"Name, and type," said a bored teenager with ever changing fractals for eyes.

"Tristan MacLennan, genie."

"William MacLennan, um…"

"You're an Auric," Samson supplied.

"Auric," Dad finished.

"William MacLennan Junior, Lunar Vampire."

"And you?" The attendant asked Sam.

"Just here to watch."

"Dang," she scowled down at her sign-in sheet, "I need one more."

"Terese Sinclair, blood witch."

I turned around and there she was, standing in the same outfit she'd murdered her sister with. Her icy gray eyes seemed to freeze the room when she started to walk towards the table, right up to me.

She then gave me a hug.

I froze for a second before returning in kind.

"I didn't think you were the hugging type," I said, pulling back.

"Don't get such a big ego," she replied with false anger, "I'm reminding some people here that I can sic you on them if I need to."

I reintroduced everyone again. Dad was nice although he did give me an odd look at first, Will kept blushing while asking her about magic which… I get it, she's really hot if you're not afraid of her, or even if you are, in my case. I was being way too careful with my glances at the way the dress tightly hugged her curves.

"Alright, listen up competitors!" Stated a tall elf-like man with curled ram horns, "I'll be the host and referee for these games. The rules are as follows: The fights are to surrender unless the Duke declares otherwise. During the preliminary rounds it will be Changed and Gifted versus each other and Outsider versus Outsider, after that there will be a bracket system. The Gifted may only bring items they need to cast with into the match, non-Gifted may bring anything they need but I have the final say. I will read out the fighters now."

"Terese Sinclair versus Arson Jack."

Terese eyed a greasy man in dark heavy clothing. He smiled at her with teeth like obsidian and eyes like embers.

"William MacLennan Senior versus The Fade."

A cloud of smoke in the corner of the room turned out to be sentient as it bobbed awkwardly at Dad. He just raised a golden eyebrow.

"Hestia versus Tristan MacLennan."

I tried not to gulp as I realized he meant the large curvy blue animal-woman with the glowing antlers. She looked at me with confusion as well.

"Winter of Rebirth versus William MacLennan Junior."

The young woman with heterochromia yawned and stretched, smiling at Will, who just blushed like he does whenever any girl pays him attention.

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"Karrvak the Sister vs Mekalokk"

The large, apparently female minotaur high fived the cyclops she was flexing with earlier.

"And of course, Alexis Sunstruck vs Alkem Vestibule."

A knight in ash gray armor nodded towards a plague doctor-style character with a WWI era gas mask.

"Follow me, competitors."

We walked through a long tunnel-like hallway. Nervousness flooded me. Until now, I had met one magical person after the next, and only one other Outsider, the world seemed both much bigger and much smaller now.

"Remaining Gods, this is a Way!" Terese suddenly realized, looking around in awe.

"A Way?" I asked.

"She's right, djinn," Hestia answered, lighting the tunnel with her glowing horns as she also looked around "The arena's Outside."

"Genie," I corrected.

Hestia looked back at me with a strange glance.

"I heard rumors that mortals could become one, how did that happen?"

"Long story," I answered.

The tunnel ended after some time, and we walked out into the arena.

Packed white sand stretched the length of a football field in the shape of a track. The stands were made of white sandstone and filled with all manner of mortal, Changed and Outsider.

The sky was sand too.

A rolling, bloodstained and in some places, still wet with blood lake of white sand was the only thing to see directly above us.

The seats we were led to were basically baseball dugouts, just bigger and more recessed. I settled in between Dad and Will. In front of us was a variety of odd foods including foreign nuts and berries, dried meat, and even a massive whole-roasted animal like a cross between a lizard and a boar. The food sat on a very low table so as not to block the view of the fights.

"Ladies, gentlemen, everchanging, and those blessed few without a gender at all! I welcome you all to my master's personal demiplane, the Bonewrought Arena!" He paused to let the cheers ring out, "my people of the Summer Court have graciously offered it to the esteemed Duke for the festivities tonight. Sit back, refreshments are provided! And allow me to start, with a flourish."

With a flawless wave of his hand, Terese and Arson Jack were sucked into the sand, to appear opposite each other in the arena.

"On one side, we have a locally famous Changed by the name of Arson Jack! The Demon Eater himself!"

Jack bowed to the stands with a smile. He was average height with greasy blonde hair, and wore thick and heavy looking brown and gray clothing. His teeth looked to be made of volcanic glass and his eyes flowed like magma.

"On the other side, we have the new matriarch of the Sinclair Witches, a grandmaster blood witch herself, Lady Terese Sinclair!"

Terese's cold eyes surveyed the crowd like a queen looking down on her subjects, the cheering was not as loud but did pick up with the mention that she was a grand master.

"These fighters are both Gifted, so we'll allow them each five seconds to prepare themselves. Good luck!"

Arson Jack, true to his name, immediately set ablaze. But his fire acted a bit differently than I expected. The flames poured off him and pooled like burning oil. With a savage grin and a gesture, the fire rolled around him like a wave in the ocean.

Terese did nothing until the last second, when she simply bit her own lip and spit on the floor.

The announcer said go right as over twenty crimson spell arrays appeared in the skies above the arena.

Arson Jack looked up, flames swirling above him like a shield of melting wax. He never noticed the other arrays rise out of the sand.

Terese clenched her fist and blood rained from the sky in dark spikes and followed from the ground in the shape of macabre caltrops, impaling Jack in a multitude of places before he could react.

"Oh uh- I mean there you have it, esteemed guests! Remind me not to get on her bad side! However," the announcer leveled a finger at Terese, "if you killed him without permission you are disqualified, can he live?"

"Child's play," Terese replied. She flicked her wrist lazily, and Jack's blood flowed back into him, sealing his wounds.

The crowd went wild, and so did all the fighters save three.

The MacLennans simply sat with their mouths open.