Inferno Ascended

The entire structure of the 'stadium' seemed to shake as Malko's opponent started running towards the vselys. 

Glax noticed just now that Ajax had a black collar that gave off a strange glow. He didn't know what it was, but he could guess it had something to do with the necromancy spell.

At the last moment, Malko spun around to escape the massive onslaught and delivered a powerful blow with his club to Ajax's foot. The dust rose as the huge revenant crashed down, but he spun with a terrifying, angry roar on his back, swinging his club violently. Wooden splinters had flown in all directions, Malko had lost his own club with his blow, and had walked away from the other revenant.

"Um, he shouldn't give that chance," grumbled Laerte. 

Malko surrounded the enemy, who rose as quickly as he could with his heavy body.

"Is he going to tire the big guy?" Lais asked.

"Nah. He knows it's useless. Revenants feel little pain and little fatigue," was the captain's explanation for them. Meanwhile, Ajax tried to attack Malko again, but his right foot was no longer a reliable support.

"Is it a fight to destruction?"

"Yes. Malko insisted. The stakes are higher."

"How did you let him do this?"

"He's not that bad. Any vselys are better than a revenant made by any necromancer." They chatted to each other while they kept their eyes glued on the action in the arena. 

Glax saw Ajax was quite predictable. His tactic comprised trying to take his opponent down to destroy him with punches. Malko was more agile and could dodge the most powerful blows most of the time. 

Malko managed to surround his opponent and move away quickly, avoiding the blows of a club. Malko's punches always aimed at the head and reverberated, even with the noise of the crowd.

Glax knew a vselys had a lot more strength than it looked, considering their slender appearance.

On one of the times, Malko came back to hit Ajax, the shredded undead grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground, stomping over his chest with a howl. 

Malko grabbed Ajax by the calf with both hands and destabilized him with a yank, rolling to the side as his rival fell like a mammoth on him. Ajax's club slipped from his fingers. 

Malko grabbed the weapon, swinging it so hard and hitting the monster's knee without the slightest hesitation. 

Glax struggled to keep his eyes open, but regretted it. Splinters flew again, while shocking pulp of black flesh, putrid blood, and bone splashed in all directions.

Glax felt his little sister's nails dig into the flesh of his arm like an eagle, while all he could think about was Malko's genius strategy. "YESSSSS!" He yelled, standing up to applaud.

The vselys was precise and didn't waste moves. He plunged what was left of the club into the opponent's chest. If he were a human, he would be dead here. 

Ajax still tried to fight, but his movement was ruined.

Malko dodged his short, uncertain blows with ease. In fact, the vselys waved to the referees, asking if they should end the fight.

Glax saw the necromancer commanding Ajax accepting defeat. 

The crowd was shocked, the fight was shorter than expected and disappointing for the punters. Malko had taken some hits, but Ajax would need to be rebuilt.

The gong sounded, determining the end of the fight.

Laerte smiled, relieved. "One less fight. Come on, it's better not to leave Malko alone backstage. I don't trust necromancers."

"And how could we? They can end your life, and your death too," Glax grumbled, getting up to go with Laerte.

They arrived at a kind of underground locker, almost at the same time that Malko was arriving after the ovation for being the champion of the fight.

The place was poorly lit and leaky. Auxiliaries passed back and forth, and Glax saw other revenants in cells, and a group of suspicious men talking next to the gate. 

This time even Lais knew better than to draw attention or make a fuss, and just covered her head with her hood, staying between the two men the entire time. 

One of the men left the group as soon as he saw Laerte heading towards Malko, down the ramp. 

Glax took Lais by the arm so they were close behind and did not interfere, keeping his head under the hood as she did.

"I was wondering where the noble Captain was," said the man who stepped in front of Laerte. He wore a red-dyed goatee and eyes painted with kajal, and braided hair. His thin, bony face with sharp, almond-shaped eyes resembled a fox. He wasn't the only one there who wore a necklace with a skull symbol.

"Oh well. You know who I am. Good for you. I also know who you are," the captain grumbled, barely controlling his bad mood. "If you want to schedule a fight of your revenants against Typhoon Malko, do it directly with him. I'm here to greet my friend… And to collect the money I've wagered."

"You are the biggest gambler for the vselys, Captain. And the fight wasn't fair."

"Oh yes? What is the reason? Isn't the rule that the revenant is someone whose body was revived? The empire itself officially declared him dead until he returned as a revenant."

"Disputable techniques."

"I was wondering if you in the League are really going to want to discuss body resurrection rules with the Stygian Empire. Malko was accepted into the championship and he's just better than the grotesque stuff some of you present in the arena! The League should review what kind of 'macabre sculptors' it accepts in its ranks, rather than questioning the superiority of the vselys technique."

Glax had never seen Laertes talk so much! The Captain literally spat the words in the necromancer's face, who grimaced away.

Malko also watched the discussion from afar, as did the other necromancers. And then he said, "At least put your best revenants and not these botched monsters at the end of their useful un-lives... Ajax's tattered soul deserves to be released, there's not much more his builder can get out of that body."

As a slave himself, Malko had no reason to be a hypocrite. He just reached for a bucket of water and cleaned himself with a rag. A young man Glax remembered seeing at Medea came to help him.

"The League will no longer accept fights with vselys… The official statement will be out soon. But you already know our decision," the fox-faced man spoke to Laerte and Malko, but addressing the former one, mostly.

"But do you accept revenant fights with any other creature?! Ahhh, of course. You can't get over the Typhoon, so you don't want to be embarrassed and will change the rules." Laerte growled, fists clenched. They spoke loud enough for everyone around to hear.

The fox face dude shrugged and spoke with a tired tone. "Accept the fact, Captain. Take your money. Take your vselys."

"Wait. In that case, I have a proposal." Glax took a step forward, keeping his face half-covered by the shadows of his hood.

The necromancers looked at the mysterious figure, talking to them with interest.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

"It really was a bold proposal, one they couldn't refuse." Laerte was pleased with Glax's idea.

"They wouldn't refuse in a million years, those rotten sewer rats. The League makes a lot of money from illegal fighting and tireless guards, and that's how they sustain their second-tier revenant lairs," Malko growled, pouring himself some water from a pitcher. 

They were in a house, which belonged to vselys. Lais slept in a room while the men were on the terrace. The place was secluded by woods, with few neighbors around.

"Well, they have some time to prepare. After all, they're going to attract a small fortune with such a spectacle."

"But… are you sure, Glax?" Malko asked. Glax immediately understood the vselys' apprehension. He didn't know that Glax, besides changing his face, had also changed a lot since the last time they saw each other on Athios."

"Of course I have. If it happens, of course."

"What do you mean, if it happens?"

"You are no longer alone to retrieve that Valya's Cauldron, Malko. Let's go to the necromancer's lair with him. It makes no sense to pay for it. It wasn't his in the first place!"

Malko scratched the back of his neck. 'Glax, I appreciate the offer. But he's not just any necromancer like that junk pile you saw earlier!"

"Like this?"

"He's the necromancer who killed me the first time," Malko admitted, sitting up. "He took me down easily with a spell. And now he has one of my colleagues in his power." 

The valosian had told them about Damiamon and Kalista earlier and had spent the rest of the night telling them about his most recent misadventures.

"Dude… that's all the more reason to hurry. This necromancer… He won't keep the unopened sarcophagus waiting for you. And there's no guarantee that he doesn't intend to take your money and bring you down again!" Glax was worried about the revelation. Malko had also exposed his concern openly, but he couldn't let defeatism interfere.

"So you never planned to fight in the arena in the first place?" the captain laughed, a bit surprised.

"What?! It will be a piece of cake! You and me against their top ten revenants in a row? It's going to be the show of the century!…" He feigned excitement, but then shrugged, with a deadpanned face. "No. I just wanted them really busy with it."