The roar of the crowds was a palpable intoxicant as hundreds of his fellows fought each other in the Great Cirrcus. Karnac waded into battle bowling other combatants out of his way on track for the center of the arena. By the time he finally arrived he had impaled two other weaker Minotaurs on his massive thirty inch long horns. With a mighty shake of his gigantic head he threw them off like so many rag dolls.

The few minotaurs that were near him in the center were cautiuos to face him, a heavy favorite and well known for his extreme battle lust, Karnac had always intimidated, even amongst his own fierce kind. He threw his arms wide and roared, a challenge to any and all comers. And immediately two other contestants faced him and bellowed back their retort.

Karnac charged full speed at the larger of the two, they weren't working in concert, that was against the rules of the Great Cirrcus, and honor was the highest principal amongst Minotaurs. He reached his target and rather than try to tackle him as he was expected to he sidestepped, grabbed the Minotaur by his horns and wrenched his head around with vicious strength. The force of his attack twisted the other minotaurs head around so quickly that it came right off, before even a pint of the headless foes blood hit the dusty arena floor, Karnac, head still gripped in his huge hands, slashed out with it at the other minotaur, cutting him across the neck with the horns of his first victim.

He grinned a wicked and satisfied grin, took the head off the second minotaur and punched his meaty fists into the brainpans of both, brains and blood gushing out through any available opening. When he was done he stood tall again, both severed heads now acting like oversized and very terrifying gauntlets.

All eyes turned to the grissly sight, so ferrocious an act was this that it even startled the usually impassive and battle loving audience. Karnac did not care, nor give it a seconds worth of thought. He turned this way and that to face new foes, and attack they did, some minotaurs were not interested in winning that badly, but others saw the act as a challenge, one they were honor bound to face.

an hour later, heads of the two victims still as gloves on his hands, Karnac stood at the center of a huge pile of bodies and body parts. across the field from him fought two other minotaurs, the last two remaining other than him, respecting their battle he waited patiently. The lifeless eyes of the head gloves now battered and looking off in different directions. Karnac stepped high atop his pile of bodies as the larger of the last two fighters stood tall and let out a roar of victory, now there were only two.

Karnac sized up his foe who was easily a foot taller, horns an inch or two longer, and possibly the most muscled he had ever seen on one of his race. He smiled, as best as a minotaur can, this is what he had come here for, this is what every minotaur warrior lived for and if honor and the gods demanded, died for.

The crowd cheered and applauded with anticipation, it promised to be a brutal and lengthy battle between two of the most supperior combatants that had ever been born into their race. hoofed feet stomped on the dirt and wooden stadium style seats, the din was heard for a hundred miles in any direction.

The two stepped towards each other, began to circle and form battle strategies. Unknown to most races of krynn was the battle prowess and cunning of a minotaur warrior. Usually taken for walking renditions of cattle minotaurs were not understood by krynn's other inhabitants, and if elves or humans had been there that day they would have gained new respect for the strange and vicious minotaurs, as they watched the two finalists dance in and out of battle with one another for over an hour. The grace and skill of their movements odd given the size and make up of their bodies.

Karnac threw a wild haymaker for his opponents face, it landed but not on target and glanced off the jawbone of the other with little effect.

Garn, the other minotaur, responded with a swirling backhand that Karnac was barely in time to duck, but in time he was and with balance on his side, which he wasted no time in converting to an upercut that caught Garn under the ribs, shattering his lower three on the left side. The jarring, crunching sound mixed with a pulpy wet sound, internal damage, Karnac knew at that point that the fight was his.

Honor and respect for his worthy adversary spurred him on to finish quickly, with dignity. He dug his hooves into the dirt, wet and muddy with blood, and launched at Garn with every fibre of his body, throwing both severed head boxing gloves in front of himself, effectively making his whole elongated body a living spear. He landed all four horns into the chest of Garn, the blow throwing Garn to the dirt heavily, dust flying up in a cloud making it impossible for the spectators to see what was happening, as such a hush fell over the crowd.

In the melee Karnac, horns of his head gloves still embedded in Garns chest, twisted each of them with a mighty jerk, turning the horns in the others flesh until his torso was a mangled mess.

Garn barely breathing, threw his tree trunk sized arms around Karnac, determined to squeeze the life out of him. Karnac struggeld to free himself but even in his injured state Garn was too powerful. yet slowly, ounce by ounce, the blood left his body, Karnac knew he need only hold his breath and wait.

When the dust settled Karnac stood atop the fallen body of Garn, hoof planted on his torn chest. He swung his arms in a wide arc, freeing the severed heads from his grip finally as they flew into the crowd.

The roars and applause was a thunder rolling across the land, every minotaur in attendance rushed the arena floor, reaching Karnac and hoisting him into the air on their shoulders, at the epicenter of the throng, Karnac reigned as Champion of the Great Cirrcus, an honor he felt destined to obtain his entire life.

he glared into the setting sun, then looked down on the frenzied faces of his people, he would do more than those before him, use this power to change his peoples fate, to birng them the glory they deserved. First however, he needed a very large goblet of ale and a barrel of dwarven spirits.