The invisible creature backed off more quickly than he had hoped, pulling itself off his spear. He saw no blood, only a clear fluid evaporating on his spear. He could not target the creature's mind, but he could sense its pain and target it with his magic through that connection.
Gavin channelled power, a heady amount which flowed through the spell pattern, forming a Brain Burster spell which flowed along his mental link to his invisible opponent's emotions and slammed through its mental defences. He could sense the creature's brain swelling painfully. Then he heard an eruption, as the creature's head burst like a huge, ripe melon had dropped from a great height. Something fell, heavily. Ten paces away, he saw the now visible body of his foe, lying headless on the ground. Its blood, now red like his, stained the sands as he turned with a smile to salute the crowd, hearing the sound of his friends cheering enthusiastically amidst a smattering of applause as the sound barrier was lifted.
Gavin did not mind that the small audience seemed rather ambivalent about the fight; he felt a certain satisfaction at overcoming the problem placed before him, facing an invisible foe and overcoming it with his own wit and skill. He retired to the arming room with a thoughtful smile lighting up his face.
Chapter Twenty-One: Six Bladed Blossom
1144/03/16 AR, Scorpion's Oasis, Faction Score: Blues 356 points; Reds 318 points
"Gladiators achieve the rank of Master after passing their tenth Ranking match, having fought a minimum of fifty matches. At this time a Gladiator can retire to teach, suffer through the Sundering and become a free vassal, or join the Warbound. A few, the best and the most stubborn, continue fighting, striving to become champions, the final stepping stone on the way to becoming one of the Chosen." Codex of Arms and the Arena
"Some of the machinations of the Chosen are subtle, ripples of a stone dropped far across the lake. In the Domains, things that seem like pure chance are often the fruits of meticulous plans made by subtle minds long ago." Chosen Marius
Morale was much higher among the Red Faction in Scorpion's Oasis. As the rain brings out the long hidden blossoms from the hidden desert flowers, Victory nourished the Reds and brought them out of their habitual torpor. Sadira and "her team" were the focus of intense well-wishing from the rest of the Red Gladiators. Some of the other Reds made a good showing in the first month of competition, as well. Their section of the training grounds was now much more active, the strength of new hopes having broken the chains of past failures.
As the competitive season entered its second month the Reds were only slightly behind the Blues in overall points. Sulius ul-Cyrus, Chief Promoter of the faction, was overflowing with joy, lavishing praise on all his Gladiators, taking an active hand in helping them plan and train.
It was their turn to issue a challenge to the Blues. Sadira retained her position as leader of the team, but she preferred to let others have their voice when crafting the challenge; Ravius, Vintia, and Gavin were more at ease with complex strategies, while she and Karmal trained to prefer a more aggressive, direct approach. She found it relaxing to be a participant, let the others take the lead instead during these discussions. It also gave her time out of the spotlight, which was becoming more precious to her as her renown increased. She only interceded if she had a useful insight or if the arguments over planning got out of control.
"I noticed that most of the other challenges the Blues put up last season, other than against us, were individual or pairs," said Vintia. "I have a chart that you can check on your link-crystals that shows all of the matches and rules used. They definitely seem to avoid team matches."
"Why don't you just say 'we should challenge them to a five-man team match' Vee?" said Karmal; strategy sessions bored her, but she had been taking more interest in them after winning praise from the other Reds for last month's victories. Their last match against the Blues had given her a chance to be the team's main offensive weapon and Karmal relished the attention this role had brought her.
"I like backing up what I say with a little research Karmal," Vintia responded with a hint of frost in her voice. "I think we have a definite advantage in teamwork, and we have a more versatile team."
"I agree," interjected Sadira before Karmal could respond. "Most of the Blues act and think as individuals on the field."
"As do I, little sister," added Ravius, smiling approvingly at Vintia. "We have shown that we make a strong team and we'd be better off with a match that lets us make good use of our exceptional versatility. Do we want to go head to head with them, or go with trials like we did in the last match of last season?"
"Trials would prevent them from interfering with us," said Gavin. He could sense that Ravius wanted someone to ask the obvious question. "Why would we want to go with anything else?"
"Trials do prevent them from trying to foil us," said Ravius in his most diplomatic tone, "but do not forget that we turned their interference into a losing strategy last match. Since we set the specifics in this round of challenges we can make it work even better for us."
"I like that plan Ravius," said Karmal, practically beaming at him as she spoke. Sadira noted the venomous look that Vintia shot the red-haired Gladiatrix; even though Ravius was no longer living with them, he was still causing friction between the two. Sadira felt a little guilt for not having enough time between training, fans, and Gavin to ease the growing tension between her two childhood friends.
"Are you sure they'll fall for it again?" asked Vintia. "We beat them pretty handily last match."
"In my experience, little sister, an arrogant man will often double down on his errors." Ravius smiled. "I'm sure some of them are dying for another go at us. Gladiator pride is a prickly thing; I imagine most of them will rationalize our last victory as merely luck; we may as well take advantage of this before they are forced to take us seriously."
"I can see that, but it still seems risky to try beating them at their own game again," said Gavin. "They are very good at foiling us, and though we turned this against them once, we might be the arrogant ones for thinking we can do it again. In a trial match we don't even have to worry about the other team; they aren't on the field. Is there more to your strategy?"
"I'd also like to add that if we get unlucky, we could lose quite a few points," added Vintia. "All it takes is for the arena master to miss a few calls..."
"Yes, you are both quite right. But..." Ravius paused dramatically, his perpetual grin broadening, "if we dangle this in front of them like a tasty carrot we have a much better chance of them agreeing to other provisions that favour us in the Challenge. I bet some of them are so eager to get another shot at us that they won't even think very hard about what we propose. That, added to the fact that we can turn their interference attempts against them means we have a strong argument in favour of competing with them directly instead."
"So you think we can leverage a chance for them to play dirty again into a more advantageous match for us?" asked Sadira, cutting the argument down to its core concept. Ravius nodded.
"Interesting," said Gavin thoughtfully. "We can load the match with tempting little rules for them and then try to stack as much as we can in our favour."
"That's not how I would put it, little brother," said Ravius. "You make it sound so devious and ignoble. I prefer to think of it as extending an olive branch to our most worthy adversaries; if we reap the rewards and get a more favourable match by being considerate of our fellow Gladiators on the Blue team, it is only virtue's just reward."
"Maybe we could get a match where you just bury them under a steaming pile of words," snorted Karmal.
-----o
Sadira brought the results of their discussion to Sulius ul-Cyrus the next day. The Chief Promoter looked them over, smiling appreciatively after he finished.
Despite her initial confrontation with the man, Sadira had come to appreciate the leader of the Red Faction in Scorpion's Oasis. He had been more than fair to them after their initial match, going out of his way to find sca
rce trainers for herself and Vintia, quickly finding accommodations for Ravius when she had noticed the friction his living with the two girls was causing, and seeing to their every comfort. He had even offered to help them find Vassals to help with their household, which Sadira had refused so far; she did not like the idea of servants. Sulius had also introduced her to the surprisingly interesting Amoura Vogue, which was enough to earn forgiveness for him on its own. The Chief Promoter was accommodating, honest, and helpful; qualities the Gladiatrix could see clearly now.
"You're trying to bait them into accepting the rest of your terms?" he asked. "Very clever, my dear; I wonder if Regina will allow any of her fighters to respond to the obvious bait..."
"Regina?" she asked after a moment's silence, "that’s the Blue's Chief Promoter?"
"Yes," he responded. "She is the one who keeps ruining your fun with surprise announcements, the exquisitely dressed Light-Elf woman you saw talking to the announcer in your two matches at Scorpion's Oasis last season." He sighed. Sadira could read Sulius well enough to see that there was more to this, something worth exploring perhaps.
"Tell me about her," she prompted. "I need to know more about my opposition, not just the Gladiators I will fight."
"Where to begin..." He grabbed a small pastry from a heaped tray in front of him, chewing it thoughtfully before going on. "Unlike me, she began her career in the arena, as a Gladiatrix; she was good but had a string of unfortunate losses late in her career. She has a great eye for talent, better than most recruiters. In fact I think she may have actually worked as a recruiter for the Blues at one time... regardless, she not only gets good fighters for her team, she has a great record of getting under the skin of my own fighters. She has been running the Scorpion's Oasis Blues for more than two decades and they have never lost a single season under her guidance. I have not even come close to defeating her while I have been here. I am not the first Chief Promoter she has crushed either."
"Sounds impressive," said Sadira.
"Yes. I should have lost my job years ago, but no one else wants to tackle the Blues here at the moment," Sulius sighed. "Most Red fighters who show real promise don't even last a season here. She finds a way to get to them, or they transfer out as quickly as they can. The Oasis is tough on any Red with ambition; most of our roster are either treating it as a vacation or have lost their competitive edge. Take some time to talk to some of our older fighters; many of them were good, maybe even great once, but they have long since been worn down..." He paused, distant for a moment. She could tell from his expression that it weighed heavily on him.
"You should get out of this arena as quickly as you can, Sadira," he said, staring at the plate of food instead of looking at her. "Build your reputation and go. Scorpion's Oasis is a graveyard of broken Reds. Regina will undermine them, if the apathy of the crowds here doesn't drain them of all ambition first. This is a beautiful town, but I'm afraid it won't be good to you if you stay too long. With the way you have been fighting, you’ll get an invitation to Brightsand Halls or another big-time arena very soon. Take it, before this place gets to you."
Sadira considered Sulius, wondering what he had been like before the years of failure had eroded him. The man obviously cared deeply about his fighters. Perhaps he had seen too many "ruined". And yet deep down she could see him struggling to throw off his torpor. A mad impulse seized her.
"No. I am a woman who finishes what she starts, Chief Promoter," she said slowly, adopting a more formal mode of speech, letting her determination show in every word. "I came here to make my mark and I will. I will be staying for the whole season, no matter what offers I get. My team will be fighting as often as we can. I personally will take every challenge I can answer. I intend to leave this place wearing victory laurels; I swear I will not leave here until I have earned them."
Most Gladiators would only fight at most two to four matches in a regular Faction season; training, preparation, and conditioning took much of a fighter's time. More importantly, most Gladiators preferred only to participate in challenges that would make them look good, which meant being picky about what matches they chose. For Sadira to answer every challenge for which she qualified, she would have to risk damaging her enviable, unblemished record. Selflessness was a rare quality in a fighter of her calibre. Sulius ul-Cyrus stared at her. He felt as if he could not quite comprehend what she had said. The resolve in her voice energized him. He could only think of one answer to her wilful words.
"I do not fully understand the life of a Gladiatrix, but I know enough about the Great Games to recognize the risk you are running Sadira Lacivia," he said, his rounded form quivering with emotion. "Few Gladiatrices of your glowing reputation would gamble their precious records or turn down a quick exit from Scorpion's Oasis. If you do this, win or lose, I will do everything in my power to help you rise to your rightful position in the world. If you, or your team need anything: trainers, rune-smiths, vassals to serve you... anything... no expense will be spared. I am your man, now and forever."
"Thank you Chief Promoter," she favoured him with a smile. "I am honoured by your trust. I will send you a list of what we need. Now, by your leave, I must return to my team to prepare; let me know when the Blues respond to our Challenge."
He nodded, watching her as she turned and marched away.
"This time we win." he said softly, savouring the sound of the words, impossible as it might seem. The harsh desert air seemed somehow sweeter now. Sulius returned to his paperwork, ignoring the trays of delicious food around him, humming an old tune under his breath.
-----o
Sadira informed the team of her discussion with Sulius when she joined them on the training grounds. "I want to take this broken down Faction and lead them to victory. To do so, I'm willing to fight in every challenge I can, even if it means taking fights that I might not be able to win in order to get a few more points, or turning down a quick promotion to the big leagues. I've always rushed to get ahead in my career, but I see I can make a difference here, and I'm going to try."
"If it were anyone else, I'd say they were crazy," said Gavin, chuckling, "but, truth be told, we all expected this from the start. You aren't the type to turn your back on this kind of challenge. We'll follow your lead, my love."
Sadira looked at each of them, reading their moods; it appeared Gavin spoke for all of them, except perhaps Karmal, but the flame-haired Gladiatrix would go along to show that she was just as good as her friend. "You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?"
"No. I think I'd have more luck trying to talk the desert sun into setting an hour early so we can get some shade." Gavin grinned. "This is who you are; I'll fight at your side in every match I can. If you will have me."
She embraced him, pleased by the show of faith. She could dare anything with this kind of support.
-----o
Regina diCouture was in a foul mood. The Reds were doing far better than usual this season, invigorated by new talent. She liked to take the wind out of her opponents early in the season, draining their morale. She was afraid that a few more victories might awaken a deep hunger for a redemptive victory in her normally submissive opponents. Scorpion's Oasis was a plum position for most Gladiators who aligned themselves with the Blue Faction; they were guaranteed a partisan crowd, frequent victories, and winners' laurels at the end of every season. Consequently, with the Reds showing signs of life, many of her fighters were becoming cautious, and might soon start to avoid tough challenges to protect their precious records. Worse yet, she could lose out on top recruiting prospects when they learned they might have to face tough opposition. It was amazing how things could turn sour so quickly.
It was the nature of her Faction though. The Blues sought out the ambitious and the individualistic. It was a good strategy, but the downside was that most Blues cared more for themselves than for the rest of their Faction. Their personal drive was usually a great asset, but it became their team's greatest weakness in cases li
ke this. To top it off, Regina was getting a great deal of interference from her superiors. They wanted her to do everything she could to hinder Sadira Lacivia's career, even if it meant losing the season and risking her own fighters to do so. Foolishness! She could sense the hand of the Chosen at work here; young Sadira had attracted the attention of the immortal lords of the Domains. She was not surprised; all but the elder Chosen were once Gladiators and they could not resist interfering in the Great Games. A Gladiatrix like Sadira could be groomed to become a champion, and eventually a Chosen herself. How could she meddle with a rising star protected by the great and powerful?
Despite her lofty position in the Faction, Regina could not afford to deny her superiors. They cared little for her proven record or long service to the Faction. If she could not satisfy them, they would cast her aside in an instant; it was the way of things...She sighed. It was unfair, but she could do nothing about it. She buried her feelings and considered her options.
-----o
They met Master Sax a day before their second challenge of the season. Gavin and Ravius were practising in a busy area of the training grounds. Cleothera, Sadira, Vintia, and Karmal were taking a trip to the nearby city of Brightsand Halls, to watch the famed Tiber ul-Sala, Sadira's war-dancer trainer, in a match. Gavin did not really want to go with them; he knew Sadira was attracted to Tiber and would enjoy the match more if she could ogle the man and make comments with her friends. He kept his jealousy in check; Sadira was faithful to him, and after all she had not complained once that he had travelled with Cleothera.
Bloodlust: A Gladiator's Tale (Domains of the Chosen Book One) Page 33
