The rumble of the crowd outside the gate had Goliath whipping his tail from side to side in excitement. It had been a while since he’d had the chance to feel arena dirt under his claws and smell the tension in the air. It was a feeling he relished. There was just something so comforting about the arena. Perhaps it was the the routine - the gates would open, the crowd would roar, and the taste of blood would fill the air. Or perhaps it was how unpredictable it all really was. Even now, Goliath tried picturing his opponent. Perhaps a sapiere with their vicious tail spikes, or an emperor wielding more magic than Goliath could ever hope to have. Whatever they were, he had a few surprises for them, such as the shimmering armour that clinked against his thick, crimson scales.

A hush fell over the crowd outside and Goliath tensed, knowing the gate would be lifting soon. It did so with a creaking grumble, the wood far too old and beaten to move without complaint, and the stalker got his first look at his opponent. She was slender and lithe, with a quick bloodthirst about her. She walked on her wings like he did, but being a ravager she had the advantage of size. Goliath beat her on bulk, however, and the thought brought a grin to his face.

The shot that sounded the start of the fight tore through the quiet like a thundercrack. Goliath was out of his waiting pen as fast as he could manage, head lowered, claws digging into the sand as he charged at the grey and white ravager. The other dragon - the announcer called her Adya - rushed to leave her pen too, aiming to take to the sky before Goliath could reach her. She almost managed, but the crimson stalker managed to snap at her tail, trapping the appendage between sharp teeth before the ravager’s momentum ripped it free, leaving long bloodied gashes along Adya’s tail tip.

Goliath’s own momentum carried him to the wall, which he used to turn and push up into the sky, his wings beating furiously. He’d only just really gained height when Adya dived at him from above, having had time to wheel around and drop out of the sky like a rock. She struck him, full force, between his shoulder blades, forcing him back down towards the ground. While she could have easily forced him all the way down, Goliath felt her push away back into the air, leaving stinging scratches across his back. The momentum almost had him crashing into the unyielding dirt, but he managed to right himself enough to land on his feet, immediately pushing back into the sky, aiming straight for Adya.

This time, the ravager didn’t have enough time to position herself for another attack.

Goliath barrelled into her like a cannonball, his armour plating making the impact feel much more solid than it should have. He struck her right in the belly just as she’d been wheeling round to dive at him again, knocking the wind out of her in a choked gasp. She grappled at him with her wing claws, aiming to get purchase on him, but they just skittered off his thick scales. The momentum Goliath had brought with him had quickly dissipated, and the crimson stalker clamped his teeth around one of Adya’s ankles as they began to fall together. This time, Goliath was the one in control, pushing one foot into Adya’s chin to keep her from snapping at him with vicious teeth. They tumbled from the sky, one over the other, until the ground was only seconds away. Goliath pushed away from Adya, beating his wings furiously to slow his descent, the ravager doing the same, her wing claws sliding down his back with a metallic screech.

Adya hit the ground hard, barely having the breath to gasp again after the first assault, and Goliath landed awkwardly next to her, rolling over onto his back. His body ached and, despite his urging to get to his feet and declare himself the winner, he couldn’t bring himself to move. From the looks of it, Adya couldn’t either. The two dragons looked at each other for a few moments, sprawled on the ground, before the whistle sounded to end the match.