A Tale Of Remnant

The Grim Arena

Once, there was an impoverished village. Stricken by drought, the village suffered greatly. Sickness was beginning to spread, and the fear of Grimm attacks grew. Desperate, the village elders traded a great many things for the people's survival.

On the first year, they bartered away all their prized horses. They received a fine haul of supplies and lived well in the winter months. On the second year, they sold their weapons. It was a risky gamble, but starvation was staved off for another winter. On the third year, they gave away their dust, a powerful elemental tool that kept the Grimm at bay. Unthinkable for the proud villagers, it proved how desperate they had become. They prayed for a harvest; any kind of harvest. Their prayers were not answered. The drought continued into the fourth year.

The lamentations of the elders was hard and bitter. Their people would waste away so coldly. As fate would have it, a final offer for food arose. A strong tribe had an abundance of food supplies. However, in return they expected slaves to fight in the arena every two months. The village accepted the terms and sent forth five select warriors to act as gladiators.

Years passed by. The drought was unending. The village was wasting away. Not by starvation, but by depopulation. The tribe was nothing if not true to their end of the bargain. Food continued to be delivered to the village, but the flower of youth had all but evaporated. The warriors of the village were sent to be slaves first. When they ran out, it was the young men and women of the village who were offered to replace the warriors. Now it is their replacements who make up the tributes; a mass of old men and young children.

It was during this time that a quiet wanderer by the name of Peleus Nikos arrived in the village. Peleus was a great fighter and was an expert hunter of Grimm. He was also very passionate to the woes of the village. The village elders told him there tale and how they would soon be wiped off the map. Disturbed by the tale, Peleus chose to free the slaves in the arena.

What he found was something he did not expect. The arena was extremely complex in nature. Each gladiatorial match was done in two categories: Grimm battles and Human battles. Grimm battles were done by a single fighter against a variety of grimm in different tiers. The Grimm battles were rare due to the unwillingness of the gladiators to fight the Grimm in what was believed to be suicide. Anyone who defeats all tiers of Grimm may receive one wish from a powerful spell caster. Human battles were much more common place. Though the rewards are little, the odds are usually much better. Every human match was divided into three sections: war, duel, and slaughter. War section fights were done on a large scale involving two sides who would fight till one side submits or dies. Duel section fights were done one on one with the same victory conditions as War section fights. Slaughter section fights were the most gruesome, as well as the most common. One to three slaves would be heavily armored. These slaves would face a total of thirty slaves armed only with wooden staffs. These fights were to the death.

In order to wish for the freedom of the slaves, Peleus surrendered himself to slavery. The tribe granted him a single sword and shield. Knowing he came to save the villagers, Peleus informed the tribesmen his decision to enter the Grimm battles section. The price was worth the effort in his eyes. One hundred Grimm lives; that was the cost of a wish.

So that's what he did. Kill after kill, victory after victory. Peleus was unbeatable. The tribesmen cheered him as he went. They chatted the title they bestowed upon him: Cleaver. It wasn't long before he was to fight his final opponent. A single Goliath that had been armored at great cost.

The chief of the tribe personally attended the fight. Peleus locked eyes with the chief, ready for his moment of glory. The towering despot sat as a king on his throne. He possessed a great many tattoos and an odd totem around his neck. Solemnly, he gave the command and the armored Goliath was released. It immediately charged towards Peleus. In one swift motion, Peleus crouched down, going underneath the beast. And with a mighty swing, he cut deep into the Grimm's underbelly. It fell dead onto the rough sand of the arena. The crowd was raft with shock and awe. Peleus, Cleaver, was victorious.

True to their word, the tribe granted him an audience with a soothsayer who could grant a wish. A wielder of magic and foresight, the tribal augur could bend the elements to her will.

Peleus was shocked to see that the soothsayer was in a cage. He demanded to know the meaning of her imprisonment. She answered bitterly that the chief had used a totem, filled with an unusual dust, to enforce his will over her. He used her power to make his land flourish, while also degrading the lands over others to force them into slavery for his arena.

Outraged, Peleus rampaged through the tribe. He freed the slaves and led them to destroy the treacherous chieftain. The slave rebellion was heavily pressed, but regardless they triumphed. The Chief was slain and his totem destroyed. The great tribe was no more.

The soothsayer came to Peleus, thanking him and reminding him he had still earned his wish. He asked not for wealth, nor power. He only asked for the soothsayer to be free to go were she wishes. Moved by his kindness, she cast a spell on him, so that his descendants would continue on and may choose their fate: whether to die at peace, in happiness with a family of their own, or a glory filled life, in which they would die in battle a hero.