A mile away before the slaves arrived at their destination, Zane was quite surprised at how large and populated the city was. They passed thousands of small shops littered on the side of the road. He also saw houses built in comparison to the houses from medieval era back on earth.
Arriving at a large fork road, a massive stone coliseum was built in between them.
Zane was taken aback. The stone arena was approximately three times larger than a football stadium back on Earth. He couldn't help but think that this splendid structure undoubtedly served as the heart of the city. Given its intricate design, he mused, it must have taken hundreds of years to construct this marvel by hand.
As they get closer, the first thing the slaves noticed was the noise coming from the arena.
Then suddenly it hit them; the smell of blood was in the air.
Boza, who was leading the slaves led them to a massive 25-foot door. Zane noticed on the door's left and right side were two large gold kneeling statues, with their left hand on their upper left chest and their right hand holding a sword pointed at the heavens. At the foreheads of the statues, the brand of the slave, 'X,' can be seen.
As they entered the arena, loud cheers greeted them. A few meters in front of him, he saw about thousands of fellow slaves waiting around. Zane roughly estimated that there were about 10,000 slaves in the arena.
The most shocking part was the number of weapons littered all over the dirt ground. It is enough to arm ten battalions of soldiers. Furthermore, there were no shields or armor pieces, only all kinds of weapons meant for killing.
Zane looked above, and he saw a 50ft red stone wall dividing the crowds and the slaves.
The arena was huge. Far away, Zane saw another huge door like the one they entered, many more slaves were being brought inside the arena.
On the walls, there were multiple entry points high and low barred with a pullable metal mechanism. Zane knew that it was where the horrors would come from.
...
Guiding them to a corner, Boza's voice boomed, "This is where you stand! Face everything head-on and show no signs of weakness!"
A wave of murmurs rippled through the slaves, fear of the unknown creeping like a shadow, and the stark reality of death hanging heavy in the air.
"Please sir, I don't want to be here, I beg of you, I wish to be sent to the mines. I still have a family at ho.." before he could even finish his words, he was split in half. Scared witless, the slaves were silenced.
"Please, sir, I don't belong here. I beg of you, send me to the mines. My family still needs me at home," he pleaded, words barely escaping his lips before they were brutally silenced, as he was split in half by a sword. The rest of the slaves chocked into silence.
Some wanted to overpower Boza, but when the guards' spears were pointed at them, they backed down.
"If you do not fight you will die! This is the code of Blood Warriors. There is no more path of return to any of you. You can only move forward and die trying."
"Look around you, this is the reality!" he shouted.
Suddenly, a couple of loud air horn was blasted, "bwAAAAAAAHHHP,", "bwAAAAAAAHHHP,", "bwAAAAAAAHHHP"
The whole arena was muted. Boza knew it was about time to leave. He said his farewell, "No matter what you do, SURVIVE!" He left the scene with the other guards.
"We are now about to begin the 'Blood Warriors initiation'! Place your final bets!"
Hundreds of the slaves were struck with fear, some started to run away, but the gates were already closed shut. All openings were barred with strong iron that even the weapons on the ground couldn't make a dent out of it.
The crowds saw the commotion in the arena, and they started to laugh and sneer.
"These wretched slaves know nothing of honor – they're cowards, plain and simple."
"Look at them, scurrying like rats! Have they no shred of dignity left?"
"Exactly what one would expect from foreigners! They're nothing but refuse! A swift death is all they deserve."
Zane started to think and prepare mentally. He knew that it would be a fight for his life. Just not sure what kind of horror will be unleashed upon them.
With all weapons littered on the ground, he quickly picked up two long swords. He used his identification:
Poor Quality Long Sword
Material: Iron
Attack: .7
Durability: .6
--
Medium Quality Long Sword:
Material: Iron
Attack: 1.5
Durability: 1.2
In his mind, "The first one is already a little bit rusty, no wonder the stats are terrible. Meanwhile, the second is just a regular sword."
Looking at the literally thousands of swords on the floor, 'Perhaps, I can find a sword that has better stats.'
Zane continuously used his identification. Meanwhile, the other slaves also started to prepare for what was coming. They try to find the most suitable weapon for them. Some chose axes, others, a sword, or a bow.
After 10 minutes of searching, he found the two best swords for him within his 30meters.
Medium Quality Long Sword:
Material: Iron
Attack: 3.5
Durability: 2.1
--
High Quality Long Sword:
Material: Iron
Attack: 5.7
Durability: 3.5
'So many poor quality swords, It took me almost hundreds of identification just to find the best one,' thinking about it.
The announcer's voice resonated through the arena, addressing the crowd, yet to most of the slaves, his words fell on deaf ears. The inevitability of the impending fight weighed heavily, leaving no room for attention. Among the spectators, a few hurled curses at the verbose announcer.
Then, it started.
"Boom," "Boom," "Boom," "Boom," "Boom,"
Rhythmic battle drums started roaring. The drumbeats were so loud that they could be heard a mile away from the arena.
Like a heartbeat, it was beating fast and slow. Soon enough, it had a significant effect on the whole atmosphere of the arena.