by Wolfe Locke
Stone rained from her hands in harmless pebbles. Without any gaps in the scorpion’s armor, there wasn’t much the manticore could do. She dodged and weaved around its legs, panting.
“Concentrate!” she screamed at Colubra. “You can run and do magic at the same time!”
But Colubra couldn’t. Both she and the manticore were breathing hard, worn down by the battle already. Aside from the arrow in its eye, the scorpion was unharmed.
“centaur!” Edd shouted. “We have to intervene!”
Deathbringer squinted at the fight taking place on the other side of the Arena. “If we get closer, I think I can take out its other eye.”
It would be dangerous. Edd’ wall of magic couldn’t hold forever. When it faltered, the other scorpions would be on them. On the other hand, if Sharkhurz and Colubra failed, they’d die in the Arena anyways.
“Let’s go,” Edd said, and the two of them sprinted toward the battle, the centaur already nocking an arrow to his bowstring as they ran.
They stopped at the edge of the ice wall and waited for the scorpion to circle toward them as it chased Colubra around its enclosure. When it did, Deathbringer loosed his arrow. It buried itself in the creature’s eye. It floundered about, searching for the gorgon, but it could no longer find her. Edd felt a moment of relief as Colubra charged and launched her stone orb. They had all been in danger for a moment, but they were about to take charge of the fight again.
Then, disaster struck. Sharkhurz had grown tired and sloppy. After launching her poisonous darts, she stayed too long within the scorpion’s range before trying to get out of the way. Maddened by pain and blinded by the centaur’s arrows, it groped around with its front claws… and found her.
She screamed as it lifted her high in the air. Then, it ripped one of her hind legs off.
Her shrieks were horrific as blood poured from her ruined leg and spattered onto the Arena sands. The scorpion brought the dismembered leg to its twitching mandibles and bit down. It was eating her just as she had eaten its companion. Colubra shot rounds of stone at the monster, but it ignored her, focused wholly on its prey.
The scorpion gulped, and Sharkhurz’s leg disappeared down its throat. It reached out to pull off another limb— and time slowed down for Edd. His anger and disgust fueled a massive surge of power building within him. He gathered it all to him, tried to direct it best he could, and unleashed it at the creature.
His control was poor, but it did the job. An overwhelming volley of ice appeared overhead and dropped onto the Arena. Shards slammed into the scorpion, piercing its armor in several places. It screamed and dropped Sharkhurz to the ground, trying to fend off Edd’ attack.
“Can you fix her?” he asked the centaur, arms shaking with the effort of controlling his magic. He was losing his grip on it. Ice shards were starting to spin off in all directions. Deathbringer looked back at him blankly, panicking.
“Can you reconstruct the leg?” Edd hissed thinking of how his own arm had been reattached.
Deathbringer shook his head. “I- I’m not sure. I can try.”
“Do it. She’s bleeding out. She’s going to die!” Edd commanded.
The scorpion had dropped to the ground, dying. Black ichor drained from its wounds and blended in with the sand. Colubra moved in with her spear to finish it off. Sharkhurz lay prone on the ground, screaming.
Edd fought to get his magic back under control. Waves of black ice still pummelled the now-dead scorpion, and he could feel his power draining with every blow. Worse, the centaur couldn’t get a clear shot at Sharkhurz with all the ice shards flying around.
“Edd!” Colubra screamed. “Rein it in! Focus, and finish this!”
He gritted his teeth and dragged his power back toward him. Slowly, the barrage of ice subsided. Black sparks still crackled up and down his arms, but the worst of it was over.
Deathbringer moved immediately. A tendril of green fire swooped toward Sharkhurz and staunched her bleeding. Then, he set about trying to reconstruct her limb. It was delicate work, and the effort of maintaining his concentration showed on his face. The manticore had gone quiet. Edd wasn’t sure if that was a good sign.
“Skeleton!” Colubra shouted again. “Pay attention!”
While he’d been focused on Deathbringer’s healing process, he’d missed a major development. When he had lost control of his magic, he’d dropped the ice walls that held the last two scorpions back. Now, they scuttled toward him, infuriated by the deaths of their comrades.
Gods be damned. The centaur was nowhere near done. If he wasn’t able to finish building Sharkhurz a new leg, she’d die.
Edd sprinted off across the Arena, trying to get as far away from the others as he could. Colubra hissed, scandalized. Edd rolled his eyes. She thought he was running away.
“Help me get them over here!” he shouted over his shoulder. He prayed he had enough power left to do what he needed to do.
The gorgon sent a volley of rocks at the scorpions, turning them away from Deathbringer and Sharkhurz. They fixed on the next visible target: Edd. Chittering to each other, they moved toward him, mandibles clicking.
Edd slowed down so they could get closer to him. Their deadly tails twitched eagerly as they circled him before moving in for the kill.
Red eyes blazing, Edd looked directly at Zekant’s viewing box. He raised his sword in a salute as the Dark Lord watched. Then, he let his magic go.
This time, he didn’t even try to maintain control. Fully unleashed, it spiralled into a massive ice funnel taller than the Arena itself. He cackled with sheer joy as he felt his power whipping around him faster and faster. He hadn’t realized he was this strong.
The panicked scorpions tried to flee, but they were caught up in the vortex. They flew high into the air, spinning wildly, legs grasping to stabilize themselves but finding nothing.
Edd laughed again then poured more energy into the funnel. It grew taller, faster, and more deadly. The creatures screamed as they started to freeze solid in the air.
“You want a battle? You want a fight? You want to be amused?” Edd shouted, not sure who he was talking to. Zekant? The scorpions? “Here’s one!”
The funnel of power grew larger. Was there no limit to what he could do? He gave it everything he had, and the bodies of the scorpions shattered into shards of black ice. Edd could feel himself weakening, but he didn’t care anymore. If he had to die in the Arena, this was not a bad way to go. At that moment, he didn’t even fear the pit.
“Edd!” he heard someone screaming from far away. “They’re dead! It’s over! You can stop now!”
But it was too late. He couldn’t stop the whirlwind. He laughed one last time, eyes wild, as darkness closed in around him. The last thing he saw was the Dark Lord in his viewing box. Smiling in approval, Zekant gestured to one of his servants. After that, there was nothing.
Edd was no longer conscious when Zekant stood up and materialized in a flash on the sand of the arena, standing over the fallen manticore and reaching down to touch it’s face. “Shame. So much potential, but a failure nonetheless. It’s the abyss for you.”
Chapter 11: Aftermath
When Edd woke up, he was back in his cell. He still felt weak and woozy from his magical exertion in the Arena, but he was alive. At least, as alive as an undead monster could be.
Crixa was at the door almost as soon as Edd opened his eyes. The monster was holding two massive bags of Sols and had the closest thing on its face to a smile as Edd thought possible.
“You’ve been unconscious for three days. We had thought you would be cast back into the Well of Souls,” Crixa said. “But the Dark Lord was impressed with your show of power and believes you to have potential. He issued you a bonus on top of the reward for defeating the Scorpions. He commands you to spend your Sols and upgrade yourself. Spend it all. That is his command.”
“Spend—? What do you mean by spend?” Edd asked, still adjusting to having awoken. “Oh. At the Armory
.” I didn’t know it was possible for a skeleton to lose consciousness. Just... how close to dying did I get?
Crixa looked at him oddly, almost reverently, before continuing. “The master wants to ensure the next battle is equally spectacular. He intends for the other Lords of Pandemonium to see what you’ve accomplished. Can you stand?”
Edd wasn’t sure but had no intention of telling Crixa that. His keepers had already shown uncommon leniency, and Edd would not test that. He lied, “Of course I can.”
“Good.” Crixa nodded and rubbed its appendages together. “We’ll go to the Armory to see the minotaur first, then. You’ll return to training tomorrow. You might not survive as you are if you went today. The others have already been to the Armory.”
As soon as they left the cell, information updated in Edd’ mind, showing how much stronger he was.
Spectral Arena
Name: Edd the Conqueror
Specialty: Frost Magic
Race: Skeleton
Current Unlocked Abilities:
Frost Nova (On Touch) – Unleashes an explosion of ice.
Frost Nova (Targeted) – Unleashes an explosion of ice at the impact site that causes area of effect damage around it.
Ice Wall (Targeted) – Creates at target location a wall of ice that is resistant to damage. Ice wall cannot be passed through, it must be destroyed .
Shard Storm – Summons blades of ice to rain down in a area of effect. These shards are twice as sharp as the users weapon. Shard Storm continues casting until interrupted or the caster depletes their magic source. Caster will rendered incapacitated until their magic has completely recovered.
Current Passive Abilities:
Vampiric Aspect II – Bloodlust – Cannot retreat when an opponent has been bloodied. Receives a boost to strength and durability.
Sustenance - Receive a minor healing buff when consuming blood.
Flesh Crafting - A lesser-known school of Necromancy, Flesh Crafting allows for the creation of flesh golems and other constructs.
Strength: 13
Magic: 9
Stamina: 33
Speed: 14
To Edd’ relief, he could walk, albeit slowly. Crixa didn’t try to rush him this time, instead keeping pace as he limped toward the Armory, the damage to his skeletal form more significant then Edd let on.
“I’ll have the centaur recharge your power later today,” Crixa said. “It will be good training for him and quite the unexpected use.”
“Did he manage to rebuild Sharkhurz’ leg?”
“No, Sharkhurz is no more,” Crixa said proudly. “The Dark Lord was pleased with the manticore’s performance, though he was more than pleased with yours. Overall, your cohort has done well.”
Edd was disturbed by the news but not surprised. A similar fate had awaited him if he had displeased the Dark Lord. “Why did you remove the revenant from the battle? He would have easily been able to handle some of those scorpions...?”
Crixa looked at him darkly. “Not your concern. Has it been so long since you were alive that you’ve forgotten what it means to leave well enough alone?”
Edd was too tired to be annoyed by that. Let it be a secret if Crixa wants. This isn’t worth drawing the monster’s or my master’s ire over. He was sure he’d learn more soon enough.
They walked the remainder of the way in silence as Edd noticed the spider minions moving about, almost fearfully as they went to and from holes in the walls as they did their tasks. More than once, Edd thought the fear of the spider minions was a good reflection of what any good leader should expect.
Edd approached the Amory window, and the minotaur grunted familiarly as they approached. “Didn’t think I’d see you again. Seems you might finally be able to afford my wares and services.”
“Well,” Edd said. “You’re not wrong. But it’s a mistake to underestimate me. I’ve come with a great deal of money to spend, and I plan on spending it.”
He dropped both new bags of Sols on the table plus the one he’d gotten from the battle with the goatmen. The minotaur snorted, unimpressed. “So much already, slave. What’ll it be? I’ll show you what we’ve got to make the choice easier.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Edd responded. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Chapter 12: The Item Shop
Edd retrieved his sword, spear, shield, and armor from within his spacial ring and dumped them on the minotaur’s counter. “I need better weapons,” he said. “And better armor.”
“Let’s go with the sword first,” the minotaur said. “How’s a scimitar sound to you?”
He gestured at the wall of swords. A golden scimitar gleamed on the rack. Edd shivered, remembering the bite of Pyke Wildwood’s blade as it cut into his neck, the feeling of his blood spilling out onto the ground.
“No,” he said. “I’d prefer a broadsword.”
“You’ll need both hands for that unless you’ve already managed to get strong enough, but suit yourself.” The minotaur took Edd’ Basic Sword away and came back with a larger one. “Basic Broadsword.”
It was still simple and unadorned but was much more impressive than the one he’d had behind. Its blade was cruel and held weight behind it.
“Let’s do the Spear next,” the minotaur said.
Edd looked at the wall before responding. “Give me a Double-Edged Glaive if you’ve got one. Sharp on both sides. Dangerous and deadly.”
“We’ve got everything, I’ll just have to find it,” the minotaur said, looking offended that Edd had implied the Armorer was missing a weapon in his shop. The minotaur slapped away some buzzing gnats and flies from around its face, walked over to the wall to retrieve a glaive as described, and placed it on the counter. “Now, Shield?”
Edd looked at his shield. “I like this size. Maybe a little larger and stronger. Do you have anything with a blade around the edge, something I can use to cut if I can’t use my sword?”
“The slave knows what he likes. It’ll be good to watch you put them to use. Maybe you’ll survive after all,” the minotaur stated with a begrudging smile.
The massive Armorer took his Basic Shield away and came back with one like Edd had described. It was gold and bronze with a steel perimeter honed to razor sharpness.
“Interesting choice with the bladed edge,” the Armorer said approvingly. “Watch your back, though, and maybe get some armor for it.”
Edd looked at his Basic Helm and Breastplate and contemplated his next step. He liked their lightness— he valued agility and speed in the Arena and didn’t want to weigh himself down.
“I need something light. My stamina is high, but I’d rather abuse that to go on the attack, not to be on the defensive and have to absorb attacks,” he said. “It needs to be tougher than these ones but still needs to let me run in it.”
The minotaur nodded, pondering in thought for a moment before turning around to look through his wares. “Ah, there they are. Try these,” he said, pulling a breastplate and gauntlets down from a rack. They were gold and bronze to match his shield and burnished to a sheen.
Edd held them in one hand, feeling the balance. These ones will do until I can get better. He nodded.
The Armorer set a new helmet on the counter. It, too, was bronze and had a face shield that covered the nose and forehead. A jaunty red plumed crest stood up from the top of the helm, a throwback to far more ancient gladiators himself.
“No,” Edd said flatly and uninterested. “I would look ridiculous. What use does a monster have for something like that?”
“It’s a good helmet,” the minotaur said. “Put it on. This belonged to an actual Champion once. A slave should be grateful.”
Edd did so. Like the armor, the weight was good and didn’t obscure his vision. I’ve no real reason to turn it down.
The Armorer snorted, pleased with his work. “You look intimidating, slave. Like a real gladiator. Maybe one day you’ll be more than the king of the maggots.”
; Edd pondered the feelings he experienced. It was as if an extra power was moving through him. He liked the feel of the helm and the extra protection of the face shield, and while the plumes were a bit over the top, there was value in looking the part of the fearsome warrior.
Notification: Set Bonuses Gained – The Champion’s Practice Gear
Details: A long-forgotten Champion once wore all three pieces of armor. The gauntlets, cuirass, and helmet. While wearing this armor, you gain the ability “Bull-Pen Ace.”
Ability: Blocks any incoming attack that would be a death blow while outside of the Zekant’s great Arena.