Kings Game

Chapter 13 - Preparations (6)

Sprinting the entire way to Kell's apartment, Roran burst through the door gasping for air. Both Kell and Nul stared at him.

"You okay?" asked Nul.

"Sorry I'm late, I slept through rations."

"It's fine," said Kell. "We're not training today anyways."

"We're not?"

"The event starts tomorrow. You need to rest and fill up on food."

"Oh."

Roran had lost track of the days. Calming down, he entered the apartment. Kell was lounging on the couch while Nul was at the table nursing a cup of tea. They got up and put the kettle on. Roran sat down at the table and finished catching his breath, feeling like an idiot the entire time.

Nul poured him a cup of tea and sat back down across from him.

"Feeling nervous?" they asked.

"A little. I'm just worried I'll let everyone down. Were you nervous before your first event?"

Nul nodded. "I was terrified. I was so scared I threw up before the match. It wasn't even a deathmatch. People could still die, but there wasn't any point in killing untitled gladiators so I was relatively safe."

"Do you still get nervous?"

"Sometimes," said Nul, "but only when we're doing something risky or stupid. As long as Kell is fighting with me I know I'll be okay."

Turning to Kell, Roran asked, "Were you nervous before your first event?"

"Nope, but I'd been fighting for my life years before I entered the Crucible. By the time I entered my first arena match I already had a couple kills under my belt. My first big event was more of a chore than anything else."

"How long ago did you enter the Crucible?"

Kell scrunched up her face, counting the years. "About ten years or so ago."

Roran did the math, frowning. "You entered it when you were still a child? Did the others actually try to fight you?"

"Yeah, nobody really cares about your age when you're stabbing them with a spear."

"I'm sorry," said Roran, trying to imagine Kell as a child and failing. He would forever think of her as the unstoppable storm.

"I'm not. Fighting is my life. Besides, it gave me an outlet for my emotions when I hit puberty. I was a real nightmare back then."

Horrified, Roran looked at Nul who only shook their head, gesturing for Roran to drop the topic. Apparently Kell's pubescent days in the arena were another topic best left untouched.

Opting to change the subject, Roran asked, "How long have you two been working together?"

"About five years now," said Nul. "We fought against each other in a group deathmatch, like the Crucible but bigger, and she wanted to team up afterwards."

"Nul had the best focus markings I'd ever seen," said Kell, a reminiscent smile on her face. "Mine were a patchwork mess at the time and I desperately wanted to know who Nul got to do theirs. I approached them after the fight and asked who their etcher was. Imagine my surprise when they said they did it themselves. I knew then and there that we would be good friends."

"Because they are good at etching?"

"No, because Nul is willing to risk their own life on their etching. When someone else etches you, if they screw up and you die, it's not really their problem. If Nul screws up, well they pay just as much as I do."