Guest Appearance

By the time I find a cleric, the one versus one fights are back at it.

The cleric has me sit on a bench near a window as they work. I perk up as Feng Da enters the arena. I watch his fight intently as the cleric digs the arrowheads out of me and heals the wounds. Feng Da combats a female half-elf dressed in close fitting leathers. For the first few seconds, they seem evenly matched. She wields two short swords with extraordinary skill, parrying Feng Da's relentless assault. But it's not good enough. Feng Da gets a cut in and the rogue immediately retreats. She doesn't do so idly, though. With incredible speed, she throws several daggers as Feng Da drops one of his swords. I hold my breath as a couple of daggers pierce into his flesh. But that doesn't stop him. He pulls javelins stored on his back and throws them, all while closing the gap between them.
And then, it's over. He tosses his last javelin and then lunges. He's too fast for the woman to block, and with thunderous force, Feng Da stabs her in the stomach, winning the round. I release my held breath and find my wounds healed and the cleric gone.

---

I warp into the arena field with everyone else. I examine our opponents. My immediate concern manifests over the two chimeras roaring battle cries. I've only heard of such creatures. I ready a defensive stance as I barely catch Mordax yelling something about fire breath.
Darkness erupts from Shen Po, covering the chimera in front of me in utter night. I flick my eyes to Mordax giving a battle cry as he attacks the heavily armored hobgoblin also on the field.
I breathe in power, turning my attention back to the last spot I saw the chimera in. "Knuse!" I release the power with a flick of my short sword, aiming into the darkness. I wait, anxious, tense, ready for something to happen. For anything to leap out of the dark void. In the corner of my eye, I see Luban dip into the darkness, popping back out and firing a shot in the direction of the hobgoblin.
Then, the chimera flies up out of the darkness, tendrils seeming to follow it every so slightly. I sidestep, following its trajectory as it swoops down to Luban. The ram head uses the momentum of the beast's landing to headbutt Luban, but he pivots out of the way, the dragon head's snapping jaws a sliver away from him. The claws, however, catch Luban's leg, drawing blood as the creature lifts itself back into the sky.
Lightning strikes on the other side of the arena. Mildred, Morgan, and Umatoko must be keeping the other chimera busy. I make my way toward Luban, keeping an eye on the chimera in the sky.
The hobgoblin shouts something in a language I can't quite place. Then it hefts its longsword and makes a feint swing at Luban, who falls for the strike, moving. The hobgoblin catches Luban with its shield, knocking Luban prone on the ground.
I hurry my pace, still watching and waiting for the circling chimera to make a move.
My vision turns back to Luban, just as the hobgoblin pulls its sword out of Luban's ribs. Damn it. I need to help him.
But if I don't focus on the chimera and help keep it at bay, it'll surely rend us to bits.
The hobgoblin swings its blade, slinging Luban's blood from its blade across the ground. "Damnare!" I curse aloud.
Shen Po must have the same thought of saving Luban since the darkness creeps near me. I grip my saber and hurriedly gather power while locking my attention on the hobgoblin. The darkness swallows Mordax, Luban, and the hobgoblin. "Viske," I hiss and release, just as darkness swallows me as well.
My anxiety swells, but I manage to keep from panicking in the pitch black. A hear a roar, then the smell of smoke wafts to me and a second later.
Suddenly, the darkness around me blinks to bright light. Luban is nowhere to be seen. Was he ousted? Was he able to retreat elsewhere?
Lightning strikes the hobgoblin as Umatoko charges it. One way or another, Luban is out of the picture. I turn my attention to the skies as Umatoko and Mordax assault the hobgoblin.
Time to grab that monster's attention. The chimera circles over me. Mordax's victory cry rings in my ears as I gather power, gripping my saber.
I take quick aim with my short sword, my right arm snapping up to the sky. "Viske," I hiss. The beast's goat head flails around. I grimace. I had hoped to wrack the entire beast.
With a guttural screech, it swoops at me.
I roll to the side, dodging its snapping dragon maw. I spring to my feet, bringing my swords into a cross block just in time to stop its massive claws from gripping into me.
Water from the ring of the arena swells by the will of Wander, rushing and slamming into the chimera in front of me. I take a few large steps, and then leap. With a yell, I plunge my saber into the beast's exposed belly.
It vanishes.
I rise, swinging my sword around, ready to attack the next foe. Then, I suddenly find myself back in the waiting pits. I flick my saber down and gently rest on it, catching my breath before the next fight.