That afternoon, Viliant had his match. This also served as Fia's first lesson under his tutelage.

A sly look entered his eyes. Viliant looked back at her through the corners. His tail flowed in an arc as he hopped from the bench and strode to the doors. When it's your turn to fight, do you get scared?

Of course! Fia's exasperated thoughts must have sounded shrill and whiny in his head. How could I not?

Do you think I'm any different?

A few blinks fell over Fia's eyes; Viliant never ceased to surprise her. She thought he would have become immune to any apprehension before a fight, or at the very least, never admit to it. I can't imagine that feeling would ever fully go away….

Precisely. Do I look it though? Viliant had his eyes closed. His nostrils flared slightly as he took a deep breath. His posture leaned forward, making him look eager to barge through those doors. The older black dragon was the picture of confidence.

No.

You have to put on a good show for the crowd. If you entertain the savage masses, you'll bring in more money for our human overlords. Then, they'll be more likely to give us a fight that we can win—keep us alive and keep the profits rolling in.

That's really smart, Viliant! Truly, she was astounded by the amount of thought that he put into this. Too much time alone in the dungeon must have forced him to dwell on such matters.

The doors creaked open in front of him. At once, he sprinted out and kicked up dust from his claws.

The audience recognized their favorite dragon and came alive before the announcer could even finish. "Enter Umbra Caligo the dragon!"

Viliant skidded to a stop and rose onto his hind legs. He screeched and beat his wings whilst tearing his claws through the air.

According to plan, the excitement of the crowd was further elevated.

If I had magic to my name, I would definitely use it here. Imagine Favilla the dragon belting fire to the sky! Teasingly, Viliant added on, If you do that, you might become even more popular than me.

With meager mana reserves such as hers, Fia was not certain that she could waste it for a frivolous show. She did not question him, though, since he would need his full attention in the next seconds.

The far doors opened to release his opponent. The hunkered frame of a black bird stood in the doorway. Its feathers ruffled around its bald, grayish neck, almost like a cape. The coloration of its skin turned to white near the top of its head. Like the banshee, it had a skull-like face with its beak tipped in a crimson hue.

Similarly, the bird had bright, red talons. It lifted them to hobble slowly into the arena. The massive wings opened up and struggled to carry the bird into the air.

"Enter Mortuus Carnis the carrion condor!"

The bird sailed overhead and briefly passed beneath the sun. Cast in its shadow, Viliant had his head tilted up to it.

It's fine, he said with a laugh in her mind. Just a normal animal. It's big enough to impress humans, but nothing special beyond that. I was worried it'd be another shadow elemental like the banshee, but this thing has no magic.

How can you tell? Fia asked.

Can't you sense the difference between them?

Fia squinted her eyes against the sun and tried to analyze the carrion condor closely. Nope. Nothing.

The shadow element is powerful—easy to sense. You were lucky the banshee could only use a few magical techniques.

Yeah…. Fia started to curl her tail around her feet in shame, but then she remembered what Viliant had said. Her good luck was a thing to celebrate; she did not have to feel any less proud due to her means of survival.

The stoic dragon remained in place as the bird circled above him. This oversized chicken won't land a scratch on my scales. It's harmless. But this is still really important. Pay attention Fia!

Lifting her head, she concentrated on the uneventful battle—if one could call it that. It had become a game. The dragon played with the bird as a cat would play with a mouse.

When the condor drifted lower to scratch at him, Viliant performed a backflip in response. Completely upside down, he kicked upwards to meet the bird on its descent. In a real fight, a flashy move like that would have ranged from impractical to suicidal. But here, it was the perfect thing to elicit cheers from the crowd.

The bird tumbled through the air. After it struck the ground, it rolled some more. Sand accumulated in its wings. The condor got up and puffed up its plumage to shake itself off. Unconcerned with the fight, it tried to preen its feathers.

Viliant rushed in and tackled the bird. It could've been dead long ago…! he remarked to Fia whilst wrestling in the dirt. A wide swoop of his tail threw up a curtain of grit, obscuring much of the visibility for the onlookers.

Suddenly, Viliant sprung out of the fray on his own volition. But I shouldn't end the fight just yet. That wouldn't be exciting enough….

An observant spectator might have noticed the trickery employed, but the black dragon was a good actor. He seemed to expend effort from his hunkered shoulders and limp wings draped around his body. A savage growl and hiss came from his barred fangs.

The agitated condor responded in kind, releasing its terrible scream.

A shudder ran up Fia's spine. While the vulture sounded like a songbird compared to the banshee, it sounded more fearsome than Viliant. Since he would never let himself be surpassed that easily, he sunk one claw into the earth and let out his deepest roar.

Viliant charged the bird once more. The carrion condor tried to flee, however it could not take to the air quick enough to escape. Viliant snapped his jaws around its wing like a vice. Rising onto his hind legs, he sunk one claw into its shoulder and tore with all his might.

The wing came off in his jaws. The imbalanced bird was left to flounder on the ground, squawking out of pain. Blood spewed from the socket meant for its wing.

Viliant should have put the poor thing out of its misery, but he was far from done yet. In a gruesome display, he sprinted back to the center of the arena with the detached wing. His head thrashed back and forth until he finally spit it out. Viliant also coughed up a few, stray black feathers which had stuck to his gums.

Somehow, the audience was cheering for this. Fia felt sick to her stomach. What are you doing? she snapped at Viliant.

Just giving the good people what they paid good money to see. The ridicule was laden thick in the mental projection of his voice.

Fia knew full well that they were trapped in this wretched place. Even so, the act of torturing the helpless bird did not sit well with Fia—especially when it came to the mutilation of its wings.

Do not lecture me, Viliant hissed in her mind. I've already ruined my own wings in this hellhole. I will rip this bird to shreds!

In his mind, this was necessary for his own survival. Make a gory mess of an easy opponent for entertainment's sake, and keep receiving the easy matchups in the future. Once he had finished torturing it, Viliant closed his jaws around its slender neck and applied the force necessary to snap it.

Hastily, he went through his celebration routine by shaking its corpse and rearing up. Viliant spit it out so that he could roar over the droning masses. Then, he put his mouth more gently around the bird's carcass. His neck needed to stay fully extended to keep it from dragging across the ground as he trotted back to the exit.

Sorry, 'bout that, Viliant said as he returned to her side. I know you didn't like to see that.

It's fine, Fia said tersely. It makes me sad, but I… understand. She knew Viliant probably did not enjoy torturing the bird needlessly either.

The moment of apology had passed. Viliant adopted his usual mannerisms, telling her, Now cook it for me.

Alright, she said reluctantly. Fia supposed he had been considerate enough to offer some sort of apology.

She held the giant bird carcass between both talons and spun it around. Her breath of fire burned the feathers, slowly smoking away and charring the top layer of skin. The bird had been turned into a rotisserie condor, which Fia served to Viliant on the ground.

Delicious! he said with his mouth stuffed full of the first bite. Viliant ate ravenously, as if Fia was not already sharing her rations with him. Once only a few small bites remained, Viliant looked up to meet her hungry eyes.

His fat, happy cheeks were still full of the most recent bite. The thoughts transmitted to her came through clear, even if his speech would have been muffled if he spoke aloud. The bird's big enough for us to share.

You already ate most of it!

If you don't want the rest, I'll eat it, Viliant said.

Before he could rescind the offer, Fia tore the last of the meat off the bone.

There. Now you can't say that I've never shared my food with you.

Viliant—! she tried to object. Already, that tasty morsel of meat was betraying her with indigestion. Like a stone in her stomach, Fia had a feeling that Viliant would never let her forget this one time.

And you can't say that I've never taught you anything.

The two dragons watched the remainder of the fights before they were returned to the dungeon. Their shared cell would soon become their new training grounds.