Chapter 4: Mind Your Deals

THE CROWD GOES WILD. A deafening roar swept through the arena, a sound wave of pure ecstasy and disbelief. Men, women, and creatures of all shapes and sizes screamed, gestured, some falling to their knees in reverence to the spectacle of power they had just witnessed. The Ruby Titan, the Queen's invincible beast, lay defeated.

In the royal box, the queen showed an expression of fury and hatred that distorted her beautiful features. Her eyes, previously cold and calculating, now blazed with an incandescent rage. She raised her hand, the intention to pronounce a cruel judgment hanging in the air thick with dust and blood.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Some in the audience shouted, thirsty for more blood, accustomed to the cruel entertainment of the arena.

But Akane stands up, her voice echoing with surprising clarity over the pandemonium. "He won the fight! He's alive!" The other elves, Aela and Eryndora, rise too, their shouts of support joining Akane's. "Alive! Alive! Alive!" They encourage the audience, their faces showing a mixture of relief and defiance. Slowly, hesitant at first, but with growing conviction, the crowd begins to rise, the cry of "Alive!" gaining strength, drowning out the calls for more violence.

The queen, with a tense jaw and pursed lips, reluctantly gives a thumbs-up, a forced nod of acknowledgment of the victory. The audience explodes in a new delirium, the sound of their shouts and banging on the stands almost deafening.

Daniel, despite his terrible injuries, the pain throbbing in every fiber of his being, knew he wouldn't survive much longer without healing. With colossal effort, he raised his head, his eyes fixed on the royal box. "– You promised the crown," his hoarse voice was barely audible, "...deliver it to the elves."

The queen, with a dangerous glint in her eyes, gave a dismissive command to a nearby guard. "– Well, great show. Now leave," she ordered, her voice cold as ice.

Daniel ignored the order, his attention still fixed on the queen. "– The second part of the deal... you granted me the right to kill anyone in this arena without retaliation. Will you keep your word, queen?"

A chilling smile curved the queen's lips. "– The Queen of the Fairies always keeps her word, filthy human."

"– I want a spear," Daniel demanded, his voice gaining a little more strength with the adrenaline.

The queen let out a short, bitter laugh. "– Give this garbage a spear."

A guard hesitated for an instant before obeying, handing a cold, sharp-pointed metal spear to Daniel. With a grunt of effort, Daniel raised the spear with his left arm, the only one that still seemed functional. The audience went wild again, a primal roar of "Hoooooooooo!" echoing through the arena. "Kill! Kill! Kill!" They banged frantically on the stands, eager for what was to come.

The elves exchanged apprehensive glances. What was he thinking? They had already won. He was almost dead, he needed help, not more fighting.

Daniel took a deep breath, gathering the last sparks of his life force, anger and determination bubbling in his veins. His tense muscles contracted, his posture changing, assuming the berserker fury that had driven him in battle. "– GO TO HELL, YOU BITCH!" He shouted, his voice thick with hatred and pain.

With a quick and precise movement, driven by surprising strength, he threw the spear. It whizzed through the air like a metal lightning bolt, the sharp tip seeking its target. The spear hit the Fairy Queen squarely in the chest, the force of the impact throwing her violently against the wall of her box. The spear embedded itself in the wall, impaling her there, her eyes wide with shock and pain.

"– You filthy mutt…" she whispered, blood bubbling on her lips before her head lolled to the side, her eyes losing the light of life.

Daniel collapsed to his knees again, his body trembling, the darkness of unconsciousness finally swallowing him. The audience exploded in an even greater delirium, banging and shouting in celebration of the chaos and carnage.

Akane acted quickly. Without hesitation, she grabbed Daniel, signaling to Aela and Eryndora. In an instant, magical energy enveloped them, and the four disappeared from the arena in a flash of light, teleporting out of that place of horror and bloody triumph. They ran quickly through the dark tunnel leading to the portal, without looking back, knowing that the fury they had unleashed would pursue them. The priority now was one: get Daniel to a safe place and try, desperately, to heal his mortal wounds.