The Final Coliseum: Victory, Death, or Humilation

  • Thread starter Deleted User - 819397
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DeletedUser13682

Ferruccio looked on in awe as Shae stumbled away, with Laura helping her out. Ferruccio didn’t mean one of the Coliseum medics, he meant some other competitor who had medical experience. Waiting a few minutes, after trying to determine the thing to do, Ferruccio settled on heading to Shae’s room and see if he could help out any. Ferruccio followed the trail of blood that was left by Shae’s wounds, and knocked on the door it led stopped at. “It’s me, Ferruccio. Is there anything I can do to help out?”
 

Deleted User - 819397

Laura was saved from responding to Shae's question as to what Taranis had in store for her as far as plans by Ferruccio knocking on the door, inquiring as to if he could help. "Shae...he means well...it's up to you as to whether or not he can help...but we could probably use the extra opinion on how to fix your injuries..."

(Wow...I'm either not creative at all at the moment, or there just wasn't a lot for me to say...sorry)
 

DeletedUser31931

(OOC: I'm not either. I'm just doing this to kind of take my character out of the story)
Frank decided he had done all he could for the day. He made sure all of his equipment was in order in the storerooms for tomorrow and after hitting the canteen for some dinner he went to his room and slept.
 

DeletedUser28032

(OOC: roll it onto the next fight and then we can look at creating some sub plots or something)

Shae hesitated for several seconds as the man behind the door asked whether he could help her assuming that it was the one who had bound her wounds in the corridor "Well if your sure he can be trusted" Shae replied uncertainly to Laura. Although it was true that there were still good people living within the arena there were also plenty who would happily pose as your friend so as to gain knowledge of how injured you truly were so as to use it to there advantage if they were to ever meet you on the sands.
"Can you take a message to Nkosi? Tell him that Shae would like to see him...he'll know what it means" she also knew that the Mtabele witch doctor would keep the extent of her injuries a secret "I...I'd invite you in but I am not dressed" Shae continued feeling that she apologise to the man for shouting through the door to him.
"You should get back to your cell, it will be curfew soon and I can barely stay awake" she said a yawn escaping her mouth almost as if to illustrate the point "Good luck with your fight tomorrow...oh...and Taranis"
 

DeletedUser13682

Ferruccio nodded, though he couldn’t be seen. “Sure, I’ll take your message to Nkosi. Where is his room located?” Ferruccio didn’t know this man Nkosi, but if Shae wanted a message sent to him, then Ferruccio would do it. He guessed that she was very badly wounded, maybe from her arena fight. Maybe she would escape soon, or maybe she would die. Ferruccio didn’t want that to happen. Why should anyone have to die here? Besides, it seemed that she was able to help Laura with understanding Taranis more, and how to deal with him. That was a good thing too.

“That’s not a problem, Shae. I’ll come back in the morning, with some things to help you out, if you want me to. I really don’t like this place. I had to kill my first man yesterday. It wasn’t because of war, it was for entertainment. Utterly pointless. I don’t like it, and maybe by helping people here, I can absolve some of my sins that I’ve committed and will commit, and maybe make everybody feel a bit better.” Where was this coming from, thought Ferruccio? He hadn’t really expected this to come out, at least not to a couple of people on the other side of a door. “Anyway, good night Laura. Good night Shae. I hope you’ll be able to get at least a bit better.”

Ferruccio walked back to his cell, making it there just before curfew. After a brief bath, Ferruccio lay down on his bed, after blowing the candles out. He laid there for a while, thinking about what he was to do about this situation. He would have a fight tomorrow, and he would have to win that, hopefully without injury, but what were his chances of making it out without some form of injury? He had been lucky his first fight, in the fact that his opponent was very slow, and nobody knew how good of a swordsman he was. The organizers wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He might be matched with somebody who was very small and nimble, who knew his way around a sword. Or maybe against somebody who was large, but able to block his enemy’s blows very fast, tiring out his opponent before one powerful death blow. These were the thoughts that accompanied Ferruccio to his sleep, and filled his mind with nightmares of the future.
 

DeletedUser28032

Closing her eyes Shae tries to concentrate for several seconds before replying to the question "Third spur fourth door on the...left...you'll know him when you see him trust me" over six feet tall and with skin the colour of polished mahogany Nkosi was hard to miss even without the tattoos adorning his arms and chest, yet despite his fearsome appearance Shae knew him to be a good man and a skilled healer.
Upon hearing the sound of Ferruccio's boot steps receding as he left her door she turns her attention back to Laura "you should probably get back to your cell too unless you wish to spend the night here...we could finish our talk about Taranis" a slight smile coming to her lips as she mentioned the mans name knowing that the girl was less than enthusiastic about continuing their talk having caught the look of relief out of the corner of her one good eye when Ferruccio had interrupted them.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Laura gave Shae an askance look as she mentioned staying would mean they could finish their little chat about Taranis. She then smiled and teased, "You could have just said I don't want you here for the night, please go." Recognizing the truth behind the words though, she quickly said her goodbyes and made her way back to her cell. Tomorrow was another fight...and she realized this might be her last night...she had gotten lucky once, but the second time...they'd make it harder on her. Despite this, her general exhaustion meant she was out as soon as she hit the pillow.

The next morning was quite similar to the first. She got up, called for a bath, took said bath, and then headed for breakfast. The board showed who peoples' opponents were again, and so Laura decided to look to at least see which Coliseum she was supposed to report to. Finding her name, she couldn't help but moan...then stopped. Her name was connected with Taranis'...but they were on the same side of the chart, connected to two other names. Did that mean they were...a tag team? Looking around the board, she saw Argent teamed with someone named Aughr, and Ferruccio with Frank. Somehow, they'd all managed to end up on each others' teams. Going back to her own name, she saw that one of their opponents had died since last night, meaning the other person, who was listed as "S" would be taking on both Taranis and Laura. She then looked for the Coliseum number, and again was shocked. It appeared they were fighting center stage...Coliseum 1, the original and largest arena.

(Sorry for the delays again, guys...the bolded parts are getting the fights initialized.)
 

DeletedUser

As the moon rose high over the city, the night before the next fight, a ghostly figure melted from a solid wall and took form, crouching in the shadows created by a ensconced torch, high on the opposite wall. His senses were honed to a razor's edge, his mind as still as a pool of water deep in a forest, even small ripples - like fighters turning over in their cots or the footsteps of the guards on the floor above him - were glaringly obvious.

He'd been doing this every night -- slipping from his cell and stalking the corridors. Argent began lightly moving down the corridor, as he thought of all the information he'd gathered on these escapades. Each night he'd gone a little further, crouched in the shadows and observed the guards a little longer, entered more and more important rooms. The first night he'd slipped into the courtyard and slid through the locked door into the kitchens -- hoping against hope for some form of vegetable, no luck.

The hunger Argent felt in his stomach was beginning to grow. Since the greens he'd eaten at the party - as the fighters who had appeared called it - there had been no greens evident. Each meal was savory courses of meat and gravy, Argent hadn't even found cheese, or it had all been gone by the time he'd arrived. The growling in his stomach was more apparent each day.

Argent flattened himself against the wall beside the arch that lead into the courtyard. He heard no voices around the corner, but he knew that it was better to be safe -- being caught outside his cell at this hour would probably result in his death, or even worse those horrible runes that had covered the cage he was transported here in. He let his snow white head poke around the corner for a split second to make sure no one was coming, it was clear. Argent took the steps up into the courtyard.

Littered with training equipment from the previous day's exercises, Argent was easily able to slip from shadow to shadow, the dark, simple clothing he wore melding with the darkness, his arms and face covered with mud he'd made in a basin beside his cot to cover his skin -- Argent smiled to himself as he thought of painting with the mud, in case his cell was searched and questions were raised as to why there was a bowl of mud in his room, Argent painted with it.

The Klemstrian slipped into the darkest shadow he could find, a corner hidden by a low overhang which was never touched by torch or moonlight, and settled on his haunches there, removing a quill, inkwell and piece of parchment from his pocket and beginning to chart the movements of the guards throughout the compound. This was what he'd been doing, this was why he'd been absent from all the training, each night he had stayed out until dawn, preparing.

Argent turned in early that evening, so he could get a few hours sleep before he was expected to turn up for the next fight -- just saying the words made his throat clench. He hated the fighting that was forced upon him -- every fiber of his body screamed for him to forfeit his matches, but he knew that doing so would doom him. He had to continue, if not for him, then for all the poor lost souls that inhabited this horrible place with him. He would find a way to reunite them with their dear families -- he swore it.

His eyes traced the board and found that today he would be fighting with a partner, Aughr. Argent went to find him.

 

DeletedUser28032

He had quietly sat within his room staring at the pile of kindling waiting for Laura to arrive for the best part of an hour before finally giving up on her showing, telling himself that it was no matter and that it was her life when all was said and done.
Bolting the door to his cell Taranis settles down upon the bed and stares up at the ceiling before finally falling to asleep, his dreams filled with dark forests and howling wolves, his feet pounding upon the ground as he pursues some unknown prey.

He was awakened pretty much in the same fashion as he had been the previous time by a guard pounding his fist upon his door and shouting through to him that he was to get up and prepare for his upcoming bout in the arena and knowing that if he was to get any breakfast before hand decided to get up and get dressed.
Having lost two shirts in as many days he decided to forgo that particular article of clothing wearing only his breeches, boots and pendant as he made his way towards the dining hall and the smell of food.
Upon entering the hall he see's Laura stood before the listings board seemingly stunned by what she had just read, moving over to not only check his own listing but to take a quick peek at hers Taranis couldn't help but burst out laughing upon seeing their names linked "That'll teach you to avoid me, the gods have seen fit to have a laugh at our expense" the gods were capricious and enjoyed nothing more than laughing at the folly's of man...or so Taranis believed though the frightened city girl probably believed in different gods than he did and so wouldn't see it that way.
"Don't worry girl, it would appear that today is your lucky day...now come lets get a little something to eat before we go...you don't want to be distracted by hunger pains now would you?" he said before moving over to one of the tables helping himself to some bread and a little bacon; enough to satisfy his hunger but not too much so as to make him feel sluggish.
Once he'd finished eating his meagre meal he would make his way over to arena and collect his twin blades before stepping out onto the arena's sand for the second time.
 

DeletedUser13682

Ferruccio woke up in the morning, to knocking. It had been two or three days (Ferruccio had lost count) since his first fight, and they wanted him back in the arena. “Fine, I’ll go this time, guard!” Ferruccio yelled through the door, “but you’re not going to get this much kindness from me next time.” Walking to the mess hall, Ferruccio remembered what he had told Shae he would do, and turned around. Following her directions, he ran into who he thought was Nkosi, a very tall, very dark, very ink covered man. “Nkosi, I’ve a message for you,” Ferruccio announced to him. “Very well, what is it?” he responded. “Shae needs you, Nkosi. You should see her as soon as possible.” Nkosi nodded in understanding, and left. With that done, Ferruccio headed to the mess hall.

When there, he grabbed a piece of bread, and started eating it, while walking to the assignment board. There, Taranis was explaining to Laura that she should eat something so she wouldn’t be distracted by hunger pains. Looking at the assignment board, Ferruccio saw two names on each side. Apparently they would be fighting two by two today. Ferruccio’s partner was Frank, and Laura and Taranis were together. God works in mysterious ways, thought Ferruccio, and turned to speak to Laura and Taranis. “Wonder why they’re putting us in twos for today’s fight?” Ferruccio asked the group. “Still, looks like you two have only one person to fight. I think you’ll both make it without a scratch. Good luck today, you too. I think I’ll have another party tonight. The last one was successful, and maybe more people will show up this time. What do you think?”
 

DeletedUser

Aughr woke and swiftly moved out of his cell, he'd spent the night praying to Chasryn (Death), and sleeping.
His footsteps echoed through the corridors as he made his way to the breakfast chamber, once there, he grabbed a piece of meat and began to chew through it as he searched for his name on the large board.
He frowned, instead of an opponent, he was teamed with someone named Argent. Most curious.
Finishing the meat, Aughr went in search of his teammate.
 

DeletedUser31931

Frank awoke from a fitful sleep and dressed himself. He walked down the corridor and as he walked in overheard Ferruccio saying "I think I’ll have another party tonight. The last one was successful, and maybe more people will show up this time. What do you think?" Frank turned and said "I'm in, I could try another recipe for a stew with meat and carrots." Frank then turned and looked at the board and saw the pairings, he almost smiled at the irony at them being paired together. "It seems I'm fighting with you Ferruccio. That should be fun." Frank meanwhile had grabbed some meat from the platter and some cold vegetables. "Shall we grab our weapons as soon as we have finished breakfast?" he asked Ferruccio.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Laura ignored Taranis' laughter about the gods having a sense of humor, pairing them together. Ferruccio showed up, claiming that since it was a two on one fight they'd have an easy time of it. "I doubt it..." she mused. "They could have easily paired this "S" up with another fighter, one who wasn't dead. They want it to be an uneven match for some reason..." This thought proved to mostly spoil her appetite, but she still ate a little so she'd have energy for the fight. She just hoped that Taranis would be someone she could fight well with...else he may find her unworthy after all and turn on her in a second. That might be their intention...she thought to herself sadly.

(Ok, prep posts please. Braet, you have my express permission to use Laura in Taranis' prep post, as I'm sure he'll want to go down together. I trust you'll use her wisely haha.)
 
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DeletedUser28032

(OOC: oh don't worry I'll look after her *Laughs Evilly*)

"Don't worry Girl I am sure that he will die like any other man" Taranis replies as Laura questions why they hadn't paired their opponent up with somebody else fearing that they were being set up, not that he cared he was just looking forward to the upcoming challenge.
Waiting for Laura to finish her breakfast after having his own he follows her down the long stone corridor and enters the appropriately numbered armoury, despite it being identical in shape and layout to the last one he still couldn’t help but marvel at the array of shiny, spiky death displayed around its walls.
Taking his Sais daggers from the armourer he tests the edges to find them still razor sharp before tying the blue strip of cloth about his upper arm the armourer helping to tie a matching strip about Laura's "Listen girl I want you to hang back for a while...I want to see what this guy can do before we hit him with any of your magic tricks" Taranis instructed the terrified city girl as she held onto the rapier she'd selected "If you do have to go toe to toe with him go for the eyes...oh and keep moving, its harder to hit a moving target...are you ready?" Laura didn't look like she would be ready in a million years but nodded her head all the same.
Fully expecting to do all the fighting himself Taranis opens the door leading out onto the sand gently ushering Laura through with a hand upon her shoulder and a mad glint in his eye as the sound of crowd met his ears "Oh and smile...if you have to die then you may as well die with a smile on your face"
 

DeletedUser

Not waiting for his partner, Aughr moved down the long stone corridor and into the designated armoury.
Ignoring the guards that stood to attention, Aughr fetched his bow and made sure the string was taut, and that the arrowheads were sharp. The black fletches were aligned perfectly, made for perfect stabilization during flight.
Satisfied, Aughr picked up a double-bladed short sword and stuffed it in his belt, before sitting on the bench, waiting to be called into the arena.
 

DeletedUser


Slipping through the throng of fighters gathering before the corridors that would take them to their respective stadiums without a word, Argent took in everything, searching for his partner. The conversations ranged from hushed fearful whispers to boisterous slapping and belly laughter -- Argent was quiet, not even his footsteps making noise against the cobblestones as his search lengthened.

It was just as he was about to give up his search and make his way towards the preparation room that he found his partner. Argent had never spoken directly to the man, but he had seen Aughr on a few occasions, at most meals and the party Ferruccio had thrown a few nights previous. The man was already on his way towards the armory, apparently the search through the cluster of people had proven fruitless as well. Argent nodded and followed silently behind the man -- slipping inside the armory just before the door closed behind him.

Standing between the racks of weapons, darkly gleaming on a low table, were the ebony claws that fit Argent's colorless hands alone. The Klemstrian approached the table reverently - as his partner went to a rack and retrieved his bow - and bowed deeply towards the weapons that faced him. Reaching out, Argent said not a word to his partner as he slipped the claws onto his hands, rolling his shoulders and making sure he had full range of motion with all of his fingers.

Crossing his arms once the claws were firmly attached to his hands, Argent ran the tip of the index claw up one of the dark black lines that flowed up his forearm and disappeared under the fabric of his dark black clothing. "This will do." he said quietly, walking to the huge gate that would release he and his partner into the arena. "I am Argent, of the Klemstrian monastery. I will protect you with my life, Aughr."


 

DeletedUser

"I am Argent, of the Klemstrian monastery. I will protect you with my life, Aughr."
Said Argent from next to him. Aughr slowly turned to face the monk, before emitting a hollow laugh from his stone cold emotionless face.
'I do not need protection monk. And I pity you for valuing life. Only death can bring value and purpose." Aughr said sternly, before turning back to facing the gate that led into the arena.
 

DeletedUser28032

Standing before the iron portcullis that led out into the arena, the gate behind them now firmly locked to prevent from escaping Taranis dropped to his knee's and rubbed sand into the palms of his hands before clasping the pendant about his neck and offering a prayer up to the gods.
Out in the arena he could hear the announcer as he riled up the crowd who had already began chanting a name that was neither his nor Laura's.
Positioning himself so that he would be first through the gate Taranis fixed his sights upon the other portcullis through which their opponent would appear hoping to catch a glimpse of him but only seeing shadows "Remember what I told you girl and you'll be fine" Taranis spoke in what felt was a reassuring tone of voice "Don't worry about killing him, I'll do that just concentrate on keeping all you're limbs...I can't have an heir with no arms now can I?" he said laughing at his jest more to cover over his own nerves and the murderous thoughts deep within himself. The beast had awoken and it wanted to rip and tear and feel flesh and blood between its teeth, the only problem was it didn’t care whose blood it had. For all of a few seconds he wonders whether he should warn Laura about what might happen then decided against it, she was already nervous enough without worrying her further with his own problems, he would just have to deal with it himself and hope that the gods were feeling kind.
 

Deleted User - 819397

(Still need Zem and Johann's team to finish prepping before I can launch them. Launching the other teams though).
(Another note. Since this is a duo fight already, I'm not going to control any fight other than Laura/Taranis' as I have specific plans for that. Work with your partner via PM on how you two want to handle your fight)
Aughr & Argent

The unlikely duo stepped out to see their opponents were already out, meaning they'd missed their names and locations. They made for an odd pair themselves, one holding a crossbow, the other a longsword. Unlike the previous opponents the men had seen, these were level-headed and ready, meaning this fight wouldn't be so easy. Ranged and direct combat combined made the team even stronger. The announcer gave the word, and the fight was underway.

Laura & Taranis

As soon as the gate opened in front of the pair, the crowd went silent. More concerning, they didn't appear to be in the arena at all anymore. Something odd had just happened. The announcer was missing as well. Laura's sense that this was no ordinary fight increased as she saw this, realizing something was very wrong. The other gate slowly opened...

and the man who had unnerved the group several times walked out. His eye wasn't bleeding at the moment, but his smile was creepy as all getout. He was wearing a blue-gray tight-fitting tunic that appeared to have the pattern of people screaming, and his white hair gave his head a skeletal appearance. He slowly walked towards them, stopping about 15 feet away.

"I...am known as The Sorrow." he stated, looking at Laura and Taranis in turn. "I hail from a distant land, yet I was still brought here. I was part of a military unit known for fighting with emotions. Each one of us brought a specific emotion with us into battle. This gave us fuel. It gave us strength. I am the only one left now. The others were all killed in the struggle. I have remained...and my Sorrow overflows with the loss of my comrades. My power is stronger than it ever has been." At this point, his head began to shake. Rain began to fall, causing a mist to quickly rise up.

"This world is one of sadness. Battle brings death. Death brings sorrow. The living may not hear them. Their voices may fall upon deaf ears. But make no mistake - the dead... are not silent. I may hear them, for that is my ultimate gift...to hear the sorrow of the dead. You two have caused much sorrow already...the spirits of those you've killed cry out to me, begging for me to kill you." His eye began bleeding again, and yet the eerie smile never left his face. "It is my job to avenge their sorrow...and to enable them to do the same as well." At this point, a loud crack pierced the air as the lens of his glasses over his bleeding eye broke. Still smiling, The Sorrow rose into the air, about a foot off the ground. The fog was getting rather thick, making it hard to see much. However, shapes began to take form in the density of the fog, slowly moving forward. Laura couldn't help but shriek as she recognized some of the figures, slowly approaching. The gang members she'd killed when they'd attacked her...Randall, the boy she'd killed two days ago...they were all there, the wounds she'd inflicted on them clear as day. Randall's gaping eye socket was particularly gruesome, as that was freshest in her mind. Looking around, she saw four of the men who searched for new talent and a woman holding her head in her hands...clearly the ones Taranis had killed.

"Taranis...how...how are we supposed to fight ghosts?" Laura whispered, unsure of what she was feeling. From the gloom of the fog, The Sorrow's voice called, "Now the souls of those you've killed will have their revenge..." The shambling specters began to move in...
 

DeletedUser

Aughr's eyes fixed themselves onto the opponent with the crossbow, he would take him. The crossbow was a flawed instrument, that man only had one shot, and after that he would be open prey.
Not saying a word, Aughr drew an arrow and notched it to his bow, he aimed at his chosen target, drew back the string to his ear and loosed.
The arrow flew straight and true towards it's target, and Aughr moved to the left to dodge any response.
 
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