Bruno and Esmeralda, probably fairly bummed after their chance at reaching the second tier of combat was cruelly snatched away by Kirk the Meanie, enter to see a new face across the sand. They take their spots to the north as the strange snake-guy stares at them from the south.
Bruno lifts his lance skyward with confidence, but a little less flamboyantly. He does little crowd-pleasing as he steels himself for this chance at redemption.
Out of the darkness of the southern entrance – in a strangely confident, sauntering, gliding gait – strides what is surely one of the stranger gladiators the crowds have seen. Two beady, black snake eyes stare unblinkingly and with an unsettling intelligence across the sands at Bruno… a bifurcated tongue flicking to test the air every few moments. The creature, some unnatural-looking marriage of humanoid and snake, is over six feet tall and athletically built. Its lamellar armor is painted to mimic the black and red mottling of its scales, and otherwise it wears little additional clothing.
The walking snake plants the butt of a well-made but exotic longspear – held in a long fingered hand gauntleted in hardened leather decorated with huge, wicked-looking snake fangs – in the sand at its feet. In its other hand it carries a javelin, which it spins idly as it stops walking forward… a disturbingly human gesture. Over its shoulder and on its back it wears a handful of other slings and quivers containing a variety of shortspears and javelins, and tucked into its belt is a spell component pouch and a ceremonial skull-piercer .
"Well, ssssssshit," the strange creature hisses, his tongue still testing the air, "It'ssss the camel jockey. Thisss ssshould be interesssting."
Bruno mounts and Eamaralda takes a step to the right, clearing the lane. Bruno levels his lance and yells, Have at ye, Snake-Kebab! before launching his customarily disgusting wad of phlegm at his foe.
m'Shimu curiously watches the spit globule hit the sand, flicking his tongue a few times before raising its beady eyes back to his opponent.
In a strange, halting gait, he jogs behind the pillar to his right.
Bruno harrumphs and directs Esmeralda who trots to the right, staying at range, just in case.
Nothing seems to happen.
Bruno continues the search for his enemy.
Suddenly a javelin is streaking towards Bruno from the center of the arena. You swear the snake-man winked before he once again vanishes.
Swift to vanish
Check your PM (again)
Javelin throw <-- CRIT?
---> Damage
---> Crit Confirm
---> Total Crit Damage
The javelin pierces Bruno right through the shoulder of his shield arm, passing through the muscle and tearing a great gash in his chain mail. With a curse and a grunt he scans the sand, hoping to spot something to strike at.
Once again, the arena falls quiet.
A second javelin hisses through the air before the snake man once again disappears.
Vanish
Check your PM (again)
Javelin Throw
---> Damage
Bruno takes another hit. He howls and starts moving, hoping to run into his foe somewhere.
This time it's the point of the snake's Longspear that darts out from center arena, aiming for a gap in Bruno's armor. Once again it vanishes immediately.
A javelin lies abandoned center arena.
Vanish
Check your PM
Longspear
---> Damage
Bruno deflects the blow with his bloodied shield arm and counters where the spear came from.
As the dwarf slumps in his saddle, the arena is still for a few seconds... the snake remaining invisible.
Then the spear strikes again. And again. And again. With the dwarf unconcious and unable to defens himself, every quick strike finds a crack in the armor.
Apparently satisfied that the dwarf is dead, the snake steps near, forked tongue flicking a few times along the dwarf's near leg.
Finally, it makes a slow turn, unblinking eyes once again taking in the crowds before it gives a gesture that is eerily human... lifting his blood-slick longspear over its head in victory.
Then it lopes its way back through its arena entrance with its strange, halting gait.