The Trial of Gladiator

[Miro]

The Aurist could see just how confident Venser was in himself. He could see the doubt that he held for Remora clearly, and the utter disgust that the shallow words inspired. The radiant aura became disturbed, flowed violently about, intimidated the undead. And the superiority the man felt as he spoke, it gave the Ice Reaver shivers.

Remora said nothing as he was called on his bluff, too proud to admit fault he wouldn't stick around any longer. The creature moved back through the portal and back to Fyrden. The aura around the creature flared once more before dying down, and the swirling black portal faded back to painted stone. Miro found Venser's comments hilarious. Ender did not share the same opinion.

"Yes, Ender, shall we try again? I guess your brother was not any better than you. I had suspected as much. There is no better Irylid than my partner, and any other would be second rate. Instead get the best of another race. A Gordios perhaps, though I know you are not quite fond of them. Instead perhaps a Kirt, if you know any."

Indeed Ender did know a Kirt, and he definitely considered himself the best of his race. The Irylid would admit that he had acknowledge this individual as exceptional, though it was not the compliment it sounded. The ways in which they were exceptional held little value in Ender's eyes. However, despite this, he moved back to the plate.

"I know just the Kirt." This was not someone that the Familiar would want to help. No, he had a a different motive, one quite devious. He would only bring him here if he could make his existence even more miserable on Mizahar. The fact that it obeyed Miro's order was even better.

The Summoner returned to his plate and placed his middle finger against the plate. His thumb still throbbed from the last use, and it was not something he would continue to abuse. Again he concentrated on his Djed and willed it to pool at the tip of his finger. He imagined the transmutation at the point of greatest concentration and called upon his memory of the model, but it was difficult still.

Morphing was a difficult task, but with each transmutation it became easier. This time it felt more natural than the last, but without his gesture, it was quite the challenge. Instead it would be substituted by an incantation. "Tight dry flesh become loose, liquefy into crimson juice." And the Morpher manifested his will through his Djed and transmuted his skin to blood.

The portal activated, and the aura engulfed Ender who sank into the dark vortex below. A hissing sound came from the portal as the silvery orb was engulfed by the portal, and the wizard could sense his partner was now far, far away. A few chimes passed, but the wizard hadn't ceased his observation of the gladiator's aura. He was curious to see exactly what Venser felt. He was a glorious showman, even out of the ring.

Finally the aura flared again, and Ender rose from the portal with no small display of sparks and crackling sounds. The aura changed colors and wavered intently. Then it grew immensely in size and began to shower sparks all about. Miro backed away and covered his ears at the loud screeching that came from it. From the black depths rose another creature.

This Summon appeared as a being of various colored ores. His size was quite immense, larger than Ender easily, but with a strange form. It appeared as some form of large spiked toad. It had long claws, sharp teeth and wicked eyes, but apart from that quite resembled the animal. Its coloring was mostly of a slick black, but with faint tones of red and green as well.

Before Ender could introduce the Summon, it introduced itself. "I am Karn of the Kirt. I am both surprised and flattered to be chosen as a potential Familiar. Not because I find myself an undesirable, but because I have been Summoned by my rival, Ender. I had always bested him on Fyrden, but it turns out he was luckier than I. He found himself a wizard some time ago, finally beat me."

Karn turned to the Summoner who held him in place. "You are his wizard, are you? A Summoner, how fortunate for me." The Summon began to walk forth and attempt to step out of the circle. Miro held firm on his leash, but could not contain the creature. He fought against its advance with all of his will, but it was useless. He could feel the strain on the leash, any more and it would snap.

Ender moved wearily toward his master, unsure of what to say. He was even unsure of what to feel. Part of him wished to kill the Kirt now, but he knew that was too good for him. "Yes, Karn and I have fueded for as long as I can remember. He is a vile example of a Kirt, but the only Fyrdenese I have been able to call my intellectual equal."

The Kirt walked toward Venser, an awkward sight, to watch a toad crawl. "You mean intellectual superior. And you also understate just how vile I can truly be, for those who are worth nothing." Karn sat and stared up at Venser. "But you seem to have some worth, now don't you? You are dripping with blood, yet you do not cry out in pain as other Humans do when they bleed. Tell me this Human. Why should I bond with someone so reckless?"

[Venser Rush]

The very name of the Familiar, and the type, distinguished him from Ender and Remora. Vowel sounds, two in number, prominent and spaced in the name. Both Irylids and rather similar in personality. This one, Karn, the Kirt... was distinct. The Rush twin did not notice Miro's struggle with the beast, for he was far, far too occupied in listening to it speak. It spoke with an eloquence that was superior to Ender or Remora's. It bragged and threw about its power, but it very clearly showed such strength in its demeanor. It did not demand respect in words, but clearly showed it in his confidence. The Familiar's demeanor also prompted Venser to analyze it.

He was interested. He wanted to know more.

Venser's eyes closed for a moment as he mustered his djed. The power rose from the depths of his soul and collected in his eyes, the lids parting to allow crystalline orbs, swollen with djed, to view the Kirt. Venser synchronized not only his djed with his eyes, but he threw it at Karn, synchronized it with the aura, which he found was a vibrant gold in his eyes. He interlocked silver, his own, with gold, entwining them with the magic and allowing his djed to fuel the connection, awareness suddenly arise within him as the Kirt's words coursed through his thoughts.

Intellectually superior. Observant. Immediately cast upon my body to notice the blood of the other creature. He, rather than rendering himself docile, actively challenged my authority. I seek not a Familiar that I can easily tame, for only the meek and the foolish are so easily swerved from their understanding of themselves.

Karn. This... toad. This Kirt. He is distinct.

The aura flared at Venser. He felt the readings that radiated into his mind, reduced to a squint as if he were staring at the body of Syna herself. Venser was overwhelmed by confidence. Droves upon droves of it, with the fervent and present ability to wear upon others with words alone. How it reminded Venser of himself. Auristics began to fade away as Venser captured his answer, steeling himself with it as the wave of dizziness, the mental fatigue of the application of Auristics, coursed through him. It took time to get over.

Venser paused for yet another moment before he sat himself down so that he was nearing level sight with the Kirt. He kept eye contact, unblinking and certain in his verse as he replied,

"You will bond with me because I command you to. I will be your link into this world. I felled the being that coated me in its blood and wounded my body. I slaughtered it and reveled in its slaughter. You state yourself as vile, and that is what I require. I need not a fool to follow upon my command. If I wished for a slave, I would not bind it to my soul. I would purchase it from this world and be done with yours.

I wish for a mind that challenges my own and extends it. If you are as intelligent as you claim to be, then you will accept this proposal, for with your personality, as similar as it is to my own, it is without doubt that you would toil on your planet for the rest of your life cycle and never know this one."

The Rush twin did not recoil upon his words, stating them candidly, ensuring that his tone was slow, seamless. He had seen the shade of his own personality in Karn, and was almost afraid of it.

It was this very fear that he wished to bind to him, for to become one's own fear was to transcend it.

Transformation through decimation.

[Miro]

Miro yet again observed closely the aura of his target. He released all restraint upon the leash, as he did not find it necessary anymore. As Venser yet again interacted with a potential Familiar, the Aurist expended Djed rapidly to gain insight as quickly as possible. More and more it was becoming apparent that the two would bond. The way the creature spoke, how it defied the leash, it was quite impressive. Something he had never witnessed from a Summon before.

Karn listened carefully to the words spoken to him, but made no sound or move. He carefully weighed what was said before finally he spoke "You could have some traits in common with me, perhaps to some degree. And as you say, I am no fool. You give me a command and say that you do not wish to have a Familiar that will obey commands. But as well your logic is sound. You are my ticket off of Fyrden." The Summon scratched its head with a hind claw.

Ender yet again shifted to his replicant form, a variant of Miro dressed in black and without a mask. Yet again he retrieved the contract and stood by ready to offer it. The Kirt looked at the corpse of the Diverse, quite brutally murdered. "You seem capable, intelligent, tough. Yeah, I can see we have a bit in common. I will obey your command this one time, but it will be the last. I know no master, no superior. I will never be your slave, Human."

The contract was provided, and the Kirt wrote his name with one of his claws. A black signature was left upon a blank space provided. Ender took the parchment and held it before Venser next. "Write your name upon the line Venser. You must sign in blood. But I warn you, Karn is not to be underestimated. Once you sign, your lives are connected, connected forever. Just be sure."

By now the Aurist had a clear reading on Venser's aura. He could practically taste the blood and sweat upon the man, feel the ache in his wounds, hear his triumphant heart beating in his chest. Miro adored the confidence and authority that the aura demanded. Even the Chained One had to issue his respect. Those who were able to overcome the Trial of Gladiator could overcome anything.

[Venser Rush]

The Familiar did not fail to see the loop in logic that Venser had purposely placed in his words. Articulate, meticulous. Venser Rush rarely misspoke without the presence of pain. Dizziness and pain were present now, but his mind was otherwise preoccupied. The Flux had long worn from his body, but the Rush twin was instead numbed by the coursing beat of his heart, the pounding adrenaline that surged through him. Ender was warning him of something that he already understood, and already he was beginning to tire of it. The Rush twin lifted his finger to his teeth, tearing at the flesh of his index finger without hesitation. Fire burned at his nerve cells, swirling through the oozing wound.

Blood collected upon his teeth, the Rush twin quickly spitting it out before he raised his finger to the contract. His name oozed onto the surface as he chuckled at Ender,

"If you think that my mind will so easily be broken, then you clearly underestimate me, Ender. I will not yield, and neither will Karn. I told him this just moments ago, and ire fills my heart to repeat myself. Let us finish this so we can return home and I can recover."

The words were becoming slightly slurred in the waning capacity of his mind. Venser was in the clear through the entire conversation, but the waxing exhaustion that coursed through him, both body and spirit, was becoming insurmountable. He required rest. And rest he would have.

Soon. First, this must conclude.

The Rush twin looked upon the familiar for a moment before casting his gaze back towards Miro and Ender. He wondered what transpired after the signing of the contract. Was it done? Were they bound together?

Ender had been too busy cautioning him to provide him with information of actual value, and the Rush twin feared that he was losing his capacity to think clearly with each passing moment. It was an inconvenience, to be as weary as he was, but in the presence of Miro, weariness was something to become accustomed to. The wizard tested Venser to the very limits of his djed. It was tutelage in the like that he had never experienced before. And with that tutelage, it opened to possibilities he would trouble encounterint otherwise.

An asset. That was what the Familiar would become, but in the moment, Venser was consumed by the dizziness that Auristics threw upon him. He did not fall into unconsciousness, but his stare at Ender was rather blank in nature, the curiosity lost in his gaze. He would need a moment once again. After a chime, his gaze brightened somewhat, and he spoke out,

"And what next? Are we leaving?"

[Miro]

Ender relented with a nod and allowed Venser to do as he must. It was not that the Familiar did not have faith in him, but rather an admission of guilt. The Legate spoke as if he were perfectly matched for Karn, but there was something he did not realize. Venser would only act cruel if a situation warranted it, if there was reason for it. Karn sought to prove his superiority and flaunt it, would torment others for the sake of torment, and with magic he was likely to take up mutilation and murder quickly.

Though admittedly not everything about Karn was horrible. In his own way he was protective. What the Kirt valued, it held onto, would put everything on the line for. He himself would die before he would let something he wanted to survive die. Ender and Karn hated each other, fueded constantly, but only Karn was allowed to harass the Irylid. Somewhere under everything the feelings between the Familiar's were mutual. Ender was happy for his rival, for now he could return the favor.

The contract was signed, and the Summoner severed the leash, welcoming Karn to Mizahar with some permanence. Miro however viewed something for the first time through his Auristic sense, the joining of two souls through Familiary. Venser's aura began to flicker and waver awkwardly, the man quite out of it, it seemed. However the Aurist found his attention drawn to the newly bound Familiar.

Karn's aura became visible, and it grew and shifted wildly before the wizard's eyes. But as his aura grew, his physical form shrunk immensely. It was as if the creature's ores began to collapse in upon themselves, as strange as that was to witness. First the spikes, the points compacting in, and then the rest of his body, all packed inward. The end result appeared quite similar to a common toad, still quite dark in color and with odd ridges.

The undead was astounded by the aura, quite similar to Venser's at first, or so he thought, but then completely different. In it the Aurist could read details of the Familiar's physical form, and it almost looked as if the creature had been stepped on. There was a simple solution to such things, and it may as well help Venser's recovery. The Kirt were an interesting type of Familiar, the first ever encountered by Miro.

The aura of both Venser and Karn became visible for a time, two auras that reflected each other perfectly. It was astounding to be able to view two auras at once, and the split focus was nearly overwhelming. The Djed it cost, the strain on the mind, it was harsh, yet bearable. But not for long, to try to sort between the readings was impossible, and to try was painful. The Aurist ceased his flow of Djed and severed his synchronization with the auras.

It had been years since the Reimancer had witnessed a Kirt, and knew well of them. They were Shale's favorite to Summon, and they had a very interesting ability. These Summons could consume stone, ores, even shaped metal. The wizard focused his Djed to his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he forced forth an amount of Res. The spell was guided to float before Karn where it was transmuted to a tiny stone bowl filled with as many various earthen materials as the caster's will could manifest.

Ender moved to Venser to support him, able to see how far the man's injuries had pushed him. He was in bad shape and needed help. He took one of the man's arms around his shoulder and wrapped his own around Venser's back. He was careful not to put too much pressure on the parts that were damaged, but it was an inevitability in this situation. Karn meanwhile woked to consume the entire Reimantic dish in the most literal way possible.

There was only a small dish of earth, but the creature was now quite small. It still took him a bit to finish with it, though it was not long before he crunched through the very container. Miro picked up Karn and held the small Summon in his hand tightly. As well he bade Ender to come to him with a wave of his hand. "Lay down Venser and you take Karn. There is but one more trial and reward."

The Familiar gently laid his friend down and took Karn from Miro. He held it tightly between both of his hands and smirked slightly. The wizard knelt down to his friend and placed a cool hand on the man's forehead. It was quite warm, and he was not doing very well. "Calm yourself Venser, it is best if you just rest. Not that it matters. This will be over quickly. It will seem like an eternity for you however."

The Chained One looked at Ender with the most grim of eyes. "Leech him. Don't leave a drop of Djed." Miro gripped Venser's forehead with his fingers and pressed them firmly against his skull. He focused upon the Djed stored within the weak body, able to sense it contained within. The Irylid as well wrapped his hands about the Kirt and focused upon the soul inside the stone body.

Miro and Ender began to pull the Djed from within their victims out of their bodies. The two Leechers willed the streams of Djed to flow in through their hands and be stolen. The tainted Djed was poison to their bodies, but it filled them both with an amazing surge of power. It took but ten ticks for Miro and Ender to sap every bit of usable Djed from their victims. But they did not stop there.

The Leechers drained and drained for chimes on end. Ender reveled in the use of Leeching for the first time. It was a vile discipline, a horrible curse, but he relented in this case. He understand now the bliss that his master felt using the discipline. To watch the tiny frog squirm and claw at his hands, it was so pitiful, while it lasted. Finally there was nothing left, the initiation was complete. There was no hiding the agony of such an experience.

[Venser Rush]

Venser Rush would not notice it, but as Karn began to devour the small pebbles that were fed to him, the Rush twin's body would begin to ease of some of its pain. Small lacerations upon his ribcage from the bludgeoning blow from the club sealed themselves, and if he were in a more stable state of mind, he would discover that mind and body were both linked, as Ender had stated. Karn's abilities were his own to command, but the link... it allowed Venser to benefit from one that he had not known about until this moment. The Kirt was shrewd, intelligent and conniving, but he could also restore his body...

The Rush twin could no longer form thoughts, though if he could, he'd have been astounded. The ramifications of this bond could extend to be far more beneficial than he had first imagined. With time, Venser would find out the full breadth of this, but for now, he merely listened. Miro's words were comforting, at the least. The desire to rest was so present upon his mind that the last words were fully ignored, unheard in the midst of Venser's waning consciousness.

This fade into sleep, however, was interrupted by strong fingers constricting upon his temple. The Undead's mask was the visage of terror in the dim light of the forest. Venser could feel what was happening to him. He could feel the choking sensation upon his lungs as the djed was wrought from his body. He could breathe, but only just enough to keep him alive. He could not speak, for his jaw was locked in place. He could not blink, for his eyes refused to look away.

Venser was forced to stare into the masked face of his destruction as Miro did what the Rush twin thought to be impossible. He had begun to steal the djed from Venser's very body! He wheezed as breath became harder still, convulsing in place until all movement ceased, shallow breath keeping his brain from dying altogether. But, the physical agony was nothing in comparison to the brutalizing mental torment that Miro was doing.

Powerlessness. Fear. Hatred. All three whirled and flowed through Venser in spades as he continued to stare at his oppressor, his fingers twitching as he attempted to move them. He wanted Miro off of him, away, banished. But, he could not. Ten ticks was an eternity of damnation as the entirety of his usable stores of djed were eradicated. But it was so much longer. Chimes felt like days, seasons. Years passed before Venser's eyes as his eyes rolled back, though the torment was by no means gone from him. Nightmares plagued him, convulsions shook him. The very worst of Venser's life flashed before his eyes. Blood upon the wooden floorboards of his father's house, gashes and swollen bruises riddling a younger Venser Rush's body as the disembodied spirit of the man watched in horror.

A hand jutting from the ribcage of Vilkas Rush, pain searing through the limb as shards of bone penetrated the limb. A season of physical rehabilitation after three seasons of the limb that was his liberator was stuck in a sling. His Reimancy initiation flung before his eyes afterwards, searing pain flaring through his body as Miro coursed Res through open, bleeding wounds and the passages of his sinus and trachea. Scars flared and burned in the blonde's mind as he finally, completely succumbed to the damning blackness of unconsciousness.

The nightmares would strengthen and become utterly real, a disembodied vigil of his worst experiences quickly turning into a first-person reliving of them, Miro's laughter echoing its damnation through the dreams.

[Nemesis]

. Thread Grade Pending Greetings! If either of you return to you, fling me a PM and I will post your grade. Thank ye, -Nemesis