The Arena Party

Cadaver Falls

Little Koreb ran through the streets as swiftly as he could manage. He passed the washerwomen that sat by the plaza's steps, exchanging gossip and small talk while the sun loomed over the city's bricks, heating the floors and roofs until the air sizzled over the ground and burnt the lungs as it was breathed. Summer was at hand, and little Koreb could not be bothered to notice it.

He just ran.

Through heated streets filled to bursting with spice merchants, food and good peddlers, street entertainers, whores and simple folk going about their business he went. Turning left at some points he came upon dancing monkeys and gawking crowds. Other turns showed burly men clutching clubs shouting at money handlers and spitting threats, while spearmen and mounted guards hollered and slammed the butts of their spears and the pommels of their swords against the faces of the troublesome men.

Koreb darted from here to there in his rush, until he was there. The Grand Arena towered over all buildings even from a distance, but as Koreb neared it, he truly began to feel its magnificence. Enormous as only a god's castle has a right be, the building was carved from the very stone of the giant cliffs. Cadaver Falls, named after the massive waterfalls that fell from the top of the cliff, was one of the largest cities in the world, and its arena, its Grand Arena, was a proud demonstration of that.

The arena was a massive building that rose from the far end of the city, just on the very edge of the cliff, with the largest of the river's branches rushing through its middle, and the most massive waterfall falling off its far gate. The Grand Arena could entertain over a hundred thousand people, and its splendor was only matched by the uproar that burst out from within its walls.

Koreb sucked in breath and stopped just outside the stone bridges that connected one side of the riverbank to the other where the Grand Arena stood between dozens of statues of Grand Champions long gone. Each hundred years a new statue would be erected, and for little Koreb, a hundred years had just been marked. He took one step onto the bridge and his heart thumped fiercely. If his father ever discovered what he had stolen to be able to pay for entrance... He shook his head and sighed. It was no use worrying. He was there to enjoy.

Koreb rushed across the bridge, a smile illuminating his dirty face. Men and women paraded themselves around the massive building, chatting loudly to be heard over the roar of the crowd inside the Grand Arena. The grand opening of the games were almost over, but that didn't matter to Koreb. The small team fights were orchestrated to amuse the crowds while the Great Champions made their way to the Grand Arena from all over the world. There were sixteen of them and a host of beasts from far away lands. The rumors had it that the battles would be the fiercest to have been shown in the Grand Arena.

Koreb stopped walking in front of a line of people that snaked around the arena several times before ending three hundred meters from the stone bridge. He waited there for hours, waiting in line until the great copper doors of the Grand Arena towered above him. Koreb swallowed hard and reached into his tattered clothes to produce a square of leather with a blood red seal plastered on it. He moved it about in his hands nervously as the muscular guardsmen at the gates drew closer.

The guards eyed him with large, round green eyes. Their black skin was cracked from hours working in the sun, but they smiled all the same as Koreb handed them his pass with shaking hands. It made no matter that his clothes were stained with muck and dirt, the guards smiled at him the same as they smiled to the woman clad in satin and silk behind him.

Koreb walked among rows and crowds of men afterwards until he saw the arena itself. It was enormous. Wide enough that ten war galleys could be placed side by side without problems, and large enough that a hashakiri'i snake could lay extended to its full length, the Grand Arena's battle ground roared death and blood with its very sight.

The Bleeding River ran across its length with three wooden bridges crossing it, furious and unimpeded in its race for the edge of the cliff and down at the massive precipice below. A waist high labyrinth covered the northern half of the arena, made of stone and covered in weeds and carnivorous plants the size of a man. The southern half was bare, but not without danger. Drakes in cages and ice worms in neck deep pits were placed all over the bare grass. No sand for the Grand Arena. Dirt and grass drank the blood of the fighters.

Koreb seated himself on one of the stone benches. Down in the arena two groups of a hundred fighters each were battling in the middle of the field. Drakes and ice worms feasted on the men unfortunate enough to fall into the pits and cages, and arrows singed and flew from the labyrinth and into the labyrinth. Both teams bled.

Koreb watched and waited. When the battle was at an end, hundreds of men rushed into the battle ground to clean the bodies and weapons laying strewn about. The drakes and ice worms watched from their holes, hatred in their eyes.

As the final bodies were cleared out, a man walked forth into the center of the arena, just beside the river. He wore red clothing from head to toes and his voice sounded of worry.

"Great city, here today it is brought before you the greatest battle of the century! Every day from this one you shall witness the finest warriors dueling to the death until only one is left standing. The winner shall be immortalized, and the defeated shall be buried beneath your walls along with the thousands of others who have perished for your entertainment!" He unfolded a large parchment and sighed in what Koreb thought to be relief. His hands lowered the parchment, and his voice sounded steadier. "For today's match, we shall see the great warrior Indigo battle with a hoplon to the death against the champion, Defender and his longsword! No armor is allowed, and the battle is to the death!"

The red man retreated as the crowd was sent into an uproar. Cries of Defender! Defender! Blood, blood, Defender! and War, war, Indigo! War, war! filled the air as the Grand Arena screamed for blood.

Koreb had seen Indigo as he entered the city, waving his shield proudly as he smiled down at the crowds. He'd seen Defender as well, brandishing his longsword in the Glorious Plaza and boasting how every champion would fall before him. Now he saw them both as they entered the Grand Arena.

Indigo marched into the arena from the western gate, smiling up at the crowd with his shield gleaming in the midday sun. Defender shouted and boasted in a language Koreb didn't understand. Koreb was smiling, he realized. He liked Defender. He seemed sure of himself and brave. Indigo was more reserved, and he seemed to have the least followers among the crowd.

Both men set their weapons down on the grass and shook hands, smiling. Koreb didn't think he noticed any animosity or falseness in their smiles. Then, both men returned to their weapons and waited.

A horn blared. Who blew it or where, Koreb didn't know. It was all it took to set the battle free however.

Defender held his longsword and taunted with a few light swings, while Indigo paced about on his side. Koreb watched the drakes and ice worms in their cages, and the furious river rushing through the middle of the arena. Defender moved to the bridge on the center, and waited. His foe looked at him from his side of the river, his shield held before him. Koreb noticed he had no other weapons but the shield. He didn't know how he'd fight without a sword, but Indigo seemed to not mind.

Defender moved to the center of the bridge and called out to Indigo in that strange tongue Koreb didn't know. Indigo replied, and the men who favored him among the crowd laughed. Then, Indigo trotted to the center of the bridge, shield held before him.

Koreb watched as Defender slashed from above at Indigo's shield, slamming the blade against the bronze and wooden shield with tremendous force. The cries of Blood! Blood! Defender, blood! rose once more as Defender's blade continued to make music as it battered the shield. Indigo had been taken unawares, said several of the men around Koreb, who shouted to one another over the roaring crowd. Didn't expect Defender's strength, they said.

Koreb watched and wondered if the men were right. They must be. In a single blow Defender had stopped Indigo's charge and was forcing him back through the bridge. Indigo's shield was large, and that seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive. The blows rained down upon him mercilessly, resounding with brutal strength across the arena to feed the hollering voice and chanting of Blood! Blood, Defender! Blood! Blood!. Indigo was back on his side of the river when Koreb noticed Defender drawing his sword back for a righthanded slash.

Defender's arms drew back, amassing tremendous force behind them. His sword shone frightfully under the sun, and the smile on his face could only be described as predatory. Indigo had his knees bent, still recovering from the last blow when he noticed that Defender hadn't landed another one.

The crowd then roared once again as Indigo attempted to bash Defender with his shield, only to meet the longsword's swing and its full power. Indigo lost his balance, staggered, and fell. The crowd went mad.

Blood! Blood! Indigo blood! Defender! Blood! The men on the stone benches were on their feet, thrusting their hands up at the sky and screaming for Indigo's blood with such force that the earth seemed to shiver. Koreb was also on his feet, trying to see from behind the men before him.

What he saw was butchery.

Defender was on top of Indigo, hacking and slashing down at the man with a vengeance. Indigo was trying to stand, but couldn't. Every inch he managed to rise were two more that Defender's blows pummeled him into the earth. The bronze and wooden shield was the only thing protecting him from death.

Defender stopped his onslaught to grab the shield with one hand. He spoke more in his strange language as he tried to pry it away from Indigo, but the man held on to it with every bit of strength he had. Koreb watched, eyes stuck to the scene. He thought it would be a pity for the first fight to end as it was. Shameful, he thought. The fight of the century would be a massacre.

Koreb heard Defender's followers jeering and laughing, and a fight broke out between a man of Indigo's and a man of Defender's. Just as knives were drawn, the crowd gasped. Koreb looked back at the arena and held his breath.

Indigo was back on his feet. As Defender tried to pull the shield away, Indigo used the impulse to rise and regain his balance. With both feet firmly planted on the ground, his act turned a full cycle, and his battle began.

Indigo bashed his shield at Defender's face to start with, then, as Defender took a step back to recover from the blow, Indigo landed a new one, now with the edge of the shield. The people were completely silent as the blood began to pour out of Defender's nose, but the quiet exploded into chants of Indigo! Indigo! War, war, Indigo! as Defender was forced to retreat.

His foe would give no quarter.

Throughout Defender's retreat, Indigo followed. He stayed face to face with Defender, so close that the longsword's slashes could do little more than leave gashes on Indigo's side. Blood coated Indigo's left side, but you wouldn't know he was hurt if you focused on his blows.

Indigo danced with Defender. Blow after blow to Defender's right side of the face, weak as they may have been from the proximity, still took their toll. Defender's face was awash with blood flowing from his smashed nose, his forehead, and one of his eyelids. He couldn't see from the waterfall of blood and sweat that fell into his eyes. His slashes were wild and ineffective, his retreat was clumsy, and the roar of the crowd was disorienting. Indigo's right hand landed a punch at Defender's neck, and the shield blocked a downward thrust aimed at his shoulder.

Defender staggered back, both hands holding his longsword as he shook his head violently, trying to clear his vision. Indigo spat and followed.

Koreb watched as Indigo positioned his shield in front of his face and charged once more, much like the first time. Defender readied himself to thrust his blade, and both men met at the end of the stone bridge, where Indigo had pushed Defender in a full-fledged rout.

The crowd was mad with bloodlust. Chants turned to screeches of fury and excitement as both men clashed one final time. Blood stained the stone bridge.

Koreb screamed as well, both arms raised as he saw all the money and hard work he'd put to pay his entrance pay off. Defender thrust his blade downward as Indigo rushed him, and the longsword pierced fiercely through Indigo's left thigh. A spray of blood burst forth, but that was not the end of it. With a final blow powered by all the strength he had, Indigo's shield tilted at the end of his charge, and the edge of it rammed Defender's throat at full speed.

The crowd went silent as both shapes stumbled in the afterglow of their final encounter.

Then, Indigo screamed. A loud angry, agonizing sound that filled the entire arena. Blood was pooling around him, the longsword firmly stuck inside his thigh.

The crowd went mad.

Indigo! Indigo, victor! Victor! Blood! War! Indigo! Indigo, champion!

For it was beside the screaming Indigo that Defender clutched at his throat, gasping for air with his broken trachea before falling to his knees and dropping into the fierce river. Drowned before entering the water.