Thaum: Streets

“Umm, maybe we should just ask some directions, yeah?” Dylan nodded at the cafe to the left. “And maybe get some coffee while we’re at it?”

Don folded his arms together, closing his eyes as if deep in thought, shaking his head from side to side again, just like he had done moments before to Estelle before he had departed in the opposite direction.

“Of course I know where I’m going, Lil’Bro!” Don began to educate. He glanced to the café again and considered Dylan’s suggestion for coffee- he didn’t feel thirsty after their meal at the restaurant. Instead, Don was gripped with purpose:- purpose to lead him and his bro to the Gardens that interesting bro Atlas had mentioned, and to do so before any of his sis’s reached there! Big Sis, Sis, Little Missy and Metal Sis… he’d beat them all! It was a challenge! Why, he could do it with his eyes blindfolded and even whilst still recovering as he was! Piece of cake!

“Don’t doubt your Big Bro!” Don continued. “Have I ever let you down?”

His eyes flashed open, and his head dramatically swung to the side, as his body span and his right hand sliced through the air (almost smacking poor Dylan in the face as he did) to point straight down a street that ascended towards a hill. “It’s that way!!” Don screeched.

Dylan, meanwhile, didn’t look quite as sure. “How do you know that?” He asked.

“I have a radar!” Don confessed. “Whenever I need to find a place, my hair points in its direction!!”

There followed a calm silence, with nothing said between the two men and with Don still held rigidly in his pose, pointing up to the top of the hill. Birds sang beautifully as carefree clouds passed overhead. Dylan… didn’t really know what to say to that. What was there to say to it?

But before any response could be given, before he could check with the propieter of the café for directions and get some of that wondrous coffee that he oh-so-needed, it just so happened that… they appeared again.



Estelle, Trixie, Lisette and Xandra, all being led by the metallurgist who was looking at her map and who had finally reigned in control of the chaotic swordswoman. It was luck that they managed to meet Don and Dylan again, but the path the quartet were walking in (with Kapi happily trudging along beside Lisette’s feet and Isaac riding upon), was in a completely different direction to that of any Don, Dylan or Estelle were going in. Estelle scratched the back of her head sheepishly as Xandra led them on. Don turned to look in the direction that Xandra was walking towards, and then looked over his shoulder with a flashing thumbsup back to Dylan, pointing at his slick hairdo again.

“See? What’d I tell you?”

---

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

“…BUGS?!” Don’s body backstepped towards the nearest wall of the domed garden, his hands thrown in front of his body as he shrieked loudly. Upon arriving at the garden, he and his friends had been rapidly thrown into the garden to partake in a bug catching contest, and Don, well…

“I hate bugs!!” Don screamed, his eyes knitting shut tightly as his thoughts returned back to their mission in the underground ruins of Museo, and his and Selan’s traumatic encounter with a swarm of spiders. Tears began to swell in the usually cool bro’s eyes, and he wished frantically that Selan was here with him to dance their nerves away again.

“You hate bugs…?” Estelle asked, blinking towards Don in disbelief, as her hands lifted up and down the pole and net that Thomas had given her, as he had with each of them. Estelle sighed and shook her head. “What’s wrong with bugs?”

“They’re all icky and gross!” Don blew a raspberry, his body dancing on tiptoes in trepidation. “Right Lil’Bro?! Right Little Missy?! And we… we have to catch some?! Whyyyyyyyyyy~?!?!”

Estelle shook her head. “I’m sure it’ll be alright, if not fun!” Estelle grinned. “This is something different, huh? We can go and try and find the biggest bug we can, and Lisette and Dylan can draw them!”

“B-b-b-but what am I supposed to do?!” Don fretted, jumping forward and latching onto Xandra with his body as one hand tightly gripped Trixie’s wrist. “Oh, Metal Sis!! Little Missy! Save meeee!!”

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

Dylan cast a forlorn look over his shoulder, the cafe with rich coffee aroma barely in sight. It would have taken them 5 minutes - surely they could have spared that? Still, the bug catching contest should be fun. If Don would stop shrieking that is.

“Easy Big Bro,” he said with a smile. “Not all bugs are ‘gross.’ Just think of butterflies, right? Soft and graceful, full of amazing colors and patterns. That’s not so bad, is it? And besides,” he gestured towards Trixie with the net, “we’re in a group. You don’t have to touch it if you don’t want to.”

“I’m sure it’ll be alright, if not fun!” Estelle grinned. “This is something different, huh? We can go and try and find the biggest bug we can, and Lisette and Dylan can draw them!”

“Exactly!” Dylan grinned, though he wished he had brought one of his notepads with him, that way he could save the picture, but all he had was his slate and chalks. Maybe afterwards he could use the chalk picture as a base for a real one...or just do it from memory.

“B-b-b-but what am I supposed to do?!” Don fretted.

“Why don’t you just be a lookout?” Dylan suggested after a moment’s thought. “Keep your eyes peeled and point us in the right direction? We’ll handle the catching, okay?”

Thaum: Town Square
Five... sacks... of... potatoes.

Moira was just about to make a protest about how this man must have had one too many blows to the head in his lifetime if he thought that was a prize worth bothering with - hell, couldn't it have been at least something alcoholic? Or something she could sell for a tidy profit? But before she could, Lucien was already signing her up for it.

Syed's head whipped around to his friend with a betrayed expression, but before he knew it the intimidating man was upon them all. He stiffened when he was pretty much mauled, the man even giving him a sniff. A sniff! Syed held his head back in horror at his personal space being invaded so absolutely by a complete stranger, and before he knew it he had electrified himself in self-defense. Luckily, the man had already moved on by then.

Yep, this guy's head had definately been knocked more than it should have been. The bloke was bonkers.

"Actually she's the one who wants to compete!" Lucien cowered behind Moira, laughing nervously. Well, it seemed that all of the guys were a bit shaken by that. But of course, Moira on the other hand...

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?!" she stomped a foot forward, thumbing towards herself. Well, it turned out that actually he didn't. After a brief exchange of pleasantries and a very firm handshake, they got down to business. Moira, fully aware of the attention Jeff was giving her, shifted her weight a little with a smirk. The man was no Harrison in the facial features department - hell, he wasn't even in the same league. But she wasn't picky, she was going to enjoy the attention anyway.

Syed froze in the middle of trying and failing to subtley sniff his armpit, Jeff's actions earlier making him somewhat paranoid that he might smell. "Wait, what?! Groups?!"

---

Thaum: Colliseum
Well, the colliseum was certaintly grand, a massive structure of stone. Moira found herself looking around herself in amazement, absorbing the noise and the crowds and the chaos. Guys with massive swords, ones which put her own greatsword to shame?! Trauma Road?! The smell of blood and sweat and adrenaline?!

She picked the wrong career.

"Jeff! We're in need of just one more team."

"I think I have 'em right here, Greg!"

"HELL YEAH! Sign us up!" Moira bellowed, pumping her fist. "We defeated like, this demon god thing once you know. Punched him right back where he came from. Bam! Just you wait til you see me in action," she added, pouting a little at Jeff. Oh dear.

Syed pushed the balls of his hands into his eye sockets for a moment in exasperation. Why couldn't they just watch or tour the place like normal people?! At least unlike him the others should get a choice in the matter, so there was that. "What size do the teams need to be?" he asked, before lowering his hands again and looking anything but enthusiastic. "And who's up for it, I guess..." He grimaced slightly, his gaze flicking to each member of the group.

"We need a team name," Moira pondered as she turned and began to stride towards the registration table. Welp. Someone wasn't listening again. "I'm shit at that sort of thing, what do you lot think?"

Thaum: Coliseum

Aria had been to Thaum a few times before for missions, but this was her first time at the Coliseum and it certainly was something to behold.

Groups of people ran past decked in heavy armor while others did stretches beside the large stone columns in preparation for their upcoming brawls. The illusionist stared in amazement as a heavily muscled man picked up a sword that stood taller than she was with ease and took a few practice swings, gigantic blade cleaving through the air. Now that she looked more closely at the crowds around her, she noticed that a lot of the competitors favored ridiculously oversized weapons.

Moira seemed to be having the time of her life, signing their group up without a pause while Syed just looked resigned to his fate. Aria gave the man a light pat on the back, smiling reassuringly.

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad, it might even be fun!”

She turned to survey their little group. Amy and Selan didn’t look the types to enjoy duking it out in an arena and Lucien she wasn’t sure about. Lulu…

“Lulu, you should go!” She piped up, sidling up beside him and nudging the man with her elbow, waggling her eyebrows playfully. “It would be the perfect chance to show off your coolness, right? I’d join with you, but if I got hit by one of those giant hammers I think I’ll die.”

Wait, wasn’t this the perfect chance to rack up more battle experience? She paused in thought. There had never been many missions where she’s had to fight the heavy melee type and this would be an awesome opportunity, not to mention she would get to fight alongside her friends this time round.

“Actually, no. I’ve changed my mind. Sign me up!” She gave a thumbs up to Moira. “I’ve never been good with names… Anyone have any ideas for a super cool team name?”

Thaum: Streets

“Oi, today ain’t the best day to go beating stuff up. And last time I checked, you’re not an expert in that department. You basically get yo ass whooped like, daily! Oi, oi!” Delilah’s protests were shoved aside when Lute was suddenly greeted by a nearby man. He noticed that this guy had sparks literally jumping off of his skin earlier, and wow that was cool! He wished he could do that too. Lute eagerly grasped Syed’s hand and gave him a firm handshake in return, then his gaze jumped from the friendly stranger to the woman he was with. Oh my.

Delilah whistled appreciatively. “Damn son, she can like, snap your neck with a hand!” The familiar crowed cheerfully and Lute shuddered. That was probably not the best thing he could’ve used to describe Moira, but hey, Dellie beat him to the punch so what could he do? She did exude a formidable air. Like she could snap his neck with a hand.

Lute (accidentally) let out a (manly) squeak when Syed was pulled off his feet for no apparent reason. Was he hurt? “Gosh, you’re stupid. Just tell the lady she gon reach the kindergarten if she keeps walkin’ that a-way,” Delilah muttered and pointed at Moira, who was still walking off to the wrong direction. Once again, the familiar and her remarks were ignored when the virtuoso listened in on the conversation between the brawler woman and Syed, also blissfully aware of the innuendos which could’ve made Robin giggle in glee. Instead Lute refocused on plotting an alternative route towards the Coliseum, replacing plans at a rapidfire pace since the lot of them kept veering off the wrong direction.

He was roused from his thoughts when Syed asked him about his music, the tall man’s inquiry immediately followed by one from a really pretty lady who was a part of their ragtag tourist team.

It was fine to be questioned by a person, but two at once was already overwhelming for Lute, especially since one of them was a stunning woman. Lute turned pink (again) and Delilah hit her face with her palms repeatedly. “Y-yeah, that’s how- I mean, yes that was, uh, me. No, actually it wasn’t me, it was Delilah. She does that by herself, but we work as a team most of the time,” He wrung his hands helplessly then added, “We can make any sort of sound so long as there’s another sound to draw it from. Er, that doesn’t make sense, does it? Just think that uh, well… How do I say this…”

The time Lute spent mulling over the proper way to express himself was long enough for their group to have reached the town square (by some sort of miracle). His attention was once again immediately stolen by mention the grand prize, and the enthusiasm he suddenly possessed was not deterred by Jeff’s odd gaze. Also were Moira and Jeff a thing? But they just met!

“It’s called ‘flirting’, you tool,” Delilah harped.

Anyway. FIVE SACKS OF POTATOES. That’s half a month per sack, which means they would have food for two months and a half! Heck yeah!

“Sign me up!”

---

Thaum: Coliseum

Lute stared at Aria in concern when she professed her intention to join. “Well, I’m not saying I doubt your abilities but Aria! Are you sure!?” He reverted back to his mother hen persona, fussing about her scarf, her hair, her skin- Well basically everything that might get bruised. After some beseeching, Lute realized that he wouldn’t be able to sway her decision, so he just sighed sulkily. “Okay then, let’s go think of a team name! Do you have any ideas? Anyone?” He turned towards Amy and Selan, giving the former a shy and surprised smile since he didn’t know she was there, then glanced over at the guy who had the blobfish cooked. Lucien.



Amidst the various warriors trudging along in their heavy armor, a young woman dressed in a navy high waist skirt with a half-open white blouse approached the group, and her lovely face was noticeable in the sea of helmets and scarred noses.

“Lute? What are you doing here?” Robin was nervous, but she had too many years of experience to show that she was. Her gaze raked the group that her friend was with, and her blue-grey eyes slowly widened. “Are you entering the competition?” She asked, half-incredulous.

“Robin! Hi there! Oh yep, yeaaaah I’m joining! I mean, just look! You get five sacks of potatoes if you win! Five sacks! Wow, right!?” The virtuoso turned to face the black-haired lass and enthusiastically gestured in the air.

Robin smiled and tilted her head to the side. “This year’s competition is a group fight. You do know that, yes? I assume you do because you’ve got yourself a pretty sturdy gang right here,” She purred before placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward. “Thing is, sweetie, do you know the rules?”

Lute’s bewildered expression told her he did not (know there were rules).

The bewitching minx laughed warmly and then shook her head. “Typical. All right, listen well. Today, you’re going to fight with your team in one of those cages,” Robin pointed at the railing, and if any wanted to look below, the stadium was completely crisscrossed in metal and bars. Mini cages for respective teams. “All the other teams have their cages too, so they won’t bother you. I guess the only thing you’ve got to worry about is the time limit. You have to defeat as many as you can within a certain time, you know, so wham bam, thank you ma’am them, got that?”

“Wham bam, thank you ma’am. Got it!” Lute nodded nervously and already a bead of sweat was trailing down his nose. He suddenly remembered that he was going to introduce Aria to his lady friend, so he said, “By the way, Robby, this is Ar-“

Lute’s voice was drowned by triumphant hoots and cheers as a gigantic TV was lowered from the ceiling of the coliseum.

“And that screen is where the audience sees who’s a wimp or not,” Robin sighed. The cameramen choose awful moments to zoom in at times. “So, just feel free to sit down if you’re not going to join. Free seats tend to run out very fast in this place,” She smiled again before tucking her hands behind her back.

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

After Don's outburst, Lisette answered Xandra's question with a gleeful smile. "Well, I love bugs! They're so cute and interesting... And the varieties here are totally different than where I'm from, it's sooo cool..."

Lisette rambled on for a bit until they reached the garden, which only caused her enthusiasm to skyrocket even higher. Kapi, with Isaac still in tow, looked longingly at a nearby pond, but wasn't entirely pleased at the sight of the hundreds of dragonflies flitting nearby.

"Wow, this is so pretty!" Lisette gushed, looking around in amazement. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! I'll be rooting for you, Estelle!" she said, clasping her hands together. "Just um... Don't hurt the bugs with the nets..."

---

Thaum: Town Square

“Y-yeah, that’s how- I mean, yes that was, uh, me. No, actually it wasn’t me, it was Delilah. She does that by herself, but we work as a team most of the time,” He wrung his hands helplessly then added, “We can make any sort of sound so long as there’s another sound to draw it from. Er, that doesn’t make sense, does it? Just think that uh, well… How do I say this…”

Lute had left them no time to respond, leaving Selan and Syed exchanging looks.

"'Delilah'...?" Selan mouthed silently, looking quizzical.

Thaum: Coliseum

Selan was relatively tall, but she suddenly felt miniscule in the shadows of the crowds of hulking men and their broadswords and great axes. A very manly smell filled the air, and while Moira breathed it in with gusto, Selan couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.

Why did she choose the coliseum over a garden, again?

Ah, of course... bugs. After a million little spiders and one giant one? I think I can tolerate this for a while.

Considering their surroundings, it was no wonder that the woman named Robin stuck out just as much as they did. She seemed like a pleasant, yet no-nonsense kind of person. Selan supposed one would have to be to put up with a place like this.

“So, just feel free to sit down if you’re not going to join. Free seats tend to run out very fast in this place,” Robin smiled again before tucking her hands behind her back.

"We will, thank you. I suppose we should find our seats then," Selan said to Amy. "Be careful everyone, and, ah, good luck."

Selan and Amy managed to find seats with a decent enough view of the large screen, although they were practically boxed in by the massive arms of the men and women seated around them.

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens(Group A)

“Oh, Metal Sis!! Little Missy! Save meeee!!”

Don was scared of bugs? It was hard to believe. Xan let out a soft chuckle before giving him an encouraging tap on the back. "This is unexpected. Don, you survived Los Paraisos and beat the bad guy." Not to mention, you beat death too. She didn't include the last part and instead gave him a smile. "I'm sure you'll survive this just fine, and Dylan is right. It's a group activity, so it can't be that bad." Estelle suggested Dylan and Lisette draw and Xan lit up. "Sounds pretty, let's get to work then." She gave Trixie a salute then scanned the area.

Men, women, and children scampered around excitedly with nets in hand. They were all competing for the title of Bug catching team of the year. Lisette began talking about how much she loved bugs and how interesting they all were and Xan laughed. "It's not every day I meet someone so enthusiastic about those critters." She turned to look at Kapi and Isaac, just to make sure the two weren't lost. "You must love animals, and both of them seem to adore you." Isaac when not clinging to Kapi would poke Lisette with his nose as if asking for attention.

The metallurgist turned to look at Estelle. "I suggest we head deeper into the forest, leader. The bigger bugs most likely need more space. Also, if we split up I suggest we up somewhere noticeable and easy to find." She tried not to focus on either Don or Estelle when she said the last part. She hadn't been with the pride for long but she realized that both lacked a good sense of direction. She finished off with a smile and a salute as if it were a serious mission all the same.

Xan pointed her net towards the darker part of the forest. A red flag hung from one of the branches.



"The red zone? I see we have some brave challengers this year." Thomas smiled at the pride and readjusted his hat. "Stay safe and remember not to harm the wildlife, folks?" A little kid tugged on the hem of the guide's shirt and gave the pride a wave before leaving to help the child.

"Wait wildlife?" Xan called out with an arch of the eyebrow.

Thomas looked over his shoulder. "The garden is home to a lot of Thaum's creatures. I'll see you when the contest ends in a few hours."

"Oh...well, um, that's interesting."

Thaum: Colosseum (Group B)

"Wait, what?! Groups?!"

Lucien stuck close to Syed and stared at the boss and Jeff. "Groups? I thought we were just going to watch guts fall and cheer the boss on?"

Jeff shook hid head. "You need at least five people in a team to register, kid."

So if Amy and Selan weren't joining in the left Aria, blushing new guy, Moira, Syed and him. He had to join them in the actual arena full of bulky guys twice his size and gods, their swords. How did anyone lift those things? At first he had been excited since he imagined chariots and jousting tournaments but fighting these guys? Ahahaha...well, he could always intimidate them with his bear or wolf? Yeah, yeah, that sounded good. He watched as Moira went to register and sucked in a breath of air. Perhaps he shouldn't have encouraged her? Oh well.

"We defeated like, this demon god thing once you know. Punched him right back where he came from. Bam! Just you wait til you see me in action,"

Jeff grinned before he puffed out his chest in pride. "Now! That is a true warrior. I can't wait to see you all in the arena." He turned to yell something at a bunch of younger gladiators who were practically quaking in their boots. This would be their first fight but real men, pah! They swallowed their fear and marched onward. "When this is over," Jeff flexed a little bit. "Maybe I can take out for a drink?" He rarely met women who were thirsty for combat and Moira! Her handshake sent electricity up and down his spine. He could tell she was a fighter.

The others began asking for a team name and Lucien looked at them. "How about the blob fish avengers?"

Jeff placed a hand on his shoulder and ushered him away while Lute greeted someone he had never seen before. "I wish you all the best of luck. Now tell me, do you think I'm here type." The gladiator looked menacing and Lucien was worried that if he said the wrong thing he'd get kicked all the way past the sun.

"W-What? Um...yes?" Jeff let out a cheer before tapping the lanky man on the back.

It sent him flying towards the pride and crashed right into both Lute and Robin. "Sorry about that," he straightened up and laughed nervously. "I think I just fell for you." Lucien not knowing what to do next struck a silly pose.

Amy and Selan wished the pride good luck then Jeff cleared his throat. "You'll find the equipment by the door. Pick any weapon of choice. Magic is not allowed. You will all be going against Thaum's wildlife, knock out as many as you can before time runs out and--" Jeff laughed. "Don't die." He waited for the pride to enter then gave Moira a smile. "Stay safe, darlin'."

The pride was ushered into cage number 3

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens (Group A)

“B-b-b-but what am I supposed to do?!” Don fretted, jumping forward and latching onto Xandra with his body as one hand tightly gripped Trixie’s wrist. “Oh, Metal Sis!! Little Missy! Save meeee!!”

"Superbro? You okay? Bugs aren't that icky. Unless... Are bugs your big weakness? ... Like the thing that makes you lose your power!?" Trixie thrust her hands over her mouth, though Dylan stepped in to calm Don before the prankster could get carried away with her imagination.

She watched Xandra with her full attention as the metallurgist suggested where they should meetup. Trixie returned a giggling salute in return. "Ay-ay, capitan!" As serious as this young lady sounded half the time, the prankster thought her to be very fun to work alongside.

Once Thomas departed after bidding them well-wishes, Trixie stepped up in and turned around to face everyone in her own group. Net clutched in both hands, the girl smiled devilishly at the others. She spoke with the intensity of a wrestling emcee. "You guys ready to kick some bootay!? We gon' storm this garden and take the grand prize! (Without killing anything of course.) My fellow Superheroes, are you ready to ruuuumbleeeeee!?"

---

Thaum: Colosseum (Group B)

"Delilah," Amy muttered to herself as Lute explained his whole music shpiel to Syed and Selan. He mentions the pronouns "she" and "we," but there was no one else around. This wasn't... his imaginary friend or anything, was it? It already took Amy a couple of months to ween Trixie out of that state. Don't tell me this kid's the same...

Soon enough the crew arrived at their destination: the Colosseum. Amy merely stood in silence with a blank expression as a man named Jeff hurled insults at her crew. She wasn't much in a position to talk, considering her complete lack of muscles and inability to fight, though Moira quickly got her own status recognized. Once Aria expressed interest in joining, Lute was quick to nearly beg her reconsideration. Again Amy was not quite sure how to react to this loon of a man so she stared in judgmental silence. Though the shy smile he gave her was cute.

A lady named Robin then came by to explain the details behind their fight. Amy shuddered mildly when she mentioned fighting in cages - what were they, dogs? Sure, not those kinds of cages but... having never been around or seeing anything at all like this phenomena, there wasn't much else to think of it.

"Today's just full of surprises..."

Plus there was no magic allowed - so what would that mean for three of the five fighters already? Well, surely Aria would do enough to distract the other combatants, even without her illusions, so there was that bonus. But that definitely made the two frailer women of the team completely useless. Selan realized this quickly enough, and the second Robin mentioned taking seats to view the show versus partake in it, the dancer jumped in to thank her and left alongside Amy, who bid them all a solid good luck as well.

Amy could almost feel herself looking forward to the upcoming fights, at least until they realized how incredibly packed the seats were. The cleric took more than just a few seconds to get settled properly in her own seat. "Oh Gods, this seat is warm...! Gods!"

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

"The red zone? I see we have some brave challengers this year." Thomas smiled at the Pride and readjusted his hat. "Stay safe and remember not to harm the wildlife, folks?"

"Wait wildlife?" Xan called out with an arch of the eyebrow.

“Harm?” Estelle added with an arched eyebrow of her own.

Trixie meanwhile, lapped it up, jumping in front of everyone and with her eyes screwed together tightly, started screaming loudly and proudly. "You guys ready to kick some bootay!? We gon' storm this garden and take the grand prize! (Without killing anything of course.) My fellow Superheroes, are you ready to ruuuumbleeeeee!?"

“No! No I’m not!” Don screamed. “Tap out! Tap out! Lil’ Bro! Sis!” Don haplessly turned to his friends, holding out his catching net to the pair of them. “Tap me ouuuuuuuut~!”

And then, they heard and felt it. A low rumble that shook the ground, and an inhuman moan that rocked the entire forest without them even taking a single step. Don’s body became paralysed in fear, as the rest of his friends stared wide eyed in disbelief at what had approached them. Still staring at Lisette and Dylan, Don could see and read the awe that they felt, and with great trepidation to do what he would later regret, he began turning his neck slowly to reveal what had came upon them, the colour in his face paling at once.



Catch the biggest one, he said.

Don’t harm the wildlife, he said.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Don screamed, throwing his hands up wildly into the air and running deeper into the forest, unaware that even greater, dangerous evils lurked within. The tall grass was dangerous, and stepping in unawares was not a good idea.

Estelle meanwhile, licked her lips, as she looked on at the giant leech monster with a twinkle in her eye. She swung the bug catching pole in her arms as deftly as she could, brandishing it in front of her to face the leach as if it was an able spear (even if her use of weapons other than swords was limited), the net end of the pole incredibly inadequate to even think of catching the bug. Not that it’d stop her.

A fierce grin stretched across her face.

“Bring it on!!”

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

When Dylan said that bugs were cute, he had been thinking of butterflies, dragonflies, and other such creatures. Not whatever this...blobular leech thing was in front of them. First the blobfish at the restaurant, and now this? He was just having the worst possible day. Suddenly he understood Don’s position much more clearly.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Don screamed as he ran off.

“Bring it on!!” Estelle added. She was brandishing the net at him like it was some kind of spear, but the net was clearly too small to capture such a large bug.


“Um, I don’t think that’s going to work.” He pulled out his slate and quickly sketched a much bigger net, which appeared at his feet. He looked to the others. “Little help here?” he asked as he picked up one corner of the net, fully intending to launch it at the large bug. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was legal, but hey, use what you got.

Thaum: Colosseum
"When this is over," Jeff flexed a little bit. Which Moira made no secret of admiring. "Maybe I can take out for a drink?"

Moira's lips contorted into a wide grin. Oh hell yeah! This was a nice change, for her to be getting the attention instead of the other, younger members of the group. Especially from someone as muscular as this guy. She must have been his type. "Depends, you payin'?" she teased. He took it as a yes.

Once he had gone and pulled Lucien away to one side (probably to tell him that a name like the Blobfish Avengers is absolutely terrible in every way), Moira turned to her partner and nudged him in the ribs. He didn't react, he was far too busy fanboying at the screen which had appeared up in the air, doing that rapidfire gibberish thing again. So she thumped him.

"Ow!"

"Guess who scored a date?!" She thumbed to herself once, twice, smirking at the other members of the group while she was at it. "This guy."

"Ah, congratulations-" Syed started, although despite his words he wasn't entirely sure what he thought about that. He never really enjoyed third wheeling. But before he could continue, Jeff was back. And he was talking business.

And Syed felt as though the whole world just dropped out from under him. No magic allowed? No magic allowed?! A look of horror settled on his features, and his hands started to tremble. It was one thing to be participating in a gods damned bloodsport, as disgusting as the thought was. This on top of that...! "Wait. Wait no I can't do this. I can't do this you know I can't fight without my magic-"

"Just stay behind me Sy," Moira shrugged, grabbing the back of his robe and shoving him towards the cage. "Don't be such a drama queen."

"No no no Moira seriously!" Syed continued to protest. He was a pure mage! He had no physical ability other than his fairly quick reaction times and the speed his tall and gangly frame naturally gave him. He had no strength. He had no proficency in any weapon whatsoever. He had no way of defending himself non-magically at all, let alone to attack. "I'll be killed in there!"

Nonetheless he was dragged down to the cage. To his doom. He shed his robe and cape, strapping on the alarmingly worn and battered light padded armour over his dark undershirt and trousers with shaking hands. He was going to die. He started getting flashbacks of the stupid training sessions his father would force upon him when he was a young teenager, as much of a monumental failiure that was. He was going to die. He had no idea what to arm himself with, and most of it was too heavy for him anyway. He was going to die.

Moira was similarly swapping her heavy steel armour for the more competition complient sets they had down here. She missed the familiar weight upon her body, but the adrenaline pumping through her body made up for it. Luckily, she was allowed to keep her sword on her, which she was very thankful for. She knew the feel and weight of this sword like nothing else.

Unlike her partner, she was very much looking forward to this. Whatever it could be, she had fought worse. She was sure this was nothing compared to the things she'd been through, even before many of those who stood beside her were born. Bring it on!

"Right, we're ready!" she called, slinging her huge greatsword over her shoulder like it weighed nothing. She didn't actually check if everyone was ready, but whatever.

And as the door opened noisily, she readily stepped through as the head of the team. Syed stepped (and remained) behind her, pale and clammy from anxiety as he held a simple bat in his somewhat slippy grip. He was used to being in peril. He was used to facing people or creatures more powerful than him or more organised than him or with an elemental advantage. He wasn't however used to being quite so helpless. He finished his silent prayer, took a deep breath, then looked straight ahead, mentally preparing himself as much as he could. It was taking all his willpower to not just have a breakdown or something, but he had to concentrate.

A large smirk spread across Moira's face as she brought her greatsword before her. The various snarls which surrounded her only made her heart beat harder, her blood pump faster. Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

She flicked her thumb across her bottom lip, followed by a wink. "Come on then, if you think you're hard enough!"

And with that, she leapt forwards.

Thaum: Coliseum
"I think I just fell for you." Lucien not knowing what to do next struck a silly pose.

Robin blinked twice before an amused smile slowly spread across her features. Well, this was new. After having been treated to “ey baby are you from outer space because your ass is outta this world" negs, somebody actually had the gall to say something (equally cheesy but) less infuriating. She beamed at the summoner after glancing at her friend, instantly making the connection that Lucien was one of the new guys Lute was supposed to tour around; Robin made the split-second decision to tuck a loose curl behind her ear and then waggle her fingers playfully at Lucien. “Good luck getting back on your feet, darling,” She replied mischievously as their group was ushered away by Jeff. She held back a laugh before turning around and heading back to her seat, which had remained empty seeing that she stuck one of her daggers upright on it; a clear challenge to anyone who wanted to steal the space.

Lute listened on carefully as Jeff explained the finer details of the competition. So magic was out, no big deal- “EXCUSE ME!? ‘No big deal’, he says. Oi mister, if I hadn’t been around half of your life, you wouldn’t be alive to see this day! So respect me!” Delilah took his thoughts as though they were barbs dipped in poison and gave the poor man a headache. Although truth be told, he couldn’t fully concentrate what with their team having a half-assed name ("The Blobfish Avengers. Watch out, they’re dangerous,” Delilah accurately joked), and the moniker itself was given by the dude who ordered the poor Ms./Mr. Blobfish for lunch. What a travesty!

He walked over to where the equipment was stored with Aria in tow, and exchanged his jacket for the (eek, smelly!) slightly damp armor, immediately wishing he didn’t as soon as his nose came in contact with the underarm seam. Lute wasn’t sure his mano y mano skills were good enough for him to be entering in this bloodbath, but hey, it was a team effort and maybe he wasn’t going to weigh the others down.

“You know, we could always quit and just eat lunch. I can cook your favorite dish,” The virtuoso told Aria, sweeping his head to the opposite side when he felt the chest armor droop. Wait, it was padded, wasn’t it? Lute twirled to the side only to see cotton balls oozing out of a burst seam on the right side of his waist. He can’t change anymore since there weren’t any more outfits his size, and if he used a clothing size that was bigger he’d take longer to readjust it to his form. Just great. Lute blew his cheeks out in disdain, tried to block out the smell of blood, sweat and body odor, then glanced at Jeff.

Why did the gladiator keep looking at him like he was expecting something? No, worse; like Jeff was comparing Lute with someone else. Someone more badass.

In any case, the lot of them was ushered inside cage number 3. Lute took their entrance seriously, his eyes raking the other nearby cages to see the other teams. Everyone seemed to be burly, and he was just glad they had Moira on their side.

Delilah instantly had his attention pinned to the snarls reverberating from the adjacent cage. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness, but… Lute clapped his hands repeatedly, closing his eyes and building a mental image of the thing(s) in the darkness, which was actually pretty hard since the noises they were making kept messing up his effort. Like a pulse, the sound he created washed over their form, showing him straight, muscled legs, open jaws, upright ears-

“Oh, wolves,” Lute declared. “A pack of them.”
Just if anybody wanted to know.

The gates facing each respective team swung open and indeed, a pack of wolves sprung out, baring their teeth and snapping at the humans.

“Aria, I think lunch is out. Maybe dinner. With my sister? Hopefully we don’t get eaten first,” The virtuoso swung the sword he had chosen and braced.

Thaum: Coliseum

Aria watched with interest as Lulu greeted the woman who had come out of the crowd. Was she a friend of his? She certainly was pretty. Aria eyed the woman’s chest almost enviously as the rules were explained.

Before Lute could introduce the two ladies, their team (The Blobfish Avengers? Nobody else had anything so that was most likely their name now. Lovely.) was escorted to the door where weapons and armors hung on racks for the challengers to pick from. The muscled man gave them another few rules before departing, leaving the team to their own devices.

No magic was allowed, huh? She picked up a bundle of throwing knives, checking their balance before strapping them around her waist in the belt they came with. That would certainly make things much more challenging, especially for Syed and Lucien. She glanced at them in worry and noted to keep an eye on the two men while strapping on the lightest and least restricting armor she could find in the pile. Usually she would have forgone the extra bulk with her knives hidden underneath her clothing being adequate defenses, but in this case it would be better to play it safe with some extra covering.

“You know, we could always quit and just eat lunch. I can cook your favorite dish,”

Aria turned to see Lute struggling with his armor and huffed in soft laughter. She placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, turning him around and adjusting the straps on the back so the padded leather sat more snugly on his form.

“As lovely as that sounds, I think it’s a bit late to back out now.” She gave him a pat, before following the virtuoso through the doors and into the cage in the arena. From what she could see most of the teams were much burlier and tougher looking than theirs, but she was rather determined to put on a good show for the spectators in the stands.

She shifted on the balls of her feet as the pack of wolves were released from their cages, glancing up at Lute when he spoke again.

“Aria, I think lunch is out. Maybe dinner. With my sister? Hopefully we don’t get eaten first,”

“Dinner sounds wonderful,” she laughed in response, drawing the longest knife from her belt and getting ready to follow Moira in attacking. “What do you say we tag team that mean looking guy?” She motioned to one of the larger snarling wolves. “Just like old times.” With a quick confirmation from Lute she turned back to Lucien. "Be careful, Lucy! Don't try anything I wouldn't, now." With a wink she leaped forward, joining the fray.

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens (Group A)

Trixie's enthusiasm proved to be contagious. "Ready when you are." Xan replied as she raised her net skyward. The girl pointed it towards the red zone then gave her companions a smile. This would definitely be an interesting competition.

“Tap out! Tap out! Lil’ Bro! Sis!Tap me ouuuuuuuut~!”

Xan laughed a little. Seeing the confident and heroic Don this way was a little funny. She gave him a tap on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, like Dylan said we'll do fine. You guys defeated a demon, right?" Lucien had been more than happy to tell her about the adventures he had gone on. It had also been an opportunity for her friend to show off. "This will a piece of cake for you guys," she paused to shrug. "Who knows, we might stand a chance at winning."

Before she could finish giving him a pep talk the ground rumbled and a giant worm thing appeared.

They were supposed to capture that thing? How was that a bug? They had children in this competition...what on earth? Maybe that was why the zones were kept far apart? Xan gaped at the giant insect. Maybe it'd be best if they spent the rest of their afternoon in another zone?

"Are we supposed to catch that thing?" Xan stared at the tiny net in her hands then at her friends.

Don quickly made his escape and ran even deeper into the red zone. It hadn't been announced but the darker the color of the zone, the larger and weirder the insects and wildlife. If Don were to proceed even farther he would eventually reach the black zone.

"Don, wait--" before Xan could call out, he was gone.

“Bring it on!!”

The girl looked at the enthusiastic Estelle. She wasn't sure this was a good idea, but it was just a worm thing...so what could possibly go wrong. Dylan offered to draw a net for them and Xan nodded. "That's a good idea." It was much better than using their tiny nets. Dylan drew up a net and Xan grabbed the other side.

The giant bug, enraged by Estelle's net twirling opened up its mouth and spat at them. A slimy liquid flew towards the pride before the worm launched itself at them. It wasn't very fast but it had a lot of creepy legs and it didn't seem happy at all.

Deeper inside the red zone something was observing Don. He was making a lot of noise and it wasn't happy, from one of the trees a giant spider decided to fall.





Thaum: Colosseum (Group B)

No magic. He was screwed.

Lucien shared a look of horror with Syed before turning to look at the equipment. He had no training with weapons at all. Well, he could always wave around a sword. Besides, it was for sport so no one was going to die, right?

At that moment a bleeding man on stretcher was rushed out of the Colosseum.

Lucien paled at the sight. The man's wounds looked fascinating, but the thought of being turned into a bloody pulp frightened the summoner. He swapped out his robe for the padded armor. The helmet smelled a little funny but he'd live. He walked up towards the weapon rack and picked up the lightest looking sword. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than his deck of cards. He swung it around a little before a dopey grin lit up his face. THIS, this was so cool!

He noticed that most of the men and women competing were athletic looking. It made sense seeing warriors since magic was not a part of the competition. The Blobfish Avengers were ushered into their cage and a flamboyant looking man appeared on the screen.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen to the annual monster fighting competition. Last year we had solo fights but this time the competitors will be fighting in teams!" The crowd erupted into cheers. "This year we will be having the Blood Wolves! The Dark Dragons! The Berserk Bears and the Blobfish Avengers!" The first three groups were supported with cheers but when the last group was shown on screen most of the crowd went silent. They were an odd bunch and a few of them looked as if they had no weapon experience whatsoever. "Let us begin round one!" The screen revealed the arena and suddenly wolves sprang into each gave.

"Come on then, if you think you're hard enough!"

Well, Moira was certainly excited and Aria didn't look fazed either. "Y-Yeah, thanks." He gave Aria a thumbs up before turning to look at Syed with a nervous grin. "Let's show them what the Blobfish Avengers can do--" the wolves didn't wait for him to finish talking and one pounced at Moira. Lucien let out a little yell before he hopped back and held out the sword. "Um, bad dog!" The wolf began pacing around him and he found himself right beside Syed. "This was probably a bad idea, yeah?"

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens (Group A)

Trixie reached out for her superbro as he scampered off deeper into the garden the second they were met with what looked like an enormous leech. Estelle had the right idea in mind, prepping her net as if it were a spear, preparing to take down that monster and capture it as if it were a collectible. Despite its size trumping that of their nets.

As Xandra dashed to retrieve the larger net Dylan brought to life, the monster began to gurgle something nasty before spewing green slime at the Pride. Undeterred, Trixie took off with her smaller net towards the leech, completely dodging its slow attempts to thwart its captors. "Xanny, Supersis! I'll attack his weak points for massive damage! Then you guys go around and capture him and stuff!"

Oh omelets, it felt so cool to shout orders like this, even if they weren't the brightest things that came out of her mouth. Then again, that was pretty normal for Trixie.

She reached the leech's side, and the leech let out a mighty, gurgly roar, lifting its head even higher and wriggling its scrubby sausage legs. That's when she knew - that's when she knew it was her turn to strike. "Hiyaaaah!" Trixie let out a battlecry as she whacked the creature on its side. Of course, it didn't fit entirely into the net, since the net's circumference was smaller than the leech's thickness, but Trixie was smart enough to realize this. So instead of forcing the net further into the leech, she pulled back from the leech's jiggly skin and whacked it again.

Once more its skin jiggled, rippling like a rock skipping across a pond.

Silently and almost quizzically, the leech turned to look at Trixie, its legs still squiggling and squirming, as the prankster pulled back and whacked at it a third time. It was probably going to spew some more acidic saliva once it realized what the fool was doing, though Trixie was far too carried away to even think about it.

"Guys! Guys, it's weakened! Capture it now before it faints!"

She paid no mind to any other monsters in the vicinity, including the giant spider inadvertently summoned by Don's frenzy.

---

Thaum: Colosseum (Group B)

The hesitation put on by Syed and Lucien off the bat was anything but reassuring, but at least Moira was there to make up for the shifty confidence. Even when their own team was announced on screen, Amy hesitated to do any other cheering than a slow clap, during which she looked to Selan for her reaction.

It was then that the wolves were released. "Hm? Wolves, huh?" Amy leaned forward in her sticky seat, elbow on her knee and chin in her hand. Lute readied his sword and Aria charged forth first, as a wolf pounced after Moira. Then the two nervous boys found themselves cornered and, oh Gods. Amy's face slid into her hand, shielding one eye from view completely. "Tell me when this is over."

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

'Don't hurt the bugs with the nets', she said. 'They're so cute and interesting', she said. But the sight of the thing made Lisette cry out in shock just like the others. While Don bolted for the forest, the remaining Guilders stood their ground, ready to try and capture the giant worm.

Kapi pushed Isaac with his nose in the opposite direction of the worm; he didn't think he had enough secret hidden magic to take on a bug of this size.

Trixie leapt into action, and to their surprise, the tiny trickster seemingly whittled away its energy with every thwack of the net.

"Guys! Guys, it's weakened! Capture it now before it faints!"

Amy and Estelle rushed to help Xandra and Dylan with the giant net, and with a quick count of three and a big push, launched the net high up into the air and over its head... face... thing.

The scene turned for the ridiculous as one would think a giant worm would shrug off a net only covering a small portion of its body -- After all, it could clearly still see them, and its movement wasn't hindered in the least. But instead, the creature suddenly relaxed and lowered itself to the ground, fully subdued (but still drooling acid).

"Woah, way to go everyone!" Lisette cheered. "That has to be, like, a jillion points!"

---

Thaum: Coliseum

Amy clapped slowly and glanced sideways at Selan's face, looking for a reaction.

Upon hearing their chosen team name and seeing not just Syed in armor, but Lucien as well, Selan's attempt at a smile quickly turned into a grimace. She had the utmost confidence in Moira, and Aria seemed capable, but the men, stripped of their robes and magic...

"This... isn't going to end well, is it?" Selan asked, wringing the end of her robe in her hands.

"COME ON!" A woman behind them howled, stamping her heavy boot on the ground. "If I were in there, I'dve ripped a wolf's head clean off his body by now! And eaten it! And who let that toothpick in there!?"

"Oi! If you think you could take 'em, you shoulda entered!" The man next to Amy spat, nearly whacking her as he turned around in his seat.

"I could say the same to you, you spineless git!"

"I... I had a big lunch, okay!?"

Selan looked on worriedly. If they didn't win over the crowd soon, Selan and Amy could get caught in a riot.

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

“Yeah, take that!!” Estelle screamed, her pointed at the voluminous leech monster as Trixie continued to deftly smack it over and over again from all around its body. The monster turned and followed the pranksters’ perplexing actions, unable to properly decide how to take it, whilst at the same time its precious hp began to dwindle, just enough for the coup de grace. “Now, Lisette!” The redhaired grinned at her friend, and holding two sides of the outstretched net that Dylan had conjured, they threw it over the foul beast, subduing it completely.

“We did it!” Estelle bounced up and down, slapping the hands of all her friends with a cheerful high five, before coming to a stop once she realised the count was somehow… off.

“Wait, where’s Don?”



“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa~~~~****”

Don’s arms and legs spun wildly like a bicycle, as he dashed further and further into the forest, away from the disgusting leech monster and the rest of his friends. With leaves becoming caught in his hair and his head bouncing off branches, Don could scarcely see anything in his tear filled panic. And so it was hardly surprising when Don’s foot snagged an exposed root of one tree and tripped over it completely, landing face first into the dirt.

“Oww…” The bro whined, stretching his body up as a trickle of blood ran from his nose. The sharp pain was enough to make him finally realise the dangers of blind running, and it helped him to starting calming down. For ten seconds at least, for after turning around upon feeling something strange tapping on his shoulder…

He saw a long, impossibly long, furry leg of many tapping him, connected to a bulbous, ballooning torso and head filled with a saliva dripping maw and eight blinking red eyes, pressed close to his face, staring at him.

The Pride overwatching the defeated leech could hear yet another highpitched wail come from further into the forest.

Don had turned to run wildly again, his arms thrown into the air and tears streaming into his face, as he crossed into the black zone with the skittering spider hot on his heels. Unfortunately for Don, the black zone was home to many more of the same giant spider too. As well as something even more horrifying…!

Thaum: Bugtanical Gardens

It worked! Dylan let out a whoop of excitement when the bug literally just laid down and gave up. “Nice job, Wondergal!” It seemed to be an easy catch, too easy, and he had no idea how they would bring it back, but it was sure to win.

“Wait, where’s Don?”

That brought him out of his gloating. “Oh, shoot,” he muttered as he spun in a circle, trying to remember which way his Big Bro had ran. “I think it was...” he stopped and pointed down the path to the Black Zone, even deeper into the forest. “That way.”

A loud scream echoed down the path at the moment, confirming that he had indeed fled in that direction. Dylan let out a heavy sigh. “Maybe we should split up. A couple of us should stay here with our catch, but...we need to find Don and bring him back.” 

Shoulders held firm, he started to march down the path deeper into the woods, chasing after his Big Bro while praying that no more insane creepy-crawlies would appear. He knew his prayers were in vain, that the entire point of the Bugtanical Gardens was to have these creatures, but still...

“Yo, Big Bro!” he called out. “It’s me, just follow my voice and get back here okay?”

Thaum: Colosseum - Cage 3
“Oh, wolves,” Lute had declared. “A pack of them.”

Well, he sure was bang on the money. Somehow. Even Syed's wierd electroradar thing wasn't as accurate as that shit. Not that Moira was in the slightest bit fazed.

Wolves?

Please.

One of them leapt for her, all glistening teeth and snapping jaws. Aria had mentioned something about aiming for one of the larger members of the pack, although the mention of old times made her pretty sure she wasn't talking to her. Unless by old times she meant the still fairly recent losing miserably to a bunch of oiled up ponces in a beachball game. Wait a minute other than the music guy weren't they all the same people here again?!

She swung her huge sword around, throwing it from one hand to the other before catching the wolf and dashing it across it's middle. Her grin widened as blood drops decorated the air in her wake.

"HEY!" Moira yelled, her eyes not leaving the wolves for a second. She stamped one foot out, every movement of hers while lacking entirely in grace was bursting with solidity and power. Turning, she span on her grounded foot and lashed out, her sword swinging out and striking another wolf as it leapt at Aria from behind. She may well have reacted in time, but Moira wasn't going to take the risk. "Think we need to thin 'em out a bit before you get any grand ideas, love!"

Another wolf leapt for her from behind, and at first Moira didn't even move. That was, until her eyes suddenly flicked to one side...

She span once more on her foot, before grasping the snapping wolf right out of the air by it's neck. Still holding her sword in her other hand, she threw the thing straight across the cage, it screaming all the while.

...Just as a much larger wolf took advantage of this opportunity, ramming into her and pushing her against the metal bars. She was winded, and although she brought her sword forward once more, she would never get the hit in before it got to her first...



"This was probably a bad idea, yeah?"

"A bad idea?! A BAD IDEA?!" Syed practically shreiked, his eyes wild with fear. "No kidding it was a bad bloody idea!!!"

His eyes were fixed on the wolf which had now cornered them both. Shimmering strings of saliva fell from it's sharp toothed maw. "They... they have fed them, right?" he said shakily as he began to slowly step backwards. He didn't fancy being some wolf's dinner.

The wolf continued to close down on them. Syed took the opportunity to swing his bat somewhat pathetically at the beast. He had no idea what he was doing at all!

The wolf responded by snatching the bat clean out of his hands and throwing it to the floor. Oh.

"Lucien, you're the funniest guy I've ever met," Syed said quickly. "It's been an honour, you know?"

His thumb repeatedly rubbed over the ring he still wore on his finger. It was taking all he could to suppress his magic with his mental state being like this. He could feel his own magical ability fighting against him, trying to get out and obey his desire for self-preservation. And here he was, trying to supress that! He could just cast now. He could disqualify the team, help end it quickly. That thought was the reason he still wore his focus, that pesky worst case senario his mind kept playing back. But...

But the others were relying on him. He clenched his fists. If he ended up getting injured badly enough he probably won't be able to help himself anymore, but he'll try his best. For the others who were fighting their hardest, for Amy and Selan who he knew were watching but daren't look to check, and for the heckling and booing crowds. The latter made him flush a bit though.

His eyes flicked to the bat, just a little behind the wolf. If Lucien could distract it he could pick it up again and... smack it a bit? He was pretty low on options here. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again however, another wolf leapt for them, it's tongue hanging out from between those razor sharp teeth.

Syed's expression became very much one of 'oh crap' as he flinched and attempted to dodge...