5th day of Spring, AV 511 Odgar Vympelstark entered the arena with his axe resting on his shoulder. He could hear the numerous cries and shouts of the crowd around him, most of them being mocking remarks. He felt the sense of anxiousness in his throat, but forced it down with a swallow. He had willed his courage to take him down in this wretched place of a mine, where the stench of blood and sweat filled the air heavily and its people acted as rabid dogs. The arena itself was a rocky floor lit by braziers and torches, the shadows of the eager and boistrous men dancing in its reddened light. Chains hung from the wall, once used to hoist mineral between the higher levels and the bottom. An old mining cart decorated the floor as well, toppled over to the side and used as a seat by a handful of the front crowd. Odgar had set this in his mind as a test. If he could win a fight here, he had decided that would be true proof of his mettle. A proof that might lead him to greater fame and glory one day. He had served a good 3 winters as a caravan guard now, where he had learned how to wield a weapon proberly. He had been taught by his non-official mentor, a man named Hjondruf, who was a guard as well. He had held many more years of experiance in combat than Odgar though. Lessons well learned, they had saved him many times over from suffering lethal injuries at the hands of the highwaymen and bandits that preyed the roads. He was ready. Now remained only to face his opponent. He could see someone coming in front of him, as the audience stirred to make way for the combatant. Odgar focused on his breathing, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they took in the sight of the place, as if they only now allowed him truly to phantom the gore and the hungry crowd that craved for blood. He gripped tightly around the wooden shaft of his axe, letting it ascend from his shoulder to end in his other hand. He felt slight reassurance at the familiar feeling of the axe's weight in his hands. He watched his enemy enter the arena, his body tense with all the readiness he could muster. |