The Coliseum

[Powerofmind]

You and the creature clash immediately, swords drawn. Though it clearly outdoes your natural strength, you manage to angle your blade so that it's greatsword plants in the dirt from an easily predicted overhead swing. As it attempts to yank the blade back for it's next strike, you thrust cleanly into it's armored side, bypassing it's damaged plate and drawing blood. Red, warm blood.

Round 1: Success!

Combined with it's many other wounds, likely accrued fighting the zombies, the monster of a man seems to be on the tail end of it's strength. You press your advantage only for it to suddenly spark the same blue as it's eyes, immolating itself with blue flame. It easily retracts it's sword one-handed, and you are surprised by it's suddenly deceptive speed. With a wailing battlecry, it attempts to cleave your head from your shoulders, and very nearly succeeds, shaving a few locks of hair from your head as you only just escape it's might.

Round 2: Close Failure!

Now put on the back foot, you make distance as fast as you can now that it's unnatural glow fades. Instead of following you, however, the knight shoulders his sword with one hand, and raises the other to fire a blast of blazing blue light at you. Even with your knowledge of magic, divine and arcane, you have never seen such a spell before, and then some, as it required no incantation to produce! Though you attempt to defend yourself, your body is seared as you are struck dead in the center of your chest and you are flung to the ground, striking your head. The light burns not just body, but spirit, and you feel your mana sapped from the ordeal of being struck by this unnatural magic.

Round 3: Hard Failure, heavily wounded! Counterattack! no damage

The knight rushes to meet you while you are grounded, but you manage to wildly flail your weapon enough for him to back off for a moment. As you stand, you gasp, the spell's after-effects becoming clearer now that you've pushed away the pain to your body with discipline. You have no comparison for the pain you feel, it permeates your mind in a way that no physical trauma truly could. You correct your initial assessment quickly, you actually feel as though your very soul has been scarred by the blast. It will surely heal, you are made of tougher stuff than that, but the... wound... sends spikes of pain that distract you even now.

Just what is this place?

Choose one:

[X]Get up, brush yourself off, and try again. You can see that the light in the knight's eyes have dimmed, perhaps it cannot cast those spells at you again. Though, the damage your body and soul has sustained may impede traditional swordplay.

[X]You need more strength, more speed, and more power. It's time to call on the favor of the gods. You need the extra boost to match the knight's physical strength, and perhaps to strengthen your body enough to survive another blow. Although, you are sure to completely drain your remaining mana if you try.

[X]You have been severely wounded, and the blast has disoriented you. You should call on the gods in a more defensive manner. You need to heal yourself and restore your mind, even if you probably can't get rid of the prickling pain in your soul. Strength now will only leave you later when you've exhausted your mana, and you will still be in very bad condition if you don't undo some of the damage.

 

[veekie]

[X]You have been severely wounded, and the blast has disoriented you. You should call on the gods in a more defensive manner. You need to heal yourself and restore your mind, even if you probably can't get rid of the prickling pain in your soul. Strength now will only leave you later when you've exhausted your mana, and you will still be in very bad condition if you don't undo some of the damage.

 

[Apotheosis]

It seems that that could lead to the guy overwhelming us while we try to heal, though.

 

[Powerofmind]

The chant for both Divine Favor, your enhancement spell, and Perseverance, your healing spell, can be performed while fighting with a small penalty to one combat roll. You no longer have the mana to use Wrath, thus, not an option. I have the stat sheet, but it's not pretty yet, so there.
You have not yet unlocked this feature, please complete the prologue.
Oh, almost forgot. You're going to burn out every last drop of mana, which you'd have to rest to restore, if you use Favor. You could potentially take advantage of the healing effect of Perseverance for up to two turns of combat, restoring you to effectively full health if you can avoid getting battered again.

 

[Orisha91]

[X]You have been severely wounded, and the blast has disoriented you. You should call on the gods in a more defensive manner. You need to heal yourself and restore your mind, even if you probably can't get rid of the prickling pain in your soul. Strength now will only leave you later when you've exhausted your mana, and you will still be in very bad condition if you don't undo some of the damage.

 

[Apotheosis]

[X]You have been severely wounded, and the blast has disoriented you. You should call on the gods in a more defensive manner. You need to heal yourself and restore your mind, even if you probably can't get rid of the prickling pain in your soul. Strength now will only leave you later when you've exhausted your mana, and you will still be in very bad condition if you don't undo some of the damage.

 

[Powerofmind]

AN: This looks pretty solid to lock n post. Jesus christ I'm using a new dice roller from now on. Any suggestions?

You speak your incantation and focus your will, calling upon the gods to return your strength to your bones and breath to your lungs. In doing so, you only barely defend from the knight's next strike, and your sword arm is thrown wide, leaving you open to another strike. The knight slashes once more, and you have no way to defend yourself from his attack.

But wait, has he missed?

Round 1: You died?

You have little time to contemplate luck, or perhaps your destiny yet protects you even here, as you close your guard with a slash across the knight's chest. It parries skillfully, and turns it's greatsword on you again, this time scoring a successful, painful hit. You stumble, falling back near the edge of the small arena the zombies have cleared around you, and a few break away, turning to the knight rather than you. You take the chance you've been given to get your bearings.

Round 2: Major Loss!

Your body aches, your blood is pouring from a gash in your shoulder, yet you cannot, must not surrender. The knight has only just slain the last of the zombies that impeded him, but you take advantage of his momentary distraction. He swings, but you dodge under the panicked swing, stabbing, no, impaling him through one of the chinks in his chestplate. You hear a wet cough, and the knight wavers, finally falling before you.

Round 3: Moderate Success! You have slain the dread knight.
You will be richly rewarded when you can comprehend the gifts you've received.
Your sword scrapes the metal of the knight's armor as you yank it free. You let free a shuddering sigh to go with the noise, and realize the impromptu arena has begun to disappear back into the melee it was before. You need to make a decision.

Choose one:

[X]You have to get out of the fighting. You need to rest, badly. The outer wall is a safer place, surely there is an alcove you can hide in?

[X]There is no time, you absolutely must press on towards the inner wall. Whatever caused that poor soul to become the monster it was will surely come for you as well, if you dally any longer...
[X]This feeling... What am I becoming?
[X]Write-in?

 

[veekie]

[X]This feeling... What am I becoming?

Invisitext ho!

 

[Orisha91]

[X]This feeling... What am I becoming?

 

[Powerofmind]

You get another half a day before I lock in your choice.

 

[MacroDaemon]

[X]There is no time, you absolutely must press on towards the inner wall. Whatever caused that poor soul to become the monster it was will surely come for you as well, if you dally any longer...

 

[Powerofmind]

You are transfixed. The corpse of the dread knight before you draws your attention with unnatural ease, even as more pressing dangers close in around you. You step closer, there is a slight shimmer in the air above the body. You contemplate unconsciously what to do, and slowly but surely, your hands reach out to touch the rippling air. As your hands connect, you are plunged into cold darkness.

You are falling.

Everything around you is formless black. You are not so sure that raising a hand to your face would change the view all that much. You are also not particularly sure why your mind is wandering to such ridiculous thoughts. You should be feeling... something? You are no longer sure. You do not know if you are turning your head. Everything around you is formless black.

You are falling.

You... feel. Coherency becomes difficult, impossible even. Thoughts on what was and what could yet be escape you, and you become wrapped up in thoughts of the here and now. Confusion. Sensation. Anticipation. You barely understand what the words mean when they spring to your mind, but somehow the connotations do not escape you. You do not know how long it has been, but you feel something else.

You are falling.

The thought is jarring, as though it was inserted into your mind from without. The thought has become a part of you, yet all that you are denies it further purchase. More thoughts touch the edge of your senses, and you realize they are not thoughts, but the same disjointed sensations you suddenly have in place of them, yourself. Curiosity. Apprehension. Panic. Fear. Danger. Stop. Stop. STOP. Don't want to die. Fear. Death. Pain. You continue to poke and prod these strange sensations from without, taking them in, making them yours? No, yes, perhaps? Though you had lost almost all coherency already, the act of interaction of this level throws you even further into bewildering stupidity.

You are... more?

You shudder involuntarily as your hand pulls away from the strange rippling space of air above the knight that is no longer rippling or shimmering. You feel dread rising in your stomach as you come to a realization. You feel more powerful. You draw your conclusions, make your guesses, and then wish you had time to perhaps beg forgiveness. You fight the urge to retch. You are trapped not in Hell, but it's accursed mad sibling.

As you tear through the zombies towards the inner wall with newfound ease, you try not to think about how good you feel in spite of yourself.

Choose one:
Your choice will color your soul forever.
[X]This was a horrible experience. In a moment of weakness, you fell to depravities that even among the insane are considered inhuman. You will not do so twice.

[X]You went too far. In your heart of hearts, you somehow know that you should not have pressed so forcefully in that strange limbo. Perhaps another man's eternal soul wouldn't stain your lips, then.

[X]It was... necessary. You are needed in life to save life only. The dead need not also be afforded your mercy.

 

[veekie]

[X]You went too far. In your heart of hearts, you somehow know that you should not have pressed so forcefully in that strange limbo. Perhaps another man's eternal soul wouldn't stain your lips, then.

 

[Ambit]

[X]You went too far. In your heart of hearts, you somehow know that you should not have pressed so forcefully in that strange limbo. Perhaps another man's eternal soul wouldn't stain your lips, then.

 

[Orisha91]

[X]You went too far. In your heart of hearts, you somehow know that you should not have pressed so forcefully in that strange limbo. Perhaps another man's eternal soul wouldn't stain your lips, then.

 

[Powerofmind]

AN: Another day, another vote.

You push away both thoughts of pleasure and disgust as you hack through the field of fighters. Your feelings are irrelevant. It has already happened, and you cannot change that. You were uninitiated in the horrors of this realm, and now your eyes have been opened. Bits and pieces come to you as you tear through the ranks of the dead. A slightly better way to parry a strike, how to add more strength to a blow. You have taken on some of the knight's talents, and even as you notice this, you realize that he had taken many of these talents from others, himself.

In short order, you reach the inner wall. It towers over you at least fifty feet, and the surface is smoothly cut marble, far superior to the mossy rock of the outer wall. Now that your perspective has changed, you notice that there is a very slight incline to the ground beneath your feet, and, passing your gaze out over the melee, you see that the heads of the fighters are also slightly higher on one side than the other.

Deciding for yourself that the next tier of the arena would be at the closest point, the top of the incline, you trail along the wall, where, while the fighting is still thick, is not so bad you cannot pace yourself. Time passes, though you would never be able to guess by looking at the sky, still the same semi-lit color of dried blood. You suspect it has been at least a few hours when the melee abruptly breaks off in front of you, the zombies refusing to cross some invisible line.

"MINE!" It doesn't take you long to realize why, as a mounted giant charges towards you. You are surprised by the almost instantaneous attack on your person, now so used to the slow motion combat of the zombies you'd fought previously, and you are sure as you are thrown to the ground that you've bruised a few ribs. You belatedly wish you'd been able to pull off the knight's armor before the zombies had a chance to swarm around you, but your strange encounter had robbed you of the chance.

You drag yourself to your feet, and the sight you see drains the blood from your face and chills your spine once more. The mounted giant was not a mounted giant at all, but a massive centaur! Easily twelve feet tall, it wields a wicked-looking weapon that has more in common with a long sword than a spear, but shares many elements between the two, and axes besides. The haft of the weapon is nearly as wide as your own forearm, and the blade itself is probably nearly as wide as you are from shoulder to shoulder if not more. This centaur with his giant blade in hand have charged furiously into the melee, having gone far too fast to stop inside of it's personal area, and slaughtered more zombies in a single dash than you have in your entire time here thus far. The ground is a river of blood and gore, slowly flowing down the incline until it is either soaked into the ground, or into the tatters the zombies below call clothing.

This is not a monster you have much hope to defeat, and from the strange, mad gleam in it's eyes, you think it knows this as well. "Your soul is MINE!"

Choose one:

[X]Full Defense. Dodge, parry, hang onto the pole-sword-axe thing with your bare hands if need be. Anything you can to survive as long as possible with as little damage as possible.

[X]Steel yourself, this will not be easy. Swallow your fear, ready your sword. You suspect exorcism will not help you here, much like the dread knight, but your newfound skill with your sword and some lesser magics may yet save you.

[X]Unleash your power. Your healing magic, your bolstering magic, even your most powerful offensive spell. Use all of the tools offered you by your training and life until now. Gods only know, you'll need them against this beast.
[X]Give up? You are doomed, you cannot win! Damnation to this realm and it's master, you've been cheated out of life twice!
[X]Write-In?

 

[veekie]

[X]Steel yourself, this will not be easy. Swallow your fear, ready your sword. You suspect exorcism will not help you here, much like the dread knight, but your newfound skill with your sword and some lesser magics may yet save you.

 

[Orisha91]

[X]Unleash your power. Your healing magic, your bolstering magic, even your most powerful offensive spell. Use all of the tools offered you by your training and life until now. Gods only know, you'll need them against this beast.

I see you invisi-text.
No giving up yet.

 

[MacroDaemon]

[X]Full Defense. Dodge, parry, hang onto the pole-sword-axe thing with your bare hands if need be. Anything you can to survive as long as possible with as little damage as possible.

 

[Powerofmind]

Seems we have a dilemma, huh?

 

[Apotheosis]

[X]Unleash your power. Your healing magic, your bolstering magic, even your most powerful offensive spell. Use all of the tools offered you by your training and life until now. Gods only know, you'll need them against this beast.

I'll feel bad if this ends up getting us killed.

 

[Powerofmind]

Oh don't be so worried, it's not like you can lose the game when you're still technically in the prologue!
Death is not the end.

 

[Powerofmind]

AN: Looks like this is what we've got, huh?

The monster begins to charge you again, but you've already begun chanting for your strongest spell. Hopefully, the damned centaur will die much faster than the knight. It closes the gap quickly, but your caster's rod is faster, and dozens of streamers of light swirl about and converge on the charging monster. You almost sigh when you see that irritating blue flame again.

Round 1: Success! Wrath disorients!

Not that it matters this time. Your magic plows into the beast, causing it to stumble gracelessly before you. The smell of seared flesh fills the air suddenly, and the fall itself seems to have done a number on the thing. In spite of having fallen over, however, it still towers above you, and it takes advantage of it, batting at you with it's hand while it tries to right itself for a proper swing with it's weapon. You have none of it, calling strength to your body with a blessing, and press your advantage! In spite of that, however, the glow of the blue flame seems to have only grown brighter...

Round 2: Success! Low damage.

Your sword finds it's way into the crevice between the monsters fingers, and it howls suddenly, pulling it's hand away as it rights itself. "Enough games, mortal! I will end you!" The beast has risen to it's full height once again, worse for the wear, but seemingly unafflicted by all of the damage you've given it thus far. Disheartening, but not enough to stop your zealous assault of his underbelly. Though the massive pole-sword might.

Round 3: Critical Failure! Critically Killed! Massively Overkilled! Huh?!

The gigantic blade comes from the side, aiming to sweep you aside and carve you in half all at once. It very nearly does, but for the odd shaping at the end to catch on the ground, jerking it out of it's clean arc as the massive flat of the weapon nearly crushes you before you are sent flying across the battlefield. You are flailing in the air for at least three seconds before touching back down, and you bounce, hard. The pain is nigh-unbearable and your vision tunnels with terrifying hints of blackness around the edges, but you still have your life, by some miracle.

You force your body to stand against it's many, and thoroughly convincing, protests, and you know that your miracle won't happen twice.

Choose one:

[X]Cut and run! Your body is in tatters, your mana won't last more than a handful of extra seconds, and this monster barely seems to have been fazed in the exchange. That damnable blue flame magic is effective, and you need to figure out how to use it, however blasphemous it may be.

[X]Stand your ground. Damn the beast, you will fight it to the death, and it surely won't be yours! You will not allow this hellhole to cow your righteous fury!

[X]Charge it. If you will be damned to die twice, you are taking this foul monster with you.
[X]Give up? Impossible... It fights as though possessed, like every other thing here. Is that what I am doomed to? To be possessed of undying hatred and a berserker's rage? My destiny... my destiny... It's not fair...
[X]Write-in?

AN: I had to reattach my jaw when you guys managed the first two successes(without minor GM cheating), but then the dice reasserted that they're firmly against you guys ever winning anything and killed you twice in a single round. Poor Amelia, she really can't get a break.

 

[veekie]

[X]Stand your ground. Damn the beast, you will fight it to the death, and it surely won't be yours! You will not allow this hellhole to cow your righteous fury!

 

[Powerofmind]

One more vote? Anyone?