Anthrax

[GreenGoat]

"Hah!"

She sat up suddenly, wiping her eyes. It was dark, dank, and damp, nothing out of the ordinary. Except for that damned rat that ran over her legs. Dea rolled over the stack of hay, trying to find a slightly less damp spot. Finding a good spot, she buried herself under the hay, trying to keep warm.

All of a sudden she sat up again, flinging hay everywhere. She felt light.

Unchained.

She held up her arms, looking at the absence of shackles on her wrists, staring as if mesmerized. With a jump, she stood up and started stretching, feeling rather light and limber. This was quite strange, for they hardly ever took the shackles off save for the battles in the pit, baths and other equivalents that require her to be unshackled. At all times there would be those metal coated men with needles, just outside of whichever room she was in, ready to rush in if she gets rowdy.

Perhaps this was some sort of reward?

Dea sat back down on the hay, scratching her ears, wondering if her handler would mind if she took off her shorts. It was then that she noticed that blue light, dancing, flickering, flitting about the air just outside her cage. It irritates her, her tail twitching from side to side as she stared at the flitting blue light.

How annoying.

It was made worse as she could not reach it through the cage's bar, and there was no way out of the cage save for the locked... . Dea looked at the door intently, giving it a gentle nudge. Finding it giving way to her push, she bolted out the cage and chased the irritating blue light. She bounded through several empty corridors after the light, her footsteps light, barely a noise as she gave chase. Eventually her own speed betrayed her as the light turned through a sharp corner, Dea crashing into a rail, plummeting to a face-full of bush. Hastily she exited the bush, and started to preen her tail, feinting ignorance. A quick scan of the courtyard, which seemed to have flowers everywhere, revealed that there was no one there to hear her crash, nor any metal men with sleep needles. It smelled suffocatingly sweet and sickly however, from the stench of the flowers, both blooming and rotting.

The light seemed to wait for her, beckoning her to follow. She crouched down on her haunches and pounced after it vainly, the light somehow able to evade her every move. Dea did not mind however. It was not everyday she gets to run around free and follow a strange flickering light dancing about in the air.

***

She found herself at the bottom of a large tower, where the light had just... flickered out. Dea was a bit disappointed; she had hoped to catch it and eat it, or perhaps see what manner of creature was it. And then eat it. Or not if it wasn't tasty.

It was no matter however, for along the way she had sneaked into a rather strange, warm fluffy sort of room with all these vibrant colors, and poofy things. There was a fat man there running his hands all over a girl there, as she gave a strained smile. Dea was not attracted there because of them however, she was attracted there by the smell of food. She grabbed something long and cylindrical, all linked together and tasted of meat from a plate at the table there, as well as a large juicy steak without them noticing. Not that they would ever notice now that the fat man was burying his face in the girl's bosom, as she closed her eyes with embarrassment. Dea would have just sneaked out and started eating, but that blasted light was flitting about more aggressively then, even going so far as to bump her nose. With steak in her mouth and the meat rope link thing wrapped around her body, she started following it at a more leisurely pace, realizing that it seemed to lead her somewhere.

And now it was gone, and she was left staring at the sky, breathing in air untainted by sweat, blood and fear. Dea sat down on the steps, and started to chew on the steak, which was still dripping some sort of liquid. Her tail flicked lazily back and forth as she chewed slowly on the steak, savoring the taste of it. The links of cylindrical meat was wrapped around her left arm and her neck, no doubt missed by the fat man before.

He didn't look as if he needed more feeding though.

[ProfessorNemo]

The once busy and lively city streets are deserted as the cold night wind begins to blow. The wind kicks up any stray dirt or loose as Marcus appears from out of an alleyway. Compared to escaping the Coliseum,staying hidden on the streets would be a simple task. For someone who lived on the streets all of his life,this was nothing more than a giant playground to him. No one knew the secrets to staying hiding better then the orphans. Not even the guards who patrol the city would be able to find him now that he'd escape from their grasp. As Marcus silently draws closer to his destination,he can't help but reminisce about his hometown as he passes by closed down shops and vendor stands.

Some he and the orphans had raided,while others gave them meager gifts out of pity. Despite how the got their meals,if it wasn't for Helena they would have gone through their supplies in a matter of minutes. It was thanks to her careful planing and guidance that food lasted as long as it did. Marcus stops in his tracks at the thought of his sister. Was she alive ? Was she still a slave ? Was she still even in the city ?

Marcus pushes the thought from his mind as he focuses on he task at hand. Maybe....just maybe...the person who set him free...would be willing to trade for his sisters freedom as well. With a newfound determination,Marcus quickens his pace as the clock tower is in sight.

With a full moon high in the night sky,the clock tower emits an alluring glow as the moonbeams glisten off the midnight dew. Marcus quickly scans the area for any potential threats as he cautiously makes his approach. As he gets closer to the clock tower,the sound of an animal gnawing at a piece of meat fills the air as he continues his steady pace. There....sitting on the steps of the clock tower...is a Riga. Covered in a link of sausages,the Riga continues her meal as she either ignores the young gladiator or is still unaware of his presence.

"So then,I'm guessing your not the one who arranged this little get to together Huh ?" Marcus says as he slowly sits on the stone road.

[Aurum]

Apollus hurried back to his quarters, tired after his meeting with the Chancellor. At least he was walking back to his quarters unscathed, an unlikely event considering the fearful reputation the chancellor had. Starving, he settled down, hoping against hope for a piece of fresh meat or (heaven forbid!) even a little lettuce or cabbage...A tasty treat fit for a Riga king!

As he settled down amongst his carefully arranged belongings, few though they were in number, he spotted a slight oddity in his surroundings. A piece of parchment, neatly folded and colored cream white...with no seal on it. Definitely out of place in his room. Apollus briefly considered asking a guard, or perhaps another slave, to take the letter down to the lost and found. After all, since when did Riga slaves get letters addressed to them for personal matters? And what if it were actually a private and confidential letter for some higher up? Opening it, and reading it's contents could spell...his eternal silence. Riga tongues are extremely difficult to pluck out, but the guards had developed the technique into an art form....Gulp

"Just a little peek...a small one." He thought, cautiously. "That can't do any harm, right?"

And peek he did. And after reading once, he read it again, and again. And then a third time. He had already mastered the human tongue the letter was written in, but the contents it held? Surely, surely he was reading it wrong. After brief consultation with a dictionary and lexicon, he came to a final answer. Firstly, his reading and writing was as impeccable as ever. Secondly, somebody was trying to set him free. Or get him killed. Probably the latter, for, after all, who would actually pick a place as cliched as "The foot of the clock tower" for a clandestine meeting? Yet...the thought of freedom...of tasting the air as a free man, eating and drinking for all he was worth, with no guards to stop him, and no guests to serve or entertain...Just the thought drove him giddy, as if he had recently imbibed barrel after barrel of the honeyed ale so popular with the noblemen and the Patricians.

"Hmmm....If I'm going to sneak out tonight, I'll need to be...silent. Stealthy as a...well, as a cat." He thought to himself. A faint mewl escaped his lips, and his barbed, pink tongue flickered around his mouth, touching his whiskers. "Freedom. Huh, who would ever have thought of it?"

Apollus rushed into action. After all, so many slaves wait, with bated breath, for this very chance, a shot at freedom. And so, like so many others, he too had entertained this vain hope inside him. BUT, unlike others, he had made preparations. Minor ones, that could easily be written of as eccentricities, or oddities, but still...an preparation at all was good preparation. Apollus rushed to his closet, grabbing the single blue gemstone hidden deep within it's confines. Every day, he checked on it, ensuring that it was still there, waiting for him. He could barely sleep for the thought of a thief, breaking in and stealing the one thing he owned that was more precious than anything else he had ever touched. A single gemstone, of a striking iridescent blue that spelled out for him hope if he ever got to use it, and death, if any found it before he had his chance. He wrapped the stone of anthrax carefully among many layers of cloth, concealing it's blue glow with tightly bound layers of rags and soiled cloth.

He got out of the closet his one other treasure. A small canvas sack, hardy and tough, guaranteed to withstand the elements it would undoubtedly fare against on a long journey. He placed the gemstone at the very bottom of the sack, and alongside it...He had very few belongings to call his own. A small pack of food, and a change of clothes. And of course, books. "A guide to Anima" was placed in the pack slowly, reverently, alongside other, lesser volumes. "Herbs and Poisons" and "Wildife of the World" were among the selections placed into the sack, but a dearth of space prevented Apollus from taking anything else. Anyway, the things he had were unlikely to be of much use out in the world beyond the colliseum.

He smiled. The smile of a leopard which has spotted it's prey. It was the last day of his captivity, after all. One way, or the other.

Tomorrow, he would be free.

[Tytus]

Remus was, frankly, frightened. He hadn't been outside since he was a child. Well not truly outside, anyway. Slave curfews and all that.

Remus found that none gathered him to be a slave, after he had hidden his collar. In fact, many had kept away from him, almost like he was interloping; but he figured it simply a busy day. He, too, had better things to do than pay attention to suspicious looking people, after all. He sighed as he dragged his feet through the wispy curls that was the grass, and stares at the ground beneath him, at his own dirtied and veiny feet. Fear crept within him again, and he felt a familiar ice materialize in his gut. It was an ice that would make manifest after emotional extremes, and would melt into a puddle of a water when he gained composure. Only to eventually reform into ice again. What if this was a prank? What if, in fact, the letter was not for him, and he was not the one the writer was expecting?

No. It was placed on my lap like it was meant for me.

Again, Remus exhaled deeply. He would have to press on, now that he came this far. He had left nothing to return to. And so, after a tedious journey of darting between objects as inconspicuously as he could manage, Remus arrived at the foot of the Clocktower a good hour, give or take, before "the stroke of midnight." He right away noticed Asmodeous, the ferocious Riga gladiator, and reached into his pockets for anything sharp as a response. Creeping slowly around the tower, he leaned his back against the cold material that the structure was made of, meaning to listen in on her conversation with..Marcus? He was another gladiator, if Remus remembered correctly. Another ferocious gladiator. But then again, weren't they all?

As the chilling ice reformed within his gut and tugged at his body, Remus decided it was time to leave. To return. Taking careful, deliberate steps, he-

Tripped.

Flailing blindly in the air, trying to gain some kind of miracle leverage to push him back to his feet and escape the ensuing thud, he let out another sigh.

"What am I even doing?"

He fell loudly to the floor, crashing before both gladiators' feet.

[ProfessorNemo]

How long had they been waiting ? Minutes felt like hours as Marcus continued to wait for their mysterious host. Still,despite his generous offer of escape,Marcus couldn't help but wonder....why ? Why would anyone free two slaves ? It would have been simpler just to buy them outright. What could his true objective be ? More questions than answers fill his head as someone falls right at his feet. Marcus quickly jumps to his feet expecting the worst as he prepares to fight. With one quick glance,Marcus relaxes as the intruder is the same as them...an escaped slave. Nothing more than someone else invited to escape their fate. Still,why would their "liberator" invite a butler to join them ? Either way,Marcus goes to help him to his feet.

"Seems like you were invited just like the rest of us." Marcus says as he pulls out his own instructions from their mutual friend.

[Aurum]

Apollus had made his way to the foot of the clocktower earlier that day, just to scout the area out. As an intellectual, he was given rather more freedom than many others of his kind. The area in question was...obscured by trees and bushes around him. A good hiding spot would be easy to find, and so, he staked his claim around a large bush. Thick foliage would be his best cover if he were going to survive the night, he decided.

Come midnight, he had already made his way to the bushes, unbeknowest to the others. At 9:45, he had set out from his rooms. And of course, as luck would have it, at 9:47, he had been spotted by a guard. Intellectuals may have freedom at night, but being less than no use for heavy work and lifting, they are given curfews earlier than any other batch of slaves. Setting foot of their rooms after 8:30 was considered a blatant defiance of authority, and would be punished accordingly. Of course, the guard who saw him had scarcely expected the Riga to vanish into thin air...After all, how few knew the power of the Anthrax stones when applied correctly? Riga intellectuals were, perhaps, the best tools for bringing out the latent power of the anthrax stone, for good or for evil.

Of course, Apollus couldn't afford to wait. He had practiced late at night in his room, using the limitless power of the stone time and again to hone his skills, but still...holding invisibility for over a few seconds was a difficult task. He had, on a few occasions, broken the one minute barrier, but these exertions had caused the poor Riga to faint in his room, to be awoken only by the impatient thumping of the guards on his room's doors. Apollus scrambled away from the area, all the way trying to ensure that his concentration did not waiver... A little stray thought, and he wouldn't live to see the sunset...

As he rushed across the paved courtyard, he spotted another Riga...Marcus, a young gladiator. "A gladiator, eh...Well, little Marcus, this old Riga still has a few tricks up his sleeve...And he isn't that old either." After all, what else would a gladiator be doing here, but readying himself for the kill? It seemed unlikely that Marcus would be there for anything else. Already distrusting the letter greatly, Apollus was tempted to just leave the spot and hurry back to his quarters. After all, life wasn't so bad, right? And the death rates amongst the free people were...horrifying. Almost worse than those of the slaves...

Yet, as if pushed forward by an unseen force, he continued on his journey. Giving up was no longer an option. Still, invisible, albeit with brief flickers of visibility that ruined the entire point of the exercise, he continued onward.

Upon reaching the desired area, Apollus was struck by another surprise. Another gladiator...

He dived into the bushes, quickly ensuring that he was not seen by anybody else. Why somebody would want him dead was....beyond him.

- - - Updated - - -

Apollus had made his way to the foot of the clocktower earlier that day, just to scout the area out. As an intellectual, he was given rather more freedom than many others of his kind. The area in question was...obscured by trees and bushes around him. A good hiding spot would be easy to find, and so, he staked his claim around a large bush. Thick foliage would be his best cover if he were going to survive the night, he decided.

Come midnight, he had already made his way to the bushes, unbeknowest to the others. At 9:45, he had set out from his rooms. And of course, as luck would have it, at 9:47, he had been spotted by a guard. Intellectuals may have freedom at night, but being less than no use for heavy work and lifting, they are given curfews earlier than any other batch of slaves. Setting foot of their rooms after 8:30 was considered a blatant defiance of authority, and would be punished accordingly. Of course, the guard who saw him had scarcely expected the Riga to vanish into thin air...After all, how few knew the power of the Anthrax stones when applied correctly? Riga intellectuals were, perhaps, the best tools for bringing out the latent power of the anthrax stone, for good or for evil.

Of course, Apollus couldn't afford to wait. He had practiced late at night in his room, using the limitless power of the stone time and again to hone his skills, but still...holding invisibility for over a few seconds was a difficult task. He had, on a few occasions, broken the one minute barrier, but these exertions had caused the poor Riga to faint in his room, to be awoken only by the impatient thumping of the guards on his room's doors. Apollus scrambled away from the area, all the way trying to ensure that his concentration did not waiver... A little stray thought, and he wouldn't live to see the sunset...

As he rushed across the paved courtyard, he spotted another Riga...Marcus, a young gladiator. "A gladiator, eh...Well, little Marcus, this old Riga still has a few tricks up his sleeve...And he isn't that old either." After all, what else would a gladiator be doing here, but readying himself for the kill? It seemed unlikely that Marcus would be there for anything else. Already distrusting the letter greatly, Apollus was tempted to just leave the spot and hurry back to his quarters. After all, life wasn't so bad, right? And the death rates amongst the free people were...horrifying. Almost worse than those of the slaves...

Yet, as if pushed forward by an unseen force, he continued on his journey. Giving up was no longer an option. Still, invisible, albeit with brief flickers of visibility that ruined the entire point of the exercise, he continued onward.

Upon reaching the desired area, Apollus was struck by another surprise. Another gladiator...

He dived into the bushes, quickly ensuring that he was not seen by anybody else. Why somebody would want him dead was....beyond him.

[GreenGoat]

She was licking the juices the steak had left on her fingers, careful not to dirty her clothes with it. Blood on her clothes was acceptable, but smearing her food all over it was grounds for another punishment from her handler.

Her ears swiveled forward as she registered a sound, footsteps of a stranger, and seemingly armed.

For a moment, she froze, surprise clear on her face, then she got up on her feet, and gave a warning growl, baring her teeth. Dea wasn't really interested in them however, for she still had the meat rope chain things to eat. Quickly and effortlessly, she leap onto the tower's walls, deftly finding cracks and irregularities on the wall, and climbed up onto a ledge, where she was sure they wouldn't follow.

Even as she ate the meat links, savoring their strange yet familiar taste, her eyes were constantly darting about the place, ready for any more surprises. Her ears picked out several more footsteps, and she could smell the people who was heading to this very spot at the moment. Quite strange, for usually most gatherings she had seen would involve people fighting each other, and mostly trying to kill her. The question now, was whether to kill them all before more comes, or wait and see what they do. She had never fought here before, so perhaps they may be gathered here to do something else, probably connected to the tower she was on.