The Fallen Angel - Prinxiety (ON HOLD)

Chapter Fifteen

Roman followed as Janus led the way to a room for preparation. He opened the door for them and gestured for them go inside. "You have fifteen minutes to get ready Virgil," he told him with a smirk. "And please do put on a good show."

"As if I ever don't," Virgil retorted with a lethal smirk in return. 

"Ah, there's my champion! I look forward to seeing you out there," Janus said. 

He then closed the door, leaving the two alone. The prince felt uneasy. Something had been off about the mage all morning, but the expression on his face just now made something twist in his stomach. He wondered how the mage felt being in this situation. It was clear that he'd done this before, but it wasn't something he liked to talk about. Did he feel excited? Did he secretly enjoy this?

Virgil was seated on one of the benches of the room. He had shrugged off his cloak and was tightening the laces of his boots. His smirk had disappeared once Janus had left, but there was a feeling lingering in the air.

Roman swallowed nervously and tried to distract himself. "So, how is this going to go?"

"I'm going to go out there and fight a bunch of people and then we leave," he replied. He reached up to rustle his hair, which had been hanging in front of his eyes. The prince caught his gaze and felt his gut twist again, tighter. They weren't soft and sparkling like they normally were. They were dark and full of something unexplainable. "Hopefully it won't take too long because I was hoping to get to my guild in the next few days. Having to stay an extra day here is a bit of a nuisance."

Fifteen minutes seemed to fly by because soon someone was knocking on the door and calling for Virgil. They were led to the ring but Roman was told to stay on the outside to watch. He stayed put, watching as Virgil approached the doors to the ring.

Janus' smooth voice sounded loudly through the building. "Ladies, gentlemen, those in between and those who are neither, I've got a special treat for you," he said. The watching crowd cheered loudly around him. "Yes, some of you know him, some of you hate him... the reigning champion of my arena has returned for today only! It's the Anxious Nightmare!"

The crowd made a lot of noise upon hearing his ring name. Roman wasn't able to determine how they felt about him. He was too busy trying to process the name he'd been addressed by. He didn't know he had a fighting name.

Virgil stepped into the ring, his hair shading his eyes as he stood before the crowd. He looked like a completely different person. 

"Yes indeed! There he is! This is a wonderful opportunity for some of you to test your skills! The Anxious Nightmare is champion material, can you match up against him? Can you surpass him? Today's your day to find out!" Janus explained. "First up, we've got a rematch from his previous time in the ring!"

Maurice stepped out from the other side of the ring. He was carrying a heavy-looking axe and his eyes held hatred in them. Roman glanced between him and Virgil, noticing that a smirk had found its way back onto the mage's face.

"You know the rules, no lethal blows, that ruins the fun," Janus' voice said with a chuckle. "Ready?"

The two stood at opposite sides of the arena, nodding. The crowd was screaming and yelling all around Roman. He shook his head out as he tried to ignore the chaos. He focused on the ring as a whistle sounded.

Maurice launched into action first. He ran toward Virgil, who simply stood and watched. Roman's heart began to race as he watched the axe swing through the air toward his friend. He averted his eyes, not being able to watch as the weapon made contact. However, it didn't. The sounds of the crowd told him that Virgil had not been hit. He cautiously returned his gaze.

Virgil was standing on the other side of the arena now as if he'd been there the whole time. "Honestly Maurice, that was textbook," he said with a deep chuckle. The hairs on the prince's arms stood up at the sound. 

"You should fight me without your pathetic illusions, Virgil," the bandit spat, raising his axe again. "Or have you gone soft?"

The mage tilted his head to the side and eyed him. He raised his hands, spreading his fingers. Maurice grinned triumphantly as they glowed with magical light. He leaped forward once more, but Virgil slid underneath his axe and dealt a harsh blow to his chest. He stumbled out of his attack. He coughed, but to Roman's surprise, he laughed.

"Come on, I know you've got better than that in you," he goaded. "Where's that monster I've fought before?"

Virgil's eyes suddenly hardened as he glared at his opponent. "He's decided you're not worth the effort," he muttered, raising his fists once more. He blinked and smirked once more, brushing off the comment. "Besides, I've got other people to fight after this is over. You're not worth wasting my energy on."

Maurice growled and they launched themselves into battle. Roman could hardly keep up with what was happening. The flashes of light from Virgil's hands indicated when he landed a hit on him, but it was difficult to tell whether or not Maurice had gotten hits in. The prince wanted to look away, but he was stuck in place. He couldn't look away from Virgil and he needed to see who was going to win. Soon enough, he got his answer. 

The fighting stopped with the two facing each other, panting. Virgil's eyes were alight with something that reminded Roman of a feral animal. Maurice fell to the ground with a groan. He was dragged out of the arena, his skin covered in bruises and marks from Virgil's attacks. 

The mage seemed unfazed, turning to look at the crowd. "Who's next?"