Explore callidora

”What are you waiting for?! Pull out your guns and shoot her!” Once again, it took everything in Byten’s power to tune out the nagging voice hissing in his ear. He and the Athenian widow took their places at opposite ends of the arena, each waiting for the other to make the first move. She stood just as he had watched her do time and time again, no matter who or what stood against her – cold, confident, spear and shield in hand and ready for anything. And what was he? A scared, little kid, barely able to hold his katana up straight with how bad his hands were shaking. For a moment, he was convinced Griffith was playi

The Athenian stepped away, dropping her blood-soaked xiphos. She paused to wipe her mouth once more, finally seeing the ribbons of foaming spittle she had been choking on half of the night. As reality slowly returned to her, she eventually succumbed to her dizzy spell and fell to her knees. “I…I-I don’t…where did…?” “You okay there, Miss Calli?” Mull asked, adjusting her hat as she stood up. “Fine, I think…I didn’t hurt you, did I?” “No, but you sure as heck came close,” the sprite snorted. “Good thing you can’t aim when you’re foamin̵

ROUND ???: Kneeling Before the Throne For a place called ‘the inferno,’ she never pictured that Lucifer’s throne would be so cold. Once again, the tortured ferryman Charon arrived to be her escort down to the final valley of sin. This time, however, there was no boat for them to sail across. The final of Hell’s rivers, the Cocytus, was completely frozen over, its infernal waters forever buried under a massive plate of ice. Once again, there was no undertaker present to regale her with tales of the circle to come. Instead, she had to settle for Griffith’s ambiguous parting note, and the few pieces of informatio

ROUND FIVE: Aktaion’s Dogs “Turn…back…” “Why do THEY get the boat ride?!” “I’d like to see you down here where we are!” “Only one of you will make it out alive! Start stabbing while you have the chance!” “Get out…get out…get out get out GET OUT!” “Friendly lot, aren’t they?” “Careful, Byten. If you antagonize them too much, they might jump into the boat and take you back down with them.” The ferryman Charon met them at the docks of the unconquerable mountain, still wearing the metal vices and pained smile that

“Heresy is waging a war. He’s coming to take my Bastille, and I have reason to believe he’ll be using one of you to take it from me.” Lyssa watched with a dark fury burning in her eyes as the battles continued to siege the Bastille. Heresy’s holy warriors grew from just a few dots in the crowd to almost matching Lyssa’s soldiers one-for-one. The normal anguished screams of hatred and rage were nearly drowned out now by the jeers of the holy warriors, cursing the bloodlust domain and claiming to “absolve the sinners” of their impurities before smashing their bones into the dirt. She turned to t

The attack began almost immediately. Swarms of soldiers in black knight’s armor flooded the center square. Before any one of their six could propose a plan, they were separated by the clash of swords and shields. Callidora held her buckler strong, using it to protect her head as she ducked and cleaved through the monstrous waves. The only light to help them maneuver the Bastille labyrinth were the pinpricks of red that shone from the two highest towers; naturally, her only course of action was to move towards them. While the rest of the competitors were quickly held up by the swarms of enemies, Callidora found her way through the crowd

ROUND EIGHT: The Spears of the Aloadae Judgement. Lust. Gluttony. Avarice. Wrath. Heresy. Violence. Callidora mulled over those seven words again and again. There were nine circles to the inferno; nine rounds to Lucifer’s twisted game. And here, at the bottom of Violence, she had just completed Round Seven. But what awaited them? There were still two circles left to go; what crimes they punished, she had no idea. She only knew – and it was more hearsay than anything – that Lucifer’s throne awaited them in Circle 9. But what egregious crimes would deserve such heinous punishment? Was Cade truthful in saying that Thero