It had taken days for the soreness of the previous fight to fade away. Robin had fussed more than she’d needed to considering he had walked away with barely a scratch, but he had appreciated the excuse to lounge. Still, after a few days he had itched to be back in the ring. Once his body had healed enough, Goliath had promptly flown to the nearest arena to fight whoever next came out of the gate.

This was not a fancy arena, unlike the last. There were no separate rooms for the dragons to wait in, no raised seats for the audience, just a round dirt patch with a hastily constructed - and from the looks of it, frequently repaired - wooden fence. People milled around, sipping drinks and chatting amongst themselves whilst eyeing up the two dragons about to enter the ring. Goliath felt slightly uneasy at being watched when he was just standing still. He knew the humans were judging him the way they would a horse before a race, while the dragons gathered to watch probably thought all sorts of terrible things. Still, a fight was a fight, no matter the location. The winnings would help them immensely.

Across the way, another stalker stood proudly. Tedium’s mottled white and grey skin was splashed with vibrant yellow, and the feathers that adorned his shoulders puffed and flattened every so often. He was more or less Goliath’s equal, having a similar crown of horns, and being decidedly bulky, but lacking the plated armour that so naturally protected the crimson stalker from most blows. Goliath felt his lip curl at the other dragon’s confidence. He’d beat it out of the other dragon soon enough.

The signal that the fight had begun was less dramatic than other places. A volunteer at each side simply opened a rickety gate and started waving their arms frantically at the stalkers, gesturing for them for enter. The audience gave a few whoops and cheers, but it wasn’t nearly the entrance Goliath was expecting. He tossed his head a little. No matter, once he was a respected pit champion he’d never have to deal with these tiny backwater scraps again.

Tedium started with a breath attack, keeping his distance from his armoured rival. Goliath squinted against the torrent of hot air that licked at his scales like invisible flames, making his green eyes water terribly. Digging his claws into the dirt, he charged at Tedium. The mottled dragon began to rear his head back - whether to bite or release another round of breath Goliath wasn’t sure - and Goliath launched himself upwards, his spiked forehead slamming into Tedium’s lower jaw. Both males tumbled over each other, a mass of flailing limbs and wings. Goliath heard Tedium yelp and saw him spit several teeth into the dirt as he struggled to untangle himself.

Tedium wasn’t finished though, not by a long shot. After expelling the last loose tooth the other dragon roared and bit down on Goliath’s less-plated belly. Despite having significantly less teeth than he entered the ring with, Tedium still had plenty to spare, and Goliath screeched in pain as the other male tried to tear him open. The audience was really cheering now, excited to see some real bloodshed. Goliath wasn’t about to let himself die just for the entertainment of a few hicks, and from the bite of a near-toothless wyrm at that. He brought his hind legs up and grabbed hold of Tedium’s face, telling his talons sink in deeper and deeper until the other dragon released him. He kicked away from him, flipping over onto his front and trying to get a little distance between them.

Tedium looked furious, blood trickling down his face and staining his snarling teeth. He was back on Goliath before the crimson stalker to get to his feet, pinning him to the ground and taking pot-shot bites at his wings and head. Goliath hissed and tried to buck the other male off, but his muscles felt like jelly, and he couldn’t risk rolling without opening up attacks to his already wounded belly. He could feel Tedium’s teeth skittering off his thickened back scales, unable to find enough purchase to do any crushing damage, and definitely not enough to pierce Goliath’s armour.

“I yield,” the crimson stalker growled. He felt Tedium pause, could feel the confusion radiating off him. “I said I yield! Now get off me.”

The other stalker backed away quickly and Goliath got to his slightly wobbly feet, scowling. He was more angry at himself than at the other stalker. Apparently more rest was needed between battles if he was to stop his body turning into a pile of goo at the smallest bit of exertion. That’s not to say he wasn’t angry at the other stalker, but Tedium’s face was stained mostly red at this point, half blinded by what had dribbled into his eye, and his missing teeth had Goliath feeling like it was more of a win on his part. At least he still looked good.

After a terse few words of thanks and congratulations, Goliath took to the skies, hoping his shaky wings would be able to carry him all the way home.