I had this idea for several months now and finally wrote it out. Enjoy, and OCs are welcome!
"Is there something wrong, knight?" Rorek asked, looking at the man across from him, the rim of a mug lightly touching his lips as the numbing liquid poured into his mouth.
"What makes you think there is something wrong?" Silas asked, posture slumped slightly as his knuckles scraped against his cheek, a pair of dice dancing in his free hand.
Rorek said not a word as he slowly lowered the mug, a gentle clank being heard as the thick glass connected with the wooden table and the man licked his lips, hands folding together.
"Because you would not be staring upon me as much as you are. What is it that you seek?" Rorek asked, Silas flicking his wrist as the dice tumbled and rolled, his steel eyes glancing over the results.
"I seek nothing." Silas stated softly, eyes averting to his own mug, which was barely touched.
"That is a lie." Rorek stated, eyes seeming to look through the very man before him.
Silas went to open his mouth but was silenced as he felt a pair of hands clamp firmly on his shoulders, Rorek's eyes moving to meet the woman behind Silas, Vivica smiling, "What's wrong, hon, you seem tense?"
"Nothing is wrong, ma'am." Silas replied, feeling Vivica rub his shoulders, her head slowly lowering as Rorek raised a brow. Silas felt his hackles rise as her breath caressed his neck.
"So polite. I'm not used to men treating me like that. I wonder how you are..."
"I fear you mistake me for another kind of man. I apologize, but I am not interested." Silas replied, Vivica pausing before releasing her grip, hands clapping together before pinching the man's cheek.
"Oh, you are just adorable! Don't worry honey, I ask everyone that." Vivica spoke, releasing the knight's cheek that now had a red welt on it, much to Silas' chagrin.
"She does not." Rorek spoke, Vivica's eyes snapping to her former lover.
"What was that, Rorek?" Vivica asked, Rorek putting his hands up in self defense.
"Nothing, darling." The man replied, though his tone stated otherwise.
"Silver tongued bastard." Vivica snorted, rolling her eyes.
"Such foul language for a woman. I am surprised your mouth has not been washed out by holy water...at least then that would stop your indecent nagging." Rorek muttered, yelping as Vivica punched him roughly in his shoulder, "Ow."
"You're such a big baby! My nether regions can take more of a beating than you!" Vivica nagged, Rorek rubbing his shoulder.
"I find that difficult to believe considering last time I checked you lacked the depth and warmth to take a bea-OW!" Rorek yelped, Vivica punching him in the shoulder twice as hard.
"Quiet!" Vivica hissed, Rorek raising his arms to defend himself. Silas watched, finding the situation humorous, if a bit intrusive on their private affairs.
"How do you even get paid if you beat your patrons to death?" Rorek asked, still shielding himself despite the woman making no move.
"You are the only one I beat to death because you vex me with your idiocy." Vivica replied.
"I am not an idiot." Rorek replied, lowering his hands, Silas chuckling, "You are right. You are not an idiot: you are a bastard."
"Bastard." Rorek cursed, Vivica smiling at the younger man.
"Thank you, hon."
"The pleasure is all mine, ma'am." Silas replied, grinning before asking, "Are you two always like this?"
"No."
"Yes."
The pair then looked at each other, as if challenging the other before Rorek took a swig from his mug, "Let me tell you something Silas: trust nothing that bleeds for five days straight and does not die. My wisdom will save your life."
"I can tell you are doing a wonderful job at following your own wisdom." Silas replied, the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice as Vivica rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I am trying to help you. Stop turning on me, you git." Rorek whined.
"Praise the Lord that Sophia has my brains and not yours. Your friend knows who the real winner is." Vivica replied, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth, "Besides, I wouldn't trust anything with two heads and one brain! You don't even use yours and you think with the right head!"
"He is using his actual brain? And here I thought he ate his brain when he picked his nose." Silas commented, Vivica now looking at Rorek, the man slamming his hands on the table.
"Once! I picked my nose once because I could not breathe with all the dust in the air!" Rorek defended, Silas chuckling.
"My cousin picks his nose and he is eight!"
"You know, Silas, Rorek probably ate his brain without even knowing it because his brain is ye big!" Vivica replied, laughing as she pinched her fingers together.
"His head is like a skull! Tap it and you hear a hollow ring!" Silas replied, laughing.
"Oh, I am sorry if I ate my own brain. I like the taste of human flesh far better than anything else, so I thought 'Why not eat myself than naw on someone else?' I am sorry for only being human and picking my nose for the good of my health."
"So long as Phee-Phee does not get any of your stupidity, we are fine." Vivica replied, smiling.
"Joy. I shall miss my gonads and give them a funeral service and send them into the ocean in a shoe box."
"Eeeew." Silas groaned, face twisting in disturbance.
"Lovely...Hey, Rorek? Do you remember that little game we used to play?" Vivica asked, Rorek turning to her, confused.
"Game? What...oh, you mean the ball game?" Rorek asked, Vivica smiling, nodding.
"Yes! Hearing you talk about your own made me remember it!" Vivica spoke, Silas' eyes looking back and forth from the pair, '...this conversation has just gotten awkward."
"It always was awkward. You just did not realize it." Rorek replied, watching Vivica produce a small ball from her pocket, holding it for the man to see as she smiled.
"Ready?"
"Huh?-No. I am not playing that game."
"Come on, Rorek! Please?"
"No, Vivica. It is stupid."
"Awe-come on! Rorek, you're the only person I could ever do this with! For old time's sake?" Vivica begged, Rorek releasing a deep sigh after several seconds.
"Alright, alright. But only once." Rorek replied, Vivica grinning widely as she lightly put the ball in her mouth, leaning towards Rorek. Silas raised a brow in curiosity and watched closely.
"Wedy?"
"What?"
"Et wedy!" Vivica cried, a bit muffled as Rorek opened his mouth to speak.
"I-uhh!" Rorek jumped slightly as he found the ball in his mouth, Vivica having launched it from her own, laughing.
"Yes! We still got it!" Vivica laughed, Rorek chuckling despite the ball in his mouth.
Rorek rolled his eyes before leaning forward and and spitting the ball out of his mouth, Vivica catching it between her teeth.
"Keep your little ball. I am not sure where it has been." Rorek responded, yet a playful tone was in his voice as the ball was shot towards him, the man catching it.
Silas watched in amusement as the pair continued to pass the ball back and forth, both giggling.
"Do not get too messy." Silas commented, starting to see saliva flying back and forth and landing on the table, "Ewww."
"Don't like being messy?" Vivica asked, teasing.
"Depends what kind of messy." Silas replied, Rorek rolling his eyes before turning towards Silas and shooting the knight in the forehead. Silas flitched as he rubbed the wet spot on his head, watching the ball plop into his ale.
"Now look what you did." Silas whined, watching the ball sink like a rock.
"You were not drinking it anyway. Speaking of which..." Rorek paused, reaching over and stealing the mug of alcohol.
"You have your own." Silas stated, Rorek showing the knight his empty mug before working on Silas' stollen mug.
"I drank out of that..." Silas stated once more, Rorek shrugging his shoulders.
"I am not letting good ale go to waste just because it has a glob of spit in it...spit gives it flavor."
"Ew." Vivica stated, both she and Silas looking at each other in mutual agreement. It didn't take long before Rorek caught the same ball between his teeth and handed it to Vivica.
"Here is your ball."
"...Thanks." Vivica replied, taking the ball and wiping it clean with her dress.
"...Mommy!...Mommy!..." The trio snapped their heads outside towards the sounds of shrill cries, Vivica's heart lurching in her throat.
"Sophia? Sophia!" Vivica cried, bolting from the table and opening the door with such haste it slammed into the wall, Rorek following not a second behind.
"Damn!" Silas cursed, seeing the little girl being man handled by two large men, quickly stuffing his dice in his pocket and rushing outside.
"Stop! Put the girl down!" Silas ordered firmly, the two men pausing, yet refused to let Sophia go.
"By what order can you overthrow us?" A man asked, Silas' raising a brow on the make of the armor. It appeared as if it was black scales with several horns and fangs jutting out. The second man had a similar make in armor, yet his scales were white. It was so odd.
"By order of the Grand Duke of Bavaria. Let the girl go and state your business." Silas ordered, Rorek's fists shaking. The men looked at each other before looking back at the knight.
"Your human lords have no power over us. Amdusius, the King of Bones is all powerful and all knowing!" The black knight spoke, Silas looking oddly at them.
"They are insane." Rorek hissed, "Gut them! They have my daughter!"
"Mommy! Daddy! I'm scared!" Sophia cried, a man shaking her to keep her quiet.
"Let her go, you bastards!" Rorek hissed shrilly, Silas holding him back.
"Quiet! What is your purpose? What do you want?" Silas asked, Rorek barely restraining himself.
"Our Lord wants tributes-in His honor." The white knight spoke.
"So you choose a little girl? What does your Lord want these tributes for?" Silas asked, Sophia squirming in terror.
"Entertainment."
"And knowledge." Both replied, Vivica freezing.
"Entertainment? W...What do you mean? Don't you dare hurt my baby!" Vivica snarled.
"We will not hurt the child, no. Our Lord will save her in her time of need, and your daughter will be saved from damnation and bathed in His flames, searing all who wish to harm her! Just like the ellect." The black knight replied, Rorek shaking his head.
"These men are insane." Rorek stated, Vivica unconsciously grabbing onto his hand in terror.
"Ask me this: Where does your Lord rule?" Silas asked, both odd men pausing.
"Underground...in the Caverns of Fire." The white knight replied, Silas' eyes widening before Rorek broke free from Vivica and rushed the men, "Let her go!"
The white knight pushed forward and swiftly unstealthed a dagger, Silas catching the white gleam and the sleek, almost canine looking blade before it was plunged into the man's stomach.
Sophia screamed and sobbed shrilly as Rorek felt the blade go deep into his flesh, breath violently hitching as the blade was torn from his stomach, the white knight pushing him down on the ground.
For a moment, everything seemed to pause, and to Silas, he could see everything, yet he could do nothing. He could see Vivica cry and scream in terror, see the blood and bubbled from his friend's mouth, eyes wide in shock. He could see the terror on that little girl's face. But the thing that cause his attention most was the canine blade-oddly looking like a giant serpent fang. It was covered in blood. But it was not covered in just anyone's blood. It was covered in his friend's blood.
But then, like night to day, everything started moving-fast and pounding, red quickly becoming the dominant color. And like night and day, Silas barely registered the fact that he started to move forward, barely noticed that it was he that had taken the odd knight's dagger-having no time to draw his sword-and plunged it into white knight's chest.
"No." Someone was saying. No. No. No. Nononononononononono. Someone was saying "No." But Silas could not find out who. Could not find out who was screaming, crying "No."
It had to be Vivica. It had to. However, the woman was not speaking. Then it had to be Sophia. But she was not speaking either. Just crying. They were crying. Mother and Daughter were crying. It was then, at that time, that Silas had noticed he was the one saying "No." No. No. No. Nonononononononono.
Silas, in his rage, had stabbed the blade in the out of the man several times-more than he could count. And the second odd man-the black knight-unsheathed his sword and bashed the knight over his skull, sending him into unconsciousness.
Silas groaned, awaking as his eyes struggled to find light in the darkness, the smell of blood and smoke filling his nose. Feeling the ground, it felt jagged, uneven and rocky, the man successfully cutting himself on the hard surface.
Silas pulled his hand back, cursing at the pain in both his hand and his head. He couldn't bring himself to think. It hurt too much to think, so he tried not to remember the events before right now and focused on the adaptations to his surroundings.
He could smell blood, smoke and death...he could hear groans, cries...the clashing of steel...he could practically feel the presence of death.
"We are going to die down here." Silas' head turned in the direction of the voice, failing to see a body, yet saw a pair of bright eyes looking upon him.
"Where...are we?" Silas asked, the eyes blinking at him, as if the person was thinking.
"Underground...in the Ancient Caverns. Amdusius...he is one of us...yet he betrays us." The voice answered, Silas pausing, trying to remember where he heard that name before.
"Amdusius?"
"Yes. The 'King of Bones', as he takes to calling himself. He feeds off the bones-the blood marrow of his tributes. Gains their knowledge, their power...everything..."
"Tributes? You do not mean sacrifice...?" Silas asked.
"Blood sacrifices-for entertainment. Fighting in this place is the only way to stay alive."
"But...then that means-oh, Lord! Sophia!" Silas cried, remembering the girl, remembering the stabbing, remembering everything, "I-I have to find them! I have to find them!"
"Don't waste your time. You're not getting out of here-alive anyway."
"No, I ha-" Silas was cut off as a roar erupted through the Caverns, seeming to shake the very earthen walls. It sounded as if it was something demonic, "What...What is that?"
"Amdusius. The last Bone Dragon."
Please give me your input! You can think of this like the Roman Blood Sports, and depending the fights will be one on one or team battles. OCs are welcome be them ape, cheetah, mole, dragon, whatever so long as you are aware that no characters are safe-but this does not mean I will kill them willy nilly or only have my own survive. That would truly be mean. If you want your OCs in this story, please give specific bios-and if you want their opinions on certain races/characters so I can hopefully nail them down.