Calliope parried the orc's frenzied strikes, her saber flexing alarmingly even with the glancing blow. She backed grudgingly forced to yield ground to attackers that outweighed her several times. The orcs and beastmen howled their battle cries which drowned out the scarcely less bestial crow. A minotaur like creature crashed into the back of one of the orcs attempting to outflank the pair of humans, bearing it to the ground and plunging a rusty short sword into it's back a half dozen times. It raised its head and brayed in triumph for the split second it took for another orc to spit its head from antlers to jawbone. Calliope lunged forward twice in quick succession, thrusting her steel once into neck and once into the area she imagined the beasts kidney must reside. The orc gave her a reproachful as blood fountained from its neck. It took a step towards her and then collapsed spasming in the dust. It was a rare victory for her, the saber she was using was scarcely heavy enough to cut into the thick orc hides, and lunging left her too vulnerable against multiple opponents. She concentrated on attempting to ward of the orcs blows and make openings for Bahadir. The pit fighter's heavy axe had none of the trouble the saber did, and the heavily muscles Arabyian lost no time in adapting to the strategy, waiting for Calliope to turn a thrust and then bringing the axe down to sever a limb or split a skull.

Unfortunately it was too good to last. An enraged orc let out a bellow and took a lumbering run, leaping from atop the corpses of his fellows to land between the two fighters. Calliope and Bahadir had to split up or be crushed by the lumbering brute. Calliope hamstrung it as she whirled clear and was immediately smashed to the ground by a charging beastman. The great brute landed on top of her, roaring and spraying spittle. The hot animal stink of it made her gag and her flesh crawled where it rubbed against rough oily fur. Screaming with fury Calliope drove her knee into the beasts genitals. It was enough of a man yet to howl in pain and roll off her. Calliope clung to it ending up astride its grotesquely swollen stomach. Without space to reverse her blade, she punched the hilt into the things bovine mouth spraying teeth and blood.

"Qursan!" Bahadir shouted in warning and Calliope rolled forward over the writhing beastman a split second before a meaty thwack sprayed blood over the sand behind her. She spun in time to see the largest and last surviving orc ripping an axe out of the cleaved rib cage of the beastman. Light and pain exploded across her vision and she found herself laying in the dirt having been brained by a rock thrown from the crowd. The orc took a step towards her as she desperately tried to reach for her sword. The greenskin bared its fangs but then whirled to meet Bahadir's charge.