The wildly energetic and enthusiastic Rishelle used nature magic as well. Her muscles were incredibly well-toned, even by the high standards of a Gladiatrix. She wore a black and gold breastplate, bracers, and greaves with a dragon motif, as well as a very daring war-skirt that showed off her powerful legs. Rishelle was a defender by training but did not carry a shield, using matched swords with long hilts, and guards designed to catch an opponent's weapon. Like Sadira, she trained in the Sun and Moon school of dual-weapon combat, and was quite aggressive for a defender. Rishelle was gregarious, always laughing and smiling, and she always shouted encouragement to the team when it was her turn to watch.
Tenisha, the Light-Elf, was quiet, almost sullen at first glance. She was initially very cold and distant, letting her long time fighting partner Rishelle talk for her, but she warmed up after a few days of hard training. She wore armour of a similar design to Rishelle's, but with a longer skirt, and white and gold colouring to accentuate her pale skin. Her arched shoulder guards were studded with pale emeralds that matched her eyes. While reserved in social situations, Tenisha surprised everyone but her usual partner by fighting like a woman possessed when she took to the field. The transformation was unnerving; the ice queen burned red-faced with fury, breaking her stoic silence to utter threats and scream obscenities. She reminded Sadira a little of Karmal when she fought, brutal and intense. A charger by training, she was versed in necromancy with additional training in the Berserker school.
Overall the Red team was very well balanced and versatile. With four defenders they would quite likely have more staying power than the Blues, allowing them to withstand an early blitz attack. They were also strong in both elemental and Druidic magic, which would allow them to attack hard at a range and fuel their team-mates with life sustaining magics.
The ten red Gladiators trained relentlessly; Gavin suggested they eat together and spend their free time getting to know each other. After a week, even the biggest egos on the team were getting along well. Sadira gave silent thanks that Karmal was under control and Ravius and Cassius got along. Tenisha's icy demeanour had melted enough for her to talk and smile freely in their company without Rishelle prompting her.
Practices were gruelling. After the usual three hours of running and exercise, the Gladiators began a lengthy regimen of formation and movement drills designed to accustom them to working as a team, smoothly and without hesitation. These drills included simple formations like the shield wall and star fortress as well as much more complex team manoeuvres like the wolf-pack tactic and double feint blindside. Active Gladiators spend much of their life in drill, and the ten members of the Red team began working together efficiently by the fifth day. The two masters, Sax and Kilubo were the last to acclimate themselves to the rest of the team, being more set in their ways. Sadira overcame this by appealing to their pride, challenging them to set an example for their junior peers.
In drill, Gladiators are unlike soldiers, and both would resent any comparison. A soldier is trained to fight as part of a unit, while a Gladiator is trained to fight as an individual above all. The weapon choice, weight class, basic training, and magic type as well as physical characteristics vary greatly, and even young Gladiators in their first fights on the Campus Martius are differentiated from their peers. As they progress in the Great Games, they learn new techniques and spells, train to enhance their bodies and minds in different ways, and learn some of the special disciplines offered by the myriad schools of combat that they can attend. Thus, they diverge even more over time, and it is often said that the mark of a true fan of the Great Games is being able to identify any master Gladiator simply by watching the fighter's shadow move. The sheer variety of fighters has kept the Great Games from becoming stale, except on the occasions when the rules get altered and favour one way of fighting to the point where every Gladiator must try to fight in that fashion. This is a constant tension, in truth, as arena masters, the Factions, and the Chosen impose their will on the arena for their own reasons. Such impositions are ephemeral at best; the crowds, the Deliberative, and the Gladiators do not tolerate stagnation in the games for long.
Thus team drills for Gladiators allow them to take a measure of each other so they know what to expect when their team-mates move and attack. After all, while both Vintia and Kilubo were heavy-armoured Gladiators who used tremendously large shields, one was much larger and slower than the other and their magical skills were very different; it would be folly to treat them as interchangeable despite the similarity in their roles.
After the seventh day of drills, Sadira was satisfied that her team could work together without tripping over each other. They cut their drill times down, spending more time on the most complex team attacks and arena formations. They began to use the late afternoon and evening purely for practice fights, with each Gladiator drawing a random partner and fighting against the other pairs. The team that won the most fights got to decide what they would do for their evening practice.
Gladiator practices are often brutal, bloody affairs; since they are many times tougher than a normal individual and heal most wounds with astonishing speed, they can use the same weapons and spells on the training grounds that they would in the arena and they rarely hold back. Injuries are quite common, but are accepted as part of training, and officers of the Deliberative watch these training fights very carefully.
As their match neared, every Gladiator on the Red team demonstrated the ability to fight in harmony with the others. Gavin and Sadira were, however, the only undefeated pair in their practice fights.
-----o
The day before the fight, Lina brought them a strange warning. One of Azure Dream's Vassals had sought Sadira's assistant out, telling her that her mistress had overheard that one of the Blue Gladiators was going to try and cheat. Sadira thanked Lina for her vigilance, but dismissed this as unlikely. The Grey-Robes were far too vigilant to allow such a thing to happen, and the penalties, when caught, were severe. Why would anyone risk imprisonment, gelding, or death to win when they would most likely be caught before the match, and almost certainly after it, for cheating? Besides, Sadira reasoned that she could do nothing about it except prepare to fight as best as she could, which she was already doing.
Gavin was not so sure; he was reminded of his last test fight and the five Grey-Robes who had meddled with his use of the arena Keystone. He knew that many Gladiators could be influenced, intimidated, or seduced into cheating; the history of the games was proof enough of that. The possibilities danced in his mind late that night, robbing him of sleep and haunting his dreams.
-----o
"A pit? I guess we know what they mean by extra points for terrain kills now..." sighed Vintia, shaking her head.
They were crammed into the corridor outside their arming rooms. Vintia could not see into the arena because the rest of the team obscured the doorway; the corridor was made to accommodate Gladiators even larger than Sax and Kilubo, but rarely saw so many fighters at one time. Mass melee matches like this were exceedingly rare outside of the very largest arenas. This challenge had drawn an eager crowd; the arena was filled to capacity and then some.
"Filled with spikes I'd' wager," drawled Sax. "The arena master put it there to break up charges and large formations. Works in our favour; the Blues won't be able to charge in directly."
"True, Master Sax, but I, for one, intend to make good use of that pit," added Cassius with a sly grin. "I find it quite amusing when an enemy takes a tumble into one of those, and I know the audience will back me up on that."
"I've seen the bottom of one pit too many, myself," Gavin grumbled.
"I see some rather nasty looking protrusions on the wall as well," Ravius said. "I'd rather pet a spike hound with my bare hands than get slammed up against the sides of the arena this match!"
"We can use the pits and the spikes to our advantage," announced Sadira, "but remember, they are the opposition's best bet at taking out some of our tougher members."
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They all glanced at Kilubo who shrugged his massive armoured shoulders, grinning. "I will be glad if I can run to the pit without the rest of you getting too far ahead."
"No fear of that, big man," said Karmal from where she leaned against the wall. "I intend to soften them up from a distance as we advance."
"Not a bad idea; I imagine the opening moments of this match could be very spell-heavy," said Cassius thoughtfully. "Do we have any idea who we are facing?"
"We are not entirely sure," responded Gavin, "although I did hear that the Blues hired a couple of defenders for this match."
"Stonehammer?" asked Sax, looking at Kilubo.
"That's the rumour. I am not sure which brother it is though," answered the gigantic Dwarf.
"Someone we should know?" asked Cassius.
"Three brothers, all master ranked defenders," answered Sax. "Their mother was unlucky enough to have three Gifted sons who all chose to become Gladiators."
"I thought that was an arena myth," Tenisha said quietly. "Is it true she died from grief?"
"I would have...!" The normally cheerful Rishelle frowned at the thought. Active Gladiators were forced to give up their children and the Gifted were all taken from their families for early training. The idea of a woman having to give up three sons to the arena filled most of them with pity.
Gavin kept quiet. He knew nothing of his own family. He fiddled with his spear, and thought of raising children with Sadira one day; but this was yet another freedom that they were denied.
"I can't say," shrugged Sax. "The Stonehammer brothers hire themselves out to Blue Faction teams for difficult occasions such as this. They command a ridiculous price. Don't let their less than stellar win-loss records fool you; they only get sent to the nastiest of matches."
The trumpets called. All of the Gladiators from both teams filed into the arena. The raucous crowd had spilled over the stands and into the stairways and aisles behind the seats. Restless conversation erupted into thunderous cheers as the trumpet song died away.
Gavin saw the titanic form of Shield-Splitter looming in the enemy ranks. Standing alongside him were the now familiar forms of Steel Harmony, Desert Star, Bull Dangerous, Blue Hornet, Sapphire Lotus, Blue Calamity, and Azure Dream; the later blew him a kiss and waved to Sadira. He smiled back, wishing he had that kind of composure, as her team-mates looked at her aghast. He wondered if he would miss any of his opponents when he left this place.
The first Gladiator that they did not recognize was a small clean shaven Dwarf in heavy-plated armour decorated with an inlaid hammer shaped grey stone; he carried a plain razor shield and a short, brutal looking axe.
"That's a Stonehammer," said Sax, "not sure which one though... never learned to tell them apart."
The second unfamiliar Gladiator was a new fifth ranker, a large Orcish man in thick, spiked heavy armour, armed with a broad-bladed war axe carved to look like a savage boar. His thick hair was done up in an intricate top-knot. Warsong was his arena name.
The final unknown fighter, a tall, dark-haired human female with alert blue eyes, was clad in shining silver plate armour decorated with a wolf motif, and armed with an ornate curve-bladed greatsword. The woman's dignified and commanding presence reminded Gavin of Sadira; both women had the piercing gaze and bearing of great eagles on the hunt.
"Countess Orsina of Marsh-haven..," said Sax, voice uncharacteristically lyrical, "She is a most dangerous swordswoman, I trained with her in the Faultless Blade school years ago. Nice gal, one of those classy Blues that are all about the old-time aristocratic virtues..." The laconic Ogre raised his blade to salute the Countess across the field; her severe expression softened for a moment as she returned the honour.
Karmal bristled, ready to protest this gesture of respect, but Sadira put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Save it for the Blues, Karmal," she said softly, wishing that her friend would stop seeing betrayal in friendly gestures towards opponents.
The announcer finished the lengthy process of introducing all of them to the crowd and called for the final salute. The Gladiators raised their weapons in acknowledgement to the cheering crowd as trumpet-song erupted yet again, signalling the start of the fight.
A blinding barrage of attack spells blasted forth from both teams. Kilubo, Gavin and Vintia were raked by lightning as they shielded their team, while the Blues were scorched by a well-placed fireball spell from Vintia. No real damage was done to either side, but the impressive display of magic had spectators leaping from their seats, shouting encouragement.
The Blue team rushed forward as the barrage ended, splitting up to avoid the yawning spike-toothed pit in the middle of the arena. The Reds too jogged forward in close formation, waiting for Sadira to give them the signal to charge. One of the plans that they had discussed was the "denied flank" strategy, to concentrate most of their force on one half of the enemy lines while avoiding the other half as long as possible. The pit presented a perfect opportunity for this, as the Blues were now divided.
"All, left!" Sadira ordered.
The Reds surged forward, picking up speed suddenly. The crowd roared. Gavin's heart thudded as he powered ahead, trying to keep up with Sax, Sadira, and Rishelle. Massive Kilubo thundered on behind them, ready to turn and face the other Blue group when they closed. A small knot formed in Gavin's stomach as he heard Sadira's war-shriek and saw her leap forward, throwing herself into the Blue lines, the first to make contact with the enemy.
The Reds hit the outnumbered Blue flank with an audible clash. War cries mixed with the sounds of metal grinding. The Blues gave ground before the sheer weight of their enemies, falling back under a hail of blows. Blue Hornet and Azure Dream bled from brutal wounds as they were driven toward the spiked walls. Charring flames washed over Gavin as the Blues desperately tried to break their momentum with a well-timed volley of spells. Although his eyes watered, and he breathed in a lungful of acrid smoke as his skin blistered, he kept pushing forward into the fray.
The Red plan almost won them the match that quickly, as the sheer mass of their charge concentrated against such a small number of opponents proved overwhelming, But when the Blues were less than a yard away from the spiked wall, the plan was foiled. Gavin heard a shout from his right, the direction of the pit, and looked up to see Countess Orsina leaping the thirty-foot pit to land in their midst, knocking Ravius off his feet. Spells now streaked in from the second group of Blues, staggering the Reds as Orsina rallied her team. Instantly their clean formation dissolved into a chaotic melee; forward progress stopped as Vintia and Sax tried to contain Orsina.
"TURN!" shouted Sadira.
The remaining Blue fighters were now bearing down on them, having sprinted from the other side of the pit. Kilubo turned to face them, and Gavin watched as Vintia tried to move to them, but a swift leg-hook from the Countess, done while parrying a sword-stroke from Sax, sent the shield-maiden sprawling. Gavin turned and ran, planting himself next to the monolithic Dwarf; they would have to meet the remaining Blues on their own. Shield-Splitter and Bull Dangerous loomed over him, Stonehammer in their wake with green plant tendrils grasping at his feet. The Ogre shouted something but it was lost as Gavin pummelled him with a mental blast. Then the Gladiators met with a thunderous clamour. Gavin was forced to give way, and losing his balance, he was sent flying backwards. Landing hard, he rolled awkwardly to his feet, bringing up his spear to ward off Stonehammer's cleaving axe only to be knocked to the ground again by a quick hit from the Dwarf's shield. But a bolt of lightning hit Stonehammer, momentarily staggering him, and giving Gavin a short reprieve. Due to the chaos of battle he could not be sure who had saved him. Gavin locked shields with Stonehammer, only to be pushed back again, nearly tripping as the master defender hooked his leg. Steel Harmony streaked past him, too fast to intercept.
Kilubo grappled with Shield-Splitter and Bull Dangerous at the edge of the pit. Blue Hornet ran forward to stab at Kilubo's side, plunging his spiked gauntlets into the gia
nt again and again as Shield-Splitter and Bull Dangerous wrestled him toward the edge. Gavin tried to go to his aid, but he could not get past Stonehammer to assist, and he watched his team-mate teeter on the edge of the pit helplessly. Rather than vainly struggling to avoid the fall, Kilubo suddenly yielded, catching both Shield-Splitter and Bull off-guard and dragging them over the edge with him. They seemed to dance on the horizon of the pit for an endless moment, roles suddenly reversed, and then all three tumbled in. The crowd cheered explosively as the Gladiators were impaled on the spikes below. Gavin, still giving ground before Stonehammer’s relentless assault, felt a wave of revulsion, remembering his own experiences with pits.
Deadly Sadira, however, revelled in the chaos of the melee. She locked blades with Desert Star, feeling the cold touch of a necromantic curse as she pushed the smaller woman back with a flurry of sword strokes. They moved together for a moment, two students of the war-dance locked in step, impressing the crowd with their intricate athleticism, until Desert Star attacked her with a malicious hex. Heaving nausea overcame Sadira for a moment, allowing her opponent to escape. She heard a warning sound from Vintia, and she dropped down instinctively, avoiding the bright blade of Sapphire Lotus's glaive, slicing through the air, taking a lock of hair out of her war-crest. Sadira vaulted to her feet, parrying another strike as she drifted backwards out of the reach of her opponent's blood-hungry weapon.
Sax locked blades with Countess Orsina in the middle of the fight. The two fought each other to a standstill, as they had many times before, each movement perfectly executed and anticipated. They seemed untouched by the chaos around them.
Karmal cleared a space around herself with a swing of her heavy cleaver, and then unleashed a series of fire blasts, scorching the Blues, until Steel Harmony streaked in and forced her to defend against a flurry of rapid rapier jabs.
Bloodlust: A Gladiator's Tale Page 46
