The warrior brought the usual breakfast, this time completely alone. It was unknown whether it was something he decided to do or something he had to do out of necessity. He slowly placed the food in front of the elven children.
However, he was surprised that none of them touched their food. It was a ritual they decided to do every time a fight was about to happen. No one was allowed their food until the fight was over. They ate once everyone was present.
"Not long ago, I told everyone to choose two of you who will be fighting this day. I hope the fighters were chosen, Lord Gord would be mad if this event were to face any setbacks because of mere slaves."
Said the warrior. His voice was low, his tone serious. Teita and Vidra stood up from their beds.
"We'll be fighting against each other."
The warrior lifted an eyebrow. The height difference between Teita and Vidra was not small. He assumed that a fight between those two would rather be a one-sided beating than a fight between equals, but didn't say anything. The warrior's job was dirty.
He opened the two prison cells. Vidra stepped out of the prison for the first time in days. It hasn't been long since he was imprisoned, yet the feeling of freedom he experienced as the warrior led them out of the prison was strong.
They walked across the whole prison. The first door opened, and Vidra saw the rest of his villager comrades for the first time since they were forced into slavery. The children were malnourished, and some of them were severely beaten while others were unscathed.
The treatment they received was much worse than what they gave to Vidra and the rest of the battle slaves. Teita looked at the warrior in front of them with rage. He clinched his fists as he passed by his friends.
Vidra stepped up his pace a bit to catch up with the warrior.
"Why did you have to do this to children? They are cuffed and can't even move because you barely gave them anything to eat. Was the beating necessary, or was it out of self-satisfaction?"
Vidra looked at the warrior. One thing he learned about him is that he is not as tough as he looks. The last time they talked, the warrior looked visibly shaken by his words. Perhaps he was just a victim of circumstances. His attire didn't fit the other warriors who were present during the village raid.
He simply looked like an unaffiliated warrior, not a soldier of someone else. However, the warrior didn't reply to Vidra. They just continued on their way towards the place where the fight was going to happen. Up the stairs and out of the building.
It was nighttime, and the outskirts of the city were engulfed by moonlight. The rundown houses, riddled with beggars and shady gambling dens, drew a picturesque scenery in front of Vidra.
This is how they waited in front of the house where they usually lived. A few minutes later, the familiar-looking horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of them. Its side doors open.
"Get inside, time is of the essence."
The horses moved rather fast once they settled down inside the carriage. Vidra could tell they were taken further inside the city. They were led inside another house once they stopped. This time, the surroundings were a bit better looking. Proper stone roads, with houses of the same style, were maintained, and the streets were clean.
Screams of excitement could be heard as they descended a set of stairs. A big event took place underground. Vidra and Teita entered a room where they took off their clothes. What remained on them were the ragged trousers.
Teita was taken to the other side of the arena by the warrior while Vidra got ready for the fight. The rules were explained to him. Enter the arena once the gate opened, and giving up was not allowed. The match continued until one of the contestants was knocked out or couldn't fight any longer.
The gate opened after a few minutes of waiting, and Vidra stepped inside the circular arena. The ground was filled with sand, and that was it. Vidra took a look around the elevated platform where the spectators observed their fight.
People from all walks of life observed them with curiosity. Merchants, warriors, humans with long ears, and people whose mere presence made their strength obvious. There was a fat man hidden behind a curtain amongst the spectators, his seat was extravagant.
Vidra assumed that he might be the so-called Lord Gord, who took away everything and changed his life, but he was not sure. He walked up to the middle of the arena and stood in front of Teita, who entered from the opposite side. Face to face with each other, they agreed to give their all regardless of the outcome.
A man entered the arena with a giant horn made out of bone.
"TODAY! WE BRING YOU THE START OF SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED IN THE HISTORY OF UNDERGROUND FIGHTS. ORIGINATING FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE LEGENDARY FOREST. THESE ELVES, WHO NEVER WITNESSED THE WONDERS OF CIVILIZATION, WILL FIGHT ACROSS SEVERAL NIGHTS! IN A GREAT JOURNEY TO DECIDE UPON THE STRONGEST OF THEM ALL!"
"woooooh!
"Hahaha! What is that tall boy doing against the stick down there!"
"BEAT HIM UP, RED EYES!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and excitement as the fight began. Vidra and Teita distanced themselves from each other.
"START!"
The fight started with Vidra running away from Teita. He was a fast kid for his age, even Teita couldn't catch up to him despite his long limbs. The spectators laughed, seeing the shameless display of cowardice.
Vidra continued running regardless of what the spectators wanted to see. He knew that Teita had worse stamina than him. However, Teita suddenly stopped.
"Come at me, or this fight is over!"
This was as far as Vidra could go with such a tactic. He launched himself towards Teita and tried to kick him in the stomach, but Teita caught his leg. His arms were longer than normal, and Vidra was thrown off guard.
'This might be worse than I expected.'
Teita tried to sweep off Vidra's other leg and tackle him, but Vidra jumped and punched Teita in the face. Teita was strong, but he wasn't a trained warrior. He wasn't even a talented fighter. He was just a kid. His size, however, was a big advantage.
Vidra's punch was enough to free him from Teita. He quickly distanced himself. The crowd was cheering. The fight was not as one-sided as they thought it would be.
"Way to go, red eyes!"
"woooh!"
It didn't take long for Teita to collect himself. It was not the first time he was punched in the face. He quickly closed the distance with Vidra and launched a frontal kick towards his abdomen.
However, much to Teita's surprise. The kick was evaded. Vidra swiftly circled to the side with a move that was eerily similar to those who were trained in proper footwork.
*Thack*
A small jab landed on Teita's jaw. The power behind it was inconsequential, yet Teita almost slipped as he was caught off guard. His eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time he fought against Vidra, so he didn't know how good he was. This was something that Vidra himself didn't know since he never fought with other kids of his age.
Most of the spectators thought nothing of this exchange. They didn't know how to fight, so they thought that Vidra was just lucky. However, those more experienced in martial arts and fighting smirked in understanding.
Vidra had a knack for martial arts!