AN: Thanks for the reviews everyone! :D
I hope to see the same interest in this chapter! To answer a recurring theme in the reviews though...yes, the Balverines were strong. Perhaps it might seem abnormally strong even. But the way I looked at it as I was writing...Balverines are the strongest 'common' enemy in the game. Yes, there are stronger enemies in each game but...they are either rare (Trolls) or tied to the villain of the individual game (Jack's Minions, Lucien's army, Logan's Elite/Crawler's Shadow Minions).
Considering this was the first time any of the Heroes had encountered Fable's resident Werewolves, I figured it made sense that they would be quite tough to kill. That was the logic I used anyway ;)
Again, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and leaves a review!
Westcliff
Leaving the Hall behind them, the Heroes emerged into a new path. They were once more on the side of a cliff, this time with a hill sharply rising on the opposite side of the path. The result was a very narrow, winding path up from the almost cave-like exit of the Hall. The path was far less oppressive, as sunlight could be seen in the distance, regardless of the clouds covering most of the sky. Needless to say, after the scares of the last area they had gone through...this was quite a relief for the Heroes.
Walking up the path, they soon found themselves in front of another gate. This one was larger than the barricade that Hammer had destroyed, and better maintained. A creaking sound announced a winch being pulled, as the gate retracted in front of the little group. Beyond the structure, sat the village of Westcliff. Though perhaps 'village' is a nicer term than the area deserved. There were only a few stalls and one dilapidated tavern, with the towering Crucible in the distance.
"Such a dump," Hammer muttered as the Heroes walked through the gate, "if it weren't for that Crucible, who would live here?"
"I can't argue with you there," Rose commented, wrinkling her nose at the smell of the town.
Sparrow merely nodded, eyes scanning the town. At first glance, it really wasn't impressive. The stalls were in disrepair, and there were no real buildings. The only real sign of activity was at a ruined tavern, lights illuminating the crowds of citizens and Crucible fighters alike, all getting drunk off their rockers. Then again, when all you could do was get drunk or go fight in the Crucible, maybe it was more understandable why they did so...
Shaking her head slightly, Sparrow followed her friend and sister down the path. While they could have gone right to the Crucible, the Heroes decided to split up and explore the town a bit, see if they could find anything out. Or find supplies, as surviving the Crucible would require the best potions and weapons they could gather...and even then, it wouldn't be easy by any means.
Rose went to the weapons stalls, while Hammer searched for potions and light armor. As for Sparrow, she walked to the tavern. None of the people getting drunk seemed to have anything to offer, but she noticed a familiar face standing above the 'structure'. Quickly ascending the nearest ramp, Sparrow ran up to Barnum, the man having somehow gotten to Westcliff from Oakfield. She wasn't inclined to figure out how he had done so really...but the fact he was here was good. Maybe he had more money?
"Hey, need help with something?" the young Hero called out.
Barnum turned around, his eyes widening slightly. Sparrow wondered what was wrong...and then felt a cold breeze and remembered the rather...cut up appearance of her clothing. Pulling her shirt closer to her body, she raised an eyebrow and dared the man to say something. Barnum seemed to have a sense of self-preservation though, and just shook his head.
"Hey, it's you! Where's your sister?" the man said, surprisingly normally.
"Around," Sparrow replied.
Barnum seemed to accept that, "It's fortunate you came around miss. You see, I have another brilliant plan! I've been looking for an investor to turn this...town...into the jewel of Albion! I'm convinced that with just a little work, Westcliff could compete with Bowerstone!"
Sparrow looked dubious...Barnum's plans hadn't exactly worked before. Not to mention 'looking for an investor' implied he wanted money, not the other way around. If it had been just her, she probably would have walked away. But Sparrow knew what Rose would say...especially when she took another look at the deplorable state of Westcliff.
"How much gold?"
"5,000! But I promise I will pay you back every gold piece when Westcliff booms!"
Sparrow frowned, but sighed and passed over the money anyway. That was a not insignificant amount, most of her spare spending money in fact. But...her morals wouldn't let her say no. Regardless of his eccentrics and questionable business moves, at least Barnum had his heart in the right place. Hopefully this would do some good for Westcliff...Avo knew the town needed some good.
"Thank you! You won't regret this, don't worry!" Barnum exclaimed, as Sparrow nodded and left the man to his planning.
Clutching her torn shirt tightly, the Hero looked for her sister. She quickly found Rose, walking up to her with a very expensive looking gun in hand. Sparrow frowned at that, knowing her sister had the turret rifle on her back still. The elder Hero walked next to her sister, and would have handed her the rifle...had she not noticed the way Sparrow was holding her shirt. Instead, Rose settled for glaring and pointing the rifle at any man (and a fair few women) that sent cat-calls at her sister.
The sisters tracked down Hammer next, the larger woman carrying a set of leather armor in her arms. Obviously too small for her, they were the perfect size for Sparrow.
"Thanks Hammer!" Sparrow said happily, as she took the clothes.
"No problem Sparrow," Hammer replied easily, "figured you could use something to replace those old rags of yours."
Sparrow nodded, as she ran off to find somewhere a bit more...private...to change. Rose sighed slightly, before giving Hammer a smile, "Thanks for that. You didn't have to spend your money on her."
Hammer merely waved a hand, "Nah, it was my pleasure. Sparrow is my best friend y'know."
Rose smiled again...always glad to see someone who cared for her sister like she herself did. Soon enough, Sparrow came running back, flexing her arms and legs in her new armor. It didn't do much to enhance her natural beauty, but it did offer more protection than her old Gypsy rags had done. And that was better for Rose in any case. Sparrow seemed to agree, if the wide grin on her face was any indication.
Handing her sister the Master Flintlock that she had been saving money for, Rose lead the way up to the Crucible. The long ramp gave the group a perfect view of the imposing structure, the mere look of it sending chills down their spines. Standing at the entrance were the commentators, the men looking at the Heroes.
"Will you look at that Mad-Dog, we have new competitors!" one man said.
Mad-Dog nodded, "That we do! Which of you is aiming to compete? We can only let one in at a time...and no pets either, health and safety concerns y'see."
The three Heroes looked amongst each other at that, before Hammer backed up, "Can't be me. Lucien knows who I am."
Rose sighed, "I would do it...but I know I'm not the best fighter. That's you Sparrow."
The final Hero sighed herself, and looked up at the Crucible. She would be lying if she said she was particularly looking forward to this. She had grown so used to fighting by Rose's side, that fighting alone seemed very off to her. But...there wasn't any choice. She had to do this alone, even if she didn't want to. So Sparrow gave her sister and friend hugs, gave Petal a scratch behind the ears...and squared her shoulders as she walked into the imposing structure.
Room One
She didn't have long to wait either. The first room held the other current competitors...not one of whom were willing to jump into the Crucible. The excuses were absurd, but they worked nonetheless...and thus, Sparrow found herself entering the first room of the Crucible without even the benefit of studying other fighters. She entered the room, finding it a surprisingly natural looking dirt and rock area. Ringing the arena was a long seating area, with the spectators recessed far enough back that Sparrow couldn't see anyone specific. Though she did see a brief flash of blue light...that brought a small smile to her face.
Rose...
Letting out a deep breath, Sparrow moved to the center of the arena.
"Well we have a special treat for you all today! A new competitor enters the Crucible!" Allen's voice called out first.
"That we do folks! Let's see how our new competitor deals with the first round! Three...two...one...GO!" Mad-Dog shouted, sounding eager for the upcoming slaughter.
Sparrow wore a frown as she drew Griever and crouched low to the ground...ready for anything. Anything except what actually appeared out of the glowing circles of light anyway. Screeching came from all around her, as the Hero saw...
"Beetles? Beetles?" she questioned, as the oversized insects tried to hit her.
"Sounds like our competitor is a bit cocky doesn't it Mad-Dog?"
"Sure does Allen! Little Sparrow shouldn't underestimate the Crucible!"
Spinning around, Sparrow's blade cleaved through two of the beetles, their hard carapaces providing no protection from the flaming katana. Ducking a bug that flew over her head (and got a fireball for its trouble) Sparrow chuckled as she could only imagine the look on Rose's face. She had claimed that nickname herself, and tended to get a bit annoyed when others used it.
Swinging Griever in a wide arc, the Hero cleaved another beetle in two, ending the first wave. And so it went for the rest of the first round. While the bugs might have been dangerous when Sparrow was an amateur Hero, they were little to no threat now. Between her Will abilities and flaming sword, the beetles might as well have been target practice, nothing more. Taking a moment to catch her breath, the Hero stood up and walked through the only open door...heading for the second room of the Crucible.
Room Two
The second room Sparrow entered was distinctly less natural looking. While it still bore the same 'terrain' as the beetle room that was the extent of things. Blood 'decorated' the floor, while a square of metal sat in the center of the room. Sparrow got a distinctly bad feeling about that metal platform, and carefully walked around it. Drawing Griever once more, the Hero set herself up on top of a little mound, and waited for the go-signal.
And she got it...in the form of Hobbes. Sparrow let out a sound of frustration at that, as she was forced to roll away from her original position by the numbers of creatures popping up around her. The Hobbes roared and charged at the Hero, who took out of her new Master Flintlock. The rifle barked once, the recoil surprising Sparrow...but also blowing a Hobbe aside, the creature left bleeding on the ground.
Dear Avo this is strong!
Grinning fiercely, Sparrow reloaded and kept firing. Roll, shoot, duck, repeat. One Hobbe got close enough to swing at the Hero with its club as she reloaded. Sparrow just ducked under the blow, operating more on instinct than rational thought now. As the Hobbe's beady little eyes widened, Sparrow brought her rifle up and smacked the creature across the face, before firing the newly reloaded weapon into its chest.
"Would you look at that! Our new competitor took down the first wave in twenty seconds! The crowd is going wild!"
"But can she do so well against the second wave? THREE...TWO...ONE...GO!"
Light cropped up all over the room, as even more Hobbes faded into view. Sparrow grimaced as she reloaded her rifle once more, before noticing something. That metal plate she had been so wary of...there were holes in it. And at either end of the room were little mounds with glowing blue panels on them. Getting the feeling that something was important about those panels, the Hero sprinted towards the nearest one, blowing a Hobbe away before leaping over one of the creatures, and coming up in a roll...right atop the panel.
Screams of pain echoed behind her, as Sparrow turned around.
What the hell?
The metal panels...had grown spikes when the Hero touched that panel. Most of the Hobbes had been impaled upon the panels, and the ones that hadn't were easily taken care of with some more rifle fire. Suddenly a lot more wary of the arena, Sparrow heard boos from the crowds.
"They liked the trap Mad-Dog, but I don't think they appreciate all the rifle fire. BORING!"
Sparrow shot her rifle into the air in frustration, before drawing Griever as the final wave of Hobbes appeared. If they wanted entertainment, then she would give them their bloody entertainment!
Room Three
High above the chamber, Rose watched worriedly as her sister cleaved through the remaining Hobbes. Sparrow had gone above and beyond in proving herself a capable fighter, even alone. That did not stop her from worrying though...as the round ended and Sparrow moved into the next room. This was only round three after all, and Sparrow had already fought through more Hobbes than that entire Cave had held. They were both stronger and more experienced, but...the worry remained.
Hammer stood next to the elder Hero, and looked worriedly at Rose. She could see the tenseness in the woman's shoulders, and the way she worriedly bit her lip and tugged on her hair. Nervous ticks somewhat unique to Rose that showed just how much she disliked leaving her sister alone down there. So Hammer put a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed lightly (well, lightly for her anyway).
"Don't worry, I'm sure she can handle things," the Hero of Strength said softly.
Rose shook slightly as she let out a tense breath, "I know she can. Doesn't mean I won't worry."
Hammer could understand that, so she just gave Rose's shoulder another squeeze, before turning back to watching the Crucible unfold. Sparrow had reached the third room now, a large pit dominating the center with rocks and pillars surrounding it. The Hero stood at the center, warily scanning the room as the blue light announced the appearance of her foes. Screaming Hobbes appeared, lining the large chamber.
Rose watched as her sister fired Will spells at the Hobbes...and winced as explosions rang through the chamber. The third room contained many gunpowder barrels, and just as many of the Hobbes were running around with torches and explosives strapped to their bodies. Fire did not mix with powder or explosives...as Hobbe parts went flying in all directions, and one rolled around on fire before falling into the pit.
Please be careful Sparrow...
Rose needn't have worried though, at least for the first round. The Hobbes were not the smartest creatures in the world, and Sparrow was quite accurate with her fireballs. Second round went much the same really. It was the third round where a problem came up.
Sparrow had been cornered by an unusually smart group of the monsters, who growled at her as she swung Griever at them. Smarter than average or not, the Hobbes weren't able to dodge the Heroes expert swordsmanship. That wasn't the problem though...for as Sparrow swung her sword, the fiery blade caught on a Hobbe carrying explosives. The detonation was massive, and Rose jumped to her feet, eyes wide as the smoke obscured her sister.
No! No...no...no...no...no...no...
Rose anxiously watched the smoke clear...revealing Sparrow sprawled out on the ground, burnt but still moving. The youngest Hero stumbled to her feet, looking for any more Hobbes. For her part, Rose breathed a sigh of relief.
"Amazing! Not often we have a competitor survive the third round in such...explosive fashion!"
Room Four
Stumbling into the fourth room, Sparrow downed a potion to get her stamina back up. This room was swampy, a total departure from the previous areas. So much so, that Sparrow wondered how the Crucible maintained such varying arenas. Shaking her head to clear the random thoughts, the Hero walked up to the center of the room, warily watching for any sign of her next opponents. She had fought beetles and Hobbes so far...so what was next?
As it turned out, the blue circles of light were not the only light sources in this room. Looking up, Sparrow noticed wisps coming down to the ground. And she cursed, as she realized that could only mean one thing...Hollow Men. The last time she had fought Hollow Men hadn't gone well by any means, and she wasn't exactly eager to repeat the experience by anyone's definition.
"Our competitor has fought beetles and Hobbes, but is she ready for the Hollow Men?!"
"I hope so, our audience is eager for the bloodshed!"
Toning out the announcers, Sparrow brought her hands together and concentrated. Fire grew in her palms, the blaze getting larger and larger as the Hero focused all her energy. She knew from the Sacred Cave that Hollow Men were very vulnerable to fire, the old rags they wore for clothes catching alight easily. The fire began to overwhelm the other lights in the room, and indeed, Sparrow herself. It was difficult to control the blaze at this level.
But it was also worth it. Past her massive fire, the Hero could see at least a dozen Hollow Men shambling towards her. The zombies raised their ancient weapons and charged at the Hero, skeletal arms bringing the weapons down.
NOW!
Sparrow didn't give them a chance to hit her. As the first blade came near her head, she brought her hands down to the ground, sending out a truly massive wall of fire. The blaze impact the Hollow Men, shattering skeletons and catching clothes alight. Every last Hollow Man fell to the ground, as Sparrow panted from the expenditure of so much energy. Downing a java to try and get her energy back, she drew Griever and awaited the second wave, as trees and swamp moss burned around her.
"Now why did she have to do that? We're going to have to replace this arena!"
"I'm wondering how the 'ell she made fire from her hands meself! At least the crowd loves it!"
Indeed, roars came from the audience, obviously excited by the Will abilities of Sparrow. None of them would have seen a Hero, so it was understandable that they would be surprised and shocked by the level of control the young woman had over fire. But she couldn't let that distract her; as yet more wisps came down into the ground. The Hollow Men roared at the young Hero, charging forward.
Knowing she wouldn't be able to catch them like she had with the last group, Sparrow moved with all the agility she could muster. Griever spun and slashed, trails of fire cleaving through Hollow Men like a hot knife through butter. Ducking under a blow, the Hero brought her blade through the last Hollow Man, wincing slightly as its blade fell down and cut a trail across her cheek. That was going to leave a scar.
With the fall of the last Hollow Man, Sparrow left the room and continued on to the fifth Crucible arena. She was already feeling fatigued, and there were still four rounds to go...
Room Five
Walking into the next room, the Hero found an arena with a large bridge at the center, with a pit running underneath the bridge. It was almost like someone had purposely designed the room to force the competitor to fight their way up to the bridge, and the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. That could only mean one enemy...bandits. Hollow Men hadn't used rifles, Hobbes weren't accurate enough, and beetles again would be pointless.
Joy...
Drawing her rifle once more, the Hero crouched down and moved forward slowly, watching for the blue light that announced the enemies. She didn't have to wait long, as the jeers of Bandits came down to her. Something that never seemed to change with the crooks was their tendency to leer at her and make lewd comments. Downright disgusting that was.
"Hey, come here girly!" one of them shouted, "I won't hurt you...much!"
The rest of the bandits laughed at that, before opening fire down on Sparrow. The Hero rolled to the side, kicking one of the lower-level Bandits in the stomach before firing her rifle at his buddy. Another kick kept the downed Bandit down for good, while Sparrow ducked and narrowly avoided getting a bullet through her brain. Retaliating with her own fire, she killed the last Bandit on her level. But that was the problem...on her level. The rest of the crooks were on that bridge, and they were the best shots she had seen outside herself and Rose. As a bullet crashed into her shoulder, Sparrow grimaced and jumped behind a large boulder.
Okay...new plan. How am I taking them down? the Hero thought, reloading her rifle.
Raising her rifle over the rock, Sparrow fired blindly and managed to hit a Bandit in the leg. The man cursed and returned fire, sending shards of lead flying around as his bullet crashed into the stone. Sparrow ducked again, cursing herself. Fire wouldn't work at this distance, and the crossfire from the Bandits made it difficult to hit them with her gun.
Theresa...if you can hear me, I could use some help!
It was rare of Sparrow to ask her mentor for direct help, but she couldn't very well shout at Rose or Hammer for ideas. That left Theresa.
'Use Blades,' the woman's voice answered, 'focus your Will energy into the shape of swords.'
Sparrow remembered Garth doing so, and brought that image to the front of her mind. Focusing her Will in a totally foreign way to her preferred Inferno, Sparrow opened her eyes and grinned as blades circled her head, the glowing gold Will reacting to her every thought. Lifting her eyes up just enough to see over the top of the boulder, the Hero flung her hand forward and sent the glowing swords up at the Bandits.
"What the 'ell!" one of the crooks shouted, before the blade jammed into his throat.
The other Bandits didn't even get the chance to scream, before the blades ended their lives. Sparrow quickly leaped over her boulder and sprinted up to the bridge, sipping a potion to heal her shoulder. She made it up to the bridge, right as the second wave began. The Bandits teleported into view, staring down at the bottom area. Only when one of them turned around, did they realize that Sparrow was right in their midst.
They didn't get a chance to do anything about it, as the Hero swung Griever in a fast arc, cleaving through the Bandits. Panting slightly, Sparrow did the same to the next group, before leaving for the sixth room.
Room Six
This room was odd, Sparrow decided as she entered it. It almost reminded her of the Chamber of Fate, a central platform surrounded by on all sides. Unlike the Heart of the Guild though, this room was obviously purposely designed to have the cavern. This wasn't a damaged arena that had collapsed due to age, this was a structure built for its purpose...whatever that purpose was. As she went to the center of the room, Sparrow noted that there were more blue panels...probably more traps.
"Our Crucible fighter beat Bandits in the last room...but can she do the same here?"
"Three...two...one...GO!"
Sparrow frowned as she looked out around her. The glowing lights formed at each of the three paths between the center and the edges of the room...and on the edges themselves. That could only mean she would have Bandits shooting at her, and trying to cut her in half. Bringing Griever up in one hand and summoning her new Blades with the other, Sparrow readied herself for the coming battle. Bandits appeared out of thin air along the walls, rifles raised and firing at the Hero.
The young woman dodged the bullet, blades flying from her hand and at the Bandits. Pushing them from her mind, she brought Griever up and parried the blow from a Bandit dressed the same as the one they had fought at the Barricade. This man seemed less skilled than his counterpart though, as Sparrow managed to push him back, and drop-kick him off the platform.
"Duck Sparrow!" Rose's voice came down from the audience.
To her credit, Sparrow didn't even question the shout, and ducked. A Bandit overcompensated, and tumbled over her...and by extension, over the edge of the chasm. The announcers got into a shouting match with Rose, while Sparrow eviscerated a charging Bandit and rolled under his corpse, trying to ignore the spray of blood on her face as she felt a bullet graze her leg. Stumbling slightly, the Hero ran to one of the traps, bullets flying around her from several directions.
"IT BURNS!" one of the Bandits shouted as the Hero landed on the panel.
Looking up, Sparrow saw the arena's edges begin spewing fire; catching the unwary Bandits alight and sending them toppling off the edge of the arena.
"It seems she discovered the traps Mad-Dog!"
"Damn it...it hurts my old Bandit heart to see them like this! Second Wave!"
Sparrow cursed slightly, but refused to budge from her position. Drawing her rifle, she began shooting any Bandits who got near her, while fire continued to pour from the walls. Every time Bandits appeared along the edge of the chasm, they caught fire and either died from that, or from falling into the pit in a mad-dash to get rid of the fire. Ducking a blow, she jammed her rifle into a Bandits gut, the shell sending him flying away from her.
Shaking ever so slightly, Sparrow reloaded and prepared for the third wave. That never came...she had been fighting so hard, she hadn't even realized that the arena fight had ended. Shaking her head and trying to get her limbs to cooperate, Sparrow marched to the next room.
Room Seven
Dark...creepy ruins...oh Avo, please don't be what I think this is... Sparrow thought, marching into the second-to-last round.
"Our fighter has reached Round Seven, how exciting!"
"Yes, but can she defeat the...BALVERINES?!"
Sparrow let lose a stream of curses that would have gotten Rose to wash her mouth with soap, had she heard them. It had to be Balverines, didn't it? Squaring her shoulders, the young Hero gathered fire in her hands once again. Balverines were far tougher to kill than Hollow Men, but she had no desire to tangle with them at close range...and a rifle would do little good, Master or not. As the first howl went through the air, Sparrow shivered involuntarily, and knew that Rose was probably struggling to keep herself from jumping in to help.
Eyes watching the area, Sparrow saw the first black-coated monster begin to leap towards her. Pushing her hands forward, the young Hero sent out a massive ball of fire, the Will-powered blaze burning clean through the Balverine's chest. The creature fell to the ground, while another took its place, trying to hit Sparrow from behind. Letting her weary knees give out, the Hero ducked underneath the Balverine's lunge.
Roaring at her, the beast got back to its full height...and promptly fell to its knees, as it looked down and saw Griever sticking out of its chest. Sparrow had grabbed her blade when the wolf had jumped over her, jamming the blade through its back. It had torn her katana from her hands, but it also killed the monster.
Okay...two down. If this is like the hall there is a thir...THERE!
Sparrow sent a wave of blades at the last Balverine, roaring at her from atop the ruin at the other end of the arena. The Balverine made a pained noise as the golden Will steel pierced its body like a pincushion, but it didn't kill it. Realizing she didn't have time to charge another spell, or retrieve her sword, Sparrow drew her rifle and aimed at the Balverine as it jumped at her. The open maw of the monster spread wide, eager to bite into Sparrow's flesh.
Controlling her instinct to duck or flee, the Hero let out the breath she had been holding...and fired. The bullet went through the Balverine's open mouth...and out the back of its head, sending the monster falling to the ground at her feet.
"...that was...that was..."
"AMAZING!"
Retrieving her blade, Sparrow noticed several money bags littering the floor where they had been tossed by the impressed audience. The young Hero grabbed them, before readying herself for the next two waves of Balverines. The second wave went easier than the first, experience paying off as Sparrow killed the Balverines before they had even realized she was there. The last wave though...that was a larger problem.
For while the regular pair of Balverines went down easily enough...a White Balverine stood tall at the center of the arena. While smaller than the last one, Sparrow felt an involuntary chill run down her spine. The beast roared at the Hero, launching itself at her. Bringing Griever up, Sparrow narrowly dodged to the side, slicing the Balverine's arm as it passed.
Roaring once more, the beast swiped at Sparrow, who only barely ducked the claws, and still bore a gash on her head for her troubles. Wildly swinging Griever in response, the Hero managed to cut off three of the Balverine's extended claws, eliciting a roar of pain while the creature leaped to the ceiling high above the arena floor. Sparrow sipped her potion once more, before rolling away from the Balverine as it tried to drop on her head. Bringing up her hands, she launched a ball of fire at the White Balverine.
"This is one of the best Crucibles we've had in ages! Most don't last this long against the White Balverines!"
"And all this funky magic just makes the audience even more excited. Keep it up kid!"
Once more ignoring the comments, Sparrow frowned as the Balverine shook off the fire and tried to kick her. She managed to dodge by rolling to the side again, but the Balverine almost certainly had more endurance and stamina than she herself did. She couldn't just run forever and win this fight...she would have to kill it, and kill it quickly.
Come on...come on...
As the Balverine continued to chase her, Sparrow charged Will energy in her hands, going for blades this time. As the Balverine leaped over her head to cut her off, the Hero brought her clenched fists into the ground...a veritable swarm of gold blades hitting the beast from every direction. The Balverine growled and swiped at the blades, while Sparrow fired her flintlock as fast as she possibly could. The combination attack finally brought the beast down, ending the round.
Room Eight
The final room was a rocky hillock, with only dim torchlight illuminating the dark ground and stones. Sparrow felt a chill run down her back...something was wrong. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it felt wrong in here, very...very...wrong. She didn't know what could be the final round...Hobbes, Hollow Men, Bandits, Balverines...what could possibly be left to fight? Guards?
Cautiously ascending the hillock, Sparrow felt the ground begin shaking. Fear coursed through her body at that...for only one thing could make the ground shake like that. Rolling back down the hill, the Hero watched as a Troll clawed its way to the surface. This wasn't a moss and grass covered monster however...it was all rock, boulders covering its hide as its beady eyes stared down on the Hero.
Damn...fire isn't going to work on this one...
Pulling out her rifle, the young Hero was forced to roll again, as the troll roared and grabbed boulders from the ground, throwing them at her. Coming back to her knees, Sparrow fired off a rapid barrage of bullets, as fast as she could load her rifle. The troll roared in pain as two of its red nerves popped, and brought its fists down on the ground. The resulting shockwave knocked Sparrow back, sending her flying into a large boulder.
Shaking the stars from her face, the Hero got back to her feet, glaring at the troll as it laughed at her. Snapping her hands up, fire flew from both palms. The troll rolled back slightly as the attack scorched it...before making a painful noise as one of its nerves popped. Sparrow rolled out of the way of the resulting shockwave, stumbling slightly as her abused body caught up with her.
"Our fighter seems to be having trouble Mad-Dog!"
"That she does. I bet she's never had to fight a troll before!"
"OH SHUT UP!" Sparrow finally snapped, her exhaustion getting the better of her, sending her temper into overdrive.
The announcers shouted right back at her, but the Hero had bigger things to focus on. Like the boulder that almost took her head off. Firing her rifle and her varied Will abilities, the Hero cursed when not one attack seemed to hurt the troll. The creature had hidden its vulnerable nerves, and wasn't giving the young Hero a chance to hit them again. To make matters worse, a group of Hobbes came into play...possibly because she ticked off the announcers.
Reaching behind her back, Sparrow drew Griever and held it in one hand, her rifle in the other. Dodging attacks from the troll, she jumped at the Hobbes, who screamed in response. The little buggers slashed and stabbed at the Hero, who parried with Griever, while firing her rifle one-handed. A slash from her flaming sword sent a Hobbe flying into the troll, while a shot from her rifle blew a hole through another of the little monster's head. Ducking under an overhand blow, she kicked a Hobbe clean into the audience, where Rose stabbed it before it could hurt anyone.
Realizing how close to the troll she was, Sparrow jumped back, replacing Griever and flinging a brace of blades at the beast. She was surprised when the troll roared in agony...and began sinking into the ground. Her last attack had hit the last two nerves on the monster. As the troll vanished from sight...Sparrow collapsed to the ground, her lungs taking in air as fast as they could, while she struggled to get her breathing under control.
Silence gripped the room while Sparrow lay on the ground...before loud cheers began to echo through the arena.
"Awesome...amazing...brilliant! That was the best Crucible we've had in years!"
"That it was Mad-Dog! Give it up for Sparrow everyone!"
As the cheers echoed around her, the young Hero shakily got to her feet, her body protesting every movement as she walked to the exit...a miraculous sight...a working Cullis Gate. Pushing her depleted power into the device, Sparrow left the Crucible behind...
AN: This was a fun chapter to write. I considered splitting the Crucible in half to allow for longer segments per room...but this worked for me. Let me know what you think! :D