"Wake up, Gnath!" yelled Soros as she shook me awake. Her beautiful face lit up as she looked down upon my tired eyes. A smile formed her lips and spread nearly from ear to ear and a laugh hung on her tongue. It was evident she was excited about something but what it was I couldn't guess. "He asked to wed me!" She yelled in high pitch voice. My eyes went wide and I immediately shot up out of my bed. "Who??" I asked, unable to hide my anguish. I quickly checked myself and tried to act as nonchalant as possible. "Toroth!! We were standing outside of the gardens and he presented me with this!" she said as she showed a flawless ruby that was comically large fitted onto a silver band. Her eyes flashed up from the ruby to me and back down again. Toroth, I thought to myself, anyone but him. "Looks like you will be the prince's pampered pet," I tried to say jokingly but it came out as more of a taunt. As soon as the words came out, I knew that I would regret them and I did. Her beautiful face turned from a flawless bronze into a bright red and her eyes glared at me. She stood up haughtily and made her way over to my bedroom door from the sitting position she had been in on my bed. I couldn't believe i had wasted such prescious time with her, which I valued more than anything, on a hurtful taunt. "You should get up," she said coldly. "The prince needs his lowest guard." She spun around and quickly made her way out of the room without even noting the pain she had so easily afflicted me. I slowly got out of bed and walked over to my window, looking around the beautiful gardens and at the various tamed animals that roamed them. My eyes searched over the gayishly colored flowers and perfectly cropped trees. I practically ignored the enchanting call of the calora, the song bird of Ycha. Finally, my eyes spotted the beautiful figure that made all these other gorgeous sights and sounds pale in comparison. Her long, black hair shimmered in the sunlight as it waved delicately down her back. If she only knew my true feelings for her, I thought to myself. I had known ever since I was a young boy and had always held her high in my thoughts. She was my best friend and the unknowing reciever of my secret love. Her bronzed body moved with the grace of a queen even though her stature was barely higher in the courts than my own. I was a low ranked palace guard and she was a handmaiden of the queen of Ycha, whose son she was apparently preparing to wed. Toroth, my mind flashed to him, his muscular body appeared in my mind with his taunting laugh formed by his sneering lips on his handsome face. He was as morally low as any person could get in my opinion. He cared as little for his people as he did for the food he ate and wine he over endulged himself with. He would do private raids on small villages with his personal guards and return with a collection of young women as his spoils of war. I shook the thought of him out of my head and turned to prepare for my long day of duty, sheathing my long sword in it's scabbard hanging by my side. A long day indeed, I thought as I stole a quick glance of Soros, the object of my love.
The day dragged on without excitement or incident. My guard duty consisted of standing by the entrance to the palace gardens and searching carts that came in and out. It was a task that provided little adventure to the wondering heart and minded youth like myself. I usually tried to make the long hours go by faster by practicing my sword handling skills and talking with my fellow guards. Most of them were young like myself but there were a handful of old veterans scattered here and there among our low ranks, usually due to their being demoted. Only a handful of carts had gone by today and we were beginning to get a bit restless when we heard the trumpets sound to signal the approaching of the king and queen. At that sound our bodies stood straight and we cleaned off our shirts and pants to appear more noble in front of them. The party that accompanied them was formed by the higher classed citizens of Ycha and and their impressive mounts. The king of Ycha was in every essence of the phrase, a noble man. He was brave and had led the armies of Ycha in several victorious wars during his reign. Although I hadn't witnessed myself, I had heard that his swordsmanship was superior to anyone in this and the surrounding countries. At his side hung his ornately jewel encrusted long sword and an equally gorgeous short sword. He had perfectly trimmed light brown hair and stood at an imposing 6'3". He had broad shoulders and narrow hips with muscles that helped to establish his dominance. To his left sat his queen, one of the most loved people in all of Ycha. She had long blonde hair that was neatly braided down her back. Her perfect figure and beautiful face was only second to Soros, in my opinion. She wore a slim dagger at her slender waist and a jeweled necklace given to her by the king around her flawless neck. They were both dressed in the trappings of rich silk and furs. They smiled down at us as they walked past, thanking each of us for our dedication to our post and duty. Just then I noticed Soros riding in behind her, with Toroth riding close by her side. Whatever disdain I felt for him was completely submerged beneath the love I felt for her. In this party filled with nobles, kings, queens, and princes, she was all I saw and all I cared to see. She was dressed in the finest silk and looked more beautiful than ever. Her dark brown eyes were wandering over the landscape until they finally rested on me and my own eyes. The big smile she gave me filled me with the warmth of ten thousand suns. She had never looked more beautiful to me and my attention to her had evidently been noted by Toroth, who gave me a jealous sneer which I failed to notice until thinking back on the incident later. If I had noticed it, the events that followed wouldn't have come as such a shock to me as they did.
It was already dark by the time my shift of guard duty was over. The rest of the day was uneventful but seemed to go by faster than ever due to the smile I had recieved from Soros. Her smile alone could fuel my body for countless years. I had decided to wait until she had left the palace to leave so I could walk her home and spend some much needed time with her. When she finally did leave and saw me waiting outside for her, she took off at a run towards me. "Gnath! You waited for me!" she yelled surprisingly. I smiled back at her and nodded my head, saying "I couldn't just let you walk home by yourself. These avenues can get dangerous at night." "And what would you do to protect me?" she laughed. I blushed as I tapped the hilt of my sword, thankful that it was too dark to see the red tint my face had flashed to. She smiled at me and quickly moved ahead of me. "We better get moving," she said with a grin. I followed behind her until I had made it to her side. I took this time to notice how truly beautiful she was and how amazingly graceful her steps were. We had walked for several minutes without talking, enjoying each others company when I noticed a rustling in the bushes a little farther down the shadowy path we had chosen to take. Not wanting to alarm Soros, I discreetly moved closer to her and instinctly placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. I eyed the bush suspiciously as we walked by but saw no more cause for alarm. As I was moving my hand away from my hilt, I heard something that raised my hairs on my neck and warned me of a definite fight in my future. I heard the noisy clank of a long sword being unsheathed and scraping against it's scabbard. I wheeled around, unsheathing my own sword none too soon. A rather large body leaped out of the bushes at me, followed by another from behind a large tree to my right. The man from the bush brought his long sword crashing down towards me but I managed to parry it in time. I quickly placed myself between the two men and Soros, making sure the only way harm would come to her was by over my lifeless body. I felt her hand shoot out and touch my back in shock, and heard her yell my name in surprise. "Gnath, who are these men??" she asked. "I'm not sure, Soros," I said. "They don't seem too friendly!" The larger man was doing a very good job of keeping me busy while his companion would try and attack me from the side, but my superior sword play saved me more than on one occasion. His defence was impressive and he was considerably stronger than I was so I decided on a move that would either bring unquestionable defeat or a quick victory. I waited until he had brought his sword up to bring it crashing down again and his friend was on my right to make my move. Just as his sword began it's downward movement, I quickly sidestepped to the left and barely escaped his blade. I then jabbed the point of blade through his flesh, piercing underneath his ribs all the way to the hilt. As soon as my sword struck, I heard a shout from Soros. I quickly glanced at her and saw her being lifted onto the shoulders of a hulking fellow, who hastened away. I turned and began to chase after them, drawing my short sword, when I felt a heavy object crash down on the back of my head with a thud. The man from behind the tree, I remembered, before I fell unconscious.
When I finally woke up, I noticed I was in complete darkness. I tried to move my hands up to feel around where I was but they had been manacled together. That's when everything came rushing back to me. How could I have been so stupid?? I should have dispatched the man from the tree before turning towards Soros! Now I was as much use to her as if I was dead, which I knew would happen soon. That we were moving in some sort of cart I had no doubt, but as to where or how fast I couldn't even hazard a guess. My captors hadn't gagged me so I tried talking with them, asking them questions only to recieve unchanging silence as a response. After several minutes, I finally gave up on trying to communicate and sat back against the wall of the cart. Then, I noticed a leg next to me stir and jump as though someone just woke up to a shock. "What's going on??" asked a woman's voice. There was something familiar in the tones and pitch of it that chilled my heart. "Where are we? Why can't I see anything?" she asked. Soros, I thought. I then recalled her being dragged away by a burly man the size of a cart. "Our hosts aren't too keen on communicating their plans, Soros," I said with a laugh, trying to keep calm in front of her. She chuckled and said, "Yes, I suppose not. Good thing I have the great warrior, Gnath, to keep me safe." The way she said that last sentance almost caused my heart to leap out of my chest. Her tones sounded so honest and heartfelt. At that moment in time, I knew I could face an entire army of enemies if I had her support to fuel me on. Noting my sudden silence, she asked, "Are you ok, Gnath?" "Never felt better," I replied truthfully. Oh how I wished to see her face one last time before I died! To tell her how I really felt about her, even though she couldn't reciprocate my feelings. I had spent the entire 21 years of my life by her side and I truly wished to spend an eternity by it stil, whether I was her spouse or not. I hung my head down in silence, deep in thought as to how we could escape.
We had continued to ride for several hours before I felt the cart slowing down and stopping. My heart sunk as I thought of all the indignities they would force upon Soros after they had departed me to my ancestors. She was beautiful, that was evident, and so was the fact that these men would not let such a beautiful creature go without first molesting her. "What is the meaning of this?" I heard a man ask from outside the cart. His voice was gruff and surprised, which suggested that this stop wasn't intended. "Go check outside," said one captor on my right to the other. I noticed the cart shift in weight as the man got up and stepped outside. I then heard the sickening thud of something hitting flesh and couldn't help but notice the surprised jump of the captor to my right. He leaped out of the cart and I heard him gasp in astonishment and unsheath his sword, followed by the same thud sound from before. I could barely handle not knowing what really was going on outside, but I assumed that it provided us a little better fate than before. I heard laughter and the chattering of men from outside, along with the sheathing of swords. "You only recieved 5 points from hitting his throat, " laughed a man from outside. These men were warriors evidently, possibly a raiding party from a nearby village. "What happened?" whispered Soros beside me. "I'm not sure," I replied, "But hopefully they will recieve us warmly." I scarcely believed my own words even as they came out. I was almost certain these men were not a peaceful breed by how they welcomed our captors, but maybe they would grant us our freedom. I heard the sliding of thick cloth from one side to the other and a man's voice. "Well, what do we have here?" "We are captives of these men. As to where we are going and why, I have no idea." I said to him. He silently stepped into the cart and made his way over to us. He took the bag off of my head and stood back, allowing me to get the first glimpse of the outside world in, I assumed, days. He was a man of average height and build, but had the scars of a fighter. He had close cropped black hair and large scar going from his temple to his lower jaw. He smiled at me, a smile that instantly made me distrustful of him and his intentions He walked over to Soros, taking her covering off as well. She shook her head and looked around the cart, finally landing her eyes on me. I smiled at her, as it was always my way, to smile in the face of uncertainty. I looked over at the man and couldn't mistake the hungry look in his eyes as he surveyed Soros from head to toe. I felt the blood of the fighting man surge beneath my skin, the way he looked at her angered me to the core. I threw my entire body weight at the man, but was suddenly stopped short by the chain that fettered me to the cart. "Woah-oh!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "You will be a great entertainment to the people during our games, if you can fight," he said with a smile. He then looked back at Soros and said, "And you will be a fine gift to the Lord of Acrutia, if I do not choose to take you for myself." At the end of that sentance his eyes lit up, as he undoutedly thought about the fun he would have with her. When he said the word, Acrutia, my heart sunk. We could be no worse off anywhere else on Tachome, than in Acrutia. It was a vile place, where the men ****, pillage, and fight every opportunity that arose. The women were little better, most were slaves captured for the sole purpose of entertainment, but the actual female citizens of Acrutia had morals lower than one could imagine. Yes, we were worse off than before.
As our new captor was unloading us from the cart, I was finally able to take in my new surroundings. We were in a densely wooded region that shaded most of the area around us. The road we were on was relatively flat which testified of it's heavy use by armies going to and from Acrutia. I looked down at our two previous guards and realized what the thuds were that I heard before. Sticking out of their lifeless bodies, was an arrow in each of them. The marksmanship of these men was uncanny. They had put down two large men with just a single slender arrow in each. The dead men had been stripped clean down to their cloth shirt and pants. Their swords and it's sheath were nowhere to be seen, evidently being picked off as soon as they hit the ground. This new group of captors were scavengers, picking up as much loot as possible. "We have new company, men!" said the scarred man that found us. They all looked up and grinned when they saw Soros exit. Her beauty shone even though we had been chained in a cart for who knows how many hours. They whistled and yelled indecencies at her but her only response was holding her head even higher. It made my love for her grow even more. She wasn't frightened or felt any shame. She was as proud now as she has always been. "Judging by the muscles of the man, we will have an interesting set of games this coming dawn!" the scarred man laughed. The men roared with laughter and tried stabbing at me with their swords. I wished that I had my sword at that moment to give an account of myself that these men would not soon forget. I would certainly die by the end of my attack but I would take more than a handful of these scavengers with me. The scarred man looked at me and smiled, "Lord Tijus will be very amused by you both."
The road to Acrutia was long and lacked excitement. We stayed on the main road due to the sheer number of us and how well armed our captors were. They hadn't replaced our head coverings and I was very thankful for it. I took in as much of the surroundings as I could but there wasn't much to see, only woods and the occasional predator slinking in the shadows. I had made sure Soros was at my side at all times so that if anything happened I could all within my power to protect her, even though I was unarmed and my hands were manacled behind my back. Shahid, the scarred man that found us, always kept close by to make sure we didn't try escaping. When we finally reached Acrutia, I was prepared to see a city in shambles but what my eyes witnessed I know I will never forget. Before my eyes was the most beautiful city I had ever seen. The buildings were magnificent and architecturely impressive. There were many gardens around the summits of most of the buildings where the armies mounts were hitched. The beauty of this city greatly contrasted the ugliness inside of every man and woman that lived there. Every citizen that we passed stared at Soros and myself, the men whistled at her and spat at me while the women did the opposite. Shahid looked at me and said, "We are going to place you in the pits until Lord Hijus requests and audience with you." "Where are you placing Soros?" I asked him. He just looked at me and smiled, his eyes flashing the answer before he said it, "She will be placed in my private quarters for safe keeping." Soros looked up at me. Her eyes pleading with me to rescue her at all costs. I had never felt more helpless before in my life, then they led me to the pits. I looked back at her and shouted, "I will rescue you, Soros! I vow on my ancestors that I will save you!" And then she was out of my sight.
The cell that they placed me in was deep within the pits, so there was no chance of escaping even if I tried. As I sat there, chained to the wall, my mind wandered upon the men that jumped us in the gardens of Ycha. Who were they? Why did they attack us? And where were they intending on taking us? Unfortionately, I couldn't even hazard a half decent guess to any of those questions' answers. They were trained well, that I learned from my fight with them. It also did not seem like a random mugging, for why would they take me and they girl when they could have easily knocked us unconscious and pick our pockets? No, it was a planned kidnapping, that I was sure of. But who would want to kidnap a low leveled guard and a queen's handmaiden, when they would recieve little money for either of us. As hard as I tried, I couldn't come up with the answer so I layed down and went to sleep. I awoke to the sound of my cell door being opened and group of men standing at the entrance. Thankfully, the cell I was in was across from a lit torch bolted to the wall, so I was able to pretty easily. There were five well armed men with drawn long sword standing behind a manacled man, evidently a new prisoner. Why, I wondered, did they need five extremely armed men to lead just one captive to his cell? I was to soon learn the answer to that question in the games. They pushed him to the wall on my right, but kept a safe distance from him in doing so. They chained him to the wall and left. I waited until I could no longer hear their footsteps before I tried to engage him in conversation. "Greetings, be you friend or foe of the Lord of Acrutia?" I asked, sarcastically saying the word Lord. The man looked at me and smiled. He was a well built man of about 30, with short black hair and a clean face. His muscles were lean and tanned, indicating long days out on the battlefield or doing laborous work. "I am no friend of Hijus," he said. "I am going to kill him." I was immediately surprised by his admittance of an act of planning to kill a king, the thought alone could get a person executed anywhere upon Tachome. "Your honesty is refreshing, but surprising." I laughed. It was true, although his honesty surprised me at first, I admired the quality. "What reason do I have to lie to you?" He asked. "It is evident by your being here, in the deepest recesses of the pits, that you are no friend of Hijus." "True," I said, "I am certainly no friend of his." "What is your name?" He asked. "I am Gnath, a palace guard from Ycha." "Ycha? You are a long way from home my young friend." He said. "Yes, me and my friend were captured by the Acrutians after being kidnapped by a mysterious group of men." I admitted. "So you were kidnapped from your kidnappers?" He laughed. I soon joined in with him, having the first good laugh I had had since Soros and I were taken. "And you, what is your name?" I asked him. "My name is Jorus," he said. We continued in good conversation for several hours, only stopping when we heard the sound of our guards' footsteps as they brought us food. Jorus was a very good man, that I learned just by talking with him. He had been a high ranked officer in the Acrutian army until one day when he and his wife, who was apparently extraordinarily beautiful, were walking in the gardens of the Lord's palace. They had been spotted by Hijus, who craved Jorus's wife. Hijus tried time after time to bribe Jorus into leaving his wife, offering riches and women beyond any man's wildest dreams, but Jorus refused everytime, his love for her greater than any amount of money. One day, after weeks of bribing, Hijus had enough. He sent his troops to steal Jorus's wife away and lock Jorus in the pit so he wouldn't try to retaliate, which they did. Afte hearing his story, it was now apparent to me that I might be able to make a possible ally out of this man. Both of us had a common goal in mind, rescuing our loves from the clutches of Hijus and his men. At that moment, a plan began forming in my mind.
Jorus and I had spent several days in our cell before I was finally called into the conference room of Lord Hijus. He had sent two warriors down to lead the way and guard me in case I tried to escape. I looked back at Jorus, still chained to the wall, as they led me away. He nodded to me, his face as serious as ever, and then he was gone from my sight as I was led around a corner. The path up from the pits was rather depressing. People were in every cell, some dead while others were on the verge of insanity. The men that were alive were pale and thin, but there were some that were in top shape, evidently to be used in the games. These healthy men glared at me as I passed by them and I could instantly tell they were planning on killing me. It took several hours to reach the conference room from my cell. When we arrived I finally got to see what true Acrutian architecture really was. The room was large, probably large enough to fit several hundred well armed men comfortably. The walls were lined with fine, purple silk that stretched from the beginning of the domed ceiling to the marble floor. The walls went straight up about 20 feet before beginning to curve off into the dome ceiling, which went on for another 30 feet. The ceiling was made of pure, polished marble. The floor seemed to be made of the same material. About 50 feet away from the entrance there were stairs carpeted by the fur of an arco, a spotted feline of Tachome that is nearly extinct. And there, standing at the top of the stairs, was Soros, my love. She looked more gorgeous than ever, her shimmering black hair cascading down her back and across her shoulders. Her skin had gotten slightly paler than it's usual bronze color but she was still absolutely breathtaking to me. Her body was draped in the most luxurious fur I had ever seen. It was striped, not unlike the btak, a deerlike animal, but it also had the spots of an arco mixed in. When she saw me her face lit up and she tried to run to me but she was halted by a chain was held by Shihad. I then noticed another woman with them, and I can honestly, without affronting Soros, that her beauty astounded me. She had blonde hair which was pulled back in a bun. Her face was kind but sad, evidently shedding many tears in the past few days. She was about the same as Soros, only three inches over five foot. Her body was only surpassed by that of Soros's, but even then it was a close second. She looked at me and smiled, her eyes flashing the kindness which her face immediately showed. She was also held by a long chain which was in the hands of that scum Shahid. We were now only ten feet away from the group when my eyes fell upon the throne in the center of the stage. The man that sat upon the throne was of tremendous size, both muscular with a layer of fat. His body testified of the many battles he had been in throughout his life, this man was no ordinary warrior. His hair flowed down to his shoulders in an unkempt mess. His grizzled beard was dirty with several gray strands peppered throughout it. His face was handsome but beastial, with a broken nose and a crooked mouth. And then, I stared into the eyes of pure evil.
"How do you like my fair city?" Hijus asked with a toothy grin. I just stared at him, refusing to speak to a brute such as him. "Is it not magnificent?" he asked, leaning forward from his throne slightly. Again I did not reply to him, but kept eye contact, refusing to blink. He stared at me, his grin fading away, before finally motioning for Shihad to come close to him. Shihad obeyed him and quickly led Soros and the blonde woman to him. When he got close, Hijus grabbed the chain that was attached to Soros and yanked her harshly to him, saying "Fine! If you do not wish to speak, I will cut out your lovely companions tongue!" He drew his dagger as Soros tried to fight away from him, screaming in panic. I could not remain still any longer, the blood within me began surging and my heart became heavy with rage. There were guards on either side of me and foolishly, they had manacled my hands in front of me for this meeting. I swung the heavy manacles to my right and hit one of the guards in square on the nose. He fell back letting out a yelp of both surprise and pain. As he was falling, I grabbed hold of the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it, spinning to my left as I did so. The second guard barely had time to react before his head rolled onto the floor. As soon as his head hit the ground, I was already bounding up the stairs on my way to Hijus. Before I reached him Shihad, who had dropped the blonde woman's chain and had hurried to cut me off, stepped in front of me with drawn long sword. As soon as our swords clashed I knew that I was dealing with no lame fighter. Shihad, to say the least, was a marvelous swordsman and gave me a fight that I wasn't even sure if I could live through. Hijus, Soros, and the blonde woman remained transfixed by our duel. As hard as I tried I could not get past his guard, but I was confident I could if I were released from the manacles that limited my ability. So, making a rash decision, I quickly brought my hands up as he was bringing a crashing swing down. The next second my hands were free, the chain being cut in half and dangling from either wrist. This improved my sword arm greatly, helping me to strike faster and more efficiently. I had quickly turned the fight in my favor, backing him up the stairs and keeping him on constant guard, when I noticed Hijus trying to get up from his throne and escape with the woman. Throwing caution to the wind, I swung my sword as quickly and hard to the right as I could, knowing he would have to block it or face certain decapitation. As steel met steel my sword pushed his back to his left, by pure momentum and strength of the swing, leaving him unprepared to block the manacled hand that came crashing into his jaw. He crumpled to the floor, but scarce had his body hit the ground before I was over him and running towards Hijus. The man turned and looked at me, his face distorted in both anger and fear, and whistled. The silks lining the walls dropped, and with them dropped every ounce of hope in regaining Soros and our freedom.
Surrounding me were twenty of Hijus's guard. They had been covered by the silks for unseen protection, evidently in case I tried to escape and got past Shihad. "Subdue him!" Hijus yelled. "But do not kill him for he will provide great entertainment in the games tomorrow." I looked at Soros, her angelic face covered in tears. I had failed her and now I may never have another chance to rescue her. I decided to give one last account of myself in the name of Soros, or if I was to die then what better way than in her name? As I prepared to raise my sword to the soldier closest to me, Soros yelled "Stop!" I looked at her surprised. "Hold your sword, Gnath!" she continued. "I do not wish to see you die!" Tears were streaming down her face as she said this, and she had broken into silent sobs. Her dark brown eyes pleaded with me to lower my sword, so I obeyed the woman that I love, no matter if I didn't completely understand. The soldiers closest to me quickly walked over to me and confiscated the sword that I had acquired, then led me back down to my cell. I arrived to find Jorus leaning against the wall of our cell, then perking up when he saw me. The soldiers led me in, attached new manacles to me, chained me to the wall, and then left without a word. "What was all the racket I heard??" Jorus asked me curiously. I then relayed to him all of the events that occurred while I was in Hijus's presence, his eyes getting wide when he heard of the beautiful, blonde woman that was chained with Soros. "That blonde woman you mentioned," he said, "I believe that's my wife." We sat in silence for many moments, each one preoccupied with the thoughts of our own loves, and their being in the hands of Hijus. I wondered why Soros had stopped me, and why she had such little faith in my fighting ability. Why had she asked me to stay my hand when it is always an honor to give one's life in battle to protect the woman he loves. After several more minutes went by, I turned to Jorus, saying "Hijus says the games are set for tomorrow." I was astounded that I hadn't mentioned that bit of information to him before. He turned and looked at me, smiled and said "Then we should rest up, young Gnath, for tonight may be our last night on Tachome before we join our ancestors." I looked at him and laughed. He was certainly a brave man and I was even more certain that he considered me as much a friend as I considered him, which gave me confidence in the question I was about to ask. "Hijus has both my Soros and your wife. So I ask you, Jorus, will you be my ally and comrade in rescuing those that are most dear to both of us?" "You need not even ask that question," Jorus said, " for I am already your ally, comrade, and friend." I smiled as I lay my head down upon my hard bedding, and then slept.
I slept surprisingly well that night and was well rested when I finally woke up. Jorus was still sleeping so I laid my head back down and stared at the ceiling for what seemed like forever. My mind quickly thought of the beautiful Soros, her flowing black hair neatly resting over her shoulders and down her back. I closed my eyes and pictured her white smile that seemed to lighten any dark room she walked into. She was an amazing woman and I vowed to retrieve her from Hijus's sinister clutches. I would give my life for her and take anyone's that stood in my way. Jorus finally stirred awake as our guards began unlocking the cell door. I looked at him and noted a certain smile on his face. It was a smile a fighting man wears when he knows that nothing can stop him from reaching his goal. We stood up as the men began taking the chains off of our manacles, both noting each other's confident face. The guards led us out of the cell and up the brick stairs that ascended away from the desolate pits. During one of our previous dinners we had stumbled across the discussion of how the games were played. Evidently, all of the contestants were seperated into five groups of five. Each group would first have to battle various wild animals from the surrounding forest. Then, if any person managed to survive that round, they would have to battle against want giant brute of a beast. This creature is unlike any other found upon Tachome. He stands at a towering 10 feet from the ground, has muscular arms with an even more muscular jaw, which is filled with razor sharp teeth that tear the victim to shreds. It has strong hands with long claws that can cut a man's skin to ribbons. It has short, coal, black fur that covers it's entire body and helps it to remain virtually unseen at night. The ears are pointed at the tip and are located on the side of the creature's massive head. The eyes are a dark green in the iris with black pupils and white around the orb. It uses it's long tail like a whip and to occasionally trip it's foe to make it easier prey. Not many have survived in honest battle against this great beast, but the few that have rank among the highest honored fighters in the world. Lastly, if by some miracle there are any survivors out of all five groups, they are combined into one final group and pitted against trained officers in Hijus's army. If the contestants are again victorious, they are "freed" by way of forced entry into the army. There they live out their lives as soldiers in an army that they hate, seperated from their loved ones unless they manage to escape. Though, according to Jorus, few ever have. After a long walk that led us across the palace gardens, through the curiously vacant city avenues, and near the city gates; we finally approached a large building with majestic, wooden doors. The auditorium was all but windowless, there were some located on the very roof of the building, which we would soon learn. There were three large pillars on either side of the doors that were made of some marble-like mineral. I stood in awe at the spectacular building in front of me. It truly was a magnificent sight to behold, even if it was in the city that I hated so much. The guards had stopped to let us take note of the building before finally hurrying us up the stairs and thrusting open the doors....
The sight that met my eyes was incredible. I had never in my life seen an auditorium of this magnitude. I am certain that, if they tried, they could fit every person that lived in Acrutia in this building. I looked around the building and saw that there was hardly an empty seat anywhere to be found, which explained why the streets were all empty. The seats were raised about twenty feet off of the stadium floor, with a great wall that discouraged contestants or creatures from climbing into the crowd. Our guards hurried us out into the center of the blood stained arena, where about twenty or so other prisoners were waiting for us. They rushed us over to a group of three prisoners then hurried off to take their seats with the rest of the audience. I looked around at the group I was in, thankful that I had Jorus alongside me. To my right was Jorus, he was a very muscular man and stood at about six feet from the ground. He had plenty of scars on his body, which told that he had been in and survived many brutal battles. He had strong arms that were connected to a muscular chest and shoulders. He was quite the imposing sight to the layman, even a strong fighting man would think twice about entering a duel with this man. I glanced over to my left where there stood another strong looking man. He wasn't as tall as Jorus or myself, but what he lacked in height he made up for in broadness and apparent cruelty. I wasn't too sure how much help he would be in battle, but I was always taught to never rely on another man more than I did myself. The two men beside him were both frightened to the core. There were very slender, with very little muscles if any, and had bodies that were free of any kind of scars or any other proof of battle. "Welcome to the Games of Acrutia!" a man shouted enthusiastically. I looked around and saw him sitting on a glorious throne. I had recognized the voice as Hijus's and had quickly sought him out. "Will our contestants prove victorious? Or will they serve as merely food for the animals that they will soon face?" He continued, stopping to add drama to his overly rehearsed announcement. The crowd loved it. Never in all of my life had I heard a sound so deafening and seen a people so hungry for the smell of blood. Hijus sat back in his massive chair, clearing my view and allowing me to just now notice the sight which I had longed to see. Sitting on his left was my beautiful Soros. She was sitting back in her small chair with her hands manacled together and a chain connecting her to Hijus's throne. She looked just as beautiful as ever, even after long days of torment and cruelty which I am all but too sure she received. I couldn't help but notice her face light up as my eyes met hers, then tears began streaming down her eyes. They weren't tears of despair, but tears of joy from seeing me, that I was certain. It filled my heart with happiness to know that she was so happy to see me. I felt my blood pump with ferociousness of a raging river, my heart was beating so fast. I loved this girl more than I had ever dreamed of caring for anyone, and I was determined to free her from this cruel man's clutches. I looked to my right and noticed the tears that Jorus wiped from his eyes and the small smile that touched his lips. I followed his line of vision which was directed at the blonde woman that I had seen yesterday. She was located on Hijus's right and had been manacled and chained as well. She had tears streaming down her eyes and had stood up to see her love more clearly, when the action that followed filled me with anger as I am sure it did Jorus. As soon as she lifted off of her chair, Hijus reached his hand out and grabbed hold of her chain, roughly yanking her back down into a sitting position. Jorus took off in a full sprint towards Hijus, raising his manacled fists into the air. Determined to fight shoulder to shoulder with my comrade no matter what, I quickly followed. Hijus sank back in fear before nodding to the guards down below him. They signalled to some guards on the other end of the stadium, indicating that the four other groups be led out of the arena. Jorus and I halted our sprint and looked around, noticing that the only people that remained were ourselves and the other three men. One of the guards through down a key and five swords which landed in the dirt not too far from where we were standing. We hurried to them, freeing our bonded hands and each grasping a sword firmly. The other three men rushed towards and freed themselves, each picking up a sword after. Several loud roars met our ears which froze my blood to ice and silenced the entire stadium. The games were finally beginning.
Three imposing beasts were making their way towards us. They were indigenous to the forests of Acrutia so I had not seen them before in my life. They were called gars, I would soon learn, and they could kill a large man in mere seconds. They had gaping mouths with large, sharp, white teeth. Their snouts protruded three inches from their face and seemed to always smell the air around it. Their bodies were pale and sunk in, indicating that they were starved to the point of insanity. This fact would make them nearly impossible to defeat if they caught even the scent of our fresh human blood. Their massive bodies rested on four muscular legs, which connected to paws that could grasp a man's entire head easily. The claws that protruded from their paws were imposing all on their own. They were long and sharp, being able to cut through strong armor at ease. I gripped my sword's hilt tighter and looked around me. Jorus was visibly shaken but he still was in a fighter's stance, sword steady beside him. The short, cruel man had his sword ready but it was shaking in his hand. The other two men had dropped their swords and were cowering behind us. "These are vicious creatures," Jorus whispered to me. The gars had made their way even closer to us, now only about ten feet away. They stepped closer, their red eyes flicking from one of us to the next. Their long tales were lashing at their sides. "I will take the one on the left." I said. "Jorus can you handle the beast in the middle?" "With pleasure," he said with a grim smile. I looked over at the three behind us saying "You three take the one on the right. Now pick up you swords!" And before i could say anything more, the gars pounced...
The strength and speed of the gar in front of me was incredible. I almost didn't have time to react to his first attack, but luckily I dodged his massive claws and teeth in time. His red eyes kept constant contact with mine, not once blinking. He licked his lips as he slowly moved towards me and growled. I began edging my way away from the others so that we could have a decent amount of room to fight. He raised a large paw in the air and swung it towards my torso, intending to slash my chest to shreds. I quickly parried his attack with my sword but the force knocked me back a few feet. He ran to pounce on me and jumped into the air. I rolled to my right just as he landed where I had once lay and sprang to my feet, slashing him a deep cut on the side of his body with my sword. He didn't make a sound as he turned to face me. He was more careful than he had previously had been, now just trying to wear me out with a few small slashes with his claws to keep me constantly moving and on guard. This strategy went on for what felt like hours. I felt as if I couldn't move anymore let alone put up a good fight against this massive creature. I sensed that he could smell how tired I was and would soon make a final attack which would undoubtedly finish me. I quickly decided on a last ditch effort that would hopefully bring quick victory for me. As the gar was preparing to pounce on me, I rushed him, yelling at the top of my lungs. I had caught him off guard by my unexpected change in tactics and he stood frozen to the ground, but only for a second. He jumped towards me with his muscular arms outstretched and powerful jaws gaping wide. I heard a woman's scream as I ducked underneath his paws and rested my sword in his once beating heart. He landed in a bloody, lifeless heap on the ground, my sword still protruding out of his pale chest. I looked in the direction that I heard the scream and saw Soros slumped on the ground with the blonde woman leaning over her, trying to bring her back to consciousness. I then turned towards my comrades, expecting to see the worst...
Jorus was doing amazingly well against his gar. He had only a few minor scratches while the gar had cuts all along it's body. While Jorus was fighting to the top of his ability, one of our other companions had perished leaving the other two barely fending off the third gar. I looked at his lifeless body as it lay in a broken heap on the stadium floor. His chest had been torn to ribbons by the gar's massive claws. His insides had been ripped entirely out of his body and his blood soaked the dirt around him. I then looked up at the two men fighting the gar by themselves. The cruel man had several long tears down his chest, while the other had even more. The gar was basically untouched. The action that I was about to take surprised even me after I had time to think about it afterwards. I threw my sword, point first to simulate a spear, at the gar that the cruel man and his scared ally were fighting. Not looking to see whether my sword ran true or not, I turned and ran at full speed towards Jorus and his scratched up gar. The gar's side was facing me so he had no idea that I was quickly approaching. I heard a loud exclamation of pain as I jumped in the air, pulled my knees to my chest, extended my legs, and felt my feet make contact with the gar's massive ribs. I felt them crack underneath my feet as I hit them. The gar let out a loud, frightening roar as he wheeled his body towards me. Thankfully, Jorus did miss the opportunity that I had presented him and before the gar could attack me, now utterly defenseless, it's head rolled off of it's lifeless body. Jorus laughed as he helped me to my feet, "That was a foolish thing you did, my young friend." "Foolish," I said, "or brave?" "Extremely foolish," he replied with a laugh. I looked over at our other two campanions, sitting in a tired state of surprise as they stared at the now lifeless gar in front of them. My sword had hit it's mark and was now buried to the hilt in the beast's side, piercing the gar's heart. Jorus and I walked over to them and helped them up as several of the Hijus's guard rushed over to where we stood. The entire building was rumbling with cheers and yelling. The audience had been pleased with our performance. I searched the auditorium before my eyes finally locked on my beautiful Soros. She was in the blonde woman's arms, evidently crying on her shoulder. They had been sitting on the ground when they looked up after noticing the cheers of the crowd. Their eyes instantly searched the stadium floor, looking for signs of Jorus and myself. As Soros's eyes locked onto mine, I saw a wave of relief and happiness overcome her face. She quickly stood up along with Jorus's wife. The smile that radiated on Soros's face filled my heart with joy and made it nearly impossible to hold in all of the love that I felt for her. I smiled at her as I was being led out, but before I was out of sight I noticed the angry look and nod that Hijus gave Shihad. That look would not bode well for either Jorus or myself in the future.
We were being led, rather roughly, into a cell right below the stadium. I knew this because I could hear the sound of battle and the roaring approval of the crowd just above me. The guards locked us in the cell and left without saying a word. Jorus and I took this time to explore our new environment for possible avenues of escape but found nothing. We walked in a circle with our hands on the wall, feeling for a loose brick we could pry away and possible find a long forgotten passageway. We did this several times before finally accepting the fact that there was no escape. We walked back over to our new comrades in arms and found them tending their battle wounds. Jorus turned to me and whispered, "I have seen this cruel looking man before somewhere." The man was still some ways away from us so I was certain that he could not hear our conversation. "Where at, my friend?" I asked. "I'm not sure. He looks very familiar to me but I can not place him." he said. "We should ask his name," I said to Jorus as I began walking towards the two men sitting on the ground. "Maybe that will bring your memory back to light." Jorus nodded his approval and followed me towards the men. "Hello, friends!" I said with a smile. The cruel man and the nervous man looked up at us. The cruel man gave us a scowl and went back to patching his wounds. The nervous man gave a weak smile and said, "H-h-h-hello." "What is your names?" I asked them. "Mine is Daor," the nervous man said to me. He was a very loosely built man. His body appeared soft and lacked the scars of a fighting man. His hands shook as he tried to stop the blood coming from a small gash on his arm. I was honestly surprised that he had not perished in the arena with the gars. "And yours?" I said, nodding to the cruel man. Jorus appeared anxious, as if he had realized who this man was but was still unsure as to whether it was actually the person he thought. The cruel man ignored me and continued on with what he was doing. Now, with me being a fighting man, my patience is rather strong. Not much can annoy or anger me in the way of another man's attitude towards me but I do not appreciate when someone blatantly ignores me. "What is your name, friend." I said, this time without a smile and more emphasis on the word "friend." The man looked up at me and said, "Horan does not speak to lesser men unless he is-" The man was unable to finish his sentence, for when he said "Horan", Jorus had already began to run towards him. Jorus was on top of Horan, with his fingers wrapped around Horan's cruel throat. I quickly ran to them and pulled Jorus away from the man trying to catch his breath on the ground. "Jorus!" I yelled, "What is the meaning of this?" "This man is an assassin and is also the man that Hijus had abduct my wife!" He said as he pointed an accusing finger at Horan. I looked at the man still laying on the ground, gasping and rubbing his throat, and then looked back at Jorus. I now understood his quick attack on the man, for I would have done the same.
"Is what Jorus says true, Horan?" I asked. He was still on the ground but managed to regain his ability to speak. "Yes," he said. "Lord Hijus came to me and offered unspeakable treasures in return for kidnapping this man's wife. So I accepted. I took with me several of Hijus's armed guard and stole her in the night. Your friend here would not let it be a peaceful abduction and slain many of Hijus's guard before finally being put down and arrested." I looked at Jorus. His face had turned red with rage. I have never before seen such a look of hatred come from someone who I knew to be so kind before. He would kill Horan at any opportunity that would present itself, that I knew for a fact for I would do the same to any man that would harm my beloved Soros, and I truly believed that Jorus was a man made after my own heart. Then, a thought occurred to me. "If you were hired by Hijus to kidnap Jorus's wife, then why are you here in the games?" I asked the man, now rising to his feet. He scowled at me and said, "He arrested me as soon as I presented him with the blonde woman." I couldn't help but laugh at this man getting his just desserts. I then turned to Jorus who had began calming down and was now leaning against the wall with his head in his hands. I felt sorry for this man. I knew him to be a good, honest man and I wished to help him any way that I could. He had become a great friend to me and I trusted him with my life. "Jorus," I said, "I need you to promise me that you will not kill Horan until either after the games or if he tries to attack you. We may require his sword in the following fights." Jorus looked up at me and nodded. He opened his mouth to say something but closed as his eyes shifted toward the cell entrance and the sound of the cell door being opened. I turned around to see a sight that both pained me and reminded me of my personal duty.
Standing in the middle of the cell entrance was Soros and the blonde woman. They had chains manacled to their necks which were held by the cruel hands of Shihad. He looked at both Jorus and I and said, "Lord Hijus wished me to tell you both that if you survive the games then these two women would perish in front of you. That is all." "Please, Shihad. Give both Gnath and I a few seconds with the women whose feet we have laid our hearts and swords." Jorus pleaded. Soros looked at me. Her eyes were filled with sadness and were tear stained due to many nights of crying herself to sleep. Her lips were trembling and her body appeared weak. Shihad thought about what Jorus asked. "I will give you thirty seconds to let the choice you must make take hold," he replied. He let the chains drop to the ground but before they could even touch Soros was in my arms. Her body was cold to the touch and trembling. I could hardly believe that these men had treated her so cruelly. I had the urge to rip Shihad's head from his body while he was in my grasp but decided against it. An act as rash as that would not benefit Soros in any way. "Have they not been feeding you, Soros?" I asked her. She looked up at me and said, "They have presented me with food but I refuse to eat while you are fending for your life in such a harsh environment." Tears were building up in her eyes. I had the biggest urge to bring her lips to mine and tell her of my love for her as I looked into those beautiful, brown eyes. "Soros I..." I began to say before she was ripped from my grasp by the chain that Shihad had regained control of. "Zana!" exclaimed Jorus. It then occurred to me that I had never asked his wife's name before, which was Zana. They both appeared in pain as they rubbed the area where the manacles were around their necks. Shihad hurriedly rushed them out of the cell without another word. Jorus looked at me. Tears were coming to his eyes and he had a stern look on his face. We both understood that tonight would be our last.
Our minds were made. All of us were clear on what was going to happen today. The walk up from our cell to the stadium seemed to go by incredibly slow. I would have much rather get this all over with than drag it needlessly on. I looked to my right at Jorus. He was thinking deeply so I decided not to bother him. He was a brave man who I came to respect very much. He fought strongly and without fear and I was honored to fight by his side. In front of me walked two guards, both heavily armed and disciplined. Daor and Horan followed close behind Jorus and me. They seemed to be in deep thought also, I noted as I looked back at them. Behind them walked two more guards, each equally armed as their comrades. I looked away from them and continued walking on. We stepped out into the auditorium and could barely hear anything other than the cheers of the crowd. I looked at the stadium floor and saw that, although there was plenty of blood staining the dirt ground, there were zero bodies to denote an apparently death filled battle previously. I laughed to myself as I thought about how I would be the next body they dragged out. There were four swords laying in the middle of the stadium floor. All of us walked over to our weapons and picked them up. Daor looked at me and smiled. Horan looked terrified which was surprising. Jorus was searching the crowd for his beloved and I followed his eye line. There was Soros. She looked amazingly stunning to me right now. Her hair was combed and washed, unlike the previous encounters we had had while captives of the Acrutians. She had evidently dressed up for my subsequent funeral following the games. I was stirred out of my daydream of my now impossible future with Soros by a loud and vicious roar coming from behind a cell at the far end of the arena. I heard women scream and men gasp at the roar. The entire stadium grew quiet as the gate slowly lifted up. I was taken by complete surprise as the massive creature behind the gate came racing towards me. It reached me in what seemed like milliseconds, it's massive claws trying to scratch my head off as I ducked underneath them. The black fur covering the monster's entire body was incredible. It gleamed in the artificial light of the stadium and swayed at the creature's every move. The beast's long tail whipped out at me and struck me full in the chest before I could dodge it. I fell back and landed on the ground, gasping for air. The monster turned and lunged at me. I closed my eyes and knew that my life was now over until I heard the sound of claw against steel. I opened my eyes to see Daor fighting as hard as he could against the brute. Unfortunately, while he managed to save my life, it caused his to end. He fell to the ground without a word, his heart nearly torn out of his chest by the sharp claws of our foe. I heard the clanking of sword on sword behind me, along with the grunts and curses of two men fighting their hearts out. I instantly knew it was Jorus seeking his revenge on Horan. I jumped to my feet and reengaged the monster while he was devouring Daor's lifeless body. I cut a long slice down the monster's left arm, causing it to let out a shreak of alarm. He looked at me with his hungry green eyes, squinting them in anger. He clawed at me again but I was once again able to dodge him. This time slicing at his ribs on his right side. I moved the beast around to where I could keep an eye on the fight between Jorus and Horan. They were fighting to the death, that I could tell by their cuts and parries. The monster stepped back into my view and tried to leap at me. I ran towards him and jumped. Slightly taking him off guard by my new tactics. Our bodies met in mid air. I felt his muscular jaws begin to close around my right shoulder and neck as I drove my blade deep into his heart. I heard a scream from somewhere in the crowd. My body hit the ground, the great beast laying on top of me. I could feel the pain on my right side dulling. I could barely make out two figures fighting while my eyes closed. I then heard the surprised yelp of a man as a sword met it's target, followed by another woman's scream from in the crowd. This one different than the one before. Then my eyes closed and the world went quiet around me.