Well here we go, another story to kick around with.
Fair warning: through out this story there will be some graphic content, such as references to sexual assault - so please be prepared.
As far as inspiration goes, I've been meaning to write a very loose Spartacus theme set in ancient Remnant.
The sands.
The arena.
The crowd.
The Mistrali heat that beat down on her.
The blood of her opponent that stained the ground beneath her feet.
Eyes that once burned like hot iron in the forge had grown cold into dull steel.
Reaper – the word began as a whisper.
Reaper – like wild fire it began to spread.
Reaper! – As if the flood gates of Mistral's dams had broken free into the very arena.
The Reaper looked about the Arena as the crowds cheered, they cheered for the slave. Off in the marble stands stood her Master – she loathed the man for whom she served. The man who made the prisoner of war into his slave.
Dressed in an elegant cloth that made up his white and red toga, Roman Torchwick held his arms open wide as the crowd hailed him further, the man who owned the Champion of the Arena. With an exaggerated motion, he brought a finger to his lips – and the crowd complied as silence swept across the great Coliseum.
Her gaze was as worn down as the iron gladius in her hand; it waited for the pending judgment that would befall on to her opponent.
His arm outstretched with his thumb held in a neutral position. Predictably, his hand turned downward – forever sealing her opponents fate.
Ruby Rose turned by the heel to her opponent with her sword at the ready, shield long forgotten in the sand beside her. The gladiator before her was on his knees, a blank look on his face as he looked her in the eyes.
"It was an honor." He muttered.
She returned the gesture with a quick and painless death.
One day this slave will once again taste freedom, but for now The Champion of Mistral's Arena remained stoic as the stadium erupted in a roar.
A gesture that had been well rehearsed time and time before made the stadium erupt into even louder cheers. The blood stained gladius held high above her head as they began to chant her namesake of Reaper – a term that Roman Torchwick had cleverly coined during her first match.
The colossal iron gates could be heard creaking open, as it was the gladiator's cue to exit the stage. The massive stone coliseum before her did not cease their thunderous applauses as it became apparent the crowd was hungry for more. Her name echoed off the hallways that took her deeper beneath the arena where the other slaves, criminals, and even volunteers from the Mistrali Army awaited their turn – for either their chance towards freedom, death, or glory.
Two guards to escort her back to her holding cell in the arena flanked the infamous Reaper. On the way, the sharp silver gaze locked eyes with three feeble and rather meek looking slaves. Their jaws were as hollow as their eyes as it was obvious they were malnourished. The swords they held already seemed too heavy for their arms as they barely managed to hold it up with both hands. On the back of one the slave's arms, she caught sight of a long, serpentine like cut – from her experience Ruby knew it to be an injury from a whip.
The three men were dressed in armor that was no doubt taken from the corpses of those who had perished in the coliseum. Their gear had seen better days, especially when compared to Ruby's. She wore light armor that allowed for maximum movement and didn't hinder her agility in the slightest. On both forearms she wore metal vambraces that had blocked dozens of blades aimed for her head. Her dark colored breeches were tucked into her leather boots that were strapped half way up her calf. A sword belt rested on right hip, it was rare to see a left-handed gladiator – but it added to her unique charm. Her hair was kept short for practicality in fighting, but you could see the red tips forming at the end. But most of all, her equipment was kept in good order instead of the slight rust and ruin of the men opposite of her.
Ruby knew that these three men were walking towards certain death. A roar from a great beast could be heard from the arena. If she had to guess from the roar alone, she supposed that the three were getting ready to fight a great Mistrali tiger.
A second roar could be heard, followed by a distinct sound of chains being let loose.
The gladiator changed her guess to two tigers.
The gladiator didn't need to look over her shoulder to watch the iron gate roll down to seal the fate of the three slaves into the arena.
Upon entering the holding cell area, Ruby had forfeited her sword to the guards.
"Good fight Ruby," Another of Roman's slave and also gladiator waited to fight next, "That was one of Schnee's best gladiators." Sun commented as he held a thumbs up inside the holding cell. His blond hair was matted and short, but the tanned skin, infectious smile, and wave of his tail was a staple for the monkey Faunus. A wink from those dashing blue eyes of his was more than enough to make a woman swoon.
As well as fall into bed with him.
The guards locked the iron bar door behind her as she took a seat on the ground next to her friend. He was dressed in a similar fashion as Ruby as he also favored his agility in a fight. It was always a debate between the two of who was faster.
But they already knew hands down who the better fighter was.
Ruby shrugged, "It was nothing…. Really, it wasn't anything special." She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling; the guards locked her in the holding cell with her fellow slave. "What else do we have to look forward to now? We fight day in and day out, we're like damned dogs to this fucking Torchwick-"
"Hold your tongue Reaper! You will address your master properly." A guard warned, Ruby responded by spitting at the ground in front of her.
"Awfully wound up today Rubes," The nickname fell from Sun's lips.
"I had a dream last night." The sandy dirt that surrounded her was soft to against her calloused fingertips; she rested her head against the stonewall. "Of my time before all this."
"When you were a scout in Vale's army?" Sun questioned, the two sat side by side as the roar of the arena could be heard echoing still. The faint roar of Mistral's famed tiger could be heard. The Faunus knew that it was the 'taming of the Beast' event, where they would pit less experienced fighters or slaves against great beasts and some times even captured Grimm. It was always a spectacle to watch prey squirm, and by prey it was usually the inexperience slave that was thrown in there for entertainment's sake.
Ruby shook her head, "Yeah, I had a dream about the day I enlisted into the army." The red head sighed heavily as she once again attempted to bury that gut wrenching feeling that she would never go home.
It had been two years since the enemy kingdom had captured Ruby.
Now her she was, 21 years old and simply treated as a mere play thing. The title of 'Reaper' or 'Champion of the Arena' didn't mean as much to her as it did for her master. When the former scout first started out in the arena, it was actually supposed to be a punishment for her because she had disobeyed a direct order from Roman Torchwick: To give sexual favor to his guests during his famous and elaborate parties that were often the talk of the kingdom.
Ruby had refused, especially after what happened the first night she was in Torchwick's care…
With a shaky breath, the gladiator shook her head and forced the unpleasant thoughts from her mind. She could feel her body begin to shake at the thought of that night… She was a virgin, for Oum's sake.
"Ruby…" A large hand was placed on the smaller girl's back, at first the Rose tensed up at the touch, but Sun already knew what to do as he lightly rubbed a spot between her shoulders, "You doing alright?" The Faunus already had a good idea of what his friend was thinking about, there wasn't much that made Ruby shake like leaf in the wind.
"Y-Yeah…" Ruby steadied herself with another deep breathe, "I… I was just thinking about how thankful I am to be his best gladiator. Despite how much of a devil Master Torchwick is." The venom was transparent in her voice, the guards merely casted a sideways glance at the silver eyed gladiator before leaving the two slaves alone.
Sun sighed as he let his hand rest on the younger girl's back. Ever since the two met, he always thought of the red head as a little sister. "Not much we can do, if anything, we have a better master than some of the other slaves around here. Not to mention our living conditions are much better than some of the others, we have bedding, food, and not to mention an actual roof over our heads." The older gladiator referred to some of the slaves that were kept on big farms or forced to work in terrible conditions for some of the big name merchants.
A long sigh escaped from Ruby, "I really hate it when you're right."
Sun chuckled, "Can't help it." The former thief ran his fingers across the black Dust collar around his neck. It symbolized their status as slaves and also functioned as a tracker for their Master should they attempt escape. It was impossible to remove unless you had the key to unlock it, which Torchwick possessed.
Silence ensued between the two; the roars of the beasts were no more as the applause from the crowd thundered through out the underground holding cells.
'I wonder how Ren and Nora are doing now?' The gladiator breathed in deep, if circumstances had been slightly different, her two friends could have ended up in this cruel fate as well. Ruby smiled slightly, she was glad to spare the two of such a fate. Surely the two lovebirds (even if they wouldn't say it out loud) would have been separated if forced into this life of slavery.
"Friends, huh?" Ruby looked to the Faunus that sat next to her. Sun sat back with his hands behind his head, as he seemed to have no care or worry in the world.
Even though Sun Wukong was next up on the list of people fighting a death match for the sake of Mistral's entertainment.
"What's wrong Rubes?" Sun raised a brow at the younger girl, he knew when to keep quiet and let the young gladiator have time to sort out her thoughts.
Ruby shrugged, "Nothing much." She watched as a runner came to let the guards know that Sun was to be let out for his match, "When do you think they'll let us go home?"
"Probably after I whip whatever gladiator the Schnee's have brought along." Sun stood expectantly at the iron bar door, his hands held out in front to show that he had nothing on his person. It was procedure deeply ingrained into the two at this point. Ruby kept her knees tucked to her face, they used to be kept in chains, but the two gladiators knew their place well enough that Torchwick allowed them to not wear them. And the fact that the guards knew the two weren't stupid enough to attempt escape.
The second guard handed Sun his sword belt, which held two gladius on it. The gladiator expertly put the belt on as he reveled in the familiar weight of his weapons.
"I meant home, as in Vale and Menagerie." The young gladiator tried again.
The man who stood guard for Ruby and Sun's cell couldn't contain his scoff as he took the Faunus outside and locked the door once more, "A mere prisoner and thief shouldn't hold such childish ideals. You're both property of the Mistrali Kingdom and Master Roman Torchwick now. Remember your place, slave." The guard spat that last line out at Ruby as he helped to escort Sun up to the arena. The Faunus shot a look of remorse over his shoulder as he made way to stadium above.
Ruby made a face before tugging at the slim Dust collar around her neck that signified her status.
Oum be damned if she were to die a slave for an enemy kingdom.
Ruby closed her eyes as she finally allowed her weary body to get some rest before she would be carted off back to the Torchwick Villa.
In her dreams, she caught sight of lilac eyes, hair that burned gold, and the smell of the forest.
"Careful there, I'm fragile goods right now!" Sun's voice snapped Ruby out of her temporary peace.
She immediately caught sight of the sword wounds he sustained on his arms and chest; the leather armor was ruined as it was littered with sword markings. On his right wrist she could see that a bruise was already forming. The guard that was half dragging the limping gladiator finally let go and watched with uncaring eyes as Sun fell into a heap.
Ruby glared and bit the inside of her cheek, she knew back talking would only make the situation worse as she watched the iron bar door close and be locked. The two guards walked away from the holding cell, presumably to fetch Torchwick's slaver to bring the two back to the Torchwick Villa.
"What happened?" Ruby noticed the way Sun clutch his right knee, she feared it to be broken.
"It's just sprained, I fell over after he bashed me with his shield. Looks like the Schnee's got a hold of someone pretty good." Sun chuckled to himself, "Of course it's my luck to face off against a Valesian commander."
It clicked in Ruby's mind, a commander that was good with his shield, "You're talking about Jaune Arc, the 'Shield of Vale'." It was no secret that Vale was struggling in the war against Mistral; this much was true once Atlas began to lend some support to their ally.
Sun nodded, "Master Schnee gave a speech officially introducing him before we fought, he and his platoon were captured while defending the Valesian Main Army's retreat from Mistral's western shore about 2 months ago." He placed a hand on a rather deep gash on his left triceps, Ruby tore off a piece of the ragged tunic she wore and tied it off on the wound to help stop the bleeding.
"Better?" She tied a knot over the gash.
"Much," Sun smiled to the smaller girl, "If they managed to push Vale off the Anima continent entirely, then I don't think your kingdom will fare much better in the war." The Faunus' smile faltered at the thought, he wanted Vale to win the war and see his friend find freedom once more.
"It's not over yet." Ruby said with conviction, she had been a scout in the Valesian Army for 3 years once the war started.
The year of Ruby's 19th birthday is when the territory war had broken out between Vale and Mistral. The eastern kingdom wished to claim the northern island of Vytal as their territory. The current king of Vale did not take kindly to this land grab.
Negotiations turned to debate, debate turned into a search for compromise, compromise turned into a disagreement, and soon conflict was born from it all.
Ruby had heard rumors that the Mistrali military detachment on Vytal had struck first, she had also heard rumors that it was the Valesian guard that had provoked the event and that the Mistrali soldiers were merely trying to defend themselves.
The young scout didn't give a damn at the time, because either way it turned into a war. And with the war came more coin for those in the army to fight.
Eight months after the proclamation of war is when Ruby was captured as a prisoner of war and subsequently sold off into Mistral's slavery.
The distinct clicking of boots could be heard in cell holding's cobble path that led the way around. Ruby looked up to see the mismatched colored eyes and distinct brown and pink colored tones that made up Neo's hair. The neat and laundered collared white tunic was tucked into the brown leather corset; the gladiator knew from experience that she kept a few hidden blades tucked away there. She wore form fitting brown pants that were tucked into her white boots. At her left hip, she wore a long sword.
The slaver didn't say a word as Ruby obediently made way and left Sun's side. Neo walked into the room with a distinct air of dominance over the two. She looked over Sun with calculating eyes; the Faunus merely sat there, as standing was a daunting task with his sprained knee. Pale pink and brown eyes stared into Ruby's silver ones. A brown satchel containing medical supplies were given to the gladiator, Neo walked away as she went back to the way she came, the door was left open.
Even without the guards there, Ruby still knew better.
With the aloe balm smattered across Sun's cuts, she began to wrap some bandages around his arms to help keep the dirt out. Distinct sounds of steel knocking against stonewall echoed through the cells – Ruby knew that Neo wanted them to hurry up.
"Thanks Rubes." Sun let out weakly as his body ached from the beating he received, "Sorry to do this to you." The two traversed down the familiar hallways, they reached the incline that would take them back above ground.
"You've helped me out plenty of times before." Ruby had the bag slung across her chest as she helped Sun make way to the horse drawn cart that waited for them at the exit of Mistral's Great Stone Coliseum. The area directly outside of their exit was guarded by a detail of six; it was well known that this part of the coliseum was the slave entrance.
Neo already sat next to the horse cart driver, she had her legs crossed and passed a glance at the two. Ruby nodded to the girl and helped Sun into the back of the cart before hoisting herself up.
With a crack of a whip, the cart lurched forward as Sun held on to Ruby for some support.
Back inside the Coliseum, a certain Roman Torchwick in his fine tunic held out his cup for another pour of wine. The marble stands that were reserved for the elite class were beginning to empty out as the Coliseum's events were brought to a close when his gladiator faced off against Jacques Schnee's champion.
"However did you come across Commander Arc before I did?" Roman mused as he sipped from his cup.
Jacques chuckled, "Atlas had sent some of our finest to augment Mistral's military, General Ironwood being one of them. Ironwood helped out with the battle to oust Vale from the Anima continent, his unit was the one that captured Commander Arc. Once the Shield of Vale was captured, Ironwood sent word to me about him and I capitalized on the venture straight away." He wore a distinct white grand and elaborate toga with light blue borders. The cloth looked as luxurious as Torchwick's.
"Makes sense, I usually get the first pick of the litter whenever a fresh haul comes in, I was just surprised that you managed to swindle him away right in front of me." A light joke as both men laughed.
Jacques motioned to the woman sitting to his right, "But I can't take all the credit, my dear Weiss over here actually proposed the whole ordeal herself as she was the one to arrange the agreement with General Ironwood."
"Thank you, Father." Weiss smiled slightly to the man as she raised the wine cup to her lips. She too wore white robes bordered in the same blue as her father did. Her hair was kept loose and down as the silk like tendrils fell over her left shoulder. "I thought it was a shame that the Schnee's didn't have a great gladiator of their own that could hold a candle to the Reaper."
"A fine fighter she turned out to be." Torchwick mused with a wicked glint in his eyes, "Even though her initial purpose wasn't for this bloody sport, it still worked out charmingly."
"I suppose she was originally for entertainment in the Villa at first?" Jacques questioned, he was a frequent guest at Torchwick's Villa and could always be found at those famed parties.
"You could say that," The slave master shrugged, "But now she's a rather popular fighter here, the crowd loves her because she was an underdog – not to mention her swordplay is top notch. The way she handles a gladius is beautiful, like poetry almost."
"She made my poor gladiator look like a boy holding a sword for the first time, I've never seen someone move as fast as she does." The Schnee patriarch questioned, he looked over the nearly empty arena. "That gladiator was a part of Arc's personal guard too, apparently he was supposed to be talented with the sword." A careless shrug as Jacques took another sip, "Not talented enough for the Reaper, apparently."
"She's been doing this for a while now, nearly undefeated in the gladiator matches. Not to mention she's a treat to watch during the 'Taming of the Beast'. Why, she brought down a whole pack of Beowolves by herself once! A pack of Grimm, for Oum's sake she's a monster!" Torchwick exclaimed with such gusto and vigor.
Weiss likened the man to a child talking about his favorite toy.
"If you're free tonight, I'll be throwing a party to celebrate the Reaper's 20th victory in the arena." Torchwick stood and his personal guard that went by the name of Junior flanked him. "As always, enough food, wine, and entertainment for everyone to gorge themselves in. Hope to see you there, Jacque. And you too Snowflake." The slave master walked off with a wink.
"We'll be there!" Jacques called out, "I'll be sure to visit more once you take over the branch base here." The Schnee patriarch had a certain deep appreciation for Mistral's culture.
"I'd be sad if you didn't," Weiss responded as she followed her father to their awaiting carriage outside the Coliseum.
Weiss hummed, even if she didn't hold Torchwick in a favorable personal light, the man was a key business partner to the Schnee Merchant Company. So that meant that she too had to learn to play and enjoy in the pleasures and niceties of the Mistrali culture. It didn't differ too much from Altesian customs as both countries had slaves. But what made Mistral distinct were two things – their love of lust and violence.
Weiss thought to Roman Torchwick's champion – the Reaper, she knew how to cater to the crowd's love of violence, as her fighting style of dismembering an opponent was so distinct. And then his other champion, the Faunus known as the Monkey King, she could easily count on both hands how many Mistrali nobles had taken the playful gladiator to bed.
She could easily see how slave master Torchwick was so well liked by the Mistrali elite – he owned two slaves that were the very embodiment of lust and violence.
And he absolutely basked in all of it.
Hope you guys enjoyed the read.
Cheers,
DevilRed