Rikshakar

*Appeared in chapters*      4 5 6  8   11 12 13 14 15               30

Half-Dragon

* Gladiator at the Black Dragon Tavern.
* Created to have dragon features.

Rikshakar is a half-dragon gladiator that is indebted to Ariel Val'Sarghress.

## Appearance and Personality

Rik appears to have traits that mesh dragon and Drow features. He has the snout of a dragon, as well as wings and taloned feet. The rest of his appearance is drow-like in physique and highly muscular. He rarely wears full armor, instead sporting gauntlets with retractable double blades. Earlier in the story he had long reddish hair, but cut it short before his trip to the Surface.

The half-dragon has a haughty disposition and thinks highly of himself. He is convinced that he is a great fighter, and won't accept fights could have been rigged in his favor to play him up for Arena crowds. Being the only creation of his kind that he knows of, he is very lonely and has poor opinion of most Drow, considering himself more of a dragon. However, this loneliness created a dangerous obsession in him when he found that Ariel could shapeshift into a form similar to his own. Unfortunately for him, he isn't necessarily as great as a fighter as he believes himself.

## Biography

### Early Life

Rikshakar was created through some sort of mana science to appear as a drow/dragon hybrid. He was raised to be a fighter, to be one of the main events at the Black Dragon Tavern that would bring in guests looking for exotic fights. He was kept away from others and over time he began to dislike other gladiators and his Drow keepers, as he was a prisoner to the Arena for most of his youth. He excelled in the ring, or was made to through carefully decided matches, and relished the cheers of the audience as he tore apart his opponents, finding some solace in what he perceived as admiration from his fans.

And yet, as an experimental breed, he was the only of his kind, and grew lonesome. He developed a very cold disposition from being treated differently and feeling nothing in common with other gladiators, and his constant wins went to his head, making him increasingly arrogant.

## The Gladiator and the Heir

When Ariel first sees Rik, he is pitted against the demon Discordia in the Arena. In an attempt to recruit him to help her with capturing Mir'kiin Vel'Vloz'ress, Ariel entered herself and Vaelia into a fight against Minka Sann'ligr Val'Dutan'vir which was won by default of Minka defying Irena by refusing to finish the fight. Granted access to the Gladiator cells, Ariel attempted to request Rik's aid, but he rebuffed her as Irena warned. To get him to open up, Ariel used her high sorcery to appear as a fellow half-dragon adult to Rik. This began Rik's obsession with her, as he agreed to aid her for a kiss. He attempted more but Vaelia's disruptive insults stopped him, and instead he agreed if Ariel would fly like a dragon, leading her to nearly fall down the vault below the Arena due to her fear of heights.

Rik then accompanied Ariel to intercept Mir'kiin after the boy was expelled from Orthorbbae, where the rivalry between Vaelia and Rik increased as Vaelia took it upon herself to protect Ariel from the gladiator's advances. He dispatched Mir'kiin's escort easily, but demanded that Ariel take care of her own problem and capture Mir'kiin on her own. He escorted Ariel and her captive back to the Sarghress before returning to the Arena.

After Faen'arae Val'Sullisin'rune's exile and Maya's death, Ariel took up one of Rik's invitations in order to get away from her problems and returned to the Tavern with the escort of Fallen Legion members Myo'na Sarghress and Jiv'kyn Sarghress. After Rik won his fight, the atmosphere cooled noticeably and Myo'na suggested the heir leave. On their way out, they bumped into Rik trying to escape Tavern guards, explaining that they wanted him to rig a fight and demanding that Ariel save him. She agreed, which lead to Irena's guards coming down on Ariel and her escort. The group was saved by the intervention of Laele'aell Val'Sarghress, who was shadowing them, and the Tavern was captured by Sarghress interests.

## Fate on the Surface

Rik was one of the party members to accompany Ariel on her travels to the Surface to find Faen, as he was indebted to her after the events at the Black Dragon Tavern, and continued in his pursuit of Ariel. On the caravan trip, Duergar attacked the Highland Raiders forces due to the actions of Sene'kha Vel'Vloz'ress's and Ky'ovarde Kyorl'solenurn's groups fighting in nearby caverns. Instead of staying with his charge, Rik took off to fight duergar on his own, leading him to encounter Discordia again. He had more trouble this time with a much stronger Discordia, and only managed to escape because Umpus distracted the demon shard. He complained about his loss while Kyo'nne Val'Illhar'dro reminded him that Arena fights are rigged, injuring his pride further.

After a few days recovery in Machike'Shikumo, the group headed for the Surface on the end of the Dokkalfar Pass, with Rik setting a strong pace, eager to get to the Surface. At camp that night, tensions rose again, and Chirinide Val'Kyorl'solenurn attempted to kill Rik in his sleep after a vision she had. The Kyorl'solenurn were expelled from the camp, followed by Kyo'nne, and once the others fell asleep, Rik made his move.

Ariel awoke to find herself being dragged to the Wastelands in the west. Knowing of her fear of heights, Rik hid her in a cave on the side of a cliff and revealed the truth - he had kidnapped her so he could make her his mate and demanded she shift into a half-dragon adult again. Luckily for Ariel, Squishy showed up and she used the biogolem to transform into a dragon-like creature, injuring Rik seriously and gliding away. As Rik prepared to go after her, Discordia arrived for her "prey" and the two fought.

However, Rik lost his final battle, and after Discordia poked at her "not-strongest-prey" for a bit, she left his body behind in the Wastelands.

## Notable Quotes

"I never lose!" - after his escape from Discordia in the caverns.

"They wanted me to lose! I say screw 'em!" - attempting to get Ariel to save him from Irena's guards.

"Never again will you give me orders!" - after kidnapping Ariel and dragging her to the Wasteland.

*This article reflects events up to Chapter 15**.***