In the Kazar capital, the moon light sparkled across the streets, reflecting on the castle windows. Both noble of high and low calibre gathered behind that tower of moonlight, a little colosseum that goes 5m under ground was built there, both big families like the wasters and the hallows tones sat beside the king's family.
Beside the king he had both his daughters and his hire boy with his fake smile painted from ear to ear, for his wife was dead, The Hallow stones family had its head attending with a little boy of his that is not past 10 alongside his wife, and for the Wasters it had every one of the family alongside the grandmother attending
The king stood up to talk to the crowd circling the pit" Today, as the second of the festival, my son chose it to be the night for the pit of blood, for he is the one to arrange everything about this year's celebration"
The crowd clapped their hands as the king raised his to get some silence and attention" For this night, everyone is allowed to either chose a fighter, or step down himself, and the fight will be against Viking slaves"
The king pointed at the reader coming from the Varish kingdom and said "Thanks to the Varish we managed to secure some good ones this year," the crowd clapped once more
"You may have fun for now, when the moon towers the night, we will begin the red painting" said the king at last, drinks and food danced from one table to another
Torden was speaking with his fiancé, the first daughter of the king, although he seemed anxious, in his face it was a bit obvious that he wished to slip through
"Really?" said Rembya "That little boy was killed by the leader of those mountain man that accompanied you, I wouldn't have been able to stay on my legs if I saw such gruesome ways of execution, even if it was for a mad man"
"Oh yeah, very bad it was indeed," said Torden smiling awkwardly, his mother noticed him from a far while she was speaking to some low tier noble, so she slipped through apologizing and trying to reach him
"Well, you see… that man, the leader of that group died not too long after, we were ambushed---" said Torden before she cut him
"Ambush!! You are lucky enough to escape with your face clean" replied Rembya
"Oh, yeas he is luck" said Torden's mother cutting the conversation
"Lady Elara, I did not see you there!" said Rembya
"I will be leaving you two ladies to, have fun for the moment" said Torden
"Oh, sweety you can go now, I will be accompanying the lady for the time" said lady Elara as she held Rembya by the hand
"Wait couldn't the three of us go together" said Rembya, but her opinion mattered nothing, for the crowd has long since separated them like a living river
The prince of the Kazar noticed from up beside the king that his sister was separated, he glanced at his father whose face was cold as ice, the king did not seem to like that, but he spoke not of it and continued to enjoy his guest's company,
"Prince Rafam" said the great reader of the Kazar, he was the one speaking to him before the prince's attention went away, "are you perhaps busy with something"
"Oh no, you can continue right away my lord," said the prince
"I was seeking to know how you keep such a state for your face" said the great Reader of Kazar, Brone
"Oh lord Brone, this is just something I have been blessed with by my father" said the prince as they both walked across the crowd, their voices fading with each step they took
"You surely do look like him" said lord Brone
"Are you saying I look old," said the prince
"I would not dare, after all I can't change the opinion of the ladies on both of us" said Brone insulting his old age as they both laughed it off
Torden went across the crowded floor, slipping between the low nobles, each wished to talk to him in dream of securing a higher connection, but he slipped through them one after another, he made it through and hit the back of Lord Varyon
The lord of the Hallow stones house turned back and looked at him "If it is not the scarless boy, where have you been"
"I think you forgot to put a Lord Torden in there somewhere" said Torden
"No way, I would never disrespect you like that, we are no kids after all," said Lord Varyon
"Speaking of kids, I heard your son is in here, my I see his adorable little face—" said Torden, before him the smile on Varyon's face went with the cold sharp air, he stared right into Torden's soul and spoke while leaning to his level
"Look child, if you think us having some fun with words is all that happens here, you better think twice, we fought for hundreds of years, some drinking and laughing is no tie strengthen"
"If you were worth it, I would have slit your throat right here right now, that if mine wouldn't be joining in the fun," said Lord Varyon
The great Reader Brone stepped in pushing the hesitant Torden aside as he spoke "He surely did not mean any harm my lord, after all he is nothing but a child in this game is he not?" said Brone as whispered to Torden
"Your grandmother told you to hide amongst the crowd until the horn sings again"
Torden looked up beside the prince, there his grandmother pointed to him to move away from the noise
"I heard your whole land is a castle in itself," said lord Brone to Lord Varyon
"This is how it is huh" said Lord Varyon glaring at Torden who walked away, "You can say so if you wish" continued Lord Varyon while getting back his smile
Lord Torden walking away said to himself "Seeing it in person it is much worse than what we were thought back home, to have everyone having such sharp knives pointed at each other"
Some time went by and the moon crossed above the dark clouds, the horn sang for the present to take their seats, each sat on his own
The king spoke breaking the silence and holding a paper in hand "here I will be naming the ones that will be fighting the slaves, from the Varish kingdom signed by the reader, a Sigel knight with a halberd sign"
"From house Waster, a Sigel Knight with a Knife sign, signed by Lord Kailer"
"From House Hallow stone, a Sigel Knight with a war hammer sign, signed by Lord Varyon"
"From The Kazar Kingdom, with a spear and shield sign, signed by prince Rafam"
Those were the big names, any one that came after was of some low tier knights who wished to sparkle their names, some low nobles who liked to send their own for the fun of it
The knights stood upfront, facing the silent crowds, the ones who had the most value centred them, behind them the underground cage,
"Now, your prey will be showed, you will be picked in random to fight them, if one falls from either side the next two fight, the night wont end until one side those"
Said the king before he continued with a smile "And just to make sure" his smile faded as he spoke the next line "Dare to refuse your duel, and you will be executed publicly"
From the big carriages the slaves walked one after another, there was only men, although they looked big, it was still possible to fight them
The king spoke to the reader confused, "Is this what you called big threat level and that we should be careful handling them, although they are no normal size, there is not any extraordinary ones either"
"Your highness, there are still 2 carriages to be opened" said the reader Brone
The first of the two got uncaged, from it stepped two Vikings, they were as huge as mountains, skin hard as rock, they seemed to still have battle clothing, none dared to remove it, scars were the only thing to speak for them, from their faces all the way down to their legs, although one had a single foot
The amount of metal caging their body parts could be used to a dozen of other Vikings, they were as huge as the ones from Jason's slavery camp or bigger, 2-3m tall each
The air was filled with worried whispers, before the second on opened up
The first to step from it was an armless, and the second one was double the others size, they were as scary as any other one
The king smiled and said "Tonight, only one team leaves with their heads intact" raising his cup up, he was the most excited, some where worried, but of course they would for they sent their own forces to their doom, others were thrilled, a few stayed silent, but the hype was nowhere near its end