Normally, this was supposed to be a team deathmatch, with each group from a gate fighting against the other groups. However, this match was likely to end like all the others did.

  Me against everyone.

  It started off as trying to take out the weakest piece on the board first. A hanging pawn with no backup. But it quickly changed into a scheme to take out the domineering Queen. People had a habit of working together to take out a greater threat. Right before they went back to tearing each other apart.

  I took on a fighting stance and waited to see who would attack first. The people from the North gate rushed at me, emboldened by their higher number. One wielded a claymore, another a sword and the last a spear.

  The spearman attacked first. He was inexperienced with the spear, with the tip of it wavering as it drew close and his footwork unbalanced. I sidestepped the thrust, and yanked the spear out of his hands. With the momentum behind his attack and the extra pull from me, he fell face first at my feet. I twirled the spear and impaled him as he lay on the ground.

  One down.

  Next was the man wielding the claymore. Trying to capitalise on the brief window of attack his dead comrade provided, he made a sweeping attack aimed for my head. The blade drew a lazy arc, slow as it approached me. I ducked under the swing, and came up behind his guard. Grabbing his shirt by the collar, I locked my leg against his foot, grabbed his forearm and flung him over my shoulder onto the sand.

  I heard the wind get knocked out of his lungs as he landed. Grabbing the claymore from his now loose hands, I quickly turned around and deflected the strike from the third person. The first sound of metal on metal rang out in the arena.

  Klang!

  The swordsman quickly repositioned himself after his sneak attack missed. He was sweating profusely. Whether that was due to his nervousness or the heat, I didn't know. It was probably both.

  I glanced at the other groups through the corner of my eye. They didn't appear to be making any moves.

  He gathered his resolve and attempted a downward slash. I stood my ground and brought the claymore in a clean, upward stroke. My strength plus the weight of the claymore slapped the short sword out of his hand. Following the motion of the swing, I spun around with a horizontal slash to his neck. The blood gushed out as he tried to stymie the flow with his hands. He choked and fell over.

  Two down.

  Without looking back, I reversed my grip on the sword hilt and thrust it backwards. I felt the sensation of steel rupturing flesh, accompanied by a gasp of pain. I pulled out the sword and looked back just as the man dropped to his knees and fell flat. There was an arrow gripped in his hands.

  Three down.

  A minute hadn't passed, and three men were already dead. The crowd went wild, screaming at a frenzy. I swung the claymore to dislodge the excess blood on it. I looked at the remaining groups, and as expected their apprehension had gone through the roof. Particularly in the case of one of the two men from the Southern gate.

  I could see the trembling in his hands as he gripped his mace tighter. His partner seemed oblivious to his plight as he marched towards me, spear in hand. From his grip, he seemed to at least know how to use it.

  However, the fearstruck man didn't follow. Instead, with shaking legs, he retreated and ran back to the shut gate he came from.

  "Please! Let me out!" he shouted as he pounded on the gate.

  The spearman looked back and quickly ran to his partner.

  "Hey! Quit it! What are you doing?" he yelled, but his partner kept pleading.

  The crowd's cheers died down once they saw what was happening, and the arena went deadly quiet.

  The only sound being the pounding on the gate and the pleading of the man.

  Then, all of a sudden:

  "Booooooo!" someone from the audience voiced their displeasure.

  Like wildfire, the boos spread across the entire place. The spearman looked around at the crowd with growing worry on his face. He tried again to get his partner to stop.

  "Stop it! Can't you hear them? You're going to get us killed! Please, stop!"

  He tried to pull him away from the gate, but the scared man fiercely resisted.

  "Please! I beg of you! Let me out!" the man kept screaming.

  "Anything but this! I'll pay back somehow. Just, don't make me fight that beast!" he kept yelling, tears falling from his eyes.

  "Just give me another chance! Just one more—"

  He never got to finish that sentence. An arrow had pierced his back.

  "P-please…" he uttered weakly, right before two arrows lodged themselves in his head. His body slumped and he fell on his side.

  "W-w-wait!" the spearman stuttered as he looked around in fear at the archers now aiming at him.

  "I'll fight! So there's no need to—".

  Thwack!

  An arrow to the head.

  The crowd went back to cheering.

  I tightened my grip on the sword as I looked at the two dead men. They didn't even get a chance to fight. I turned my attention to the men at the Western Gate.

  Only three left.

  There was a big, burly man wielding a huge double headed axe. He had a scruffy beard and bore many scars on his arms and face. Next to him was a man who was not as tall, but was well-built. On his left arm was a polished bronze shield, while he gripped a shortsword in his right. He also sported a considerable number of scars. Lastly, was the archer. He had pitch black hair and tanned skin. It seemed like he'd be the hardest to deal with, based on the bow he was holding.

  I made my way to the centre of the arena.

  "Well that was a sight to behold!" The man with the shield exclaimed as I approached.

  "Just as the rumours said." The axeman chipped in with a deep voice. "I'd always heard that the warriors of her Kingdom were formidable. But to think even a member of their nobility had such skill."

  "Makes you wonder how that deadbeat of a King managed to get his hands on her." The man with the shield replied.

  "Care to tell us how you got captured, princess?" he yelled.

  "..."

  "Not much of a talker, is she?" he asked his teammates.

  "Perhaps she's indeed nothing more than a savage now." Said the axeman.

  "Well, savage or not, she holds our ticket out of here." the shield-bearer said as he shifted into a fighting stance. His shield raised, shortsword ready for attack. The archer didn't utter a single word, as he drew an arrow and nocked it. The axeman tightly gripped his axe, also getting into an offensive stance.

  I started running towards them. The archer had to go down first and then I'd focus on the two men. They both sensed this and moved in to cover the archer.

  The axeman raised his axe high and his axe descended powerfully. I had the strength to block his blows but my claymore would most likely shatter on impact due to it's shabby state. I narrowly dodged the blow, getting in range to strike him.

  However, the man with the shield jumped in with a block at just the right moment.

  I jumped back as he thrusted his blade towards me. They repositioned themselves quickly and lunged at me. I stood my ground, awaiting their attacks.

  However, before they got to me, they both jumped away from each other. Just as they parted, an arrow came into view.

  Surprised, I brought up my sword and used the flat side to block it right on time.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  A coincidence?

  The men then tried to attack me from my flanks. The man with the shortsword thrusted again. I stepped back, and the axeman followed with a horizontal swipe. I bent my knees and dodged the swipe. The swordsman repositioned himself in front of me, attempting another thrust.

  Just as I swung my blade, he and the axeman jumped away from each other again. Another arrow came into view. There wasn't enough time to dodge this one. Keeping the motion of my swing, I swatted the arrow to the ground.

  What was going on?

  I stared at the archer as he nocked another arrow. He aimed at me. The men attacked again, and this time I noticed something. Each time they moved in to attack, instead of choosing an optimal strike, they went for the moves that at least obstructed my view of the archer. And each of the men focused on covering the areas open to attack for the other. When the time was right, they got out of the arrow's way.

  However, how did they know it was coming? If the archer waited till they got out of the way before firing, I'd have more than enough time to react. But each time, the arrow was already near, like it was fired before they even moved.

  How did they see it? Was there a sort of signal? What could it be?

  It couldn't be through sound. The Colosseum was usually too noisy for that sort of thing to be reliable. A visual cue? But their eyes were on me at all times.

  Their attacks continued. There was one thing I was sure of: Compared to the people I'd fought so far, these guys were the most coordinated.

  When the axeman went high and I ducked, the man with the shield immediately followed up with a low attack, then vice versa. For the openings that came from a dodge, the shield-bearer was right on time with a block. Then just as my movements are sealed, they jump out of the way and an arrow appears right in front of me. It was getting closer each time. I couldn't leave things as they were.

  The same pattern repeated itself. The arrow nicked my ear.

  Then a thought struck me. When the next arrow fired, I began to count.

  'One…'

  The man with the shield came at me with a combo. I blocked each strike.

  'Two… Three…'

  The axeman came from the side and attempted another beheading strike. I leaned backwards, just out of reach of the blade.

  'Four…'

  I went in for the opening, but once again the man with the shield was right on time to block me.

  'Five…'

  Just as I counted five, the men jumped out of the way. Sure enough, there was another arrow. I turned my body and the arrow lightly scratched my upper arm.

  'Could it be?'

  I started counting again. The same pattern played out. I got to seven this time.

  Once again.

  Five seconds.

  Again.

  Seven.

  Again.

  Five.

  So that was how it was.

  After every arrow, they counted to five and seven alternately. At the end of each count, the archer would launch his arrow, and the men got out of the way. It was a clever strategy that required precise timing and trust. If anyone was off with their count, they could get skewered by friendly-fire. I had to applaud their coordination. I hadn't seen such during my time at the Colosseum.

  But now that I had it figured out, dealing with the archer was easy. During the next onslaught, I kept counting in my head. My dodge was in sync with theirs, and the arrow cut through empty air. The eyebrows of the men furrowed a bit. After the next few arrows, they caught on.

  "Hey, hey, hey, hey! You can't be serious! Did she figure it all out?!" the axeman shouted.

  "I had a feeling the plan wouldn't work that easily against her." the shield-bearer said, worry and a bit of fear on his face.

  "We might need to switch things up a bit!"

  "Hehehe, I like the sound of that! You hear that Arrow-boy? We're kicking up the gears!" the axeman shouted to the archer, as he gripped his axe even tighter.

  The archer didn't say a word as he brought out three arrows from his quiver this time. The fight resumed.

  The axeman swung with more force, each swing creating a gust of wind. The shield-bearer also sped up his attacks, each strike being more precise and sharper than before. But the pattern remained the same.

  I counted to five. The arrow came.

  Seven, it came again.

  'One…'

  The shield-bearer threw a dagger that was conceleaded in his boots. I dodged it.

  'Two..'

  The axeman came at me with a low swing aimed at my legs. I avoided the swing by jumping.

  'Three…'

  The shield-bearer threw another dagger to get me mid-air. I twisted my body and used the flat of my blade to knock it out of the air.

  'Four…'

  Then the surprise came. As I landed, an arrow was already inches from my face. I had no time to deflect it. I reflexively leaned back as the arrow flew over my face, thinly scraping my forehead as it passed.

  There was no time to rest. The axeman came with another overhead strike aimed at my tilted body. There was no way to dodge from this posture.

  I dropped my sword and brought my palms together with force. I held the flats of the blade of the axe in between my palms, mere inches from my face. The axeman strained, trying to push the axe further down, but I didn't budge.

  I pushed him back as I straightened myself and nudged the blade away from my face to the ground. I turned as the shield-bearer came close. Without a sword to block his strikes, I deftly dodged and weaved between each slash. It was definitely easier to dodge the heavy swings of the axe than his quick strikes and thrusts. I got in close, throwing a punch towards his stomach. He moved his shield to block it, his eyes opening wide in shock from the force of the blow. Before I could follow up with another strike, an arrow came at me and I had to jump back.

  Nine seconds. It was late.

  The axeman came running again. I turned to face him but immediately ducked as I spotted another arrow flying my way. Then I jumped out of the way of the axe.

  Two seconds.

  'Was it at random now?'

  I watched as the two men regrouped and repositioned themselves to block my view of the archer again.

  'Did they change the timing? Is that what they meant by changing gears?'

  They both shifted their bodies and another arrow flew right between. I also tilted my body and it slashed my other arm.

  Six seconds.

  The order of the count didn't really have a pattern anymore. By the time I figured out all the numbers, I'd be riddled with holes from the times I didn't react quick enough. The preciseness of the shots was also increasing, with the smallest gaps being used. Such marksmanship was not to be trifled with. The more he read my movements, the more accurately he predicted them.

  I needed to remain focused.

  I bent down to grab the claymore, tightening my grip on it.

  "Never in my life have I seen someone stop my axe with their bare hands!" The axeman exclaimed, a hint of fear in his voice as he panted.

  "Nor dent a bronze shield with their fist. Her hands might even be more lethal than any blade." The shield-bearer said, his face pale as he inspected his shield.

  "We have to end this quickly."

  They dashed towards me, still blocking my view of the archer. With concerted attacks, their onslaught ensued.

  Instead of using my strength to block or parry the attacks, I resorted to dodging, preserving my energy for the burst of movement required to dodge an arrow at a moment's notice. As they pressed on, I was gradually pushed back. I waited, looking for a gap I could capitalise on.

  I zeroed in on the shield bearer. As I dodged his next attack, I kicked him hard in the guts. Although his shield blocked the blow, he still flew back a few feet from the impact. I turned to the axeman. Now there was no one to cover for him.

  Just as his axe missed my head, I went in for the finishing strike to his head.

  Then a bronze shield flew in and knocked my sword off course. Another arrow was loosed, and I got out of its way. I looked at the shield-bearer. He was on his knees, his arm outstretched as his face was contorted in pain. I hadn't considered the possibility of him throwing the shield. He got up to his feet, dashing towards me. I dodged a few strikes from the axeman, the now shieldless shield-bearer joining in. They pressed in from both sides.

  I alternated my attention between them, while keeping an eye on the archer. Instead of covering my view with their bodies, they were now trying to split my attention.

  With his shield gone, the shield-bearer was moving even faster. I had to start using my sword again to deal with him. Parrying and blocking the blows of the swordsman on the right, avoiding the strikes of the axe from the left, dodging or deflecting the erratically timed arrows that were increasing in frequency. The crowd was going wild due to the fourway frenzy. They were witnessing what was probably the hardest battle I'd fought in the Colosseum.

  The battle was getting drawn out. Both sides were getting tired. If I were in peak condition, I could outlast them in a battle of attrition. But in my current state, it was a gamble to see who would give out first.

  Another arrow flew towards me just as an attack came from my left and right. It was a simultaneous attack from all three. I planned to deflect the arrow then dodge and parry the other attacks quickly. But that plan fell flat the moment I deflected the arrow.

  There was another one right behind it.

  Two arrows, fired in quick succession. With such precision that the other was hidden perfectly right behind the first.

  I had swung my sword, I couldn't bring it back down in time to deflect the other. I couldn't dodge out of the way either. There was an attack to my right and left, I'd get caught in one or the other. The axe came at me high, the sword came low. If I ducked to avoid the axe and arrow, the sword would get me.

  If I tried to jump back far enough out of the reach of their blades, the arrow would still get me mid-air.

  It was checkmate.