While the crowd was cheering, Solon spoke up to the other prisoners pointing out a couple of the prisoners saying, "You two are with me! The rest of you, protect the dragon! its fire breath could prove crucial as a stall tactic while we wait for hell to be breached!" The dwarves grunted affirmatives, as the cheering of the crowd dulled.
On the other side of the arena, the gates to the animal pits opened. The mechanisms of cages opening reverberated throughout the arena, followed by ear-piercing howls. Out of the tunnel came 5 giant wolves. The groups divided as the wolves charged for them, two of the five heading towards Solon and the other two he pointed out, and the other wolves continuing their charge for the larger group. One of the dwarves in Solon's group had grabbed a crossbow, and was proceeding to fire it at the oncoming wolves, as Solon drew his blade. Next to him, he heard the other dwarf draw an axe, as the first of the bolts flew toward the wolves. Out of all the bolts fired, only 3 managed to hit their mark, one hitting the eye of one wolf, spraying out moisture mixed with blood, another lodging in the neck of the other wolf, causing blood to squirt out of the wound in increments, and the final lodging itself in the second wolf's bowels, intestinal fluid spraying out of the wound. Both of the wolves charged the crossbowdwarf, leaping onto him, and ripping open the dwarf's throat and tearing off limbs, sending blood and gore flying through the air, to the cheering of the crowd.
Solon and the other dwarf charged at the wolves, as they finished their kill, leaping onto the backs of the wolves. Solon lost track of what the other dwarf was doing, as the wolf he was on proceeded to shake violently, in order to dislodge the dwarf from its back. I should have spent more time than just that one year in the military if I had known that my friggin' life would come to this! Solon thought as he stabbed into the beast's leg in order to get a more secure grip on the wolf.
Faream was in pain, a wolf had gone after him, nearly biting his neck in two. He was narrowly saved by one of the dwarves had stabbed it in the eye, dragging him out of the mouth of the howling wolf. "Use your damn breath attacks, dragon!" the dwarf shouted at Faream before reentering the fray.
I can't! Faream shouted in his mind. My fire breath isn't strong enough!
Another wolf began to charge at Faream, who quivered in fear. He looked around, and saw that the dwarves were not facing his direction to help him out of this. Faream realized that he was going to get no help out of this situation. This would likely be when he died. The wolf continued to charge at Faream, who had an odd wave of emotion reverberate through him, defiance. No! I will not conform to what was said about me! I will fight back!
Faream stood his ground and unleashed a breath attack that was building throughout himself during his thoughts. Out of his maw launched a blast of not fire, but a great wave of raw energy that encased the wolf in stone. When it stopped, Faream looked upon what he did and had only one thought Did…did I just do that?
Solon finished killing the wolf he was after, just in time to see what Faream unleashed. His shock was evident on his face, as he thought, what is this dragon capable of?
The other dwarf Solon brought with him also saw the spectacle while he finished off the other wolf. "That is no ordinary dragon," the dwarf said, as they moved over to where the other group's three survivors gathered.
"What tipped you off, Logem?" Solon responded.
"Did you notice his scale coloration during that blast?" Logem said. "The color changed from gray to green."
The groups came together in the center of the arena, and before they managed to speak to each other, they were interrupted by the Arena Grandmaster. "Well, that was an interesting turn of events! Wasn't it?" She said to the nervous laugh of the crowd. "It looks like we are going to need, a greater opponent for this batch of prisoners. So may I present to you the greatest capture this fort has ever made! The forgotten beast Aspâd!"
Solon was the only one to respond with the simple phrase, "Shit!"
