Every arena’s backstage was the same. Even Har Gareth was no different from that shit-stained rock that she originally fought in. There were big guys, little guys, frightened guys. All training and making sure they were ready for the fight. And all of them whistling and cat-calling the hot slave girl that just got dragged in. Dragged up to the gate, she was given a nod and told to stay right where she was. So, she did just that. Of course, she had fought in this dress once before, and she was not doing that again, so quickly switched into her battle regalia. 

While waiting, she’d flick open her screen. The Paths Of, and their abilities. After a quick refresher, she picked up the one for internal bleeding. Fit her motiff, after all. She was getting kind of overwhelmed at all the shit these days, and forgot about a lot of stuff…

Ten minutes later, the door did indeed open, and she stepped out a little apprehensively, only to see the crowd roar with cheers. She hadn’t even done anything, and they were loving here. This was why she kept up with it. What attracted her in the first place. The throbbing, thumping scream of your name in tens of thousands of lips. How could she not? So she gave the crowd a wave, and put on her gauntlets to get ready for the fight in front of her. It was not something she was waiting long for.

The door on the other side of the arena didn’t open, so much as smash open as a Manticore raged out of it. Bigger than it’s kin, and more vicious as well, if the constantly thrashing tail was any indication. Pitting one aspect of Khaine against the other, was it? Well, ok then. Estaria could play that game.

She first activated her Witch Dance, for when she was going to get into melee. And then, pulling out her Talon, she shot an arrow from her Bloodbane Longbow, and the creature deflected it with it’s tail, making a noise that could easily be a laugh. So it was going to be like that, huh? Flipping her Talon into Repeater Crossbow mode, she sprinted towards the beast and unleashed a volley of arrows, spread about so it’s tail had to work to deflect them. A few even hit the body, but didn’t sink very deeply. Still, it allowed her time to get into position and grab the base of the creature’s tail. 

With her mobility, she kept up with it’s attempts to shake her off, and struck at it with her Orphaned Child. It took a few attempts, but the flailing of the tail helped her and she was eventually able to tear the tail from it’s body and throw it away. Estaria would then get bashed off the creature’s back with one of the creature’s wings. Recover was quick by necessity because the thing was stomping at her like trying to crush a fly.

Dam thing had a lot of health to it, and some strong armour to boot. But that was fine. All the more for her to murder. When it rushed to swipe a connecting blow to it’s last swipe, Estaria closed in like a lightning bolt. Snapping a punch to it’s head at the same time as she activated her Divine Form, the Manticore was knocked back onto it’s ass. So furious, however, that it carried through with the swipe and ripped a good chunk out of Estaria’s chest before rolling   away with the force, and then righting itself. It staggered, taking a moment to shake off the blow, while Estaria took a moment to do the same, and also get to grips with the way the world had changed.

Her hair’s lovely soft red turned a deep crimson and took on the texture of blood. Her dress’ stylistic bloodstains encroached on the entire dress and turned it pure red, but the most obvious change was the horns that grew out from her head, and her eyes, growing pale and losing all features. The Manticore let out a hiss and stomped, but did not charge towards Estaria, merely circling her.

Aside from being able to see the Winds of Magic swirl around her, A strange new aspect of this was that there were lines moving across the Manticore. Through the back, these lines were moving outwards, a darker and more ominous colour to the lines that exited through his back. It was there she realized, the lines she was seeing was the creatures’ blood. It’s veins, arteries, and blood flow laid bare for her. 

Not only was her damage and bleeding buffed, but also she was given clairvoyance into where to most precisely strike. And they were not where she would expect at all. The throat had surprisingly slim blood-flow, so cutting that would do little. But there was a large cluster of veins and arteries in it’s underbelly. If she could get there and split that open, it’d die in short order from blood loss. But she needed some way to get down there. A slide under it and slashing the vein with her Orphaned Child would be good, but dangerous and risky. If it caught her or dropped or she didn’t slide properly, she’d be at it’s mercy. Though….yes, that would work. Estaria smirked and rushed her foe, ready to taste the creature’s blood.

Estaria rushed past the beast, leaping over the claws that swatted out at her, and with an elegant twist, drew and threw the daggers Filnon had bought for her at the creature’s hind leg. Their high quality, Thunder Ore, and her anti-armour powers came together to penetrate it’s hide down to the bone and crack it with the force of the lightning.  

It tried to keep itself upright on it’s front leg, but Estaria, landing from her flip, unloaded a whole box of crossbow bolts from Khaine’s Talon into it. The whole weight of the beast onto a now perforated leg proved too much for it, and it collapsed onto it’s side with a howl of rage. It tried to swat at her with it’s free wing, but Estaria moved too fast for it, and she was around it’s underbelly before it could hit her properly. The sharp edges punched through it’s flesh, and while it wasn’t exactly his head, Headripper Uppercut created a powerful shockwave that ripped open the flesh and spilled a tidal wave of blood.

The crowd was animate before, but when she finished off the beast, there was an explosion. She had heard Grand Cannons and entire ranks of Hellblaster Volleyguns less loud than this crowd, going wild with euphoria. A fair few were even knocked off the stands and into the sand in their revelry. Still, they didn’t seem to bothered by it, and this had been a  very fun distraction while she was waiting for Filnon, so she simply waved again, blew kisses, and clotheslined one fan who was getting a bit too passionate and trying to feel her up a little. She had lines to draw, after all. 

Dropping the Divine Form, she’d exhale, dismiss the bosses in front of her, and head out of the arena to meet her new wife.