Chapter Nineteen: New Seasons
1144/02/08 AR, Scorpion's Oasis, Faction Score: Reds 0 points, Blues 0 points
"If you know your enemy’s plan, then you have already defeated them." Commonly attributed to Chosen Marius, who claims he is paraphrasing a more ancient source.
"If you cut the head off a creature, it will die quickly, and the crowd will cheer you once. If you cut off a limb, it will linger but die just as surely, and the crowd will cheer much longer." Arena Proverb
The nineteenth match of Gavin's career occurred during the first month of the new Faction challenge season at Scorpion's Oasis.
In the Southern Domains the Faction challenge season ends in the eleventh month of the year and the new season begins in the second month of the next year. This gives Gladiators time to travel to meet family or friends over all the Domains for the New Year’s festival. A significant number use this time to train, or even to seek other matches. Many speculate that the real purpose of this break in the Faction season is to give smaller, private arenas a chance to pad their rosters and draw a larger audience during the busy holidays. After all, Gladiators caught up in the complex Faction games come to view regular matches as simple fun and, aside from Deathmatches, they are less cautious about taking them.
Gavin returned alone to Camp Valorous far to the west and north to finish his training in the Champion school. His teacher this time was one of the Warbound, a retired Gladiator who had chosen the life of soldiering. He learned techniques of the school alongside units of soldiers of the legion, coming to admire their bravery. The soldiers did not have the benefits of the Gift. If they broke bones or suffered wounds, it would take months to heal naturally, and yet few of them flinched from duty. He also enjoyed listening to the stories of the veterans, tales of battles fought, and places visited at the far edges of the empire. Although his trainer, war-born Nasus, was helpful, he was distant off the training field.
Time passed slowly without Sadira; Sulius had used his contacts to find her a teacher in the battle-dancer techniques, a school that the Shadow-Elf Gladiatrix had been planning to train in all her life. They missed each other terribly, and when it was permitted they spent long hours talking to each other using link-crystals, happy just to hear each other's voices.
On the positive side, Gavin did find himself in the company of Omodo, the massive Armodon, and Cleothera, the Grey-Robe they had earlier befriended. He listened with interest to the details of their lives in his absence. Omodo was already of the fourth rank, with twenty-one fights under his belt, and feeling much more confident in front of arena crowds now. The giant Rhino-man had made the most of the last year, and now felt ready to seek a place in a Faction challenge arena; he devoured every word that Gavin had to say on the subject, bombarding him with questions about the team's experiences in the Faction games. Pale Cleothera was more interested in the social lives of the Gladiators. Gavin related that Karmal, Vintia, and Ravius had shared rooms for their first four months in Scorpion's Oasis a situation which had caused friction as the skirmisher's mischief and carousing collided with Karmal's hot temper and Vintia's serious, sensitive nature. The three were on much better terms now that Sulius had moved Ravius into an apartment of his own.
"Was he having sex with either of them?" asked Cleothera, perfectly direct. They were in a secluded booth in the comfortable confines of the Sword and Standard, their favourite tavern in Camp Valorous.
"I'm not sure," Gavin said after a pause. He was sure Sadira would know; he was equally sure he didn't want to hear the details.
"Really?" said Cleothera, raising an eyebrow. She seemed more mature now to Gavin, having lost the youthful, innocent aura that often marks the newest of the Gifted.
"I'm sorry Cleo, I don't really pay attention to that sort of thing," he smiled.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he had," she said with a knowing smile. "Ravius can be really hard to resist."
Gavin's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious question, but quickly shut it. Omodo laughed. Cleothera went on with sphinx-like calm, ignoring his look of shock.
"I bet he got involved with both of them," she said. "I'll have to talk to Vintia and Sadira about it when I visit."
"Why not Karmal?" asked Omodo.
Cleothera hesitated a moment before answering. "Karmal is a creature of great passions. I can't think of any way to discuss her love life that wouldn't make her angry, or end up with her hitting on me again. That woman can be frighteningly intense."
Gavin shook his head. The things he didn't know about his own friends. He did not keep close tabs on their romantic entanglements, having no wish to pry. He remembered now that Sadira had mentioned she and Karmal had been "very close" in training, and he realized what his beloved had been trying to communicate. He laughed, shaking his head. Cleothera and Omodo looked at him, puzzled.
"I can be a little dense sometimes," he said. "I have such a good relationship with Sadira that I sometimes forget other people haven't settled."
"Don't worry Gavin," responded Cleothera, touching his arm. "I forgave you for that a long time ago; it is part of your charm, I think." Omodo's laughter filled the tavern at this. Cleothera went on, cheerily relating some of the "gossip" she learned in her work as an Officer of the Deliberative. Although Gavin learned more than he ever cared to know about the lives of the Chosen, he was genuinely interested in hearing about the politics of the Popular Assembly and Council of the Chosen.
What really caught his attention were the rumours circling Valaran diVolcanus, the rising star of the Blue Faction, and an apparent rival for Sadira's affections. The giant golden-armoured warrior's streak of Deathmatch victories continued, including a spectacular win over a skilled Gladiator two full ranks above him. Valaran had avoided the Faction games, where that type of match was frowned upon. The man's gleeful, violent executions were the talk of the Domains, a return to the older bloodier days of arena conflict.
"Actually, I’ve heard that my superiors are very worried about Valaran; none of the man's opponents have survived against him." Cleothera's voice was low, a conspiratorial whisper now. "The arena crowds always give the thumbs down to his victims, even popular Gladiators who fought with great courage. It is rare for the crowd not to spare a local favourite who fights well these days. I've heard all kinds of rumours about him, including that he has subverted a few Grey-Robes, which is crazy!"
"Is it true that no one wants to fight him now?" said Omodo.
"Yes," responded Cleothera, her elegant brow furrowing. Gavin had never seen her look so serious "He wanders from arena to arena, going anywhere where they do random draw Deathmatches between Gladiators. He tries to arrive in secret so no one has time to back out."
"They still do that?" interrupted Gavin. A random draw Deathmatch pitted a Gladiator against an opponent in a brutal fight to the death, with neither fighter knowing who they would face beforehand. He had thought they were a relic of the past.
"Yeah," said Cleothera with a shrug. "That type of match is outlawed in most Domains, but they are still really popular with a certain crowd. Even the toughest of those guys back off after Valaran appears on the scene; he usually gets in one fight and then moves on. We want to investigate him but we don't have any grounds for doing so. I stole a quick look at his file, and we don't really actually even know what race he is or what magic he uses. Valaran is causing chaos in the Deliberative."
"Why?" questioned Gavin.
Cleothera shrugged, smiling. "Even if my superiors told me, which they haven't, I couldn't tell you. All I know for certain is that when Chosen Moltar throws his weight behind a Gladiator, many people really get nervous... enough about that, though. Gavin, you must tell me what Sadira is doing with her hair these days."
Gavin rolled his eyes, but in truth he was happy to change subjects as well; Valaran had sent a constant stream of gifts and missives to Sadira since seeing her fight in Camp Valorous, professing his undying admiration for her.
>
"And tell me all about what the girls are wearing. You have no idea how important style is, and how an up and coming Gladiatrix like Sadira can inform cutting edge fashions." Cleothera leaned in, her bright eyes serious. "I'd like to be on the cutting edge of style when people start noticing her and following suit."
"I thought the Chosen informed fashion?" he asked.
"Silly man, of course the Chosen make fashion." Cleothera sighed dramatically. "But most of the time they wear the same things they always wear. Any time a popular Chosen like Giselle changes her wardrobe it sets fashion trends for years, but that does not happen very often, so we have to rely on beautiful up-and-comers to create interim trends; and we both know that Sadira is turning heads already."
"Scorpions, black and red," noted Gavin, dryly "She has been trying out new hairstyles but I can't say what she is going to choose. Why don't you come down and ask her? You keep talking about visiting us, and I could stay and hang out with Omodo a little longer if I have an escort who doesn't want to stop at every single little outpost on the way back through the desert."
Cleothera readily agreed. He made sure to pay his respects to Arena Master Druth and the Recruiter Camille before leaving Camp Valorous again. He did not visit the little cottage in which they stayed while they lived in the military town; it was occupied by other Gladiators now and he did not want to spoil his memory. Perhaps one day he and Sadira would own a little house like it. Cleothera came with him when he went south, making his trip much more enjoyable.
-----o
"No, no, NO! Leap. Slide. Twirl. Leap. Slide. HOP. Twirl!" The voice of Sadira's Battle-dancer trainer, the darkly handsome Tiber ul-Sala, snapped at her like a whip. "Am I wasting my time here Gladiatrix? Is this the best you can do?"
Sadira held her temper. She was the only visible person in the vast marble ballroom other than her trainer. Tiber was temperamental and passionate, often exploding with rage when she failed to perform the complex steps of the rhythmic combat techniques that he was teaching her. On the first day of training, she had drawn her weapons on him when he called her "an ungainly, top-heavy, fat-titted milk cow with all the grace of an overweight sand gecko." He had merely laughed as her swords sang into the air, embarrassing her by asking if she was that easy to anger in the ring.
She had, however, learned that he was equally eloquent in his praise, lavishing her with poetic descriptions of her grace and skill when she performed the dance well. She enjoyed earning his grudging good words and she was not oblivious to his considerable physical charms either. It made for an interesting learning experience.
She wished Gavin was still in Scorpion's Oasis; even though she talked to him on link-crystal when she could, she missed his presence. Being unable to express her desire physically was draining. She chided herself for being childish and weak in this, but this was the longest period she had ever spent away from her true love, and the perfectly toned and handsome trainer did not help either. For a week after Gavin left, she was unable to sleep without masturbating, a fact that offended her pride and eroded her good humour. She was proud that she could live without sex, but she was not happy about it. Unable to salve her desire, she had thrown herself wholeheartedly into her training, becoming expert in all three of the novice dances taught by the school as well as working on some of the more advanced steps in preparation for later training.
Ignoring Tiber she launched herself into the dance again. Each movement required a combination of balance, graceful footwork, proper breathing, and sweeping weapon movements. It was much harder than just dancing with a blade in her hand; her weapons had to be part of the dance and each step had to flow into the next step without missing a beat. It was both mentally and physically taxing; even the simplest movements taught by the school were exceedingly difficult, like a formal dance with unpredictable, violent partners and six pounds of steel in each hand.
She leapt, slashing her twin obsidian blades in deadly arcs, blades to each side, slid to the side thrusting the lethal point of one blade in front of her, whirled gracefully on her toes, sabres carving through her imaginary partners, leapt again, slashing low, viciously cleaving phantom legs in her mind's eye, slid forward standing up into an uppercut slash with both blades, hopped forward and slashed down in one fluid motion, then ended with a deadly sharp-edged pirouette balanced on one leg. She had watched Tiber use the very same series of steps in a battle in the Brightsand Halls arena; she could not wait to try it out in a real match.
Now, Tiber clapped his hands. "Bravo! You do that so beautifully; I have met few women who could perform that dance half as well with as little training as you. None of them have your grace or beauty, my dear... It is a shame your heart belongs to another."His tone was mock-sad, but low and inviting.
A brief image of her pushing him to the floor flitted through Sadira's mind, but she loved Gavin and was proud of her dedication to him. Her desire for Tiber felt traitorous, so she bowed gracefully to her teacher, smiling at his compliment. After this little pause she resumed training, pushing herself to exhaustion and beyond before Tiber dismissed her for the day.
-----o
Handsome, arrogant Tiber ul-Sala watched Sadira leave, unabashedly enjoying the sway of her hips, the shapeliness of her silhouette, and the fullness of her breasts and buttocks. He wondered idly if a lion admired a lioness in the same way.
"I am surprised she has resisted you so far, Tiber!" A woman's voice came from behind him; he did not turn. There was an undercurrent of power, unfathomably strong, in the silken sound. "I know I would have given in..."
Chosen Giselle, oft called the Silken Scorpion from her days as a Gladiatrix, stepped out of a cunningly screened alcove and moved into the marble ballroom to stand behind him. He could feel her presence, full of energy and heat like the bright beams of the sun shining on him. He found it difficult not to turn immediately; the Chosen was impossible to ignore.
"As I said before, Chosen, she is in love and her will is very strong. She will not give in to pure physical lust, no matter how tempting." He shrugged, about to turn, but the Chosen clasped her hands around his waist and leaned her head on his back. Her physical body seemed too small to contain the force of the presence that he felt; it always shocked him.
"It is a small matter; but she would be better served facing the challenges that lay before her without the encumbrance of love. Life in the arena will strip her of this without our interference, I suppose. I am pleased with your service, Honoured Gladiator." He felt her breath on the back of his neck, a hand both delicate and strong caressed his bicep. Desire surged through him, overwhelming. Unlike Sadira, Tiber did not have love to shield him. The Chosen laughed, a tone both musical and cruel. "And now since the faithful Sadira has rejected your considerable charms, my pet, I will make sure they do not go to waste."
-----o
Gavin and Sadira's reunion was both tremendously joyous and physically exhausting. They took a few days off their busy training schedule to get re-acquainted and to entertain the visiting Cleothera.
-----o
As the winners of the last season the Blues were allowed to make the first challenges of the new season, setting the terms of the match against the Reds. Their very first challenge was issued specifically for Sadira and her team.
Team specific challenges were uncommon, but by no means rare, and Sadira was thrilled to have the attention of her enemies already; she took it both as a great sign of respect but also as her rightful due. She intended to make her mark in Scorpion's Oasis this season, gaining the attention of the Chosen and earning a promotion to a bigger arena, hopefully Brightsand Halls. The rules of the challenge were quite simple. Both teams would compete to slay the same monster for points. Tripping and shoving were allowed; in fact, each time a Gladiator fell or hit the ground the other team would gain points. Other, deadlier forms of contact with the other team, including magic and weapon strikes were still prohibited and fully penalized.
"I know it's
a trap," acknowledged Sadira as she discussed the match with her team-mates, "but I can't let this go. I want to show the world what we can do this season and I'm not going to back down from a challenge."
"I agree, little sister," intoned Ravius gravely. "This match is obviously meant to bait us; just look at the rules: they'll be all over you like ants on honey, trying to trip you up. But if we know how they plan to play we might be able to turn this against them..."
"Well, we know they want to bring Sadira down..." said Gavin thoughtfully, turning to Sadira. "What if we use you as a distraction?"
"I can be our primary offence if they concentrate on Sadira," said Karmal, relishing the idea of being centre stage. "If they stay off me I can bring out the big magic."
"And I can run interference and try to trip up the people who go after Sadira, in turn," added Ravius.
"Do I get any say in this?" said Sadira with mirth. "You people seem to really like the idea of dangling me in front of the Blues as bait..."
"You have to admit it is a good plan..." said Gavin. "You are very tempting, after all."
"I know, I know, I'll do it," she said. "But only because you have put up with my training sessions..."
"Yes! I love it when a plan comes together!" Vintia's voice was pitched high with excitement. "We will use their own tactics against them. If we know who their main attackers are, we can shut them down in return; it will be easy to get our shields between them and the monster if half of them are chasing you Sadira..."
Sadira laughed, gleefully. "You know, this idea is actually growing on me... this is a team match, and I am only a single part of the team, after all. We know they will try to humiliate me and take me out of the fight, yes? So while they waste their efforts on me, the rest of you can buy us a victory. They think the four of you aren't worth any consideration; let's show them otherwise. I'll be the best distraction they've ever seen."
Bloodlust: A Gladiator's Tale Page 30
