The Saga of Tallia the Unwilling Ch. 06

As Tallia watched the challengers emerge, she was overcome with memory. She was back. She was once more Tallus the Grim, Tallus Grey-Eye, Tallus the Son of Death. She stood once more before the howling throngs of the devil-city of Yaath'Xin in the arena of the mad prince. Half of the multitude cried for Tallus' blood while the other half hailed the veteran death dealer. She breathed in the air. She had, in another skin, sworn she would never fight again for the pleasure of princes, but here she was once more. It seemed there was no escape from this deadly circle, this destiny of death. Fine. But the wizard would learn today what the vile nobility of that far city had learned years ago -- Tallus now Tallia was the greatest gladiator who had ever lived.

The hunting pack circled the nude Amazon moving in practiced unison and she let them. There was no sense wasting energy trying to stop this inevitability. She kept her spear point down and held it one handed, like she was resigned to her fate. But in truth, she watched carefully as the javelin thrower readied his weapon, sighting her up as a target. Yes, the pack had enough tactical sense that the ranged weapon would be thrown first, followed by a four sided rush. A simple tactic, but hard to answer once the rush was on.

She became certain then that this hound-man pack was waiting for some signal from the albino. She decided not to wait. As soon as they formed an almost perfect pentagon around her, she revealed one of her favorite crowd-pleasing tricks from the arena -- the underhand spear throw. It wasn't a hard trick, but it did take some practice to do it accurately. Yes, the spear wouldn't go as far or penetrate as deep as a proper overhand throw. But how far did it need to travel? Not far. And how deep did it need to go? No deeper than all the way through the javelin thrower's unarmored neck. And first timers, like these hounds, they never see it coming.

As the javelin thrower fell spitting out copious blood through his mouth, nose and new neck hole -- she charged not the other hounds but the convulsing corpse. The rest of the hounds howled and charged her, which is exactly what she wanted of them. She retrieved her bloody spear from the neck of her friend and used another favorite of her tricks. The spiked butt at the back of the spear is often considered less deadly than the blade. She taught the eager one with the axe running straight at her the error of his thinking by jamming the spear butt straight back into his knee cap. He took the spike at a full run. The bone shattered into at least a half dozen pieces, some driving up into his upper leg. She let him ruminate on his new learning by leaving him alive, clutching his useless leg, screaming and pumping arterial blood all over the arena sand.

She spun her spear sharp side forward and faced the remaining three. They were cautious now. The screams and whimpers of their brother hound was distracting and demoralizing. But the one with the trident still seemed game to engage. It was understandable. Her spear was shorter than his long barbed war fork.

Ah the trident! How many of them had Tallus fought back in Yaath'Xin? Too many to easily count certainly. It was an easy weapon to wield but a hard one to master. Tallus had known only one true expert of its use and this beast-man was no Claudius Foe-Fisher. This fool had not even brought a net to the battle, the natural pairing with the weapon. The best tridents had barbs both forward but also backwards or lateral on the shaft. This kept someone doing exactly what the Amazon did.

She let the trident bearer lunge at her. He over-extended -- so easy for a novice to do with a weapon as front-heavy as the trident. She dodged the thrust and let the trident jab past her. She then stepped forward and trapped the back part of the fork between her body and left arm. The weapon thus entrapped, she was then perfectly poised for her right arm to thrust her own spear, now easily close enough to strike, deep into the hound's gut. The beast-man yelped in agony and instinctively staggered back. That pulled out her broad spear point, doing more damage even than the initial thrust and opened the hound's belly like a gutted fish. He fell down sobbing, whimpering and watching his bowels pour out. He didn't get to watch this ghastly scene for long before he died.

The whip hound had at least enough presence of mind to not wait and lashed out even before his brother fell. The hooked whip coiled around Tallia's left arm and gave her a bleeding painful gash. She cried in pain, let the trident fall free and grabbed the leather lash. Oh, the whip hound actually had his handle looped around his wrist. He didn't want anyone to steal his precious weapon -- a rookie mistake. Never tie a weapon to yourself. If you aren't strong enough to keep it, let it go and find another method of attack.

She snapped the whip back with one determined yank using all of her great strength. The tough rawhide loop bit into the hound's flesh and then bent his hand unnaturally upward. This produced a horrid sound of bones shattering -- the natural result of the hound's wrist breaking in multiple places. And then she let him have his precious weapon back for all the good it did him.

The albino leader at last committed and charged straight at her. He rammed into her with his shield. She braced and met his charge with her shoulder down. This hurt like hell but did no real damage to either shield or shoulder. She was taller than the hound and faster. She got her foot up and kicked the great round bronze target back and lowered her spear to meet another charge.

The albino hound was not foolish enough to take the bait but instead lashed out with his sword. The pair then exchanged a whole series of blows -- parries and thrusts. Blade clanged against spear point. The leader proved himself a capable if unimaginative swordsman. He kept his shield high and was quick with his thrusts. He didn't let her get close and she had no shield so Tallia had to keep stepping back to escape his sword point. Soon she be against the wall of the arena and he could strike her at will. But he did have a bad habit -- a common habit of those impatient for their kills. He kept extending his foot out well ahead of his shield. During sparring in her old ludus, this might earn you a broken toe. Here...

She saw her chance and ducked beneath a high blow and jammed her war spear downwards, piercing all the way through the top of his left foot, pinning it to the ground while drawing forth a well of dark blood. She was about to finish him when she was surprised by the broken wrist whip hound. He wanted to tangle with her again, it seemed, and charged snarling at her with his long knife in hand. This side attack caught her momentarily off guard and she rolled back awkwardly, leaving her precious spear imbedded through the leader's foot. Tallia's ill-timed tumble was graceless and left her all but prone. The whip hound ignored the pain of his broken wrist and leapt at her in a frenzy. The hound was soon on top of her, slashing and snapping at her, eager to cut her throat and avenge his pack-brothers.

They wrestled even as the albino hound pulled the spear out of his foot with a long painful howl. The other hound still had his whip hanging useless from his broken wrist and so Tallia, lacking any other weapon, grabbed the lash. The one-handed dog-man snapped at her again and again but she kept his wicked mastiff teeth at bay by raw strength alone. She wrapped the lash around the dog's neck and strangled him to death with the long length of leather. He gagged, choked and then at last spasmed as death took him.

The limping albino, finally in position, thrust his sword at her and she used his dying, strangled brother as a shield. The sword thrust deep into the hound man's back. She tossed the corpse at the limping leader and the two hound-men fell together in a tangled pile. The Amazon then vaulted to her feet and in a half second retrieved her bloody spear from the sands of the arena. And then the albino pack leader was dead though it took him a few more seconds to realize it.

She waited for him to untangle himself from his dead friend and to rise, still bleeding badly, back onto his wounded legs. He didn't even have hold of his shield any more. With his wounded foot, he couldn't dodge. With his sword still tangled up, he couldn't parry. With his shield on the ground, he couldn't deflect. All the dog-man could do was die. She ended the monster with an artful thrust to somewhere near the heart. She hit him so hard, his heart was actually impaled on her spear point as it thrust out his back. She pulled it back and wiped it clean of this dog-man viscera.

The only sound then was the ragged screams of the hound with the shattered knee cap trying to crawl back towards the portcullis from whence he came. She went over to creature and eased his suffering with her spear. The arena then erupted in furious monster howls as the Sons of Arion screamed for her blood. 'Oh, were the Sons of Arion not enjoying the show?' she mused.

As the fight ended, she paid the crowd no mind and wasted no time answering there taunts and screams. Instead, she collected her choice of armament from her fallen foes. She lifted up the round bronze shield and tried its weight. Not bad. She then retrieved a single javelin from her first victim and looked up at Arion Three-Eyes still sitting on his throne of gold and silk, getting her range.

The wizard smirked as the Amazon shifted the javelin into her throwing arm. "Oh, is that for me?" he asked mockingly.

The wizard stood and suddenly the arena, once furious at her victory, became deathly silent. He parted his blue silk robe revealing his pale bare chest beneath. "A good enough target for you, my toy?"

She held the light javelin in her hand. Tallia wanted more than anything to hurl it deep into the breast of the wizard. Again the sweat and the shaking came over her. The Eye! The damned Eye! The great and unopposable Eye!

The wizard laughed. "Second thoughts? Am I to be spared, oh mighty warrior?" And then he opened his third-eye. Again she was bathed in green light.

"I have a better idea. Bring the point of the javelin to your own throat, Tallia," the wizard said. The Amazon shook and cried out in agony. Her mind burned with green fire! She fell to one knee. But she slowly brought the edge of the javelin to her own throat. "Closer, now. Closer. Right to the throat. Yes, well done. Tell me, my toy, if I asked it, would you slit your own throat for me?"

The monster men then began to chant, "Die! Die! Die!"

"Narggh..." she grunted.

"Oh, but please. What if I asked so sweetly, my most beautiful one?"

At last, she whispered, "Yes." The word could barely be heard over the savage din of cheering monster, eager to see her open her own throat for their master, their god -- the Eye!

Arion once more silenced the blood-thirsty throng. "Oh but what fun would that be, my toy? Fear not! That was a fine show you gave me, but the festivities have only begun. You'll not escape my service so easily, dearest Tallia. Break that javelin, by the way. You'll not need it. And prepare yourself. The next dance is at hand."

The amazon broke the javelin over her knee as ordered. The Eye closed once more. And once more, more she heard the rising of the portcullis. More challengers were entering the arena.

"Brutus and Ursineus! Smash in her skull and I shall shower you in slaves and gold!"

The pair of bear-men were huge shaggy beasts swinging massive bronze hammers. The arena seemed to reverberate with the weight of their every step. They were stronger than Tallia and could charge with startling speed but after that initial burst of alacrity, proved lumbering, ponderous and slow. Their hammers swung with force enough to bring down a building, but Tallia found it easy enough to be elsewhere. And even though they had thick coats of fur and tough hides, they also had ankles and hamstrings. Her spear points found those and crippled them. One of these tall beast-men had the most surprised look on his face as Tallia taught him how to swallow her weapon.

"Now face the deadly dance of my three serpents!"

The snake-men were fast, scaled and venomous. One bit Tallia on her spear arm and the entire limb went numb for a time. But they were also stupid and wary. Their curved envenomed blades and their bites had no reach and they had no coordination. So, Tallia had to fight them one-armed with her spear in her off-hand. Tallus the Grim had learned long ago that ambidexterity was a critical skill in the arena and today Tallia got to display that skill once more. Their scaled hides may have been too tough for the average swordsman, but Tallia's Amazonian strength gave her weapon power enough to punch through. Soon enough the snake-men were laid out on the sands of the battle pit, bleeding and coughing up blood. Tallia felt her unnatural resilience doing its work and her arm, once numb, began to find motion and feeling once more.

"I call upon the brothers Bao, the leopard huntsmen of the hills! Hunt her now, my slaves, and win eternal glory!"

The three leopard brothers were a dangerous combination. Each was uniquely armed: iron claws, a halberd and an archer. That revealed good tactics: a close combatant, a reach weapon and of course, that damned bow. And though they might be untested in a real arena, these bastards obviously had hunted together many times. Today she was to be their prey.

They came at her all at once. The barbed arrows of the bowman made her glad for her shield. Three arrows only didn't find their mark because of her stolen circle of bronze. The halberdier tried to take that from her. He proved expert at this maneuver, hooking the curved tip of his polearm on her shield rim and pulling with all his might. And while blocking arrows and wrestling with the halberdier, the leopard man with claws of iron circled and sought an opening to get in close and rend her flesh.

This was easily the worst of the matches so far. An arrow slashed across her side, leaving a painful shallow gash. The halberdier bruised the hell out of her shield arm with all his pulling and banging. And the iron claw gave her a painful rake along her back right shoulder. Of course, she gave as good as she got.

She threw her spear deep into the shoulder of the archer. She then used her free arm to grab the iron claw and slammed the surprising light leopard-man into his halberdier brother like a club. The shield proved a capable battering ram against her off-balance foes. She broke the neck of the halberdier with its rim and then beat the iron claw to death with its broad flat expanse. By the time that gruesome work was done, she picked up the halberd and came for the bleeding archer. He tried to run. It didn't work.

The wizard was now visibly pissed as Tallia retrieved her spear and shield once more, tossing the halberd aside in disgust. Though Arion's scowls pleased the Amazon greatly, she was in bad shape. She was now covered in bruises and scrapes. She was not bleeding, though, not anymore. Her wounds clotted and crusted with phenomenal speed. But she was growing weary. All around her was the gory evidence of her efforts. Though monster-men had dragged off the bodies between each round, they couldn't remove all the blood which so freely mixed with sand. Also here and there, there were larger chunks of her fallen foes.

Tallia finally spoke. Maybe a little taunting banter would give her some time to catch her breath. "Enjoying the show, my master?"

"Immensely," hissed the wizard angrily. "But it grows a trifle boring, don't you think? Let's try a new game. I call this one the Lady and the Tiger. The rules are quite simple. Two will join you. One of the three of you has but to die and the game is over. Let's meet the lady first, shall we?"

A heavy post was wheeled out and placed in the center of the arena. And then Hilarius, dressed almost comically in nothing but a blonde wig and slight pink shift, was herded out at spear point and manacled to the large wooden pole.

"Oh, what a beauty!" laughed the wizard.

Tallia moved quickly over to him and took a defensive stance between the post and whatever was about to emerge from behind the iron portcullis.

"Just like old times," whispered Hilarius, "an arena, a mad prince and some stupid life or death game."

"The crossdressing is new," said the Amazon.

"Yeah, well I think this particular prince is a little madder than most," answered Hilarius.

"I assume the dress was your idea," said Tallia.

"Oh, yes. He wanted to put me in fine mail and give me my daggers back but I insisted! Only the best for my gal."

"So, aren't you supposed to tell me not to risk my life to save you?" said Tallia.

"What?!" said the genuinely startled thief. "No! I would definitely appreciate you saving my life. If you don't I will totally haunt your spectacular ass."

"Great. My lady's clingy."

"You know it," said Hilarius. And then there was once more the sound of the iron portcullis rising. "Shit... company."

"Yeah, now stop messing around and get out of those manacles." With that, Tallia reached down and retrieved the whip hound's dagger that had been partially buried in the sand and tossed it to Hilarius.

The wizard started yelling again. "And at last -- the tiger! For your entertainment, I give you Hu Long -- the tiger-dragon! Enjoy, my toy!" And then he started laughing that loud, long, mad laugh of his.

The noise that came forth from the darkness told Tallia all too clearly that this so-called tiger-dragon was no natural beast. It wasn't a tiger's roar. It wasn't a snake's hiss. No, this was somehow a reverberating combination of both. It was the throaty, hell-born rumble of fury and agony in equal measures. But as terrifying as the sound was, it was nothing compared to the beast itself.

What emerged from the darkness behind the portcullis was pure nightmare. Tallia had heard stories of the great land dragons that roamed the islands of the dreaming south. And of course, Tallia had seen a tiger up close in the arena. But this was neither and yet both.

Its body was mostly tiger, though twice the size of any Tallia had ever seen. It was easily three times as long as Tallia was tall. It had striped fur, mottled black and vibrant orange, but beneath that fur were similarly colored reptilian scale. It's muscular frame was spined and these spines ran all the way down the ridge of its back to a large swaying draconic tail. The spines on the tip of this dragon tail were curved like horrid meat hooks.

But its head -- its head was its most unique and otherworldly feature. It had four eyes -- one pair feline and framed in black, the other lacertilian and ringed with scales. It had a short rounded muzzle full of jagged lizard teeth but also sporting the four fangs of a tiger. Its gait was as unnatural as the creature itself -- a hybrid of a tiger's trot and the lizard's lope. It also seemed unhappy with its very unholy existence and gave once more its mad hiss-howl of pain and anger as it entered the arena.

Tallia never liked fighting captured beasts. They always seemed like innocent victims to her. But then, almost all gladiators were there against their will. No one sane wanted to be a gladiator. Still, it was easier to rationalize that the human combatants had done something to deserve their fate. What had the beasts ever done? Still she was willing to make an exception for this horror.

Regardless, Tallus had learned how to slay beasts from a veteran bestiarius named Quan Jo. Quan Jo's advice was simple and practical. And it all seemed wildly inapplicable to fighting this hell-spawned tiger-dragon. Still, Tallia knew she had to buy Hilarius some time to slip his bonds. So, she resolved to distract the damned thing. Somehow.