Around the duo, fighters began clustering into groups—some shaking in terror, others bracing themselves for what was to come. Three squads took form, and the stragglers drew close to Jason and Tahuuk, instinctively seeking strength beside them.

  Jason’s gaze darted between Tahuuk and the massive beasts pawing at the sand across the arena.

  “What do we do, Tahuuk?” he asked, voice thin with dread.

  Tahuuk’s sharp eyes scanned the flanks, the squads, the arena walls. “We need to find the weakness of those things. That won’t be easy.”

  Jason studied the nearest beast. Four meters tall. Saddle strapped tight by two thick bands of leather. A rider sat atop it, armored in the standard gladiator gear—gaps of skin showing, but his head fully encased in steel. He carried javelins strapped to his back.

  “It has a short tail,” Tahuuk noted. “So it won’t use it against us.”

  “Maybe we can pin it against the wall?” one fighter offered.

  “Not without distracting the rider first,” another muttered.

  Jason tried to follow their logic, but every plan frayed against the reality: even if they dealt with one beast, two more stalked the sands. His mind began to work, a fragment of a solution forming. “Would they care if they hit each other?” he murmured.

  Tahuuk’s ears twitched; he’d caught it. The thought settled into his mind as well.

  The announcer’s voice thundered from above, cutting short their planning.

  “The bets are in! Let this historic moment… BEGIN!”

  The riders lowered their javelins. The beasts moved, each pawfall shaking the ground, each step pressing terror into the weaker fighters.

  The tension finally snapped. With a scream, the squad to their left charged forward. The others looked startled—this wasn’t coordinated—but had no choice but to follow. Their formation was clumsy, mostly low-born, their strategy little more than desperation.

  The first spearman jabbed at the beast’s snout, driving it back a step. Others joined him, poking and retreating. For a heartbeat it worked—until the rider hurled a javelin. It tore through the chest of one fighter, dropping him instantly.

  The lead attacker froze in horror. When he turned back, the beast’s paw was already arcing downward. He didn’t even finish the thought of jumping aside before he was crushed, body and blood exploding across the sand.

  The backline fell into chaos. Some scrambled, others turned to flee—only to be caught by more javelins from the circling riders. Screams choked the air.

  On the opposite flank, another squad struck. A trident grazed one rider’s arm, nearly knocking him loose. The beast stumbled sideways. A veteran fighter leapt, sword raised to stab its eye. He clung to the beast’s head, straining for balance as it thrashed violently to throw him off.

  Jason noticed something—the other riders had drawn javelins but refused to throw. They weren’t aiming anywhere near their ally.

  “You were right,” Tahuuk said grimly. “They won’t strike their own.”

  Jason’s eyes locked onto the struggle, hunting for openings, for anything.

  The veteran held on desperately, blade inches from the beast’s eye. Another fighter slashed at its snout, drawing shallow blood but little pain. The monster twisted in fury, shaking the veteran loose. Both fighters crashed to the ground.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The beast charged. The veteran scrambled up, so did the fighter but he was too slow. Its massive jaws swung open, rows of teeth glinting. Jason’s breath caught. For an instant, their eyes met—Jason’s wide and helpless, the fighter’s full of fear.

  Then the beast clamped down, biting the man in half. His scream ripped through the arena before blood drowned it out. With a final crunch, his upper body flew, lifeless, into the sand.

  The crowd roared. The fighters froze. Even Jason. His body locked, his legs unwilling to move.

  The beast turned, eyes settling on Jason’s squad. Another padded up beside it, both riders lowering their javelins toward them.

  Jason’s pulse hammered. Around him, fighters pressed closer, forming a ragged half-circle. Tahuuk crouched forward, grip firm on his spear. Jason stood between them, caught between fear and action.

  The first beast lumbered closer, still chewing, blood spraying as it shook the mangled corpse. The rider raised his javelin. The second beast’s gaze fixed on Jason.

  Then—luck. A spray of blood splashed into the second beast’s eye. It blinked, pawing at the irritation.

  An opening.

  Jason’s paralysis broke. He dashed forward, ducking past its snapping jaws. The other rider shouted, readying his javelin, but Jason was too close now. He lunged, gripping the leather strap binding the saddle. He clung to the leather with all his weight. The rider cursed, stabbing downward, but the beast’s swaying kept the aim wild.

  Suddenly, the head jerked left. Tahuuk had leapt onto it, punching hard into its eye. The beast staggered, stunned. Tahuuk climbed higher, sprinting for the rider.

  The other rider noticed, shifting to throw—but a distraction from the squad below threw him off. The rider of the beast Tahuuk was on made a final, desperate attempt to throw a javelin at him, but missed in a panic. Tahuuk’s spear pierced clean through, killing the rider outright. His corpse tumbled, landing beside Jason.

  Jason still clung to the strap, sword stabbing into the beast’s side. The blade stuck, shallow but enough to wound. The beast roared, twisting violently. Its hind paw slashed dangerously close, trying to claw him loose.

  “Get off!” Tahuuk barked, already in the saddle, yanking the reins hard.

  Jason obeyed, dropping to the sand. The beast swirled above him, head thrashing wildly. Jason ducked flat, and it slammed straight into the second beast. creating a cloud of dust.

  The collision drove Jason’s sword deeper into its flank, locking it there up to the hilt. The beast shrieked, staggering backward. Blood poured, its movements growing more erratic. It rose onto its hind legs, thrashing.

  Jason’s eyes widened. He saw it, clear as day. His voice cut through the chaos:

  “Pull the reins!”

  For an instant, the tension in his body vanished. The pounding in his chest dulled. The roar of the crowd sharpened, each voice distinct, as if the world itself bent around his focus. Time seemed to slow—but only for a heartbeat. Then it was gone, leaving him breathless.

  Tahuuk understood instantly. He hauled with all his strength, then jumped off to the side. The beast reared higher, balance failing. It toppled backward, crashing down in a thunderous quake.

  The shadow engulfed the rider on the ground. His scream was cut short as tons of flesh and bone crushed him beneath the beast’s spine. The other dazed creature was pinned under the collapse.

  The squad surged. Spears and tridents stabbed relentlessly, finishing the trapped beast with brutal precision. One strike pierced its eye, stilling it forever.

  The other staggered wildly, blood leaking from Jason’s sword embedded deep in its side. It pawed weakly, then collapsed in a slow, rattling death.

  Silence. Then the survivors exhaled together. Relief, disbelief, the taste of survival.

  Jason looked around at the others, yet felt something strange. He had survived with them, but the bond wasn’t the same as with Tahuuk. Only beside him had his fear shifted into resolve.

  “Watch out!!”

  The warning came too late. A shadow loomed—the third beast slammed into one of the fighters, sending him flying. Jason froze again, heart clenching.

  Tahuuk grabbed him, yanking him back into formation with another squad. These men were veterans, their line steady.

  “On your feet,” Tahuuk ordered, eyes locked forward. “Last one.”

  Jason lifted his blade and stood in line, sweat stinging his eyes. Fear still gnawed at him, but beneath it, something sparked—fragile determination, unbroken.

  his gaze slightly shifted to Tahuuk, showing a slight confident smirk, a faint smirk that showed on Jason’s lips as well.