Holden sat down beside Maeve in the VIP player box.
The view was incredible. They were in the front row, close enough to see the sweat on the fighters' faces. The rest of the arena stretched out above and behind them in a massive bowl of noise and color.
Maeve had her Ashen Bestiary open on her lap, but she was watching the arena with sharp focus, pen ready.
Emric's match came first.
His opponent was a broad-shouldered 6-Star brawler with heavy gauntlets. The kid charged forward swinging wild hooks, clearly expecting to overpower the shield user through brute force.
Emric didn't move back. He angled his shield at a precise angle and stepped into the charge.
Clang.
The punch landed on the shield, but Emric's angle made it slip past effortlessly. The brawler's own speed carried him forward, and since his punch didn't hit anything solid, he lost his balance and spun past Emric.
Emric turned quickly, put his shield against the fighter's back, and gave him a hard push.
Thud.
