#cardiophilia | heartlaboratory (2024)

A crude story:

It is belived that gladiatrices (female gladiators) actually existed, even if informations about them are scarce.

Flavia is a quite well known gladiatrix, specialised in using a long 2 handed sword. Usually, to have a proper defence while not having a shield, she wears a complete armour for her entire body or at least something to protect her most vulnerable part like the chest or the head but this time it won't be necessary. Matches are almost always a secret to participants but sometimes a gladiator can use their influence or money to corrupt officials and gain some knowledge on what is going to happen. She will face a criminal sentenced to the capital punishment in the arena, something not to worry about. In order to save energies for the next fight she decides to not wear her armour, not even the chest piece and utilize just a simple steal pauldron for her left guard.

Sadly for her the official manager this time made a mistake.

You are an experienced gladiatrix pikeman with years of fighting in the arena behind you. As soon as you entere the fighting area you notice something curious: your opponent, Flavia, that famous gladiatrix, is wearing just a water green coloured tunic (with her left breast exposed) and nothing more than a pauldron as an armour. Everybody knows that a swordsman is already in a disadvantage against a pikeman; to join the fight almost naked is simply stupid.

You're standing in front of her, the countdown is running and even if she looks quite calm on the outside there's a strange rhythmic and fast sound echoing almost inaudible nearby... is it her hammering heartbeat?

The fight starts with the public screaming of excitement. You start striking your strongest blows and just after a few blocks, fighting completely passive, she's already exhausted, gasping for air. You relize that inside she's in panic and you know that in few rounds she'll be completely out of stamina so you restart striking.

Each time you suspend your attack she looks more and more drained with the simple act of breathing becoming a burden.

Suddenly you change tactic: instead of keep going on with the attack till total exhaustion, you decide to break her guard with a flat attack using the rod of your pike. The blow is so strong dhe immediately lose her sword violently opening her arm, exposing her full chest.

Your "hunter instinct" immediately identify the target you have to hit to rapidly put an end to the fight: there, few inches above the line that connects her nipples, a little on her left, Flavia's heart is struggling to keep her alive. Her most vital organ is protected only by a thin layer of skin and bones and it's beating so fast it's almost visible on the surface.

Rapidly you direct your weapon to the point you identified. The point of the pike almost ignores the defences nature gaves to her body that obviously didnìt evolved to protect her from steel and sticks right in the center of her heart. She immediately throw open her eyes, her scream completely covered by the public's ovation.

For an instant you seem to feel her pulse propagating through the pike... you rotate the rod to infict more damage and then retract the weapon.

Even if being very strong and well trained, basically cut in half, her heart stops beating almost immediately with just few fibers trying desperately to keep her alive.

In total despair she alternatively looks at you and at the wound on her chest, totally aware of what has happened. She brings her right hand in between her breasts, where her chest should be vibrating like an earthquake over her hammering heart, without feeling any pulse she whispers: "my heart... you hit it" and collapses on the ground.

You are an experienced gladiatrix pikeman with years of fighting in the arena behind you. As soon as you entere the fighting area you notice something curious: your opponent, Flavia, that famous gladiatrix, is wearing just a water green coloured tunic (with her left breast exposed) and nothing more than a pauldron as an armour. Everybody knows that a swordsman is already in a disadvantage against a pikeman; to join the fight almost naked is simply stupid.

You're standing in front of her, the countdown is running and even if she looks quite calm on the outside there's a strange rhythmic and fast sound echoing almost inaudible nearby... is it her hammering heartbeat?

The fight starts with the public screaming of excitement. You start striking your strongest blows and just after a few blocks, fighting completely passive, she's already exhausted, gasping for air. You relize that inside she's in panic and you know that in few rounds she'll be completely out of stamina so you restart striking.

Each time you suspend your attack she looks more and more drained with the simple act of breathing becoming a burden.

Suddenly you change tactic: instead of keep going on with the attack till total exhaustion, you decide to break her guard with a flat attack using the rod of your pike. The blow is so strong dhe immediately lose her sword violently opening her arm, exposing her full chest.

Your "hunter instinct" immediately identify the target you have to hit to rapidly put an end to the fight: there, few inches above the line that connects her nipples, a little on her left, Flavia's heart is struggling to keep her alive. Her most vital organ is protected only by a thin layer of skin and bones and it's beating so fast it's almost visible on the surface.

Rapidly you direct your weapon to the point you identified. The point of the pike almost ignores the defences nature gaves to her body that obviously didnìt evolved to protect her from steel and sticks right in the center of her heart. She immediately throw open her eyes, her scream completely covered by the public's ovation.

For an instant you seem to feel her pulse propagating through the pike... you rotate the rod to infict more damage and then retract the weapon.

Even if being very strong and well trained, basically cut in half, her heart stops beating almost immediately with just few fibers trying desperately to keep her alive.

In total despair she alternatively looks at you and at the wound on her chest, totally aware of what has happened. She brings her right hand in between her breasts, where her chest should be vibrating like an earthquake over her hammering heart, without feeling any pulse she whispers: "my heart... you hit it" and collapses on the ground.

The public is in ecstasy, another champion has fallen on the arena.