#5 - GAUNTLET OF THE ALLSMITH

Cael lifted himself up and rubbed his jaw. Definitely chipped a tooth back there, but he had bigger problems than those that could be solved by a dentist. The first was that he'd had to wait to use his Flash Step again, but it seemed futile against the Warmonger anyway. The second was that... well, his partner had just been stabbed through the chest. At first it seemed this would hurt their end of the scoreboard, but this thought passed as the centurion locked the other demon from being able to flee. Cael could not see the chains now attached to the armored competitors, but the effects were clear to him all the same once the two began to strike at one another repeatedly with their blades.

"If forced to engage a single opponent, you must be quite hindered when encountered by two, hmm?" Cael rolled his shoulder and cracked his neck before running back into the battle. With a leap forward, he spun his blade within his palm and attempted to land a blow at the Warmonger's neck. However, almost instantly, the foe countered with his own slash.

It was now fighting each of them with a single arm.

It dropped to a squat and crossed its blades, catching its two opponents' between them. A low, raspy voice spoke in a language unfamiliar to the Italian, but he could only guess it to be Demonic. Still without a grasp on such tongues, he was clueless as to what it was saying, but its actions proved deadly enough. It swung both blades, and threw Cael's sword from his hands.

"You hope to stop a Gladius?" Cael flipped backwards, landed upon his hands, and then performed another flip. His blade reappeared within his hands, and he smirked. "My weapon and myself are one, demon." He sprung back into the flurry of blows, and began to help his comrade once more, parrying and blocking all the strikes he could in order to create some sort of opening. None in sight, he quickly formulated the best course of action.

This involved taking a single strike to the arm, which caught the Warmonger off guard for a moment. After all, why would such a skilled swordsman allow a strike to get through? The meaning of this became clear as rain though as Cael grabbed the Warmonger's arm and jerked it behind its back. The sword fell from its grasp, and Cael stepped upon it just as the enemy attempted to call it back to him.

"Gaius, I believe this to be the best of days to die." A hearty laugh escaped him, and his eyes locked with the Roman's. The Warmonger struggled all it could, but, alas could not find a means to escape the hold as Cael pressed his other knee into its backside. "What of you, monster?"

Seishin was still narrowly avoiding a hot, charred death ad he was using his skills in acrobatics on this one. Seishin narrowly avoided a laser beam strike, it slicing the earth below as Seishin kept thinking to himself. This beast's armor was just too thick for any firearm he had on him. This was best left to his own natural abilities. Flinging out his sleeve, he counted two rods, and each were ready to be used. Feeling his pouch, he had two more grenades. Thinking to himself, he was interrupted by a plasma beam.

He didn't have much time to stand around, as he could only grimace. In mid leap, Seishin caught the beast's tail ready to spam into him. Bringing up his arms, he could only hope he could take it. Seishin felt the full brace of impact, as he was flung into the dirt. Dust and debris was kicked up, as it appeared Seishin was hurled. As the dust settled, A Seishin was clearly visible, splayed up against the wall in what appeared to be a large impact crater.

Opening his eyes, he pressed himself off the wall as he fell forward. A large wave of sand fell with him, as it piled motionlessly around him. Seishin slid his hand over his chest, recoiling his hand in pain at touching the third rib. Seishin coughed at the taste of blood in his mouth, as he tried to steady his breathing. Luckily his iron cloak protected him, but against a beast that large, it struggled, not to mention the armor only partially formed in time.

Seishin looked up at the Tyrant, as it began to make it's way over to finish the job. This thing's armor was too resilient for the gear he had with him. The only open spot that he could see was the mouth, and that meant getting eaten alive. Getting up to his feet quickly, he dropped both rods in his hand as they stuck into the sand. He began to run forward as the Tyrant aimed to bite him in two. Sliding to a halt, the beast's mouth came down on Seishin as he could only watch as he was enveloped in darkness..

The crowd began very silent as a resoundig cheer erupted forth. The tyrant began to turn towards Cael and Gladius, step by step..

Seishin coughed at the smell of the inside of this beast. It smelled of tar, oil, and meat. Seishin quickly rumaged through his pouch ad he took both grenades out. Pulling both pins at once, he let them roll down the throat of the beast, watchin the arm light flicker at the bottom. If he didn't time this right, he was going to turn into a million pieces. Seishin closed his eyes as he counted to himself.

3..

2..

1..

The Tyrant stumbled a bit on it's way to the two warriors as a bang was heard. The tyrant's armor sheared at the internal blast as it roared in agony. A plume of dust shot forth from the wounds he had created, as dust also managed to spew forth out of it's mouth like black sludge. The black powder immediately sprung into action, seizing hold of every internal mechanism in the beast. The crowd was in utter confusion. How was the powder still attacking? One of the demons in the crowd yelled and pointed at the crater that Seishin was injured in, as everyone looked to that one spot.

Seishin was down on one knee, with his one hand out clenched. Blood was seeping down from Seishin's hair line as he was breathing a little too heavy. He had caught some of the blast before escaping to the rod he had set before. His knuckles were bare white, as Seishin looked forth at the struggling Tyrant. To the awe of the crowd, a massive plume arose from the tryant and around Seishin, almost over shadowing the coliseum. As it began to rain down on the tyrant, it clumped tightly to the frantic t-rex as it began to become buried in black iron. After a few moments, a pyramid of great magnitude had enveloped the beast. Seishin grinned as he opened his fist and placed his palm on the ground. "You messed with.. The wrong Templar." The pyramid began to rapidly shrink to an eighth of it's size, as the aound of twisting and crunching metal was heard. Tar began to seep out from the powder as Seishin brought his hand up, the iron powder shooting out and raining over the coliseum. What was left was a mangled, crushed cyborg dinosaur. Sitting down, Seishin watched with a glazed over look as the powder gingerly rained down on the coliseum, some of the demons in the audience showing irritation at the blessed dust.

Battle raged, and Gaius for all his skill could not make ground, in fact he was losing it. Being as he was driven back with each and every blow of the Warmongers blade. The creature was not match for him in sheer strength, but its speed, and the sheer level of its skill was enough to hold back even the mightiest of blows. And though at times his weapon found its way past the Generals guard, the beasts armor was more then enough to ward off any but the hardest of blows.

With each passing moment Gaius knew that he was growing weaker under this creatures onslaught, and though the mantle of his rage kept the worst of the damage from getting through... It was no where near enough to turn the tide of this battle. And then, like a balm from heaven relief came in the form of a mortal man.  Yes, two blades flashed and while the General lived up to its title the battle was less one sided then it had been but moments before. The Cael's and Gaius's weapons flew through the air, and with a unvoiced understanding they struck with perfect coordination, trying with all their might to catch the General off guard.

But nothing came of it, perfect strikes where met with a perfect parry and in the end nothing had changed. And then Cael met Gaius' eyes and a plan passed between the two of them in that single instant. It was then that Cael sheathed the blade. It was a term most swordsmen knew, and a maneuver that none wished to preform. For in the end it meant the death of not only your enemy  but your self as well... At least if one did so alone. "Gaius, I believe this to be the best of days to die." Cael of course, was not alone. And as the Warmonger moved to counter strike Gaius snapped out one gauntleted  hand and caught hold of the warmonger free arm. And with a grip that could have bent steel he wrenched back. "You are not allowed to die today my friend! For I am the only one allowed to kill you!"With those words he forced the Warmonger to lift its arm and with a shout he drove his blade through the lighter armor of the armpit and into the creatures black heart. And while the monster still fought against them, Gaius knew that they had beaten it. If only by exploiting its own overconfidence. Pride it was often said came before the fall... And in this case nothing could have been truer.

Seishin watched as the two man combo used skill,cohesion, and bravery to subdue the warmonger and bring it's end swiftly. He could hear the demons in the stand shout at the beast's untimely demise. It would appear the crowd wouldn't approve of that all too much. "Those two are an interesting pair.." Walking over to the rod he had left in the middle of a large mass of iron powder, he reached a hand down to pick it up.

He could only speculate what the next round would hold. Maybe this was the last round all together? Seishin ruminated some as he would take the time to assess his damage once more. Running his fingers gently down his front side, his abdomen tensed immediately when he touch his third and fourth right ribs. His hand jerked away, his body telling him that he was in pain. This would take time to fix. Luckily, the Templar Order worked wonders.

His shoulder was still immensely bruised, but it would seem that the dislocation he fixed earlier was not an issue at this point. Aside from slight fatigue, a gash near his hair line, and a few scrapes and cuts, he was still able to fight. Turning to look at Belial, he shouted. "If you have no others to toss at us, I believe freedom is in order!" The demons shouted and goiced their disapproval. Some even had sneers and were laughing. Was their something he didn't know?

If his knowledge served him right, it was usually the champion that served as the final act. So where was he to be? It seemed that the others had dealt with their respective opponents, or so he thought.

As if in unholy response to the young Templar's question to the overlord of the Undercroft, the gates opened once more, two on each end. Red, glaring, and very familiar eyes emerged from both of these, and this time, two unshackled cybernetic dinosaurs came stalking forth with a furious growl. It was a daunting challenge, as these were both much larger than their fallen comrade. The ground shook under their mighty feet, they crept closer to the group with intimidating resolve, and they bore their teeth, ready to feast upon their bones. A few cybernetic hisses and growls came from the first's mouth, a signal that death was upon them.


The second began to rear it's head, beginning to let out a mighty roar, but was cut short when a spear of black metal impaled the dinosaur right through the head, causing the crowd to burst into an excited cheer. By it's tail, the mighty beast was dragged down by a muscular and demonic figure with a head of a fiery furnace. This monster grabbed the Titan by it's neck and squeezed, presumably setting off the demon's laser guiding system, as this action sent forth a powerful burst of energy straight into the other Great Beast's chest, exterminating it in one fell shot. With a quick crack of the neck, the other black dinosaur was finished as well, and the crowd chanted his name, for they knew it well. He was the champion, undisputed for over three thousand years. Barbarossa the Bloodied.

Standing upon the corpse of the colossal opponent, the gladiator's helmet burst with unholy flame, and from it he pulled a massive sword forged by Belial himself. "BEHOLD. BARBAROSSA THE BLOODIED, UNDEFEATED FOR THREE THOUSAND AND FIVE HUNDRED YEARS," His voice sounded as if it echoed inside of the metal of his helm, loud and challenging, "CHAMPION OF THE UNDERCROFT. BE THOU CONSIDERED AN HONOR TO BE FELLED BY MINESELF." The sword was thrust into the ground, causing the entire stadium to shake, and the pulled out again and pointed to each combatant individually. If he had lips, he'd be licking them with excitement right now. Who were these fools to think they stood a ghost of a chance against such an ancient champion and master of war?

BOSS FIGHT BEGIN

Seishin reacted to the sound of the gates bursting open as he beheld two Tyrants in his gaze. He could only slump his shoulders in despair and bewilderment. How.. Were they going to beat these?! They would have to be resourceful and tactful. Quickly swinging his head to Cael and Gaius, he shouted."Quickly! Regroup! There i-" He was cut short in his speech as  he quickly looked back at the two mechanical reptiles. The one had been effortlessly slain by a beast with massive demonic energy. The being had used the other Tyrant's ability to quickly slay the Tyranno's companion. Taken back by this display of awesome might, Seishin quickly took stance.

This was Barbarossa?! Seishin had known many Templars who had perished in vain at this being's hand. He could feel his heart racing some. Was this.. Fear? He noticed his hand was shaking ever so slightly as he steadied his breathing. It was going to take everything he had. His battle companions would also have to partake, ad he would have no chance. He swayed a little at the ground's shaking, making sure his weight was spread out evenly. He had one grenade and one magnet rod left. Guns would be utterly useless, and if he got close, he would be utterly fried and decapitated.

Was his title as a Paladin, one of the mightiest warriors and leaders from the fabled organization of Templars a mere smudge to this being? He had fought countless beings. He even wrassled with Count Dracula, and managed to live. His ribs shot pain through his being, as his left arm wrapped and clutched his side. There was no retreat. If this was a routine mission, Seishin would have never ordered his subordinates to combat this being. He would have bided time for their escape. There was no escape. It was fight or die! Outstreching his right arm, the plack powder began to swirl viciously around him, as his face was filled with a mixture of pain, and seriousness. "The best I can do is use my augment. I won't be able to survive in close proximity." Lookin over at the two partnered warriors, he gave a disheartening grin, as he gritted his teeth in pain. Breathing was hard, and by the taste in his mouth and sound of his breathing, his ribs had punctured his lung."I will probe him for weakness and provide support. You two will be the ones to slay him. I will make sure you leave this arena alive.." Seishin couldn't help but laugh at what he said. A Templar protecting a demon and a demon hunter? Seishin could only smirk at his own hypocrisy and predicament. Under normal circumstances, he would have have ignored these two, but they were his partners.

Looking back at Barbarossa, Seishin quickly waved his hand towards the champion, the powder swiftly advancing towards the monster from the front and sides. He would first determine his strength. Then, his weakness. Then, he would assist the two. He would cough harshly as blood began to flow from his mouth. He was having a hard time finding air. Was this what dying was? Was he a disgrace to the Paladin name for letting these demons injured him? He narrowed his gaze as he grunted, the powder aiming to slice at the Barbarossa. He would fight on for his own sake. He would not give up. He was Seishin Akanami. The Magnet Paladin!

As the Warmonger fell to Gaius' most clever of blows, Cael grinned and let out an excited laugh. They had done it! A foe which could usually handle an entire army on its own was proven to be no match for their combined intellect, skill, and might. Truly, this was what it meant to be a swordsman. This was what each and every warrior should strive for in their lives. The taste of victory was quickly brought to naught, however, as the clanking of iron signaled the rise of two other gates.

From them leaped two more of the great dinosaur-like demons, each as ferocious and intimidating as the last to enter the arena. Cael readied himself at Seishin's command, but just as his blade lined itself below his eyes as he took to his defensive stance once more the great behemoths were slain before him. Another warrior, the champion of the Undercroft, had entered, and with that entrance he brought what the crowd had been cheering for this entire time. Blood. Death.

"Barbarossa..." The name passed the samurai's lips as it was spoken itself by the mightiest of opponents this tournament had to offer. He had heard tales of this demon's triumphs in battle, most of them by Master Gin. A warrior that had a thirst for blood unquenchable. Hundreds upon thousands had fallen before him, and there may as well have been none to have lived afterward. This? This would definitely be the second strongest opponent Cael had crossed blades with.

And the one to hold the title of first was Belial himself.

"Seishin, Paladin of the Templar Order," Cael did not look to the man, though his words were meant only for him. "We will all live to tell of this day, and of that you can be sure. I will not allow comrades so capable to be killed for the entertainment of A MONSTER."

As he finished, his last words booming, echoing throughout the entire arena, above even the cheers of their audience, Cael's sword flashed a magnificent white. The blade seemed to extend as the light pierced through the dust which had yet to settle from the dinosaurs' falls. A sigil appeared about the green-haired man as the transformation of his weapon completed itself, and lightning cracked down from the sky, conducted solely by the sword. Sparks manifested from the unknown metal, and he smirked.

"Today, after three thousand and five-hundred years, a new champion will be crowned." Cael ran towards Barbarossa, his sword flipping within his palm. Blood fell from the wound he had taken from grabbing hold of the Warmonger before, but he ignored the pain it brought with its spilling forth. He had to, not just for his own glory, but to assure that his allies would fight on after today.

Not being too hasty to use his flash step, Cael swung out at Barbarossa with what force he could put behind his sword without throwing off his balance. This first strike would likely be blocked, and that was exactly what Cael hoped for. Espada del Relámpago would cleave through anything in its path, and the swordsman would teach this gladiator the true meaning of fear.

Seishin watched as the demon hunter charged first into the fray. Close combat wasn't an option. Watching as his powder swarm the barbarossa being. Seishin kept his focus clear as he began for an assault. Too bad his vision started to haze up and he started to fall forward on his face.

As the ground drew nearer, he fell with a thump into the gritty earth, as he squirmed in pain. The ground slammed hard into his shattered rib. He wheezed as the air was expelled from his lungs, as he laid in bloody dirt. He ceased any major motion, but his hand began to dig into the sand. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the imposing demon and the other two. The sand around barbarossa quickly began to fall to the earth and cease life. Cursing, he closed his eyes to rest. He had enough strength.. For one last attack. His hearing was jumbled. He heard.. Static? He could probably assume that his augment was starting to malfunction. It had to be when he took that Tyrant's tail straight to his side. His augment was his ultimate partner. "... Shit" He put effort into looking up, then back down to his hand. Taking in air forcefully, he looked at his palm.

The dust was collecting in his palm, traveling over his shoulder and down his arm. Giving a weakened grin, he chuckled as he spoke with pain. " This is the method we'll try, huh? I'll let you take over. I'm.. just gonna nap.." Seishin went limp as he closed his eyes. A shuffling sound was heard, the iron sand slowly mixing with the dirt and sand in the coliseum, spreading farther and farther from his hand. He played possum, as he could track anything on the ground. The plate on his back started to shine yellow instead of blue. He would wait to strike as the other two fought. If only he wasn't so damn lazy..

Gaius stood there, over the body of his fallen foe his sword dripping with the black blood of the warrior god that he had just slain and he watched as the last wisps of life left that demonic corpse. Here lain out before them was the body of a being that was thought unkillable by most, a being that had been worshiped as a god by some but whats more then that it had been respected by all. In fact it was this very being, or at least something similar, that lead the armies of Beliel himself. This thing that lay crumpled and defeated was one of those  chosen to general the armies of the Prince of Warfare, and they had bested it in as close to single combat as one was likely to find. In fact, for all his years living in the Undercroft Gaius had never once heard of one of these dark warriors being taken on the field of battle no matter how many men where sent against them. So in a way, they had cut down a legend and in so doing both he and Cael had cemented their own fame among the demons that made up the host of the Undercroft. Of course, their fame would be short lived if they fell to the champions blades... But at least now their names would live on in the minds of those around them even after their deaths,

Then suddenly the crowd died down, and an unsettling hush fell over the Colosseum but the unnatural silence was soon broken by the roars of two gargantuan beasts. And then with a suddenness and simple brutality the two great beasts that where part technological nightmare and prehistoric monster had their roars cut tragically short. And with that the crowd went wild with cheers, already forgetting the mighty displays of the combatants. Then from the shadows of the stadium came a being whos name Giaus knew oh so well.  Barbarossa the Bloodied. Champion of the Undercroft and among the strongest of Beliel's warriors. His legend was sung far and wide, and so great was his power that it leaked into the mortal world and into the minds of those that lived there. His was the influence that caused men to murder for no reason. His was the power that warlords sought. His was the favor that many a blood cult had dedicated sacrifice too. And his was the blade that had taken the lives of more sentient beings then any other aside from his dark and fiery overlord.

"YOU THINK TO SLAY US BARBAROSSA THE BLOODIED?!?! WELL KNOW THIS, TODAY YOU FACE GAIUS THE UNDYING! AND WITH ME STAND WARRIORS THAT ANY MAN OR DEMON WOULD FEEL FEAR IN FACING!" A grim and mocking smile came to the Romans face as his fiery voice rang out to the champion. " BUT YOU IN ALL YOUR RETCHED AND STINKING GLORY CAN NOT SEE THAT HERE TODAY IN THIS PLACE YOU  FACE YOUR FINAL BATTLE!" With each and every word Gaius took a step forward, the ground seeming to catch fire and smolder where ever his blazing aura touched. But the fire that formed around him was nothing compared to those that smoldered in his eyes. "BUT NO DON'T FEAR YOUR COMING DEMISE BARBAROSSA THE BARBARIC! FOR I A HUMBLE ROMAN WILL PUT YOU DOWN IN A CIVILIZED MANNER!" Blood seeped from his wounds and while most beings would grow weaker as they neared death Gaius did not. Oh no he gained power from his approaching demise shown in fact by the changing of the mantel that clung to him from a bloody red to the black of death. "LIKE I WOULD ANY RABID DOG!"

Still he walked forward, not seeming to hurry despite his approaching end. And all this while his eyes never left those of the blood red giant that stood between him and immortality."FOR YOUR SAKE I HOPE TODAY IS IN FACT A GOOD DAY TO DIE! FOR NOTHING IN HEAVEN NOR IN HELL CAN SAVE YOU NOW!" And with those final words he threw him self forward, using all of his demonic strength to close the last few yards in but a blink of an eye... And this time he charged into battle with out a sound, as if he him self was an avatar of the end.