A Gift From A Friend

In the stands, the crowd shouted and cheered as the Tuscans advanced mercilessly toward the cornered witch. 

Certainly, a majority of the common people wanted to see Heila overcome impossible odds yet again. Already, she had defeated forty men in a series of increasingly lopsided matches that pitted some of the most capable of High Fen City's gladiators against the witch from the Vale of Mists. 

Only the most revered champions had refused to take to the sands, believing it would stain their honor to participate in a match that was so unfavorable to their opponent, though a few of them had begun to hope that Heila might entertain a proper challenge for single combat if she survived this ordeal. 

A small number of residents in High Fen City had taken the chance to bet against the outsider who had, in their minds, humiliated many of the city's most famed gladiators. Seeing Ipiktok's unrelenting advance, they raised their voices and called out for blood!