Abe crashed into the arena wall, chunks of stone scattering as he slid down to the ground. For a moment, he stayed there – head bowed, shoulders heaving – then he took a deep breath and a sharp grin spread across his scaled face.
"Bien… Muy bien," he rumbled, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip with the back of his hand. "You've got more fight in you than I thought, devil boy."
As he spoke, thick layers of ice began to form around his hands and forearms – not just thin gauntlets this time, but heavy, jagged armor that gleamed like polished crystal. Sharp, needle-like spikes jutted out from the knuckles and wrists, each one glinting dangerously in the sun.
Akmenos circled slowly, his feet planted wide as he shifted into a tight fighting stance – one hand raised high to guard his head, the other held low to block kicks. His knuckles were raw and red from the earlier impact, but his eyes were locked on Abe with unwavering focus.
Without warning, Abe charged forward – his massive form moving faster than should have been possible. He drew back his left fist, the ice spikes catching the light as he swung in a devastating arc aimed straight at Akmenos' ribs.
WHOOSH
Akmenos twisted to his right at the last second, the wind from Abe's punch ruffling his hair as it sailed past his shoulder. He immediately countered, throwing a solid left hook that would have smashed into Abe's jaw – but just as his fist was about to connect, a thin column of ice shot up from the arena floor directly between them.
The spike grazed Akmenos' knuckles, forcing him to leap back with a sharp intake of breath. The ice kept growing, rising nearly six feet tall before freezing solid – a perfect barrier that would have split his hand open if he'd pushed through.
"Nice trick," Akmenos said, shaking out his hand as he circled around the ice pillar. "But I'm not falling for that."
Abe laughed, his breath forming white clouds in the air around him. "Good– Cause this fight would be so boring if that ended you"
Abe slammed his spiked fist into the ground, and instantly, a web of frost spread across the stone. From every crack and crevice, thin ice spikes began to rise – slow at first, then racing upward like hungry weeds. Akmenos had to dance back and forth, his feet light and quick as he dodged each new threat that burst from beneath him.
Akmenos landed hard on the stone floor, his boots scraping against the frost as he steadied himself. Without pausing, he shifted his weight – dropping his back foot low, bending his knees deep into a sprinter's stance. With a grunt of effort, he shot forward, his right leg drawn back to deliver a spinning kick that would send even the sturdiest fighter reeling.
But just as he closed in on Abe, a thick wall of ice spikes erupted from the ground directly in front of the dragonborn – sharp tips angled upward like a forest of frozen knives. Akmenos slammed on the brakes, his boots skidding across the icy stone as he threw himself backward to avoid being impaled.
He'd barely landed when more spikes burst up behind him – a web of crystalline ice that spread out in all directions, following his every move like it was alive. Akmenos twisted and leaped, his body moving with fluid precision as he ducked under one spike, vaulted over another, and spun away from a third that shot up right where his feet had been a split second before.
When he finally found solid ground again, he planted his feet wide and stared across the frozen arena at Abe – who stood calmly in the center, frost spreading from his boots in expanding circles.
"I can't go near him…" Akmenos thought, his jaw tightening as he wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Every time he gets close, the ground itself fights against me. I need to find another way... I have to.. "
Abe grinned, slamming his spiked fists together with a sharp CRACK of ice. "What's wrong? Too scared to get close? Where's the confident of a little horned devil?"
The ice web continued to creep across the floor, inch by inch, shrinking the space Akmenos had to move. He glanced around the arena – the stone walls were too far, the crowd too loud to call for help. It was just him, Abe, and a battlefield that wanted to pin him down.
Akmenos closed his eyes, tuning out the roar of the crowd and the crackle of ice across the arena floor. He focused on his breathing – slow, deep, steady – and his mind drifted back to the night before, in Hythesion's tent.
"Brute strength? You're no match for Abe," Hythesion had said, his voice calm but firm as he cleaned his blades.
Arkar had nodded in agreement. "That's true… you can't beat him just by matching his power. There has to be something you do better than he does."
Hythesion had glanced up, a small smile on his face. "I mean, you do get better at fighting when you're drunk, right?"
"The White Order would never allow that – they've got mages checking for anything that could give an unfair advantage," Arkar had shot back, though he'd been grinning too.
Then Hythesion had set down his blade, looking Akmenos straight in the eye. "There's something inside you that can stand against him… but you have to find it yourself."
BACK IN THE ARENA
Akmenos' eyes snapped open – clear, sharp, and focused. He'd been so busy worrying about the ice that he'd missed the obvious: the spikes took exactly two seconds to fully emerge from the ground, and they only began to grow once he got within range of Abe.
My advantage isn't strength – it's speed, he realized. If I can move faster than those spikes can grow… if I can land a hit in less than two seconds…
He pushed himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders as he stared at Abe – who'd shifted into a tight defensive stance, his spiked gauntlets raised high. Without warning, Akmenos charged forward – not in a straight line, but weaving left and right across the icy floor.
Abe tensed, and sure enough, ice began to push up from the ground directly in Akmenos' path. But this time, Akmenos didn't slow down – he darted forward in a burst of speed so sudden Abe's eyes couldn't track him. Just as the first spike broke through the stone, Akmenos launched himself into the air, twisting his body to deliver a lightning-fast roundhouse kick that slammed into Abe's side before he could raise his guard.
The impact sent Abe stumbling back, ice shards flying from his gauntlet as he crashed to one knee. Akmenos was already leaping back, landing gracefully a few feet away just as the ice spike shot fully upright where he'd been a split second earlier.
The crowd erupted into cheers – even some of the White Order supporters were on their feet, stunned by the speed of the move.
Abe stared at his hands, scales tingling with shock – every time he tried to counter, Akmenos was already moving, his strikes landing faster than the ice could rise to block them.
Damn it, you annoying little devil… Abe hissed under his breath, gritting his teeth as another punch glanced off his guard, leaving a small crack in his ice gauntlet.
Akmenos moved like lightning, weaving in and out with simultaneous kicks and punches – low to the ribs, high to the shoulders, quick jabs that kept Abe on the defensive. The ice spikes tried to burst up around them, but they were always a split second too late, shattering against the stone as Akmenos darted past.
Finally, Abe slammed his heel hard into the ground. A wave of frost exploded outward – the existing spikes crumbled to dust, and the entire arena floor transformed into a sheet of flawless, slippery ice that gleamed like a mirror.
Akmenos skidded to a halt, his boots struggling for traction. One wrong step and he'd be flat on his back.
"You're starting to piss me off, lower life form…" Abe growled, his eyes glowing with cold fury.
Akmenos wiped sweat and frost from his brow, a sharp grin on his face despite the danger. "Good – just proves how thin your scales are."
The insult pushed Abe over the edge. With a roar, he slammed both fists into the ice floor, and shards of frozen stone swirled around him, merging into a massive, spiked ice hammer that towered over his head. He charged forward, the hammer swinging in a wide, crushing arc.
Akmenos tried to run, but his feet slid out from under him – instead, he launched himself into the air, twisting to avoid the blow. But as he hung suspended, Abe's form suddenly turned solid white ice, then shattered into thousands of tiny ice crystals that scattered across the arena.
Akmenos' eyes went wide with shock – then he heard the whoosh of air behind him and looked up to see Abe hovering high above, the ice hammer raised for a devastating downward strike.
The blow connected square with Akmenos' back, sending him crashing into the stone floor with a deafening CRACK. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he bounced once, then lay still for a heartbeat. Abe descended fast, ready to finish it – but at the last second, Akmenos pushed himself up with one arm and rolled sideways, just as Abe's hammer smashed into the ground where he'd been, leaving a deep crater in the ice.
Before Akmenos could get to his feet, he looked back at Abe and began to turn into solid white ice again, the sound of ice breaking make Akmenos shivers – and then Abe was directly behind him, his foot slamming into Akmenos' ribs and sending him flying into the arena wall. He hit hard, sliding down to the ground as dust and small stones rained down around him..
Akmenos clawed at the ice floor, trying to push himself up – every movement sent sharp pain shooting through his ribs and back. His vision was blurry, spots dancing in front of his eyes as he looked up to see Abe standing over him. Hythesion gripped the barrier so hard his knuckles were white; Arkar had his hands pressed against his mouth, unable to look away.
"You're a good fighter, I'll give you that–" Abe said, his voice cold as the ice forming in his hands. He raised his arms, and shards of frozen stone twisted and merged into a massive bow, with an arrow as thick as a spear nocked and ready. "–But you're no match for me."
He drew back the string and released – but the arrow didn't fly toward Akmenos. Instead, it slammed into the arena wall behind him, exploding in a blast of razor-sharp ice shards that sent Akmenos sliding across the frozen floor until he came to a stop at Abe's feet.
Abe reached down and grabbed Akmenos by the hair, lifting his head up. Akmenos' eyes were half-closed, his breathing shallow. "This is the end of the line… You will always be a lower life form."
DOWN IN THE DUNGEON CAVE
Dale and Drakath faced off across a churning pool of lava, its orange glow casting dancing shadows across the cave walls. The heat was intense, making the air shimmer and Dale's fur stick to his skin.
"I heard you're a member of the Silverlake Mercenary, Pussy Cat," Drakath rumbled, gripping the handle of his massive axe as molten rock bubbled at his feet.
"Yeah… so?" Dale shot back, his sword held steady in his hand.
"Then you are one of them – a bunch of nobody money seekers," Drakath said, his voice like grinding stone.
"Hold on just a minute – that burns my ear," Dale snapped, his tail lashing angrily as he raised his blade higher. "I can't just let you off insulting my group like that."
"You are no warrior," Drakath continued, stepping closer to the lava's edge. "You fight for fame and money… that's what being a mercenary is all about."
"Oh yeah? So what are you then? A warrior who kills people?" Dale countered.
"I am a warrior who kills bad people – those who deserve death for their sins," Drakath declared, his scales glowing red with heat.
"You kill bad people?" Dale laughed sharply. "Then what about the ones behind the plague? The ones who left those bodies to rot down here? Those are the bad people. I'm just one of the folks who wants to put an end to all of it."
"You act without thinking – basing everything on your emotions," Drakath said, his axe beginning to blaze with flames.
"Let me guess – that's not what a warrior does?" Dale said.
"You are correct," Drakath nodded. "A warrior fights and kills with purpose. My purpose is to kill whoever disturbs the White Lord's plans. Tell me... If you call yourself a warrior… what is your purpose?"
Dale's expression hardened, and he shifted into a low, fluid fighting stance. "I'm no warrior… but I do have a purpose." His eyes flashed with determination. "To save my friends."