Welcome to the Underground [Profession - Solo - Plot]

Assignment Details:

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The agonizing wait was unbearable for Adrastos as he paced around his room, constantly looking out his window for when the sun would go into its slumber. While he waited, he looked at the mark that was burned into his forearm. It was strange and looked almost evil in nature, but the young magician had no idea what the symbol meant. Based on the information from Whisper, every member of the underground carried a mark that defined themselves. He wondered why that was, but no matter how hard he tried to think, nothing came to mind.

When twilight claimed the sky, Adrastos left his room, and ventured out into the chilly city streets, heading toward the location where he had met Whisper. As he walked, the man noticed movement all over from within the shadows of the city, all of them heading to the same place he was. Every time there was movement, a faint shimmer could be seen. Were they using some sort of invisibility spell? Or perhaps a magic tool? Adrastos studied them until they all just suddenly vanished without a trace, leaving Adrastos alone at the rendezvous he was suppose to be.

A tap on his shoulder grabbed his attention, in which Adrastos responded to by spinning on his heels. Before him stood Blake, the man he had first encountered when he had first investigated the rumors that slithered through Magnostadt. Blake turned and walked into what took on the appearance of an abandoned building, but once Adrastos stepped through the doorway, a stone stadium rested inside.


Naturally, the arena was not the same size as the coliseum. It was the shape of a circle, with a diameter of about 50m. The audience apparently had to stand to watch the fights, but given the excitement that filled the room, it wouldn’t be a problem. All around the arena were magicians crowded together, all of the screaming for a fight. “Pretty wild, isn’t it?” asked Blake, the only voice he could hear clearly despite the ruckus being made. “Whisper told me you joined. Guess I’m not surprised. You didn’t look like you would just let it go.”


A bell rang, and the crowd pushed forward as if on impulse, forcing Adrastos to stumble to the front where he would be able to see everything that would happen in the arena. There were in fact two people standing at opposite ends of the battlefield, one male and one female. The male had stringy white hair and wore a dingy green colored armor. He crouched as if he were perched on a branch and his eyes, like a hawks, watched his opponent closely. The woman was gorgeous with her soft, red hair. She wore black armor that hardly covered her body, leaving her exposed to any attack, but she still stood proud and determined. “The fight between Lightning Rose and Blackthorn will now begin! Ready. Set.” The spectators roared, pumping their wands and staffs in the air. “Go!”

Lightning Rose was the first to attack, sending a bolt of lightning at Blackthorn, who countered with a wall of thorns. Adrastos noted the similarities between this and the Coliseum, and felt as charged as the crowd that surrounded him. The battle felt like a blur, and nothing seemed to go by slow like when it did during his Coliseum matches, but the battle was beautiful. Sparks of electricity from Rose’s lightning and petals from Blackthorns spiraled around the room. The movements the two magicians made were hard for Adrastos to track only because of the hype that fogged his senses, and before he knew it, Blackthorn was on the ground defeated. “Winner: Lightning Rose!”

Everyone exploded, some from happiness, some from disappointment, but everyone had enjoyed the match. Blake stepped next to Adrastos, handing him some money. “You know the drill. Keep your mouth shut. Assuming you survive that is.” Adrastos pocketed the money that was given to him. Assuming I survive what? The next thing he knew, he was falling into the arena after a pair of different sized hands pushed him over the edge.
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WC: 685/500