"Bloody Reckoning, YES!" added Karmal with loud enthusiasm, a vicious smile on her face. With Sadira acting as a distraction, she knew that she would shine.
They sent word to Sulius asking him to accept the challenge on their behalf; he did so with an air of resignation. The Blues always won the first challenge.
-----o
The Red team, considered less popular, took the field first. It being a fresh season, the normally indifferent patrons of the Scorpion's Oasis arena were more attentive. They took stock of the newcomers, eyeing them curiously and those who had seem them fight last season provided insight to any who were curious. Gavin, Sadira, Ravius, Karmal, and Vintia drew their weapons in vigorous salutes as they were announced. A smattering of polite applause came from the crowds. Ravius carried his normal armament; a net, trident, and buckler. Astute observers of the Great Games would note that his net carried no barbs or hooks this match, allowing it to be used to snare and hinder other Gladiators without technically being considered a weapon strike.
The Blue team consisted of the huge Ogre, Shield-Splitter; the swift Quickling, Steel Harmony, beautiful, silent Sapphire Lotus, the black-masked Blue Calamity with his whip and spear, and an unfamiliar Gladiator named Blue Hornet, a light armoured fighter, armed with two gauntlets sprouting eighteen inch needle-like, sharp-edged spikes, and wearing a yellow, spiked buckler mounted over each for extra defence. He wore a partial helm, a rarity for light Gladiators, adorned with sparkling blue eye covers designed to look like the compound eyes of an insect. He was taller than Gavin, nearing seven feet, but cadaverously thin.
The trumpets sounded and a large gate yawned open. The ground shook as their target lumbered into the arena. It was a single, towering metal colossus, all brass limbs, steel plates, sharp spikes, and whirring gears: a clockwork siege golem. Slightly smaller than a proper giant, the metal monstrosity belched steam and fouled the air with plumes of black smoke as it strode into the arena. Its massive arms ended in vicious looking round saws, with whirring blades the size of wagon wheels. The audience cooed in awe of this shining monster of industry as the Gladiators sprang forward to attack, each team seeking to take it down before their opponents did.
Swift-footed Sadira charged toward the creature, keeping an eye on the fast moving form of Steel Harmony and the whirling whip of Blue Calamity as the two Blues moved to intercept her. Ravius trailed her silently, trying not to draw attention. Sadira let them think she was reckless and eager for the kill, seeming to pay little heed to their movements, letting out a piercing war-scream as she powered forward. Steel Harmony ran with limb-blurring speed, attempting to blindside her.
Blue Calamity stopped, suddenly wary, shouting a warning to his Quickling team-mate, but it was too late. As Steel Harmony dropped her shoulder to ram Sadira's legs, her target suddenly shifted and dropped, sticking her leg out. The Quickling's own incredible speed work against her, making it impossible for her to shift in response. Sadira's foot hooked the little blue's boot, sending Steel Harmony flying through the air and sending up a spray of sand as she crashed down, rolling.
"BLUE FALL: THREE POINTS TO RED!" shouted the announcer. Sadira grinned viciously at her fallen foe, revelling in the petty triumph and further antagonizing the Quickling.
Ravius closed on Blue Calamity while the other lashed his whip, trying to snare Sadira who danced backwards smoothly, her motions enhanced by the elegant flow of the war-dancer's movement techniques.
"Fail and Fail! HAHAHA." Ravius howled with mad laughter, slashing his net at Blue Calamity's feet, forcing the other to move back.
Meanwhile, Gavin and Vintia jogged toward the golem, Karmal trailing them, channelling power and weaving the patterns of her spells as subtly as she could. They reached the golem just before the massive Ogre, Shield-Splitter, arrived, the air around him rippling and shimmering from the powerful enchantments gifted to him by his team-mate Sapphire Lotus.
The Ogre raised his immense war cleaver to strike as Gavin ducked under a swing of one of the huge whirring saw blades on the clockwork siege golem's hands. Much to the Shield-Splitter's surprise, his swing was foiled as Vintia threw herself into the path of his blade, slamming it with her heavy shield. The powerful attack was pushed to the side, leaving a deep scratch in the giant golem's armour but doing no real damage. Shield-Splitter's face contorted with rage.
"I'll break you for that, little girl!" he roared at Vintia, who answered with a disdainful stare.
Cleothera, watching from a comfortable, silk cushioned seat in the audience could not help but gasp as she watched. Tiny, bright-eyed Vintia, a woman only a little taller than herself, seemed far too small and frail to be interposing herself between the mountain of muscle with a giant cleaver and the looming golem. And yet, as the ogre swung his massive war-cleaver at the metal giant again, Vintia fearlessly repeated her manoeuvre, skillfully deflecting the Ogre's attack yet again, but getting knocked off her feet in the process. Cleothera's heart skipped a beat, and she leapt to her feet cheering loudly as the little Gladiatrix bounced back upright.
"RED FALL: THREE POINTS BLUE!" This did nothing to dissuade Vintia, who positioned herself in Shield-Splitter's way once more. They could afford to lose the points if massive Shield-Splitter could not take down the golem. She ignore her bruised and battered body. When the ogre snarled at her, she favoured him with a mocking smile.
Gavin kept the clockwork siege golem's attention on him, using a simple spell. He dodged and ducked, deflecting the huge whirling saw-blades on its arms with his trusty shield causing a shower of sparks, testing its metal skin with his spear, searching for a weak point. Beside him, Karmal swung her heavy blade over and over again, denting the metal plates of the creature's leg. She had not yet let loose with any of her spells, trying to avoid attention while she channelled power. She caught Gavin's eye, nodding upwards at the golem. He followed her gaze to see Blue Hornet nimbly climbing on the brass-skinned giant's back, shooting small bursts of lightning into it while trying to dig through the armour with his needle-spiked gauntlets. Karmal could not use her most powerful spell without hitting Blue Hornet, which would likely get them disqualified. They needed to get him off.
Sadira danced, agile and untouchable as whip-wielding Blue Calamity and Steel Harmony tried to tackle her, trip her, and push her down. She was as elusive and yet tempting as a dazzling debutante is to a drunken deadbeat at a Faction grand ball. Their attempts to catch her were made more difficult with Ravius following in their wake, taunting them, and foiling their efforts to flank her. Sadira smiled a cruel, challenging smirk, daring them to match steps with her, knowing that every moment they ignored the rest of her team in favour of stopping her only made her own team's strategy more effective. She let slip her war-shriek and pointed her twin obsidian blades at them, loving every moment of the chase. They stormed after her, Ravius following after them, cackling like a madman.
Gavin was hard pressed to avoid the siege golem's swinging blades. It had adjusted its attack style, using broad, low swipes, making it harder for the Gladiators to dodge. One blade glanced off Gavin's shield, grinding and sending up sparks, nearly knocking him down. He was worried about Vintia, who was taking a pounding keeping the mighty Shield-Splitter out of the fight. He could hear the Ogre snarl in frustration as his attack was foiled once more. Deflecting the ogre's powerful swings was knocking Vintia off her feet again and again. He could not risk helping her; the metal giant took too much of his attention. He had to trust her to do her best, while he focused on guarding Karmal.
The flame-haired Gladiatrix kept pounding away with her war-cleaver, using minor magics to send small lightning bolts and bursts of flame, unwilling to set off her lighting strike with a chance that Blue Hornet might get hit and disqualify them. She shouted and bellowed, her heavy cleaver biting deep into metal, putting up quite a show, hoping that the Blues would be distracted by her physical efforts and not realize her true purpose.
For the fifth time, Vintia was
knocked down, the announcer shouting out the loss points as she stood up, her body bruised and aching, and her huge tower shield dented and dirty now. Shield-Splitter loomed over her.
"Had enough, little Girl?" he snarled, radiating pure muscular aggression.
Vintia thought back to her training. She was much smaller than most other heavy Gladiators and had always been mocked for her lack of size; she had made up for it by training hard, pushing herself to the limit, and using her skills to take advantage of her stature. This was nothing new. He was their heavy hitter; if he could not bring his massive strength to bear against the clockwork giant, her team stood a good chance of taking it down first. She met the ogre's gaze and readied herself for the next bone-crunching blow. I know my role, she told herself, I will not waver. Behind Shield-Splitter, his team-mate, Sapphire Lotus, stayed back, channelling power into spells directed at the ogre, increasing his already formidable strength. In the stands Cleothera cheered again as a defiant Vintia faced the massive ogre; others echoed her praise, enjoying the sight of the small woman facing off with the massive brute.
Gavin was forced back as the golem's whirring table-sized saw-hand spilt the ground in front of him, showering him with sand.
On the perimeter Sadira and Ravius continued their cat and mouse game with the two Blue Gladiators trying to foul Sadira. Blue Calamity's whip, obscured by sudden shadows, struck Sadira in the face, drawing blood, but she kept her balance and did not stop. Much to her irritation no penalty was announced for the strike. Cursing, she reversed direction to fool the Quickling, while Ravius snared Blue Calamity's whip with his net.
Blue Hornet dug deeper into the back of the metal colossus, tenaciously clinging to it, as his needle-like gauntlet spikes dug deep. His tenacity started to bear fruit as he began to pry off some armour plates. Suddenly the siege golem reared up, shaking like a wet dog, dislodging him; he dropped nimbly to the ground, landing catlike on his feet, grimacing in frustration.
With Blue Hornet out of the way, Karmal stepped back and let the power she had channelled flow through the pattern of her spell. The amount of energy that she had built up was overwhelming, a mighty tide of magic. The Blues suddenly realized their mistake as they sensed her releasing such power, but could do nothing to stop her. She felt the magic surge through her, and let loose a triumphant shout. Lifting a few inches off the ground, glowing brightly, she called upon the full fury of the elements.
Gavin felt his hair prickle, and his ears popped as the pressure changed. White lightning erupted from the ground, coursing through the clockwork giant and streaking skywards, dissipating with a thunderous crash as it hit the nearly invisible protective barrier above the fighting grounds. He blinked, blinded momentarily, smelling burnt oil and scorched metal. Then, he heard the roar of the crowd as his hearing returned. The clockwork giant sparked, smoked, melted, and stumbled. He rushed forward, shoving his spear blade into a vulnerable knee-joint. The golem fell, forcing both Gavin and Blue Hornet to dive to the side. Karmal ran forward eagerly, bringing her heavy war-cleaver down on the huge metal neck, severing tubes and sending cogs flying in a spray of oil, shooting a blasts of fire into the severed mass of tubes and steam-pipes for good measure, setting off a series of small explosions all over the massive metal body.
The crowd cheered lustily for the underdog Reds.
Vintia relaxed, but kept her eye on Shield-Splitter; the mountainous ogre was heaving with fury, glaring with hate at her; she had succeeded in keeping him out of the fight, after all. Sadira and Gavin came to stand beside her as the points were tallied. She was tempted to taunt him, but it wasn't her style.
"BLUE FIFTEEN, RED TWENTY-THREE!" roared the announcer. Sulius ul-Cyrus, watching from his spacious booth, felt his eyes moisten as the Gladiators and vassals of the Reds around him exploded into cheers; it was the first time in nearly five years that the Red Faction had won a season opener at Scorpion's Oasis. He began to plan the celebration on the spot...
Chapter Twenty: Image
1139/02/27 AR, Scorpion's Oasis, test match for the Fourth Rank
"Never underestimate the importance of popularity in the arena; a Gladiator will not become a grand champion without winning the respect and the support of the People. That is why we call ourselves the Chosen; we would not have gained our exalted position without the people's consent." Chosen Giselle
In spite of the busy Faction challenge season, the Gladiators still had to pass their Ranking matches, which took place every five sanctioned matches regardless of the time that passed between them. Since ranking matches take precedence over all others, this put even more pressure on Gavin, Sadira and their friends who were already participating in every challenge match that they qualified for, fighting far more matches in a short time span than was normal.
Sulius, who now doted on the six Gladiators like a loving grandfather, arranged for the famed image consultant Amoura Vogue to make a visit to Scorpion's Oasis, in order that his prized fighters might benefit from her worldly wisdom. Sadira, Karmal, Ravius, and Vintia were eager to make appointments with the famous fashionista, who had made so many Gladiators and Chosen the objects of current styles and trends. Gavin declined with a smile, noting that he already had someone to tell him how to dress; in truth even now, part of him rebelled against the idea that style mattered almost as much as skill in the arena.
-----o
In spite of her busy schedule Sadira gladly went to meet Amoura Vogue in the Shato diOre, the most expensive of the exclusive resorts that surrounded the crystal clear waters at the heart of Scorpion's Oasis. She looked ridiculously out of place here in her armour, weapons sheathed at her side, Deliberative escort walking with her.
"I'm glad you're here with me Cleo. I feel like I stand out enough without some stiff, disapproving Grey-Robe watching over me." She glanced around as they walked through shaded marble halls decorated with elaborately carved fountains of beautiful nymphs frolicking playfully, graphic paintings of scenes from famous "romances", and other decorations designed to invoke an atmosphere of casual lust. Sadira started, hands instinctively darting to her sword-hilts, when one of the more life-like fountain nymphs winked at her; she was ill at ease in such sumptuous surroundings.
"That’s not the best way to show the ungifted that we magic-wielders are harmless my dear." said Cleothera in her most matronly voice, tapping Sadira's hand. "Oh, my...!"
Her lecture was stopped short as a nude woman with skin that looked as if it was covered in liquid gold walked out of a side passage door, her voluptuous form glistening. The sounds of dozens of voices raised in ecstasy, and the distinct crack of a whip followed by a cry of anguished joy washed over them before the door swung shut behind the golden apparition. The woman, enjoying the effect her appearance had on the two visitors smiled, swaying seductively as she strolled over to them.
"Welcome to Shato diOre, girls; are you two here for the Masquerade? I love your costumes! One of my clients took me to the arena to watch the season opener. You have the best Red Scorpion outfit I've seen all day! The men are just going to eat you girls up at tonight's party; How did you get the look down?"
Sadira's eyebrow arched dramatically. "It’s the weapons actually; the right accessories go a long way."
She drew her twin obsidian swords as far as the peace-bond would allow; a graceful, sweeping flourish while channelling power through the runes to make them spark to life. She sheathed them again, savouring the familiar grace of the motion, and the distinct sound of her blades coming to rest. The golden-skinned woman's very human eyes were suddenly wide; she bowed, her composure lost.
"Honoured Gladiatrix, I... I did not recognize you." the golden-dipped girl stammered, looking down at the ground. "How can I be of assistance?"
"We are here to see Amoura Vogue, sister," she smiled reassuringly at the attendant; this woman was one of her fans, after all. "It would mean a great deal to me if you could help us find her... this place is kind of crazy."
"It would be my pleasure," said the Golden-dipped girl, clearly delighted now. "Follow me."
Cleothera frowned at Sadira. "Let's not do that again. The bit with the weapons was funny, but we would spend a month under house arrest at least if another Grey-Robe caught us. You’re supposed to have those weapons peace-bound."
"True," said Sadira. "But what are the chances of finding an Officer of the Deliberative in a private pleasure palace like this?"
"Surprisingly high," replied Cleothera sardonically as she resolutely resumed walking. "You'd be amazed at how much of the business of the Domains gets conducted in places like this. Also, not all of us are stuffy; I'd come here, if I could afford it. I've read all about this place. Let’s hope that we don't find Miss Vogue in one of the orgy rooms. Now bind your weapons properly, before you get us into trouble."
"What kind of books have you been reading, exactly?" teased Sadira as she wrapped the binding chains, used to keep Gladiators from drawing their weapons in public, around her swords.
They passed all manner of opulent decadence and joyful depravity before finally making their way to the sunny, secluded enclosure where Amoura Vogue held court. Their guide bowed to Amoura, then Sadira as she left. The Golden-dipped girl threw the Gladiatrix a wink as she disappeared. A footman, unremarkable but handsome, covered in glistening gold as well, was rubbing oil into the skin of a platinum-haired human woman lying on a coral coloured marble altar covered in red satin cushions. Both were naked, but this was no surprise; Sadira and Cleothera had encountered fewer and fewer clothed people as they moved further into the resort. Amoura Vogue stood up to greet them, her ripe, full lips curling into a slight smile. Sun-bronzed skin glistened with oil as she turned, revealing a physique that could only be the product of heavy body-sculpting; breasts ostentatious in their bounty and shape, topped an hourglass figure with pleasantly rounded hips and long, shapely legs.
Bloodlust: A Gladiator's Tale Page 31
