Out of Character:
The entirety of the Gardens may be used, being of rectangular shape, and and one hundred yards by five hundred yards. Neither fighter may go past the guards and enter the castle, such is forbidden, both by the Dajas Pagoda, and Queen Valeena's personal edict.


"We're sorry, but all of our warriors are occupied at this time, however if you like you can go tour Queen Valeena's exquisite gardens for a few hours while you wait." The monks would reply to the next challenger seeking an opponent. There was little doubt that the offer to tour the queen's private gardens would be refused, for such an honor was a rarity indeed, and only reserved for special individuals.

The gardens were in full bloom, and at the moment, empty of anyone else enjoying their beauty. Then again, there was plenty of business to be attended to inside the castle.

There were small sections of flowers like Tulips and sunflowers, bushes and trees, even some vegetables, a veritable cornucopia of color and delight, and the scent in the breeze was delightful. The breeze itself was strong enough to be refreshing and cooling, but not strong enough to do anything more than toy with loose strands of hair or clothes. Paving stones were set here and there as stepping stones so the ladies didn't have to soil their dresses in the mud and wet grass when it came, and in other areas were wooden benches for simply enjoying the moment.

In the center of it all was a fountain, depicting a trio of playful dolphins, water trickling out of their open laughing faces. As the water cascaded won the fountains, laughing and playing with the dolphins, a sense of calm exuded the area. It was a nice pleasant place to sit and wait.

About that time, one noticed the exorbitant amount of guards posted at the entryways to the castle. Here and there servants, lords, and ladies peeked out of the windows, and even the queen herself watched from a balcony as she took a break from her day's work.
Then the monks exited the castle, twenty in all, and they stood before the guards, and sets of twenty monks stood at each side of the Gardens.

Right at the apex of wondering what was going on, ominous steps filled the air, the excitement of the onlooker's faces visibly grew.

Coming up behind his opponent, Destrudo hoped this would be a good fight. He stood there for a second, appraising his opponent from head to toe, enjoying the sight of her female form.

His height and physique alone would be enough to intimidate most people, but Destrudo was perhaps the only person in the world who naturally glowed red. His red hair and eyes matched his glow perfectly, and was accented nicely by his black leather.

"Welcome to The Dajas Pagoda, I shall be your murderer today. I am Destrudo, known locally as The Red Death, for no one has survived my onslaught yet, no one. The first was a disappointment that couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, the second was better, a real honest to the gods summoner who called up a fearsome Minotaur, but they too fell before me. Now it is your time. The monks tell me your name is A'rei. Come then A'rei, and give Death it's due." Destrudo said, utilizing his supernatural voice to unsettle A'rei. Hopefully any game plan she might have had would be thrown off by his unsettling appearence.

"But let us not be rude to royalty." Destrudo said, turning and bowing to the Queen where she sat on her balcony.

Then, without wasting any more time, Destrudo switched to fighting mode and rushed in close to A'rei to shatter her jaw with an uppercut from his right hand, or at least try.