Post
by Lazybones » Sat Apr 20, 2013 6:27 pm
The preliminaries seem to go by in a flash, as the Heroes wait in the tunnels under the Arena.
Pallas's fight lasts barely thirty heartbeats. Those below can't see the exchange, as the young Argosian moves out of the line of sight of the tunnel, but the crowd tells the tale: a loud cheer, a startled collective gasp, a roar of release. You see the Hermesian priest run across the arena, then a few moments later the youth is escorted back below, looking dazed with blood smeared across one side of his jaw. He's a bit incoherent and doesn't seem to know what just happened.
The other prelims are quick. None of you are scheduled for the first round of fights, as the strength of your reputation has put you directly into the afternoon rounds with Eumenius's champions.
Eleni and Leonidas watch from concealment. They are able to escape notice even after Eleni's spell wears off, as Peleus's staff is quite busy. The door to Eumenius's chambers are warded by the giant form of Anaxus, and appear to be secured by a latch-bolt on the far side. Anaxus is not called during the preliminaries, and does not move from his post. What they can see of the room through the grate in the door is that it looks like a converted prison, with cells of metal bars along the walls. They overhear some snippets of conversation between Eumenius's warriors but they seem mundane, their chatter confidently predicting victory in the upcoming bouts. None of them appear to be gifted conversationalists, and it seems that the gods were stingy when it came to issuing any of them brains. Eumenius himself, however, seems quite canny. You only briefly see him on the far side of the room, pacing back and forth. He seems to be nervous about something.
By watching carefully they are able to discern that Eumenius's fighters enter the arena by the second gate, which apparently connects directly to the chamber on the far side of the door.
Something of note happens during the final preliminary bout.
"Lukas the Hebrew, against Bloody Haemon!"
The big dark-skinned warrior grins at you as he heads up to the arena. He selects a trident as his weapon. Again the crowd responds with a roar once he emerges from the tunnel. The fight lasts a bit longer than the earlier bouts, and you can hear the sounds of metal clashing on wood.
Then there is a loud gasp from the crowd, and again you see the priest running forward. This time there is no roar to announce the end of the fight, just a stunned silence.
Lukas is brought below a few moments later, dragged between two guards. One look at his face, at his crushed windpipe, is enough to tell you that this young warrior will never fight again. The men drag his corpse over to one of the small side cells. You hardly hear the sounds of the announcer as he addresses the crowd, but his final words carry clearly to you.
"Andreas of Mantineia, against Anaxus the Giant!"
* * *
ooc We'll begin there next time. If Damian or anyone else wants to go upstairs to find the merchant Hasdrubal to place bets on your matches, I'll allow that before we start. I'll begin Leonidas and Eleni where they left off but likewise will move them if you have another plan. The fighters will begin in the starting room by the portcullis.
))
