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First Blood

Everyone was cheering all around, ecstatic voices all around and yet here I was, standing stony face and silent in this hallway. Would I live to see tomorrow? Could I actually win? Or will they be cheering my opponents name with that enthusiasm...

My head was starting to spin, my hands were clammy and I could barely stand, my heart was beating ever faster as I heard the announcer start his ceremonies.

The crowd hushed instantly as the man bellowed, he seemed quite distant from where I was, his voice was simply echoing down to me, making shivers run up my spine. "Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to this nights 'Starter match'" the crowd cheered and clapped loudly, "Lets see our entertainment then shall we!" The grinding screech of the gate filled the silence, the stone floor trying to halt its mechanical advance, "Entering on my left... is Talia!" the crowd started cheering once more, "She's new to the Arena so give her an extra big welcome everyone! She's a soldier by trade but now she's swapped her soldiering days in for a chance of riches and fame!" my heart sunk as he spoke and I wasn't sure what to believe, did she really 'choose' to join in these games, or was she, like me, forced into them to redeem myself...

I could hear the announcer call, his voice cheery as ever as he was about to announce my entrance; I could hardly keep my composure, my heart was sprinting, though there was little time to think now as I felt the prod of the Guard's spear behind me, his spear giving me some much needed 'encouragement' to continue on up toward the arena, I didn't really have any options left at this point so with a sigh of disbelief I simply paced forward, numbing my mind for what was about to happen, my own demise. I rigidly gripped the handle of one of my knives and walked onward, the cheering grew ever louder as I got closer to the gate. I took a few deep breaths, trying in vain to calm my galloping heart. I closed my eyes as I heard the announcer do his reveal, "On my right!" he paused, my gate screeched like a machine and I felt compelled to walk forward, my palms were already sweaty as I stood but the pressure of the moment only finally hit me, the thousand eyes glaring at me felt like the gaze of a basilisk or Gorgon of old, I felt like a statue being appreciated. "To my right! Is the feisty Mona! A firecat of the old country, call her what you will people! A thief, a rogue, a coward! But I think we'll leave that up the combatants here today shall we!" the announcer spoke as if dictating the enjoyment of his crowd, he begun his countdown without hesitation as the gate closed behind me with another uncomfortable groan, it ran like a nail down my spine, "3!" I looked around and surveyed the arena, it was a large flat square arena with 3 'buildings' sprawled in it, they all resembled a ruin as they had sharp rocks littered around the bases, they had a few flat platforms dotted at different heights, they would come in most useful. I figured that if I was to win i'd need that high ground.

"2!" the announcer continued, and it struck me that this was it, it was now or never, life or death....I quickly surveyed my surroundings in this arena, I wasn't going to have long. I had to look. I had to scramble, I'd need distance. I needed space.

"1! Fight!" without any hesitation I jolted from my stationary pose and hoisted myself up to one of the ledges just above my head; I could hear my opponents 'clink-clank' of her metallic boots as she paced cautiously towards my direction; she must have assumed I was hiding, preparing an ambush, she was right in a way. I pulled myself up and slowly shimmied along the ledge, grabbing another one above and doing the same again, my heart was slightly calmer, it felt like it did in the old country when I was caught stealing, she was just a guard of the town! the thought of that just calmed me completely, i'd outran guards at least a dozen times, so this would be no different. Climbing, and climbing, every clink and clank could be her last so I wasted no time. I climbed again, reaching what seemed like the highest point, I peered down, I was quite high up now, but it didn't phase me. I pulled out one of my knives and waited for a moment, observing this 'guard' as she searched about for me,, she had this confused and dumbfounded look on her face when she finally turned the corner where she had thought I'd be hiding.

I grabbed one of my knives from my pouch, and grabbed it by the hoop near the bottom, it wasn't very big; the blade must have been only a few inches. It wouldn't stand a chance against her armour, as it wouldn't penetrate enough to even pierce her fur. I waited, she had moved her attention to another ruin and her back was turned, now I saw it! Her weak spot was her back, she was simply wearing a breastplate on her front, I grinned and with a swoosh I flung the knife, with a loud yelp it pierced her in the back, I heard the chunk of her shield as she dropped it in pain. I'm sure if I could see my face there'd be a huge grin painted on it, the first hit was the easiest, the knives serrated edge wasn't going to come out easy for her so I braced my nerves for her second loud screech of pain as she pulled it from her skins recess'. as if on queue I heard it, she dropped the knife on the floor and picked her shield back up, before her bellowing voice filled the arena, "You're gonna pay for that you bitch! Show yourself and fight me like a warrior" I could only stifle a little laugh, i've been called much worse than that by the town guards of Damontia, I almost felt like taunting her as I hid behind the wall, waiting for her to come looking.

Clink, clank, clink, clank...She'd started a light jog over to me, I could feel her anger ebbing in her, she turned the corner, she wasn't one for caution any more, I could use that to advantage no less, when I finally caught sight of her, I was eager to finish her off, she was below me, my grey fur was the perfect camouflage on this barren looking stone wall. There wasn't much to it, when she was just a few paces to my right, I grabbed my fighting knife and lunged down onto her, she was a strong fighter, her legs didn't even buckle until my knife sliced clean into her neck, I did it, a smile grew on my face but it wasn't time to celebrate yet, the warrior was either a lot tougher than I first imagined or was simply running on adrenaline at this point but within a second of the knife going into her I felt the warriors grip on my hair, she yanked me up and over onto the floor in front of her, she stared down to me with a powerfully aggressive visage, she was panting very heavily and there was definite pain in her eyes, her motions were swaying a little and she seemed a little off, but she wasn't done...not yet anyway, with her one good arm she flipped her sword around, and within a moment she lunged down towards me, the sound of a clank as that sword blade collided with the stone floor was also mixed with a sigh of relief, I dodged that one....I rolled away again and quickly jumped up onto my feet, I ran, my knife bag had come undone when I hit the floor and she knew, she charged me and all I could do was try and climb...

Clinkclank, clink...clank, she was slower than before but still as determined, "Gotcha bitch!" she mocked and within a moment there was a powerful arm gripped around my waist, pulling me off the wall, she'd dropped her shield and sword at this point, her other arm spun me like some toy, my back was to the wall, "I wanted to see your face when I choked the life out of you" she said it so coldly, and within a moment her paw was wrapped tight around my neck as I pressed against this wall, I did the only thing I knew too, I squirmed and tried my best to not show weakness, a losing battle in itself. "Go on, beg me and i'll end it quick for you. I promise" her personality and tone had become so very odd, her armour was of gleaming white and gold but her mind must have been pure black, the paw on my neck tightened and I was left gasping for air, she really was going to choke me to death....She grabbed one of my arms and pinned it up to, obviously sensing my recently concocted plan, within a moment my mind was nearly blank, her face was covered in her sadistic grin, my eyes were darting, looking for something, anything to fix the situation, I spotted it, something she overlooked in her blind rage, the knife i'd lodged in her neck was still there. I reached the grab it, she couldn't stop me at this point, I pulled it out a little and her grip loosened, I yanked it out before stabbing it right into the front of her neck, something I should of done right from the start, straight for the jugular!

Within seconds my armour clad opponent had lost her grip on my arm and neck and was more concerned with the blood spluttering out of her neck hole. I couldn't help but lean back against the wall and watch, it was a mesmerizing sight, this really was the first person i'd ever killed...I thought to myself about my past experiences as she lay there coughing blood, I'd injured a few guards before, purely disabling blows but never to this extent. Death sure was a spectacle, especially when its by your hand, the adrenaline through your body sure was something that I wasn't expecting to relish so much...I could definitely see myself get used to this 'Arena Fighting', a small smirk lay on my face as she drew her last breath, I felt like the queen of the world; when the adrenaline wore off I could finally hear the crowd cheering and shouting my name, mine. It was a euphoric sight and I could hardly resist welling up with tears of joy, I raised my arms up in celebration and then the announcer roared back up again, "Congratulations! You've won the round. I think we'll all be keeping an eye on our new fighter, she's got some hidden talent!" the crowd cheered up as my gate screeched open, "Now leave the way you came, you've earned your rest"

And with that I collected my knife bag and left the arena, entering the 'back-office' of the Arena, it was a lot darker and smelt of blood and sweat....

Dreams of Home

The back office was a lot more cramped than the Arena itself, its air was stuffy and the place reeked of blood, sweat and fatigue. It was both the ticket office, training room and 'store' for the competitors. The area was lined with Stone, it was cobbled and cheaply put together, I guess it isn't meant to look fancy. Once I got out of the arenas winding tunnel, it opened to a room, there was a wolf-man sitting behind a little desk, there was a suspicious looking grin on his face as I approached, he stood up and clapped his hands, looking at me as if bewildered "Excellent show! Mon that was superb, the crowd loved you" he spoke quite genuine and enthusiastic, "How was it for you?" he asked, and it ticked me off, but I was never one to snap when I got angry, I simply gazed at him with a disappointed look and gave him a simple reply, "Fine" he understood and toned down his enthusiasm, "Ah, I see. Well, your foods in your 'room' and here's a share of your 'proceeds'" he handed me a bag with a smile and it was decently heavy, filled with the minted gold coins of the Elren Empire, but I was only assuming. I gave him a nod and ventured back to my cell, which was quickly locked behind me, I threw the bag of gold in the corner, I needed to lay down, I just needed rest for now.

The moment her head took to her pillow she smiled and drifted off, the calming of her mind and body and the removal of the adrenaline coursing through her veins had left her feeling very deplete after all.

Her mind had always wandered down the same path when it came to her dreams, it was always the same night, the same dream with the same outcome; she could see through her eyes but never move, speak or act any differently. In truth it wasn't a dream, it was but a nightmare.

For it was the day she was taken from her home.

It was actually maybe a week or two, you see back before she lived in this desolate place of an arena she was actually a farmer, she lived just near Damontia, the old country hundreds of miles away from the Elren Empire.

Truth is, the announcer in the arena wasn't lying, she was a thief back home and she'd been a thief for a few years before that. She wasn't new to it, but it all changed. The Elren empire had sent a small convoy of goods down to Damontia, it was a sight to be seen, there were heavily armed guards on every corner of the convoy and it seemed nigh impenetrable, which in hindsight, definitely was. But I tried either way, I posed as a general passer-by, their stall was set up in the middle of town so it was hard to easily get access to it without being direct. I had walked up, snabbed an item that looked relatively valuable, it was a small orb adorned in gems and gold plate, it surely couldn't be a fake having such an armed escort. Sadly, within a few moments the vendor had noticed it missing and a full scale man-hunt was called for the item, when I heard the guards rush I dropped the orb and darted, they weren't hard to outrun, albeit they were wolven their armour had given them a very large burden to try and shoulder. It was easy enough to dodge, the only problem was the day after. Which was when the dream usually kicks off....

'I awoke in my bed, the usual rush of life had returned as the sun shone outside, I looked out my windows, as I do every time. And in the distance I saw it, a small cohort of guards headed towards the farmstead, my father was outside tending to the fields. Within moments my Father came inside, demanding I come with him outside, there wasn't much choice left, I listened and came outside and the two guards of the stall recognized me and within a moment I was under 'arrest', the only thing that haunts me is my fathers weeping sounds coming from behind me as i'm loaded into the van, there was two others in the van but none of us talked the entire time, we simply sit, and wait. The inevitable execution was bound to happen eventually, there are stories of it all over the land about how Elronians treat thieves...they travel the countryside of the Elronian territories, before reaching the capital of the land, Elronia itself, it was hard to be impressed at the sheer scale of the town, its walls were huge and of a white marble like stone, once inside the roads were pristine and made of the same stone; it was as if it was carved from a large marble block itself, everything fit so perfectly as if a jigsaw. Once we reached the city centre we were thrown off the back of the wagon and our heads were covered by burlap sacks, we then trailed behind a guard down a long and winding path before the sound of coin woke us from the maze like trance of walking. We were locked in cells, much like this one and then left for days until nigh starvation before transported to where we are now, the Arena..Sold into slavery for stealing a bauble, how quaint that it haunts me to this very day.'

Much the Same

A loud gong ringed down the cell block, to which a resounding groan of sleeping fighters signalled the start of the day. Just as it did yesterday.

The gruel was served up again, a simple wooden bowl with what could only be discerned as a meat based soup. She was never sure what it was, but after being starving everyday you learn to eat it, learn to savour its rancid taste as its the only food you get till after your fight, which could be many hours from now.

With a sigh she scoffed it up, they weren't given cutely so they ate like animals from their dishes, tongue and face propped into the bowls as if another mental way of breaking their will to resistance tot he fight, it wouldn't be too long until they come around and announce the match ups for today. Simply put, you're sent in blind every day to your next fight. Yesterdays fight wasn't too hard but it could all change, every day I could die to some criminal reject from across the lane. Who knows, but after yesterday I realized that there's nothing to fear but fear itself, I can get out of most situations by being cunning an clever.

"Alright then, listen up" without warning the show manager was pacing down the line of cells, "The order for today is John, Rambart, Mon, Grish, Leona and the newcomer Riley" keep your wits about you, remember that eventually you'll redeem your way out!" he had an enthusiastic and mocking grin on as he paced the lines of cells, there wasn't much we could do now but wait.

One by one the fighters left their cells, grabbed their gear and then ventured upstairs, worst part was you could hear every blood curdling scream, every victory yell and every battle shout of the arena while they fought. It was a deadly lottery on who was coming back, we could all just pray and hope that everyone would come back safe. A few hours went by and the preliminary fights went over with, John came back, Rambart didnt...Then there was me, the guard came to my door and opened it. I paced out and was handed my knife bags once more, I trailed up the winding path up to the gate and waited for the announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we've got another Rookie starting today. He used to be a hunter from the land of the Lapines!" the crowd had mixed feelings about the new comer, but I wonder what he felt about being here. The Lapines were despised by the Elronian wolven, some cheered in hopes he'd die, but most simply boo'd him outright. "We've got a returning character from yesterday, Mon the Firecat! She managed to turn our Town Guard into a rump steak, so how will she fare against our new Lapine Hunter..." And with that I entered, I could see him from across the arena, he hadn't much spirit and I could see he didn't care about fighting. He was wearing a cloak and carrying a large menacing looking axe. I had mixed feelings about fighting him today, I really wasn't sure how to react to a man that has given up on himself. "3!"

"2!"

"1! Fight!"

Within a moment of the announcer getting it started the Lapine slowly limped forward, using the axe as a sort of barbaric crutch. He hobbled towards me and I sat down on a perched stone, he approached, and quite quietly spoke, "Please kill me, make it quick...These wolves want me dead so wouldn't give me a fair fight, they broke my leg when I was captured! Wouldn't even give me enough time to fucking rest it. So either kill me, or i'll kill myself. Either is better than working here forever" I had no words, I couldn't kill a man not in self defence, I had to ponder the idea, "What are you doing!" the announcer bellowed, "This isn't a meeting, its a fight!" this ticked off the Lapine to no end, he paused a little before looking up at the announcer, dropping his weapon, "A fight? This isn't a fight! You sent me here to die, this is MURDER." the announcer gave no reply but a nod, and within a second, a bolt pierced the Lapines leg, it was so powerful it knocked him to the ground with ease. Even from that powerful shot, he showed no sign of emotion, he was strong willed and showed no problem with taking the hit like a man. Though under his voice he begged, with pain fuelled words he wanted to die, and the leg was obviously causing him agony, he just refused to give the wolves any satisfaction from his death.

I wandered over to him, he looked up at me and I simply knelt down beside him and read him a passage that my father had always spoke to me, "You've done your job, do not lie in misery, you gave no tear or a sob, you've had the final victory" he smiled, and I returned the gesture, I raised my knife and positioned it over his chest. He closed his eyes, laying in such agony he held the face of a real champion, though I wished I could have closed my eyes, the jolt from his body as I plunged the knife down between his rib cage was a sight i'll never forget, He winced no sound of pain, through his body movements told more words. I sat back, tears welling up in my eyes, the crowd was silent, before cheering as they realized the deed was done and the race of their combined hatred had died, the applause and cheer was universal in the arena and although not the most thrilling fight they loved it all the same, the announcer couldn't contest it however, the crowd obviously didn't care, "Go back the way you came and rest, you've earned it!"

I did so, though I couldn't help but glare back at the lifeless form on the arena floor, he shouldn't have died...God knows what he even did to end up here, probably nothing from the sound of his defiance. He seemed like a good man.

Just as before the fight master was perched behind his desk, he didn't have as much enthusiasm as he did last time but not his visage grew quite cold, there wasn't much to gauge from his emotional state, he didn't say anything at all, he just handed me the very large coin bag on it that simply had 'Lapine Bonus' scrawled on the side, it made me wince to accept money but judging by the weight of this bag I may have enough to buy my freedom, a concept I never thought would ever be possible.

I returned to my cell and promptly started to count by gold coins from my two fights, I never expected to have so much coin after only two fights...

Freedoms Not All It's cracked up to be

One hundred and ninety eight, one hundred and ninety nine, two hundred exactly. I had a large smug grin on my face, I'd asked to have a meeting with the fight organizer and had to prove to his satisfaction that I had the required 200 gold buyout. Which I did, he scrutinized my every count and was keeping a count of it in his book, he looked very disappointed when I actually got the two hundred but he was a man of his word and a man of, subjective, honour.

"Well, Mon of Damontia, I hereby release you from 'service' to the Elronian Empire and you are free to go whenever you want. Get your knives off the guard by the door and I hope we never cross paths again, stay on the right side of the law Mon" I swear I saw the hint of a smile as he finished before he dismissed me from his office, I wandered out and moved towards the guard by the door, who simply handed them over and unlocked the door. This was it. I was free of this place, free of the arena, of the fighting...of risk. though one question remained, what do I do now? Where could I even go, I had no money and no real skills....Wolven wouldn't hire me anyway, they've always been stuck up about diversity.

I wandered the streets, attracting stares from most passerby's, I'd been recognized as an ex fighter by a few of the men of the town but none of them seemed nice enough to actually care about my predicament. I had my head all stuck on the subject, I was too far from home to get back, and I was too 'different' to easily make do here, I needed a plan and a job. Neither of which were my strong point in life. My problem is, I look like a thief, my blue robes weren't exactly common attire for these upper scale areas for the Elronians, I think my best bet would be to find the shady area of town, I could easily be a waitress for one of the many bars, and if worse comes to worst I could go back to stealing...But i'd defiantly want to try and avoid now that I know the consequences.

I must have been wandering for a good few hours, i'd asked directions off many different guards, most of which flat our ignored me just for being different. Though thankfully, at least one of them was nice enough to point me towards the 'Slums' of town, when I arrived there wasn't much to look at, there wasn't even houses here it literally was a few slums, with one middle sized building in it with a load of camp-fires and rough sleepers littered around them. It really was, for lack of a better word, a shit-hole. The floors were muddy and soaked with water, it would be horrible to sleep here, but what other choice did I have. My best hope however, was in that middle building. And through the countless groups I sauntered, simply because I had to, normally i'd have avoided the place and walked around, but there wasn't much time left of the day. I entered the building and was very surprised at what I saw, it was no bar, it was simply a general store, there was a decrepit looking old wolven behind the front desk, he had a creepy smile on him; as if he wasn't actually looking at you, I was simply browsing and it felt like his eyes were burning a whole in my back, "So what brings you to my humble store, Missy" the old wolf jested, I turned around, "I've been looking for a job, mind you not even sure where to start. Do you know anyone hiring?" the old wolf scratched his chin fur, returning to give a smile, "I think my daughter Amalia is looking to start hiring, why don't you go see her, she should be through that door there" he spoke very softly, and sincerely. I trusted him as, knocking on the door before opening it to confirm my beliefs, his daughter was back her, but I don't think it's actually his 'daughter' the girl back here was nothing short of beautiful, she was quite tall; her fur was white like the stone around the town and she was wearing a very form fitting corset and thigh high combo, it accentuated her breasts and hips perfectly; as I walked in she was seemingly reading from an old book though the creaking door made her gaze over at the door as if expecting someone, she looked me up and down and then sighing with an annoyed tone of voice, "I'm not privy to what people may have told you but I really don't swing that way with women, I'm sure you're disappointed" I looked at her with a confused glance, "What are you on about? The shop-keep said you were hiring..." she looked me over rather inquisitively, as if scrutinizing every detail of my body, "Hmm, I'm sure there's someone out there who'd be interested in you. But honey, in the nicest way possible, I don't think you'd manage in this business" she gave me a very genuine smile but it still put a downer on my mood. "Ah, sorry to disturb you then" I gave her the most courteous bow I could manage and then exited the way I came, I paused in the shop, giving quite a loud sigh as I pondered my next step, the Shopkeeper gave me a glance but obviously paid me no attention. I quickly departed after that,

I looked around and saw the same dreary sight, the inactive horde was still motionless, the only movement that I could discern was the warming of hands. It was bleak to say the least, there wasn't anything I could really picture as being worse than living out on the streets like this. My eyes darted for someone, anyone really, that looked approachable, many of the bodies around were of Wolven, they all looked dishevelled and rough, they didn't look welcoming nor did they look that friendly. I had to think, quickly I had to find a 'group' to survive, when I thought on it there seemed to be a lot more people cramped around the shop, and not many backed away near the town. It seemed like the best option at the time, I waded through the groups, ignoring the jeers and leers of the common folk as I found myself a wet spot on the floor, I lay down on what could only be described as a filth harbouring rug; curling up in the process as the cold air finally made its presence known, there wasn't much to it...This was to be my life now, in the morning i'd probably have to pawn off my knives. I rolled on my back, gazing up at the orangy night sky with a heavy heart, "How far away from home am I..." I muttered under my breath, I couldn't bear to have any attention at this point, I wanted nothing more than just to shrivel up and die.