“Ratings are up,” said the Showmaster, gliding in with boneless-seeming grace, her sleek golden scales glistening in the dim lighting as the Ringmaster and the Arena Master continued to watch the feeds coming in from all over the Arena, their many peons tapping tirelessly away at their workstations to keep the show constantly going. “I just thought the two of you would like to know. The moment some poor contestants ran into the Vrorbeast you released in the swamps, our active viewership went right to the stars, and a little bit beyond. Contestants, I might add, that are supposed to be negotiating contracts with my staff right about now, instead of slogging through Skull Marsh.”
“That starts our deadline timer,” said the Ringmaster without turning around. “Now people will start back
