-last edited on Apr 15, 2017 20:43:58 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 15, 2017 20:43:35 GMT
Chapter 47
Ishal’s fight with Andrasa was much longer than the one before it. The two circled each other for nearly a minute before Ishal charged, swinging his sword. Andrasa blocked it with her hammer before coming back in for a counterattack, which Ishal deflected using his shield. From there, the two exchanged blows for at least another minute. It was tiring work, but dwarves are stubborn and Andrasa refused to give up ground, despite her opponent’s larger size. Then, suddenly, Ishal lunged in, only for Andrasa to sidestep and whack his helmet with her hammer, sending her opponent to the ground, out cold. Before Andrasa could deal a finishing blow, Ishal was dragged out of the Arena, leaving his opponent slightly confused and annoyed.
Skrag watched Ishal being brought down, and, a few seconds later, he saw two slaves being taken up. One of them was the one whom he’d made eye contact with several days earlier. The other was the hulking giant of a man, Burgs. Skrag sighed, That kid won’t survive this fight. It’s people like him that make it so important for us to succeed in our mission.
Baj was absolutely terrified. He knew there was no way he’d live through this fight. However, his mind was not on himself so much as on Elisa. She’ll never survive without me, he thought. Since they had arrived in the Arena, they had depended on each other’s strength to keep them going, and to stay neutral. Now, Elisa would be without that. She was tough, but she never seemed to be all the way there and Baj knew she depended on him as much as he depended on her. He was pulled out of his thoughts as the announcer spoke, “Our next fight’s between a giant of a man, and a man who says he’s a giant!” The crowd laughed, and the announcer continued, “We have Burgs and Baj!”
-last edited on Apr 15, 2017 22:11:25 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 15, 2017 22:10:26 GMT
Chapter 48
As soon as the gates were open and Baj took a step out, Burgs charged, lifting his massive axe above his head. Baj had practically no time to react. He simply lifted his club- which was extremely heavy- over his head in an attempt to block the inevitable blow. He could see Burgs closing in, leaping in the air, and everything went black.
Baj awoke back in the slaves’ quarters, surprised, and happy, to be alive. Elisa was next to him, and, when he opened his eyes, she hugged him, before stopping suddenly, clearly embarrassed. “I’m alive,” he said, “How?”
Elisa shrugged, “Ask Burgs. He is the one who spared your life.”
Baj looked for Burgs, and saw him sitting in the corner, not far away. The giant got his attention, and asked, “Why did you let me live? What did Garfell say?”
Burgs replied simply, “Baj is little giant. Burgs is big giant. Big giant must help little giant. Garfell is mad, but Burgs doesn’t mind.”
“Thank you,” said Baj, “You’re a giant?”
“Mother is giant, father is human. Burgs live in great Whiteblade clan, far to North. Now Burgs here, but Burgs doesn’t mind. Burgs has friends in Arena, not many friends at home.”
“I know what you mean. I wasn’t exactly accepted where I lived, either.” Baj was interrupted when the healer stopped next to him.
“Are you alright?” the half-elf asked, “You took a nasty blow to the head.”
“I think I’m fine,” Baj replied, “I’m alive, at least.”
“Okay, then. I suppose I’m not required here any longer.” The healer got up to leave, but, as he did so, Baj felt him slip something into his shirt. Before he could say anything, the healer whispered, “We’ll come for you tonight.”
Then, he was gone, leaving Baj to wonder what had just happened. He reached into his shirt, careful not to let anyone see, and pulled out a piece of paper. On the paper were written several sentences. When Baj finally managed to decipher them, he tucked the paper back into his shirt, confused, but intrigued.
-last edited on Apr 16, 2017 13:33:57 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 16, 2017 13:33:47 GMT
Chapter 49
The next fight, between Person and Ormuk, was much longer than the previous one. Like Ishal and Andrasa, they began by circling each other for quite a while. Then, Person attacked, charging in with his sword high above his head. Ormuk leapt out of the way before counterattacking, only to be blocked by the half-orc’s club. Person then moved out, keeping his eye on his opponent. This pattern repeated several times, one attacking the other, and then retreating until Person spotted an opening. Quickly, he knocked Ormuk unconscious with a blow of his club, before finishing the goblin, a few tears of remorse in his eyes. Why must we do this? He asked himself, why must we fight? He thought about it for a long time, but never settled on an answer he liked.
Go entered the Arena with a heavy feeling in his heart. If things went according to plan, he would never do this again. If not, well, he wouldn’t be around to do it. The gates opened and Conria dashed forward, sword and shield in hand. Go blocked the former knight’s blade with his own katanas, flicking it to the side and slicing downward, only to be foiled by the shield. They continued to fight, blade upon blade, sword upon shield, until Go, with a twist of his wrists, sent Conria’s sword flying out of his hands. The man dropped to his knees, spreading his arms wide. In a voice so quiet only Go could hear, he whispered, “End it. End me. End my pain and suffering, I beg you. I can’t bear to live any longer.”
Go shook his head. He had promised his friends he would leave this man alive, and he was a man of his word. Go lifted his sword above his head, but only knocked Conria into unconsciousness. I can’t do this anymore. I need to get out. For once, he knew his wish would be granted, one way or another.
Skrag shakily got to his feet as his name was called. He knew that Zelfern was one of the best fighters in the Arena, and he knew there was a good chance he would not survive this fight. The half-breed slowly walked to the ladder the guard indicated for him and climbed up into the Arena, into the glaring sun and shouting crowd. He looked around and spotted his allies. They looked as nervous as he felt. Well, Luke and Rennar did, at least. Leidiriv was as emotionless as Zelfern. “For our next fight, we have our oldest fighter against our newest! Please welcome Zelfern and Skrag!” Zelfern stood perfectly still, sending chills down Skrag’s back. Something about him was just so strange.
The gates opened and Zelfern charged, gripping his staff with both hands. Skrag did likewise, holding instead his spear. The two met in the middle, trading blow for blow and sending the sound of wood resounding against wood throughout the Arena. This continued into Zelfern, with one swift movement, caught Skrag’s weapon with his own and sent it flying out of his opponent’s hands. Skrag dived to the ground, rolling to the side to avoid Zelfern’s strike and drawing his cutlasses as he did so. Seeing the weapon change, Zelfern dropped his staff and drew his own blades, light but incredibly sharp. Once again, the two clashed, but Skrag knew it would not last long. He was tiring quickly, noticeably faster than normal, and Zelfern did not seem to be showing any signs of fatigue at all. Then, Zelfern made an unexpected move. He swept Skrag’s legs out from under him, and the half-breed fell to the ground with a thud. Zelfern lifted one of his blades in the air, bringing it down towards Skrag’s head. Desperately, Skrag extended his own blade in an attempt to block Zelfern’s strike. The next thing he knew, Zelfern was collapsed on the ground, screaming and clutching the stump at the end of his right arm. Skrag shakily got to his feet, slightly disoriented and confused, and knocked Zelfern unconscious with a blow to his temple.
-last edited on Apr 16, 2017 23:25:25 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 16, 2017 23:25:00 GMT
Chapter 51
When Skrag made it down to his waiting friends, he had finally realized what had happened. Zelfern was horribly wounded because of him. He did not talk to Arik. Instead, he went to his room and sat. It was a long time later that he emerged for dinner.
Meanwhile, it was Mozz’s turn to fight in the Arena. Ironically, Crux had put the werewolf up against three wolves. However, Mozz, in his insanity, hardly seemed to notice. He took them down one by one, then laughed and promptly fell asleep. The guards had to drag him out of the Arena, and they weren’t too gentle.
The next fight took place between Arik and Ishappa. The purple-cloaked executioner waited mere seconds to leap into action, knocking Arik unconscious with a single blow.
Everyone in the audience expected Ishappa to finish him, like she did with all her opponents. In fact, they were truly looking forward to it. However, that finishing blow never came. Instead, Ishappa let Arik go and simply climbed back down the ladder, leaving the guards to take the unconscious man back down. Everyone was confused. Why did she leave him alive? Only one person in the audience saw what happened just before Ishappa let Arik go- that person was Edmond Crux, brother of Gormund Crux and the true power in the City. Edmond’s eyes were as sharp as those of a mighty eagle, and he saw one thing that no one else did. In the split second before Ishappa released Arik, she glanced up into the stands. The spot she glanced at was precisely where three of the fighters were sitting. Edmond was intrigued. This was a mystery, and he did not like leaving a mystery unsolved. Perhaps, he thought to himself, it is time to talk to my inside man.
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 0:24:14 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 0:23:58 GMT
Chapter 52
Shadowwrath and Brian were the next to enter the Arena. Shadowwrath, as always, was calm and quiet. In contrast, Brian was as cocky as ever and even leaned over to whisper something to a member of the audience. When the gates opened, Brian was out immediately, twirling his hooked blade. Shadowwrath moved slowly, creeping out from his side with an impassive air. Naturally, Brian launched the first attack, jabbing inward at the gap between Shadowwrath’s shield and spear. Shadowwrath knocked it aside easily, but did not counterattack, and Brian, after a moment’s hesitation faked a downward cut, instead jabbing straight inward once again. This time, Shadowwrath blocked with his shield, once again showing no signs of stress. Brian made a third attack, which Shadowwrath blocked again, immediately following up by ramming his shield into his opponent’s body. Brian was stunned, falling backward only to be struck by Shadowwrath’s spear. As quickly as the fight had begun it was over, and Shadowwrath returned to his room.
The final fight of the day pitted the famous slave, Garfell the Brute against a wild bear, half-starved so as to be ready to fight. The crowd was excited for this one. They cheered louder than they had all day as Garfell entered the Arena, and even louder when the gate was lifted and the bear was brought in. The guards wasted no time in opening the gates and the fight began. To everyone’s surprise, Garfell cast aside his club, shield, and axe, charging in with only his bare hands. He tackled the bear to the ground wrestling with it as he would a human. When the opportunity came, Garfell lifted the bear above his head in a display of awe-inspiring strength, taking a second to revel in his glory before throwing it onto the ground. From there, the fight ended quickly, and Garfell returned to the cell with a confident stride.
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 0:56:00 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 0:54:50 GMT
Chapter 53
The fights were over, and day soon passed into night. Soon, several figures could be seen leaving their rooms and moving to one of the ladders. Several minutes later, another figure could be seen. This one headed down a different tunnel, past the blacksmith’s room and out of the Arena. He crept out to a dark alley, and there was Edmond Crux. “Hello, master,” the figure said, “I was told you wanted to see me.”
“Yes,” Edmond replied, “I observed some curious behaviors today. Did you see Ishappa’s fight? She spared her opponent’s life. As she did so, I noticed her glance up at the other gladiators in the crowd. Do you happen to know what may be going on?”
“Now that I think about it,” supplied Ishal, “Some of them have been acting odd lately- meeting in private, whispering, congregating, and the like.”
Edmond nodded, slowly, “Well, see what else you can find. Try to get into their confidence. Report back to me as often as possible.”
“Yes, master,” Ishal ran back to the Arena, ready to serve his mighty master. As he was about to enter the common room, he saw something very interesting. A large group of fighters was entering the common room from one of the ladder tunnels. Among them were Arik, Go, Syldar, Rennar, and Luke.
Ishal quickly drew back, being careful not to be seen, but as he did so he put his ear to the wall, attempting to hear their conversation. He didn’t hear much, but he did catch, “Day after tomorrow… slaves… freedom… Isabel... the end.” Anxious to give his master this new information, Ishal ran back down the tunnel, thoughts tumbling through his mind.
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 1:36:11 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 1:35:51 GMT
Chapter 54
While Ishal and Edmond were plotting, an invisible person silently crept into the slaves’ quarters. There he found Baj, still awake. The giant had made a decision not to sleep, figuring it would be easier for whoever came for him. He had spent some time thinking about who might arrive to take him to the meeting he had read about. What he did not expect was an invisible person. Baj nearly jumped to his feet when he felt his band unlock, seemingly of its own accord. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he figured out what was going on. The person first extended the invisibility spell to cover Baj as well, and then created an illusion so that anyone else who awoke would see Baj sleeping in his spot. Then, he led Baj to one of the ladders, and, to the giant’s amazement, opened it like a door, using one of the rungs. The person led him through the door and into a passageway, closing the door behind them.
When Baj finally emerged from the passageway and into the fresh air, he suddenly felt happier than he had in his entire life. He only wished Elisa could be here with him. Now that it was safe, the person lowered the invisibility spell covering the two of them, revealing himself to be one of the gladiators. “Come on,” he said, “the others are waiting.” Not far away stood a group of the fighters, including, to Baj’s surprise, one he recognized from the first time he had entered the city, and, even more surprisingly, a large, dark green and gold dragon. The person led Baj over to them.
Now that everyone had gathered, Ishappa began to speak, “We are gathered here to finalize the plans for tomorrow’s escape.” She motioned to Baj, “This is our inside man. He will help us to rally the slaves and free them from their chains. Child, what is your name?”
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 13:36:07 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 13:35:40 GMT
Chapter 55
Baj gulped, “M-my name is Baj. I am a giant.” Before anyone could say anything he added, “I–I know I don’t look like it, but trust me. I am.”
Ishappa nodded, “I am Ishappa, the executioner, also known as Isabel Crux.” She motioned to each of her companions in turn, “We have here Shadowwrath, Luke Tunstall, Go, Syldar, Rennar, Arik, Leidiriv, Skrag, and the mighty dragon Zargan.” Baj noticed that Syldar was the healer, Leidiriv was the one who had escorted him, and Skrag was the one he had made eye contact with on his way to the Arena. Ishappa continued, dragging Baj out of his thoughts, “We are here to finalize our plans for freeing the slaves from the Arena and equalizing the residents of this city.”
“E-excuse me,” said Baj, “but I still don’t know where exactly I come into this plan.”
Ishappa nodded, “We need your help to rally the slaves. They are so divided that the only way to get them to follow us is through using a neutral party to convince them it’s the best thing for all of them.”
Baj nodded, “O-okay. So, what’s the plan?”
It did not take long for the plans to be finalized. All would take place the day after the next, which was a free day for the gladiators. Leidiriv recast his invisibility spell and returned Baj to the slaves’ quarters. Arik, Go, Syldar, Rennar, and Luke returned to their rooms. As usual, Ishappa and Shadowwrath stayed longer, talking and enjoying the fresh air. This time, however, they were not alone. Skrag gazed off into the open night sky, wondering if he had done the right thing. Zargan sat with him, “It’s okay. Zelfern was injured through no fault of your own. It was a mistake, and mistakes can be forgiven.”
Skrag sighed, “I know, but I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault.”
“Do not worry. Soon, this fighting will be over, and you will never have to cross paths with him again,” Zargan replied.
“Maybe you’re right,” said Skrag, “Before long, he’ll be out of my life forever. Good night, my friend.” He walked back down the tunnel, feeling considerably better than he had before.
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 15:44:24 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 15:38:31 GMT
Chapter 56
It was a wonderful day. The sun was shining, but it wasn’t overly hot, and the sound of chirping birds could be heard throughout the City. Beneath the Arena, ten people were enjoying their breakfasts. Suddenly, one stood up, setting down her food. Immediately, eight of the others got to their feet and the ten of them moved simultaneously. Soon, the guard was incapacitated and the nine people broke into three groups, each heading a different direction. The tenth person quietly finished his breakfast and returned to his room to grab his bag, ready to set out from the City.
Skrag, Ishappa, and Shadowwrath left through the ladder B as they had done for many nights. Waiting for them when they reached the open air was Zargan. They had decided the dragon was large enough to carry all three of them to the palace, where they were going to overthrow the Cruxes (well, the older generation at least). Silently, they climbed onto Zargan’s back and the dragon took off into the bright blue sky.
Meanwhile, Leidiriv, Syldar, and Go were freeing the slaves. The guards were incapacitated easily, just like the one in the common room. They entered the room to the surprise of all the slaves except Baj and Elisa, whom he had told about the plan. Without a word, Leidiriv unlocked each slave’s neck bands and helped them to their feet. As he did so, Syldar told them what was going on, “You are now free. Follow us, and we can lead you out of the City and away from the Arena.”
Baj joined him, “He tells the truth. They are here to free us from our bondage, but time is limited. We don’t know how long it will take before they notice something is wrong.”
-last edited on Apr 17, 2017 22:06:57 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 17, 2017 22:06:19 GMT
Chapter 57
“Freedom,” said Re’zar, after a short pause, “It has been out of our reaches for so long, and now a way out is before us. We will come.” He stepped up to Baj’s side, along with Person, Mozz, Conria, and Elisa.
Garfell sneered, “What reason do we have to believe you, boy? My men and I will not follow you into what must be a trap. The others may trust you, but I do not. Go, and leave us.”
“Burgs is with friend little giant,” said Burgs, stepping up.
Andrasa joined him, “If you do not take this opportunity, Garfell, you’re a fool.”
Malik went to the other side as well, “Too long have I lived in fear of you, Garfell. That ends today.” Even Raja left Garfell’s side, leaving the seasoned warrior alone.
“You’ll see,” he spat, “you should have listened.” Before anyone could reply, he barged out of the room.”
“Well,” said Go, simply, “let’s go. The clock is ticking.”
As they left, Rennar was wandering into the slums. When they reached the heart of the filthy, collapsing collection of buildings he cleared his throat and spoke, in a voice that piqued the curiosity of all around him and set the blood of most of them boiling. “Too long you have lived in this horrible place while those around you reside in luxury. Too long you have suffered while those around you prospered. Too long you have starved while those around you feasted. That ends today. Today you fight. Today you rise up and shake off the chains that have for so long bound you to the place. Today you become the new voice of the city- a voice that is fair and just!”
As he said his final word, the crowd roared, surging towards him and raising their arms above their heads. Those who could not walk cheered on their neighbors. Those who could not speak nodded in approval. As the crowd began to rush forward into the rest of the City, Rennar stopped them, “Hold on. You cannot fight without weapons.”
“Well, where can we get some, then?” asked a member of the crowd.
Rennar smiled, “From here.” As he said this, Arik and Luke rushed past the guards, carrying with them wheelbarrows full of weapons taken from the Arena’s blacksmith. The guards were helpless to stop them as they rushed into the crowd and armed the people. When the guards did try, the mass of people surged over them like an unstoppable wave of built-up anger and resentment. They rushed into the city, ready to exact their revenge on those who had wronged them for so long.
-last edited on Apr 18, 2017 11:39:00 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 18, 2017 11:37:08 GMT
Chapter 58
Zelfern was awakened by shouting. Irritated, he sat up and scratched his head. Only, he didn’t scratch his head. Instead, he merely rubbed it with his stump. He growled, and got out of bed, curious as to what might be going on. Oddly, there was no one in the common room, and many breakfasts sat there uneaten. Then, he saw the unconscious guard. Very intrigued now, Zelfern crept back to the slaves’ quarters, only to discover every one of them gone, and the chains on the floor. Two more guards were knocked out outside. Zelfern took a few minutes to decide what to do next. When he was ready, he grabbed his armor and put it on, which was quite difficult with one hand, and, once he had managed it, grabbed one of his blades. The other would have to be left behind- he had no way to carry it now.
On his way out of the Arena, Zelfern noticed the blacksmith’s door hanging open. Taking a peek inside, he saw the man and his assistant tied to the chairs and the walls, normally decorated with all manner of weapons, bare. It must have something to do with the shouting, he thought.
When Zelfern exited into the bright, sunny morning, he discovered exactly what was causing the shouting- a massive group of people, filthy and wearing tattered clothes, had taken up arms against the guards and seemed to be winning. Among the people, Zelfern saw a couple of the other gladiators, That’s where everyone has gone. Carefully making his way through the furious crowd, Zelfern soon reached the gate. It had been flung open, and the guards around it were smashed. Zelfern quickly left the tumultuous city, slightly bewildered by the fact that after all these years his time in the Arena was over.
When he was a safe distance away, he stopped and turned to look back. To himself, he said, “For nine years I fought in that Arena. Now, everything is gone. I swear that someday I will get revenge on he who has wronged me. Someday, Skrag will pay.” Without another word, he set off into the wilderness with one goal in mind- revenge.
-last edited on Apr 18, 2017 20:48:13 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 18, 2017 20:47:40 GMT
Chapter 59
At the time of Zelfern’s vow, Skrag was flying above the city, heading towards the palace. The trip was soon over, and, after a quick fight with a few guards, his companions hopped off of Zargan’s back. “Be careful,” he said, “You told me yourself- Edmond is clever, and he’ll have plenty of guards because of the rebellion.”
“We’ll be fine,” replied Ishappa, “He has no idea what’s going on, and, besides, he’d hardly hurt his own daughter. He’s a cruel man, but he does have a heart.” Shadowwrath, silent as always, simply nodded, and the two of them set off.
Zargan took back off into the air, “Are you ready?”
“I am,” said Skrag, “Gormund is helpless to fight back, and I’ve already shown that my prowess is well above the skill of the guards. Stop here- this is his balcony.” Zargan let Skrag off and the half-breed knocked down the door, entering Crux’s room. It was lavishly furnished with all manner of art, ornaments, and expensive materials, a stark contrast to the slums. Skrag even felt slightly nauseated by the disgusting display of extreme wealth.
Crux was surrounded by guards, but Skrag managed to defeat them without too much trouble. Crux, meanwhile, had retreated into a corner and was curled up, whimpering, “Please, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Skrag scowled, “You’ve done nothing wrong!? You sit here and feast while your citizens starve and freeze in the streets! You force slaves to fight merely for your entertainment! You trap people inside these walls with no hope of escape! That ends today!” Skrag gathered up all of the anger, all of the sadness, all of the pain, any negative emotion he had felt in the past few weeks and concentrated it all in one powerful blow. Gormund Crux was no more.
