"Remember, do not kill anyone. I would rather not have to deal with the consequences," Aldrin telepathically told the Ghoul Baron as they walked up to the cage entrance. Aldrin gave it a pat on the shoulder, ushering it forth into the cage that was held open by a gang member.

Bohr, the Night Goblin, watched closely as the lanky figure strode into the cage without removing its cloak. He found it peculiar but then looked at the bronzed man with dark shoulder-length curly hair and green eyes behind it. The man's gaze switched to Bohr's, and he had to suppress a sudden spike of fear that blossomed within his stomach. Bohr knew something didn't quite fit right with the man as his more animalistic instincts halted and froze when they locked eyes as if he was in the presence of another predator, one that stood above all others. The man simply smiled and gave a curt nod before walking back to — Bohr's eyes widened before he composed himself when he saw a frizzy red haired woman dressed in a loose linen shirt and black pants and the brown-haired scarred Giant woman based on the similar tattoos Skarra had. The Giantess was dressed in a mix of animal furs and leathers, giving her a tribal appearance. Bohr looked at the other man, who was scarred and blind in one eye. He welcomed the green-eyed man back with a smile and a drink. If Bohr remembered correctly, that man was Ty.

"Are we going to fight, or am I waiting for my true prey?" The cloaked figure asked slowly and deliberately, like he was focusing on each word. The question forced a strain of irritation within Bohr to take root.

Bohr looked at the cloak man and opened his mouth to retort but thought better of it when he glimpsed the green-eyed man frowning. The cloaked figure subtly shivered, but it didn't escape Bohr's notice when he looked back. 'An interesting group,' Bohr thought to himself as he continued to appraise them while he waited for the first opponent to be brought up from the pens.

Bohr dipped his head. "We are waiting. Your opponent will be here shortly," he said cordially, to which the cloaked figure growled. Bohr found that as another peculiarity. He even tried to peer to see what was underneath the hood, but shadows that writhed and wriggled obscured its face. Bohr let it go, seeming to conclude that his identity wanted to remain hidden, but something about all of this seemed off and gave him a niggling feeling he couldn't quite place. Nonetheless, Bohr waited patiently for his crew to bring up a prisoner to be sacrificed in the name of their blood god.

Bohr watched as part of the crowd parted, revealing another hidden entrance that was tucked away in the wall where they held the prisoners. Two of his crewmates brought up a wrangling Wood Elf man. He was tawny with matted light brown hair from the grime covering parts of his body that were exposed. The armor he wore was a leather and metal mix, slapped onto him from the spares they held in their stash. He had no weapons, since those would be given to him once he entered the cage.

Bohr watched with interest when he looked back at the cloaked figure. It seemed to have angled its body for a pounce. He grinned at that, knowing that the cloaked figure was not immune to violence. Something that would already get a rowdy crowd even rowdier and that meant more coin switching hands. Greed and excitement coursed through his body at that revelation, and he knew Skarra would be pleased if the challenger was as good as he looked.

They threw the Wood Elf into the cage at the opposite end, quickly shutting and locking the gate behind him. The Wood Elf raced to the bars screaming to be released, but the crowd just laughed and cheered. Two short swords were thrown over, landing in front of the Wood Elf. Bohr gave a sharp nod to someone outside the cage and then whispered words of power into his gem bracer he wore, igniting a translucent barrier around the cage.

Outside, Aldrin paid close attention as the barrier formed. "Can you still hear me?" He sent to the Ghoul Baron.

Without turning or giving a hint, the Ghoul Baron responded. "Yes, Master," it said hauntingly. "When can I gorge myself?"

Aldrin frowned but played it off as if he was looking at the barrier. "When I say you can and not a moment sooner. We need to do this right," Aldrin replied. The Ghoul Baron didn't reply, only grunted and growled in displeasure.

Aldrin leaned over to Ty next. "Is that a level-locked barrier?" He asked, still staring at the translucent barrier, trying to figure it out.

Ty laughed and shook his head. "No, it's so the people on the outside don't catch any stray effects from abilities. There would be no fun if everyone were on an equal playing field." Ty answered with a shrug. Aldrin gave a worried look to Moira and Evie, who shared the same look, then switched his attention back to the Ghoul Baron and Inspected.

Name: Ghoul Baron

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Level: 40

Tier: 3

Aldrin held onto hope that it would be easy to get to the Minotaurs, but now, knowing everything and everyone that was subjected to fight was either going to be an easy victor or a dismembered foe, dismayed him a little. Although the Ghoul Baron's Paralytic Venom should come in handy should things start taking a turn for the worse. However, how fast acting it was and what could resist it was an entirely different matter. One that should be figured out now rather than later.

"Paralyze immediately," Aldrin commanded the Ghoul Baron and felt a tinge of pleasure radiate from the bond in response. Aldrin then looked at the Wood Elf with Inspect, figuring it wouldn't be rude to look since he was, unfortunately, a prisoner here.

Name: ???

Class: Bladedancer

Level: 27

Tier: 2

Aldrin's heart sank at the level disparity and felt guilty for even going through with this. He knew that this was the only way to at least get a feel for Skarra should the Ghoul Baron win the gauntlet.

Inside the cage, Bohr, the acting referee, in appearance only, looked at both fighters. The Wood Elf picked up his swords with a look of resignation and acceptance as he faced the cloaked figure before him that exuded a hunger Bohr couldn't quite place. With a wide, cheshire grin, he raised a hand, making the crowd go into a frenzy as the chaotic energy and hunger for blood enveloped the tightly packed space.

The Ghoul Baron tensed its body in anticipation, and the Wood Elf closed his eyes, releasing a long controlled breath followed by a prayer, then opened his eyes that were filled with fierce determination. Aldrin saw this, and his stomach knotted and turned in on itself. Everything screamed at him to intervene, to stop the senseless death that transpired within these walls, but he had a role to play, regardless of his internal struggle and feelings.

"Go!" Bohr shouted, and the Ghoul Baron exploded into action, closing the distance between himself and the Wood Elf.

Without time to prepare himself, the Wood Elf hastily crossed his blades, hoping to catch the weapon of his opponent,but what he didn't expect was black claws to lash out, bypassing the gap he had created for a weapon.

The Wood Elf leaned back to avoid a raking scratch, and the Ghoul Baron brought its hand back and whipped out a kick, aiming for the knee of the Wood Elf. The Ghoul Baron was faster by a large margin as the Wood Elf failed to step back in time, resulting in a sharpened snap of his leg.

Now crippled, the Wood Elf dropped, screaming in agony at his broken leg. The Ghoul Baron stalked, a low rumbling growl emanating from deep within its chest. To those near that heard, mainly Bohr and the Wood Elf, to them whatever the cloaked figure was seemed more animal than sentient.

Bohr shifted slightly, and that was a mistake as the Ghoul Baron snapped its body towards Bohr, getting lower like it was getting ready to pounce once more. Green eyes blazed within the shadowy hood, forcing the niggling feeling Bohr had been ignoring to flare up. "Focus." The command came from Aldrin when it saw and read its body language, and the Ghoul Baron's green eyes dimmed as it turned its attention back to the Wood Elf that was slowly crawling, doing his best to get away.

The Ghoul Baron bunched all of its power into its legs, preparing to leap. Then it launched itself, roaring and shrieking in fury, at the anticipation of the kill, but the Wood Elf flicked his hand upward and hummed a broken tune. His blades swirled around in front of him with a mind of their own.

Seeing this too late, the Ghoul Baron skewered itself on the blades, howling in anger at being bested. It staggered back, gripping the blade handles that had sunk into its chest and stomach. The Wood Elf hummed another broken tune through gritted teeth as the pain radiated from his leg. The blades dug deeper, and the Ghoul Baron roared and angrily thrashed, desperately trying to pull out the blades.

The cloak that covered most of the Ghoul Baron's body shifted, allowing Bohr to peek within. All he saw was dark grey skin, lithe muscles, and ragged furs. Still, Bohr needed to know more, and so he waited and watched for the cloak to shift again to reveal what lay underneath. The animalistic shrieks and growls that came from the cloaked figure were already enough to get his mind whirling, wondering if this was the creature that slew the members of the gang two nights ago. His attention shifted back towards the red-haired woman, the Giantess, and the green-eyed man whose gaze was solely focused on the cloaked figure.

"They must know something," he thought to himself. He would need a plan to get closer to them without raising suspicion. Although when he looked back at the cloaked figure, it had stopped its thrashing and fell flat on its back with the hood never falling off. Then he looked at the Wood Elf, who braced himself against the cage, breaking concentration as he recalled the blades back to his hand.

Bohr was about to raise his hand to call it when the cloaked figure rose back up and rushed at the now tired Wood Elf. The crowd was stunned into silence at the brute ferocity exuding from the cloaked figure as Bohr concluded that whatever it was that masqueraded as a sentient was more animal. Without further fanfare, the Wood Elf tried to move, but a sharp pain from his leg kept him pinned as the creature in the cloak closed in.

Bohr saw the oily sheen on its black claws denoting it as some kind of poison before they entered the stomach of the Wood Elf, eliciting a scream before it was cut short. The next moment, the Wood Elf stopped moving, but his eyes widened in panic as he stared upwards into the hood of the cloaked figure. The Ghoul Baron leaned in, and whatever was said, the Wood Elf looked around frantically as the panic was slowly replaced with irrefutable fear, but Bohr did not intervene as this was the way the matches were supposed to go.

There could be only one victor.

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