Palladium, 6th Century

[albatross]

Unfortunately for Streetwise, in the fast moving fight he accidentally tries to parry a simultaneous attack and furthermore an automatic one which functions much like a parry itself. Even if he had a pair of weapons he realizes later that the automatic wristlock was too fast for such a move to work.

His sword arm ends up pinned behind his back. He won't be cutting open any pants with his wrist locked behind his back. Fakir is very strong, the wristlock is immovable.

However, he is able to flail behind his neck and parry the knife-hand knockout.

Fakir attempts to knife-hand knockout Streetwise once more:

[dice=20]+7=27[rand=978207769722094861452767952941733118708893127896850649554870736]

[shiivster]

*Aki has observed the battle and winces at the last part and hopes she is NEVER asked to fight. she is clearly not even remotely able to do anything similar to what she's seen.

' ... i am thinking, others will do fights. i not want fight here. i .. i not want die here. hope winner not take over lair now'

*raised with a deeper knowledge about the wilds, the victor wins the herd or pack. in this case she really hopes that won't be the case. she hugs her knees and remains quiet near the back wall, not wanting to be seen or anymore attention brought her way. she knows one really important fact so far. people are NOT the typical beast from the wilds. she only hopes now that Yumi will be able to return to her with the information she needs

[Renekin Skywalker]

[dice=20]

His clock about be cleaned, he gets an idea... And simul-strikes the kid with his wings
[dice=20]+4[rand=447295289920324969739808614031639962380913387174249556953447106344]

[albatross]

Learning fast, Streetwise is able to bash Fakir's shoulder with his wing.

At the same moment, the knife hand knock-out hits and all goes dark for Streetwise.

[dice=4]+[dice=4] doubled from the critical strike = Streetwise is knocked out for over a minute.

Fakir circles Streetwise' fallen form, taking a close look at his adversary. He also looks at the ground around Streetwise, trying to think of what to do. Then he shoves the huge sword into the ground. The sword is a few inches in front of Streetwise head, though it doesn't touch him. Fakir nods, as if this solves everything, then he walks out of the arena.

He glances towards where the rest of the group watches as he exits and two things happen simultaneously. First, Yumi reports to Aki that nearly all the creatures in the part of the arena she was investigating have left. Also, Yumi might be confused, but seems to think someone matching Fakir's description is involved.

At the same time the Fakir in the arena waves and exits the arena. Sapphire and Tesla have a faint sense of deja vu.


[rand=4607505443195633220947987626675348627924831902749962198633076098]

[dakota]

Dryzh did a slow, exaggerated blink as he looked out towards his fallen friend. " Allen? Is he dead?" He looked to the others for answers.

[albatross]

The crowd seems much drunker than they should be. "This spell," the Pelican mutters, "It isn't in the lists..."

They are confused, the Were-griffin got a couple hits in on Fakir, which they enjoyed, but there really wasn't any blood. And the knife-hand knockout was decisive, yet somehow unsatisfying. Probably because Fakir has disappointed them so many times.

A couple more fighters are brought out and begin a good ole fight to the crowd really enjoys, and Streetwise wakes up to see a couple tough creatures - mutants maybe - fighting it out.

A huge sword is stuck into the sand of the arena in front of his face. Fakir's.

[shiivster]

*stands up suddenly and stares outthe bars towards the pens. she's stiff and then starts to shake.

"Yumi says .. animals vanish. they .. most have vanished, like mist. she also say ... '

*she turns to look at the others now, fear showing in her eyes*

'she say .. that Fakir did this, but he was in ring .. how could ... how he in two places? something wrong, very wrong. bad wrong. i call her back now? still want her find ship or way in?'

[albatross]

The pelican turns its head to Aki, then looks back to the inebriated crowd.

"Perhaps he is breaking some of the gladiators out? Though most of the real ones are watching the fights. Have Yumi check the slave quarters, the ones with people in them to see if they are gone too."

"And we should think about how we are going to escape.... unless..."

[albatross]

[Romidus]

The chains that bound the spirit of light were silver, each link enscribed in runes, and the shackles and the stones in the floor as well. Whether because it was necessary or because the giants thought to mock his angelic appearance, the right silver shackle was inscribed with the rune for peace, the left shackle the word forgiveness, the shackles on his legs had the symbols for faith and hope. The giants knew how to keep a being like Romidus chained up. The thought made the imprisonment that much more depressing. It was only a matter of time before the giants found some lever to force him to dance for their amusement in the arena of death. He had been here so long, Romidus was almost looking forward to it. He was helpless, and his mission was going no where.

"Sssshhhh. His spies are everywhere." Someone was in the cell with him, hard to see for some reason, probably using some kind of magic to evade detection by the wards - the cell had all kinds of wards on it. Or perhaps it was a trick to manipulate him.

The voice continues in a whisper, a woman's voice. "At each key point, battles rage. No one is able to move forward. All is lost. But you, you they do not know. Perhaps you can work around them."

"Yes, you must continue your mission. Only you must make me a promise. Justice. Yet this justice must be a full accounting with evidence. No simple revenge. Establish motive, gather evidence, hear witnesses and pronounce judgment. Find out the whole story."

The woman is shorter than Romidus, and she begins feeling the links of the chains holding him to the floor testing them. She is still hard to see for some reason.

She strains and snaps one of the chains holding his leg, close to the shackle. He still can't move due to magic.

"There are others from your world here with the same mission as you. Tonight Fakir is breaking the bonds. Go to these others and convince them to pursue him. The giants will give you a ship if they think you might find him and fight him. He is the one you are seeking."

She snaps the other leg chain, but this one was closer to the floor, "The weak link was close," she sighs. She strains to break the chains, but Romidus cannot imagine how strong she must be to do so. She wraps the chain around his right leg just above the shackle and ties it securely.

"I am sorry, but I lack the ability to break the shackles, and the chains will always be as long as they are when I break them. There are ways to destroy these shackles, but anything that would destroy them would cost you your hands and feet."

She reaches up and breaks the chain on his right hand, and carefully wraps the chain around his arm. "The chains are indestructible, except for the weak link. You can use them loose as weapons or wrap them about you as armor."

For a brief moment she looks into his eyes and Romidus senses that in this moment, she is thinking about someone else. His powers are almost ready to come back. "Yes," she says sadly. "I'm not doing this for him or for you. But that is a secret whose time has not yet come. Forgive me."

With that, she breaks the last chain. Romidus is dazed for a moment or two after she does so, and powerless as she wraps the other chain around his arm - tying a hitch in it so it won't unravel unless he wants it to.

She leaves him a loose robe folded up beside him, and walks away. By the time he can move, she is gone, and in her place is a mongoose - sneaking along the corridor. The door is open.

[sasqaricious]

Sapphire falls over as if a great set of strings have been cut as she starts to glow and even the ring on her master glows before brighting quickly to a flash and leaving Sapphire on the ground and the ring around Tesla's finger appearing on the finger of Sapphire. She lays there for a moment almost stunned from what just transpired.

[shiivster]

*the Mongoose seems to sit up and balance while looking about and head tilts as if listening to something. then it's back on all fours and scampering along the side of the wall and headed somewhere else.

* * *

Aki looks back at the others. 'she say she go look. she is brave. i am not. look, ' *pointing at Streetwise* ' .. his tail. the tip moves .. '

*she looks back at the flash of light and frowns while she blinks. she seems to sniff the air looking for something and seems worried now.

[Renekin Skywalker]

Streetwise groans. Well, he is certainly full of tricks like his ancestor. He thinks. Pikcing up the sword, and his own, he heads in his Morphus form to the group.

[albatross]

"See what else Yumi can find out," Darrell says still in his pelican form. "Looks like he has decided to distract us. I wonder what we are supposed to miss?"

The pelican hops over to Sapphire. He casts a spell to examine her vitals, but gives up trying to understand the result and pokes her gently with one wing. "Sapphire? Sapphire? Can you hear me? I wonder if he used a spell on her too." He glares suspiciously at her ring. "Or maybe just her own powers reacting to something. Hmm."

The bird swivels its head as Streetwise appears, "Oh, good. You brought the sword. I know you weren't really awake, but he was quite deliberate about leaving it right in front of your face - it might be cursed or something. Tesla? You want to check it?"

"Oh, by the way, Aki says all the animals are gone from their cages - left right after your fight. And the crowd's drunkenness is surely magical. I haven't made up my mind if he is trying to distract us so the slaves and animals can escape or be stolen, or if he is breaking everyone out to distract us from... well - he's definitely up to something. Sapphire collapsed not long after you did."

'What about you? Learned anything?"

[Dome]

Romidus slowly rises to his feet. He forgets his nakedness for a moment and looks around his cell. He moves his arms, and legs trying to get the feel of the added weight of the chains. He grabs the robe that was left for him and ties it on. He then heads out of the room, and lacking any other direction to go, follows the path of the mongoose.

[Renekin Skywalker]

"He claimed not to be the on we're after." Streetwise says. After giving the sword to Tesla he returned to his façade form. "But his descendent."

Allan went on as he looked over Sapphire. "He wins his fights through magic. And a few lucky strikes. But, for the most part he was testing me. He must have never seen a Nightbane before."

"Do you think it could have been a pair of spells? One to drunken the crowd, and another mass spell to free slaves?" Allan points to the ring. "I understand this was what linked her to Tesla."