<div class="floatright">Ghesta &amp; Rakhem<br/>(http://i.imgur.com/w2rfe77.jpg)</div><br/><strong>"Wow, that was quite the exciting turn of events, wasn't it Rak?"</strong>The clearly excited commentator Ghesta said.  It was obvious the corrupted woman who was part of the duo that broadcast on the Æthertube's main wave was aroused.  Then again the exciting match between the two beautiful drow women likely had men and women all over the mortal realms exciting.  It had everything, violence, magic, lust, defeat, and most of all two sudden and shocking reversals.<br/><br/>Rakhem nodded his head even as he drew his eyes away from the Ætherscreen behind the commentator duo where Zerxel knelt with hands extended, bearing the soul fruit of Xara.<strong>"It certainly was Ghesta.  Speaking as a tactician I have to say that was one of the more basic arena layouts we've seen so far in our counselor matches.  But I really think it played to the Fiend's persona quite a bit."</strong><br/><br/>Ghesta nodded her red skinned head,<strong> "Shadows, magic, lust, yes, it fit him quite well even if it was a bit visually monochromatic.  Especially with the black skinned drow, the eyebots were having a little bit of a hard time picking them out."<br/></strong><br/>Rakhem chuckled,<strong>"Especially the two times that Zerxel moved with that inhuman speed.  But to those watching at home, our mages are going to re-wave it again after all the matches are done and Ghesta and I take our break.  Just a reminder, we have two junior commentators who will be going over the highlights while Ghesta and I are gone.  Since the contestants all receive a minimum of four hours sleep, after an hour of time with their counselor, and sometimes much longer in stasis, our wave will be going into recap mode.  We're excited to have as one of our junior commentators, Janna, one of the contestants from last year's dungeon.  Viewers from last year might remember she was one of only three girls to make it out of the dungeon on the reaping level."</strong><br/><br/>Ghesta jumped in,<strong>"That's right, and she's going to be joined by Devlin the Bard, whose performances in Northshore have commanded packed theaters every time for the last year.  So make sure you tune in you don't want to miss him either."</strong><br/><br/>Rakhem rolled his eyes and looked directly at the eyebot that was focused on him,<strong> "Rumor is Ghesta had a private preformance with Devlin during our last break in fact."</strong><br/><br/>Not one to miss a chance for good natured ribbing in their banter, Ghesta shot back,<strong>"Well you said you were too tired to go again so what else is a lady supposed to do?"</strong><br/><br/>Rakhem let the jib hang in the air for a moment before returning to the Ætherscreen behind him and pointing to the freeze frame of Zerxel kneeling in front of Malefactus,<strong> "So Ghesta, tell our viewers what's happening here.  We don't usually see defeated contestants becoming slaves of a counselor do we?"</strong><br/><br/>Ghesta shook her head no,<strong> "Certainly not, but as I'm sure anyone who watches the contest regularly knows, it does happen, at least once or twice a year.  Seems like this was just Xara's time.  Most counselors will grant their favor to the victor in the trials, and the loser of the trial has to move on with no help from counselors.  Also the loser is usually bound to the victor for some length of time.  Now if the victor is benevolent, and the two work together, sometimes it works out for both of them."<br/><br/>"But not the fiend, right?"<br/><br/>"Right, not the Fiend.  Whatever deal the contestants worked out with him in private probably included some sort of stipulation that included soul slavery if defeated."<br/><br/>"So is the fiend unsual in that respect?" </strong>Rakhem asked even though it was obvious he knew the answer and was just leading for the audience at home.<br/><br/>Ghesta laughed before she could catch herself and shook her head no again,<strong>"No, not at all.  The Shadow King, who is absent from this year's list of counselors has been known to take slaves.  The Kalikin Mistress, and the troll king as well also value slave contestants who lose their matches, and once or twice Ecalli of the twins has likewise laid claim to the defeated while his brother endorsed the victor.  So it's not unheard of."<br/><br/>"Now," Rakhem mentioned tapping his palm, "Interesting that you mentioned the Shadow King's absence.  We saw The Fiend using quite a bit of shadow and illusion magic in that arena.  There are some that have speculated that he and the Fiend have been at war with each other in the demonic realms.  IS the use of shadowmagic by Malefactus, coupled with the shadow king's abscense a sign that we may have seen the victor in that demonic struggle?"<br/><br/>"It's hard to speculate Rakhem, but we do have someone more qualified to speak on that matter.  The headmistress of the temple of Cyril herself, Headmistress Ravensoul, is going to be joining us after the last of the gladiatorial counselor bouts.  We can be sure to ask her about it then.  Oh, and look, the feed for the next counselor's battle is just coming up on the wave now.  This should be a good one, the Valkyrie always chooses contestants who are more martial minded.  Lets send this wave to the main screen shall we?"</strong><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div style="text-align: right;"><em><strong>A short while later, in the resting room.</strong></em></div><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/1Cg3yxn.jpg)</div><br/>Zerxel had been taken from the arena and lead back through the door she'd entered in.  However this time she found herself in a small but comfortable resting space.  Two rooms connected via an archway, with the first being a comfortable bedroom with large table which was stacked with simple but healthy food.  Fruits, breads, cheeses, dried meats, nuts, as well as two large pitchers, one with water another with diluted wine, lay spread out for Zerxel's enjoyment.  The walls were lined with old books, more than half of which were written in a language Zerxel could not even identify, let alone read.  In the second room was a small workspace with a small forge, anvil, sewing and leather repair kits, as well as a decent sized soaking tub, already filled with warm steaming water.  Of course behind a small curtain, a privy as well.  Also in this other room a small desk with writing implements and an Ætherscreen, though that last one was dark at the moment.  Even though Zerxel had heard of it, even heard it described, she'd never seen a resting room before.  These were private spaces for the contestants and never broadcast to the public.<br/><br/>She had a few minutes to orient herself after the battle when a hidden door opened in the bathing room and a robed judge appeared, bearing all of Zerxel's belongings.  Her 'armor' had been cleaned and was neatly folded, the mithril on it polished to a shimmering shine.  The judge set it down and waited to either be dismissed, or if Zerxel wished sent to fetch simple things such as different food (though nothing much could be expected beyond what was already on the table).  Zerxel had a little while to rest before the door opened again and Malefactus strode into the resting room.  The judge bowed silently and left.<strong> "You've done very well Zerxel, I would have been happy had Xara won, but I admit that your lustful preformance before the arena fight had me silently hoping you would be the victor.  So I come to grant you a taste of my power, and see if there is any advice I can give you.  Now I'm sure you know that normally this hour is reserved for my right to have my way with your flesh, but since I've already taken your virginity, quite publically, I would rather see that you are prepared for what lies ahead.  Is there anything I can answer for you or anything I can do for you as your counselor?"</strong><br/><br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">ooc</div><div class="spoiler_body">As a reward for gaining the fiend's sponsorship, you'll gain one point in EITHER 'shadow magic' skill or 'fiendish corruption' skill  (your choice)  Each of them comes with a specific benefit (in addition to whatever creative use you can think for them).  The shadow magic skill will allow Zerxel to step through the shadows, acting as a short range (say 30 feet or so) teleport.  She'll have to rest between uses for a little while, maybe get something to eat or drink, but otherwise it could be useful in combat or out, as a teleport could be quite handy.  The only stipulation is the start and end points both have to be in shadow of some sort.  The Fiendish corruption might  have more thematic effects than practical, but also allow Zerxel to summon a fel imp once per level to assist her in combat.  He will grant her these powers the next time I post most likely.<br/><br/>IN ADDITION you can gain one point to body, mind, or soul, your choice.</div></div>