One Shots - The Arcana

Muriel - Gladiator

I apologize to Lucio stans, but he'd have to pay to step on me. ((But the others I would most likely throw my retirement plan at so there you go))

Also I'm going to try and make the new chapters Gender Neutral like this unless 1) I can't figure out another way to write it, or 2) someone requested a female / male reader specifically
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You were standing outside of the colosseum dressed in golden arm bands and a gladiator outfit designed to look like golden armor. You had golden boots made of the same useless material and in your hand was a large knife. You sighed, stepping inside to the roar of the crowd, and in the top booth was a blonde man with a wicked grin.

Why couldn't Lucio just die already?

Looking around the colosseum, you noticed the seats packed with people- people cheering for you or your demise. Suddenly, a large figure appeared from the other side.

He was a sorrowful looking man, with the aura of a bear. He was wearing a cloak and a chain around his neck, claiming him as the count's personal property.

In simpler terms, He was the man meant to kill you. This was punishment for disrespecting the count, apparently a grave mistake. You couldn't recall ever saying anything about the count (In public, anyway) but you could certainly think of a lot of things to say to him now.

Still, you were more annoyed than afraid. Dying was never something you really worried about, and you weren't sure you cared enough to bother putting up a fight. You sighed again as the man emerged from the other side and looked down at the ground.

His eyes flitted up to you and he scowled, turning back to give the face to the count. This man obviously wasn't a gladiator of his own will; and he didn't seem to fond of pounding you to the ground.

"Hey!" You called over to him. He looked up through his long hair and gave you what would barely be considered a nod. "Don't worry about me, You can just get it over with. No need to drag this out- It just gives him a fight to watch." You smiled softly before giving the count a glare. The count's grin only grew wider, seeing you suffer.

The man began walking towards you, a similar knife in his hand. "What about your life?" He mumbled, only loud enough for you to hear over the crowd's screams. You almost laughed, but ended up hiding it with a cough. "That's alright. Dying isn't really an issue for me. I couldn't care less whether I get out of here or not." You smiled sincerely as he took another step towards you.

"That just makes this worse..." He mumbled. A knowing expression overcame you before you shook it off. "Well, I guess you'd have to be pretty sick to enjoy murdering people, and you don't seem too bad." The man didn't answer. "...is he making you do this? Do you...we should leave." You laughed a bit, letting it escape this time. The man looked at you with knit brows, confused.

"You want to leave with the man who's supposed to kill you?" He almost laughed too. "Yes, in fact, I think now would be a good time to get out of here." You smiled softly and walked up to him, knife raised. "Trust me for a moment, will you?" The man shifted his position and sighed, looking down at you. "We'll see." He mumbled.

You quickened your pace and sliced the spot next to him, mumbling something under your breath. Within seconds, the ground lit up beneath your feet in the design of a tarot card. You took his large hand in yours and nodded. You turned to look at Lucio just as the ground began to break away, a bright light surrounding the two of you.

Lucio jumped up from his chair with a scowl on his face. He was about to order his guards to seize the two of you when the light swallowed you both. Not before you stuck your tounge out and at him though. What was he going to do? Make you a gladiator?

When the light faded, the colloseum was empty and the two of you were in the middle of a forest. You let go of his hand and sighed, looking around.

"You know, I didn't think that would work. At all." You looked up at him amd he sighed. "It would have been pretty embarassing if it hadn't." You smiled again.

"...for someone who doesn't care about death, you seem pretty happy." He mumbled. You scratched your cheek and thought for a minute, searching for the right words. "Well, I'm glad you're not imprisoned there any more." He shook his head. "I don't have anything to go back to. You should just leave before they come looking for us, atleast you can go back home." He stated, looking around for guards.

"i can't exactly do that...I don't have a home to go back to." You shrugged. He looked surprised before quickly returning to his normal expression. He didn't seem like he was going to speak, so you explained.

"I came here on my own, and this magician helped me out of a tight spot...the magic I used back there was something he taught me a long time ago. I got stuck being a gladiator with the charge of disrespecting the count or something, though I really don't remember. They might've just been looking for someone else to fight you."

The man stared at you before letting his eyes fall to the ground. He put his hand into a fist at his side and exhaled. "Now he's accusing innocent people for his own entertainment..." He seemed like he was trying to hold in whatever anger Lucio planted inside him.

You figured getting upset wouldn't do much in this situation, so you delicately placed your hand on his forearm. "Hey." He shifted his gaze to look at you as you slid your hand down to hold his. "As awful as he is, I'm sure it'll be alright. Getting mad won't help anything now..." You said softly. He let out a heavy sigh, but didn't let go of your hand.

"He has to stop sometime. Someone will stop him, I'm sure of it." You stated. "...what's your name?" You asked quickly. "He turned to face you. ".........Muriel." You smiled. "(Y/n). It's a pleasure to meet you."

His mouth twitched into what was almost a smile before returning to normal. "You too..." You grinned and squeezed his hand. "Alright, Muriel, lets find you a reason to live again." He looked confused. "I thought you didn't care about living." You smiled and started walking.

"I think I already found mine."