Not your Typical Meeting (Mao, Ora, Puck)

[Ora Sa'vina]

Thunk. Thunk. The sound was sickening, but the pain was worse. Ora let out a small scream as the bolts hit her back and shoulder, piercing her small body easily. Pain shot through her like electricity, her nerves screaming. Violet eyes welled and spilled over while her bottom lip was bit between her teeth.

“What?!” Ora felt herself loosing control of her own body, the pain was subsiding, but her fingers were falling numb, she couldn’t grasp Mao’s collar properly, she wouldn’t be able to release her. Her chest went from rising and falling at such a rapid pace to slowing, the pace was similar to that of when she was asleep. The bolts quickly poisoned her small body doubly as fast as it should, thanks to the two bolts.

The back of her white dress began to spread the red like a fungus, growing from the center of the bolts across her back until the two pools touched. Her back was warm and sticky from the fluid, her mind was numb, Ora knew that her situation was not a good one. But, Mao was safe. Mao’s child was safe. Her hands fell from Mao’s neck, her eyes locked onto the green ones before her. “Keep him safe.” Her fingers brushed Mao’s stomach as the Konti dropped to her knees, falling onto her side with a small, solid noise. Her eyes could only see Mao’s feet and then beyond the woman.

Violet eyes watched as Mao lowered herself to the ground next to the weak Konti, Ora felt relived; no harm would come to this woman. Ora’s eyelids felt heavy, the poison reaching for every muscle held within her small frame. Unwillingly, the Konti let her eyes close, her body was entirely limp from the poison, she had no choice in the matter, she was going with her assailant.

The Konti silently prayed to Avalis as well as Laviku, praying for that if death were to claim her body, to let her spirit reunite with her mother one last time.

[Puck]

Both women were on the ground, one collapsed the other fuming with anger. Their assailant slowly approached, his crossbow aimed at Mao's forehead- one wrong move now and she was gone. With the toe of his boot, he slid the still conscious Ora away from the Kelvic. Her body was limp and catatonic, but the Akalak knew she would still be awake as she was slowly pushed away. Then he shot Mao. With a loud twang, the bolt crossed the short distance from the crossbow to her shoulder in half an instant. It buried itself into the flesh of her shoulder, pain lancing through her body like bolts of lightning. Yet the fire was soon extinguished as poison worked its way through her veins. It climbed up her neck and down her arms, spreading through to her torso and waist. Soon enough it had inundated her system, and Mao felt nothing but numbness flooding her. Though she was still awake, pain and motion now eluded her. The assailant broke out a length of rope, tying one end snugly to Mao's wrists. With her hands bound together, the Akalak uncoiled the rope as he walked toward the wooden railing by the edge. Pushing the unconscious Akalak near the edge, he wrapped the rope around a portion of the railing hidden by a bush and proceeded to tie his wrists. Picking up the male victim, the kidnapper tossed him over the edge. Mao smelled the scent of adrenaline wafting from his body as she was lifted, feeling the rapid beating of his heart. She did not feel her stomach lurch in free fall, nor did she feel the beating of her chest. Not even the harsh impact of her body against the stone surface was felt, nor the ropes digging into her skin. Mao felt nothing except the emotions manufactured in her mind. So she dangled by her wrists three thousand feet in the air, with an Akalak The man took his bayonet to her shoulder and dragged it down her alabaster arm. Blood seeped from from the shallow cut to form a crimson stream. A clatter, and another. He scooped up his crossbow bolts and hurled them over the edge along with his bag of poisoned bolts. Scooping up Ora's light body, the two calmly walked out of the garden. She heard his heavy footsteps, each bringing her closer to oblivion. Suddenly they broke out into a run, her tiny frame bouncing in his arms. "Out of my way! I have an injured Nakivak, I must return her to the Oathmaster!" His shout rang in the Konti woman's ears before fading off. Once again only the cadence of his footfalls reached her ears, but before long a door was opened and shut. Another creaking door, and another slamming. Down flight after flight of stairs they were taken, the chimes blending into one another like vines twisting and growing into one deformed entity. Time warped and light sank in the humid, dank confines of wherever Ora had been taken. Humid. Ora felt the wetness on her skin, her poison was wearing off. Soon she was able to open her eyes but a blindfold had been put over them, and soon after that she was plopped into a chair. The blindfold was taken off. Ora was in a stone, square room with no furniture other than her chair a door slammed behind her. Ora was alone.

[Mao]

oocEdited this to leave the collar on! He’d shot her, SHOT HER! The rage in her threatened to spill out but almost immediately the impact made her gasp, and the poison already worked quickly through the frantic pulsing of her heart. She couldn’t feel her arms or legs, nor when the petching gorilla picked her up and tossed her over the edge. She had expected to die, but the rope tightened around her wrists rubbed her skin raw as she dangled instead, and her back ached from the collision with the wall. Something warm trickled down her neck, and she suspected her head had been hit as well. Slowly, her senses came together, and she could feel the beginnings of movement once more. Several more chimes and Mao glanced up the length of the way she was from the edge. What a petching bother. Her child was safe though, that was the most important thing in this situation, as she cared not for the dangling Akalak beside her. Kicking her legs off the side of the cliff, Mao grasped the small portion of the rope with one hand and pushed herself up with her other hand, using the rough texture of the wall to propel her forward. It took several chimes for her to reach the ledge, but she managed to pull herself up using what little energy she had left, lying still upon the grass and breathing in the scent of the earth. She was tired, so very tired, but she was also furious, and the wound the man had inflicted on her was second on her mind, adrenaline dulling the pain. Jade eyes glanced at the rope that still hung below, and she wondered for a moment, if she should take time out of searching for the petch that did this to help the poor fool. Then the kelvic recalled that he might have been the girl’s father. Sighing, she untied her wrists then set about using every fiber of her being, every inch of her strength to grasp the rope with aching hands and pull the dangling Akalak up. Mao even nudged him for good measure, to make sure he at least still lived, because of all things she wished not to be pinned for the blame of killing a blue man. Ora’s scent was still strong in the air, but she might as well speak to this man, to know who she was about to deal with in her raging anger. The kelvic glanced down at the stranger sprawled on the ground, a look on her face almost akin to disgust. “Wake up you useless ape.” Mao shook him as she spoke, “I need to know who that man is. I am going to kill him.”

[Ora Sa'vina]

The limp Konti's body slid easily over the ground, dirt clinging to her stained dress and flesh. Her eyes remained closed, but her ears intently listened to her surroundings, it was quiet for a moment before she heard the sound of a bolt hitting flesh. The sickening thunk with a sudden gasp, undoubtedly from the Kelvic. Internally Ora was screaming, she wished to hit the man who shot both her and Mao. How dare he! How dare he harm them! Violet eyes burned with tears, fighting to slip out from her eyelids.

A few more noises, the sound of the man picking up Mao, the sound of him walking towards the edge, then the sound of a body hitting earth farther down the side of the cliff. He shot her, then he threw her off of the edge. The assailant had killed her. The Akalak had thrown her from the edge and murdered her. And innocent woman with child was thoughtlessly killed. Ora was fuming, she had never felt such rage, never felt the desire to harm another soul, but now. Now Ora wanted blood.

Ora could not feel the man take her arm, nor could she feel him cut into her shoulder. She heard the crossbows clatter, she could feel that her body had shifted. Ora was unaware that she had been picked up, she was unaware that the Akalak was carrying her until she heard his words. "Out of my way! I have an injured Nakivak, I must return her to the Oathmaster!" The Konti could feel the lies the man was spitting, he knew she was not a Nakivak, and she was not going to get help.

The young woman was terrified, she heard doors opening, doors closing, the mans footfalls on solid ground. Beyond what she could hear, Ora knew nothing, she could smell the man, she could smell the humid air. After a few dozen, or more, chimes Ora felt something, a wetness on her flesh, she was beginning to feel again. She would be able to run soon.

Once she could, violet eyes opened, only for the Konti to be disappointed, she was blindfolded, which was quickly removed once her eyes opened. Violet eyes squinted for a moment as she tried to see in the dark. She could not. But the pain that streaked from her shoulder to her lower back, such a great pain Ora felt her eyes well up and over, trailing down her face. The Konti let out a small scream as she bit her lip, her eyes moving to look at the damage from the cut on her Shoulder.

Ora stood from the chair, weakly, she almost fell from the pain in her lower back. The Konti staggered over to the direction she had heard the door, her body hitting stone with a solid noise, a groan escaping her lips. She began to feel blinding along the moist stone wall, Violet eyes sharpened in on the dark, her thin, shaking fingers explored the walls until she felt warmer wood, then the cooler metal of a handle. Her small hand gripped the metal and pulled roughly.

[Puck]

Mao Consumed by the Hunt Mao's aching muscles eventually hauled the heavy Akalak back up over the ledge. A quick assessment told her he was soon returning from his catatonia, as his dark eyes flitted up to watch the Kelvic. His body twitched as she cursed at him, clearly a positive indicator. A few more chimes and she could see him struggling to sit up- clearly this man had received a greater dosage of poison than the others. After failing to sit up, he simply laid back on the ground and attempted to slur a single, "Who- whor... Whoradev." More preoccupied with the bolt sticking out of his back, the man clumsily heaved himself onto his side. Stiffly he reached around, grasping the projectile tentatively. Slicking his hands with his own blood, the man could not quite get a grasp. Despite the kidnapper's promise of nobody dying, crimson fluid continued to seep from the wound. It welled around the wound, dribbling down his back in a constant stream. The flow was not stopping. Mao could see how heavily his breath was coming now- this Akalak needed a healer. Yet Ora's scent continued to burn in her nostrils- how much longer could she wait? Did the kidnapper have more poison? Did he have allies? Questions plagued the Kelvic, but one thing was certain to any logical person: their assailant was less likely to be forgiving the second time around. Ora Sa'vina Consumed by the Earth Ora pulled open the door, and light flooded into the room. It shot past her, glittering like the fractions of a shattered gem stone. Rainbow hues sparkled and assaulted her eyes as the darkness gave way for something that transcended explanation. As Ora stepped into this new room, she saw its contents clearly: a desk, a chair, a lantern hanging from the center of the ceiling, and an Akalak standing in the room. He was not the Akalak who had kidnapped her though- no, he was the last person the Konti expected. The man who had been shot at their assailant's hands stood there with Ora's bloodied Lakan, clasped tightly. An emanation of absolute despair hummed across the space between the two, subduing the room's incessant shimmering. No tears welled in his eyes, for his tear ducts had been shattered by sorrow many years ago. Without a sound his gaze dropped to the ground, as if shamed. The lakan fell from his hands, clattering to the ground. The corporeality of this forlorn entity became noexistant. Before the Konti could cross the room to check if he was real, he blew away. Like a great gust of wind blowing smoke away, the man's features became indistinct and he dissolved. Ora was not sure when, but the hanging lantern had grown dimmer and the glittering lights it threw seemed to be suppressed. Light was waning. The room was silent. The lakan, coated with crimson fluids, lay on the floor. Ora now saw a sun on the wall it pointed toward, rich with the hues of a sunrise. Clop. A loud nose came from the lakan, and Ora saw that a single drop of blood had fell from its metal. Another fell, causing the clopping noise. They started falling in rapid succession, and Ora heard what must have been hooved animals walking as the sounds continued. The dripping ceased when fifteen drops of blood lay upon the ground. The room was silent once more. The desk waited, and so too did the chair. The painting had seemingly disappeared, and Ora was not sure when but so too had the Lakan. The swinging lantern grew dimmer.

[Mao]

The kelvic watched the stranger with exhausted eyes. Her body ached and her neck felt sticky from the flow of blood trapped between her collar and her skin. She was becoming impatient with his lack of recovery, but when he finally came to and muttered something that at first Mao couldn’t comprehend, she leaned closer. Whoredev? What? Then she paused, “Woredev.” She said it again for good measure, where had she heard that name from? It was familiar, yet it was not. The gossip on the streets and in the shops always told of a “champion”. Ah! Woredev was the champion! Mao had seen him perhaps a handful of times. Handsome, at least, from what she could tell amongst the blue gorillas. But why would this man mention him? “What do you mean, what about Woredev? He did this?” Why would he? He was a champion he could very well take what he wanted, at least that was what Mao believed. And she had no notion of ranks or titles. Perhaps this Akalak wished her to look for him, to aid them in some way. When she saw the strange Akalak reach around to grasp the arrow, Mao sighed. She wrapped her small hand around the shaft and jerked it from his body, tossing it away over the cliff. She cared not if he cried out, she proceeded to rip the hem of her now ruined dress and tightened it as best as she could around the bleeding wound. Her own injury throbbed against her shoulder, but for the moment, she ignored it. If indeed this man was that Konti girl’s father, she couldn’t very well have her only blood relation be murdered the day he saw her. “Get up, I’m taking you to a healer.” She used her shoulder to give him support, and urged him to stand on his own two feet, then slowly, and agonizingly, she went in search of the nearest scent of medicinal herbs and ointments. When she had left him in the care of a bewildered healer, Mao quickly exited. Her eyes roamed the streets, searching searching. But how could she search for a man she knew not where he resided? The stares she received when she approached a slight Nakivak woman were promptly ignored. “Do you know where Wordev is?” The Nakivak pointed toward a tall structure set with enormous pillars: the Gideon Arena. Mao muttered her thanks, and approached the building with little regard to her appearance. What she found inside was spacious yet oddly quiet and remarkably lacking in quite a lot of furnishings. The scent of sweat and of men pounded against her senses, but she continued down the left hallway. The kelvic ended up barging into quite a few men preparing for their duels, but always she said simply, “I need Woredev, do you know where he is?” And if they did not answer or told her to leave, she simply turned and said nothing else, trying her luck with the next chamber.

[Ora Sa'vina]

Ora found herself caught off guard by the glittering, beautiful light. The rays reminded her of peering up from the depths of the sea, the light bouncing through the waves, glinting around her. The glittering light caused violet eyes to squint, to adjust to the change in light, pupils constricted suddenly as the rainbow of colors passed into the Konti's mind. The light was far from natural, it was similar to the light she would see in the ocean but, the Konti felt as if the presence of a God or Goddess graced her with the gift of these rainbow glints.

After a short moment of adjusting, the light faded and Ora saw what awaited her in the room, her small feet carried her forward, the door behind her closing. A desk, a chair, an oil lamp hanging in the center of the ceiling, and, to the side stood an Akalak man. This Akalak was.. Her father? It was the man who had been shot, the man who cried out to her before the poisoned bolt penetrated his dark flesh. In the mans hands was Ora's-Her fathers-Lakan.

A painful, almost oppressive despair washed over Ora as her violet eyes landed on the man, the bright, cheerful lights seemed to sadden as well in the presence of this man. "What is happening? What is this?" "Fath-" Ora began to speak in Tukant, the Akalak's eyes moved to the ground and he vanished before the Konti could finish the word.

Gone, all was gone. Ora felt like she was falling with the Lakan. Her life, her mind, her sanity, all was slipping through her fingers. Her breath quickened as her eyes looked at the Lakan on the floor, panicked. With the panic washing over the Konti, the rainbow lights dimmed, faded from her. "Am I returning to Avalis? Is this it?" The panic that filled her was slightly subdued at the thought of Avalis and Laviku. The Konti knew that if this was the end for this life, she would return to her parent Gods, they would care for her, she would be safe, she would be loved.

Violet eyes remained on the bloody Lakan as she quietly whispered prayers to her Goddess and God. Each drop from the tip of the blade seemed to echoed in her ears and through her body. A sideways glance landed on a sun on the Lakan's blade was pointed towards. The colors were rich, thick, solid, the most beautiful sunset Ora could imagine covered the wall. Was it a sunset? Was it a sunrise? A end? A beginning?

It sounded like hoofed animals were near, walking across stone, their feet hitting the ground solidly with each drop of blood. The drips of blood continued to fall to the ground, Ora counted each drop as they pooled on the stone floor. Fifteen. "Fifteen?" Ora didn't know what any of this meant. A sun? Fifteen drops of blood? Her father? Did this have to do with her mother? With what happened between the two of them?

Just as her father vanished, the Lakan did, and the sun, the rich hues fading as quickly as they appeared. Silence surrounded her, pressed down on Ora, her feet shifted on the ground, just to hear something. The light that surrounded her continued to grow dimmer, to fade. Violet eyes moved to the desk and chair, that was the only thing aside from the lantern that did not vanish, was this the answer to all of this?

Her body moved slowly, her fingers lightly touching the table top, sliding over the cool material as the small Konti's frame slowly sat down behind the desk, her hands feeling over the drawers and cabinets brass handles. Cold, almost painfully cold pieces of metal which pierced the warmer wood. Small white hands grasped the warm colored brass and pulled to open the draws built into the desk.

oocHey, Puck, if I messed something up, just let me know and I'll go fix it!

[Puck]

Mao Consumed by the Hunt The big man continued to slur his speech as Mao deposited him with the city's healers. "Noo. Hhhhalp." For the most part he continued to struggle with his tongue as the Kelvic helped him to the medical center. Halfway through he simply gave up and fell into silence, stoically bearing the weight of his wounds. Upon arrival at the Gilia Medical Center, the healers rushed out and took the man from the Kelvic. With no questions asked, the brought him into their home and tended to him while Mao slipped away. As Mao made her way into the grand structure of the Gideon Combat Arena, she could hear the sounds of combat coming from the top of a large set of stairs. Many of the attendees simply ignored the lowly Kelvic as they scurried about their business, a majority leaving or entering the premise. Yet one amiable Akalak smiled and pointed up the stairs, "He is currently in the pit, defending Riverfall. A true hero he is!" The blue skinned man gave Mao a large smile and continued on his way. If the Kelvic continued up the stairs, she would find herself in the grand stands. Many stone benches ringed a sand pit, about a quarter of them filled with audience members. Three judges stood at various places near the rim of the pit, watching the fight that occurred within it. Within the pit, two Akalak fought. One man, an absolutely hulking specimen, wielded a large lakan. The other contestant, Woredev, was smaller, a pair of flanged maces whirling about his body as he fought. The behemoth charged at Woredev, swinging his large in a diagonal line that would likely have cleaved his opponent's neck from its shoulders. Woredev deftly ducked and stepped to the side of the slashing motion, leaving the man's primary shoulder wide open. The champion of Riverfall spun once, swinging his maces around his body as his opponent made for another strike. Yet before the heavy, twisted knife could bury itself in his flesh, Woredev's mace slammed into his shoulder. Yet the damage was not done there, for his other weapon impacted the criminal's knee. Bone cracked and fractured beneath the traumatic kiss of the weapons, and a howl of rage went up from the man as his lakan swiped back at the champion. Executing the same dodge he had done earlier in reverse, Woredev ducked and twirled beneath the knife. This time when he came out of his spin, the Akalak swiped up with one of his maces to collide with his opponent's weapon hand. Between the swing's momentum and the knife wielder's weakened grip, the blow crushed his finger bones and sent the weapon flying into the stands near Mao. As the mace continued its upward diagonal path through the criminal's hand, Woredev allowed the swing to continue. Carrying his arm over his head, he swung it around for another diagonal strike. The weapon's metal head swung down with vicious impetus, crushing the Akalak's other knee as Woredev side stepped a meaty fist. With both knees gone, the offender had little to do but collapse. Tears streamed down his face and a sob that Mao's ears clearly picked up escaped him. As he fell to all fours beside Woredev, the criminal suddenly seemed contrite. All signs of rage were gone, and what was left was a crumpled heap of a man. He cried out, loud enough so the audience might hear him, "Woredev, spare my life. I have children and a Nakivak under my care, I beg of you to amend the contract!" He convulsed as another sob wracked his body, tears wetting the sand beneath him. The man had much to live for it seemed. Riverfall's champion stood a yard or so away from the defeated man, staring at him. His body stood easily despite the physical exertion, nothing but a sheen of sweat and harder breath showing signs of exertion. Just as loud as the begging Akalak, Woredev spoke, "We have an accord, Huordin." He stepped forward and launched his body into the air. His entire body spun as he flew toward the prostrate man, wicked maces wheeling about his body. One iron head came down on Huordin's skull as the champion landed, and, as if the first blow did not already spell death, a second later his other mace impacted the victim's spine. With a strange gasping sound, Huordin collapsed on the ground. Without another word Woredev stepped out of the pit and into the arena's substructure. Ora Sa'vina Consumed by the Earth One would think that Ora's surreal existence would be made less confusing with the disappearance of the objects. But as the items inexplicably vanished, leaving naught but the desk, chair, and lantern, Ora suddenly found herself even more confused. The glittering lights had retreated to the periphery of her vision, never coming into direct contact with her vision. The room almost looked normal now. As Ora opened the desk drawer, she found two peculiar items: a book and a metal ring. The former was relatively thin, no more than two hundred sheets thick. Its binding was covered by a smooth black glass and displayed neither title nor text. The glass was smooth to the touch and jet black. If Ora removed and opened the book, she would see the words "The Black Prophecy" written in common. Yet every page other than the first was filled with small writing penned with black ink in a script she could not read. The paper her fingers would run over was smooth to the touch. The ring sitting on the book was actually composed of several concentric circles. The tops of each ring lay flush against the next, and the top was smooth with only small seams telling Ora that there were separate layers. Each was iron, yet they were polished brightly enough to glimmer. Each ring was perhaps a third of an inch wide on the surface, while the entire thing's diameter was a little over nine inches. Strange lines and half circles adorned each ring, looking like a picture that was perhaps cut off. If Ora touched the metal, she would notice is was extremely cold to the touch. If she picked it up, she would also notice its weight was incongruent to its appearances. The thing was heavy. Whispers reached Ora's ears, coalescing about her as they bombarded her consciousness. "Enter the void. Embrace us. Follow. Learn. Examine the darkness. Feel its cold kiss."

[Ora Sa'vina]

The beautiful lights taunted her, only showing themselves to Ora in her peripheral vision. Even if the young woman turned her head quickly, suddenly, she still would not be able to catch a full glimpse of them. The lights, while strange and slightly frightening, were slightly calming to the Konti. Such bright playful colors, how could they not be there to reassure her things would be alright. Looking around, the room seemed like it could be a normal room, a poor man’s study, perhaps.

As the desk drawer opened, Ora leaned forward on the edge of the chair, violet eyes peering into the box to see its contents. “Strange…” Ora found herself smirking slightly, out of everything that had occurred in the past few chimes, this was probably the plainest thing to cross the young Konti’s path. Her small fingers moved from the cool metal knob and onto the strange looking book. Her fingers slowly grazed over the smooth, dark surface of the glass. What book was bound by glass? Not so much bound, but encased. Why?

The young woman’s brow knit close together as she examined the books exterior, no title, no writing. It could be an empty book, or a journal with no title to name it. Curiosity got the best of the woman, she found herself removing the glass that held the book closed, opening the thin text. “The Black Prophecy…?” Ora muttered. Her heart skipped a beat. Prophecy? This was here, and chances were, it was there for her to read. Quickly, her shaking fingers flipped the smooth, soft page, only to find herself disappointed. Ora could not read the strange text. Her fingers brushed over the words, her eyes moving slowly from the ebony writing to the large metal ring that awaited her in the drawer.

The Konti set the book down on the table, open to the first page of strange text, her hands moving to the large metal ring. As she picked it up, Ora found herself asking what the damned this was made of, it was far heavier than anything that size should have been, and cold, freezing.

A voice pierced her conscious, causing the woman to almost drop the large metal ring. “Enter the void. Embrace us. Follow. Learn. Examine the darkness. Feel its cold kiss.” Ora squeezed her eyes shut, her body tensed and chill ran down her spine. As soon as the words had finished the Konti began to mutter prayers to Avalis and Laviku, rapid fire, her hand squeezed the metal ring. A chime. Maybe two. Ora opened her eyes again. “Please protect me, your daughter, Avalis...” The woman muttered quietly.

Ora moved the ring and set it down next to the book, her hands moving from it, her eyes examining the small fragmented pictures. As she looked over the three glimmer and smooth rings she realized something. She could move the rings; she could piece together the images again! The index finger of her right hand reached out, slowly moving the middle ring until the images began to become whole, the movement was slow, Ora took her time, contemplating each outcome until the images all fit perfectly. Then the smallest ring, she moved in the same fashion as the second ring, slowly and methodically, her eyes examining each image that was created with each movement.

The Konti spent a great deal of times in the process, many more chimes than it had taken for the Akalak to deliver her to this strange dream-like world. Once Ora had finished and felt satisfied with the images she leaned back and frowned slightly. “Now what?” The Konti picked the book up again, looking over the strange text.

[Mao]

Mao was fortunate enough to come across a friendlier blue man, and the Kelvic was prompt to follow the direction he had indicated, racing up the steps two at a time despite her growing exhaustion. There was smell of blood, of more men, and soon the clattering of weapons. Mao stood on the stands, watching, fascinated, as the handsome Akalak named Woredev fought with another of his kin. They fought as if they were enemies, but the Kelvic thought that it was a crime to hurt one of their own and they attempted prevent the resort to such measures at all! She was surprised, yes, but not afraid. Woredev’s moves and viciousness sparked something in Mao that seemed to well up to the surface. It bubbled beneath her skin, something akin to deep seeded want. There was something--no someone missing from her life, someone she longed for very dearly, and Woredev only seemed to remind her of her loneliness and the desires she harbored for men like him. Her eyes could not tear away, and only when a weapon soared through the air and collided a few feet from Mao did she snap out of her reverie. The pain in her shoulder was returning, and the Kelvic couldn’t help but wince when she jerked away from the stands. But the end of the fight was upon them, and Mao turned to look down into the arena just as the man cried out his plea. Coward. Came her silent hiss. He doesn’t deserve to live for his failure. Her thoughts were echoed in the Champion’s actions, and the one named Huordin was permanently defeated. Somehow, a small smile crept onto Mao’s lips as she watched the victorious Akalak leave the arena, but Mao seemed to have half a mind to forget what she wished to ask of him. At once she had raced down the steps, eyeing the chambers and the burly blue men awaiting their respective turns in the arena, and approached a set of double doors that seemed to lead straight into it. She waited outside. His scent was near, and it would not be long before he emerged. If he did so, Mao would simply say, “Blood can only be repaid in blood…" She smiled, "I was told to find you.”