Chapter 144 Fighting Skills
◎You don’t need to raise your eyes; you can see those thumbs pointing vertically downwards with just your peripheral vision.◎
Boom, boom, the crowd made a thunderous sound.
The arena was like a beehive filled with bees. Even the high platform reserved for the nobles was crowded, leaving only the seats reserved for the elders and priests empty.
The audience poured in one after another, and I was whispering in my heart, why are there so many people, what festival is this?
A hairy intuition was trembling, [Don't worry, something important is going to happen].
The spectators took their seats one after another, while the star gladiators were still waiting in the wings. The first battle of the morning was a beast fighting show between the criminal slaves.
The so-called criminal slave beast fighting, as the name suggests, refers to a group of slaves who have committed serious crimes and refused to be punished. For various reasons, they have been granted special pardon: they can use beast fighting performances to escape punishment.
Of course, in most cases, these sinner slaves can't even survive the first battle.
They are not gladiators carefully trained by the arena, so the owners will not show mercy.
They release whatever wild animals they can find, without even feeding them breakfast, and just open the cage door to eat live food.
Anyway, the audience doesn't expect the sinner to defeat the beast. Except for gamblers, everyone buys tickets just to see the beast tear the sinner apart and swallow it.
Even if they were lucky enough to survive, what awaited the convicts was only one battle after another. The Colosseum would be responsible for their subsequent education and management, and part of the money earned would be given to the plaintiff as an early redemption.
"What kind of prisoners are there today?"
The arena was crowded and hot, and among so many people there were always a few who felt unwell, with an indescribable discomfort.
An elderly woman was resting against a pillar, a basket of bread slung over her arm. She had squeezed in to sell bread, so she could only stand at the edge.
Hearing someone asking, she couldn't help but join in the conversation: "Someone outside is saying that there are slaves who seem to be stealing their master's property and beating their master."
"Oh, they are all young people." A spectator sighed softly.
The crowd was silent for a moment, and suddenly someone raised his voice: "Hey, Miss Melia is down there too." He was very tall and was standing in the front row, so he saw the slave fighter coming out at a glance.
"How is that possible?!" The aunt tightened her bread basket and leaned out. Wasn't Miss Melia a bread seller? How could she have become a thief?
Yes, she sells bread very cheaply, and also white bread with sugar, and she makes a lot of money...
Really? If I can get cheaper bread, why would I buy from Old Dodos?
Looking down, she saw that the bread in the basket was all black bread. White bread with sugar was something out of a dream. Even so, she still moved closer, squeezed in with the crowd, and stuck her head out, almost knocking over the wine jugs that the merchants had placed on the steps.
Hmm, those fighters down there are so small, can they really defeat the beast?
When she saw the black-haired girl inside, the aunt almost forgot about the bread in her hand and was only thinking about one thing: If, if only Miss Melia could survive.
Even though they didn't know each other.
…
Gulp, I've traveled to the ancient Roman Colosseum. My opponent is a hungry wolf, and my teammate is a girl under 14. How can I win? I'm waiting online, very anxious.
The sun shone brightly on the battlefield. The wolf in the cage had unkempt fur and half its tail was bald. Perhaps Mario had managed to get through some internal connection and put the smallest, sickest wolf in her place.
But a wolf is a wolf. It bared its teeth and bit the railing, looking like it had been hungry for a long time.
Melia's calves trembled slightly. Before she traveled through time, she would be scared when she saw a large dog.
【You only have one life, and once you die, there is no turning back.】
Phew… calm down, there are two of us, and we're armed. The documentary showed that humans armed with sharp objects can easily handle animals of similar weight.
She tightened her weapon in her hand and looked at the little girl sitting in the shadows in a daze: "Hurry up and grab your weapons, let's deal with it together!"
"…Together?"
The girl's expression was a little strange, but Melia could understand her thoughts.
It is indeed cruel to expect a child to fight. If she had the strength of Ronnie, she would definitely go alone.
"I'm sorry, I haven't practiced throwing. If the wolf attacks me first, I might be bitten on the right hand and won't be able to fight."
A spear, sword, or axe would be much better, but a copper-headed short spear... a dagger would be even better. One person must be responsible for attracting the wolf's attention, while the other person gets close and stabs it hard.
This child looks very fragile and might even be frightened during the battle, so he can only serve as bait.
The girl was stunned for a moment and shook her head: "I can't outrun the wolf." Then she picked up another short spear on the ground, held it tightly in her hand, looking at a loss.
Melia looked at the battlefield with a headache. The guards had already started beating their shields, signaling them to get out quickly.
"It doesn't matter if you can't run. Go ahead and attract the wolf's attention. We're still some distance away..."
"I don't want it."
Hearing someone enter first, the girl quickly retreated, her eyes full of vigilance: "You want the wolf to eat me so you won't be hungry anymore."
Ugh—it’s really hard to gain trust. If only I could go back a few times, I’d be lucky enough to kill the wolf once.
Snap, snap, snap, the wolf's fangs fiercely ground against the bars. The wild wolf was trapped in a cage not far away, and as soon as the guard opened the cage door, it would immediately jump out.
There was no time to lose. Melia took one last look at the girl holding the short spear and refusing to come out. If they delayed any longer, they would be kicked out by the guards and would have to fight the wolves at close range.
She stretched out her legs and ran as fast as she could. In a short-distance chase, humans could not outrun wild wolves, so they had to leave room for the short spear to operate!
"Oh——" someone exclaimed in the stands.
With a click, the cage door rose up, and the gray wolf jumped out of the cage with a bang, without even waiting to shake its fur, and rushed directly towards Melia.
Animals really prefer to chase moving prey. Fortunately, I didn't count on luck.
Crack, crack—a crisp sound exploded beside her. Melia glanced to the right with the corner of her eye and saw that a pile of wine jars had fallen down and landed not far away.
They must have fallen in a pile. Several lead pots were in very good condition, and the tiles could also be used.
Melia didn't have time to think about the rules, she just picked up a lead can and smashed it out!
Bang! The can made a loud crash on the sand, frightening the gray wolf so much that it jumped back.
It was starving, but not yet stupid. The canine's fear of humans and stones finally rose. The girl in front of it was no longer a fat sheep. She picked up the second jar!
The wolf, with its tail between its legs, dashed away desperately, running more than ten meters. It stopped, moving its paws back and forth, unwilling to give in.
A standoff like this could have lasted a very long time, but it was too hungry. Coincidentally, there was a prey nearby - the shivering little girl was kicked out by the guard and rolled several times holding the spear.
She was so focused on holding her weapon that her knees and wrists were scraped by the gravel, leaving a trail of blood.
"Roar..." The gray wolf let out an excited growl, and its four legs rustled through the sand like paddling water, quickly approaching the girl.
"Uh, well." The girl drew out her short spear absentmindedly, gripping the base with both hands. She swung it twice, then stood still, holding it like a mallet.
The smell of the beast was getting closer and closer. The gray wolf circled cunningly and pounced from the rear.
Pah!
Unable to reach the girl's neck, it lashed out at her arm with its sharp claws. The girl held onto her spear tightly, but the wolf bit her left hand hard and tore it apart.
"Ah ...
The girl lay on her back looking up at the sky. The severe pain mixed with the dry sand made the hallucinations even stronger.
Why...I will die here.
It would be nice if someone could save me, just like before... Has anyone saved me before?
The wolf released her arm and aimed its next bite at her vitals.
But the girl didn't care at all, she just stared up at the sky with wide eyes. After all, in her near-death hallucination, she would be bought up by some faceless wealthy woman at an auction, not just because she stole a few pieces of pie out of hunger and dared to resist her young master, only to be thrown here by him...
laugh--
Drops of blood splattered onto his face, staining the sky red.
The girl struggled to turn over under the scorching touch: the black-haired girl held the short spear in both hands and thrust it hard into the wolf's waist.
The wolf let out a series of low growls, its four claws struggling desperately. But the human's weight was not light. Melia lay firmly on its back, continuing to scratch the wound. The spearhead slowly pressed into the flesh and pierced its internal organs. Finally, the skinny gray wolf drew its last breath.
The girl bathed in a pool of blood and did not get up for a long time.
“Huh…”
As the wind blew through her hair, Melia finally regained some consciousness amidst the stench. Her palms were sore from where they gripped the wooden handle.
With a puff, she pulled out her short spear, stood up shakily, and waved to the stunned girl: "Okay, it's safe now, come with me~"
The wild wolf has been dealt with, and based on previous experience of watching exhibition matches, the gladiators can leave through the small door.
Melia looked at the small door, a little confused: Why hasn't it opened yet? The guard next to it stood there stupidly.
Crash—cheers came from the stands, mixed with chaotic urging.
She looked up and tried to ask the audience in the front row: "What's wrong? I can't hear clearly~"
Boom, boom, boom, boom.
Someone was approaching quickly on the sand, and she subconsciously turned around and held the spear across her body.
clang!
The rubbed area on her palm felt both painful and itchy, and Melia pushed away desperately with her sore arms.
The opponent rested for a long time, then instantly gained the upper hand in strength and thrust forward with gritted teeth.
"What on earth are you going to do!"
Melia took a deep breath, then suddenly released her strength and twisted outward. The opponent couldn't stop in time, and her body suddenly leaned forward. The spearhead grazed Melia's shoulder, piercing her clothes and skin, but then her knee thrust forward, bang!
"Ah." The girl was hit in the abdomen, her face turned pale, and she rolled to the ground exhausted.
Melia grabbed the short spear and pressed it against her neck with a clang. "Are you crazy? I finally defeated the beast, and you actually want to attack me?!"
Could it be that she, too, was a chess piece set by fate, being manipulated by the thread to attack the invaders?
“…No, that’s what I wanted to ask.”
The girl on the ground had a blank look in her eyes. "Ahem, we can't leave here until we decide the winner. As soon as I saw you, I knew, ahem, I was destined to die."
What's the meaning?
"oh oh--"
The cheers in the stands grew louder, and she finally could hear what the audience was saying.
"Kill her, kill her!——"
Without raising your eyes, you can see those thumbs pointing vertically downwards with just your peripheral vision.
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Shiqiburuan and nanaya_scarlet's Leilei~
Thanks for the irrigation of the article...
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