Cleric in the Valley of Death [Open]

He didn't know how it ended up that way. Trapped and shackled, Jensen was shifting through the dark of the Underworld. A monstrous creature had begun to drag him along the cold stone. It was a daze since he arrived at Olympus Coliseum. Naive as ever, someone claiming to know who he was in search of had led him to some dark alley of Greece and knocked him over the head. While normally he wouldn't just fall from a simply clonk, a rather strong warrior had been the one to take him out. As he awoke, still dazed from the knock-out, he noticed large demons wheeling a cart down a long path. The Underworld was the kingdom of the undead, so it was no surprise that civilizations would be set up there. Jensen, however, was surprised. As the demons brought him into a dark depth, he noticed two others. One was dead with their own eyes clawed out. The blood and chunk remaining in vision caked their own nails. The second was silent and mortified. "Oi. Where are they-" "SH!" the man furiously hushed the cleric.

Jensen noticed a lack of his Eis duo, so they had apparently taken their gear. A cart behind the one he resided in had apparently held many trinkets and crude weaponry, so underneath there could be his own weapon. Suddenly, the dim light that provided the man vision had gone out. When the light returned, they were greeted with an opening and escape from the dark hallway. The wagon had turned around, so the hallway must have been larger than it seemed. Upon being forced out of the wagon, the demons removed the shackles and pushed Jensen into an armory of sorts. He thought of taking a weapon to escape with, however the monsters seemed superior and they held an equal confidence. When forced over to an armorer, he was given a crude pauldron and his clothes were gently removed. The armorer seemed kinder than those who had kidnapped him. "While this is business is dirty, this is the land of the dead so your clothes are your only symbol of death." Confused, he was moved over to a smith that mechanically moved with the flow, handing him a gladius. Pushed along, he was forced into a line of many lost souls.

The difference was, he wasn't a lost soul. As the line moved along, Jensen realized more and more he was just some guy shoved into the masses of those captured for a dark coliseum use. Those in the one above had been voluntary, working for something. What was below seemed forceful and inconsiderate. He wasn't even dead, just someone brought into the world of the undead for a sick game. As he was next, he was put into a cage that was moved over to an isolated field. As he was new, they used a fence to prevent ringouts. Released from the cage, Jensen looked onward to see who his opponent was. "AND TODAY'S CHALLENGE IS GLADIATOR JENSEN VERSUS..."

It was no surprise that when Gwain was inside of his cell, that he willingly signed up for the whole gladiator business. The man enjoyed competitions of strength and loved it when he could compete against others in physical might. The Underworld was where he was and it was quite the odd place to be in. There were many demons and other grisly sights that were laid out on a path, but it was all good to the man who only cared about the next opponent he were going to face. The king reflected a bit on the injuries he had received. Some came from other combatants, but most were from the jailers who punished him whenever he didn't finish off an opponent. A lucky thing for him was that his body was durable enough to take a few lashings and even healed itself after a certain amount of time.

Though Gwain enjoyed the life of having to fight people, it was getting rather dull and quickly. There wasn't a single opponent who has been able to give him a loss. Sure, there were long fights where each side was damaged considerably, but the king always refused to be the one to get knocked down first. This, coupled with is own abilities to manipulate certain forces of the world, only served to benefit him against opponents who'd fair better... Normal people. Even when he was stripped of his armor and weapons, he was still a force to be reckoned with and that was due to his immense strength for somebody his size. Either way, he had some fighting to do and was lead into the familiar halls where he usually got suited and armed up for the next match.

Being lead out into the coliseum, Gwain had noticed the all too familiar cheers of the demons and others that loved the sickening display of their crude arena. His cage door flung open and revealed him to the masses. A smile was on his face and he showed to be able to brandish the broadsword the armorer gave him quite well.

"...JENSEN VERSUS GLADIATOR GWAIN!" The announcer yelled out and the man in front of him, must have been his opponent. Gwain, usually being the good sport he was, waved to his opponent with his free hand and shot him a smile. The king gently flung the broadsword over his shoulder and rolled his neck out. He was ready whenever Jensen was and merely stood there. His red-eyes flashed and he got himself in the mindset to just have fun with his crappy situation.

Jensen looked onward into the eyes of the one that stood before him. Huffing, he felt the breeze of the Underworld wash over him as the dust washed over his crude shoes. Closing his eyes momentarily before opening them, Jensen lunged at the black haired man. The man used a broadsword while he used a nimble gladius, so his attempt was to press his blade against the man's and push him back. If successful, the Cleric would take time to sense the man's nature. When he would, his neutrality would speak of its nature and in Jensen's mind, he is told evil above all. "Sir, you probably shouldn't stand in indecision over what side. I don't want to fight you -- it isn't in my nature to." Jensen spoke quietly so the public, who cheered and jeered, could not hear. Jensen would fight defensively, so whatever attacks Gwain would through he'd use simple parrying to keep both unharmed. For now. While his holy flames spoke that the man should see the light, Jensen felt he could sway the man onto a righteous path, one of freedom as well.

However, if the man wasn't as naive as Jensen over the whole gladiator concept, it'd be much more difficult to convince him. If the Cleric succeeds in his persuasion, he'd simply request they free the gladiators who don't belong in the Underworld. Damn, I can't leave this place without my jewels either. We need to escape, we need to find some sort of way out of here. While it was quite immediate to request that the two don't end each other, the man decided the safest bet would be to wait until they were both worn down from all of his counters and parries. No actual wounding attacks, keep completely defensive. That was the goal, of course until the answer would be a clear confirmation of yes or no. "May Eisuundar bless thee to become righteous once more. Bestow upon him the light of the holy path into your heart. Give him sanctuary and prove to him that the only shelter that withstands is one of good nature and passionate feelings." Deliver him away from the path of hell, and let your ultimate light guide him to the end of days. Amen.

Gwain watched as his opponent came to him with a simple lunge. There wasn't much the king had to do about it, except merely jump off to the side. The man had enough strength to hold onto the sword and to jump away without much of a problem. The king managed to pick up on what his opponent, Jensen, wanted to get out of all of this. He too wanted an escape from the grittiness of the coliseum. The guy spoke in riddles though, so to get him speaking straight, Gwain closed in with a quick, furious horizontal strike to the man's upper-body.

"You gotta learn how to put on a show, if you don't want them to suspect you of something. What sort of people trying to break out only stays on the defensive? Get rough, get serious, even if you have to fake it. I'm all ears for your plan, now get to explaining while we fight." He instructed the man and waited for his next attempt at an attack towards him. All the while, the man's smile never left once. Even in the middle of his opponent's clerical ramblings. A chuckle left his lips and Gwain merely shook his head.

Jensen was easily dodged, which meant he had to step up his game. The man had said they'd need to put on a show, so when the man went to attack horizontally, he slammed his sword against the other's. Jensen felt the sparks touching his skin as he grinded the gladius on the broadsword. Yelling out, he pushed himself off of the broadsword and used its force to swing his gladius for a false decapitation attempt. Expecting the man to dodge, he would flick the Gladius to be held upside-down for a stab. The stab itself would be aimed to where it would be easy to miss but not an obvious miss. Afterwards, he would step back to recover for a moment. It's never good to constantly attack past two or three times. "Understood. I anticipate that we'll need to free all of the gladiators in order to stand a chance. I'm thinking we steal their master key and open a passage, retrieve our arms, and free the slaves." Jensen came back for an upward slash that, if the man didn't defend, would cut all the way up his torso.

Jensen wondered if he could trust the man truly, since his holy ability said he was evil but only because he was neutral. While he believe indifference could've been better as trying to make a positive difference, he knew that his judgment could ultimately wrong. Always give people the benefit of the doubt if they are neutral. Evil is evil and evil needs to be slain. Jensen looked into the crowds momentarily, seeing the cheering demons toss vile things out as they were pumped and ready to see mortal blood shed. Soon, some of these gladiators would be one of them. "I am a Cleric, my magic can keep them at bay I believe. Also, don't forget one of us has to shed a little blood at some point."

Gwain chose to simply jump away from the man once he found him pushing away from his broadsword. That put enough distance between the two of them and gave the king the time to listen to what Jensen had to say. The plan was simple, if not a bit cliche. All they had to do is identify the warden and take his keys, but... For someone like the red-eyed man, he could easily break out just by his strength alone. He mulled the plan over in his head, feigning that he took his attention away from his opponent. When he was done, Gwain caught the man trying to come in with an upward slash to his torso, he retaliated by simply spinning to the side and using the momentum that would be built up with the weight of his broadsword, to slam the side of the blade with great force (the blunt part of the broadsword as to not cut him) into Jensen's sword wielding arm, in an attempt to disarm him and send him flying over to the side a bit.

"Plan is simple enough. I'll just beat up the warden next time he comes around and steal his keys." Gwain explained and soon planted his sword into the ground, whether or not he the guy didn't matter. The king cracked his knuckles and listened to the cheers of the demons. They had to keep the momentum going and Jensen even commented on the thing as well. Spill blood? Not a problem for someone like the red-eyed man. "I'll be willing to spill a little." He said softly and charged at the cleric. Without his broadsword, Gwain had become even faster than before, minus all the extra weight. The man had to attack his opponent while he was distracted as to not let anyone get too suspicious. His attacks consisted of him getting in low and sending out a fast, sweeping kick to Jensen's legs, but regardless if it hit or not, the man would use his momentum to spin back up to his feet and deliver a strong upper cut to the gut of his opponent.

Jensen made a random noise of pain after being disarmed, he quickly swept up his blade in between the time Gwain laid down his blade and him dashing. When the man went for a sweep, Jensen back-stepped and used the non-stop momentum of the man to slice the leg. It would be a minor wound, however, Gwain's sweep would do most of the work for running into the blade. Due to the opposing force, it would disrupt the momentum that was attempted to maintain, allowing Jensen to attempt to pin Gwain down with his gladius at the throat. "Heh, you have some wit about you trying to disarm me, but an obvious mad-dash lets me anticipate!" That time, Jensen was speaking out loud to keep up the energy. However, he knew that the man would get him back for the leg wound. If it turned out to be more severe, then their escape would become complicated. "Damn it, this won't be immediate with that wound. A leg wound is much more dramatic than an arm wound. The plan won't be as quick as I had hoped. We'll wait until you heal and we'll end it here for the day." After being amazed, everyone became silent as the two stayed there.

"What a show! Now all's left is for Jensen to execute Gwain!" Jensen looked into the crowd, backing away before tossing his sword to the ground. Extending his arms out, he heard an uproar from the demons. "Why kill us now? As great warriors we can fight many things together, the finale of greatness need not come at the beginning!" He wanted to use their surprise popularity to weaken the resolve of the undead's want for blood, however he would need to shed more blood that might not even be evil. Had he been ordered to fight a good-hearted person, he would have refused out-right. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to feel terrible about fighting someone who was neutral. "I'm sorry, we all must have misheard you. You said that'll you'll gladly take double execution over survival?" the ruler of this particular coliseum smiled, waving at the coordinator, who sighed. "You're lucky, NOW TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT MATCH!" the guards would come in to lead the two to their sides, however they would eventually meet in the mess hall. Jensen would return to a healer, being told his arm was fractured. "You're lucky to have been still using this arm, don't worry I'll heal it." Calling upon the Underworld's magical properties, an aura was placed over Jensen's hand.

Looking onward, he saw several guards follow a much larger, armored demon. He placed a rock against a keyhole-less lock, unlocking it almost immediately upon full contact. Pushing the door open, the troupe had continued on. So they must use magic to keep these locked. Don't want a lock-pick from the surface to come and use their thieving skills. I wonder how Gwain is doing. The medic would heal Jensen, and guards would take his armor and weapon. "Ah, now it's time to go see the master about the match. Hopefully I see you here again, and if I don't I hope it's for the good reasons and not the...bad" Jensen nodded before heading off. No doubt, Gwain would be seen there too.[/b]

Gwain watched as his leg got cut, but that was more than what he had anticipated. He allowed himself to get slashed, but not to the point of where he'd be out of the fight. With the way how his hands were positioned on the ground, plus the stopping momentum of his kick, before Jensen attempted to pin him by putting the sword to his neck, the king propelled himself into the air with both hands, of the ground, and twirled in the air to come in with a kick to the man's jaw. The power behind the entire thing would be tame enough for the cleric to handle, dizzying him more than likely, but not causing any serious harm. After all, they had to keep each other in good enough condition to escape.

"Don't worry about me, I'm all good to go." He spoke softly towards Jensen, as a way to let the guy know the plan was still on regardless of his injuries. Afterwards, Gwain landed on his feet and got into the ready position, but feigned that he was already too exhausted to go on. The match had ended with the two being set up for double execution. What that meant to the king was beyond him, but a smile on his lips and the way how he flashed it towards Jensen showed that the man was someone who enjoyed the excitement of the arena. Eventually the demons came in and recovered the weapon and armor from him. He too was healed and all that was left, was to deal with the person who ran the fights. Gwain headed off and had hoped that his opponent, now turned ally, will be able to get out alongside with him. The arena was becoming steadily boring as time went on.

As the two arrived in the same location, the guards forced both into a kneel. While Jensen wasn't sure if they'd get Gwain into a kneel, he took time to pray to Eisuundar silently, his head down and eyes closed. His lips moved to murmur, nothing anyone could hear or understand. The master of the coliseum sat on a throne made of skeletons and skulls, resting his head on the might fist of his. He was a mighty demon, one clearly battle-scarred and formerly a gladiator. Disappointment and pride contradicted each other in a battle over who gets to show on his face. This resulted in both mixing across his face, him waving away the guards. A dark flame summoned a grand sword, which he held over his shoulder. "Oi. I liked the fight, for how short it was. Cut on the leg, bit of a hit on the arm. I bet worse would've happened had it not been a battle between people who kill quickly. So, you put a smile on my face over the suggestin' I use you both. Great, but you pissed me off as soon as you pissed off the big-wigs. Demons who help orchestrate the whole thing. They make the show funded and filled. So here's the terms." Jensen darted his eyes up, worry washing over.

He didn't want to remain in such an unholy place, but he knew that in order for them to escape, they'd need to gain enough credibility to be let on a looser leash. Looking over to Gwain, the master listed off the terms. "The two of you -- no healing for two post-matches. Next three you'll be fighting a group of fresh slaves, only required to kill one per three slaves depending on the load.. That's only the first of the three. Second you'll fight an armored griffin." Jensen gulped, remembering what a griffin was like back at home. The cleric's nervousness intensified at the breath of the name "griffin". "And we'll top it off with a fight against an Underworld-born beast. Dunno what it'll be until it happens." Exhaling a cold cloud of vapor, Jensen felt a crawling feeling in his heart. Fear. He was aging, yet he was still young. He couldn't face a great beast like what he had watched take a few from his home. His father and mother slew the beast, however he was still untrained.

"So, does that sound good? That means you won't be healed for the last fight, but don't worry. We'll give you a special item by the end of the three matches. Money doesn't matter here, so armor and weaponry." Jensen didn't want anything they'd give except for using it to escape. It would likely be a trap to use it, so the only thing he wants is the griffin's organs. "Give me the griffin's eyes, tongue, tissue, organs. As well as its beak, claws, talons and feathers. I'll be good, just package it up for until I need to use it for a battle" Jensen was stern and straight-forward, and the master nodded, looking over to Gwain as to what he would like instead. "Doable, more profitable for me! Ha! I can only supply the heart and SOME tissue out of the organs. Gladiator Gwain?" he was reasonable, surprisingly, and quick to punish without a tone or flinching. I can use the parts for study and oils and such. Maybe...I can contact an alchemist to make a concoction of sorts. I need to be faster -- stronger.

Gwain was brought into a large room by the demon guards and forced to kneel. Though it took them more effort to the point of where he merely knelt down himself to make it easier on them. That was just him having playful fun with everything, despite how dire their situation currently was. The king took it upon himself to glance around the room, see what it was like to be a big-wig of the demon world. A throne made of thrones. Something Gwain attributed to having a nice touch, with the demon himself looking as if he deserved most of the prizes he had adorning his body. Those were the scars he was talking about.

The king listened to the bulky demon has he explained the conditions of their execution match. He was going to be fighting alongside Jensen this time around, but they were going be set up in really unsavory conditions. They won't be allowed a heal for their last two matches and their first match was pretty much the execution of helpless slaves. That didn't bode well with Gwain one bit. A sickening taste was left in his mouth and he felt his stomach knot up at the thought of it. Something deep inside of him told him that it was wrong, that he shouldn't ever have to lay a hand on slaves, let alone kill them. The king's eyes went over to his partner and wondered how a man who was devout to his faith was going to deal with such an act.

They didn't have much of a choice, though, but it wasn't one Gwain made lightly. There was to be a price at the end of their rounds. Money didn't matter to the demons, so it was down to weapons or armors. A thought crossed his mind and the king remembered that if he wanted his power to be fully restored to him, he'd need a powerful object could more than likely be gained from the leader of the coliseum. The red-eyed man smiled and looked upon the demon with a casual look.

"Given that you probably have a lot of fierce warriors coming and dying here... I want the crystallized and condensed soul of one of your fiercest warriors, who has long since fallen in combat as a reward. That's doable, yeah?" He asked, making it seem like it should have been no problem to supply.

The mighty arena lord made a grunting laugh as the boy asked for the soul of their strongest gladiator. This would require taming, so an idea for an interesting twist came to mind. He would unknowingly add the champion to the first match. In return, the two would have temporary access and freedom to pick and choose from the arsenal for seasoned gladiators. "Oi, don't worry about arms. You can take up what you need. Prepare how you like, you just can't use anything medicinal." Jensen was relieved, which meant he could request oils and such to prepare a coating for his weapons. He could use the remains of the griffin to summon its spirit once he escapes the Underworld. Looking over to Gwain, he nodded while the lord clapped his hands heavily. Banging like drums, his clap made the cleric flinch momentarily. "Alrighty, then. Off to it! Get a night's rest and then we will begin!" Having the guards come and take the two away, they would be brought to a mass holding cell. Jensen looked onto a group of people who seemed hopeless, save for a few hardy champion-like men.

"Them. We're going to have to fight them -- don't worry, I have a few verses in alchemy. I can hopefully get the medic to slip me some apothecaries and I can get some oil to brew a coating for our weapons. I...don't know if I can kill them though. I know that sounds strange, but boy, I have morals." the gaelic accent in Jensen was strong, allowing him to express more concern in his voice. Hanging his head low, Jensen posted up in the corner. He expected Gwain to join him, taking a meditative position. Mumbling to himself, he began praying to Eisuundar. He rested with his legs folded, putting his weight on them. He folded his fingers together and placed them around his waist. A few gladiators laughed at him and the fact that he was clearly praying. "Oi look at this fruit. Prayin's to his gawd." Jensen ignored the man. When the gladiator walked closer, he still ignored him. "Aye bitch-boy, y'here me?" Jensen still kept silent and prayed. "Yada-yada, y'er just all yada. Who's dis Eisoonder?"

Jensen felt a vein push to the surface of his face, expecting some sort of smart comment on his god. "Oi, must be some wannabe all-awful-mightay." Jensen couldn't hold back any more, so he chopped the outer parts of the gladiator's legs, taking his left hand and summoning holy fire into it. Branding the man's face with the fury of Eisuundar, he began yelling chants. "LET YE BE CURSED BY YOUR HERESY! BURN WITH THE LIGHT OF EISUUNDAR." the gladiator screamed as his evil reacted to the holy fire. Small, thin tails of flame cracked from the space between the border of Jensen's hand and the man's face. Removing his hand and tearing away the fire, a darkened print of his hand was firmly impressed on the gladiator's face. A shaking left hand released the fire into nothingness, as if the world they were in tore away its luster. I couldn't control myself...even more so my fire is repressed in here. I felt a counter-burn that must be unique to here. The cleric looked down at his reddened hand, seemingly from a very minor, surface burn.

Looking over to Gwain and panting, he darted his eyes away quickly before going back to a meditating position. Guards came in to drag the man away, asking as to who burned the gladiator's face. No one answered that wasn't Jensen and Gwain. Jensen would continue praying quietly and the guards would disappear to get the man healed. The healer wouldn't be able to cure the scar, however. Simply dampening the darkness to a lighter color. The group they were supposed to fight were frightened, even the champions felt rattled. Unless Gwain spoke to him, the cleric would rest until the next day.

Gwain had noted that the proprietor of the coliseum had nothing to say about his prize, only mentioning the armaments they'd be able to use. That was music to Gwain's ears, as he had several plans and tactics that involved the manipulation of certain things. Of course, that'd remain to be seen when it came to the fights that loomed overhead. The two were propped up at that point and taken into a whole new cell. Much to his guess, there were a lot who weren't fit for this kind of place, where there were a few who clearly were. The king decided to take note of that.

"Well, you can probably make a concoction that simulate the condition of rigor mortis and death in general. If not, I'll be the one to take that taint upon my morals." Gwain offered to suggestions to his ally, in case the thought and eventual guilt of having to kill possibly innocent people ate away vigorously at him. Just to not leave the man hanging, the king went over to the corner with him and sat upon the floor, his back leaned against the wall. He was feeling rather lazy and tired. Must have been because of the effects of the underworld. Nonetheless, the man decided to stick it out rather than complain. He took note of the people who started to give Jensen a hard time. Gwain had the right mind to stand up and beat some sense into the people, but something told him to wait and hold on that reflex.

Luckily enough for him, holding out came with a bit of more info on his ally. The man had the ability to use some sort of magic, akin to holy in its alignment. This was all gathered from the words shouted by the man when he branded the fool with a picture perfect image of his palm.The king raised an eyebrow at what he saw, but his face quickly shifted to that of an exhausted man when the guards arrived. When they went around asking who caused all the ruckus, no one sold them out. Which was good on both parties, because Gwain didn't want a reason to have to really hurt those people. He wasn't a bad guy himself, but he knew these sorts were iffy when it came to their humanity. Being down there so long could do things to people and he could see it on their faces. He was wary of all of them. Except maybe Jensen, of course.

"Save your tricks and stuff for the long day tomorrow, Jensen. We're going to need to pull out all the surprises we can afford, should we want to make it through." The king cautioned his partner quietly. He knew that Jensen wasn't all that slow, but he saw how quick the man was to be angered. Whoever Eisuundar was, the man seemed to believe heavily in the deity. Gwain made sure to remember that detail well.

Jensen didn't want to harm the innocent, even inflicting temporary paralysis and false death seemed to go against his ideals. Embarrassed by his outburst, the man would simply nod when Gwain told him to keep his abilities concealed. The first match had people who could actually strategize and learn from what they see before hand, assuming they knew they were fighting the duo. Resting until the next day, Jensen dreamed of his glory as a free gladiator on the surface, what he would learn from it. The strength that he would obtain, and then time would pass to where he would be exploring. Searching through the wilderness, he would be entering the beauty of the forest. Then the blistering winters. A sacred temple within an endless desert. Many things to be found throughout the worlds on his journey to seek the power to be the esuna of evil. A panacea of holy was required to restore his home and the homes of the many. But first, the two gladiators would need to escape.

Upon waking up, it would seem that the cleric was awake before the two were called to the arena. The group of people he saw before were already gone, so he assumed they were collecting their things. It would only be a matter of time before they were called to the arena. Jensen wondered what he was to do with those who were innocent, knowing some were among the group he had to face. But, as he did his morning prayers, he came to the realization that he'd need to break his vows for survival. The good know of survival, they only enact it with hesitation and don't avoid it. However, he had a higher expectation to meet. He wasn't allowed to kill innocents in cold blood, but where the line is drawn was too jaded to tell for sure. Jensen would indeed have to kill, however, he would say a prayer for each death and bless them so that they may journey into the heart of Eisuundar. "Gwain. Are you ready?"

Gwain slept rather soundly as he rested up for the next day. His thoughts wandered to him and a special woman of his going off and having another date. This time it was picnic in a meadow of sorts. There were a small variety of flowers, the wind was perfect, the grass an emerald green and the sky a baby blue. A smile formed on his lips as he rested. His love came down upon the sheet that was laid out, her gentle finger poking his nose. The man stirred from his rest, looking up at her and gently placing a hand upon her cheek. He swore he could feel her soft, warm skin against his own. She spoke something to him and he heard it, but no sound came out oddly. Gwain didn't know how he was able to "hear" her, though he did. The crimson-eyed man responded to her and they both leaned in to share a tender kiss. His dream ended thereafter and his eyes shot open. The day had come.

The room was empty and that usually signified good news. They got a chance to wake up before being thrown out into the thick of things. He smirked, knowing that he'd be able to break out soon enough and join his love, Tsumiko, after all of that was done. Of course, Gwain cursed himself from getting caught up in the hype of the arena to begin with, but he figured why the hell not? The man had fun either way, so it wasn't like it was all that bad. The king was growing bored, however, so he had to get back to the surface before his family and love started to worry for him. He picked himself up form the ground, dusted himself off and looked over to Jensen, who was awake. When asked if the king were ready, Gwain nodded to him and smiled.

"Born ready. Are you?" Gwain asked with genuine concern.

"Alright, let's go." Jensen led Gwain into their stage of armoring. Immediately, Jensen made contact with the healer to obtain herbs. The man gave him the things he needed since some people could not be healed by his magic, which was why he had alchemic materials. The cleric sat down and began mixing blade oil along with the alchemic materials. As he blended the herbs into the oil, letting their juices soak into it, he took a powder that instantly dissolved into the oil. It allowed the juices and oil to equalize their densities until they mixed, returning to the density of the oil. Pouring the oil over a whet stone and the blade, he used the two to deeply root the oil into the blade. It was an oil he dubbed "The Oil of Passage". Leaving the gladius to dry, he would find a suitable shield in the moment. Looking onto a round shield that was curved, he took it and mounted the sheathed onto the innards of it. Sheathing his blade, he took a small handbow and mounted it to his wrist. It had the main bolt loaded and the availability of a quick-loaded bolt. A small quiver was strapped to his chest, containing the bolts for his handbow.

Jensen was a religious man, yet he was an experienced hunter when it came to knowing the when's and where's of striking. Battle was chess and he liked to play with strategy. The last thing he would prepare would be two flasks, which he left with the healer to hold on to for him. They contained liquids that self-brewed, which he would use later in the fight against the griffin. Picking up a few pieces of armor to form a set of medium-weight armor, leaving the legs and arms less weighted than the chest and waist, he moved over to where Gwain and he would meet. Tying his hair back into a ponytail, Jensen let out a solemn breath. "May the greatful eye of Eisuundar watch over us and weep for the dead. May my prayers be heard and the sacrificed be gifted with his love. Let the heathens burn within the holy fires of judgment, and let my blade give them passage as I grant them the taste of steel and holy." His prayer was over, and he was ready to fight. The only thing he awaited for was Gwain to arm himself. He noticed the others across the arena, and he looked into the eyes of an innocent boy. Around him were vile and prideful men, provoking the cleric to nod in pity.

Gwain armed and prepared himself as best he could. Going against people who could be as skilled as Jensen made the man rethink his earlier plan, so he went with two blades this time around. Using medium armor, the king felt it necessary to still be able to move fast, which he would considering his armaments weren't cumbersome. He didn't have to prepare oils like how Jensen was or anything like that, he had all he needed with just his spells alone. After he was armed, he went to go scope out the competition. There were definitely some who looked as though they were worth their salt in the arena, while others looked to weak to even fight.

"You sure you can handle killing someone?" The king asked Jensen after his prayer. He remembered how the man was against it all at first, but if he had some way to discard those feelings for their survival, then so be it. The only thing Gwain didn't want to be bothered with, was somebody who stuck to their faith so strongly, that they'd rather die with that religious pride, than to live to tell about it another day. All in all, however, he believed in the cleric and knew that he wouldn't be detrimental to their own cause. "Either way, let's get out there and raise some hell." He'd say, punching his fists together.

Jensen looked at his blade and at the innocent boy from afar. When the king asked him of his self-doubt, the cleric could only sigh. "It weighs heavily on me. However, there is always comforts in the actions that stabs us deeply. The innocent will feel the warmth of my god and I shall punish the sinners." Jensen didn't expect he'd have to grant someone passage into the warmth of Eisuundar so soon, something the more radical followers usually did. However, he was content with allowing the boy to escape the clutches of the Underworld and the clutches of tyranny. Wherever his god rest, he expected that the deity would accept those touched by his will with open arms. Smiling upon the arena, he nodded his head calmly and repeatedly. "Well then, let's do this." Entering with Gwain, they would refrain from beginning their combat as everyone was introduced. A group of five gladiators were initially entered into the arena.

On the left side was two innocent boys trembling at the sight of the brutal gladiators. On the right were two hulking figures, both armed with spears but one with a net and the other with a tower shield. The boys held gladius and round shields, typical beginning weapons. The middle warrior, clearly their leader, held a massive sword that rest upon his shoulder piece. They all had medium bits of armor in various styles. Pointing at the duo, three shadows emerged from behind. A massive figure holding a gigantic ax had taken post around the greenhorns. A twin had held a morningstar and a round shield with the spear-holders. Walking ahead of the middle man, the towering figure from before emerged. On his face was an imprinted hand, embedding itself deep. A flail in the right and a massive butterfly knife in the left, the man wore bucklers on both arms and was masked in heavy armor. Yet, he was seemingly unaffected by all the weight. "LET US TEACH YOU A LESSON IN OBEDIENCE, DOGS! FOR THE PITS OF SHITE!" Everyone within roared, Underworld folk and those who paid to get in.

Jensen held up his shield, taking a defensive position as he awaited Gwain to rest by his side in an offensive position, hopefully. "It seems you'll simply sit there once you die, clutched by the hands of the undead roaring for you in this arena." As the crowd died, the master of the arena had taken place of the announcer. "Let us rejoice for this special day! We have the deadly duo, the humble Jensen and the mighty Gwain! Versus...." Pointing his giant sword over to the massive group of gladiators. "Not one...nor three...nor five! But EIGHT gladiators! The almighty team of ravagers swiftly plucked from Olympus along with our champion! Orellycus and the Twin Executioners! They team up in a fight against the bold new entries, to show them a lesson they shall never forget. We shall...." Jensen was prepared, closing his eyes for a moment to conjure the warmth of Eisuundar into his mind. Opening them, the cue rung with might, "BEGIN!"

In the darkness of the dungeon of the arena, the sounds of the crowd cheering could be heard. In a cage, a girl sat. Her back was against the wall and her head was down. She wore a very old and very worn tunic. How long had she been here? How long had it been since those cowards attacked her in her sleep and she woke up chained and caged, like an animal? She was strong, yes, but they were careful. They found ways to keep her locked up, unable to break that bars that trapped her. And she was forced every day to fight for the entertainment of those gluttons.

"Tch." She wanted to puke at the distant cheers of those terrible people.

There they stood before the eight, Gwain and Jensen, two able-bodied gladiators who had to face the odds stood before a crowd of cheering demons. The king rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. This was the time for him to get serious, while also enjoying having to get rough. He hadn't remembered the last time he was in a fight that was actually worth something. The match between Jensen didn't count because it was rather lackluster in a way. With these contestants ahead of him, Gwain knew there wouldn't be a sort of mercy rule, seeing as they had to kill, if they were to have their ends of the bargain fulfilled. After scoping out his opponents, the man decided on using both swords for every encounter. He drew them, twirled them around, assessed their weight and concluded that they were perfect.

Gwain stood in an offensive and firm stance next to Jensen, facing the group of warriors and smiling. His blood was rushing and the excitement had built up when the announcer did his thing. Once it was time for them to begin, the king had already started out the gates, heading towards the spear users. One of them had a net, which he'd have to be careful for. The other had a morning star and a round shield, with the last guy using a spear and tower-shield. Deciding which opponent would be better to pick off, the king started to strafe around to the side of the morning star user, while he kept an eye on the net thrower. After being able to semi-single out the morning star user, the king went in and with the blade in his right hand, came in with a strong horizontal swing to his upper-body.

Jensen watched Gwain launch for the larger side, however he personally wanted to take the young ones as quick as he could. Dashing on over, Jensen slid along the sand, dodging the crude slash of one of the innocent boys. In an over-head slash, Jensen's blade came down on the second boy's shield. It shattered instantly as Jensen used his shield to smash into his chest. Stunned, the second boy would take time to recover while Jensen and the first bouted momentarily. They were rather inexperienced, easily predictable and countered. The cleric danced around with the first boy, closing his eyes and spinning from a parry. "May His hands guide you to his heart." In his spin, Jensen brought the gladius to the back of the boy's neck, spearing through in a bloody display. However, it was less painful and quick for a death than it seemed. Placing the shield above the blade, the cleric used it as a fulcrum to rock his body and remove the blade. "As well as to you..." Jensen walked on over to the frightened boy, who trembled and fell to his ass upon the cleric closing in. Smacking away the young one's sword with his shield, Jensen toppled over him and plunged his sword into the boy's heart.

Shedding a tear for those he had to slay, Jensen turned to the burned man. Flicking the blood away from his blade, the cleric pointed at the man with his shield hand. However, the group of gladiators were distracted by the initial aggro of Gwain. Throwing his shield down, Jensen took one of the boy's in-tact shields and tossed it. Watching it fly like a deadly discus, it smashed into the spear-and-net user as the man was about to toss his net after a slight maneuver over to Gwain. This caused the net's trajectory to shift over to the morningstar-and-shield user. Stumbling around, the blades Gwain had used sliced through his flesh. cleanly. Falling to his knees and feeling his chestplate divide from the blow, the man struggled to breath. The giant ax-user had began to lunge at the farmer, who responded with a sluggish roll out of the way. Thankfully, the man was slow to swing and using the shield as a fulcrum with its curve gave him extra momentum to move. Jensen went in for a stab but deflected with the pole of the ax. The gladius flew into the air, spinning. Jensen jumped simultaneously as he was counter, being stricken by the pole as he jabbed the shield into the man's face. A crunch could be heard, and blood instantly flowed from the ax-wielder's face. Stumbling around, he recovered with adrenaline as he smacked the gladius out of the air. It flew like a dart into the sand away from the two, the ax a hair away from Jensen's out-reaching hand.

Jensen rolled to the gladiator's side opposite to where the giant blade swung. A short jab to the back of the leg caused it to fold, bringing the hulking man to a kneel. Wrapping his arm around the man's face, holy flames engulfed it. The man tried screaming, but his voice was muffled. With his mighty grip, Jensen began yelling as he struggled to twist the man's neck. The heat of fire imprinted itself, weakening the gladiator's resolve and allowing the cleric to twist his head to the side. Looking down at what he had done, Jensen shuttered at the thought of him doing such terrors. It was all for survival, and survival brought the beast out of all men. Removing his blade from the sand, he noticed that the champion with the hand imprinted on his face turned towards the cleric, the rest circling around Gwain. "Well, hello lil' church boy." "You shan't mock the presence of Eisuundar. Maybe if you were like those boys, you could've been sent into his heart. Now...you'll just be trapped here for eternity in this world of death." the heavily-armored champion rushed the cleric, catching him by surprise with an already-ready swing of the flail. Smashing against the sturdy shield, the champion also brought his massive butterfly knife to Jensen's gladius. The two snarled at each other, but the champion over-powered the cleric.

One push sent the cleric into a tumble, smashing against the boundary made for their match. Panting, Jensen looked at the slow moving Champion coming their way, groggily moving to a stand and retrieving his items. As the man approached, Jensen knew he had to assist Gwain, and so lifted up a hand. "Let the light of Eisuundar..." A source of light radiated from Jensen's hand. "BLIND YOUR EVIL!" From the radiance of his hand, waves of holy fire spread across the field. Summoning the power of his God's judgment, the fire entangled the champion and held him in place. Dashing around him, the cleric moved onto the group of gladiators facing Gwain. The spear-and-net user was currently dazed by the attack, but was in the process of recovering as the spear-and-shield user protected him.

---

Turn: Releasing a 5-meter field of Holy Fire, the fire analyzes the nature of the creatures caught and in the same moment will stun undead for 2 posts and non-undead for 1 post. | 5 Posts CD

-Side Note: He'll be unstunned by my next post.

Gwain had taken down the man rather easily, as did Jensen when he was readily able to come over and help aid the king. The man appreciated any help necessary and was easily saved from a potential mix-up when the spear and net wielder, attempted to wrap him up in the thing. Without missing much of a beat, the king drove his blade on home, when he came down upon the morning-star wielding man. This easily cleaved his head clean off and left only a handful of enemies left.

The black-haired man had continued forward after Jensen released his magic and ended up stunning quite a few gladiators within the pit. Surveying the field once more, Gwain decided to go after the stunned spear and net user, while his buddy attempted to shield him with his spear. The king put in a running start and wanted to bait the spear user into thrusting towards him. The spear and shield user, seeing it as a sort of reckless charge, took to the bait and lunged forward, shield protecting the majority of his body, as he attempted to stab Gwain clean through the shoulder. However, the man maneuvered himself so that he ended up sliding along the dirt and with the swing of his blade, cleaved through the man's legs. His shoulder was gashed in the process, but it didn't stop him from coming back up to his feet.

Around that same time, the spear and net user had been recovering from his temporary blindness. The king used that as the chance to run up to him and deliver a strong push kick to the side of his ribs. Not only would that crack and break them, but the force was enough to send the man reeling and tumbling over. His spear would fall out his hands and with a final movement, Gwain would walk over, flip his swords, then stabbed down into the man with both. Once the man's life was ended, the king turned around to see that the hulking champion was still dazed. Much like before, he ran over in a quick charge, strafing around to get to his side. The man leaped forward with both blades drawn in order to stab into his arm and shoulder, but the large man had recovered and managed to smack him away.

Gwain fell to the floor and lost both of his weapons, but rolled out the way just in time, to avoid being stepped on. He recovered only one of his swords and held it by his side, slowly walking a circle around the brute. Gwain looked over to Jensen and nodded towards him. The gesture was asking if he had some sort of plan for the large fellow.

Jensen knew exactly what to do, dashing for the large champion as he collided his shield against the man's flail. A large clang rung throughout, Jensen looking back to Gwain and shaking his head in a gesture to call over the boy. Slashing at the champion's feet, he seemed to cut the front of his right shin. Rearing back and slamming down on the shield again, Jensen was sent into a roll. Panting, he would make sure to fend off the Champion by clashing his sword and shield with the man's weapons, keeping his shield to the flail. His muscle bulged as he extended his arms and gave a vicious stare to meet the champion's. Punted by the Champion, Jensen again rolled and dashed back. This would be taxing on his stamina, smashing his shield horizontally against the flail. Now with the flail not utilizing gravity on its side, Jensen deflected the butterfly knife with his Gladius and slammed the edge of his shield into the champion's aegis. Stabbing the chest plate, sparks flew as the edge was deflected. Mere dents were inflicted, but the cleric kept going on.

"Making mockery of my god, and punishment shall be inflicted. The brand I gave you will not be the end of it." The champion grunted with a cackle, seemingly mocking the cleric. "Ha! I spit on your god you shit." Jensen glared into the man as he suppressed the flail arm with his shield. Bringing his shield up, he smacked it across the champion's face. It gashed him, tearing across the brand and causing blood to release profusely. In the same moment, Jensen used the broad end of his blade to smack the man on the other side, the tip slithering through and creating a symmetrical pair of wounds. Enraged, the champion threw away his weapons and held the bucklers over his knuckles. Thrusting one fist at Jensen, he swiftly dodged and hooked his shield around the champion's arm, stabbing towards his face. The other buckler counter, and jerking his body into Jensen's knocked the false gladiator away. He turned to the dual-sword wielder, ready to counter as he expected him to take the opportunity of distraction to attack the champion.

Gwain took advantage of the situation being placed before them. The man was attacking at the champion from behind, going in with slashes to his legs and back as often as he could. Usually, he either had to take a hit from the man's backhand or he ducked underneath at the right time. Eventually, though, his troubles at trying to do more than just dents towards the armored man came to a brief stop, as Jensen, his partner signaled him over. Stepping back and jumping away from a flail strike, the king finally rejoined his comrade by his side. However, rather than join him on the forward offensive, the man watched as his partner performed his flurry of strikes and counters. That was when the opening presented itself. The gladiator had been knocked away, dazed from the counter.

"Jensen, face me and get low!" Gwain shouted towards the man and ran towards him. Picking up on the signal, Jensen turned to his partner and crouched down, angling his shield towards the king. When this happened, Gwain took easy steps onto the shield, using the slant of its position to balance him, as Jensen would quickly use the shifting momentum to rise up and essentially toss the man off his shield. Using this springboard-like action to propel himself into the air, the ebony-haired man pulled back his swords and dove towards the hulking gladiator. He angled himself over the man's shoulders and came down upon his jugular veins, stabbing into them and severing them all the way through. That got a beyond agitated reaction from the large man, as he violently grabbed onto Gwain and attempted to throw him onto the ground.

However, he instead dropped the king, who fell right on his ass. He looked up in confusion and saw that Jensen had followed suit with his assault and had split open the large gladiator's legs. This would ultimately send the thing crashing down to the ground and allow him the opportunity to bleed out.

Within the darkness of the cages, movement could be heard. She looked up, straining her ears towards the sound. Then, there was a faint light in the distance. Who would be down here? The guards rarely ever came down here, only to give them meals and take them to the arena. Right now, she suspected that everyone was watching the current match.

The light grew closer and closer, moving past each cell. The other prisoners either ignored whoever it was, spat at him, or begged for help. And then finally, the light was in front of her bars and the footsteps stopped. It was a man who was holding a burning flame with no torch to support it. He looked within the cage, looking at her. Through the flickering light of the flames, she could make out a young face, like hers. He had black hair and green eyes that seemed to gleam in the light.

He looked at her, silently. She stared back. Not in disdain or contempt, but rather in curiosity. This guy didn't look like anybody else who she had seen. He was dressed in weird clothes and was clean. He was neither a guard nor a prisoner. Perhaps he was a guy that just wandered down here from the stands?

"Did you volunteer to be here?" He asked, finally.

She simply shook her head, not taking her eyes off of him. She found it to be an obvious question. They were in cages after all. Why waste words on something they both already knew.

"Did anyone here who fights volunteer to be here?"

Again, she shook her head.

He frowned, unpleased by the answer. "I see," he muttered. Then, "What's your name?"

"Σωτηρία," she said, speaking up for the first time in months.

The man blinked, as if bewildered by the name. He thought for a second and said, "Can I call you Samantha Souls instead?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "If you get me out of here, you can call me whatever you want."

"Sure." And without another word, the man suddenly disappeared, flame and all. Her eyes widened in surprise and awe and she started to wonder if the man had even been there at all. Perhaps she was just having delusions.

Standing near Gwain with an expanding and compressing chest from the heavy breathing, Jensen went from grimace to a distracting laughter. He didn't know what was funny, if anything at all, however he threw down his sword and shield and extended a hand out to the boy. He'd assume Gwain would take it, and when he would he'd help lift the man up. Patting him on the shoulder, he held a fist high in the air as the crowd cheered. "I don't know why I'm laughing, but thank-you for killing the bastard. Couldn't have done it without you. A tough one, he is." Jensen heard the roar of the king of the arena boom across. "WHAT AN EXCITING DISPLAY! The two knew-found champions of the arena! Jensen and Gwain! Now, let them rest for they shall fight in the very next match! Against....the GRIFFIN!" Jensen smiled, leading himself out of the arena and into the armor. He knew exactly what to equip himself with. Servants took the weapons from the grounds and brought them into the armory. Jensen would arm himself for the next battle, giving himself a crossbow and yet again a sword and shield. This time he took the tower shield and the longsword. He expected Gwain to take a more defensive set of weapons, however if he didn't they'd have to fight the beast akin to the champion, wait for the moment to strike.