Torture

Angela

I walked slowly from the dark quarters where I was being held and squinted as my glowing eyes adjusted to the bright lights of the colosseum. Screams and praises still bombarded my senses as I made my way towards the centre of the amphitheatre. I looked up and around. Huge walls enclosed me and my soon to be component. Sand littered the floor and crunched as I came to a stop. I now looked wide eyed at the crowd, some cheered, others booed but all I knew was that the tens of thousands of spectators had come to see myself or my rival die. I could feel my heart hammering through my chest and the blood rushing around my body, my anxiety began to grasp hold of me once more and my eyes flitted to various places around the colosseum. Vessels floated above and loud bangs and screeches accompanied many more and new frightening sounds. In my panic I found myself gawking the viewing box. I glared towards the Grandmaster, he sat on a large couch drinking and smirking cockily at me. I gritted my teeth continuing to stare down the man that had almost concluded my doom.

Just as I was about to look away more commotion caught my eye. I looked towards the other end of the couch, there he was. I eagerly watched as Loki rushed forward and placed his hands on the glass that separated us. Loki looked at me with fear plastered across his face. My heart ached for him and I felt crushed remembering our last conversation. It had seemed that the love between us had fizzled out but this particular moment concluded that was a lie. His blue eyes searched mine and I knew that the trickster cared for me more than anything else in his life. As the gates in front of me began to open I glanced to them briefly before I looked back to Loki.

'I love you'

His words echoed through my mind, and almost instantly my nerves calmed as much as they possibly could and the weight of what was to come lifted ever so slightly. I held my free hand to my heart and smiled towards him. He smiled back before worry etched his face as he looked towards the gates that I had been subtly ignoring. I too turned and now gave them my full attention. The gates had now opened and a fierce woman came strutting towards me. She had fiery red hair that whipped at her waist, she wore little to nothing with only golden armoured undergarments covering her agile form. A gold winged half helmet surrounded her forehead and her knee high armoured boots clanged as she stalked towards me as If I were her prey. I gulped as I looked to her face. Red war paint aided her fierceness as her ice white eyes targeted me. "Angela" I breathed as I took a couple of steps backwards hoping I would slow down her approach.

She was carrying two golden axes. The unusual shape made them much more fearful. She held the weapons at her hips and readied them for battle. I looked to Loki one last time before I heard a loud horn blow. The fight had begun.

Angela sprinted towards me raising her axes as she lunged at me. I still held my sword uselessly at my side as I side stepped out of her path. The crowd booed and began to chant Angela's name at my weak attempt at defence. She huffed angrily and clenched her jaw before she lunged at me once more. This time I rose my sword above my head as she brought her axes down upon its blade. A loud clang filled the arena and the crowd roared in appreciation. I pushed the blade towards my component with all my might and stumbled backwards as I attempted to free myself from her attacks. Clumsily I tripped over my own feet and landed on my arse dropping my sword in the process. Angela stood over me and cackled. She rose her axes dramatically, causing me to begin to panic. I didn't know what to do, this was it, my battle was over.

"ZEANNA!" I heard my name being screamed and I looked up to Loki, he was frantic. The moment before me seemed to be never-ending but as my brain racked its self for a solution Loki's previous words popped into my head. I scooted backwards and grabbed a handful of sand before flinging it into Angela's eyes. She yelped and stepped backwards blinking rapidly and rubbing at her face. I took this chance to grab my sword and rise to my feet. It was now that I decided my powers were needed.

I stood away from her as she continued to struggle, my iris's shone gold once more and I created many Illusions of myself. The crowds cheers and boos silenced as I did so. I continued to duplicate the illusion of myself as I stood away from Angela hiding amongst my creations. As Angela stood up straight she stared at the illusions that had circled her. Myself and all my deceptions stood still with our hands at our sides and the sword hanging loosely in our grip. Angela swung her sword angrily around her cutting through a few of my illusions causing the gold power to shine before the magic took back it's original shape.

A few boos littered the crowd but the colosseum was almost silent. I held my breath as Angela came nearer, seething as she slashed and kicked at my illusions trying to find the real me. I quickly took a side glance at Loki, he was grinning slightly, obviously proud of my magic, but his concern was still visible as he was now seated on the couch with his hand moving in front of his face as he looked on helplessly. I looked back to Angela seeing that she was getting ever closer towards me. Due to this I began to create more illusions. I hadn't realised that this would have been a bad idea as Angela managed to pinpoint the source of my illusions and jumped up into the air before spinning around a slashing at the real me. Her axes caught my left arm and I let out a cry of pain causing the crowd to once again erupt into cheers. I looked down to my sliced bicep cringing at how deep the gash was. This was a horrible error as my attention had moved away from Angela. I was brought back into the fight when I was backhanded on the cheek and flung across the arena.

I quickly rose back to my feet, the mixture of my pain and anger fuelling me to continue, all signs of my panic and fear had disappeared as my will to live urged me on. I lunged towards Angela swinging my blade as I laced my magic around the sword driving it towards her with more force. Angela rose her axes and formed a cross, blocking my attack and then pushing me away from her. Failing to hold her back I skidded back on my knee's as gracefully as I could. My nose had begun to bleed from the slap the woman had gifted me with and my arm was aching. Thankfully my right arm had not been the one that was injured so I was still able to swing my sword. Angela stalked towards me once again, I stepped backwards eyeing up my surroundings before I uncharacteristically kicked the woman in the stomach. Angela stumbled backwards giving me time to sprint into the shadows at the edges of the arena.

I watched as the crowd, Loki and Angela all searched for me. It was then that I created one final illusion of myself and made it run past my challenger. The crowd cheered as Angela caught onto 'my' where abouts and she charged after 'me'. I still stayed hidden in the shadows as I made my illusion run to the gate I had come from and scream at it weakly. I looked to Loki's stressed expression as Angela closed in on 'me'. "You filthy witch, you will die for the fuss you made" she boasted as I made my illusion crouch onto the floor and huddle against the gate. Angela rose her hands and hyped the crowds as she swung her axes dangerously close to 'my' head. I looked to Loki one last time acknowledging his fear before making myself visible from the shadows.

The crowd gasped and booed once they saw me but Angela made no acknowledgement. I crept up behind her raising my sword as I reached her. "You know what Angela, I don't think I will" I smirked answering the woman's previous statement. Angela swung her head round to meet me as my illusion faded in front of her. Before the woman could attack I rose the hilt of my sword and hit it down harshly on her temple. I stepped backwards and dropped my sword as I watched Angela drop to her knee's and fall face first into the sand at my feet. The colosseum had gone silent as Angela's unconscious body laid before me. Slow claps filled the arena as the Grandmaster stood. This gave authorisation for the rest of the crowd to scream and cheer my name. I smiled in disbelief. It wasn't much of a fight but I'd bloody done it! I'd won my freedom. I looked down to my injured arm once more. Now having a free hand I winced as I gripped the wound attempting to stop the blood gushing down my arm. I wiped the blood from my nose onto my shoulder before I looked back up to the viewing box to see Loki standing proud, smirking at me.

He turned to the Grandmaster and said a few words before he looked to me once more and then left the viewing box. I held up my bloodied hand to the crowd and gave a wave before I curtsied sarcastically at the Grandmaster. He smiled coyly before he nodded and guards came to my side and escorted me back to the gladiator's quarters, I turned to look at Angela one last time. Seeing her unconscious body being dragged through the sand made me smirk, I still couldn't believe I'd won.