Amazonia-The Arena

Standing upon the sands of the area, the crowd roars our names as we hold our weapons aloft.

All of us are wearing new armor made of strong leather, but with thick leather plates transmuted into Artifact, black and shining as if made of polished metal. My warriors are also wielding normal Artifact weapons made of carved Ironwood, larger than they'd ever be able to use if crafted from steel. Both weapons and armor had been presented to us after Antonius' body had been carried out by Imperial guards, while Lady Jhadra had finished tattooing my men.

Well, five men and a Daemo. As I'd practiced swinging the Rune sword in the shadowed darkness, I'd felt their tattoos come alive and link to me the moment she'd finished each one. I can feel each man and the little Daemo as well, where they are and their moods, even if I'm not holding the sword. Though the connection is stronger with the Rune sword in my hands.

Io... though I've begun thinking of him as Dancer, carries a black spear and Cotus... my Troll, a two-handed Greatsword. Ragnar the Fenris Wolf wields a double bladed axe which curves inward at each point, while T'ang and Julu... I can't think of one without thinking of the other, as if they were one person named Nomad, wield Artifact katanas in each hand. It isn't just me, though, because they've begun mirroring each other and speaking in unison, which is spooky.

Spookier still is Ghostfox, my silent shadow as trumpets on either side of the royal box blow the Imperial fanfare. We lower our weapons, and as I face the box and kneel on the sands, my Chaldean Wardogs take position behind me and kneel as well... why am I thinking of them in that way? And why did they arrange themselves in a semi-circle behind me? Hades rotted breath, nothing makes sense anymore, especially Titan. He's kneeling apart from us, still carrying the same steel sword and wearing the same chain hauberk he brought with him out of the Khitian wastes. We haven't spoken since I took possession of the sword... is this going to be the end of what we had between us?

It doesn't matter. You're a Reaver Knight now, even if none of us understands what that's going to mean, so stand tall and keep your head up. Titan's got to decide if he wants to bridge this chasm between us or not. The royal box protrudes out above the Eagle gate, with the purple and white canopy over it leaving all but the very front in shadow. A large, dark haired man wearing a solid purple toga walks to the center front where the speaking device, shaped like an eagle with its wings spread, rests on the wall.

He taps something on the device and it begins to glow blue. "Nobles, citizens, and foreign guests," the emperor says in his powerful voice, "thank you for helping me honor Lord Paulus, whose Ludus has consistently raised up champions, culminating in the unstoppable duo of Titan and Amazonia." The emperor nods as the crowd cheers, then raises his hand for quiet. "Lord Paulus, on this, your final day of service to the empire, please join your gladiators on the sands so you might yourself receive the accolades of the people, and our gratitude."

Dominus obviously knew this was coming, for he's walking out of the open door of the Eagle gate, his half dozen personal guards behind him. Amko in her black robes is holding her rod in one hand as she follows. Dominus reaches a spot midway between us and the royal box, stops, and turns around, the others arranging themselves behind him. Then they follow Dominus' lead and drop to one knee as the emperor resumes speaking. "Lord Paulus, you made the unusual request that your gladiators be granted their freedom before their last fight, and though it goes against precedent, in light of your dedication and theirs, I am moved to grant it. Lord Paulus... break their collars."

This must've been rehearsed as well, for Amko rises with Dominus, turns around, and walks towards us, the rod in her hand beginning to glow blue as the silver spiraled mana stones in her ears. She stops in front of me. "Lift your chin." Amko looks about as happy as if she'd just sunk her teeth into a bitterfruit as I raise my chin. The mage touches the round end of the rod to the collar, and it flares blue as pain makes me grit my teeth... then the collar shatters into pieces as the pain stops. Amko sneers and moves on towards the others behind me as the pieces fall away, my hands brushing off the small shards remaining until all of it is gone. My hand goes to my throat.

For the first time in many years I touch only skin. My fingertips slide over old sores turned into callouses, my throat no longer constricted but oddly exposed, vulnerable, a sensation I haven't had since a slaver tore me away from my people and transported me across the inner sea. My collar is gone. When this quest is finished, I could ignore the reward and return home, if I wanted. If I could find it. My collar is gone. Even if I did return, no one would recognize me, calling me a liar for claiming to be little Tagwizult the fearless. Even my own mother would never believe me, if she's still alive. Will I ever have a home again? My collar is gone.

Amko's been going down the line, and as Ragnar's collar shatters, Dominus smiles at us and raises his fist. "On your feet, my heroes, and taste the sweet air of freedom!" We leap to our feet as sand sprays around us, lifting up our weapons as the crowd cheers and stomps their feet, making the arena tremble. Dominus raises his hands as he basks in the praise.

Dancer... Io, touches my arm. I glance back at him with a questioning look, and he motions towards the gladiator gate we walked out of. Amko's hurrying towards it as fast as she can, almost running, as if she's worried it'll slam shut in her face if she waits. We trade a troubled look as Amko reaches the opening and passes through. Imperial guards standing on either side, slam the gate shut with a metallic clang.

Should I get Dominus' attention or was this part of the plan? I turn forward once again as the emperor raises his hands. The crowd quiets. "Prince Arcadia," he says, his voice echoing throughout the arena, "I am informed that you have an urgent matter which needs to be known by all, and I have consented to let you speak in my place."

The Eagle gate slams shut as the emperor steps to the side, with a younger, dark haired man, taking his place. "Divine majesty," he says in a lighter voice than the emperor's, "apologies for my urgency, but a terrible crime has been committed by Lord Paulus against his former slaves."

Dominus takes a step back, looking around in confusion as the prince stares straight at us. "Lady Jhadra informed me that her Daemo slave, which Lord Paulus had asked to borrow, was forced to perform an ancient ritual of dark sorcery, turning the champion Amazonia into a Reaver Knight who carries a cursed sword binding the other six to her side. Only Titan, being of the Ogri race, was immune, yet his love for Amazonia blinds him to the ghastliness of this crime."

The crowd, who had been chanting 'Paulus, Paulus', only a few moments before, now darkly mutters as Prince Arcadia stabs an accusing finger our direction. "Ghastly, because to complete the ritual, the heart of a gentle soul must be pierced by the sword and his spirit trapped within the cursed blade... the spirit of Lord Zeno's most cherished son, Antonius." The crowd gasps as the prince moves his hand my way. "Mage Amko, who was forced to watch the horrible ritual, told me the five gladiator's behind Amazonia held poor Antonius down while she ran an Ironwood blade into his chest, at the same instant the Daemo standing behind her called up terrible sorceries. All of this done at Lord Paulus' command."

"There goes our lands and title," Troll... Cotus, mutters.

The rest mutter agreement as the prince throws out his arms. "But why? Why would anyone attempt such a horrible scheme?" His accusing finger returns to point at Dominus. "For gold. The Master of Coin, Citizen Eurax, looked into Lord Paulus' finances, only to discover the nobleman is awash in a sea of debt. Not only that, but Citizen Eurax's collectors searched Lord Paulus' house and discovered letters from the Sasnayam embassy, offering not only enough gold to pay off his debts, but even more to support him in a lavish manor on an island off the coast of Greece. Citizen Eurax has already impounded the ship scheduled to take him and his family there."

"No," Dominus shouts, "I'm innocent!"

His voice is lost in the angry roar of the crowd, for no peoples are hated more by those in Konstanopolis than the Sasnayams. The empire said to be richer in gold than the infamous King Midas. Dominus is waving his arms and shouting, but his words are trampled by the prince, who turns towards his father. "Diving majesty, such an outrage cannot be judged fairly by men but by the gods, who know the dark places of our souls as well as the light."

"He's adding a good bit of darkness to his," Dancer... Io, mutters.

The prince goes on. "Therefore, I beg your Divine Majesty's indulgence to allow the high priest of Jupiter to decide how best to proceed."

The emperor waves his acceptance, and a large man in robes the color of gold strides up to the speaking device as Prince Arcadia steps away opposite from the emperor. "Your Divine Majesty, noble prince, and esteemed citizens of every rank, Jupiter himself will decide this afternoon's fight on the balance scales of justice. Open the Hades gate and let your Daemo monsters begin coming out, until Jupiter puts fear into the creature's hearts and they slam the gates shut. Whoever is left standing is then to be banished from the empire and put on a ship to the Khitian lands. From there, let them never return unless they can perform some deed so heroic that even the gods will forgive them, and wash away all their crimes. This is the will of Jupiter Maximus."

The priest steps back as the emperor strides forward. "What the gods put into words, men put into action. Prepare yourselves."

Is that an expression of regret on the emperor's face? Dominus looks bewildered as Titan puts his hand on my shoulder. "This is all a sham. Once Paulus is dead, the gates will shut and we will be free to go."

"Giving us a plausible reason to be in Khitia," I snarl. "This is all an excuse to salve Eurax's pride." Maybe it's the sword, but a strange, wild mood seizes me and I give my Wardogs a savage grin. "I say let's poke a finger in Eurax's eye and keep our old Dominus alive until they run out of monsters."

The Wardogs catch my mood and grin back as Titan laughs. "I like this change in you. Use the Eagle gate to guard your backs and arrange your warriors defensively. I will attack the Daemo creatures as they come out of the Hades gate." Titan throws his head back and raises his sword as he bellows, "This is a good day to die!"

The crowd roars his words back, cheering as he takes off running across the arena sands towards the opposite side, where a large gate of metal bars bent in places is beginning to creak open. "Everyone, follow me." I head towards the royal box with gold painted metal gate, reinforced with cross bars, below it.

As I reach Dominus he falls in beside me. "What are you doing," he says, sand spraying beneath our feet. "I taught you to never show mercy unless you had to."

"The sword decided otherwise," I reply as we reach the gate and turn around, the royal box casting its shadow over us as I turn around. "Besides, I'll need your skills." My Wardogs and the six guards reach us and stop as well. "We fight as teams. Io's with me, Cotus-"

"I fight alone," he growls, hunching his shoulders the way a troll does before it fights. "Don't worry about me."

"I can fly above him and throw sand in their eyes," Ghostfox says, stripping off her dress. Men on the benches above us begin hooting and yelling rude comments, for the little Daemo's nude underneath. Their voices die off as wings begin sprouting from her fragile looking body, which grows thinner and more bird-like the larger her wings become. Ghostfox scoops up sand with both hands and launches herself into the air.

I shake my head at the strangeness before turning towards the twins. "Nomads... I mean-"

"Nomad is fine," T'ang and Julu say in unison. "We will take your left flank."

"Good. Fen... Ragnar-"

"I'll guard Dominus," he says, hefting his double bladed axe in his hands. "It feels right to me."

"Then do it. You six," motioning at the guardsmen, form a defensive line against whatever gets past us."

The six guardsmen bang their swords against their square shields and arrange themselves as I stride out in front. Above me, a man's voice calls out, "Amazonia." Bells of hades, was that the emperor? I turn around and look up. He's standing above me, leaning down with the waist high concrete wall supporting him. He must have the speaking device turned off, for his voice doesn't echo off the walls, his clean shaven, square jawed face smiling as he says, "Make Jupiter work for it."

The wild grin returns to my face as I raise my Rune sword over my head in salute. "What the emperor puts into words," I call back, "his Knight and her Wardogs put into action."

He inclines his head, a pleased expression on his face as Ghostfox calls out, "Here they come!"