Chapter 71 The Gauntlet

The handlers shoved a gold coin into Kai’s hand. A token, his first reward.
“Spend it how you like,” one muttered. “You’re human. No chains, no boarding. Just keep coming back when called.”

Kai turned the coin over. Heavy, warm. It meant nothing—except the promise that more would come. That he could fight again.

He tightened his grip. “Send me back out.”

The handler smirked. “You’ll regret asking.”

The gate opened.

Fight after fight came—warriors with steel, beasts foaming at the mouth, monsters dragged from dungeons. Kai met them all.

His body should have broken, but each time his bones screamed he forced them to hold. Each breath felt like it might be his last, yet he refused to stop. The crowd fed him—thunder and fire in their throats.

He gave it to them.

A warrior’s blade shattered under his fists. A beast’s charge ended nose-first in the sand. A monster’s shriek was silenced beneath his heel.

But whenever beastfolk stepped onto the sand—a fox-eared spearman, a trembling wolf-girl, a scaled fighter with eyes full of fear—Kai pulled back. He struck to win, but left them breathing, saveable by healers. He didn’t know why, only that he couldn’t slaughter them.

Humans and monsters, though—those he punished without hesitation.

Handlers whispered in the shadows. The crowd gave him names: Iron Fist, The Dreaming Killer. Each challenger fell, and still Kai demanded more.

High above, Patrona and Revoli watched.

At first it had been awe—then dread. Blow after blow, fight after fight, and he kept rising. Blood dripped, his arms shook, yet he wouldn’t stop.

“Why is he doing this?” Revoli whispered, clutching Patrona’s sleeve.

Patrona’s lips pressed tight. She saw it in his face—emptiness behind his eyes. He wasn’t fighting for them. Not for anyone. He fought because he didn’t know what else to do.

Then she saw him—the armsman who had taken Elijah’s girls. He stood with a soldier, their attention sliding toward her and Revoli like wolves scenting blood.

Her stomach knotted. They were boxed in.

“Patrona…” Revoli’s voice broke.

The only way out was down.

Patrona grabbed her hand. “Jump!”

Together they vaulted the railing. Ten feet down to sand. They hit hard, dust spraying. A shadow fell across them.

A sabertooth liger prowled the pit, fangs long as daggers. Its yellow eyes locked on them.

The beast lunged.

Patrona rolled, dragging Revoli clear. Claws gouged sand where they had been. The crowd roared at the chaos.

“Stay behind me!” Patrona shouted, blades flashing.

But before it pounced again, a figure stepped between them.

Kai.

Sweat streaked his face, blood dripping from his arms—but his stance was unshakable. He didn’t glance at them, only fixed on the monster.

The sabertooth roared and sprang.

Kai met it head-on, fists slamming into its jaw mid-leap. The crack shook the arena. The beast tumbled aside, dazed.

Patrona clutched Revoli, but her eyes stayed on him.

He finally turned. For a heartbeat their eyes met. No recognition. Only concern.

“You two…” His voice was hoarse. “Stay close. I won’t let it touch you.”

Revoli’s throat closed. Tears spilled. “Kai—it’s me! You don’t remember?”

His brow furrowed. Something tugged at the edges of his mind, but slipped like smoke.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t remember. But I’ll protect you.”

Revoli sobbed. Patrona squeezed her shoulder.

The sabertooth staggered upright again. Kai turned back, fists raised.

The beast lunged. The fight was brutal, desperate—but in the end, the sabertooth lay broken in the sand.

Handlers stormed in.

Kai bent to them, voice softer, weighed with guilt. “I’ll come with you. Just…let me collect my winnings first.”

The crowd roared as handlers led him away. He returned with a pouch heavy with coins, exhausted but still standing.

Patrona seized his arm. “This way.”

Together they fled the arena, slipping into the veins of Gildenreach. The alleyways swallowed them, shadows thicker here.

At last, in a dim backroom, they stopped. A single candle burned low.

Kai sat with his back to the wall, Revoli pressed close on one side, Patrona on the other. He looked at them, memory empty—but his chest told a different story. They mattered. Somehow, he knew.

Patrona couldn’t hold back. That one kiss had shattered her chains, haunted her every night. Seeing him alive, within reach—regret was no longer an option.

She cupped his face, trembling, and kissed him. Not gently, but with all the truth she had buried. His lips were steady, surprised but unyielding. For her, release. For him, confusion laced with familiarity.

When she broke away, her voice was raw.
“You changed me. I couldn’t live without giving it back to you… even if you never remember.”

Revoli lowered her head, silent tears slipping down. Her grip on his arm tightened as though he might vanish.

And there—watching with wide eyes—was Cherish.

Her face lit. “Kai…” Relief broke her voice. “You’re alive.”

The bovine blacksmith stepped forward, voluptuous figure framed in candlelight. Every line was confident, provocative, her bodice pressing curves into prominence. Cherish wielded her form like a weapon, a reminder of her strength.

Her gaze lingered on Kai—admiration mingled with hunger. She wanted him because of what he had done: defending beastfolk, defending her trade, proving himself in ways few men dared.

Kai didn’t look away. He didn’t know her, but recognized her importance. She had brought the girls to him, kept them safe, stood as a bridge he couldn’t ignore.

For now, that was enough.