Enchantress

Black eyes swept over the edge of the lighted arena. Twenty-two people were standing inside in all sorts of cloths. Some were trembling, some feigning courage, and then some, holding weapons with faces that have seen fights and wars. These different people from different walks of life now stand in a circle.

Four black shadows fell from the light above them. Long slender arms and legs, stretched faces and an overwhelming stench of decayed matter invaded their senses. Demons!

But those demons weren't as stealthy as the ones in battlefields. They seem weaker and slower. Yllana's black eyes met another brown pair. With a nod, they both dashed forward while grabbing their swords from their sides. Yllana lept in the air to reach the demon's flinging arms and slashed them. The man who was running with her slipped below the demon and cut its legs. When the demon howled, its face stretched to the floor.

Screams and shouts rang in the air as blood scattered everywhere. Yllana's eyes locked onto the demon's neck as she landed behind it. With another dash, she stepped into the demon's back and plunged her sword straight into its neck. Black liquid gushed out of the demon's body.

"Three more..." she whispered to the man beside her. He looks older than her with his beard and mustache hiding half of his face but nevertheless, his battle skills were on par with her even if he doesn't look like a warrior.

"B-bone crusher..."

Cracking bones then soon was heard with a loud howl. The demon's spine bent backward and then slowly bent to the left. The spell took a toll revealing that the mage was still not that powerful enough to use the spell to its fullest. The girl who used the spell started trembling. Her eyes were wide open and her hands were crumpling her skirt. It was the same girl who woke her up earlier.

"Shadow serpents," Five snake-like shadows flowed from Yllana's hands and crawled fast to the ground. Yllana eyed the three remaining demons. The shadow serpents swirled their bodies onto the legs of the three demons and pulled them off of the arena. When the demon's reached the shadowed part of the arena, they howled even louder.

Yllana then pulled the demons to the lowest part off of the stage that her serpents could take them. When they heard the sounds of ripping flesh, the noise died down. Yllana summoned back her shadow serpents and heaved a sigh.

"So, this is how the rumored magical emperor gets his kicks? Kidnapping people to be his entertainers for a short while? What a unique way to 'send' threats to your kingdom. I must say I am astonished by that little brain of yours." A gorgeous woman dressed in a red robe walked to an edge of the arena. All of them woke up in that raised platform. The bottom was so dark that no one can see what is below them.

The woman spat as she threw an ordinary ring into the darkness to know how deep that was. Second, after second they waited. There was no sound. "Whoever made this arena must be a madman!" After half an hour...

Ting!

Yllana's eyes squinted. Only death awaits those who will off of the stage. And time is passing by without any more information about the tournament. The silence was unbearable.

From one of the dark corners inside the arena, a pair of lips curved into a smirk. His purple eyes shined with amusement as he whispered something to an aide by his side.

"Who have battle experiences here before? Quick, tell me!" Yllana whispered in a haste. Time is running out. Her eyes darted from one side to another trying to catch even the smallest of details in her surroundings.

Three people raised their hands and the rest just shook their heads. "That makes four of us. If you want to survive, all of us must give a hand into whatever challenge they throw at us. The more heads and hands that work, the more likely we could all survive. Bring out weapons that we can use."

"Mages? Domes for humans not to fall off the stage, can you do that? Take turns. Warriors, teach them the basics for defense and attack, close-range first. Hurry." Her voice echoed through the arena, 'It's a closed space. We need to fight our way out.' Her thoughts were going through some new spells going on through her head. There are some she could not muster because she doesn't have a staff yet to concentrate her powers to.

"And what about me?" She swayed her hips while walking. Her red lips curved seductively as she went nearer Yllana. "A girl knowing battle strategies...such a rare species." She held Yllana's chin on the tip of her finger and smiled.

"What can you do?" Yllana nudged the woman's hand off of her face then stepped back a little. Somehow she finds this woman dangerous.

"Enchantress...at your service." Her words sparked an interest in Yllana.

"Just don't use your techniques on any of us. Grab any weapon you can wield. Let's guard the four corners. And reserve your energy when there is no need to fight." Her mind kept going back to the wars she went through when she was little. Everything was bloody. Yet right now, she might also be covered in blood in the end but this is no war that they were going into. She gritted her teeth. 'Just what tournament is that emperor talking about?'

Two hours passed. They were all sitting in the arena. Some have stayed awake and some have slept. Since no one died yet from the first stage of their tournament, they all tried their best to take turns in taking naps and standing guards.

Creak.

Yllana's eyes turned to the light above them. The sound came from the light. She pointed her readied her sword by her side and eyed the three men who knew how to fight. A girl on her right cast a dome on them.

Ting, ti-ting, ting...

"Bells?" They all whispered to one another. The tinkling sound continued as they noticed a figure in white slowly descending from the light. The figure was covered in a bright halo from head to toe. Four dual-band bangles with small little bells are on her wrists and ankles. It made small tinkling sounds when she moved.

"Imari!" The girl in the red dress shouted as she stepped slowly to the center of the platform. Her eyes were sharp as she smiled coyly at a side on the shadows. "You plan on using my sister against us?"

"Why is your sister here?" Yllana asked. She observed that the two are very different. The older one had black hair and black eyes while the young girl had yellow hair and white eyes. How are they sisters in any way?

"She is under their spell." A moment later, in front of the red-robed girl, the small figure of a young girl came into view. She had short yellow hair and dark skin. Her lashes were slightly drooped like someone ready to sleep.

"Look at her eyes. Why is it...empty?" someone from their group raised a dagger and pointed at the girl's blank stare.

"Kheera," for a moment, the little girl mentioned a name, and her eyes glowed a brilliant green. Then faded again.

"Tsk, such an old trick." Yllana was smirking as she pulled Kheera behind her. "Don't believe in anything that you see." She was about to draw her sword from its hilt when a soft white hand held her wrist.

"I won't. So let me free my own sister." Kheera went closer to Imari step by step until she was facing her a few feet away. "And if I fail, kill us both."

Red cloth fluttered and circled around the center of the arena covering Kheera's entire being.

Clink, cli-clink, clink, cli-clink, clink...

More tinkling and clinking sounds filled the air. As the red cloth encircling the red figure danced, it revealed another face. Long yellow hair fell down to the ground. Ocean blue eyes filled with regret and sadness blinked twice. When the dance of the cloth came to a stop, numerous bangles on Kheera's arms and ankles emerged out of thin air.

"Remember what I told you. Don't believe in anything that you see." Yllana reminded her from the back. She just replied with a small smile and started to fold her hands up in the air.

She made a motion with her hands as if writing in thin air. It only happened for briefly a few seconds. Then she blew on her palm on what appeared to be dust on her hands.

Wailing sounds and shrieks spread throughout. The thin voices were like cat claws scraping against metal. It was so annoying that all of them covered their ears in an instant.

Beside Kheera, four small black puffs of smoke emerged. Seeming that the smokes had life, each puff tumbled and huffed until each puff took a shape of a small human being with wings.

"Sprites!"

"That couldn't be. Why are they...decaying?"

"Dead sprites. Enchantresses can also call on dead creatures. Deadly isn't it?"

When they all saw the sprites appeared beside Kheera, their hair stood on its ends. There was rotting flesh falling off of one of the sprite's cheek. Other parts of them showed bones under the torn little clothing. These are dead sprites with sharp little teeth painted with faded blood.