The hallow silence went on for what seemed like an eternity. Everyone that still remained in attendance stared dumbfoundedly at the cracked and heavily damaged fighting square. They had just witnessed one of the most intense arena fights in recent memory. No words could describe it, even the PA announcer was at a loss.

Caleo stood in silence, looking down at Cadarock’s body. He was the last one standing; he had led his team in victory. It was hard-fought and hard-won, but he wasn’t in a celebratory mood.

Finally, a noise was heard somewhere in the arena, the sounds of a guttural grunting and clawing against crumbling rocks. Everyone turned their attention to one of the fissures. A few seconds later they saw a beastly arm emerge out of the abyss. Fenrick (still in his Animal Lord form) poked his head out of the fissure. He grunted and growled as he tried to climb out of the giant hole in the earth. Before he could get his whole body out of the fissure, he tossed something that he held in his other arm onto the arena floor. It was the unconscious body of Ziggy Ratt. With that weight unloaded, Fenrick was able to fully climb out of the fissure with ease.

When he got back to the surface, Animal Lord started to shrink. His monstrous size and features began to revert back to his human form. The fur that covered his body fell off save for the lower half, which he kept as furry underpants to conceal his private areas.

“Holy fuck!” Fenrick shouted. “That sucked a thousand balls plus one!” He looked around quizzically. “Did we win? Where the hell is everybody?”

He looked over at Caleo, who gave him a slight nod. Fenrick pumped his fist in celebration, but looked around and saw just how much damage their fight had caused. Soon the two made their way over to the giant fissure in the center, where half the gladiators were swallowed up. Caleo and Fenrick peered down into the dark and silent abyss.

“They all fell down there; I have no idea how deep it is,” Caleo said.

Fenrick looked back at the unconscious Ziggy Ratt. “Crazy little bastard wasn’t messing around. He really did want to win at all cost…”

“That’s the second craziest thing he’s done today, besides saying you were his idol of course.”

They both chuckled lightly at the joke, but still looked down in the fissure, worried about their teammates’ well-being. Suddenly, they both saw a distant light ignite, shining deep down in the darkness.

“Hey! Someone’s alive down there!” Caleo exclaimed.

Fenrick stretched his arms and exhaled a deep breath. “I’m pretty freakin’ worn out, but I guess I can’t rest quite yet.”

He underwent another metamorphosis, this time collapsing in on himself into a plump ball of bright feathers. Fenrick transformed into what appeared to be an obscenely overweight crow with bulging eyes and stubby wings. It was the complete opposite of the sheer glory of Animal Lord. With an obnoxious squawk, he flapped his wings repeatedly and slowly hovered down into the fissure. Guided by Urk’s light, he was able to fly each of the trapped combatants out. Fat Bird Fenrick had trouble lifting the fighters out, particularly Urk, but under great strain and annoying, continuous squawking—so annoying that Hyata debated whether he’d prefer to just stay stuck down the fissure rather than listen to it anymore—Fenrick managed to get each of them to safety.

In a burst of exploding feathers, Fenrick shifted back to human form. This time, instead of fur covering his unmentionables, Fenrick was completely naked and was too exhausted to care.

“Okay yeah I think I’m done.” He muttered then collapsed face-first onto the ground, his bare, pasty posterior plain for the world to see.

While this happened, Cadarock slowly started to regain consciousness. Caleo walked over to him. Cadarock reared back a bit, unsure of Caleo’s intentions. The Hardires captain extended his hand out, the Gungannon captain stared at it for a second, apprehensive, but then grabbed it. Caleo helped Cadarock to his feet and gave him a pat on the chest.

“Good fight, captain,” Caleo said. “That’s quite an impressive sword you got there, is it of dwarven make?”

Cadarock nodded. “And yours, Ragnarian?” He asked, his voice weak and low behind the mask.

“That’s right.”

As they witnessed the hand offered from captain to captain, sporadic applause began throughout the crowd. It gradually grew louder and louder until eventually it turned into a full standing ovation for the fighters. They each looked around (save for Ziggy and Arcanus, who were still unconscious) at the adoring crowd. Zeratron saw his father applauding his effort. He couldn’t help but give a small smile from behind his helm at the sight.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about folks! Even in the midst of high-octane combat, it’s always wonderful to see sportsmanship and respect given to fellow combatants. Especially after such a memorable fight like we just witnessed!”

The five that were still conscious shook hands with each other.

“You guys got a good thing going here,” Caleo said to the Gungannon team. “You sure did give us a run for our money. This is a match we won’t be quick to forget.”

“Same here.” Hyata replied. “You may have won this round, but there’s always the chance of meeting you guys again in the regional finals.”

“For sure. Hopefully we’ll see you there.”

Cadarock stepped forward and took his mask off; he looked fervently at Caleo and Zeratron.

“Trust me. We’ll be there.” Cadarock said before he turned and walked away; his teammates followed after him.

The three of them stood mystified as they watched their rivals walk away. The medical staff stretchered Arcanus, Fenrick and Ziggy Ratt out to give them further medical attention.

“Wow.” Zeratron turned to Caleo. “That guy looks a lot like you.”

“Yeah…” Caleo said, staring suspiciously at the back of Cadarock. He then shook his head and shrugged. “Whatever. Now’s the time to celebrate. Let’s hit the town Z-Tron!”

The tenday after…

It was Ephday morning. After a week of rest and recuperation (and some vacationing) it was time to settle back into the routine of going to school and waiting eagerly for the next scheduled arena fight.

Caleo, Arcanus, Fenrick and Zeratron were on a field trip. They walked with their class on a beautiful late spring morning along a serene mountain path that overlooked the Hardires skyline. They had no class that day; instead, they took a field trip to Cabin Mountain Continental Park. A tour guide lead them throughout the area of lush greenery, giving out information about the history of the heritage site they walked in. The four of them weren’t listening much though, their minds, like usual, wandering elsewhere.

“I do hope we get the chance to face, and beat, Gungannon again,” Caleo said.

“Agreed,” Zeratron responded. “I do feel that even though we managed to get the win, there’s still some unfinished business between us and them.”

“Yeah I feel that too. I know if we do face them again, they’re gonna be a lot tougher. I’m sure the loss really motivated them.”

“Yeah, not to mention that Urk the troll is fucking sexy as hell,” Arcanus chimed in, but the three did their best to ignore him. It was evident that the seduction spell Urk put on him had not worn off yet.

While they were talking, a falcon swooped down low above them that dropped something. It fell right into Fenrick’s outstretched hand. It was a letter tied to a small rock. Fenrick untied the letter, tossed the rock, and opened it to read the message contained inside. Caleo couldn’t help but take a peek at the writing on the letter. He was greatly surprised when he caught the name of the sender.

“You’re writing to Ziggy Ratt?” Caleo asked. “What the hell’s up with that?”

“Ah, well, I don’t know,” Fenrick scratched his cheek. “I guess after all that effort he put into trying to beat me, I kinda have some respect for him. Still pretty annoying though.”

“What do you guys talk about?”

“Just druid stuff mainly. Oh, and get this, he just got suspended for two months because of the earthquake he caused. It apparently injured some people in the crowd and he was ultimately held responsible for the damage. His reputation kinda took a hit.”

“Seriously?” Caleo blurted. “That’s pretty fucking hilarious, actually.”

“Yeah it is. And, um… I also told him that I actually think ‘The Bob and Ziggy Show’ isn’t that bad.” Fenrick said sheepishly.

“Could you ask if he has Urk’s address, and what kind of cologne it likes?” Arcanus asked hopefully.

“Uh. No.”

As they were talking amongst themselves, the class reached the top of the trail. The tour guide motioned them along as she pointed to an old, one-room wooden cabin nestled in a grove near a sub-summit that overlooked the city.

“This small cabin is one of the most beloved treasures in Hardires,” the tour guide informed the class. “Legend has it that over three thousand years ago, the four great Heroes of Hardires got their start as guards for the city and lodged in this very same cabin. They watched over the town, keeping it safe from all that would threaten the peace this city was known for. These heroes would go on to play a huge part in saving the world from evil gods and monsters of terrible power. It is said that after God War 4, they were granted immortal life by the victorious gods for their grand deeds. There have been many rumors and stories about them, some even claiming that they still walk among us this very day. It’s all quite fascinating! Don’t you agree?”

Many of the tour-goers nodded in agreement.

“What a bullshit story.” Fenrick said to his teammates.

“Yeah, I’m not buying that part about them being immortal and still kicking,” Caleo said as the crowd moved past the cabin down the path to the training grounds.

“Oh yeah, who are we facing next?” Zeratron asked his captain, “I haven’t had the chance to look at the schedule since coming back from visiting Xerenia.”

Caleo rubbed his hands together, “Oh, I think you’ll like this one… Our next opponents are the ones we never get tired of beating down mercilessly: Arbires High!” Caleo let out a maniacal cackle. “Oh, how I always enjoy smacking those bitches around, and what makes it even better is we got homefield advantage this time!”

“That’s a fight I’m very much looking forward to. When we get back to the city, you guys wanna grab a behemoth burger and talk some early strategy?” Zeratron suggested.

“Sure.” They all responded in unison.

The Team Arena Squad of Hardires High continued the tour with a sense of peace for the present and excitement for the future.