darkSpyro

Angora kept herself around the center of the ally gladiators. Her shield was big enough to cover practically all her body, and with her small stature, she managed to sneak on opponents, striking their feet and heels so that it would be easier for the taller gladiators to finish them off. When she moved around the field, all people could see was a shield with feet, and an occasional curved sword stabbing the opposing gladiators. Sometimes Angora would run on all fours in order to gain speed while using her shield as a shell, moving from gladiator to gladiator and barely giving them some time to react due to being concentrated on Cazhak and their larger foes. It was a great disadvantage for them. Even though most of the hexphage in her has dried up, Angora vowed not to rely on her magic unless it was absolutely necessary, wanting to demonstrate the audience that she could manage on her own, physical strength...

"Oh, that fight? That's going to be in a few days," the mage said. "It will be a special event. Trust me - everyone will be able to see what you can do. It will be held in celebration of Talsius Day. There, you will have a chance to earn your freedom, if you survive everything we throw at you, without flying any higher than twice the height of a man. Until then, you will be waiting here, where you are incapable of harming others. We would be foolish to let you go a moment before your fight."

Almost none of the audience, or the opposing gladiators, were paying any attention to Angora - Cazhak was the center of attention, captivating the audience. At the closer ranges, he used a halberd, swiping or stabbing at foes a few feet away, and either shoving foes too close, or stabbing or swiping at them with his tail barb. Soon, in the middle of the melee, he came up against one of the two ogres, opponents which his allies were trying to avoid.
The ogre swung its club, a move he rolled to the side for, while taking the opportunity to use his tail to sweep an opposing gladiator off his feet, while they were in combat with an ally. Another club swing - not only did he step back, he took a quick stab at the ogre's arm with his tail barb and made a taunting gesture, which received even more applause from the crowd. The ogre, ever persistent, repeated his maneuver, perhaps hoping that something different would happen a third time. Something different did happen - he sidestepped, closing the distance, then swiped at the ogre's eyes with his tail barb as its posture was lowered for the blow. The ogre howled out as he grasped his face, and Cazhak took the opportunity to lunge, driving his spear through the ogre's chest. He let the ogre fall as the crowd cheered, before stepping over its corpse to pull his spear back out - not a necessary gesture, as he still had more, but it served to make a statement about his domination.

"Wow, Cazhak is certainly in as good a shape as ever," Sere said. "All of his experience before his sentence is certainly paying off right now."
"This fight isn't even fair!" Latnok said - in a jovial way, rather than accusingly. "Good thing he'll never have to mug anyone again with the money he's going to be making. Wouldn't want to face him. He's not even taking his opponents seriously, and he's still crushing them."

"Impressive-- heard many tales. Freedom well earned.," Risar said with a nod of approval and respect. Even those that hadn't personally seen Cazhak in action had heard of the fighter's many successful battles as well as his experience prior to being caught. He almost felt sorry for the poor souls that were placed against him... almost. At least their deaths would be a quick one; quick but but not necessarily painless. Raclaw's eyes rapidly followed the action barely even noticing the walking stabbing shield that was Angora. Chester barked a excited bark-- looking at Sere from on top of Raclaw's head and happy that he was able to witness such an impressive feat. "What the..? How did he..?," Chester could be heard to Raclaw thinking out loud in excitement.

"Talsius is a legendary Aelinon warrior," the mage explained. "He was an imprisoned criminal originally. One day, during a battle, he escaped in the chaos; however, rather than just leave, he performed a ritual, a similar ritual to what the Ardent Guardians today use. With it, he gained immense power, holding off many enemies, against incredible odds, until his body burned up completely and there was no trace left of him. By doing so, he redeemed himself in the eyes of the people.
"So your battle will be in celebration of that. You are a criminal; you will fight against many foes. Survive, and you will be redeemed. Fail, and you die. Simple."

Since Angora was practically being ignored, she managed to see from a rare safe spot among the brawl Cazhak facing one of the ogres, and killing it as easily as she would kill a rabbit. She knew the truth. He was the one everyone wanted to see. She and the other gladiators were simple background characters in the play where the veteran galud was the main character. But that didn't bother the little troll. He deserved this moment of glory, for after years of being imprisoned, he deserved it. But she had enough of being a spectator. Angora resumed with the same tactic, attacking opponents' feel and heels. It was possible that the other gladiators didn't even know she was assisting them. For now, she didn't mind giving a low profile, for her moment of glory could soon arise. Seeing the other ogre on the other side of the arena, Angora stealthily headed to where the forsaken monster was, repeating the same feet attacking pattern as she headed there. Moving like a shadow of flesh and blood, Angora targeted everyone that was unfortunate enough to get in her way, and even though she wasn't killing anybody, she was leaving them far easier targets.
"Hey ogry..." Angora yelled singsongy to the ogre as she got nearer, wondering if he would ignore her or was willing to engage her in a battle...

Maverick was a nauseous wreck every step of the way, seeing with sadness and disgust the massacre. In what part of this brutality was the word fun? Aelinonians were gross, despicable people for allowing and encouraging such a blasphemous activity. Worse of all was that the Ardent Guardians, a society he once admired, allowed such brutality. Still, it was one against a thousand, so Maverick couldn't do anything but watch. He couldn't see Angora anywhere, hoping that she wasn't being part of this battle. If she was somewhere around that melee, he had no doubts she could be trampled, even by her own allies. It was a thought that horrify him, so all he could do was pray she wasn't there. Shade was nowhere to be seen and he was humongous, so he could be more certain that he wasn't there. It was Angora the one that worried him the most...

Despite the chaos of the battle, Angora managed to catch the ogre's attention, as he tossed aside a gladiator in his grasp. Cazhak was occupied assisting his allies in their fights, and the gladiators were, in general, trying to stay away from the ogre; it was just her and the ogre in the moment. "HAHAHA! You're next!" he chortled. Not considering her worth any amount of significant effort to dispose of, he raised his foot and attempted to stomp her flat.

As the others watched the battle, Latnok and Sere were paying attention to everything happening, despite most of their attention being focused on Cazhak. It wasn't hard to notice a lone ogre; what was more unusual, however, was what he was dealing with. Whatever it was would probably be more unassuming, were the ogre not actively trying to crush it. However, where his attention was, their attention followed. A small troll, visible decently well due to scrying magic - under other circumstances, they would question it, but with the knowledge they had, they knew exactly who it was. "Angora is out there," Latnok said. "Not sure if she's just given up on life, or just caught up in the battle. She should be able to survive, though, if she plays it well." Latnok and Sere knew what many people didn't; Angora still had a trump card, magic, that others weren't expecting. Whether she decided to deploy it or not, though, remained to be seen.

Angora simply rolled over when the ogre brought it's humongous feet down. She found to her luck that the ogre was much slower than she expected. She knew that it was probably a stupidity facing this humongous monster all by herself, but if she wanted to draw some attention to herself in the first battle, she had to deal with the big game.
"Hah, so you can talk! I underestimated your intelligence. I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but I have a wonderful friend waiting for me out there and I don't intend to lose!" Angora said as she avoided the ogre's every attempts to crush her. She even had the decency to ask for forgiveness for attacking him, but it was her survival the things she cared about the most at the moment. Even in the heat of the battle, she was thinking of Maverick, and how much she wished to see him again, and completely unaware how near he actually was. Despite the ogre's relentless attempts to step on her, the agility was too much for him. It was practically like having an old man trying to squash a fly with his own, bare hands.

From the seats, Maverick was watching as the crowd continued screaming from the top of their lungs. They would certainly have a sore throat in the morning. Maverick didn't want to see the battle, but he sometimes couldn't help it. There was apparently something new happening, but he couldn't see with how far he was and the wave of hands in the air...

As soon at Latnok pointed her out, Raclaw's senses instantly identified the troll among the chaos. His focus shifted from the exciting Cazhak to the lone ogre and the same walking stabbing shield just beneath his foot. 'Angora...,' Raclaw thought to himself not expecting the former companion to be sent to battle so soon. It was no wonder they didn't immediately spot her with just how much of her ended up being covered under the normal human-sized shield. 'Come on Angora-- you can do it.,' Raclaw thought to himself again. "She has size to her advantage... if she plays it right.," Damon could be heard saying over the links. Chester's eyes soon followed Raclaw's and noticed the particular scene.

"Of course there are more events," the mage said to Shade. "You don't think we'd build an arena for just one event, do you? Besides that, I guess we could all watch the game right now," he added, as he prepared a scrying spell. The soldiers with him gathered around, eager to watch Cazhak's last fight themselves.

Meanwhile, the battle continued in the background, with steel hitting steel, the fallen crying out as they died, and the occasional spear or, more rarely, magic projectile of some kind flying through the air. The ogre had become too distracted with Angora to return to battle with the others, something which the other gladiators took advantage of as they started to mop up the remaining opposition. Cazhak noted Angora's engagement with the ogre; though he could just intercede and strike the ogre down, he decided to finish the rest of the battle instead. Perhaps this was the moment of glory the newcomer needed to make a name for herself, and he had no need to deny her that, considering she seemed capable of handling the situation.
The ogre, in its frustration and exhaustion, sought some other tool to use to squash Angora with. Finding the corpse of a nearby gladiator, still armored, the ogre picked it up by the leg, swinging it down like a makeshift flail.

"She's... is she toying with the creature?" Latnok asked rhetorically. "She's playing a pretty dangerous game, there."
"Perhaps she's trying to appeal to the crowd," Sere noted. "No doubt quite a few eyes are on her right now with the embarrassment the ogre is making of himself." The two looked on eagerly, curious to see how their former ally would play the situation out. They were both somewhat hopeful that she would make it out on top; juts somewhat, however.

Raclaw, Chester, and now Risar watched the scene with great interest-- all wanting to know how it would play out. For Raclaw, Angora was once a great ally and he generally wanted her to stay alive. For Chester and Risar, they were both intrigued in general with the later studying the combat maneuvers closely. "Small size, huge shield, potential for success.," Risar said unknowingly agreeing with Damon. What Angora did now would forever change how the audience saw her-- for better or for worse. This could be her very moment and her push into arena frame. On the other hand, she could simply perish and be forever forgotten in time. Only time would tell...

Angora accelerated the pace, realizing she has really angered the creature. A corpse wouldn't hit her as hard as a club, but given the blunt force of the ogre plus the lighter weight of the body even with the armor, made the swing faster. Even if it was with more difficulty than before, Angora could still dodge the blows. The ogre was angrier, and the more anger, the less focus, not to mention that it made your energy deplete faster, which was good news for her. Unfortunately, Angora was getting tired herself, so she resorted to both dodge and run as the ogre chased her, trying very hard to keep him away from her distracted companions. Soon, both ogre and dwarfish troll were circling the arena, forming a circle around the battling gladiators. This ogre had many targets nearby, yet it was determined to get Angora at all costs, something which she attributed to the natural rivalry both species had. Knowing she won't be able to keep this up for much longer, Angora stopped and decided to face the ogre, looking him right in the eyes.
"Alright you big bully! Try to get me!" Angora taunted, as she waited for the ogre to swing the body. As soon as he did, it only took a step back from her part to dodge it... and that's when she finally had an idea. As soon as the ogre lifted the body, Angora jumped and grabbed on to the corpse, getting lifted along with it. As the creature started to realize what she was doing, the little troll immediately jumped, right towards it's face! She grasped her curved sword and swung... right towards it's neck! In a simple blink, Angora could see the rolling head of the ogre, prompting her to almost throw up.
"Damn it! That wasn't suppose to happen!" Angora exclaimed to herself, having intended to just slice part of the ogre's neck. She never meant to decapitate it.

Maverick still couldn't see what was going on. He still wondered if Angora was somewhere around there. While he found it unlikely, he still knew she was somewhere nearby. Maybe even be how him in the prisons. It wasn't going to be easy reaching her. But he was still determined to do so, even if he had to whitstand this senseless carnage.

As soon as the ogre's head came off, the crowd once again went wild. It wasn't Cazhak - but it was the sort of spectacle they came to see, regardless. Very few of them could see exactly what the creature that managed it was, but some were somewhat curious. The other gladiators, however, didn't do anything else but make a mental note of the casualty, being too occupied in the battle. The battle was almost over, with very few on the opposing team left. Cazhak was rather impressed himself, not expecting a newcomer to execute such a performance. It would seem that she really took his words to heart.

"Didn't think Angora would be enjoying herself that much!" Latnok said. "Trying to put on a show and all that - not doing a bad job."
"I think she will manage," Sere said. "At least until others realize what she's capable of, and stop underestimating her. Still, I wonder what Maverick would think of seeing her do such a thing."
"Bah, he can suck it up," Latnok said. "This isn't his fairy tale land. This is the real world, where people kill and people die. If you're going to execute criminals, might as well make some money from it."

Maverick was watching the spectacle from way above, and between the screaming people and the wave of hands, he could barely see anything. He could, however, see a round thing rolling around.
"Just what is going on down there?" he exclaimed to himself, trying to take a look. Despite being quite tall, he couldn't see much. He thought it was probably better if he couldn't see anything, but he got too curious when he suddenly saw the crowd going mad...

Quote: A Guy

As soon as the ogre's head came off, the crowd once again went wild. It wasn't Cazhak - but it was the sort of spectacle they came to see, regardless. Very few of them could see exactly what the creature that managed it was, but some were somewhat curious. The other gladiators, however, didn't do anything else but make a mental note of the casualty, being too occupied in the battle. The battle was almost over, with very few on the opposing team left. Cazhak was rather impressed himself, not expecting a newcomer to execute such a performance. It would seem that she really took his words to heart.

"Didn't think Angora would be enjoying herself that much!" Latnok said. "Trying to put on a show and all that - not doing a bad job."
"I think she will manage," Sere said. "At least until others realize what she's capable of, and stop underestimating her. Still, I wonder what Maverick would think of seeing her do such a thing."
"Bah, he can suck it up," Latnok said. "This isn't his fairy tale land. This is the real world, where people kill and people die. If you're going to execute criminals, might as well make some money from it."

Contrary to what Latnok believed, Angora didn't enjoyed herself. She never meant to kill the ogre. Just injure it, but she underestimated the sharpness of her sword and the force in which she dropped. She heard the deafening screams of the crowd, something that she knew was aimed at her part. This was a start. The crowd probably didn't expect her to defeat such an imposing beast, but that didn't make her feel any better. This was an awful lifestyle. Killing in order to satisfy a society's idea of entertainment. As she listened to the crowd, she remained motionless, right in front of the large corpse, watching as the rest of the gladiators finished off the rest of their opponents, some which were weak with injured legs thanks to her...

As the battle drew to its conclusion, all that remained was one opposing gladiator - an elf mage. He tried to keep his distance from the rest of the battle - being the only one left, however, Cazhak grabbed and threw a spear, impaling his leg to the ground. With the elf immobilized, Cazhak ran up to him, his armor absorbing the single projectile thrown at him, and grabbed the elf's neck with his tail. He choked the life out of his opponent as the crowd let out a deafening cheer. Finally, the battle was over.
Musicians, donning fancy, elegant clothing in complete contrast to the carnage and bloodbath of the battlefield, came out, playing a fanfare. They were soon followed by none other than the king himself, with his royal guard and mages in tow.

"He's finally done it," Latnok said.
"Hah! About time!" Leoquin said. "Every time he's been there, I wondered if it would be his last battle. But this is his last battle - for the right reason. He's definitely earned his freedom."
"It'll be a pretty lucky business that gets their hands on him, that's for sure."

Angora remained there, using her sword as a cane as the fanfare played. She didn't know who was among the crowd, even less that people like Latnok and Maverick were among the thousands attending. She watched as Cazhak was at the peak of his glory, applauded and loved. This would be the last time she see him. He has finally earned his freedom. It was a harsh road, but he's done it. Angora cringed to think she could spend years in that inferno to earn her freedom. If only there was something she could do to cut that time short. Right now, all she could do was watch as the crowd was pleased with the victory, and their favorite galud finally earning the freedom he worked so hard to get, all while the pile of corpses laid there, waiting to be devoured by the hungry behemoths...

Maverick listened to the fanfare as he once again tried to take a better look. He knew it was over. Despite not seeing well, he knew what he was seeing. There was death in that arena. Plentry of it. He shook his head at the despicable sight, and the people encouraging it. How could such society exist? And how could the Guardians promote it? When did it all started? When did it ever came to that? What made people enjoy these activities? So many questions were striking Maverick's mind like bolts of lightning...

As Cazhak, who had some minor but insignificant wounds, moved forward to meet the king, the rest of the surviving gladiators were herded out of the arena, to receive medical care as needed. This was going to be Cazhak's moment; no one else's.
As Cazhak stepped forward, he reached a hand out to shake the king's outstretched hand, followed by a bow."My king," he greeted.
"Cazhak. You are truly a legendary warrior," the king said. "You have fought for years, often against nigh-insurmountable odds. Yet, through it all, you have maintained your discipline and resolve, becoming a paragon for all warriors to admire, to aspire to. You have come from a life of crime, and now here you are, revered by the people, a person respected by the very soldiers who held you prisoner. I am hereby proud to grant you an official pardon for your crimes. Return to the arena chambers, receive what is yours, then take your first steps outside, as a free galud."
The crowd cheered louder than they had for the entire match, something which persisted seemingly forever. Cazhak was going to take some time to revel in the glory; he was in no rush now, not anymore.

Angora moved with the other warriors with no struggles or questioned, willing to let Cazhak enjoy his moment. If he has been for years, he deserved that and more. Angora was really going to miss him. He has been the only one in that pride of vulgar criminals that ever accepted her into the group. Right now, she felt like she will be all alone. But maybe one day, one of these days, she will manage to earn her freedom like he has done.

Among the crowd, Maverick found himself applauding along with the rest of the crowd. He despised the violence that took place, but he was glad to see an individual finally earning his freedom. He didn't want to imagine what sort of hell he had to go through to earn it, but at least the ordeal was finally over. Still, even with his good wishes, Maverick still felt awful with the lives lost, and knew the galud was one of the few lucky ones who managed to have othe his life and freedom, and even more lucky was that he didn't have to battle a behemoth. After what he read about them, they knew they were the stuff of nightmares. Maverick didn't know if Angora will have to fight her way to freedom like Cazhak did, but if that was the case, the hybrid wanted to make sure she didn't have to endure some battles. After all, she was imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit, and Maverick planned to have the truth come to light. Even do an audience with the king if necessary. He at least now knew the name and some of his appearance, so the next step was to find out how to meet him. However, Maverick was now stuck with what he should do first, if give the page to Angora or try to win an audience with the king...

After a few more moments of appreciating the crowd's enthusiasm, Cazhak returned his attention to the king. "Thank you, my king," he said. "Now, I don't have some sort of three-hour speech prepared for this, so please, forgive me. When I first came here, I knew full well what I did; the punishment I deserved. I felt incredibly guilty about what I had done, in my desperation. I fully intended to atone for my actions; there are many here that intend to as well, and not all will survive long enough to earn their freedom.
"I do know, however, that there are many here who are horrible people, rotten to the core. During my time here, I have learned that it is those sorts of people who do not have what it takes to endure this sort of environment. This place will break their spirits completely, if it doesn't break their bodies first.
"Now, I don't know everyone I've killed; I do know, however, that many of them have committed horrible crimes, and the only regret they ever had was getting caught. To those people, I am glad to be an agent of justice, on behalf of those I have wronged. To the others, those who may have wanted another chance - well, not too much I could say about that, except it was you or me, and I just happened to be the better warrior, or have the better team that day.
"Which reminds me. I would like to thank each and every person on my team. I have watched many, many people come and go, most leaving in a behemoth's belly. But without you out there to help keep me sharp, and to support me in the arena, I would not still be alive. To those of you who wish to leave, so that you may eventually right your wrongs, I wish you luck; to those of you who see this only as something to get out of so you can go back to your criminal ways, without an ounce of regret, I'm counting on some better, more disciplined fighter to put you in your place.
"I would also like to thank everyone out there in the seats who have supported me. I've often wondered why I was trying; but knowing that so many of you wanted to see me succeed, and were looking forward to me earning my freedom... that kept me going. Without that, I may have given up a long time ago. You have all made this moment for me.
"As for me? What will I do? I don't know. I do know, however, that I won't have to go back to being a highwayman. I can put that life behind me. The only way I can go from here is up. Good night, everyone. See you on the outside."
The crowd, once again, burst into uproarious cheering and applause.

"It's... wonderful," Leoquin said. "I've been here for a while, and to see this moment actually happening..."
"Hell, I haven't been here in a while, and I'm still amazed," Latnok said. "Absolutely beautiful."
"Well, as good as that was, there is still the matter of Angora," Sere said. "We will see how long she has to do this for; hopefully, she doesn't get thrown into an impossible battle, but I've done what I can. It's up to Aelinon now."

Thanks to the magic that amplified their voice, both Angora and Maverick could hear the old galud's speech. It seemed to them that he reached a point where even he believed in the kind of structure Aelinon had in their laws and how they handled the criminals. It was quite a pity how so many accepted this way of life. No matter how grave the crime, fighting for your life in the eyes of thousands, if not millions, was too much of a punishment. Nevertheless, Angora knew that she would have to endure her new life and win her freedom despite the injustice done to her, something that she knew it was her fault. Maverick likewise was undignified at how the criminals were treated and how they disposed of the bodies afterwards. They couldn't even have the benefit of being claimed by their family or at least have a decent burial. He also found it a coward and lazy move from the Aelinonian court not to verify Angora's false testimony. Who knows how many were wrongfully imprisoned due to a lie or just for being set up. It was too much for Maverick to think about. Oblivious to the fact that they were both so close, Angora and Maverick began to remember the past, back when they travelled together, explored the world and had fun. It was just them and Shade. They were happy times. When will they be able to have that life again? When will be the day where the Aelinonians stopped persecuting them and let them live the happy, peaceful life they so desperately wanted? Not only them, but also other individuals like Blue and the mysterious mage, seemed to be conspiring against them. Why was everything going wrong for them, who wanted nothing but peace and happiness?

Raclaw, Chester, and Risar were all impressed-- both by Angora's surprising move in beheading the the ogre and in the triumphant success that was Cazhak. "If she can keep this up, she might just stand a chance. And as Cazhak has shown, there is at least a path out of there-- and a path that would hopefully lead to fame and success on her part.," Raclaw thought out loud not wishing for Angora is be stuck there for years but also knowing that the fame that went with such a path would certainly help her ego. "Risar agree. Difficult perhaps-- not impossible.," the minotaur said agreeing with Raclaw. Chester barked to which Raclaw gave a smile in return, the little beagle having recognized that he still cared at least somewhat to what eventually became of the troll.

As the soldiers brought the rest of the gladiators in, those that needed medical treatment were separated, to be taken to the appropriate facilities. One soldier grabbed Angora, rubbing the hexphage in solidly. "Don't think we forgot you," he said. "We know what you did. So you like fighting big beasts, yeah? We might have just the thing for you, witch." After some time out, Cazhak soon headed back inside himself, as the audience cheered and chanted his name. He would collect all of the money he earned while in the arena; from there, his lif ewas his to do with as he pleased.

As the event finished, a very large tunnel ripped open in the ground, with a rumbling. Out came a behemoth - hungry as ever, and there was a meal for him on the field. Without a second thought, the behemoth found and soon devoured every body in the arena after a few minutes. A rather efficient cleaning tool - no need to have any of the usual difficulties with body disposal for criminal scum.

There were other events scheduled for some time later in the evening - none that people cared about as much as the battle that had just happened, however. People started pouring out of the arena, satisfied at the show that was put on.
"Well, I think we can safely call it a day," Sere said. "It'll be us out there, Latnok, soon enough."
"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be just as popular as Cazhak is," he said sarcastically. "Can't be too bad, though. Doubt they will throw anything outrageous at us."

Raclaw watched in amazement and slight horror as the large behemoth quickly cleared the arena of any and all evidence. In just a few moments time, it didn't even look like a fight had occurred and they could very well hold another one right then and there-- and without any sign of a previous battle. "Effective.," Risar thought out loud with Raclaw silently agreeing. He looked at Sere and nodded in agreement while Chester jumped down and resumed his usual place aside him. "I'm sure you'll do great and we'll get to witness just well you can do after all that bar hopping.," Raclaw said half jokingly as the group proceeded out of the VIP area and back towards the inn.

From his seat, Maverick tried to resist, bit he couldn't. The behemoth was one ginormous beast, and even from his uncomfortable and limited sighted position, he could see the animal happily feasting on the fallen. Maverick reached his limit. Right there below his seat, he threw up, unable to contain his nausea. He was there, seeing a behemoth in the flesh, and their dangerous appetite. Before he knew it, the beast has cleaned up the entire arena, leaving it spotless and him a pleased animal with a full belly. He couldn't fathom the thought of Angora facing one of those things. It was madness! It was ludicrous! As soon as he saw the rest of the people leaving, he proceeded to do the same, patting his fox friends. He was regretting bringing them to this gruesome spectacle and apologized for doing so. He couldn't believe such a beast exist, and worse yet, that Aelinon had them as pets. It was no wonder he never found a cemetery in the city. All the bodies, all the meat... it went to these monsters...

Quote: A Guy

As the soldiers brought the rest of the gladiators in, those that needed medical treatment were separated, to be taken to the appropriate facilities. One soldier grabbed Angora, rubbing the hexphage in solidly. "Don't think we forgot you," he said. "We know what you did. So you like fighting big beasts, yeah? We might have just the thing for you, witch." After some time out, Cazhak soon headed back inside himself, as the audience cheered and chanted his name. He would collect all of the money he earned while in the arena; from there, his lif ewas his to do with as he pleased.

"Jealous?" Angora muttered to the mean soldier in a low voice, knowing that doing a full comment would just make him angry, but as usual, she couldn't remain completely quiet. She didn't struggle with the hexphage, knowing there was no way these scour soldiers would leave her with magic. One thing was certain though; she killed one of the ogres with little, or better said, accidental ease, and she did it all without the aid of magic. She went to that arena, free of hexphage and becoming like an invisible yet deadly shadow that struck her opponents from below and made them vulnerable to her allies, and later finally let her little presence known by the rest of the spectators. She wasn't proud of what she did, and she didn't know if that kill earned her some fame, but for now, what mattered was that she won her very first battle. She had another day to live. She had to somehow let her name known around the sadistic crowd and earn her freedom like Cazhak did, for unlike him, she was most certainly destined to face one of those deadly behemoths. The soldiers themselves seemed very keen to the idea...

With the group being satisfied for the day, Sere directed them all to the inn. The other crew members may be waiting for them there, although Sere was certain that at least some of them were watching the game.
Going through the streets, back to the inn, was a somewhat easier experience, as people were dispersing, rather than all grouping together for one thing. Latnok and Leoquin felt bad for Cazhak in that regard; he would have a throng of people mobbing him everywhere he went, wanting to speak with him or get an autograph. They had their own business to deal with, however.
After a bit of traveling, the familiar facade of the Easy Eyrie could be seen, the sign inviting creatures of all kinds to come in. Inside, indeed, were many people and creatures of all kinds, though not as much as there was in the morning.
"Welcome back to the Easy Eyrie!" the innkeeper greeted. "Will it be the same as last time?"
"For those of us who were here last time, sure," Sere said. "You'll have to ask the others what they want."
"Would you happen to have a room for mermen?" Leoquin asked. The innkeeper nodded, and directed someone to prepare it. "We will show you to your room shortly," she said.
At the lobby, some of the sailors from the Salty Sailor started to filter in, no doubt about their contracts. Sere stepped aside to take care of the matter.

Angora was separated from the other gladiators, being directed instead through a passageway, leading to a large chamber with a behemoth in it. Angora was unceremoniously restrained and tossed up on it.
The behemoth headed down a similar passageway - he did, however, make a different turn than he did before, leading to a very dimly lit passageway. Some more travel, and soon the behemoth rose its forelegs up, pounding them on the ground and opening up Shade's enclosure.
Angora was taken off of the behemoth, her restraints removed. "You have 10 minutes to speak to each other," the mage in charge commanded. "Make it count. Remember - this is a privilege. Don't give us reason to revoke it."

As they all entered the inn, part of Raclaw was glad to see that the crowds had cleared out somewhat-- at least compared to how it had been that very morning. He and Chester stood by Latnok, while Godfather Sere did his thing. They would certainly have a 'salty' if not somewhat hardy crew, although he was sure that Risar wouldn't appreciate the stares he got from a couple of the men. Speaking of Risar, the minotaur was waiting for Leoquin to finish up and gently approached the innkeeper-- who was at least somewhat taken back by the large intimidating looking minotaur. A couple of the patrons instinctively cleared a way for him. "Risar would like room please. Whatever is deemed suitable.," he said politely using his version of manners. He was prepared to pay having a moderate amount of gold from the odd job here and there. It wasn't too hard to find work for someone such as himself, rather it be mere labor or taking advantage of his intimidating appearance. While Raclaw had adorableness going for him, he had quite the opposite.

Finally out of the chaos of the arena, Maverick was sorrowful and tired, feeling so lost in what to do. Angora and Shade were imprisoned and treated as entertainment objects, he couldn't find an opening to the gladiator prisons and he still didn't know anything about the mage that supposedly made the dragolet attack the city. He really wanted to give the behemoth page to her, but since he suspected that the prisoners were probably constantly checked, he decided not to risk it just yet. With that in mind, Maverick finally decided that the best chance now was trying to win an audience with the king. After waiting for many people to leave the arena's surroundings, the young fawn man approached a guard posted near the entrance.
"Excuse me sir. Do you know the procedures of having an audience with the king? I have some foreign jewels for sale that he might be interested in, and I was wondering if I could meet with him to see if he is interested to take a few out of my hands." Maverick quickly explained, wanting to have a created excuse to explain why he wanted to see the king. He knew that the guard would've asked him why a commoner like him would want to see their beloved monarch, so Maverick was quick in giving him the explanation before he asked.

Quote: A Guy

Angora was separated from the other gladiators, being directed instead through a passageway, leading to a large chamber with a behemoth in it. Angora was unceremoniously restrained and tossed up on it.
The behemoth headed down a similar passageway - he did, however, make a different turn than he did before, leading to a very dimly lit passageway. Some more travel, and soon the behemoth rose its forelegs up, pounding them on the ground and opening up Shade's enclosure.
Angora was taken off of the behemoth, her restraints removed. "You have 10 minutes to speak to each other," the mage in charge commanded. "Make it count. Remember - this is a privilege. Don't give us reason to revoke it."

When Angora was taken away, she was worried that she would be placed in a separate prison in order to be away from the rest of the gladiators, and then was quite terrified when she saw the behemoth in front of her. At first, she thought she was going to be fed to it after what the guard told her, but then remembered they were used as transport. To her relief, that's exactly what she was, and found to her happiness that she wasn't going to a separate prison after all. There he was, Shade, right in the flesh. She didn't know why or how, but they were given the chance to see each other again, even if it was brief. She embraced the dragolet in a big hug, or at least as big as she could give it.
"Shady! Shady I'm so glad to see you! I'm so very sorry for this! I really thought I could get us out of this one, but I failed miserably. I know you probably hate me right now. I, I should've tried better!" Angora apologized as she continued hugging his snout, plagued with guilt for being in these conditions. Not even her false testimony has been enough to save him...

The guard Maverick spoke to looked at him with an odd mix of curiosity and pity. "Our king has decorative uniforms, but does not collect gems for the sake of it," he said. "I doubt he will be interested in whatever you have to offer, although some of the nobles and other important people who associate with him might be. As for getting an audience with him, you must head to one of the city halls in various cities around the country, and submit an application. They are reviewed, and those deemed to be worthy of his attention by the officials are presented to him in order of importance. This can take a few weeks, if your request is deemed worth his attention. Of course, knowing people close to him may allow you to circumvent that, but... something tells me that you may not have that luxury." The guard looked expectantly at Maverick - travelers usually had more follow-up questions to bug him with.

"...yes! Right away, sir!" the innkeeper said, as she directed someone else to prepare a room for Risar. "Will they be included with everyone else on the tab?" she asked Latnok, Sere being too occupied to answer the question himself.
"Yes, they will be," Latnok said. Now, for dinner, I would like some venison..."
Just then, the door came open, revealing a familiar mermaid - Ilasi. "Yes, I've heard you were all here," she said to Sere, who was still occupied ratifying the drafted contracts. "I decided that I would like to try something different. At least for some time."

Maverick's heart sank when he heard it could be weeks before he could meet the king, time that could be vital for his family. He couldn't wait that long... but in his desperation, he came up with soenthing else that he believed it could help him.
"Too long. I'm a busy man. But hey, do you know the galud known as Laszur? We are acquaintances. Perhaps he can give me faster access. Unfortunately, I don't know where he lives." Maverick suddenly said, knowing what a dangerous gamble he was playing. Laszur wasn't exactly trustworthy, and violently kidnapped him once. In other words, not really an individual to be fond of, but it urged Maverick to speak to the king, and to his misfortune, Laszur was the only high ranked soldier he knew that could help him...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Shade smiled. He leaned into the hug. “I’ve saw everything! You did so great! You’ve given me hope to try even harder in my fight in a few days. Unfortunately I won’t be cured of this fungus. The mage said I may be released if I win this fight. But I have a feeling it’s going to be against those beasts!” He said. “But I have confidence I can win. I was watching you as well as everyone else move, dodge and attack.”

"I know Shady. They want me to fight those things too. I want to be hopeful, but you have seen them. The galud that battled today told me nobody has been able to defeat them. So our only chance is to appeal to the crowd and survive long enough to be pardoned. We... can do this Shade. It will be a harsh trial, but somehow, we will manage it, like we've always done. But promise me that while we're here, you'll behave. Please, I don't want them hurting you further." Angora said as she continued hugging him, despising the conditions in which he was. Unfortunately, she wasn't very confident in their survival. Cazhak earned his freedom, but he didn't have to face a behemoth to do so. Both she and Shade on the other hand, were scheduled to face one, and she knew how vital it was for them to be loved by the crowd. Angora was terrified with the notion. If they didn't succeeded, they'll be nothing but behemoth food in the not so distant future, so they literally depended on the people of Aelinon. They would be the ones to determine their fate. Despite her fear, Anbkra showed none of it and continued smiling at Shade, looking at him in the eyes full of care and praying that the miracle they needed to get out of this ordeal was waiting to happen.

Raclaw's eyes lit up at Ilasi's arrival, having hoped that the familiar mermaid would decide to come. "Ilasi-- you've back!," Raclaw said with a happy smile. Chester briefly looked at Raclaw puzzled, but soon saw who Raclaw was referring to. The little beagle barked a happy bark, glad to meet any new acquaintance-- and even more so for one of Raclaw. Seeing as Chester was a recent addition to the group, he was sure the mermaid would have even more questions than she already had. Meanwhile, Risar gave a thankful nod and turned his attention back towards the others.

"Oh, Laszur? Don't know the guy personally, so I couldn't answer that for you," the guard said. "From what I know, however, he's been working the past day or so on the prosecution of some officer for abuse of power or somesuch. You'd probably be able to find out some information about that at the courthouse. Still open at this time - keep in mind that many places here stay open for a really long time on account of galuds being naturally nocturnal." The guard looked expectantly at Maverick once again, prepared for yet another question from the traveler... it's what he got paid to put up with, however.

Ilasi smiled right back. "Thank you! It's nice to see you again - though you seem to have picked up quite a few more friends along the way."
"Friends? Already upgrading from allies? I like you guys already!" Leoquin said. "The name's Leoquin, by the way. What's your name?" he asked, extending a webbed hand.
"Ilasi. Nice to meet you." Ilasi accepted the handshake.
"Well, that's one more contract to get drafted up... I'll actually have to write this one myself," Sere said - this time, he wasn't just ratifying a contract Latnok had drafted up.
Suddenly, a rather irate patron shot up, seemingly having a chip on his shoulder. "Hey miss! I asked for a drink ten minutes ago!" he blasted. "You can stop wasting time with the cow and get me what I'm paying for!"
There were quite a few gasps from the other patrons. "Did he just..." Latnok telepathed to Raclaw.

Angora remained with Shade, hugging him and even humming to him, wanting to take advantage of every last little second from the ten minutes they had. Why couldn't those stupid soldiers see how much they loved each other? Why couldn't they see all they had wanted was a peaceful life? Because of her trusting Shade's powers too much they were in this mess. Because she entered Redwater knowing how much the Aelinonians hated them they were in this mess. Even with her guilt, Angora still tried consoled Shade, wanting to make their separation less painful.

Quote: A Guy

"Oh, Laszur? Don't know the guy personally, so I couldn't answer that for you," the guard said. "From what I know, however, he's been working the past day or so on the prosecution of some officer for abuse of power or somesuch. You'd probably be able to find out some information about that at the courthouse. Still open at this time - keep in mind that many places here stay open for a really long time on account of galuds being naturally nocturnal." The guard looked expectantly at Maverick once again, prepared for yet another question from the traveler... it's what he got paid to put up with, however.

Maverick simply nodded, glad to at least have a lead.
"Very well. Thank you very much." he said as he turned to leave, but then remembered something important.
"By the way, before I leave, can you give me the schedule to the next arena battles?" Maverick asked, knowing that it would be the only way to know when Angora and Shade will appear.

Quote: A Guy

Ilasi smiled right back. "Thank you! It's nice to see you again - though you seem to have picked up quite a few more friends along the way."
"Friends? Already upgrading from allies? I like you guys already!" Leoquin said. "The name's Leoquin, by the way. What's your name?" he asked, extending a webbed hand.
"Ilasi. Nice to meet you." Ilasi accepted the handshake.
"Well, that's one more contract to get drafted up... I'll actually have to write this one myself," Sere said - this time, he wasn't just ratifying a contract Latnok had drafted up.
Suddenly, a rather irate patron shot up, seemingly having a chip on his shoulder. "Hey miss! I asked for a drink ten minutes ago!" he blasted. "You can stop wasting time with the cow and get me what I'm paying for!"
There were quite a few gasps from the other patrons. "Did he just..." Latnok telepathed to Raclaw.

"Yes-- I believe he just did.," Raclaw said in shock as Risar slowly turned around-- the two heavy greataxes on his back quickly becoming evident to many of the patrons if they weren't already. Risar, looking very red in the face, almost instinctively grabbed for one of his greataxes. "Did you just--?," he started to say in a very strong tone. He held back at the last second though aware of his surroundings and that knowing that such an action would be unwise in Redwater. "For.. your information, I.. am a minotaur and not a cow!," he said pausing briefly between words and suddenly becoming surprisingly fluent in the language although he clearly wasn't comfortable with it.

Raclaw watched and was prepared to step in and help calm the involved individuals. What was clearly anger could be seen in Risar's eyes and the man's comment had clearly triggered him. "You-- you would be wise.. in being careful.. who you say that to.," he spoke in a slightly calmer but till very tense tone. Hot air coming out of his nostrils blew the broken chain ever so slightly causing a slight rattling noise as spoke. Raclaw watched closely as did many of the patrons. For his sake, he hoped the patron chose his next words very wisely. Raclaw could feel the tension-- both in the room and through Risar's surface thoughts. A brief flashback of a cruel human holding a whip could seen in Risar's mind. 'You worthless cow...,' Risar's mind echoed.

Latnok, Sere, Leoquin, and Ilasi all looked on in shock at what the man would say to a minotaur right in his presence. "Obviously had too much to drink, that one," Latnok said. "I wouldn't be asking for any more, if I were him." Nevertheless, Latnok and Sere stood by, ready to intervene - they may let Risar get away with roughing the man up somewhat, but wouldn't want him dead by any means.
The man, finally realizing that he picked a really poor place to make such a comment, stayed still, petrified. Regardless of the laws, he wasn't going to throw his life away on the chance that the minotaur was too angry to care. "Uh, y-yes, Mr. Minotaur... I'm sorry, j-just a slip... a slip of the tongue! In fact, your next drink is on me! Go ahead!"
The others weren't sure how much this would mollify Risar - but figured that it wouldn't hurt.

Meanwhile, the guard handed Maverick a paper with scheduled fights for the next few days on it. "Most of the gladiators you saw today are scheduled for a fight next week, if you're looking to see them again. The less lucky ones are going to have the honor of being used as a demonstration of the capabilities of Aelinon's premier war beast. Otherwise, there's a huge event for Talsius Day - the Scourge of Redwater, the dragon that caused so much death and destruction, will get a chance to redeem himself in the arena. Official word is that he was used unwittingly, which is why he's being given the opportunity in the first place."

"Thank you got the schedules my good man. And did you say premier war beast? I assume you're referring to the one we saw at the end of the battle?" Maverick asked in a casual tone, still trying to forget the terrible nausea he felt with the last of the spectacle.
"Quite the impressive beast. Undefeated I presume?" he then asked, though he believed he already knew the answer.

In Shade's cell, time stood still for the two friends. They were cruelly separated, and couldn't even battle together like a family. Nevertheless, Angora still felt lucky that the guards allowed them these minutes to be together, even if it was going to be just this once...

Quote: A Guy

Latnok, Sere, Leoquin, and Ilasi all looked on in shock at what the man would say to a minotaur right in his presence. "Obviously had too much to drink, that one," Latnok said. "I wouldn't be asking for any more, if I were him." Nevertheless, Latnok and Sere stood by, ready to intervene - they may let Risar get away with roughing the man up somewhat, but wouldn't want him dead by any means.
The man, finally realizing that he picked a really poor place to make such a comment, stayed still, petrified. Regardless of the laws, he wasn't going to throw his life away on the chance that the minotaur was too angry to care. "Uh, y-yes, Mr. Minotaur... I'm sorry, j-just a slip... a slip of the tongue! In fact, your next drink is on me! Go ahead!"
The others weren't sure how much this would mollify Risar - but figured that it wouldn't hurt.

Risar let the man talk-- prepared to rough him up a little if he wasn't satisfied with his reaction. "Innkeeper-- give me.. the finest.. ale you have. On his tab.," he then said taking one hard look at the poor petrified patron before turning his head and looking away. He began to calm down and walked back towards the others. For a brief moment, the look of anger in his eyes was replaced by-- pain? He was clearly remembering something and it evidently wasn't very pleasant. 'You worthless cow-- you will learn and you will obey.,' a man could be seen saying to a much younger Risar through his surface thoughts. Raclaw looked at Risar and feeling for the minotaur-- inadvertently sent the memory over the links and onto Latnok. "Risar-- I'm sorry. I'm sorry he said that to you.," Raclaw quietly said to Risar not wanting the minotaur to know that he had inadvertently probed one of his more painful memories.

"Yes, those beasts, the behemoths," the guard said. "Neither gladiators nor beasts have managed to defeat one - most can't even leave a crack in the armor. Takes some dedicated effort for that - we give the gladiators some appropriate weapons to try with, but it takes much longer than they usually last to do anything with it. A good show, all-in-all - we pick the worst criminals for it, and the crowd loves it. There are also two other special events which are being hosted right after it - right between that and the other event I mentioned, two members of the Ardent Guardians have volunteered to fight in the arena against some pretty dangerous creatures, for normal men anyway. Since you don't seem like a citizen, if you're interested in any of those events, I'd try to get my tickets as soon as possible. Likely going to be pretty expensive unless you know the right people."

The innkeeper nodded, somewhat unnerved herself but trying to keep a stiff upper lip. "Well, certainly, sir! Coming right up!" She grabbed an entire pitcher from one of the shelves, filling it up to the brim with an ale labeled Gryphon Dew. "Here you go, sir!" she said, as she handed the pitcher over. The man paying for it looked on, having too much fear to even bother disputing the granting of an entire pitcher on his tab.
"You might want to watch your mouth next time," Latnok said as he criticized the man. "If he wants to hurt you, I can't guarantee you that we'll be able to stop him. Or care to."
"Man, he got off lucky," Leoquin said. "I would've just punched him in the face."
While the others were discussing those actions, Ilasi noted the minotaur, his seeming pain. "Please, ignore a buffoon like that... no one here supports him," she said. "He probably forgot that he's not in his mother's house anymore."

"Okay, time's up," the mage said, as the soldiers took a guarded stance once again. "Back to the arena chambers with you. You will get this opportunity every day... provided you two don't cause any trouble. Don't know why the hell we're doing this, but someone who gets paid more than I do said we have to. Now move."

Angora gave one last hug to Shade before being taken away.
"Hear that Shady? We'll get to see each other every day, so behave yourself, alright? And fight the good fight." Angora commented before being taken away, once again forced to the behemoth's back and onto her unpleasant destination. She was ready though. Ready to fight. Win the crowd and give her all. These Aelinonians made a terrible mistake imprisoning them. Maybe one day, when they see the real her, they will learn about their true intentions. If they survived the behemoths, perhaps they will finally have the peace and freedom they desired so much, just like Cazhak before them...

Quote: A Guy

"Yes, those beasts, the behemoths," the guard said. "Neither gladiators nor beasts have managed to defeat one - most can't even leave a crack in the armor. Takes some dedicated effort for that - we give the gladiators some appropriate weapons to try with, but it takes much longer than they usually last to do anything with it. A good show, all-in-all - we pick the worst criminals for it, and the crowd loves it. There are also two other special events which are being hosted right after it - right between that and the other event I mentioned, two members of the Ardent Guardians have volunteered to fight in the arena against some pretty dangerous creatures, for normal men anyway. Since you don't seem like a citizen, if you're interested in any of those events, I'd try to get my tickets as soon as possible. Likely going to be pretty expensive unless you know the right people."

"Ardent Guardians?" Maverick asked with shock, never expecting them of all people to take part of the gruesome spectacle. Even though he still wanted to keep talking about the behemoths, the new information surprised him too much. Two Guardians? Maverick had a pretty good idea who those two were. He felt so embarrassed and betrayed for admiring them once. Not only did they have ties with the Aelinonians, but they also were part of the massacre. How wrong Maverick was about them! Heroes they weren't! It didn't matter now. Maberick finally knew the real them. Not wanting to waste any time there, he bid goodbye to the guards.
"Interesting. Never expected the Guardians themselves to take part in such activity. Anyway, thank you for all your help kind sir. Now if you could just please direct me the fastest way to the courthouse, I'll be on my way." Maverick asked, remembering that he wasn't in Orcford and that he had no idea where everything was in Redwater. Right now, his priority was finding Laszur and ask for his help...

The guard gave Maverick directions; it was quite a ways, but most of the path was down one major road, so it wouldn't be hard to find. The city at this point would have more galuds than humans moving around, by nature of their circadian rhythm. "Best of luck; you'll need it," he said. "An audience with the king... fat chance."
Regardless of the daytime, however, the taverns and inns were teeming with people having afterparties. Though there would sill be those mourning, it would seem that the spectacle in the arena was enough to raise the general spirit of the city.

Quote: A Guy

The innkeeper nodded, somewhat unnerved herself but trying to keep a stiff upper lip. "Well, certainly, sir! Coming right up!" She grabbed an entire pitcher from one of the shelves, filling it up to the brim with an ale labeled Gryphon Dew. "Here you go, sir!" she said, as she handed the pitcher over. The man paying for it looked on, having too much fear to even bother disputing the granting of an entire pitcher on his tab.
"You might want to watch your mouth next time," Latnok said as he criticized the man. "If he wants to hurt you, I can't guarantee you that we'll be able to stop him. Or care to."
"Man, he got off lucky," Leoquin said. "I would've just punched him in the face."
While the others were discussing those actions, Ilasi noted the minotaur, his seeming pain. "Please, ignore a buffoon like that... no one here supports him," she said. "He probably forgot that he's not in his mother's house anymore."

Risar took the pitcher of Gryphon Dew-- and happily took a big gulp on the feared man's tab. It was indeed a very fine ale-- and very much satisfied his fine taste buds which turn helped to calm him down. He looked at Ilasi and gave a grateful nod, silently thanking the mermaid and new acquaintance.

Thanks to the gentleman's direction, Maverick managed to find the court in little time. It was creepy seeing so many galuds navigating the city at night, but he got use to it pretty fast. Soon, Maverick found himself in front of the courthouse. It was off limits at the moment, but when he mentioned Laszur's name, he was allowed entry. He asked Dex and Sspphire to stay behind while he searched for the distinguished lizard. Inside, everything was mostly quiet. The courthouse smelled like new. It was also much bigger on the inside than it looked in the outside. The hybrid man went to look for the main galud, but soon found himself distracted with the place. He finally returned to his mission when he encountered the respected galud by chance, with his nose stuck in some documents. Galuds looked pretty much the same, but Laszur was bigger and more intimidating than the rest, not to mention that his uniform was very different.

"Captain Lazur... or should I say... señor Laszur. I ask for forgiveness for this intrusion. I was told I could find you here. I know you are not fond of me, but only you can help me. I need an audience with the king. If somebody can do it, you can. A grave injustice was committed, and only he can fix it. Por favor, I really need your help. As a traveling merchant, I have many things. I'm willing to pay whatever it takes for this favor." Maverick begged meekly, trying very hard to hide his uneasiness. Laszur was the first individual in which Maverick didn't care about revealing his real identity, so he used the same voice and accent he always used to make sure he recognize him. Talking to the reptile was quite hard for him. Their first meeting was not at all pleasant, so Maverick didn't like Laszur very much, but he was the only one he could turn to right now.

Laszur, as if reacting to an ambush, dropped his book and snapped around, before taking a relaxed, unguarded stance. "Oh... it's you again, Maverick," he said, rather indifferently. "Injustice? What could this be about? I am already dealing with one major who has had a track record of abusing prisoners under unlawful conditions. If this is about you, know that the bounty on you has already been nullified by the court." As Laszur finished speaking, he grabbed one of his documents, reviewing some of the details while waiting for Maverick's response.

Maverick thought of a little something as he prepared to reply. His explanation had to sound convincing in order to make Laszur oblige.
"I'm aware of that, and I'm glad the court could understand this was a situation beyond my control, but it isn't about me. It's about A... the troll. The little troll that was detained. I already learned that she confessed to forcing the dragon into attacking, but I can assure you that isn't the truth. I don't know why she said such a thing, but I can assure you that she didn't do anything. It's not only because I trust her. An outside source informed me that it was a mage out there that forced the dragon into attacking. I think... this outside source was a witness and is too afraid to turn up the mage. I can't prove it right now, but I've known that troll and dragon for a long time and they are incapable of doing such harm. Of that I give you my word." Maverick said with honesty as he raised his right hand, believing in his friends. He twisted the truth a little at the end since he knew Laszur wasn't going to believe him if he said that Orion the Galaxy dragon himself informed him about the existence of this mage, so he treated the celestial being as a mere witness to make the story more believable.

Laszur listened attentively, though he maintained some incredulity. However... there were many things which didn't make sense about the case. While quite unlikely, it would explain some details...
"While I don't know if you're speaking the truth for certain - and, if you are, whether your source is speaking the truth - it would justify the king's doubts as to the authenticity of the confession. He has been in some talks with... experts. Granted, that's what he normally does - he is still young and inexperienced, so he either delegates or seeks council on the vast majority of his decision-making.
"However, at the same time, the confession would explain certain elements - why the attack happened as soon as you were no longer in a position to influence the troll or dragon in any way. and why the troll was within the vicinity of the dragon at the time of the attack, but not directly present with him. As the judgment has already been passed, it cannot be overturned without more solid evidence of things which would contradict the decision made - for example, identifying this mage, or getting some proof that the troll did not actually want to attack the city, the latter which is made difficult by her stating that she wishes for Aelinon to fall, and that the deaths of our citizens was a good thing.
"Then there is the whole matter of perjury. Attempting to influence a court decision in such a way is itself punishable, especially considering that it would still leave any actual criminal at large, to cause harm to more people, all for the sake of saving one. Thus, I would not say her position is in any way favorable." As Laszur spoke, he continued reading through his documents, occasionally stopping to write a note down somewhere. Though he didn't think ill of the man in front of him, he doubted the man would be capable of accepting any form of justice being applied to his companions, or seeing any possible wrongdoing in them, and didn't take the conversation quite as seriously as a result.

Maverick was quite relieved when he heard the king himself was doubting Angora's confession. And that combined with his youth made it very likely for Maverick to try to convince him to take away the charges. However, he was aware of the dangers he was facing questioning the courtMs decision, but if it was triple that there were still some doubts about the case, then there was a chance.
"Forgive me señor Laszur. I don't intend to question the court or the law, but you must understand that a mistake was most likely made. My testimony alone won't be enough, but I promise I will try to gather evidence, although I won't be able to do it without any help. At least... tell your guards to be on the lookout for a suspiscious mage, I will try to intercept this witness again, but I'm not sure if I will succeed. And of course, I don't have any magic, so I won't be able to bring this mage to justice if I ever encounter him. A lookout is all we need at the moment." Maverick begged, having faith in the success to his plea. If Laszur was investigating one of his own soldiers for abusing the power of the, then the galud would understand that sometimes not even his own could be trusted.

"Por favor señor Laszur. I promise I will try to help, but right now, I need to see the king. Grant me an audience with him. I'm begging you. Also, I need you to postpone the troll's battle. I implore you. I've heard that not too long ago that she is intended to battle one of those monstrous behemoths. It is too much for her. She's innocent. I can assure you that." Maverick then pleaded, fearing that Angora's battle may be faster than his audience with the king. If Laszur had much influence among the Aelinonian soldiers, then maybe he could postpone the battle, or maybe even stop it from ever happening. The behemoths were even bigger than Darkmatter, and considering Angora's limited conditions and the beasts' practically invincible status, Maverick terrifyingly believed his little friend wouldn't stand a chance against them.