Battle of The Nether Amphitheater

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, Tieflings and Halflings… and whatever the seven hells that thing is. Welcome to The Nether Amphitheater!” The blond-haired bard stood in the center of the stage with his voice amplified by a spell as he looked around at the filled seats. This was the biggest show of the year, and he was sure it was going to be their best yet. He shook out his whole body as if he had the shivers before grinning and turning in a circle to look down into the arena at the men and women that were gathered there. 

People who had not so likely volunteered for The Light were there, some looking at him with wide eyes. Those were the ones who had come without question. Who had been told by their lord that they were to fight, and they would. Then there were the few who were criminals. Various cities had given them up without a fight, and Falco had brought them all here. What their lord didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Or well, wouldn’t hurt Falco, anyway. 

“Tonight, we have a grand companion for you! Tonight, the very best of the best throughout all of Sanctums Reach will battle to the death, for your personal entertainment!” The crowd erupted into cheers at that, and he had to laugh. Oh, they were eating out of his hand and he loved it. He loved every second. His golden eyes glinted in the sun as he jumped from foot to foot. Turning the string on his back around, he maneuvered his viola into his hands. Brandishing the bow for it like it was a sword, he pulled it across the strings, making a harmony of notes bleed through the noise of the crowd cheering. 

“Our first fight today, is a goodie. It just can’t wait for the end.” He laughed before playing a little rock chord, the crowd chanting a name, but he couldn’t care less if it was his name or not. All he cared about was the power of the masses he was collecting. Oh, so much power. None of them knew the spell that was coursing through them as they sat there in their seats. Being absorbed by the entertainment in front of them. 

“Coming from the wilds of the Borderlands, don’t you dare call her a lady. This barbarian’s greataxe will cleave you clean in half before you even blink! May I introduce you to, Mab!” The pink-skinned beast of a woman stepped up to her smaller opponent and growled loud enough for it to vibrate the stage that Falco was standing on. He looked down at her with a grin before looking back at the crowd. “Someone’s in a testy mood already! Shall we get the bloodbath started?”

Without waiting for any sort of signal to start, Mab had jumped into the air and swung her greataxe around her. On her way down, her opponent made a shriek of a sound before it sliced him in half. Mab righted herself. Leaning against the handle, she huffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. 

“Who’s next?”

Falco hadn’t even had time to get off the stand he was on by the time the fight had started and ended. He was amazed by the quickness and the brutality of it all. She was just what they needed, but a Tiefling like her was uncontrollable. So, he just grinned and played another rock song on the viola before whistling happily. 

“What a sight, and what a show starter. Am I right?” He laughed and jumped from foot to foot in a little jig. “Well, this changes my plans. How about this folks… a BATTLE ROYAL! May the best man or woman win!” With that, he jumped into the air and grabbed hold of a floating cloud, hefting himself up onto it before flying up higher to get out of the carnage range. 

Up on the cloud, he could watch Mab work over the fighters in the arena. The crowd was loving it, and the more the blood flowed, the more it soaked into the spell that Falco had set down under the sand. When the fighters were all gone, he would get what his master finally wanted from these pathetic ants. Something that actually mattered, and would make a difference in the world. 

That way, of course, until he noticed one fighter was holding his own against the rest. Another Tiefling. Why was it always this damn race? He hated them. He made his cloud slowly descend, casting an invisibility spell on himself as he did so. A soft tune of charm and he was working his way into the red-skinned Tiefling’s head. 

“Now, my sweet boy, you see that lovely lady over there? Go kill her for me.” Falco cackled as the Tiefling man lifted his own greataxe up and headed towards Mab. Oh, this was going to be good. Someone who had stood up against the plan was going to be taste fodder for the spell, but when he glanced back to watch, he came face to face with burning teal-colored eyes. 

“What did you call me, halfling scum?” 

“What? But I…” Falco couldn’t get another word out as he jumped from the cloud, the greataxe tearing through its mist like it was butter. He was blinking as he reached up to ruffle his hair, his invisibility spell and mage hand spells gone. What the hell happened? One minute the Tiefling was doing just what he had wanted, the next minute he was turning around and aiming for him! That had never happened before!

“Running away? Coward!” The red skinned Tiefling roared as he charged after Falco, dragging his greataxe along the ground before swinging it towards the blonde’s head. “Stand still and let me chop that ugly smug face right off your neck.” As if Falco would ever allow that to happen, but he wasn’t as quick as he would be without his viola. He should have thought about this possibility, but he had never had it happen before. No one had ever broken free from one of his charms. 

“You broke free. Who the hell are you?” 

“I am Terror Bloodraven, and you are mincemeat.” Terror? He had never heard of anyone named that, and he had been focusing on the fighting pits and rings around Sanctums Reach. Maybe a name he made himself? Much like Haevok had done? It made little sense to him, but then again, his race differed from others. 

“No, I’m Falco Silverstring and you, my friend, are in way over your head.” With that, he summoned up all the magic he could, but it wasn’t fast enough as Terror lunged at him again with the greataxe. Barely able to get away, Falco’s left cheek and shoulder gashed. He stepped back, gasping in shock as he reached his right hand over to grasp his arm, trying to stop the blood. “You… you will pay for this.” He couldn’t do anything now as he dropped his bow and the viola, but he could whistle a tune. 

A tune that called forth a beast from the Nether realms. Black fur glistened in the sunlight as it stepped out of the portal that was summoned. As Falco moved towards it, he spoke to the creature in a language no one present had heard in centuries. 

“Kill them all.” Falco didn’t look back when he passed through the portal, cursing as he fell into a heap at the feet of someone who had been waiting for him. Looking up, he groaned. Blue eyes glared down at him, as blue tinted lips curled in a dangerous scowl. 

“I see you’ve failed us again. He will not be pleased. Look at yourself, go clean up before He sees you.” Falco flipped off the air genasi as he turned his back on him, walking away. They had never got along, because Falco believed their mission was to be fulfilled to the delight of the gods. Ilvisar Dain, however, did everything by the Book of Deserted. Their holy text was his bread and butter. If it wasn’t in the book, he refused to believe it. The two of them were like night and day. 

“Fucking Tieflings…” Falco climbed to his feet as Ilvisar snorted, not even an ounce of remorse or amusement in his voice. “By the way, dickbag, the spell worked. You can tell him that come Pride, he’ll have his pet. Just as promised. None of those idiots knew what was even happening. Doesn’t matter which fucking Tiefling won, the blood sacrificed by the rest will suffice.” He was talking to air when he was done, but it didn’t matter. They had gotten the point. Falco hadn’t failed, he had just gotten screwed up in making the plan happen.

What was a little blood spilled if it means the lord got his way?

“What a fucking day.”