"Now that's an insightful remark!" - Vikki answered the Elven woman with her usual enthusiasm, as a smile went on to widen on her pale face - "I take it you wouldn't mind us sitting down and exchanging our experiences once we're out of this hellhole?"

As she asked her question, she slowly made her way past the Elf to take a better look at an engraving on the very end of the massive weapon the Tigerfolk woman had just raised.

"Eden, aye? Pleased to meet you" - the Artificer said, as she stepped back to have a clear view of the place the women found themselves in. It looked like one of these Arenas, of which she had learned in the Library back where she came from. As far as she knew, gladiatorial fights were not a thing back there, and so she had little idea of what to expect. Her memory, however, served her well to at least give her a hint regarding the purpose of many large, rusted gates barring the pitch-black openings within the base of the vast, circular auditorium.

"We may want to steer clear out of these gates if we intend to explore this place" - the Human woman went on to speak - "I cannot quite think of many things worse than a throng of mummies, but a throng of gladiator mummies sure has to be one of them."

Once she assumed everyone took note of the engraving, one through watching her eyes and the other through verbal acknowledgment, Eden was quick to return the weapon down to a more resting position as the elf worked on sealing the wounds and gashes Eden had built up. It had an odd feel, in a way. Nothing like the field workers inside the resting grounds. It made Eden nearly lock up from the feeling, feeling like she may lose her footing and fall over as if she lost feeling in her knees. And yet, it was not in a way that would have seemed malicious, either.

Once the feeling as gone, though, she was able to catch her breath before turning back to the arena before them, and immediately they were greeted by the blockade of a massive gate. While one was not so keen on entering, another member of the team had fallen to her knees. There were minor sounds she could hear inside, and thus figured it was better to rest with walls around them instead of in the open. Lifting her metal beam into the air, she threw a swing down upon it, using that to break open a gap she could squeeze through before pushing herself inside, using the weapon as leverage on some of the bars. Looking back, the tiger-kin checked to see if they were following before proceeding inside anyways,

It was clear to the tiger-kin just what she was walking through. Holding cells, numerous, maze-like hallways.. These were the underground parts of the arena where the enslaved or imprisoned competitors were often rested inside. The confusing layouts were to give guards time to seek out the escapees while they tried to orient themselves with their surroundings. Still, it should mean the resting ground should be close by as well: the place where fighters waited for their matches and were tend to afterwards. If there was a spot to catch their breath, it would be there.

Gladiator mummies? As she leaned heavily against a wall, Celeste contemplated the idea. Did the type of mummy depend on who they once were as a living being? Or was it the strength of magic used to animate the dead? Without encountering anything other than the typical shambling wrapped corpses, Celeste had no way to make an educated deduction. And right now, she had no intention to either. Not with the way she felt at the moment.

Eden seemed to have found and opened a gaping hole in a wall to allow for passage out of the blinding sun, away from the mummies they were hiding from while they gathered their strength. Pushing herself off the wall, the elf managed to stay upright as she maneuvered her way to the hole, slipping through with little difficulty. When her eyes adjusted from the bright sun to the dark corridors, a scowl etched itself deep into her natural beauty, obscuring it with a hidden hatred. Holding cells, a place to hold people against their will. It didn't matter if they were prisoners or slaves, it was still against their desires. She, herself, had been held for weeks by her own father, locked up to prevent her from chasing and aiding an outcast. For years she had been held prisoner underground as vengeance against a goddess. It seemed that she had a little something in common with Eden without either of them knowing.

Keeping herself upright with a hand against a wall, Celeste followed Eden until she could go no further. The elf had expended all of her energy with the magic, getting lost in a never ending group of mummies, and the heat of the desert. She had been curious by the sounds she thought she could hear deeper within, but could not continue. "Ir abelas… I just… need to rest…" she said softly, fatigue weighing every word down, her eyelids so heavy as she slid down against the wall, her chin resting on her chest. Yips and howls could be heard getting closer now, yet Celeste could not summon the strength required to open her eyes and stand up.

Vikki kept her eye out for an Elven woman, who had earlier introduced herself as Celeste, as she struggled to remain upright while entering an opening discovered by the other woman, whom she assumed to be named Eden. The Artificer had even offered to assist the Elf, as she made her way onward. Seeing her finally sat down against the wall of the room the trio found themselves in, Vikki took an opportunity to assess her magical reserves. And from what she had learned, she should be able to cast a spell or two, perhaps even to maintain an enchantment throughout an eventual emergency.

An emergency which she had acknowledged shortly after, hearing yips and howls of what she could assumed to be some canine creatures seeking an easy meal. Considering that the harsh condition of the Harena Desert could hardly sustain any life, the creatures were likely desperate to sink their teeth on anything with a pulse. A pulse that she, Celeste and Eden had… Hearing the animals coming closer and closer, the Artificer went on to voice an incantation of the ice spell she had already tried in this unforgiving environment.

As a number of stray jackals had poured through the opening, the emergency had become most apparent. The canine beasts wasted no time and went on to charge at the women with the strength they still had in their fatigued and atrophied muscles. Vikki, having readied her spell, was left only with outstretching her arm, resulting in a jet of ice-cold water spraying into the ravenous beasts' snouts. While she was rather successful at deterring their initial strike, she had to fall back as her reserves were depleting and the creatures were no less hungry for flesh. There was only so much the young Artificer could do on her own.

Eden's ears were quick towards the sounds of the barking that echoed through these corridors. Obviously, they were not alone, but at the very least, it was not the ever-rising undead. If such beings wanted to challenge them, they would have a much better chance in defending themselves. After all, what is a wolf compared to a zombie? Wait… no. Not wolf. Higher pitched… More rowdy… and the consistency…. it was a family at the very least all on a hunt.

A small portion of them broke out of the shadows and at the tired pair, causing one to release a warning wave of ice to cause them to back off. Having to respond quickly, Eden turned about, slamming down her metal weapon town between the two groups, the echo of the weapon cracking the earth through the force and weight flooding the corridors, turning the hallways quiet. It was enough to seemed to get their attention.

"Get out, intruder," barked through the hallways as the pack pushed themselves out of the shadows, Eden's eyes turning sharp as she looked at the voice. The pack of jackals, carefully staring town the group of humans. "Your kind is not wanted here!"

Eden, pulling herself upright while leaving her weapon behind, stared at them while quietly stating to them, "Need shelter."

"Shelter? What you want is to take our home away! You wrapped freaks do not scare us."

Again, Eden shook her head. "Not aligned with wrapped," she assured him, "Wrapped enemies. Need shelter from wrapped." There was a brief pause between her silence and the jackal's occasional barking.

"Why should we trust you?"

"Because… we not attack. Not unless you need duel to prove alpha." As if to prove her point, Eden's arms suddenly began to resonate with energy, fur quickly growing from them as if they were turning more into paws, the sharp claws gleaming in the little light they had to offer.

Through the foggy haze of fatigue, Celeste could hear the yips and barks. But she was lost. Her body simply refused to listen to her mental screams, as weak as they were. Their lives were in danger, and she could not move a muscle to save them. Larka would be furious to see this was how Celeste met her end. 'Reckless elf. Stupid elf.' The words rang over and over, bouncing off of every inch of her skull and back in on her mind, spinning her into dizzy oblivion.

A tiny set of paws planted themselves on her chest, a wet tongue happily washing her chin and lips. Groggily, Celeste had opened her eyes to see the shiny black coat of a jackal. It was a young one, must have recently been weened. As with her tiger kitten at home, Celeste lifted her hand to scratch the back of its head. Her limb felt heavy, but she was moving, it was a positive sign.

”Hey, da'len.” Celeste mumbled. How long had she been out this time? Surely, none here would let her be out for too long, seeing as they are in a city infested with wrapped dead. The playfulness of the jackal suggested to her that it was still within its first year of life, very rambunctious. ”You're not much older than Kimura, are you?” Grabbing her bow, Celeste pushed herself into a standing position, her eyes taking in the scene around her.

There were so many jackals surrounding them, most of them seemed to be judging the women, unsure of their presence. More still continued coming, bolstering their number. Others were trying to herd the younger ones back. ”Uh… Eden… Are they trying to intimidate us?” Her head swam, so she pulled out her canteen and took a long drink before offering it to one of the others.

Intimidating… that was one word to put how the pack acted. While the jackals were at advantage in terms of number, they had the advantage of size and power, considering the show they had with the weapon. Still, the two sides were in a stand-off.

The hall filled with barking when one of the pups left the pack and headed over to Celeste's side, trying to climb over her and sniff her out curiously, and leaned its head in when it felt her nails rub on the back of its head, panting happily to the attention. This lead more of the younger members to run over and seek play, come of the mothers to work to contain them. Still, this left a bit of an impression to the pack. After they had sent an initial strike, they were warded off, but never struck back. One of them even being bold enough to challenge the alpha to prove their worth, not to dominate them.

One by one, more jackals began to walk over, showing their down guards as if to show a sign of trust, causing shock to the alpha himself. "Get back here! We cannot trust the two-leggers! They are wreaking havoc outside! What makes these one any better!?"

"Because we fight wrapped ones," Eden answered, drawing the alpha's attention once more. "They your enemy? They our enemy. Why fight when we share?" Once more, silence was in the air until the rest of the back relaxed, including the alpha himself.

"You may stay… as long as you protect us." Eden agreed with a nod, the sudden fur on her arms dissipating as her paws reverted back to hands before taking her weapon in one hand and Celeste in the other. With the jackals around them, they were guided to the resting area as she placed the tired elf down on one of the stone block benches to rest up.

The young jackal was determined not to loose its new friend, eager to continue playing. It was trying its best to get her to interact with it. Bouncing around Celeste's feet, weaving in and out, Celeste nearly fell each time it bumped into her. She struggled to stay upright as she watched the adults try to show dominance. Whoever the alpha was, he was slowly loosing his ground. Many of the jackals were showing a sign of acceptance of Eden, or at least, that is what Celeste was hoping.

Eden nodded. While Celeste had managed to see a shifting of something, in her current state, she couldn't understand what she witnessed. What she did understand was Eden retrieved her weapon and slid an arm around Celeste, giving her a much needed support. Apparently, the jackals decided to let them rest among them, leading them further in. This was their resting area, it was obvious with some jackals nursing newborns, their squeaks and squeals adorably echoing through the room.

Celeste gratefully sank into the block bench. "Ma seranas," she mumbled as she curled up. To most, stone was quite uncomfortable. However, for Celeste, it was perfect, as she was still unable to sleep on beds or furniture. Mother Nature was lifting her hands up, pushing against her body in the most relaxing way she has known for the last few years. As her eyes seemed to weigh so much, instantly closing, the jackal friend she had made earlier jumped onto the bench, licking at her face, pushed at her shoulder and sniffed at her neck, pressing its cold wet nose against her.

The elf giggled, her hand heavily lifted as she tried to pet the puppy. "If your mother approves, I'd take you home, da'len. My tigress and little Kyu would love you." It would appear that she and her wife were starting a zoo of large animals. Tigers and Rune Wolves, and now a Jackal, all would grow up together and develop a bond as deep as any pure breed pack. "Let me… rest… min.." Her voice trailed off, her hand went limp, trapping the little jackal against her as she slipped back into slumber.

While the mother jackal watched as her child became trapped within the elf's grasp, she did not make too much fuss, nor the puppy, who simply nuzzled up with her, as if accepting what warmth she gave off. It was rest she needed, and Eden was not going to bother her about any of it. She also had little worry about Vikki, so she paid the pair no mind and allowed them to rest, the tiger-kin moved towards the gate that separated them from the aged battlegrounds where no body had been for ages.

And yet, even when staring at the old remains, it could not help but remind Eden just where she had come from. How much she went through… The shackles that kept her tied down. Yet, she knew she could not change any of it, and it had given her the strength she had to survive. Each fight for survival also had its tales, and there were some who found joy in it. Probably because they had fallen into that mindset or never thought of it as survival.

"At least they have not found their way in here," Eden heard, her ears perking back before looking down at the alpha who had joined her. "These walls keep us safe, and I would like for it to stay that way." There was not much she could do but nod as her allies rested, letting them catch their breath and refresh their energy. At least one of them had to be at watch to ensure the others could recover.