Tournament 43: morituri te salutant.
Winners and losers
On the last day of the festivities of the Arena Tournament, the Hydra had grown large from it's former victims. It had already eaten Paegniarii Tiny, Razorback the Sharp, whipped and Aetius during the second week. It had also eaten Gladiators Spartacus, Xout and Dinh and even the Velites Admiralkiller and Kefeck and the Murmillon Poutinus Gravious.
May their bones now rest at peace for their valour in the arena. They will be remembered in the catacombs of the Mauseleum.
The last day of the Tournament, the death of the Hydra
Now on the last day of the Tournament, the last 15 Gladiators battle the gigantic Hydra to gain the favour of The Emperor to be freed from their chains.
DoS and David el Rey are fighting side by side when they are attacked by 3 of the many heads. While having chopped off one of them, DoS sees one of the remaining heads getting behind David's back and opening it's mouth. At the very moment David chops off the 2nd head, DoS pushes him aside and lands in the mouth of the preying head, head first.
DoS had given his life in return of that of young David's. In return David was able to cut off that head as well. He shall be remembered and a token of gratitude will be sent to his family.
Skillfull as he is, Samnite Hatchetman fought the fourth head all by himself. Not having a sword does not set him back, instead he made fire with his hands by using a simple wooden pole sticking out of the neck of to be beaten Hydra head. After beating the face enough to render it unconscious, he tears off the head and starts burning the fresh wound to make sure it cannot grow back.
Nayab and Messbrutal both had an advantage over their 2 Hydra heads since they were together and well adapted to each other's strategies. Venator Nayab slayed the 5th head and aided in distracting the 6th head so Samnite Messbrutal could slay it after being bitten by it first.
Ladies anera and ceslis were the only 2 female contestants and they usually fought side by side. Combating the Hydra was no exception and these brave Gladiatorii fought the seventh and 8th heads without too much trouble... until ceslis came too close to the tail of the hydra and was flattened by it. Angered by the oncoming tears, lady anera grabbed the blade ceslis had been using and sliced both heads with the still burning edge of it.
The group of Gladiators Freekius, Demi Maximus, SparTick, Adrastos and Angel of Death were struggling with their Head, or rather heads. For every head one of them removed, another pair of them returned. In total 6 heads they had to fight against while initially only 1 of them needed to be cut in the first place. After a long while, even they managed to kill all their Hydra heads and they even took a part of the hydra's back and shoulder with it.
Venator Angel of Death, or so he named himself, used his mighty hands after his bow was broken to rip off 2 of the heads while his Arena friends 'treated' the wounds of the Hydra in such a fashion that they would never grow back.
Gladiators Clone, Rudiarius Maximus and Ignus were never to be found since this glorious and last day of the Tournament. Though many more bones were found in the stomach of the now slain Hydra, nobody could identify them as being of either of these 3 cowardly men and the remaining bones were used to feed the dogs of The Emperor's trusted Guards.
