Raphael spanned his fingertips out, and lightning spread between them like webbing. 'You should have something practical–something you can wield and manoeuvre with easily.'
Well, that was the end of the broadsword idea.
'How about a simple double-edged sword? Used right, it's arguably the best weapon.' Raphael held his hand for Leo to take.
'I mean, I guess. Big weapons are just so cool, though.' Leo hesitated to take the hand. 'I think a battle-axe would be awesome. I have the muscle for it.' He flexed a bicep as if it would convince the powerful archangel of anything.
'You may modify your weapon as you go. I recommend something simple to start.' Raphael looked almost a little too stern for Leo's liking. It was like his sports coach in high school scolding him for climbing the basketball hoop to gain a tactical advantage, again.
He took the hand with a sigh. The bolts of lightning coursed around their wrists, and between them formed the grip of a black sword. It was long, elegant and bound in leathers that hung off the pommel like the tassels of a frilly curtain. The black blade was split down the center as if in the creation process, they had cut that piece out to use for something else.
'Oh dear.' Raphael looked very displeased.
'Oh yes!' Leo snatched the blade into the air. He knew what to do with it immediately, and loosed some lightning down it which ran between the two halves of the blade, stringing them together like webbing. 'This is way cooler than I thought it would be.'
'Well.' Raphael shrugged. 'If you're happy with it, I won't nit-pick the structural integrity of the design.'
Leo whipped the blade about a few times before realising a sheath had apparated on his belt. The blade slid in with a satisfying click. A small latch held it there, and looked like it could easily be flicked to release the blade. Leo could barely contain his excitement.
'We need to act.' Raphael finally unravelled the scroll. It was covered in a mess of tiny words that overwhelmed Leo, so he just hoped Raphael would read it for him.
'Act?'
'Yes, you have a contract with me and now have a weapon. Those who ring this place will soon know you're here. You'll need to sign this contract to join the colosseum and have your test match before someone comes to find out why you're here and discovers me.' Raphael placed the paperwork on a desk in the far corner of the room and plucked a quill from a jar there. 'As soon as you sign, you'll be thrown into a one-on-one match with someone else new. The only rules are to not leave your designated battleground, marked by some floating crystals, and don't fly.' He stared at Leo for a surprisingly long time after that.
'I can't fly.'
'Okay good.' Raphael waved the quill in Leo's face.
'But what if I end up with someone way too strong for me?'
'Firstly, that's just about impossible. Nobody you face in this first round would be already sponsored by someone as influential as an archangel. At best, they may have a strange trick from a middle-class demon. Secondly, if you happen to feel like you can't win, show you can survive for a long period of time. There are many floors in the colosseum, and some aren't straight combat, but survival.' Raphael ticked Leo's nose with the feather. 'You'll be fine, and I'll be in a special booth watching and trying to build your rapport with the viewers as well.'
This was all going so fast, too fast, but Leo clutched the quill anyway. Raphael was right, he would probably just end up facing someone with boring fire spitting powers or something he already saw in Hell.
He signed the contract.
Raphael took the quill and signed beside it.
'Good luck, Leo. Don't forget to keep an eye on your Key to know if your body is struggling.'
Leo had barely enough time to nod in understanding as the contract vanished in a bolt of light, and then everything seemed to move around him. The space turned from the pretty bedroom to a silver-plated floor, rectangular structures spiralling high into the air. Nearby, tiny glowing crystals in the shape of cubes floated, organised in a perfect rectangle around him. There was plenty of space to move, and lots of options for cover or places to hide with those pillars nearby.
Leo was momentarily distracted by the sound of someone crying out nearby, and he caught the sight of a man impaled by an enormous curved blade, like an oversized cutlass. A much larger man with olive skin and long messy hair was driving the weapon home, sweat dripping from his beard after what must have been an arduous fight. He flicked the hem of his brown coat and sheathed the bloodied blade. He noticed Leo, and said, 'salam alikum. Good luck.' Then, in a flash of light, he was gone.
The sound of roaring cheers met Leo's ears. In the distance, what seemed to be miles in the air, sat stands of many colourful beings, too far to make out any faces or shapes. He'd been dropped into a giant pit, and was on display for likely millions of watchers. Somewhere out there, Raphael was going to be watching and trying to make a name for him. He needed to deal with this fight swiftly. Whoever they were, they were in an unfortunate match up with the only man sponsored by an archangel.
'Well, well! What's yer name, sunshine?' A woman appeared almost out of nowhere. Did she just appear, or was she hiding until now? She wore a white dress shirt and black trousers, with a thin red tie pulled loose around her neck. A black suit jacket was draped over her shoulders, wrinkling as she pushed her short silver hair with red tips aside.
'Uh, Leo Cadmus.' He felt his knees buckle a little as the reality hit him. He needed kill this woman right here and now to survive. There was no rules against killing, and he could already see the bloodlust in her eyes.
But first, to show some confidence. He folded his arms and said, 'you gonna tell me your name?' He let a little electricity fly from the hilt of his blade. That got her attention.
'I don't know if it's worth it,' she snapped. 'You'll be dead in less than a second.' The overconfidence of this woman was getting a little frustrating. 'Cadmus, was it?' she asked as she reached to her hip for a weapon.
'Yes?' Leo rested a hand on the pommel of his weapon, flicking the catch loose. If she even moved, he was going to end the battle in much the same way as that man from before, but without the sweat.
'Oh nothin', just an ironic name.' She seemed poised to draw her blade or whatever weapon was hanging at her side. It was long enough to be some sort of polearm.
'So come on, what's your power?' Leo asked, hoping to goad her to act first. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he knocked her blade out of her hand or just ended the fight in a flash of lightning. Maybe he would even try a Covenant Revolt, though that might be a bit too brutal.
'My power?' she asked with a devilish smile. 'It's called you die.'
She pulled a shotgun on Leo.