《Beast-Men》13. The Colosseum

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Sunlight shining through the portcullis led the way, for everything else was dark. The footsteps of Rabbit echoed through the tunnel, sounding quite ominous. Rabbit peered through the metal grating to see blood soaked sand and a body being dragged away by a Fieldon soldier. Once the body was fully dragged away Rabbits gate was opened.

Rabbit stood, newly armored, in full view of the crowd. Specially crafted greaves of metal and sabatons of leather formed around his Rabbit feet and calves. His chest plate was also of leather, but with small metal spike patches erupting from his shoulders. On top of Rabbits head he wore a Viking style helmet with holes for his ears to peek through and a metal bar covering his nose. At Rabbit’s right hand side, he held a dagger.

The crowd in the colosseum stood and cheered as Rabbit turned, looking at them, until the opposite gate opened and everyone turned to look.

A giant human, wearing roman gladiator armor stepped out into the sun. He carried a spiked round shield. As his gate closed behind him the crowd started a light applause.

The gladiator approached in battle stance and Rabbit’s nerves started acting up. Rabbit had only ever sparred with General Marker who had commended Rabbit on his speed in battle. “Use those legs,” she said. Marker thought that Rabbit would do best in the world of archery, but as you weren’t allowed to bring a bow into the colosseum, she settled with a dagger saying, “You have trouble with even a short sword, perhaps upper body strength isn’t your strong suit.” Even still, Rabbit got pretty good with the dagger, and could defend Marker’s onslaught for two and a half minutes. This gladiator sizing up Rabbit, however, reminded Rabbit more of Bear than Marker. Rabbit decided to fight as if he was fighting Bear.

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Dropping the short sword, Rabbit kicked off to the right, moving faster than any human could run. Rabbit circled the gladiator who hid behind his shield, hopping around as fast as he could to show his strength. What really stood out to Rabbit as he did his rounds was the fact that the gladiator wore no leg protection. Rabbit made a b-line for the gladiator who aimed his spiked shield at Rabbit.

Rabbit tackled low and hard into the gladiator’s legs with spiked shoulder plates. The snap was audible, but at the same time the gladiator had aimed his shield down at Rabbits back and punctured with the spiked shield. Rabbit rolled off and hissed. The gladiator keeled over and screamed because his right leg bent backwards at the knee.

Rabbit walked back to his gate and stripped off his chest plate. Drops of blood rolled down his back onto the sand. Rabbit sat in front of his gate and reached back to touch the wound. Oddly enough, he could already feel the wound regenerating. Rabbit had an open wound like that before, although he had taken quite the beating.

Rabbit became aware of the crowd chanting, “DEATH, DEATH, DEATH,” but he ignored them. When his gate opened a Fieldon soldier ran out with a spear. Rabbit cringed while the soldier ran over to the downed gladiator and forced the spear down through the body with an audible shuk. Rabbit got up and walked through the tunnel.

Rabbit wandered back to the waiting room for the fighters and found that the fighters had all left the wooden room. Rabbit took off his helmet and set it on a bench, and then sat himself down. As Rabbit sat and took off his sabatons and greaves he thought to himself. I could have died out there. Probably nobody in this town would have cared, whereas Bear, Wolf, Stag and Horse would have cared. Perhaps they would have even done something to stop the fight. Rabbit took off his chest plate and stared at it. The sun reflected off the chest plate and Rabbit turned around and looked up. An open window shone ten feet above Rabbit.

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As soon as he thought this could be an escape he jumped up and grabbed the ledge, big smile on his face. Then, while Rabbit’s body was half-way out the window, Aaron walked in his head and Rabbit's head turned abruptly around at the sound. Aaron, who was standing in the doorway with his servant’s attire and short brown hair and he said, “If you truly want to leave then I won’t stop you.” Aaron took a breath, “Guards are posted all around here, no matter what you’ll have to outrun guards, but the main gates are open right now, and if you’re quick enough you can escape.”

Rabbit was confused but said, “Thanks.”

“I’m not sure what you have against war, but good luck.”

Rabbit almost didn’t want to leave, Aaron was being so nice, but he did just wish him farewell, so Rabbit scrambled up the window and out into the city.

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