FRIDAY'S END

"woo, is it just me, or did that skinny boy just execute a merciful death?" General Heisn asked his colleagues in wonder.

"He did more than just that. He played us all. He didn't just throw himself into harm's way, he had planned his every move and executed every inch of it without fail." The officiator answered with a meaningful look at Orion who just sat with a wide smile on his face as he counted his gold.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's another arena god we're watching, right?" General Khiduf asked the officiator who shook his head before replying.

"I'm not sure. It's still a little early to say. I'll tell you one thing though, he's definitely skilled and something tells me, we are yet to scratch the surface of his abilities." The owner of the most famous colosseum in all Norse territory replied.

Far away from where the officiator and the generals sat, a group of well-dressed men sitting among the crowd was having the same discussion the officiator and the generals were.

"Man, that boy is also no joke. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought his win was just beginner's luck and not a well-planned and perfectly executed affair from start to finish." One of the men said as he took a careful look at Joda below.

"Yeah, he's impressive but his performance is nothing close to what that girl gave. She's the real deal" a second person gave his opinion.

"True. But I believe it's cause that girl faced another elite warrior who pushed her to her limits and made her give her all during her fight Whiles that boy faced a nobody with subpar skills. Obviously, the girl will look more impressive than him." A third man said.

"Who among them do you think the boss will be interested in recruiting from the officiator?" Another person asked and the group of five men went silent for a while as they contemplated things well before attempting to answer.

"I think he'll go for the girl" the first man answered.

"Naa, he'll pick the boy. He's more subtle and doesn't stand out, compared to the girl." The third guy disagreed.

"I think you're all wrong. The boss will pick both if I know him. Or pick neither. You know how strange he is" another person who had yet to join the debate chipped in and the others nodded in agreement. The boss was a weirdo and unpredictable.

"Well, we could tell him about the girl and boy later. Right now, we have a job to do, remember?" The leader reminded them all of their task and every one of them shut up as they went back to scouting the area and looking for a good place to hide their weapons and men for the boss's big job come the night of the finals.

The rumbling of the north and south gate pulled Joda out of his stasis and he pulled his gaze away from his dead opponent's face only for his eyes to wander and land directly on the back of a retreating Aia who was taking steady and confident steps towards the northern holding room.

Joda took in a deep breath and followed the girl just as a group of cleaners (the real ones) emerged from the southern holding room to clear the arena for the next fight which was going to happen in a few minutes.

Inside the north holding room, the two assistants that had escorted Joda and Aia earlier were waiting for them. Joda placed his weapon where he had taken it from and turned to see Aia looking at him with her stern expression from the entrance where she and her assistant had entered the holding room from.

Then whiles the two warriors stared at each other, the most curious thing ever happened. Aia's face relaxed slowly and her facial muscles rearranged themselves into a relaxing look of approval with a hint of a smile adorning the corners of Aia's lips. Before Joda could shake off his surprise and smile back, Aia gave him a curt nod of approval and then slinked into the dark passageway with her assistant.

"Let's go. The next fighter will be here soon." The assistant informed Joda who just nodded and quickly followed his helper through the dark and back into the common holding room where he noticed with a glance that Aia was not present at the moment.

Six more one on one fights went on. Followed by four team fights, each one bloodier than the last, and Joda witnessed the little comradeship People had built in the short time they had known each other dissolve into nothing as they were forced to battle each other to the death.

Everyone was being guarded now just as the officiator had wanted it. The colosseum was living to its standards as a bloody place where no friendship was encouraged.

The fighters were led through the dark passageways that led to the two holding rooms one by one. Some of them returned wounded, tired, and scared but alive nonetheless. Most died on the sandy arena and their bodies were carried away in body sacks.

The crowd cheered and booed occasionally but they showed no sympathy for the objects of their entertainment.

The high-ranking officials kept betting and racking in coins or losing a few, and Khiduf kept giving the thumbs down without fail every time the high blood was invoked.

Soon, the total fighters of eighty was down to half the number of fighters. These were the best of the green-horns so far and as the night crept even faster on the Kingdom, the Officiator gave a quick Reminder to everyone present before ending Friday's event.

"The night is upon us now. The fighters are exhausted and your purses should be close to bursting with coins by now. It is time to reset our individual days. Go home and return tomorrow. For tomorrow, The slaughter continues!"