Drake stared in wide-eyed astonishment at the display in front of him. Colors and the spicy smell of incense assaulted his senses. The flames appeared to burn without the need for kindling. They shot freely through the air, making a storm of fire that burned with every color of the rainbow. They began to merge into a whirring tornado. Drake could see the hints of the chamber beyond with the fire’s light. The walls looked to be polished stone with intricate carvings that he couldn’t make out. They reminded him a bit of his own tattoos.

The whirlwind of fire moved to the center of the pit and erupted upwards in a fountain of flames, illuminating the crowd. Drake saw a cavalcade of creatures and species, only a few of which he could recognize. However, it was clear that the arachne were a very populous group, as their many legs and thick bodies could be seen in dozens of the seats above. He wanted to refrain from getting on their bad side any further. He shuddered at the thought of fighting an army of spiders.

It was then something swooped by the portal. It had been impossibly fast, only a black blur.

“Oh! I love this part!” Gigi exclaimed. Drake looked from his companion back to the window in confusion. He found that the tornado was spinning its last, its colorful flames licking the air and fading into oblivion. A moment later, the light of the fire had vanished completely. For a lingering second, darkness held sway over the arena.

Then, several beams of light shot down from the ceiling. Drake couldn’t see their origin but guessed it was the same magic they used to make the false skies on the ceilings. The light began to move to the center of the pit, all converging on the same spot where a well-dressed man-bat stood holding what appeared to Drake to be a ball of moss on a polished stick.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” boomed the man-bat in a smooth, bassy voice. “My name is Monsoon, and as many of you know, I will be your host and commentator for the remainder of this evening’s show.” He placed the stick into a small harness on his lapel. The man-bat flapped his wings and took flight. “Now, please allow me to introduce our beloved mistress of the pit, the owner and provider of all you have enjoyed tonight, Lili of the House of Thorne!”

The lights moved from the center of the pit to the top of it. The sight took Drake’s breath away. There sat a woman. Lili was on a throne of bones. The base was a row of skulls of various shapes and sizes, and the arms of the chair were made up of centipedes of skeletal hands, each clawing at the next. Drake wasn’t an expert on anatomy, but he was fairly certain the back of the chair was made up of big femurs. He wondered what creature those had come from as an icy wave cascaded down his spine. The crowd burst into applause at the introduction of their host.

Drake surmised that whoever Lili was, she was clearly no stranger to death or battle. The soldier counted his lucky stars that he had never had to fight one of these creatures. He prayed that his good fortune would hold through the night. From taking one look at the vampire reclining in her seat, she had an air of authority and power. It reminded him of the ease with which generals commanded thousands.

From the distance and his vantage point, he had difficulty identifying the finer details of her features. However, from what he could see, she had alabaster skin, so pale that the dark veins underneath were visible. She appeared to have abundant black hair confined to a large braid that disappeared down her back. Golden eyes burned deep from within a delicately lined face. A small smile played on her sumptuous lips. Drake wondered if vampires really had fangs or not.

Her golden breastplate gleamed in the light. She wore a white dress underneath that flowed to her feet. Drake thought she looked like some kind of warrior queen. He supposed she was. After all, this was her domain he sat in. He could guess where the bones that made up her throne had come from. Lili held up her hand, and the crowd's cheering died quickly.

The man-bat appeared at her side and handed her the moss-topped stick. She took it casually with her raised hand.

“Good evening, my friends,” her throaty words echoed through the arena. “We have a star-studded main event lined up for you. Mai the Colossus of the Underground, two-time champion, and a true beast in the pit, versus Jörg, the undefeated, who claims to be descended from the world serpent himself,” she sneered, showing off her fangs. Drake swallowed hard. They did have them. She handed the stick back to Monsoon, the man-bat. The crowd once again erupted into applause.

Stolen story; please report.

The lights disappeared. After a moment, the darkness lifted, and the walls of the pit began to glow a golden hue until the entire arena was visible. Drake could see that the “pit” was a gigantic, well-manicured circle with walls he estimated to be about thirty feet high on each side. Atop them sat the bloodthirsty crowd. He could see their many glaring eyes and clapping appendages, frenzied for the carnage to come.

Suddenly, a deep mechanical grinding could be heard echoing throughout the arena. Two large squares on the floor slid open, and two faces he recognized began to emerge from the arena floor. Jörg was slithering in an anxious circle on one side of the pit as he awaited the start of the fight. Mai was kneeling. Drake thought he could see her mouthing something. He wondered if it was a warrior’s prayer. The minotaur stood and waved to the jubilant crowd.

Drake jumped as Gigi lept out of her seat, cheering and shouting. He wondered if she had any doubts that her hero would win. The soldier wasn’t sure who would take the match. The fighters both seemed evenly matched. In his mind, it would come down to who could draw the other foolishly into a disadvantage. In his experience, not the strongest or the fastest won the most, but the most cunning. He wondered if the same maxim would hold true today.

Monsoon flew over the two combatants as they faced each other. “This contest can only be won through submission or incapacitation. Death is a disqualification. Do you honor the terms of this match?” The fighters nodded and shared a hard stare. “Begin!” The man-bat took flight but still hovered in the vicinity.

Jörg stuck out his clawed webbed hand. He held it. Drake raised an eyebrow. This guy wants a handshake? This smelled like a trick to the soldier. If Mai thought it was a trap, she didn’t flinch and took the hand. A moment later, her hooves were nearly pulled out from under her. The crowd saw in unison what Jörg had done. While she was shaking his hand, he wrapped his tail around her leg and tried to pull her off her feet to an easy victory.

Mai stomped off the serpent’s tail. She raised her hoof again to try and squash it, but Jörg pulled it back in time to avoid the blow. The aqua-colored menace had on a particularly nasty grin. He was baring his many needle teeth at the visibly irritated Mai. Instead of attacking further, Jörg raised his right hand and lowered his left. He just held them there expectantly.

“What’s he doing?” Drake asked.

“Being an asshole,” Gigi seethed. “He’s asking Mai for a test of strength.”

Mai appeared to be thinking it over, weighing her odds. Evidently, she decided she liked them, as she locked her hands in his as the crowd erupted. The two titans pushed at each other to see who would relent. Both trembled and bulged with effort. However, it was becoming rapidly apparent Jörg was getting the worst of it. Mai began to push his arms back. He hissed and pushed back. Mai wasn’t moved.

Instead, Jörg buckled until he and Mai were face to face. His consternation transformed to delight in an instant. He opened his mouth, and a torrent of dense purple fluid erupted forth. It splattered against Mai’s eyes as she released her grip and howled in pain. Gigi and the rest of the crowd gasped.

“Now that’s a new trick, folks!” Monsoon announced from the air.

Jörg wasted no time, and as Mai was staggering backward, he surged forward. She desperately wiped at her eyes, but it didn’t seem to be helping. He slithered quickly, making his way behind the blind minotaur. He whipped his tail against the back of her knees. She staggered but stayed on her feet. He did it again, the crack of the hit resonating through the chamber. Mai toppled forward.

The serpent coiled around the fallen fighter with ease now. Mai tried to push off his assault, but it was clearly to no avail. Within moments, his long body had ensnared her entirely. He began to constrict, the coils of his body rippling with force. Mai strained against the squeeze but seemed to have lost consciousness after a few moments of struggle.

“THE VICTOR, BY INCAPACITATION, JORG THE UNDEFEATED!” Monsoon boomed.

Jörg, however, did not let the hold go. Gigi shot up from her seat. “Let her go, you slime,” she hissed to herself.

Drake looked at her. He saw every fiber of her being furious and ready to fight. He immediately had a sinking feeling in his stomach. The soldier looked back to the fight. Jörg appeared to be tightening the grip. Drake looked back at Gigi, but she was gone. Panic swept him.

“Gigi!” he called as he caught her backside running toward the open portal.

“Stay here! I’ll be right back!” the goblin yelled as she jumped on the window ledge.

“WAIT!” he shouted, reaching for her. A moment later, she had vanished out of sight and into the pit below.