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Skaerra: The Unlikely Tale

Colosseum of Opynonias

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a part of Skaerra: The Unlikely Tale, by VindicatedPurpose.

The central attraction at Opynonias, if the walls are not bloodied, something has gone wrong.

VindicatedPurpose holds sovereignty over Colosseum of Opynonias, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

1,034 readers have been here.

Setting

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Crowds flock to the maenianum, roaring and screaming for the fighters that they have placed their day's wages on, hoping to scrape up some winnings. The nobles of Opynonias have been derided by those of other cities as being no better than the plebs they sit amongst.
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Colosseum of Opynonias

The central attraction at Opynonias, if the walls are not bloodied, something has gone wrong.

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Colosseum of Opynonias is a part of Opynonias.

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Raikyyn Duarn [22] "The Shadows guide us."

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Character Portrait: Antius Geminus
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Lir cut short the reuniting embrace and pulled back, staring into the eyes of the stranger. Who was this stranger that hugged her so and had been worried by her? Her eyes traced his countenance, the two scars, one on each cheek had stories to tell. His long faded robes hinted at a past nobility long gone, laid low. His smile, though crooked after some years, still bore a sign of earnestness.

"Antius? Is that..."

She saw the lines had deepened on his face, now chiseled after the years. He had changed. When he held her, he was forceful and bold, not like the shy and reserved young boy she thought she once knew. Her hand reached to his cheek and caressed the scar, while her eyes looked at the golden locks, long dirtied by age. As she looked the length of his face, she felt as though she could cry at how the world had changed him.

"The years have not been kind."

Antius' expression fell as he saw the look of horror on her face. He had tried not to let the world change him, but it seemed he wasn't as successful. Lir's own manner was different: more guarded and less carefree. He placed his hand on hers and squeezed it.

"It seems that they have, but you're here right now. That counts for something," he told her softly. Gently, he led her away to a corner to better avoid detection by anyone who might be walking down these halls.

"What happened Lir? Why are they after you?" he murmured.

Lir could not remember the last time someone held her hand that did not involve threats upon her life if she chose not to yield.

She eyed the hallway before returning to Antius.

"Lots of things have happened to me, lots of things have happened at the Academy. There are crimes being committed there, but we don't have much time to talk further. We need to make haste and leave Opynonias as soon as possible. I will speak more of this once we are out of harm's way."

"Many gladiators are planning to escape tonight. I do not know exactly how many, but Ya'weh is and I have two allies assisting me. Your gift should come in handy," he told her with a slight grin, "It will be best to wait until then. In the meantime, we should hide you until the time comes."

He flushed slightly as he considered the next words that were about to come out of his mouth, looking for all the world like the Academy apprentice he once was, "You can hide in my quarters... Most wouldn't spare you a second glance coming in. Gladiators are allowed certain... privileges."

Lir thought over his words and measured their diligence. An escape, already? She admitted to herself that this serendipitous news brought a mixture of relief and anxiety. How fortuitous it was that their plans coincided so well.

"Interesting..." she paused and her eyes locked onto Antius' eyes, "Okay, we'll do as you say. My journey here has been fraught with assassins and other agents sent to squelch me, bought by whatever riches the Academy could offer them..."

"I feel that there is some design beyond mere mortals' at work," Antius told her with a slight grin before frowning as he took in her words.

Then her eyes narrowed on Antius, what if this was just a ploy? What if Antius had already been bought by the Academy? What if she had already fallen into some trap? She pulled back several steps, it all seemed too convenient for her. Her wits felt frayed.

"Look me in the eye Geminus, and tell me who you really are. I haven't seen you in years, but trust these days is very hard to come by."

Of course, she would be suspicious. It made no sense not to. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but feel a bit hurt at the implication that he could be working against her.

"I am Antius Geminus, son to a murdered father and a murdered mother. Brother to two murdered sisters. I have never cared for wealth or power. I have only wanted to travel throughout this world and learn what little I could. I do not care who wants you dead, Lir. If they try to harm you, I will show them why magic is a force to be feared."

He took a deep breath and continued, "And I still think you're beautiful."

Lir stared at him for a moment, she shook her head disapproving of the last bit, "Tis not the time for flattery Ant."

She pursed her lips, wracking her head. Being two steps ahead of an enemy always required concentration and effort, it never happened by itself.

"Have they any plans as to what they'll do after they've gotten out? Imperial soldiers are in the city already. I have no inkling as to why they are here, but any reason will be a bad reason for our plans."

Antius could not help but laugh, "If any day might be your last, you always have time for flattery."

At her words about the imperial soldiers, he frowned. Things were worse than he thought. He sighed, shaking his head, "Okay, don't get mad, but this is all a spur of a moment thing due to a shared dream. Also, a would-be-assassin after me and you is helping us because he had the same dream. Don't look at me like that, I don't exactly trust him either."

He was starting to feel like he did the time she caught him red-handed with a spell that could level a building.

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Character Portrait: Danairia Feyn Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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Vadania waited until Danairia returned from her match before making so much as a peep from her cell. She stubbornly declined the evening meal if it could have been called such. The dark elf counted down the hours until the moon was likely overhead before rising from her cot. Vadania quickly retrieved the lockpick she had hidden earlier that day and carefully examined the cell door.

It was only a few brief seconds later that Vadania was carefully opening the door. It swung only far enough for her slender form to squeeze through, so rebellious hinges would not wake any of her neighbors. Vadania slinked through the shadows of the corridor until she found Danairia's cell. She crossed her arms and quietly hummed in thought.

On one hand, Vadania could wake Danairia up and take her with in tonight's excursion. However, this particular mission required stealth, and Vadania could not discern the other elf's aptitude in the area. She could not afford to be caught in such a trivial task.

The second option was to continue with this step alone. Vadania could locate the larder without too much difficulty. It would likely be in a central location or near the barracks. However, Vadania would just be aimlessly wandering the halls until she encountered a sign or staff she could follow. After she returned, though, she and Dani could escape to find their gear. Vadania figured the chances of encountering trouble would be higher in that part of the plan.

So Vadania continued down the hallway towards the entrance of the prison - or maybe slave quarters? - and checked for any guards. When Vadania was satisfied that she was alone, she crept down the hall with her knees bent and her ears on a swivel.

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Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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It had to have been luck that the crowd of people in the colosseum had begun to return to their seats for the finale, for the main hall had progressively grown more and more scarce with the presence of Imperial forces. It made their job easier.
"Make a hole!" Shouted one of the lancepesades from the squad of five soldiers performing the search in this portion of the premises.
"Corporal, how're we suppose' to even find this bitch? Y'heard the lady, there's gotta be twelve dozen-or-so dark-skins in the place. How do we pick out one from the other? Hell, there's one right there!" The soldier points at a Duuthesh servant, so obviously a slave, who returns the gesture with a curious look. Corporal Titus sighs but continues looking forward, paying as little of a mind to the lack of common sense behind him as he can without being unable to correct it.

"Look, I know the Empire would rather you didn't have a brain, Ros, so you could mindlessly follow orders, but I promise you that if you were to use it from time to time, they'd promote you soon enough. What we're looking for is not a dark-skin of the house. She was a thief, barely caught after robbin' some poor, rich bastard dry. No, she'll be a pit brawler and probably quite the fresh one too. That's why, probably unlike Marus' squad o' specialtons, we aren't stopping to search every single-damn-stand and questioning all 'twelve dozen-or-so' of the Duuthesh here. No, we're going straight to the fighter cells." Titus flicks his wrist, waving his finger to point forward, deeper into the colosseum.

"Yeah," pipes up another one of the lancepesades in the squad. "I heard from a few other guys that she took out, like ten other men before being brought down." A much fresher face perks up. The group's lone private.

"Really? Tha's bleedin'-crazy!"

"Liner, don't pollute the private.-"
"Am not!" Liner exclaims defensively, only to find nobody paying attention to him anyway.
"-Callette, don't believe everything you hear in the 'hive'."

It always has been a common trait among the newer men; believing everything they heard in what has been dubbed 'The Imperial Hive Mind', or 'The Hive' for short. It is a title given to the broad spectrum of random rumors and knowledge spread throughout the network of junior members of the imperial military everywhere. While it seems to pick up knowledge at incredible rates and spread word at lightning speeds, each piece can never be completely trusted. Most often, some of it is true. Very rarely is it completely correct though.

"Excuse me? M'lord?" Titus asks a sitting man who appears to be one of the workers. "My men and I need to gain access to the slave quarters for the fighters. Would you happen to know where we could find them?"

"Hm?" The man looks up from a piece of parchment in his hand to find the squad of Imperial soldiers before him. Immediately scooting back to make room for him to stand and address the men proper, surprised to find The Empire's finest this far away from the Imperial Province, Aetille.
"Aye, I would. At least, the general area, I'spose." The man points over to an illuminated staircase down the hall.
"Take tha' an' make a lef'. It should be in tha' general direction. I haven' been down there much m'self but it should be aroun' there."

"I 'ppreciate it, m'lord." Titus gives the man a nod and makes haste for the staircase he was referenced to, his men following close behind.

"Hey, Calette," Ros said. "Word o' the wise when going down in a dark place like this. If you see any monsters, feed it Lynarson. With any luck, it'll probably mistake 'im for a small child and focus on him long enough for the rest of us to escape."

"Ros, if you have him feed me to a high-pathetical monster in the dark, I will haunt y'arse until you are too afraid to get up to take a piss in the middle of the night," the remaining lancepesade threatened.

Alner Lynarson. 19 years old and a lancepesade with 'The Wardogs of the 9th', the 9th Legio Oprisae. Under the command of Cpt. Markath and currently a part of Lt. Farnham's detachment. He may not be the youngest in his squad, and certainly not in his company, but his unfortunately youthful face has left him the butt of far too many jokes for his liking. He never had any issues with his appearance in his earlier years but, the moment he joined such an intimidation-heavy line of work, he has regretted the misfortune of being born in the skin of someone much softer than he would have liked.

The soldiers file down the steps and delve into the torch-lit depths, somewhat less touched by the night sky.

"Around this corner, he said," Titus explains, rounding the corner in question...
"...Son of a bitch."
...only to immediately find two paths to take in the specified direction...

"Alright," Titus said. "Ros, Calette; on me. Liner, take Lynarson and head down the right hallway. Stay with each other and search on your own. It's probably best we split up anyway to cover more ground. We'll meet back up top-side with the others later."

"Aye, Corporal," Liner confirmed, nodding his head before motioning for Alner to follow him. The Two groups split and into their designated halls they went.

-

Shitshitshitshit!

Zilindar, in a mix between a power walk and a jog to not attract suspicion, hurried to his block of cells, frustrated with his inability to use the most direct route, as to avoid the search.

How could this have happened? I didn't know the girl was being sold illegally! That fucking asshole! Because of him I MAY BE RUINED!

The slave master, blocked by a crowd, passes around the other side of one of the stanchions.

Dammit, if I make it out of this without any chains around my wrists, I'm going to be one lucky guy...

Thoughts of his daughter pop in his head.

FUCK! I don't have anyone here I can trust! How am I supposed to support Tika from a cell? If I am put away, she'll be put in an orphanage!

Finally, Zilindar reaches one of the other entrances and darts inside.

Just got to get to one of the entrances for the slave quarters and I'll set her loose somewhere. That'll at least keep my head above water and disconnect me from this mess...

-

That IDIOT. I told him to wait up for me! I TOLD him 'hey, wait up a bit, I think I saw something', and I swear that asshole looked me IN THE EYE when I told him that, but did he listen to me at all? No! I swear, Liner, if you give me shit when I get back, you're going to get one HELL OF A mouth-full!

Alner scans his surroundings while walking through the halls. Despite the fact that he knows his target is a slave, he cannot help but let the thought of her ambushing him from the shadows creep into his head, causing him to swallow a rather harsh gulp.

-

Dammit. That is definitely the jingle of imperial mail. One of them is coming closer...

Zilindar stands, his back to a wall, quietly listening to the sound of a soldier slowly making his way down the hall toward him and keeping him from scampering across. This had to have been a nightmare. He did nothing wrong, yet here he is, hiding from an imperial soldier so that he may have a chance to clear his name.

"No," he thought. "No, he has to believe me. I'll explain everything to him to clear up this misunderstanding and we can go to the cell together and, in exchange for my cooperation and leading him directly to who they've come here for so that he can take the glory of finding their prize himself, maybe he'll help me clear my name when we get back."

He takes a deep breath.

Okay, he's coming. It's now or never. Alright, three...two...

-

All of the sudden, from the shadow around the corner, Alner spots a silhouetted figure moving to confront him. Startled, he brings his shield around to the immediate front and twists his hand around before tugging his sword from its sheath and twisting his hand back around, raising the tip of the blade, all the while yelling at the shade in fear.

IT'S HER!

Zilindar, seeing the soldier draw his weapon and go into a full combat stance, immediately yells back at the boy.

THIS LITTLE SHIT IS TRYING TO KILL ME!

"WAIT-WAIT!" Kail cries out, moving forward slightly and bringing himself closer to the light.

Seeing the different skin color, Alner stops yelling but loudly curses into the air before dropping his arms to his sides and vigorously sighs. The slave master puts his hands to his chest before beginning to quickly explain himself.

"I'm sorry for startling you, m'lord, I mean you no harm! I think you guys are looking for me and there has been a big misunderstanding."

Alner looks the man up and down, then back up again before curiously questioning him with a clearly confused expression upon his face.

"...Va...dania?"

...

Kail glances to his left and then to his right...and then lightly shakes his head.

"Uh....No?"

The soldier slightly puckers his lips and noticeably blinks.

Yeah, I probably should have guessed that...

"So, who are you then?"

Kail takes a deep breath.

"If you are looking for a Duuthesh by the name of Vadania, then I am her master. It appears there was a mix up and I mistakenly purchased her illegally. I bought from some gentleman not too far from here. I was not very concerned with where he got her since, you know, obviously when slaves are bought and sold enough, their story becomes a bit unclear. I had figured this was one of those cases and so I purchased her to make her a fighter here. Little did I know you gentlemen were looking for her."

The man quickly raises a palm.

"Before you take me, though. Let me help you. I can-"

Alner, knowing standard procedure is to take the man into custody, attempts to quiet him down.

"M'lord, I'm sorry but I-"

"-Please, I can take you right there! My cells are but a short distance from here.-"

"M'lord, I can't. I-"

"It will only take a second and you would be saving a lot of trouble for your guys!"

Alner quiets down. Looking at the gentleman, he can already feel that the man is generally sincere, or at least seems to be. He silently thinks to himself. With a turn of his wrist, his sword flicks back around to point back inward, down at its sheath before he slides it back in.

You are so lucky I have a heart.

"Take me to the fugitive then."

With a sigh, Kail cannot help but but feel relief.

"Yes. Right away."

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Character Portrait: Antius Geminus Character Portrait: Raikyyn Duarn
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Ada Capet wandered along a lonesome hall until her eyes fell upon a hooded figure. She judged his appearance by his bare hands, his attire, and the way he stood.

"Raikyyn Duarn?"

The figure looked up, surprised, "Hmm? I'm..."

The mage watched as it took him only a few seconds before she registered in his mind.

He leaned forward, "Ada Capet?"

"Yes. Where are they?"

She was always straight to the point, never wasting a second.

"Not so fast," the Duuthesh assassin wagged a finger at her with nonchalance and a hint of recalcitrance.

"There is the issue of payment."

Ada narrowed her eyes, she half expected the full cooperation of such shady characters. Their coin based motivation made business deals with them very fragile. She retrieved a pouch from one of her pockets and tossed it to him, he caught it mid air and examined the contents.

"That's a quarter up front for staying on their tails. You'll get the rest when I've determined that you've done your job."

"That was not the agreem..."

"On the contrary, it was. Your job was to keep the girl away from the mage, the mage away from the girl, or to kill the girl. Was it not? Given the look of your blades, it appears you haven't rended any flesh with them," she glanced at the daggers strapped on his chest before continuing, "So now I must determine whether or not the girl has met the mage. Where is the girl?"

The assassin remained silent, but only briefly, "I have not seen her meet with the mage."

The flicker of silence showed hesitance, which Ada picked up without pause and spoke, "You haven't seen her then."

The assassin paused for a moment before snorting, "No."

"For all we know they may have met before you arrived," she shook her head unsatisfied.

"That can't be."

"Can't? Did you kill her? How exactly do you know that if you haven't seen her."

This was not the kind of news she needed because if that were true then it meant that Antius Geminus sought some means of escaping. Here she pegged the assassin as having thought of everything, a like minded individual as herself. She understood with clarity the difference between a profit oriented mind and a detail driven mind. Though they never strayed far from one another, but one handled certain delicate matters better than the other. Matters so delicate that a minor upset could tip a fine balance, a semblance of order predicated upon years of design.

She resolved to prevent a little girl who was in over her head and naive about the ways of the world. Every now and then the scent of magic faded, it was difficult to tell if another mage was present besides Antius Geminus.

She knew of Antius Geminus, she was an assistant to the professors while he was only beginning life as an underclassman. Now, he was different. The rigors of the world had taught him some things, she was sure. His magic, though once crude, may have improved into something else entirely.

"I do have a plan," Raikyyn spoke.

Ada listened to what he had to say.

"I've made myself a friend to the mage, and I will accompany him in a breakout from the colosseum tonight. It appears he has planned to escape his little prison for sometime now."

Ada stuck a finger through her hair and curled some strands around it, "I suppose that could work..."

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Huo Character Portrait: Danairia Feyn Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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Huo careened against one of the walls in a dark passageway of the colosseum. He held part of Tumhathil's weight as the ale finally made the fool of a lion.

The lion may have said something, but Huo rolled his eyes as though the words meant nothing other than gibberish. In fact, the lion spout nothing but gibberish the entire walk back, first when he started to stumble and then when he collasped just as a wagon rumbled by. They passed by several insulas before they reached the braziers of the Colosseum. When they arrived, Huo noticed Imperial soldiers cordoning off an entrance.

They slipped through another smaller entry, less crowded and not quite known to many.

"Alright old man, easy there," Huo tried to control their pace.

Carrying the lion seemed like a two person job. Kail's ward seemed so far away, or maybe Huo finally felt the effects of the ale himself.

When they reached the cells, Huo could smell a musk odor from within. Darkness shrouded the ward, dankness filled it. It needed more torches, as did any of the other gladiator cells. A single brazier lit the empty and quiet cell block. Most of the fighters slept, preparing for tomorrow. The flames glinted off the rusted metalwork bars.

He heard the dulled echoes of the colosseum crowd. The sound of a leak dripping without cessation pervaded moreso in this corner of the gargantuan labyrinth, though. He watched as it formed a small gloomy puddle in a pointless corner of the ward. The water came from the floor above perhaps from one of the baths. The ceiling tiles needed some repairs, otherwise this floor might end up flooded eventually.

Huo set the lion down against a wall outside of a cell, he peered in to see an elf woman sleeping inside through the commotion. She seemed to be dreaming. Even slaves dreamt. Huo sat himself down on the opposite wall and heaved several quiet sighs until his heart settled. He kept his voice low as he spoke to the lion, unsure if Tum still resided in a state of drunkeness.

"I need to go. I...I just..," he never had eloquence, "I can't get those visions out of my head. That woman, I saw her nearly everywhere today, I might have seen her when we came to that tavern."

The lion murmured, half snored, and then spoke, "Who? Go? Where you going? Bring back some jerky for me."

"I don't think where I'm going will have jerky."

"I remember a place full of sand as far as the eye could see..." the lion cleared his throat, Huo considered whether or not he was drunk.

The Osu looked at his hand and he could feel it burning. He drew some of the flame from the nearby brazier until the ember danced in his hand on its own, fueled by the flow or else it would die. His face glowed bronze as it flickered.

"Where do you think you're going? This is the life for people like us boy. The only way out is to fight your way out," the lion chuckled.

Huo dispersed of the flame and looked at the lion who sat there with eyes shut.

"I don't even remember what my mother's face looks like," Tum said.

Huo considered the lion's words for a moment. He watched the lion exhale. An echo of voices came along the corridor. Was that Zilindar Kail? Sounded like him. Shit.

I need to get out of here, Huo thought. He got up, but stumbled. Damn that ale. He shook his head to clear the drowsiness. Time to leave, he looked back at the lion. It might not be the last time he would ever see the lion. Or it was. Ale was not a bad way to say goodbye to a friend.

-

"Where is the boy?" Dhaxi asked one of his servants.

He sat in his personal balcony overlooking the stands below. Normally, all fights happened early in the day, but this was a special occasion.

"We followed them as far as we could into the city. They arrived at the tavern and apparently, one of them got into a fist fight with some Imperial soldiers."

"Is that why they are outside? Because the boy committed a crime?"

"He didn't commit any crime, milord."

"Assault on an imperial soldier, may as well be one."

The servant remained silent, waiting for an approaching order.

Dhaxi spoke in uncharacteristic fashion, "Let him go, he won't get far, he just needs to stay away long enough for the heat to die down. I want someone on him, preferably someone skilled who can bring him back when the time comes. Can you find one?"

"I think I can."

-

Moments later, Huo stood in the near empty armory. Almost all of the staff went off to enjoy the final fight. It had not even started, and the crowd seemed in a frenzy. Just the appearance of the so-called Dragoneater could make a man piss his pants silly. The name came from a one sided bout. An old bushy browed weaponsmaster, the same one he had delivered his equipment to in the morning, appeared from the interior.

"You have it?"

"Yeh lad, what d'ye need it fer this hour o' the night?" the weaponsmaster handed him his gauntlets, iron cuirass, and boots, "I can't give ye yer weapons, madame's policy."

Huo began strapping on his equipment and nodded to the old man, "I understand."

"Yer nut set to fight tonight. Th' last one's 'bout teh start. Ye gwan..."

Huo had already disappeared down the corridor.

-

"We are in the middle of a fight. Can this not wait until all have left?" Phrina pleaded with the Lieutenant Farnham.

"Sire," one of Farnham's corporals spoke, "This colosseum is too large for all of us to search before night's end."

"We only need to find dark elves," Farnham turned to Phrina,"On the contrary, madame, when this place becomes choked with the crowds, we may have an even harder time identifying this thief."

Phrina folded her arms, unsure of what to do next. She felt grateful that they had not asked her about her taxes, they were not tax collectors. Thank goodness. Yet, having all of this steel clanging in the halls outside made her uneasy.

"Wait, there was incident earlier today of a Duuthesh having beaten down a number of gladiators," she tried to connect the dots to make it somewhat believable to herself, "It's possible that he came to break the girl out."

"This happened earlier today? And then what? Where is he?"

Phrina paused before she propped up an excuse, "Well, at first we thought he was merely an independent, upstart challenger seeking to prove himself, so we let him be."

The lieutenant crossed his arms, "So you let him go."

The colosseum owner breathed a sigh through her nostrils that spoke it all.

Lieutenant Gabeil and his men arrived.

"Gabeil. I need you to round up any Duuthesh present in the Colosseum. And where the hell is Miss Capet?"

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Antius Geminus Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper Character Portrait: Raikyyn Duarn
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Madame Phrina watched the soldiers barge into various facilities in their search. They were never the delicate kind.

She looked at Lieutenants Farnham and Gabeil as they surveyed the wreckage that they authorized.

"You'll find quite an assortment of Duuthesh as gladiators. Have you no details to go off of in finding her?" she pondered aloud her disdain apparent.

She left them to their business, uninterested, she knew she was not guilty.

"Bloody hell," Gabeil wiped his face with a kerchief, he sweated like a pig.

All the drinking, and then the fighting, and then the running between the tavern to the Colosseum had not done good for the lieutenant's stomach.

"Should have remembered to drink on your own time, Gabeil," Farnham snorted, quite aware of the former's dawdling before they arrived in the city.

"Do you even know what she looks like?"

Farnham stood and paused, "No..." he rubbed his chin.

"So then how will you..."

"We know she's a woman, and a thief, and sold into slavery, so perhaps she is a gladiator. Her skills in combat will prove to be her undoing as she must risk exposing herself."

"I don't follow," Gabeil examined his fellow officer's unsettling features, he seemed relaxed and cold.

"Once we round up all the Duuthesh, we will slay each and every one of them until we find her, if she is among them."

"What happens if she is not? What if she escaped already?"

"Then we continue our search, besides, a few dead darkies never hurt anyone," Farnham strolled off into another corridor being searched.

-

"Why, I must ask, do you insist on keeping the mage alive?" Raikyyn Duarn posed the question to his associate.

Ada Capet smiled like a shrew, "I don't believe it could possibly hurt to let you know, after all, you're merely a thief."

The assassin bowed in a theatrical manner, a hand gestured to the mage to go on.

"You see, the mage is of value to us. His magical potential has not been tapped. Unfortunately, he is prone to certain weaknesses inherent in mortals, a belief in altruism, petty motivations like revenge, and so on. It is not him per se, but what is inside of him that matters to us."

Raikyyn watched the mage articulate her words without so much as a single gap of hesitation. He counted himself among those who would be stunned by such words.

"Even the girl could be of use, but my impatience has forced me to reconsider my stance," she turned to the assassin, "I don't believe I need your services any longer."

"What?" as Raikyyn oped, a number of Imperial soldiers arrived.

"I think I can handle the mage and the girl myself, it was a waste of time relying on your guild to handle delicate matters."

"We had an agreement," the Duuthesh gritted his teeth at this betrayal of contract, "I warn you human, do not dare cross me."

"Tis beyond that already," her palms began to glow a transparent violet hue as she drew upon her mana.

Then she unleashed an arcane blast at the Duuthesh who crouched and somersaulted to avoid the hit.

"Miss Capet!" Lieutenant Farnham watched the two engage in combat, he pulled his sword from his scabbard, "We must help her!"

The assassin's brow jumped as he looked at the soldiers drawing closer to him with their swords unsheathed and gleaming.

He was outnumbered, his only hope was to run against such odds. On any other day, he could handle any number of poorly trained farmers turned foot men. The mage's magic was too much for him. He cast a shadow of himself and through that he reached a nearby thoroughfare leading out into an alley behind the colosseum and into the streets.

When the soldiers struck what they thought to the the Dark elf, their swords passed through and the apparition faded like smoke from a brazier fire.

"Where is he?" Farnham asked, the soldiers stood there perplexed until the Lieutenant spotted an exit and connected the idea that he may have escaped through there. He ordered a small squad to pursue, while he stayed behind with the rest.

Shadow magic, Ada considered that to be interesting.

"Are you alright, Miss Capet?" the lieutenant asked.

"I'm fine, Lieutenant, I must continue with my business, as should you with yours."

The lieutenant snorted, "I am, it's just that he escaped."

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Huo Character Portrait: Danairia Feyn Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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As if a shadow herself, Vadania seemingly skipped through the darkness; a quick stone, gliding across the surface of the pond, leaving only ripples in the surroundings of where she had previously been, only to already be gone by the time anyone would have noticed any kind of movement. It was far too quiet to be normal. She has yet to see even one presence of a guard detail or any other opposition and she was already seeing indications that the 'chow hall' was nearby. How peculiar it was.
As if to prove her wrong, fate would have it that two guards could be heard rounding the nearby corner. Perking up at the jingle of chains, Vadania dives behind a crate, hiding in it's shadow, despite the fact that it holds nearly the same level of illumination as her surroundings with the twilight-nearing sky providing much less light than but an hour prior. Cursing the effect dark vision has on her abilities to sneak around people at night, the thief quietly thought jealously about those fortunate enough to have the ability to manipulate shadow through magic to suit their needs, for it would certainly be a useful trick to conceal herself further. Instead, she prepared herself. If she were to be discovered, there was no way she was going to go back to that cell. Not a chance in Hell.

"Hurry up, y'snail. 'e figh's a'ready sta'ted! Can't y' hear tha'?" One of the guards badgered the other as they passed by. The two men rounded another corner before hurrying their way up a flight of stairs. They seemed far too interested to have come even close to glancing down to their left and seeing Vadania prepared to fight for her freedom.
Vadania sighs.

That's right...some of the meat in the rest of that asshole's cell block were talking about some big fight going on. That must be where everyone is.

The Duuthesh peaks from around the crate and begins to move once more.
That should make this much easier. Cannot be too careful but at least I can expect the welcome fact that there is less chance of being spotted.
It only had been but a short moment before Vadania reached the hall. Not more than a few mess slave workers were left there and they stood around chatting anyway, for it appears even their handler had left to watch the fight, despite the likelihood that such an act would be unauthorized. What people did not know would not hurt them, sure, but Vadania could not help but victoriously chuckle. Someone did know and they would live out the remainder of their days without as much as a hint that they had failed in their little attempt to be slick!

Apparently feeling especially childish this evening, the thief carefully sneaks through the side of the room and into the kitchen, looking around for her target.
That store room has to be around here somewhere...
Vadania moves through the serving area, scanning through to the back walls, in search of some kind of door or opening...but finds something else. A set of rather...useful cooking utensils for her current needs. Looking around her to assess her surroundings for any threats, she moves down the length of the counter and acquires a kitchen knife from the surface, inspecting its edge to find it nice and sharp.

Perfect...

Still crouched, Vadania glides down to the end of the counter space before peaking around and finding an opening, lightly covered by a curtain. 'Bingo,' thought the elf as she slipped in.
It certainly was the storeroom for the food, that much was obvious. Various unprepared ingredients lay unprotected upon shelves. Slop may be a rather...popular delicacy around here but there is more than just that. Likely for the patrons not subjected to any kind of ownership, the likes of meat and actual bread lay upon some of the shelves.
Vadania's stomach growls at the presence of actual food. There is no greater desire than to indulge in the taste of meat but there was no way to cook it. The situation cannot be helped. She will just have to stick with a bit of bread and cheese and be happy that there is anything worth grabbing at all.
Quickly, the Duuthesh girl skims across the shelves, grabbing a half-full sack of potatoes, dumping them out, and using the empty bag to hold each loaf of bread; each wedge of cheese. Only a few of each go in but it is enough to not restrict movement too much while providing an appropriate amount for the two.
Danairia seemed to be quite the thin one. She should be okay with this much.
With that thought confirming there was enough, Vadania closes the bag and makes her way back.
-
The room seemed to hold a comfortable noisiness to it. The familiar sounds of drunken patrons lent their presence to the atmosphere as a group celebrated the day while another seemed to be helping a rather elderly gentleman stand up. "Alright, old man," the younger one encouraged, "easy there..."
There she was, sitting in the other corner of the tavern, a plate of jerky oddly enough sitting in front of her. The sensation of déjà vu already tugged at Danairia to move toward the woman before she could even think about doing so and a seemingly familiar cloaked woman greeted her. The soft voice of an elvish kind graced her ears, beginning to ask for Danairia's name, only to be interrupted within the very second she began. "Oh great...you people," the drunkard started sarcastically before giving the woman a chance to finish, an unspoken invitation only heeded after staring at the sell-sword.
"My name?" Danairia wondered aloud. "Danairia. But you can call me the Drunkard of-"
The elf's words are cut off by a rather impressive, explosive burp.
"-...Kes." The cloaked woman shoulders seem to drop in an inaudible sigh as her new acquaintance continues to speak. "But I'm not important. Now, tell me YOUR name."
Just as she did previously, the elvish maiden lifts her head, ready to speak...
..."Danairia...get up..."
Confused, Danairia tilts her head and stairs at the cloaked figure, an eyebrow cocked higher than its twin.
"'Ay...you stupid bitch, we gotta go."
The eyebrow falls back down to meet the other in a furrowed expression before Danairia brings up her hand and slugs the stuck up Sindrelei right in her tramp-face.


Danairia's eyes shoot open, her lips curled into a satisfied grin.
...That was a dream? FUCK!
The disappointment of not actually punching one of her own stuck-up kind sets in, bringing the Tlamani back to harsh reality.
"Psst!...Danairia...We gotta go!"
Danairia rolls back over to face her door and sees a familiar set of ears. Giving a quick thumbs up to signify she's awake, the sell-sword sits up and then twists herself to a crouch before standing to meet Vadania through the bars. The thief pulls from a sack, hands Danairia her share of the take, and pulls the familiar lockpick from seemingly out of nowhere to the girl in the cell. Danairia is baffled.
"Now, this will take-"
"-Shhhh!"
Vadania looks up at the window in the cell with a confused expression 'What's wrong with you?' Danairia glares back down, actually appearing quite flustered.
If Kail catches us, we're DEAD. Shut the fuck up.
It was a wordless exchange but it was not hard for Vadania to understand the message. She continued to work while Danairia began eating.

...

*Click*...
Only about 30 seconds have passed before the door was unlocked. She was afraid she would have a little trouble from obvious lack of practice but Vadania was not much slower than she used to be. 30 seconds was still impressive but it is not even close to how fast she can be with regular...practice.
Slowly, Vadania cracks open the door, making a space just wide enough for her new companion to fit through while being careful not to let the hinges creak. With Danairia free, Vadania quietly closes the door and turns to meet the sell-sword...only to find any trace of food to be gone. Confused, Vadania peaks up on her toes through the window of the cell to find nothing and then looks back at the other elf who simply rubs her stomach and shrugs.

That fast?...

Vadania, despite being quite baffled, recovers, motioning for the two to leave. Just as they exit though, another pair enter...

-

Alner tracks the end of the cell block, having noticed something.

What was that?

...

Must've been my imagination...

Kail rushes over to the empty cell which previously held Vadania and inspects the inside.

"...No."

He fumbles for his keys, picking out the key for the cells and jamming it in the lock. He opens the door and checks the rest of the room.

"She's gone!"

Alner, keeping the movement in the dark in mind, orders Kail, "stay here," before rushing out of the door, picking a hallway, and runs forth, hoping he picked the correct passage.

Left alone, Zilindar begins to pace. Thoughts of punishment once more creep into his mind but, this time, nothing stops them from flowing. The situation looks increasingly bleak with each turn and there seems to be no way out of this grave dug for him by someone he only accidentally crossed paths with.

Dammit...what do I do?! By the creator-what do I do?!

A loud 'thump!' resounds from a nearby cell door, the result of the slumping over creature within.

...

He could not accept defeat. Not yet. He still had a means of clearing his name...

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Character Portrait: Danairia Feyn Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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"So, what do you plan to do?" Danairia could not help but pry.

"What?" Vadania questioned.

"To the slave handler that left his workers unattended to go to the fight! You don't plan on doing anything about it? If I were you, I would wait until he's on his deathbed. His family surrounding him on all sides, showering him with love," Danairia explains, seeming to grow ever more distant as she delves deeper into her fantasy.
"All of the sudden a lone pigeon flies through the open window with a message tied to its ankle, perches on one of his children's shoulders, lets the message be removed from its ankle, and then IMMEDIATELY takes a huge, runny bird shit on the kid's shoulder before taking off and pecking at the guy's wife on the way out! The message would read: 'I know you left your slaves unattended...Shame on you'-and then his sheer embarrassment would cause him to keel over with a heart attack!"

"...You're a special sort, aren't you?" Vadania could not help but feel such as the truth. Danairia looks back over her shoulder at the Duuthesh.

"Not just special. I'm unique." Danairia looks back straight and bends forward, stretching her spine.

"Yeah~ you could say that..." The thief says through a grin as she steals a peak at her guide's back end.

The leading girl bends forward more, placing her hands upon the floor and lifting her legs, walking on her hands and looking back at Vadania again, who quickly averts her eyes to avoid her discovery. Danairia grins a relaxed smile, an expression she has not been able to use for months. Not since she was free.

"Y'know, you could have stolen enough food to feed a normal person," said the sell-sword, bringing her legs back forward and somersaulting into a recovery. Vadania does her best to ignore her curiosity about the girl's seemingly-careless stunt...
"Hey, I did get enough for a normal person-do you always do stuff like that and act like it's nothing?"
...but ultimately falls to temptation. Danairia, again, leans forward and relieves her feet of the responsibility of carrying her weight, looking back at Vadania between her arms once more.

"Oh, I've got balance like you've never seen before and flexibility to match!"

The Tlamani lets her legs fall forward, like last time, but instead of somersaulting back to her feet, she simply plants her feet straight on the ground, arching her back in a steep bend in her recovery. Vadania looks off to her right, smirking playfully at the display as she was rather surprised by the development regarding her apparent flexibility.

"Don't bring balance into this. I could best you any hour of any day if you want to talk about balance."
Step four-step four-step four-step four-step four-...

Danairia clasps her hands together, brings them above her head in a stretch, and down behind her back with a loud pop.
"Anyway, I know you were a beggar and all but that doesn't make what you got a normal meal."
Vadania's smile falls. Her eyes glare at Danairia in front of her.

"I wasn't a beggar," she growls.

"Oh-my bad," Danairia sarcastically returns without as much as batting an eye, "you lived off the street and spent other people's money. It's only natural that someone might mix the two up!-"
[/i] the Duuthesh reaches forward and spins Danairia around, tightly gripping her shoulder.
"-I wasn't A BEGGAR."

Danairia's smile falters into a grin and her eyebrows raise in a look of surprise...but retains its amusement, nonetheless.
"Owning who you are is much more admirable than denying everything bad," she says, lazily blinking and holding a posture as if she had not a care in the world. "I was a sell-sword before I came here. [i]A piece of shit mercenary
who, as long as it was honest, would take a payment for doing a job requiring a blade and, often enough, blood. I'm content with admitting it."
The Tlamani peels the thief's hand from her shoulder and continues on as if nothing happened. Vadania, despite the lingering taste of salt on her tongue, sighs and follows.

You really are a pain when you're free to walk around, you know that?

...

It was not long before the pair reached their destination. An obstacle blocks their way, though. The weaponmaster leans against his opening in the wall between the gear lockup and the passageway to its immediate front. Vadania retracts, having peeked out from behind their cover for a look.

"There's a man in there. Fairly large. We'll need to draw him out before we can subdue him. Then-"
Danairia has already crept back in the opposite direction from the lockup and her ally.

"What are you doing??" Vadania calls out in a hushed tone. The words "Trust me!" barely make it to the thief's ears before Danairia disappears from sight.

Trust her? TRUST her?? She didn't even say what the hell she's doing! How do I know what I'm supposed to do now? What kind of approach is she planning?

Vadania sighs.

I suppose I should just do as she says. If things go bad, I still have that knife I took...

Minutes go by. There has yet to be any sign of the girl she is supposed to trust...

Damn it all. Where is she?

..."Rrribbit!"...

The croak of a frog can be heard...except it sounds entirely like a female person and frogs don't actually say 'ribbit'...
...In fact, it sounds more like a girl doing the world's worst impression of any kind of animal ever than a frog.

Vadania perks up. Her eyes widen and then dart to the sound from around the corner. She peaks back around from her cover, observing the weaponmaster, who seems to not have awoken from his daydream.

Was that-?...

..."Rrrrrrribbit!"..

The man continues to stare off into space.

...

"FUCKING-RIBBIT!!"

The weaponmaster suddenly rises from his slump, having finally heard the 'frog'.

"...Hello?" He calls out into the darkness.

"Rrrribbit!" The shadow calls back.

Curious, the man stands up and exits his post through the adjacent doorway to investigate, stopping just short of the other corner, from which the voice emits.

"Rilea? 's tha'chyou?"

..."Ribbit?"

As the weaponmaster approaches, and Vadania emerges from around her corner to assist, an open palm launches from behind the wall and strikes the man's center mass directly in his chest. Vadana watches as the big man's breath leaves his body and Danairia emerges, following the stumbling man. He makes an attempt to grab the elf by her rags but finds his own attack used against him when she brings his arm around her shoulder, turns her back to him, then pulls him over her and onto the floor.
Still gripping his wrist, Danairia tugs the man up enough to wrap her arm around his neck, clap her hands together, and apply gradual pressure until he is out cold after but a few seconds.

"Nighty-fuggin'-night, bitch," Danairia says as she lets the man drop back down.

"You're a hand-to-hand fighter?" Vadania asks as she closes the gap between her and the door. The sell-sword follows.

"No," she replies. "Some smug prick from home taught me Tlamani martial arts. I specialize with twin longswords but I can wield a number of weapons on a basic level; short swords, knives, Dadao-"
"-Bow," Vadania interrupts.

"FUCK!" Danairia yells out at no one in particular. Confused, the Duuthesh looks back at the disturbed woman. Her face is seething with frustrated anger.

"...I stubbed my toe."

Still confused Vadania looks down to find nothing remotely near Danairia's feet.

"...I didn't hear any-"
"-I STUBBED MY TOE."

Vadania blinks.
"...Okay?"

Something catches the thief's eye. It's her knife set! There is her armor; her rapier! It seems everything has been left relatively undisturbed with the few short days she has been held at the colosseum. The sound of weapons clanging as they hit the floor can be heard from across the room. With each one Danairia rejects with a 'no~', the amount of properly stored swords diminish. Finally, she yells out in victory.

"Victory!" Danairia has found her weapons.

"I've found my weapons! Ooooh I've missed you BEAUTIFUL little bad girls!"

The sell-sword tears through the stash of armor, trying to find her own set. It takes a moment but she soon stands holding the rest of her old gear.

"Alright," Vadania says in confirmation of everything being reacquired. "Lets go."

But Danairia does not move. The Tlamani glares at a sheathed blade. Short in length but of a stocky build. Her machete. Savage's machete.

"...Come on!"

She looks at Vadania, back at the blade, and then grabs it before beginning to put on a bracer.

"Wait, stop," Vadania commands. "We don't have time for that. Imperials could show up at any moment and we need to make sure we are not here when they are." The elf holds up the bag originally used for the food to show that it is filled again, this time with the sheathed rapier sticking out of the top. "Bag it and follow me."

Danairia does as she is told and heads out in tow.
"What do you mean Imperials? They don't patrol even relatively close to here!...Right??"

Vadania sighs.
"I saw a squad of them when I went to get the food. They are looking for me. I don't know what they'll do if they find me but-"

"-No," Danairia interrupts. "It's never good to be caught by Imperials, trust me. We need to get out of here as FAST as possible."
Taken aback by the sudden change in attitude, Vadania simply nods.

"Then let me take point and follow my lead. We'll make it out of here."

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Character Portrait: Antius Geminus Character Portrait: Ya'weh
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#, as written by Tyce
Ya'weh stood in amazement. More intense and exciting things had happened in the last ten minutes than the last two weeks. As all of these headed to a climax and the penultimate moment loomed nearer, she reflected.

Zoni looked at Ya'weh, a light sweat on her forehead.
"Will I be able to beat him?" Zoni asked. Ya'weh just nodded her head. "Just stick to the plan." As they looked at one another Ya heard a commotion. She listened in with her ability.
"What do you mean you think we are harboring a fugitive? We fight slaves, they are all fugitives." Two guards were arguing as they neared the training ground.
"You look perturbed." Ya'weh said to the male guard. He was a former fighter, she briefly was able to train. He won his freedom and was offered a guard position eventually. He looked at her and sighed. "We have a security issue and are going zone by zone searching for a couple people, plus the main match is still going on, so Zoni, you won't be fighting tonight, instead it will be the first fight in the morning exhibition." He began arguing with the other guard as they passed through.
Zoni beamed. "So I'll be able to come on the adventure!" She hugged Ya. "We need to go find Antius," Ya'weh spoke quickly and quietly. She turned and walked off without waiting for Zoni. She had to jog quietly to catch up.

As they neared Antius' room she heard a female voice, but she didn't hesitate. "Antius, it is time. The guards are busy." She looked at the woman with the fire red hair. "Friend or foe?" she said sternly.
"Friend?" the red-head said back unsure of Ya'weh. Ya and Antius made brief eye-contact in which he nodded slightly. She nodded in return.
"Antius, we have to move." Lir and Antius made eye contact and Antius smirked. "Let's go then!"

The night had brought with it chaos. Before Ya, Lir, Zoni or Ant could create a distraction, someone had already beaten them to the punch. Now was the perfect time to escape. As they snuck towards the armory, Antius made sure to keep his pack secured for the umpteenth time. He would need the Magi's Bane before the end of the night, but he had to be careful with the timing. The aftermath would leave him vulnerable to their enemies. Not an ideal situation for them, but they would need the magical strength it bestowed on the drinker before the end of the night.

As they neared the armory Zoni became confident in herself. "We have one guard, I'll take care of it." Before anyone could say anything she seemed to jump through time and knock the guy into the wall and into unconciousness. Ya'weh stared at her in disbelief.
"Antius, this door please?" she smirked. "I'll explain it later," she said hastily.
He grinned as he blasted open the door to the armory, "I just need my staff here. Feel free to grab whatever you need."

Antius stepped through the threshold, his gaze falling upon his possession. It was like seeing an old friend again. The Imperials hadn't taken it from him when his house had fallen. He wouldn't leave it behind now. Ya'weh basically tore through the door and grabbed her club, her sheild, her hook-swords and her tentacle-sword. She nearly cried with excitement, not due to her weapons, but because her familial traditional wartime clothing was still there. She grabbed it and some random rope and other materials for survival in the woods, or wherever they may venture. Everyone picked through and with a communal headnod, they moved out.


She snapped back into reality.

"Our time runs short, let us run fast." She took off towards the main entrance of the slave quarters, where all the guards had been working away from, her hook-swords drawn. She wouldn't let anything stop them in getting to the ship from her vision.

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There she was standing before her, the runaway mage that had kept the Academy anxious for so long. For stealing forbidden secrets and witnessing events that somebody of her petty magical caliber should not have witnessed, the penalty was death. The Academy was the judge, jury, and through Ada Capet, the exeuctioner.

That red hair, those green eyes. Apart from the dirt that clung to the harrowed girl's face, Ada had to admit that the young girl had some beauty. Not quite unlike herself. Yet, it was a form that the older woman was more than ready to purge from her memory with arcane fire. She drew her blade and her hand began to pulsate with purple energy. It coalesced and swirled malevolently.

Beside the young girl were her comrades, the fledgling exiled mage, Antius Gemini. The years had worn on him, and he'd survived. She had not anticipated his quick alliance to Lir Syoelle. He could prove to be a threat, and she could sense that he already was. The air stung with his magic, charged, but not ready to dampen her own.

Beside them were two other women warriors. The first stood tall with a heavily built physique, the Sivyne woman seemed as intimidating as her hook swords. The second was much more slender and her movements seemed graceful and poised.

Lieutenants Farnham and Gabeil rushed beside Ada Capet, their hands on their swords as more of their soldiers formed a line beside them. Ada Capet wondered if she should have instructed the Imperial soldiers to bring embrium equipment. Embrium was a substance that dampened magic. That would have negated her powers and that of Lir and Antius, and made it easier for the soldiers to overwhelm them through sheer brute force.

No matter, it was those four against some sixty soldiers. She felt comfortable with those odds.

"Antius Gemini?" Ada Capet knew his name and his history.

A wayward mage whose father had failed to respect the traditional mechanisms that ran the Empire.

"You are under arrest for treason, aiding and abetting a traitor, and abrogating your sentencing."

She turned to Lir Syoelle, "Lir Syoelle, you are under arrest for stealing from the Academy of Arcane Arts, for insubordination and disobeying the authority of the Academy."

Now the sentencing, "Surrender now, and we may spare your lives. Resist, and you forfeit any other option other than death."

She raised her sword and pointed it squarely at Antius Geminus, "What will it be?"

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"Spare our lives? Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that, Madame Capet. The years have not been kind to me," Antius responded bitterly. He glanced over at Lir. His curiosity burned. Just what had Lir stolen from the Academy? He glanced back at Ada and her soldiers. Their armor and weapons did prickle his skin with their very presence the way they would have if they had been made of Embrium. Arrogant as always, he noted with some amusement. Ada thought she could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

"You are a Spellsword now? Impressive. I never cared to learn the way of the sword. I was always much too attached to my staff," he spoke conversationally as though they were discussion potions recipes. He took out the bottle of Magi's Bane. The soldiers shifted, as though they were preparing for him to throw it at them. He suppressed the urge to snort. He could conjure fire well enough to make alchemical grenades redundant. With a flourish, he downed the bottle in record time, smiling as he felt the warmth of magic envelop his body. He knew that soon, it would burn him like the fires of the hells some religions warned the world about, but now, he could only marvel at the feeling of strength it gave him. His eyes glowed a bright blue.

With a shout of panic, a group of soldiers charged at him, breaking the formation, but Antius easily batted them away with the stereotypical fireball, scattering their burning bodies like pins in the game he once read that gnomes played which they called Elf Bowling amusingly enough. He twirled his staff.

"I advise you to let us pass or prepare for a battle where our mastery of magic will determine the day."

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Ada scoffed at his words, and not once did she wince. Maybe if she was addressed like so by one of her Academy superiors, perhaps. Antius Geminus was just an ant though. So he had been a gifted mage, once. So he had been exiled. So he had borne witness to the perils of the arena. She had forged her own path as well, honing her mind as well as her body to be a proper agent of the Academy. This was her specialty, finding and recovering nuisances to the Academy.

"Antius, the sword upends the usual hindrances that befall a staff wielder. Comfortable and complacent."

She watched his coy smile, her brow flecked in displeasure at his arrogance. Then she watched him pull out a vial, there was liquid in there. It hit her, the Magi's Bane. This was one of the potions stolen from the Academy and Lir had given it to him.

"Stop him!" too late, he downed the drink before she could claw the bottle away with a force spell.

The soldiers were too slow, she should have cast a veil or immobilized him. His mana reserves had been expanded tenfold and he surged a stereotypical arcane fireball that scattered the soldiers even as they tried to lock shields.

"They prove formidable Lady Capet, why were we not informed that there were two mages present?" Lieutenant Farnham barked, unsure if he was more infuriated his soldiers for their incompetency or Lady Capet for withholding critical information that disrupted days of sound planning.

Ada barely heard him, she focused on Antius Geminus, who separated himself and his allies from her and her cohorts by generating additional barriers of arcane fire in the corridor. The blaze set several soldiers running and screaming in agony.

"Seize him!" Lieutenant Farnham roared, incensed by his fallen soldiers and the apparent lack of regard for their lives by Ada Capet.

Ada whispered a few words known only to her. Then she began an elaborate ritual with a flick of her wrist, she used her blade to weave the flame from its raging blaze into a controlled torrent. With a second stroke, she funneled the burning flames and controlled it like a puppet master. This was merely a flame.

Her hands moved with effortless motion as expected of any experienced spellsword. She unleashed the arcane energies of the flame at Antius and Lir, her only targets. Meanwhile the soldiers continued to face off against the other two gladiators, Ya'weh and Zoni who proved formidable with their hidden abilities.

-

While the crowd roared, the giant dragoneater had his back turned to the man once known as headsplitter. Crowds would forever remember him mockingly as split head instead. Caliburn strode past the guards that flanked him and into an empty hall where the forges lay. He let his sword drag behind, despite its protests.

We demand that you retrieve our scabbard! Stop scratching the blade!

The twin voices called out to him like the ghosts of dead relatives, annoying even beyond the grave.

"Hah! Likely! Ye work when I dun't want ye to work, ye dun work when I need ye to work. Tis a fine relationship we got in the works here."

He sat and rested on a nearby bench to recover some breaths, despite the lightness of his effort in his recent endeavor. Caliburn craned his head to see a young boy shifting aimlessly from station to station among the forges. He recognized the boy as Caspian, the one who often tended to his blade.

At this hour of the night when he should be home eating or resting, the boy was frantically packing things into a sack.

Caliburn drew his sword and laid it on the bench, "Oy, kid, what're ye doing?"

Caspian looked up to see the brawny giant of a champion. His mouth remained motionless and oped like an 'o'.

"Are you daft?"

Caspian snapped from the brief mental pause, "I am...packing my things. My apprenticeship is done."

"Is that so?" the barbarian leaned back against a wall, allowing for his taut chest and trunk to breathe, "So where ya headed now lad? To open up a forge in the market, I 'spose?"

Caspian answered with a bright smile filled with youth and determination, "No. I'm headed to the place of white sphinxes."

"White sphinxes?" the champion scratched his chin before he cast a glance at his sword, "What are you seeking? Riches? Glory?"

Caspian took a moment to think, staring blankly. He realized he had not given much thought to it. He had been swept up by those others who claimed to have had the same dream. Serendipitous? Fate? He had never given much thought to those things. Then he wondered what a young blacksmith could do to help.

"An answer," Caspian looked at the champion.

Caliburn assessed the honesty in his answer and he could see in the boy's eyes and hear in the temerity of his voice that nothing else existed beyond the truth.

In the ensuing silence, Caspian continued to search his forge for whatever other belongings he may have needed.

The champion stood up from his seat, laid a hand on his sword and clenched it with a dire grip. He walked over to the forge and left the blade resting by the boy's anvil.

"Consider it a gift," Caliburn left the hall.

Caspian looked at the blade, "But I can't..."

"Take it. Don't worry, I can find another," the champion grinned to himself, both for his good deed and the fact that he was finally rid of that accursed sword.

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Antius Geminus Character Portrait: Danairia Feyn Character Portrait: Caspian Polarus Character Portrait: Ya'weh
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"Ah, but the staff is the traditional weapon for a mage: elegant, versatile, etcetera, etcetera. A sword is shiny, but it is of no use if you cannot get close enough to use it," Antius argued, speaking as though they were within a lecture hall back at the Academy rather than attempting to kill each other beneath the Colosseum of Opynonias. As she redirected his flame towards him, he frowned slightly, reaching out with power to redirect it in to a nearby wall. It was impressive that she managed to care control of an element conjured by his own magical power, but it had originated within him all the same.

"And magical power will gain you nothing if your throat is cut," Ada retorted, growing more annoyed by the other mage's smug tone by the second. She ignored the screams of the soldiers who came to close to Antius. This fight was beyond them now and she could not afford to lose any advantages she had through base sentimentality. She arched an eyebrow as he conjured illusions of himself as all five of him arced lightning towards her.

"Please, I can see through mere party tricks," she sneered, raising her sword to redirect the real torrent of lightning with quick chant. She frowned as the Antius she redirected it at faded away.

"You cannot win," the images intoned solemnly. What proceeded was a dance of magic and mayhem as Antius attempted to keep his distance while Ada fought to close it. As the fight went on however, she began to notice something. Within the last five minutes, none of his attacks turned out to be real. Growling with that realization, she ceased fighting and intoned a nullification spell. Not only Antius and his copies faded away, but also that of his companions. She cursed as she saw that the entrances around them were blocked with rubble.

"They must have slipped away during the battle. It seems he's learned a couple new tricks. No matter. He cannot have gotten far.

****

As they made their way down to docks, Antius grimaced, wiping sweat from his brow. He had used a lot of mana to fool Ada. Illusions were never his strong point. The gambit would never have worked if he didn't have the sheer power to pump into his illusions. Already, he could feel his body succumbing to the aftereffects of the elixir early.

"We need to find a ship," he stated, pointing out the obvious as the group weaved their way through the crowd. Doubtless the guard will be upon them soon. They did not exactly blend in.

"There's always a disreputable captain ready to smuggle people out of the city for gold or work. We just needd..." Lir began only for Antius to interrupt her with a gasp. He recognized the sight of that dark skinned elf running for her life anywhere.

"Danairia!" he shouted, trying to get her attention. If that elf escaped, she had to have a destination in mind. It was their only chance at the moment, he knew.

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Character Portrait: Vadania Moonwhisper
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Madame Phrina received reports amidst the chaos as the townspeople and nobles crowded the exits. Several gladiators had escaped and now their owners held her responsible for not protecting their assets. Chief among them Dhaxi and Kail. She could only rebuke so many before she waved them off, for she had other concerns.

Madame Phrina appeared with the colosseum guards before the Imperial contingent under Lieutenant Farnham and the mage Ada.

"Who is in charge here? I would like to speak with them," she voiced, unconcerned and unaware of what forces she had hoped to confront.

"I am," Ada stepped forward, "What is your concern, citizen?"

Phrina raised her voice, it was, after all, her colosseum, "I have offered all the aid that I can, but you must leave now. I am running a business here, but your presence allowed several of my lanistas' gladiators to escape."

Ada watched the woman drone on and on until she was finally annoyed.

"How am I to compensate them for th-"

In an instant, Madame Phrina became ashes. The colosseum guards stood in awe and horror.

"Go, unless you want to end up like her," Ada threatened.

They fled like rats.

-

"So the son of Artorius has chosen his path," Ada Capet thought as she surveyed the dead, "Lir Syoelle, you are a resourceful girl."

She thought it a shame that eventually she would have to run her sword through one or both of them herself.

A group of soldiers returned, "Lieutenant, we were unable to apprehend the male Duuthesh."

Lieutenant Farnham acknowledged them with a wave so they could attend to the others. Ada had desired that the soldiers capture the assassin Raikyyn Duarn. This would help her tie up loose ends. She had no fondness for Thieves' guild members, especially ones of high caliber martial abilities.

"So what now?" Farnham asked.

Captain Markath arrived with Lieutenant Woolworth and his cohort to answer that very question. His men brought along a Duuthesh slave in chains, she appeared in rags. A pair of cuffs locked her hands. Upon seeing the many soldiers slain by Antius he lashed out at the nearest subordinate, namely Lieutenant Farnham.

The lieutenant fell to one knee, head low, "Sire, we were ill-equipped to deal with the enemy. Had we known of their magical prowess beforehand from Miss Capet..."

Markath turned his eyes to the spellsword who looked unapologetic for failing to inform them of such critical information.

"Miss Capet," Captain Markath gave a last glance at the wounded soldiers and gestured to them as we he spoke, "Perhaps you would like to explain."

Ada resheathed her sword and looked Markath in the eye, "I did not need this particular kind of aid, you were ordered to escort me. You have done so Captain. Anything more was not sanctioned by the Chancellor or the Academy. Your men knew the risks."

"We had our own objectives as well, lest you forget, girl," the formalities were finished.

Dead soldiers were a waste.

"Seeing as how they have slain Imperial soldiers, they are enemies of the Empire now," Markath concluded, "And under imperial law it is the duty of the Imperial army to arrest and detain them. Surely you must have noticed the marriage in our objectives."

"Indeed," Ada turned, "I could have killed two birds with one stone, but I believe your men interfered far more than was necessary."

"Is that so?"

Ada noticed the Duuthesh girl, "Who is she?"

"The thief wanted for attempting to steal a priceless jewel from one of the manors here. She's been wanted in a number of other provinces and cities as well. The tribunal has already sentenced her to Dorngard," the old captain mused, "She was a tricky one, quite a fighter, took out several men."

Vadania looked at Ada Capet with a scornful brow and contempt. The Duuthesth seemed ready to spit in her face at a moment's notice as well. Ada wanted to sear the captive's impertinent face off with flames. She held back, for her anger had already abated with the disintegration of the colosseum owner.

"What of Antius Geminus, Lieutenant?"

The lieutenant stood up, "He escaped with Miss Capet's target."

Ada Capet twirled around, her heels clicked on the cobblestone as she stepped out of the colosseum and into the moonlight. She could smell their scent, they were not far. However, it became more faint, perhaps heading eastward. Nothing was eastward except the sea. Then they might be planning to escape by sea.

"Captain, what is the nearest port where the Imperial armada is stationed?"

Markath stepped out into the night with her, "Noro, why do you ask?"

"I have a feeling that the traitor may try to slip across the sea."

"I'll have my men search the port."

Ada nodded, "I doubt, however, they can do anything more once they have fled across the sea. Furthermore, I must make my way back to the Capital to inform the Chancellor."

"Then it is here that we part ways, Madame."

Ada disappeared into the night as Markath ordered the dead soldiers be carted to some empty field for burial. They would eventually haul the Duuthesh captive to her prison.

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