"You..." Vral's eyes locked onto my extended hand. "You want me to... take your hand?"

"Yeah!" I grinned. "Our friends are here. It's time for us to get the others and go."

"Could it be?!" The announcer asked the audience. "Is he doing what I think he's doing?"

The audience got deathly quiet.

Vral's hand twitched. "So forward..." Slowly, she reached her hand toward mine. When our fingers brushed, she whispered, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I promised, didn't I?" Tristan and the others were here. I knew we'd be safe in no time. Plus, it was easier to stand after a hard fight when someone helped you up, and it was sportsmanlike.

"Offering your hand is a lot more than you promised me!" Her green face was turning red.

"Yeah, well, I'm a giving kind of guy." Vral had the weirdest hang-ups.

"Idiot..." Her fingers started curling around mine. "What will Tristan think?"

"We're completely in sync when it comes to this stuff. She'd offer her hand to you, too." Why was she worried about Tristan? I mean, I knew Vral and I had been flirt fighting pretty hard, but it was harmless. Mostly. Kind of. I mean... My heart was a mess. I knew I loved Tristan, but I also wanted Vral with us. She needed us. We all really needed to have a talk.

"THE IRON SENTINEL HAS WON HIS FIGHT AGAINST THE UNDEFEATED SLASHER AND HAS ALSO EXTENDED HIS HAND!! NO ONE COULD HAVE EVER PREDICTED SUCH A ROMANTIC OUTCOME TO THE PIT'S FINAL, MOST BRUTAL FIGHT! AND, WHAT'S MORE, IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S WILLING TO TAKE HIS HAND, FOLKS! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE SENTINEL KNEW HOW TO COURT A GOBLIN LADY RIGHT?! SORRY LADIES. THE THIRD SPOT IS ALREADY TAKEN!"

Romantic? Court? Had I done something weird?

The audience's reaction was electric and explosive. I was certain the arena would come down on us this time, and from what people were screaming, by helping her stand up, it was as if I'd asked her to marry me or something.

"Treat her well, Sentinel!"

"It should have been me!"

"Pick me for your fourth!"

"Cheating bastard!"

"Alex!!!"

That last voice got my attention. Looking up, I saw Tristan leaning halfway out of Elise's box, one hand cupped over her mouth, the other pointing to another box.

Aerell's box.

Looking where she was pointing, I saw Aerell's face had gone ghostly white. Beside her, the woman who'd been cackling had her hand outstretched, and blood-red flames were roaring in her palm... and she was pointing her spell directly at us. Worse, I could feel the heat from here. Not good. Really, very not good.

"What's happening, folks?!" The announcer screamed. "Is this part of the show?!!"

No. It wasn't. I could feel it in my bones.

Vral's fingers slipped out of mine as I stepped over her, shielding her from the flames.

"They wanted me dead that bad?!" Vral hissed. "All I did was steal some money and kill some of their men!"

"Well, you stole from the wrong people!" I crouched down and wrapped my entire body around hers.

"What are you doing?" She tried to move, but I wouldn't let her out. This is where she'd be safe.

"Keeping you alive." Holding my shield above us, I turtled up and whispered, "I've got you."

She grabbed the collar of my breastplate and pulled herself to my chest. Face in my neck, she whispered, "I know."

The heat above us doubled.

"Brace yourself, Vral."

"This is going to hurt." Her entire body tensed.

"Yup!" Wrapping my arm around her slim waist, I pulled her to my chest, until our bodies were one. For some reason, that made my new Guardian talent trigger:

[Rampart]

A thick blue aura shimmered to life over my skin, then extended out. Glancing around my shield, I saw that a large ghostly shield had appeared above us. Beyond it, I saw that the woman's flames had doubled in size and were quickly growing, casting a deep red glow over the entire arena.

People were screaming and running as fast as they could to the arena's exits, but the Pit's guards had blocked the doors. No one could escape.

High above, the woman's hood fell back a little, revealing the most vicious grin I'd ever seen. With a wild laugh, she lifted her hand to the sky, and her flames shot out of her hand and into the air.

I'd never felt so much heat or pressure from anything before. That magic was going to burn us to a crisp.

Thrumming as it soared through the air, it reached the center of the arena and stalled mid-air. Slowly, the ball of flames began rippling, then heaving, and, after a long, terrible pause, hundreds of smaller beads of fire broke off the center mass and fell onto the audience.

Everywhere the flames touched, clothes, seats, stands, even people, ignited, turning into roaring, screaming infernos. Just moments before, the arena shook with cheers and applause, but now, it was filled with screams as the audience members did whatever they could to survive. And, far worse, the central ball of flames was directly over our head and beginning to descend.

"I don't know if I can stop that." I pulled Vral tighter, clamped my shield tight, and squeezed everything I could squeeze.

"Don't start doubting yourself now. You've got this," She whispered into my neck. "I believe in you."

I could feel the heat through my shield. Could smell burnt hair as my forearm sizzled against the metal. My eyes went blank. The roar of the flames filled my ears until I couldn't hear anything else. Sweat poured out of every pore, then evaporated as the heat became unbearable.

"Come on, boy toy! Don't let us die!"

I gritted my teeth. We were leaving here today. I'd promised. We were all getting out!

When the ball of fire was inches away from my shield, I pulled my shield down tight, gritted my teeth until a tooth cracked, and did the only thing I knew to do.

[Iron Skin]

An instant later, the flames struck us, and everything went white.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

***

"...ex!"

What...

"... Alex!"

Where...

"Alex!"

My eyes shot open.

"Come on! I don't want to lose you!" Standing over me, her hands placed on my chest and channeling light into my smoking body, was Tristan. Her blue eyes were filled with determination, her face was sooty and smudged, and she was sweating terribly. Two trails of tears had carved their way through the soot on her face. When she saw my eyes had opened, she screamed, "He's awake!"

"What..." I tried to sit up, but she held me down.

"Not yet." Fishing in her belt pouch, she pulled three vials of red liquid out, uncorked them with her teeth, and grabbed my hair. Forcefully pulling my head back, she threw the liquid down my gullet and yelled, "Swallow!"

It tasted like cherries, alcohol, and cinnamon. Not the best, but not terrible. I downed it in one gulp. It burned its way down my pipe, but when it hit my stomach, I felt my limbs begin to itch terribly. "Thanks..." I tried to sit up again. This time, she didn't stop me.

"I've got you." She helped me up into a seated position.

It was only then that I saw how much damage I'd taken. My new armor was just... ruined. Not all of it. But a lot of it. Bracers? Gone. Sollerets? Gone. Gauntlets? Missing. Greaves? Half gone. Davik's shield was a smoldering chunk of slag burning on the scorched ground a few feet away. My sheath was gone, my belt was gone, my sword was glowing red and had spiraled from the heat. It was sitting next to my shield.

Holy shit.

"I knew you'd make it!" Tristan wrapped her arms around my neck and planted a wet kiss on my cheek. An instant later, she pulled back and said, "Ow!"

I was literally still smoking. "That was insane."

Someone clapped my back, then hissed. "You did good, kid!" That was Jorn's voice.

"Made of stouter stuff than I thought. Good work, boy." Renard was half-looking at me over his shoulder while fighting two pit guards with one arm each.

"You all came..." I managed to cough out the words.

"Of course we did!" Maven shot an arrow at a guard who was running at us and winked at the same time. "Once we found out where you were, it was only a matter of timing."

"Had to wait for you two to finish. Otherwise, you might've tripped up." Renard said. "We need to work on your footwork."

"Don't listen to him! How could we miss your big fight?" Ro-Saleh shouted to my left. "You were incredible!"

"We were not here to watch him fight!" Na-Ya chastised her partner. "But he was quite incredible. Tristan's a lucky woman."

"Hey! You're lucky, too!" Ro shot back.

"Yeah, yeah," Na-Ya laughed. "Don't steal his thunder, Ro. He's earned it." With a flick of her wrist, a globe of white light appeared around her, then extended around our entire group. Dozens of arrows and bolts and spells began pelting the barrier, but it held fast.

"The goblin's lucky, too, by the look of it!" Jorn was next to me, wiggling his eyebrows like an idiot like he always did. And at the worst times, too.

Tristan and my eyes met. "Is she...?"

She pointed behind me. "Alive, unconscious, and barely hurt. You saved her."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Thank the Goddess." Meeting her eyes again, I said, "Tristan, I—

She grabbed my face, pulled me to her, and kissed my lips. "She was there for you when I couldn't be. That's something I'll never forget and can never repay. And, now, your roots have grown together. I know you love me. With all of your heart. All that's left is to let my roots grow with hers, too." She kissed me again. "Plus, after watching you two fight, I think mine have already started to grow." Tristan's eyes had stars in them. "She's so passionate... So strong... Fiery..." Tristan blushed. "I just hope she feels the same way about me one day."

I didn't know anything about those roots of hers, but I knew one thing: I had the best fucking girlfriend. "I love you."

She smiled brightly. "I love you more."

Vral began coughing. A moment later, she groaned and said, "Goddess's saggy tits, that sucked ass." A breath later, "Alex! Where is that handsome idiot?!" Her voice was frantic.

"Here, Vral." My voice was hoarse and bone dry. It was like all the water in my throat had burned up in that attack... which may have been exactly what happened.

Vral appeared in my lap a breath later, her eyes wide, filled with concern... and something else. Something that made my heart even more confused. "Are you hurt?" She grabbed my face and turned my head in every direction, then began inspecting every exposed inch of my body. "You got burnt! Badly!" She waved her hands in the air and searched the arena. "Healers! Come quick! He needs help!"

I smiled at her. "I'm okay. Tristan already got me. I'm healing right now." I pointed at a red spot on my arm that was quickly disappearing.

"Thank the Dark Father..." relief washed over her, followed immediately by burning rage. "I'll kill that fucking whore. The second I see her, I'll slit her open from nipple to—"

I wrapped my arm around her hips and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

She sank into me. "You're not allowed to die now. Not until you finish what you started. Otherwise, I'll kill you." Then, clearly realizing where she was, she squeaked, pushed against my shoulders, and growled when I didn't let go. "Enough of that! No gushy stuff in front of people!" Her green skin had turned bright red.

"It's okay to be vulnerable, especially after what you just went through. Take your time. We're fighting for you both right now. You've earned it." Tristan's voice was soft beside us. Comforting. Filled with love.

Glancing up at Tristan, Vral's eyes got even wider. "Shit, Alex. The fuck you doing pawing at me when you've got this twelve out of ten standing over you? You should be pawing at her, not me!" She tried pulling away again, but I wasn't having it.

Tristan laughed, squatted, and pulled us both into a big hug. "I'm just happy we made it in time. Not only are we here to help, but I also got to see your match. Most of it, at least. You two were incredible."

Vral sputtered. "I lost. I ain't shit."

Tristan smiled and pulled Vral closer. "Losing doesn't mean you aren't incredible, Vral. It just means you lost a fight. There's always the next one." She turned and smiled at me. "And you were amazing, too, Mr. Hero of the Pit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing out there. You've got so strong." A guilty look appeared behind her eyes. She tried to hide it, but it was clear she was beating herself up.

Before she could beat herself up too much, I pulled her in for another kiss. "Thank you. I fought harder when I knew you were watching." At least, when I thought she was. I heard her voice long before I saw her.

"Flatterer." She stood up, drew her mace, and turned. "Now rest up, you two. We're not out of this yet. Take five." Lifting her mace high, she shouted and charged at an approaching pit guard. They were pouring out of the gate Vral had entered from.

I finally let Vral go. She plopped into the blackened sand in front of me and huffed. "You two are such softies."

I laughed. "You like it."

"Not even a little."

"You will."

She blushed. "Idiot."

I sighed. "That spell took everything out of me."

"You saying you can't handle any more heat? Because I can keep going." She pumped her bicep and grinned. "All night."

"That's not what I'm saying at all." I flexed my pecs, which screamed at me. "I'm just saying we're even right about now. After this, whoever fights more people wins."

She scoffed. "You might be top shit in an arena, but do you really think you can take more people on the streets than I can?"

"I know I can."

"You insufferable ass—"

"Five's up. Come on, you two! Time to move." Tristan shouted from our left. "They've got the gate down. We need to get out of the arena."

Teetering to our feet, I could tell Vral was as tired as I was. We were spent. "Any stamina potions?"

"Here!" Maven thrust two into my palm. "They aren't good, but they're something." Class called overhead and landed on her shoulder. He had a mechanical wing now that glinted in the glowstone light.

Shrugging, I handed one to Vral and threw mine back. The instant the yellow liquid hit my tongue, I regretted it. It tasted like diapers.

"Dark Father's sack!" Vral coughed.

"Told you." Maven's bowstring snapped an inch from my head. "They'll at least get you through."

"Through what?"

Ro spoke up. "Elise's soldiers have everyone locked in the Pit. Looks like a lot of bad people showed up for this match. She's determined to clean out Istaera in one swoop."

I'd need to thank Khadrel for throwing me into her one day. "What about that mage?"

Lady Varga floated to the ground, her eyes glowing white. She looked like an angel. "Before I could cast [Anchor], she and that man were gone. I wish I'd realized how powerful they were. I couldn't feel anything coming from them until it was too late."

"What about the woman who was with them?" My heart began pounding. "What about Aerell?"

Tristan frowned. "They didn't take her with them. She disappeared into the crowd, but she can't have gotten far with the soldiers outside."

My veins became fire, and all the fatigue disappeared. "I need a sword and shield."

"But—"

"Now!"

Jorn threw me his round wooden shield. "Here you go, kid. You'll make better use of it than I will."

I turned to the others. "A sword!"

Maven handed me a short sword. "Will this work?"

"Yeah." I turned to the gate I entered the arena from. The gate was down, and I could see people fighting through the doorway beyond. "I have something I need to do." Aerell'd go for her office. That's where those scrolls were. Then, somewhere far enough or deep enough that an area of effect spell couldn't reach. Maybe the cell block. That cut deep enough into the mountain. My gut told me that's where she'd be. "I have something I need to do." I took off for the gate.

"We do." Vral said from behind me.

"Don't split up!" Ro shouted. "That's how we got in this mess in the first place!"

Sorry, Ro. I couldn't do that. Not this time. "We'll be back soon."

"Not without me, you won't." Tristan jogged up next to me.

"Tristan, wait!" Ro pleaded.

"Cousin!" Na-Ya called next.

"Let 'em go." Renard's grumble followed. "They have their quest. We need to help the rest." He stomped his foot. "We're taking the other side. Move out!"

We would be okay. Right after we found Aerell.

She'd never hurt anyone ever again.

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