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  1. #11
    Pit Master Apoca1ypse's Avatar
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    very nice write up mate
    Do you want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women? Then follow the link below!

    >>Player Guide Compendium<<

    Stable: Team Win
    Official Team Song: Dethklok - Face Fisted
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    P.S. Apoc is still a ninja!

  2. #12
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    Long chapter this time. C&C greatly appreciated like always!

    Chapter 4

    Hyunmi was pretty, if one was into athletic women, and her shoulder-length black hair was glossy. She took meticulous care of her looks, and rumor had it that she had managed to cut a deal with a priest so that no matter what harm or illness she suffered, no scars would be left on her body. In a different life, Lodis would have enjoyed ogling her.

    Unfortunately, Hyunmi was the Ophidium stable’s second senior most gladiator. She was a berserker fighting in the Legends division and expected to progress to the next bracket in the very near future. She was currently ranked the number one Rage gladiator in that division with over two hundred wins to her name.

    Most importantly, at the moment, she was furious with Lodis.

    “A bloody disgrace! You have the height and the weight advantage, and you end up begging for your life from some no-name fighter from some no-name stable!?” Lodis backed up as Hyunmi advanced on him. Normally, he wouldn’t have been intimidated by a woman a full foot and a half shorter than him but the look on Hyunmi’s face would have made a starving lion pause. “YOU PATHETIC PIECE OF TRASH! How did you even get in this stable?! If Vyncul had any sense, you’d be thrown out and given to the bloody brothels! Maybe you’ll have more success there!”

    Lodis tried to speak, but Hyunmi lashed out with a kick and sent him sprawling. “You’d better shape up, or by the gods, I’ll kill you myself! Don’t you dare besmirch Ophidium’s name again!” The woman stormed away, leaving Lodis sprawled on the floor in his room.

    ***

    “How’s your head?”

    Lodis looked up from putting on his armor and groaned inwardly. Macha and Tsukuyomi were standing above him, grinning.

    Macha was an elaar, and nearly matched Lodis’s height despite being almost a hundred pounds lighter. Her eyes perpetually flashed with mischief, and she had a penchant for the dramatic, which showed in her fighting style through her nonstop feints and acrobatic moves. In contrast, Tsukuyomi was a gladiator who utilized minimal movement, preferring measured, decisive strikes with her greatsword over mad flurries. At six feet tall, she was nearly a foot shorter than Lodis, but she had more strength than him, a fact she proudly attested to her upbringing in one of the barbarian tribes that lurked along the borders of the Great Realm. She rarely spoke, but when she did, her words were usually dry and sarcastic. Despite the differences between the two women, Macha and Tsukuyomi were inseparable and often could be found sparring with each other.

    “Hyunmi’s got a mean kick, eh?” Macha chuckled, staring at the bruise on Lodis’s cheek. “Well, can’t really blame her. I’ve never seen a worse debut fight than yours.”

    Tsukuyomi nodded somberly. “Bad business that. I’ve had five challenges since then. All from new fighters who thought I’d be just like you.”

    “Hey, at least you won all of your fights. I got challenged by a Trug from the Deadmoon stable. That huge hammer he has hurts! Had to go to the temple to get my ribs healed up.” The elaar shuddered in mock recall. “When do you think you’re going to be let go? Packed your bags yet?”

    “I haven’t—“

    “Nah, I’m just kidding new fish. You won’t get kicked out yet. Vyncul likes to wait through a couple fights, doesn’t like to waste his money. He’ll probably decide after your third or fourth fight, isn’t that right Tsuki?” The human woman nodded sagely. Smiling smugly, Macha leaned closer to Lodis conspiratorially. “Better be careful though, kid. You never know when a stable owner gives up hope on a fighter and just gets rid of him, yeah? I hear the temples are looking for fighters the stables don’t want anymore. They need more eunuchs to take care of the heavy lifting and dirty work.” Laughing, the two women left the armory, leaving the young man alone with his thoughts.
    Last edited by Kolodis; 11-08-2012 at 09:17 AM.

  3. #13
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    ***

    The Trainer, embarrassed at Lodis’s performance, had stepped up his training program, and the fighter was sore from all the sparring and running he had done. At least it was night now. After he’d taken off his armor, he could retire to his room and sleep. He wouldn’t have to endure the constant jibes and taunts from Macha and Tsukuyomi. He wouldn’t have to ignore Hyunmi’s murderous glares from across the training hall. Sometimes Lodis wondered he wouldn’t have been better off trying to make a break for it that day in the slave market. Being dead seemed positively delightful compared to the hell he was stuck in, training without end, enduring the scorn of his stablemates. Hell, even if he died in a pit fight, he’d just be resurrected to fight and die again. It was torture.

    Bleakly, Lodis sat down on a bench near the weights. The stable slaves looked at him curiously as they walked here and there, cleaning up blood and sweat off the floor and repairing broken training dummies. Lodis ignored them and stared sullenly at the sparring pit. The pit was in the center of the room and was deep enough so that even he couldn’t climb out without using the step ladders stacked against the wall. It was a circular depression about thirty feet wide, large enough to allow maneuver, but small enough that it forced conflict. It reminded him of the coliseum. It reminded him of his shame and failure. He had lost a fight that he should have had the advantage in, and had done so in a spectacularly embarrassing fashion. He’d almost died, would have died if not for the Enforcer’s intervention.

    “Who are you?”

    Startled out of his brooding, Lodis looked up to see a man inspecting him thoughtfully. He was clad in plate armor and a glaive rested casually on his right shoulder. His left arm carried his helm, and Lodis realized that the man was nearly identical to him in height, perhaps a little taller. Scars branded the man’s face and short black hair rested on his scalp. There was an intensity to the man’s gaze that reminded Lodis of Vyncul’s eyes. The thought of the stable owner threatened to push the fighter back into his glum mood.

    “I asked you a question.”

    Lodis shook his head wearily. “I should be the one asking you that. I’ve never seen you in the stable before. How’d you get past the guards?”

    The man cocked his head. “You’re the new fighter Hyunmi was complaining about.” There was surprise in his voice. “You’re different from what I expected.”

    Lodis was too tired take offense. “Yeah, I’m the new kid. Lost my first fight in embarrassing fashion, begged for mercy, all that stuff. Just a coward living in the pits.”

    The scarred man regarded him for a moment. He had a bearing that reminded Lodis of Katrina. Perhaps he was a soldier of Sarthis, curious to see the shame of Ophidium. The man nodded towards the sparring pit. “Spar with me.”

    “Why?”

    “Just do it.”

    “Go to hell.” It was probably unwise to antagonize this man if he was one of Vyncul’s soldiers, but Lodis was too tired and miserable to care. Bad enough he had to endure the scorn of his stablemates day in and day out. He wasn’t about to indulge a random soldier’s whim and he wasn’t going to provide any more amusement.

    “I said,” the soldier grabbed Lodis and threw him off the bench, “to get in the pit.”

    Confused, Lodis rose only to be shoved in the direction of the sparring pit. He turned and glared at the man, who calmly returned it. Fine then. One round of sparring. He’d go embarrass himself and then he would sleep. Lodis snorted. If he was really lucky, the man might put him out of his misery. The young fighter waved over a stable slave to lower a ladder into the pit.

    The two men descended into the small arena, and Lodis turned and assumed a guard position. The other man needed no invitation and swung his glaive. Contemptuously, Lodis leaned back and dodged the strike then prepared to rush in—only to leap back in surprise when the glaive suddenly reversed its swing and nearly took his head off. “Arrogance leads a fighter to underestimate his opponent,” the soldier said calmly, following up with two more strikes at the head and a sweep that Lodis barely read. “Keep your feet. A fighter off his legs is a fighter about to lose them.” Lodis barely heard the words, the sound almost consumed by the ringing of nonstop parries as he barely got his guard in place for each blow. All the while, the soldier kept speaking with no sign of effort or exertion. “Every pit fighter is a slave, but you cannot show compassion in the pit, not while you fight. A man without the intent to kill cannot prevail against a man who embraces that intent. You must have no pity when you fight.”

    A flurry of blows drove the young gladiator back and around the edge of the pit, the scarred man’s words never pausing. “Space is everything. You must learn the space your opponent is comfortable in and then you must drag him out of it. If your opponent revels in close quarters, you must keep him at bay. If he prefers long range, look for a way to close the distance.” A glancing blow to the head knocked Lodis off balance and nearly toppled him. “A fighter who is pulled into a fight he isn’t familiar with will either rise to the occasion or choke in despair. Most do the latter and become pitiful, panicking animals. Have no remorse when this happens and strike them down.” Lodis tried to step into the man so he could use his shorter mace but that whirling glaive was everywhere, threatening a deadly blow every place Lodis tried to go in.

    Grimacing, Lodis raised his shield and bulled in, only for his opponent to snap his leg up and kick the shield. The armored foot slammed through the bottom half of the shield and smashed into Lodis’s thigh, stopping his momentum and knocking him off balance, sending the young fighter sprawling. He turned over quickly and barely got his shield into position to block a titanic blow that nearly numbed his arm. “Without balance, there is no technique in the world that will save you from death. Physical balance requires a sure footing, mental balance a sound mind.” Despite fighting for his life, these words knifed to Lodis’s core. “Berserkers try to ignore fear, suppressing it with rage and bloodlust. Theatrics revel in it, seeking to prove their mastery over it and inflict it upon the enemy through deceit and showmanship.” A series of smashing strikes forced Lodis to roll to his left and he found himself staring at the pit wall. He was out of room. He threw a frantic swing with his mace and tried to stand, only to be kicked back down again, desperately hiding behind his shield as another series of blows rang down. “As a warrior, you will do neither. True warriors use fear as a tool to sharpen their minds and speed their movements. Properly channeled, fear will take you to heights you never thought possible. Become controlled by fear, and you will die. It is a fine line.” Lodis could barely lift his arms to block. There was only one way out. He gritted his teeth and abruptly dropped his mace arm and surged to his feet. The glaive crashed into his shoulder, spinning him and causing him to cry out with pain, but he was finally on his feet. He could finally fight back. Lodis turned around and something smashed into his head, toppling him yet again. Groggily, he peered up at the soldier. Was the man smiling? “Once you can master and control your fear, it will cease to become your enemy and become a staunch ally. Remember. No pity. No remorse. No fear.” Lodis passed out.

    ***

    He woke up to find one of the slaves over him, tending to his wounds. Realizing he was awake, the slave grinned at him. “Not bad, gladiator. You put on a decent fight in there. Pull that off in the arena and you’ll be fine.” He noticed Lodis’s concerned look at his shoulder. “Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks. It’ll heal up in no time. The blow to the head was only a concussion, you’ll get over that quickly too.”

    Lodis blinked in confusion. “What just happened? Who was that man?”

    “That was Kolodis, senior most fighter in the Ophidium stable. He was Vyncul’s first fighter. He’s been away on a contract the last few weeks. Doesn’t usually talk that much, come to think of it. Maybe he saw something in you. Well, I’m off to get some sleep. Only a few hours till dawn.” The slave stood up, then noticed Lodis hadn't moved. “Fighter? You should get some rest.”

    Lodis nodded slowly. “I will.” Appeased, the slave scurried off, leaving Lodis lying on the floor, alone with his thoughts.
    Last edited by Kolodis; 11-08-2012 at 09:20 AM.

  4. #14
    Pit Master Apoca1ypse's Avatar
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    i really like that writeup. nice balance between dialogue and actions made me get a movie snippet in my mind
    Do you want to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and to hear the lamentation of their women? Then follow the link below!

    >>Player Guide Compendium<<

    Stable: Team Win
    Official Team Song: Dethklok - Face Fisted
    Gladiators on Note: Ahhnold, Bruce Iee, Duke Nukem, Bruce Willis, Wargh, Kharn

    Quote Originally Posted by Nate View Post
    P.S. Apoc is still a ninja!

  5. #15
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    Yeah, that was the type of feel I was trying to go for, glad you liked it

  6. #16
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    Short chapter this time

    Chapter 5

    “Not to complain, but I’ve been wondering for awhile,” Lodis stared at his breakfast uneasily, “what is it?”

    Macha and Tsukuyomi looked at each other in confusion. Hyunmi paused in scarfing down her food and glared at Lodis in annoyance. Kolodis merely kept eating.

    “I mean, it doesn’t taste like chicken or pork, and the texture is wrong for beef. So what is it?”

    “It’s meat, you idiot. It’s food. That’s all you need to know.” Apparently satisfied, the petite berserker went back to finishing her food. Lodis sighed. Hyunmi was still furious with him for his poor performance during his debut match. It wouldn’t be wise to annoy her any more, but Lodis was a bit uneasy eating some unknown meat. It tasted great and gave him more energy than anything he’d eaten back before he was a gladiator, but it didn’t look like the meat from any animal he knew of.

    The thought reminded him of his life before he was a slave. He’d been close friends with the butcher’s daughter, and they’d often spent time together when he’d finished his work in his father’s forge. What was her name? Gods, he couldn’t even remember what she looked like. His past life felt like dim memories taken from another man now. It seemed as if he had lived the gladiator’s life forever. Lodis snorted. An arrogant thought for a pit fighter who’d only had one fight.

    Tsukuyomi shrugged, bringing Lodis out of his reverie. “Dunno. It’s from Fat Louie’s Chop Shop. No one knows what it is.”

    “Some say,” Macha leaned forward conspiratorially, “that Louie goes out and hunts dragon hatchlings and brings back their meat to sell. Others say we eat the slain remains of his kinsmen. However, I’ve heard from reliable sources what the meat truly is.”

    “What’s that?”

    “Gladiators who ask where the meat comes from.” The elaar dissolved into laughter and Tsukuyomi grinned. A faint smile flitted across Kolodis’s face and even Hyunmi couldn’t resist laughing. Lodis found himself chuckling, despite the fun being made at his expense. Macha was a born prankster, and couldn’t resist practical jokes and teasing any more than the sun could resist rising up into the sky.

    “I’m glad to see all of you are enjoying yourselves.” Katrina marched into the barracks where the fighters were eating. She looked exactly the same as the day she had picked up Lodis from the slave market, dressed in black silk with her back ramrod straight, her eyes looking coldly and contemptuously around the room. Apparently satisfied, although by what Lodis couldn’t imagine, she passed out several scrolls of parchment. “Your next assignments. Kolodis, your first match in the Blood Games is in a week. Tsukuyomi, you’ll have a match in three days. It will determine whether you move up to the next bracket, so train hard. Both of you will report to the Trainer at once.” Nodding, the two left the barracks to enter the adjoining training hall.

    “Hyunmi, I’ve picked up a contract for you. There are strange occurrences going on near the Wicked Tomb, north of the Borderlands. The client is concerned about possible danger to his assets in the area and is currently waiting in a tavern by one of the lesser temples. The directions are in the map I’ve given you, make sure you get more information before leaving the city.” Hyunmi made a grimace but didn’t protest.

    “Macha, Lodis, I’ve picked up a joint contract for the two of you. Apparently a spite and a trug have been causing trouble in a village by the Wraith Moors. The authorities can’t be bothered to send men down there and have posted bounty contracts for the pair of them. I’ve secured exclusive rights for you two to kill the two for a week’s time. After that, you’ll be competing with other bounty hunters, so I would advise you to make it quick.” Noticing the expression on Lodis’s face, Katrina asked curtly, “is there a problem?”

    “It’ll take us several days to reach this village. We won’t be able to reach it without adequate supplies. Also, the two targets aren't always in the village. They spend a lot of time by various trails as highwaymen, so there’s no assurance that they’ll be there when we get there.”

    Macha looked at the young fighter curiously. “How do you know all this?”

    “Well,” Lodis said numbly, “that’d be because I grew up there.”
    Last edited by Kolodis; 11-15-2012 at 03:31 PM.
    Stable: Ophidium
    Current Glads: Gaiserik, , Cevir, Reginleif, Whitefangzed, Hyunmi
    Retired Glads: Kolodis (1009-806-42), Lodis (965-624-23)

  7. #17
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    This latest chapter is proving a bit difficult to write. Hopefully I'll still b able to post by next thursday
    Stable: Ophidium
    Current Glads: Gaiserik, , Cevir, Reginleif, Whitefangzed, Hyunmi
    Retired Glads: Kolodis (1009-806-42), Lodis (965-624-23)

  8. #18
    Veteran Master sevenseas's Avatar
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    Good stuff Kolidis....too bad i can't get this whole story on paper so i can read it in it's entirety in my throne room er...uh...my bathroom lol...I like it so far man, keep it coming.
    Buzz- Seven Seas "The Biggest Hits In the Pits"

    Song the stable works out to - Demon's Eye by Deep Purple on the FireBall Album

    Manager of WTK, Dragon City, Dirty Dogs, and Seven Seas.

    With one life to live, does it make sense to be unhappy about anything except for having one life to live?

  9. #19
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    Thanks for the encouragement sevenseas
    Stable: Ophidium
    Current Glads: Gaiserik, , Cevir, Reginleif, Whitefangzed, Hyunmi
    Retired Glads: Kolodis (1009-806-42), Lodis (965-624-23)

  10. #20
    Stable Servant Kolodis's Avatar
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    Finally, chapter 6. Sorry for the wait.

    Chapter 6

    It’d been three days since they’d left the capitol. All the while, Macha had pestered Lodis with questions about the place where he’d grown up. How large was the village? Did many travelers come through? What crops did they grow? Were there children there? How many young women? Were they pretty? The last question had made Lodis snort.

    “What’s the matter, elaar? You going to steal a husband from one of them?”

    Macha was completely unabashed. “Aw, come on little boy. Everyone likes to have some sport once in awhile. Besides,” a sly grin surfaced on her face, “I’m a Theatric. We always want to be the center of attention.”

    Bemused, the man shook his head. He wondered if all elaar were as narcissistic and easygoing as Macha was. He’d heard rumors about their arrogance and grace, but nowhere in those stories did an elaar have anything resembling Macha’s…playfulness.

    Macha stiffened. “Is that the place?” Lodis nodded. It’d been awhile since he’d been home, and he was struck for the first time by the difference between it and the capital city. Wooden huts sprawled in a disorderly fashion throughout the area. Goats wandered aimlessly over the dusty paths in the village, nimbly stepping around cow dung and piles of cracked firewood. There were few people that can be seen, most preferring to take shelter in their dwellings from the hot noon sun. One of them turned, wiping her sweating brow absently, then stiffened upon seeing the two heavily armed warriors.

    “James? James, is that you?” the woman asked in disbelief.

    Macha looked at Lodis in confusion. “She talking to you?” He nodded slowly. He was astonished that he’d been recognized in his plate armor: he was a completely different person than when he’d been taken away. He tried to dredge up the woman’s name.

    “Rebecca, it’s been a long time. What’re you doing here? I thought you’d be on the farm helping to bring in the harvest.”

    “That’s what I should ask you! Zarha, Matthias, look, James is back! The village hasn’t been the same with you gone! You wouldn’t believe…” Lodis tried to get a word in, but words poured out from Rebecca like water flooding through a broken dam. “…and the potter has finally gotten married to that old widow by the river, can you believe it? I can’t believe you’ve finally come back! ”

    “Yes, it’s all rather unreal.” Although not compared to being forced to fight for your life every other day. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll let you get to it. I’m just gonna drop by my pare—”

    “Oh no, we’re not busy at all! I’m sure you want to see Cyria after all this time, you must have missed her terribly!”

    “No, I don’t—”

    “It’s no trouble! Come, come, we’ll get a celebration organized in no time! There’s no need to worry about any inconvenience!” She went on and Lodis hid a frown. His memories as a normal peasant were faded now, dulled by the acid of time and intense physical training, but he didn’t recollect Rebecca being this talkative before.

    “Hey, woman.” The silky smooth voice cut off Rebecca mid-sentence as Macha stepped forward. Lodis had almost forgotten she was there. “What are you trying to hide?” The woman paled.

    “Why, I never…who is this rude woman James? And why are her ears pointed?”

    “I’m an elaar, you ignorant simpleton. Moreover, Lodis and I are here on business, so as much as you amuse me,” Macha looked at the farmwoman as if looking at a particularly dense imbecile, “you’re hiding something, and I don’t like surprises. Now say something useful, or I’ll have to converse with you in a more direct method. Where are Bargan the Spite and Gmrak the Trug?”

    Rebecca shook her head frantically. “An elaar? You can’t be an elaar, everyone knows that they live on the other side of the Realm. They’re fair-spoken folk, but cunning, and can steal your soul with a song! Someone rude like you couldn’t possibly be—“

    “Rebecca,” Lodis interrupted, “my companion speaks the truth. We’re here on business and are hunting for Bargan and Gmrak. All the same,” he glanced sidelong at Macha, “I’d like to visit my parents shortly while I can. I won’t be able to stay and I’d like to see them before I go.” He tried to speak as calmly as he could, but the woman looked at him with…was that dread in her eyes? Why? He and Macha weren’t going to hurt them.

    The farmwoman gave a cough. “Ah, well, erm, those two are…James, you grew up in this town. You should know that no good comes of messing with them. You’re a nice boy, James,” Macha snorted in amusement, “so, I don’t want to see you get killed tangling with those two. They’re out right now anyways, no idea when they’d be back. It’s best if you leave now before they come back. None of us will say anything about you, don’t you worry.”

    “My parents—“

    “They’re out right now, went to Taran’s Ferry to sell some of their ironwork.” Rebecca’s eyes kept shifting away from Lodis’s gaze. “You know how long their business trips—“

    Macha grabbed the dumpy woman and whipped her kris out, stopping with the edge just short of cutting her throat. “No more lies,” the gladiator said as the human woman mewled in distress. “What are you hiding, and why?”

    “Macha! Let her go!” Without even realizing it, Lodis had his axe ready in his right hand. He didn’t know what he would do with it. He couldn’t let Macha kill an innocent villager, but he didn’t want to fight the elaar either. Aside from getting turned into a bleeding mess, he didn’t want to fight someone he’d lived, eaten, and trained with for several months.

    “This woman’s hiding something, kid. Maybe she forgot where she put her bloody silverware. Maybe this village is being held hostage by the two we came here to hunt. Maybe our prey has a whole bloody gang. I don’t know, and what a person doesn’t know will kill her. Now be a good boy, and let your senior do the talking from here.”

    Lodis’s grip tightened. What do I do? “I won’t ask you again, Macha. Don’t do this.” Macha gave him a grin that was all the more chilling for its casual bloodlust.

    “Think you can take me, little boy?”
    Stable: Ophidium
    Current Glads: Gaiserik, , Cevir, Reginleif, Whitefangzed, Hyunmi
    Retired Glads: Kolodis (1009-806-42), Lodis (965-624-23)

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