Ansgar Corcoran
The sounds of the arena reached the bowels of the Colosseum with ease, the sound of the crowds penetrating the thick stone and becoming an almost constant distant thundering rumble, a constant reminder of what was ahead.
Ansgar felt calm, the sounds of impending death being more than familiar to his ears as he ran his hands along the rough wooden bench he sat on. He glanced around the sizable cell where he was waiting, slightly on edge to be alone for a change. This time he would have no brothers in arms to assist him, no-one to share the bond of impending combat with, no nervous young men to console with a word of reassurance – he was alone.
Ansgar stood as Lentulus, his owner, entered through the doorway and made his way to the edge of his cell. Lentulus had a certain look in his eye, something which served to further unnerve the waiting gladiator. What had the old man learnt, he wondered to himself. After a few more moments of quiet the old man spoke with his rasping voice “I hope you are prepared for whatever will be waiting out there for you”, his words ringing in the air.
A few more moments of silence passed broken only by the occasional distant cheer before Ansgar nodded slowly and Lentulus continued “The odds are against you my boy, but we, no you can do this. I have done all I can to prepare you, the rest is up to you. I hope when we next meet it is as two free men.” With that he quickly turned and left, again leaving Ansgar with nothing but himself and an odd feeling, never before had Lentulus seemed so worried about the outcome of a match as he was now, and suddenly neither had Ansgar.
Moments later another man entered before crassly telling him it was his turn now, unlocking the cell door and leading the way towards the gladiator’s entrance. Ansgar could feel his heart pound as he got closer and closer to his destination. As he turned a corner into the last corridor before he would emerge into the open he passed the returning combatants of the previous fight, bloodied but victorious, their eyes meeting his. As they passed each other some nodded solemnly, others patted him once on the shoulder or murmured a word of luck or blessing. They all knew how unlikely it was for a gladiator to actually win his freedom, but regardless they each wanted him to succeed. Pausing at the edge of the shadows of the Colosseum Ansgar held out his hand before taking the blade offered to him by another arena worker before sheathing it and taking a pair of pilum javelins. He had considered bringing a shield into the Colosseum however he wanted to be as quick as possible, and decided against the encumbrance, besides he could likely liberate one from an opponent if needed.
Taking his last breath in the shadows he hesitated for one brief moment before he strode out of the corridor and into the bright light of the Colosseum. The sounds that assaulted him were almost deafening and he could hardly hear his thoughts as the thousands of people cheered, jeered or made some other noise that blended into the thunderous sound he was rapidly becoming familiar with.
He watched as from the other side of the open arena the large gates were being drawn open, and he tried to listen to one of the announcers as to what was being said, however the frenzy of the Roman plebs was far too much to hear anything from his position and so he simply waited. As he did he watched the thousands of people both poor and wealthy as they watched him, some probably wanted him to live, others for him to die and he was sure there would be those who didn’t care as long as it all looked good.
Above the arena in the stands the announcers each were shouting at the top of their voices about the upcoming match, introducing Ansgar as a northern barbarian of unparalleled skill and cunning, some calling him all manner of things like savage or even half-man half-monster. They then proceeded to describe what he would face, wave after wave of opponents building to an elite group of roman gladiators headed by the legendary former centurion Gnaeus Domitius, who was tasked with ending this barbarian dog in exchange for his own chance at freedom should he succeed. At this the majority of the spectators eagerly whooped or cheered at the prospect of the upcoming fight.
Ansgar waited calmly as from the gates emerged three figures, three lightly armoured and dark skinned warriors. From their dress and weapons he recognised them as Numidian slaves – exotic warriors from the province of Africa Nova. Two of the three men began to spread out in an attempt to surround him as the third advanced slowly. They each had long thin spears and a small wooden shield as well as a savage looking curved blade, their armour being little more than some kind of leather cuirasses, as far as he was concerned the men had no protection and he was confident about his odds. As he focused on the men the surrounding Colosseum faded from his focus, leaving only the three men and blood covered sand they tread upon. Ansgar waited as the men slowly closed the distance, content to wait for a few moments before he struck. It dawned on him that this could not be the only challenge that awaited him, and as such he may need to pace himself or risk becoming exhausted before this ordeal was over. ‘Kill them quick and kill them easy, he thought to himself’.
As the three men came into range there was a moment where the lead man and Ansgar’s eyes met, the Numidian’s body language and expression giving away that he was about to charge. In the flash of an eye Ansgar hurled the first of his pilums at the man to his left, knowing that at this close a distance he could not miss. Simultaneously the lead Numidian charged as he knew he would, the man to his right maintained his ground, causing Ansgar to grin as adrenaline flooded his body and he dropped the second pilum and pulled his blade free in one swift movement.
As the first man thrust forwards with the razor sharp point of his spear Ansgar stepped backwards to avoid its momentum before grabbing the shaft with his left hand and jerking it backwards suddenly, the wooden end of the spear connecting with the man’s chin and knocking him backwards. At the same time there was a screech as his pilum buried itself deep into the stomach of its target, the man collapsing into the sand his blood joined that of countless others.
Still holding the spear Ansgar twisted his body just in time to face the third man to his right who was in the process of hurling his javelin at him from close range. Continuing with his twisting motion the ‘Northern Barbarian’ dropped himself to the floor as the wooden weapon hurtled just above him where he had been stood moments ago. Seizing the opportunity and brandishing his curved blade the Numidian rushed forwards hoping to bear down on Ansgar, but at the last moment he raised the spear of the first man that he had held onto upwards, causing the man to skewer himself as his momentum carried the point out of his back. A generous gushing of his blood poured onto Ansgar as he kicked the man backwards. Barley having time to recover the first and only remaining Numidian was on him again, slashing at him with his blade as Ansgar struggled to parry his blows with his own sword as he regained his feet.
This man was skilled with swordplay he could tell, but he knew he was better. Once he had gained his footing once more it only took a few more exchanges before Ansgar had gained the upper hand, and dodging to the side of an over-ambitious lunge before burying his sword in the man’s shoulder and down into his body, more blood and gore spattering out onto him before he twirled and decapitated the man in one fell swoop.
As his corpse thudded to the ground Ansgar suddenly once more became aware of the spectators as many of them screeched and roared, their bloodlust making the atmosphere feel like electric.
Before he could even begin to catch his breath more men began to sprint into the Colosseum arena from the opposite side, this time it seemed that there were lots of them. Ansgar counted ten of them, an assortment of nationalities and weapons amongst them. Grinning and throwing caution to the wind Ansgar picked up his remaining pilum and began to sprint directly towards them, determined to win his freedom at whatever cost.
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Most Recent Posts
Hey guys! Sorry for my absence - I've been most unwell recently and it has been difficult to motivate myself and get the creative juices flowing.
But I'm getting back on track now and will get the post up asap where I'm causing some delays!
But I'm getting back on track now and will get the post up asap where I'm causing some delays!
Will work on a post asap guys.
Sorry for the absence - I've been most unwell sadly :/ hard to get the creative juices flowing atm :p but I will endeavour to do so! :)
Sorry for the absence - I've been most unwell sadly :/ hard to get the creative juices flowing atm :p but I will endeavour to do so! :)
It's my birthday today :3
I'm 24 years old.
I'm 24 years old.
Well it looks like my PC may die at any time. I've not been able to find any solution - its a harddisk failure thing, and apparently I need to get a replacement. Hopefully it'll last till payday :s
Okay - so my next post is gonna be the gladiator stuff. Should I just do one long brutal gorefilled scene orrr? Whats the plan? :)
It took her relatively little time for her to change, her jeans and hoody traded out for a black pencil skirt and white fitted blouse with a fitted blazer. She also traded her scruffy pair of converse for an elegant pair of pointed nude high heels and grabbed a pair of Wayfairer sunglasses. She had also quickly tied her hair back applied a little more make-up, all combining together to change her appearance dramatically into that of a much more respectable looking business woman or perhaps a secretary of some kind – she grabbed a small black handbag to finish the look and quickly crammed a few belongings into it. More importantly she didn’t look like anyone who would be involved with drugs, or at least not on a street level. As she moved quickly towards the door of her apartment she checked her phone and saw that she still had twelve minutes to get down to the street and then make her way the short distance to where Knight’s guy would hopefully be waiting. ‘Should just be about enough time’ she thought to herself as she exited into the dingy corridor and locked the door behind her.
She passed the lift, a clearly aged out of order sign hanging where it had been for the last four months and the pungent smell of weed hanging in the air. The smell was coming from the only other apartment in the corridor, she knew the tenants were a pair of hippie types that grew constantly and relied on her silence regarding the smell in the corridor. She never minded anyway and it made sense to have to have some weed fiends who were in her ‘debt’ so to speak. Descending the stairs as quickly as she could in the heels she continued to check her phone and keep an eye on the time out of habit more than anything else. Finally reaching the ground floor she sighed and made for the large reinforced glass doorway, rummaging into her bag quickly she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and slipped one into her mouth as she exited into the cool and somewhat refreshing air.
She took little notice of her surroundings as she began to walk swiftly towards her destination, she casually lit her cigarette before glancing once more at her phone, she was set to be perfectly on time for a change.
She passed the lift, a clearly aged out of order sign hanging where it had been for the last four months and the pungent smell of weed hanging in the air. The smell was coming from the only other apartment in the corridor, she knew the tenants were a pair of hippie types that grew constantly and relied on her silence regarding the smell in the corridor. She never minded anyway and it made sense to have to have some weed fiends who were in her ‘debt’ so to speak. Descending the stairs as quickly as she could in the heels she continued to check her phone and keep an eye on the time out of habit more than anything else. Finally reaching the ground floor she sighed and made for the large reinforced glass doorway, rummaging into her bag quickly she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and slipped one into her mouth as she exited into the cool and somewhat refreshing air.
She took little notice of her surroundings as she began to walk swiftly towards her destination, she casually lit her cigarette before glancing once more at her phone, she was set to be perfectly on time for a change.
Phrenesis
The woman smiled as she watched Aergar shiver in pleasure at the prospect of becoming King, just as he hoped he would.
"Very well lord--or should I say lady?-- Phrenesis," he said with a crooked smile, "I accept your offer."
‘Wonderful’ thought Phrenesis to himself, ‘Everything is finally coming together’. He spent a few brief moments picturing what would become of the realm once Aergar was in power. Sweet unadulterated chaos, madness running thick and pure- exactly as he had envisioned. War and death probably a side product of such a realm, but that was not his concern.
"What is it you'll do in the meantime? Sleep more I hope."
The woman nodded gently, in thought for a moment before she responded to Aergar “Yes, sleep and eat, as you say. I will be returning to Tariq, by now I hope that the majority of the elven court are under my influence, next will be the fae court. From there it should be simple enough to arrange events to align with my plans and set in motion a few other little schemes and ploys, you know this and that.
The woman slowly moved across the bloody pool to the edge, her slender fingers reaching into the small pile which comprised of her belonging and clothing before withdrawing two small black bound notebooks. They were somewhat tattered and looked aged, the pair tied together with a length of string which the woman untied before slinging the rope to the side uncaringly. Moving back towards the imp she explained “These are some of my fondest little toys, which will serve the purpose of allowing us to communicate for the time being as inconspicuously as possible. Anything written in one of them appears in the other, allowing us to speak anywhere.” Phrenesis decided not to tell him just how valuable this particular pair was, or that they had once been used by a demon to communicate with unwitting mortals on Emanseria. He held on of the small books out to Aergar waiting for him to take it.
“As for you my little darling” she said turning to Sparrot with a grin “I have a task for you as well, but I will instruct you about that soon enough”. Glancing back at Aergar she added “take as long as you please, my dear Aergar, we have the luxary of time for now. If anything should change then I will inform you”. She tapped her note book briefly before turning away, a grin still framing her face as she did.
Fritz
He watched as at the sound of Ada’s magical whistle a figure emerged from the darkness surrounding the wagon, he was alert and for a brief moment he almost panicked, that was before Ada and the rabbit woman greeted each other, or rather Ada greeted her and she immediately asked who he was. He watched this Rabit woman, thin and dainty, a large Rabbit mask obsquring her face completely. A few moments later after a brief discussion the newcomer bounded off into the darkness once more, off to set up at this camp she was talking about.
"Fritz, I want to ask you. How did you land up here?"
As Ada asked her question the air was suddenly thick with mystery, and Fritz paused briefly before explaining “I was exploring around a small wooded area when I became lost, which was odd because I was sure that the ‘forest’ I was in wasn’t nearly big enough to lose my way, but here I am”. He continued to explain the events that had lead him here, the sparkling pool, the dizzy feeling he had experienced before falling forwards – then waking up and stumbling upon Aergar and the Raven, before eventually finding Ada beside the road. He tried to leave no details out, once he had finished he watched Ada carefully for a response, still curious to learn as much as he could about his situation.
The woman smiled as she watched Aergar shiver in pleasure at the prospect of becoming King, just as he hoped he would.
"Very well lord--or should I say lady?-- Phrenesis," he said with a crooked smile, "I accept your offer."
‘Wonderful’ thought Phrenesis to himself, ‘Everything is finally coming together’. He spent a few brief moments picturing what would become of the realm once Aergar was in power. Sweet unadulterated chaos, madness running thick and pure- exactly as he had envisioned. War and death probably a side product of such a realm, but that was not his concern.
"What is it you'll do in the meantime? Sleep more I hope."
The woman nodded gently, in thought for a moment before she responded to Aergar “Yes, sleep and eat, as you say. I will be returning to Tariq, by now I hope that the majority of the elven court are under my influence, next will be the fae court. From there it should be simple enough to arrange events to align with my plans and set in motion a few other little schemes and ploys, you know this and that.
The woman slowly moved across the bloody pool to the edge, her slender fingers reaching into the small pile which comprised of her belonging and clothing before withdrawing two small black bound notebooks. They were somewhat tattered and looked aged, the pair tied together with a length of string which the woman untied before slinging the rope to the side uncaringly. Moving back towards the imp she explained “These are some of my fondest little toys, which will serve the purpose of allowing us to communicate for the time being as inconspicuously as possible. Anything written in one of them appears in the other, allowing us to speak anywhere.” Phrenesis decided not to tell him just how valuable this particular pair was, or that they had once been used by a demon to communicate with unwitting mortals on Emanseria. He held on of the small books out to Aergar waiting for him to take it.
“As for you my little darling” she said turning to Sparrot with a grin “I have a task for you as well, but I will instruct you about that soon enough”. Glancing back at Aergar she added “take as long as you please, my dear Aergar, we have the luxary of time for now. If anything should change then I will inform you”. She tapped her note book briefly before turning away, a grin still framing her face as she did.
Fritz
He watched as at the sound of Ada’s magical whistle a figure emerged from the darkness surrounding the wagon, he was alert and for a brief moment he almost panicked, that was before Ada and the rabbit woman greeted each other, or rather Ada greeted her and she immediately asked who he was. He watched this Rabit woman, thin and dainty, a large Rabbit mask obsquring her face completely. A few moments later after a brief discussion the newcomer bounded off into the darkness once more, off to set up at this camp she was talking about.
"Fritz, I want to ask you. How did you land up here?"
As Ada asked her question the air was suddenly thick with mystery, and Fritz paused briefly before explaining “I was exploring around a small wooded area when I became lost, which was odd because I was sure that the ‘forest’ I was in wasn’t nearly big enough to lose my way, but here I am”. He continued to explain the events that had lead him here, the sparkling pool, the dizzy feeling he had experienced before falling forwards – then waking up and stumbling upon Aergar and the Raven, before eventually finding Ada beside the road. He tried to leave no details out, once he had finished he watched Ada carefully for a response, still curious to learn as much as he could about his situation.
Thats cool!
and yeah I really liked Gravity, good film.
I've got a post half written up but my PC is throwing up critical Hard Drvie errors :s So i'm trying to fix that now. Hopefully will work and not take to long.
and yeah I really liked Gravity, good film.
I've got a post half written up but my PC is throwing up critical Hard Drvie errors :s So i'm trying to fix that now. Hopefully will work and not take to long.
Will get a post up tomorrow asap guys! :)
How is everyone doing anyway?
How is everyone doing anyway?
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