Patrons-Legacy of the Gods

Οκτώ (8)

     I awoke to the sound of cacophonous cheering. My eyes adapted to the yellow lighting of the dim dawn, finding the dreaded, rectangular stadium. I laid upright against a dilapidated wall. My blanket, which I held before my rest, was nowhere to be found. I took a long glance below myself, embroidered in the exact armored outfit I once wore. How long was I out for? What day was it? Where did Puneet go?

I tried to detect the booming voices, only they came from above the walls around the designated seats. There were eight bouncing miniature figures on one side, yet one less to their opposite. The sun beamed at their faces, making my glasses do less work for my vision. A few of their faces became recognizable, only to recall their first appearance of forming a near-death event.

     The cheering cascaded for a few more moments until an audible voice broke over the wall. "Kayla Ivania." I caught a hint of Tiana's slow and calming tone once she began. "You have been chosen before your acquaintance to embattle a spot among the Great Six. Before you will duel Wanda Byrne, the patroness to Ares, god of war and bloodlust. You shall rise, engage your weapon, and prepare for further instruction."

     I tried to find her among the row of seats, yet she was nowhere to be found. A full-shut iron gate presented itself, preparing to reveal my opponent. I got up, squirming from the torso gear impaling my limbs and joints. My hand held the metallic double-edged javelin I chose from that damp warehouse. As my memories flooded back into my brain, the gate unlatched itself. It was dark to view what went inside the dark, shadowy walls. Soon, a feminine figure with an athletic build arose from behind. Her locks of red-orange hair hanged under a bronze helmet. I tried to get a glimpse of her jacket, painted in a darkish-red. She grasped a spear similar to mine.

     As the great iron blocks closed, tension spurred in my blood. I was trapped with a stranger that I had to fight. I couldn't reject or escape. Every wall was solid stone, unbreachable. As the girl came closer with her tanned complexion, she held a grim expression on her face. A complicated one to read. Her neck also grew a tattoo like the rest. It showed the same diagonal spear, pointing up to her chin.

She held the javelin in front, motioning me to do the same with mine. The armor weighed me down the more I moved. We kept our stance in the same positions: both arms on our designated weapons, feet solidly planted into the dirt, and faces sharp, ready for combat. However, I could not keep focused with the blatant screams of the outside.

     The girl pointed to her side. There was a dark red square flag with a symbol. It imprinted a black spear, like the one she possessed, into the cloth. Behind the helmet, her hazel eyes glared at my hips, finding a white one by my right. Instead, a bluish-green flower was sown into mine. It was clear what we had to do.

     "Both patronesses shall duel..."

     Her voice trailed off as if she caught something above the wall. What was with all the suspense? My ears did not grab anything after that. It was until a different voice, an unrecognizable man, tried to quicken the competition.

     "NOW!" the interrupter yelled.

     Goddamn it. The girl bolted in mighty speed, almost aiming to kill me. I tried to copy Puneet's hasty and calculated movements, going to the side and jabbing the enemy's open side. As if things could not get worse, I may have cut more than expected. Blood smeared the tip of the blade when a dripping fall of it came down the girl's thigh. I shivered from that moment. This was going to get more real.

     I almost reached the flying red flag until she countered with a back jab into my elbow with her javelin. The numbness overtook my dominant hand as I curled in the pain. I resorted to my lower half, stepping backwards from each hit she made onto my fast footprints. My back hit the colossal stone wall, leaving nowhere to run. I looked right at her face, one that was ready to kill. She spun her javelin above her head, the tip targeting my forehead. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die.