I am the steel no enemy can shatter.
For one, nearly eternal moment, he feels as though he might break. As though his entire being might fracture into too many pieces to ever successfully rebuild. But then those cracks fuse abruptly back together, a surge of power infusing his mind and body, his very soul, bringing with it a storm of hellish fire. It subsides just as quickly as it had come however, collapsing in upon itself until it is only a quiet simmer in his veins.
For several seconds, he simply lays there, a crumpled heap slumped before the ghastly little creature that had done all this to him. But he is not allowed to remain for long. He is urged to his feet by the little man, his expression almost kind now as he strokes his nose with deceptive gentleness. As Shan stares at him with a blank gaze, he feels decidedly… odd. He does not hate nor fear his captor as he should. In fact, he cannot even find it within himself to wish him harm.
A frown tugs at his lips, though his scrambled, abused brain cannot quite grasp the thought that is trying to form inside his mind. He feels almost… protective towards this man. But no, that’s not right. Is it? It feels right. It feels… wrong? No, not wrong. Not wrong.
He shakes his head, trying to clear the ache that plagues him, trying to clear the torment that had broken it.
It doesn’t work, but still he tries. Whatever else he may be, he is true and steadfast. Even he wake of such torment, he cannot shake the need to stand strong against all threat.
To stand against what threatens Grumblesnakes.
Before the realization can sink in, he is being led away, down a long corridor to a set of heavy double doors. They open at their approach, leading into a vast expanse with a sandy floor. Rounded walls stretch out beside him, curving into the distance to form a large, intimidating coliseum. Inside the massive space is a number of odd creatures - frightening creatures. All seem vicious, rabid almost, though they appear to be magically restrained by halters or collars much like his. Were his mind not fogged with torture and false emotion, he might have noted the peculiarity of that.
As it is, he only knows one thing. He must fight.
Whatever state his mind is in, his body seems to know just what to do. The first creature is loosed against him, a hairy beast, all nail and tooth, snarling viciously as it lunges towards him. Acting on nearly pure instinct, Shannisoran shifts backwards, weight transferring to his haunches as one single thought crosses his mind: defend.
For a moment, he hesitates in surprise as a thick armor erupts from his skin, covering him from head to tail in a sturdy, protective surface. This hesitation, however, gives the slavering beast all the time it needs to leap upon him, extended claws and yellowing teeth sinking into the leathery scales of his hide. Shan grunts as he is shoved backwards. He uses the propulsion to dig his feet into the sandy surface beneath him, giving him the leverage he needs to launch forward into a might buck, head lowering as he does his best to dislodge the beast digging painfully into his armored skin.
After a long (rather embarrassing) moment of fruitlessly trying to dislodge the thing, it finally occurs to him that he might be able to do other things, aside from covering himself in a protective surface. And so he thinks spikes. With only the thought, several spikes erupt from his shoulder, effectively impaling the wolf-like creature. It releases him suddenly, giving a piteous yowl as he shakes it loose, retracting the bony skewers so that it falls to the ground as a pool of its own blood begins to spread around it.
He is given no time to ponder his first kill though, as another creature has already been set loose upon him. This one is a screaming half woman, half bird that takes to the sky, deadly looking talons outstretched. As she dives for him, Shan bursts into a gallop, driving full tilt for the opposite end of the arena. His armor melts back into his skin, so as to give him more freedom to run. He soon finds however, that that had been a mistake.
The harpy is much faster than he had anticipated, especially for such an ungainly looking creature. He flinches reflexively as a sharp screech sounds behind him, just before needle-like talons dig into his exposed flesh, ripping through flesh as easily as paper. Dropping his head, Shan digs his feet into the soft floor of the coliseum, sliding to an abrupt halt. The harpy, unprepared for the sudden stop, tumbles over his head with an indignant shriek.
With a viciousness he had not before realized he possesses, Shan leaps forward, claws reminiscent of the harpy’s replacing his hooves as fangs replace his blunt horse’s teeth. Pinning his ears, he charges to meet the beastly woman’s attack as she recovers and turns to him once more. As he does so, his scarred skin ripples, shifting into a molten silvery metal that flows with his movements but resists the penetration of claw or tooth. Only the recent cuts on his withers resist the transformation, causing a thin stream of blood to trickle across his slick skin.
The resulting scuffle is both terrible and fearsome, the clash of bodies and the slashing of fang and nail filling the air with awful screeching sounds and the wet squelch of rending flesh. In the end, the harpy lays dead at his feet, barely recognizable in her torn state. Blood drips from Shan’s mouth and feet, a testament to his own beastly behavior.
For a moment, the now silver stallion can only stare at the massacre in stunned silence. He is a warrior, certainly, but never have his actions been so… animalistic.
Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) he is not given time to dwell upon this fact as his next opponent is loosed against him. This time it is a group of smaller, cackling creatures. Tiny hobgoblins that stare at him with intelligent black eyes and yellow, toothy grins. These little monsters are much more clever in their attack, making a concerted group effort, forcing him to fight on multiple fronts.
In the end however, they are no match for whatever hellish magic he has been infused with. Still, they had concentrated their efforts upon his already wounded back, resulting in a significantly larger and more painful wound. Even so, it is not enough, and soon they all too lay dead at his feet, having refused the give up their attack until all are dead to a man.
And Shan – he is tiring, growing weary from the constant attack upon him, wondering if this nightmare will ever end.
As metal stallion glances around, he looks up to find Grumblesnakes watching, an expression of intense concentration upon his features as he appears to consider the happenings in the arena. Unfortunately he seems in no mood to give a reprieve.
Suddenly a massive roar shakes the coliseum, causing Shan wheel around, ears flattening against his skull as that odd determination – that need to protect – fills him. There, broad wings flapping to keep its massive body aloft, is a dragon. A thing of monstrous size and appearance, with thick, glittering scales, a mouth full of teeth, and malevolent green eyes.
Without further warning, the huge beast opens its jaws and releases a bright stream of scorching flame. Shan’s metal body heats rapidly as he scrambles away, trying to escape that fire. With desperation, his skin ripples as scales reminiscent of the dragon’s replace molten metal, though the damage has already been done. He can feel the burns searing much of his body.
Gritting his teeth against the pain (it is nothing compared to his most recent torment), he eyes the creature warily from a safe distance, wondering how in the hell he is supposed to match a thing so monstrous. He is given no further time to consider this quandary however, as the dragon is tucking its wings and diving towards him, jaws agape as though it intends to eat him in one gulp.
Bursting forward, Shan uses the magic unashamedly to boost his speed, bolting past the much larger beast in a frantic attempt to escape. The next several minutes follow much the same pattern, the dragon chasing with fire or tooth and Shan fleeing as he tries in vain to formulate a plan of attack.
His mind, however, is terribly, horribly blank, any sort of plan eluding him in that moment. And so, when the dragon turns to attack once more, Shan does the only thing he can think of. The only thing his fevered brain can come up with: he barrels straight for him. As he runs, he thickens the scales covering his body, hoping they would protect from flame. The dragon snaps for him, and as he does, Shan leaps. He can feel the jaws close around him, feel the sharp sting of teeth biting into flesh and bone. And, in a desperation fueled last-ditch effort, he forces spike-like quills to burst from his skin. He releases them as the dragon snaps him up, shooting those reinforced pinions into the beast’s skull.
A sudden roar deafens him as the huge monster begins thrashing, sending Shan flying through the air. He does not have the presence of mind to attempt anything to cushion his fall, so he lands hard against the far wall before sliding into a crumpled heap upon the ground. The dragon is thrashing wildly, howling in agony as it dies. Slowly (so slowly) its movements begin to slow, its roars quieting until finally it lay still.
Shannisoran continues to lay where he had landed, breathing shallowly, each inhale sharp and painful. His body aches, torn and broken from his fall. Even if he wanted to rise, he is not entirely certain he could. He is quite sure that, in addition to several ribs, at least one of his legs is broken.
It seems though, that Grumblesnakes is finally satisfied, for no more creatures rise to confront him.
Shannisoran