The entertainment is beginning!

The massive door on the opposite side, iron-bound, easily twenty feet tall, swung open with a grinding sound that vibrated through the sand and up into their bones. Bright light poured out from beyond it, red and gold. Then a voice rolled across the arena, loud, theatrical, the kind of voice that belonged to someone who announced executions for fun.

“Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests and all you lovely viewers tuning in from across the realms, welcome to the third and final trial of the Crystal Palace!”

The sound of loud cheers filled the air out of nowhere. Hundreds, maybe thousands of voices roaring in approval, clapping, whistling, stomping. The noise crashed over the women like a wave. Chell’s ears flattened against her skull. Elizabeth’s head snapped toward the open door, hands clenching. Even Roisin lifted an eyebrow, though her smirk didn’t fade.

The announcer kept going, voice bouncing off every mirror and multiplying until it felt like the whole pit was shouting at once.

“Tonight’s task is simple yet oh-so-delightful! Our brave adventurers must defeat a magical beast which has been randomly selected from the ones owned by our great and generous master! Only one champion needs to step forward. If the chosen champion can defeat the monster, the entire party may proceed to visit the master’s chamber and claim whatever fortune awaits. But if the champion falls… well, we’ll leave that to the monster to decide.”

Chell’s ears twitched. She looked confused at the wording. Leave it to the monster to decide? That wasn’t how these things usually worked. Monsters didn’t decide anything except what to eat first. The phrasing sat wrong in her stomach, what kind of a monster was it?

Elizabeth didn’t wait for Chell to say anything.

She stepped forward into the center of the spotlight circle, pink hair catching the harsh light, petite body casting long, repeating shadows in every direction thanks to the mirrors. Her hands came up, already glowing with dark purple-black energy that crackled around her fingers. The glow spread up her arms, making the frills on her bard outfit look almost sinister. Her eyes shifted, pupils bleeding outward until the entire iris was solid black, the way they did when she drew on the deeper contracts she usually kept locked away.

“I’ll do it,” she said, voice steady even though her heart hammered against her ribs. “I volunteer as the champion.”

She rolled her shoulders once, felt the weight of the streaming orbs following her every move. The viewer count, she could feel it spiking even without looking at the invisible screen. This was the kind of moment her audience lived for: the pretty idol stepping up, magic flaring, ready to throw down. Part of her hated how much she needed that rush right now. The rest of her told herself the same thing she always did when things seemed unwinnable, she got this, she had to believe it.

She was used to defeating monsters. She could do this. She had done it before and she would do it again. For the party. For the coin. For the applause that kept the fear from swallowing her whole.

Elizabeth planted her feet wider, dark magic swirling thicker around her hands, eyes locked on the open door across the pit. Whatever came through it, she would meet it head-on.

Elizabeth looked over at Dheris and felt a sharp twist in her gut.

The big warrior was still on all fours, panting like a dog that had just finished a long run. Her ass up in the air. If Dheris had been herself she would have been the perfect volunteer for this fight, charging in with that greatsword, roaring, turning any beast into chopped meat in under a minute. Instead she was reduced to this, licking sand off her own feet and occasionally barking out loud.

Elizabeth swallowed hard. She had to step up. There was no one else left who could do it. If they somehow made it all the way to the master of the dungeon, maybe they could **** him to undo the spells on Dheris, on Roisin, on Genevive. That was the only thought keeping her feet planted in the sand. Get to the end. Fix this. Get paid. Survive.

Suddenly there was a loud sloshing sound coming from the open gate.