The full helmet shifted the slightest at her words, as if she had gotten the large man's attention. Saar didn't say anything though, resuming his mental preparations. Mia might remember some of the monks of her monastery before martial arts exhibitions or duels would enter a meditative trance. Was this foreign giant doing something similar? Whatever the case he didn't address her, perhaps for the better. She drew enough attention from the other warriors and if she openly affiliated herself with Saar, on whom the others seemed to have mixed opinions, who knows how they might have reacted. For the time being, only a few knew about what transpired between her and the towering warrior. Being openly friendly in front of the other gladiators could raise rumors and perhaps encourage misbehavior among the men.<br/><br/>During this, the gladiators overpowered one of the lions then ganged up on the other with their spears, slaying the beasts to the delight and cheer of the gathered citizens, who made their emotion clear, quite loud. They were favoring the warriors who shed blood. As the warriors returned to the gate at the far wall of the battleground and the carcasses of both the animals and two unfortunate warrior slaves were dragged out, one of the guards in the waiting room called out, looking straight at Mia who was the only woman present, and the only one in appearance the exotic name could belong to.<br/>"Mia Lin. You're up next. Do you know the rules? Martial skills only, no magic allowed." the guard motioned towards the gate his partner was opening towards the battle arena. From the far side Mia could see a warrior in a breastplate come out, carrying a net and spear for weapons. A group of filthy looking, cuffed men clad only in loincloths were also led onto the sand and a helper carrying two sticks bound by a rope drew a wide circle in the sand by stabbing one into the center then walking around with the other drawing the line.<br/><br/>Regardless of how prepared she felt, if she didn't go out on her own, she was seized and pushed outside, with the portcullis gate shutting behind her.<br/>"No coming back until you're done." the guard yelled after her.<br/><br/><div class="floatright">(http://i.imgur.com/8S8nCOj.jpg)</div>The crowd went wild and cheered when her skimpy-clad form emerged, and started chanting something she couldn't make out excitedly. The master of the games from his seat atop a balcony rose to his feet, raised his arms and quieted the crowd. He started speaking aloud, but his voice could carry only so far, so some of his men by the edge of the wall separating the battlefield from the elevated seats echoed his message so everyone could hear.<br/>"Welcome my dear combat enthusiast. I hope you have enjoyed the appetizers we have offered in these preliminary matches. Tonight we have two special events for all of you, both returning fans and newcomers. Up next, the exotic flower Mia Lin makes her first appearance, challenging our most competent and beloved fighters! She will face Joonas, with this latest batch of criminals looking on their duel. Fear not for our trained archers will shoot down any of these thieving and murdering scum should they threaten you with anything but a good time!"<br/>The crowd cheered and laughed at the joke, if that really was one.<br/>"The contestants will fight a duel within the circle of mastery! While the fight is not to the death, rendering the opponent incapacitated or forcing them to yield will bring victory. These criminals we have brought out will be free to act, but they will be shot down if they cross into the ring. However, the rules for this match apply only inside the circle of mastery! This means that if either contestant leaves the ring, the lowlives are free to do with them as they please!"<br/><br/>Another more louder cheer followed, though there were some disappointed boos early on.<br/>"Fear not though, for those enthusiasts who crave the sight of blood and absolute mastery over life and death, we have a treat for you later. For now, enjoy this battle as the arena debut of the exotic and mysterious Mia Lin... in this rape match, where she has willingly offered her body as a reward to any who can claim it!"<br/>The last utterance sent the crowd into a frenzied cheer, making Mia realize that the onlookers were likely against her succeeding, just out of their craving for violence. Suddenly, winning the bonus for gaining their favor seemed like a far more difficult to attain objective, not to mention the prisoners whose hands were released and kept in a line until both she and her opponent took their place within the circle drawn in the sand.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Round 1...Fight!</div><div class="spoiler_body">Mia is now expected to fight Joonas. Because this is not a duel meant to kill or hurt the opponent but outperform, subdue or incapacitate, we'll be using the pit fighting rules rather than combat mechanics. There will be 3 rolls made, one per post to determine the outcome. Mia can use the following rolls, but she can use any of the listed options only once:<br/>-Str (Athletics)<br/>-Dex (Acrobatics)<br/>-Melee Attack roll<br/>-Con plus 1d8 (Mia's highest hit die)<br/><br/>Depending on how many checks she succeeds and fails, the outcome is different:<br/>3 successes is a spectacular win worthy of a bonus<br/>2 successes and one fail is a victory<br/>1 success and two fails means an "entertaining" loss, leading to her rape after putting up a good fight. The crowd gets to see a decent fight and their favorite having his way with the hot foreign girl. <br/>Only failed checks mark a one sided defeat, leading to Mia being raped for the entertainment of all onlookers.<br/><br/>Because Mia had her outfit readjusted, it won't automatically malfunction in the 2nd round of the contest.<br/><br/>Every time she makes a contested roll, Mia can first attempt a Charisma (Performance) check. On a success, she gets advantage on her roll that round. Because the crowd favors her opponent at first, the DC for this starts at 20 but is reduced by 4 every time she succeeds on the performance check. For example, if she beats the DC 20 in the first round, not only will she have advantage on her contested roll, but the next time she makes the Charisma (Performance) check the crowd will be more likely to side with her and her DC will be only 16. Likewise, if she succeeds again, the final round will be even easier, only a DC of 12. Failing the Performance check doesn't bring a penalty, but the DC for the next check will stay the same.</div></div>