The walk towards the arena was a short one, yet each step to get there took its toll on Alexander.
With a contemplative expression, a sliver of doubt began to crawl in the back of Alexander's mind.
Was he truly doing this because he wanted to, or because he felt forced to?
A question he hadn't thought about, mostly because he had nothing left to lose, and everything to gain.
But after seeing Zara tremble, seeing the tears roll down her cheeks and the sounds of her sobs as he walked away, it hit him like a wave of doubt, hesitation.
Should he quit this march of certain doom, and return to her loving embrace?
To turn back on all of his built-up courage?
Alexander's thoughts weighed on him like bricks, growing heavier with each passing step.
As he walked, lost in thought, the sounds of growling mixed with a wave of murmuring and whispers. The air began to grow dense with anticipation as the hairs on Alexander's arms raised.
It seemed he had run out of time, and the choice was made for him.
Looking up from his feet, Alexander was greeted with a large gathering of demons.
They were all dressed in their tribal wear, yet the colors were brighter than usual, and more sophisticated, if that could be applied to their simple clothing.
Upon spotting Alexander, who stood at the edge of the crowd with a tight grip on his spear, the demons quickly fell silent in the murmurs.
Scanning the crowd with his golden eyes, Alexander was greeted with a variety of expressions.
Some of the excitement, some hesitation, others fear.
But what they all had in common was anticipation.
Looks like everyone in the village is here, the demon chief certainly spared no expense.
A small, but confident smirk crossed Alexander's lips, his pride and excitement returning to his once contemplative mind.
Alexander stepped forward towards the crowd, the charged atmosphere fueling his resolve as the crowd of demons split from his path, giving him a direct shot toward the arena.
The arena looked to be a deep and wide pit, which was lined with wooden spikes that protruded from its dirt walls.
(Now, this pit isn't massive mind you, like we are dealing with a small village of about a couple hundred demons or so, think of a decent-sized fighting pit.)
In the center of the pit was a cage, made with thick wood and bounded by rope.
Sitting in the cage was a large four-legged hound, with brown fur that was bloodied and matted. It was tied down with thick rope that extended outside the cage, held by four Elder guards who stood motionless.
The hound's maw was filled with foam as it bared its large canines, snarling and growling as it strained against its binding.
So that… that is a war hound.
Alexander's muscles momentarily tensed as the warhound locked eyes with him. The hound's eyes buried deep in its sockets, burned red hot, radiating its hunger, anger, and agony.
"There you are, boy!" A voice from behind Alexander spoke loudly, its tone filled with excitement and relief. "I was wondering if you'd show."
Turning around, Alexander was greeted with the towering presence of the demon chief, who stood with his arms crossed and grinned wide.
"Where the heck were you?" Alexander asked with a curious grin as he looked up to face the demon chief. "I didn't see you."
And I didn't hear him, scary how quiet this guy is for his size.
The demon chief chuckled, "pointless questions," he replied with a wave of his hand while gesturing towards the pit before them. "You should be focusing on your opponent because he is most certainly focused on you."
Alexander turned back towards the pit, his gaze focused on the war hound locked within the cage.
Alexander watched as the war hound jerked and rocked his cage, with the only barricade being the large elder guards restricting its movements.
"A fierce beast." The demon chief commented as he stood at Alexander's side, his tone stoic as he held his hands behind his back, "a worthy opponent, but not your only foe today."
Alexander raised an eyebrow as he slowly scanned his immediate surroundings. His expression remained unchanged as he gripped his spear tightly.
Another foe, is there someone else?
Alexander's golden gaze examined everyone in the gathering crowd of demons. He listened closely to the sounds of their hushed whispers and shuffled feet.
Yet, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
The demon chief smirked as he looked down at Alexander, a proud satisfied expression briefly crossing his jovial features. "Do you see her?" He asked, "the rising tension, eyes locked on you as the air fills with anticipation."
"See who?" Alexander finally asked.
"The moment," the demon chief replied, "she's here, ready to be taken by the hand and laid to bed by either you or your opponent."
Alexander frowned slightly, failing to grasp the demon chief's hidden message. "What do you mean, the pressure?"
The demon chief simply smiled, "You'll see soon enough, just pray it's you who seizes her heart, and not the hound." He answered, before taking a deep inhale.
He then raised his large arms in the air with his hand opened wide.
As the demon chief spoke, his words began to rile up his fellow kin, their tails wagging with excitement as they began to chant and cheer.
The energy in their eyes sparkled with an almost primal emotion. Their cries and shouts grew louder and louder until they became a unified wall of noise.
Even the ground seemed to shake under their unified stomps into the dirt.
The demon chief looked around the crowd with a wide grin, his hand still raised high.
As they continue their chants, growing to become almost deafening. The demon chief turned to look down at Alexander, his expression now serious. "Enter the pit, and seize the moment for yourself, or die in her shadow, the choice is yours."
Alexander, his eyes zoning in on the hound restrained in the cage, felt his heart begin to race as adrenaline poured through his veins.
The weight of the moment began pushing down on his shoulders as he further tightened his grip on his spear. His knuckles whitened as the sounds of the demons chanting reverberated in his ears.
Seize the moment, or die in her shadow.
Alexander repeated the phrase as he stepped forward, each step bringing him closer towards his opponent. As he descended further into the pit, he could see the hound growing anxious, the hunger in its eyes driving it crazy as it began to struggle against its bindings.
The elder guards who held the beast began to struggle slightly under the hound's newfound vigor. Their arms jerked with every move made by the war hound.
As Alexander stopped before the cage, the four elder guards stared him down with unreadable expressions.
They seemed unfazed by Alexander's presence, with only one thing weighing on their minds.
The signal to release the hound.