Aris returned much faster than I'd expected. She looked exhausted and out of breath as she knelt down next to the bed.
"Boy, it's time to wake up. The sun will rise soon. We need to get moving."
The boy stirred and reached for me. "Already? Wait…Sword, why didn't you wake me? We were supposed to train beforehand."
"Sometimes sleep is better than training. Besides, what will a few more hours get you?"
The boy groaned and stood.
Aris was running her fingers through her hair and pinning it back with a clip. "What's he saying to you?"
"Nothing helpful," the boy grumbled.
Aris turned to him. "Does he guide you during battle?"
The boy began dressing into his dueling garb. "Yeah. He's probably the only reason I survived the first battle, if I'm being honest."
She nodded. "If you think you can trust him, listen to what he has to say. He might just get you through today's duel."
The boy nodded. "I will."
"Now turn around."
The boy blinked. "What?"
"I have to change clothes, pervert. Turn around."
The boy blushed and turned around, covering his eyes.
I watched as Aris removed her top and grabbed another. Her back was facing toward me; her skin scarred every few centimeters. She had seen her fair share of injuries.
After the shirt was back over her head, her hands moved to her pants.
"Sword," the boy whispered. "Look away."
I sighed and moved my senses away over to the door, giving Aris her privacy.
Part of me, the human part of me, wanted to look back. I really hated that. I was immediately disgusted with myself, but I had to remember that I hadn't felt the loving touch of a woman in centuries.
I remained fixated on the wooden panel until Aris cleared her throat.
The boy turned back around, and Aris was fastening her armor over her clothes. "How do I look?"
"Fantastic!" The boy responded quickly. "Where did you get the armor, by the way?"
"It was my father's," she said. "He was a blacksmith. It used to be so massive, but one day I just…grew into it. That's how I knew too much time had passed since he'd died. I want to get revenge for my parents. They were killed right in front of me."
The boy nodded, casting his eyes downward. "Me too. We're more alike than you know."
Aris sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. I wouldn't wish what happened to me on anyone." She placed her helmet on her head and grabbed her sword. "Let's get moving. The colosseum is a long walk from the Slums."
The boy nodded and together we left her living space.
We travelled down the already bustling roads, weaving quickly through the narrow paths of open space between people.
The boy was out of breath trying to keep up with Aris by the time we reached our destination.
The colosseum loomed before us once more as thousands of people filed in.
We made our way to the chamber, where the entrance was once more flanked by guards.
"Name?" One of them asked.
"Aris Reaver."
The guard looked her up and down and smirked. "And the weapon is a sword?"
"That's correct."
"On your way."
The boy stepped up next. "Wren Parlos!"
The guard looked down at his list. "Uh-huh. Weapon?"
"Uh…this sword here," he said, gesturing down to me.
"May I take a look at it?"
Shit. Shit! No no no.
The boy unsheathed me and handed me over.
Of course, my hilt was still wrapped in cloth, and my blade had been dirtied over the past few days. Hopefully I looked like a cheap knockoff.
The guard moved to unwrap the cloth from my hilt, but the boy intervened.
"Wait! Please don't unwrap that. The hilt…it's…uh…rotting away. If you unwrap that cloth, it might crumble apart. I really need it to hold together. Please."
The guard frowned, then nodded. "Alright. I hope it stays in one piece for your fight."
He handed me back to the boy and let him into the chamber.
The room was not as full as the previous day, as expected. Now only thirty or so contestants remained. By tomorrow, that number would decrease by half once more.
I was pretty sure we had started with sixty-four contestants. That meant that the duels would conclude in seven total rounds.
We only had to survive two more rounds to enter the top ten of contestants. That was exciting for me.
Flint Ashford, as always, was the loudest amongst the group.
He was talking to a fairly thin man, who was nearly pressed up against the wall, as if he was trying to get away from Flint.
"Word has it that Lord Thorne wants more blood in these upcoming rounds. It sure would make for quite the spectacle."
Someone else, the woman with the braided hair, butted in. "You said more blood?"
"Yeah. The guards were saying he's gonna be more lenient. The closer you get to killing your opponent, the more Lord Thorne will approve," Flint said, his eyes flashing with humour.
The woman licked her lips, now looking visibly excited. "That's exactly what these duels always should've been. Maybe soon, he'll allow fights to the death."
Flint turned and saw us approaching. "Ah! There you are Wren. All rested up, I assume?"
"Yes," the boy responded. "I spent the night with Aris, so I stayed out of the rain."
Flint's eyes flicked to Aris. "You two brother and sister or something?"
"No," Aris said. "No relation. Why, what's it matter to you?"
"No reason. So, I wanted to give you a note about your technique," Flint said.
"I don't need your advice, loudmouth," Aris snapped.
The boy gasped, trying to hold in a laugh.
Flint smiled. "Understood. And I'm no loudmouth. I just speak the truth."
"Maybe try speaking a little less."
"Maybe you should try this little thing called kindness. Besides, you're the one with four lips."
Aris smacked him across the face, a sound that drew the attention of all of the contestants.
Flint laughed. "That was a good strike. Here, try it again on this side," he said, pointing to his left cheek.
Aris growled and moved to the front of the chamber.
Flint glanced down at us. "What's your sister so angry about all the time? I doubt it has anything to do with me, right?"
"I'm sure it's not anything you said," the boy replied. "What were you telling them about Thorne wanting more blood?"
Flint chuckled. "A jest. Trying to get in their heads. Push them a little too far, y'know?"
The old man from the previous day pushed through the contestants and took his place at the front of the group. "Today, we begin round two," he announced. "Now, for our first contestants…."