A few hours later…
Riven walked into the arena with a weird mix of fear and confidence. But his face? Total coping.
He spun his gun, trying to seem cool — ready for whatever happened next.
Judge (shouting): "A fight to the death!"
The crowd went wild.
Judge: "On the right side, we have Wex — the water bender!"
A tall figure emerged, water spiraling around his arms, calm and dangerous.
Judge: "And on the left — Riven, the unlucky gambler!"
The cheers got quiet. People didn't know what to expect.
Judge: "1! 2! 3! GO!"
Wex instantly launched forward, sending rippling waves flying straight at Riven.
[NEW GOPT DETECTED: 5% CHANCE THE BULLET FREEZES ANY LIQUID IT TOUCHES]
Riven glanced at the Gopt that appeared mid-fight. He didn't have time to think. He fired.
The bullet shot into the air — and missed. It didn't even touch the water.
The next second, the wave slammed into Riven, launching him back. He crashed into the wall hard, air knocked out of him by the pressure.
Groaning, he forced himself up, barely keeping his balance.
Riven (muttering): "Only two bullets left before I have to reload."
He fired twice in a row.
Bang! Bang!
The first bullet hit. The second missed.
Wex clutched his chest, blood starting to stain his shirt.
Wex (angrily): "You'll pay for that, asshole."
Riven (dryly): "Such a generic line."
Wex threw another wave in the air, this one bigger. Riven ducked and rolled, reloading fast. He fired again — it missed.
[NEW GOPT DETECTED: 2% CHANCE AN EXPLOSION OCCURS ON SHOT]
Riven kept firing. One bullet exploded, blasting water away. Another froze the wave mid-air. Another missed completely.
But then — bang — a direct hit.
The bullet drilled into Wex's chest again. He stumbled backward, coughing blood.
His heart had been hit.
Wex dropped to one knee, eyes wide, struggling to stay conscious.
Riven (aiming one last time): "Roll or die."