Sand passed softly through Takarn’s toes as he stepped out into the empty arena, he was met with an assault of noise as he and the other non-humans left the loading bay, majority of it was negative.

“Dirty fucking non-human!” Yelled a fat grotesque man in too tight leather armour from the front row as he threw rotten fruit at Takarn.

“Fucking scum!” yelled another woman as she spat at them and then urged her children to do the same.

God, Takarn was beginning to forget why he hated humans. No chance of that happening soon, he thought.

He walked to the centre of the arena the other non-humans slowly falling into his wake, as he and his small party of companions walked to the centre the noise rose in volume until it finally reached a peak as they stopped in the middle.

Takarn was wondering what the fuck was going on, true he had never seen a human arena fight before but he imagined they were like Orcish ones where people actually fought, not this smoke and daggers type shit.

Takarn was spared from further waiting as a small, short, thin man with a heavy circlet of gold on his hands rose from his seat and threw his hands into the air.

Everyone stopped talking as he moved and the silence that ensued was deafening, everyone waited on the edge of their seat with bated breath, waited for the words of their king.

“Friends, brothers, subjects.” He began slowly in a weak high pitched voice. “We have weathered many challenges; War, famine and plague. But none so great as the non-humans.” He spat the words with a venom and disdain that Takarn would have thought impossible for a man of such small stature.

“For years they have plagued our lands, eaten our food, and killed our people, all under the pretence of trying to ‘live peacefully’ well I say no more!” He said yelling the last words.

“We shall drive the non-humans from our lands with fire and blood and steel, just like we did with the orcs, just like we will always do!” The crowd screamed at the last few words, baying for blood like a ravenous beast.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“So, in commemoration of this announcement, and the successful survival of our latest tribulation I am holding this.” He said throwing his arms out to encompass the entire arena.

“But this is not just any old arena match oh no, this is special. For today we shall have a battle between the savage non-humans. And the brave men of Belandier!” He sat down as he said the final words and the gates to the opposing loading bay to Takarn’s began to swing open. And what Takarn saw put all of his previous misgivings about this event to right.

From the loading bay came a full armoured regiment of Belandian infantry, fifty men all armed with heavy plate and long pikes. And if this was not enough what came next was truly just overkill for five people, for behind them walked a fucking mage.

Mages were the elite troops of the Belandian army and all armies in general, they were beings able to harness the Bane, or life poison in all things and use it to their own gains.

There were three types of mages in the world divided into 10 tiers the types were as follows; Enhancer mages, those that use the bane to enhance the abilities of their allies. Battle mages, those who use the bane to enhance their own abilities, turning them into whirling pools of death on a battle field. And Casters, the most terrifying kind of mage, for with enhancers one can fight their allies and win, with battle mages one can fight them and win, but how can one fight a blazing inferno that tears across your lines, how can one fight the very wind that you breath after it begins to attack you? And judging from the stars on the mages robes he was one of this very sought.

The tiers were far more simple, as they were a simpler gauge of a mages power 1 being the weakest and 10 being the strongest. Also judging from the man’s uniform he was a tier three mage, Takarn counted his blessings as he realized this, but still, he was probably fucked.

The two forces stared at each other from across the sandy plane nobody daring to move, he heard the Centaur behind him whinny nervously as he stared at the vicious looking pikes, in truth Takarn had never liked Centaur’s they ran across the plains like the owned the place and when it came to a fight they were massive cravens, running away before a punch was even thrown. Made damn good eating though.

Once more broken form his daydreaming by the voice of the king he turned to listen to the smaller mans next few words as they just might decide his fate.

“Ladies, gentlemen, watch closely at what is about to happen as it is what shall always happen to those who stand against the kingdom.” He said looking at the non-humans, then turning to the soldiers he continued. “Let the best man win.” He said smiling.

And with that the fight began.

The fight that would decide the rest of Takarn’s life.