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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2017 9:12:49 GMT
Roy’s match was coming up.
Every other day, the battle golem would return to the gladiatorial arena called Black Rock. It was located near the outskirts of Spirit and was a little bigger than the more common, slave-based arena located all over Litharia. This one was different. The matches were almost all voluntary. Anyone who went in for a match did it for fun or were just so desperate for coin. Roy was a mix of both. It was more like his job to fight in it every other day to get enough money for food, shelter, and maybe some new clothes here and there. There was always a thrill to it, and that was another reason why he loved it. His blood line gave him a small advantage to the other contestants. He was a full golem, and pain was completely foreign to him. Pain was not a factor he had to worry about dealing with when he was fighting. However, he did have to pay attention any time he was struck. Just because he was immune to pain hardly meant he couldn’t be slowed by blood loss.
The arena itself was so called Black Rock because of its foundation and walls. The ground was covered with black dust and ashes. It was tradition there to burn those fallen and spread their ashes over the arena floor, besides any animals that died there. To keep with tradition, the arena was semi-large circular space. Higher off of ground level were about two to three rows of bleachers for any that wish to watch the matches, and there were always some of those. The walls of the arena itself were composed of a very dark form of concrete and rock, giving it a dark grey, almost black, look.
Roy was on the east contestant gate. There were four gates in total, one for each other direction. Sometimes they would only release one other gladiator, sometimes two and an animal, sometimes it would just be a free for all. Most that went into the arenas relied on brute strength. Roy relied more on flexibility and speed. He did also have his natural, intense daemon strength as well.
For his matches that day, Roy was wearing nothing for a top. Too much clothing would just get in the way, and he preferred to fight without things such as chainmail. He looked more like a slave really, with the brown sandals he wore on his feet and the simple linen loin cloth he wore around his waist, hanging down to his thighs. He did not even have a weapon. For his match, he decided to go in with just tooth and claw as weapons. Roy was better with a halberd, but he needed to practice without it sometimes.
He was sitting on the bench, waiting for the wooden gate to be pulled open. He could hear an announcer outside, followed by the blood thirsty cries of the audience. The stands were normally packed full of people, but Ray didn’t much care for just the showmanship. It was all about the practice, the thrill of the kill and the chance to be killed, and the coin.
Only the gods knew what the hell the announcer was saying. Roy was never able to understand them, but he was eager to get out. His claws extended a solid few inches. Naturally black, they curled just slightly once they reached their full extension. Roy’s fangs also extended just past his lips, but that was as far out as they went. He used his claws more than his fangs anyways when it came to using his natural weapons.
The wooden gate began to rise, and the man pulling it open called to Roy. He stood and rolled his shoulders from the anticipation. The moment he could fit out, he ran out onto the black and grey ashy field. The moon was so bright, they did not even need torches to light the field. It was glittering and covered in bright moonlight.
Part of being a gladiator was getting the crowd’s approval. He was a common contender, and he raised his hands up in the air as he looked and called out to the crowd. They cheered, but that’s all the time he had before the other gate began to raise.
A man walked out, taller than even Roy who was already tall to start. The man had massive broad shoulders and tree-trunk sized arms with a large gut. Everything about him spoke of confidence, and the grin across his face indicated he had done matches before, and won. Most of his skin was dark grey and wrinkled; a possible animal influence?
Roy matched the man’s grin with his own, for Roy had a high sense of confidence in his own abilities. IT would be no easy feat, but he was sure he could take the man down.
With a yell, the man charged.
Roy too ran towards the man, hands pulled up close to his face in the event he would need to block a blow. The man rushed and swang with his right first at the same time, putting as much force behind his first hit as he could.
The battle golem’s magic became useful at times like that, and he ducked under the man’s arm, running past him. As Roy passed the man, the claws on his rich hand raked along the man’s muscular sides. It was deep, but not severe and he turned around to face the man.
He was shifting.
When Roy saw him again, the man was in the process of changing into his half form. His skin grey more leathered and wrinkled, while the bridge of his nose formed up into a large, deadly horn. Long grey ears covered with thin hair replaced his normal human looking ones. Rhinos were extremely hardy animals, and that no doubt applied to his opponent.
Again he charged, but with his horn pointed down towards Roy’s chest.
And again, he sidestepped, raking his claws along the beast of a man’s side. This time, thanks to the protection of the thick hide covering his body, there was very little damage.
A curse escaped from Roy. The man was ridiculously easy to out maneuver, but the golem wasn’t doing any damage. So much for an easy match.
Another roar came from the man and he charged yet again. It was boring just being in the arena with him. Roy couldn’t imagine how boring it would be in the stands. He surged forward and, instead of using his claws to do any damage, grabbed the man’s massive arm.
The rhino shifter shouted with annoyance and tried to butt Roy, but with his large mass, he was not very flexible or quick, for that matter. Roy dodged, then twisted the man’s arm at the shoulder. There was a sickening pop, but the golem did not stop there.
The shifter screamed as Roy kept twisting the arm, avoiding the thrashing that the man was retaliating with. Dislodging the arm completely from the socket wasn’t enough, and suddenly flesh tore with the joints in the shoulder. Blood spurted onto Roy’s face but he kept twisting till his hands were too slick from the blood to keep a grip.
Rage enveloped the Rhino. Blood was pooling down his now useless and limp arm. The only thing attaching it to the shoulder was bits of flesh here and there, but anytime he moved, it flapped around like a useless chunk of meat.
Roy’s over confidence got the better of him. With just that stunt, he thought he’d won and the man would slow down even more, but the opposite happened. Charging with a new found burst of speed, possibly magical, the man was upon Roy within seconds, his horn tearing into and through the upper portion of his right chest.
The man’s charge did not stop there, and he continued to keep running with Roy skewered to his horn. The golem frowned; the horn just barely anything too terribly important, but the fight would need to end quick then. Once the horn left his chest, he could easily bleed out.
Still the man was running, straight for the wall, but Roy did not want to give him that luxury. Still the fight was too easy in Roy’s eyes, and using his claws, he plucked out one of the Rhino’s eyes. Even so, he still did not stop running, so Roy plucked out the other.
Finally, with nonstop screams of agony and beserk rage, the Rhino man slowed, enough for Roy to dislodge himself from the horn and drop to the ground, blood pooling down his chest and onto the floor. He turned to face the rhino shifter, who had fallen to his knees on the floor.
Roy approached him with clear annoyance written all over his face. All the coin he would make from the match would have to go to a healer. He’d have to get patched up right away.
With the crowd screaming ‘boos’, Roy couldn’t blame them for being upset over the rather uninteresting match. Their anger was directed at the shifter, who’s head Roy grabbed with both hands, one on the back of the head and one towards the front. With a quick movement to the right, Roy snapped the man’s beefy neck and he fell limp to the floor.
The crowd cheered, happy that the boring menace was off the field, and quickly Roy retreating to the gate where the next contestant was waiting to go out and either kill, or be killed. First thing was first, he needed to find a damn healer for the gaping hole in his chest.
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Post by Hadjara Astaeldr Er on Jul 5, 2017 0:31:42 GMT
Go to the gladiator ring if you want to challenge the strongest daemon for her title.
Hadjara had asked someone to scrawl that across the chalk wall in the Daemon Tunnels some months ago, after a ragged looking daemon accused her of trying to hide before challenging her and promptly dying.
They did have a point, though.
She wasn't hiding, but no one ever knew where to find her. Even Gabriel tended to come to the tunnels at a certain time regularly. And, well, she was a member of the Daemon leadership which apparently she had to take seriously. At least all she really needed to do was fight to do her job - and the owner of the ring was absolutely delighted any time she showed up. When it got out that the strongest daemon had a Challenger people came crawling out of the woodwork to watch. The owner had even fashioned a champion belt in her size since she had to wear the last one like a sash.
Hers was gaudy, gold and emerald, and she absolutely adored it.
The first fight was quick, and Hadjara only started paying attention once the crowd started booing. Curious, she hopped down from the table she had been lounging on and scooted to the arena door in time to almost run into the man walking in.
"Woah!" Hadjara said as she reeled back. She was only a little taller than his elbow and he had a standard amount of gore on him that she didn't want on her own clothes. She took a few steps back before she looked up at him with a dazzling grin. "Howdy! Guess that was your fight then? Crowd didn't seem ta enjoy it, ya got any more ta do?" She had a while yet until her Challenger was ready and she was bored. She didn't even have her familiars to keep her company since if someone tried to kill her treefrog she would probably lose by default.
She eyed him over, realizing quickly that he was a daemon too but if he was fighting in early rounds he wasn't going to be fighting her.
"Hey, love the look. I got stuck with this weird Valkyrie getup." Since she was around so frequently and had gained some level of popularity with the regulars and a significant amount of money for the owner she had been given a look. Every time she turned up an outfit had been prepared for her. A long white shirt that hung limp off her curvy frame, so long it reached mid thigh that was synched around her waist by her champion belt. Her shoes were woven sandles that laced up her calf, matching bracers on her forearms, and her hair was swept back into a gold ribbon. She looked uncharacteristicly delecate, more like a doll than a warrior. Apparently that meant more people would bet against her and the owner would make more money when she ran her opponent through.
"My name's Hadjara." She stuck out her hand to take his. "My fight's three down."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2017 2:01:29 GMT
Roy’s mind had wandered when he left the ring. The fight was so dull, he longed for something more. Normally he’d fight a few rounds a day, and thankfully he had two fights to go. While he was lost in thought, he didn’t notice the woman that he nearly ran into until she voiced moving out of the way. She was so…tiny. He stopped and cocked his head; She was obviously a daemon of some sort. A winged daemon at that. Why was she all dressed up? There were so many frequent contestants to the arena, Roy had no idea whom all of them were, so perhaps she was one of them. The combatants he fought against were always random, but they were careful to make it so he would not meet them in the ring. Sabotage tended to happen a lot, so for most matches they kept the pairings separate. More than likely that meant he would not be fighting her.
She commented on his match and he groaned. “I don't blame 'em for not liking it. It was fucking boring.” But Roy wasn’t in it for the crowd’s approval per say. It was more for his own doing. “Guy was some sort of rhino shifter, yeah? Only knew how to run and hit in one direction….slowly.” But that’d give him a few copper in his pocket. “I got another round in a little bit. Don’t know against who or what but maybe it’ll be more fun than…whatever that was.”
Roy wasn’t sure what the short lady meant by how she liked his look, but he appreciated the compliment anyways. He gave a toothy grin, flashing his retracted fangs as his lips raised. “If by ‘look’ you mean being mostly naked in a skirt, sandals, and being covered in blood, then thanks.” What kind of look would that even be? The daemon was just a little taken aback by how sandals and a loincloth could have a ‘look’.
“Compared to some getups I see, yours isn’t ridiculous at least. It looks good on you.” He’d seen some weird costumes, even fought against them sometimes. Hers was a bit more low-key and, as far as he knew, complimented her looks quite well.
The woman was so friendly, Roy was taken off guard. Most combatants were just assholes that wanted to brag about how badass they were with a tiny knife or something. Gladly, he stuck his not so bloody hand out to meet hers as well and shook it while smiling. He’d always been a social person and, to top it off, had always been fairly biased when it came to what species he liked to socialize with. “Roy. A pleasure.” He let her hand go and placed his own on his hips.
As they spoke, a young but bulky boy ran past them, shouting at the top of his lungs in excitement and confidence. He rushed passed the two of them towards the arena gates. The next fight was on its way to start.
“You a regular here?” Roy inquired. He was genuinely curious. There was still a possibility he’d meet her in the arena at some point if that was the case, but it would not be that day. “What brought you to the arena, if ya don’t mind me asking?” It was maybe his favorite question to ask other combatants. Many stories were the same, but every now and then there would be a reasoning that surprised Roy. His own reason for doing voluntary fights to the death was common among others.
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Post by Hadjara Astaeldr Er on Jul 8, 2017 6:41:09 GMT
“Hmm?” Hadjara hummed in the back of her throat as she wandered around him, surprised by his relative lack of injuries. Either he was better than he was letting on or his opponent was just as bad as he claimed. “Is ya second opponent gonna get in a fight before that one too? Or y'all just gonna charge in there with disadvantage?” That was something the crowds loved, Hadjara had noticed. Nothing like watching a battered underdog win. Or watch a cocky underdog get ripped to sometimes literal shreds.
Hadjara actually laughed at his complaints about his look and in a quick motion she was sitting on the table facing him, her legs swinging in the air like a child sitting on a chair many times too large. “Yeah!” She laughed, “that's a look! Wildman kinda thing. And it's less ridiculous than it is . . . delicate. I feel like I'm a doll dressed like this.” She punctuated her point by gesturing with her wings. “They tried ta get lipstick on me, y'know, but it ain't like nobody from the crowd would actually see it. 'Sides-” Behind her Hadjara waved her tail behind her to punctuate her point, “-every time I move my tail too much ain't a damn person not gonna see my ass.” She set her tail down on the table with a thud.
She leaned back as she heard cheering starting up just outside. The second fight had taken a little longer than usual to start and Hadjara guessed that said something about the size of the corpse. Or the mess Roy made.
“Yeah, I swing by every month or so ta see if anyone's waitin' ta challenge me." She grinned brightly and pressed her thumb into her collar bone. “You're lookin' at the ring champion, Roy,” Hadjara said, nearly bursting with pride before she leaned back and pointed at her belt so he could see the large gold plate in the front that said CHAMPION. “They had ta custom make me one 'cause the old one was too big. The Boss said it was worth it, though, cause I make him an' the arena a lot of money. Because I'm an attraction, he said. Ain't that just the coolest shit?”
She leaned forward again, setting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. “People only get ta fight me by request. Though, nobody ever really wants my champion belt. Most people who challenge me just want the strongest daemon title which I guess is neat too. It don't come with a cool belt, though. What 'bout you, though? What'cha here for?”
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2017 8:24:50 GMT
“Ya know, I don’t ever really know. They don’t tell me anything before I go out and fight.” Roy smiled at her. “Kind of like it that way. Has a nice element of surprise. It’s got a nice thrill of ‘I honestly don’t know if this’ll be my last day to live or not’”. To sum it up, Roy was basically an adrenaline junkie. He noticed how so many humans were so obsessed with…staying away from danger and living adrenaline-free lives. What a bore.
Roy was amused at Hadjara’s posture. Besides the all the reptilian features, everything about her screamed ‘not intimidating’. For such a tiny thing though, she was well built and he noticed the visible muscles she had. He was willing to bet she could be very intimidating, or even deadly, if she wanted to. While a confident person, Roy knew overconfidence could get him killed.
She was a riot, and he found himself laughing, grinning from ear to ear. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, using his shoulder as support. “A wildman look, eh? Could be worse. And ya know, maybe you should…I dunno, use the blood of whoever you kill as lipstick if you like how the crowd reacts. It’d finish the ‘look’ and give you that sexy, bad ass kind of look that people like so much.” Again he laughed at her comment regarding her ass. “I mean that would really get the crowd going if you showed them your ass. Good way to get them on your side.” He was mostly jesting with her. Mostly.
Embarrassingly, Roy’s jaw dropped as she claimed to be the champion of the arena. He pushed himself up from his lean using his shoulder and nearly stumbled and tripped over himself. Was she kidding? She had to be kidding. Why would she lie though? Gaining his composure, he cleared his throat. “Wait. Really?” He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or curious at her levels of strength…or both, really. “I mean yeah, that’s pretty sweet.”
It didn’t end there. Now she was apparently the strongest daemon too. That, Roy wasn’t completely sure he believed. The only name he knew of in daemon politics was the daemon lord’s. He didn’t know about any others, so literally anyone could claim to be so. Lying about it would be extremely stupid, so Roy did not entirely disbelieve her either.
If she were telling the truth, he would defiantly want to see her match. Again he cleared his throat, unsure exactly how to respond. He cocked his head. “Er sorry that I don’t really recognize you. I don’t ever fight in the ranked matches. I mostly come here to just make enough coin to go have a nice drink at the end of the day at a pub. Maybe sing a song or two…” On a good day, Roy enjoyed singing to appease a crowd. It was a fun past time, along with baking. “I also just like to make sure I don’t completely get rid of the stick up my ass and go soft. Gotta keep up my fighting skills, you know? I guess I’m just…really, really passionate about fights to the death.” Roy shrugged playfully and smiled. He was caught of guards with her apparent titles, but in the end Roy was all about judging someone on an individual level and not what a title labeled them as. If Hadjara was who she said she was, then Roy’s basic idea of what the strongest daemon would look like was destroyed.
There was still cheering outside, and after the following match Roy would have to go out again. He gestured with his head for Hadjara to follow him, as he was still interested in talking with her. “Think I’m going to grab a shot or two after how sad my match was. I don’t know when you have to fight, but you’re free to join me real quick.” Just down the narrow hallway was where other contestants were waiting, some drinking away their sorrows before they headed out to their own forms of suicide. Black Rock was a nice arena that provided for the people who volunteered, so there was a complementary, small section for contestant where they could get free, cheap drinks. Roy had no intention of getting drunk, but he did want that nice warm, tingly feeling that came with drinking before he had to go back out.
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Post by Hadjara Astaeldr Er on Jul 9, 2017 8:49:16 GMT
“Hmm? Really?” Hadjara said as she cocked her head, “I usually get a quick run down of who I'm fightin' when I arrive.” Her fight today was for her leadership position, and her challenger knew more than enough about her, so the least the Boss could do was give her a rundown. And that rundown was: she's an earth element, I'll treat you to whatever dinner you like after you win.
She put her hand on her collarbone as she laughed, hardy and loud. “Naw, I ain't no vampire, Roy. Don't like a dead woman's blood on my lips.” She winked and blew a kiss at him before she shook her head. “As cute as my ass is, I don't think I need ta show it off ta get people ta root for me. I've gone inta battle topless before too, y'know. Depends on the theme of the day.”
He was funny, at least. She grinned wide and nodded when he seemed surprised by her position. “Yeah! Why, is that a title you want? 'Caauuuse you can't have it. Neither of them. Not with out a fight first, and I only do to-the-death.” She was only half-teasing. Hadjara had no intention of letting anyone take her titles from her and no matter how charming Roy was, she was more than ready to kill him if he challenged her.
“Oh, no, sorry!” Hadjara waved him off when he went to leave. “Maybe after my fight, but have fun!”
x
No one really came to talk to her again, not until an attendant came and led her to the large door. In the arena she head someone hyping up the crowd and, after a few lines, Hadjara recognized the voice as belonging to the Boss. She didn't know his real name, only that he was a human native to the Boil with a heavy accent. He had a lot of flattering things to say about her and the fight they were all about to witness before two burly xerocole shifters swung open the sweeping double doors she stood behind and she walked out into the arena, spear already in hand.
It was night – that was one of her few stipulations for her fights – and torches burning with pure white flame lit the arena up. And the stands were packed. Cheering people waved at her and she waved back, making a real show of showing off for her audience before even bothering to look at her challenger.
Earth elemental, about a foot and a half taller than Hadjara herself. She had pale, smokey purple skin and brilliant teal hair cut in a bob around her dramatic face. She scowled as Hadjara approached, and Hadjara gave her an easy grin back in kind. They stood toe to toe but neither moved as the attendants left the arena and the three men with boarder magic took up their posts and created their bubble. Couldn't have audience getting mangled, could they?
“This is a disgrace,” the elemental said as her bright teal eyes flared, “how dare you treat this as a game?”
“If you're my opponent it might as well be, love,” Hadjara said mildly. She didn't even flinch as the elemental snarled at her. And then the fight began.
The elemental stomped a foot and the ground shattered like an earthquake had just ripped the arena to shreds. Hadjara stumbled a little and whipped out her wings and tail to maintain her balance. She turned and swung her spear, only to find that the elemental had slid away as the earth under her feet turned to slick mud. Hadjara snarled in irritation as the earth under her turned to mud too, sinking her up to her chest.
That was a bad choice. With the ease of any crocodile Hadjara climbed out of the earth and turned the mud under her into a platform of ice.
At the top of the barrier clouds began to form, angry and gray and crackling with electricity before it began to rain. The earth elemental looked up then back to the dusty earth before she put two and two together and stomped her foot again. Power rippled out from her as the earth turned from mud to gravel then to larger, jagged rocks that rose in the air and pointed down to Hadjara. The crocodile grinned as her storm began to howl, and as pointed rocks moved to shatter her they were met by her own daggers of ice. Frost and dust scattered around her as Hadjara sprang forward and swiped at the elemental with her spear, ripping open a gash between her breasts and up to her throat.
The ground under her feet tried to grab at Hadjara but her legs whisped into smoke each time as she was grabbed. Nothing stopped her forward motion as frozen rain ripped at the elemtal's skin and her spear ripped open her chest and stomach and throat.
She was strong, yes, but Hadjara was so. Much. Stronger.
Hadjara finally stopped her aggressive charge once the elemental's front was slick with blood. Hadjara grinned and blew her a kiss before the blood on her chest turned to ice and ripped her in half. She didn't even have the chance to get a word out before she fell to the ground in two pieces and Hadjara turned to the audience, her arms spread as they cheered.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2017 10:15:07 GMT
Roy enjoyed her light sense of humor. In the sort of setting they were in, it was always a refresher. There were so many serious, ‘raw raw kill kill’ types or ‘I have nothing left to live for’. Even if he took his sparing and practicing serious, he liked to be light hearted about it all. There wasn’t much time for him to really give her an answer to her question though, as it seemed her match was up.
Curiosity peaked, he ran up to the gate entrance into the arena after it had closed and after she was outside already. Her opponent was bigger than her, but then again she was just…really short. The way she had been around Roy did not reflect on her in her match. She looked like a completely different person out there, more dangerous, more feral. He found himself unable to look away as he watched, even when a few other gladiatorial spectators came to watch.
There was no buildup. The fight immediately started out intense. Roy gripped the gate and watched with amazement at the magic that was used on both sides. Earth elementals were always so…stoic and used some boring earth magic. It was more interesting to watch how Hadjara had handled it. Where she had once been sunken in mud, suddenly she was out and then there was ice. And it just go so much more…crazy! There was a storm and a blur of movements as the distance between them was closed by Hadjara. Thinks were grabbing at her feet, but it was all for not for the elemental was soon on the ground in two different pieces. The crowd was going crazy, and Roy found himself shouting out with them and the other gladiators with excitement too.
As she headed back to the gate to exit the field, all the other combatants grew wary and shuffled away. Roy didn’t though. He crossed his arms and grinned as she made her way to the exit as the gate open.
“Damn. Can’t say that’s something I see every day.” Roy paused and considered his statement. “Er well, I’ve seen the earth stuff before. But not all the ice and storm stuff! I see why you’re the champion.” Regardless if she was ruthless in her matches, he felt relaxed around her. Out of the arena, she seemed much friendlier and more welcoming. There wasn’t the loom of ‘death’ or ‘losing a title’ when out of the arena, which probably played a part in that.
Roy’s match would be next, as that was how they seemed to do things at Black Rock. They would do a ranked match, followed by another random or two, then another ranked. It helped keep up the hype. Who knew who or what he’d face.
He put a hand on his hip. “And to answer your question before your match, no, I do not want to have the ‘stick up my ass’ title. Especially if it means I have to fight you. But it does have a nice ring to it.” With a wink, he motioned for her to follow him if she was up for it. For his first fight, he didn’t use any weapons but his natural ones. For his next one, he was set on using a weapon he was most comfortable with. The only thing was he didn’t want to use his own until he found a way to make it unbreakable.
There was a rack of weapons, free to use, back where the other contestants were waiting. Some eyed Hadjara wearily, while some seemed to raise their hands and give a cheer. Roy reached out and grabbed one of the halberds leaning on the wall. It was heavier than his personal one, and cheaply made, but it would do. “So does anyone see you fight and then still challenge you anyways? Like…is that a thing? Maybe I’m just a little bitch, I don’t know, but I’m not sure I’d do something like that.” He grinned as he laughed light-heartidly. “I bet you’re fun to spar, but to the death? Naw. I’m good. I quite like being a whole piece and not two.”
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Post by Hadjara Astaeldr Er on Jul 17, 2017 6:03:38 GMT
Hadjara grinned at the golem and held up a hand for a high five. “Didn't I say I was the strongest there was?” She winked before she raised her arms over her head and stretched until they cracked and she shivered. There was a downside to her ice, unfortunately. The more she used it the colder it made her and her lack of body heat was a double aged sword. She couldn't freeze to death, true, but she also had to melt to room temperature naturally and she felt sluggish until then.
She shook her head and rubbed her arms, hoping that the motion would thaw her sooner rather than later. Her breath was frosting a little in the air but other than that and the faint blue-tint to her skin there was no real indication that she was a walking icicle.
“Oh, you saying I got a stick up my ass?” Hadjara teased. She stood up on tip-toe and flicked the end of his nose. “What were ya expectin' me ta be like, anyway? Some big ol' grump always bossin' people around like them Hounds? I just got the title cause there ain't nobody stronger n' me in the whole world. Well, 'cept maybe Gabe.”
She tucked her hands behind her back and paced around him, ignoring the way other competitors shied away from her. They always did that, and Hadjara wasn't really interested in befriending someone who wanted nothing to do with her. “Some people think they got somethin' ta prove or that I'm just not suitable ta be an' adviser.” They weren't exactly wrong. She had no interest in anything even remotely resembling politics. Mostly Malak had heard the title and decided he wanted it but now it was her's until the day she died.
“Always up ta spar though,” she teased, “if ya think that's somethin' you're able ta take.”
She turned to him and tucked her arm in his because holy shit, she was colder than she thought and he felt delightfully warm. “Ya still up for a drink?” She could talk to the Boss later about her match.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2017 7:28:22 GMT
Roy personally wasn’t a fan of self-gloating and Hadjara was no exception to that, but there wasn’t really a point in acting distasteful towards her. She already showed him how, outside the arena, she was quite entertaining and funny and in the end he was more interested in those qualities anyways. He smiled and gave her the high five she invited. “I mean, there’s a reason you’re at the top,” he responded.
As she rubbed her arms in a way as if she were cold, he raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Roy saw the math and watched her use ice magic, so he wondered if using it had some sort of effect on her, or if it was just from being around the ice itself. “Uh, you cold?”
In a playful gesture of shrugging his shoulders, Roy laughed at her teasing. This was something he wished he could indulge in more often in the arenas. He was a social person at heart, but many other combatants were too self-obsessed with their edgy or sad lives to have any interest with interacting with each other. Most. The pub that Roy frequented almost every night was where he met the more interesting and talkative gladiators, all of who had new stories to share every day. “Naw. If you did have that stick, I probably wouldn’t be talking to you right now.” But she did have a point on what he expected the strongest daemon to be like, besides the ‘bossing people around’ part. “Yeah, I was totally thinking you’d be like ten feet tall, tree trunks for arms, strong chin, probably setting everything on fire. Yep. Totally what I expected.” Again, there was that gloating he was not found of, but he kept himself from pointing out how something like that could get her killed some day. Wasn’t any of his business and, though she seemed nice and fun to talk to, they had only just met.
He was curious about the name ‘Gabe’ that she mentioned, wondering if she was referring to the Daemon Lord Gabriel himself. Roy had never met him (or at least had no idea that it was the same Gabriel that he met centuries ago), but he did know of him. “Gabe as in Gabriel, the Daemon Lord?” he inquired, just to clarify to sate his curiosity.
Now it was Roy’s turn to be a little gloaty. Part of the reason he tried not to let other competitors’ confidence bother him was, in short, because there were sometimes when he liked to brag about himself. Fighting was literally everything about him; his personality, his magical abilities, and his history. His cocky smirk was a good indication that he’d love to spar Hadjara sometime, even if he’d most likely lose. “Oh I can take it, as long as you don’t break my ankles or actually kill me or something. Benefit of not feeling any pain.”
He was surprised at Hadjara tucking her arm into his, not expecting the action at all, but he didn’t really mind. The hairs on his arm stood up from the cold against her arm, and he could safely say he was not a fan of the cold. “Sure thing. But,” he added, “…My second match will be starting soon. If you wait for it to be done, we could go to the pub just outside. I’m sure you’re familiar with it?” It was an interesting place, consisting of two different buildings connected by a skybridge on the second floor. The smaller of the two buildings was open to the public, while the other was guarded and only open to ranked gladiators, such as Hadjara. “THEN, we can get a drink. On me, if that’ll convince you.” She was an interesting person, different from many Roy had met throughout his lifetime in both the Dream Land and in Litharia. Though they had just met, he was convinced that he wanted to know more about her.
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