Born to Fly

Part 11

Thousands of people gathered in the Arach Arena to witness the showdown between Teraphon and Ehrus. The crowd was wild with anticipation as they waited for the competitors to come out unto the battle zone. For decades bloody battles had been fought in the Arach Arena for various reasons, but on that night, the fate of the entire world would depend on the outcome of the match. The arena was a giant pot of mixed fanbases. Some people shouted praises for Teraphon. Some cursed his name and prayed for his downfall. Hostility emerged between the opposing sides, to the point where scuffles broke out. Nothing too crazy went down as security was able to put an end to any altercations.

The crowd sat around a circular battle zone that had a diameter of fifty meters. The leveled ground was a surface of dry, hard dirt. The stands went many levels high and stretched far back. It was night time, so there were torches spread throughout the arena that provided light for the event.

Above the spectator's heads, tapestries hung from wooden beams that stretched across the arena. There were eight tapestries, each with its image of a certain spider. There was a black widow, a giant house spider, a wolf spider, and others. The one that hung straight over the center of the battle zone was a ferocious looking Goliath birdeater. Its long, sharp fangs were on full display as if it was ready to leap out of the tapestry and hunt down spectators in the arena.

To top it all off, the roof was made of multiple layers of spider webs. Even though the roof of webs was densely layered, the full moon that shined bright that night could still be seen through it.

The wait that the people endured had finally come to an end as a man, dressed in a dark brown robe, slowly lowered himself from one of the overhead beams with the use of his strand of webbing. The crowd erupted as the match displayer descended from above. He lowered himself until he was about midway between the ceiling and the battle zone. Along with his arms and legs, he had four additional legs that looked like those of a spider. They originated from his back, just below his scapulas, and they extended outward creating an 'X' formation.

The noise was too loud for him to speak, but the majority of the crowd knew what his hand signals meant. Since the web was coming out of the palm of his left hand, he used his right index finger to point at the gate on the north side of the battle zone. The gate rose steadily and Ehrus stepped out onto the battle Zone. The crowd gave the brave young man a cheer that was welcoming, yet somewhat pitiful. He made his way to the center dressed in steel armor and clothes made of buckskin. In his right hand, he held a mace. It was a long wooden rod with metal spikes that circled its distal half.

He walked until he reached a line that had been scraped into the dirt near the center. He looked to his left and saw his friends sitting in the front row, just as Teraphon said they would. Seated on the left was a scrawny guy with long black hair who looked timid. On the right was a young woman who seemed more composed but still a bit worried. She kept her blonde hair in a big braid. Her eyes were focused intently on Ehrus. Just like Ehrus, the two of them looked no older than twenty-five.

The match displayer pointed at the south side gate, and it was lifted just like the northern one. A beast of a man creeped out of the dark tunnel unto the battle zone. Teraphon's incredible physique was no longer hidden by his long black coat. He left his upper body completely uncovered, showing everyone in the arena just how massive and shredded he was. His black cowboy hat was missing as well, revealing auburn locks that were long and wavy. He still wore his dark pants and sandals from before. The weapon that he held was a war hammer, with the chunk of metal at the end having a blunt side for smashing and a sharp, pointy side for impaling. He stepped up to his line which was about ten meters way from Ehrus.

The two opponents stared at each other. Teraphon was poised and unphased. Ehrus looked like he might crap his pants. He was fidgety and his body shook ever so slightly. Teraphon stood still like a strong stone wall.