The trip, at this time of day, was uneventful. Aurae made it to the Blue Beetle well before sunset, and the innkeeper gladly extended her stay for the same 3 denariis fee she'd paid the previous day. The half-demon washed up in the basin provided, cleaning her armor as best as she could in the process. When she was done you'd have to practically be standing next to her before you could see the stains, and even then they might be mistaken for bloodstains.
1d20 = 4
The night passed without incident, and Aurae awoke feeling rested and recovered just after dawn.
Waking up with a yawn she got dressed in her armour and gear. Though she was hungry, she decided to forgo food, incase she lost as was forced to drink a large quantity of seed. She proceeded down the stairs and out, heading for the arena to join up with Dominica.
The journey back to the Stadium passed without incident. Dominica was waiting near the sign-up board, looking impatient, wearing the same sort of robes she'd used in the melee. "There you are. Come on."
She waved Aurae through the door, glaring at the man sitting beside it, who shrugged. Eventually they found themselves in the lockerroom. There were only two other women in it, neither familiar from the previous day. One was a six-foot woman with dark skin and darker hair, unashamedly nude and sizing up a selection of spears. The other was a cute little blonde who smiled at Aurae and Dominica before closing her eyes and apparently meditating.
"Do anything you need to get ready fast, and we can get out to the observation area in time to catch the first bout. Seeing who we're up against will be useful, especially if they don't manage to see us fight first."
Aurae nodded as she followed her partner down to the locker room. Stowing her weapons, she picked up two longswords and tied them to her hips. Heading back over to her partner with a small grin. "I am ready."
Okay, mechanically speaking I'm not rolling-out the fights for matches you aren't in. I'll either declare an obvious winner based on how good the fighters are, or I'll flip a coin. Also, you'll be able to watch any matches except the one directly before you and (assuming you win) directly after you. Of course, that works both ways...
Anyway, I'll do the other three fights you get/have to watch in one post (since at most one of them will matter). Just wanted to get this one done since I've been away for a few days.
Dominica led the half-demon to the stands, where a small section was set apart from the rest. It was only about half-full, but everyone there looked to be in full combat gear and usually holding at least one weapon as well. The arena itself was still empty, but the stands were nearly full, giving off a combined sound that made speech all but impossible without yelling.
The other fighters weren't much to look at, in the main. Two human men with rather impressive figures, each wearing a sword at his hip, drew quite a few admiring glances from the women in the surrounding stands, and it was easy to see why. There were also three women in the fighters' section, before Aurae and Dominica showed up, one in a robe, the other three with various weapons about their person.
After about a minute, a horn sounded - loud even over the noise of the crowd - and the noise level dropped considerably while an official stepped out and described the tournament. Sixteen pairs, single elimination. Healing provided between rounds to the winners to ensure they go into their next fight at top level. Fatalities strongly discouraged and potentially grounds for elimination. 300 denarii prize for the first place team, 100 for the second.
Dominica took advantage from the lull in sound and what was clearly a speech she had heard before to lean in close to Aurae and speak. "We're seeded 10. Not a bad place, from who I recognized. We shouldn't really have to worry until at least the semifinal."
A few seconds later the crowd roared deafeningly again as the first fighters were brought onto the field. On the left was an unlikely pair. One was clearly a demon - seven feet tall, red skin, huge wings. And what was clearly custom leather armor built to match his wings, almost indistinguishable when they were furled up. He held a bastard sword lazily in one hand, lifting the considerable weight without effort. Next to him stood a Su-Ku-Ta man, unarmed, wearing tight clothing over a skinny physique.
Opposite them came out two women, earning cat-calls as much as cheers. They could have been sisters, olive-skinned, black-haired women. One wore a robe and bore a staff, the other black leather and a selection of knives.
The match began. The leather-clad woman vanished, and her sister gestured at herself and suddenly seemed to blur, until Aurae couldn't tell exactly where she was, within a five-foot circle. The demon charged, while the su-ku-ta mage kicked up the dust of the arena around him.
The demon's fight was quick and brutal. Whatever the defenses the woman mage had put up seemed to be no barrier to him. One quick stroke of his sword threw the blur up against the wall, earning him a cheer. The second left the woman fully visible, struggling to push herself off her belly on the floor of the arena. The demon unfurled his wings and let out a roar that for a moment almost seemed to match the crowd. He turned, raising his sword cautiously. And the leather-clad woman, visible again, flew out of the dust cloud and hit a wall. The dust immediately settled to show a man bleeding from two long slashes, but still standing. He raised a hand, and his foe was flattened from a crouch to a prone position by a blast of wind. His other hand made a gesture Aurae couldn't quite make out, towards his partner.
The demon dropped his sword and pulled a knife from his boot. Ten seconds later the first sister was naked, struggling weakly in one of his hands while the other undid his belt buckle.
The winds let off the leather-clad woman for a moment, and she instantly got back to her feet, raised a dagger... and was slammed back to the ground by another burst of wind before she could throw it. The second time she barely got to a crouch. The third time she rose more slowly, obviously with more effort, and didn't even manage to pick back up one of her daggers. The fourth and final time she arose, she was pushed back to the ground by one of the mage's shoes rather than the wind. He grinned and pumped a fist in the air, earning a cheer, but attention still seemed mostly to be on his partner, who held his victim's ass in the air as he pumped in and out, while she used what little strength she had left to keep her face out of the sand.
The wind mage pulled out a knife of his own and had his opponent nude on the sands before his partner finished, exploding inside the woman he'd so easily defeated, and dropping her onto the arena floor. The su-ku-ta mage kept a foot on his now-denuded foe's back until his partner approached, then he took a step back. He watched until the demon had penetrated the second woman in the same position he had the first, then wandered over to the cum-leaking woman his partner had abandoned. He spread her legs as she lay face-down on the floor, and her head shot up as he pierced her without warning.
Both men finished at about the same time - to more cheers - and walked back the way they'd come. A pair of officials dragged the defeated women off, while a third declared the outcome of the bout. There was a brief pause while the sands were swept clean, and Dominica leaned in close again. "That was the number one seed, and I think they deserve it. Fortunately, that also means we won't fight them until the finals, if we make it that far."
Aurae followed her partner up into the stands. Sitting next to the other woman as she watched the stands fill people. Looking down to the arean and listening with interest as she heard the rules explained.
Hearing her partner speak, she gave a nod. Though she would have said she understand if her words hadn't been drowned out by the crowd. Turning she saw the arena getting ready for a match and turned her attention to the sands.
She gave a grimace as she observed the quick and brutal fight. She gave her partner a nod. "They seem quite powerful. Do you have any special skills? It would be nice to know before going in together." Turning to look at Domonica. "The only thing I can do is fight well with swords, and do a simple charm power." Making sure only her partner can hear her words.
Alright. Feel free to do all the fights they are watching in a post.
Dominica nodded, and answered in the same quiet tone. "I saw your charm. Tricky in a duel like this, because it's almost impossible to convince them to sit still while you beat on them. Or even to turn on their partner, if they care about them." she continued, "But I did rather get overwhelmed before I could do much. I'm an entropy mage. A hex or two, some direct damage. I can summon an animated blade, if the situation calls for it."
The noise of the crowd as the duels continued made it difficult to hear one another, but it would make it even harder for anyone else to overhear.
The second fight also pitted two men against two women. This time the men wielded an enormous sword and a halbard, while the women were a mage of some sort and what seemed to be an archer, though she also had a large spear strapped across her back. The men charged as soon as the match started, but were snared in place by plants that rose out of the ground briefly, and by the time they got free there were two elementals and what seemed to be a spiritual wolf between them and the women, and both were bleeding from multiple arrow wounds. The men went down without ever touching the women, who stripped the fallen foes to the jeers of the crowd, though they refrained from raping them.
Dominca tapped her fingers impatiently. "I've never seen those two together before, but they worked well together. A little slower and they'd be dripping cum now, though, I think."
The third match was a quick affair, four men fighting with swords, axes, and shields, none showing any remarkable skill or supernatural talent. "Wouldn't mind facing them in the final, but fat chance of that." Dominica idly indicated the winners, one man holding the other up.
Two of the men in front of Aurae and Dominica got up and left the observation area before the next fight, and looking around Aurae saw that the population had changed somewhat. The demon and his partner from the first match were sitting quietly in the top row, while the two women who had won the second were just coming into the area. The fourth match saw two men dueling, twin swords against a single axe, while an archer peppered a mage with arrows, then stabbed the duel-wielder in the back, securing the victory for his team. Again all four contestants were men, and the losers were carried off fully clothed.
Dominica tapped Aurae on the shoulder as the arena was cleaned in preparation for the next match. "Time for us to get going, we'll be waiting in the wings by the time the next match finishes."
Aurae nodded as she listened to Dominica. Her eyes watching the fights with interest and studying each team. "Seems that they enjoying putting women against men. Especially if they lose." Frowning in thought as she was the rest of the fights.
Feeling the tap on her shoulder she gave Dominica a nod and stood up. Gesturing for her to lead the way.
"They aren't supposed to do that. But blood isn't all the crowd likes to see."
Dominica led Aurae back into the lower levels of the Arena, and eventually to an attendant that let them into a small room. From the sound of the crowd, they were right up against the wall of the arena, but the fight didn't sound particularly interesting. Finally there was a smattering of applause, and the door to the room opened, the attendant leading the pair out to the Arena itself.
It hadn't changed much from the previous day. A circle of sand under a blazing sun, a crowd that seemed much larger from this position then it had back up in the stands.
On the other side, a pair of men in leather armor stood. One held a bow, and was nocking an arrow, while the other pulled a sword from a sheathe at his hip, and beat it against a shield held on his other arm as he stepped between his partner and the women.
An official stood at the rim of the arena, holding the trumpet that would signal the start of the match. He glanced at the men, and one gave him a wave. He turned to Dominica, who in turn glanced at Aurae.
Aurae followed Domonica down into the Arean. Waiting beneath the stands as the previous match finished. She followed the addentant out onto the sands, frowning as she remembered the previous day.
Drawing her blades she positioned herself between Domonica and the other men. She stood ready for the signal to go and gave a wave to the offical. "Can you take out the archer with your magic?"
Enter a full defensive stance and add 30 points to my dodge. Giving me 69 dodge.
Dominica nodded. "As long as you can keep them off me, it shouldn't be a problem."
At Aurae's wave, the official raised his trumpet and sounded the start of the match, to a huge cheer. Immediately, the swordsman charged, practically throwing himself at Aurae. But the half-demon was ready, effortlessly deflecting the blow and halting his momentum. He started circling her, throwing a few more swings her way that hardly deserved the effort needed to dodge, at least while she didn't try to counterattack.
There was a sudden blur in the air, as light bend around something unseen shooting across the field in response to a gesture and word in some unknown language from Dominica. It hit the archer as he pulled back his bow, and for a second he froze. His expression shifted from intense concentration to extreme effort, and when he started moving again it was more slowly, less steadily. But he nevertheless managed to finish drawing back his bow in the next few seconds, and the loosed arrow flew right over Aurae's shoulder. Dominica let out a curse, and clutched at the arrow in her left shoulder, then raised her right hand, gathering power again.
The swordsman shifted his gaze away from Aurae, and towards the spellcaster, having circled halfway around the half-demon. He started moving towards her.
Aurae flinched a moment as she saw the arrow zip past her cheek. Cursing silently as she knew it had likely struck her partner. Keeping her eyes trained on the other warrior, she stepped towards him to keep herself between him and Dominica.
Keeping calm, she continued to maintain a defensive stance as she cautiously approached the man. Quickly swinging her swords at the man hoping to harm and disuade him to think better of going after Dominca.
Two attacks on the warrior using defensive fighting. Trading 16 from attack to dodge. Giving Aurae 55 dodge and making bother her attacks only +30.
The individual bonuses are right, but the totals should be +52 and 2d6+31, respectively. The error carries through to duel-wielding, so your attack (with 16 defensive fighting) should be +32, not +30. Not a big issue (especially since it's not in your favor), but just an FYI. ANYWAY:
Resistance (Archer): 15+1d20 vs 40 -> Auto-Failure!
As she stepped forward, it became clear that her opponent was much too focused on Dominica to even notice that Aurae was coming for him. The half demon got in one sword before he even noticed the half-demon was attacking, and even with her cautious approach he was unable to turn quickly enough to block the latter blow.
The wounds seemed to seal unnaturally quickly, but before they did the man was lying still and limp on the sand.
She turned to see the bowman knocking another arrow, and with effort starting to raise it, to finish off the badly-wounded spellcaster. In his half-paralyzed state there was little chance that he'd be able to take Aurae, but he hadn't given up. Then, grimicing through the pain, Dominica hit him with the same spell again. This time the man froze completely mid-draw, and after a few seconds fell face-first into the sand, not even trying to catch himself with his hands. His nose was bleeding, and after a moment he managed to breathe out hard enough to clear some of the sand from around his mouth, but there was no more movement than that.
The crowd roared out, some in approval of the clear and reasonably bloody victory, others clearly disappointed not to see another pair of contestants humiliated... and still others seemed to be suggesting that perhaps a little humiliation still wasn't out of the question. The official looked to Aurae, and it was clear that she could either have a little fun with her fallen foes, or accept victory.
Dominica had managed to remove the arrow from her shoulder, and while she still looked even paler than usual, she wasn't bleeding.
Aurae gave a soft sigh as the man fell beneath her blades. Turning towards the archer she couldn't help but smiled as she saw him frozen in place and falling. With a relieved sigh that the battle was over she looked Domonica over as she thought about the crowd. After a few moments she decided not to humilate the other combatents, hoping to gain some respect or goodwill from the remaining gladiators.
Looking to the official, she gave him a wave and sheathed her blades, showing she was done with this battle. Hoping he understood that she was finished. She then moved to her partner and offered to help her from the sands and to a medic.
The official signaled the end of the match, bringing another bout of cheers - and a few boos from those who had been in favor of the humiliation - and by the time Aurae had reached Dominica a pair of Arena officials was already lifting the unmoving archer from the sands and taking them off the arena floor.
Another official was waving impatiently at Aurae and her partner, and the two were ushered off the sands and into a small room with a few beds, all empty. Dominica sat down on one and soon enough a medic was running a hand over the wound. In the few seconds the healing took, the sounds from through the wall facing the Arena suggested that the next round had started.
After a short time Dominica got back up and swung her wounded arm around, apparently in no pain. The medic ran her hands over Aurae as well, and with a brief surge of magic the half-demon felt what little tiredness she'd been feeling after a fairly easy fight wash away. The medic hurried out of the room.
Dominica shrugged. "There's one more fight after the one going on now, which we ought to try to watch if we can - we might end up facing them in the semifinals - then there's a short break before round 2, where we ought to be able to see the winners of the first two matches face off before we have to head back to the locker rooms. Or we can just head there now, if you prefer."
Both Aurae and Dominica are returned to full HP/PP/EP/etc and fully cured of all conditions.
Aurae followed her partner inside. Waiting as she was healed by the medic. She couldn't help but feel eager for the next fight after feeling the healing energies flow through her. After a few moments of thought she shrugged. "I think it might be better to see the next fight. We might end up against the winners in a later match. It will help us know what to expect from them." Giving her partner a small smile as she waited for her opinion.
The pair hurried to the stands to catch what they could of the remaining first round fights. As they approached their seats, a fight was nearly finished, a pair of blonde humans raping their fallen opponents, one of whom had leathery wings. By the time Aurae was seated the horn had been blown to signal the end of the match, the poor women being carried from the arena while the men each picked up a longsword and left under their own strength.
Almost immediately, the next two pairs were out on the sands. On one side of the ring two men of indeterminate species stood, clad in heavy armor and with a longsword and battleaxe already drawn. On the other side, a man bashed the pommel of his short sword against a shield, while behind him a woman with a polearm stretched.
The fight was short and brutal. Both of the heavy weapon wielders charged the man with the sword, who blocked one blow but only partly deflected the second. It didn't seem to matter, as his partner's weapon darted over his shoulder, taking the man with the battleaxe hard in his armpit. The weapon fell from his hand to a curse audible all the way in the stands.
He struggled to pick it back up, but his one arm didn't seem to be entirely working properly, and two more blows - to his chest and head - left him falling to the sand. In the meantime, the woman's partner stood his ground against the man with the broadsword, taking blow after blow to his shield, slowly retreating and favoring one side slightly, but managing to avoid each blow.
The woman swung around behind him, and he whirled to strike her, only to take a short sword to his back from the man with the shield, who apparently hadn't been as badly hurt as he had been pretending. The second foe fell to the ground, and the crowd cheered.
The woman walked over to her partner, hips swinging, hands messing with her belt. She reached him and leaned in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her from the ground, and turned, pinning her against the wall as her pants dropped to the sands. They fucked to cheers from the crowd, until with a grunt and a long, deep thrust, the man finished, and the woman gestured up at the official to end the match.
The official yelled something that went completely unheard over the noise from the crowd, and people started moving about. Dominica had to practically yell into the half-demon's ear to be heard. "Might be a tricky one! There's a five minute break now, then the second round starts. A little longer between matches now, so we can probably see both of the ones before us!"
Aurae watched the fights on the sands with interest. Watching how each team fought and their types of tactics. Though she gave a small blush as she watched the winning pair make love on the wall. She turned to dominica and nodded. "What do you think our chances are of winning against that big demon and his partner? Think their fight might be next?" Curious to know if she would be seeing another of that pairs fights so she might find a way to beat them before having to face them on the sands.
Dominica grunted. "They're pretty good. I think we'll need to get lucky or clever twice, if you don't fancy demon cock."
After the sands of the arena had been swept clean and people had made their way back to their seats, the first duelists of the second round came out. It pitted the big demon and his wind-mage partner against the winners of the second fight, an archer and a mage, both female. The demon seemed a little less cocky than before his first fight, drawing his sword and setting himself in a ready position as soon as all four were out on the sand. The women seemed to be having an argument of some kind, totally inaudible in the stands, but the wind mage started laughing.
The argument concluded, the mage stepping between the her partner and the demon, hands drawn up in a traditional casting pose. The horn sounded. The demon rushed forward, and slammed hard into an earth elemental as it rose out of the sand. An arrow flew between them as he rebounded, and seemed certain to hit the su-ku-ta mage, only to be buffeted aside at the last second by a gust of wind.
The demon's bastard sword, held in both hands, cleaved the elemental in half, and rushed forward again. Only to be interrupted again, this time by a pair of ice elementals. He took the one on the left with another bificating blow, but the other managed to get a solid hit on his back in the mean time. And by the time that one was dead, a fire elemental stood between him and the women.
The archer, meanwhile, kept taking potshots at his partner. The second one looked off to the right, but the wind struck it off course, and it clipped his ear, interrupting whatever spell he had been trying to cast. The third took him in the shoulder after a gust of wind deflected it upward, and a burst of light and sound rang across the arena as his spell fizzled violently. He let out a growl that managed to rise above the noise of the crowd, and the fourth arrows burst into flame halfway to him, leaving only a cloud of ash by the time it reached him.
Which gave him the time he needed to finally throw a spell back at the archer, who dove into a roll on the sand to avoid a fireball.
The demon charged the fire elemental, and after a flurry of blows back and forth its flame came unbound, and he strode out of it looking singed. And pissed. Another pair of earth elementals, smaller than the first, barred his way, but this time he just shouldered one aside, ignoring the pair of attacks they landed on him, and went for the summoner. One strike with the pommel of his sword dropped her to the ground, and her elementals vanished. He turned to look at the other two fighters.
Arrows and spells were wizing back and forth now, neither seeming to find their mark, though the hem of the archer's skirt was actually on fire, and there were now two arrows sticking out of the wind mage. The demon ignored them after a moment, and turned back to his fallen foe. And even from the stands, Aurae could see his erection. He pulled a knife from a boot, and the girl was naked from the waist down before she regained consciousness. Not that it helped her.
When he was done, finally turned his attention back to the others. Where he discovered his su-ku-ta ally fallen, and the bow aimed, somewhat unsteadily, at him. At which point the archer seemed to realize that her skirt was still burning, perhaps because it had finally gotten high enough that it must be singing her bottom.
The arrow hit the top of the wall around the arena, and by the time the demon reached the female archer, she'd ripped off her own skirt to prevent it burning her more, and stomped the flames out. She turned to face the demon, bow discarded on the sands... only to be immediately turned around. She struggled more than his other victims had been able to, but that didn't seem to bother him, as he ensured her panties joined the discarded skirt.
A few minutes later she managed to stumble off the sands under her own power, cum dripping down her thighs, and a pair of red hand prints visible on her ass. Officials brought the other two fallen contestants off on stretchers, but the demon stuck around for a minute or two, enjoying the cheering of the crowd.
Dominica turned to Aurae again, this time a little more concerned. "Definitely the pair to beat... I don't suppose you got any more from all that than me?"
Aurae nodded to her team mate. "Lets hope we both get lucky and clever. I don't fancy a public display again." Turning back to the stands to watch the next fight. Frowning when she noticed who the teams were.
Still frowning after she had watched the fight to conclusion. "Yeah, seems the wizard specializes in elemental magic. And the big guy is a walking mountain. If we do make it to facing them, we will have to be careful. More then likely I will need to keep the big guy busy while you deal with his wizard friend." Tapping her chin in thought as she thought about how to deal with the other team. "I doubt my charm would be in our favour on the demon, though it might work on the wizard. Will you be alright fighting the wizard by yourself? Or would you prefer to focus on one first then the other?" Looking over to see what her partner thought they should do against them.
