Nox followed the guy back to the staging area. There were other men sitting around. Some bleeding. Others not. A medic tended to one man who had come out on bottom of the last match. He cried out in pain as the medic wrenched his arm into place and started bandaging it up. Ouch, was all Nox could think about, but it didn’t change anything.
He asked as he followed the guy. ”I’m looking for a guy with golden eyes, kinda feral.” Nox chuckled. ”Probably describes a lot of guys around here. He’d probably be rather uncommunicative though, grunts and growls — doubt he spoke words at this stage.” At least most rogue wolfkin who went bad and attacked were far more wolf than man.
”The guy was taken by his handler. Pretty dame with a mean streak.”
”Know where she might have taken him?”
Guy shook his head. ”Not a clue.” He looked Nox up and down again and shook his head. ”Do whatever you are gonna do, but prepare to die. I won’t be putting any money on you.”
Nox laughed. ”Your loss. I don’t intend on dying tonight. Got a life I wanna live, even if it hurts like fuck.” He just wanted to make it hurt like fuck in a different way right now. Wanted to look how he felt then he’d have an excuse to lie around in bed broken and battered. He would be broken and battered.
The sounds of the bored crowd crept into the staging area. ”They are getting restless. I hope you don’t die.” The man said as he swung open the gate. ”What’s your name?”
”Nox.”
”Just Nox?”
”Just Nox.” He said, there was no reason for falsities. No reason to scare the person.
Nox took off the hoodie and set it down in a corner of the cage under a wall of air. No one would steal it. His wallet sat on top and Nox turned his false arm and deposited it with the rest of his things and secured it all to the ground. Damaging his tools wasn’t an option. This was about him — and what he deserved nothing more.
The power raged inside of him. The smell of the blood and piss and shit from the prior matches permeated his nose and he nearly gaged with the onslaught — but it was nothing compared to the grime and ooze of the dead things he’d killed before. The memories rushing back. The searing pain, their flesh melting from their bodies. A tear slid down his cheek as he waited for the announcer to proclaim his entrance.
”Our latest trouble maker making his debut in the arena, Nox.”
The crowd booed. Fitting…
The cages above rattled and a large hulking man came out from behind him. He glanced at Nox’s things on the ground went straight for the arm. The shield kept him from touching things, but Nox wove a quick zap before the man touched it. ”I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The announcer didn’t even get the man’s name out before he charged at Nox full bore. The cage door clattered shut and the crowd cheered. But with a flourish Nox waved the rushing bull past him like a matador in a bull fight. ”Careful big guy.” Nox taunted.
Yulian, The Bull, crashed into the other side of the ring missing Nox with a large growl as he raged in anger. Nox planted his feet and held out his right hand and beckoned the man with his fingers. ”Bring it.”
Yulian rushed forward and landed the hit in Nox’s gut. He doubled over with the blow and the crowd cheered. He deserved that.
Nox swung his right arm and his fist planted in the mans face. Yulian sneered, the insult only made him angrier as he took both his meaty hands and grabbed Nox’s shoulders and head-butted him right in the nose. Blood poured down and Nox stumbled backwards propping himself with a weave of air before tumbling to the ground.
Yulian rushed Nox again, this time his shoulder catching his hips and plowed the two of them into the pillar of air Nox had used to keep himself upright. He grunted with the impact and Yulian stepped back in a daze. His planned action faltered as he looked around to see what happened.
The crowd went from boos and cheers to hushed whispers as the idea of magic in their mist was in play. The last time something like this happened, the ceiling came down. The Almaz had been destroyed, but Nox had no intention of destroying the one place he could come to have a real fight — a place to vent the horde’s frustration at being unable to fight to fuck. It was so tired of the feed. It wanted blood for the sake of blood and while Nox was ready to indulge its whims, he wasn’t going to kill this man to appease the fucking voice in his head that told him to kill. He’d die fighting that voice.
A few voices rose above the others as two objects clattered to the ring floor. ”Let’s even the odds.”
Yulian grabbed the sword first. And Nox glanced at the other object they’d slid under the fence. The sword, Aria had tried to teach him once upon a time. She’d been successful but Nox preferred his own tools. A small smile crossed his lips as flung his hand down towards the ground in a flourishing display. The gesture was hardly needed, but this was for them on the other side of the ring. A flaming sword erupted into his hand. The rush of heat at his side a familiar feeling, the flamed licking his hand unphased by the touch. He didn’t quite understand why it didn’t burn him, but it didn’t. He preferred the flaming whip but this was a show, and he had more control this way.
In a second weave Nox wove a solid block of air around his missing arm as an extension. He still forgot it wasn’t there and that could be detrimental in a fight with real weapons. A bad judgement call and that sword could be in his skull — not the outcome he wanted.
Nox made a tenative slash at his opponent and he jumped backwards more gracefully than Nox would have thought. The more distance the better — this was like fighting an Oni. Nox didn’t want to be in close range despite the melee weapons they both now held.
Yulian went for the second weapon, he brandished both and rushed Nox. First with the sword coming from the left, and the club coming from the right.
Both of them landed crashed into Nox. The sword sliced into his arm and Nox howled with pain. It was a glancing blow but the club smashed the flame sword and Nox dropped the blade and it disappeared into nothingness.
”Enough.” Nox said to Yulian and he made the motion to clap his hands together a thunderous boom echoed in the arena and the man flung backwards away from Nox. He stumbled and skid to a halt ten feet from Nox.
Yulian rushed at Nox again with the club full bore, it smashed into the flaming blade that had reappeared in Nox’s hand moments before, the second attack by the sword missed wildly as Nox danced underneath the man’s reach.
Nox extended his hand a flames appeared to shoot from it. The weave was simple and Nox wanted this guy to stay the fuck away. He hurt. His body was beaten and bruised and he wiped away blood that still dripped from his nose. He probably broke it.
Yulian didn’t dodge the flames with enough effort and the stench of smoke, burning hair and skin escaped the arena. Many of the watchers wafted away the stench.
Yulian was a one trick wonder — why fuck with what works. Nox was moving slowly now. He felt every inch of his body in pain and the next attack took more out of him that he’d have liked.
Nox extended his power into the earth and shook the area’s ground. The earth wobbled and Yulian teetered and shifted but never lost his balance. Small darts of earth and broken concrete battered his legs and body. The rest of the arena only felt the small aftershock of the waves sent into the ground. Control and mastery things Nox took pride in his ability. He wasn’t Ascendancy level — he’d never make monuments of buildings or raise floods and level mountains. Those weren’t his game. Killing monsters was all he ever wanted to do. That’s all he trained to do.
Debris and trash littered the arena floor now, but other than the remnants of the shards the floor remained unbroken, unblemished — possibly even a few broken crevices mended by the power that had flowed through it.
Yulian’s balance faltered and he he didn’t make it to Nox before he had time to mime another clap. The thunderous boom roared across the arena and Yulian flew backwards into the arena wall. The impact knocking him out cold and when the sound wave left, his body crumpled to the ground in a heap.
[[ ooc: I just want to say that I used a D&D Level 8 Barbarian vs a Level 8 Sorcerer to randomize the outcomes. I may have fudge 1 roll but the rest of it was purely the fall of the dice. ]]
He asked as he followed the guy. ”I’m looking for a guy with golden eyes, kinda feral.” Nox chuckled. ”Probably describes a lot of guys around here. He’d probably be rather uncommunicative though, grunts and growls — doubt he spoke words at this stage.” At least most rogue wolfkin who went bad and attacked were far more wolf than man.
”The guy was taken by his handler. Pretty dame with a mean streak.”
”Know where she might have taken him?”
Guy shook his head. ”Not a clue.” He looked Nox up and down again and shook his head. ”Do whatever you are gonna do, but prepare to die. I won’t be putting any money on you.”
Nox laughed. ”Your loss. I don’t intend on dying tonight. Got a life I wanna live, even if it hurts like fuck.” He just wanted to make it hurt like fuck in a different way right now. Wanted to look how he felt then he’d have an excuse to lie around in bed broken and battered. He would be broken and battered.
The sounds of the bored crowd crept into the staging area. ”They are getting restless. I hope you don’t die.” The man said as he swung open the gate. ”What’s your name?”
”Nox.”
”Just Nox?”
”Just Nox.” He said, there was no reason for falsities. No reason to scare the person.
Nox took off the hoodie and set it down in a corner of the cage under a wall of air. No one would steal it. His wallet sat on top and Nox turned his false arm and deposited it with the rest of his things and secured it all to the ground. Damaging his tools wasn’t an option. This was about him — and what he deserved nothing more.
The power raged inside of him. The smell of the blood and piss and shit from the prior matches permeated his nose and he nearly gaged with the onslaught — but it was nothing compared to the grime and ooze of the dead things he’d killed before. The memories rushing back. The searing pain, their flesh melting from their bodies. A tear slid down his cheek as he waited for the announcer to proclaim his entrance.
”Our latest trouble maker making his debut in the arena, Nox.”
The crowd booed. Fitting…
The cages above rattled and a large hulking man came out from behind him. He glanced at Nox’s things on the ground went straight for the arm. The shield kept him from touching things, but Nox wove a quick zap before the man touched it. ”I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The announcer didn’t even get the man’s name out before he charged at Nox full bore. The cage door clattered shut and the crowd cheered. But with a flourish Nox waved the rushing bull past him like a matador in a bull fight. ”Careful big guy.” Nox taunted.
Yulian, The Bull, crashed into the other side of the ring missing Nox with a large growl as he raged in anger. Nox planted his feet and held out his right hand and beckoned the man with his fingers. ”Bring it.”
Yulian rushed forward and landed the hit in Nox’s gut. He doubled over with the blow and the crowd cheered. He deserved that.
Nox swung his right arm and his fist planted in the mans face. Yulian sneered, the insult only made him angrier as he took both his meaty hands and grabbed Nox’s shoulders and head-butted him right in the nose. Blood poured down and Nox stumbled backwards propping himself with a weave of air before tumbling to the ground.
Yulian rushed Nox again, this time his shoulder catching his hips and plowed the two of them into the pillar of air Nox had used to keep himself upright. He grunted with the impact and Yulian stepped back in a daze. His planned action faltered as he looked around to see what happened.
The crowd went from boos and cheers to hushed whispers as the idea of magic in their mist was in play. The last time something like this happened, the ceiling came down. The Almaz had been destroyed, but Nox had no intention of destroying the one place he could come to have a real fight — a place to vent the horde’s frustration at being unable to fight to fuck. It was so tired of the feed. It wanted blood for the sake of blood and while Nox was ready to indulge its whims, he wasn’t going to kill this man to appease the fucking voice in his head that told him to kill. He’d die fighting that voice.
A few voices rose above the others as two objects clattered to the ring floor. ”Let’s even the odds.”
Yulian grabbed the sword first. And Nox glanced at the other object they’d slid under the fence. The sword, Aria had tried to teach him once upon a time. She’d been successful but Nox preferred his own tools. A small smile crossed his lips as flung his hand down towards the ground in a flourishing display. The gesture was hardly needed, but this was for them on the other side of the ring. A flaming sword erupted into his hand. The rush of heat at his side a familiar feeling, the flamed licking his hand unphased by the touch. He didn’t quite understand why it didn’t burn him, but it didn’t. He preferred the flaming whip but this was a show, and he had more control this way.
In a second weave Nox wove a solid block of air around his missing arm as an extension. He still forgot it wasn’t there and that could be detrimental in a fight with real weapons. A bad judgement call and that sword could be in his skull — not the outcome he wanted.
Nox made a tenative slash at his opponent and he jumped backwards more gracefully than Nox would have thought. The more distance the better — this was like fighting an Oni. Nox didn’t want to be in close range despite the melee weapons they both now held.
Yulian went for the second weapon, he brandished both and rushed Nox. First with the sword coming from the left, and the club coming from the right.
Both of them landed crashed into Nox. The sword sliced into his arm and Nox howled with pain. It was a glancing blow but the club smashed the flame sword and Nox dropped the blade and it disappeared into nothingness.
”Enough.” Nox said to Yulian and he made the motion to clap his hands together a thunderous boom echoed in the arena and the man flung backwards away from Nox. He stumbled and skid to a halt ten feet from Nox.
Yulian rushed at Nox again with the club full bore, it smashed into the flaming blade that had reappeared in Nox’s hand moments before, the second attack by the sword missed wildly as Nox danced underneath the man’s reach.
Nox extended his hand a flames appeared to shoot from it. The weave was simple and Nox wanted this guy to stay the fuck away. He hurt. His body was beaten and bruised and he wiped away blood that still dripped from his nose. He probably broke it.
Yulian didn’t dodge the flames with enough effort and the stench of smoke, burning hair and skin escaped the arena. Many of the watchers wafted away the stench.
Yulian was a one trick wonder — why fuck with what works. Nox was moving slowly now. He felt every inch of his body in pain and the next attack took more out of him that he’d have liked.
Nox extended his power into the earth and shook the area’s ground. The earth wobbled and Yulian teetered and shifted but never lost his balance. Small darts of earth and broken concrete battered his legs and body. The rest of the arena only felt the small aftershock of the waves sent into the ground. Control and mastery things Nox took pride in his ability. He wasn’t Ascendancy level — he’d never make monuments of buildings or raise floods and level mountains. Those weren’t his game. Killing monsters was all he ever wanted to do. That’s all he trained to do.
Debris and trash littered the arena floor now, but other than the remnants of the shards the floor remained unbroken, unblemished — possibly even a few broken crevices mended by the power that had flowed through it.
Yulian’s balance faltered and he he didn’t make it to Nox before he had time to mime another clap. The thunderous boom roared across the arena and Yulian flew backwards into the arena wall. The impact knocking him out cold and when the sound wave left, his body crumpled to the ground in a heap.
[[ ooc: I just want to say that I used a D&D Level 8 Barbarian vs a Level 8 Sorcerer to randomize the outcomes. I may have fudge 1 roll but the rest of it was purely the fall of the dice. ]]
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)