Spring 40th, 506 A.V.
Loken did no truly understand when it happened, but he had grown used to the spectacles of viscera that took place within The Akeldama Colosseum. As the murmuring crowds awaited for the actions in the pits below to begin, Loken crouched like a lion ready to strike. He was clad in the blackened leather armor of no striking details or regalia. He was just another man ready to do battle as he ran his hands along the blood redden sands. The only thing that made him stand out from any of the other fighters was his hooked blade that hung from the harness along his back.
It was true that Loken was the first person into the pit, but as several chimes passed various other combatants started to filter into the fighting area. He ran his eyes over each of them as they all took their places, stretchered, or showboated to the crowd. Loken recognized a few of them from witnessing past fights, but his eyes met with one other who he had personally fought.
She was a red haired Inarta woman with a powerful build, named Lymera the Scarlet Boar. She was now dressed in a chain shirt rather than that simple leather band she wore when he fought her. Loken too note of the steel gauntlets she wore which made it obvious that she was still going to focus on using her unarmed strength to her advantage again.
When she noticed that Loken was in the pit, she pointed one finger at him. He was still in a crouch, but acknowledged her with a simple nod of his head. It became obvious to the crowd that the two had marked each other as targets once the match started. Loken ignored her for the moment as he started to count how many people were in the pit. "Sixteen in total. Four have no weapon; Lymera being one." He canted his head at a man in the distance who held a short bow. "That will be a problem... you go first."
He made sure not to stare at the bowman, keeping his attention focused on Lymera. When their challenges were posed, the crowds took notice of it, which in turn caused all the fighters to understand that they were going to fight each other. Loken hoped the Bowman would take out several others before he would have to deal with them.
Shale Tarren's voice erupted out across the Colosseum, this time refraining from making a lofty speech. He only spoke four words. "Let the battle begin!"
Lymera sprinted right at him, which was expected. Loken rose up from his crouch then stood in place as he held a closed fist behind his back; loose sands falling out the sides of his closed fist, as he outstretched his left hand towards the warrior woman. His fingers motioning towards himself as a gesture for her to 'bring it'. She must have known that she had entered into striking range of his kicks since she held her open hands like a grappler preparing to grab a limb.
Her forward momentum proved that she was trying to tackle him to the ground. A smirk crossed Loken's lips as he let her enter within two feet of him, then threw the sand he held into her eyes. It disrupted her vision for a moment. But a moment was all Loken needed. His free hand came around to slam his knuckles against the side of her neck.
It did not stop her forward charge, but did slow her charge enough so that when her shoulder charge slammed into him, she did not have enough power to tackle him to the ground. Instead, she started clinch fighting with him with her head down beside his ribs as both her arms wrapped around his waist. "Petch! Again with the sand in the eyes!" Loken reached back to draw his hook sword from its harness. When Lymera wrapped her hands around his waist, they were both over top the blade which meant as he drew it, the blade cut at her forearms.
The pain caused her to scream then grip harder around his hips as she dropped down into a squat. Loken found that to be an odd response, but soon found himself lifted into the air as she threw him into the air. Guiding his body over her head in a belly-to-belly suplex. "Ghaa!" He exclaimed as the center of his back hit the ground first. The fact that he also landed against the flat side of his sword also hut, although any cuts were halted by his armor.
Loken rolled over to quickly stand to his feet as he drew his blade. He ran at the woman as she ran her hands over her eyes in attempt to recover her sight. In what he figured would be a form of irony, he made a downward slash at her right thigh with the outer edge of his hook sword. It sliced through her pants like an axe-head. She yelled in pain as she lashed out blindly with a heavy steel gauntlet covered fist.
Loken took three steps back to avoid it as he waited for the woman to get her sight back. It took a chime for her to stare at him with watery sand agitated eyes. "It would seem you fell for that again." He said with a smirk then motioned his head towards the bowman in the distance. There were several people already taken down from the mans range tactics, leaving only nine other people in the pit.
"You hate me for beating you last time. And the sand I just threw in your eyes. But I have a proposition for you?" Lymera held her hands up like a pugilist in a stance to better use the gauntlets as a shield. She stepped up to him just outside of his striking range. "proposition? I'd rather smash your head into the ground." When she made one quick forward step, followed by a left jab to his face. Loken responded by slashing at her legs with his sword again rather than defend his face.
The upper crest of his tiger hook sword raked across her left thigh; as if he were skinning a potato, ripping her pants to reveal the freshly maimed pink bleeding flesh below. The trajectory of her punch was altered enough that her steel knuckles did not connect with his face, but she did manage to punch him in the shoulder. The hardened leather of his shoulder proctors soaked up most of the damage as he stepped further back away from her.
"Listen to me. I can beat you right now by going after your legs, just like last time. Or... you can help me take down the others, leaving just us as the last fighters standing. At that point, I promise to then fight you hand to hand. I will also agree to not cripple your legs any further. If you do not take this deal; or do decide to take it only to then betray me before we are the last people standing, I rend both your legs from your body. Make your choice."
Nano WC: 1201