Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

Several guards and a few healers entered the arena. All of the guards were powerful in their own right, but they also carried with them a large number of enchanted weapons and accessories to further enhance their abilities.

This ensured that they would be able to handle any and all of their participants. In addition to their gear, one of them held a control crystal linked to Kalliope's armor. If she did anything out of line, only a single thought was necessary to send a command for her armor to shock her into unconsciousness.

The medical personnel quickly staunched Neshia's bleeding and stabilized her condition before throwing her on a stretcher and carrying her out of the ring. Kalliope was poked with the sharp ends of a few spears and was escorted back to her cell. Waiting for her patiently was her fellow prisoner, Ethi.

Ethi's face was clearly that of a worried friend, but seeing that Kalliope was uninjured, save a few scrapes, gave her relief. Kalliope was thrown into the cell, and it slammed close behind her before the lock was secured with a dull thud.
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"Kalliope, it seems that you are unhurt. I heard they wanted to throw you into the fire on your first go." Ethi said, scrambling to treat some of the small scrapes that had started bleeding.

The cells were damp, dingy, and very dirty. If one were not careful, even the most moderate cuts or wounds could become infected. Ethi was surprisingly well-versed in treating minor injuries. Having an expert in such things would help Kalliope out when she started being pressed beyond her abilities.

Today's battle with Neshia was only the first of three that she was going to be forced to participate in. Tomorrow she was scheduled for five additional fights. The leader of the fighting ring was not kidding when he said he was going to try and break her on the field of battle.

Kalliope was no princess, but she was slightly concerned at how well she would have been able to hold on without Ethi to help. The beast-blooded elf had turned into an excellent asset for her.

"Thanks, Ethi." Kalliope answered. "But if all my fights are like that, then this will be a piece of cake. I've dealt with worse."

"You keep saying that, is it that man who is supposed to save you? I'm starting to wonder if he's a savior or a former captor, the way you talk about him. Are you safe with him?" A flash of concern crossed Ethi's face again. However, Kalliope only laughed.

"Really, he is a great person. I just had a habit of trying to challenge him a lot. And though I'm a maiden, he knows I am not delicate, so he never held back in training. It's not in his nature."

"I see…" Ethi mumbled, still unsure if something was broken in her cellmate's brain.

They both settled next to the wall of the cell and talked about their lives prior to being captured while waiting for the next fight to start. Most of what they talked about were family and what they were doing in Aedrider. Ethi had admitted that she only occasionally stayed in the country.

For the last few decades, she had frequently walked the border of Aedrider and Paede, occasionally crossing into Eroa. Ethi shared that most of her family was long gone. They had passed away in a bandit attack on her home village, which was actually on Paede's side of the border.

It happened about twelve years ago. Bandits had sent threats to their village everyday for almost two weeks. The village head, her father, sent many requests for help to the lord overseeing that part of the land. However, they were often at odds with the human lord, and because of this, no one arrived to help them.

The bandits had arrived outside of Ethi's village and numbered nearly a hundred strong. The village itself barely had that number of residents, including children, the elderly, and the infirm. It was a simple farming village with little wealth and very little in the way of means of defense.

On the day of the attack, Ethi was hidden with the other children in a secret cellar in the communal barn at the center of the village. It was well protected and had the most defenses of anywhere in the village. Even if the barn itself burned down over their heads, those in the shelter would have been safe.

The former village head had predicted something horrible would happen in the future. None of them had faith in the human lord stepping in to help them, so they took measures to protect the next generation on their own.

Ethi recounted the hours that passed for them under the simple cellar door that stood between them and their impending deaths. The other children whimpered and cried for parents they could no longer see. Every second was torture for her.

After several hours, they began to hear the objects the adults placed over the door, their safe banging around. Someone had started to dig them out. Ethi remembered the hope in her heart that their village had somehow won; maybe the lord did send help, and everything was fine.

When the door finally opened, they instead saw an unfamiliar elf. The elf never shared their name and Ethi could not recall what they looked like, but they were a wandering adventurer and stepped in to help. The adventurers apologized that they only managed to appear halfway into the fight.

What was once a thriving village of almost a hundred had been reduced to a smoldering husk filled with only thirty people, nearly twenty of whom were children. Among the dead were Ethi's parents and other relatives. The bandits and the inaction by the human lord had left her an orphan.

"I'm surprised you do business in Paede at all." Kalliope's tone was one of surprise.

"Well, money is money, I suppose. Besides, that lord died in a succession feud anyway and bandits are impossible to track down. It's not like I have anyone left to seek revenge for. I simply had to move on."

Before Kalliope could say more, the guards appeared again at the cell door. "Alright, mutt, let's go. Keep putting on a good show. Also…" the guard began to laugh, "Since you handled that so easily, the boss says you get to fight your next three back-to-back. Hang in there, won't you?"