The Kied Chronicles - (Zephyr42 and Arta_Strike)

[Zephyr42]

Tela nodded. "I heard," she said. She still stared at her 'meal' as he talked. She really didn't want to fight, given who she was fighting against. However, as she searched herself, she found she didn't want to die just yet. She felt guilty over that, but she wasn't ready to do anything about it. Thus, she nodded. "I'll keep you alive," she said. "And I won't get you killed. I promise."

After a few bites, Tela managed to get into the swing of eating and finished quickly. Unless Laus had anything more to say to her, she would head back to her cell, resisting the urge to spit on the guard. There, she pulled a small totem, spending about an hour kneeling in prayer and meditation. Or rather, trying to. Every few minutes, she'd open her eyes, stand up, and agitatedly walk the floor. Finally, she just gave up, threw herself into bed, and went to sleep.

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus merely lay down in his cell and closed his eyes, not having prayed since the fall of Lairene. He cherished the still moments, knowing there were few enough of them left.

The next day saw the pair of prisoners bound and led to an iron wagon that spilled black smoke into the air as it passed through the busy streets to Khal's arena. Through the barred windows, Laus could see a small crows gathered, some of whom cheered as the wagon containing the day's entertainment passed through the gates.

Within, the pair were escorted through a tunnel. A portcullis decended from the ceiling, sealing them in. They were instructed to pass their hands through the grating, at which point their chains were unlocked, and they were able to pick up the weapons that were left for them: A sword and shield for Laus, and a spear for Tela. There was at that point just a short wait for the main gate to open as the thirsty crowd made their way to their seats.

In an official arena match, the fighters would be expected to march out in an orderly fashion, salute the empress (or her likeness if she was not present in person), and return to their side to await their proper turn. Order, however, had no place here. After a short speech from Khal, and banter from Malus, the order was given, the bell was rang, and both doors into the gladitorial pit were flung open. From Khal's side, a burly equine, as tall as Laus, stormed out brandishing a sword and shield, and behind him, a short rat took position, wearing a hood and wielding a bow.

"Tela, behind me!" Laus shouted, lifting his shield just in time to intercept an arrow and bracing himself for the horse's charge.

[Zephyr42]

Tela woke, ate, and let herself be chained up. On the way, she remembered several more of her less-used spells and went over them in her mind, though she kept herself for the moment. She ignored the crowds and just let herself be uncuffed. After that she took up her spear and practiced with it for a moment before moving into the arena. She made no salute either, but she took a look at the likeness all the same.

As soon as the fight started, Tela got behind Laus, her spear on Laus's shoulder. Her fingers then went to Laus's side. A blast of energy flowed through Laus's body, making his muscles and pelt stronger. She then tensed her legs and leapt out of the way as the horse charged forwards. She saw a bolt of energy shoot out from the rat, which buried its way into the horse's back. She guessed that it was the same spell, but a little weaker. Getting back to her feet, she cast her diagnostic spell on the horse, trying to determine more information. Meanwhile, the rat did the same to Laus, loudly and boldly calling out the results to his equine partner.

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus twitched a bit as Tela's magic entered him, but then he smiled. He felt good enough to take on the world, but for right now he'd settle on the gladiators across from him.

The hyena from yesterday had collided directly with Laus at the first blow, however, the equine was smarter, and danced around Laus, trying to get a shot in at Tela, and also trying to turn Laus's shield away from the archer rat. Laus danced right alongside of him, doing all he could to keep himself between the horse and Tela, and also the horse between himself and the rat. He tried to close with the horse, striking blows he knew would be deflected, but doing what he could to open an opportunity for Tela to strike.

The threads of magic revealed to Tela that the horse was aggressive, eager, and violent, with his fight-or-flight response tilted fully toward fight. He was in mostly good health, though he did have a partially healed injury in his knee that could be aggravated by a fierce enough blow. As for Laus, the diagnostic spell would reveal him to be in a similar emotional state, and his injury was a partially healed blow he had taken to his head.

"A good blow to the head'll daze him, o'er the left eye!" the rat called to the horse as he traded another sword clash with Laus.

[Zephyr42]

"Sweep the knee!" Tela shouted. She leapt back, trying to stay out of the horse's range. She struck out with her spear, prizing safety over making a strike.

Meanwhile, the rat sped forwards, his bow ready. He made his way to the side of his two opponents, making sure that when he raised his bow, his ally wouldn't be in his line of fire. As soon as he got his angle, he let loose an arrow for Tela. Tela ducked out of the way, rolling to the side and tried to scan the rat. She got a brief glimpse of his skeleton, and a healing fracture under his chin, but that quickly stopped in a wave of light.

"Cute, but no," the rat said. "You fight me blind, foxy lady." His bow raised again and he let off another shot. Tela ducked sideways again, keeping her eyes on the bowman, who readied another arrow.

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus and the horse traded blows off one another's shields, both eager for an opening. The horse kept his distance at first to keep away from Tela's spear, but as her attention was turned away by the archer rat, he pressed closer. Laus noted the deftness with which Tela was able to dodge the arrows and took a risk. He feigned falling back to shield Tela against an arrow, but when the horse pressed, Laus rushed him, forcing his sword up and giving the lion a clear shot at his legs, which he took full advantage of, picking up his leg and driving his foot into his opponent's weak knee.

The horse bucked in pain, but stayed standing, and struck with his sword. Laus blocked the blow, but failed to stop the horse from leaning into his swing and slamming his head into Laus's forehead. The lion's vision immediately began swimming with color, and he felt dizzy, but the horse had gotten overconfident, and left himself open. Laus turned his blade and forced it downward, drawing it's edge along the horse's chest, leaving a shallow gash, then picked his leg up and kicked his opponent away. Not a moment too soon, either, as his balance was really leaving him. He spread his legs and tail, trying to keep steady, and raised his shield against the bowman.

The horse stumbled but managed to stay standing, though his leg bent awkwardly, and the cut on his chest clearly hurt. He held his shield up in case Laus made a quick recovery, and he moved closer to his partner as the rat fired off another shot, missing Tela by an inch.

[Zephyr42]

As soon as the two broke ranks, the healers sped to their partners' sides. Tela got in front of Laus and placed her hands on his temples. "Eyes on me," she said. In a few seconds, Laus would find himself able to stabilize, though the colors would take a little longer to leave his vision.

The rat, meanwhile, focused on the horse's leg. "Down!" he snapped. As soon as the horse sat, the rat moved his hands over the horse's knee. Light shone from his hands into the horse's injured joint. The leg straightened up, broken cartilage setting itself. "It'll take a minute for this to heal completely," the rat said, "but my magic'll keep the joint in place no problem. Just don't stop touching me."

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus's golden eyes locked with Tela's emerald eyes as he felt her magic flow through him. Were her eyes always that pretty, or was it just the odd colors he was seeing?

Laus blinked. Had he really just thought that? The horse must have hit him harder than he thought.

"Must you really keep touching me?" the horse asked.

"Just 'fer a minute!" the rat replied.

"We don't have a minute, the cat's nearly healed!" the horse retorted. Laus was indeed standing more steady, and chants coming from the crowd asking if this was a fight or a health spa. "Finish your work inside!"

"Inside? Wha-" the rat asked before the horse grabbed his partner's head and shoved it into his mouth.

There was a pause at the sudden betrayal, followed by mixed cheers from the crowd. Some were ecstatic to see the spectacle, some where outraged by the betrayal, though the dividing line between the two was likely which side they had bet on. The horse, meanwhile, wasted no time in savoring his meal, and quickly swallowed once to the shoulders, twice to the hips, and a third time leaving only a short length of pink tail, which was rapidly slurped down.

"Finish your work in there!" the horse shouted, grabbing his sword and hopping back up. "You were a lousy shot with that bow anyway!" He hurriedly raised his shield and launched himself toward Laus. The glow of magic around his knee stayed active.

Laus, at first stunned by what he had seen, suddenly grabbed up his shield, pushing Tela behind himself just in time to deflect a blow. The horse backed up and danced around him, much more free with his movements without a partner to defend. Of course, not having an archer to look out for also freed up Laus considerably. With a glance back to his partner, he called, "Tela! Remember the hyena?" As soon as he was certain his partner was ready with her spear, he started to close the gap with the horse, preparing another blow.

[Zephyr42]

The rat tried to struggle as the horse's esophagus clenched around him, squeezing him into his new position. "BASTARD!" he screamed. "STUPID, MOTHERFUCKING-" He fell silent for a moment as he was squeezed into a puddle of stomach acid. The magic remained, but the rat still squirmed around in the horse's stomach, producing visible motion on his skin.

Tela had missed everything, and took a quick look around for the rat. She still stayed out of the way, and kept behind Laus. It took her a moment to remember the hyena, but she stiffened up as she did. "Got it!" she snapped. The very first moment she could, she thrust out with her spear for the horse's leg. Unfortunately, a limb was slightly harder to strike than part of the trunk, so Tela missed. She recovered quickly, though, and she was soon ready for another blow.

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus pressed his attack, striking steel against steel as their swords clashed. For someone with a body in his stomach, the horse was surprisingly agile. Laus wondered if he was suddenly fighting so fiercely in the hopes of finishing the match in time to save his partner from his stomach, or if he was just trying to match two fighters through fierceness.

Laus struck, dodged, and spun, but for his pains he received only a few scratches to his arms. The horse blocked his swings and dodged Tela's stabs. He couldn't land a blow, and he was afraid that somehow the healing might finish and the horse might bring up the rat. Changing strategies, he held back a moment, ducked, and waited for the horse to lift his sword to strike. When he did, Laus dropped his sword and shield and pounced. Staying low, he ducked under the horse's swing and grabbed him around his expanded middle, then spun his torso around to get behind him. The horse flailed, whinnied, and kicked, but Laus kept hold of the gladiator, and forced him to drop his guard.

"Now, Tela!"

[Zephyr42]

Tela stayed back, letting Laus give her a clear shot. Every so often, she'd thrust out, but she'd continue to miss. She then added. This changed once Laus dropped his weapons and grabbed the horse around the middle. As he lifted the horse up, Tela couldn't help but stare at Laus. She had no idea he could be that strong. It was actually really impressive.

Then she noticed the squirming in the horse's midsection and her jaw dropped. She'd heard of various people eating others alive, but she'd been lucky enough not to see it in action. And she knew what was likely to happen; either suffocation or digestion. She had to end the fight now. Thus, she thrust out with her spear, piercing the injured knee. "Yield!" she snapped. Despite this, she still hoped the match could be ended without death.

[Arta_Shrike]

The horse let out a terrible, high-pitched whinny as the spear pierced his knee. His hands opened, and his sword dropped to the ground, and his shield fell uselessly to his side, only held to his elbow by its strap. Laus pulled the horse backwards, wrapping his paws around his throat, claws barely scraping the equine's skin, but held himself there.

The horse opened his eyes. He saw the wound in his knee, all the healing having been negated. It was still slowly healing, the magic of the squirming mage in his belly still working, but it no longer mattered anymore. Not with the the fennec in front of him, holding her spear meaningfully at him, and the lion behind him, claws pricking his throat.

The match was over. Laus and Tela had won. The crowd cheered madly.

With desperation, the horse looked to the observation booth, where the Malus and Khal looked down on their possessions, and raised his finger in appeal. His life now hung on Malus's decision. Khal, having lost, could be seen dropping a pouch of coins into the cobra's outstretched palm, a scowl on the face of one and a smirk on the face of the other.

Of course, it was rare in small matches like this for the sponsors to go against the whims of the chanting of the crowd, and betraying his own partner had won the horse no favors. The motley spectators yelled down at the pit, waving their thumbs down.

[Zephyr42]

Indeed, Khal was less than interested in disputing the crowd's decision, and his thumb went down. Malus, though, hesitated before ultimately putting his own thumb down. Tela winced before turning back to the horse. "OK," she said. "Cough your partner up." She wasn't at all interested in killing someone after they were taken down, but she would do anything to save the partner. She punctuated this by tracing the tip of her spear across the horse's belly. The rat jumped in his belly, then started kicking out upwards.

[Arta_Shrike]

"Not sure how the crowd's going to like that, Tela..." Laus said, referring to getting the horse to cough up the rat. "but I'll see if I can't give you time. As for you," he turned to the horse, grabbed him by the shoulders, and yanked him to the ground. With his foot down on the horse's back, Laus grabbed the beast's legs and held them up, brushing the dust off of his hooves before shoving them in his mouth. They were filthy, but manageable, and the meat would only get tastier. Laus grabbed the horse's thighs and began to pull the legs into his mouth. He gently extended his claws, not drawing blood, but being prepared to grasp tighter if the horse tried to kick him.

He glanced over at Tela, and then up at Malus and Khal. He wondered how they would react to Tela trying to save the defeated gladiator from the horse's stomach, and whether Tela would hate him if he devoured both. He'd be just fine releasing the rat, the horse was going to fill him up enough anyway. But he did not think the crowd would go for it, or more pressingly, if the horse would willingly let his partner escape.

[Zephyr42]

Khal frowned, but Malus put a hand on his shoulder, whispering something to him. In response, Khal glared at Malus a bit before sighing, getting up, and leaving Malus alone in the box. From there, Malus continued to watch. Meanwhile, Tela scowled, and tried to push on the horse's belly, trying to force the rat out. After a moment, the rat adjusted, and tried to use the extra force as leverage.

[Arta_Shrike]

Laus continued to swallow.

The horse's struggles redoubled as his legs disappeared down Laus's throat. He tried to push back, but Laus managed to snag his wrist and pull it into his mouth as well, pinning his arm down as his teeth passed onto the horse's waist. The horse's belly still bulged with rat. Laus knew he could fit his mouth over the gut, rat or no, but he could feel from the motions inside that his partner might get her wish.

The crowd was going wild, as they always did at the final stage of a match. Chants of "Eat him!" resounded among the seats.

The horse, seeing his fate become sealed as Laus swallowed his hand, became bitter. He clamped his teeth shut and clenched his free hand over his throat. The rat tried to squeeze his way back up, but found his path tight and his exit blocked. The message was clear: "if I go down, I'm taking you with me." A yell could be heard coming from the horse's throat.

[Zephyr42]

Tela's scowl deepened as she continued pushing, trying to get the rat out. Unfortunately, she was not very physically strong, and her efforts ultimately amounted to naught. Then she saw the horse clamp his teeth down and his hand go over his hand. In a moment of anger, she took her spear and stabbed the horse in the shoulder with it, digging it around to find something painful. Internally, she hoped that would weaken him enough to liberate his would-be meal.

[Arta_Shrike]

The horse shook in pain as the tip of the spear pierced his shoulder, and likely would have thrashed about if the lower half of half of his body were not tightly constrained by Laus's throat. He opened his mouth as though to let out a whinny, but found himself choking as his former gladiatorial partner forced his way up his throat and pried open his jaw. The pink hands pulled and forced the wet, grey-furred body up and out until he flopped down on the sand. His pink tail slipped out of the horse's mouth like a long noodle. The crowd went wild.

"Bastard," the rat muttered, coughing. "Serves you right."

No longer holding back, Laus tipped his head back and redoubled his swallowing. The horse's chest disappeared into his maw, then his shoulders, then his neck. As his head fell back into Laus's mouth and the lion's sharp teeth began to frame his vision, he shouted, "Damn the lot of you and your whore empress!" And used his free hand to flip everyone the bird. The crowd only cheered louder as his head disappeared down Laus's throat, then with a few more quick gulps the arm with it's obscene gesture vanished from view.

Laus fell back onto the sand, his hands cupping his engorged belly. He convulsed once, then let out a loud belch, which the crowd cheered at. He glanced a look up to the sponsor's box to see Laus looking down on him, a shrewd serpentine smile across his face, slowly clapping for his possession.

[Zephyr42]

Tela looked over the rat's body, but he waved her off. "Thank you," he said. "But I'm alright." He turned to Laus, staring at his stomach. He briefly looked it over before slapping the swollen belly. "Thanks," he told Laus.

The rat looked back up at Malus, who quickly threw his thumb up. Tela, meanwhile, stood over Laus. "How're you feeling?" she asked, using her spell to see injuries. This was mainly just a precaution, but it was one she never missed. Meanwhile, she put her hands on either side of Laus's head, pumping in magic to follow up on the 'meatball' healing. There she got to get a good look at his eyes. Her face softened for a moment as she noticed that they weren't entirely unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact.

[Arta_Shrike]

"Full," Laus replied to Tela's question. "Very, very full."

It was not the first time that Laus had eaten someone whole, but it was by far the largest meal he had been permitted since his freedom had ended along with the kingdom of Lairene. He lay still, only twitching slightly as the rat slapped his gut, and let Tela work her soothing magic on him. As he looked up, he could see her eyes meet his. Something about her expression kept him from looking away. Her emerald-green eyes were gorgeous, and the sun was just at the right angle above her to illuminate her fur in just the right way to give her a golden outline. Did looking at her really feel this good, or was that just a side effect of the magic flowing through him?

Keeping his gaze locked to hers, Laus lifted his head slightly, tilted back...

...then convulsed, and was just able to bring his fist up to cover his mouth before a belch escaped his throat.

Thrust back into reality, Laus thanked Tela and picked himself up. Scooting over, he picked his sword up off the sand, stood up, and faced the crowd. He lifted his sword into the air and turned to the spectators, displaying his weapon, the strength of his arm, and the vastness of his gut. The horse still shook within him, but his struggles were getting weaker by the moment. The crowd cheered loudly, though slightly more subdued than before. A decent number of them had likely bet on the horse and rat and were leaving the arena poorer for it.

Behind him, the gates to the pit opened with the coal-wagon ready to take them back to the training grounds, but there was one final thing to do. Under the watchful eye of Malus, who would no doubt find some way to reprimand him if he were not obedient, Laus turned to the likeness of the Kied empress and gave a salute. His heart was not in it, but the empire had shown how much they cared about his heart. In the sponsor's box, Malus imitated the motion, as did the spectators in the stands. Laus glanced around, curious if he would see anyone who did not pay their respects to the empire. He saw none.

The gesture complete, Laus turned back to the dark tunnel, returned his sword to the rack, and extended his hands through the portcullis, allowing the guards to chain him in preparation for transport. At least, with his full gut, he would be given reprieve from training while he digested his opponent. But there would be more training and more matches soon enough.