At the bottom of the arena a man dressed in a black suit slowly made his way across the concrete floor of the arena towards the hexagon cage. Everyone around them stood and clapped until the man stopped at the edge of the arena and held up his hand.
The crowd grew silent and, one by one, the large orb-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling clicked off, and the stadium became consumed by darkness. Silence swept across the full arena. Not even a muffled cough could be heard.
A brilliant spot light tore through the arena and illuminated the hexagon cage where the announcer erupted into speech.
“Ladies and gentlemen of Tisaia! Men and women of the last great city in the world! Tonight we have a delightful show planned for you all. Tonight you shall witness the best the State has to offer and the worst the outside world has to offer! For tonight, Royal Knight Tinus will fight the refugee you have come to know as the Samoan. Tonight they fight to the death.” The crowd erupted with excitement and the announcer paused, once again holding up his hand to silence them.
“Honor versus dishonor. Strength versus frailty. Loyalty versus non-allegiance. Royal Knight Tinus will strike down that which seeks to challenge the Tisaian creed of Honor, Strength and Loyalty.”
The crowd erupted into screams and applause again, prompting the couple to shift nervously in their seats. Alexria shot Roni a frightened glance who watched the crowd in silence.
The thirst for blood was ripe in the air. The arena was alive with it, but mixed in was also the taste of fear. They both felt it within their bones. It was something indescribable, a product of war and destruction—something they had lived with most of their lives. They also knew that along with blood came the loss of life, and even in the violence- plagued society of Tisaia death was still death. It was unnatural to most and easy for others.
The announcer raised his arms towards the ceiling, fueling the crowd’s blood lust. Alexria fidgeted nervously in her chair, grabbing her husband’s hand again.
Overhead another spotlight clicked on, illuminating the gate at the south side of the arena. Slowly it creaked open and the crowd grew silent.
Alexria took a deep breath, the anticipation of the fight growing inside her. It wasn’t excitement, or fear; but a combination of both, a sentiment she wasn’t accustomed to feeling. She gripped Roni’s hand tighter, biting her bottom lip.
For several minutes the crowd stood waiting. Their anticipation quickly turned into impatience, several members of the crowd breaking the quiet with drunken screams.
Finally, the smiling announcer held up his hands, yelling, “State workers, let’s give a round of applause to Royal Knight Tinus!”
The crowd immediately erupted in screams and chants as Royal Knight Tinus came riding out on a black stallion. The spotlight revealed perfection: polished armor from head to toe, a helmet bearing the feathers of the hawk, a chest plate draped with medals, and a sword attached to his side that had struck down countless enemies.
Alexria took another deep breath. She didn’t know what to think. On the one hand he was a hero, having protected the Tisaian walls from raiders and scavengers. On the other he was the symbol of the State; a living, breathing symbol of oppression and death.
She watched him circle the arena. With every pass he raised his sword into the air and screamed before finally stopping at the center of the arena and dismounting his horse.
Two immigrant slaves waited for him at the cage door. He nodded and they opened the metal gate, closing it behind him and locking him in. This was done more as a formality, but there were cases in past games where the Knights’ opponents tried to climb the metal fence and escape the cage.
The crowd began to settle down while they anxiously awaited the Samoan’s return to the arena. The announcer’s aim was always to keep the crowd on its toes, to drag the show on. Traditionally, Knights’ opponents had little chance of surviving for more than a few minutes.
The metallic click of another spotlight turned the crowd’s attention to the gate on the north side of the arena. This time there was no waiting, just the Samoan running out of the rising gate.
He was quite a sight with axe in hand, screaming, barefoot and naked except for a small tan cloth covering his genitals. His naturally tan body was peppered with tribal tattoos that snaked up his legs to his neck. The man was built like a wild animal, his chest muscles bulging and his biceps balls of strength. Even his short legs were swelling with muscle. He knew what was at stake. If he beat Royal Knight Tinus, he would be a free man and would be the first to have ever done so.
The crowd knew the stakes as well, and while many stood and cheered for the Samoan, most of them sat and watched in disgust.
Alexria and Roni sat quietly, watching the games unfold. They had come out of curiosity and were smart enough to not show any biased support for the Samoan, even though deep down they both secretly hoped he would win the battle. The couple watched the two arena slaves open the opposite gate, allowing the Samoan to enter.
The announcer stepped in between the two warriors to explain the rules, raising the microphone to his mouth. “Royal Knight Tinus and…” he paused to look over at the Samoan but purposely refused to acknowledge him with anything but a quick glance.
“I’m now to instruct you on any rules you must abide by during this historic battle. And, I’m happy to say, there are no rules!” he said, flailing his arms in the air with a laugh. Once again the crowd roared with excitement, their blood lust quickly growing.
“Once I leave the arena the battle will begin. Until then go to your corners,” he commanded.
Slowly the Samoan made his way to the middle of the hexagon with his axe raised in both hands. Tinus carefully maneuvered himself to the outside of the hexagon, creeping along the metal fence and drawing his sword from its sheath. He appeared calm, almost stoic, staring through his metal visor at the Samoan. The warrior stared back, his face bright read, his chest heaving in and out.
The crowd watched in silence as the two men carefully navigated their way through the hexagon, trying to find the proper footing for their first strike. Tinus had always waited for his opponent to make the first move. Patience was his game, and it appeared he was going to follow this strategy. He knew it wouldn’t take long for the anger building inside of the Samoan to overtake him. For what seemed like hours the warriors stared at each other, the crowd waiting for the first strike.
Before the crowd could react, the Samoan screamed with rage and raced toward Tinus with his axe. He swung, but missed. Tinus skipped to the side and lashed out with his sword. He narrowly missed the Samoan’s head; the warrior moved with surprising speed, ducking and going down on one knee. He rose, recovering rapidly and swinging his axe at Tinus’ armored feet. The blade connected, knocking the armored Knight to the ground.
The crowd erupted into pandemonium. In a blur the Samoan rushed the disabled Knight and brought his axe down swiftly. The blade grazed the side of Tinus’ helmet, sending sparks exploding in all directions. The sharp edge of the axe peeled back the metal skin of the helmet, temporarily blinding the Knight.
Tinus screamed and kicked the Samoan in the chest, his feet planting firmly into the immigrant’s rib cage and sending him flying back into the cage.
The Knight jumped to his feet without hesitation, grabbing his sword and discarding his now useless helmet. He threw it with his free hand at the recovering Samoan and struck him in the face with the rough edge of the sharp helmet. The crowd erupted again, roaring with satisfaction.
“Should I kill him now? Or make him suffer?” Tinus yelled, turning to face the crowd.