You are currently in the stands at the arena, celebrating another successful game. Since Slicks, Antonina, and Septimia are moving up in the ranks, you decided to stay and check out the competition.

The first fights do not leave you feeling confident. Most of the fighters seem to be a bit above even your best girls' level of skill. One of them, who you recognize as Korinna, a gladiatrix Marianus had mentioned as one of the up and coming fresh fighters, looks to be at least a fair match. Another, who you can't recall off the top of your head, looks to be much worse of a fighter than your slaves -- but she's paired with a much better fighter, and you suspect that she will stay this way.

The final fight is on a raised platform, between the champion, Atifa, and the challenger of the week. Atifa is easy to recognize; the tan blonde has the right half of her head shaved, wears stage makeup and a decorative outer layer of armor with a cape (which she discards before the fight actually begins).The two women square off, and Atifa steadily forces her opponent back, skillfully staying out of range while giving her opponent no option but to dodge backwards more often than she advances. Then, she strikes. The match ends with Atifa holding her opponent by the ankles while the crowd screams, before dumping her to the sand below.

Current inventory:
-324 SP
-Human Slave (Septimia, left) - convict, competent fighter
-Lizardfolk Slave (SSssS/"Slicks," below) - sold into slavery, competent fighter
-Human Slave (Antonina, right) - convict, competent fighter
-Human Slave (Eunice, not shown) - middle-tier novice
-net
-tail knife
-weighted chain
-heavy shieldx3
-mace x2
-club x3
-buckler x3
-spear x3
-armor x4
-slave housing (4/5 spaces occupied)

Previous threads:
Thread 1: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14630047/
Thread 2: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14641861/
Thread 3: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14712324/
Thread 4: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14721967/
Thread 5: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14772442/
Thread 6: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14784026/
Thread 7: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/14830436/

IRC:
Server: irchighway.net (has a browser option)
Room: #gladiatrixmanager

Current immediate goals include reporting to Volcatia's family, and training your slaves and Volcatia. Long term goals include figuring out what conditions to free your slaves under, making an official statement to that effect, signing up for fights, and possibly coming up with an emblem to represent your group. However, you can do whatever you feel like doing.

I'm going to take a 15 minute food break since nobody is here yet. Discuss actions and I'll make a MEGAPOST based on whatever the consensus is on the hour.

/tg/ is moving super-fast tonight. Uh, maybe we should skip the next games, just so our girls can have more time to train and get ready for the next level.

Beyond that, we should check in with Vol's family.

>>14898971
You check in with Volcatia's family, despite little new information to report, other than a successful fight.

Volcatia's family has plenty to report. They have a successful angle; if they can get Volcatia's original sentence to the asylum declared invalid, she will be legally free. The lawyers assure them that they have a rock solid case, and the whole thing can be wrapped up in a month and a half.

They're fairly sure that they can keep things under control for a month, especially considering their willingness to outbid anyone on bribing Marianus. They're still paying you for keeping her alive, but you gather that's far from their main plan. Your pay is probably an afterthought to them.

Volcatia's father hands you a bag of coins on the way out. 300 SP.

Heyo! Here, have fanart.

As for actions, we should inform Vol's family in a discreet manner. And as for free condition, what about winning a championship, at least a medium-small one?

>>14899109
Lets have a private lunch with our top girls. Tell them that they are gonna be moving up in rank to the next level and that the standard of foes they'll be facing will be a lot higher. Also, since we are on the subject, is there anything they need/want so that they can become better gladiators?
Lastly, set them a monetary target for them to reach. They reach that target and they can choose to stay with us and get paid through their profits or go free.

Ok, grabbed a couple beers and a bag of chips. My body is ready.

First off, what was Gneutered's preferred weapon?
Second, we should consider selling this information to Volcatia's husband. Say, 200SP? And this way we keep volcatia alive longer and keep getting paid.
And whatever happens we have allies in high places. In the case Volcatia is freed we have good relations with their family. In the case she dies, we have good relations with her husband's family.

>>14899231
And then they find out we were playing both sides and they both try and kill us. As well, Vol's husband will try and kill her faster. Bad Idea.

Let's just keep our deal with Vol's parents and keep getting money from them. No reason to rock a good thing.

>>14899248
You sir have no ambition! You've got to take risks or you'll never get anywere. Forever groveling in the early day for a decent match which are always awarded to the shiteaters with their fingers in the right assholes!

>>14899302
Forgot my pic

>And as for free condition, what about winning a championship, at least a medium-small one?
This is doable. Locally, this would amount to either a single elimination tournament of the top fighters, or knocking Atifa out of her spot. If you wanted something else, you'd have to jam your fighters into a festival or private tournament, travel, or do something else unusual.

>Also, since we are on the subject, is there anything they need/want so that they can become better gladiators?

Lunchtime! Lunch is the usual pile of meats, grains, and vegetables, but with imported fruit for the special occasion, with everyone inside your house. Slicks is a carnivore (in fact, half of the things on the table would make you vomit if you ate them), but you've figured out her preferred preparation techniques and seasonings through a combination of the smell test and trial and error.

You start out with the good news -- Antonina, Slicks, and Septimia are gaining prestige and renown! You segue into the bad news -- that they're going to have tougher competition -- as smoothly as possible. Pointing out that what is good for them is also good for you, you ask them what is good for them.

Antonina and Septimia agree that it's best that they stick together.
Nobody wants to fight to the death. Slicks actually squeezes out a SECOND sentence to communicate this.

Septimia, after everyone is done talking, asks if they could find other sparring partners, to expose themselves to different styles. She also thinks that sticking around after their fights are over to watch the advanced matches couldn't hurt.

>First off, what was Gneutered's preferred weapon?
Spiked gauntlet and trident, but you've fought with pretty much every possible combination of items.

>selling this information to Volcatia's husband.
Sorry, what information specifically?

Also, for clarity: the vote on how to potentially free the slaves in the future is tied. Someone can break that, or we can declare it a difficult question and move on.

>>14899314
>anything they need/want so that they can become better gladiators?
Decent training equipment, and probably someone as experienced as us to supervise and train our gladiators while we're away doing business.
On the subject of training, now would be a good time to start meeting the other managers. Get to know our competition, pick up a friend or two for joint training and match co-ordination, and spread our name around a little. The more people in general know of us the more they'll be begging for our gladiators.

>what information
That Volcatia's family is going to try to free her via challenging the insanity claim. Gives them time to prepare a defense, and greatly increases the chances of her not being freed. The longer this goes on the more likely they are to come out in open conflict which is always profitable for third parties.

>>14899302
I have ambition, what I don't have is blind reaching greed which will get people killed. Trying to sell information to someone who is hostile to us is retarded as shit.

We've got favor with a rich powerful family who is currently paying us to do what we do normally anyways.

You sir, are the type of person who finds themselves used and then killed when your usefulness is done. And quite frankly are an idiot. Go to another thread with your idiocy.

>>14899456
Difficult question, we'll figure it out later.
We've had these people for a couple months guys, come on. Normally it takes years to get freed especially in a mostly no killing organization

>>14899462
And the second they find out we've been running information for both sides, they'll both try to have us killed.

>>14899478
Agreed. That idea is so bad it hurts.

>>14899488
And this is why we get someone to sell to the HUSBANDIANS for us. As a Gnoll we're too easily recognizable.
Perhaps a surprisingly loyal slave who doesn't fight in the arena?

>>14899537

I'm against it. The money is nice but we stepped into this mess in the first place because we thought what was happening was fucked up and wrong.

Gnutered isn't sophisticated enough about humans yet to risk that kind of double-crossing and dirty pool.

Training time!

Training time is a precise, organized system by this point, and only requires occasional input from you. However, there's still your daily meeting with Volcatia and Slicks.

When you arrive at Priscus' house, the doorman, who you have seen enough times to recognize, turns you away. When pressed, he says his master changed his mind, and specified that you weren't to be allowed in.

When you get back, Maximus is gone, and training time is continuing as usual, save for the crate of real weapons within easy reach. Apparently Maximus saw someone suspicious and left the girls armed before giving chase, just in case.

Towards the end of the day, Maximus comes back. After you left, he saw a note slipped under your front door, reading "Let it happen. 1000 SP." in dull script.

Maximus dumped the crate of weapons on the girls, then sprinted out the front door after the barely visible messenger. Eventually, he caught the man -- a hired courier unaware of the message he was carrying -- who quickly divulged the address of the party who hired him.

At the address is a large, expensive looking house, which the papers you have from Volcatia's family confirm to be that of Volcatia's former husband.

You can deal with either, one, or neither of these things. No action leads to fast forwarding to the fight signups.

>>14899589
This sums up my feelings on this as well.

>>14899632
Oh boy, Oh Boy. I for one want to go and have a civil chat with our note passer. I just want to see his face, and get a feel as to how hard he is pushing for her to die. We could gather this information about his plan, if we can pull it from him to Vol's Parents.

What happened to Priscus' perverted friend? We should find him, and then point out that we were going to have the girls practice, uh, nude fighting. Since armor is boring sometimes.

>>14899656

There's nothing to gain from it, as amusing as it may prove to be. Forget it.

You knock on the door.

Surprisingly, your presence is acceptable, and you are shown in. Volcatia's former husband's security leads you through an extravagant entry area, past an open garden into the central building, down a hallway, and into a side room containing two chairs, a desk, and a young woman. She is clearly not Volcatia's former husband.

She looks at you expectantly, quill pen in hand, apparently ready to take notes.

>>14899726

>>14899589
Good point, especially considering we don't know where on the hierarchy these families stand. High risk with unknown reward beyond good relations and unknown profits is not a desirable venture. Things are going well for us, and we don't immediately need the coin.

>>14899632
I say we don't go talk to the man, he's already proven himself to be dangerous and we don't want Volcatia's family getting suspicious.
I say we take the note to Volcatia's family and explain what happened and that we have no intention to give in. Either they'll thank us with money, or it will greatly improve relations between us. Potentially securing an investor or a sponsor is a good idea.

This is tough, here's an idea: Cut Vol's hair like one of the other girls and dye it to match.

In a team match that could confuse any assassin gladiator to not kill her straight away. Might even be an advantage as she has to figure who to kill first.

As it stands, we shouldn't assume the hubby is going to let it be at the 1000sp note. He's going to pull something.

>>14899726
>She is clearly not Volcatia's former husband.
... you never know...

>>14899726
and i forgot my pic again :\

>>14899726

"You are his secretary? Good, I will leave a message, please record it.

"The cryptic offer has left me unsure what you are talking about. This is not my native language and so sometimes I need clarification."

And then leave.

>>14899726
"Correct me if I am wrong, but are you the 'husband' of Volcatia?"

I say we try and draw out the master of the estate by being as politely rude as possible. We need to get them offbalance when dealing with us, make them think we are only good at teaching people to fight.

>>14899801

There's a limit to how big a troll we can be and still be believable as a hayseed.

I believe the correct thing to do here is wait.

Making appointments wait is a way to boast importance to the wait-ees.

If the not-husband was for us, she would have started something. She is taking notes for the husband.

>>14899772

I like this plan, it will keep them guessing.

And lets face it, long hair is a liability in a fight.

Sorry guys, I think I have to cut this one short. I slept for about six hours in the past couple of days, and I'm obviously not up to getting anything decent done at a reasonable speed. I can limp along un-entertainingly or call it quits for tonight. E-mail in field.

>>14899961
I don't think we have that kind of power. and is it wise dressing her up as one of OUR slaves. He just might kill both to be sure. I don't want to take that risk.

If such a risk is present in the first place. I think what is going to happen is she is going to go up against a new slave that has no name in the arena but is very skilled at fighting. Like a military man under his pay that "got bought"

>>14899984
military woman* Derp

>>14899978
Archive, yo?