Horizon Walkers (Game Thread) Dead

[hiei82]

[HEADING=1]World 1: The Liemian Empire[/HEADING]

Darkness and silence gave way to blinding light and the echoing roar of a crowd as the stone slab before you rose, freeing your movement. Behind you were only metal bars covered in mystical runes - your cage and home for the last few days. Beyond the bars to your left and right were hundreds more cages, wrapping around and out of sight. The final side consisted of a long hallway which circled the structure as far as your eyes could see. The hallway was currently filled with guards; spears at the ready to force any uncooperative prisoners out through the doorway and into the stadium beyond.

Filling the seats of the stadium were men, women, and children - most dressed in robes ranging from simple, dirty, and unadorned to gold threaded and purple dyed with countless pieces of jewelry hanging from the wearers. The more wealthy seemed to be clustered around larger boxes from which to enjoy the show, while less wealthy were packed tightly into every square inch of the mighty Colosseum. All however shared a single common trait; they were loudly screaming out for the show to begin.

Not more than half an hour ago ago, you were returned your missing equipment along with a large breakfast heavy in wheat, water, fruits, and meat. The reason was obvious enough; the audience demanded a good show and you needed to be at your best. Whether by volition or force, you were eventually pushed into the open stadium and the stone slabs fell back to the ground; blocking your escape.

Around you there were others in a similar condition; dressed for battle and blinded by the sun they'd not seen in days. With each step, the crowd seemed to grow louder and more excited; the tension was palpable. From one of the noble boxes, a man dressed in purple and gold robes with a golden crown which resembled feathers and carrying a golden staff topped with a golden bird-of-prey.

"Welcome!" he called out, his vice ringing through the massive Colosseum, signalling an eery silence to fall over everything. The silent stares were oppressive. "On this day, for your entertainment, we bring you a battle of savage versus monstrous!" he yelled, drawing screams of approval from the crowd. Gesturing to the group, he began to introduce the combatants.

"From the savage lands of conquest, she's vanquished every enemy we've thrown against her! But, how long will her luck hold! You know her; it's the wild Kes!" he screamed, drawing cheers and boos from the crowd. The announcer however moved on to the next combatant without a pause.

"But Kes isn't the only barbarian upon the field of battle today. From our glorious neighbors of the Gouged Grounds-" he said, his tone suggesting anything but glorious and drawing boos from the crowd, "-we have a barbarian priest of Champions of the Tempest-" he continued, the boos growing louder. "-the savage Serragish." Some cheers erupted here; honor was always given to those who were to die.

"But, dear audience, these are not the only warriors seeking glory today. I introduce to you Alexander Ginshell of Ormid for the first - and most likely last - time." he said, though the crowd had little reaction. "He tells us he's a great hunter of monsters for his pagan god; we look forward to seeing how well your god protects you." he concluded with a cruel laugh, drawing a similar response from the crowd.

"Let us not dwell-" he moved on quickly, "-on such unknown warriors. Particularly when we're graced with the presence of a favorite among the slave fighters. He's fought long and hard for this debut in our glorious Colosseum; the pagan of flames Kyras Red-Raven!" the announcer said, to the crowd's great delight.

"But, he's not the only fire wizard on the field of glory today. Let us welcome Dalrel Alress to his death. May he serve us well." he said, drawing cruel applause from those in the stands.

"And perhaps the lowest of the savage beasts in this pit-" the announcer continued, "-given by Consul Tullia himself for the punishment of death. Look forward to a blood bath!" he yelled, drawing screams of joy from much of the crowd. It was always good to know which savages were all but assured to die screaming early in the match.

But for every sacrificial lamb sent to the slaughter, there was a warrior. "But fear not Loyal people of Liem; for we have a proper Warrior in the pits as well; savage though he may be. A Dwarf from lands far from here; a brutal soldier from where civilization is but a whispered word. I present to you Vaerys Rhenor!" Once more, the crowd erupted in applause.

"However, we have another illustrious warrior here among our combatants. We have a mighty swordsman from a barbarian kingdom today. One of noble birth who shall fight for the greatest honor such a barbarian noble can hope for - to please the great gods of Liem!" he yelled, feeding the people of arena what they wanted to hear. "Glory to "Comte" Romaine Roux III!" he continued, condescending as always.

"And speaking of the barbarian kingdoms worlds away, let us welcome in the truest Liemian way another savage combatant from far away - Orika No Viela!" he yelled, drawing more applause. "Let us see what these primitive elves can do! How they can please us!" he finished, drawing cruel laughter from the crowd.

One by one, he introduced two dozen or so more gladiators before he was finished with those introductions. The crowd grew out of control as the introductions finished; soon the blood would flow freely. All at once, many of the gladiators turned to the announcer, crossed their weapons before their chests and yelled out "We who are about to die salute you!", drawing more applause from the crowd - it was important in such a match to play to the audience; you never knew when they might save your life.

"Ah, but let us not forget!" speaker said, silencing the crowd once more. "The savages are known; but.. the MONSTERS yet wait!" he said, and the crowd exploded once more. "Today we bring you creatures from dark worlds far from these! From a world beyond the Horizon game, these beasts were captured. It took dozens of our legionaries to subdue even one of these creatures. Their claws are as scythes, their teeth daggers, and their tails are poisoned flails! These lions of the sky thurst for the blood and flesh of mortals! MANTICORES!" He screamed, spit flying from his mouth as though salivating for the blood feast about to be unleashed.

Yet, even as he spoke, the crowd fell silent. For as the word left his mouth, a greater sound screamed forth beyond the stone slabs across the stadium from the group of warriors. The roar was blood chilling, more monstrous and fearsome than any description. The speaker however took it in stride. "But these are the least of our barbarian's worries. HE-" he yelled, pointing toward the source of the roar, "-is a beast like no other! A monster of mythic proportions. He looks like little more than a lion, but he's far more deadly than that! For he's no ORDINARY lion; he's a NEMEAN LION!!"

As if to accentuate the point, the monster roared once more; the stadium shaking under the wrath of the beast. Many of the gladiators paled; one threw up. All at once, money began changing hands in the stadium above; for no mortal could stand against such a beast.

The Announcer had one more piece of information to say. "Before you make your bets however, allow me to introduce out final elements; those beings that walk the line between savage man and monster; those who must choose with whom to fight!" he called out, silencing the crowd.

"First, I introduce you to a mystical being; a monster born of arcane experiments. A creation who makes play at being human. I give you, Id!" he yelled, drawing whispers from the crowd more than applause. It was hard to tell what a monster would do.

"But that marvel of magic is no where near as monstrous as our other gladiator. You've heard of her exploits; the ferocious monster who hunted so many of us yet now serves as sport for our great legionnaires! She who lacks a name yet speaks. I give you, by title, The Beast of the Western Forest!" Once more, silence reigned over the stadium - broken only by the roar of the Nemean Lion's roars - until the money began changing hands once more.

After several minutes of this, the speaker - still standing - spoke up one last time. "Now, let us see who is strongest!" and the stone slabs were hoisted up. A half dozen man sized flying cats poured out first, eager to fill their bellies. Behind them, more waited in the wings. Three gladiators fell in a instant under their assault, their screams echoing through the stands before the roar of the crowd hid the death throes of the gladiators.

In the back however, the greater threat lumbered out. As large as an elephant, the beast walked forward slowly; as if gauging its enemies to see which was the best choice. A moment later, it charged at a gladiator, roaring as it went. The gladiator lifted his shield and spear to protect himself, but the beast would have none of it. The spear shattered on its fur and its claws rent the shield in pieces. Blood went everywhere.

And the crowd screamed on.

Spoiler: Enemies

[HEADING=2]Manticore:[/HEADING]

Image by ekoputeh on Deviantart

Manticore are minor enemies; use them to show off as you like, and there are as many as you want to fight.

They have claws, teeth, a poisonous barbed tail, and the ability to fly.

[HEADING=2]Nemean Lion:[/HEADING]

Image by scarypet on Deviantart

The Nemean Lion is a major enemy so write your posts in such a way that what the attacks do is chosen by me

The Lion's fur cannot be pierced. Its claws can cut through nearly anything with ease.

Spoiler: Notes about Colosseum

The Colosseum's stands are protected by an invisible magical "bubble"

 

[Lunar Templar]

After being forced out into the arena, she, naturally took to trying to rip the muzzle off her head, and thus ignored the human announcing the fighters. Her efforts where for naught, as the more stone gates opened and the flying vermin came out, or least that's how she viewed them, and watched with disinterested as they descended and slaughter the first few combatants, while she decided to stay close to one of the walls for the time being, deciding the muzzle on her head was more important then pleasing these sick creatures blood lust.

As she worked to remove the muzzle she kept an eye on not just the vermin and that much larger beast that seemed to be amusing it self with the fodder, but a small group of combatants as well, they seemed different from the usual ilk, and thus needed to be watched in case they moved against her.

 

[DarkRawen]

Des was looking around the arena. It was almost nice seeing some sun and people after having been inside in a dark and lonely cage. However, something made him think this might not be an improvement. Perhaps it was the cheering crowds, or the weapons, or even the fact that someone had just said they would be fighting monstrosities. Most likely, it was all three. He himself hadn't been given much, he could easily be described as under-equipped compared to most of the others, only a basic armor and a sharp dagger. His own clothes was gone, probably because of the fact that he hadn't been wearing them when he had been taken in.

"And perhaps the lowest of the savage beasts in this pit,
given by Consul Tullia himself for the punishment of death. Look forward to a blood bath!"

"That's uncalled for,"

Des muttered under his breath. It wasn't be the first time Des had been in trouble because of someone's husband out to get him either. However, away from his own world, and in the middle of a large stadium about to fight for his not-so-mortal life, Des found himself wondering how he deserved this. So, he had seduced and tempted a man's wife. He hadn't harmed her at all, rather the other way around, and he hadn't fooled or tricked her. She had wanted him, she felt lonely and unloved. So Des had gone ahead, made her feel better than her husband ever could have. Didn't her husband love her enough to feel like her pleasure was a good thing?

I certainly don't deserve to die for it at least.

Of course, Des wasn't the only one who they were trying to kill, there was a rather large amount of others along-side him in the coliseum. Most were human, mortals, sent there by other mortals. They would die easier than him, wouldn't they? There even were women among these people, and that made him frown. How cruel this whole thing was. After the people who would fight had been introduced, they continued with the monsters. While many of the mortals appeared to grow paler upon hearing the names of the beasts, and seeing them, Des just frowned more. This really wasn't a good situation, he wasn't scared, but he was aware of the possible danger. Des couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into.

"Before you make your bets however, allow me to introduce out final elements; those beings that walk the line between savage man and monster; those who must choose with whom to fight!"

Choose?

He examined the ones who had gotten out, especially the strange feline-like creature. Had they said it... no, she? could speak? Des couldn't do much fighting as he had little experience, but he realized she was attempting to take off what was covering her mouth. If she really could speak, shouldn't he help her?

Perhaps I can make her help us.

Des wasn't exactly a monster hunter kind of demon though, and there were certainly a lot of monsters. As one of the manticores got a little too close, he narrowly dodged it, trying to slit its wing but failing to do so completely. Still, he did manage to kill it, finally, but it was clear that he were making mistakes easy to avoid.

Yeah, I can't do anything about that.

It became rather obvious rather quickly that others were more skilled than him, and he called out. "Excuse me, fellow fighters!" he called, speaking in a tone that was both friendly and easy to trust. After all, why would he lie? His rather strong presence made it easier to spot him, while his voice was clear and easily understood. "We'll help the beings whom are to decide, right?! One of them has been muzzled, I'm sure she'll help us if we help her remove the muzzle, but I'm regrettably not strong enough to get over there by myself!"

 

[Anti-American Eagle]

Kyras looked at the other gladiators and then at the beasts.
This wasn't going to end well, one man already down by the lion.
Then there was the dozen or so manticores, and the two other creatures.
He knew how to deal with the manticores and there were more of them than the others.
He'd fight them first.

Maiar in hand, he waited for a moment when a manticore was diving at him, and swung into it.
The sword sliced into it and it slammed into the ground violently, crimson streaks spraying from its wound.

Kyras walked over to it and finished it off with a thrust into its spine as it attempted to scramble away.
The thought briefly occurred to him that he should rip the tail from it for later, but he was still in combat.
Another thought occurred that he could just burn them all to ash, but he'd need his energies to fight off the rest of the creatures.

He thought he heard one of the other gladiators yell for assistance, but he didn't quite hear what with as the sound of the manticore he was in the process of knocking out of the sky and hacking apart was screaming over the mans voice.

 

[Terratina.]

So it had been captured, imprisoned, stripped and now it had been thrown into the arena with the luxury of choice of target. How condescending. Then again, the announcer was condescension itself, feeding the audience with empty, hollow words. Their desire was painfully simple: kill. Kill and entertain, kill and entertain. Such an easy, easy thing to do; Id had spent most of its life taking those of others, indulging the so-called civilized humans would not be a problem. But who to choose? Really there was no choice. The beasts would attack all, those with minds may differ. Id thought it had a mind but there was something in the back of it, calling for blood. Those silly beings of flesh and blood... They couldn't leap as Id did as it brought a manticore down to the ground. It was about to give a killing blow to the monster but one of the savages called out and made Id pause.

"... help... beings whom... to decide."

Well, that was a development, though the words were muffled by the clamor of combat. But how much would the addition of two add to that team? A claw to the shoulder reminded Id that was indeed killing time, not thinking time, and so the creature broke the winged cat's neck. It looked around and saw the giant lion and pondered if some puppetry would be a good idea. Another swipe from a manticore later and Id came to the conclusion that the arena was far too crowded for such an action. How boring. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill - that all it was going to be... The prospect of just letting its instincts handle the situation grew more and more tempting. Thought was for mystic types, though Id had been described as a 'mystical being', it was anything but. A hissing sound escaped its lips as it finally gave into its instincts and darted around the area.

Killing time, indeed.

 

[Ruedyn]

These were not proud times for the former Comte. Captured, kept silent for days, forced out of his cell and practically had a breakfast forced down his throat, and now waiting with a bunch of savage gladiators to start killing... gods know what. He listened to some of the announced ones, trying to see if he could find a name like his. Of course, none. Though, his own introduction annoyed him more than anything else.

"However, we have another illustrious warrior here among our combatants. We have a mighty swordsman from a barbarian kingdom today. One of noble birth who shall fight for the greatest honor such a barbarian noble can hope for - to please the great gods of Liem! Glory to "Comte" Romaine Roux III!"

"Fuck you all, too." The noble brushed some of the hair off his eyes, drawing his sword. Up next came the introduction of the monsters, the first true trial of his... Walking? Was that the term for it? Whatever it was, these presented an obstacle in that he had no idea how to kill them. Many Manticore's flying about, he'd heard legends. They were dangerous, but had a physiology close enough to lions, just with wings, though further study would be appreciated before he truly began.

Romaine allowed one to get close to him, vicious but curious. Romaine allowed it to circle him a bit, keeping his sword brandished between them. Letting the beast get slowly closer... It quickly lunged out, using wings for leverage, Romaine ducking fast under it, jabbing his blade into it's chest. It let out a pained howl, landing on his back, taking the blade with him. Romaines turn, he dashed over, taking the blade out. Quick re-aim. Thrust it slightly farther to the right, center and slightly lower. The Manticore slackened, blood flowing when the sword left. Simple stuff, though he could likely aim for the eye as well... Practice was what he'd get here, at least.

"We'll help the beings whom are to decide, right?! One of them has been muzzled, I'm sure she'll help us if we help her remove the muzzle, but I'm regrettably not strong enough to get over there by myself!"

'Then die on a claw.' Romaine turned, between him and the yelling man were a few distracted Manticores. Between him and the Neutral beings, plenty more. They'd need to get taken care of, just in case they got it into their heads they liked the beasties more. The Golem was more content in darting about and slaying the flying buggers. Useful. A manticore descended on Romaine again, quickly finding Cyrille in his eye. Quick exit, the beast dead before it hit the ground. He swung the blade, letting some of the blood fly off it.

The Muzzled One would be his target, then. At least it gave him a goal, rather than watching the inept fighters getting overwhelmed. Romaine practically strolled over, quickly dicing any Manticore that got close to him, one such tried to swing his tail at him. The Noble ducked, the tail smacking an unfortunate who fought a bit too close to him. He'd keep a note of their poison, cutting it's neck open and severing it's spine. Messy, annoying. He kept on, there were a lot of monsters considering how difficult they were to catch... He sensed they were either a tad full of shit or there was a sale on these things.

 

[Lunar Templar]

She had to stop working on the muzzle, as a couple 'vermin and gotten it into they're heads 'not fighting = easy target'. The First one tried diving on her, but she just leaned into the dive and let the dumb beast kill it self in her back plates before she disinterestedly pried the corpse off her and tossed it a side like trash. The second, also tried diving on her, but this one she side stepped, letting it pass by before and more importantly, putting it between her at the wall. She waited only a only a short time before she slammed her tail into the Vermin's shoulder, sending it into the wall with the full of her strength. The Vermin's body fell to the arena floor, broken bones sticking from its flesh, as it died from injury and blood loss.

This did not have the effect she wanted, instead of it being a deterrent for the other Vermin, more came after her. She growled a curse 'My choice seems to have been made for me'

 

[IFS]

"He tells us he's a great hunter of monsters for his pagan god; we look forward to seeing how well your god protects you."

Alexander grinned broadly and gave an exaggerated wave to the crowd "Oh I'm sure my gods have better things to do," he replied loudly, undeterred by the jeering laughter. He scanned the crowd, then the occupants of the arena, sizing each up and making note of the names of the other combatants.

"We who are about to die salute you!"

"And thanks for the food!" he called out, then muttered conspiratorially to one of the other gladiators "better to die on a full stomach eh?"

The announcer began to introduce the monsters next, manticores and a nemean lion were their names, fearsome looking creatures but solid of form. The manticores had barbed tails, poisonous from what the announcer said, and while their tattered wings looked good for little the title of 'lions of the sky' told that they were more functional than they appeared, it also meant the arena had some sort of hidden barrier to keep them from assaulting the crowd, though the fact the combatants were allowed ranged weapons already hinted at that. The Nemean lion on the other hand visibly burned with power, have to keep an eye on that one. And my stay had been going so well.

Other beasts were introduced next, said to be somewhere between thinking creatures and mindless animals, a giant muzzled cat-man thing and a masked figure in robes. Id, the one in robes, if the announcer is honest then it is likely the most dangerous thing here. The monsters that feign humanity are the most deadly of all. Minutes passed before the announcer spoke one last time, and the battle was joined.

"Excuse me, fellow fighters! We'll help the beings whom are to decide, right?! One of them has been muzzled, I'm sure she'll help us if we help her remove the muzzle, but I'm regrettably not strong enough to get over there by myself!"

"Muzzled? Well that's hardly fair, lets help the poor creature out!" Alex replied, pretending to have not noticed the muzzle before. In truth he doubted they could trust the cat-beast but it already seemed to be tearing at manticores rather than their own ranks so there seemed little to lose from making the thing more dangerous. I'll come to regret this no doubt, but ah well I've always been good with animals.

He gave a deliberately clumsy twirl of his short sword and motioned for Des to follow him before moving into the fray, keeping low and circling around the outside to avoid most of the manticores. A pair of the beasts broke towards him though, he ducked under one slashing off its flailing barbed tails and then striking into its back leg, crippling the beast in one efficient stroke. As the first limped around to face him the second pounced, Alex sidestepped the charge and rammed his blade deep into the things chest, carried on its own momentum, before kicking it off the blade and turning to execute the crippled beast before continuing towards the cat.

 

[DarkRawen]

At first, it seemed no one heard him. If they had, they had chosen to ignore him, at least. Then, a somewhat short man acknowledged him speaking, and answered.

"Muzzled? Well that's hardly fair, lets help the poor creature out!"

"Yeah!" Des replied, and made his way over when the mortal motioned towards him. At least he had one person to help now, and, from the distance, he could see that both the creatures seemed to have chosen to fight at their side.

"That's a relief," Des said, and reached out to touch a manticore slightly, paralyzing it and then quickly cutting its throat, feeling a bit bad about killing that and the one before that, but knowing that he had to. He then reached the man who had decided to help him and smiled brightly. "Hi," he said as they cleverly avoided several of the manticores. His tone was naturally friendly and charming, easily causing most people to lower their guard a little. "I'm Des, what's your name? I'm happy you'll help me get to the two others, hopefully they'll be friendly too." There was no need to let the mortal know that he was a demon, though, they always made a fuss out of nothing. Making sure there was no monsters around that could take him out when he turned his back, he looked at the other combatants for a slight moment again.

"Anyone else want to help out?!"

Perhaps they could do this, without dying. Des certainly hoped so, he didn't want to die in some death-match, never to touch a woman again, feel her warm Vitae flow through his body.

We should be able to do this.

 

[hiei82]

Kes listened patiently to the announcer. It wasn't like any of this was new, but she'd learned not to upset those in charge; it only resulted in more difficulties. When the announcer had finished his part, Kes chanted with many of the other gladiators - "We who are about to die salute you." It was a lie of course; no one saluted their slave masters willingly, but playing to their desires.

From there, he continued to play to the crowd. Just as she needed to play to him, he needed to play to the arena. Kes supposed that was the point. As far as she was concerned, he could keep speaking. The longer he spoke, the longer they had to adjust their eyes to the bright light while the monsters they fought had no such edge.

She glanced around at her fellow combatants. Many looked at least moderately skilled though most seemed to have little in the way of battle prowess. Then, some of those were likely magic users which made their exact strength hard to determine. Still none of that had anything to do with her; none were like her.

All at once, the announcer was done and the monsters were free. Kes stood there, ready to take any enemies down who dared approach her. However, one of the other combatants seemed to have made something of a plan. "Excuse me, fellow fighters! We'll help the beings whom are to decide, right?! One of them has been muzzled, I'm sure she'll help us if we help her remove the muzzle, but I'm regrettably not strong enough to get over there by myself!" the pretty-boy said.

She didn't honestly care much, but his point was a good one. More people with good teamwork was often the deciding factor in these battles. Without time to plan, it was best to just go with the first plan or take your chances on your own. She opted for the former, following he and another fighter into the fray.

As she ran, she kept her anger in check; it would be more useful later when the battle was nearing its finish or when a proper need arose. Instead, as manticore came down upon her, she used there own strength against them - rolling out of their flight paths and following it up with rib shattering blows to their sides.

 

[Josh123914]

The light shone down on Dalrel as he revealed his face to the crowd, lowering his hood.
The announcer made some noises about him being a fire mage, which filled Dalrel with regret. ''I shouldn't have lashed at them. Surprise was my ally. Going in as a simple swordsman may have drawn less attention to me'' he thought.
As the crowd roared, Dalrel waved and smiled at them, his cloak billowing lightly behind him.

As the stone slabs shut behind him, Dalrel took a stance towards the nearest wall. ''These combatants had better kill the manticores and not me.'' he mumbled quietly, as 3 of the beasts tore a fellow prisoner apart.
It was at that moment he realised he should draw his sword.

Fumbling at the sheath, Dalrel drew his sword in his right hand, preparing to cast a flame in his left.

Several moments past, and there was an odd moment of clarity between the death screams of combatants, the jeers and clapping of the audience, and the roaring of the Nemean Lion. He identified friend from foe at that point, and almost admired the beasts, if not for their hellish purpose.
One of the manticores spotted him, and charged past other fighters straight for him.
It lunged, Dalrel ducked, rolling to the side and slashing at the beast.

The beast screamed, as the steel cut through the manticore's arm, and as Dalrel pulled out the blade, the beast was limping.
Now it was the beast that had its back to the wall, and Dalrel was clearly exposed. The monster leaned against the wall on its wounded side, scratching in Dalrel's general direction. He sighed, dropping his sword.

A snap of his fingers caused two bright red flames to appear, he drew breath, and threw his arms out at the beast, as the fire sprayed the manticore, its heat could be felt off his clothes, and behind the charred flesh the rocky perimeter grew black.
Picking up his steel sword, Dalrel moves several metres along the wall, making himself comfortable in a less exposed space. ''I won't die here'' he assured himself.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Vaerys didn't know how he had gotten there but all he knew now was that he needed to fight out of there. Whoever brought him and this assortment of "gladiators" must have not been the smartest one or perhaps there were even more beasts to test them in the future but still, Vaerys needed to get out one way or the other.

First, he looked to the beasts that began to crowd the Colosseum floor. The first ones he saw seemed relatively minor compared to the Nemean lion. Sure they could, fly and their tails were poisonous but he faced much worse during the opening hours of fighting Orcs. At least orcs didn't smell as bad as the Manticores, Vaerys thought.

Then, he looked to his fellow fighters. He heard their names as from the announcers but names only really stuck to Vaerys if he knew what were behind them or rather they had earned them. That was the way he was taught and old habits die hard. One of them began forming a plan which was to remove the muzzle of one of the other gladiators. If that one had a muzzle then there was a good reason for it.

But as he thought, he spotted a Manticore dart towards him. It used it wings to carry it forward at a great speed, hoping to surprise the dwarf but the dwarf was hardly surprised. Vaerys brought his axe to bear and at the right moment, he swung it at a great force. The manticore's charge was stopped in its tracks as Vaery's axe was dug deep into it mouth, severing its spine. The creature went limp as Vaerys pried his axe free to swing it at another manticore charging from his side. This time, he swung the flat side of the axe and the hit stunned the creature. Then in a quick motion, Vaerys brought the pointed tip forwards into the beast's eye and into its brain.

"What lowly creatures!" Vaerys thought allowed, his voice booming even with the crowd's cheers. He knew his allies would be going after the creature's muzzle but he noted if more of them gathered there then the lion would have a nice target to pounce on. Vaerys would have nothing of that. Another manticore jumped him, mid-thought but all the creature was rewarded with was an Axe to the head. Then, he cut off its tail and made sure he gripped it in the non-poisonous part. He withdrew his axe once more but this time he faced the lion and looked for its eyes. He wanted to look that thing in eye. Vaerys wanted to see the beast for what it is and maybe just give his fellow gladiators a chance. That fur looked impenetrable in Vaerys' eyes but not every part of it was covered in it. Vaerys noted its exposed eyes, nose and mouth. It would be a hard shot to take but it was still a shot.

"Lion! Face a true warrior!" Vaerys yelled out. "Face me you sloven, overgrown cat!" Vaerys swung his axe at the rocky ground around him, sparking it with his swipe.

 

[The Ubermensch]

Once Orika heard someone say something along the lines of fear accompanies the threat of death, calm accompanies the certainty of death. With a full stomach and her weapons, standing tall in front of the crowd of onlookers in her comfortable martial red martial robes, Orika was calm. She looked out of the corners of her eyes at her fellow combatants, some of them certainly telling themselves that they weren't about to die, psyching themselves up for the fight to come.

Really she wasn't sure. These men could continuously send beasts at them until they fell from exhaustion, but Orika's calm didn't come from any notion that she was going to die, simply that there was little to do about it. She was used to feeling helpless, used to keeping quite and dealing with situations she was forced into. What happens, happens.

The word "primitive" cause her to smile through her otherwise stoic demeanor. Her people were, for the most part a bunch of backwards xenophobes, had a slave trade, but they never forced them to fight to the death for their own amusement. Civilized must be a subjective term.

As the announcer continued she listened to his grandiose descriptions of the beasts that they were to face, and then the final players, the ones who have to choose between man and monster, whatever that meant. Then they were turned lose on the combatants.

Orika took her crossbow and calmly brought it up to her face. She reached back and grabbed a bolt, and used a loading mechanism to pull back the immense tension of the string. This was how she was taught, loading before combat could lead to unwanted discharges and bolts trough feet.

She was about to start when the creature to her left opened his mouth.

"Excuse me, fellow fighters! We'll help the beings whom are to decide, right?! One of them has been muzzled, I'm sure she'll help us if we help her remove the muzzle, but I'm regrettably not strong enough to get over there by myself!"

If this was another situation Orika would have nothing to do with the muzzled creature. Something about it didn't sit right, and more, she didn't know these people. This wasn't the time to be picky with your allies, sure, but the thought that before this day was ended that these "savages" turned comrades might become her enemies crossed her mind.

What Happens, Happens

With that she fired a bolt into the encroaching horde of Manticores. It sailed into the head of one of the pack leaders who collapsed into a slump, tripping up a few directly behind him into a small pileup. As they righted themselves to take another charge she turned to the creature.

"Anyone else want to help out?!"

"If it has a choice it should have the chance to make it." Orika said in agreement "Just be careful; something about it doesn't sit right with me."

 

[IFS]

"I'm Des, what's your name? I'm happy you'll help me get to the two others, hopefully they'll be friendly too."

"Call me Alex," he replied, continuing to push towards the cat and the robed figure, others seemed to have joined the effort as well, Kes and Orika if he remembered their names right. Others simply attacked the manticores head on, one armored figure even issuing a challenge to the lion.

The manticores had torn into many combatants already, but others stood strong, a good distraction if there ever was one. He made note of the others combat styles when he caught glimpses of them, but his focus remained on the cat-man ahead of them. Another manticore charged him from above and almost without looking he evaded, diving to the side of its paws and slashing into its wing sending it crashing to the ground before Kes.

"Just be careful; something about it doesn't sit right with me."

Orika spoke a warning about the cat even as she joined the push, and Alex had to agree with her. The beast was certainly dangerous, but if it could be sent against the monsters they were faced with and away from them then making it more dangerous could prove worthwhile.

"Oh I'm sure it'll go terribly," he replied cheerfully to Des and Orika both, his grin unfaltering.

They neared the cat and he shouted ahead to the beast, lets see if it can think then. "Creature, hold still and we will aid you," he said, holding his empty hand out cautiously as he slowed his approach. Can't very well undo the muzzle if it keeps shaking around after anyways.

 

[DarkRawen]

"Call me Alex,"

The man said, and Des nodded. "Yeah, I'll call you that." This was the guy who had been introduced as Alexander... something, right? He hadn't really paid attention to the men earlier, although he did recognize the girl who then followed them. She seemed more at home, almost, Kes, he thought it was. He had remembered that because it was similar to his name. Des turned to her for a short moment and smiled, warmly and affectionately. Then, another woman spoke, warning them.


"Just be careful; something about it doesn't sit right with me."

"Oh I'm sure it'll go terribly,"

Des felt a little less calm when he heard that, did they really both expect the two non-humans to act against them? They had no reason to do so, the mortals and him could be trusted. So Des figured, at least. While he didn't fight as much as the others, he still took the chance to stab a manticore lying on the ground, having a hard time moving. At least it wasn't suffering anymore when it was dead, although the amount of killing around Des made him feel less about it by now. Everyone was just trying to survive, after all. As they got closer, Alex shouted to the surprisingly large -he had expected her to be a little smaller- feline, although Des frowned when he heard what the mortal shouted.

"Creature, hold still and we will aid you,"

"She's hardly just some creature," Des argued, not sounding less friendly. When they were close enough to be heard without having to yell, but not close enough for the large cat-like being to reach out and attack them, he went a little closer, putting away his dagger as he did.

"As Alex said, we'll help you if you let us help you." He showed her that he had nothing in his hands, counting on the others to have his back if something should happen. "I'm unarmed, I would never harm you." He spoke truthfully, there wasn't an ounce of deceit in his being at the moment. Well, apart from the magic altering his appearance ever so slightly, but that would only aid in being trusted. Des walked a little closer.

"You understand me, right? Just let me take of your muzzle, and we'll take care of these monsters together. You've got nothing to lose," he smiled, trusting that she wouldn't harm him.

 

[Lunar Templar]

She had just finish slaying another of the vermin when some of the human fodder approached her.

"Creature, hold still and we will aid you," one male, said, earning a disapproving growl for the comment.

"She's hardly just some creature," another male said, this one wreaking of many females, he spoke as he put his weapon away. "As Alex said, we'll help you if you let us help you." now showing her his hands empty hands, she though this odd "I'm unarmed, I would never harm you." he continued, and the gesture clicked, he was trying to appear less threatening.

Still didn't explain why they though she need help, "You understand me, right? Just let me take of your muzzle, and we'll take care of these monsters together. You've got nothing to lose," Explains that. Before she could answer she spotted two Vermin diving in from behind the group. Took her less the a second to make her choice.

She lunged forward, and over the trio, grabbing the pair by the skulls, and shoving them both hard into the ground, stunning them just long enough for her to put her hind legs on the hips of the Vermin and took a firm hold of their neck then, in a move that probably didn't do much for the heart rates of the trio, stood up, ripping the heads off though hardly in a clean manner "Do not drop your guard while the Vermin are about" She said flatly though slightly muffled by the muzzle as she tossed the severed heads a side. "Remove this vile thing from me, and I will aid you in this meaningless battle" lower back to all fours so they could remove the muzzle,

 

[The Ubermensch]

"Do not drop your guard while the Vermin are about"
"Remove this vile thing from me, and I will aid you in this meaningless battle"

As soon as the beast finished speaking Orika lifted her weapon with one hand while standing in a relaxed pose and fired it past her head, striking a manticore in the wing.

"I suppose if you consider your life and freedom meaningless." The Elf said, almost inaudibly as she dropped the crossbow on the dusty floor.

"Hurry up and help her out." Orika said as she looked forward at 4 encroaching chimeras. She reached into her obi and pulled out a small hunting knife which she held up in front of Des, offering the handle while she pinched the blade within her fingers. "Take this, it might help with the muzzle." she said, looking at the demon out of the corner of her eye.

She then crossed her arms over and grabbed each of her axes, spinning them around in her hands as she walked towards the small pack, past the sentient monster.

The first one lunged at her, opening it's maw. Orika waited for the last moment before moving out of it's way, using the momentum of moving as a counter weight for her fist, which accelerated one of the axes straight into the things neck. As it was falling to a heap on the floor it's weight and velocity pulled her backwards. Like the water in a clam stream her body bent with it's weight as she traveled down with it, sending her feet in the air.

She timed it perfectly to meet the second one, which swooped down from above. her wooden sandals caught it right in the wing joint and it tumbled down to the floor; bruised but not beaten, while the third bounded in from the side and caught her free axe in the ribs. She let that one go, letting the wounded creature carry off her weapon while the last one in the wave came at her.

It took a considerable amount of effort to pull the axe from the already dead manticore's neck, and to the untrained eye it would look like she stumbled as it came free and lost it. A few laughs came from the crowd as her axe trailed off and she landed on her backside with a thud and a puff of the arena's dust. But then the pike on the end made a loud audible crack as it pierced through the monster's skull, The moving carcass came to a stop at her feet, as though offering her weapon back to her. The sight of her pulling her axe from its head hushed the spectators and she took another look at her surroundings.

The two left, circled her carefully snarling and growling, one of them limped from the mortal wound she had inflicted. She kept still in a readied posture as her eyes and ears tracked the salivating monsters, waiting for them to make a move.

 

[Josh123914]

Dalrel surveyed his the battlefield to see what was happening. There appeared to be small groups forming up of fighters to combat the beasts, so he made it his mission to reach the other side of the colosseum and join them, strength in numbers after all.
This was interrupted of course when an ice spike landed inches from his head. He ducked as a pale skinned woman with long flowing silver hair lunged at him again, this time pulling more water out of her flask to freeze and hurl at him.
Dalrel pulled out his sword and sliced at her in a single fluid motion, the Snow Elf jumped back, her lilac dress rippling around her.
Another spike came his way as she drew a dagger, and Dalrel brought up a wall of flames in front of him, melting the spikes.
He ran along the wall, jumping over the black charred manticore carcass as ice and water and daggers hailed past him.

It was only when she started to chase after him did Dalrel shoot fireballs back, one clipped her long flowing dress and quickly licked up her thigh, if not for a puddle near the snow elf, Dalrel would have been free.
He was sprinting, scattering fire behind him in a bid to get closer to the makeshift alliance nearby. A manticore spotted him and pounced for him.
Dalrel stopped and brought up his shield again, the beast saw the flames and decided he wasn't worth the effort, instead turning his gaze on the pursuing Snow Elf.
It pounced at her and Dalrel kept running, daring not to glance back.

It was only when he got towards the nearest fighter did Dalrel realise what he was in for:
Another Elf, this time with a crossbow, had a small unit of the monsters pitted against her, one was lying dead, the other wounded, and the third hungry.
''Don't shoot!'' he shouted at the girl, moving towards one of the manticores, sword in one hand and fireball in the other.

 

[The Ubermensch]

''Don't shoot!' She heard a man yell

Orika had no intention of going for her bow, any change in stance would cause the beasts to come at her, and she didn't have enough time to reload. She simply continued to spin the axe in her hand as she stared one of them down.

Suddenly they started for her, coming from both sides. Quickly she decided on the wounded one, kicking up a considerable amount of sand as she launched herself at the beast. As it leapt up with a beat of it's powerful wings she dropped to her knees and slid under it, grabbing her other axe and pulling it out. She heard a loud yelp as her face was splatted with small droplets of manticore blood and its poisonous tail whipped around in front of her. She swung her body around to the side and slammed both of her axes into one of the creatures legs, avoiding the dangerous appendages as they flailed about. Blood from the wounds slowly poured out as it collapsed. Orika put her foot at the base of it's tail to subdue the rest of it as it continued whimpering.

In the seconds it had taken for the maneuver to take place the second, healthy manticore was still bearing down oh her. She readied her self again to use it's own momentum against it. She hoped the call not too shoot was because she was about to get aid, not because the man calling out had a thing for manticores.