Having just finished the first season of Steem Monsters, I thought I'd turn one of the battles I had, with @FreedomNOI, into a story. This is the actual battle as it was played out. I simply turned it into a narrative, imagining what it would look like an actual physical battlefield. I hope you like it.

Screenshot of the Steem Monters Season 1 Leaderboard.

Death of the Dark Eternals

Team Ferexia squared off as the Dark Eternals took their positions on the east side of the arena. The crowd cheered for their favorite monsters and placed their bets. Four against six. It appeared the odds were against Ferexia as the orchestra played to start the show. Then the horn blew and monsters went into motion.

Ferexia's melee team moved fast to the center of the arena as Goblin Shaman shifted to the side and hopped atop the Ferexia altar. Each of its corner sent a flame into the air towering above the highest seats in the nosebleed section of the crowd.

Haunted Spirit, Animated Corpse, and Cocatrice met the Ferexia melee team in the center of the arena, near the mudpit, as Undead Priest shifted sideways and stepped gracefully upon the Dark Eternals' floating altar shadowed by incense on all sides. Haunted Spider and Twisted Jester slid to the opposite side of the east side entrance gate and prepared their range weapons for the battle. The priest and the shaman began to chant, performing their rituals, readying their minds.

In an instant, Giant Roc rose into the air. Its wings fluttered like the sound of a copter blade as it flew so high it appeared as a tiny red dot against the deep blue sky. In a second, like a bolt of lightning the roc dove at Haunted Spirit, thrusting its beak into the spirit's ethereal mist like a bayonet. The spirit bounced back, dizzy from the contact. Serpent of the Flame, seeing the opportunity, hissed and thrusted its whole body at the spirit, sinking its fangs into Haunted Spirit's left and injecting it with venom. A screech rose up from the mudpit, filling the arena with a cacophanous noise that sounded as if some poltergeist had been let loose from its grave.

Just when Haunted Spirit came to his senses again, Goblin Shaman lifted his skull-topped staff and blasted the spirit with a magic spell. Immediately, the spirit reflected it back at the shaman. A grimace overtook the shaman as his long fingernails instinctively moved to his side where his own spell attacked him. Pushing past the burn, he went back to chanting.

Twisted Jester danced and giggled, citing a poem that sounded like some ancient incantation.

Devil may care, but I don't
Let evil rain like a black cloud
You can run, but I won't
Take this, and be not proud!

As the final word exited his lips, he crossed his legs at the ankles, twisting his body, writhing from neck to knees, and crossed his forearms with the palms of his hands pointed at Goblin Shaman. A ripple flew through the air and struck the shaman, who tumbled off his altar while the jester cackled at the sky.

As Goblin Shaman hit the ground, the Dark Eternals rallied, picking up new strength as if feeding off the defused air of the dead.

Pit Ogre lumbered forward, stomping like a giant in the mudpit where chaos now reigned. He beat his club on the surface floor of the arena with each step until he was close enough to Haunted Spirit to make it hurt. He pounded the club on the spirit's head with a grunt. The club connected with a solid bang on the spirit's invisible skull as Animated Corpse lashed out at Serpent of the Flame and missed.

Cocatrice, flitting around to make an aerial assault on the flanx of the serpent, flapped its wings and snapped at the serpent's tail, but missed.

Haunted Spirit took on an eerie glow as some of his wounds healed, and he advanced upon Serpent of the Flame, moving somewhat faster than he was before, but couldn't make a connection. The serpent, quick on its scales, slithered out of the spirit's way and turned to gaze at the spirit's and Cocatrice's disgruntled faces. Undead Priest prayed and slapped his two canes together above his head sending a spell toward the serpent. Serpent of the Flame flinched at the pinch of the priest's spell, which it took in the midsection. Haunted Spider spat, hitting the serpent's shield with its poison, destroying the shield with a single blast.

The arena grew deathly quiet as monsters danced around each other in the mudpit, repositioning for another round. Haunted Spirit sent an ear-splitting screech into the air again. The venom of the Serpent of the Flame surged through Haunted Spirit's unphysical being as if he had veins. As the screech dissipated, the serpent moved in for another attack, wrapped its fangs around the spirit's ethereal neck, and squeezed the life out of him. A mist rose up into the air from the serpent's lips as Haunted Spirit breathed his final breath and broke into nothingness.

Giant Roc circled overhead looking for a target. Haunted Spirit's mist provided a perfect screen, which the roc used to mask its dive toward Animated Corpse plowing the corpse with his massive beak. Twisted Jester cackled and danced, turned a somersault and dive-rolled sending another invisible missive at the Serpent of the Flame. His taunts caused the crowd to roar. A spark danced through the air, followed by a ripple that seamed to carry the entire atmosphere of the arena along a visible wave, mimicking the jester's comical moves and smacked the serpent on the snout causing it to hiss. A grimace cross the serpent's face as the hiss rose to a fevered pitch that could be heard for miles. Giant Roc flapped its wings, rose into the air again, circled the melee, and went back in for another shot at Animated Corpse. Like thunder, it connected with a solid boom on the corpse's rotting torso.

Cocatrice snapped a second time at the serpent and missed. Animated Corpse took a shot at the same target and missed, ambling by without expression, still toppling from the roc's clawfooted smack to the back.

Undead Priest crossed his canes again and sent a second blast toward the serpent, nicking it with his invisible magic. Serpent of the Flame slid sideways losing sight of what the spider on the side near the wall was up to. Haunted Spider took a swipe at the serpent with one of its legs. The contact only did minor damage, just enough to irritate the serpent. Ignoring the spider, the serpent went for Animated Corpse, nose-diving until its entire body snapped like a whip. It snagged the corpse's left leg with its venom-dripping fangs.

Giant Roc fluttered its wings, studying the battlefield from high above the crowd. A hungry look in its eyes said all it needed to say. Swoop! It headed straight down at such a speed that it appeared like a giant red bomb heading for the mudpit. Just before contact with the mudpit, it made a sharp ninety degree swirl and aimed for Animated Corpse from behind. Its wingspan stretched almost as wide as the arena itself, with its talons dragging through the mud, Giant Roc collided with Animated Corpse, trampling him, and headed straight for Undead Priest. Its beak made contact with the priest sending him into the wall of the arena where his back hit like a brick and then quickly changed course and headed back toward the sky again.

Twisted Jester aimed one more time for the head of the serpent. Crossing his arms and pointing his palms at Serpent of the Flame's head, the subsequent ripple landed between the serpent's eyes splattering blood over every monster in the arena. Several scales flew off the serpent and hit the mud. Hisses filled the arena like the sound of a windstorm, and, for a moment, the serpent lost control, slithering side to side around the arena, through the mudpit, and up the wall, almost into the crowd seating section. Pit Ogre pounded the arena floor with the weight of his entire being as he ran toward Undead Priest, stomping and grunting unintelligibly, running the priest over. Both feet managed to smash a part of the priest's face as the ogre kicked the priest against the wall of the arena crushing him between the stone wall and the ogre's left ankle.

The priest bounced. His body lay limply on the floor of the arena behind the Dark Eternal altar. Incense burned to a crisp and disappeared into nothing. Team Ferexia rose up with shouts of acclamation gaining new strength and momentum for the final round of the battle. Cocatrice took a third strike at the serpent and managed to get its tail between his own dragon-like teeth.

When Serpent of the Flame felt Cocatrice's teeth on the tip of its tail, he spun around, made eye contact with his lime green adversary, and struck it hard with its snout. Cocatrice fell sideways and hit the ground like a tiny rodent caught in the grip of a deadly trap.

Giant Roc puffed its chest out as far as it could bowl, cacawed at the deep blue sky, and battered Haunted Spider from above just as Serpent of the Flame twisted and sunk its fangs into the spider's rounded body. The spider's blood drained onto the floor of the arena and the spider wilted like an airless balloon.

Twisted Jester stood still, wanting to attack but unable to identify his best target. The last survivor of the Dark Eternal team, he calculated his next move. Giant Roc was too fast, and too high. Serpent of the Flame moved too quickly, slithering left and right, side to side, and forward and back like a squirming tongue of fire. Even with its injuries, it could move too much like a snake, quick and slippery. The jester found himself unable to focus, unable to aim quickly enough, or even so much as acquire a target before death consumed him. He glanced at Pit Ogre. Yes, slow, huge target. That's the one. Before he could lift his arm, or cackle, or dance, the ogre pounced on him, sending him into a spin. Seconds behind, Giant Roc flew in from the sky like a jet and slapped the jester's side with a tip of its wing. A shrill escaped the jester's lungs as he crumbled to the ground cackling unexpectedly and uncontrollably to his untimely death.

The sounds of victory music began to play in honor of Team Ferexia. The crowd showed its satisfaction, tossing flaming flowers into the arena as the three remaining monsters of the team took their bows.

Your Turn

Think you can turn your Steem Monsters battle into a story narrative? Try it!

It isn't necessary that you name your opponent, but see if you can take a Steem Monsters battle and tell it as a narrative. Try to envision the monsters on an actual battlefield. It can be natural terrain or an arena. Imagine how it would look for the melee fighters to attack and defend, what weapons would the range attackers use, and how do magic attacks appear? Can you describe an actual battle?

Pick two teams, preferably from different splinters so you don't confuse your readers, and tell the story of their battle. Post it to your #Steemit blog. Tag me so I can read it.

The Biblical Legends Anthology Series

Garden of Eden	Sulfurings	Deluge
At Amazon	At Amazon	At Amazon

Limerents in the Bog

At Amazon

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While you're here, check out the backside 5:

• What the Bleepity-Bleep is a Blog For?
• Buy These Books With STEEM or Steem Dollars
• Coming Soon: Farmpunk Fiction Writing Contest #5
• Get Mugsy: A Continuation of Yesterday's Fiction Story
• Writing Prompt: The Big Dog is Arrogant