- Kassandra: I'd be more than worthy to rest here if someone proved strong enough to kill me.
- Maion: I've heard tales of you and your exploits, misthios. Impressive... if they're true.
- Kassandra: Depends on what you've heard.
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They Just Want Cruelty
They Just Want Cruelty was a virtual representation of one of Kassandra's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.
Description
The leaders of the arena in Pephka challenged Kassandra to compete in a series of brutal bouts. To the winners: honor, glory, and drachmae. To the losers: death.
Dialogue
Kassandra arrived at Warrior's Rest in Pephka, where she located a man with the help of Ikaros.
- Kassandra: That must be the man mentioned in the letter about arena fighting... Maion.
She approached him at the memorials dedicated to several warriors.
- Maion: All these brave, brave souls.
Kassandra stepped up to him. Sensing her question, he explained who the graves belonged to.
- Maion: Only the best warriors rest here. Heroes.
- Kassandra: They aren't many.
- Maion: But they're Heroes of the Arena. Those who earned an honorable death. The others are buried in unmarked holes far from here. Nobody remembers them.
- Maion: When your time comes, do you think you'll be worthy of the title hero, misthios?
- Kassandra: I'll be buried in one of those unmarked holes.
- Maion: I doubt that. I've heard tales of you, misthios. Of your triumphs and achievements. They're impressive... if they're true.
- Kassandra: That depends on what you've heard.
- Maion: I've heard a lot. A warrior adventuring across the land. Sometimes they're half beast. Or half god. But always an Eagle Bearer.
- Maion: Tell me... Is any of it true?
- Kassandra: They're all true. And there's more you don't know about.
- Kassandra: There's some truth in the stories, but they're mostly fantasy.
Regardless, the truth of the stories did not matter to Maion.
- Maion: Good answer. I don't care if the stories are true - I can see you have it in you. A capacity for greatness. The potential to be... a real hero.
- Maion: I'm Maion.
- Kassandra: Kassandra.
- Maion: If you want to truly live, Kassandra, to become Hero of the Arena, and to win riches beyond your wildest dreams, you'll need to fight in my arena.
(Accept - "I'll fight in your arena.")
- Kassandra: Sounds interesting.
- Maion: Good. Take my boat and head up the Pephka coast towards the shipwreck and into the mouth of the valley. There you'll find the entrance to my arena and Skoura, who handles my fighters.
- Maion: If he sees what I see in you, I think he'll have much to be excited about.
Kassandra took the nearby boat and sailed east along the shore.
- Kassandra: Maion said to look for shipwrecks...
As she sailed, she spotted more and more shipwrecks.
- Kassandra: The shipwrecks should lead me to the arena.
She eventually found the mouth of a valley. Ikaros' scouting confirmed the Arena's entrance and a man standing outside it.
- Kassandra: That must be Skoura.
Sailing into the mouth, she marveled at the entrance.
- Kassandra: What an entrance...
She brought the boat to a stop near the dock.
- Kassandra: Barnabas told me about The Arena. I should give it a go.
Before going any further, Kassandra inspected the altars honoring the current arena champions, starting with the largest in the center.
She inspected the Athenian altar to the center's left.
- Kassandra: Titos. The Rock of Athens. Skilled soldier. Not to be discounted...
She inspected the altar on the far left.
- Kassandra: Klaudios. The King of Bandits. He's tricky. Deception is his trade...
She inspected the Spartan altar to the center's right.
- Kassandra: Belos. The Beast of Sparta. Devours his enemies. They call him death...
She inspected the altar on the far right.
- Kassandra: Evanthe. The Huntress. Just when you think she's cornered, she stabs from the side...
Having completed her inspection, Kassandra approached Skoura.
- Skoura: Shh... Do you hear that?
- Kassandra: I hear nothing but the wind.
- Skoura: Exactly. Nothing.
- Kassandra: Right...
- Kassandra: Yes... I hear it too... What do you think it could be?
- Skoura: It's the sound of someone lying to me.
- Kassandra: Or someone humoring a frail old man.
- Kassandra: I hear nothing but the ramblings of a sad old man.
- Skoura: Old?! Surely you can't tell my years from your ears alone.
- Kassandra: I've used my eyes as well.
- Skoura: They tell me you could hear the crowds from all the way out here. Their thirst never quenched.
- Kassandra: Thirst for what?
- Skoura: Combat in the arena, misthios! Life and death in their purest forms. Love. Hate. Glory and ruin. All their for the crowds to devour. My name is Skoura.
- Kassandra: Kassandra.
- Kassandra: I found a note that mentioned this place. And you. It called for fighters from all over the Greek world.
- Skoura: These walls no longer shake because there are no heroes of the arena left. The crowds don't care about real fighters anymore. They just want blood. But you, misthios. You could change that... You could make them care.
- Skoura: And win riches beyond your wildest dreams of course... If you were to fight and win.
(Accept - "I'll fight.")
- Kassandra: Perhaps I can make the arena walls shake once again...
- Skoura: Good.
(If players asked "Who are my opponents?")
- Kassandra: Tell me about the other fighters.
- Skoura: As a new contender, the choice of opponent will be yours. No slaves here, no hapless criminals. Just warriors with the resolve to spill blood for the crowd.
- Kassandra: I see.
- Skoura: There are five current champions. Each one more bloodthirsty and ruthless than the last. You'll need to defeat each of them if you're to be called Hero of the Arena.
(If players asked "What can you tell me about the arena?")
- Kassandra: Tell me more about the arena.
- Skoura: It's been here for decades but, recently, it's changed.
- Kassandra: As most things do.
- Skoura: True. Fighters today care only about drachmae. Not honor. And the crowds now come only to watch one warrior gut another.
- Skoura: They're jaded. They want more than just killing. They want cruelty.
(Accept - "I'm ready to fight)
- Kassandra: My blades and I are ready.
- Skoura: Choose your opponent.
(I'll fight Klaudios, the King of Bandits.")
- Kassandra: I'll fight this King of the Bandits.
("I'll fight Belos, the Beast of Sparta.")
- Kassandra: I will spear Belos like a wild animal.
("I'll fight Evanthe, the Huntress.")
- Kassandra: I'll hunt Evanthe in the arena.
("I'll fight Titos, the Rock of Athens.")
- Kassandra: The Rock from Athens is about to be crushed.
("I'll fight Vasilis, the King of the Arena.")
- Kassandra: Vasilis will have devoured his last opponent.
Kassandra entered the arena.
- Maion: For those of you about to risk your lives... The crowd salutes you!
Kassandra slaughtered her way through the competition and, after a challenge, ended the champion's life.
- Maion: What a show everyone! What a show!
Outside, Skoura congratulated her on her first victory.
- Skoura: Do you hear? You must've done well in there.
- Kassandra: Did you not see?
- Skoura: I haven't seen a fight from inside the arena in years. But if the crowds are cheering like that, perhaps I have a hero on my hands after all...
- Kassandra: Of course they cheer for me. Who could resist cheering for a warrior-legend in the arena?
- Skoura: Maybe the stories I've heard are true...
- Kassandra: It's not the cheering crowds that bring me to the arena. I'm a misthios, after all.
- Skoura: Yes, but I'm certain you feel something as the crowd chants for you.
Maion approached them.
- Maion: Skoura.
- Skoura: Maion.
- Maion: Ah, misthios. I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on you. You could be - could be - Hero of the Arena like Skoura. If you keep fighting, I foresee a long and profitable career... for both of us.
- Maion: Talk to Skoura when you're ready to continue.
In time, Kassandra approached Skoura to register for a second fight. She defeated that champion the same as the first.
In time, Kassandra approached Skoura to register for a third fight. She defeated that champion as well.
In time, Kassandra defeated the fourth champion.
Finally, Kassandra was ready to challenge the final champion. After a difficult battle, she won .
Outcome
TBA
Trivia
- Maion's dialogue after the player's first victory is the same even if he has not met the player beforehand, i.e. the player went straight to the Arena without meeting him at Warrior's Rest.