Gladiators of Warsong

by Thomas K. Carpenter

  "And you call me dark," said Sorrow with a smirk.

  "Just calling it like it is," said Blaze, putting his hands behind his head.

  "So nothing else happens? Seems like a waste of time," said Alex.

  "The higher ranks like to drink in the longhouse all day," said Blaze with an eye roll. "The only thing that breaks up the daytime monotony is the occasional clan battle, when we send our best five versus another clan."

  "How does Bravebear clan do in these fights?" asked Alex.

  Blaze blew a breath out. "It should be called Scaredbear. Not only does Tormane rarely fight, but when he does, his side usually loses. The downside of that is they take it out on us afterwards."

  Alex glanced towards the longhouse at the top of the hill. Gray smoke drifted from the chimney at the center, where she imagined they were drinking and feasting. Ideas formed on how she might speed things up.

  Nayiri joined them a little later, sheepishly taking a spot across from Alex, avoiding her gaze the whole time.

  "Does anyone want to spar with me today?" asked Alex. "I need to get my One-handed Whip skill maxed out."

  "That would impact my quality space-out time," said Blaze, trying to push a floppy piece of iguana bacon into his mouth.

  Sorrow stared back drolly. "While I would relish the chance to feel the sting of your whip, I have a date with a pitcher of honey mead that the veterans misplaced."

  "Nayiri?"

  The pale girl flinched, but then after a few moments nodded.

  "Great, around late morning, after I check out a few things in camp," said Alex, grabbing some eggs from a basket to crack into the skillet.

  After she had a nice breakfast of duck eggs and iguana bacon, Alex took a stroll. She avoided the longhouse and the higher ranked tents, finding instead the craftsman huts. She didn't bother with Zelda, the wise-woman, as she didn't have the rank yet, but noted her location.

  She found the blacksmith by the clank of hammer on anvil and the odor of burning metal. Though she'd never played a game that had a sense of smell, there was something unmistakable about a foundry's air.

  The blacksmith had lustrous black skin that glistened with sweat as he smashed his hammer into a glowing piece of steel, sending up a spray of sparks that bounced across his broad chest.

  When he thrust the fledgling weapon back into the fire, Alex stepped up.

  "You do good work, Umber Redhold," said Alex.

  He eyed her carefully. "I saw you fight last night. Unusual tactics, Alexandria Duke."

  "I play to win," she said.

  A light flashed in his eyes. "I see that."

  "Since I'm new to the Bravebear clan, can you tell me how I can get weapons and armor?" she asked, gesturing towards her cloth breeches and medieval sports bra, which was splattered with her dried blood. "I'm not exactly runway material in this."

  "Feel free to take anything from the racks," said Umber, gesturing towards the back wall, which was filled with finished weapons. "Nadia next door can help you with armor."

  "What if I want something special?" she asked.

  Umber showed his teeth in a generous smile. "You need rank first, then come see me."

  Back in the racks, Alex took all the daggers she found—five—and placed them in her Handysack.

  "When will you have more daggers?" she asked.

  Umber shook his head. "A few days."

  "Great, thanks!"

  Then she went next door to talk to Nadia, who was a slender beautiful woman who looked completely out of place in the basic hut. She had dark red hair and the high cheekbones of royalty.

  "You, my dear, have come to the right place," said Nadia with high diction, holding a slender hand to her chest. "Though I'm afraid I have not the right materials to armor you properly."

  "Thank you, Nadia," said Alex. "What do you have for me? I want to stay mobile."

  "I'm afraid at your rank," said Nadia, who pursed her lips with sympathy, "I can only offer a light leather tunic."

  "That'll work," said Alex. "I'm grateful for anything after battling in what amounts to glorified undies."

  After letting Nadia fit her into the leather tunic, Alex returned to the back of the camp, where she found Nayiri pacing behind the tents.

  "Anywhere around here we can go without being observed?" asked Alex.

  "There's a small grove near the cliff," said Nayiri.

  "Great," said Alex. "Lead on."

  "Why not fight here?" asked Nayiri, scratching her chin idly. Her normally dark eyes seemed slightly blueish and her nose sharper rather than button, though it didn't dissuade Alex's interest in her.

  "We don't want them to know what hit them," said Alex with a wink.

  It was a short journey to the grove. A small spring had gathered in a hollow, providing enough water for a copse of gnarly trees. The pond trickled out the western side, falling over the cliff edge as a misting spray.

  "This is perfect," said Alex.

  Nayiri stood back with her arms crossed while Alex examined the trees, picking one with a wide trunk and then pacing off the steps until she marked a distance equal to the width of the battle circle with a branch stuck in the pliant soil.

  "How good are you at throwing that dagger of yours?" asked Alex.

  "Why would I do that? Then I won't have a weapon," said Nayiri, leaning heavily on her left leg with an exaggerated head tilt. She was the physical embodiment of an exasperated sigh.

  "Humor me," said Alex, walking to a spot halfway from the tree. "Throw your dagger into that tree."

  Nayiri joined Alex at the spot and flipped the dagger a few times before rearing back and launching the knife at the tree. It spun through the air in a blur before sinking into the soft wood, trembling from the impact.

  "Sweet throw," said Alex, grinning.

  Nayiri threw her hands in the air. "Now what? Do I kick them in the shins?"

  "Every fight is a puzzle, you need to figure out how to solve yours," said Alex as she produced another dagger from her Handysack and handed it over. "Again."

  The second throw hit the tree hilt first, careening into the high grass.

  "Again," said Alex, handing over a third.

  After all the daggers had been thrown, Alex gestured towards the tree. "Three out of six. Not bad for your first attempt."

  "I still don't get how this is going to help me. Even six daggers won't kill a veteran, which is usually who I'm matched up against," said Nayiri.

  "You won't throw them all at once. The problem you have now is that they don't respect your range. If you can punish them for not closing the distance, then you can control the fight. Bring them into your range, where you can slice and dice them with two daggers at once," said Alex.

  "But I've never fought with a dagger in each hand." Nayiri held up one dagger in her fist and made a downward stabbing motion. "I usually hit them like this. It's the best technique for when I get my Assassinate skill at a higher level."

  "But you'll never get to use that skill until you can trick them into turning their back to you. It's doubtful that's ever going to happen in the battle circle. Anyway, I've seen you bounce that blade between your hands. You're nimble enough to adjust to the new technique. I'm sure you'll do fine. Now I want you to retrieve the daggers and throw them again. Once you can hit the tree with all six, take a big step backwards and go again. Keep going until you can hit with all six from the opposite end of the battle circle. If they're not safe anywhere, then they're screwed."

  As Nayiri yanked the first dagger from the tree, she asked, "What are you going to do?"

  Alex bounced her eyebrows. "Target practice."

  When Nayiri moved back to the middle, Alex stood off to the side of the tree within range of her whip. Then keeping it loose in her grip, she waited until Nayiri threw the first dagger, hitting it with her whip, knocking it away from the trunk.

  You have gained a skill point: +1 One-handed Whip

  "Hey! That's not fair," said Nayiri, stom
ping her foot playfully.

  "Who said battle was fair?" said Alex with a wink.

  For the next five hours, Nayiri worked on her throws, while Alex tried to grab the daggers out of the air using the whip. At first, she was knocking them away from the trunk, but then Nayiri began to change up her tosses, throwing them at different speeds or angles to fool Alex.

  Their practice session ended when Nayiri managed to get all six daggers past Alex's whip, which came as the sun neared the horizon. They headed back to camp to eat dinner before the battle circle.

  Alex was hoping the practice would be enough for Nayiri, who seemed more confident by the end. As for her own skill, she'd maxed One-handed Whip out at 22. It was a disappointingly low number, but it was the best she could do with her low agility score.

  The only upside was that when she reached the third tier, she gained a new spell, Whip Tricks. The description alone made her feel like a cross between Annie Oakley and Indiana Jones.

  Whip Tricks – Tier 1

  Faez: 30 ׀ Range: Whip

  Effect: Mesmerize opponent with your skill

  You're the tamer, not the tamed

  The spell came at the end of the practice session, but attempts to use it fizzled, so Alex shelved thoughts of using it, since the spell ability was a lackluster one.

  When they returned to the unranked tents, only Mancalf was at the fire. He was focused on carving a piece of wood. Without another person around, he relaxed into the available space; otherwise, he condensed himself to avoid notice, which was hard for a mammoth of a man. Alex guessed he was nearly Tormane's size without the ripped muscles.

  "All sweaty and out of breath? What have you two been up to?" he asked, a grin on his tawny brown face.

  Alex frowned. "Really? Is that what we're doing today?"

  His grin evaporated, replaced with confusion. "Asking questions? I was wondering what you and Nayiri had been doing."

  "Oh," said Alex, blushing. "I, uhm, never mind. We were practicing."

  Nayiri bounced in place. "Alex taught me new tricks. I can't wait for tonight."

  "You can't wait for tonight?" asked Mancalf, horrified.

  "Yeah," said Nayiri, pacing in place. "I think I actually have a shot at winning."

  Mancalf looked up at Alex with trepidation. "Do you think you could help me tomorrow?"

  Quest Offered: Help Mancalf (Reward: Unknown)

  Quest Chain I: Help Mancalf win a match (+1,000 XP)

  "Absolutely," she said, swiping yes. "But for now, I'm hungry. Where are the others?"

  "Blaze is hitting on that girl from the novice rank that killed him last night. He's hoping to leverage a pity date, and last I checked, Sorrow was behind the tents passed out near the latrine ditch," said Mancalf.

  Not for the first time did Alex marvel at the realness of the NPCs. If she didn't know any better she would think they were real living, breathing beings.

  "I'll go wake Sorrow. He needs to sober up before his match. If Tormane thinks he's drunk he'll give him to Sophia again," said Nayiri with a shudder.

  "Who's Sophia?" asked Alex.

  "If you went into the longhouse, you'd know her. Dark skin, so beautiful she makes the gods cry. Wields two warhammers like they were mere paring blades. She likes to break bones before she finishes the fight," said Mancalf, looking a little nauseous at the memory.

  Nayiri returned with Sorrow, dead grass plastered to his forehead, around the time Blaze slunk back to the campfire.

  "No luck?" asked Nayiri.

  "She said she doesn't want to associate herself with unranked losers," said Blaze, shrugging his shoulders as he plopped down in front of the fire, spread the coals out with his hand, and settled the skillet into the space he'd cleared. "Shall I cook dinner?"

  They ate roast bird stuffed with leafy plants that Mancalf had collected earlier in the day. Alex didn't ask what kind of avian it was, in case it was raven, despite the obvious size differences. The meal wasn't half-bad considering, or Alex was just hungry after a long day of practice.

  When the first horn sounded over the Bravebear camp, Nayiri met her gaze eagerly. On the way to the battle circle, Blaze noticed Nayiri's exuberance, acknowledging it with a raised eyebrow, but Alex shook him off. She didn't want anyone to get into Nayiri's head before the match.

  After the second horn announced the first match, Alex climbed onto her barrel, staring directly at Tormane. She half expected to be picked again, but he called out two other warriors to start the night. Alex gathered that the first fight was considered honorific, which meant that Tormane had avoided her on purpose, but she knew her battle would come soon enough.

  At the fifth fight, Nayiri's name was called along with a stout veteran clan member with a longsword and buckler. Alex was a little worried about the shield, but there was nothing she could do to help Nayiri now.

  The beginning of the fight was met with a little laughter when Nayiri dropped one of the daggers. She'd stuffed the extra ones in her belt, which wasn't going to work long term, but Alex figured they could get her better holders made when they reached novice rank.

  "Begin!"

  As soon as the command was given, Nayiri launched two daggers at her opponent before he could even get his shield up. The first one scored a critical hit and the second took off another chunk of hit points, leaving him down a quarter.

  "Go Nayiri!" shouted Alex, receiving death stares for her exclamation.

  While Nayiri reached for more daggers, her opponent rushed in, holding up his buckler and chopping down at her with his longsword. Nayiri rolled to the left, dropping one of her daggers, but came up with two others, throwing one into her opponent's ribs before skittering to the back of the circle.

  When he rushed her, Nayiri faked a throw, which forced him to bring his shield up. She ducked underneath it, slashing him twice in the gut, leaving a trail of blood across the dirt. The subterfuge drove him into a rage, and he threw himself at Nayiri, who nimbly stepped past him and drove a dagger into his back, defeating him in short order.

  Quest Completed: Help Nayiri win a match

  You have gained experience: 1,000 XP

  Quest Chain II: Help Nayiri reach novice rank (+1,000 XP)

  You have gained a unique skill point: +1 Leadership

  "Woot! Go Nayiri!"

  The expression on Nayiri's face was worth the glares from her fellow clan members. She looked like she'd won the lottery. She practically floated back through the battle circle into the arms of her fellow unranked.

  Alex was about to congratulate Nayiri in person when she heard her name called. She hopped down and pushed her way through the crowd, who didn't seem inclined to let her pass easily.

  But she wasn't dismayed, because her mind buzzed with the excitement of Nayiri's win. The game rewards were nice, but seeing the grin plastered on the pale girl's face was even better.

  A tall dark-skinned man carrying a huge sword in his hands stepped into the circle opposite Alex, bowing to Tormane before facing her.

  Faygard Alain, Bravebear Clan: Veteran, Level 22

  She had no doubt that he'd been chosen due to his heavy weapon, which would be more difficult to fling out of the circle. When they bowed to each other, Alex noticed his hands had been bound to the hilt of the blade with thin leather strips. She had to hide her smirk before rising to a standing position.

  Alex unfurled the whip, leaving it coiled next to her right leg, and shot a wink towards Nayiri, who was watching anxiously at the edge of the circle.

  "Begin!"

  Faygard barely lifted his right foot before her whip wrapped around his ankles, trapping them together and tipping him over like a tree felled for lumber. He hit the dirt with an audible oof, sending up little dust jets.

  With her opponent prone on his back, Alex wrapped the handle of the whip around her waist to free up her hands. Her Cloud Taunt knocked him off his elbows as he tried to climb to his knees, banging his face against the blade of his sword, dealing ex
tra damage.

  While she could have waited for the secondary triggers of shock damage to wear Faygard down, she kept firing Cloud Taunt at her fallen opponent. The grumbles rose around her until they crescendoed into full-throated jeers.

  You have defeated Faygard Alain!

  You have gained experience: 1,000 XP

  You have gained conquest points: 2 CP

  Quest Progress: Defeat 5 Novices – 2/5 Defeated

  After the fight was over, Alex bowed to her opponent, then bowed to Tormane.

  "That wasn't even a challenge. Let me fight again, but send a real fighter this time," said Alex, gesturing towards the crowd.

  Tormane grew beet red. His hands turned to fists at his sides.

  "Don't tell me what to do. Everyone fights only once a night. Once," said Tormane, holding up a single finger.

  "Maybe that's why you lose the clan battles," she added before stalking from the circle.

  With her back to Tormane, she didn't get to see his response, but the wide eyes and shaking heads of the other clan members told her everything she needed to know about his mood.

  Back with the unranked, she was met with more back patting, but also a wary appraisal.

  "Are you trying to make it harder for yourself?" asked Blaze.

  "In a way, yes," said Alex, but she didn't want to have to explain that she either needed to find a way to goad Tormane into fighting her directly, or speed up her acquisition of conquest points, so she turned to Nayiri and embraced her. "How awesome was that win!"

  Nayiri looked a little drunk. "I know, right? When he rushed me, I thought for sure he was going to put that thing right through my guts, but I slipped by him and when he fell defeated at my feet—gods above!—that was glorious. I almost can't wait until tomorrow. Hopefully I won't be so nervous and drop my dagger at the beginning."

  "When we get you to novice rank, Nadia can make you a bandolier to hold the other blades, and Umber should have more daggers in a few days," said Alex.