fair amount of skill, and she posed what looked like an impenetrable defence.

"Good for her," Jordan murmured, his eyes fixed on the spectacle. "She's handling herself pretty well."

Alexandria gripped her wooden spear so hard that her knuckles had turned white as she prepared to fight off the Giant Rat again. Her brown hair, already dishevelled from the effort and the fact that she'd had to go first and therefore be judged by everyone else, framed her face.

The rat, its beady black eyes fixed on its target, let out another shrill and ear-piercing squeak, announcing its intentions. In a blur of motion, it lunged forward with its scraggly fur flaring out behind it like a dark halo.

Alexandria didn't flinch. With an agile step, she met the oncoming rat head-on, her spear extended to strike. The combatants clashed with a battle of wood against fur, and the arena seemed to shrink around them. The Giant Rat's own agility was impressive, its movements fluid as it darted and swayed, attempting to evade Alexandria's strikes. The Contestant countered by thrusting her spear in calculated arcs, forcing the rat to retreat momentarily to avoid being skewered or otherwise batted away.

Their battle was a dance of survival, the smaller arena amplifying every move. The air was thick with tension as the spectators watched, their collective breath held. Alexandria's every thrust and parry demonstrated her skill with the weapon, while the rat's relentless aggression showed the untamed ferocity of a wild monster – even if it was only level one.

After a while, the rat's movements became increasingly erratic and finally, with a swift, well-aimed strike, Alexandria found her opening. The metallic tip of the wooden spear pierced the rat's side and the creature let out a pitiful squeal of pain.

The rat staggered backward, its strength waning and then, in a last, desperate attempt to defend itself, the creature lunged one final time. But it was too late. Alexandria's spear struck true to deliver a finishing blow. The Giant Rat collapsed onto the sandy floor, defeated, dead. And as Titus analysed the monster again, he could see that its health points had finally reached zero.

Alexandria to her credit, didn't look away from the rat even in her victory. She knew all too well to make sure a fight was over before you disengaged from it. She didn't even look up when Miss Kane began to speak again.

"And there you have it!" The Grandmaster announced happily. "Another monster defeated, and if I am not mistaken, another rung on the ladder to the next level for a very promising Contestant!"

Her statement did have a slight question to it, and it took a moment for Alexandria to realise it, finally looking up at all the faces that were still peering down at her.

"Y… yes," she stammered, returning her attention to everything outside of the battle. "I got one experience point."

"And a point well earned!" Miss Kane replied happily.

"One point?" Jordan said. "It hardly seems worth it, does it?"

"I bet it's based on the risk again," Petra replied. "I mean, that rat was level one. I'm sure it could've given her a nasty bite, but I wouldn't have wagered any gold on it."

"It's not bad at all," Titus said thoughtfully. "If we can do this over and over without much of a limit, then we can really get the edge for when we do have to get out there as a group. All I need to do is figure out how to actually fight."

"Ah, you aren't that bad with a sword and shield," Jordan said. "Just stick to the level ones until you get the hang of it, and you'll be fine."

"Until someone realises that a Spellcaster doesn't know any spells, you mean," Titus replied, dropping his tone. "Especially when the rest of them have at least something useful up their sleeves."

Titus contemplated his situation, understanding that he needed to find a way to contribute effectively to the team despite his lack of magical abilities. He appreciated Jordan's support, but the nagging fear of being exposed as a Spellcaster without any actual spells still haunted him. He'd already been warned to keep his Capacitor Class a secret, and that was going to become more and more difficult as time passed.

"I guess you're right," Titus replied to Jordan, trying to sound more confident. "I'll start with the basics and work my way up. If I can handle level one's without any problems, maybe that will buy me some time to figure out the rest."

Jordan nodded. "That's the spirit. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. It's about playing to those strengths while improving on our weaknesses."

Petra chimed in, adding, "And remember, we're a team. We'll cover for each other and help each other grow. No one's in this alone. Even if all this one's good for is being a glorified punching bag," she threw a thumb at Jordan, and Titus snorted.

Titus did appreciate the support from his friends though. It was a reminder that they were all in the same boat, facing similar challenges and uncertainties.

Miss Kane, having somehow managed to overhear their conversation offered a reassuring smile. "It's excellent to see such camaraderie among our new Blue-Rankers. You'll find that the Arena values teamwork and cooperation just as much as individual skills."

As the next fight started, with the Rogue Kai descending the steps down to the pit, the rest of the Blue-Rankers were told to disperse and claim their own small arenas so that they too could fight, win, and grow.

After all, it was what they were all there to do.