The great port city of Grimache was in its usual state of social and chaotic flux. The towns people scurried to the markets, the longshore men operated large rigs to transport goods from other lands and the school of alchemy rumbled with the sounds of chemical explosions and portal experimentation. The sky was always in a strange state of dark daytime, it was hard to tell what time of day it was, as the sky was purple with ambiguity. The area with the most commotion however was the ARENA, even in this world bloodsport was still a very lucrative form of entertainment and the city of Grimache took full advantage of this. Somewhere in one of the guest rooms just outside the main coliseum, a heated debate was taking place.....





Artemis James had his hands open as he spoke, it was if he was trying to inspire reason and understanding, but with limited results. He was facing down a sinewy politician named Francios Hakkan who was aided by two fully armored sentinels, who acted as goverment bodyguards. Artemis was wary of this and tried to contain his tone of voice to keep it civil. In the main room of the suite 8 people from distant lands laid on the floor in varying states of conciousness, having just entered in the room through a portal.

How was I supposed to know where a portal was going to open? You know how tempermental these things are, there was no way I could control it?

The politician Hakkan tilted his head past Artemis and glanced at the 8 on the floor behind him in the next room, he adjusted his glasses with a look of dissaproval in his eye.

I count not one mistake Mr James, but eight, 8 people lay on your hotel floor and they are all warriors, I can tell by the armor. Were you a naive stranger I might forgive this wild conduct, but we are all very aware of the mad scientist who was expelled from the department of portal study, you are hardly a sympathetic character...

Artemis balled his fists and looked at the floor in embrassment, his expulsion was widely publisized and even though it was 3 years ago, he is completely unable to live it down, it was hurting his credibility in almost every conversation about portals that he had.

I had my day in court and I was cleared of all criminal charges, besides this is a different matter and you know it, you have no legal presidence over me Frank, I havent broken any laws.

The mention of Hakkan's abreviated first name caused him to ball his fists too, the sentinels rasied their weapons slightly in anticipation of possible conflict.

How dare you! My name is Councilman Hakkan to all lowly plebians such as yourself. You may not have broken any direct laws but I see 8 undocumented strangers in your hotel room, that havent been processed for tax, they are now property of the goverment where they will be laboured for possible citizenship. Unless you plan to purchase all of them as personal companions under the guild laws?

Hakkan snickered under his words, knowing the insane amount of money that would cost. Artemis' voice became streched and slightly panicked.

Goverment processing for citizenship? Its slavery Councilman and you know it! Much like my expulsion, most of us are aware of your gambling problem and your tendencies to have goverment labourers engage in shady activites for profit.....especially when it comes to the arena...

Hakkan gulped loudly, he knew what Artemis was going to say.

...I do plan to purchase their companionship under the guild laws. And I'll do it with your money Frank, I challenge your Hakkan Ludus of gladitiators for the prize money in the open exhibition games. Legally I have 24 hours before you can confiscate them, and the next matches start in 4 hours, so I suggest you start preparing your fighters.

Hakkan grumbled under his breath and adjusted his glasses once more to look at the 8 people behimd Artemis in slightly greater detail.

...Y..You'll have your competition, outcast....but when my Ludus slaughters your band of time jumping misfits, you will be in serious debt to the government sir, which means serious debt to me. See you at the games.

At once Hakkan turned on his heel and left the room along with his two sentinels leaving Artemis alone with his 8 warriors who were just properly waking up.

How much of that did you hear? Do you understand? You'll have to fight soon, I'm sorry its the only way I'll be able to secure you any sort of freedom from the government. How are you all feeling right now? There is an assortment of fruits and bread on the table if you are feeling hungry. My name is Artemis James. I brought you here.

Ixtli lay on the wooden floor of the room, her ears detecting the end of the two males conversation; keeping her eyes shut she grasped the razor sharp obsidian dagger which she carried in a small hide sheath at her left side. Unsure where she was, or what was going on for last she remembered she was surrounded by Greek hoplites in the depths of her savage home. She still had all her weapons as far as she could tell however, and didn't seem to be bound in anyway but caution and low cunning would be her greatest tool for the moment until she got her bearings straightened out.

Ixtli turned her head and cracked one of her fierce bronze colored eyes open, spotting the guarded creature leaving its appearance further putting her on edge as it appeared to be a monster of some kind. As the other male spoke his words hit her ears and were easily understood despite the strange sounds he made; her body lifted up off the floor in a hurry moving with the quickness of a panther as she rolled onto her feet. Bouncing back from the group on the balls of her heels, hand tightly clenched on the hilt of her knife; ready to lash out like a viper at any possible moment; her attire consisted of a hide skirt which hung snug around her waist but left both legs exposed and a matching band around her breasts as well. Her entire body rippled with toned and tight muscle, giving her the legendary physique and exotic dark skinned beauty of the Amazons; she had dark brown hair which was pinned together with small animals bones keeping it from becoming an easily grabbed area in a fight. A single claw from a great panther hung around her neck, a symbol of great power for defeating such a beast in one on one combat with not but a knife; a row of scars descending her left arm as a token of the great cats esteem.

"Fin are yeri? Fini is jinak gache!?" (Who are you? What is this place!?)

Well...this was new

The last thing Morty remembered, he was surrounded by guards as they prepared to give him an early execution. But now he was in a strange place with strange people. Hell, one of them didn't even look human. "Either I be dead, or th' rum be a lot stronger then I be used t'" Morty chuckled. "No, that's nah it. I feel as alive as ever, 'n I be nah feelin' any o' th' other effects o' bein' drunk. 'tis all real" A quick check of his person showed that he still had all of his things; including his trust firearm; Diplomacy. "I be nah sure where 'here' be, but 'tis a lot better then th' gallows. Ye saved me life, 'n I be nah th' kind o' scallywag who let's his debts go unpaid."

Feeling hungry; Morty walked over to the table with food and grabbed so fruit. If there was one thing he learned from his time at sea (and he learned a lot), it was to always eat fruit when you could. That miracle food fought of scurvy, the bane of all sailors. After he finished one, he turned to the solo female among them "calm down lass. Ye're makin' everyone else tense wit' that behavior. 'tis likely t' start a fight that no one really wants." Back at sea, overly jumpy people tended to react in a manner that was harmful to their fellow cremates. Although in her case, it seemed different. Less panic and more primal.

Then Morty addressed the rest of them "So, since we be goin' t' be workin' together fer th' foreseeable future, I reckon it'd be best if we got t' know each other. Ye can call me Morty; I be a pirate, 'n I 'ave trouble wit' scallywags that 'ave more political power then they do sense." Looking over at their host, he asked "by th' way; jus' wha' was that queer beastie ye were arguin' wit' afore?"

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His eyes opened slowly, his consciousness immediately noticing the difference in texture on his back. He had fallen asleep on a straw mat, which had done little to defend him from the icy cold, yet upon awakening he felt the strong support of wooden planks with a comforting warmth surrounding him. As the grogginess of his slumber quickly dissipated, he stood to his full stature, towering over the warriors before him. He could tell by the weight on his shoulders and hips that he had retained every piece of his armour, and a quick movement of his hands confirmed that his axes had not left his person either. It did however seem that he had lost the rest of his personal armoury, likely because he hadn't kept them while he slept.

He had woken early enough to hear the conversation between the man and the toad, and had stood after the toad left.
"He seems to be of the same tree as the English Nobles. Cowardly, conniving men of little value."
He observed outloud, his deep voice rumbling like the ocean before a storm.
"Why have you brought us here, Warlock? Surely you had warriors aside from us to challenge him."
He asked calmly, addressing the long-haired man before him.

Kyro's eyes snapped open, but his body and mind did not give way to panic. The last thing he recalled before the present moment was the freezing air of a cold Japanese night. He and the eight ninjas of his band were infiltrating a war-fortress to rescue the tenth member of their small organization of shadowed warriors. They had slit throats and dodged patrols until they'd sneaked their way into center of the fortress, where several Ronin had surrounded a cage. Inside the cage had been a young woman, clad in black cloth like the nine warriors that had infiltrated the compound. Her name was Mayako, and she was Kyro's best student, and also the only woman he'd ever loved. They nine ninjas had been descending on the Ronin, Kyro had even had his dagger pointed towards the head of one, and then he'd disappeared, only to wake up in a foreign room, the fate of his comrades and love unknown to him.

He sat up, noting that his hood lay against his back and his mask around his neck - his identity was exposed. Though he could feel the weight of his kusarigama and kunai, he knew he was in a vulnerable position. Despite this, the man made no attempt to reset his disguise. Instead, he jumped to his feet, standing to observe the others around him. The first he saw what a tall, tan woman who was half-naked with a dagger in her hand. The second, a westerner, dressed in the coat of an Englishmen. The third looked like a westerner, but Kyro had never seen his armor on any other warrior.

The long haired man that spoke to them all caught Kyro's attention. Instead of addressing anyone, he simply stepped back to the wall behind him and listened, folding his arms across his chest. For him to panic would only worsen his chances of getting back to save Mayako.

4 of the 8 warriors had awoken, all displaying different personalities, just as he predicted. The Amazon seemed paranoid and guarded, and understandably so, she was in a room full of what she would have percieved to be the enemy for most of her life: men. The Ronin had stayed very quiet and seemed to just be listening before he made any decisions. The Pirate had taken the inititive to start talking and introduce himself, while the Viking quietly inquired about their situation to him. Artemis now had some hope that this just might work.

Herleif, I'm afraid I am just a simple scholar interested in portal science, I'm not a fight promoter. All my knowledge of combat is derived from history books on famous wars and watching the occasional exhibition match here in the Arena, this proposal for you to fight was pretty much improvised on the spot, I had to dissuade that scumbag hakkan from confiscating you...



Artemis put a hand into his coat pocket and approached Herlief and Morty slowly brandishing a purple crystal, it was humming with an unnatural glow, and even Artemis looked visibly intimidated holding it.

This was the source of my mistake, gentleman. These crystals are called 'Dimen-stones' and they are sometimes found at the scene of a random portal openening. I have been secretly collecting them for the last 2 years, hoping to harness and control the portals, but I was hasty, I initiated an experiment based on opening portals to your worlds and times, but it seems as if the effect has caused you all to spill into my world at once. This was not my intention, but you are all here now and we have to make the most of it. Luckily you seem to all have your armor and most of your weapons with you. You will need them for the arena.

Artemis shoved the crystal back in his pocket with a look of relief on his face, he then motioned all 4 of the councious warriors over to the hotel window which overlooked the coliseum.



There are 4 matches against the Hakkan Ludus that you must complete to earn enough money to buy your freedom:

The first is a standard 2 on 2 battle, a pair of you will have to fight together to fight the opposing team to the death.

The second is a party exhibition match 4 of you will face a single 'champion level' foe, trust me when I say youll need the numbers to deal with what he throws at you.

Thridly there is a 1 on 1 special match where a single warrior will face another in combat but the arena will transform into a hazardous stage. I commend the bravery of those of you who feel up to this.

The fourth match I have no details on, hopefully if we have completed the first 3 we wil be ready for anything, decide amongst yourselves who will be taking on which challenge. I'll offer as many details as possible.

Ixtli listened intently though still backed into her own space towards the corner of the square room, her eyes going between each of the males; a look of deep seeded distrust in her eyes. Her wooden ball club clenched in her right hand tightly, held down by her side for now as the man explained why they were here and what was being done. As he motioned those standing to the window Ixtli stubbornly walked just far enough to see over some of the shorter men, refusing to come any closer than five feet to them; though she figured she needed to listen if her freedom truly was at stake as Artemis had said.

"Anha will vo fight ma men, " (I will not fight with men.)

She voiced from her location several feet away upon hearing of group and cooperative fights, spiting even the idea of having to share a battle with a man. As she said this Ixtli grasped an apple from the table curiously biting into the fruit, having seen the pirate already eat some of the fruit himself; confirming to her that it wasn't poisoned. As she chewed on the apple her right hand lifted the smoothly sanded wooden club which had a slight inwards curve and a solid wooden ball carved into it as the striking head. Over three and a half feet long and made from dark jungle wood, the hilt was wrapped in worn animal hide and a white feather hung from the slightly pointed end of the handle; bringing the club up to rest against her shoulder while eating waiting for a response to base her next action off of; escape not outside of her thoughts.

The lone female among them was already proving that she was not a very good team player. Not that big of a deal. Hell, Morty frequently had to deal with rowdy sailors on a boat miles away from any kind of civilization. Compared to that, having to placate a single person would be easy. "Well that's fine. Thar's a mono e mono fight we 'ave t' win, so ye can 'ave that one. Thar, problem solved." With the one on one fight decided, that left the other three

Morty looked around the room, when his eyes locked on the one person her who was both awake, and silent "Ye thar, hidin' in th' shadows. Don't reckon I didn' notice ye." As he walked over, he caught a glimpses of the other man's weapon as he went in for a closer look, he started talking again "Wha' manner o' weapon be that, a o' wee scythe on a chain? Har! Th' scallywags o' yer lands 'ave strange weapons...but I reckon I like them. Alright, I've decided; th' two o' us will handle th' two on two fight. He pulled the other man into a one armed hug.

Anatolius

Upon awakening, the first thing Anatolius felt was pain. Far from the agony one would expect from a bolt of lightning, it was more of a slight ache in his muscles. In all likelihood, it was simply fatigue from the battle. This could only mean one thing: by the grace of the Lord, his life had been preserved. When the sound of nearby conversation reached his ears, the Hellene concluded that his comrades had retrieved him from the field, and were already celebrating their victory over the usurper Eugenius. Thus, Anatolius opened his eyes, and was promptly greeted to a sight entirely at odds with his expectations.

The legionary found himself lying upon a floor within a room of decidedly foreign construction, surrounded by individuals in equally foreign garb. After rising to his feet, Anatolius took a moment to inspect these strangers more closely. The tall, bearded man likely hailed from one of the countless northern tribes inhabiting Magna Germania. The woman was of Mediterranean stock, but her primitive garb didn't so much as resemble that of the peoples he was familiar with. One appeared to be a Cataphract of some description, judging by his fully enclosed suit of armour. Two of the men bore somewhat Hunnic features, but wore radically different garments. As for the remaining two, the Hellene was far too baffled by their outlandish clothes to even begin to comprehend their heritage.

Among strange individuals in a strange land, Anatolius was at first unsure of how to proceed. It was at this point that the incomprehensible speech from earlier suddenly became clear to him. A man by the name of Artemis had utilized some brand of sorcery to bring them here. Not only that, but they were to fight in an arena, lest they become slaves to the residing lords of this land. The Hellene was familiar with such practices, for in spite of the Church's best efforts, the struggle to curb them within the Empire had yet to conclude. After some rumination, Anatolius finally spoke up.

"I have led my fellow legionarii in many a battle against those who would challenge Roma. Of the four that remain amongst us, I will be more than willing to lead them against this 'champion', if they will have me."

The man remained in his silent position until the western fool stepped towards, at which time, he stood more straight, his hands ready for action. The sailor stepped towards Kyro, who narrowed his eyes slightly. "私の近くに来ることはありません."("Do not come near me.") He muttered in his own tongue. As the pirate put his arm around him, the ninja pressed his palm against the man's side and pushed with force that would rarely be expected from a man of Kyro's size.

"My weapon -" Kyro spoke in deep-voiced, yet thickly accented English. "Kusarigama." He slide the sickle from it's loop on his waist. "Allow me to strike enemy from distance if want, and close if want." He stated to the pirate. He waited for the Roman to finish, then looked at Artemis. "Forgive bad English. Why I fight? If I want, I leave, and no guard see me. What stop me from that?"

With the attention now on him, one might see, though he wasn't tall, Kyro was obviously a warrior. His fitting black uniform covered most of his body, but his slack hood revealed the tip of a long scar that began on the side of his neck and then traveled down out of sight in his shirt. Kyro knew he wasn't physically intimidating, but he also knew his surroundings. People could be unpredictable. Despite no one in this room having reason to play foully, the man watched everyone with quick, attentive eyes.

Edmund awoke silently, his eyes darting about the room, expecting his wife, his children, all he saw was a group of strange people in strange clothes, a man from the northern countries, that much was for sure, he was dressed in armor that looked so out of date Edmund could almost spot the rust. There was an even stranger man, speaking of a different world, and... an arena? Battles? Edmund was not in the mood for this, he looked at the odd man, after stealing a glance at the unarmored man speaking in a dialect so alien he barely recognized it as English.

"I am awoken! who is't dares imprison a knight of England? Who is't dares imprison one knight'd by the king himself? A sir baptiz'd in hurlyburly and bath'd in blood! I am Edmund Redwood, knight of the house of Lancast'r! all those who is't dareth may standeth in mineth way, and beest did knock down!" He marched forth and laughed more and more, looking at each of the others who stood in the room.

"How many m're has't thee lot did imprison? How many shall beest did save at which hour i did beat thee all within inches of thy life and setteth those folk all free? Or, in the language of cowards; 'Je suis un nuit! Au revoir!'" Edmund never professed to being fluent in the French language, but he was sure that was a threat of some kind. Whatever the case, he stood up, prepared to fight.

Clutching his crystal in his pocket, Artemis paced up and down the hotel room floor while listening to the words of the people who awoke around him, he could understand their confusion and reluctance to this new and potentially dangerous situation. After grabbing an apple of the table and taking a bite, did his best to try and answer the questions.



He first turned to the Amazon, whos was still clearly on edge and not looking to make friends anytime soon, but as Morty pointed out, this would work out fine for 1 on 1 match, as she could clearly hold her own in a fight. Artemis raised his hands with open palms to signify that he meant no harm as he walked a little closer.

Ixtli, you will not have to fight with men, I will have you fight on your own against a single opponent. All you have to do is win, that's how we earn our freedom. Good Luck.

Artemis quickly backed off and turned toward Kyro, who raised a point that he couldnt ignore; why couldnt they just kill the guards and escape?

I'm more than aware of your skills, Ninja with a little bit of help we may just be able to kill the guards of this hotel, and maybe even the sentinel at the door, but then what? You would then be wanted by the entire city of Grimache and facing down the sentinel milita, who you would never win against. Even if you were able to sneak out of the city, there is nothing but wyvrens and lions in the mountains to the north for at least 35 miles, and then the port to the south is an endless ocean even with a boat. The only way for you or any of you to get home is to earn your freedom in the arena, help me fix these portals and be sent home to your own time.

Artemis turned to the whole group and raised his fist in encouragement.

I'm just as much as a prisoner as you are, by having you here I owe a serious tax debt to that piece of shit Hakkan, and I want to be free of the authorites as much as you do. So lets talk about these matches:

Morty, you seem more than capable of working with a partner for the 2 on 2 match but I'm unsure if Kyro should be that partner....however your fighting disciplines would be powerful when combined so we will risk it.

Anatolius...your skills as a general are well documented, you shall indeed lead the remaining fighters against the champion, and as stated before the Amazon will fight the special match solo. Get your weapons ready and finish what you are eating we are heading to the lobby of the arena now.

Ixtli looked at the male as he spoke, his hands up in the air as she finished the remainder of the apple she picked up; tossing the core backwards onto the floor behind her swallowing the last bit she pointed the end of her powerful wooden club at Artemis's chest in warning. Her free hand resting on the end of her obsidian bladed dagger, which was barely four inches long but sharper than any steel they carried; albeit brittle and ineffective in direct clash.

"If yeri qosarvenikh, anha cut yeri zhor out ma eat anna."
(If you lie, I'll cut your heart out and eat it"

Leaving him with that warning the woman backed up, finding a lone spot in the corner of the room where she opted to sit with her legs crossed on the wooden floor; examining her club for any defects her razor honed obsidian knife lightly flaking strips of the wood she deemed unnecessary off wishing she had also had her bow on her before being forcibly brought into this world.

The words of the now named female, Ixtil, only amused Morty "Har! By thunder, that strumpet has a bloody inclination. As long as she doesn't come aft me head, I cares not wha' foul words she 'as fer me." And Morty laughed, in a way that a man who was prepared for death, only to be taken somewhere else could be. "As for the rest of you; I reckon I be goin' t' like ye all jus' fine. Now maybe I be bein' a wee quick t' say that, but ye don't live long as a gentleman o' fortune if ye don't develop instincts like this handsomely."

Going back to the table with the food, Morty took a seat and went back to eating fruit. " Well then, when ye scallywags are done natterin', jus' give me a call. I'll be right here, fillin' me stomach wit' as much fruit as I can. 'tis amazin' how months at sea can make ye love such simple grub like this." That last part was said as an after thought, as though he was talking to himself, and not the others.

@Vas Khaleen @Dynamo Frokane

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As Artemis explained the circumstances surrounding him, he nodded while furrowing his brow. He vaguely understood the meaning of this explanation, though some of the terms were beyond his grasp. Looking through the transparent wall he found himself able to recognize the construction of the coliseum, similar to the ones found among his homeland, albeit much greater in magnitude. As Artemis described the stone he used to summon them all, he nodded in understanding.

"Your strength in Magic is impressive for a man, Women are often the fairest manipulators of magics. Their souls are closer to the Gods, purer."

His eyes then moved to the Roman and the Britain, a subtle fire burning in his eyes as he was forced to remember the Innocent blood he had seen men similar shed in the name of their gods. He walked to the table, retrieving a loaf of bread and ripping it in half, then approached the lone woman among them. Stopping a few feet before her, he lowered his head and placed a half-clenched fist onto his chest, a symbol of respect within his family. He then offered one of the half-loaves to her, his outstretched hand remaining a few feet away. He could tell she was apprehensive and untrusting of the men around her, a quality they both shared.

"I am Herlief, Son of Brynjar."

He stated, introducing himself to the likely confused warrior before him

Ixtli watched the large bearded man, her grip tightening on the wooden club as he approached; narrowing her gaze in a warning manner to the male. As he extended the bread towards her she looked at it strangely, having never even seen such a food type her left hand thrusting the obsidian dagger into the soft crust; taking no interest in if she hit the male himself though it wasn't her intent. Bringing the bread to her nose she curiously sniffed at it before biting into the soft loaf, chewing on it slowly as she swallowed the strange substance; looking at it oddly as she let it slide off her blade not particularly enjoying its outlandish taste.

"Ixtli, Ma im vo yeri okeo." (Ixtli, and im not your friend.)

Her native tongue came out quite guttural and simple, with short hard sounds; her hand still tightly bound around the end of her wooden club legs crossed as she looked around wondering if there was any meats to be had.

@hagroden