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 Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:05 pm
"Come on pup! The show's going to be starting soon. You amuse me, sit with me. Maybe if fortune favors you I'll take you into my war party." Getrou commented as he shuffled between other various species to make his way to the infamous Pit. It was really nothing more than a depression in the ground, but there was only one way in or out and beside that the walls were nearly impossible to scale. Around the Pit were natural shelved rocks; spectator seats. However above the Pit, on the side of one of the spires that made up the Citadel was a small opening with a ledge overlooking the hole.
"You're with me. You get a good seat." By good seat, Getrou was referring to a slightly elevated section that he was leading the young male towards. "Seems like it'll be a bloodbath today. A bunch of unchallenged war pups against this brawler that Saikhan managed to pick up. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll last more than one round and we'll get to see some real fights."
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:11 pm
 As he was led to this Pit, Mikree kept an eye out for Reyes. Where had he been taken? Had there been a fight and he had made an escape so as not to blow his and the other Blackwatch member's cover? He supposed he'd have to find out later because he was currently in the presence of the lion that seemed to be in charge of the wild dog he was trying to save. As long as the captive wasn't in any immediate danger he had to let the charade play out. "Mighty kind of you," Mikree said as he kept close to the large lion's flank, eyes still scouring those gathered for the dark lion. He finally gave up as they reached the elevated rocks that looked into the Pit. He was fairly interested in what was going to happen despite himself...perhaps he could actually enjoy this. "Does anyone place bets?" he asked, looking up with a grin at the larger lion. He loved a good gamble, after all. "Or is this just sorta a spectator sport?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:30 pm
"Bets? Of course! I've got plenty of things I could bet, wealth, power, but you sir, look like you have nothing of worth to bet with. Unless you're keen on betting with your life?" Getrou's reply came with a small chuckle and a coy smirk as he looked over Mikree. Before he or anyone else could talk, a louder voice echoed in that drew all of the warband's attention skyward as a stillness fell over the normally rowdy bunch.
With words spoken, Bronach took his seat high above the rest with what could be assumed to be his wives around him.
Red eyes looked upward, passing a glare to what he now knew was the pride's Warlord. Reyes was supposed to be prey, easily taken down by sheer numbers with maybe one or two of these kids dying in the process. How quaint.
The look he gave the normally cocky adolescent lions seemed to change at least a few of their minds as they frantically looked to the crowd, but it was too late to back out now.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:40 pm
"If I'm bettin' my life you better have some pretty steep rewards to go alongside it," Mikree said with a chuckle even though he knew better than to agree to that. He'd watch and learn and enjoy, then get back to the mission.
A voice caught his attention and he turned his eyes upwards, watching as a lion spoke to the crowd. Bronach, He frowned very slightly - he didn't look terribly evil or cruel, but he supposed looks weren't everything. As the call for the bloodbath came Mikree turned his attention back to the Pit and felt his stomach drop.
Reyes.
Reyes was down in the Pit.
"Aw hell," he said very quietly, barely leaving his lips. "That's my Wretched!" he said, standing from his spot. "The hell...you might wanna get him outta there," he said, realizing after a moment that Reyes wouldn't be one to go down easily. There was going to be a lot of blood and he was afraid some of it would be his commander's. "He's gonna tear those kids up into ribbons."
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:54 pm
Getrou's brow raised in question at this younger lion's request and then the explanation. "No," the reply was tense enough to indicate that there was no negotiating it. "They fight to honor their Warlord, if they die, they die for him. You know this, pup. We all do." His attention turned back to the field of battle in which he laughed once more. "They're six skilled fighters, raised to kill and take what their Warlord demands, against one old lion. It will certainly be a bloodbath, but not as though you think it will be!"
There was a rough paw placed upon Mikree's back, "Relax, enjoy the show. Even if your Wretched dies, if it defends himself with ferocity the Warlord will still reward you!"
One of those still brave enough to think they could take him, calling Reyes an 'old geezer' under his breath (which earned multiple bouts of laughter from his companions), broke the casual line the group had set up to rush him. Expecting him to be an easy prey, the commander used his superior size and weight to brace himself as he ducked his head under the chest of the approaching youth. The young challenger's eyes went wide as he found himself in the air and then suddenly on the ground behind the dark male.
Before he even had a chance to rise back onto his paws, Reyes was upon him, a heavy paw pushing against his neck with force enough that in the silence that had fallen over the arena a resounding *crack* had been heard. As he stepped off of him, Reyes turned his attention back to the five remaining competitors while the crowd erupted. New bets were being placed, yelling just to yell, all the excitement one would expect.
Except Getrou who looked over to the lion seated beside him with his eyes narrowed, "Where did you find this Wretched?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:02 pm
Mikree stared down into the Pit, willing Reyes to look up at see him, see the wild dog they were hunting, see that he just had to survive this battle and they could get out of here! He didn't actually think Reyes would be able to take down all six of the lions in the Pit with him even though he knew he was a great fighter. He'd never seen his mentor go up one-on-one (or six in this case) in a fight to the death and honestly, he was scared for Reyes. How could he come out of this on top?
But then the first lion approached, and the first lion quickly lay still in the dirt. No blood, a very clean and quick execution. His breath caught in his throat for a moment at how easy Reyes had snuffed the life out of the lion, and for a moment the tan hide was his own. Reyes really could have killed him at any time during their training, and yet he didn't. He had always thought the commander had taken him in for sport, but now...maybe he really had seen something in him. Maybe all those laps and sparring sessions had been in earnest.
He could feel the glare from the champion beside him and he quickly put on a smug grin. "Well now, if I told you you might try to go find your own Wretched. Can't give away my secrets in one day, right? Need to have somethin' to make the Warlord like me."
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:25 pm
Caution was written all over the remaining fives' faces as they looked at each other to see who dared go next. It wasn't until one of them spoke up about all going at him at once, that there was no way he could take all five of them, that their confidence started coming back. One of them egged the others on, telling them that they could do it, that the Warlord was watching, that they couldn't dishonor themselves or the warband. It was noble idea as far as Reyes was concerned, but he didn't seem to care.
With a monstrous grin, he waited for them to make their move, his head high as his muscles visibly tensed beneath his dark pelt. Like a bunch of frightened animals who were cornered, with no visible way out besides seeing him on the ground, they ran. All of them, all but one.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:28 pm
Nothing happened in the Pit. Nothing big, at least. Mikree would have tried to whistle or knock a rock down or something to get Reyes' attention, but the entire pride was watching and he didn't want to draw attention to himself. For now he remained quiet, claws gripping the rock he sat upon, ready to launch himself down into the Pit if need be. They could abandon this mission, make a run for it, let the wild dog be turned into a pelt. You won some, you lost some. That was the biggest rule he had learned in Deadlock.
...but he wasn't in Deadlock anymore. This was Blackwatch. This was different. He had to keep telling himself that.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:41 pm
It had happened quickly. Within minutes and the four that had gone after him were on the ground, still, lifeless, with their blood still warm as it stained the arena floor.
Reyes cracked his neck, motioning for his last prey to make their move, to either strike back or flee the scene. Blood-red eyes shone brightly in the low light of the setting sun. Around him, around them, laid the strewn on the ground were the remains of those who had fallen before the cowering lion that only chose to babble, begging for its life.
The smirk that had once been present on his face faded. How boring. None of these so-called 'war pups' were proving to be the challenge he had hoped they would have been, so little so that the crowd began to chant 'Reaper' as they had nothing else to call him.
He focused, his muscles tensing as he burst forward, not even giving the last lion in his sights a chance to react before its death rattle was the only thing in the air. Blood stained his silver claws, the lifeblood seeping into the dry dirt that had been his battlefield. As he raised his head, he looked to the crowd with the limp body of the last challenging hanging by their neck from his mouth. For a second his eyes locked with Mikree's, acknowledging him and the starry wild dog. 'Good job, kid.'
A few good hits burned his backside. With so many that hade been inevitable, even with his experience. He'd need to check them if he was given a chance, make sure these runts hadn't put poison or some s**t like that on their claws. It could wait as the cheers of the warband echoed in his ears.
Getrou's eyes narrowed dangerously at the scene in front of him. Barely a scratch and while this 'Wretched' was bleeding, it was not the bloodbath the pride had thought it would have been. How did this pup manage to capture this kind of Wretched? One who fought on par or above their own Warlord? The champion's eyes looked upward towards the ledge and saw that Bronach was indeed watching. Though they were so distant that Getrou couldn't tell what the Warlord's expression was like.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:55 pm
It all happened very quickly. Too quickly for Mikree to really chronicle. One minute four lions were descending on Reyes, the next there were four lions dead in the sand in various stages of disembowelment and bleeding out. He had to try very, very hard to continue looking as if he had known all along what a fighter the dark lion was. And, in reality he did know...he just didn't know the extent of his skills.
The last lion fell at Reyes' doing, and finally they made eye contact. He was pretty sure his surprise was reading through his stare if not his body language, but Reyes' look came through loud and clear - good job.
He could feel the huge lion beside him still stewing over how he had found such a battle-worthy lion. What would he even say to that? He couldn't give an exact location and he had to pray to any god that would listen that he wouldn't get the bright idea to pit him against this fighting demon. He had captured him, right? Surely he was as good as, if not better than the one that had single handedly taken down six lions.
"So...is that it?" he asked, a little unsure of how things were going to go. "Things get all cleaned up? I get my Wretched back?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 12:08 am
The nod that Bronach gave to his champion hadn't gone unnoticed by the pale lion as the dark Warlord disappeared from sight. They had expected a bloodbath, but not that. Even Getrou knew something was up, he could feel it in his gut. "Come on pup, looks like the Warlord wants to meet this wretched of yours. Might as well have the one who caught him come with, get your credit before whoever snatched him takes the glory." There was a sense of playful that was laced his words, but there was a dangerous undertone dripping off of each word.
After finishing speaking to Mikree he nodded to the war dogs that had been around him who quickly reacted by jumping into the pit. One, four, eight of them... In a flash, Reyes had his legs bound by thin vines, though not before he dropped two of them to join the other six in their eternal sleep. His teeth gnashing at air and whatever flesh he could reach. The crunch of bone easily sounded as one of his supposed captors got a little too close.
"Don't worry about him," the champion commented, glancing to Mikree as he rose from his seat. "They're just gonna make sure this dirt doesn't pose a threat to the wives. You understand."
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