The challenge was a battle royale. The last ten candidates standing would be chosen.
Instructor Harrow wasted no time on ceremony. He considered the two hundred volunteers a pack of barely acceptable candidates and had no intention of catering to them. With a wave of his hand, pale sigils illuminated the stone floor, forming a wide circle around the contestants. Each rune glowed faintly, its intricate patterns stretching across the floor like silver veins.
Harrow stood at the edge of the ring, his scarred face as expressionless as ever.
"Step outside the ring, surrender, or become incapacitated, and you are eliminated. No weapons. Kill a rival, and you will be removed along with him."
The rules were simple, and the consequences even simpler.
The ninety candidates who had already secured their places drifted toward the carved benches along the walls. Some settled comfortably into their seats, while others leaned forward with eager smiles, anticipating the spectacle.
