Etho was ready. Had been ready for months now. He knew he wasn't going to get a normal execution. Tango had promised him that he would do all he could to get him a chance to live.

And now he had a chance. A dangerous chance to live, but when had Etho ever played it safe?

So, as he readied to enter the dungeon, Etho smiled. He smiled when all the others wore nervous frowns or laughed, trying to distract themselves. Because he knew some of what lay beyond the doors he was walking up to.

And so he took his compass with a smile and readied himself to go in and face the ravagers. Face the horrors he knew he would see.

As the doors opened, Etho shifted into an Arctic fox and started running. He ran until he saw a statue of a man on one knee, offering embers to the non-existent sky.

"Who goes there?"

And Etho shifted back into a human as he faced a man holding an axe up, ready to fight. Before Etho could really react, they grabbed his shirt, pulling him close to themselves.

"After all, the dungeon doesn't want you here. So why are you here?" They demanded.

"What do you mean?" Etho pushed out of his grasp, grabbing the ninja stars he had been able to bring into the dungeon.

"Are you stupid? The dungeon doesn't like you. Why are you in the dungeon in the first place?" They came closer, and Etho saw a ravager standing behind them.

"I was a prisoner, and the King is giving anyone who survives 10 days in the dungeon freedom." Etho finally said, and the man sighed. "Tango- Well, I'm Badtimes, the guardian of this section. If you kill something up here that's not supposed to be killed, like my friends," Badtimes motioned to the ravager behind him, "You're dealing with me. Am I understood?"

Etho nodded, about to turn and run for it. That ravager looked like he would attack anyone if given the chance. "Understood."

Badtimes smiled, putting a hand on the Ravager's back. "Now, leave."

And so Etho ran, leaving Badtimes behind in that room. He needed to be more careful. He knew that- he knew how this dungeon worked, he knew that there would be obstacles. He leaned against a wall after a bit, listening carefully for anything.

But nothing.

There was nothing but the wind in Etho's ears and his heartbeat pounding in his chest. He couldn't hear the growling of the ravager on the hunt. A ravager headed towards him.

Etho jumped as he felt warm breath behind him and started running, Badtimes smiling as he watched the fox hybrid flee. "The dungeon will get rid of him soon enough. Come on, Clive, we have more people to find."

What is this, a book getting updated? Witchcraft!