Note: Vamprina converted to light a while ago, so she’s got different powers now.

Vamprina Abilities: (Light) beam of Light fires from forehead, 3 full spins creates spinning ring of Light, wing edges are sharp, loose feathers seek enemies and explode on contact, skin can convert to glass with defense increase, [Final move: Vamprina releases beams of light that sear targets], (Dark) bite drains enemy power, wounds regenerate quickly, high speed

Slinx Abilities: ability to absorb and use elements, sting venom immobilizes victims

Spune Abilities: Any element or attack can be caught in his spoon weapon and thrown back as an amplified version. Limitless quantities of the element can be released by the spoon, but after a while, the element will vanish from the weapon on its own. Spune is famed for his high speed, which is expressed in short dashes. Each dash causes a pair of semi-transparent feathered wings to appear. These wings cannot grant flight, but frequent dashes into the air will keep him aloft as long as he keeps doing it. His final move causes his spoon to become independent, fighting with him, and his wings become steel, with slicing edges. He can fly with these wings, but only when he uses this form.



The ancient arena was expecting gladiators. Its stony walls hadn’t seen many battles for a long time, but now this was changing. At long last, its sandy floor would greet challengers. One of these was Spune Swiftwing, a young warrior with a unique spoon weapon. The other two were a pair of gladiators, each one having seen many battles. Though they were female and male, they were not married, though this was being discussed among them. The female was called Vamprina. She used to be an assassin, but due to previous events, her Darkness had been replaced by pure Light. The male was called Slinx. His frequent experimentations with certain energies had made him infamous on his world for disastrous events. So far, he’d been responsible for the worst crises Stickworld had ever seen, but now it was different. He’d found someone he loved…Vamprina. Now they both fought as one force.

Spune watched the gladiators take their battle stances, and then charged, blazing towards them like a streak of light.

Slinx leaped aside instantly, and Vamprina put up her wings in a defensive shield. Spune crashed into her, the full power of his weapon jarring every part of her body. The angel stumbled a little, and Slinx suddenly appeared at her side again, his tail arcing towards Spune. The youngling dodged, catching Slinx’s stinger in his spoon and hurling the energy back. Slinx collapsed, the paralytic venom snapping through every limb. The chemical bender snarled viciously. Spune rushed towards him, raising his spoon in the air.

Vamprina came out of nowhere, smashing her foot into Spune’s arm. The gladiator spun through the air, colliding with the arena wall with a resounding crash. Spune took a deep breath. They were stronger than he thought.

Vamprina was suddenly in his face, her talons embedded in the rock, pinning his arms down. She raised her wings, sweeping them down, but Spune twitched at the last second. The wings embedded themselves into the wall with a blazing crack. Vamprina gasped. Before she had a chance to recover, Spune bent his legs and kicked her chest as hard as he could. The angel was torn from the stone, flying far, all the way to the other side of the arena.

Spune freed himself from the rock, landing on the sand. Slinx sprang at him, and brought his tail down hard. Spune’s spoon shot up, its curved surface deflecting the stinger with a ringing burst of bright white energy. The youngling stumbled, but managed to block a few more tail attacks. Slinx faked a tail strike, and brought both claws down on the gladiator. Spune’s eyes grew wide, and he pushed against the incoming attack as hard as he could. The chemical bender staggered back, and Spune kicked at his opponent’s left foot, dashing away as quickly as he could.

Slinx crumpled to one knee, screaming in pain. Spune turned, lifting one foot in the air to dash at him again. A blur of Light flashed by, slashing the youngling’s leg wide open. He bit his lip, stumbled, and rolled away from Slinx’s frantic tail attack. He dashed once, twice, and Vamprina’s Light beam zapped him clean out of the air.
Spune came down hard, gasping for breath. His leg hurt a lot. This fight wasn’t going his way. He had to either get them far away from each other, so he could fight them one by one, or injure one heavily, so that just one would be able to fight him. They were too strong together.

Spune tried to rise, but the pain in his leg was too much. Slinx crawled over to him, hissing loudly, and jabbed his shoulder with his stinger. However, Spune had expected such an attack. Since he already knew what the poison did, he rolled over and over in the sand very quickly, digging his weapon into the grains. He lifted his arm, flinging with the spoon until his muscles failed, and then he closed his eyes.

Vamprina and Slinx looked up, and a wave of driving sand bore down on them. The two gladiators closed their eyes and shielded their faces. The sandstorm was torture. Slinx had never felt anything like it before. It was almost like the sand was driving itself into his skin. It hurt…a lot! Vamprina kept her mouth closed, flinching when a stray grain pierced through the tip of her ear. And all of a sudden, it was over. A purple blur surged at Vamprina. She put her wings up, but it was too late, and she was sent flying to the other side of the arena.

The angel smashed into the stone wall, pain radiating out from every imaginable place in her body. Fighting back tears, she struggled to rise.

Slinx rushed toward her, intent on helping. Multiple shadows blocked out the sun, and a hail of rocks smashed down on him. He got pinned under a few, and the rest blocked his vision. Slinx snarled, thrashing his body. He could get himself out, with time.

Spune swept over Slinx, showering more rocks on him. A stray boulder found the chemical bender’s ankle, crushing it to nothingness. Slinx’s anguished cry rent the air, crackling through Vamprina’s ears like lightning.
Vamprina suddenly straightened, her eyes blazing with red light. Her feathers fell, and bat-like wings replaced their skeletal forms. Her body swapped its snowy shade for darkness, becoming as black as night. Her ebony fangs glittered in the sunlight, and she flapped her wings, surging towards Spune Swiftwing.

The youngling saw her coming, but this time he couldn’t find time to dodge her attack. The assassin grabbed him, throwing him into the air. Spune flipped end over end helplessly, trying to dash. The wind was too strong, and wouldn’t allow him to do anything. Vamprina caught up with him, wrapping her wings around his body and crashing into the sand below.

Spune struggled to stay awake. His entire body felt weak to the core. Through his blurred vision, he saw Vamprina raise her wing blade high above her head. This was it. He had failed. These gladiators wouldn’t be replaced by him after all. Maybe he should have trained or something.

The blade came down, but collided with something else before hitting its mark. Spune blinked in surprise. Slinx’s tail withdrew, and Vamprina looked at him strangely. He hissed something to her, and she picked Spune’s limp body up, turning him towards her battle partner.

Slinx advanced. Spune struggled feebly, and then a sudden idea slammed itself into his mind. He flicked his hand, and his spoon flew towards Slinx with blinding speed. Somehow, Slinx managed to dodge it, and the cutlery blazed over his head. Spune spread his wings, which had converted to sharp steel, slicing into Vamprina’s claws. The assassin shrieked angrily, letting go for a fraction of a second.

He took a step forward, but her talon dug into the back of his leg, its tip nearly coming out the other side. Spune gasped, falling to one knee, and Vamprina grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to the ground.

Slinx took one step in their direction, and the spoon arced towards him and smashed through his leg, shattering it completely. He cried out, distracting Vamprina for a few seconds. The spoon surged towards the assassin. Her blade came down, smashing full force on the spoon as it got between its wielder and the deadly attack. Energy exploded between the blade and the spoon, and a very surprised Vamprina stumbled backwards, falling flat on her back.

Both she and Slinx struggled to rise, but Spune was ready. He took to the air, surging over them. They sprawled, flattened by his wing wind. The spoon rotated, flinging cloud after cloud of sand into the air. The sandstorm took shape, roaring towards the dazed pair.

Vamprina saw the cloud first, and both instinctively covered their faces. But this time, the storm refused to let up. Pain bit into every inch of their bodies. If the cloud they’d been through before was bad, this was many more times worse. Vamprina and Slinx fought the pain bravely, but their bodies were succumbing. Soon, both were forced to their knees. Vamprina converted back to Light, covering Slinx’s body with her wings. His mind protested, but she remained how she was, and her body converted to pure glass. Wherever a grain hit now, a hairline fracture appeared. The sound of stressed crystal snapped through her entire body. The pain was less evident, but if she shattered, it would all be over.

Suddenly, the sand began to swirl away. Vamprina reached out with her senses, catching the body of Spune as he flew around and around the sand cloud. Soon, all of it was gone, and Vamprina and Slinx sprawled onto each other, exhausted.

Spune landed before them, falling to one knee as his injured leg gave out. He looked up at them and grinned.

“Do I win?” he asked them.

Vamprina formed back to her Light morph, and just lay on top of Slinx, watching the young gladiator. Slinx squirmed a little, uncomfortable, but then he stopped as sharp pains shot up his leg.

“Yes, you win.” Slinx gasped. As he lay, he sensed a grain of sand resting on his face. With each breath, it came closer to falling into his eye. He twitched a little, trying to raise his hand to the spot, and suddenly Spune was standing over him.

“Here, let me.” he said, and flicked the sand away with one finger.

Slinx narrowed his eyes at him, but muttered his thanks anyways. Vamprina laughed a little, stopping when pain shot through her.

Spune stepped back.

“Sorry if I hurt you guys badly.” he said, looking at his feet.

Vamprina just looked at him.

“It’s okay,” she soothed. “It’s only a competition after all.”

Spune looked up and smiled a little. “Can I help you guys get back?” he asked.

“Do whatever,” Slinx groaned. “All I want now is to rest for a long time.”

“Okay.” Spune replied. “Oh, and you guys were awesome. With the fighting and everything? You make a great team!”

Vamprina and Slinx looked at each other, and then back at the youngling.

“Thanks.” they both said in unison.

And that was how Spune Swiftwing, young gladiator-to-be, replaced wRHGs Vamprina and Slinx.