Aura entered the arena, her steps firm and decided. "So it's you who's going to face me? I thought it would be that handsome one over there," said Zigga, pointing to Yorin. "Perhaps if he was your opponent, you might stand a chance of winning!" Aura added, removing her overcoat. Under the overcoat, Aura wore a white armor with golden details, gold-plated neck protection that rose up to her neck, with a golden stone in the center of the neck guard. It was similar to the colored stones Aura had placed in the mechanical arm she gave to Kal.
"Nice gear you've got there. Perhaps we can make a bet. If I win, you give me that artifact and if I lose, I'll do whatever you want!" Zigga challenged Aura confidently.
"This artifact is my masterpiece. I worked on it for many years and I can say it's worth more than this whole city. Therefore, when I win, you'll have to give something more valuable than this city!" Aura responded, accepting the bet.
Zigga then drew her dagger as Aura also drew her own dagger. The two prepared for the clash as the announcer shouted to the insane crowd, starting the combat. Aura cautiously conjured arcane magics to enhance her physical abilities while Zigga waited, observing.
After conjuring the magics, Aura received enhancements to her strength, speed and health. Taking the initiative, she advanced quickly on Zigga, who evaded Aura's attack with a strange acrobatic maneuver. "She contorted her hip to evade my attack? How is that possible?" questioned Aura, looking at Zigga who had distanced herself.
Aura attacked Zigga again, who once more contorted her hip, dodging to the left and doing backflips to move away from Aura again. Aura looked at Zigga, who had a smile on her face. "Why are you running away? Are you afraid to face me?" asked Aura. This time, Zigga remained silent and began moving from side to side, as if warming her body.
Losing patience, Aura advanced on her again, this time with more force and less speed. Zigga once more slipped to the side, contorting her hip and doing small jumps to move away from Aura. "It was to be expected that an assassin like you would fight in a dirty and cowardly way," said Aura, while Zigga kept an evil smile on her face. "I'm going to wipe that horrible smile off your face!" shouted Aura, attacking once more.
Zigga, once again in a strange way, evaded Aura's attack. However, this time instead of moving away, she counterattacked, aiming for Aura's neck. But Zigga's blow also stopped at Aura's armor, and Zigga, doing backflips, distanced herself again.
Aura paused for a moment, analyzing Zigga's movements. "She's using strange techniques that maximize her flexibility and speed," Aura thought. "But she can't maintain this for long."
Before Aura could plan her next move, she felt a strange dizziness, her vision began to slightly blur and her feet started to weaken. "What's happening to me, her blow didn't hit me," thought Aura. Meanwhile, Zigga kept her distance smiling. Then Aura began to feel a strong pain in a small point on her left cheek, as if something was burning her skin, she looked at her opponent who simply said "Finally!"
In the year 785 of the second era of heroes, a couple living on a small farm on the outskirts of the fortified city of Zoarlath gave birth to their fifth child. Unlike the four boys who came before her, the girl was the couple's first daughter. They named her Zigga. After her, two more sons were conceived by her parents. While her father was alive, Zigga was protected and cared for as an only daughter in a house of six brothers.
However, when Zigga turned 8 years old, her father passed away due to a common summer cold. Her oldest brother took on the duties and responsibilities of her father, but things, which were already not good, got worse and the family began to starve. The older sons began leaving home in search of a better life, leaving things even more difficult for the eldest, who still had to take care of everything, besides his mother and younger brothers.
When Zigga turned 12, her mother suddenly died one cold winter night. In addition, the oldest son had married and already had two children, which made him, more than ever, try to get rid of those who remained of his brothers, including Zigga. A few years later, when Zigga was 15, rumors began that slave traders were coming to the fortified city of Zoarlath to buy slaves, who at the time were mostly prisoners of war or rebels.
Even under King Merion Arkon's nose, who perhaps did not even know what was happening in his kingdom. Zigga's brother always complained about the king, for he believed the common people had been abandoned and suffered from several problems, while the opulent and debauched King Merion delighted in his excellent life and many lovers.
One night, Zigga and her two younger brothers were taken to Zoarlath by the oldest brother and there they were sold as slaves to a man known as the lover merchant, for most of Zoarlath's brothels belonged to him: Lark. Zigga protected her brothers as long as she could, but strange men took her brothers away, leaving her alone.
She was then forced to work as a courtesan to feed herself. Zigga promised to earn money and power to buy back her younger brothers, and for that she was determined to endure that terrible and dirty life. Two years later, Zigga was well known at the brothel she worked at and had some contacts throughout Zoarlath, but despite her constant searches, she could not find her brothers.
When Zigga turned 22, Zoarlath began to change. King Merion's then high counselor, Felix Saladon, initiated a great transformation of the city. Zoarlath, once a great military outpost, became a prosperous commercial city. Due to the reforms perpetrated by the high counselor, Zoarlath grew in trade and population. Lark then became the most powerful merchant in the city, and his brothels tripled their profits.
In the year 809 of the second era of heroes, tensions increased throughout Tenai. Small rebellions were happening all over the country. The people of Tenai revolted against the Arkons, led by a man known only as 'The Blessed One', who incited terror throughout the land. It was during this time that Zigga discovered that her two brothers had been dead for a long time and everything she had fought for was slipping through her fingers.
On the twelfth moon of the first month of the year 810 of the second era of heroes, the great Tenai rebellion began. Zoarlath descended into chaos, with houses being burned, shops being destroyed, and the remaining defenders of the Arkon regime being killed and hung in the central, open-air market square. It was in this chaos that Zigga, trying to end her own life, took a deadly poison.
The poison Zigga took was called 'Viper's Venom', and it took effect 30 minutes after ingestion. Zigga had calculated dying while sleeping with men at the brothel she worked at. "To die in a cursed way in a cursed life doing a cursed thing," she thought. While Zigga was with a fat, dirty man, she just laid down and waited. "I hope my life ends before this pig finishes," she thought, closing her eyes.
However, the man she was with coughed up blood on Zigga. She looked at him only to see his eyes pop out of his face. This was the effect of the "Viper's Venom" poison, but it was happening to the man and not to her. This left her frightened. She pushed that large piece of dead meat that was on top of her aside and screamed. The brothel guards came and, as if it was nothing, removed the fat man's body and threw it into a dark pit, telling Zigga she should continue with her work. But she was confused, for hours had passed and the poison she ingested had killed the man who penetrated her, but did not kill her.
Zigga sat down, panting, trying to understand what had happened. The poison was not supposed to have worked that way. She thought about her life, her brothers, and all the suffering she had endured. "Why didn't I die? It seems I'm destined to continue living this cursed life?" she murmured, with tears running down her face as the next man entered. That night, something changed within Zigga. She realized that, no matter how much she wanted to give up, there was still something that kept her alive, something stranger than she could understand.
Zigga began testing various poisons on her own body. To her surprise, none of them affected her; rather, they affected everyone who somehow came into contact with her bodily fluids. She tested countless hypotheses and eventually discovered she could use this to her advantage.
She then began ingesting aphrodisiacs and relaxants, leaving the men she was with an amazing feeling of pleasure and tranquility. Because of this, Zigga grew in popularity and influence. By the end of 810, the rebellion finally came to an end and Tenai was divided in two. On one side, King Merion's former high counselor became the Grand Duke and established the capital in Zoarlath. On the other side, rebel dukes united and founded the Free Peoples of Tenai country.
With Zoarlath becoming the capital of the new country, it prospered even more and reached an immense population and powerful men. Zigga took advantage of this and, with her innate ability, conquered dukes and landowners. With the legalization of slave trading, she also took advantage of some weak men, drugging and selling them into slavery to slave traders, while further studying poisons and drugs.
By the year 813, Zigga was an expert in poisons and drugs and quite rich. Many courtesans came to her to learn the art of seduction and poisons. In no time, Zigga had several women under her command and created the "Black Daggers", a group of female assassins who would no longer be oppressed by opulent and corrupt men.
Hearing of Zigga's rise, Lark, who until then was the most powerful merchant in the entire country, summoned her. Recognizing her ability and cunning, Lark gifted Zigga with freedom, for she was still Lark's slave. She took the opportunity and began searching for the names of the people who killed her brothers. After a few months, Zigga discovered they were small terrorists. She then ordered her assassins to bring these men before her and slowly made them suffer as she imagined her little brothers must have suffered long ago.
Zigga felt her soul was cleansed and then decided to continue leading the Black Daggers and become the most powerful clan in the capital, surpassing Lark. Before that, Zigga made a last visit to the farm where she lived before and realized the situation was worse than before. The men living there were sons of her eldest brother and were in as much need as they had been before.
Zigga discovered that her oldest brother had died in the great rebellion years ago and his wife had to take care of the children alone. She found out that her deceased brother's wife had also become a kind of courtesan, attending to the men who passed by the farm at night. Zigga took pity on her and her nephews. "They are still blood of my blood," she thought, and from that day on, she decided to care for her eldest brother's sons so that the lineage of her beloved father would not die.
Back in the present day, Zigga realized Aura was slow and dizzy. "Perhaps you don't know, but I was cursed. I can't be poisoned or affected by any drug. On the contrary, my body absorbs and expels them through my bodily fluids. Do you know why I was dodging and swaying all over? I needed to sweat, so my body could expel the new poison I created, and a single drop of my sweat that hit your face may be what causes your death!" she said, walking toward Aura.
Aura tried to focus her eyes on Zigga, but her vision was getting more and more blurred. She staggered, trying to remain standing. Zigga continued to approach, her cold, calculating smile contrasting with the growing despair in Aura's eyes. Adonis held his robe tightly, fearing something might happen to his sister.
"Do you think you could defeat me with magic and brute force? I'm a survivor. I was forged in pain and desperation. Every step I took, every victory I achieved, was at the cost of my own suffering and my determination to never be a victim again, I'm no princess like you!" Zigga said as she drew closer.
Aura tried to conjure a healing magic, but her concentration was unraveling quickly. Her mind was clouded and her body, weak. "No... I can't lose like this..." she murmured, trying to resist.
Zigga stopped a few steps from Aura, looking her in the eyes. "You know, I even admire your determination. But you should have understood this arena is mine. My stage, my rules." She raised her hand, poised to deliver the final blow.