Alf and Olivia walked in silence the rest of the way to the city gate. The massive portcullis gate, attached to what little was left of the original city walls, had two groups of guards on either side. As they passed through, one of the guards said, "Please state your business here in Glandledale."

Alf smiled at the guard. "We're here for the arena."

The guard nodded and waved them past. "You, and everyone else. Go on in."

"Wait," Alf said. "So everyone here is headed towards the arena?"

The guard stared at him like he was a buffoon. "Of course."

The second guard broke in. "Didn't you know? There's expedition matches going on right now. The arena champion is taking all challengers and there's no limit to group size."

The older of the two guards took off his helmet and wiped sweat from his brow. "I've seen groups as large as two hundred come through this gate today. The arena champion is amazing, but I doubt she can take on that many at the same time."

"I agree," the younger of the two answered. "But the thought of seeing her try almost makes me want to quit my job and go watch, just to see what happens."

The guard put back on his helmet. "True, true. I've worked at this job for over thirty-five years and have a rather nice pension, but even I'm tempted to risk it all just to see such a fight."

"Wow, this sounds like quite the event," Alf mused, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"But won't the arena champion get tired from fighting?" Olivia asked.

"The arena is providing her rest potions after every battle," the young soldier answered as he noticed the guards on the other side of the gate had already processed two more groups to their one.

"As well they should. They're making millions off of her," the older guard answered in a gruff voice as he motioned for them to move so the next group could come forward.

Alf's body almost quivered with excitement as they walked away from the guards. "We've got to go see this. This champion sounds like someone powerful enough to join us in the fight against Vackzilian."

Drake whispered, "It sounds like a blood oath to me."

"You are such a pessimist," the red-headed maid responded.

"Quiet," Drake hissed.

Alf, trying to hide his enthusiasm, shrugged nonchalantly as he stated, "Either way, we should go check it out."

"That is advisable, seeing as my last report states the one we are looking for works at the arena."

As they followed the throng of people through the city, Olivia exclaimed in wonder, "This city is amazing! I have never seen such exquisite designs and unique buildings."

Drake raised his voice just loud enough to be heard over the din, "Yes, this city is known to have some of the world's leading architects. You see that building to the left? It was built by Milliken, someone I consider to be the world's greatest artisan, though this building is one of his earlier works while he was still a child."

Alf's eyes drifted from a food vender serving what looked unsettlingly like dehydrated monkey over to the building Drake was talking about. "Whoa...," he muttered. He was quite proud of how the student dorms had turned out, but looking at the two-story home in front of him, he realized he had a ways to go as an architect.

Before him, a perfect dome rose seamlessly out of the ground. Its convex, glass exterior sparkled in the afternoon light while its foot thick walls housed an amazing collection of exotic, colorful fish swimming around freely inside. From what Alf could see, even its interior walls had water bubbling within them. As he watched the fish swim around, and the water bubble from the top of the building and stream down the sides, he realized the home had intricate 'light reflecting' spells placed on it that caused the light to shift and flow around its occupants, thus making it impossible to see anyone inside.

"He built this when he was still a child?"Alf asked in disbelief.

"To an extent," Drake answered. "He had other earth and fire magic users underneath him helping him, but the design and art is all his."

Olivia walked closer and gasped. "Alf, look at this."

Alf started to move closer for a better look, but a massive, circular structure towering above all the others caught his eye. He stopped and pointed up. "What is that?"

"The arena," the prince answered.

"No way," Alf exclaimed, "I never knew it was so big."

The arena stood over twenty stories tall, and appeared to be constructed entirely out of earth magic. From what Alf could tell, the builders had pulled up the entire arena from deep within the ground, and its architects had chosen to leave the natural formations of sediments visible. In turn, this gave the structure a rather fascinating appearance. The upper levels of the arena appeared as a sun bleached brown that slowly faded into polished, glistening layers of white limestone. The white stone then gave way to rings of red clay and various other sediments. Finally, the bottom of the structure turned into the black obsidian of bedrock.

What really drew Alf's attention, though, was the gargantuan banner hanging down the wall, depicting a stunning redhead with the words: Grand Champion taking on all challengers.

"I have got to see this up close," Alf blurted and took off running towards the arena.

"Wait up Alf," Olivia shouted for the second time that day. "I swear sometimes you have the attention span of a five year-old," she complained as she ran after him.

Reaching the plaza in front of the arena, Alf's jog puttered to a slow walk. Two endless lines weaved back and forth through haphazardly constructed rope barriers almost as far back as the eyes could see.

"That's a long wait," Alf moped in disappointment.

"That's not all. Look up," Olivia added catching up to him.

Above the lines were two signs. The first read, 'Admission: five hundred crypto per person'. The other sign read:

'To register a group to fight: two thousand crypto.

If group larger than ten members: 4000 crypto.

If larger than fifty members: 5000 crypto.

One hundred or more: 10,000 crypto.'

"The guard wasn't kidding when he said the arena is making millions off their champion," Olivia said.

"Hmm, it appears that I should start taxing the arena," Drake mumbled in the background.

Alf stared at the ground and kicked at the gravel. "Well it looks like we're not getting in. I can't afford the admission price, much less the price to challenge her."

"With a building this large, I am certain they have servant's quarters," the bubbly voice of the youngest sister said.

Alf turned in the direction of the voice. "Servant's quarters?

"Yes, you know, where the caretakers can come and go freely without disturbing the customers," another of the maids replied.

"You're not thinking of sneaking in are you?"Alf asked.

"Sounds like a good idea," Drake whispered. "I could go in and open one of the doors for you in the back."

Alf shook his head. "No."

"What? Why not?"

"Because it's stealing and it's wrong," Alf glared at him.

"Alf, we don't have a choice. We have to get in there and find the woman that can seal the teleportation stones. People's lives depend upon us," Drake replied in exasperation. "This is not a holiday."

"So it's right to do what's wrong if you're trying to do what is right?"

"Exactly."

"Not buying it," Alf said with finality.

Olivia stepped forward. "I think he's right this time Alf. We can't risk what happened at Carlos happening anywhere else." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "If it makes you feel better, we won't watch any of the matches."

Alf felt torn. On one hand, Olivia was right, but on the other hand, he really wanted to watch at least one of the matches. He sighed. He was being childish; they hadn't come for pleasure anyway. Opening his mouth, he started to say, "I gu-"

"I got us in," the silver haired maid said as she walked towards them.

"Wha-?" Alf said in puzzlement. "How? Weren't you here the whole time?"

The sarcastic voice of one of her sisters butted in. "Naw, as soon as she saw the signs, she knew you guys would stand here for a long time arguing about how to get in. So she left to actually find a way in."

"Oh."

"I got us in with the agreement that we clean up after the fights. I was also given a list of spells and protections on the arena that we are to check after each match."

"We can't stay around long enough to clean up after all the fights," Drake interjected.

"We only have to help clean up after those we watch," the maid reassured him. "Honestly, the fellow appeared to be quite desperate for help."

A spark of excitement reignited in Alf. That meant they'd get to find the girl and get to watch at least one or two matches. "By all means," he said waving his arm. "Lead the way."

The head maid smiled with a hint of humor in her eyes and said, "I told him we have six people, so we will need Drake and my sisters. There is a place between some of the concession carts where they can reappear unnoticed."

Alf nodded and followed her through the bustling crowd surrounding the arena as she led them to where four storage wagons had been left in a semi-circle. Safe out of view from any prying eyes, Drake and the other two girls reappeared.

Drake dusted off his clothes and said, "Okay, let's go."

They walked around the arena till they came to one of the servant's quarters in the back where a scruffy, tired looking man leaned against the coliseum, waiting. At seeing them, he seemed to relax a bit as he stood up. "Good, as we agreed, you have a bit before the next fight. You can find a nice place to watch from if there's any room left, or place a bet, if you're into that type of thing, but I want to see you right away after the fight."

"I thought betting was illegal," Alf said.

The arena cleanup supervisor, or whatever he was, shrugged. "It's not really betting per say. You buy tickets, and if the one you picked wins, you can trade them in for trinkets, drinks, and the like. The greater the odds, the more the tickets are worth. On the whole, the Emperor despises betting, but the arena master convinced him to let us have this. Still, the Emperor himself frequently checks up on us to make sure we keep the whole thing on the up and up."

"Ah," Alf replied as he went to walk through the service door into the arena.

"Wait," the supervisor said as he noticed Drake. "The kid ain't going to be of any use in cleaning up. He can't go in."

Alf stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked the man in the eyes. "Are you telling me to leave a child out here all alone?"

For the first time, the supervisor realized just how immense Alf was, and he nearly tripped over himself as he raised his hands in defense. "No, no, not all. I was just saying that he won't be of much use."

"I see," Alf said calmly. "What if I promise I will do the work of two men?"

The supervisor stared at Alf's bulging muscles. "Shoot, you look like you could do the work of four men. Why aren't you fighting?"

"Not enough money," Alf grumbled.

The man let out a half snort. "Is that all? I'm sure any group would want to have you join them. After this fight, why don't you see if you can find someone who wants you to help?"

Alf's eyes lit up. "Good idea. I might just do that."

Drake tapped him on the arm and jerked his head in the direction of the door. It was time for them to go.

"Oh yeah, is it okay if the boy comes with us?"

"Yeah, I guess," the tired man shrugged halfheartedly, then waved them through.

Alf grinned and walked through the service door and into the underbelly of the arena.

The inside of the coliseum was apparently the same as the outside, since the inside walls were also made out of the black obsidian of bedrock. Three continuous strips of glass, one on the ceiling, and two on either side of them, were imbued with light spells. The glass strips radiated the perfect amount of light while the air around them was filled with the pleasant, clean smell of earth.

Olivia trailed her fingers along the wall and commented, "It smells nice in here. I kind of expected it to smell like body odor and sweat."

"Just wait till we get farther in," the brunette maid quipped.

Alf laughed, and the group followed a long flight of stairs with branching doorways on each side that all read: 'Authorized personnel only,' till they came out into a wide open hallway.

"This outer hallway is called the undercroft," Drake said, trying to sound a tad bit more childish in case someone overheard him. "It winds around the entire stadium and has four levels. It's designed in such a way that it allows access to the stands from all angles. The three top levels are full of vendors and the like, while the bottom layer, which we are now on, is mostly for employees only." He raised his hand and pointed. "That archway over there looks like it's the closest access to the stands."

Alf nodded, and they made their way through the undercroft and up another flight of stairs leading into the arena.

As they emerged onto the lowest level, the smell of popcorn and deep-fried meat, along with the sounds of thousands of anxiously awaiting people, washed over them with enough force to almost push them back down the stairs.

Alf gaped as he stared up at the bleachers engulfing them. Hundreds upon hundreds of layers of chairs seemed to tower into the sky, and far above them, a moon-shaped, glass awning protected the onlookers while letting the sun and fresh air shine into the arena. "Wow, this place looks even bigger on the inside than it did on the outside."

A knowing smile crossed Drake's face. "That's not all. Wait until you see the actual fighting area."

Alf raced towards the railing surrounding the fighting pen and eagerly looked down.

Over five acres of green sod stretched out before him. "No way," he mumbled in disbelief. Half of Brockovich could have easily fit in the arena.

"Olivia! You have to see this," he hollered back over his shoulder.

Olivia smiled in amusement and walked towards him, but as she looked down to the area below her smile disappeared and her eyes widened.

"I know, right?" Alf said.

"How is this possible?"

"A displacement land warp spell," the prince said as he stood on his tippy toes to look over the railing and down into the arena.

"Like the one Vackzilian used to make his tower within walking distance of Brokovich, or something like the one on my medallion?" Alf asked.

"No, it's far more complex than that."

"Really? How does it work?" Olivia asked.

The prince shuffled his feet for a moment, then turned around and started to walk back the way they came. "We need to find a secluded location so I can re-examine my documents. I usually memorize all of the reports. However, it has been some time since I went over the one regarding the Indonesian caverns, and I need to refresh my memory."

"Ha. You don't know how the spell works, do you?" Alf called after him.

Drake turned around. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not all-knowing. Now, if you are done sightseeing, we have a job to do."

"No need to be so snappy about it," Alf muttered under his breath then noticed a man using earth magic to slide a cart laden with snacks up and down the aisles. "Wait. I'll be right back," he said.

He jogged over to the cart, and the man wearing a white shirt and a purple sash asked, "What can I get you?"

"One of everything and four of each kebab," Alf said scooping up an arm load of junk food from the cart.

"That will be twenty-seven, forty."

Alf fiddled with the food, balancing it all in one arm as he reached out his hand and placed it on the man's open palm, then cast the spell to transfer the money.

"Thank you."

As he dashed back over to the others, Olivia frowned at him. "Alf, you know we don't have much money. Why did you buy all that?"

"I had to. It takes a lot of food to keep this new body of mine running. And I got you a honey glazed pork kebab," he said offering her one of his many kebabs.

"Fine," she took the bribe. "But I want one of these to," she said snatching another of his snacks.

The prince raised his eyebrow. "You ready now?"

Alf nodded and took a bite out of one of his meat sticks as he said, "Yup." The hot, spicy ostrich meat burned his tongue and the back of his throat as he chewed, but he couldn't help but smile. This was turning out to be an awesome day.

Drake rolled his eyes and led them back down the stairs.

As they reentered the undercroft, Alf's ears rang from the deafening silence as the noise from the arena abruptly faded. He reached up and almost rubbed his ears before he remembered his fingers were covered in grease.

"This paper with all the spells we need to check is amazing," Olivia said, her voice echoing in the cavernous hallway as she munched on the bribe Alf had given her with one hand and held the paper the maid had handed her with the other. "Did you know it's actually impossible for you to die or suffer bodily harm in the arena?"

"Noo. Hoows ta pos ble?" Alf asked with his mouth full.

Drake glanced back at the group. "The arena is built on a magic device we call a fountain. It produces an infinite flow of energy that never stops. The ancient people who built them called the device a perpetual motion machine. As far as we know, only four were ever built. One is here, and one is underneath the Imperial Palace. As for the other two, no one knows where they are, or if they are even working anymore."

"So that's what powers these spells," Olivia said as she chewed thoughtfully while looking down at the paper. "It says here the arena automatically puts a shield spell around anyone who steps into the pit. As you take damage, the shield weakens and then disappears. When that happens, you are automatically rendered unconscious and a new shield takes its place, which prevents you from taking any more damage. The other spells it list here can also detect how much energy you have. So the stronger you are, the more powerful the shield it puts on you."

"How come I've never heard about this before?" Alf asked, opening the medallion and putting some of his food away so you could eat with both hands.

"Because only a few people know exactly how the arena works," the prince answered. "Also, the spells on that paper aren't even one tenth of the spells on this place. They're just the ones we understand the purpose for. You see, this structure was around way before my ancestors formed the Empire. As far as we can tell, it has always been some sort of arena."

The paper fluttered as Olivia lowered her arm. "Wait, if this place has always been around, then why doesn't the Emperor own it?

"That's a good question and something I will have to look into," Drake said, rubbing his chin.

"The man don't want it because it's too big of a political hassle," a handsome, tall man wearing a green and gold silk shirt said as he appeared out of nowhere.