The Tales Of Oren

Anatoris: Of Blood & Bondage

"RUST & BLOOD..." the horde of blood-thirsty onlookers chanted throwing mugs of ale & stones into the cluttered arena. The horde roared as a woman with blood-stained white robes plowed a sword through the chest of the bloodied & exhausted man lying on a pile of wood. As the sword splintered the wood beneath the two of them she collapsed atop her slain opponent. Thunder shook the earth beneath their feet as the rain began to fall on the winner of the fight. "The Maws undefeated Angel Of Death! The Black Wing, Anatoris." A fat man in fine clothes shouted atop a balcony, he raised his arms as he said her name. A burning red magic symbol scorched the sands of the arena raising her atop the clutter & corpses on a pillar of stone. The rusted bloody sword in her hands & her opponent beneath her foot she let out a cry gripping the sword tighter only for her legs to collapse out from under her. Her long black hair splayed out on the sand as her vision slowly faded the only thing remaining in her sight was the fat little man giving her a devilish grin. " Sisrobord..." she muttered as she slipped into unconsciousness praying the god would hear her call.

A rush of adrenaline shot through Anatoris' body as she awoke to the cold chill of water being thrown on her. She was back in her cell with guards looking down at her sitting on her knees, fists clenched.  "It's about time you woke up," one of the guards said with a voice like mud. "Chow time" he continued as he tossed a plate of food on the ground. Stale bread & barely cooked meat. "Come on let the mutt eat, Juris wanted to know how his prized pet was doing," he bossed kneeling to face Anatoris watching her through the steel bars, "I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to hear you're awake again." A split second was all it took. There was a booming clap of thunder & in the blink of an eye, the bars of the cage were blown from the stone they set in. Anatoris was thrown into the back of her cell. The pain shot through her body from her injuries. As the dust settles she saw the two men who mocked her, tortured her. She saw them both lying on the ground struggling to get their bearings. Before she had even realized, she was standing on her feet with a warped & torn piece of the metal bar  in her hand. Her vision blurred with blood sweat & tears lunging forward with the steel. She pierced the leather of the guard. She could feel the steel in her hand scrape the stone he sat against. Her hand like lightning gripped the guards' sword & drew it only to plunge it into its owner. Tears fell as she continued to attack the guard, her anger & fear pouring out of her she felt something, like a soft hand on her head. She turned & saw the other guard running, overwhelmed with emotions she took off after him. Time seemed to stand still as she fought, as she killed. One by one every guard who got in her way fell. She was a wave of blood & death none could stand against. "RUST & BLOOD!" She screamed slamming her sword into the guard she had been chasing, in doing so they slammed into a large wooden door breaking it open. Lifting her head from the ground she gathered her surroundings. Juris ,the fat man who held the whole of The Maw in his hand, stood before her leaning back against his desk paralyzed with fear over the force of nature staring him in the eyes.

"I'm awake," Anatoris whimpered. Juris grabbed a small gold statue the sat on his desk trying to protect himself, it was all in vain as by the time he had gripped the statue Anatoris had already reached him digging a blade into his gut. "I'm awake," she whispered into his ear before letting him fall to the ground. After taking a second to look at the dagger in her hand it turned to a golden mist fading away.
A flash of lightning snapped her back to reality, 'run' was the only thing she could think of now. So she did, running past the walls splattered with blood & bodies from her rampage. As she reached the exit of the stone colosseum the cold rain fell across her back. "Tosriik guide me through your wrath," she pleaded, as she kneeled in the mud begging the goddess for her help. "Please..." she whimpered as her question was answered by a bolt of lightning striking the arena, in the flash of light she could see what the gods wanted her to do for their guidance. She saw a shadow in the clouds, one of chains & people. Anatoris looked to her hands seeing the blood washing away in the rain, she took a deep breath & nodded her head as she marched back into the colosseum. Anatoris, The Angel Of Death, would make the most of the chance the gods had given.