Winding his way through the tunnels and corridors of the arena districts ghettos Mirio gasped for breath and clutched tightly to his staff. Lifting his eyes toward the blue sky shining above he gulped in some more of the humid air drifting in from the forest on the breeze. Ezee sniffed curiously as he caught a scent on the wind and shot off ahead out of sight. Mirio, too tired to call him back, continued to scramble over potholes and patches of dirt.

A cloth tarp covered the rooftops further ahead, Mirio raised one squinted eye and his shoulders dropped.

*Wait, I don’t remember taking this way with Dasha*

Standing before darkened halls, amidst a labyrinth of equally worn down walls, he stamped his staff into the ground and stood up tall. An unnatural silence carried in the wind and Mirio couldn’t help but feel he was being watched. Dread began to crawl over his shoulders, filling his mouth with a foul taste. The shuffle of a boot adjusting against the pavement just ahead in an open doorway sent Mirio into high alert. Mirio turned his ear back behind him and heard the creak of a door and yet another boot sliding against the pavement.

*Shit, I’m surrounded*

*Are they just cautious town folk, or is this an ambush?*

Mirio grit his teeth as a ribbon of wind spun through the streets, catching briefly against his cheek, its soft touch reminding him of his training down by the canal. He readjusted his footing and placed his weight onto his strong leg. Picking up his staff from the ground he slowly lifted both of his hands to shoulder height.

“I’m not here for trouble”

A squeak of a boot sounded behind him as a figure in a doorway shifted their weight onto their toes, readying themselves to pounce.

Mirio let out a pained smirk.

“Nothing to say, huh? Guess that is an answer of a sort,”

A hoarse voice, worn down by hard liquor and a good measure of shouting sounded out from the doorway ahead. “If you know what is good for ya, you’ll be dropping that piece of silver in your pocket, and that hefty pouch at your waist. Fancy sword too”

Mirio thought about the request, but the thought of being weaponless while surrounded by cutthroats, made him freeze in fear. “You know I can’t do that. A man’s life is his sword and what he carries on his belt”

Mirio loosened his grip on his staff, allowing wisps of air to flow just under his fingertips. His eyelids gently fluttered as he summoned forth visions of ghost like versions of himself. Each ghost however was held in place by his injured leg, any that pulled off from the spot would cause the leg to buckle and break.

*Grrr, I don’t think I can win this fight without injuring my leg. Can’t these guys just fuck off*

“Look, I know you have me out numbered, but I don’t think any of you want to lose your life at the tip of my sword. No mark is worth your life”

“And what do you know of it?” the man spat “Boys!”

The scuffle of boots filled the corridors like rockfall, pounding loudly as each of the men charged towards Mirio.

Mirio swiftly grasped the hilt of Ember and flicked the tip behind him, channelling intense waves of divine light up the blade. Letting off a blinding flash as he swung his staff in the opposite direction.

The staff landed with a solid thunk against the man’s temple causing his feet to flip out from underneath him, while the blinding light from his sword held the men behind him at bay.

“Argh!” the man cried out as blood splattered off the tip of the staff across the wall.

A brutish voice echoed out behind Mirio, “My eyes, he’s a fucking magic user!”.

As the flash dimmed the man stumbled forwards with his hands shielding his eyes and a shield in his other hand looking for a way to smash through Mirio’s defence.

Mirio turned around as the tip of his blade deflected off the shield of the charging brute as he pushed forwards. His eyes landed on three cut throats charging behind the brute. With a spin of his staff he slammed it to the ground, resetting his footing to brace for their attack.

As he did more shouts screamed out from above as two men in windows on each side of the alley rushed to aim their crossbows. Mirio shot his eyes up and grit his teeth in frustration.

*Fuck*

Miro slashed wildly with his sword, feinting an attack and causing the men to jump backwards.

Deepening his voice Mirio growled between his teeth, “I’ll kill you assholes, don’t you get it?!”

At the same time, he flickered through different possible strategies to get out of the streets.

*I could mist step into the doorway on the other side, and fight them one at a time, but there is no telling who is there or if they can ambush me from behind*

Mirio’s eyes shot up to the top of the roofs of the buildings.

*I could mist step to the roof, but I’d be stuck there, and they have crossbows… But maybe if I can get out of sight?*

The men in the windows locked their aim on Mirio as the four in the alley hovered at the end of his blade.

“Divine Light!”

A blinding flash shot through the alley, turning everything bright white. Mirio flicked the fingers on his staff in a series of circles as his body vanished into blue traces of magical mist.

FWIP FWIP THUNK THUNK

Two bolts sunk deep into the chest of the man Mirio had knocked down with his staff, as traces of the blue mist shot towards the roof tops. Mirio instantly dropped to the flat of his belly and rolled out of sight. Quickly sheathing his sword, he pulled his head up and looked for another spot to jump to. His eyes focused on a warbler coop another street over.

“Mist step!”

And with another flash he shot towards it as a streak of blue mist.

The warbler birds gobbled awkwardly as Mirio burst into the cage, turning their heads towards him with big googly eyes.

“Shhh, easy guys!”

Mirio looked around and grabbed some of the loose planks within to hide himself behind.

“Mack! You guys fucking shot Mack!” the brute screamed up at the crossbowmen.

“Where the fuck did that guy go! He was there just a second ago!”

“Fucking magic using asshole!”

“Quick! He can’t be far! He’s run into one of the houses!”

SMASH

The sound of a door being smashed off its hinges sounded in the streets below, followed by another, and then another, as the men began to scour the neighborhood.

Mirio grabbed his leg and grimaced, massaging the wound gently to soothe the pain. The warbler birds hopped down from their perches and clucked curiously at Mirio hiding underneath wood planks and straw.

“Buk buk,” one of the warblers called out as it jumped onto Mirio’s head and claimed it for all other birds to see. Without hesitating three more warblers swooped on Mirio, perching themselves along his shoulder, side and hip.

“Buk buk buk,” they chirped happily, nestling themselves in to rest.

Mirio pulled one last plank of wood to cover his front and complete his transformation into yet another perch in the coop.

BLOOP

A dribble of warm gooey liquid dripped down along his cheek.

“Great… That is just fantastic... Thanks guys!”

“Buk buk” the warbler on his head responded proudly.

The scuffle of boots hurried through the streets below, as one set of footsteps hopped along the rooftops.

“I’ll scout out from up here! He has to be somewhere!”

The crossbowman looked side to side and squinted as he looked inside the coop.

“Buk”

“Stupid birds!”

“Ey, you bastards get off my roof and away from my birds!” a gruff dwarven voice called out from behind a hatch.

The crossbowman scurried off and jumped to the next roof as a stout dwarf, holding an axe pulled himself up through a hatch. His metal toed boots clopping against the stone roof as he made his way over to the coop, scratching his head and mumbling.

“What the hell did they do here? Hey Marge! Did you put in that other perch already?”

“I’ll get to it! Get off my ass!”

“You’ll get to it?”

The Dwarf scratched his head and lifted the latch to the coop, squinting to make out some movement between the planks of wood.

“Hey! Who the fuck are you!”

“Easy, easy,” Mirio said as he lifted his hands. “I’m just hiding from the cutthroats, they ambushed me in the street”

The warblers clucked and pecked at Mirio in protest to him moving.

The Dwarf lifted his axe and eyed him carefully.

“Yeah, and what business do you have around these parts?”

“Nothing, I just got lost is all”

“Lost, huh?” the Dwarf said as shuffling into the coop further. “I’m going to need you to move out of there nice and slow”

“I can’t, not while they are still looking for me”

“Unless you want this axe six inches into your side, you’ll move!”

“Alright, alright, just take it easy”

Mirio scuffled to his feet and brushed off bits of hay and stray feathers, wiping the bird droppings off his cheek with his sleeve.

“Marge, make way, I’m gonna bring this fella down”

“What fella?!”

“Just do what I say damn it!”

The Dwarf grabbed Mirio by the arm and pulled him from the coop and latched it shut.

“How the heck did you get in there anyway? Ambushed in the street my ass, how’s a fella with a gimp leg jump up onto my roof two stories up and get in without breaking the lock”

Mirio made his way down the hatch and into a room filled with the smell of drying meat.

“Whose this?” Marge said with a lift of her chin and arms crossed.

“Dunno, he was up in the coop, said he was running from the Gatley brothers. His version of it is they ambushed him”

Mirio adjusted uncomfortably on his feet, “Sorry about using your coop, my leg is busted so all I could do was use the handful of spells I know, to get out of the street and find somewhere to hide”

“Oh I see…” Marge said with a hint of tenderness to her voice “Here, take a seat then, I’ll grab you a mug of cider for you”.

The grumpy Dwarf leaned on his axe and stared at Mirio.

“I don’t have time for this you know, I have to be off soon enough to get ready for tonight”

“What is tonight?” Mirio responded.

“Are you dense boy? The match between me and that flaming sorcerer”

“You mean you are the one fighting Tarkon?”

“Aye”

“I just came from talking to Tarkon actually, ah but don’t hold it against me”

Mirio’s skin was pale and he was covered in a cold sweat, the Dwarf’s demeanor softened a little “I won’t hold it against you”. The Dwarf finally dropped his hostility and put his axe up on the wall.

“Not sure what that says about you, but there is sincerity in your voice, so I’m just going to believe you at your word. You learn your sorcery from him?”

“No, I am from the vale, I learned it from a gnomish master of the arcane arts, goes by Gerlin”

“You saying you are one of those fellas that made their way through the iron gate today? Didn’t imagine you lot would be running about so soon”

“No one else is moving about, it is just me, I came from a meeting with the Duke, and a knight by the name of Dasha took me to meet Tarkon because I had some questions about magic”

“The ice queen, eh? Now there is someone I always wanted to fight. Shame she moved on from the arena”

Marge’s heavy footsteps thudded up the stairs before she came in with a hearty smile and three mugs of cider. “Hamish, sit” she said sternly as she slid one of the drinks onto a table in front of him.

“The boy is from the vale, the ones drove out by the bandits”

Marge handed a cider to Mirio and then took a seat. “Ah, that explains it then, you are new here. Unfortunate you ran into the Gatley brothers on your first visit, scoundrels every one of em, especially that Mack”

Mirio nodded and took a sip of the cider, “Mmm, apple”, before resting it back on the table, “Yeah they certainly weren’t pleasant guys”.

“Hey Marge, you won’t believe it, the boy met the Duke, the Ice Queen, and Tarkon all on his first day here”

“Oh my, you’ve been busy! You must be important to be meeting all those folk”

“I am part of the council. I escorted the people of the vale to the city after we lost the battle and were overrun by those assholes in Talon’s crew. I’m not sure if that makes me important, I think it just means I’m all they have”

Hamish narrowed his eyes, “You were in the battle were you?”

Mirio nodded, “I was, but it isn’t something I really want to talk about”

“Hrmm, loss isn’t an easy thing to take in stride, how are you holding up?”

“I’ve got my health, aside from some cracked ribs, a messed up knee, and some memory issues. And I have Ezee with me, though he ran off just before the fight, off chasing a smell on the wind I figure”

“Who is Ezee?” Marge asked.

“He’s a young dire wolf, I should probably get out there and look for him”

“You alright finding your way on your own?” Hamish said with a look of concern.

“I know you have a fight coming up but maybe you could help escort me for a bit while those guys are out there? I’d pay you”

“Bah, keep your coin. Come on let’s go find your wolf”

…

Robed men pulled the injured out of the back of the vale’s wagons and moved them into the temple. A brilliant blue domed building decorated with ornamental bronze carvings of the god Apollo and a shining symbol of the sun.

The assistant clerics made short work of hauling the bodies, while the clerics within the temple halls busied themselves praying over those already within. Tad groaned and turned onto his side as a cleric channeled divine energy into his body.

“By the grace of the lord of sunlight, grant him strength to fight off the darkness within”

“Ugh, what the fuck is happening,” Tad moaned as opening one of his eyes.

As he looked upon the cleric it was as if the man’s movements were like that of a wooden puppet, the kind that was held up by strings.

“You’re awake, how are you feeling?” the cleric said leaning closer to him.

“I have to be dreaming, you are made of wood, and you are moving really weird,” Tad replied.

A warble of noises washed over Tad as other clerics approached to investigate. He flopped onto his back in exhaustion, and his eyes opened wide in shock and horror as each robed puppet leaned over him, making garbling sounds.

“Ahhhh” he screamed meekly like a child too afraid to make a noise.

“He’s experiencing some form of delirium, hand me some sun leaf essence,” the cleric said before snatching it out of the hands of his assistant. As he reached his hand forward to feed the serum to Tad, Tad froze in horror. He saw a wooden doll reaching into his mouth to choke him.

“Ugh, ugh, uuuugh!” Tad struggled as several of the assistants held him in place.

GLUG GLUG

“Ugh! Please stop…” he whimpered, as each of the wooden figures clattered and swirled around him.

A man in a golden cloak and blue iron plate armor kneeled beside the cleric. “Is he like the others?”

“I am afraid the damage to their minds was just too great for lesser restorative magic to heal. And we haven’t the funds or permission of the Duke for anything more than that”

“If we were to give them greater restorative magics, would they recover?”

“I don’t know, maybe, but there is also a chance the damage is too great to restore”

“Damn it, isn’t there any good news?”

“Well, they are waking up, but beyond that it looks bleak. I think that when the creature was killed it severed their connection with this world, and now their minds drift, half here, and half in another place. It is a terrible fate I’m afraid”

“Unbelievable”

…

“So this wolf of yours, any idea where it could have gone?” Hamish asked.

“Well usually when he disappears, he is off hunting rabbits and the like. So he probably went off to find something to eat”

“Towards the markets then?”

Mirio nodded and shuffled along behind Hamish, taking special care to look down each alley they passed.

“Thanks for this by the way, normally I’d be fine, but with my leg busted I lost my mobility and can’t fight all that well without it”

“Don’t mention it, its a wound from battle, it’s hard earned”

“By the way, how do you plan to beat Tarkon? You don’t seem to have magic, so maybe you are going to use some quick ranged attacks at first to disrupt his spells and get in close?”

“Nah, Tarkon is too quick and awkward for that to work. He casts spells on the move you see so there is no point in it”

“Dasha beat him right? So how did she do it?”

“Look, no offense to you kid, but I’m not one for plans and all that nonsense, if you are thinking too much before a fight, you’ve already lost. So I’m going to go in there with my axe and smash him good. Just like everyone else”

*Oh shit, no plan, this guy is sooo fucked*

Mirio’s nodded along without saying a word.

“Alright, the market isn’t far now, start calling for him”

“Ezee, hey, Ezee! Where you at?!”

A scuffle sounded out in the distance, as Ezee ran behind the meat stalls dragging a long chain of sausages behind him. The clatter of falling pans and dishes sounded out as several vendors ran out of their stalls chasing after him.

Ezee ran over to Mirio’s side and began quickly scoffing the sausages down, finishing with a proud lick of his lips.

“Hey you!” one of the vendors pointed, “I hope you are going to pay for that, he robbed me of at least two gold worth of meat, enough for a family feast”

“Sorry!” Mirio said as reaching into his satchel. He tossed three gold coins to the merchant, “Here are three for your trouble, I’ll keep a closer eye on him in future”.

Mirio leaned over and scruffed Ezee’s neck, “Probably shouldn’t run off in the city like that, I’ll try to take you out the western walls later so you can hunt”.

“Well, looks like you’ve been reunited, I’ve gotta get off to the arena to prepare, so I’ll take my leave,” Hamish said with a slap on Mirio’s shoulder.

“Wait! I was going to head to the arena myself later today, so can I come with? I don’t feel like walking back there alone with those cut throats about”

“Do you know how to tie straps for plate armor?”

“Of course”

“Come along then, you can help me gear up”

Winding their way through the streets, Hamish and Mirio entered through a small backdoor to the arena underworks. The sound of steel against grindstone squealed a few rooms over as Hamish pulled a large sack from a steel lockbox wedged against the smooth stone walls.

“Sort this out for me will ya, I’m gonna lather myself up”

Hamish kicked the lid off of a large steel pot to reveal a yellow gel within. He threw off his shirt and pants and leaned over to grab a ladle full of the substance. First slopping it into his hand, he then slathering it in thick globs all over his body, rubbing between every crack and crevice.

Ezee approached the pot sniffing at it with a raised eyebrow.

“What is that stuff?” Mirio asked.

“Don’t rightly know, just like the feel of it,” Hamish winked, before slapping on another glob of it onto his face and rubbing it through his beard.

“Flame resistant gel?” Mirio said as kneeling down to get a closer look, “I wonder how they make it? Seems like useful stuff”

“You are damn right, otherwise all of Tarkon’s opponents would be cooked right through, instead of only half”

“Half?”

“Well, it is like when roasting a clam, hold it over the heat long enough and it won’t matter that it has got a shell, it gets cooked from within”

Mirio nodded along and began unravelling the cloth covering of the dwarf’s platemail.

“Damn, this might be a dumb question but it seems like a pain in the ass to fight a sorcerer, so why fight a guy like Tarkon? I mean, beyond the obvious of money and fame and all that”

“Well the money is the big thing, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the wry wink of a few ladies in the crowd. But, to be honest the real thrill of it is to put that right scoundrel back in his place. Show him that I ain’t afraid of nothing or nobody”

“So the pride of being able to take anything on? I can’t say I’ve ever looked at fighting as about pride, to me it has always been about being prepared”

“Prepared?” Hamish replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, you know, life is rough and if you aren’t prepared you’ll lose things you care about, things you love even. I always thought that even if things seem calm, something always stirs out there, and if you aren’t prepared it will catch you unaware and all you will have left is to beg and plead to be spared. I prepare myself so I can protect myself and others from that fate. So the whole arena thing seems a bit wasteful to me, like we are fabricating a problem”

“Pssh, you might be right that we are making a problem where there is none, but can you say there is no use in knowing you can take anything anyone can throw at you? I think it is better to hone yourself against the best, rather than have the question linger in your heart”

Hamish pointed his chin towards the armor. Mirio tossed him the gambeson and chain shirt to throw on first.

“Ah nothing like getting strapped up for a fight” Hamish said as he let the chain shirt fall over the gambeson.

“Well, I look at it this way, at least you have pants on now,” Mirio winked.

“Oy! The ladies would pay good money for the sight of my bare ass, you should be grateful I’m not charging you for the privilege”

“Oh, I am…” Mirio said as strapping up Hamish’s chest piece.

“Thanks lad, if you make your way through that front door there, take the stairs to your left and it’ll take you to the stands”

Mirio wandered through the stalls and sat down to watch the early fights that were already underway. After a few hours passed, day slowly turned to night, and Mirio turned his head to see the last strip of light climb above the peak of the red mountain. By the time the stars were shining the arena was packed and thriving with energy.

“Hot rods, get your hot rods here, just two silver a piece”

“Over here, I’ll take five,” Mirio said as handing him a gold piece.

He placed three of the meat skewers down for Ezee and watched as he greedily gobbled them up.

REEARK!!!

FWOP FWOP FWOP

REEARK!!!

The crowd turned their heads to the sky with a gasp as swarming above in the skies were five large winged beasts.

FWOOSH

An enormous gust of wind blew into Mirio’s face as one of the wyverns took a low pass over the crowd.

REEARK!!!

The five wyverns and their riders all landed in the center of the arena, and climbing off the back of one of them was the Duke, waving his hand to the crowd.

*What the hell is the Duke doing riding a wyvern, holy shit, guess he likes to make an entrance*

Trumpets blasted from the royal box by the southern end of the stadium, as the Duke made his way up the stairs to his seat. The wyverns kicked back up from the ground and soared back into the sky before a moment later, perching at the edges of stadium walls to watch over the match.

*Damn, security here is a hell of a lot different than in the vale*

“Hey, have the wyverns ever scooped anyone up?” Mirio said to a halfling with brown mottled hair standing up on the chair beside him.

“Yeah!” he responded with glee “They tear em to pieces some times, guts flying everywhere! Hahaha!”.

*Wow, this guy is kind of twisted. Guess that is fight fans for you though*

Mirio turned back towards the centre of the arena and took another bite of his hot rod, steam oozing from the wad of meat.

Drums began to thrum from deep below the stadium as a procession of robed mages walked around the edge of the stands, each one spreading out to take a position.

*Hrmm, I wonder what these guys do?*

Just as Mirio had time to think of the question, the head mage let out a crackling bolt of lightning that shot into the rafters, causing the entire arena to come alive with light. The air was now electric, with sounds from the arena amplified in contrast to the crowd.

Tarkon wearing a red robe embroidered with golden flames stepped into the arena. The mages swiped their arms together and distorted the perception of distance so that it was as though you could see Tarkon from close up, before with a thunderclap it zoomed back out again. This repeated as Hamish stepped into the arena from the opposite side, the mages swiping their arms, and zooming in on the fighters.

Tarkon stared down at the Dwarf in the center of the arena with a wicked smirk on his face. Hamish grit his teeth and stared back at him with daggers in his eyes.

“I’ll be the one to put you back in your place, you cocky shit”

“Really? Good luck with that,” Tarkon replied, lifting his hand in front of his face as it swelled with flames.