Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda or it's characters.
Copyright: I own Cadoris so please ask me if you wish to use him.
A Man's Honor
Cadoris was not happy that he had not been able to help out his friend Trance even though he had no idea what kind of weapons the people had. It was not an excuse and he was going to have to live with his failure at not being able to save her.
Cadoris was now decked out for battle and he was in the gym of the Andromeda. In the room with him was the rest of the crew along with Rommie. Rommie looked worried though Cadoris had little enough knowledge of the time he lived in so he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that in his day machines didn't have feelings and yet he felt that Andromeda was more than a machine and that she did indeed have feelings which would make her in Cadoris's eyes at least a living person who needed someone to care for her.
He was dressed in his black outfit and had the mask around his neck. He hadn't put it on yet and he wouldn't until he went into the ring to fight. He couldn't believe that even in the future there were underground fight clubs that people went to. He had never wanted to enter one but he would do whatever it took to make Trance safe. He owed it to her for not giving up on him when everyone else was willing to sell his body for science.
There were reasons that he never wanted to enter one and the main reason was that he was better than everyone else and the people fighting him would die. He had no wish to kill the men for trying to make a living in the ring and for trying to feed their families and so he had never fought in a ring as a gladiator. Now it seemed though that he had no choice but Cadoris at the moment wasn't concerned with his opponents his mind was set on helping Trance out.
"You can't do this Cadoris. You have no idea the opponents you will face and there is no guarantee that he will release Trance if you do win," Dylan was saying as Cadoris sheathed his swords and slung them over his shoulders.
"I can win Dylan and I must win. She is my friend and I will never desert my friends no matter what I must fight in order to free them," Cadoris said as he stashed a couple of throwing knives on his person. One down a boot and another on the back of his thigh where it wouldn't impair his movements.
"You are crazy you know that don't you," Beka said from where she was leaning against the wall.
"I may be. It may be that being frozen for 3000 years without anyone to talk to has made me a bit protective of my friends or it may be that I like Trance more than I am letting on. There are many factors at work here Beka but the most important one is that she is a friend and she is in need. If it makes me crazy to want to help her then I suppose that I am crazy," Cadoris said as he placed a throwing spike in the sole of his fighting shoes.
"I don't think that the Divine has such a plan for you Cadoris. I find it hard to believe that your life as you said will be filled with nothing but pain and death. The Divine has a plan for all of us and I don't think yours is what you believe," Rev said in his teacher voice.
"Listen Rev I don't know anything about this Divine all I know is that everything that I have ever known is gone except my knowledge about how to kill and the basic instinct of survival. I have my friends and my thoughts and yet it seems my knowledge of a past world is useless and instead my knowledge of killing is what is needed yet again. I think that the Divine is having a good laugh about the joke it has played on me Rev. I think that it is laughing if it can about how it has made one man a Relic," Cadoris said angrily.
"You know Cadoris you have this outlook on life it seems that says kill me. I mean the way you talk it is as if you don't care whether you die and I fell that is a bad outlook to have. I mean you don't get to meet any women for one if you are dead and you can't learn for another," Harper said in his happy voice.
"Boy aren't you the perceptive one. I don't have a death wish Harper it is just that I don't fear her embrace. She has been my only companion for more years than I care to remember. She is what kept me sane as I lay frozen," Cadoris said to his newfound friend.
"That is pretty bleak," Rommie said from her spot next to Dylan.
"I know but it is the truth," Cadoris said and the room fell silent at that statement. "I need to get to the arena and sign in or whatever I do." With that he left the room and the others followed him out. If they couldn't talk him into letting them hunt for Trance the old fashioned way then they would be there to cheer him on even though they believed that he was doing the wrong thing.
* * * * *
Trance was scared about her current predicament. She didn't like the way the nightsider kept looking at her. As if his gaze wasn't enough there was the man's bodyguard who was a human and when he looked at her it sent a shiver down her back. He had a hunger in his eyes and she didn't want to find out what would satiate his hunger.
She was uncomfortable because the nightsider was making her sit on a hard floor with nothing to use as a cushion. She was also a bit cold and she didn't know where she was at. Trance was worried that the nightsider would give her to the human man before he sold her but of course he had said that if Cadoris entered the tournament and won then she would be set free. She didn't really believe the nightsider but Cadoris would because he didn't know about nightsider's or most of the other races for that matter.
The more she thought about it the more sure she became that Cadoris couldn't hope to win because he simply didn't know about he other races. He didn't know their strengths or their weaknesses. He was a man who had no idea what he was going to get himself into if he even entered the gladiator tournament.
She was worried that Cadoris would end up getting hurt trying to save her. That was when Ray walked over to her and knelt down to look her in the eyes. "You know even if your friend is foolish enough to enter the tournament and he wins I can't let you go. You are too unique and will bring such a high price in the slave markets. Of course we will go watch your friend since it will be the last time that you ever see him," Ray purred as his beady eyes sparkled.
"He will win and then you will be in trouble," Trance said but she really didn't believe her own words.
"Save me someone. I don't want to be a slave," Trance whispered to herself knowing that no one would come for her because they had no idea where she was at.
* * * * *
Cadoris was looking around the coliseum and was impressed with the authenticity of it. It looked much like the great coliseum from ancient Rome where many a gladiator battle had taken place. He was actually enjoying looking around at the place. It looked as if it could seat many thousands of spectators and there was even a place for a very wealthy man or whoever was supposed to sit there. It was place where the emperor had always sat with his wife and others.
He walked over to where he was told he had to sign up. Sitting behind a large stone desk was a man who looked to about thirty. His face had a few lines and he was starting to gray at the temples but otherwise he looked quite tough and in good shape.
"I need to sign up for the tournament," Cadoris said as he walked up to the desk.
"What huh why. You are a human right," the man asked with a hint of wonder in his voice.
"Yes I am why," Cadoris said.
"Because no human has entered these fights in more than a hundred years. Those who entered the last time were killed with ease since they had no natural weapons and only certain weapons are allowed," The man said and then started to laugh at Cadoris.
"Why are you laughing," Cadoris asked.
"Because you are going to die as easily as any other human," The man said and then started to laugh again.
Cadoris lost his patience at that and reached across and grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him close to Cadoris's face. "Sign me up. I will win and there is no other way about it. I am sure that antique weapons are allowed right. Weapons such as swords and knives," Cadoris growled.
"Yes swords axes and other weapons are allowed to be used. I will sign you up right away," the man stammered out nervously.
"What shall your arena name be," the man said formally yet couldn't hide his fear of Cadoris.
"Call me Darkblade. It is a name that shall strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. Tell me when my first fight is as well," Cadoris said and then smiled at the man.
"Your first fight will be later tonight at 10 o'clock. You will be fighting a maggog by the name of Rusk. He is a great fighter and I hope that you are as well for your sake," the man said as he wrote down Cadoris's name and put him in his bracket.
"I will see you later tonight," Cadoris said as he strode away.
The man couldn't believe that a human was going to enter the tournament. Humans rarely entered the tournament and for good reason. They were not able to fight with natural weapons like a lot of the other races. Only one human had entered the tournament in the last 300 years and he had been torn to pieces. The man hoped that this Darkblade would do better.
* * * * *
"Can you believe that he is going to go through with this Dylan," Beka asked astonished when they had found out when he was to have his first fight.
"Yes Beka I can," Dylan said sadly.
"And how can you let him do it. He is just going to throw his life away for nothing," Beka fumed.
"I don't think so," Tyr spoke up. "He has to do this for it is a matter of honor to him. There is nothing that we can do to deter him and I respect him all the more for what he is doing. As for him going through with it I think that he could actually win. He fights like one of my people and that makes him dangerous."
"I just don't see why we are letting him do this. Is it a guy thing that only guys can understand. Is that why I am alone here in this or what," Beka demanded.
"Well Beka it could be a guy thing but it isn't. It is more like we understand why he is doing it where you don't. That and well we know that there is nothing we can do to stop him if he really wants to do this," Harper said.
"I just don't see how getting himself killed is going to help but I won't try to stop him because you all seem so sure about it," Beka said and seemed to Harper who knew her the best that she was pouting.
"We will just have to go and cheer him on Beka since it is the only thing that we can do," Harper said.
* * * * *
It was time for the fights now and Trance found herself sitting next to Ray who was it seemed quite an important person since he had a front row seat. Trance had not wanted to come and watch the fights but Ray had insisted and since she was his prisoner she really had no choice.
She had been given a beautiful dress of light blue that had a slit in the side to her mid-thigh. The dress had a low cut neckline and was made from silk which Trance had to admit felt good against her skin. She looked radiant in the blue dress which blended with her purple skin.
The nightsider had given her the dress because he was showing off his newest merchandise and Trance didn't even know it. It was his way of showing off her assets without letting her know of his plans. He noticed that many of his clients took to looking at her and appraising her which meant that the price he got for her would be very high indeed when he sold her.
He smiled then as he saw the human that had tried to save her come out into the ring. So the human had decided to fight how amusing the nightsider thought. He had told the human to enter because no human had entered in his lifetime and he wanted to see one get killed. It held a certain enjoyment for him and he was happy to see that the human hadn't backed out.
Trance couldn't believe that Cadoris had entered the tournament. She was glad that he had but she was almost certain that he couldn't win since he was after all just a human. She thought that he looked like he wasn't ready to fight because he was just standing there relaxed and she thought that he would be surprised by his enemy. She wasn't a warrior though and so didn't really know much about how to fight.
As she watched she saw Cadoris turn and look directly at her. He smiled then and bowed to her and then turned back to the arena and waited for his enemy. Trance couldn't help but smile even though her situation really didn't warrant a smile at all. She liked Cadoris even though she hadn't known him for all that long. She also found herself thinking that he was attractive which she really decided she shouldn't be thinking about at the time.
She wondered then if he could win and why he was fighting to help her. He was a person who they didn't know that much about and yet he was willing to give his life up for her. It made her nervous to think that someone that she hardly knew was that willing to die for her. It was a unsettling feeling and one that she didn't especially like.
She watched as Cadoris's opponent came out and stood across from Cadoris. It was a maggog and he was wielding something that she had been told was an axe. It was a nasty looking weapon and also one that looked as if it could do some damage if it hit. She looked at Cadoris and saw that he wasn't nervous in the least in fact if she hadn't known better she would have sworn that he was laughing.
She hoped that Cadoris would be alright because he knew so much about plants and other such things and she wanted to learn about some of them from him. That and she hated to admit it she liked him a lot. She really liked him and she didn't know why. She watched and prayed to the Divine like Rev had taught her for Cadoris to be safe.
* * * * *
Sitting in the front row also was the rest of the Andromeda crew along with Rommie herself who had wanted to see this sport as it was sometimes called. She had knowledge of it from history but she had never seen it for herself and she wanted first hand knowledge of the tournament.
The rest of them especially Dylan couldn't believe that there was such a place anywhere. It was just wrong to have people fight each other for money and such. They knew there were places where it was done but they had never known that there was a place in the universe that had taken to having battles just like an ancient civilization that was long destroyed.
They couldn't believe that they were having a gladiator tournament and yet it seemed that people liked it and they never wanted for men to compete especially with the winning prize. They couldn't believe that they were giving such an amount of money away to someone who killed for the pleasure of the crowd.
Beka looked around and she was disturbed by how many people were there and how many seemed to be cheering for blood. They were all yelling and screaming for one or the other of the combatants. Beka herself was of course cheering for her new friend Cadoris who had been announced as Darkblade. It seemed each of the fighters was given a different name. They had the names because it gave people a interesting name to put with a face.
Harper watched and wondered if Cadoris had a chance against the Maggog. He knew that his friend was good but he also knew that Cadoris had never fought a Maggog in his life or really knew what they were capable of. Harper hoped that his friend would win because Harper really didn't want anything to happen to Trance.
Rommie watched and saw that Cadoris was at ease while the Maggog stalked back and forth and yelled to the crowd getting them on his side. She wondered at that and decided that it was for the benefit of the crowd that the Maggog was taking so long and was showing off so much. He must have been a crowd favorite she realized and then the Maggog turned and looked at Cadoris and said coldly as the crowd fell silent, "You will die slowly and with much pain human."
After that the crowd erupted into cheers for the Maggog and jeers for Cadoris who just stood there without moving and waited for the Maggog to make the first move. The Maggog growled and launched himself at Cadoris and the fight had begun.
* * * * *
Cadoris stood near the center of the sand-covered floor and looked around him with the practiced eye of someone who had been in many battles. He saw first Trance who he was glad to see. He noticed that she was wearing quite a nice dress and that the rat faced man was sitting next to her. She looked nervous and so he smiled to her and bowed hoping that he could ease the way she felt. He wanted her to not think about him and this fight or about having her life in the hands of someone else. He wanted her to think about something else so that the time would pass and she would be fine.
He saw her smile in return as he turned back to his opponent. He decide then to look his foe over and see if there was anything that he could use to his advantage. He noticed that the Maggog was bigger than Rev and was also a hell of a lot meaner. The Maggog was wielding a rather large battleaxe that was made well considering the art of making weapons was lost. The Maggog was very muscular but not as fast as he should have been.
Out of the corner of his eye Cadoris saw his friends and they looked nervous. He didn't turn to them because he didn't want the rat faced man to know that Cadoris had other friends. Cadoris wanted his friends to remain secret especially since they were trying to restore the commonwealth and it wouldn't look good if the commonwealth crusaders were seen at a gladiator event.
Cadoris saw the Maggog start to walk back and forth trying to get the crowd on his side which Cadoris had been told always seemed to help the fighter out. Cadoris didn't care if the crowd was on his side or not he was here to kill the Maggog and get his friend and there was nothing and no one that was going to stop him unless the killed him.
Just then the Maggog was finished showing off and he charged Cadoris who hadn't even unsheathed his swords. The Maggog swung the axe in an overhand chop and Cadoris easily stepped aside and the axe buried itself in the sand. The crowd was roaring it's approval and Cadoris calmly unsheathed his blades.
The Maggog wrenched his axe out of the ground and swung around to face Cadoris who just smiled at him. The Maggog screamed a battle cry and charged forward and swung it's axe in a cut for Cadoris's side. Cadoris parried the cut with both of his swords and the Maggog stepped in close. Cadoris knew what was going to happen and so just as the Maggog breathed in Cadoris ducked under the axe and rolled out of the way as the Maggog spit it's other weapon at Cadoris.
It's spit just missed Cadoris as it went where he was just seconds before. Cadoris came up to his feet and smiled as he bowed to the Maggog who growled and charged Cadoris again. Cadoris threw his sword up as the axe came down at an angle trying to hit Cadoris in the leg. Cadoris caught the axe on the handle with his blade and stepped in close to the Maggog. Once there he said, "You are dead."
Cadoris drove his other blade deep into the Maggog's stomach and then Cadoris kicked him off his blade. The Maggog didn't fall though and instead charged again. Cadoris hadn't expected that and as the axe descended towards his chest he leaped back just in time.
Cadoris narrowed his eyes in irritation at the persistent Maggog. Cadoris knew the Maggog was dead but the Maggog just didn't know it. The Maggog charged again as its blood flowed. Cadoris waited and then was surprised when the Maggog lashed out with it's claws for his face. Cadoris fell back as the claws just missed him but the axe was coming for him now and he didn't have time to get anything but his arm up to block the cut that was aimed for his neck.
Cadoris threw his arm up and the axe cleaved into his forearm. The axe hit his bone and stopped just like Cadoris knew it would. Cadoris then smiled wickedly at the stunned Maggog and drove the sword that was in the hand that belonged to the arm that had gotten hit into the Maggog's chest. With the other blade he swung the sword in a slash that opened the throat of the Maggog.
As the Maggog toppled over it drug the axe out of his arm. The crowd fell silent for they were all sure that Cadoris was going to lose since he was just a human. Cadoris shook his head since he knew Rev would feel bad as would the others about what he had just done but he had told them he was a killer. They also knew that he would have to kill if he was going to save Trance.
Cadoris walked over to the fallen Maggog and knelt down next to him. "You fought well. May death treat you well," Cadoris whispered for him alone to hear. Cadoris then stood up and walked to where he was told the winners were supposed to go and walked out of the arena to a room that had a large bath in it with heated water and other smaller baths.
Cadoris walked to one of the smaller ones and lowered himself down into the hot water. The blood washed from him and his muscles relaxed as he let the water soak into him. Cadoris closed his eyes and thought about how easy the fight had been. That was when he looked at his arm and thought that he needed to bandage it.
The blood was still pouring from the wound and Cadoris wished that he could heal faster than he did. Not to say that he didn't heal fast but it just took a while. Cadoris found a towel and tore a strip from it and wrapped it around his forearm tightly and then layed back and waited for his next match. He hoped that it would be another easy one.