"Now let's test your might." Anakin announced.
Upon hearing this the people sparring around the arena immediately stopped their combat practice and gathered to watch. You don't get free entertainment everyday, and Anakin surely knew how to attract a crowd.
Test your might was some sort of ritual created by the children of Ares. Strength and power were what kept Sparta running, mainly military power. Of course there were scholars in Sparta but a balance in mental, physical and spiritual strength were considered to be the best type of strength. This didnt mean that there weren't any business people or just normal citizens though. No, the citizens included the normal humans that were favoured by the gods and brought to the realm of gods as well as retired soldiers from the spartan army. Although these retired soldiers were not active, when sparta was in a big crisis they would be called forth.
Test your might was basically a test for the new guys in Sparta like Droy to gauge and know their physical strength and combat prowess. When demigods came to know of their origin their blood would awaken. Even though their blood awakened and gave them power, the power varied from one person to another. All houses always looked out for the strong new guys and tried their hardest to get them to join their houses. Strong candidates meant a strong house. A strong house meant power, and power kept Sparta moving.
"Now, choose your opponent." Anakin told Droy with the same booming voice. This time though, he wore an evil looking smile of pleasure. His eyes glinted like the stars. He was obviously anticipating Droy's next move.
Looking around Droy only knew two people even if just a little bit, those were Anakin and Amara. Anakin though carried a katana sword of which Droy didn't like the look of. It had a long reach. It looked dangerous and that smile on Anakin's face gave him the serial killer vibe. It felt like Anakin hoped Droy will pick him and then he would make him pay dearly.
So Droy, being the smart guy he was obviously knew the better choice was Amara. She used a xiphos, a one handed sword with a short reach, slicing and stabbing weapon. It looked pitifully simple and he could easily overwhelm her with the long reach of his spear and the easy maneuverability of the kopis. Easy and accurate conclusion right? Oh man! how wrong you are.
Droy felt confident and very proud from making such a deduction all by himself. And thus he made an announcement filled with confidence with his head held high.
"I pick Amara for this duel."
After saying that he heard a series of sounds through the crowd. And non of them were pleasant to the ears of Droy. It almost made his ears bleed. They comment in the crowd were talking about him in past tense like when guys talked about someone they knew at a funeral.
"He was Bold enough to challenge an Elite."
"Loved his courage."
"Looked like a descent guy."
"Yeah... he's dead."
"Oh shit." This pretty summed up Droy's thoughts.
She looked plain, warm and simple one would have thought she was the best choice. The xiphos by her waist didnt seem as remarkable nor as dangerous as the blade on Anakin's back.
Her eyes had no hostility nor brutality. But that was before. It was right then as he was having this thought that his eyes met with Amara's. In them he saw no warmth, just pitch black eyes that took in everything but gave off nothing but coldness.
'You got bad luck Droy, on your first day you had to match yourself against an elite, tough life. As they say take the lemons and make lemonades or something like that. I just need to survive this. She'll go easy on me, it's my first day after all, right?' Droy thought this to himself.
Just as he was going through what he had gotten himself into, his train of thoughts derailed when he felt a force to the side of his face.
BAM!!
He suddenly lost vision and the world was black. Sounds of ringing bells filled his ears as he felt his boddy fall face first into the sand of the colloseum.
A few seconds later he began to regain some sight. A hazy image appeared infront of him, standing tall as he himself laid with his belly on the ground. The figure was a silhouette seemingly of a girl against the setting sun.
As the image got clearer, he could see Amara standing tall staring down at him. Her harsh eyes filled with killing intent and hostility. Her posture radiated confidence and the way she stood there, staring droy down showed her superiority over him. His bloody nose and mouth full of sand was evidence of her power and skills. She hadn't even drawn her weapon yet it was safe to say it was over.
Without getting even one hit in Droy was reluctant to admit defeat, so the new guy in Sparta stood up, the kopis in his right hand was the only weapon he had left. The spear was a distance away from him leaving him with just the option to go in for close range combat.
Droy stood up. By now the bells in his ears had stopped ringing and he could now hear the murmurs in the crowd and they were getting into his head.
To say the least droys footing was as stable as a ship in the sea during a storm.
From where she stood Amara looked at the guy before her trying hard to regain his footing. One had to keep in mind she was a bonified demigod warrior of sparta and she had held back her strength by a bit allowing Droy a fighting chance. She couldn't help but acknowledge his determination and will in the actions of the new guy.
Soon enough Droy had regained his footing. He looked at the girl at his front. She hadnt attacked when he was down and for this he thanked the gods along with their uncles and aunties. He scanned her from head to toe and coud see her bloody knuckles making him touch his nose subconsciously.
When he looked back up he could see Amara smiling at him as if amused. She was taunting him. He let go of his nose and attacked, his kopis on his right hand.
As he got close to her he stepped slightly to the right and swung the kopis horizontally aiming for Amara's neck. His body was twisted towards the left leaving his right side wide open for an attack. Seeing this Amara ducked letting the blade pass above.
She then sprang up then stepped toward her left taking advantage of droys defenseless right sode. With her left arm she threw out a left hook driving it under Droy's ribs. The hook hit true and droys skin rippled under his clothes as his face scrunched up then then doubled over in pain as he rolled on the ground. He had already let go of his kopis as as his body lost focus and drive, a breathless feeling overwhelmed him. He happened to catch a glimpse of Amara's face as he endured the paine caused by the lover shot and he saw Amara standing there, still smiling at him probably to provoke him some more.
Without his knowledge Droy's eyes turned red, veins bulged along his arms from the chest to the hand. His heartbeat was fast and strong as if it wanted to burst from the confines of his chest. At the same time he could feel a burning sensation on his shoulder and chest.
A strange anergy was rising within Droy along with rage, unbridled rage he didn't know the origin of trying to take over. Screames, fierce roars, sounds of battle along with strong voices roaring at each other as if at war assaulted his head. As all this took place the pain in Droy's abdomen had subsided, his broken nose was healed and his body was filled with vitality...Ready for round three.
Droy stood up but he seemed...different. His mind only had one thought of killing the girl. His vision was dyed red and he could somehow see her beating heart as well as different parts of her body in different colours. For example, her heart and chest area as well as the head and neck glowed dark red, the abdomen was red but dimmer and the limbs glowed orange. Droy, or atleast what was left of him with in the rage figured out that the read spots are the vital areas.
Standing before Droy Amara's smile was gone. Her eyes were wide and filled with shock and suprise as her mouth opened and closing like fish out of water. She could see the red eyes and she could feel the raw rage and emotions coming from Droy as did everyone else but she knew better as they were focused on her. For the people in the crowd it was different. They could feel their battlelust rise and could almost hear the wardrums beat. Their breaths were heavy as their fingers played with their swords.
Back in the arena droy made a move towards the still shocked Amara and threw out a heavy. She regained her cool right before the fist hit her and got the chance to see the angry demon behind the punch. A fist was planted on her left cheek just below the eye. Her skin tore and a red line upto the ear caused by his knuckles grazing her face. She was now on the ground.
Amara slowly rose from the ground. Upon seing this Droy went in and threw a left hook to the head. Amara lifted her right arm to the side of her face. When Droy's fist hit it hit the side of the elbow. She then sidestepped to the left and made Droy's weight and momentum behind the punch make him stagger to the front passing her by. Seing the opening she created she hit Droy's back making him have an intimate moment with the sand of the colloseum.
Angry and hitting his fist in the ground, droy tried getting up. Amara was already satisfied with droys strength and was ready to end the battle. She ran towards Droy who was now on his four limbs on the ground like a child learning to walk and just before she reached him she threw out her knee hitting droy on the side of his head, brutally.
*Darkness*