The party had snuck into a disused animal cage at the edge of the pit, both so that they could see the field without being easily spotted themselves, and to avoid the mages scanning the crowd for the use of magic to influence the matches.Yorickhad linked the group telepathically toEdenin her pigeon form, andCalamitycould see through her perspective thatJossewas angry about how the first stage had gone, his face so red it looked like it might burst.Buthe placed his bets, and the party could hear him as he did.
Morgana was on lookout duty, whilstYorick,Liam, andCalamitydid what they could to influence the fights.Liamcast a spell from where he sat towards the front of the cage, compelling one of the fighters to come after him instead, creating an opening for their opponent to take them down.Yoricksent a telepathic message to another, making him think the combat was over, just long enough to be taken down by a competitor’s wave of acid.Calamitytore her gaze away fromNashalato send a spike of psychic energy into the mind of her competitor, who doubled over directly intoNashala’sknee as she brought it to their face.Theylet the final pairing play out untampered;Jossewas clearly betting on the underdog in an attempt to hit it big, but the favoured contender– a minotaur barbarian– easily dominated their opponent.
When it came to the final four, though, the matches took place one at a time.Thismeant they needed to be careful with their casting; there weren’t multiple matches to obfuscate their involvement.
Josse hadn’t learned his lesson, betting against the minotaur yet again; and again the party decided to let that one be, which paid off.Nashalawas paired against a similarly lithe monk, and thoughCalamitywas sureNashalacould hold her own,Yorickcast a spell anyway to hold the competitor in place, just for a fraction of a second in a critical moment, soNashalacould finish him off.
This meant the final wasNashalaversus the minotaur, and despiteCalamity’sawe ofNashalaso far, she was less confident in this match-up than any before it.Tomake matters worse,Yorick’stelepathy spell withEdenhad worn off, so they didn’t know which wayJossehad gone with his bet.
“He’s been betting against the minotaur so far,”Liamsaid. “He’salmost certainly bet onNashala.”
“But if he has, then we’re screwed,”Yoricksaid.Thetwo of them were literally pacing circles aroundCalamity, thoughLiamkept lappingYorick, given that he was twice the halfling’s size.
“Why?”
“Because, ifNashaladoesn’t win, she can’t get theShadowshard.Andif she does, then she still can’t get it, becauseJossewill get it back.”
“He might not,”Calamitysaid. “He’slost all of his other bets; maybe he’s lost theShadowshard.”
Yorick shook his head. “I’veseen guys like that.He’dput it all on the final match to try to claw back what he’s lost.”
“She has to win,”Calamitysaid. “It’sthe only way we have a chance.”
“And even then, it’s fifty-fifty.”
Calamity nodded hard.Shestill didn’t trustNashala, but she was all they had.
Just then, the final two walked onto the field.Theminotaur stood nearly two full feet taller thanNashala, her curved horns puttingCalamity’sown to shame, her broad muscles makingNashalalook downright puny in comparison.Calamity,Yorick, andLiamall held their breath as the fight started, the minotaur opening with a charge thatNashalaonly just dodged.
For minutes, that was how it unfolded– the minotaur would make a move, andNashalawould narrowly evade it.Shewas watching her competitor; learning the strategies they used.Shewas so patient and considered, it madeCalamityunderstand how she could have willed her way out of a plane of pure chaos.
The minotaur lunged again, and this time,Nashaladidn’t quite make it out of the way, a gash opening across her arm.Shecaught a punch to the jaw as well, which she shook off easily, but it madeCalamity’sbreath hitch, her fingers twitching to intervene.
“Not yet,” she told herself.OnlyifNashaladesperately needed it.
Nashala landed a few hits of her own, but it was clear she was doing less with each hit than the minotaur was.AndmaybeNashalawas tired after a few fights, or maybe she had calculated the odds herself and decided she was better off losing so we could try for theShadowshardlater.Buteither way, she was, in fact, losing.Agash matching the one on her arm had appeared on her face, bisecting each lip, and her hand wraps were bloody– from unseen wounds or the wounds she was inflicting,Calamitywasn’t sure.
“Let’s give it everything we’ve got,”Liamsaid, and the three of them exhaled in unison before starting their casting.
The first thingCalamitydid was magically hastenNashalaas the competitors came close to the cage.Itmade her harder to hit and faster on her feet, though it did little to dissuade the minotaur.Hopefully, they’d be trading blows a bit more evenly though.Thegash across her mouth started to heal up asLiammuttered a healing spell, but they moved out of range before it could close up entirely.Yoricktried several incantations, but he was targeting the minotaur, who was too resilient, keeping the magic at bay.
Calamity struggled to think of a spell she could cast that wouldn’t give them away; a line of fire or a flaming missile would give up their hiding spot pretty quickly.Thebest she could do was mutter encouragement toNashalabeneath her breath.Itwasn’t magical, but it was all she had.
AsYorickfinally landed a spell on the minotaur, causing her to cry out in pain,Nashalaran away to catch her breath, passing near the cage as she did.Calamity,Liam, andYorickpressed themselves into the shadows, butNashalacould see them, and she made eye contact withCalamity.
IfCalamityhad ever doubted how committedNashalawas to helping them, she didn’t now.Shewas bloody and bruised, her breath coming in hard wheezes, her hand on her side as if she had a stitch there.Oneeye was swollen almost shut, andCalamityhad to stop herself from crying out as the minotaur charged atNashalafrom that side.
Nashala saw the charge; of course she did.Andit gaveCalamityan idea.
Calamity began to whisper as she pointed atNashala, willing her to stay close enough for the message spell to work, even as the minotaur clobbered her face.Liamwas casting more healing spells, but it wasn’t enough.
“In twenty seconds,” she said intoNashala’smind, noting the way her eyes ever-so-briefly flickered towards the cage in acknowledgement, “throw sand in their eyes.”
But by the time she’d finished speaking,Nashalawas out of range.Shedidn’t know if she’d gotten the message, but allCalamitycould do was count.
One, two, three…
On fifteen, she started casting.
