darkSpyro

"An audience with the king... it would not be within my power to grant you that, under normal circumstances, anyway," Laszur said. "However, this case being of significant interest to the king, he may be willing to speak with you once he receives this information from me. As for the fight, that is not within my scope. The arena is managed by Redwater's duke, and those who report to him - they control the scheduling. You would have to convince the king, the duke, or the duke's subordinates, or anyone they consort with in matters involving arena scheduling. It is likely to be exceedingly difficult, considering the troll's rebellious nature and contempt for authority. No one is likely to grant her that favor, due to the nasty reputation she has built up with her words and actions."
Laszur turned back to the desk for a moment, to grab and review another document. "We will take your words about the mage into consideration, however. I'll ensure that the sentries are on the lookout for unusual figures, and we members of the Silent Spear will be scanning the area for anyone unusual," he assured sincerely. Regardless of whether or not Maverick was biased, his words could not just be dismissed, with everything they already knew - if such a figure existed, it needed to be brought to justice. Laszur's sympathy for the matter of the troll was completely nonexistent, however, having seen and experienced her behavior for himself. Someone with so much brazen disdain for Aelinon obviously had little regard for its citizens, and it would be unsurprising if she wanted to see their destruction.

"Do what you have to por favor. I will do my part of the work. Now just direct me to the duke or anyone that can change the schedule and I promise to leave." Maverick asked, this being the last favor he would ask of the galud. He was very worried about the battle, and since an audience with the king would probably take too long, he had to settle with the duke or one of his subordinates to postpone the troll's fights until further notice. Maverick trusted Angora could face different opponent, but a behemoth would most likely be too much for her...

Laszur obliged Maverick, pointing him to the duke's office on a map - it was quite close, on account of schedules potentially needing adjustment whenever a court decision was made. Later that night, he would inform the leader of the guard of the suspicious mage, which the watch kept on the lookout for.

The following days went by rather quickly, with Sere and Latnok drafting up a solid crew over time (and helping out the city where they could), Leoquin barely being able to wait for the journey, and Ilasi standing by and helping out where she could. Angora was brought to Shade every day, provided they didn't act up. Otherwise, not much changed about their captivity; Shade was still kept in otherwise solitary confinement, and Angora was still either training or doing manual labor. The other gladiators were starting to warm up to her a little more - just a little, however. Despite Maverick's best efforts, the Talsius Day event was much too important to have any sort of delay, and Maverick was far too insignificant for any of the people in charge to think otherwise. He had, however, succeeded in getting an audience with the king; it would be held in one of the district halls, not far from the arena, about two hours before the fights began. The morning schedule would remain the behemoth fight, followed by the Guardians' demonstration, followed by Shade's fight.

Finally, the day came. Talsius Day. Sere and Latnok slept early the day before, and were out of bed early in the morning, Latnok being especially eager. Being up before everyone else, they grabbed a quick breakfast after putting on the appropriate gear.
They weren't down there long, however, before Ilasi showed up. "Ilasi. What causes you to be up this early?" Sere asked.
"Oh, you know, just wanting to wish you good luck," Ilasi said. "I've heard about you guys, and I know you're capable of surviving this."
"Of course we are," Latnok said. "I don't think Godfather Sere here is looking to die just yet - eh, actually, between this and the Falcon's Beak journey..."
"Oh, don't mind Latnok," Sere said, knowing Latnok was being facetious. "It's no fight we haven't taken before. We'll have all of our tools available."
"Still... be careful out there," Ilasi said.

For the past week, Angora suffered and dreaded in captivity. She had lost weight and felt completely alone. Although the other gladiators weren't as antagonistic to her as before, they still saw her as a poor, simple snack just waiting to be consumed, so many avoided her like a disease. The hexphage didn't help matters at all, and Angora believed that the few that interacted with her did it out of pity. In a wall, she was counting the days, and could see that today made exactly seven days since this whole hell started. The nights were plagued by nightmares, most about the behemoths. Ironically, the worse ones had nothing to do with them. Some of them included she and Shade engaging into battle, where the outcome was always one or both of them killed for refusing to battle. She wanted to hate the Aelinonians so much for doing this to them, but her main thoughts remained with her dear friends Shade and the missing Maverick. She still had no idea what has happened to her hybrid friend, but seeing Shade every day was doing her a world of good, and she had no doubts it was doing the same for the dragolet. None of them were pinned against each other, which meant he has controlled himself. From Angora's part, she has finally learned to remain quiet and control her temper. No matter how much the soldiers insulted and tortured her, no matter how unfair and abusive they were, Angora would remain silent and stoic to demonstrate to them she wasn't going to reach their pathetic and ridiculous level. Right now, she was in her part of the gladiator chamber, having done her morning training. Her only opponents were the wall and a punching bag, for ever since Chazak left, nobody wanted to be her sparring partner. When the week was over, Angora wondered why she hasn't been placed in the arena all this time, but even with the passing days, she trusted she would win the crowd and avoid her fate with the behemoth. Unfortunately, she had no idea just how soon she had to face one of those forsaken beasts...

As for Maverick, every second of the week has been one nightmarish torture after another. No matter how much Sapphire tried to console him, it has always been in vain, and several times he had to stop Dex from trying something stupid to help him. The following day after speaking with the duke, Maverick rented an inn in one of the many sections of Redwater, fortunately far away from where the Guardians were staying cause the young man knew he wasn't going to be able to stand their treacherous presence. As the days of the week passed, Maverick tried to find the mage responsible for Shade's attacks, but even with Orion's guidance, he has been unable to intercept him. Seemed like the mage was powerful enough to avoid detection even from the celestial dragon himself. Still, Maverick wanted to believe in Orion, and begged him to keep looking and bring him to justice as soon as he could. In those times, Maverick's arm hair has grown to half of it's original length, and his haircut was now accompanied by a mullet. He was quite a mess.

The morning of Talsius day, Maverick has waken up long before dawn, remembering that his meeting with the king was today. In the schedule, the first battle of today included many prisoners... against one of those terrifying behemoths. It was despicable! And since Angora was to be put against one, Maverick was certain she would be one of those gladiators. This was something he had to prevent at all costs. Since Maverick knew everybody in Redwater was looking forward to the event, he knew that not even the king would be willing to postpone the battle, but if he could just get Angora off fighting and win her some time, it would be enough for now. He would try to get Shade off fighting too, but given he was practically the main star of the event, Maverick doubted he would be able to do anything about him. For now, Angora was the most important since it would be her the one to fight a behemoth. The worse thing was that Maverick never got the chance to give the creature's page to Angora, so she would've fight the monster without any previous knowledge of weaknesses. It was urgent to get her out of that fight today, and Shade as well if possible. Trying to calm himself, Maverick started to comb his hair and fix his clothes, wanting to look decent in the king's presence. As he did, he prayed for the king to be a reasonable man that would believe in his words and would help real justice be served.

The king, meanwhile, was heavily occupied with discussion of many of the details of the day's events. Answering a question about what he wanted here, giving a recommendation there. Many of the more important decisions, ironically, were not made by him; he had them delegated to people with more knowledge of the subject matter. There was also the matter of that human that wanted to talk about someone who could potentially be the mastermind behind the attack on the city. He really hoped the man showed up on time; he was far too busy today to bother with waiting for anyone else.

Leoquin soon woke up. Climbing out of his pool and drying off, he went to get some breakfast; only Ilasi was there at the moment. Hmm, usually those two humans are here by now... he thought. Regardless, he ordered some fish for breakfast and waited patiently - relatively patiently for his usual manner, anyway.
"Good morning, Leoquin," Ilasi greeted, which Leoquin returned. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you... what makes you want to go on this journey?"
"I just want some money," Leoquin said. "Pretty simple."
"That's what you say... but it always seems like you're disappointed that we haven't left yet," Ilasi said. "Like you can't be there soon enough."
"...maybe there's something out there that I'm looking for. It's just a side mission at best, though," Leoquin insisted, his speech becoming more agitated. Ilasi noticed the change, and backed off on the subject.

The soldiers at the arena chambers were going around, looking at each of the gladiators, who they had standing in formation. As they went around, their leader, a mage, had a notebook which he was using to write down... something. When he got to Angora, he took one good, hard look at her before writing something down and moving on. "You're up for a fun day today," he said to her. "A day you'll remember for the rest of your life."

Looking as presentable as he could under the current circumstances. He instructed Dex and Sapphire to remain in the inn.
"I'm going now. Stay here. Look, I'll give you this page for you to keep. If they find it in me, I may get in trouble. Now I'm off to the district halls now. Please pray for my family." Maverick asked, that being the only thing he could think of that the foxes could help him with. Today was the day he would meet the notorious King Seraos. He had one hour to arrive, so Maverick picked up the pace, heading to the district halls near the arena where he was instructed to go last week. The arena in the distance was much fuller than the first spectacle he went to. Probably the entire city was there. Talsius Day was undoubtedly a very important day for Aelinon. However, Maverick didn't care about any of that. Carrying his hyperspace bag, he headed to the halls. Nearby, he showed one of the guards the legal document he was given to prove his meeting with the king, and as soon as he was given entry, he would remain calm, determined to show the king the utmost respect even if he didn't deserve it.

Quote: A Guy

The soldiers at the arena chambers were going around, looking at each of the gladiators, who they had standing in formation. As they went around, their leader, a mage, had a notebook which he was using to write down... something. When he got to Angora, he took one good, hard look at her before writing something down and moving on. "You're up for a fun day today," he said to her. "A day you'll remember for the rest of your life."

Angora didn't know what he meant, though she hoped it would mean that her next opponents would give her the appeal she needed. Neither she nor any of the other gladiators knew what they were going to face. Despite wanting to remain silent like she has done many times that week, she still had one question.
"Won't I get the hexphage removed sir?" she asked politely, knowing that the battle would take place in several hours, and so far, the antidote wasn't given to her. Even though she didn't want to use magic in battle, she still want to have it as a trump card in case it was absolutely necessary for her survival.

King Seraos sat at the head of one of the many rooms in the district hall, as Maverick was ushered in by guards. "Ah... Maverick it was? Welcome," he greeted. "Please, have a seat. I've heard some good things about you. Some not-so-good things, too, but those aren't as important. Now, what is this business you wish to speak of?" The king looked at Maverick in anticipation - he already had some idea of what he was going to speak about, and fully expected the man to ask about his troll and dragon.

"Oh, the hexphage? No, not today," the mage said. "Can't have you casting any spells in this upcoming battle, now, can we? Perhaps there's more to it than that, though... perhaps there are people out there looking forward to seeing justice delivered," he added in a harsher tone. There was something unpleasant planned for Angora - though the mage didn't say as much, he was quite clearly hinting at something.

Angora's heart slowly sank. She was a smart troll, and she knew that there was just one possible reason why she would be sent to the arena infected with hexphage.
"Sir? You can't possibly mean... no, NO! This is too soon! Please! This is too soon! I didn't even get the chance to please the crowd! Please, not today!" Angora begged, falling to her knees. She got the mage's clues loud and clear. This was so unfair. There was no justice in her circumstances. She only got a single battle, and she was tremendously overshadowed by Cazhak that time. Chances were that the crowd has forgotten about her battle with the ogre and didn't even know who she was except perhaps her false confession. Now she was finally understanding why she was allowed to visit Shade every day. Her early execution was planned from the very beginning. These guards really hated her. They didn't even gave her a second chance for battle. They wanted her sacrificed immediately, and she won't even have any magic to help her. This was too unfair. Angora didn't know what to think or what to do right now, and the fact that the behemoths have never lost a battle didn't help raise her spirits either...

Quote: A Guy

King Seraos sat at the head of one of the many rooms in the district hall, as Maverick was ushered in by guards. "Ah... Maverick it was? Welcome," he greeted. "Please, have a seat. I've heard some good things about you. Some not-so-good things, too, but those aren't as important. Now, what is this business you wish to speak of?" The king looked at Maverick in anticipation - he already had some idea of what he was going to speak about, and fully expected the man to ask about his troll and dragon.

"Your magesty..." Maverick said with a bow before having a seat. Like Angora, Maverick was quite shocked to see how young the king actually was, but he shook it off quite quickly.
"I'm certain you have heard a lot about me no doubt. I came to Redwater shortly after hearing about my traveling companions being imprisoned for a crime. I know what the troll confessed to... but I can guarantee you my king, Angora would never order an attack like that. I know her well. She isn't one to get revenge. She only attacks in self defense, nothing more. I don't know why she did that confession, but I can promise you it isn't the truth." Maverick said, showing how much he believed in Angora, but also wanting to avoid saying he suspected one of the guards making her say that in order to take her down. He knew the king wouldn't take well an accusation like that.

He then turned to talk about Shade.
"As for the dragon, I won't deny that he has rather unstable powers, but in the time that I have travelled with him, his surges never reached such destructive levels. As you may be aware by now, I was blackmailed into leaving my companions behind. I don't know what happened to them, but... I think something awful was done to the dragon in that time that made him that way. I heard from a witness that a mage was the one who orchestrated the attack. There was a witness that has been contacting me, but is too afraid to show his face. I don't know how much of it is true, and I have been unable to find out more, but I do know there has to be fowl play involved in this case. So por favor your highness, you have to call off their battles. I know my two companions. They would never hurt anyone on purpose. I feel so bad for the families that lost much in the destruction, but they can't pay such a dear price for being used. They were set up. Por favor your highness, you have to believe me. The troll... I heard that she's destined to fight one of those behemoths, but you have to call off that battle. She's innocent. I'm begging you." Maverick pleaded on the verge of tears, willing to do anything it took to get Angora out of that awful and likely losing battle. The king was young and seemed like a reasonable authority, but Maverick was still willing to do anything and offering whatever he wanted if it meant saving his innocent companions from such a cruel fate.

King Seraos, though he looked somewhat curious and attentive, did not seem too concerned about the situation. "Now, the situation with your troll. You see, I've been in talk with some others, and it would seem that the troll's confession does not quite add up - at least according to what they know. However, between the attack, her presence in the general vicinity of the dragon at the time of the attack, and her speech actively calling for the destruction of Aelinon, there are far too many damning circumstances, when added up with her confession. Unfortunately, as we have not been able to locate any mage which may have been involved in the attack, we have no grounds on which to dismiss her confession, besides your word and the word of the leader of the Ardent Guardians. As much as we have trusted him and his word in the past, this move of granting the troll such a prestigious award was unprecedented - and then we have this mess right after. Therefore, I cannot trust him quite as much as we used to, in regards to those things - it would seem that, at least in this one instance, he prioritized some naive vision of getting along with races which are actively hostile to us over actually keeping innocent people protected. This is in addition to the current conflict we have going on; who's to say she is not acting on behalf of our enemy with such an action? Therefore, my councilors have so far deemed it inappropriate to revoke her judgment.
"As for the dragon - regardless of whether he was somehow controlled or not - the fact remains that he flew against orders not to fly, he approached a major city despite his history of being unable to control his powers, and many have died as a result. Even assuming the best case for the dragon, he still acted with complete disregard for the lives of others. After such death and destruction, it would be absolutely scandalous for us to just let him go free. Besides, he is the focus of today's events; if he fights well enough, he will earn his freedom, with conditions of course. Canceling such an event on such short notice will leave the people in an absolute uproar." The king could see how desperate Maverick was; however, just setting such creatures free would be absolutely ruinous for his image under the circumstances. He, at the very least, had to have it done under the right circumstances, if he was going to do something at all.

"The dragon... going free?" Maverick said, increasing his hopes for the dragolet. However, he feared the worst for his Angorita.
"But... what about the troll? She's to face a behemoth, and according to the one I have, there is a behemoth battle scheduled for today." Maverick said, knowing that there was a battle but since the gladiators' names weren't listed, he didn't know if Angora was going to be part of this behemoth battle or another one in the future.
"Por favor your magesty. I... I'll do anything! The troll is innocent! She doesn't deserve such cruel punishment. I... don't know what bad things Angora said about Aelinon, but I know that she probably did it out of anger. Yes, I will admit she is moody and rude, but she is in no way evil. I'm very aware of Aelinon'a wars against creatures like trolls, but I can promise you she has nothing to do with it. Her own kind hates her. Her own parents even tried to... kill her for not growing large enough. So you see, she has no business being part of the war. And I've known her for a very long time and I can assure you she wouldn't order the murder and destruction of innocent people. I'll do whatever it takes to prove it. You said so yourself King Seraos. Even you doubt her words. That's because they aren't true. At least... let me prove that she didn't do anything. Let me make her confess the truth. Do me this honor your highness, and I promise I will do whatever you want me to." Maverick begged, still in the disposition of doing whatever it took to save his family. It was no mystery how much he loved them, to the point where he was even willing to humiliate himself in front of somebody that was possibly younger than him if it meant his pleas would be answered.

The mage looked at Angora with an odd mix of pity and disgust. "Get up," he ordered. "Groveling does not befit a warrior. You will get out there, and you will fight, just like every other warrior headed out there with you. The worst that could happen is the fulfillment of the death sentence your actions have earned you."
Meanwhile, after a long, uneventful trip, Latnok and Sere finally reached the arena. As they were combatants today, they were going to enter the arena chambers. However, not being prisoners, they needed no escort of any kind. They didn't have any real fear; the fight wouldn't be anything they've never handled before. Rather, Latnok was filled to the brim with excitement and anticipation at fighting for a crowd to see. They soon entered the same chamber Angora was in, as inspection of the gladiators proceeded.

"...anything, you say?" King Seraos repeated. "I doubt you would be able to provide us any service that couldn't be fulfilled by one of our citizens - regardless, even if you could, it is relatively meaningless at this point, unless you can provide evidence of this mage you speak of, or word from a trusted source." King Seraos stopped to lean forward in the desk, as he spoke the next part.
"I'm sorry I have to put you through this - but I do not have the luxury of just running off of my gut instinct. I have a kingdom to lead; I was forced to take the throne far earlier than initially planned when my father died of smallpox. So on many of these decisions, I trust the judgment of the more experienced members of the government. And as long as they do not believe she should go free, I cannot support it either. What would I look like, if, say, we let her go free, and she commits another crime - even a minor one? I would have people questioning my decisions. And let me tell you - a king needs the support of the people. The instant he is seen as being incapable, his power begins to wane. So no - I'm afraid that, in this matter, I cannot let her go free, against the judgment of my council, and risk having someone who clearly does not respect Aelinon potentially committing some other crime. Sere tried to make similar arguments; and despite his wisdom and experience, I was forced to take my council's word over his, provided the circumstances."

"I'm a good sailor. I'm also a traveling merchant. Whatever you want, I can get it. Por favor your highness. I'm not asking you to call off the battle, just take the troll out of it. Trolls can be horrible, but she's an exception. Por favor, she's a good troll. She's innocent. I'm sorry for what happened to your parents, but she had nothing to do with that or the attack to Redwater." Maverick continued pleading, commenting about his talents but also immediately getting straight to the point. He now understood why the king was so young, but it was still unfair of his part to take his frustration out on Angora. He knew she was innocent. He felt lousy for the other criminals though. Regardless of their crime, it was still a horrible punishment being fed to the behemoths, but there was nothing Maverick could do about that. Angora was his main priority at the moment, since Shade had a chance for freedom. She didn't, and time was running out...

Quote: A Guy

The mage looked at Angora with an odd mix of pity and disgust. "Get up," he ordered. "Groveling does not befit a warrior. You will get out there, and you will fight, just like every other warrior headed out there with you. The worst that could happen is the fulfillment of the death sentence your actions have earned you."

Angora glared at the mage, disgusted with the despicable injustice that was being committed.
"Come on! You said the arena is not only for entertainment, but also to redeem prisoners. Cazhak got his chance! Why can!t we? You didn't even gave me a chance to be known by the crowd!" Angora protested, certain that her being pinned against a behemoth this soon had to do with the racism the guards had against trolls. Her false didn't help matters either. Even though she wanted to tell the truth, she didn't waste her time. Nobody would believe her now. In less than an hour's time, she and the rest of the warrior's present would face the main pride of Aelinon, the main reason why they were so invincible. Angora knew that begging and pleading won't do her any good. It was inevitable the outcome now. As soon as the hungry behemoth came, she would be all alone. A miracle now was what she needed...

The king didn't speak for a minute. He was paused in thought - considering the actions, risks, and potential consequences of those actions. Finally, he had something to say. "Very well... I will not pull her out of the battle. However, I can ensure that she has a decent chance of survival. A decent chance - she will still have to actively try. Provided she survives, your allegiance will be mine. Do we have a clear understanding?"

"Well, for one," the mage said, "Cazhak's crimes weren't nearly as heinous as yours. He was not a murderer. Cazhak was also put in a battle he was fully expected to die in, his first one, in fact; he survived, however. Should you survive this battle, you will have a chance. Should you survive. If not, then no one will miss you."
Latnok and Sere couldn't help but notice the spectacle Angora was making with the mage. "How typical..." Latnok thought out loud.
"She still has the hexphage on her," Sere said. "Which means..."
"She's probably dead," Latnok said. "What a shame. Guess she finally ran into people who wouldn't put up with her nastiness. If only she had paid a shred of attention to my talks about discipline."
"I wouldn't write her off just yet..." Sere said. "There are still certain things the king will be taking into consideration, undoubtedly. They may or may not come into play - we will see."

Angora placed her hands on her head, finding it u fair and unnaceltable!
"Should I survive? Against an undefeated creature? Don't you mean standing long enough?" Angora said rather sarcastically, remembering Cazhak's words that the only way to survive the behemoths was to remain alive long enough to be pardoned. Angora only had one ogre's defeat to her name, so her only chance was for the people to remember about that encounter and depend on the performance she gave today, which would be extremely difficult considering the behemoth would likely steal most of the attention, and unlike last time, she wouldn't have the anonymous factor to her favor. The hexphage guaranteed that the beast would target her often. It was going to be a hellish battle, one that Angora knew she had low chances of surviving. She was so terrified and despaired, she didn't noticed Latnok and Sere nearby. She heard their voices, but thought they were simply other prisoners making fun of her...

Quote: A Guy

The king didn't speak for a minute. He was paused in thought - considering the actions, risks, and potential consequences of those actions. Finally, he had something to say. "Very well... I will not pull her out of the battle. However, I can ensure that she has a decent chance of survival. A decent chance - she will still have to actively try. Provided she survives, your allegiance will be mine. Do we have a clear understanding?"

"If she survives?" Maverick repeated, undignified with the response. Chance or not, Maverick didn't want her to face such despicable horror.
"Your magesty, por favor, why do you want her so much on this battle? She's innocent! If you just give her some time, both she and I can prove it to you! You're about to send an innocent creature into an impossible battle!" Maverick insisted, finding absolutely no justice in that. He couldn't believe the king would be so heartless in his attempts to please his sadistic people.

"Why don't you go ahead and figure it out?" the mage said to Angora dismissively. "You probably should have thought about that before having so many killed to please yourself. I don't think you even deserve a chance at redemption; consider yourself lucky to even be having a miniscule chance like this at all."
Latnok and Sere listened on, as the mage spoke to Angora. One thing was apparent - Angora was very aware of just how serious her predicament was. The kept looking right on, feeling as if any intervention on their part wouldn't be handled well by either party.

"That is as far as I can compromise," the king said firmly. "Even something like that would be going against the advice of my council; if Sere couldn't convince me to go against their advice, what makes you think that you will? My duty is to Aelinon and its citizens; not to those who despise our nation and call for its destruction. I have moved as far as I an willing to go on the subject matter. You are dismissed." The king had many things to consider, regarding Angora; most of them were bad, and going against the advice of his council would hurt his reputation, should bad things happen as a result.

Maverick lowered his head, sniffling. However, he stopped the tears, and before he left, he had one last thing to say.
"Very well your highness... but at least grant me one last request. I wish to see my friends, or at least the troll if she should battle today. I need to go to the inn I'm staying to check on my pets, but as soon as I return, can I at least see Angora before she fights?" Maverick asked, dreading with the thought that if he met her, it could very well be the last time. There was still more than half an hour left before the battle began, so Maverick put the inn excuse in order to get the page and take it to Angora when he visited her, so that he may increase the chance of her survival...

Quote: A Guy

"Why don't you go ahead and figure it out?" the mage said to Angora dismissively. "You probably should have thought about that before having so many killed to please yourself. I don't think you even deserve a chance at redemption; consider yourself lucky to even be having a miniscule chance like this at all."
Latnok and Sere listened on, as the mage spoke to Angora. One thing was apparent - Angora was very aware of just how serious her predicament was. The kept looking right on, feeling as if any intervention on their part wouldn't be handled well by either party.

Still unable to acknowledge Sere and Latnok's presence, Angora said nothing else, giving one last glare to the mage as she rounded up herself along with the other gladiators awaiting their doom. Some of them still had hexphage on them, noticeable even below their armor. She knew she would need her own skills for this one, not to mention a miracle, but right now, the monstrous nightmares that plagued her nights for the whole week was going to come true. There it was, the moment of truth, the moment where she would face one of those powerful monsters. Deep inside, she was terrified, but she didn't show. She knew the high chances of her demise, and knowing fully well that after she was devoured, she would soon be remembered as nothing more than one of the million statistics who were victim of the war beast's voracious appetite. However, despite the terror and sadness she felt, she got her chin up, and with a very determined frown, she got ready for battle. There was no way she would spend this fight cringing and begging for her life. If she was to die, she would embrace death with bravery and whatever honor she had left.

Dex left as soon as Maverick was gone. He had done some work and knew that it was sometimes organized that legal gambling comppanies could see the fighters in order to make their games and bets. He had been talking with league and had one of their workers coming with him. In league they had made false papers which where about the gambling, registration of Dex with false name and just as a pet without special abilities, and about the fact they had premission to see todays fighters. Dex and the man from the league went to the table where there was a guard cheking his papers. "Have not seen you before, are you new one?" The guard said. "Yes, just started working for the commpany, here is my papers" The man from the league said. The guard looked through the papers, which where greatly done it was almost impossible to see those where not real. "You can go, but dont take too long, just a quick look and max few questions" the guard said and so the man and Dex started to make their way to the dungeons. They of course had to go through everybody fighting that day, otherwise they being from a gamble comppany would not be very believable.

Sapphire was back at the inn doing what Maverick and Dex had told her. But it did not take long before She had a letter brought to her. "Finally" She thought. It was a letter from the league. She and Dex had made a payment to the league to find Blue, if there was a real culprit Blue would know about it. And maybe now when the brotherhood was poor, he just might want to sell the information. She read the letter "they found him" She thought. But the only thing She could do now was wait

By the time Latnok and Sere had arrived, the others had woken up. Raclaw was gently awoken by a lick to the face and the excitable barking of the little Beagle mix that was Chester. "Raclaw! Wake up-- the others are already up!," Chester barked. "Today is Talsius Day isn't it?," Raclaw started to say in dogspeak still waking up. "That means Latnok is with Sere in the arena, but the others should be up. Come on-- let's go.," Raclaw said motioning towards the door with Chester eagerly following. Once the furry duo had made it downstairs, he ordered breakfast for the both of them-- the usual for him and the usual dog variant for Chester. Chester's breakfast didn't differ too much from their usual offerings, other subbing in slightly more dog-friendly ingredients. "Morning!," he greeted his fellow companions as they took their seats. Chester offered an happy bark as well.

Meanwhile, another companion was also waking up-- that of Risar the minotaur. Getting up from the soft comfortable bed (much more comfortable than anything he had ever experienced before), he started to get ready for the day-- putting on the leather armor he still wore and equipping the two 8 pound greataxes onto his back. Both the armor and the greataxes had been custom made for him with custom slots for the axes to be placed in and overlapping each other in an "X" formation. When drawn, the right hand would first reach for the "left" axe (from his perspective) and the left hand would reach for the "right" axe. Once his old master had seen how he could fight, he had been quickly and well trained in the art of dual wielding. Beside his armor, he also had a belt which held various pouches as well a spots for potions, alcohol, or whatever could fit in a small bottle or flask. The belt has been obtained sometime after escaping and proved to be essential to a newly freed minotaur. He soon joined the others and had a hardy meat-based breakfast. He gave a silent nod to the others present and noted how the two human figures of the party were missing-- presumably for their morning bout in the arena.

The king sighed. "You may see her, but you will be monitored, lest you try to make any escape attempt," he said, as he began writing something on a piece of paper. When he was done, he took a stamp - his seal - and applied it to the document, then rolled it up into a scroll case. "Take this to the arena staff, and they will bring you to the relevant personnel. Make it count." He handed the scroll case to Maverick across the table.

Latnok and Sere, seemingly either unnoticed or being ignored by Angora, chose to disregard her. Instead, they began a discussion with one of the soldiers.
"So, do you know what's in store for us today?" Sere asked.
"For you guys, a few waves of increasingly nasty monsters. We're not looking to have you killed, though, so nothing too outlandish, though I'm pretty sure you could handle it anyway. Some of the gladiators are being rounded up right now for a demonstration of the behemoth - they're almost certainly all going to die, so we're picking the absolute worst of the bunch. There's also the main event, with the black dragon, the Scourge of Redwater, but you probably know about that."

Among the crowd of gladiators, Angkra still couldn't see the Huardians, and given her emotional state, it was better if she didn't. She would've been crushed knowing they were there and we're doing nothing to save her. She prayed for a miracle, for she doubted her skills alone could do the trick. Among these gladiators, she was certain there was some very rotten criminals among them, but then she wondered if there was someone innocent among them and were soon going to die for a crime they didn't commit, just like her...

Quote: A Guy

The king sighed. "You may see her, but you will be monitored, lest you try to make any escape attempt," he said, as he began writing something on a piece of paper. When he was done, he took a stamp - his seal - and applied it to the document, then rolled it up into a scroll case. "Take this to the arena staff, and they will bring you to the relevant personnel. Make it count." He handed the scroll case to Maverick across the table.

"Thank you..." Maverick said bluntly, leaving the hall peacefully. He was very angry and disappointed by the king, really thinking he could've gone through to him. As Maverick rushed to the inn, he wondered if the king's parents were once as nasty as him. In the darkest corner of his mind, Maverick was wishing Seraos could die from smallpox too in order to be punished for his crimes, but quickly desisted, hating to have impure thoughts like that.

When Maverick arrived at the inn, he wasted no more time.
"Sapphire! Where's the... oh, there it is." Maverick quickly said, having spotted the behemoth page. Believing he would be searched, Maverick left his hyperspace bag, taking from it the king's permission to see Angora. He put it in his front most pocket, while he put the page in his deepest pocket.
"Where's Dex? Ugh! I told him to stay out of trouble! Never mind that. Sapphire, go look for him. Keep him out of trouble. I'll go look for Dahlia and head to the arena at once. It's very urgent. You stay out of trouble." Maverick said, having discovered that his dirt buffalo was female and deciding to name her in the week that he was there. Having been done with the comment, Maverick left the room, without giving Sapphire the chance to say something. He went to a goat stable not far from there where Dahlia was kept, since they forbade him to have her near the inn. Setting up the animal, Maverick headed to the arena with his ground mount, having less than half an hour to visit Angora. On foot was going to take too long, so Dahlia was his chance of making it there in time...

After getting sufficient information from the soldier, Latnok and Sere decided to get right into practice. Sere had his signature Grimbane this time, and could utilize its full capability. Finding a nice, empty spot, Sere pulled out Latnok's shadow - the warmup had begun.
Latnok would focus on defending to start with. Using his future sight, he detected the series of blows the shadow would strike him with - blocking some, and deflecting others. After a few more minutes of this, Latnok deflected a blow and struck the shadow with his axe, destroying it.
"Excellent job," Sere said. "You're in fine form today."
"I'd like to think I'm in fine form every day," Latnok said.

While Angora waited horrifyingly for the unavoidable battle, Maverick was finally arriving to the arena, to where the king indicated him. The place was packed, and all the tickets were sold out. He couldn't see Angora or Shade battling, though it was probably for the best. He showed the legal document to one of the guards established near one of the many entrance, and awaited an escort. He had a terrible lump in his throat, knowing that if things went wrong, this will be the last time he saw Anglra, and maybe even Shade...

The guard spent a few moments reviewing the document for authenticity. Seemingly satisfied, he motioned for Maverick to follow him.
Some time later, after passing through the tunnel network for a while, they reached the chamber which had Angora, Latnok, and Sere. "Go find your troll," the guard said to Maverick curtly. "We don't have all day here. Her battle begins soon."

After some time at the inn, Sere's crew began to head to the arena. The crowds were massive - just as big as they were for Cazhak's battle. Thanks to Risar, however, they managed to clear through the groups without any significant issue. Reaching the VIP entrance, they presented their tickets, and were directed to the appropriate seating.

Wasting no more time, Maverick began searching for Angora among the crowd of delinquency. As he looked around, he spotted Sere and Latnok... training. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Those two... will fight? Maverick looked at them with a face of shock, betrayal, anger and disgust. His face changed constantly between blue, red and green. He just had so many emotions mixed up. But Maverick wasn't there for them. Turning his back on them and ignoring them completely, he resumed his search for Angora, calling her name.

At first, Angora thought she was hearing things under all her dispair, but when the sound got louder, it was then that she decided to turn around. There he was... in the flesh. Her beloved companion, friend and family member. She couldn't help but to drop on her knees. Maverick spotted her as well, and ran to her, embracing her in the biggest hug he has ever given. At long last, after a painful week, fawn man and troll were reunited, both knowing that this reunion won't last.
"You are... so stupid Maverick. So, so stupid! Why did you have to search for me? Me and Shade, we cause you nothing but trouble." Angora said sobbing as she returned the hug, but Maverick simply hugged harder.
"I'm so very sorry I couldn't find you sooner mi Angorita. This... this is my fault! You... I know you're innocent! I couldn't convince the king to take you away from here. I know what you said at the trial, but I know that isn't the truth!" Maverick said, surprising Angora at how well he knew her.
"I... I'm sorry for that Maverick. It's true. I didn't order the attack... but... I did it to try and save Shade for this arena. Even if it meant taking the fall, but I... I failed miserably." Angora confessed, telling the truth for the first time. It has been as Maverick suspected, but now, he felt worse. Angora was about to be sent to the most terrible of punishment without even being guilty of any crime. Her lying and sacrificing herself like that showed what a huge heart she had, a heart that unfortunately, all of these biased, Aelinonian jerks refused to see. Like with the telepathy scroll, Maverick slipped the behemoth page behind and inside Angora's armor, only this time, he made sure she felt it.
"Listen Maverick, please don't punish yourself for this. I brought this to myself. Only me. I knew the consecuences and I still took the risk. Please Maverick, you're too much of a good man. You have thought of me, and Shade, and everyone else. For once in your life, think about yourself. Think about your own happiness. I thank you for believing in me, but it's time to take your own road. Ilasi, she's here in Redwater, and she's anxious to see you again. She's a great gal Maverick. Give yourself that opportunity. Don't worry about me. I have no regrets... thanks to you." Angora said sweetly, smiling for the first time in a very long time. Maverick just sobbed and shook his head, finding these circumstances unacceptable. The battle was in a few minutes, and without a second thought, Maverick took off his mother's amulet and placed it around her neck.
"This... oh hell no Maverick! This is the only keepsake you have from your mother! I can't accept this!" Angora said defiantly as she attempted to take it off, knowing that if she kept it, it was too possible the valuable amulet would just get eaten along with her. However, Maverick simply forced it onto her again.
"Don't argue with me Angorita! It is my amulet, and what I want with it is to give it to you! Por favor! I'm sure my mother would've understood." Maverick insisted, with Angora obliging. She didn't want to make him feel worse than he already was.
"Thank you Maverick... and... I'll give it my best in that arena. But if... things don't go well, remember that I don't have any regrets. And I want you to promise me that you will live your own life if that's the case." Angora asked, needing to hear that from him before she had to leave.
"I... I... I'll try..." Maverick said with a lump in his throat, not wanting to make a promise he wasn't sure he would be able to keep. But he could promise that at least he'll try.

The response was enough for Angora, and knowing the battle would be in just a couple of minutes, she left, giving her friend a big smile and a nod as she left. If this was suppose to be the end, she wanted Maverick to remember her with a smile, so that it would remind him of the happiness he provide for her, and how much his faith meant to her. In a world where trolls were hated, Angora was lucky enough to find such a kind soul who loved and believed in her from a beginning. Maverick's kindness had meant the world to her.

As she left, Maverick proceeded to do the same, ignoring Sere and Latnok again and escorting himself away from the chamber, the thought of this probably this being the last time he sees Angora killing him. He didn't hide his tears this time. He was sobbing all the way out. If somebody was making fun of him, he wasn't noticing. There was his chance that he was about to lose his best friend and who was practically his sister, because of an evil, biased society like Aelinon, who never bothered to prove her lie and the nobility behind it...

The soldiers were beginning to round up the gladiators, for the battle with the behemoth. "Come on, you worthless scum, time to go out there," a soldier told them as they were moved along. "You all picked the wrong place to commit such heinous deeds." The gladiators were being shepherded through some tunnels - the cheer of the crowd could be heard outside the entrance to the arena.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer called, his voice once again being amplified. "Today, we are proud to bring you a demonstration of Aelinon's premier war beast - the behemoth!" On cue, the ground rumbled and opened violently - and out crawled a behemoth, to the cheering of the crowd. "The behemoth is a huge, powerful, nigh-invulnerable creature, more than capable of destroying any threats on the ground with its physical power and its earth magic. When supplemented by archers, mages, and ballistae, they are capable of handling airborne threats effectively as well. Its heavy natural armor makes many things which would be lethal to other creatures harmless to the behemoth - arrows, spears, rocks, fireballs, lightning, all are incapable of stopping this creature from strolling right on through and crushing its enemies."

Leoquin and Ilasi looked on patiently as the show was about to begin. Ilasi was never really a fan of these sorts of events herself - she had grown desensitized to such carnage a while ago, however, as a result of the often unpleasant jobs she ended up working. Leoquin, on the other hand, was as excited as much of the audience was, cheering right alongside them.

Sere and Latnok, curious as to how Angora would manage the battle, and being ready to enter the arena themselves right after, made their way to the holding pen the other warriors were being kept in. They would be able to get a decent view - if not the best - while waiting for their turn to fight.

From the VIP area, Sere's crew had the second best view-- second only in comparison to the view that Latnok now had as he awaited his turn in combat. Once they entered the area, Raclaw took the approviate seat with the telepathic fur dragon being able to feel Latnok's presence from not that far away (and vice versa). Chester took his previous place on top of Raclaw's head, finding an comfortable groove between his two reverse curved horns. The two furry friends eagerly awaited the event, with Raclaw starting to see what made sport viewers so excited. He was never one to intentionally start a fight, but he could see the thrill in it and even more so after being linked to Latnok for so long.

Risar took his seat with his group and watched with interest, although his interest was more out of respect for the fighters and he found more thrill in actually fighting himself. He almost envied Latnok's position and watched in slight awe as the large creature soon came out of the ground. Raclaw found the concept of such a creature intriguing and definitely not something he would want to face against. "Interesting creatures and an very impressive feat in taming them.," Damon could be heard commenting over the links-- something that was somewhat currently audible to Latnok although slightly weaker than usual. The group was currently unaware, but would soon be aware of Angora's involvement in the immediate event. The troll certainly had a bad string of luck, although her own actions didn't entirely help ether.

Dex had been waiting in the shadows. The man from the league came to Angora. When nobody noticed he put a dagger in Angoras armor. "Use it if you need, its poisonous it will kill anything very quickly. There is more in your cell. Good luck from your friend Dex" the man wishpered knowing that if Angora said anything to him that would be bad. Then he saw few guards " Ou gentlemen please so me the exit. I got lost and I need to go to take the bids before there is only dead people in the stadium ". One of the guards then showed him out clearly Angry about this stupid gambler still being there when it was time to get the show going. Dex very unnoticably made his way to the mans side and so they where gone.

Dex had taken his chance and hidden more dagers in to Angoras cell previously. He had in fact used his own poison to make this daggers and they where Indeed deadly to anything, if it just hit the blood in veins.

Sapphire had tried to stop Maverick, but could not. So She thought She should go to the arena too because there was nothing for her in the inn anymore.

Angora looked weirdly at the man with the dagger, and was left wondering what was that all about. Still, whoever that man was, he has provided her with another weapon. She then acted as if nothing has happened. Despite Angora's attempts to remain calm, she couldn't help but to shake severely at what awaited her. She heard the crowd cheering, and the thunderous roars of the behemoth coming from the ground, awaiting their arrival. She didn't know how many warriors were there with her, but she calculated several dozens, most likely enough to fill the beast. Angora heard the announcer, and hated the irony of everything.
"Heh, great. They have earth magic and we're stuck here with nothing. It's no wonder nobody has beaten them." Angora said angrily, though not surprised. It was no wonder the behemoths were so victorious. They were big and magical, and the cheating guards sabotaged what would be their preys. The hexphage not only seved as condiment, it removed their magic, thus decreasing their chance of survival even more. Their victory was due to the battle being unfair. Still, Angora knew that she wasn't going to do anything by complaining, and surrounded by many brutish warrior and the supervising mage quite far behind her, she took advantage of the minutes she had to read the paper. She knew that material. It was a page for the tome. The sweet Maverick was really trying to help her. Instead of the species, this particular piece of paper only had the combat section.

Knowing the very little time she had, Angora read fast, trying to get the most important bits. She read the whole thing in just a few seconds... but even with the knowledge, it still didn't give her much hope. However, she did know now that she would have to target a single place if she ever wanted to crack that hard shell. No random attacks like she was use to. She also now knew that the neck and the back of it were her best bet.... if she could somehow reach it. It was some little knowledge, but worse was nothing. The only thing she hated was the weapon. The curved sword she used last time, plus the dagger she just received. Not much for blunt force trauma there, and without magic, she couldn't cast a force bolt. Talk about irony. However, she had to believe in her own abilities, improvise, and pray that the behemoth was one slow creature...

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" the announcer called out. It was then that all of the warriors were rushed out into what would seem to be a hopeless battle, the portcullis closing behind them. Some warriors did wield hammers or pickaxes - just seeing the size of the creature, however, would let one know that such weapons were not likely to work without a well-planned or coordinated attack, something the warriors did not have the luxury of.
Looking eagerly at the horde of gladiators charging at it from the other side of the arena, the behemoth raised its forelegs and pounded. A shockwave went through the ground, and the ground near the gladiators violently broke up into fissures and stalagmites - knocking several warriors to the ground and impaling one. There were casualties before anyone had even managed to reach the beast...
Latnok and Sere looked on with morbid curiosity. They were well-versed in the beast's capabilities; regardless, it was always stunning to see such an engine of destruction in action.

Angora hyperventilated as she ran along with the other warriors. She didn't have any support here. It was every man and creature for itself. As she ran along the others, she was blown away by the creature's pound, landing near one of the fissures. Luckily, she didn't get to it, and the blow was enough to get her away from the stalactites. She was a hard and light target, especially for someone as big as this beast. However, she saw the other gladiators down. She didn't know if there were any casualties yet, but it was evident this was a no nonsense monster. Looking at it was enough to hurt her neck. Still, she couldn't just sit around looking from the sidelines and contemplating the battle. Somehow, she had to get close to the fiend. Gathering herself with the urgent courage she needed, she made sure to approach from the sides, knowing that a frontal assault would be suicide. So far, the behemoth seemed more interested in the bulkier, meatier warriors, and it was just the distraction she needed. Instead of using her shield above her, she protected her back, knowing that if she had it above her would simply limit her vision. The behemoth's armory skin was practically like a rocky mountain, which meant she would be able to climb it. She was small, so she believed she had a chance to do it without being detected. She went to the creature's side, getting nearer... and more nervous, as the humongous animal continued showing why it was the pride and glory of Aelinon...

Maverick was in the meantime leaving the arena, knowing from the screaming crowd and the roaring behemoth that the battle has begun... and that Angora was there. He prayed for her, for a miracle, and to everyone he knew. He begged Orion for his safety. He even remembered the name Ishulgu in his desperation and plea. Angora has survived impossible odds in the past, and she even defeated a world destroying demon once, so Maverick really wanted to believe she could do this. But his concern was just too big. He was the only friend Angora likely had, and he couldn't be there to support her. It was a thought that was eating away his very soul. Why did everything go wrong for people like them?

As soon as the battle began, Raclaw's eyes shifted from the large behemoth to the small horde eagerly charging the beast head on. And in one swell swoop-- several of the gladiators had knocked on the group with one even getting impaled from the impact. He watched the scene in slight horror although it was impressive just how much damage the large beast could do in one single move. It was at that moment that he soon spotted the little gladiator and knew from her specific style of moving around the field-- that it was Angora. He watched as the little troll approached the side the behemoth and hoped that she knew what she was doing. Chester's eyes soon followed his gaze and the little Beagle knew who he had identified."It's her... isn't it? The troll?," his four legged friend barked in a quiet tone. "It-- it is.," Raclaw spoke back in a quiet tone of dogspeak.

While the gladiators were still struggling to clear the broken ground, the behemoth began swinging its forelimbs at the broken ground before it. This knocked away several pieces of rock, which became deadly projectiles as they connected with gladiators. The crowd cheered the beast on, as it wreaked havoc and destruction across the arena.
As Angora tried to close the distance, suddenly there was some telepathy directed towards her. "The creature is here again. Is it hoping to live? It looks delicious..."

Unfortunately, from their position, Latnok and Sere did not have the luxury of a mage using a scrying spell to have a clear view of the battlefield. Nevertheless, they kept their attention focused on Angora as best as they could - the deaths of the other gladiators, and the behemoth being relatively unharmed, was a foregone conclusion. Sere could only hope that the king kept in mind what he had been told.

Angora suddenly stopped in her tracks, unable to believe what she was hearing. This behemoth... it was the same one that transported her from prison to prison. She couldn't believe the irony. He didn't seemed the least bit interested in what he said. He continued with the same lifestyle
"You..." Angora said with her mouth, unable to speak to him telepathically. She didn't know if he could hear her from there using her own voice, but he did, it didn't matter. There he was, dead set on eating her and the other gladiators not caring about anything else.
"You can't... why do you degrade yourself like this? Acting up as a simple form of entertainment..." Angora yelled, unbelievably still trying to reason with the creature, even though she doubted it could hear her without telepathy. She couldn't backed down now. If she tried to run away, she would look like a cowards, and even so, the behemoth would simply reached her with magic. She had to keep moving forward. The gladiators were falling one by one, so she still had to use them as a distraction while they lasted. Filling herself with valor, Angora grabbed the curved sword with her mouth, and ran on all fours, gaining up speed. It was a method she despised for making her look more like an animal, but she nevertheless used it when it was absolutely necessary. It has been years since she did that, but in all fours, she was faster. She aimed for the behemoth's side, with every intention of climbing him, but also prepared to move around the body in case the beast intended to crush her by squashing her or rolling around. Her speed and reflexes were vital for this battle. As she ran, she couldn't help but to cry at how terrified she was, but this was a battle for survival. She couldn't run away. She had to trust her instincts and pray for her survival...

As Raclaw watched-- Angora's four-legged run confirmed the suspicion even more as did his own senses. That unique attribute, at least for a humanoid, was something he had never seen the troll demonstrate before the games. However, he couldn't blame her for it as he had also hidden his ability to speak the canine language for the longest time. That unique trait could make him appear more animal-like just as Angora's unique trait could. 'Come on Angora-- you can do it.,' he desperately thought to himself. Risar soon noticed the unique fighter once again and figured it had to be their Angora once again. He watched, curious as to what the at-time-four-legged Angora would do. Chester watched-- intrigued, horrified, and feeling for the situation (and Angora) at the same time.

The behemoth, undeterred from its assault, fought on as it continued to speak. "Amusing creature. Maybe they keep you alive. Be last survivor. Maybe then." As the gladiators closed in on it, it raised a foreleg and pounded the ground - crushing those unfortunate enough to be under it, and creating a wall with the earth which would block off Angora from the path she was immediately taking. "Clever creature. I am curious. Tiny, puny creature - unsuitable weapon. Unable to pierce armor. No magic. What do you try?"

Angora became trapped within the walls, but she was just getting fired up.
"You won't take me down that easily!" Angora exclaimed, as she started to dig the ground below the wall like a mole in order to come from the other side. She felt so insulted. The behemoth was toying with her. He wasn't targeting her despite having hexphage. He wanted to play first, which was very humiliating. Despite coming off dirty and with some broken nails, the digging was a success, and she managed to get free. She didn't care about pride or dignity anymore. If she was destined to die, she was determined not to make it easy to the behemoth. She wanted to show him and everyone else that she wasn't just a speedy weakling. Angora felt sorry for the warriors trying to confront the behemoth head first, but there was nothing she could do for them. Continuing with her four legged running and avoiding most of the proyectiles, Angora jumped towards one of the creature's front legs, and started climbing, sword still in her mouth. One way or another, she had to reach the neck...

Unsurprisingly, the behemoth raised and pounded the appropriate foreleg on the ground, in an attempt to knock Angora loose. With the earth ruptured by such a move, he then moved to slam his foreleg into the raised earth, trying to crush Angora.
Latnok could not believe what he was seeing. Angora was brave for trying that - she had to try something, however, or she was dead. Regardless, such a move was incredibly stupid - so stupid that he felt compelled to say something to her. "Hey, idiot! The hind legs, not the forelegs!" he telepathed to her over the battlefield.
Meanwhile, other men were attempting to grasp the forelegs as well, pounding on the behemoth with whatever tools they could muster, throwing rocks, and one man even shooting a lightning bolt after having his magic hidden for so long. The creature didn't so much as blink.

As expected, Angora moved to the other side of the leg to prevent being crushed, but then got off and ran far from the behemoth's humongous front legs after realizing her strategy wasn't working. She then was taken aback by Latnok's voice communicating with her.
"You? You're here too? Can't this day get any worse? Here to see the lousy troll die?" Angora said with her voice and her mind despite not having telepathy, furious that Latnok was somewhere among the crowd. Of course, she figured he wouldn't miss the chance of seeing the troll he hate so much die... but after her anger was over, she realized what he said, and obeyed. The back legs were smaller and weaker, which would make it harder for him to shake her off. But reaching the neck would be harder from there. Nevertheless, this wasn't the time to reflect on the difficulty. Angora continued on all fours, narrowly avoiding one of the behemoth's front legs coming to her like a boulder. It has been inches of crushing her, and the shock made Angora run faster to it's front legs, but being intercepted by a fee of the flying proyectiles. She was injured, but still going. She immediately tried to climb the left back leg, but the footing was harder there. Crying and sweating, she struggled to reach the behemoth's back in order to go straight to the neck. According to the page, it was the weakest spot. This had to work somehow...

Despite the difficulty that may have been presented by thrashing around, the behemoth had lost sight of Angora, being too occupied by what was in front of it. Of the dozens of gladiators which were thrown at it, there were very few left - and the crowd was cheering the creature on the whole time. It wouldn't be long before the last one on the ground fell, and he realized that one particular creature was missing...
Latnok, Sere, Leoquin, and Ilasi all looked on in their respective spots. Servers began taking the orders of those in the VIP section. Leoquin ordered shrimp; Ilasi ordered salmon.

Angora was around the shoulders of the beast, remaining still when she noticed it had stopped. Since the behemoth's armor was so thick, Angora didn't touch any skin, so the monster couldn't feel her touch. It was the same as a flea walking above a dog or cat's fur. The troll looked below her and saw to her horror that every single gladiator has fallen, ready for consumption. However, the behemoth was doing nothing, and Angora came to the correct conclusion that it was because it was looking for her. Fortunately, the behemoth couldn't turn it's head behind him, and Angora was small and almost the same color as the behemoth's hide, so she could camouflage herself well even among the crowd. She could barely believe this was happening. She was avoiding detection. When she reached the neck, Angora quietly started to use her curved sword to slowly break away the armor around a particular area. But the armor was practically like cutting away rocks. Angora had to resort to using her own brute strength to reach the skin, but she knew this could expose her soon. Crying with frustration, she prayed that the behemoth didn't discover her. With tose many corpses, she hoped the behemoth would think she was hiding among them, but it was a dangerous gamble. She had to reach skin, and if the dagger worked, poison the beast as soon as she saw skin...

Alas, it was not to be. This was not the behemoth's first rodeo; with all of the gladiators on the ground fallen, the crowd cheering hard, and Angora not among any of the corpses, there was one conclusion it could draw from its many battles. "Clever creature. You dare to defy me? Will you live? We shall see." The beast crouched low to the ground - and then jumped with all four legs, before crashing back down onto the ground. The earth broke violently around it, throwing many, many rocks into the air, which would fall all over the creature's back, with uproarious cheering from the crowd upon seeing such a maneuver.
"Well... this one seems like its done this before..." Latnok commented.

Raclaw opted to decline any appetizers-- and stayed focused on Angora's brave feat. 'Come on-- you can survive this.,' he thought to himself. Chester watched in anticipation, while Risar ordered a meat skewer.

Angora knew to her terror she was discovered. She watched as the creature, instead of trying to shake her up, he practically summoned a meteorite shower that would get her. Angora immediately started to move around the creature's neck, shoulders and head in a desperate attempt to dodge the falling rocks, until she almost fell and found herself the need to grab onto the creature's throat, holding on to dear life as she noticed she was many feet above the ground.
"You damn coward! Must you fight me with magic? Are you too afraid to battle me on your own?" Angora yelled, as she literally hugged the creature's neck to avoid falling, the only advantage being that the creature's own body was protecting her from falling rocks. She attempted to use magic, but the hexphage drained it like a sponge. She was on a dire situation...

Not far from the arena, Maverick was unrecognizable. He was so broken, so despaired. He didn't know whether Angora was dead or alive at this very moment. All he could hear was the screaming crowd and the roaring behemoth, crushing and possibly devouring it's victims right now. It was a feeling Maverick hoped nobody else ever endured in their lives. Dahlia felt her poor master's tension and tried to console him as best as she could...

"Insignificant creature. Not more than a toy. Appetizer." The behemoth raised its head up, as it prepared to shake Angora off of his neck and onto the ground, when...
"HALT!"
The cheering and other noise from the arena died down after a few seconds, in response to the king's amplified voice. "Let the troll down." The behemoth did as told, lowering itself to the ground to give Angora a chance to get off.
"You, troll!" the king called out. "You have shown to be rather tenacious despite your small size. You clearly value your own life highly. From what I hear, you value that of your dragon highly as well - enough to make a false testimony, in an effort to avoid having him face punishment. But what of the lives of our citizens? You clearly do not value them as much. You have called for the destruction of our nation, and have taken joy in the death of our citizens. I will give you the opportunity to speak before the citizens of Aelinon. You will explain to them why you deserve to live. They will pass your judgment."

Latnok and Sere looked on. Sere had some idea of what the king was doing - he knew that Angora may have some worth when it came to Shade. Not enough for him to go out of his way for her, however. She would have to earn her salvation. "Well, Raclaw... she's as good as dead now..." Latnok telepathed to him.

The shock was getting too much for Angora. There he was, the king himself, sparing her... at least for that little moment. The behemoth behind her was obedient and as still as a trained dog, but she could feel it greedily staring at her. But her biggest concern was her false testimony. Did Maverick told the king about that as soon as he left her? Nevertheless, with her life on the line, Angora decided to come clean of everything.

"King Seraos was it? I... I don't know how you... found out about that lie, but it's true. I did it because I wanted to save Shade. When I came to Redwater, I was severely injured. Shade took the risk of bringing me here to be cured, and knowing how much he was suffering because of his power, I decided to go to this city as soon as I recovered to search for a beast master that would help him. I had no idea he would act so destructively while I was away. It never happened so severely before. As for Aelinon... I won't deny it. I did wished ill to the society, but I only did it out of anger. I was very angry at Aelinon for treating me this way. It wasn't the first time I was imprisoned, so I was indeed very furious. I said some very bad things, but I didn't mean any of it. Like I said, I was angry, angry for always being abused, angry for always being detained like an animal or a criminal, and be belittled every single time, not to mention everyone always thinking the worse of me just because I'm a troll. I had to run away from my own clan for being so tiny, so size never helped me in life either. I had so much accumulated anger, and Aelinon treating me this way made it worse. Yes, I do have some... anger issues, but I would never wish any harm on purpose. I only attack to defend myself. And I won't deny either that I have desired revenge in the past to different people, but no matter how hard I tried, I can never go through it. I don't enjoy other's pain like you said your magesty. Even though I can be very angry, I would never take it off on people that have nothing to do with my frustration." Angora lectured calmly, her voice amplified by magic.

After her speech, she lowered her head, awaiting judgement. She spoke in a calm yet stern voice, wanting every single person in that arena to understand her anger and how unfair she has been treated, but above all, let them finally learn the truth about the trial and her own feelings. She wasn't a bad creature, but she was tired of always being seen one because of what she was born at. At she listened to the eerie quiet, she was literally preparing for the worst. She knew the behemoth was still staring at her, and was almost expecting him to crush her with it's fist or simply grab and eat her on the spot if the king decided to give the order. So much quiet... so much thinking... Angora was on the verge of a breakdown...

Raclaw listened and awaited the king's response in anticipation. "She may still have a chance-- maybe.," Raclaw telecommunicated to Lanok.

The king didn't speak immediately - instead, he waited half a minute, to give the crowd a moment to absorb Angora's words. But that was long enough - it was time for the people to make their decision.
"People of Aelinon! This troll has fought long and hard to survive - despite the impossible odds she has been given. Though she has wished us ill, she claims that such actions are purely out of anger! What do you think of what this troll has to say? Do you wish to see the troll killed? Or shall she be spared, after surviving so long against our behemoth where others have failed? The choice is yours!"

The crowd slowly began chanting - it was indistinct at first, as there had not been a consensus reached by the many.
"We'll see if that's good enough to allow her to survive..." Latnok said. Sere looked on in anticipation - the king himself acknowledging her testimony as false, in front of so many people, no doubt added some value back to Sere's word. The die had been cast. Now all that was left was to see how the people would respond...

The chanting slowly, but surely, began gaining more substance, as the behemoth shifted around impatiently, waiting for the order to devour what he saw as prey. It was just a matter of waiting...
"s...r... sp.. sp..e spa.. spare... spare... spare... spare, spare, spare, spare, SPARE, SPARE, SPARE, SPARE!" The crowd slowly, but surely, reached their consensus - after all the troll had been through, after hearing her brief story, the decided that she should live. The chanting grew louder and louder, as more people joined in, or acquiesced after their opposing opinion became drowned out. Eventually, the king called for silence, and the crowd obliged him.

"Very well. You, the people, have deemed this troll worthy of survival! Therefore, Angora, on behalf of the people of Aelinon, I hereby grant you an official pardon for your crimes. Return to the chambers, receive medical treatment and a cure for the hexphage, claim what you are owed for your labor and combat, then leave this place, as a free troll." The crowd, once again, erupted in cheering, upon hearing the king oblige their decision.

Leoquin, Ilasi, and even Sere and Latnok had been right there, chanting with the rest of the crowd. Despite any any issues the latter two may have had with her, she had proven her tenacity, and had won the people. Importantly, to Sere at least, the worth of his word was restored. If only they had known about this turn of events before he volunteered them for the arena.

Raclaw had joined in the chanting and was relieved to hear the desired verdict. 'She did it.,' Raclaw telepathed to Lotnok in amazement.