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"Writer's Block Arena Contest: Background Story" (not meant for judging)

“I got a bad feelin’ about this one, Salem.”
“Julianna, do we have much choice?”
“Yeah, duh.”
“Do you have a better one?”
“... I hate it when you’re right.”
“Just sign the stupid sheet, sis.”
“Make me.”
“We have to pay off our debt. You know that.”
“There’s got to be -”
“Just because there is another way doesn’t mean there’s a better way.”
“But it’s so stupid!”
“Sis, I promise you, if I could find a better way I would jump on it. But this is our best shot.”
“Salem, have you read this form?! ‘Arena Fights...’ ‘Awards to Survivors...’ ‘Operators are not responsible for any mishaps, injuries, or deaths resulting from confrontations in the ring...’ Salem, seriously!”
“Seriously what?”
“Don’t you think dying for a car is a little extreme?”
“Julianna, we have to pay for the damages.”
“It’s not even our car.”
“And I’m sure that the owner of the car is very happy that we’re willing to help pay off the damage we did to it.”
“We didn’t do anything!”
“Good point – the damage you did to it.”
“I didn’t do anything to his stupid car.”
“Then why is there a million-dollar vehicle out there with an impression of your body on the hood?”
“Because its maker recognized quality and decided to incorporate it into auto mechanics?”
“Funny.”
“I still think dying for a car is a bit extreme, Salem.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, Julianna. What matters is if you’re willing to fight in an arena to pay off a debt on a car you fell on.”
“I didn’t fall!”
“Really. Then why –”
“Is it my fault if I jumped from one fire escape to the next, the old and rusty fire escape deteriorated under my feet, and I was dropped?”
“So... the fire escape deteriorated under your feet.”
“It couldn’t bear the weight of all these muscles.”
“Funny. Julianna, just sign the paper.”
“You want me to write my name on a piece of paper and automatically garuntee that if I die in a fight, the operators of this arena won’t be responsible?”
“Yes.”
“So we can pay for a car I landed on.”
“An expensive car.”
“Fine.”
“Thank you.”

"Demo Round"

This is my first official round. My characters Julianna and Salem are meant to be fighting to creatures of Hell - Hellions - in the arena. Each Hellion, Larry and Perish, was created by my opponent JesiMar13, complete with their own details and specifics. (If you'd like to compare their owner's creation with my interpretation, see here. I was also detailed to use the Writing Contest NPCs, created by TT Snim, at least once each. To compare my accuracy with those characters, you can meet them here.

If you could, please comment/criticize my interpretation of JesiMar13's characters (was I accurate enough?), my writing style, if the fight kept you interested, and anything you find important.

Deep within the heart of the city, in a world where sunlight was stranger and moonlight enemy, the lair of heroes growled with hunger. Its emptiness gave vent to a roar, summoning from near and far heroes of a modern age. And now they are here! Upstairs the stadium is filled to its brim with the cheering followers, eager to see the dawning of a new era born through blood and steel. On the sides lurk the dealers of fate, whose whims subject these questing youths to trials and contests undreamed of before! And beneath the sands of the arena, where electric lights dimly flicker, wait the contestants, their bodies tense, their minds at ease, ready to take on the challenges they face, completely relaxed and comfortable with the thought of the fights ahead, revelling in the quest for glory.

Not.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Julianna muttered angrily as she paced back and forth.

“Will you calm down?” Salem replied. “You’re making yourself tense.”

“I am not!” she snapped back.

The siblings were in a dark concrete room somewhere under the arena they had agreed to fight in. The only furnishing was a couch, which Salem was using, and a bed, which Julianna had claimed for later - assuming they survived, of course. Salem was stretched out happily, one arm dangling over the top and one leg perched on the couch. Putting his feet on furniture was a habit their mother would have abhored, if she was still alive. Unlike his sister, he outwardly seemed fairly relaxed, as though unaware of what they were walking into. Julianna was aware, however, that underneath his bad posture he was tense, his hand ready to draw his sword at any given moment. She, on the other hand, prefered to show how nervous she was by acting angry.

“Oh,” Salem snorted, “so the constant pacing and angry muttering are just signs of how relaxed you are.”

“I am perfectly relaxed!”

“Look,” Salem sighed, sitting up and stretching his back. “There’s nothing to worry about. All we have to do is go upstairs, have you beat someone up with your master boxing skills, let me take a few swings at them with this sword, and we get out of here with some money to pay our debt. What could go wrong?”

“Plenty,” Julianna snapped, refusing to be lulled into security. “We could be up against professionals, for one thing.”

“We’re professionals.”

“I beg to differ. We’re street rats, with a sword only one of us can use and fists that haven’t been up against anything worse than a rogue dumpster.”

“That dumpster was pretty frightening -”

“Don’t change the subject.”

Salem shrugged. “Alright, so we don’t have superpowers or anything. But boy do we have guts.”

That didn’t help Julianna’s mood. She continued pacing.

Down the hallway, to the right of the sibling’s room, Perish was waiting. The door creaked open, and a short figure - made smaller by his crouch - slunk into the room. As the door closed, Larry straightened. “Ah found our opponen’s.”

“Really?” Perish said, not very interested. “How’d you know they were theirs?”

“Ours, you blithering idiot, our opponents. And Ah knew ‘cause they ain’t got powers.”

Perish looked up. “He doesn’t understand.”

“Look, they ‘ead guys ain’t t’ know we’re ‘Ellions, righ’?”

“Right... presuming them to be humans,” Perish muttered.

“So, if they’ve got any brains at all, they’ll sta’ small fer th’ first round, righ’?”

“No...”

Larry sighed. “Look. If you were to pull ou’ all th’ tricks ona firs’ round, wha’d you follow i’ up wi’, eh?”

“He doesn’t -”

“Jus’ trust m’ on this,” Larry snapped. “I’m the brains, yer th’ brawne, see? So I foun’ th’ one’s we’ll be fightin’.”

“And?”

“One’s a broad. Boxer. Other’s a lad. ‘E’s go’ a sword. Both young, neither any problem.”

Perish sighed. “So this is a waste of time.”

Larry slouched against the wall. “An’ t’ think I go’ a waste i’ wi’ you.”

Upstairs, Gordan Ran picked his way through the crowds of people to the top box, where his private seat was. He had styled it to fashion the seat of the Roman Emperor when the Emperor attended a gladiator event. As he took his seat, dusting it off with a hankerchief before he did so - who knew these arenas were such dusty things? - he sighed happily. This had worked out exactly as he had imagined it. People would pay through the nose to see some fighting. It would go perfectly to plan.

Gordan Ran viewed the first fight exactly as Larry had anticipated he would. His first round would only be a bit of an appetizer: some normal beings against some normal beings. Not much of a fight, it would seem. The only exciting element was that, while Perish and Larry were experienced fighters, the other team included kids who had lived on the streets and who had the smarts to prove it. The audience would love to watch the trial of brains versus brawne. Then, they would come back for the next round, and the contestants would be a tad more interesting. Yes, that’s the key. Make each round a little more enticing than the last. Start with the basics, and get gradually grander. Soon every last penny will be snug in your pocket.

And just to be sure of that, why not set up a betting system? The one thing that stood out of place in the arena was a board where the odds and bets were being displayed. The audience could watch the fight, and watch as the odds and their gains - or losses - increased or decreased. Right now, the betting board was set for Perish, Larry vrs. Salem, Julianna. The odds were 2-1 vrs. 60-1, and the gains for Perish, Larry betters were very small.

Gains for Salem, Julianna betters? Nonexistant.

He shrugged. So the chances were too good to result in huge gains. But he wasn’t here for the fight, he was here for the money. He had bet on Perish and Larry, even if the winnings weren’t very large. Hey, any amount of money he won was money he hadn’t had before. And if some people got beat up in the process? Well, he deserved some entertainment.

Gordan Ran smiled. It looked like a crocodile smiling at a curious bird.

Julianna stopped pacing and looked to the ceiling as footsteps announced someone’s descent. Salem stood and put his hand to his hilt as the door opened. “Come on,” Pete Vole said, gesturing that they should follow. “It’s about to begin.”

“Too late to back out?” Julianna grumbled.

Salem sighed. “Look, just go up there and beat their boogers out.”

Vole wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Come on, get moving.” Not wanting to press the patience of their employers, Salem grabbed his sister by her shoulders and steered her out the doors and up the stairs.

Vole led them to two giant doors, which Julianna and Salem guessed led to the arena. “They’ll be opened from the outside,” he informed them. “Go out looking impressive. You’re here to entertain, not look angry.”

“What if looking angry looks impressive?” Julianna shot back.

“Hush, sis,” Salem said.

Vole ignored them and left them there.

Julianna put her ear to the door. “Sounds like a full crowd, full circle,” she said gloomily. “Besides these doors and the ones on the other end for our competition, I doubt there’ll be escape routes.”

“’S’not like we’ll be able to open these doors from out there, I’ll bet,” Salem said. “Looks like once we’re in, we’re in.”

Julianna shhhhed him. “Something’s starting!”

From the other side of the doors Salem heard a voice boom out across the arena. “Laaaaadies and GEN-tle-men, WEL-cooooooome to an event SO startling, SO raw, SO outstanding, that it DIED with the ANCIENT EMPIRES, laid buried with the RUB-ble of the ANCI-ents... UN-TIL NOW!”

The crowds cheered as horns blared and drums rolled. “They don’t settle for small around here, do they?” Julianna muttered.

The announcer resumed announcing. “AND, for YOUR EN-joyment, OOOON-ly available at the GOOOOOR-dan RAAAAAN ARE-na, WE have TWO teams of FI-ghters ready to SPILL some BLOOD at your VERY FEET!”

More cheering.

“BUT!” said the announcer, “BECAUSE we are not SAV-a-ges, we have THREE REF-er-EES! MAY I introduce, Peter VOLE! Jeff KANE! And the lovely JESS-i-ca BRIGGS!”

After Jessica Briggs’ name, Julianna heard many men hooting and whistling. Her lips twitched disapprovingly.

“THE RULES are AS STAN-ding:” said the announcer, “ONE, DEATH is not PREF-erable; TWO, LIFE-THREAT-ening INJ-uries ARE all-OWED IF death IS NOT IMMED-iate; THREE, GordanRanisnotresponsibleformishaps,injuries,deaths,orothersucheventsthathappeninthearena.”

Salem snorted from where he was slouched next to his sister.

“And now, the teams. FIRST,” the announcer declared, “the UN-der-dog of the com-pe-TI-tion. A BRO-ther and SIS-ter who have LIVED on the STREETS. They have the WIIIITS of SUUURVIIIV-ors and are READ-y to take AAANY-thing that COMES in their WAY. GIVE it UP for the BOX-er, JULIE ANN! The SWORDS-man, SALEM!”

“They said my name wrong,” Julianna moped as the doors opened.

“Give them a reason not to do so twice,” Salem muttered as the two strode forward into the arena.

The ground was layered in sand, which Julianna instantly didn’t like. She was used to concrete, and liked concrete very much, thank you. Salem was more concerned with the audience. Taking his sword in one hand, he twirled it expertly, showing off the gleam of the blade and his ease at weilding it.

“What’re you doing?” Julianna hissed.

“We’re entertainers, remember?” Salem said as he tossed the sword to his other hand and flashed a dazzling smile at two doe-eyed girls in one of the bottom rows, who tittered and waved in response. “Maybe we’ll get a bonus if the audience likes us.”

“Yeah, righ-”

“AAAAAAAND the COMP-E-TI-tion,” the announcer continued. “TWO MEN WI-th the POW-er of EL-ephants, the SKILL of YEARS, the STRENGTH of PAN-thers, PER-ish the MIGHT-y! LARRY the SCOUT!”

Larry was muttering as their doors opened on the opposite end. “Ah’m a tracker, nah a scou’. Ah don’ wanna figh’. Ah jus’ track ‘em, tha’s all.”

“Shut up,” Perish snapped. “You have to.”

“Bu’ -”

“And remember, as little flying as possible,” Perish muttered. “They have to think they are humans.”

“Stupid -”

“Boss’s orders,” Perish said stiffly.

“And now,” the announer began again, “LET the FIGHT be-GIN!”

When the announcer finished the crowd began roaring its approval, cheering the fighters on, willing the bloodshed to begin. Perish and Larry, their wings invisible to all but the purest babe and the foulest man, began circling their opponents.

Only Julianna and Salem seemed unaffected. The siblings stood frozen, their mouths gaping, hands hanging limply at their sides. Neither had imagined that their competition would look so formidable! Julianna was the first to recover. She shot her brother a furious glare. “I’ll kill you for this, Salem.”

“You may not have to,” he gasped in reply.

“Don’t you dare give me that old ‘you-may-not-have-to’ line!” Julianna screamed as the two of them began approaching their opponents. “Find an answer to the problem and fix it!”

“All right, all right,” Salem muttered, grasping his sword in both hands.

But Julianna did not quiet. “If you had just listened to me...”

“Kids?” Perish muttered. “When you said young -”

“Ah said young,” Larry finished. “Young is wha’ I mean’.”

“They want him to fight kids?”

“Hey, Ah can ‘andle ki-” Larry protested. “Oh, by ‘him’ y’ meant ‘you.’ Does i’ scare y’ t’ ‘ave t’ figh’ two innocent little kids?” Larry teased.

Perish stiffened. “He is not frightened. He can fight innocent people, and slay them. He is a creature of evil, he has fought with angels! -”

“Yeah, yeah, prove i’ t’ me,” Larry snarled.

Salem and Julianna were circling by this point. “... and we are not ready for this,” Julianna continued. “This is all your fault. I told you dying for a car is a bit extreme!”

“Will you stop yelling at me?! I’m trying to think,” Salem hissed as they edged nearer and nearer to their opponents. “Listen, that short one there, he looks less of a fighter than the other one. You knock him out, then come back to help me, ‘kay?”

“Sounds like a plan -” Julianna began.

Then the Hellions lunged. Larry, figuring that he had better chances with the girl, went at her with a head-on tackle. Yelping, Julianna jumped to the side and was surprised at how Larry seemed to change direction in midair. Fortunately for her he made contact with the ground before reaching her, but got to his feet again and the two of them started dodging, weaving, and trying to land blows on each other unsuccesfuly.

Perish, angry at Larry’s taking the initiative and more than ready to get this pointless fight over with, advanced at Salem with both more speed and more skill. Salem brought his sword up as a parry against Perish’s swinging fist and felt the flat of the steel meet flesh. Perish continued falling in Salem’s direction, and his weight brought them both crashing down. Salem found himself trapped between the sandy arena and Perish, his sword caught between his own body armor and Perish’s knees. Grasping the hilt in a new hold with both hands, he began pulling at the weapon, trying to loosen it. Perish smiled, and began pounding at the boys face with malicious joy!

Jessica Briggs watched on the sidelines. “Not looking good for the young ones, is it?”

“Not very,” Jeff Kane agreed, scratching at his fur under his uniform.

Pete Vole shrugged. “I don’t know, look at the girl.”

He was right. Julianna knew that this hit-and-miss match between her and Larry wasn’t getting either of them anywhere, so she did what any girl who lived on the streets learned to do - she switched her tactics from offensive to defensive. Ducking one of Larry’s punches, she gritted her teeth and kneed him viciously in the place that hurts most. As Larry responded, rounding over in pain, she kneed him in the lungs and poked his eyes. Then she took a step back, cupped her hands, and brought them crashing into Larry’s ears.

Larry howled as pain exploded in each ear, but he hadn’t completely lost his wits. As Julianna raised her foot in a kick aimed for Larry’s face, Larry let go of his side - which he had been gripping in agony - and grasped the heel of her foot just as her toe made contact with his chin. Using her own momentum he pushed against her leg, and Julianna crashed backwards onto her back. Larry straightened and smiled menacingly, continuing to bend her leg further the wrong way. Julianna winced, trying to bend her leg and remove the pressure from her hip. But even over the roaring of the audience, the referees could hear her yelling insults at her opponent. Phrases like “Phwaw! What kind of soap do you use? Sand?” and “Listen, I’m not your mother, you don’t have to go easy on me,” reached their ears.

Briggs smiled. “Quite the fighter. I hope she lives.”

“Eh, I don’t know about that,” Jeff Kane said, yawning. “I got a whiff of that guy’s lunchbox as he walked into the facilities.”

Vole shot him a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kane shrugged. “If she isn’t careful, that little girl might find herself in smaller, bite-sized pieces.”

Briggs gasped. “Cannibal?”

“Worst case I’ve ever smelled.”

Larry was hoping desperately that Perish was too busy to see him getting beaten up by a girl. Fortunately for him, Perish was. Salem, his vision blurring and his head aching from the constant battering of Perish’s giant fist, was trying even more desperately to get out of his situation. He noted that his blade was almost loose from one of Perish’s knees. If he could manage to pull it out a little further, he could at least angle the blade enough so that, even though it was still trapped under the other knee, if he thrust it forcefully upwards it would injure Perish’s leg.

Perish, realizing what Salem was doing, stopped punching Salem’s face. Instead he gripped the hilt of the sword himself and pulled it away from Salem’s grip. In order to do this, he had to shift his knees so that the sword wouldn’t nick him as he swept it up.

This was all that Salem needed. With his chest relieved from the pressure of Perish’s knees, the boy could grip them and begin to stand, overbalancing Perish. Salem stood, still feeling lightheaded and increasingly awful, but glad to breathe freely. Perish, for his part, was on his feet in an instant, with Salem’s sword in his hand. The grin on his face was not pleasant to witness.

Julianna had managed to stop Larry from breaking her leg by twisting to the side and grabbing his leg in return. In order to hurt her he would have to bend over, and his movements would be limited and awkward. Larry discovered this while trying to shake her off. Desperate, he had grabbed her hair with one hand and a shoulder with the other. Both of them found themselves trapped by their own holds, and the two were rolling in a wrestling match that neither seemed to be winning. Growling with anger Julianna twisted her hold so that Larry was on his stomach and she could face his back. Trying to make him let go of her hair she reached to grab the back of his shirt.

That was when she realized something was wrong.

Perish came running at Salem, swinging the sword. Salem hit the deck, letting the sword sweep over him. Since Perish hadn’t initially come in with a sword, Salem was willing to bet that he couldn’t actually use one well. Taking advantage of this, Salem began what he called a dodge-and-weave tactic. He made his way closer to Perish, ducking, feinting, and changing direction often enough so that Perish could not hit Salem dead-on. It was the work of a moment for Salem to duck under Perish’s armpit and grasp for Perish’s back, hoping to work his way into a chokehold so that he could force Perish to drop his sword.

That was when he realized something was wrong.

Neither sibling could touch the back of their opponents. It was as though a wall of air was stopping their hands.

Gordan Ran gripped the edge of his seat. Something was wrong. Although he glanced occasionally at the fight below, his eyes were drawn incessantly to the betting board. The odds were still in Larry and Perish’s favor - however, the numbers hadn’t stayed consistant. To Ran’s amazed eyes, they began to shift. Julianna, Salem odds were now 40-1, though Perish, Larry had stayed fairly steadly at 4-1. The good news was, because the odds for Perish, Larry had dropped, Gordan Ran’s winnings would be all the larger. The bad news was, it seemed there was now a wild card at play.

And he hated it when anything interfered with his winning.

Julianna had let go of Larry’s leg and wrapped one arm around his neck in a chokehold. As he bucked, grabbed, and punched, trying to throw her off, her other hand was groping at the invisible wall of air. She could feel distinct edges to it, some soft, almost feathery stuff, and - most importantly - bone.

Larry cursed as he realized that Julianna was discovering his wings. He grabbed at the arm that was wrapped around his neck and began pulling and prying, trying to get her to let go. By now he was getting desperate, realizing that Julianna was really a fighter, and he wanted to bite her, to eat her, to get this over with -!

Julianna smiled victoriously as she reached an appropriate fold in the invisible stuff. “Liar, liar, pants on fire,” she taunted. “You’re not human at all, are you?” Taking a firm grasp with her free hand, she twisted her wrist and felt a satisfactory snap!

Perish tried to whirl around and get Salem in front of him, but Salem continued dancing so that he was always behind Perish, no matter which way he turned. The advocate of the devil snarled in frustration. He was unable to inflict any injuries on Salem while the wretched boy was behind him! Finally, he made a decision. He threw the sword away from him, knowing that Salem would run after it. This would, obviously, put the boy in a position where Perish could see him, therefore bringing Perish’s opponent back into hurting range. Salem was aware of this, and not eager to leave his position at Perish’s back, but he needed that sword!

The boy went dashing out into the open, hoping to reach his blade before Perish reached him.

“This looks like it’s going to be a loooooooong fight,” Vole complained.

Briggs winced as Larry tried to pound at the girl clinging to his back. “Ooh, he looks like he’s hurt.”

“But where’s he hurt?” Kane said. For once he looked somewhat interested in what was going on. “She’s just grabbing at the air behind his back -”

Suddenly a gasp arose from the crowd. Blood was spilling from the air, and the blood was not falling to the ground. It was dripping on something invisible...

Salem slid to a halt in the sand and grasped his sword triumphantly. Whirring, he found Perish rushing to meet him, fists swinging and teeth bared in a warrior’s grin. “This is your last day,” Perish muttered as he brought his massive hand down on the boy’s head.

But the boy was not there. “I wish it was my last day in this stupid place,” Salem said as he sidestepped Perish’s blow and began dancing around, trying to find the man’s back again. “But I’m not going to lose this fight.”

Julianna was breaking bones as she found them in the air. Larry screeched as pieces of his wings fluttered down into the sand. The faintest flutter of wind is a passionate caress to a Hellion’s wings. Under Julianna’s brutal attack, highly-tuned nerves screamed in agony! “Ah’ll ea’ y’ raw fer this!” he screamed. Julianna, figuring that he was just screaming threats inspired by pain, continued happily snapping invisible, hollow bones happily.

Salem had found his way behind Perish. With a yell of triunph he leaped into the air and brought his sword down with a chop that could split skulls! Perish felt the impact in his wings and roared, twisting in a futile attempt to corner his tormentor. Ignoring Perish’s pain Salem hacked and chopped! Sliced and cut! Pieces of wings came peeling off of Perish’s back as Salem’s sword did its grisly work.

Both Larry and Perish knew they were fighting for their lives now. The betting board knew it, too. Gordan Ran’s teeth ground audibly as the odds for Julianna, Salem reached a mark of 10-1 and Perish, Larry’s odds reached 50-1. The numbers, however, did not stop there. With each fighter’s step they shifted up and down, left and right. The round was completely up in the air, it was any fighter’s game!

With one last chop Salem severed the last of Perish’s wings. Perish’s eyes lit with fire, and his face contorted with rage. “You miserable pipsqueak! You will roast for this!”

Salem answered him with a swipe of his sword. The edge of his blade dug into Perish’s flesh midway up his back, making contact with the spinal cord, and the Hellion fell to his knees.

As Perish’s eyes dimmed and filmed over he wondered briefly what dying felt like, and he wondered if he was going to be given a second chance: a second chance at being an angel, a second chance at being a Fallen Angel, a second chance at being anything. He wondered if all mortals lived in fear of this moment, and if any other immortals had meant their ends in similar ways.

And briefly, as his cheek came in contact with the arena sand, he wondered if death was but a new beginning, as many had said, and if the new story would be nicer this time around.

But from the chuckling that rang in his head as the world closed in darkness, he didn’t actually think so.

Salem didn’t know that Perish was dying. As soon as the man had gone down he had run to his sister to assist her. “Salem!” she yelled as he approached. “There’s stuff on his back -”

“I know, it was the same with the other one!” Salem yelled back. “Get off him, attack his front and keep him busy!”

Larry gasped in horror. If the other one was fighting him, did that mean Perish had been knocked out? Did he really have to fight both of them? Was this a nightmare? His thoughts were interrupted as the girl let go of his neck. He turned on her, snarling, but his snarl was met with a jab to his chin and a left hook that made his eyes water. As he reached for her to retaliate he felt the last strands of his wings give way under Salem’s blade! Screaming, he turned on the boy, but Julianna clasped her hands together into one mighty fist and brought it crashing into the side of Larry’s neck. The fist came in contact with nerves and spinal cord, and Larry fell on his side, unconcious.

Blood pooled in the sand, far too much blood. Larry was lucky to be out cold already as the even colder embrace of death closed in on him.

Salem thrust his sword point first into the arena sand and leaned heavily on the pommel stone, panting and checking that Julianna was okay. “How badly did he injure you?”

Julianna shrugged. “I’m bruised, I think I’m bleeding in two places from split skin, and my hip might be sprained a bit. You?”

“I think I’ve got about five concussions and lots of bruises.” Salem smiled. “Guess we’re professionals now?”

But Julianna wasn’t looking at him. She was watching as the referees inspected Perish’s body. “Salem?” she asked unsteadily. “Did... did you kill him?”

Salem jerked to attention. Drawing his sword from the ground he sheathed it and ran to the referees, questioning them. When Julianna caught up with him she saw Vole nodding, and Salem turned white.

“Did you kill him?” she repeated quietly.

Salem nodded. “I - didn’t mean to.”

Julianna stared at Salem, who stared at Perish, as the announcer declared one Knock Out - which resulted in Larry’s death ten minutes later - and one Death, leaving Julianna and Salem as the winners. After the cheering had subsided she took Salem’s hand. “What was on their backs? What were we destroying?”

Her brother thought about this. The soft, feathery feeling, how easy it was to snap the bones by hand, how large they had been...

Salem glanced at his sister. “Wings. The guys had freakin’ wings.”

Julianna nodded. “Isn’t it a tradition to name one’s sword after its first kill?”

Salem continued looking at her for a moment before drawing his sword from its sheath again. He inspected it, the blood upon it, and finally the body at his feet. Julianna stayed silent, waiting for him to decide.

Finally the boy sheathed his sword again and looked at her with a tired face. “Death-on-the-Wing.”

Julianna smiled. “Clever, Salem. Really clever.”

Salem shook his head as if to refocus himself, and wrapped his arm around Julianna’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

As they crossed the arena to return to their room beneath the ground, Julianna asked, “Hey Salem?”

“Hey what?”

“Are we allowed to leave this place on Sundays?”

“I think so. I’ll ask. Why?”

“I think... I think I might actually like to go to church now.”

Salem squeezed her shoulder, and the two of them disappeared behind the giant arena doors.

Gordan Ran was in a state of fury. Even when the last member of the audience had left he was still in his seat, gripping the sides of his chair so hard that his knuckles had turned white. “This...” he finally spat, “cannot.... happen... again.”

“Ssssssssso...” a silky voice behind him laughed, making him jump. “I guessssssssss great thingsssssss do come in sssssssssmall packagessssssssss.”

Ran groped about himself for something to throw or shoot at the shadow figure, but nothing came to his hand. “What do you want?”

The shadow shook its head. If Ran could have seen it, it probably would have been smiling. “I come to asssssssssssk how the bidding went.”

“You come to taunt me.”

The shadow became more serious. “The girl and boy are great fighterssssssss. Perhapssssssss they show enough potential to join my agenccccccccccy.”

Gordan Ran wanted desperately to kill the shadow. “Tell me why you’re here, or I swear I’ll summon security.”

The shadow came closer to Ran - and yet Ran still could not see him. “I have come to disssssscussssssssss sssssssome thingsssssss with you...” it said.

Ran gulped.

Flipping his cane into the air and catching it deftly in his other hand, Seth bowed regally to Julianna, who stood panting just slightly amidst a pile of bones. Then he turned to the audience. "Thank you, thank you very much!" he cried, as though the defeat of his skeletons had been part of his plan. "But you haven't seen anything yet! This is only the beginning, folks... only the opening number!"

And with a flourish, he revealed once more the inside of his hat. And once more music flooded through the room. Seth knew hardly anyone here would recognize "Firth of Fifth" by Genesis, since it was such an unusual song, but he liked to use it all the same. Throughout the piano solo in the beginning, the harpies and cannibals emerged from his hat, moving rhythmically and beautifully.

Well, sort of. Cannibals weren't really good for any sort of entertainment, but because they were excellent for disposing of the witnesses afterwards, Seth kept them on and let them be dancers so that they could earn their keep. The harpies were the ones in the spotlight - literally, because the wraiths that he had sent forth earlier were now training spotlights on each of the harpies as they flew forth gracefully. This was meant to be a truly beautiful aerodynamics number.

The harpies appeared - key word appeared - to be things of rare exotic beauty. With the bodies of birds and the heads of women, you wouldn't think they would be true eye-catchers. But these were beautiful, shapely birds, with long flowing tails and soft, brilliantly-colored feathers. Their hair was long, dark, and perfumed, flowing behind them as though they were always facing a light breeze. And as for their faces - well, their faces were enticing, lovely of feature but with a wild, untamed ferocity to them.

The cannibals were dressed in flowing silks that emphasized their various ugly flaws, unhappily enacting a pathetic pantomime of interpretive dance on the ground. But the harpies wore only slim scarves in only the vital places, and their dancing was performed in the air. By the time the lyrics began, Seth had hidden himself in shadow, the cannibals had surrounded Julianna and Salem, and the harpies had the undivided attention of everyone in the audience.



Julianna glanced about her nervously as the men on the ground danced around the pair, never breaking from their routine but always getting a little closer. "Salem, these guys do have flesh to them."

Salem, for his part, was watching the harpies above nervously. "Hey sis, if we get attacked from above, do you think you can handle them?"

"Probably better than you could," Julianna agreed. "You've never been great at dodging airborne missiles."

"All right. I'll take these guys down here. Watch my back." And Salem, gripping his sword tightly, threw himself at the first dancer.

The cannibal snarled in pain as the sword came in contact with his arm, cutting deep into the flesh. He grabbed at Salem, but his hand clutched at air. Dodging and weaving, the boy circled around the man until he could attack from behind. For a few minutes it was a series of swipes, blows, and cuts, followed by cries of frustration from the cannibal, who didn't seem to know how to defend himself. Instead of going in for the kill, Salem focused on wearing the cannibal down until he could bring the hilt of his sword crashing into his head, knocking him unconscious. That being accomplished, the boy hefted his sword and ran after the next one.

The referees watched as Salem hacked, thrust, and sliced at his opponents, wearing them down by taking their blood and then knocking them out with a swift blow to the head. "At least this one isn't a needless killer," Briggs said approvingly.

Kane yawned. "It'd probably be better for him if he did kill them. Those dancers ain't normal."

"What d'ya mean?" Vole asked, glaring at the lazy cat.

"You mean you can't smell the blood on their breath? Cannibals, of course," Kane said half-heartedly.

"We're not all cats," Briggs said, "we can't all smell as good as you. First dancing skeletons, and now dancing cannibals? I'm not liking where this is going."

Vole, for his part, was liking it all very much. The harpies' dance had become faster and more intricate, and they were attracting the rapt admiration of every male in the room.

Julianna was keeping her eyes on the harpies, too, but not because they fascinated her. She heard Salem in the background, knocking two more dancers unconscious. If the flying-women-things swooped down to attack him, it would be Julianna's job to keep his back. But she was worried - how do you fight flying women?

Then she was distracted by a movement to her left. Turning her head that way she saw a dancer limping towards her, his mouth working hungrily. "What are you doing?" another danced hissed at him. "Get back in step!"

"I can't help it," droned the dancer, stretching his hands out at Julianna. "I'm just so hungry..." He licked his teeth and drooled as his eyes glazed over.

Way too creepy. Julianna decided Salem could take care of himself and jumped to the attack. Charging at the cannibal, she kneed him in the groin, and followed that up with a knee to the ribs. As the cannibal clutched at his groin and gasped for air, Julianna balled both her hands into one giant fist and made a swinging blow at the side of his head, the impact causing him to fly to one side and skid in the dirt a good three feet. Before he could struggle to his knees she had dealt a hook-right cross combination that blacked him out.

The other dancer abandoned the dance routine and made as if to strangle her. "Why, you little -"

With a jab, hook, and uppercut, Julianna silenced his protests and was free to return her attention to the skies.

Salem had dealt with the rest of the dancers without bloodying his sword too much, and now all eyes were on the harpies. The audience believed them to be the most beautiful things ever created on this earth. They flew gracefully, looping, sliding, and caressing each other. To the males, and even to some women, it was positively seducing.

Seth alone was one-hundred percent immune. Being the son of Temptation, he couldn't be so easily tempted himself. So he simply smiled in anticipation, knowing that the show had barely begun for the harpies.

It was at this very moment that Vixen made her move. In a flurry of wings she was higher than all her followers, and as the song melted into its instrumental phase she lifted her lovely, dark face to the sky. She froze, not even beating her wings. In a few beats her sisters did likewise.



And with that final word, the harpies opened their mouths.

From the moment the harpies began to sing, the men in the room were spellbound. They didn't hear only the wordless counter-melody their wives and daughters and sisters heard. They were enraptured by the most passionate of promises, the most blissful of paradises, the most beautiful of sounds.

Julianna was not amused. She stared at the harpies as they resumed their dance, singing as they did so. Why exactly did they belong in a freak circus of terror? They were just singi-

Oh.

She startled in alarm as men began to climb out of their seats and down into the ring. All of them looked in a trance, dazed, and mesmerized - although a few seemed frantic. Salem, already in the ring, was simply staring at the harpies, his sword hanging limp from his hand and his mouth open agape. His pupils were huge and he was beginning to drool. Not at all like Salem.

The dancing of the harpies was beginning to descend inch by inch, so slowly - far too slowly for the men, held captive by their singing. Julianna realized that some of the younger men were beginning to try and climb over the sides of the barrier dividing the fighting ring from the audience. She was willing to bet that, once they got too close to the harpies, it wasn't going to be so pretty.

"Salem!" she hissed. "Salem, snap out of it! I need you on planet Earth here!"

On his end of the arena, Seth assisted a young boy as he tried to scramble over the side. "Now, now, young one," he said smoothly, even though he knew the boy couldn't hear him. "Don't fall from that height, son. I want you in one piece for my beauties."

The harpies were even lower now. Julianna had to duck as one of them swooped over her head. "Salem!" she yelled, louder, as she ran towards her brother and started to shake his shoulders. "Salem, get your head out of the clouds!"

Her brother continued to stare at one of the harpies, a small one with raven hair, red eyes, green feathers, and hardly any clothing. Anxiety turned to fear as Julianna stared into his glazed eyes. Desperately, she brought her hand back and slapped his face as hard as she could. His head rolled from the impact and his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

Julianna, now thoroughly frustrated, snapped, "Oh, for Pete's sake, give me that!", grabbed Salem's sword, and ran back to the harpies, who were now circling a mere three feet from the ground. Swinging the sword wildly and yelling like a banshee, Julianna charged at the singing creatures.

Julianna had never practiced with Salem's sword. She found it heavy and ungainly, and any expert swordsman watching her would have cringed as she wielded it. But, whether it is being swung properly or not, a sword will still cut flesh. Julianna struck a clumsy blow at the first harpy she came to, and the result was a deep gash in the creature's calf.

The harpy screamed in pain, interrupting her song. Distracted by the agony, she was unable to continue singing, and she fell to earth clutching at her wound. Julianna began hacking and thrusting awkwardly at the remaining four harpies, inflicting injuries on them blindly.

Seth watched in disappointment as the wounded harpies fell to the arena sand, screeching angrily at the girl wielding the sword. Only two left, Vixen and Dianota, and both harpies seemed unsure of what to do. Caught up in their desire to slay and eat, they refrained from flying higher into the sky. But if they remained at their low altitude, they would be wounded and unable to sing. Their hunger for men won over their good sense, and they remained in sword range. The teenage girl wielding her brother's sword cut down Dianota next, and then had to defend herself momentarily against a grounded but angry harpy Fiona, who was trying to claw out her eyes.

What a waste. The harpies were a highlight of his show, lovely caramel-skinned Vixen especially. But they were useless to him now. The scars resulting from the sword were a distinct flaw that would never disappear.

As the girl with the sword landed a blow on Vixen's shoulder, Vixen gave a shriek and crumpled to the ground. The harpy song ended abruptly, and the only music now was the song floating from Seth's hat.



Salem blinked and shook his head, staring incredulously at his sister as she stood panting with his sword in her hands. He glanced next at the group of harpies, each clutching at a bloody gash and screeching hideously at Julianna.

Men all over the arena started with alarm as they looked at the harpies. They had suddenly transformed; everyone could now see them as the monsters they really were. Scraggly, molting feathers hid wrinkled skin. Long, dingy hair framed a bird-like face. Pointed, curving claws grew from long, ugly toes. And as the mouths opened to hiss, rows of sharp, tearing fangs were revealed. They were undoubtedly the ugliest creatures anyone in the audience had seen. Sheepishly, the males returned to their seats.

Gordan Ran scrambled back into his chair, keeping his head well down. He had been standing on the edge of the railing, preparing to jump the ten-or-so stories down into the arena. Wiping drool from his face and breathing several huge breaths, the richest man alive felt like the biggest fool on the planet. The fact that every other male in the stadium was crawling back to his seat as well didn't ease his embarrassment. To try and distract himself, Gordan Ran turned his attention to the betting board.

The odds hadn't been at all stable during the fight. With each character that came crawling out of Seth Kerberos' hat, the odds slid into his favor. But as the siblings Julianna and Salem knocked them out of the game, the odds slowly leveled out again. But if this kept up, the odds were bound to stay permanently in Seth's favor. Julianna and Salem would get tired eventually, and Seth had hardly moved since the show began.

Salem walked over to his sister and took his sword back. "Thank you," he muttered, blushing with shame.

Julianna smacked him upside the head, relief expressing itself through fury. "You are NOT welcome, you idiot. I swear, I've never seen anything like it! You were staring at them like they were na-"

"Shut up."

Seth twirled his cap in his hand and walked jauntily about the arena, scooping up bodies and tossing them inside his hat. As he did, he spoke to the audience. "Amazing, absolutely fantastic! Give them a big hand, folks. Wonderful job. I've never seen such a display in all my life. And the girl! Why, what an artful display of improvisation! To pick up a weapon she had never used and bring the act to such a conclusion! Truly masterful. Folks, you'll never see it anywhere but at the Circus of Terror! Please, applaud my entertainers!"

The full impact of what Seth was doing dawned upon Julianna, and she nearly grabbed the sword back from Salem. "My gods... he's making us part of the circus!"

Salem swept his sword above his head and around his shoulders, and his eyes lit with a rare display of temper too strong for words.

Character after crazy character emerged from Seth Kerberos' bowler cap, and battle after battle was fought. Between "acts," Seth allowed Salem and Julianna brief moments rest, though as an act of mercy, cruel irony, or selfishness (intending to keep them fresh for his circus), the siblings didn't know. Julianna took advantage of the time to sort out the acts of Seth Kerberos' Circus of Terror in her mind:

The easiest: Dracula's illusion act, performed to the musical piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King.". The vampire used his skills of delusion and dreams to make members of the audience believe they were vampires, causing a mild ruckus in a middle row of seats. Several disappearing and reappearing shrunken bodies added a creepy effect. Salem and Julianna stood to one side, waiting for the act to get dangerous, which it did when Dracula turned toward them and tried to make them "volunteers" for his next trick. Salem had kept the vampire busy defending himself while Julianna had fetched a wooden stick - she ended up borrowing a cane from an old man sitting in the front row - to stab Dracula's heart with.

The hardest: Skyavascho and the Sky-Highs, most definitely. The group of weirdos - Julianna even dared to call them aliens - looked and felt like they were made of metal. This ended up being a problem, because you can only slice metal so often before you blunt your sword, and punching a metal skull is a very hard thing to do. Skyavascho and Company wore metal clothing, too, and their metal weapons, while they didn't shoot metal ammunition, hit Julianna and Salem with something just as damaging. Salem muttered later about ultrasonic waves and inverted light rays, which Julianna labeled as scientific jargon and ignored. Either way, the only way to defeat the aliens involved stabbing them in a very specific point at the back of their necks. Try doing that and keeping yourself in one piece at the same time! It took them over a half hour, which meant Seth had to pull more than one song out of his hat and the aliens had to get creative - because Seth always insisted that their weapons were to be fired in sync with the music. But eventually, Salem and Julianna were able to destroy the last of them, and Seth was forced to collect their bodies into his hat.

The lamest: Grandma Muffin. The hag was meant to be a comedy piece, apparently about a nice ugly old lady eating children, but Julianna felt it was beyond pathetic. Dressed in a huge poofy pink apron, Grandma Muffin acted out the words to a song written just for her:



After exchanging glances with Salem, Julianna had stepped up behind the hag and had knocked her out with a single numbing punch.

The creepiest: There had been more than one occasion where Julianna had seen a young one referred to as a "demon child." Julianna had been called one herself. And it just wasn't fair, especially since there were demon children out there, and normal children weren't nearly so horrible as this! The demon children were the acrobats of Seth's circus, and they played the part of child clowns by tumbling, juggling, and riding bikes to songs like "The Entertainer" and "Mr. Sandman." But what unnerved Julianna was that the children were riding small motorcycles through flaming hoops, the items they were juggling included chainsaws and knives, and the tumbles and flips were usually aimed at Salem or Julianna. And these children all had such pointy teeth! One little girl managed to get close to Julianna by acting so pitiful and frightened - "We don't want to do this, that bad man makes us!" - and then bit her savagely on the arm. It was a deep bite and it bled terribly, but luckily for Julianna it scabbed fairly quickly and she was able to keep herself alive as she forced herself to knock these children out cold. Both Salem and she agreed that fighting children was a horrible crime, and they both felt guilty about it - even after one of the boys tried to run Salem over with his motorcycle.

Most disgusting: the zombies, which were close to the end. Seth referred to the leader as "Marcus," but Julianna couldn't tell one zombie apart from another and wasn't able to understand how someone would want to name a zombie anyway. The zombies were supposed to be the adult clowns of the show, but all they did was chase Salem and Julianna in circles around the ring. Defeating zombies was a gorier form of defeating the skeletons: Salem detached their heads with his sword, and Julianna pulled off their limbs.

Most entertaining: "No, seriously," Julianna panted later as Salem stared at her incredulously. "That witch doctor was pretty awesome." The witch doctor was meant to be a combination of comedy and illusion, and he did both jobs far better than the hag and the vampire combined would have. Dr. Haikathawakanubiefiatophiehynoko had leapt immediately into attacking Salem and Julianna, but he did it with a smile on his face and both kids got the impression that he didn't actually want to hurt them. Of course, they both figured that he had cast a spell on them in order to make them cooperative, so neither acted on the impression. Because casting spells was what the doctor did best. As he joked out loud with the audience and with Salem and Julianna - who were, by now, too breathless from exertion to reply - he cast spells that were both artful and dangerous. Salem only barely escaped a spell that had created a tidal wave of water and sent it roaring in his direction. Julianna personally enjoyed the spell that had turned her hair into thousands of cat claws (pretty freaky!). The doctor was one of the last acts so, worn out and anxious to finish, Salem had come up with an ingenious idea. When the doctor cast a spell causing the ground to buck and heave under Salem's feet, the boy fell to the sand and acted as though unconscious. Julianna, starting to get really nervous, kept the doctor busy by forcing him to chase her around the arena, and since the doctor believed Salem to be knocked out he stopped watching his back. That was how Salem was able to attack him from behind.

Finally, Seth stooped to sweep up the last body, the music paused, and the arena held its collective breath, waiting for another horror.

Inwardly Seth was cursing. He had actually run out of acts. It had been his plan to let the circus defeat Julianna and Salem, and then let the circus have its pleasure with the crowd. But all of his performers had been defeated, and none were in any condition to come back out of his hat and take the fighters on a second time. Besides, using the same act twice in one show was tasteless.

His gleaming smile never left his face, but the eyes had gotten colder. It was time to finish this thing.

Tossing his silver-mounted cane into the air and catching it again, Seth flipped his hat back onto his head and strode around the ring as if he hadn't a care in the world. "Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we have come to the final act of the night."

A murmur rose in the crowd. Gordan Ran looked immediately to the betting board. The odds were in Seth's favor - due to the exhaustion Julianna and Salem must be feeling right now - but only slightly. These were the final minutes, the determining moment of the game. The rich man's hand rested on the phone beside his seat, anxious to make the call.

Seth pivoted on his toe and faced his opponents. "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the final act of the night. Ah, but how bittersweet, this parting! What pride is felt for the victor! Yet how tainted with sorrow!" He gave an elegant bow to Julianna. "My dear, I admire you. Improvisation of the greatest! Worthy of the most elegant performer! I thank you, dear, for your worthy addition to my show."

"The only addition you're getting from me is a hospital bill about ten miles long," Julianna hissed, lifting her fists threateningly.

Seth laughed. "You see what I mean by improvisation? Wonderful! And you," he said, turning to Salem. "There are no words to express your talents. I have never seen such skill in one so young as you. Your swordplay is invigorating! Absolutely enchanting! Do wield that sword one more time for me."

"When I wield this sword one more time, it will indeed be for you," Salem growled.

Seth ignored him. He turned back to the audience - his audience. "The final act of the night, ladies and gentlemen. Please enjoy."

Then he turned and rushed headlong at Julianna, wielding his stick.

The acts were not the only performers to have special powers. Remember, the ringmaster had his, too. Remember, as the son of Satan, he had his father's gifts of shapeshifting, voice manipulation - ventriloquism, if you will - and super strength. With these gifts Seth was able to subdue the greatest evils of the Earth and make them willing to serve him. With these gifts he made Marcus, Dracula, Vixen, and Susanna his most obedient followers. And there was no question in his mind that he would crush Julianna and Salem with these gifts.

So it was with well-justified arrogance that Seth ran toward his opponents, making himself larger and larger as he ran just to add an element of fear.

Julianna and Salem were tired from the fights with the circus, and the sight of Seth sprinting towards them, growing abnormally large and swinging a solid, silver-mounted cane, did nothing to cheer their spirits. Julianna almost wanted to let Seth knock them out, just so this round would be over. Seth felt her weakness and weariness, and sped up his attack. But as Seth covered the last few yards and prepared to bring his stick down with a stinging blow across Julianna's torso, Salem leapt to the defense, bringing his sword up in a parry.

"Ah," Seth said with satisfaction, "so it is the boy who challenges me." Instantly the cane in Seth's hand transformed into a sword, and the arena watched, holding its breath, as the final act became a display of swordplay. Salem was pushed to his limit, slicing, thrusting, and dancing around an opponent who was suddenly fifteen feet tall. The sword was large enough to crush Salem simply because of its weight, so Salem abandoned any defense tactics that involved direct sword-to-sword contact. Instead, he focused on his attacks. Keeping light on his feet to avoid the giant sword, Salem inflicted injury after injury on Seth Kerberos by slipping under the blade and lashing out at the black-clothed figure. Yet to his eyes it appeared as though no injury ever occurred.

Seth laughed aloud as he played his game, swinging his sword at Salem like a flyswatter at a bug. "See him crawl, see him dance! Salem, the amazing swordsman! Go on, ladies and gents, give the youth a round of applause!" The audience cheered and whistled cruelly as Salem sobbed for breath, stabbing madly at his foe.

Then suddenly Seth was gone. Salem dropped to his knees and gazed about wildly.

And Julianna screamed, feeling a cold hand gripping her shoulder. Spinning around she aimed a jab and a left hook at her assailant, but Seth had changed his form into that of a little girl. "Excuse me, miss," she sniveled, "but I can't find my mommy. And I'm so scared."

"Are you mocking me?" Julianna demanded, fury replacing her weary resignation.

He was gone. On the other side of the arena, Salem began chopping madly at the air, and as Julianna watched in complete bemusement he began screaming madly. "Get away from me, you filthy harlot! I'll rip your lung out if you get near me!"

'Harlot?' thought Julianna. 'What harlot?' She watched in confusion as Salem attacked the air, screaming in fury at a woman no one else could see. In his mind's eye she was always out of reach, always an inch beyond his sword tip, always whispering the same promises, the same curses, the same names of endearment that he found so infuriating.

And then Seth was holding Julianna, sweeping her into a dance. She heard a low, soothing waltz float out from under his bowler cap, and recoiled in distaste as he leaned close, whispering, "Nothing like dancing for the weary feet."

And then they were wrestling on the ground, landing blows on each other so earth-shattering that they should have destroyed each other with each hit. But Julianna refused to be beaten by this freak, and Seth was indestructible.

The three referees on the sideline watched in horror as the battle went on and on, with Seth managing to attack both his opponents at once, keeping them separated from each other and preventing them from acting as a team force. "It's never going to end," Jessica Briggs whispered.

"Don't be stupid," Kane yawned, "of course it's going to end. Those kids have to be beaten eventually."

"He'll kill them -"

"He might drive them mad, first," Vole observed, watching Salem scream and hack at empty air.

As she wrestled with her foe, Julianna's mind was filled with the foulest of visions - death, misery, enslavement, monsters foul and disfigured that looked so much like her. They suddenly gave way to the brightest of dreams - happy laughter, the assurance of safety, feelings so strong and so good she couldn't understand them. And at intervals she heard Seth's voice whispering, as though inside her head. "I can give you all you need, my dear. No more arena fights. No more worrying about your meals. I can give you a life of luxury, or simply a comfortable bed. All you desire, my dear." But the words sounded so hollow. Angry that this fight was lasting longer than it should, Julianna pressed on - but her opponent was as strong as she was.

And to Salem, Seth appeared as a woman, a woman whose face was new and yet familiar, inviting and yet forbidding, a promise of all he wanted and yet evil in its purest form. It was as though she chose to present herself as something beautiful, but Salem recognized her as what she truly was. Infuriated by her deception, he sought to destroy her -¬ but swords are useless when you can't reach your enemy.

It was all too weird, too freaky, too creepy to credit.

And Seth was filled with frustration at every turn. He threw vile visions, divine temptation, and total confusion at his enemies to no avail. Driven on by some determination Seth couldn't understand, these teenage fighters refused to bow down to his tricks. He taunted them, confused them, and tempted them to no avail. It only seemed to fuel their desire to defeat him. And suddenly Seth realized the weakness of Satan's powers -

- they only work so long as the victim allows them to have an influence.

As he continued fighting, he inwardly fell to his knees at the realization. Satan's powers only work when the one he is using them on cares. Satan can't tempt anyone who won't listen to tempting words. Satan can't frighten anyone who won't look at scary pictures. Satan can't confuse anyone who keeps their minds focused on what they know is true. Satan's powers had to be acknowledged, or they were useless. Julianna and Salem, in their determination to not accept what it was they were fighting, were ignoring his powers, and he could not use it to defeat them.

The fight went on, agonizingly endless for Julianna and Salem, boringly so for Seth, neither team able to defeat the other.

And then there was silence and emptiness, and the siblings found themselves alone in the fighting ring, panting for breath.

Seth reappeared, stepping from the shadows of the arena. He was twirling his cane whistling a low, hollow tune. He paused in the center of the sand, glanced at Julianna and Salem casually, and then bowed - once, to the audience.

Twice, for Gordan Ran.

Thrice, for the referees.

Instantly Gordan Ran knew. He picked up the phone and whispered hurriedly, his eyes glued to the betting board. The odds were totally in Seth's favor, showing his odds to be 2-1. Salem, Julianna's odds were 70-1. "I wish to make a transfer of betting money, now! Yes, of course now! Take all of my money and put it in..."

Seth bowed once more, to his opponents, who had crawled together and were clinging to each other, gasping for breath. "It has been a most exciting adventure," Seth said, touching lightly the brim of his hat. "I could annihilate you now, but it's no fun when my circus can't participate. Thank you for proving such a challenge. And watch out for me, won't you?"

With his gleaming smile, Seth grabbed the rim of his bowler cap and pulled himself inside. All of the lights in the arena returned to their original state, and Seth's wraiths flew into the hat, like two wisps of smoke. And then the hat folded inside of itself, and disappeared.

Julianna ran forward, swinging her fists at the empty air. "He can't do that!" she screamed. "He can't just do that!" Angry that their opponent had left of his own will, she sank to her knees and wiped grit from her eyes.

Salem glanced over at the referees, who didn't seem to know what to do. "Come on, Julianna. You know we couldn't have beaten that guy alone. It's just as well he left."

Julianna was unable to answer him. Maddened by exhaustion, anger, and confusion, she rested her head in the sand and waited for the referees to reach their decision: that since Seth seemed no longer interested in performing in the arena, Julianna and Salem were to be declared the winners.

Gordan Ran slumped back in his seat, smiling with satisfaction. Seth was a man after his own heart, and Ran had recognized his mannerisms when he had decided to leave the fight in his own blaze of glory rather than prolong it pointlessly. Pleased that he had been able to transfer all of his money into Julianna and Salem's betting account before Seth had called it quits, Ran nodded off into a nice nap, dreaming of the millions he would be counting soon.

Outside of the building, a smile gleamed in the alleyway, and a man with a bowler cap and a silver-mounted walking cane walked whistling into the night.