Prompt: You step into a vast round chamber, sand crunching underfoot as you survey the area. Shadowy crowds gesture and lean in silently from auditorium seats high above you, and a Courser’s tattered silhouette circles you in the room’s center. You are in a soundless arena, challenged to a duel by a featureless ghost.

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“A key? Freedom?!” the courser-like monster giggled with glee as it looked over the small shiny object that Jin was holding between their teeth.
“Indeed. A key in exchange for the sword,” Jin replied.
Cordula and Paladin watched with horrified eyes while Majesty held back a smirk.
“DEAL! DEAL!” the creature screeched.
It tossed down the sword on the their side of the gate and stretched its head out to take the key. Cordula and Paladin maybe thought Jin would pull the key away now that they had the sword, but the chimeric ether actually gave the key to the monster.
“IT’S MINE!!!” it let out a horrifying laugh that made it sound as if it was dying… again.
The creature took off down the tunnel and out of sight, waving its new key around in the air as if they had just gained the most precious thing in the world, and it thought it had.
“Why would you do that?!” Paladin asked.
The bay tobiano stallion was clearly panicked at the idea of that thing getting out.
Majesty finally released the laugh she had been holding back. Falling over, the gray chestnut mare could not help herself as she laughed until she cried. She could barely breathe.
Both Paladin and Cordula gave her a look, then looked at Jin.
“No door,” he said, with a small grin.
Realization dawned on Paladin and Cordula.
“Oh my… what was that key for?” Cordula asked.
“An old broken chest. The lock has long since broken so I don’t need the key anymore,” Jin chuckled in response.
“BRILLIANT!” Paladin chimed
“Shhhhh!” Majesty tried to quiet him.
Cordula picked up the sword from the floor and returned it to Paladin’s harness, making sure it was attached more securely than before so no monster could nab it so easily.
“Hey, it was not my fault this time! I did not approach the grate! The grate approached me,” Paladin huffed as Cordula finished tying the sword into place.
“I’ll give it to you this time, that monster has some damn good reach despite the type of grate it’s up against,” Cordula replied.
With the sword in their clutches, they continued down the tunnel. It was quiet, too quiet.

Entering the large chamber the quiet only became more eerie as they looked around the space. Shaped like an arena with stands all around the sides of the room. Rows upon rows of cheering shadows filled every last bench. Only, they made no sound. Not a single cheer could be heard. Remnants of a past maybe? Looking across the arena, they could see the entrance to a tunnel directly across from them, but before they could reach it they would have to get through the shadowed figure standing in their way.
The creature took the shape of a courser, on the taller end and bulked with muscle, the shadow looked intimidating. Wisps of shadows flowed off of them, the edges looking like torn fabric only to fade once they broke off from the figure. Limbs and ears vanished in and out of view, maybe out of reality. It remained pitch black otherwise, not a sign of any other marking or detail to reveal who this once was if it had ever been a real courser to begin with. Red eyes looked at them, analyzing their opponent, before it lowered its head and pawed at the sandy floor. Nothing stirred with its movement. Everything remained quiet and still besides the silent excitement of the crowd.
“Do you think that can actually hurt us? Or do we just go through it?” Majesty asked, tilting her head.
“That is a good question,” Jin replied.
“Let’s find out!” Paladin chimed.
Before anyone could stop the bay tobiano stallion, he was charging across the arena.
“You are such a moron!” Majesty yelled at him.
Jin and Cordula just watched in shocked horror, unsure if they should be trying to stop him or if they even could stop him. Before they knew it, it was too late to even act. Paladin ducked his head down, ready to run right through the thing but bracing himself just in case. The creature then dodged to one side before shoving themselves into Paladin’s side. The bay tobiano was sent tumbling from the force.
“Okay, so it can make contact. We’ll have to fight it,” Jin remarked.
With this new knowledge and with lack of time to formulate a plan, they began to trot across the arena. Their movement alone was enough to stop the creature who had been moving towards the fallen Paladin. Lifting its head, it let out a silent battlecry before charging at them. The sound of the three coursers approaching turned into a thundering as they began to charge, the sound echoing off the stone walls of the cavern.
With Cordula dodging to the side, avoiding the creature’s first charge, the fight was on.