darkSpyro

Angora's awe simply accumulated. This day just couldn't get any more shocking. She really thought she was going to die. At this very moment, she had anticipated the behemoth chewing and gulping her down at this very moment. Was the people sparing her? For real? Or was this just another dream? Or did she sort of made history that day? The bigotry that Aelinonian people had against her kind wasn't in vigor that day. Her story really seemed to appeal to them. It was about time! As the crowd chanted, she turned to the behemoth.
"Well my humongous friend, forgive me, but this little troll snack just went off limits." Angora said in a mixture of taunting and pity, only imagining how disappointed he was for being denied this particular prey. But the behemoth still had a banquet all around him, so the troll believed he really didn't have a right to complain. Angora was prepared to leave... but at that very moment, she fainted. Her body couldn't take it anymore. She has been so full of adrenaline that when the calmness forced it to leave, Angora collapsed right there, in front of everyone. It was embarrassing, but also almost adorable. It was as if a freight train was lifted off her. Her freedom was just earned, and the news hit her like a ton of bricks...

Upon seeing Angora faint, medics rushed out to the field - she wasn't to die on the battlefield anymore, so she had to be taken care of. After a quick inspection of vitals, they certified that she was still alive - something the king made sure to notify his people of. The behemoth looked at her, somewhat disappointed - but went to devouring the rest of the bodies around the arena. The field was full of broken rocks and uneven ground - while it would be repaired later, Latnok, Sere, and Shade would just have to deal with the terrain for their battles.
Angora was taken to the infirmary within the arena chambers - her wounds were patched up as best as the medics could, but the hexphage cure would have to wait until she woke up.

"She actually did it..." Latnok telepathed to Raclaw. "I can't believe it... she actually made it..." Now was not the time to just be standing in awe, though. As soon as the battlefield was cleaned up, it would be their turn to fight.

Maverick remained despaired and without consolation, his beloved dirt buffalo unable to make him feel better. He was always an optimistic, but this day was an exception. After everything that happened and everything he has seen, he had little hopes of her making it out alive. He tortured himself with the thought of Angora possibly devoured whole by one of those beasts. It was a thought that traumatized him ever since seeing one of the war monsters feeding in last week's spectacle. If only he knew the truth.

At the infirmary, Angora opened her eyes after a few minutes, and could see she was in a rather pleasant place. Not at all like the arena. Without looking at her bandaged body, she continued looking around.
"That's it. I'm dead. The crowd sparing me was all a dream and I died." Angora commented rather comically, still unable to believe that what happened out there was real. She sorrowfully believed that she died at this very moment and that her body was probably being digested in the voracious behemoth's stomach right now...

One of the medics, a man, laughed at Angora's 'observation'. "Well, I sure hope you're not dead," he said. "Otherwise I'd be wasting my time here, working on you. No, you're alive - the people decided that you should be spared. When you feel like you're ready to leave, head down to the captain, he'll get your pay and whatnot sorted out. Oh, and before you leave - drink this." He handed Angora a vial of the hexphage cure. "I have to warn you - that isn't something that's pleasant to drink. It'll get rid of the fungus, though."

With the behemoth done with its meal, it flattened the ground out somewhat - it would still be rough, but the footing would be manageable. It slammed the ground and opened up a tunnel, and disappeared back to the underground it came from.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for our very next battle, we have something special! Two members of the Ardent Guardians have volunteered to demonstrate their combat capabilities to us! They will be facing many vile monsters which lurk in search of hapless victims. They are trained monster killers - get ready for the show!"
"This is it..." Latnok thought. Just one more battle. Fighting in front of a crowd, however, was nerve racking. In a few moments, they would be stepping outside, killing whatever was thrown at them.

"Ugh, I know. I've tasted it before." Angora said bitterly, as she grabbed the vial and glared at it. Before taking a sip though, she had wondered why she was in the arena one moment and there in another one. She then humiliating put the pieces of the puzzle together
"Oh no, don't tell me I fainted out there? Damn it! That is so embarrassing! Now people will have a brand new excuse to make fun of me!" Angora said as she kicked the bed in a tantrum, apparently that being her biggest concern. It was already bad that she was a ridiculously small troll, and knowing that all of Redwater, or at least most of it were watching, would just add to the humiliation. In an attempt to forget about it, she drank the foul elixir, hating the taste with a passion but knowing this would be the last time she has to take it.

"Well, look at this way - you only fainted," the man said. "Everyone else who went out with you died. Very few have even survived a fight like that. You did a pretty good job. I doubt anyone's going to make fun of you for fainting. Now don't forget to catch the captain on your way out. Or you could stick around, watch the battles to come - the Ardent Guardians are going to be fighting some monsters, then that dragon of yours is going to be out there, taking whatever they can throw at him. You know, a troll being spared by the crowd - truly unprecedented..."

"Well, at least I'm glad the people were able to see pass their hatred of trolls. My life hasn't been easy you know." Angora commented, wanting even the doctor himself to comprehend why she was so moody and bitter. But that wasn't the important issue at the moment. Something else has caught her interest.
"And did you say, Ardent Guardians?" she exclaimed, having no doubts he was talking about Sere and the idiot Latnok.
Well, that's quite a surprise. I think I'll stay, but only for the sake of the dragon. I want to be there to cheer him up. If I managed to survived, then he will too, but I want to support him every step of the way." Angora said as she took directions, demonstrating her loyalty and love for Shade. She wondered why the Sere and Latnok would want to be part of the awful fighting, but then figured if will be just their attempts to show off. There was no other explanation. As she left the infirmary, she was wondering how Maverick was doing right now. The poor man was probably thinking she was dead right now. Angora really wanted to find and comfort him, but she knew he wouldn't be able to stand the arena's activities, not to mention that reentering the stadium in it's current would be chaotic. She would remain in the arena for as long as the rest of the activities lasted, and could only wish Maverick her best wishes and to hang on...

"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!" the announcer called out.
Latnok and Sere ran out onto the field, not needing any encouragement, having taken a drink of the diluted dragon brew beforehand. This battle, Latnok carried a spear in addition to his usual armaments. Not long after they entered the field, a few portcullises opened up, loosing around a dozen hellhounds from several directions. Simple enough opponents. Sere grabbed his sword and swiped the air - a shadow of it appeared a few feet in front of him, cutting down the first one. Latnok dropped the spear, grabbed his bow, and fired an arrow, taking down another. Ideally, they would want to cut down as many as possible before having to fight in close combat.
A few more arrows and swipes later, the hellhounds were almost in range. Sere activated an image displacement spell - shifting his image and Latnok's image somewhat to the side. As the dogs began lunging at the false image, Latnok tossed his bow aside for the moment and pulled the spear to him, thrusting at one of them as Sere continued to cut them down with Grimbane. By the time the spell was figured out, there was only one hellhound left standing, which the two made short work of.
The crowd cheered. Latnok and Sere stayed on high alert, awaiting the next set of enemies.

Angora made her way to the arena seats shortly before the battle began, and watched the spectacle. She had to avoid people that recognize her, congratulating her, sometimes giving her a noggie, but also avoid the few racists to the core who wished her killed and were overshadowed by the sparing scream. She watched as the Guardians disposed of the demon dogs, and couldn't help but shake her head at they annoying showed off. She has never seen hellhounds before, and felt rather bad for the creatures. It was a feeling that bothered her so much. Lately, she was prone to feel sorry for many creatures, something that never happened before. Perhaps Maverick had rubbed off too much on her. Speaking of wish, as soon as the first section of the battle was over, she wondered how he was doing...

Maverick in the meantime has left the outskirts of the arena, but he never returned to the inn. He went to the first open bar he found and ordered the strongest drink they had. He wasn't much for alcohol, but his sadness was so severe, he needed something to ease up the extreme pain.
"Funny how the world can conspire against you. One moment you think you have happiness, the next one your family is whisked away from you. You think you will save them, but then you find their prison destroyed and discovered they are in yet another one for a crime that wasn't their fault. Oh boy, the mage that made Oscurito destroy those buildings and kill those poor people is probably out there, gloating about his success and watching how he and Angorita pay the prize for his crime." Maverick said to the bartender in gloominess, not even taking a sip of the drink. The place was almost empty in account of nearly everyone else being in the arena, but it did have a few people that either didn't enjoyed the spectacle or didn't have enough money for a ticket.

Next out of the portcullises were a wave of orcs and a few humans - criminals and prisoners of war. So much for just monsters, Latnok thought. Some of them, armed with crossbows, stood back and began firing, as the rest closed in. On their guard, future sight enabled, Latnok and Sere were able to either avoid or deflect many of the projectiles - one nicked Latnok's armor, but didn't inflict a wound. Latnok returned the attacks with his bow; Sere retaliated this time with powerful beams of light, blinding his opponents.
As others closed in, Latnok dropped his bow and switched to his spear, determined to keep his opponents at a distance, as Sere held on to Grimbane. As one gladiator thrust a spear, Latnok deflected it and retaliated with his own spear thrust, impaling him. By this time, however, something began slowing him down - a curse of some sort. There was a mage out there.
That mage happened to be the former Major Cailun, now fighting in the arena for his life. Moving significantly more slowly, Latnok was bound to take some hits. "Mage. Curse spell. Cover me," Latnok telepathed to Sere. Sere, focusing a more powerful spell, created a shadow of Latnok to help fend attacks off on him, as Latnok focused on dispelling the curse.

Angora's eyes widened when she recognized the mage on the field. It was him alright. The same man that treated her so unfairly and infected her with the hexphage. The very same one who wanted her to disappear. Laszur has done it. He wanted to punish the mage for abusing his power, and he has succeeded. She could barely believe the irony of everything. The powerful and once respected mage was there in that awful arena, fighting two of the most powerful members of the Ardent Guardians, while she, who was suppose to be sacrificed to a behemoth, was one of the thousands among the crowd, watching him pay for his own crimes. It truly was ironic. Angora would've felt pity for him if it wasn't for the way he treated her. This time, she didn't feel bad for him at all. On the contrary, she even smiled maliciously at seeing Major Cailun be the one in the arena this time. Now he knew the hell he had put her through. She would've preferred if he had faced a behemoth like she did, but this was pleasant enough. Aelinon was harsh and cruel with their laws, but at least they tried to make real culprits pay the price. She still wasn't a fan of their methods or punishments, but it seemed to work for them.

But even during the battle, Angora could't help but think that she would've been dead right now if the people of Aelinon didn't found her worthy of sparing, and wondered if there had been innocent people like her who weren't as lucky as she has been. It was a very terrifying thoughts. The people of Aelinon hated trolls, so it really was a surprise that she was pardoned. The doctor said so himself. Was it because people were moved by her words? Or was it because... she was so adorably small? Had she been a normal sized troll, would the story had been different? One thing was for certain; she was probably the first troll in the history of Aelinon to have been spared, which was something truly impressive considering her kind was one of the many accused of spreading a deadly disease to the humans. Her being spared was the miracle she asked for all this time in captivity. There she was, alive and well, life giving her another chance. It was quite amazing.

As Sere and Latnok fought tooth and nail in close quarters, Latnok focused his magic on dispelling the curse inflicted on him. He ended up taking a few hits from several combatants; his armor, however, absorbed the brunt of it, and the wounds he took were minor, or at the very least not enough to stop him. The curse free, he shoved one enemy back with the handle of his spear, before dropping it and pulling his bow to him. In one swift move, he grabbed, nocked, and loosed an arrow at the mage.
Cailun reacted, casting a wind spell to knock the arrow off-course. Instead of hitting him head-on, it landed near him - only to explode. The explosion knocked him back, off of his feet. As he tried in vain to get up with his wounded legs, another arrow hit him in the throat, ending his life, to loud cheering from the crowd.

A few dead gladiators later, Latnok and Sere had cleaned up the rest of the opposition. Latnok was a bit worse for wear, but took the time to meditate while waiting for the next set of attackers. "Nothing we haven't handled before," Sere said. "This will be the easiest day of your life."

Angora didn't mourn the mage's death, but was nevertheless annoyed at how Sere and Latnok were practically gloating for their success. There was no doubt they loved to show off. The arena was just packed with dead bodies, no doubt just waiting to be consumed by the hungry behemoth. Now Angora understood why those beasts didn't mind serving a few humans. Not only did they helped them take down airborne enemies, they also had all the food they wanted, and most of the time, it was other's doing their dirty work for them. Speaking of which, she wondered how the beast she confronted was doing. She knows how disappointed it was, but that was how it was. Angora was thinking that after every battle was over and Shade had earned his freedom too, she should pay the monstrous behemoth a visit and bring him a gift. The last thing anyone wanted was for one of those beast to bear a grudge on them.

At the bar, Maverick has finished up his drink, and it took just one to render him completely drunk. He was speaking nonsense about pirates, islands, and magic treasures, but he seemed to be a bit more conscious when he got to the next topic.
"... and Angorita actually dared to tell me to keep on with my life. Heh, why should I? I met what was probably the only good troll that exists on this planet, and is excecuted under a false charge, all for trying to save the life of an equally innocent dragon. Isn't the world just evilly ironic? Got to face a behemoth you see. You seen those bestias? The eat, and eat aplenty. No mercy, no remains, just like this..." Maverick said as he signaled in gruesome detail the behemoth's atrocious table matters. You didn't have to be a pshycologist to know how scarred last week's event left him. Hiccuping, the drunk fawn man continued talking.
"... yep, that's how it was. Arena? More like a humongous platter for the bestias feas. And Angorita went and stupidly became part of it. Told me to just go away and live life. Meet up with the beautiful mermaid Ilasi. But she hates me. Thinks I abandoned her in the other city you see. Heh, what's good about life anyway? But, what does it matter now? Cheers to the world. Cheers to Aelinon and their unfair laws..." Maverick finished as he lifted his glass and drank the last of the alcohol. He has been speaking to the bar tender, but looked more as if he was speaking to himself. After taking the last sip, Maverick passed out on the table, snoring like a baby. The alcohol and lack of sleep made his body shut down completely. He was quite a broken man, believing he had lost his family to that terrible arena.

Next up was several hydras - not the biggest ones, but potent regeneration abilities nonetheless. The situation called for fire - it would stop their regeneration dead in its tracks. Sere could count on heavily focused light for such an effect, while Latnok had fire enchantments ready for his arrows.
These creatures were best dealt with at range, where most variants of them would not be able to easily retaliate. As the hydras came slithering in, Latnok detonated several arrows across the battlefield, causing them to erupt in a burst of flame. This outright stopped some of the creatures, while others were now vulnerable to dying with a simple arrow shot. Meanwhile, Sere began to focus energy into his sword - the sword became brighter and brighter, and the environment around him became darker and darker. Generally, his most powerful technique - he would use a lesser version of it here, however.
As the enemy closed, Sere unleashed the attack - a huge, bright, channeled beam of light caught several of the hydras, leaving nothing but ash. As that happened, Latnok fired and detonated more arrows, killing the last ones. The crowd erupted - the battle was over.
Latnok and Sere bowed to the crowd, absorbing their appreciation and enthusiasm. "Ardent Guardians - we thank you for such a wonderful demonstration," King Seraos announced through amplified magic. "With such effective warriors fighting all kinds of threats, the world is a safer place for many. You have our gratitude for the work you perform."
The crowd cheered as the king finished his short message. Sere and Latnok were done. As they left the arena, a behemoth emerged from the ground, to devour the fallenn. Now, there was just the main event...

Back at Shade's enclosure, a behemoth opened the pen up. "TIME TO FIGHT!" he called to Shade.
"As he says, your day has come," the mage said. "We will lead you to the entrance to the arena. We are all watching, to see how you perform. Do well enough, and we may let you live...
"Oh, yes. A word of advice - you may get put against this fellow, or another like him," he said, referring to the behemoth. "If that happens, then I'll tell you right now - you're not expected to win. The king will call off the fight once you have shown a good amount of effort. Best of luck. Your battle will soon be announced..."

Angora didn't yell cheered with the crowd, but she did applaud them. This last battle has been quite entertaining. She has heard quite a lot about hydras, but this was the first time seeing one, and considered herself lucky she never encountered one in the wild. As much as she found the battle rather entertaining, she was left disappointed with not seeing the hydra's legendary regeneration, but all in all, quite the fun fight. As much as she still held some dislike for the Guardians, especially Latnok, they were still rather concerned for her when she fought the behemoth. Latnok had used telepathy with her and was the one who told her in time to aim at the beast's back legs. It was a thought that was lingering on her for a while. Did he do it to try and prove her wrong about his racism for trolls? Or deep inside that harsh, fiendish exterior was someone that cares about her? The question was making Angora crazy, and she was determined to speak with him once Shade was done battling.

Her train of thoughts was suddenly shattered when she saw the behemoth emerging from the ground. Since she was always taken away from the arena before the behemoth did it's work, she didn't know how they appeared or ate... until now. She got a nasty headache seeing it in action, but didn't faint or vomit. All the beasts looked the same, so she wasn't sure if that was the same one she confronted or if it was another one given the chance to feed. Nevertheless, she cringed for a while after thinking that's what could've happened to her in the battle, but recovered quite quickly shortly after the behemoth left and left the arena spotless. It was quite an effective tool, and it was just as the one who talked to her said. This was a win-win for both them and Aelinon. They got to feed and be more efficient in battle while the society got rid of enemies, both alive and fallen. It was indeed a great strategy, one that both fascinated and annoyed Angora.

With no debilitating injuries, Latnok and Sere began rushing back to the VIP area with the rest of the crew as soon as their battle had concluded, not wanting to miss a moment of Shade's battle. Shade, meanwhile, was being ushered to the tunnel he would emerge from.
"Remember - you cannot fly," the mage said. "If you fly higher than twice the height of a man, you will be warned, then archers and mages will bring you down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today, in celebration of Talsius Day, we have a particularly special event, to commemorate Talsius' last stand! It will be the Scourge of Redwater himself, currently restrained by hexphage and limited on flight. He has been used as a weapon by our enemies in an attempt to destroy us. He seeks his redemption for being used to such an end - can he earn it, despite the handicaps? He'll have to fight wave after wave of enemies to find out!" At that moment, the behemoth escorting Shade opened the tunnel, to let him out to the arena.

Raclaw had watched the Guardians' events in eager anticipation-- knowing that two would have no problem dispatching the numerous foes, even they were a little worse for wear. Many of the foes were creatures he hadn't seen before and yet; they were quickly able to dispatch of them in a timely matter. Between that and Angora's redemption, it looked the Guardians' image would go unscathed once again. "Latnok, you did great out there! And don't worry-- you didn't miss anything. Shade is just coming out now.," Raclaw said in a happy tone upon the Guardians' entry to the VIP area. His eyes lit up as Latnok soon took his seat and the main event soon began. Now that Angora was offcially free, there was only Shade...

King Seraos looked at Shade, as the crowd eagerly waited in anticipation. "What is it you wish to say? Speak," he said. "All of us here are listening; make your words count."

Latnok and Sere, meanwhile, were a bit tired, but not too much. They ordered some water from the servers.
"Thank you," Latnok said to Raclaw. "I was hoping not to do terrible out there - that's how you die." Latnok gave a short chuckle at his own joke.
"I knew you two would be able to make it out," Ilasi said. "I haven't really seen too much of your kind, but I've heard some stories - no doubt they're not just made-up."
"Wow, that was quite a show!" Leoquin added. "Certainly wouldn't mind having you guys at my back!"
"Now, all that's left is to see how Shade makes out of this," Ilasi said. Though she had witnessed Shade's kindness, the fact did remain that he chose to come to Redwater, and his powers caused death and destruction to the citizens and their property. She was hoping he would survive - but if he didn't, she wouldn't fault the system.

From her seat, Angora has cheered far and long when Shade arrived. She had wanted to make sure he knew she was there. That she survived. And that now she was going to support him. She was certain that if she made it, he would too, but nonetheless, it didn't stop her from being worried. Shade was powerful, but he was covered in hexphage and limited to the ground, that without mentioning he was a much bigger target than she was. She had always thought Shade was the biggest thing there was next to a whale, but the behemoths clearly proved her wrong. Despite his size and limitations, Angora still believed he could win, and among that vast crowd, she wanted her presence known to him so that he would see she was there in body and spirit, supporting and believing in him.

Meanwhile at an unknown bar, Maverick was sleeping soundly on the table, with the bartender and the rest of the customers just minding their own business. Someone passing up after a drink was very common, so he was being ignored, knowing that he would simply wake up after a while. Some took pity on him, but many of them had their own problems, so they simply left him slumbering away to his heart's content...

"Risar impressed-- many foes, many deaths.," the minotaur complimented the Guardians' work. Chester gave a happy bark as well before the group returned their attention to Shade. "Make your words count Shade-- you'll need it.," Raclaw thought out loud.

Angora whooped and cheered for him, jumping from her seat as if she had springs on her feet.
"That's the spirit Shady! Go ahead! Win this for the both of us! If I could, you can!" Angora screamed with a loudness whose objective was to make sure the whole crowd knew how much she loved and believed in her dragolet friend. She was still worried, but she hid it under all her support and yelling. If the people of Aelinon could forgive her, she was certain they could forgive Shade too.

As she waited for the battle to begin, she took a peek of the VIP section, and saw a creamed colored creature. It didn't take her long to figure out who it was.
"Raclaw... of course! I forgot he was traveling with the Guardians. And what the hell is that on his head?" Angora exclaimed, being too far to recognize his new addition as a dog. However, her attention soon turned to another peculiar member on the crowd, someone sitting besides the fur dragon.
"Never mind his head, who is THAT? Holy crap, is that a minotaur?" Angora exclaimed to ser self with wide eyes, Risar being big enough to be easily identifiable. Angora didn't have the best of experiences with minotaurs, so she was quite surprised to find one happily among the crowd as if he was just another spectator. It seemed to be accompanied by Raclaw. Sounds to her like they have made some very peculiar friends lately.

There was some increased chatting in the crowd as a result of Shade's words - people heard what he had to say, at least, though there was no guarantee if they were accepting. "Well, then, it is time for you to prove yourself," said the king. "Fight for your redemption. Fight as hard as Talsius did that day. Now, let the battle begin!"
At once, the portcullises were let down. Out came a slew of orcs and trolls, seemingly eager to kill Shade and be done with the battle. The orcs were armed with spears and crossbows; the trolls with pikes. All at once, they began charging at Shade.
"They certainly aren't pulling any punches," Latnok said.
"I don't know about that," Sere said. "The king knows what he wants from Shade, and I believe he has some idea of Shade's limits."

Angora was rather surprised to see that a behemoth wasn't summoned. Was that a spectacle reserved only for her and the rest of the gladiators that perished? Or was Shade destined to face of of those beasts in the end? If that was the case, she found the battle quite unfair. Unlike her, Shade was alone. Only him against a horde of mad creatures out for blood and possibly a mountain sized animal in the end. And all without magic or flying. It was quite unfair. However, as Shade has demonstrated his overwhelming power many times, and Angora believed no vulgar, magic draining fungus was going to stop him. She wanted to see him fight and be victorious, but for this portion of the battle, she half covered her eyes with one hand. She noticed that some of the creatures of the horde were trolls, just like herself. As much as she disliked them and vice versa, it was always hard for her to see her own kind get killed, and harder still that it had to be Shade the one that should be doing it...

With the increased chanting, the crowd seemed at least somewhat pleased with Shade's speech. Regardless of how successful or unsuccessful he was in his intent, however, there was still a long battle to be had. As the notorious orcs and trolls came out, Raclaw watched in anticipation. Other than Angora, he had rarely actually seen an troll-- whom looked quite different than the counterpart he was used to. In comparison, Angora had looked more like an Goblin. He watched intently, wishing the best for his former companion who was now fighting for his life. He knew that the king wanted him alive, although he also knew that he still had to please the people. 'Come on-- you can do it.,' he thought as Shade swiped and stabbed.

Angora watched impressively, but also with some fear, not for the trolls, but for Shade himself. It was hard for her to see many of her kind killed by her beloved friend, but she knew it had to be necessary. So far, Shade was doing splendidly. He didn't need magic, fire or flight to be deadly. His skin was harder than a rhinoceros and was also fireproof. His own body had stabbing weapons that he could use efficiently, as he was just demonstrating in the arena. It was quite amazing how this dragon, or rather dragolet, with whom Angora has travelled for months and even used as a pillow could be this lethal. In a more quiet and nervous disposition, Angora continued cheering Shade on, wanting nothing more than to have him win his freedom like she has done before him so they could both find Maverick and leave this place at last... but first find a beast master of course. Angora was anxious to leave, but she suddenly remembered a beast master would be necessary to help Shade control his ever growing powers. And there was the matter of discovering who was really responsible for Shade's attack, but she would leave that to the Aelinonian authorities. For now, his freedom was what was important, and Angora could only imagine Maverick's face when he find them returning to him, alive and well. She wanted nothing else in life...

As his enemies continued to fall, the crowd watched in amazement and cheered at every kill. It was quite evident that Shade would be able to overcome these enemies without too much difficulty.
"Impressive," said the king. "Let's make things a little more interesting."
The portcullises opened once again - to reveal several gargoyles, armed with pikes. Destroying these would, no doubt, be no easy feat. The gargoyles went charging in before Shade would be able to get a reprieve from the foes he just fought.

"Well, those are no doubt going to be somewhat more difficult to destroy," Latnok said. "Stone-skinned and capable of flying, with long weapons - let's see how well Shade handles it." Sere, meanwhile, looked on in anticipation. Surely they wouldn't throw anything at Shade that he couldn't handle...

"First hydras and now gargoyles? How many strange creatures do these jerks got?" Angora quietly said to herself as she watched the flying fiends circling her friend. Gargoyles were nocturnal, but it seemed they had to make an exception for this battle. Angora then wondered how many creatures the Aelinonians made extinct in the time they have existed, but it was a thought she left for another day. This was Shade's moment, and the crowd were loving him. This was a very good sign.
"Come on Shade! You can do it! She yelled all of the sudden to forget her random thoughts, continuously demonstrating her endless support.

As the gargoyles came pouring out and surrounded their currently flightless foe, Raclaw could hear the roar of the crowd get louder and louder. "I'm sure he has something up his sleeve-- he's not going down this quickly.," Raclaw said knowing just how determined Shade could and mostly certainly would be in such a situation. As the roars of the crowd only got louder, he briefly scanned the audience opposite of their side. Some were cheering for the dark dragolet, while others were cheering against him. He heard one distant shout-out directly mention Shade's name and scanned the crowd for the source-- knowing that only one or two other people in Redwater would know his name. He senses soon confirmed it and he spotted what looked like a little goblin-like troll cheering Shade on. 'Angora...,' he thought to himself imaging that she had heard of Shade's coming battle and wanted to see what would become of his fate. He was surprised that Maverick hadn't attended knowing just how much the fawn hybrid cared for his two companions. He quickly changed his glance towards the coming battle, however, not wanting to miss anything.

"Risar impressed-- so far. Only beginning though.," the minotaur commented out loud. Chester continued to watch the battle intently.

"Not bad..." King Seraos said, as he observed the fight as the crowd cheered. "But it'll take a little more than that. You see, these aren't your everyday garoyles. These are something special, if you will. An experimental weapon. Now, watch."
The pieces of gargoyles that had been damaged began to pull themselves together. The rock composing them fused with a cracking sound - soon, the gargoyles were once again whole, as if they had never been damaged. As they renewed their assault, amorphous piles of jelly - all in all about as wide as a man is tall, and half that height - began making their way to Shade.
"You will need more than just brute strength to win here," the king said. "There is a way to stop both of these creatures from regenerating... we'll see if you can figure it out."

The numerous gargoyles attacked once again, thrusting pikes at Shade. As they did so, the jellies gradually began to make their way to Shade.
"Doesn't look like he's just going to be able to just destroy these ones like he did the orcs and trolls," Leoquin said. "Wonder what he can come up with."
"Oh, I'm sure he'll come up with something," Sere said. "Hopefully before he begins to tire."

Angora pulled the little hair she had on her head and then covered her mouth. This wasn't at all like her battle.
"What is that bratty king think he's doing? Is he seriously pinning Shady against experiments? And what the hell are those blobby things?" Angora whispered, knowing that Shade was an attacker, not a thinker. It was a flaw that has gotten him into much trouble in the past. Unfortunately, Shade looked like was ready to just attack again before thinking. What kind of battle was this? What was Shade suppose to do? Angora resorted to think what could be done in this situation as f she was in the battle herself... but imagined neither the king or the crowd would take it kindly if she gave ideas to Shade when this was his fight, so she simply said something else.
"Just think Shady! Think!" she yelled, wanting him to stop attacking randomly and think of a strategy for once...

Once again, the gargoyles would piece themselves back together, their heads reattaching to their bodies. Their assault remained undeterred, and they attacked with renewed vigor. The jellies, meanwhile, had reached Shade; they began to combine themselves, becoming bigger and bigger.
"Come on..." the king said. "We were hoping for something a little more clever. Do not waste our time."

Frustrated and fearful, Angora's blood boiled, knowing that Shade would simply make this a near endless battle if he didn't started to use his brain.
"SHADE! YOU IDIOT! NOT EVERY BATTLE IS ABOUT ATTACKING! THINK! HOW CAN YOU DESTROY SOMETHING THAT REGENERATES?" Angora screamed from the top of her lungs, screaming like a banshee. She believed the answer was right in front of him. She had an idea of her own on how both the gargoyles and the living blob could be stopped, but she knew she had to remain quiet. Still, this was all too frustrating for Angora to just stay there and do nothing. If only she could've battle with him, they could've compensate brain and brawn...

"Come on Shade-- think. Just think.," Raclaw desperately thought out loud. If Shade was going to get past this new trial, he wouldn't be able to just brute force it. Such actions had only hurt his chances before and they weren't going to help him now. "If strategy fails-- switch new strategy.," Risar commented agreeing with the fur dragon. Chester watched and hoped that Shade would be able to figure something out.

The jellies eventually combined to form what could best be described as a rope, or a snake without a head - with this new form, they reached out for Shade, their touch extremely cold. In the meantime, the gargoyles continued to jab at Shade with their pikes incessantly.
"Come on now," the king said to Shade. "Talsius was a clever man; it's how he became such a respectable person before his imprisonment. You show the power; but not the cleverness. Figure it out, or I will have to end this exercise in futility. You have all the tools you need."

"What does he mean, 'bring an end?'" Latnok asked.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Sere said. "We know that he wants to acquire Shade; I doubt he's going to kill him outright. Maybe a poke or prod here or there to keep him inspired, however."

The jelly rope broke off as it flew, and some parts remained attached to Shade. Most of the gargoyles avoided them; one, however, was hit, and slowed down as it started to freeze. The crowd was beginning to run out of enthusiasm, seeing the battle stall for so long.
"Not a bad idea," the king said. "That will slow them down, and disable them for a period of time, though it's not quite a permanent solution. Now, can you come up with a more permanent way to stop them? How long will your hide survive against the pikes? We are all eagerly watching. Do not disappoint us."

Angora watched between her fingers, covering most of her face with her hands. She was too nervous. She noticed the crowd was getting bored, and it frustrated her so much when Shade wanted to solve everything to brute force. He was a fighter, not a thinker, and the challenge was starting too prove too much for him.
"Ugh, stupid Shade! Always attacking! He never analyzes anything! I should be there with him!" Angora said, tempted to leave her seat and go to the arena to assist him, but she was pretty certain that neither the king not the crowd were going to take her interference very kindly. She already had her turn and was pardoned, and wasn't going to waste her chance.

As her nerves got worse, she was very surprised when the young monarch himself started to give clues to Shade. Why was he doing that? He hasn't done that with anybody else, not even her, so why was he helping Shade? It was all too strange, but she couldn't complain. At least he was helping keep his life, but it just infuriated her so much how Shade was so slow in getting the hints. The crowd wasn't going to tolerate the monotony of the battle, but in the heat of the moment, Angora remembered something very important; she didn't have the hexphage anymore. She could use magic, but more importantly, telepathy.
"Shade? Shady, listen up! Using just your muscles isn't going to work! Thanks to the king, you know what to do, but you also know that you can't touch the blob! Use another angle! The pointy end of your tail will avoid your skin from being frozen." Angora commented telepathically, this being the only way she could assist the dragolet.

The jelly, moving out into stronger light, slowed down; it remained generally mobile, however. The gargoyles, meanwhile, continued to jab at Shade with their pikes. Though Shade was getting a better idea, the battle was becoming too static for the crowd's liking, and so he decided to intervene.
"As I am merciful, I will tell you how to navigate this encounter. The gargoyles' regeneration is obviously magical. To deal with it, you should spread enough of your hexphage on them to begin setting in, and destroy them once it does. This is much more feasible when the gargoyles are slowed down. As for the jellies... well, I'm sure you will figure that out once the gargoyles are dealt with, won't you?"

"Well, I hope this ends soon with that," Leoquin said. "I'm getting bored."
"The king is clearly on Shade's side," Sere said. "That is a good sign. Hopefully, that means he won't get killed for failing the challenge."