The silence in the arena was heavy, broken only by the digital wind whistling through the stone archways. Kael stood frozen, his hand gripping the hilt of his golden sword, wondering if he could log out by simply biting his tongue hard enough.
But the fight didn't start.
Instead, the tension broke in the most unexpected way possible.
The seven-foot-tall, blood-red lizard-man across from him lowered his combat staff. The menacing aura evaporated, replaced by the casual, slouching posture of a teenager hanging out at a mall.
The_Red_Lizard walked up to him. His massive, clawed feet kicked up small clouds of virtual sand, and his tail swayed rhythmically behind him. He stopped just outside of striking range, tilting his reptilian head to the side to get a better look at Kael's pauldrons.
"Bro," the lizard said, his voice amplified by the arena's acoustics. "How did you get the skin?"
Kael blinked behind his visor. The HUD flickered, trying to analyze the threat, but finding none.
