What? We’re stopping here?! He came to a halt beside the old man, his insides almost spilling out through his front from the sudden change in speed.

“This is the Arena?”

Hunter counted with his fingers and turned his gaze to Jack. “Sure, sure… We’ve arrived.”

Hearing the words, Jack’s curiosity could break walls--if any unfortunate ones crossed paths with him--but as he looked around, he only saw black dirt, eerie hills and walls of mist.

The fog didn’t engulf the Underworld like it did near the entrance, but it concentrated in walls as tall as old pines, blocked any light from passing through and floated around, like a predator observing its prey from a far.

Obviously, no matter what I do, what I want won’t come to me straight away. Deciphering the instructions of one tablet wasn’t enough, figuring half a dozen out and then running for my life neither. There’s always something more that--

Is that thing still chasing us?! Jack realized.

The legged tablet was either slow, impatient or both -- it had lost them.

Jack breathed in relief and turned back to the emptiness ahead of himself.

I guess, the instructions led us to the right spot, but by the time we came, the Travelling Arena walked off to another place.

Ah, we’ve got to find it so I can satiate my thirst for knowledge, Jack eyed the yellowed paper with the guiding tablets’ transcriptions and notes of his discoveries. Then he looked at his overused dagger. And my thirst for loot.

Hunter--like having read Jack’s thoughts--gestured a sweeping motion at the ground.

Oh? Yeah, maybe that place is actually buried.

The name Travelling Arena makes you think its always on the move. Didn’t even think that it could be hidden like the tablets, he thought.

Well, sorry, fingers and nails -- the digging’s gonna be one painful, but necessary evil. The faster I’m done digging, the faster I’ll see what’s hidden here. But will that be worth this pain in the ass? That’s the question.

Hunter walked away, examining the surrounding area then growled and looked into the distance.

“Sure, sure!” Hunter snapped his fingers and wandered back to Jack. “I remember!”

Jack raised an eyebrow, letting go of the dirt in his hands.

“Coradose coragaidis.”

The ground moved. It started little by little, but as more quakes came, they became more powerful. Within a minute, huge circles formed in the shaking ground, swirling against the grain.

For a while, Jack was in a hypnotic-like state, but then managed to break his dumbfounded stare and jumped up from his knees. It took another moment until the fear came to him and he started retreating.

He didn’t know what would happen in the coming moments and fell back quickly, disregarding any and all safety. Just gotta get away from this--

The shaking worsened and a sudden quake knocked him on his back. Jack didn’t waste a moment and again tried getting up, fueled by panic and now not stalled by the shock.

Yet, he froze.

Countless tiny legs popped out of the ground, forming the outline of a massive square. Those tiny legs started pushing on the dirt. Though the things struggled -- they were uncoordinated.

Oh bascalling powers that be…

After a moment, the legs formed little groups that timed their pushes. Working together, they managed to start raising the massive square--atop which Jack still stood--out of the mud.

That’s one big tablet!

The massive square fully rose out of the ground. It’s little legs then titled it to steep angle and large dirt swaths slid off, pulling Jack into their current.

He fought, unwilling to let himself get buried. His feet slid, so he held on with his hands, then with his nails. In the end, he lost all grip and started falling.

Damn it, Hunter, your help would help!

As Jack was on the edge, the massive square returned to a straight state.

He climbed back over the edge and rolled on his back, gasping for air.

The massive square revealed itself to be a giant checkerboard. Its legs stopped moving and the whole thing fell into stillness.

No way, this can’t be it, right? Jack thought, his brow furrowing as he stood up. First of all, he didn’t ease in case the board shook again or decided to do something else equally weird. Second of all, he was… disappointed?

No massive chests of loot, no huge tribunes, no statues to the legendary sorcerers? This is just an oversized guiding tablet! He turned to Hunter. There’s gotta be more!

“Sure, sure… Welcome. To the Travelling Arena. Haven’t been here in ages.”

An even bigger disappointment came upon Jack. There is nothing more…

The Arena trembled again, stopping a moment later. Nonetheless, Jack jumped and flailed his arms around, trying to catch the most balanced stance he could.

As long as things can go wrong, I’ll stay careful, he thought. This thing especially. Shakes like the damn world when Guardian gets angry-- what?

The black and white squares that made up the checkerboard Arena were all half a dozen feet wide. Blue patterns and engravings decorated a few white tiles while the black ones had yellow ornaments.

Those decorated tiles popped up and slid to their sides. Out of their empty spots emerged chests, basins, cages and a large statue.

Jack walked forward, dropping his careful stance.

As sorcerous mechanisms rumbled inside the Travelling Arena and raised objects to its surface, new life came to the previously empty checkerboard. Indeed, most of the things that came up were dead and angrily eying Jack, but they made the Arena an arena and not an oversized, disappointing tablet.

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Jack had struggled all this way to see something incredible and get even more amazing loot. Now, he could grin, forgetting the let down of the previous minute and knowing his curiosity would be satisfied.

A dozen caged deadmen stood between him and the interesting things ahead: a large statue and gleaming chests.

“It doesn’t look like a total hassle with endless slaughtering,” he said, yet couldn’t shake a slight uneasiness inside. “I’ve killed more deads before and didn’t even have Holy Water. One by one, I’ll quickly take them out and take that sweet loot for myself, right?”

“Not really.” Hunter approached the Arena, but shied away from climbing on it. “Sure, sure… The part about looting the chests is right. But those deadmen waiting there aren’t normal. And they’re not like Everia’s servants. For the sorcerers, the Travelling Arena was the most important place, apart from the Heart. They put care and attention into crafting the most brutal guards for their treasure. Yes, these deads spent years deteriorating and losing power, but they’re still far from normal.”

“That sounds terrifying.” Jack gulped. “But they’re locked in cages.”

“Those aren’t there to stop them.” Now, Hunter backed away from the Arena. “They’re there to make you think you’re safe; to make you fall for the game.”

***

Goosebumps covered Jack’s skin, though he walked forward, determined and curious.

Indeed, Hunter’s words instilled hesitation inside him, but didn’t have a chance of killing his curiosity that had brewed for too long.

I’m gonna see what’s in those chests, like it or not.

I know your goal is reaching the Heart and destroying Everia. In the end, those are my objectives too, but they’re not what I wanna do.

If I can, I’ll explore every damn inch you’ll let me, because that’s what’s incredible.

I’ve always been locked to doing what I’ve been told and now that I’m in the least free place of the planet, I’m freer than I’ve ever been...

One of the caged deadmen wore a red coat and had half a head. Though that didn’t stop the one cold eye it had from staring at Jack. In fact, all the other deads gazed at him as well, but this one had an uncanniness. It started murmuring something in the tongue of death and snapped its head upwards. A moment later, what remained of its mouth opened and let out a siren-like scream.

Jack covered his ears and the hairs on his skin rose.

You’re a little right while I’m a little wrong -- this might actually not be as easy as I thought.

All the other creatures garbled at once, like they’d heard an order. In the chaos, a skeletal dead stood out -- it started clattering its teeth and the sound they made pierced Jack’s ears.

What are you all doing? Jack pushed harder to mute the cacophony of sounds.

The deads didn’t care if Jack’s ears hurt from the chaos, and became louder. They stopped a whole minute later and a tile--the only decorated one which had remained in its place--popped up. Out of the new pit emerged a small cage with a skeletal child on its fours, patches of rotten skin hanging off its back and head.

The child’s lifeless eyes locked on Jack.

In that moment, his curiosity left, leaving the desire to run. Nothing, but to run. Yet, he breathed through the fear and tumbling heart, reaching for his powerful dagger.

The skeletal child jumped, crashing against the bars.

I’ve got Holy Water and an enhanced dagger -- I’ll be fine!

Then, the skeletal dead started clattering its teeth once more and the child’s cage creaked open.

I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine! Jack pointed the dagger, pumping himself full of fake courage.

“I’ve been cora--damned,” the kid garbled a string of words, “and I will cora-damn you!”

Oh, so you can also speak?! Jack thought. His foot tapped and his whole body was ready to jump. Though Jack waited in place. Patience is key -- gotta see what this thing does first.

“Whatever, I’ll tell you the first rule of the game,” Hunter mumbled. “Don’t move to another square and the creature won’t make its move. If you do, well... brace yourself.”

Ah, thank you for that! Jack thought, but his shaky leg had already made a step back. He caught it and put it in its place. Does… does that count?!

***

The child beat its head on the bars in a rhythm, becoming faster and faster.

Jack’s heart tumbled and he struggled to breathe through the tension.

The rhythm stopped. The same second, the statue of a cloaked man moved in the corner of his vision. Nonetheless, Jack’s attention snapped towards it. The text on the mossy base shifted.

He let out a breath then pulled his attention back to the dead in front of him.

Well, the kid’s not attacking me.

Very good.

I just go in slow, walking around those cages and get to the interesting stuff. I won’t let this become a problem.

The child twisted its neck and jumped out.

Jack screamed and instinctively swiped his dagger at the air. Reacting again, this time on time, he dashed to the side, right out of the child’s way. His foot managed to remain on the same tile.

Oh, powers that be, I did trigger it!

But hold on! I made my move, then it made its move, then I didn’t step off the tile! Does that mean it’ll freeze and wait for me?

The child finished its dash and skidded to a halt two squares behind Jack. It turned around, clattered its teeth and… didn’t attack again.

Jack grinned, feeling relief. Don’t make that foolish mistake again and I’ll win this fight easily.

Hunter observed the tense situation from a distance, constantly checking over his shoulder. From far away, the Pathfinder--like a black bug on a painting--walked towards the Arena.

I know the main rules. Jack prepared to attack and to be attacked. Yet I don’t know my enemy.

The child scratched its tile, stumbled and started biting it. In a creepy, yet amusing way, it reminded Jack of a drunk dog.

You’re like a normal dead, but damn terrifying like a hound.

Jack nodded to himself then quickly looked over at the caged deadmen to be sure. Feeling safe about his behind, he made his move -- walked on the square to his right.

Instantly, the child zoomed forward, skidded on Jack’s previous tiles and turned to him.

Jack grabbed the dead’s legs, not letting it finish the move. The child scratched, bit and squealed. His face soured as he threw it hard on his tile and stepped on its chest.

As the dead’s bones cracked, it started… vibrating? Like a cat purred, it shook and pushed with its tiny legs. The child managed to loosen itself a bit from Jack’s grip.

Jack shoved the unnerving feeling in the back of his head and did what he had to do, pushing the dagger in, but... couldn’t finish. .

Ah, this thing’s shaking too much, he came up with excuses, though he knew the truth, I can’t hit it!

Jack shook his head, fighting inside.

I can hit it, I just--

The child slid out and--without leaving the tile--attacked, gnawing on Jack’s chest.

His tunic ripped and pain rippled through his bust. Jack slapped the child then got it off himself with an elbow, retreating a couple tiles. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to kill a kid, though it was already dead and attacking him. Something inside wouldn’t let him go over that line. Something that reminded him of the past.

No, this isn’t like Guardian’s executions. Just… do it!

The skeletal garbled and growled for every blow it took from Jack. Its bones managed to crack and chunks fell off, but that only made the creature lighter, quicker to attack. It did what Jack was afraid to do -- it jumped and lodged its sharp teeth into his right calf, without a single regard for his life.

Jack’s eyes widened and the terrible pain hit him after a moment.

Even Hunter, staring flat-faced at what happened in front of him, squirmed a little.

For a moment, Jack’s mind blanked out, overwhelmed by agony and terror. When his psyche came back, it and his instincts screamed for him to run away though his legs didn’t participate in that plan -- they were busy being mauled by a dead child.

Jack still tried and he fell, letting out an excruciating scream.

During the fall, the skeletal child’s teeth tore off a chunk of meat. Blood sprayed its face and dotted the tiles all around it.

“You said you damned me, didn’t you?! Well, who are you to do that, you worthless bascalle shit!?” Waves of pain inside turned into intense rage.

He could feel it -- crossing the line was no longer a problem.