Nev winced as a crimson-colored claw ripped through their iron oak armor.

"Another solid strike from Carrion, the carnage king!" An overly excited voice projected through the stadium.

Nev was used to the setting at this point. The stench of old blood and rotten food filled the arena. People shouted at one another in the stands, some placing bets, others vulgarities at the fighters below. Though the person that irked Nev the most was whoever commentated on these fights. More than any other person who entered this arena, that was who Nev wanted to fight.

Flames attempted to wrap themselves around Nev's feet, coiling around the ground around them like a snake. In response, Nev extended a branch from their forearm, launching themselves away to safety.

"Things are getting heated as Crucible releases some serious firepower!" The announcer relayed. "Folks, things aren't looking good for the verdant terror as they only seem to be on defense this fight."

No duh, Nev thought to themselves while facing down their opponents.

Nev looked between the two, deciding on which one to take down first. They quickly locked onto Crucible, hoping to quench his ability to perform ranged support.

Carrion rushed his opponent with a wide swinging claw. Nev ducked his attack effortlessly and closed the distance between their other opponent. Fire erupted from Slippy's feet as he attempted to launch himself backward, but by then it was too late.

Nev threw their elbow and shoulder back, fist pointed at their opponent, trying to flee. They braced themselves and prepared for a release of serrated branches. Instead, tree limbs exploded from their husk armor as a sudden force pulled Nev's fist up and away from their opponent. This gave Slippy enough time to dash back, avoiding most of the branches.

"Woah, folks! Out of nowhere, the crowd favorite is on the offensive, and if it wasn't for his teammate, Crucible would've just been taken out of commission!" The announcer jumped onto his desk, pulling his necklace closer to his mouth to enhance his projection. "That is what we love to see people! So place your bets now 'cause you never know what will happen!"

Nev looked down at their arm and spotted the source of their misdirection. A ring of blood wrapped tightly around their arm, linking to its source and their other opponent behind them. They felt another ring cinch onto their opposite arm. Behind them, Carrion braced himself as he continued to restrain his opponent for his teammate. In front of Nev, Crucible landed cautiously and lined up a perfect shot.

"No hard feelings, Nev." Crucible let out.

"No hard feelings, Slip," Nev said with a smirk.

Just as flames erupted from his outstretched hands, a pressure wave released from Nev and filled the fighting area with a thick yellow cloud.

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Fire hurled through the yellow smoke illuminating a spot that could only be Crucible. Followed by another burst of flame directed at the same place.

"Stop!" Carrion screamed out. "They cut themselves loose."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Demon of Dulcrois has released some kind of smokescre-achoo! That's what I thought, people. This fighter is using a cloud of pollen for a smokescreen. Any of our more allergy-prone attendees may want to mask up or get out!"

"Crucible!" Carrion shouted out.

As the pollen dissipated, it revealed Nev standing on the back of Crucible. He'd been hog-tied on his stomach with his legs and arms restrained by looped iron oak behind his back.

Nev grew a sizable branch from their shoulder and ripped it off with one motion. Then, after examining it for a moment, they diagonally swung the branch from their shoulder to side. As it reached their side, it had been reformed into a perfectly carved wooden sword. Nev lifted the sword up, and Carrion generated one of his own, blood spewing from his wrist to form its shape.

"Don't take it easy on me." Carrion requested.

"I won't," Nev replied.

The two rushed to each other, meeting in the middle of the stadium. They swung their blades in a contest of strength. Whoever's weapon or stamina gave out first would be the loser. That was what Carrion assumed, at least.

As their blades were about to meet, Nev focused, retracting their weapon back into their husker armor. Carrion swung full force and was met with absolutely no resistance. Nev sidestepped his blade, grabbing his wrist as his sword flew low to the ground. Effortlessly, Nev lifted their foot and drove it into the backside of his elbow, accompanied by a loud crack and a blood-curdling scream. Carrion's sword returned to its liquid state, splattering the ground around the pair. Whether through pain or blood loss, Carrion was rendered fully unconscious.

The crowd and announcer stood silently for a moment before erupting into chaos. Some were cheering while others shot slurs and insults toward the fighters below.

"Talk about a nailbiter, people! Despite being outnumbered and with less experience, the newest underdog has kept their undefeated streak going strong! But will the Demon of Dulcrois have enough strength to go up against the city's reigning Torchbearer? Find out next time at Unbat's Hippodrome!"

Half of the crowd cheered while the other half hurried to exit. The barrier sealing the public from the fighters dissipated as Nev went to retrieve their unconscious peers.

They reached down and unbound the wooden bindings keeping Crucible pinned to the floor.

"Slippy, it's time to go," Nev called down.

Slippy, or Crucible, had been one of Nev's roommates since they'd first arrived in Dulcrois. He was friendly enough, drank a little too much in Nev's opinion, but other than that, he was a sweet man that loved to laugh.

"Five more minutes, please."

Nev scoffed, walking off to her other opponent. Then, carefully, they flipped him and fastened some wooden braces around his broken arm. Chet, or Carrion, was also new to the city and struggled to survive in their new occupation. Before imprisonment, he was a baker and rarely used his abilities in a martial setting. He'd told Nev that he came to the city to find lost recipes and ingredients, but the Suns had other plans for him.

"Ow, ow, ow," Chet whined from the ground. "You broke my arm."

Nev shrugged. "You told me to not go easy on you."

Chet threw Nev his nonbroken arm as they hoisted him up to his feet.

"I'll keep that in mind for our next bout, show you a sword but give you a di-"

CRACK

They both turned upwards past the towers that surround Ubat's Hippodrome. Two building segments had collided and began raining debris off in the city's distance.

"Five more minutes," Slippy demanded, still sprawled across the arena floor.

"We need to move now," Nev called out as debris began falling around them.

CRACK

Another building shattered overhead as bricks and glass began to pour down into the arena.

"All right, I'm up, I'm up!" Slippy shouted out.