Mag Beast Leveling

The gaunt figure stood forward, eyes piercing Vincent's soul.

His voice creaked like a rusty gate, grating on Vincent's fraying nerves.

"Welcome, Vincent and Vira," the sorcerer said, his eyes darting between them.

"I've been waiting for you. You're just in time to join the game."

Vira's elemental form crackled with anger, but Vincent put a hand to her arm, restraining.

"What game?" he said, as though he were attempting to sound neutral.

Smile the sorcerer did, his lips rolling upward, like a snake.

"A game of survival," he said. "You see, I have been looking for a way to wield the power of the Devourer. And I think that you two are the key."

As the sorcerer began to circle around them, Vincent's hold on Vira's arm tightened. You're going to use us as sacrifices," Vira spat.

The sorcerer 1km giggled, amused by them. "Oh no, my dear Vira. You're going to play a small tournament I've arranged.

The winner would get to live … for a bit longer, anyway."

Things started to warp and move as he said it, the air going hazy around them.

From nowhere, a colossal dome appeared, its circular walls taller than the eye could see, and twisted grotesque elements of horror filled rippling rows inside.

Vincent's eyes grew wide as they panned across the scope of the arena.

"What sick game is this, man?" he demanded.

The sorcerer shrugged. "You know? Just a little something I like to call… 'Bloodsport.'

The arena gates swung open with a foreboding creak at his outstretched palm, releasing a menagerie of abominations.

They were humanoid in shape, but their bodies stretched and twisted to unnatural lengths, featuring razor-sharp claws and teeth.

A deafening scream escaped Vira as she plunged straight forward, her elemental body flaming with wrath.

Vincent was right behind him, his sword cutting down the creatures with lethal accuracy.

They fought for their lives, spraying blood everywhere, and it was a bloody mess. Vincent was pitted against a humanoid, arachnid hybrid whose dark brown body was covered in a coating of sickly chitin.

He swung his sword at it, but it wouldn't die.

The creature kept returning for more, its jaws snapping wildly as it attempted to bite him.

Just when Vincent thought he was going to be overwhelmed, Vira came out of nowhere and disintegrated the creature in a blast of flame.

As they continued to battle on, they came face to face with even more corrupt foes, as numerous as their brethren but each one more horrendous than the last.

There were creatures that resembled giant insects and others that appeared composed entirely out of flesh.

And then there were those that looked human but had been warped, defiled by some malignancy.

Vincent started to feel dread wash over him.

They were never going to win this fight.

Not against those kinds of odds.

But Vira refused give up

She was to take against rage that persisted out of fury wanting to protect her bond.

And they gradually but steadily began to gain traction.

Their foes began to break until it was but 4 persons.

But just when they believed that they had won victory, a new challenger emerged from the shadows.

A contrasting creature, known as the "giant monster," entered the arena.

Its massive body is covered in bulging muscles and scaly black skin.

Glinting eyes, red-hot coals

As it ground its teeth, its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth seemed to grin at them.

"Meet true champion Bloodsport," the sorcerer announced with a voice full of malice.

"This Gorthok beast from deep in the underworld"

The start of it sends a shiver of fear creeping through Vincent.

This was a monster of a different sort.

A monstrous form, Gorthok, bellowed as it charged at Vincent and Vira.

Its enormous body rippled as it trudged closer, at first imperceptibly, until the earth began to tremble beneath their feet.

Vira towered above me, her element writhing with rage. "We're not going to back down," she said, her voice firm.

Vincent nodded, clenching his sword.

"Let's do this."

Gorthok swiped his massive claws against the air and knocked Vincent against the other side of the arena as they struggled for control.

Vira rushed to his aid, releasing a blast of flame that singed Gorthok's scales but didn't seem to penetrate it.

Gorthok struck back with a sweeping hand the size of a barn, knocking Vira to the dirt. Vincent leapt up to his feet, sword glinting in the low lights of the arena as he slashed at Gorthok's side.

The beast howled in pain as Vincent's blade sank into flesh to the hilt, but it would not go to its knees. Instead, it focused on Vincent, its jaws stretched wide to inflict the fatal blow.

Now in the air, Vira fired a blast of elemental energy that sent Gorthok staggering back. Seizing the moment, Vincent delivered blow after blow, his sword cutting through the monstrous defenses of Gorthok and biting deep into its hide.

Little by little, they began to chip away at Gorthok's enormous health pool.

The beast lay lame, its body crashing to the earth with a thunderous noise.

As they stood gasping over Gorthok's cold corpse, the sorcerer emerged beside them. "Good job," he said, his voice oozing malice.

"You have shown yourselves worthy adversaries."

Vincent turned to face him, his sword still quaking in anger.

"What do you want from us?" he demanded.

The sorcerer smiled. "Oh, I think you know precisely what I want," he said.

"I want your power. Your bond is strong enough to unravel the secrets of the Devourer."

Vira leaped ahead with fire in her eyes. "We're never going to let that happen," she said, spitting.

The sorcerer chuckled. "We'll see about it," he said. "You see, I have one last card to play."

The regions around them began to ripple and shift once again as he spoke.

Suddenly a figure appeared there behind them, a woman with long silver hair and eyes that glinted with inner fire.

"Meet my new partner," the sorcerer told you, the words dripping with triumph.

Her name is Lyra or at least that used to be what remained of whatever was left of humanity..."

Lyra looked at them coldly, calculating.

And in that moment, I knew why they were there.

They bound to fight till death.

For the sake of humanity