The Arena

A small price to pay

Baruing started clapping, the sound catching her attention and forcing her to look in his direction.

‘Brilliant!’, he yelled, laughing. But beneath his facade, Alera sensed something dangerous starting to rise. She had crossed a line and he was not happy.

‘If death itself refuses to take this man, then who am I to do otherwise? My friends!’ he yelled, turning to the cheering crowd. ‘It would seem that many more magnificent fights await us in the future!’

Four guards made their way to the center of the arena while Alera picked up her own daggers. Behind her, Asendriel got up. Neither said a word and they didn’t even look at each other, but to her surprise, the guards escorted both to her cell, since all others were full.

The sound of metal seemed unreal to her, as the cell cage was closing in. She almost couldn’t believe they both managed to survive. Baruing must be planning one hell of a punishment for her now.

‘That was a very long shot’, came Asendriel’s voice. It was a little over a whisper and she barely heard him over the general sound coming from the arena. Another fight was starting.
‘Don’t you dare speak to me at this moment!’, she hissed back at him, refusing to look in his direction. She heard him laugh and for some reason this angered her more.

‘Thank you! You managed to save us both. But at what cost? What happens now?’. She couldn’t say. Afterall, she created a dangerous precedent. The consequences of her action could be pretty dire for her. But whatever Baruing had installed for her, it couldn’t be worse than forcing her to kill him. He was alive. For now. She allowed herself a small repause. She was exhausted.

‘I was ready to die out there.’ came Asendriel’s voice.

‘You are an idiot!’, she replied, annoyed. ‘Don’t ever do that again!’

‘I could say the same to you. You tried to die twice by my hand.’

‘That was different...’

‘No, it wasn’t. No matter what, you must not forsake your life like this. Not for me, at least!’

‘Why?’, she turned around to face him. She was angry. ‘Who are you to tell me who I am allowed to die for or not?’

He had a calm, almost sad look on his face and it melted some of her anger away.

‘I couldn’t bear it! To live at the expense of your life!’

Alera turned her head around, to face the arena, only not to be forced to look in his green eyes. Silence rose between them and her face felt warm for unknown reasons.

‘The same goes for you, you know…’ she whispered to herself. She couldn’t bring herself to look in his direction and for a second, she hoped he didn’t hear her. They stood at an awkward distance from one another, her in the left side of the cage, him in the right and they didn’t say another word until the day was over. 

She heard the familiar sound of the metal lock being opened and five guards awaited them. They changed into their regular clothes, in complete silence and after that, four of the guards escorted Asendriel back to his cell and one escorted Alera to Baruing’s study.

She took a deep breath before entering.

‘Welcome, my dear!’ Baruing’s voice was full of fake enthusiasm.

‘My Lord’, she replied mechanically, looking at her feet.

‘I’m going to be honest. Your fight was brilliant! However I am not completely pleased with the outcome. Why did you refuse to kill the blood elf?’

‘My Lord, if I may’, she started, lowering her head even more. ‘I meant no disrespect! But the blood elf warrior is the best fighter I’ve seen in the last few years. I only thought it would be more beneficial for you to keep him alive than to kill him.’

‘Beneficial how?’ His enthusiasm disappeared completely. She had to choose her words carefully.

‘My Lord, he has the potential to become one of the best fighters you have here.’

‘Oh? Even better than you?’

‘Yes!’

‘I see...and what about the other one?’

‘The other blood elf? He too seems to have potential. Not like the first one, but a lot more than many of the strong fighters here. Their war experience adds heavily to their fighting skill.’

Baruing started laughing. ‘You really are something, my dear. But there is only one other problem. Yes, he may prove to be extremely strong, but people pay gold here to see blood and death. Honor between warriors means nothing in this place.’

The conversation was heading in a risky area. She needed to improvise. 

‘What about a new type of battle?’

For a few seconds, an uncomfortable silence rose in the study.

‘Continue.’, Baruing finally spoke.

‘A battle royale between us three and the other fighters.’

It was a crazy and extremely hazardous idea, but she needed something to convince him, something big. If not, everything was in vain, and she will be put against Asendriel once again. And this time, Baruing will make sure it will end in someone’s death.

‘That actually doesn’t sound bad’. Baruing took his time to reply, but when he did, she felt a small wave of relief wash over her.

‘We will try it!’, he said, walking around his desk, closer to her. ‘The battle of the blood elves! I like the sound of that.’

He stopped near her and putting a hand on her shoulder, he leaned in, whispering into her ear: ‘But this is not over, my dear. At least not for you.’

He pulled away and before she could react, he added: ‘Your idea is great, but this doesn’t change the fact that you went and acted against my will. You will be punished!’

‘I understand, my Lord’. She knew better than to argue.

‘Guards!’

As soon as he called them, two guards opened the door and flanked the entrance.

‘Take her to the dungeon.’

Her heart started pounding. The dungeon meant whipping. She started walking, following the guards and Baruing came right behind them. So he was administering the punishment himself. Her hands became clammy and started to shake, but she refused to let any emotions be seen on her face, since they would only add to Baruing’s sadistic pleasure. She had been whipped before and several times by Baruing himself. He was more vicious than any of the jailors, but the fact that he came to deliver the sentence himself meant only one thing: he thought this was enough for what she had done. So after this, she and the others will be left alone for a short period. Considering this, it was a small price to pay.