Chapter 28: Play With Fire

BRADLEY

I did not anticipate feeling this overwhelmed.

It's Monday evening. After the turmoil of the events that happened last night, combined with the busy day I had today saving Prince Elton from the chopping block - even though he would never do that for me - I felt the pressure when Colonel Armstrong started briefing us on tonight's challenge.

It's not that I am unfamiliar with fighting with weapons — far from it — but somehow, I knew this challenge wouldn't be as easy as the last one. I use the word "easy" loosely here because what I did required quick thinking and lots of training.

I know that in a game of drawing first blood - tonight's challenge - it won't be about how fast I can act; it will be hard to dodge my opponent's attacks while I try to draw blood from him. It's a double-edged sword because no matter how quick I act, if I get hurt first, the game is over.

As I have said, I refuse to be evicted from the castle before finding my mate. They must be here somewhere; I just haven't been able to find them yet. But I will, hopefully. If I don't, then all this journey would have been for nothing. I simply refuse to acknowledge defeat.

No, sir. I did not come all this way to lose. I don't mind not being King, but I do mind not meeting my mate. I will feel like the biggest loser if I return to Utah without meeting them. I know that my mate can be anywhere in America, but I have a distinct feeling that they are here. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

After Colonel Armstrong announced that Colin had the most talked about match in the last challenge, he blushed under the attention of the men celebrating him. As I see, he is not used to getting accolades, but he absolutely deserves it. His match was spectacular.

Once the live streaming officially started, Armstrong explained to the audience what the challenge would consist of. One of the cameras captured the cases with the weapons available for us to choose from. Each contestant is allowed to select one once their name gets called.

Due to the scope of the challenge, the tatamis were twice the size to give the competitors some room to dodge their opponent's attacks. Speaking of which...

"Oh, before I forget! If you step outside of the tatami, you lose the match. The only person allowed to step on the floor is the soldier acting as referee. We do not have the time or patience to wait for you guys to drag the match. It's either kill or be killed. Not literally, for the love of Goddess!" Armstrong cautioned us before he called the first match of the night.

Oh great! By all means, add more pressure on the contestants, why don't you? O.o

Colin was called as scheduled, and so was his opponent. He picked a nunchaku and his opponent a katana sword. This promises to be entertaining. Two dozen matches were organized for the first round. Like yesterday, the night could go on for hours until I am called.

My roommate was maneuvering the nunchaku so expertly that you'd think he was one of the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'. As soon as the guy charged with his sword, he counter-attacked by hitting it with his weapon. The guy advanced with the katana, Colin hit it with his nunchaku. Colin was losing ground fast, and if he was not careful, he would be disqualified for stepping out of the tatami.

Considering I am not a weapons specialist, I cannot judge if my roommate picked the wrong weapon. All I see is his opponent charging with the sword and being dodged at the last second. When he was about to lose ground for good, Colin began his offensive.

With a sequence of hard hits from the nunchaku, Colin charged against his opponent with vigor. But what he did not count on is that his opponent wouldn't play fair. As Colin moved forward, his opponent countered the attacks by swinging the sword directly into his chest.

Colin jumped backward to escape being injured at the very last second. He didn't see that coming, but now he is mad. He played with his nunchaku so fast that the video would need to be played half-step to be properly viewed from home.

He lunged for the guy, expertly hitting the sword every time he tried to attack him.

Finally, in one swift move, Colin hit a sequence of attacks with the nunchaku. It all happened very fast, but as he hit the sword in one move, he hit his opponent in the head with another. It was enough for the guy to fall to the ground from the hard blow; blood seeped out of his head. He was angry, and he was not about to lose.

The opponent was taken by the medics, and he returned to the wall, though not without a glare from the referee. Maybe he was too violent, but unfortunately, any blow with these weapons would be difficult to restrain. In a perfect world, all it would take is a nick of the skin. But we do not live in a perfect world. That's why they made us sign a waiver.

"You had me worried there for a second." I whispered to Colin as he returned to the wall where the contestants waited for their turn.

"Yeah. I should never have given him so much terrain. I got in my head for a second with having the best match and forgot the reason why I was here. If I had lost, it would have been a tragedy after such a strong start." He whispered back to me, feeling uneasy.

"It's fine, roomie. The important thing is that you won and can learn from your mistakes." I said, trying to be supportive.

"Right. Good luck to you. I'll be waiting with your uncle to watch your match." He smiled at me, giving me an encouraging thumbs up.

"Thank you." I was worried about my match. I could not hide my nervousness. Uncle Damian had a lot to say about my interview and saving Prince Elton's ass from being excluded from the tournament. He said I could have gotten rid of one of my strongest opponents without even using my fist.

I understand where he is coming from, but he did not see the shape of Elton when he talked to me. I couldn't say no to him if he was innocent of the charges. All I did was tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may. I did not lie for him, and I never would.

AN HOUR LATER.

Before I had the chance to orchestrate an offense, my opponent charged at me with his dagger. He had one for each hand, which did not make things easy for me. He swung against my throat, and as I defended myself by flipping backward on the tatami, I saw my life flashing right before my eyes.

What the fuck happened to the rules? I thought we weren't allowed to hit vital organs?!

When I was standing back again, having just dodged an attack, he came at me with full force. That is when I saw what my life would be like after I lost the tournament. I would disappoint my mother, my sisters, my uncle, and ultimately, my pack.

As the guy swung his dagger towards my neck once again, I stopped it with one of my twin sais. Swiftly, as I did that, before he swung another dagger against my body, I pricked his underarm with my left sai. His scream of pain was so loud it disrupted all the matches going on at the same time.

Literally, every single contestant stopped to see what was going on. Blood kept pouring out of the guy's underarm, who was quickly patched up by an army medic on standby. It all happened very fast, I barely had a second to think about what was happening once we were cleared to fight and the guy charged at me.

The referee called my attack excessive and put me on probation. If confirmed, I would be disqualified from the tournament and possibly face criminal charges. What the fuck? How is that fair?

A|N: BOOM!

The twists I have in store will keep you guessing with every new chapter.

This is a whole new ballgame. You are not ready!

Love,

Léo.