Fantasy ~The Hexosphere Chronicles~

[Castello]

As the angel held him captive he found himself too tired to say anything, or really do anything. Standing up was taking all his energy, so all he could do was stand and watch the people at the door, hoping they would say something to make her let go of him. But soon, it seemed she came to a realization and backed up, the scimitar back with her and away from his chest. As much relief coursed through his body, he was now faced with a crying individual. That was his sympathy trigger, he just had to cheer her up now, though he was never exceptionally good at that...


He quickly darted his eyes to the Merlady, her shadow and Apos, looking for a source of assistance. But he turned back to the lady and went to offer a shaking hand up, after Apos' speech. "You are still alive... Your wings may be gone, but your condition could be much worse. You are an Angel at heart whether you have your wings or not... That's what I believe, and I was practically raised by them." Aaru quietly assured and awaited her to reached for his hand, which he would then pull up.


"But for now, I must run a couple more tests to make sure you are alright, that is all that matters now. The Librarian here has offered you a place to stay here, you can rest up, and maybe I'll read up on Angel's wings, there must be a way to retrieve them back..." He offered in a stuttered tone. Though he was not sure, nor confident he could find anything. It really depended on what she did to loose them.


@Icefox11


@SkyGinge

 

[Shura]

Rani couldn't help an amused grin seeing the frustration max seemed to be having with her. In one move she had outsmarted him twice, and things were getting more and more interesting. The dancer glanced over to the man as he wandered over to where a tall silver haired man and an almost timid girl sat across from each other. A curious pair if only because the man seemed to ooze dander, definitely not someone to mess with. She shifted her gaze as she spotted a Shalrak enter the bar along with her sailor friend. Things certainly were getting pretty interesting fast. She sighed softly adjusting her skirt slightly making sure her hidden daggers were in place in case things went south.


Max returned before she could really greet the sailor and they were all swept into a corridor. She smiled brightly over to the merman "It seems we meet again, my sailor friend. I take it your party wasn't very interesting." She greeted as they made their way down the stairs. A shiver ran down her spine at the sight of the cellar she hated closed in spaces, especially ones with no windows. Her eyes darted around the room following the man as he disappeared then to the strange Shalrak, a rare sight even in her travels. Still none of this settled well with her and it showed as her movements became more reserved and her arms crossed just under her bust, much like a coiled snake ready to strike should it be necessary. She glanced over to Max as he gave a warning and smirked slightly. "I can see that..." She muttered.


@DamagedGlasses @SkyGinge

 

[DamagedGlasses]

Jinta smiled and nodded his head courteously at Rani, he remembered her, if rather vague and unhelpful, directions that got him nowhere until he found Al'thuzar, or rather, start to follow Al'thuzar. Coughing a bit, he said, "I was actually headin' towards thar when I got into a conversation wit' Al'thuzar here 'n we both got stopped by a rather weird lookin' ragged man. He told us 'bout 'tis place, 'n while a parrrty full 'o Nobles does sound nice, I heartly enjoy fightin'."


Though, she did try and he couldn't blame her for that much, she had even admitted that she was as new to the town as he was, so he shouldn't have expected much. Jinta looked over at the man beside her and felt a stab of anger in his pit. While his face expressed none of his emotional flame, his mind was a different thing. His hands ached to reach for his Harpoon and do away with the man, feeling a rupture of possessiveness that he shouldn't have been the victim of.


He hardly knew Rani, but she was just so beautiful and graceful, someone he wanted to care for, protect, maybe even take her out to sea for while. Yet, he stopped himself. He didn't want to frighten Rani by killing the man she had came to the Bar with, it would probably make her a lot less willing to go with him. Then he would have to force her, and that wasn't the way his mother had told him to do things. However, if he "accidently" killed the suspicious looking guy during a battle then nobody could blame him or throw him in jail, which honestly, would never happen before he would just escape.


@Shura @SkyGinge

 

[SkyGinge]

"The same guy found us too," Kri'tro nodded, "Seems to be making quite the business of us all, though I damn well hope it's not a permanant business. Ah well. Long as he's not a fraud I'll be fine." There was a weird tension in the room, pervading from almost every angle. Rani had been on edge since they entered the cellar, hense his words of faux reassurance, though it wasn't too hard to gather that it wasn't the presense of other fighters that made her nervous; heck, she'd chosen to hang out with him, of all people! Well, princess, looks like we've found you a suitable weakness. Could be useful, though I'd hate to torture you for anything. A villain I may be, but I'm not a demon. I'm not heartless.


The rest of the tension seemed to seap from fish-face, who was evidentally unnerved by his being there, in particularly his grip on Rani. Aw, has somebody else stole your supper, shark-man? Sucks for you. Should've snuffed her up when you had the chance. What was even more amsuing was the glint of aggression in the merman's eyes, protective but determined. He thinks he can take me. How cute. For though he was muscular, Kri'tro certainly wasn't as tall as many other similar rogues. So it was impossible to suss, unless you knew of his infamy, just what a knack he had for chaos and anarchy.


The young rogue was gazing up at the stairs, wondering if the Crow and his quiet companion would join them, when the barman returned, flanked by two hulking giants of men, at least six and a hald feet tall and dressed in all black robes. Their entired bodies were mottled with thick, harsh muscle, not discounting their heads; even their jaws carried the equivilant of six-packs. Henchmen. Looks promising.


"Sorry for the wait," the barman grunted, already making his way back upstairs, "follow these two men and you'll reach the battleground." The bar door clacked shut behind him, and with a pair of ape-like snorts, the objects of pure muscle turned and began to stalk their way down the dark corridor, beckoning for the four budding fighters to follow.


The tunnel was cold and dark and ancient. Illuminated only by a few sparce torches, it seemed to twist down deeper and deeper into the earth. Unfazed by the darkness, Kri'tro clung hard to the dancer's arm, quite enjoying her newfound insecurity. He could toy with her now, play with her fear. He wasn't usually this callous, but perhaps the excitement of fighting a mental battle against someone as wily as her riled him up, blinded him from morals in excitable focus. "No need to be afraid, princess," he chuckled, "There's no monsters this far down. We're not defiling some kind of holy ground, even if our superstition has always made it out that way. Quite clever though, don't you think? Nobody would ever find this place, at least not any time soon, because nobody's brave enough to dig down this deep. With the one exception of course being the owner of this establishment."


It wasn't too long before they reached their destination. The tunnel finished abruptly in a large rectangular cavern, as dim as the tunnels they had just traversed. The walls were covered in a bland grey bricking; clearing decoration wasn't a priority in a place like this. The chamber was split into two layers: an upper donut shaped balcony made of oak walkways that ran all the way around the top of the chamber, and a dirtier pit below. At the corners were a number of smaller bars, their wine shelves cut into spherical indents in the brickwork behind them. The top level was amass with screaming, howling hooligans, largely youngish men with scowling faces and roughly cut beards. They clung like caged animals to the wooden railings that protected them from an unfortunate plummet, eagerly entranced by the spectacle below.


In the pit below, there was an almighty clash going on. A lean, fork-bearded man, tanned and workmanlike, had pinned down a bearded, snarling brute of a man (though he looked so much like a lion or rabid dog that Kri'tro couldn't help but wonder how human he really was), a trident pressed down against the man's chest to stop his clutching mitts from pulling his oppressor down. The lean man looked smugly to the audience above, and there was a raucous cheer.


"For the fourth time in a row, Sven the Fearless is victorious!" an attractive female voice echoed around the chamber. Curious, Kri'tro looked up to see a small box carved out of the chamber above, where the woman looked down over the crowds and addressed them. It was then that he noticed several separate tunnels dotted into the walls of the upper cave. There was probably a twisting cross-section of tunnels spiralling off from their, like a moles' handiwork. Shaking he head, he turned back to the woman who, judging from the way her dress buffeted around her, must have been using wind magic to amplify her voice. That's a handy talent. I wonder how much she gets payed.


"Now that he has won," the woman continued, struggling to be heard over the raucous noise in spite of her amplification, "Sven faces a decision. Should he spare his opponent's life?" But by this point, the poor woman was forced to give up, as almost the entire chorus was now chanting in unison:


"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"


Grinning like a mad dog, Sven surveyed the crowd, and then plunged his trident down. There was a sickening squelch, and the crowd suddenly hushed. Then they erupted in cheers once more.


"Nice place," Kri'tro retorted, turning to his companions. In the bloodied pit below, a group of similar henchmen were already taking away the body.


"Deaths are a rare occurrence," the henchman behind them sighed, speaking for the first time. He had a surprisingly gentlemanly voice, with a kind of smug callousness, as if the taking of someone's life was nothing more than a slight inconvenience. "Normally, combatants spare each other after defeat. But that's what makes him so popular, the killing. If you managed to defeat him, I'm sure you'd earn a fortune."


"Well princess," Kri'tro turned back to Rani, "are you glad you came now?"


@Shura


@DamagedGlasses


@CrimsonEclipse 
About half an hour later, Whiskey and his younger companion reached the central courtyard. The pirate captain was munching on the last crumbs of his fried cloud-fish pasty, having used his silver-tongue and tactical flamboyance to steal both himself and Sandy a free meal. So far, there had been no luck with finding Khalen, but in the masses of crowds, it was unlikely that his daughter would simply pop out of the sky.


In the place where the musicians had been before, there was now another crowd gathered. From as far back as they were though, the pair could see people flying through the air in a flurry of acrobatic twists and twirls. A group of wind magic acrobats! "Look, me dear," he pointed his hairy hand towards the performance, "If me daughter were a wind magician like ye guessed before, reckon that'd be what she'd be gettin' up to? Come on, let's take a closer look." Despite his overbearing, brutish appearance, Whiskey was a thespian at heart, and the kind of man who appreciated each and every art. This was no exception, and he had no intention of missing out on a quality performance!


It wasn't too long before Whiskey had pushed the pair of them had reached the front of the crowd and, grinning, the pirate captain watched their graceful, slender bodies as they flew and augmented themselves through the air. At the back of their little stage, an elderly woman watched them all with tender eyes, perhaps their overseer? Who knew, who cared! There was a performance at hand, and Whiskey intended to relish it whilst he could.


@theunderwolf

 

[Shura]

Rani held back a sigh seeing a dark tunnel that just went deeper. She kept moving along the passage not bothering to lag behind she had already com this far might as well see it through. She looked over to her escort as he spoke knowing full well what he was up to. She smirked slightly she might not like closed in spaces but it was a fear she had to combat many times and had gotten used to. So long as she had freedom to move she was fine. "It's a well made passage I'll give it that." She muttered glancing around the cavern. "Why should I worry I have not only you but my sailor friend here to help me should anything go wrong." She smiled knowing full well of the merman interest in her. He definitely had his pros and cons but found him much easier to figure out than the bloody thirsty 'blacksmith'.


She scanned around the large cavern in which the tunnel opened up into feeling slightly more at ease in the large open space. She scanned the rowdy crowd with a slightly raised eye brow, not her first time in some kind of arena but this was certainty one of the bigger ones. She watched the scuffle going on inside the pit wincing slightly only because of the echoing scream of the crowds. It was a fun sport to watch but the crowd could get very obnoxious very fast. She glanced over to Max as he spoke up. "That remains to be seen. As said before I'm more of a dancer not a fighter. So I think I'll just cheer you on from the side lines." She replied some of her flirtatious nature returning though she was much more observant than she was above ground. Alcohol and fighting were a bad enough combination have it in mass and it was a mess waiting to happen She would just have to stay one step ahead to make sure she wasn't swept up in it. She casually scanned along the cavern walls min already working on several escapes should they be needed.


@SkyGinge @DamagedGlasses @CrimsonEclipse

 

[SkyGinge]

"Sure, feel free, I'd love to support," Kri'tro said, "Besides, couldn't have somebody ruining your beautiful little face in combat now, could I?" On the far side of the chamber, underneath the commentator's box, two large slates hung on the wall, a pair of henchmen running them clean. The crowd had already turned back to their private conversations, apparently unfazed by what they had just witnessed.


"Every round, each watcher is encouraged to bet on who they think will win," the upper-class henchman continued, "Whoever is victorious wins the pot, with the necessary interest removed, of course. A rowdy crowd like this bet tons of money though, so as long as you're careful, you should be striking gold in no time. So, to sign up, just head down that tunnel there," he pointed, "and when you reach the end there'll be people there to organise your fight. You might also find fellow fighters in the tunnels; the sane folk do tend to steer well clear of this lot. That being said, I think that's all explained. We bid you good night and happy fighting." With that, and a complimentary grunt, the pair of henchmen disappeared back up the tunnel.


"Well, it's your lucky day, princess," Kri'tro grinned, cracking his knuckles in anticipation, "I'm feeling generous now that it looks like I'm gonna get payed, so I'll treat you to a drink. Something proper this time, no need for parlour tricks. What would her majesty like?" As much as everything he did held a slightly patronising but simultaneously flirty edge, for some reason he found himself quite enjoying playing the butler to this girl.


@Shura


@CrimsonEclipse


@DamagedGlasses

 

[Shura]

Rani observed the henchmen as they called out their explanation. She scanned around the arena now that things were calmer taking note of the people around. Could be a good place to make a small fortune, just not in the way most expected. In the heat of battle most rarely payed a attention to their pockets and with all the betting there would little suspicion should all of their money suddenly disappear. She looked over the crowd with critical eyes taking note of who was was drunk or compromised in some fashion though her musings were interrupted by Max's good cheer. She chuckled softly in response to his sudden mood swing. "Ah well, Cider if they have. Doesn't seem like a good idea to loos my head among such a rough crowd." She replied sweetly enjoying their little game. She wasn't sure what he was up to or what kind of victory he was trying to play but chances are she would disappear before he got a chance to make his final move. Games were always fun to play, better when its drawn out. She had quite a few unfinished games in other towns they were always fun to come back to when she needed some fun.


@SkyGinge

 

[DamagedGlasses]

Feeling no nervousness at all, Jinta strode ahead towards the sign up booth, which wasn't much of a booth at all. Well, it was kind of a booth, it was actually a separate room that had a giant hole that connected the two rooms together. He couldn't see into the other room very well with how dim they kept it, but he could make out hundreds of notes and money, which he could only assume was bets.


He strode up to the front of the desk, his stature intimidating some of the other candidates, and placed his arms criss-cross onto the cool smooth stone surface that made up the bottom of the connecting hole. On the other side was a rather rough-torn looking girl, her hair cut until it didn't even go past the top of her ears, and her arms and neck were filled with countless ink-etching Tattoos.


He had heard of the tattoos before from some of his crew who had them. Apparently the procedure was rough and very painful, with a low chance of getting infected. The girl even had some on her forehead! Jinta ignored the body deformity, classified art in some groups of culture, and talked to the girl, "I would like to fight." Very frank, and to the point.


The girl looked at him and Jinta was struck with just how bored the girl's gaze was. She said in a lazy monotone, "You and everybody else. The cost to fight is one silver, you get a number and when your number's called, you fight. Got that?" Jinta nodded and she continued, "Good."


Pulling out a silver coin, Jint placed it on the counter where it seemed to disappear in a flash. Looking up , the girl was already place the coin in a very plum bag that jingled with delight. Jinta was about to voice his astoundment at such large amount of money, but before he could he was given a ticket with number 214 and hearty shove from the people behind him, surprising him, but not making him budge. His jaw gripping in frustration, he turned around and punched the closest offender in the jaw, sending him onto the ground out cold, before walking off, uncaring of how some raggedy looking children ran from the shadows and started taking anything of worth from the unconscious man.

 

[theunderwolf]

Sandy, meanwhile was pleasantly chewing on some squid she had paid for as Whiskey did his con to nab dessert and happily followed him. "An acrobatics show eh?" She said,"You don't look the type, but if I've learned anything from this afternoon, its to know your full of surprises." She grinned at him and turned his attention to the stage for a minute and enjoyed the graceful movements of he skilled troupe. With a small bit of envy. Sometimes, despite her bias, she envied the freedom of motion wind magic gave a person. Earth magic was all about staying firm and rooted in thought and motion, but some days she wished she could just flip around people like a skilled air user. "If you're daughters anything like you, shes probably found a way to put herself to use outside of the public eye." She said with a crafty grin. "Helping the greater good or something."


@SkyGinge

 

[Elegy]

Raksana eyed the motley group of suspicion warily as they were led by the barman behind the counter. One of them, a short but stocky roguish fellow who was in the midst of attempting to win over some dancer, spoke rather too confidently and loudly, as if he were egging the person he spoke with, a silver haired and well built man with tall and lanky frame armed with a sword, to come with him. All of these events kindled Raksana's slightly drunken curiosity, and her curiosity was a force to be reckoned with - unless it was sated there would be no stopping her. She rose up from her table and promptly began to follow the group, tipping off the barman with a few gold pieces to facilitate her entrance. She followed the group through the dark tunnel while keeping a careful eye on the bodyguards but soon relaxed when they appeared to have no real ill intent, and remarked on how such an intricate and naturally well formed passage could exist. There seemed to be other such passages from other locations all linking into a center point, where the "pit" was and where the fights happened. When Raksana saw how much money was placed in the betting, her eyes widened impossibly and their teal green shade sparkled intensely. In her eyes, this was all easy money. She could hear Stein's voice telling her to get out and stop, but she shook it off as the lure of gold loomed over her. After twenty three years of training more than twelve hours a day to perfect an intricate martial art of heavy lethal capacity under searing desert heat and whipping desert winds, Raksana was perhaps one of the best hand to hand combatants that could step into that fighting ring. Both her mind and body were trained into razor sharp points, and the techniques she improvised and learned from Stein to quickly put down and kill a human being would be extremely useful here. The only problem was that her opponents could wield weapons, but if her earth magic was allowed then metallic weapons would be rendered useless if Raksana managed to safely touch them and alter their structure to turn them into a runny liquid form or soften their edges. Raksana's slightly drunken mind also fueled her desire for money and a chance to actually use her martial arts extensively. With a gleeful look slapped on her face, Raksana practically skipped towards the corridor where sign ups were held, following right behind the merman. When someone right behind Raksana reached out and shoved the merman, the merman reacted quickly and immediately sent a blow back. It would have hit Raksana had her eyes not zeroed in on the merman's shoulder muscles tensing, and as soon as her eyes saw this minuscule detail she instinctively leaned back and let the blow sail clear past her. Raksana watched in admiration as the blow knocked the poor fellow out cold, and gave the merman a thumbs up. She stepped up to the counter and placed her silver coin from a money pouch strapped to her waist. She then hurriedly took the paper slip with her number on it and stuffed it into her pocket, not bothering to listen to what the woman had to say before trailing off to catch up with the merman. As she caught up with him, she stuffed a few rocks from the ground into her pockets as well. They could come in quite handy in a fight. As Raksana knew not much of criminal dealings, and because the merman gave off a criminal vibe, she would decide to follow him without ill intent to get a grasp of the environment.


@DamagedGlasses

 

[CrimsonEclipse]

After the barman lead them, Al'thuzar followed, not a word came out from his mouth. His brain was going overdrive, thinking about the things that are happening. "Why are we the ones who were called? Who called for us? Why call for us? What about the party, who sent him that invitation? Is it the same man who called for them here, or is it another person?" All this questions ran in his mind. They arrived the place, and a grin started to spread on his face.


"Looks like home to me." He thought to himself as he saw the place. It reminded him of The Maw, but this lacks the environment of his homeland, and the warriors were mostly human here as well. It didn't matter to him though, just the familiar atmosphere made him nostalgic. He went to the booth, seeing Jinta head there as well. "I'd like to join." He said to her, already reaching for his gold pouch."One fight is one silver. When your number is called, you're up." She said to him, looking absolutely bored. He nodded, reaching for his pouch and reaching for a silver. He placed it on the counter and it is immediately replaced by a ticket, the number 482 written on it. There was a line forming behind him, but no one dared to even shove him out of the way. He went to where his companions were, a grin showing off his eagerness to fight.

 

[PicaPirate]

Alistair listened quietly, then said "I had a family."


He didn't want to further on his statement, because merely thinking on the event made him angry. So instead he drank the last of his tea and set it down on the table.


Alistair regarded Vanessa, who looked rather depressed from her lack of family. He tried to think of what little consolation he had. He visibly sighed.


"If it makes you feel any better, I share the same situation of no longer having a family."


Any further thoughts on the matter were interrupted by a gracing from Kri'tro. It was tempting to cut him down where he stood, but decided against it.


If the teasing of the two wasn't enough by his silver tongue, he went on further with a whisper.


As the man walked back to the dancer, Alistair gritted his teeth in annoyance. The man was playing with him and he knew it. Did this shrimp take him for a fool?!


Alistair crushed the teacup in his hand, crumpling it until it broke to little pieces. He was going to teach that midget a fine lesson.


Standing up, sword in hand, he looked around and saw where Kri'tro was, who then taunted him further with that wink. He tightened the grip on his sword.


"Why that little..."


He looked back at Vanessa.


"Come with me if you wish. Where I go though is a dark corner of this city. It is ugly."


Alistair walked towards the passageway to the underground fighting arena, regardless if she followed or not. Alistair was all too familiar with the cities underground arenas, there were many severed limbs to which he is to blame.


And at this rate, several more to come....


@SkyGinge


@Omen


@FewUtherClockKlick


Sent from my stone tablet using Tapatalk because I used a Tardis.

 

[Omen]

Vanessa warmed up to Alistair. Here, she thought, was someone who understood what she had been through. She had found it hard finding others who had been through a similar situation as her. At last, Vanessa had found someone.


As the short man approached them and struck up conversation, Vanessa avoided his gaze, falling back into her atypical posture. Whoever the man was though, he seemed to know Alistair. She could see Alistair tense up, clearly ready for a confrontation. As Alistair broke her teacup and spoke through clenched teeth, it was clear that Alistair was angry, very angry at the man. How or why she did not know.


When Alistair rose to move, Vanessa had a split second decision to make. Should she stay here or should go with Alistair? There was no doubt to her that going with him would bring trouble, but staying here would risk those she bumped into the in the street finding her. She decided to follow Alistair, silently getting up from the table and following behind him.


@PicaPirate

 

[SkyGinge]

"Cider it is then, princess," Kri'tro nodded, "I'll soon be back. Don't get into any trouble in my absense." With that, he left the miandering crowds an headed towards one of the spherically cut bar sections in one of the corners of the chamber. As he'd expected, drinks were fairly cheap, and he was happy to hind his pockets didn't feel too much lighter as they handed him his two glasses. Clever marketing, that is. Gets people like this drunk off their knockers in no time at all, and then they can make an even greater profit from the bets these hooligans place. It was quite the well thought out organisation, but its location unnerved the rogue slightly. After all, crime was best and most effective when done in broad daylight, as opposed to being hidden away in a glorified Saladrin burrow.


Leaning back against the counter, Kri'tro slouched casually and took a large sip of his drink. He noticed the eyes of a few dirty looking girls turning to him, and gave them a cheeky wink that sent them into a flurry of giggles. After all, slouched there, biceps and all, he looked like the epitome of a badboy figure, the kind that sent most female hearts into flutters of ecstacy.


Still, he'd allowed himself to get overexcited, and the idea of buying a drink was more for himself than for Rani; he needed something to calm him down, to allow him to focus. He hadn't failed to notice that some of his internal aggression had began to seap out, unnerving the males who weren't affected by his charms. In fact, under normal circumstances, he'd have been a lot more polite with The Crow earlier. Kri'tro really did respect fellow A-rank criminals like the other man, even if they were a whole lot more drole about their activites. He'd have to be a lot more complimentary next time they met, as not to annoy him again, though he wondered if the damaged had already been done. Wondered, not feared: Kri'tro feared nothing and no-one, even somebody as illustrious in battle as the Crow.


"If it isn't Kri'tro Grett," snarled a rough, deep voice, as a new man approached the young rogue. It was hard to gauge the man's age; he had thekind of messy, coal-coloured beard that obsured any hint of age. His eyes were a dull but aggressive eyes, small and piggish, and his mouth seemed perminantly curved into an angry frown. Yet whilst he looked like any other thug, Kri'tro noticed a more cautious air about him, like he was far more intelligent than his appearance let on.


"Good evening, good sir," said Kri'tro, merrily. He must recognise me from my wanted poster.


"What brings a man like you to a place like this?" the man snarled again, apparently all he was capable of doing, his beady eyes ferociously surveying the crowds.


"The same motive as any other, I imagine."


"Fightin'?"


"Jackpot. I do apologise: you seem to know my name, but I don't know yours."


"You should," he growled, "It's Beattie. Remember it."


"No, I don't," Kri'tro feigned mock confusion as he twisted the man's words to enjoyable agitation. "Here to fight, Beattie?" The apish man shook his head a little too enthusiastically, as if suddenly remembering he had somewhere else to be.


"Not tonight. Just here to watch. Maybe find somebody I like. Naught else. Your famous criminal type though, I would pay to see. Show me off some of yer reknowned talent and maybe I can tell you a little secret."


"If you little 'secret' is something ridiculous, may I reserve the right to throttle you?" Kri'tro beamed.


"You can try. But I won't disappoint."


"Alright then," Kri'tro stepped away from the bar, and handed his empty glass back to the barman. The man's strangely discordant manner made it hard to grasp what he was trying to achieve. Was he up to something? Did he want Kri'tro to meet an unfortunate end below? Or was he really just a common crook, come to enjoy a friendly bit of bloodshed? Kri'tro didn't know, but it wasn't too important. Even if the man was a fraud sent out to trick him, he was confident that he could outwit a great ape like Beattie. "On one condition, though," the rogue added, pointing into the crowd, "See that girl?"


"The pretty one?"


"Probably. Watch her. Make sure she doesn't leave this chamber. If she does, catch her and do whatever it takes to bring her here. Understand?"


"Watch a girl like that?" Beattie smiled ever so slightly, probably his equivilant of a rabid grin, "That's an easy task. Must be a lucky one, having caught the eye of a man like you."


"Lucky for me, less so for her," Kri'tro grinned, already en route back to his companion. He handed over her drink with a more composed smile, the remnants of the gentlemanly figure he had first betrayed now returned. "Just got into a conversation with a lovely man at the bar, and he's persuaded me to go and fight. Don't you worry though princess, I'll return safe and sound. And maybe rich. Enjoy your drink." Quite suddenly, he placed a tender hand on her face, and kissed her neck, drawing away before she could retaliate at all. "Maybe you'll even get a reward if you stick it out long enough to see me win." Then, hands in his long shirt pockets, he swaggered his way to one of the tunnels and made his way down to the sign up section.


@Shura

 

[FewUtherClockKlik]

. Ragya kept silent and inconspicuous, taking in the conversation between the two. The more they talked though, the more she realized that the Crow was much like herself: Not a criminal to cause havoc and suffering upon those guiltless, but a vengeful force that struck down those that caused such suffering to others. There was too much filth crawling on this forsaken land than there were cleaners. Targeting the Crow was a shame and a waste. Sighing audibly, Ragya began to think twice about her assignment. She could not deny that the Crow was a ruthless killer, and innocent people had suffered under his wake, but the same could be said about Ragya herself. A chance to confirm her course of action came when the Crow was cajoled by Kri'tro, whom she recognized due to his infamy but had never actively targeted him. She did not know his name, but his face she saw a few times, and just a few was enough to emblazon itself upon Ragya's apt mind. If the Crow was affiliated in any way with Kri'tro, she knew that he was fit for her blades. However, she noticed a marked anger that emanated from the Crow when dealing with Kri'tro, and this was sharply confirmed when he crushed his teacup in irate expression. Nonetheless, the Crow followed, and so too did Ragya. She herself was quite established in the world of criminals as one to be feared: A lone assassin that struck out those that went too far in their activities without mercy and always in gruesome and painful manner due to her dark magic 's nature. She did not bother to make herself inconspicuous, and unhooked herself to the barman who recognized her and allowed entrance. She would still tail the Crow, but not with hostile intent until the Crow proved himself capable of senseless depravity. And indeed this scene was quite rife with degraded morality- A fight ring held little in terms of honorable respect.

 

[Shura]

Rani watched as the rouge wandered off to the bar her eyes trailed after him before watching as the other ruffians of the small group scattered to sign up for the pit. She could never understand the point in standing in a dirt pit beating each other brainless for the sake of pride, money motivated some but she'd seen brawls break out over petty words. It provided entertainment for the masses that could be seen clear enough. The whole set up was well thought out and impressive to say the least but she couldn't help but feel uneasy, as if expecting some trap to be sprung upon the drunken mass. She felt the eyes of some less then subtle men and shifted her shawl slightly so it covered her shoulders the with of the fabric draping down to her elbows. She already had two men on her tail no need to add to the collection.


She scanned the crowds once more spotting the rouge speaking with a fairly burly man and point in her general direction. Lord only knows what he had planed this time. The dancer sighed softly glancing back to the spectacle as the new pair of fighters stepped into the ring and the crowd became rowdy once more. She shifted her attention when Max returned with her drink and thanked him before taking a small sip. Not too terrible. She could hold her own fairly well and it would take more then just cider to even get her buzzed but it was much better than tap water.


"I'm not worried. You look like you can hold your own in a fight. I would be more concerned of who you fight." She chuckled. For someone to hold himself in such high regards he was either a fool or a master. She went to take another sip when his hand was on her cheek. Her free hand grabbed hold of one of her daggers hidden with the the fold of the fabric around her waist as his lips brushed against her neck. He had the good sense not to linger and made a quick retreat.


He was diffidently a fool.


A slight tingle was left behind by the rouge a spark something that might have interested her if he wasn't so arrogant. Her eyes narrowed slightly as he sauntered off and hoped whoever he fought gave the man a good thrashing. She brushed off her cheek and neck before taking a long drink from her cider.A glance out of the cover of her eye told her that the other man by the bar was still watching. "Can't make it too easy for them." She sighed wandering off into the crowd.

 

[DamagedGlasses]

Jinta relaxed as he sat down on a set of stone benches that were built into the wall, absently rubbing on the cool sleek stone as he waited for his number to be called. Looking around, Jinta locked in as a set of eyes within the crowd seemed to be centered on him. He tried to ignore it, knowing that his looks would probably draw attention, however, he couldn't help, but feel a certain degree of irritation as he continued to get eyed-up, knowing that those eyes may very well be attached to a competitor.


Peeling his eyes away from the Visual Intruder, Jinta looked around the cave and realized how damp it was. While they had some degree of protection in the form of torches and other magical items, Jinta could still feel the innate dampness of the cave and how it cried out to his soul. He was grateful for the natural dampness, as it had been quite a while since he had been around the natural variation. The magical dampness his Magical Assistant created was nice and all, certainly better than untimely visits to the ocean, but it still wasn't as good as the natural damp.


Smiling his half-smile, Jinta looked around, before he frowned as he noticed the persistent eyes still watching him. Growling under his breath, Jinta picked himself up and went over to the eyes. His fists clenched as he got closer and closer to the figure, but stopped as a sudden light cleared up the dimness of the shadows of the eyes had been looking from. He hadn't got a great look, but the figure was obviously feminine. Coughing, his irritation gone in a flash, Jinta was about to say something when an amplified voice went through the air.


Breaking the loud mumbling silence, the loud voice screamed, "Let number 214 for the next fight with Sven the Fearless! Will this next opponent be enough to defeat our champion!? Will he even have the guts to make his way to the arena!? Lets hear it for number 214, everyone!"


Jinta looked down at his slip of paper, making sure he was correct, before shooting a slightly apologetic look towards the figure. It took a lot more for a women to anger him than a man. He turned and started heading towards the arena, his muscles tense. He went down the provided stairs and ended up at a large wooden gate, that waited no time in starting to pull up. He smiled as he saw the chains being pulled, obviously through manpower, and couldn't help, but be reminded of the Lucky Duck and how its machinery, run by man and magic, was so much more efficient.


However, he shook himself of the happy thoughts, not wanting them to dampen his game, and walked into the lit up arena as the gate pulled up enough to let him through. He smiled as he heard the crowd cheering, some for his chances, and some for his demise, but he couldn't help, but hear the few boos from the crowd. His mood became bitter for just a second as he realized that this place wasn't the most avid practitioner of Equal Rights, which should have been evident with how the service was upstairs.


Letting his muscles relax for just a bit, Jinta ignored the boos and took pleasure in the cheering, before looking straight at his opponent. The man, Sven the Fearless, was a foot shorter than him, but he seemed slightly experienced in the way he held himself and how he positioned his trident. The thing that impressed Jinta was that he truly felt no fear, or at least that is what his eyes seemed to say. They only held determination and ruthlessness, as well as a pinch of sadism.


Taking off his own harpoon, the clinks of the chain attached to the end of it following quickly, Jinta tensed his muscles and made ready to show everyone how his harpoon was the best in the business.


@Elegy @EveryoneinCave/Audience

 

[Shura]

Rani strolled through the crowd at a leisurely pace not really having any where to go in mind. She had finished her cider and left the mug off on some barrel which had a whole collection forming of discarded glasses. She made her way up to the audience deck where most of the non combatants gathered exchanging money on bets. The next fight was called and the dancer peered over the edge spotting the long running champion thus far along and his new adversary which happened to be Jinta. She smirked slightly looking over the two seeing how they matched up. The favored to win was of coarse the champion however he had already gone though several fights while the merman was fresh and ready to fight.


She fished the two gold coins he the admirer had tipped her earlier and made her way to the betting station spotting odds in favor of Sven. She passed over the two gold coins, "Onthe merman." She called over the large crowd of people gathering. The battle worn man behind the counter just shook his head muttering something about women and handed her a ticket. If won she stand to gain quite bit for her investment, and if lost well she entered the festival and left richer still thanks to a few noble 'patrons.' She made her way back to the banister seeing both getting ready to fight and smirked waving over to the merman "Good Luck Jinta!" She called out.


@DamagedGlasses

 

[Elegy]

When the merman had waltzed over to Raksana with irritation upon his face, she had immediately tensed her body and instinctively shifted her right foot behind her to form a rudimentary stance to facilitate dodging a possible blow, but the merman’s eyes softened when he got a better look at her face and promptly called upon by the announcer for his fight.

"Feisty one huh, wonder if all the rough and rowdy crowd down here are like him"

thought Raksana as she watched the merman confidently stride over to the arena. Raksana stood above and outside the pit, closer than the regular spectators as an upcoming fighter but still a spectator nonetheless. The merman she had seen before so eager to fight was now in the ring, and he was facing off against a man called “Sven the Fearless”. She began to assess and evaluate their physical capacities, becoming completely entranced and engrossed by the details and possibilities of the interesting matchup. The merman had an advantage in raw physical strength with his bulk, and his powerful muscles but well-formed muscles would grant him more leverage in all ranges of combat. The way the merman held himself emanated a sense of confidence which hinted at some level of combat experience, with scars attesting to a significant skill level. His opponent, the current champion of the arena, was powerfully built with long, bulky limbs and a powerful torso sculpted from continuous use of a polearm like weapon. His eyes were fierce and radiated a careful confidence, but absolutely no fear. In terms of pure physical make up, both men were rather similar in build. What would decide the fight was the weapons they used: the merman wielded a beautiful harpoon designed with efficiency in mind while Sven wielded a standard trident that was in pristine condition, albeit slightly bloodied. The fight would most likely either be decided within the first few seconds or drag on with low likelihood of any middle ground. Either the harpoon’s range was maximized and abused to cause Sven’s downfall or both men clashed with their polearm-esque weapons in a war of attrition where a single mistake would decide the altercation. For Raksana to truly deduce the outcome of the fight though, she needed to witness the first few seconds where footing and preparatory movement clearly revealed combat experience and battle plans. What Raksana saw in this fight would also prepare her for her fight, which was most likely the very next one as her number was 388. Since Sven was the champion, he would represent the upper echelons of the combatants here, and by getting a firm grasp of Sven’s danger level she would be able to reasonably set a high bar based on Sven. The aura of the pit electrified Raksana. The dull blabbering of the crowd drowned out due to her attention zeroed in on the fight, the tense air emanating from the fighters, and the adrenaline-rush inducing nature of witnessing or engaging in high stake combat all coalesced to infuse Raksana with an excitable disposition. Her sensitive ears picked up a nearby woman, the dancer she had seen before escorted by the rogue, call out to the merman words of encourage and addressed him as Jinta.

"Jinta hmm? So thats his name. Rolls out nicely and sounds powerful, nice name."

The name somehow sounded familiar, as if Raksana had heard it sometime before. Perhaps Stein had mentioned him at one point in time. In any case, Raksana felt better for Jinta than she did Sven, so Raksana too also gave Jinta a cheer,

"May fortune favor you Jinta, strike the champion down!"

​

 

[SkyGinge]

Kri'tro strolled down the dim tunnel, a small smirk still on his face. Rani had reacted less than savourly to his slight affections, her readiness with he knife proving her experiance of tricky situations. The slightly clouded expression of disdain she had worn showed that she was unlike to be somebody who had to kill often, or alternatively didn't like killing. Thus, Kri'tro was able to determine that she was most likely a thief of sorts.


Thanks, princess, he smirked to himself. One small triumph for me at least. If you're that opposed to people kissing you then maybe you shouldn't parade yourself around like that. Now she would probably try to avoid him, unless she really was desperate for the information he'd promised. But strangely, although he enjoyed both her and their little game, he wasn't too bothered about her potentially slinking off; after all, Beattie had hardly seemed like the reliable sort. Think of it as your prize, princess. Your freedom for impressing me. Kri'tro liked to excircise thoughts like this. They made him feel powerful.


It wasn't too long before Kri'tro was collecting his number and lining up in the queue with the other budding brawlers. When he'd arrived, there's barely been any queue at all; there was a limit after all as to how many people could fight. He presumed that meant the persuasive beggar had finished doing his runs. In front of him, people of all shapes and sizes carrying between them a ramshackle assortment of various different weapons. Some were rusted, some were freshly cleaned, both people and their weapons. Kri'tro found himself sat next to the Shalrak from earlier on one of the stone benches. He knew very little of Shalrak, but the creature's imposing size and his people's well acknowledged nature for violence warned him that he would be quite the opponant. Hope I don't end up against this brute; would be quite an embarressing way to go out.


@CrimsonEclipse


~~~~~


"Whad-a-ya mean, not the type?" Whiskey roared incredulously, "I'll have you know I'm an honourable man of the arts, yes!" He slackened a little, and put on a playful grin, "The very cheek of it, accusin' a hard workin', good natured workman like meself of bein' naught but a simple ruffian!" He chuckled once more, drawing fertive glances from several of his fellow crowd members. "Me daughter, like meself, is a person of many faces. She'd have no less trouble settlin' in here than in some shadowy hideout someplace."


The acrobats continued to whizz around, swirling and twirling and contorting themselves into graceful shapes. Due to the nature of their act, it was likely to catch the attention of everybody in the surrounding area. Whiskey was entraced, caught hook line and sinker, and much quieter and appreciative than he had appeared at any point prior.


@theunderwolf

 

[IceQueen]

Cortana stood in the corner, looking at the angel. She was hurt, and she could feel something sink in her gut as she twisted and turned. What was left of her wings where small stubs, which would cause any angel a great grievance. She simply stood back, keeping her wings out of view in case the person sitting in front of her who was in shock a mere minute ago decided she should have the same fate.


She whished no harm on this angel, in fact she wished she could help. But it was as if something inside her was holing her back. Maybe it's because she was so familiar with the way normal angels behaved, or because she couldn't relate enough to her. After all, she still had her wings attached, and she was very happy about that.

 

[theunderwolf]

"I take it you donate half your takes to the thespian arts then?" Sandy said with a sardonic grin, "How could I have mistaken you for anything else but a man of honor and high class?" She raised her hand to her brow as if she would faint. "Do you have a stage on your ship? Please tell me your pirates can sing soprano!" She was feigning conversation at that point, dancing and acrobatics had never really been her interest, but she had to admit that seeing whiskeys dreamy eyes trained on the stage, she was entranced as well. I need to figure out how to fight jumpy air mages after all.


@SkyGinge

 

[DamagedGlasses]

Jinta smiled as he felt the cheers wash over him, the individual screams of encouragement getting lost in translation and merely becoming part of a large muffled cheer. Tensing his muscles, Jinta focused his eyes on Sven the Fearless when he heard the announcer once again fill the air with her magically enhanced voice.


In a jubilant tone that didn't sit right with overall atmosphere of the cave, the announcer yelled, "Alright, people! Number 214 is our next competitor. Lets see how this off the wall Merman faces against Sven! the! Fearless!" She chanted the last few words inciting the crowds cheering. Jinta was almost sucked back into the pleasurable noises of the cheering when the loud sound of a bell was heard, echoing in the cave.


Jinta's eyes widened as he focused suddenly back onto Sven, only to find the trident heading straight at him at a rather high velocity. Instead of worrying about it, however, he firmly brought back his harpoon, and in one fluid motion, swung down, hitting the trident mid air between two of its three tridents, and sending it to the ground, where it lodged into place.


Smirking, Jinta gripped the trident and easily pulled it out of the cave ground, the stone it had lodged itself in only doing minor damage to the thing as a whole. Looking up, Jinta's eyes widened a slight bit out of surprise as he had to duck to save himself from a nasty looking punch. While crouched, Jinta let go of the trident and fell backwards, catching himself with the now empty hand and shooting his now unused feet out in a vicious kick to Sven's midriff. The kick held a outstanding amount of impact, as Sven was instantly sent a few feet in the air by the force. Jinta used his arm muscles to flip himself back onto his feet, taking a second to steady himself, before crouching.


Sven the Fearless stumbled as he tried to pick himself up, having to catch himself as the dizziness from the fall dazed him. As Sven regained his consciousness, Jinta reared back with his armed hand, the point of his harpoon shining in the artificial light of the cave, and let loose, throwing the deadly object at a high speed, almost double the velocity Sven had sent out his previously. Sven had not time to react in his still slightly befuddled state, his air still only just coming back to him from the kick, and gasped, using the precious air he had gained, as he felt the projectile lodge itself it in his chest. His eyes showing nothing, but exhausted determination, he tried to grasp the handle of the harpoon, but was shocked as he felt the chains attached to the harpoon tense up in use.


Instead of showing calm detachment, or blood thirsty grins, Jinta simply let out a chuckle, finding this entire battle kind of fun. It had been a while since he had fought, so this was a refreshing reminder to how fun fights to the death were. He pulled with his might on the chains that had followed the lodged harpoon, noticing that crowd was cheering very loudly, and swung his arms to the side with easy effort. Instead of the harpoon dislodging, quickening the pace of blood Sven would lose, the champion was lifted with the harpoon and thrown against the hard, unforgiving stone that made up the wall of the main arena.


Letting out a light laugh as the body of the champion crumbled from the blunt trauma, not moving as it lay on the floor. Jinta pulled one last time on his chain, and easily caught it by the handle as it flew to him from his actions.Smiling in satisfaction, Jinta gave a full shark like grin the crowd, before walking out of the arena, set on getting his winnings for taking down the so-called "Champion" for good.


@EveryoneinCave/Arena

 

[PicaPirate]

Meanwhile, as people revelled in their own ego and used fights to increase their own personal leverage, the Crow was just here fighting. He didn't scream in championship like the merman, nor used it as a leverage to gain someone's heart, like a certain rogue.


See, while you paid to fight and if you win, would earn a prize, Crow didn't care for money. Bounties were enough.


Be it because of his reputation or simply as a loophole in the system, the Crow fought for no money in this. He also saw this as a good way to keep his skills trained against a variety of foes.


The lines moved quickly and it was in no time that the Crow was on the arena. He walked casually in with his sword in hand, still connected with a sash to him.


"And in the red corner, we have a favourite, the CROOOOWWW!"


Even if he had a number, it was pointless since he exceeded the need of one. The list of people that want to kill him is a mile long.


"And in the blue corner, we have number 567, Xanth!"


A demon stepped on to the stage, not even bothering to transform into a more human form. For this demon, this was a place to let go of his aggressions, where he could duke it out and earn money for it.


The demon spouted rather simplistic taunts such as "I'm gonna get ya!" and "I'll eat you after this!"


The Crow stepped forward and, while the demon was far too busy shouting things at him, had his arms flying.


There was a quiet for a beat, as people took in what just happened. It appeared as though nothing happened and their head flew off. Then they saw his sword click from sheathing it. His slice with that long curved sword of his had withdrawn and sliced them before they could actually pay attention to the fight.


"You don't deserve a good fight if you can't even pay attention to your opponent."


Then the crowd broke into cheers, now (sort of) understanding what happened and cheering the to be victor.


The Crow picked up Xanth with his hand by the throat, who's legs were hopelessly thrashing around as he bled profusely from the stumps that were his arms. He then let the body drop, catching with an open palm their head and using the momentum of gravity to slam the head into the stone ground.


Whatever head there was, was now equivalent to multicoloured porridge, seeping between his fingers.


Bittersweetly pleased he dealt with another demon, the Crow wiped his brain and mush covered hand with a tissue as he walked off the stage to where Vanessa was spectating, cheers around him. His look was calm and passive as usual, with the little effort he required for the fight.


"I've had my fill of fighting for the day."


@Omen


Sent from my stone tablet using Tapatalk because I used a Tardis.

 

[Shura]

Rani watched Jinta fight with curious eyes wanting to know just how tough the sailor was, and he didn't disappoint. Not only was he strong but also fast able to easily batting aside a hurled trident and dodging the smaller opponent. He was also smart enough not to draw the fight out with boastful taunts as most other would do. No he took advantage of his opponents dazed state to end the fight quickly with a well placed harpoon through the chest. Rani couldn't help a small grin seeing the fatal blow mostly because the meant she had won the bet. The merman earned a few bonus points for not being a boastful brute with his fighting but instead almost looked like a cat playing with a ball having fun with his new found toy.


As the crowd cheered over the fall of their champion the dancer made her way over to the betting station to collect her winnings. The crowd around was noticeably smaller than before, many of the other bidders having wasted their coin on the favored fighter. Rani handed in her ticket with a smug smirk. The man tending the counter just sneered accepting the ticked and exchanging it for small bag of coins. She quickly snatched it up weighing it in her had for only a second then putting it away in her satchel. It as lighter than it should have been but only slightly, this really didn't surprise her, nor was she going to make a scene and just draw attention to herself. She sauntered off in a fairly good mood, if she ran into the merman again she would have to get him a drink that much was for sure.


The next fight was called as two new fighters entered the ring, she was slightly surprised to see the infamous Crow in the ring this time around. Not much point in placing bets since the winner was almost guaranteed. She found an empty spot and peered down as the two fighters faced off. The fight was over before it even started. The demon couldn't even make a move at the hunter before he was hacked to bits. Rani cringed slightly as the demons head was crushed, blood didn't bother her much but mushed brains was fairly unsettling. It wasn't quite the blood bath the crowd expected but it was a death non the less. The crow was defiantly not someone to be mess with.