Name
Archikos | The Lion of Megalopolis | Casually known as Archi
Archikos | The Lion of Megalopolis | Casually known as Archi
Age, Personality, and Appearance (Click to Show)
Weapons/Equipment (Click to Show)
Abilities (Click to Show)
Weaknesses (Click to Show)
Spoiler (Click to Show)
As the theater born child named Archikos grew, rumors began to spread that there was something inherently different about her. The sun seemed to smile at her and send its beams through her prism of ever-growing, thick hair like no other, and almost seemed to shine brighter when she was joyous. During the most bright of days, she seemed to have limitless energy; she became well known for her daytime sprints up and down the outskirts of the city, as she would often dodge past walking citizens as to continue on without interruption.
Years passed one rosy-fingered dawn at a time until mere rumor solidified to fact. The so-called "Lion of Megalopolis" had become legend and myth incarnate. Her prowess with the spear and shield had inspired passing merchants to spread the word of the sun-born woman to the surrounding city-states, often stating that with her, Megalopolis was blessed by the gift of Athena and the light of Apollo, and would stand any test.
The year 223 BC was marked by the Spartan king Cleomenes III as he successfully gained the favor of Ares and forged a deal to prove his worth with the reward of unending glory for the Spartans: if Ares would convince Hades to remove Archikos from Megalopolis, he would burn down the legendary town in his name.
Months later, the city of Megalopolis was reduced to ruins and ash with the bodies of its citizens scattered like a rowdy child's worn ragdolls, their mythical protector nowhere to be found in their time of need as the combined plot of Ares and Cleomenes III had led to Archi's removal mere days before the attack.
She awoke from a state of unconsciousness in the heart of a thick, temperate woods. The air was dry and the wind held no salt or scent of the Aegean sea. It was clear that she had been taken from her home and was alone in the wild. Where she was then was unclear, but Megalopolis surely needed her, and it had to be somewhere...[/spoiler]
Spoiler (Click to Show)
Almost.
With the famed Archikos standing just about twenty feet across from him, the two sharing the nearly flat, sandy surface of the arena, he was outshone simply through her presence. As likely as it was that other towns may marvel at the fine care of his armor, Megalopolis was to have no part and would instead stick to their own. Others had come before him, and others would surely come after, but in both frames of time, she had proven herself to be the greater, and would see to it that the future sees the same.
But, the burning yellow sun was at its apex in the pristine, blue sky. The light was bearing down as heavy as ever, and there was no better time to initiate his challenge. A few days prior, he had sent word via messenger that he was coming to challenge their hero, and here he was, standing before the hero in question—again, beneath the day's savage sun. That much had honestly shocked the crowd of no more than two hundred that attended the stadium, sitting in the stone risers surrounding the field of battle.
Surely he knew of her qualities? She was a legend to as far as Thessaly, and Thebes was far closer than that. Did he not care about the notable advantage she had in the intense sun's rays? Or was he simply ignorant, brushing them all off as tales or an exaggerated myth?
Truthfully, Archikos was as surprised as the crowd that he had come when he did. In fact, she was a bit disappointed. For the sport that submission gladiator fights were, it was only natural that the tougher opponents always had made the event just that much more enjoyable to her. However, though she had been told of his victories in the surrounding cities of Argos and Salamis, she could see nor feel any sort of challenge within him.
If anything, he was going to be a display, for those few in the arena's stone stands that had not yet seen her in combat. He was going to be a show—just as all this played out and was realized in her head, the opposing gladiator unsheathed his weapon: a straight-sword measuring about thirty inches in length, and held it in an outward position to point straight at Archikos. The crowd had been murmuring among themselves prior to the man's brandishing, but now, most if not all fell quiet and still.
Perhaps if not all, the only being still moving was his attitude.
“I do not fight for Thebes,” the man's voice was loud and arrogant to the core, echoing somewhat through the stands. “But against Thebes. I wear no symbol or sign of theirs because I had already defeated them—I am a lone gladiator, and will prove to all in Zeus's Greece that I am his mortal descendant: Pseftis of Greece!” He then, in a manner that was as loud as his voice in the previous proclamation, pierced and pointed to the sky with the tip of his sword, as if trying to rally those in the stadium to his side, possibly even to see him already as some sort of the god's kin.
But, as was disheartening to him and amusing to Archikos, he received no such recompense. In fact, he thought he had heard a foul, scowling word being flung at him from some inconspicuous attendee of the match.
“Zeus bore many children, but I see no Olympiad in you, Pseftis.” In response to his own weapon brandishing, she followed suit: with a loud grunt that escaped her lips, she had thrust the spiked end of her spear into the sand and swiftly moved into a battle stance—Archikos stepped forward with and planted her left foot firmly into the sandy surface of the arena, then leaning forward slightly and using her still-behind right foot as a balance. All the while, she had lifted her shield into such a position to cover from her mid-neck to her knees, and her spear was in a horizontal, thrusting position to point straight at him—all ten feet of it, that is. “To be truthful, all I see is a man who thinks he has something to prove.”
Pseftis reacted before the crowd had a chance. With a vicious warrior's cry, his sword held high into the sky, he moved to strike at Archikos. With the way that his feet seemed to almost stumble beneath him, he almost might as well have thrown himself at her as a projectile. His stance was visibly unsteady and loose as he made first contact with her, resulting in nothing more than a simple bash of her shield practically flinging him back to where he started—the sheer force behind the hit, fueled by her legendary strength, sending him sliding on his back about fifteen feet back. The crowd cheered as his motion came to a stop, and their champion stood statuesque.
Pseftis rose to his feet again as soon as he could and, now holding in a pained groan, realized exactly what he was going up against. It was becoming clear to him that bravado alone would not work on her, unlike those of the past cities in his gladiator tour. The crowd quieted down as he took upon himself a firm but light stance of his own, and began to slowly strafe his way closer. If a head-on charge wasn't going to work – as he admittedly figured it wouldn't – then he decided to attempt a different approach.
Once in about a seven-foot range of Archikos, Pseftis attempted to use his lightweight armor to his advantage and proceeded to roll around to her rear. He felt more than triumphant when she did not look behind her, allowing him to lunge towards her back.
Seconds later, it was apparent that she didn't need to look.
Just as the muscles in his right arm extended to thrust his blade forwards, those muscles of Archikos's own moved to interrupt his attempt—effectively pushing back the spiked, heavy butt of her signature spear into his chest. Such a move would've been more than fatal if she hadn't held off on the force put into the move. The force that was put in, however, was simply enough to stagger him substantially, sending him riling back and empty of air with both the clang of metal impacting metal and the loud oof of the air forced out of his lungs. In the seconds it took for him to recover and re-stance himself, the spear-wielding champion of Megalopolis was fully turned to him. And, as he noticed a second too late, still a bit out of it from the last ht, she was also charging right at him.
The crowd simultaneously took in a sharp breath of air as he tried to react. She had the obvious reach advantage, so charging right back would effectively make his death a suicide. There was no gain to be had playing chicken with an experienced spear—much less a legend. Instead, he attempted to--
A monumental crash sounded throughout the arena as she hit him. At the last second, she pointed the tip of her spear away to miss him, and instead bashed him with her shield again. This time, as he was sent some feet back, he had dropped his sword upon impact, and it laid