War for Salvation || ONC 2022

Chapter Eight

"Change of plans Gabriel, you're leaving right now. I'm going to unlock your cage and shackle you, you better behave." I said when I finally made it to the bottom, exhaustion evident in my voice.

"Leaving? You mean you're letting me go?" He questioned as I clapped the shackles around his wrists.

"No, of course not. I'm taking you to the arena. Lucifer wants to test your skills to see if you're useful. Although you weren't supposed to go today, he seemed more interested to see you fight when I told him your name."

The color drained from his face when I finished speaking. "He's interested in me?" He questioned quietly.

"Yes? What's wrong with that?" I asked. He stayed silent and just looked towards his feet. Okay then. Instead of pushing my question I just pulled at the chains to get him to start following back up the stairs.

The whole was to the area Gabriel stayed silent. I glanced back at him to see he was still looking at his feet. Did I somehow upset him? I don't know why but that bothers me.

When I made it to the rough entrance of the arena, I handed Gabriel off to the guard that was waiting for him. He finally lifted his head up, and the look on his face made my heart ache slightly. I turned and sped away from them to go find my spot to watch the fight, which was the balcony at the very top.

Its been a while since I've come to the arena. The old tower had been gutted out to create an arena. Only the black walls of the prisons remained, the roof long since fallen in or destroyed so that the night sky was visible high above. It was almost like standing in the hollowed-out trunk of a tree.

Around the arena, all demons alike could be seen in the terraced ledges, stamping their feet as the action proceeded below. The walls surrounding the fighting pit blazed with torchlight and the sand of the arena floor was still stained red and clumpy from past victims.

In front of the dark mouth of a cave stood Gabriel. He was shackled, but a guard soon came and unlocked them before scurrying back into the safety of the cave. Gabriel then cast them aside into the sand, and a second later the sound of a roar carried over the excited crowd. I started to bite my nails, an annoying habit of mine that I start doing when nervous.

What is that idiot doing? He's just standing there looking strangely calm. I watched as he glanced over at the bloody bunch of weapons that lay scattered in the sand. He then picks up a medium-sized dagger from the bunch.

"You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous Abaddon, now get lost. I'm trying to watch the show," I replied, not taking my eyes off of the arena.

"If I stay quiet will you let me stand here and watch it with you?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, whatever," I answered, only half paying attention to his words.

A creature crawled into view from the tunnel opposite of Gabriel. I've never seen something like this before. It was some kind of reptile bird, its long legs were covered in gray-green scales while the rest of the body was covered in feathers. Its beak was long and sharp at the end, perfect for tearing apart flesh, and its eyes were yellow and slitted. It moved slowly, taking cautious steps in the sand toward the angel. There was a dark green goop that dripped from the beak, sizzling each time it hit the ground.

"What is that thing?" I asked.

"Dromaius aven," Abaddon said. "A desert bird that went extinct in the Human Realm. The poison from its mouth is lethal to anyone and anything, including angels and demons."

"It seems pretty slow on its feet for a desert bird."

"Yes. It seems that way."

Gabriel lunged forward with his knife. The large bird moved so quickly I could barely track it. One moment Gabriel was bearing down on it; the next, the lizard was on the other side of the arena. Bare seconds later, it had slammed into him, pinning him to the ground as he screamed. Its poison dripped onto his arm, leaving smoky trails wherever it touched his skin. Gabriel hissed in pain at each drop hitting his skin.