The Battle of Pankreata

Red didn't have the time to prepare herself.

The warriors immediately ran to the center of the arena and fought in pairs; save for the teenage boy who still stood at the edge. He looked to his right and a blinding light escaped the tips of his fingers.

Where he pointed, a cradle materialized out of thin air and he gently placed the little girl. She had such angelic features and her doll-like eyes shone the perfect sky blue it was like she could see right through anyone.

Pinkish circles adorned her cherub cheeks and she touched her teen warrior's head as if to pat him good luck. The boy smiled at her, pecked her forehead then placed the cradle outside the circle. He turned a full one-eighty and vanished out of Red's vision.

What the fuck happened? He didn't have the power of invisibility, did he?

At the far end of the arena, Ari had engaged into a fist fight with the middle-aged looking model blondie while Wolfe was currently in an arm lock with the shapeshifter warrior.

Before Red could blink, the teenage boy appeared in front of her and she did a double-take and tripped, the clumsy girl that she was. He quickly grabbed her hand and saved her from falling on her butt.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mademoiselle Ruby Rose Springfield." He said as he kissed her hand lightly. His sweet face showing not even a sliver of threat yet trust was not a thing for Red. She looked at him incredulously.

"I am Nickolai, Lady Stella Marie Celestiana's sworn warrior. She expects great things from you Mademoiselle." He introduced himself in a courtly manner.

"What the heck?" was all Red could utter. She was unsure what she should say to this boy. What did he mean by his lady expecting great things from her?

"I'll get back to the challenge now. Don't let your warrior die Mademoiselle." He turned and walked away in a jolly manner towards the four warriors who were fighting in the arena, pointing his fingers left and right. His

Was this kid serious? It was as if he was choosing which fight to join like it was any other day of playing sports with his friends on an open court.

There was a huge blast and Red saw that the Latina beauty had whipped a huge ass vine at the teen's direction yet missed. The boy had suddenly vanished yet again!

Red suddenly jolted and realized Ari had mentioned that the candidates could assist their warriors. She saw Noelle from afar and she gave Red a flying kiss before she raised her hands and chanted a spell.

Dark clouds formed above Wolfe and the shapeshifter's head, and a flash of lightning crackled. The two broke off from the arm lock as the other warrior escaped the thousand voltage attack from Noelle.

At the other side, Ari and the blondie continued to spar with swift punches and kicks. Here and there Ari would release an attack enveloped with his wind magic and his opponent would side step and jump back to avoid getting slashed by Ari's raging winds.

Red tried to take aim just as how Noelle did. She surmised this was what the herald meant with the maidens to assist. To either attack the opponent or to defend her own warrior.

"Fiore statario!" she chanted an attack spell.

Flashes of darting flames shot from where Red stood and she missed just a fraction of a millimeter as they fought in a fast paced deadly dance inside the arena.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath.

It was a good thing Ari wasn't hit. Her flames flew straight past them and into the yellow walls of the battle arena just above where the little bitch had been standing.

The tiny teenage brat jumped back as pieces of broken materials rained down on where she stood. She squinted her golden cat eyes at Red and pointed her gun towards Ari. The sound of her successive bullets leaving the barrel of her gun echoed in the circular battle grounds.

Red frantically aimed towards her trajectory and released blasts of fire to counterattack her water bullets. Thankfully, she was quick enough and was able to block her retaliation.

She raised a middle finger and proclaimed war with the tiny bitch, to which the child snickered. She aimed her gun again, but this time it was towards Wolfe. Red let her be and focused her attention on protecting her own warrior.

She breathed in and out, steadily building up the magic that was within her. Summoning spells after spells was tiring her and depleting her of her already dwindling energy. She wasn't fully recovered yet from using too much magic back at the island, but she thinks she could manage.

She should.

Ari needs her and she must.

She can't abandon him right now. She knew Ari was not in his top shape as well from being captured but he bravely dashed in to take part in this battle of Pankreata.

What did she do to deserve him really?

The crowds continued to cheer and throw in random insults at the warriors. The men roared while the women laughed at the maidens. Some young ladies actually swooned at the display of muscles and strength.

"Kill! Do something fun and entertaining!" someone shouted from the bleachers above Red. She looked up to see a merman who was bare-chested, the scales on his body a shiny array of pink and orange she immediately thought of salmon meat and sushi.

Her stomach growled at an inappropriate moment.

"Concentrate Red. Don't screw this up." She slapped herself. "Ari needs you. He shouldn't fight on his own. You are here and you can do it!"

Pointing her hands towards the arena, she called forth her magic and chanted,

"Flames of the faey,

Light up the path to triumph.

Eliminate thy enemy,

Who dares to inflict injury.

Heed my call,"

"Aparela brazea liefe!"

Red had practiced this spell with Archer back at the apartment when they had their lessons on defense magic. Ari felt something warm come up to envelop him. It was a reassuring feeling, like a mother's protective embrace.

When his opponent threw in a punch and he blocked with his arm, the guy howled in pain as his fist burst into flames. The spell she casted was something that acted as a protective spell. When casted on a living person and if anyone should dare touch him, they would spontaneously ignite.

Quite funny though, when she tried it for the first time on Archer they had ended up arguing because she actually burned his hair instead of protecting anything.

Come to think of it, Red wondered how was Archer doing back at the coast. Sir Arthur was with him so he probably wouldn't have to be bored to death.

'You are doing pretty fine for someone who awakened at the last minute.' A girl's voice ringed in her head.

Red saw Ari throw in a left uppercut, followed by a side jab at the blondie. When his fists made contact, the man's head and upper body was immediately engulfed in Red's flames.

His candidate, the Latina beauty, sent vines to withdraw her warrior away and tried to extinguish the flames that spread throughout his body.

The surrounding arena had become a warzone, craters big and small, the walls crumbled from missed attacks from the candidates. Wolfe had his foot on top of the immobilized shapeshifter who laid on the ground bloodied, the tiny bitch cursing at the sides.

Wolfe and Noelle's small triumph faded as Wolfe suddenly lurched and whimpered. Out of nowhere, a kick from the teenage boy had broken most of his ribs.

Nickolai fashioned a fencing sword out of light and pointed it towards Wolfe. He will admit defeat and this battle should soon be over. Last two warriors to take care of.

'Who is this? Why are you in my head?' she asked the voice.

'You have your mother's eyes. And the mark… dear great spirits, the Springfield's quest is nigh.'