I gazed out into the blinding light as I stepped over the threshold of the door into the arena, cringing in pain as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. A roar assaulted my ears and I glanced up, taking in the vast hordes of spectators all screaming for death that crowded against the walls of this monstrous colosseum. My death? Most surely. Frightening. I turned my attention to the far side of battlefield, where my opponent was taking in the screaming crowds as well. The Wizard. His mastery of magic was known well throughout Etheria. Clearly the one favored to kill me. Just my luck.
He dropped his eyes and met my gaze across the field. A moment of silence fell throughout the crowds as they eagerly waited. The Wizard smirked at me, thinking he easily had the upper hand. But I had some tricks he had not seen before. I would be waiting for him to come. We paused, and I took action. A burst of green energy flew from my fingers and a Mana Flower took shape. I could feel its mana leaking towards me, aiding my efforts. The Wizard reacted quickly, throwing down a cluster of Mana Crystals in a flash of blue energy.
I decided to take the offensive and rushed forward, conjuring an enormous burst of light that I threw out in front of me. A cave opened up in the floor ahead, and roaring animals could be heard crawling out of the depths. My Lair. The Wizard ran along the wall, and unleashed a horror into the arena. The Hydra. I was filled with dread. The Hydra was a terrifying sight to behold. I paused, and he took the advantage to create an Amulet to aid him. I rushed forward up to my Lair and summoned a Falcon to me, its screech making the spectators cringe.
I conjured my ring to aid in summoning as well as some armor, because I knew that Hydra would be trouble. I tried to rush forward, conjuring some Foxes and another Falcon, hoping to overwhelm the Wizard before he could start his own offensive. But he just laughed and charged my horde of animals. I doubted my decision. He stopped and raised his hands above his head, and yelled a curse. Lightning shot in every direction, leaving two of my beloved creature still on the ground. I ran forward, and took a swing at the Wizard, barely fazing him. He loosed a bolt of magic in return.
A reptilian growl roared from behind me, and I glanced back to see my Tegu rise from the Lair to join the fray. I felt a special attachment to the creature. He launched himself at the Wizard, but was shot down with another bold of lightning after inflicting merely a scratch on the Wizard. My creatures were falling fast. I began to panic. I retreated slightly, and waited.
A roar and crash came from the Lair, and I glanced menacingly at the Wizard, who looked slightly nervous. Suddenly, a Grizzly charged out, causing the crowd to shriek and yell with worry. I was confident that this would be enough to force the Wizard back. The Grizzly engaged the Wizard, barely noticing the Hydra's four heads slashing at its shoulder. But then the Wizard shocked the entire arena. He conjured a huge blast of dark magic toward the Grizzly, who slowed and slowly was encased in a huge layer of stone, unable to do anything. I almost gave in then and there. None of my creatures had phased this Wizard at all.
I tried again. A Gorilla came screaming out of my Lair to assault the Wizard, fighting in its battle fury rage. I joined the ape, trying to dodge the Hydra as well, not wanting to take it head on. But now I could see the Wizard was beginning to weaken. He looked fatigued and his wounds were adding up. He and the Hydra pressed back, assaulting me with attacks left and right, which took their toll. I stepped back and attempted to heal myself, relieving some of the pressure.
The Wizard was beginning to slow, and was taking hits from the Gorilla. I could tell he was wavering, his face was pale and strained. Suddenly, he slammed his staff down and disappeared. The crowd gasped, and we all looked around in confusion. People began yelling excitedly and pointing; the Wizard had appeared in the far corner where I had started. I took a second to relax, and then launched in attack on the Hydra with my Gorilla and Grizzly (recently freed because of the strain it took to encase him in a rock). The Grizzly was furious and tore the Hydra apart like it was made of nothing.*
I think the Wizard got nervous then. He raised two walls from the ground to barricade himself in the corner. He was stalling. His reserves were depleted. I knew I could pull through this. From deep within my Lair, Cervere the Forest Shadow emerged. Now, the Wizard would have no chance against my beasts. And he knew it. I shot balls of energy towards my creatures, which grew wings and bulged in strength, and gained the speed of a Cheetah.
The moved in against the wizard while I sat back, confident of success. The watching crowd looked down at the anticipation of the death of a combatant. Now they cheered for me, me. It was I who was going to be the victor. The Wizard desperately teleported once again, back to his side of the field. But Cervere was waiting, and pounced. The Wizard tried to throw up a barrier to block him, but his mana had been depleted.** A cheer rose as the Shadow slashed the Wizard across the chest, creating gaping holes through his armor and body. He stood for a moment, hovering almost, and fell back hard to the ground, limp and lifeless. There was a moment of silence.
I limped my way off the field, the sun highlighting my back as the people cheered for my success, my head down. But I knew that it was not really a success. I knew I would be back. I had no choice. This was only the beginning...
So yes, this is Mage Wars. The newest, completely awesome game that I have. If you don't have it, get it.
* My Grizzly rolled 9 dice, scoring 14 hits against my opponents Hydra to finish it off. It was crazy.
** He had a block placed on his Wizard...but realized he didn't have enough Mana to reveal it.