Spike sank onto his bed, head resting on his hands and a worried groan issuing forth.

Sandra peered over at the noise. "Your training didn't go so well?"

"Worse than that." He threw a hand aside. "I ran into Tabitha and--"

Sandra's hands clenched a moment. "Oh!... How is she?"

"Just as annoying as ever." Spike crossed his arms. "And now I have to duel her."

"Spike!" Garble rolled over, face becoming visible from his bunk. "You're going to fight her? I didn't expect that. Awesome."

Smolder wasn't as excited. "We're still in town. Are we allowed to go fighting each other? I'm pretty sure I remember that being against the rules."

All eyes turned to Sandra and she raised her hands. "No, but yes. If you fight in the right place and in the right way, it's allowed. Did she tell you to go to the arena?"

"Yeah." Spike nodded. "In three days."

"Then you have a choice." She raised a finger into the air. "One, you go. You'll set terms, usually until someone gives up or is knocked out, and you fight." Another finger joined it from the same hand. "Two, you just don't go. She can make fun of you, but that's about it."

"Pfft, yeah, nevermind." Garble rolled back to facing away. "I thought you were about to do something cool."

Smolder caught her dagger in her sheath instead of her hand. "Actually, what are the rules for this? Besides taking it or not."

Sandra shrugged, looking to Spike. "What did you agree to? Not that it matters much until you're there. The rules get set at the arena. Why?" She looked back to Smolder. "Something on your mind?"

"Well, yeah." She pointed at Spike. "You're a support. A great one, may I add, but still a support. Even the greatest support is going to be kind of sketchy in a one on one duel. You need someone to support!" She hiked a thumb at herself. "I'll be your champ--"

Garble made quite the slam, suddenly landing on his feet. "You're support too, Sis. I'll cut them in half. Spike'll do what he does."

Spike looked up, surprised. “Really?” he said incredulously.

Garble raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t want my help?”

“No no!” Spike waved his hands. “It’s good. I’m just surprised you want to help me.”

“Well, maybe I decided that dueling in an arena was cool.” Garble glared at Spike. “Because it is definitely objectively cool, so there.”

“Oh… sure,” Spike said, looking at Garble sidelong. “I’m sure that’s it.”

“Relax, shrimp!” Garble puffed his chest out. “There’s no way we can lose with me there. I do arena fights all the time.”

----------------------------------------

Sandra sat down on the bench, looking aside at Smolder as she sank down beside her. "I've never been here, I mean, for a friend. To watch a friend fight, you know?"

Smolder lifted her shoulders. "If the worst they can do is knock each other around a little, it's not that big of a deal. Why aren’t you looking forward to this?"

Sandra blinked at Smolder. “Why… would I be?”

“Tabitha’s like, your mortal enemy. We’ve personally seen her bully you over and over. I bet you are looking forward to wiping the smile off of her face, right?” Smolder grabbed a small bag of popcorn from a passing vendor, flicking them a coin without interrupting her conversation.

“Oh. That.” Sandra did not look like she was looking forward to that.

Smolder nudged her. “What's up? Why aren’t you looking forward to this? I thought she hated you.”

“I mean… it’s not exactly unwarranted…” Sandra sighed. “But it’s not just that. I don’t think Spike and Garble can win.” She suddenly snatched one of Smolder's popcorn, stuffing it in her mouth and chewing moodily.

“Say what?!” She held the bag a little closer, protectively, but her eyes were on Sandra.

“Tabitha is… she’s good. She’s smart, she’s determined, she’s tough. And she’s good at working with a team.” Sandra looked down at the ground. “When you’re in her party, you know you can count on her. No matter what.”

Smolder raised an eyebrow. “No offense, but that does not sound like the Tabitha I met.”

"We interrupt our usual bouts for a duel," came an announcing voice, echoing across the small arena. "Not for gold but to satisfy their honor. On the south side; you know her, you love her, it's Tabitha the Stout with Tomas the Terrible, combining her shield with his sword."

The crowd cheered as they stepped into view. Tabitha had a triumphant smirk on her face already, waving as if to people she knew, and perhaps she did. Tomás, the fencer Spike had run into not long before, sliced his thin blade through the air as if testing it.

"Across from them, freshly qualified to enter the tower and letting the power rush to their heads. A demihuman that knows so little about the divine lord he still uses a staff and a local up and comer you all already know. Bring 'em together for Garble the Great!"

The response was more mixed for Spike and Garble's entrance, with cheers and whops for the larger of them as others peered at Spike skeptically, him and his staff.

Spike took a deep breath, and tried to focus on Tabitha and Tomás. The crowd didn’t matter, the announcer didn’t matter, all that mattered was showing up Tabitha.

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The two teams approached each other, standing with just a few feet between each other, as the announcer continued.

“The newcomer has requested the match be a two versus two match, but this isn’t just because he needs arena training wheels--” Spike’s eyebrow twitched “--But because his chosen class is all about teamwork, the rules are if any one combatant either is unwilling or unable to continue fighting, that team loses.”

“Gotta hand it to ya,” Tomás said, holding his blade and other hand out in an open gesture. “A team fight is a pretty good idea. But--” He pointed his blade at Spike. “--You also messed up picking teamwork up against us, Tabitha’s a master at that stuff.”

Spike opened his mouth to respond, only for Garble to hop in, “I dunno why.” He grabbed his enormous longsword sword, pulling it almost laboriously out of his sheath. “With that toothpick there, I doubt you’ll even be able to get through my armor.”

“I think you’ll find his blade more than enough against the likes of you,” Tabitha shot in.

"I was talking to that guy." He hiked a thumb at Tomás. "Spike, I'm going to tear them apart. You keep me upright."

Tomás burst into gay laughter at the scene. "Is he a guardian, or a healer? I'm looking forward to this fight more and more."

A loud gong sounded, the battle was on. Garble charged with a great roar of noise and flame, waving his sword like a great pendulum of pain. Their eyes focused on him, Tomás was not expecting the sudden magical bolt the caught him in the side, making him dance back with a wince. "What was that?!"

Tabitha hurried forward, getting between Tomás and the oncoming Garble. "Look at him charging alone. Finish him quickly and we can mop up the little brat at our leisure." She hadn't even seen her friend get pegged in that first instant.

Tomás waited until Garble's sword clanged as loudly as the gong against Tabitha's shield, lightning crackling dangerously around them. He lunged in, sliding his thin blade between two plates of armor as if the gap was a mile apart instead of a precious half inch. But Garble didn't even flinch, twirling in place and smashing the little weapon.

Despite its frail appearance, it held firm. Tomás was pushed back, but entirely intact. "Pattern two," he grunted with a frown. "The time for games is closing."

Garble turned toward the fencer, getting ready to slash again, only to get lunged at by Tabitha, her shield forcing him away. He backed up, pulling his abdomen out of the way, only for Tomás to bear down on him, thrusting in an attack. Garble was too slow to get his weapon up, and was rewarded with another stab wound. Before he could even react, Tabitha was slashing at him again, scoring a glancing slice at his side.

Spike grimaced but held firm, drawing the injuries Garble suffered away as quickly as they came, his staff glimmering with green power in his dance between redirecting and mending the injuries to keep Garble fighting without distraction. "Every… lash is another reason… to win." He hadn't thought the words, they just came out, and felt oddly natural.

Garble grit his teeth in a grin, and brought his sword up. If Spike had the heals, he could do the damage. “Lightning Lash,” he shouted, and the blade crackled as he brought it down on Tomás, only for Tabitha to deftly bring her shield up, it glowing with gold runes.

"We are seeing something special," gushed the announcer. "Two sides of a class we thought we knew so well. The bloody martyr fell out of favor years ago, but this little demi-human thinks he can bring it back. Keep your eyes peeled to see how this goes!"

"Their tank works from behind." Tomás darted around Garble, ducking nimbly under a wild swing to rush for Spike. "I'll take care of it."

"Hey!" Garble turned just to have Tabitha right in front of him.

"I'm not done with you." Tabitha slammed the shield into his chest, knocking him off his footing. "It's not nice to switch dance partners like that."

Spike gripped his staff tightly between his two hands, seeing Tomás sprinting in with the sharp rapier at the ready. "For every lash… I return it twice." He took a step forward, the ground indenting beneath his small foot, magic swirling violently.

"Your special effects don't scare me." Tomás ducked left and right, as if preparing to dodge whatever magic came him, but no bolt ever came. He got in close and lunged forward with his sword. "Too s--"

Spike drove his staff up at an angle and jabbed it into Tomás' shoulder where pain exploded as if he had been stabbed repeatedly. He howled with unexpected agony, falling back, his rapier clattering to the ground from a temporarily numb hand.

Tabitha's eyes darted towards him. She had expected him to clean house on the healing-specialized tank, not a cry of pain. Jittering lightning threw off her even instant of distraction, Garble's sword slamming into her armor from the side. "It's rude to look at other dancers or whatever," he taunted, already dancing from the first swing into the next. "They're big boys, they can handle themselves."

The crowd roared their approval, feet stomping the ground and bets suddenly being placed on a much more interesting battle. "He has a lot more going on than we thought. We have a striker and a defender in two matches, but one of the defenders doesn't look that defended."

Spike kicked the rapier away. "Defended enough."

"First mistake." Tomás stepped to the side in a burst of speed, snatching his weapon from the ground. "But you are doing exactly what I asked for, so thanks for that."

"Huh?" Spike swatted aside an incoming sword point with his staff. "What'd I do?"

"You made it interesting." His point seemed to become many, suddenly jabbing at Spike from a dozen places at once. The little dragon tried to parry and dodge, but there were too many and they were too fast, puncturing his scaled flesh with yelps of pain.

Tabitha suddenly pulled her shield back before holding it high and forward as if trying to bash Garble in the face. It flashed brightly, blindingly bright white light that sent him reeling, rubbing his eyes with one arm even as he swung wildly through the air with a roar of anger.

"The tables," Tomás taunted. "They have turned." His rapier glowed with personal violet energy, going for a telling blow. Spike thrust his arm forward, a shield appearing on it suddenly, but the rapier dancing even as it came in to avoid it.

But he hadn't been watching the staff. A sudden flash of angry light fired from it, catching Tomás in the face just as he was extending his arm. The rapier sailed over Spike's shoulder, only missing for his small stature. Spike snapped his staff to the side, grasping it with both hands, the shield gone. It smashed into the rapier, knocking it free of his hands.

Tomás suddenly raised his hands. "I concede."

Spike blinked softly. "What? I mean... I didn't beat you."

"You didn't have to." He waggled a finger. "I asked you to make it interesting and show me you had something. You did both of those. I concede!" He repeated that last word louder to get over the din of the crowd.

The crowd erupted in cheers and jeers, some openly mocking Tomás for giving up so easily, but he didn't seem all that bothered about it. Tabitha let her shield fall. "What? What?! Tomás! You traitor!"

Garble laughed as he sheathed his blade. "Seems you picked a terrible partner. Spike wouldn't ever give up that easily."

Spike was smiling. Had Garble just complimented him without insults attached? "You did great, Garble!"

Tomás plucked up his rapier and sheathed it smoothly. "The way I see it, he has proven he knows how to be a divine lord. That was the entire point, was it not? Any further is just a boorish waste of time."

Tabitha ran at him with a piercing wail, shoving him with both hands even as he danced away. "That was not the 'entire point'! I didn't say you could give up! Who gives up against two demi-humans that barely know what they're doing?!"

"It seems not both sides of the team agreed with losing, but the rules were set." The announcer sounded sad and disappointed. "If either side is defeated, they both lose. Who would have seen it coming, losing to two up and coming demis with chips on their shoulder. We should keep an eye on these two, they have something ahead of them if they don't get murdered by something in the tower that doesn't give up the moment things get interesting."

The crowd seemed more focused on booing Tomás than cheering the dragons. Their fight had been interrupted due to his apparent cowardice. Despite this, Spike approached. "Hey, uh... good fight. You don't... seem so bad."

"You are not so bad yourself, little dragon." Tomás tipped his hat lightly. "But I will not surrender if we clash in the tower. All's fair there."