The Primal Hunter

Jake spent far longer than he would have liked to get home. How in the hell did an entire crowd even manage to gather outside the arena in the relatively short time spent just talking to the Battlemaster? He had no idea, but they somehow had. There were thousands upon thousands of spectators who wanted to see the new Champion and to celebrate him.

While he had wanted to avoid them entirely, Jake somehow ended up spending nearly an hour placating the crowd before using his injuries as an excuse to head back to the small townhouse. Speaking of the townhouse, Jake had been offered other accommodations from the time he hit Warlord, but he really didn’t want to move around anymore. He only ever slept or sat in meditation within the townhouse anyway, so why would he need a fancier temporary home?

At least his fans were nice enough to not follow him home, and when he got there, he saw Polly and Owen both already inside, having even set up the table with some snacks.

Jake, already feeling a bit better just from his recovery potion doing work, headed inside and went to the small living room where the two of them were sitting patiently chatting among themselves. They quickly went silent when they heard Jake, and both greeted him the second he walked into the room.

“You made it all the way…” Owen said with a smile, but he clearly hid some apprehension.

“It’s amazing!” Polly said, with a far more purely positive attitude. “I must say, I was fearful when I saw the Valkyrie summon that giant sand hill, something I honestly think was cheating as she clearly couldn’t even fully control or supply the spell with enough mana by herself, but then you pulled out that bow of yours! Your archery training clearly paid off amazingly well.”

“I don’t think Jake just trained archery during the Colosseum,” Owen added. “You were already an expert before you came here, right?”

While “expert” was a bit of a loaded word, Jake definitely was one by level 0 standards even before arriving at the Colosseum of Mortals. Probably mid-tier C-grade standards, too, but due to the high level of his melee skills, Jake hadn’t been super confident calling himself an expert archer before. Now, though? Now, he thought he had earned that title, even in the outside world.

“I was originally an archer, yes. In fact, my katars are usually my secondary weapon I switch to when using ranged attacks isn’t viable or optimal,” Jake responded truthfully. “And, not gonna lie, I was just waiting for someone to force me to pull out my bow. The Valhalian Valkyrie definitely warranted it.”

“I will admit, you never struck me as the highly strategic kind, but to keep your best weapon for so long was damn impressive,” Owen smiled, but that smile quickly faded. “I also get the feeling that you aren’t done with the Colosseum yet… are you?”

“What do you mean?” Polly asked, confused. “He is the Champion already! What more is there to do?”

“The Gauntlet of the Grand Champion,” Owen said in a serious tone. “A… difficult challenge, to say the least. One that very few have ever attempted, much less completed. Jake… by now, I guess you already figured out the Lightning Monarch is my father?”

Jake just nodded, reading the atmosphere enough to know that joking with Owen right now wouldn’t land well.

“Remember when I said my father used to teach me a bit? Yeah, that happened because he tried the Gauntlet and failed, making him go back to a quiet life for a few years before returning here. And he didn’t just leave because of the Colosseum rules, but to recover. He spent nearly a year recovering before he could fight again.”

Polly looked at Owen with sad eyes as she put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Owen looked at her with grateful eyes as he continued.

“And now he wants to try again. He is training to try again, but I fear things won’t end as well the second time around. I know I have no right to ask you this… but please don’t kill him if you fight him. Yet, at the same time, don’t let him off easy. Make him never return to the Colosseum again, but return home to my mother and siblings. Return to the damn home he has abandoned.”

Owen looked visibly angry as he said the last part. Jake finally began to get a proper understanding of Owen … he was there to beat his father or at least somehow convince him to go home.

Jake’s pet theory was that Owen was meant to be some kind of rival to the regular Nevermore Attendees, while he served more as a guide and an introduction to different aspects of the Colosseum for those on the more powerful side while also creating a more personal connection to at least one of the Champions.

After being silent for a few moments, Jake nodded. “Alright, I will do my best, but no guarantees. As a Champion, he is no doubt powerful in his own right, and I can’t say for sure if I will have any leeway to hold back or even have a convincing enough victory.”

“That’s all I can ask,” Owen said with gratitude. “I will, of course, help you with any preparations. Back during his recovery, he taught me the same techniques and concepts. I know his strengths and his weaknesses.”

Jake hid a smile as he gave the young man a nod. He wasn’t going to reject intel on any of the Champions if it came to him.

The next to speak was Polly.

Polly didn’t really fit into any solid mold when it came to determining her role within the Challenge Dungeon, though she had proven to be incredibly effective at gathering information despite not really having any rank to speak of. Somehow, she had a lot of contacts to pull on, and people were more than happy to discuss with her, even those at a higher rank. Of course, she still had her limits, and the information brokers still required payment before offering any help whatsoever, but Polly even got cheaper rates than Jake himself. So, even if she didn’t fit any mold, she was definitely helpful.

“Hello again,” Jake said as he walked up to the Battlemaster, who looked like he had been expecting him.

“So, you’ve decided to commit and try to go the whole way?” the Battlemaster asked. “To attempt the Gauntlet of the Grand Champion?”

“Yes,” Jake said with resolution.

“Remember, there is no taking it back. You either reach the top or fall from grace,” the Battlemaster double-checked to ensure Jake was certain.

“I am fully aware, and I still wanna give the Gauntlet of the Grand Champion a go.”

“Very well,” the Battlemaster said with a huge grin. “Now, who would you like to challenge first?”

“The Lightning Monarch,” Jake said.

“Oh? Interesting choice; I was sure you would have gone for one of the mages or maybe even the Lord of the Hunt to have some kind of archery competition,” the Battlemaster said with some surprise.

“I have my reasons.”

“Fair enough. I guess it is related to the Monarch’s son, right? That Owen kid? You don’t have to answer; it doesn’t really matter. Either way, I will issue the challenge and get back to you when I get an answer,” the Battlemaster said.

Jake was thankful the man didn’t probe more than he had to. Jake really didn’t want to spill the family drama of others for no good reason.

“Thanks for the help,” Jake nodded. “Say, how will you contact me when he answ-“

“Alright, I got an answer. The fight begins in five hours,” the Battlemaster interrupted him.

“What?” Jake blurted out.

“The fight. You know, the thing you just asked me for? The one with the Lightning Monarch? Yeah, it begins in five hours, so get yourself ready,” the Battlemaster said, shaking his head while grumbling something about Jake being weird.

“I thought you said you were going to check in with the Lightning Monarch or something to schedule the fight…” Jake muttered.

“That is what I just did,” the Battlemaster said, exasperated. “Are you sure you are in any condition to fight?”

“… you literally just stood there for five seconds…”

“You asked me to schedule the fight, didn’t you?” the Battlemaster said.

“Yes…”

“So I scheduled the fight,” the Battlemaster sighed. “Now go get your head straight before the fight begins. It would be sad to lose because you aren’t all there mentally.”

Jake wanted to say more but held himself back. He realized he had committed one of the cardinal sins of Challenge Dungeons:

Trying to understand dungeon-fuckery.

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