Aporeu chronicles Issue 76: Champions of the Colosseum 2
Stories from the adventurers
This week
Some new adventurers trying out the Colloseum.Champions of the Colosseum 2 by Nyana
I bought a pen, some ink and a journal at Pinker’s store after the Arena fight, so it is time for me to keep a journal about the different cultural aspects I encounter in Arnheim, and as an adventurer of the adventurer’s guild. So here I start, with a description of my first fight as a real adventurer. Yesterday evening I already met a couple of nice adventurers in the guild hall, who did tell me about the death of a gold tier adventurer in the Arena, and warned me to be cautious. So I went in very cautious indeed. I even blundered a bit with that, when I saw Pinker walk in without any armor at all. I offered to loan him my shield, but it is of course way too big for such a little gnome. Well, first we had to determine if we really were going to be in the real Arena-fight. For this we had to fight a group of mercenaries, who also wanted to do this, in a friendly fight. It certainly was kind of friendly, until we started to win, and one of the mercenaries tried to drown Idonis. From nowhere - or better, as I realized later, from Pinker - a dagger flew through the air and hit the half-orc in his neck. It was so fierce that the guy went down unconscious at once! We did win that first fight. Then we had to do the other fights too of course. It was fun, more fun than I had ever expected! We went against a bunch of goblins, who were very zealous, and could hit hard, but were also very funny. I cannot help but chuckle when I imagine goblins as little kids trying to do things. They are dangerous of course, so it was a good thing we killed them all. Naïlo took the last blow on their boss, letting it sail through the air and slam it against the magical barrier between us and the crowd. It was gory, and because I was in a fighting high, it was also very thrilling to see. Another of those things some adventurers do apparently, is eating dead and burned goblins. The audience loved that Codrin did it, so ah well… if it makes him happy, it makes him happy. Funny guy that, although I think he has a good heart. The last fight was right up my alley. We fought against undead, and this time the pen was indeed mightier than the sword. To be more precise, the zombies stayed down when we used radiant damage on it, so I shot Deneir’s sacred flames out of my holy symbol, which is a pen. Otherwise they just got up and walked again. Ghastly things, zombies. Idonis ended that fight by doing some weird, awesome stuff with his eyes, and radiating a kind of dark light. Oh, I have so much to learn about all these different kinds of people, and where they come from, and how their rituals are, and all! I am very much looking forward to become a better adventurer and learning more. So now I’m going to talk to Naïlo to find out if his people have different customs than the Dwarfs in Scotire, and I’m going to show off my life and death-tattoo. Bye!Champions of the Colosseum 2 by Pinker
Someone told me to write my story down, because people like reading about what adventurers experience or something.. And I am an adventurer now. If only my wife, may she rest in peace, could see me now! Well, of course she would have stopped me, she did not like adventurers you see. I do love her but there were some things we did not agree on, you see, she really wanted children while I think they just want to ruin the books and make things sticky, never cleaning their hands you see. (Editor’s note: Here the writer kept rambling on for about half a page about his wife… I did not want to cut it all out but we just do not have that much space.) I arrived at the colosseum to meet with those who would be fighting alongside me. There was Nyana, who I had met the night before, a lovely elven girl who seems to have a liking to writing. There was also Codrin, looking mostly like a human, this was the first time as adventurers for the three of us. Then there were Idonis, an Aasimar it seems? I will have to read up on those, as well as Firbolgs, you see the last adventurer was Nailo, a Firbolg. The two of them were already more experienced. We were met by a dwarf with grey skin, a very unhealthy looking man. I may have to find a book about skin conditions that is sure to help him with that grayness, for when next I go into the arena. I did prepare very well for this adventure, you see as the owner of the great bookstore, Between the Pages it is called, you can find it right off the marketplace, I of course have access to a lot of books, so I read up before going into the fight. I read “Arena fighting for Dummies”, “Gory Glory” which seemed to be a more romanticized tale, and “Die by the ring” which had some more useful tips. Anyway, the dwarf who introduced himself as Ruzak Rumblebringer told us that a lot of people wanted to fight, and that they had decided that we would first be fighting another group interested in fighting in the Colosseum, the Silver Wing mercenaries. We met up with them, it is good to know who you will be fighting. It was meant to be a friendly fight, no killing which was good. Then the two groups had to go through different doors leading to opposite ends of the Colosseum. On the way I of course told my fellows of the studies I had done about fighting in such a place, to help them get better fast. When we entered the arena we were met with an interesting battlefield. To the right there was a small building, where I headed right away for cover. To the left a few braziers and a cart, Nyana went behind the braziers and Nailo and Idonis pushed the cart to the start of the bridge, to use as cover. I think Codrin also stood at the start of the bridge. The bridge crossed over a small river, and on the other side there were some bushes and a tree on the right, and a watchtower on the left. As the fight started a shimmering magical field between the two halves was removed, and I shot a bolt of fire across at the man who had climbed the tree. Soon after I heard an arrow land outside the window, and he came rushing across hanging from a rope between the tree he had climbed and the arrow.
As fighting was going on on the bridge the same man suddenly came into the house, shooting an arrow into my back. What an extremely rude thing to do! However, soon after Codrin came in through the window, and started attacking him. As I saw through the window the human woman with a greataxe had fallen, but so did Idonis, who was being pushed under water.
I decided to take a chance and ran out of the house, holding a dagger in my open hand and sent it flying across the battlefield with my magic. It landed right into the half-orc’s neck! I must admit that startled me quite a bit, but not as much as another arrow flying at me from across the battlefield. As darkness overcame me I thought I would soon see my darling wife again…
Now you might not know, dear reader, but my wife would not have liked that I became an adventurer, however I had to. That does mean I was extra happy not to have to face her in the afterlife just yet, as I was pulled back from the brink of death by that lovely wood elf.
As I came back to life I was looking into the face of a man with small round spectacles in a white coat, who was doing some healing to me. It did seem to work as I woke up, and after some rest felt ready to fight again.
Apparently we made it through the first round, and were going on to fight more! I must admit, at the same time that thought exhilarated and scared me. I mean, I did just go down, was I fit to be an adventurer?
I did not have long to think about it as it was again time to get into the arena. I was amazed when we entered, the whole place had completely changed, even though we had only had about an hour to rest! We were now faced with a landscape with a lot of bushes and trees to the sides, with a pair of barricades made with twigs ahead of us and behind those a wooden platform on which a pair of goblins stood.
You know, my wife always wanted a garden, so she would have liked this landscape, if it had not been created for fighting. She also loved children and always wanted them, but we were never blessed with the gift of children.
(Editor’s note: Here he went on with another rant, 2 pages. I had to cut it, sorry!)
Idonis touched my shoulder, told me to fight well, and I saw a faint shimmer of some spell surround me. First Nyana offers me that ridiculously large shield, now he protects me further, do they not think I can take care of myself? Although I was a bit nervous after the first fight, so I did not mind really.
From the books I read I had been curious about goblins, but now I can definitively say that they are foul, nasty creatures! As we made our way forward they came out from behind the trees, and from out of the bushes to attack us. They even set fire to the barricades trying to burn my friends!
I shot another bolt of fire at one goblin who had come out of some bushes to throw oil at my friends, causing his clothes to catch fire a bit. Just enough that when Idonis ran up and kicked the goblin, he flew backwards into the next barricade, setting it and himself on fire!
One came out and stabbed at me with his knives, just nicking my cheek, so I took out two of my daggers, deciding he was too close for my magic, and stabbed at him, at which he fell down before me, breathing no more. That was quite a bit closer than I like them to be.
Next I tried to launch a nearby torch toward their leader on the platform, but he managed to duck out of the way. However, as all of us swarmed them further there was no stopping us, and we made short work of them.
Now, if you thought that the last fight had been exhilarating, you can imagine how the second one, with barely a scratch on me felt! Perhaps I am fit to become an adventurer after all! It is very good they test us like this.
After we had another rest we were ready for the third fight. This time we did not go through one of the large doors, instead we were raised into the arena on a platform in the middle. Idonis again cast the same spell on me, and we stood, ready for what came in a new landscape. We found ourselves surrounded by a cemetery.
(Editor’s note: Here I am afraid the writer went on a very lengthy talk about his deceased wife, Adelaide. Some stains on the paper betrayed tears to have fallen. I am very sorry for mr. Yimble, however it seems not relevant to the story at hand.)
Soon the set of double gates where the Silver Wings previously had come in through opened up to reveal a giant skeletal monster wielding a big glaive! It was met by some divine spell from Nyana, and both Idonis and Nailo ran forward to meet it head on! As the beast ran for them, bridging the gap they beat it harshly, but it remained standing!
Meanwhile Codrin had moved to a lake where Nyana had warned us undead were found, blasting the water with some form of magic I do not yet know how to cast. However, soon after, a pair of horrid zombies who looked like they had been drowning emerged and tried to drag him under. On the other end of the battlefield a zombie came out of the ground and grabbed on to Nyana.
After the giant skeleton was killed more zombies came out to fight with Idonis and Nailo.
As I spent my time moving around, shooting bolts of fire at different enemies we eventually managed to kill all of them, especially with Nyana and Idonis using their magic to cause what they called ‘radiant’ damage.
And so we emerged victorious from the Colosseum, and we were called champions! We even got paid some gold, and some tokens that I do not fully understand yet what I could do with them.
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