Chapter 20
Twenty
Moon
“ T he third trial has ended, and the fourth will begin shortly. Fancy a gladiator-style battle? We’ll see how you do one on one against the beasts of the Tournament of Blood.” The voice is our wake-up call, and when I sit up, a shiver rocks through me. I’m sitting in a sandpit with no idea how I got here.
I fell asleep on a mossy bed, and now I’m in a sandpit. Looking around, I realize we’re in a circle pit, surrounded by concrete. It’s like a coliseum. At least there’s not a live audience.
Yeah, this is definitely meant to be the gladiator battle arena.
I’m not the only one here, at least. I can see Lust, and Tristan, as well as Silas, who looks particularly annoyed. There are also an ass-ton of people I don’t recognize.
“You will battle in groups of fifty. Only twenty-two will make it to the fifth trial.” My eye twitches a little bit, that it’s not twenty-five and exactly half, but whatever. “Alternate forms are allowed, no killing other contestants unless provoked, and no hiding,” the voice adds, and I nibble my lip. “Oh, and the beasts are magically spelled with a protection incantation. They can’t be killed, only incapacitated,” the voice adds, and I shrug. Seems fair. Killing off half the Elven beasts would probably not be good PR.
“Moon!” a man shouts, and I look over to see Arlo, along with Daire, Odas, Cato, and Fenrick. Great. We’re all in the same trial. At least we’re not fighting each other. Still feels a bit awkward. I do have some explaining to do.
‘So, Arlo, I know we only just realized we’re Heart Bonded, but I made out with a murder noodle, dry-humped a Vampire like a horny teen, and ogled a danger lizard’s bare ass. Oh, and I’m Heart Bonded to two other men. One of whom is your half-brother. Oh, and I can also touch the Blood Fae no one else can touch.’
“The gong will sound, and you’ll be free to move, then the beasts will be released.”
Hopefully, Sweet Girl is somewhere safe and isn’t one of those beasts, but I have a bad feeling. I don’t know where the four men were when they got sent here, but hopefully, she knows I didn’t abandon her.
The gong sounds, and everyone starts moving all at once. I can’t tell what part of the arena the beasts will appear from, so I just do slow circles. Everyone who has an alternate form starts shifting, and I see a Dragon, and Cyclops standing close together. There’s a murder snake headed straight for me, and I have no doubt the others I keep trying to get rid of will be here any moment.
The one person who really steals my attention, though, is Lust. He’s on fire. Orange and red flames dance over his skin as he walks slowly through the other contestants, who all move out of his path with a quickness. I’ve seen his Phoenix burst into ashes, but I’ve never seen him like this. The flames look like wings as they grow and extend.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, and Lust smirks, knowing he’s got my full attention. He stops in front of me, and I finally close my mouth since my jaw had dropped to my feet from the shock.
“Surprise.” He smirks, and I throw my hands up.
“Yeah, no shit surprise! I didn’t know you could do this,” I say, gesturing to him.
“It’s not some?—“
But Lust never gets to finish that sentence, because the walls surrounding the arena open, and out pours an ass ton of fucking Goblins.
There’s other shit too, that I’ve seen in the Elven games before, but my entire focus is locked on the Goblins because unless I’m just extremely self-centered, those motherfuckers are all headed straight for me.
“Oh shit. Oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck…” I turn and run, not sure where the fuck I’m going. Away? How do I run away from a stampede of Goblins!? I’m so fucked. All around me is chaos, as the battle rages and beasts attack. I just need twenty-eight people to fall, and this trial will be over! I make a hard left, hoping to slow down the Goblins’ approach when I see a cloaked figure up ahead.
“Hard right it is!” I murmur to myself, as I dodge a falling contestant, and run in the opposite direction of the cloaked figure. I can hear some of the men calling my name, but I also saw something toss a net over Cato’s Dragon, forcing him to shift back. I don’t see Odas at all, which means they’re probably both out of the game already. If I run toward any of the men, they might be the next target of my Goblin stalkers.
I’m about to dash under what I think is a bear shifter when a gloved hand wraps around my face, and I’m snatched off my feet.
“Shhh.”
Oh, fuck me sideways and under a dumpster… Of course! Can I ever just run away successfully?!
“Shh, or you’re gonna die!”
Well, that’s a solid threat.
Damn this stupid game, and damn whoever is trying to kill me!