The smell of mechanical oil drifted like a wisp through the air of the back-world coliseum as a vox ponder interrupted the shouting mobs ranting of, 'Kill, kill, kill, kill,' which was yelled with a type of rare blood lust found only upon primitive worlds. Up above, the clouds darkened and thunder slapped the heavens in a foul echo, all of which doing little to stifle the blood lust of human hive worlder mobs gathered for the gladiatorial combat of the Lower Lander Coliseum.
"For your viewing pleasure… the Eldar Sword Dancer Gillona, vs the Coliseum favorite 'The Burned-Man,'" Spoke the vox ponder with emotionless grace as the crowds continued to cheer and create their own type of rumbling noise much like the toxic Hive World weather gathering up above.
This was Tsu'gan's punishment, his blood oath to die in this arena for all the wrongs he had committed against his fellow battle brothers. He, a former Astartes was now stripped of his honor and valor, a self ordained outcast thanks to the Marines Malevolent foul actions against Nocturne.
The humans were waiting with vicious glee in the arena's seating, fists raised in chant, 'kill kill kill kill.' Yes, he would kill, and continue to kill, just another gladiator fighting for release in this hellish place, until at last someone finally managed to bring him down. This was his punishment, and this was what he deserved… and Tsu'gan licked his burned lips, tasting the salty air, would this be the day he wondered? Would someone finally kill him, and release his blighted soul for the emperor's judgment? He hoped so, but… this death needed to be clean. He needed to die with honor… That was the way it had to be.
Beyond the stone archway, Tsu'gan could see his opponent, an Eldar woman with long black hair and parchment white skin. She was prancing around the arena, showing off her acrobatic skill with two twin daggers. It was clear to the former space marine that his foul xeno had the crowds mesmerized with her physical gymnastics, or perhaps… it was her lack of clothing.
The foul elder woman wore leather chaps which ended upon the soles of her feet, revealing the flesh of her heels and toes as she leapt through the air. She also wore a simple clothe battle cord around her flat chest revealing her slim muscular stomach and plump feminine curves. The female gladiator also wore two armored arm gauntlets made out of steel, evidently to redirect close quarters blows.
Tsu'gan continued to watch her show off, sprinting and jumping like a dancer, entertaining the shouting cheering crowds, showing off her sickening alien body like a trophy to the perverse whims of the human mobs. Yes, she deserved to die, the alien wretch… she should die like all the other Eldar filth that had so badly tortured the Salamanders… It was now that Tsu'gan felt his soul ache. He was no longer a Salamander, and this creature was no longer his mortal enemy, but… she deserved to die non-the-less, 'suffer not the alien to live,' he whispered before emerging from the shadows.
Instantly, the arena erupted into loud chanting, 'Burned-man! Burned-man! Burned-man!" they all cheered as the bronze clad human, towering head and shoulders above all others, emerged from the shadows, short sword rose in salute.
The Eldar stopped her prancing and turned to face her opponent, her prior confidence fading into concern, then horror, as this human stalked into the center of the arena. She stepped away while grimacing at his burned chocolate skin, clad in bronze armor and a red clothe tunic. Within seconds she knew the truth, this human… he wasn't tank bred. Oh no, she knew, she knew exactly what he was and that scared her.
"Why did you foolishly sell yourself?" asked the human warrior to the xeno woman. The Eldar gripped her daggers in a thinly veiled rage before smugly replying, "Because… it seemed like it would be fun killing you primitive creatures."
"I see," said the human with a hint of irritation, "In that case, your death will be slow…"
A chill ran down the female alien's spine from the fallen astartes verbal prod as the vox announcer declared the bout to begin. The Eldar knew she was quicker, but this wasn't a normal clumsy foe. If she wanted to end this quickly, she had to get behind him, and deal critical damage before….
In that split indecisive second, the Eldar saw the human close the distance in two strides. Her eyes widened in horror as this human male swiped his short sword sideways to decapitate her head, but she was quicker, and pulled back… the sword cutting a gash across her nose.
Tsu'gan watched the Eldar back flip away and stop, breathing harshly as blood trickled down her cheeks from the gouge across her nose. She looked at him with a mixture of hate and fear, as he slowly started to pace towards her.
'What was with this human,' thought the Eldar as she smeared blood across her face. Blood, the bastard had cut her! HER! How dare that damned ape cut her!
Tsu'gan whistled with fake surprise as the Eldar bitch leapt at him. She was angry, 'dimwitted creature,' he thought as he parried her daggers and kneed her in the stomach. The former Astartes felt a twinge of humor in his gullet as he felt something important snap inside her ribcage, perhaps a rib?
Spittle coughed from her mouth, eyes wide with surprise as the blood rage subsided. The Eldar felt two large hands grab her long her long black hair, and flail her face first into the sands of the colossus floor. The human warrior had broken something, a rib, and she could feel it raking against her internal organs.
Slowly, the Eldar stood to her feet, clutching the stomach wound with a nursing arm. She was bleeding from the face and walking away from the human warrior, all the while thinking, 'stay away, don't come any closer, I mean it.'
Tsu'gan watching the Eldar she-devil limp away with her wounds, fear upon her face like a tortured wild animal. To be honest, the sight of the wounded arrogant creature, while immensely pleasing, was also greatly offensive to his sense of honor, and proved more than capable of stirring his rage. With a bout of speed he closed the distance and grabbed her by the neck, the foul xeno gagged in an attempt to scream as he slammed her body into the ground, cratering stone beneath her slim and athletic body.
"Please," she struggled to say through broken teeth. The human warrior continued to hold the Eldar against the ground like a pinned beast. He looked at her and frowned hatefully before picking her up by the leg and tossing her body once more into the masonry. This time she felt more than a rib snap. Her arm broke, her shoulder dislocated, and something severed in her back.
The Eldar felt her legs go numb, but that didn't stop her from attempting to crawl away on her hands. But, the human was once more upon her like a dreadful shadow. She looked at him and begged once more, "Please… no more…" through shattered teeth and a blood smeared face.
It was now that the rain started to fall upon the duo, drenching both gladiators in brown water. The human rolled the Eldar's broken body over with a kick, sat on her waist, and looked into her eyes as beads of toxic mist ran down their faces, smearing blood and dirt into open wounds. Up close, the Astartes was even more of a monster with burned skin beneath his bronze armor which stank of sweat and blood. The look of such a horror, right above the Eldar, was just enough to shatter her mind.
"Please," she started to cry. In response the human sneered and reached down with his hands.
He didn't try to strangle her, oh no… his hands struck into her stomach, piercing blood smeared albino skin. The woman screamed in agony through broken bloody teeth as the human grabbed something important and started to tear it out. She limply lifted her hands in a futile gesture to stop him, but the gesture was clearly not enough.
In horror the human removed them, he removed her black bloody fleshy ovaries and showed them to the crowd, "You vermin," he swore at her, "Should just die out! Now go and let your dark soul be eaten knowing that a human male took your womanhood!"
The Eldar trembled in borth anger and extreme pain as darkness consumed her foul and wicked soul. Meanwhile, Tsu'gan continued to stand above her broken body, holding her reproductive organs like a trophy. The humans up above chanted his name as he did so, "Burned-man! Burned-man! Burned-man!"