In the pit nearly a week later Viperish Night watches as Qa'Dar fights a wily Bosmer. The fight is a crazy mix of leaps and bounds, quick charges, and retreats. It's a dance of speed and agility. Viperish Night has not fought all week, having fought so much the past two weeks. If he had... the temptation was still in him. To chase an invisible thread into the dark, no matter what he has to do. Chills run down him as he looks at his friends. He had done so very many things wrong this month. Went diving into the dark chasing freedom. For them, and him. But it was the wrong way. He knows this, always knew this, but something in him kept driving him after it. And yet, most of his friends stayed by his side. Willing to offer him a way out of the dark, and back into the light. As he looks at his friends, then turns back to the fight something else comes to mind, but he pushes it out of his head. Stalks-in-Darkness, his former mentor, they all were wrong. It was not any kind of weakness to have people who cared to rely on. Nothing is worth it without his friends, so he has to give it up. He has hurt them far too much already.
Titumus paces in his small room. He is paired with Viperish Night tomorrow, both of them have not fought this week. Zan'tabe seems sure he has reached Viperish Night, but Titumus's worry is evident. Valsvis, every single match this month. He had not fathomed Viperish Night was capable of that level of brutality. Yes, he fought savagely when he first came, but that was firey rage and a mind teetering on the brink of madness. But this, this was something else. Valsvis seemed to have broken something in Viperish Night. Something that kept him from doing the unspeakable. It filled Titumus with untold horror that all the brutality this month was a result of Viperish Night trying to break the collar. Trying to access magic he had seemed to despise, said he never wanted it again. It seemed like utter madness, but Titumus had seen Viperish Night's eyes. Darkness swirled in them, and anything of the light seemed lost. Finally, Titumus sighs and lies down. Trying to sleep. Praying the past leaves him alone, for one night.
"General Titumus." Titumus glances at the soldier who had run in, a heavy sigh running through him.
"They have come for us then," Titumus says.
"Yes, General. The Zero legion... they have Daedra and Necromancers with them. More... more than we can defeat."
Titumus turns his back, hands folded behind his back. They had rescued a score of Imperial Citizens when they had been ordered to bring them to the Daedra for unspeakable purposes. The Planemeld had taken the Imperial City and the surrounding countryside was utter chaos. The three allegiances were making forays into the outskirts, and unless someone stopped the Planemeld, the whole of Cyrodiil and the rest of Nirn would be devoured by Molag Bal's realm. His scouts had reported enemy scouts along their flanks, and so he set up camp and set the citizens ahead. Hopefully to some semblance of safety, but they needed more time to getaway. They needed General Titumus and his men to hold the line. Worry lines crease his forehead. There were far too many to fight. He would be asking his men to die here. He turns to his solder. "Sound the alarms. Prepare to fight. And... let the men know there will be no consequences for running."
"None of us will run." the soldier says, before leaving.
The battle is utter chaos. Titumus's men fight bravely, and Titumus fights side by side with them. They will fall this day, but they will fall doing what is right. Swords clash against the swords of the Zero Legion, the undead summoned from the necromancers swell the enemy ranks, the Daedra come from all sides. And one by one, Titumus's men fall under swords, claws, and hordes of the undead.
A stillness overtakes the battlefield when it is all said and done. Bodies lie where they fell, blood soaks the grass a dark red. The heavens open up and rain starts to fall. Titumus is lying on the ground among his men, a deep gash in his side among numerous other injuries, his helmet torn off sometime during the battle, and blood coats his head. His eyes flicker open as footsteps approach. "So you live."
Titumus's eyes flick to all that he can see. He lives, but his men lie dead. And now, he is here. The monster who caused all this. Titumus struggles, but cannot bring himself to rise to face this monster. "Mannimarco..." he whispers. "Damn you to Oblivion..." Zero Legion soldiers grab his arms and drag him through the mud and blood and the pain engulfs him and all fades to black.
When again Titumus wakes he is on his knees, arms bound behind him in heavy chains. He raises his head, his eyes filling with hatred as Mannimarco walks toward him. "You should have fallen in line." the Necromancer hisses. "You could have had such power. Most of the Imperial Legion's came over to our side."
"Kill me and get it over with," Titumus says.
"That was the plan. A grand melee and all of you worms would be crushed beneath our boots. But you lived." Mannimarco laughs. "You will be punished. But not by execution. You are to be made an example of." he moves closer to Titumus and grabs his face, looking into his eyes. "Your family must be like you. We can not have that. They will be executed in a few days as traitors."
Titumus's eyes fill with horror and he wrenches his face from Mannimarco's grip. "I did this on my own. They did not know of this. YOU know this."
"What do I know?" Mannimarco says stepping back. "Your fate will be to live with the knowledge of what your treachery cost you. You will be sold into slavery, far from here. The Dunmer I believe. Though the Daedra will take their place once the Plane-Meld is completed. You will suffer greatly."
"I am not the traitor," Titumus says, agonizing pain in his eyes as they drag him away...
Titumus bolts right up in his bed. Dawn has yet to even arrive as he breaths raggedly. "Damn it," he says staggering up to the window. Why did he keep having this dream, this accursed memory night after night? By the Divines... were they trying to warn him?
"This is the third week of our celebration!" cries Thjonwulf. "We celebrate the arena, the sands, THE BLOOD, AND CARNAGE! I know you loved the double matches this weekend, we have the final one of the night! Savage Argonian and the Traitor, VS Claws-to-Death and Brutal Carnage!"
Viperish Night stands tense on the other side of the gate. Titumus is near, he has not spoken to Viperish Night all week. He has not forgiven Viperish Night for what he has done. Not with Valsvis, not with the others. Viperish Night knows what he did was very very wrong, perhaps Titumus should not forgive him. But it still hurts.
"Zan'tabe says he and the others reached you." Titumus suddenly says, staring straight ahead as they wait for the gate to rise. "Tell me that is the truth."
Viperish Night glances at Titumus. The things he had done in the past month, driven by obsession and darkness. His intentions had not been bad...but what he did was. So very bad. He feels sick still. It was far too easy to get lost, and even though he lived it, he cannot believe what he had done at times. In the arena on the sands, an icy coldness had come over him, letting him do the monstrous. Was it really for freedom, or did some dark part of him wants the dark power now? The wolf inside of him...the predator the monster. It became far too easy to get lost. "I thought..." Viperish Night trails off. "I will stop," he says.
"Necromancy is not the answer," Titumus says. "It never is. It is better to live and die in the arena than what you tried to do."
Death, it always came down to death. Viperish Night closes his eyes briefly. To always live bound in chains until death came for them in the arena, and how hard would they cheer for that? All the ones who came to watch them kill or die for them? Viperish Night swallows and tries to push bad thoughts away. Hatred away. He's hanging on with his claws, but barely. He has to start trying again.
Brutal Carnage slams the heavy club at Viperish Night who darts away, it hits the sand with a powerful blow. He swings, faster than Viperish Night thought he'd recover and clips Viperish Night's shoulder with the club. Viperish Night hits the sand but is up in an instant, slamming his shoulder into Brutal Carnage who flys into the sand hitting hard. He staggers up and Viperish Night seems to fly over the sand, his sword flashing across Brutal Carnage's throat, and in a spray of blood the Orc drops dead upon the sands.
A grunt of pain causes Viperish Night to quickly spin around. Claws-to-Death got the upper hand on Titumus and with one blow Titumus falls onto the sands, blood pouring from his neck. Viperish Night freezes. Despite his cold attitude, his painful words, Titumus is Viperish Night's friend. And the Argonian killed him! Viperish Night's eyes slide to icy coldness and he springs to Claws-to-Death, his blades flash down. Claws-to-Death spins and meets them with his claws, red with Titumus's blood. Thrusting the blades to the side Claws-to-Death surges forward headbutting Viperish Night. The two crash to the ground and Viperish Night loses his grip on the swords. Viperish Night snarls, his claws rake down the left side of Claws-to-Death's face slicing through his eye. Claws-to-Death screams and staggers away from Viperish Night then tenses, ready to charge him again.
The world seems to freeze around Viperish Night. A lightning bolt in the sky is a blazing bolt that does not fade. The faintest trace of magic, calling like a siren song to him. Viperish Night's eyes widen. He must not, he promised. He said he would not. But Titumus is dead on the sands and it calls to him. Sings to him of freedom, of power. Of never being bound and helpless again.
The lightning bolt fades and thunder booms as the rain starts to fall onto the arena. Viperish Night surges forward and his claws rake down the right side of Claws-to-Death's face, ruining the other eye as well, leaving Claws-to-Death blind and utterly at Viperish Night's mercy. Viperish Night snarls and his claws rip through scales and the flesh below over and over again even as Claws-to-Death staggers backward in pain and fear.
"Stop..."
Viperish Night pauses and his eyes move to the sands, Titumus struggles up, hand clutched at his neck. The Argonian's claws just missed his jugular. "End it now," Titumus says.
Viperish Night knows he should stop. This is very very wrong. Titumus is not dead, just injured. He must have hit his head when Claws-to-Death's blow struck him. He trembles as rain pours from the sky, as thunder crashes and lightning flashes. "I can feel it," he says shakily. The icy river seems to wash over him, the rain, is it just the rain? He howls to the sky and turns back to Claws-to-Death and starts slashing him until Titumus pushes him to the ground and slices Claws-to-Death's neck with his sword, ending his suffering.
Viperish Night staggers to his feet, the rain washing the blood from his scales and claws. He raises his head to the sky and howls in anger and anguish. It's gone again, always out of his grasp. Viperish Night lowers his head, and his eyes find the crowd and hatred fills them. If he killed the ones who scream for death, maybe then it would be in his grasp.
"Viperish Night!" Titumus snaps and Viperish Night turns toward Titumus, the hatred leaving his eyes as he trembles.
"I did not mean to..." Viperish Night says weakly. He starts to say something else but the lightning flashes and he stops. The look in Titumus's eyes. Viperish Night takes a step back.
"Why do you seek it? And do not tell me you do not, or that it is for us."
Viperish Night is at an utter loss. It is for them, to be free. But... ice flows down his spine as a new truth slips into his mind. One that had been in his mind this whole time, that he kept pushing aside, pretending it was not there. "I want to be strong." he finally says. "Strong enough to shatter these bonds and kill anyone who tries to bind me again!"
"Viperish Night," Titumus says in a strangled voice. "How far will you go? How many would you destroy, kill for this?"
Viperish Night's gaze fills with confusion and then the crowd roars again, they are puzzled as to why the two gladiators are still on the sands. They want something to happen, and thus they stay. Viperish Night's gaze once more moves to them. To be free he has to kill Thjonwulf. And every single slaver on this island, as well as those who came to cheer for this bloody carnage. His eyes move back to Titumus, and he does not attempt to answer his question. How can he, the answer that has presented itself to him is beyond thinking, and is very very wrong.
Titumus takes a step back, horror in his gaze. He sees the answer in Viperish Night's eyes. "Would it stop here?" Titumus asks. "Or would you drown the world, Viperish Night?"
"I...I do not know." Viperish Night says. People hurt him. Not just here, but out there. Out there in a world that had forgotten he even existed. Viperish Night starts shaking, suddenly so very cold.
Titumus bows his head. "May the divines have mercy on both of us then," he says. Titumus withdraws his sword and raises his head. His eyes are cold as they lock onto Viperish Night. "Pick up your swords, Viperish Night. I will not strike you down unarmed."
"Titumus, please." Viperish Night says.
Titumus suddenly charges forward, he grabs Viperish Night's arm and throws him in the direction of his swords. "Pick them up. Do not force me to kill you without a fight!"
Thjonwulf suddenly shouts. "Well, this is unexpected! Has the traitor gone mad?" Thjonwulf furrows his brow as he stares down at the sands. It almost seems as if he is getting ready to leap down and stop this, but the crowd goes utterly wild over this shocking turn of events and Thjonwulf stays his hand. "Well, what the crowd wants the crowd gets!" He shouts.
Viperish Night's claws curl around his swords as he staggers up. Titumus is circling him, forcing Viperish Night to circle as well. "Why?" Viperish Night snarls.
"If you have to ask..." Titumus says. "You are farther gone than I thought."
Titumus strikes then and Viperish Night narrowly dodges. Even in his wounded tired state, Titumus is an expert swordsman with more years of experience than Viperish Night. Viperish Night's blades clash on Titumus's sword. Viperish Night remains on the defensive, his mind still reeling. How could his friend be trying to kill him? Titumus quickly gets the upper hand, striking one blade from Viperish Night's grip and forcing him ever backward. Eventually, Viperish Night hits the arena wall, bleeding from the numerous times Titumus has struck him. Viperish Night cannot bring himself to fight back, and Titumus stalks toward him. He's not going to back down. Viperish Night looks away, if this is the way it ends, he does not want to see it coming. He does not want the last thing he sees is his friend striking him down.
"He has betrayed you. KILL HIM." A voice out of the blue, a voice only he can hear. He's heard it once before. Familiar and yet not. And a familiar sensation, he can feel it again.
Viperish Night jerks to the side, Titumus's sword slams into the arena wall instead of his chest. Titumus turns to look at him as he pulls his sword from the wall, and in those eyes all Viperish Night sees is death. His eyes narrow. Another person who hurt him. Another person who betrayed him. Anger and pain fill Viperish Night's eyes. "You are nothing but a traitor." Viperish Night snarls at Titumus. Titumus pauses, a flash of pain in his eyes. Viperish Night snarls and at last starts to fight back. Lightning stabs and slashes with his remaining blade, Titumus's sword clashing with them. A few get through inflecting shallow cuts. Viperish Night roars and slams his blade through the air as hard as he can. Titumus swings and the blades collide, and Viperish Night's blade shatters. Titumus kicks him out into the sands, and Viperish Night quickly springs up, narrowly missing a killing blow. The next blow comes down, and Viperish Night's hand darts up and he grabs the sword blade, hissing in pain as it cuts into his hand. He hisses and wrenches the sword from Titumus's grasp, throwing it as far as he can. Viperish Night's eyes lock onto Titumus's and he leaps forward, his claws slicing across Titumus's armor. Titumus staggers back and Viperish Night presses. Pushed to the point of no return, betrayed in such a way, there is no more pauses, no more hesitation. His claws find flesh and Viperish Night rips through Titumus, until Titumus falls to the ground, his blood flowing from him even as the light starts to fade from his eyes.
"Why..." Viperish Night says standing over him, his friend's blood dripping from his claws. "I never wanted this!"
Titumus looks up at him, blood leaking from his mouth. "Because... I saw a necromancer nearly destroy Nirn already," he says weakly. "The darkness in your eyes will drown this world. I had to try and stop you. I... I did not want this either." A last rattle and Titumus's breathing stops, his eyes staring blindly up at the storm that rages overhead.
Viperish Night backs up trembling. He felt it again, stronger than ever before. And then it faded because he did not want it this way! He did not want this. The crowd is roaring like a mighty waterfall and it seems to drown Viperish Night. He howls a scream of unbearable pain. "I DID NOT WANT THIS." But not a single person hears him over the roar of the crowd. Viperish Night looks at Titumus one last time, then runs out of the arena.
Viperish Night paces in his room, his eyes wild and filled with agony. He's still covered in his friend's blood. Titumus's blood. He howls and slumps to the ground shaking. Why? Why did this happen, why did Titumus think he meant the whole of Nirn to suffer? He did not want that, did he? He could not want that!
The door opens and Viperish Night springs back up hissing. Zan'tabe stands there, an anguished expression on his face. "Viperish Night," Zan'tabe says.
"He betrayed me!" Viperish Night hisses. "He thought I would destroy Nirn. Why would he think that?" Viperish Night holds up his claws in horror, covered in Titumus's blood. "I did not want this!"
Zan'tabe looks at Viperish Night, the sadness evident in his eyes. "None of us wanted this," Zan'tabe says. "Titumus was driven by demons, as are many of us. This one did not know they had gotten so bad he would do this. But we are still here for you, my friend. We still will help you."
Viperish Night narrows his eyes. "Get out." he snarls. "I will NEVER trust any of you again. And I do not want your help. Let me drown if I so wish it. It's better than being hurt and betrayed like this. He was my friend. I never would have hurt him. He never should have hurt me." Viperish Night's eyes are lost, confused, angry. So many emotions flashing through them. "Now get OUT."
Zan'tabe lowers his head and backs out of the room. "Zan'tabe is sorry, more than you know, Viperish Night. Titumus should not have done this. None of us would!"
"Titumus did." Viperish Night says coldly, and he grips the door and slams it in Zan'tabe's face.
Viperish Night slides to the ground, arms around his knees as he looks out the window. The storm still rages, but its power is nothing compared to the one in Viperish Night's heart. This night has shattered everything inside of him, everything that was left to shatter. His eyes narrow as lightning flashes across the night sky and the rain pours down, it seems to want to drown the world. Viperish Night's eyes fill with utter ice as he stares at the storm. He would leave here, or he would die trying.
