2062.78 How it Ended

[Krathan]

The crowd looked on. It was a gruesome sport, this fight to the death in a colosseum. The people still came out to watch in droves. To some it was a glorious display of strength. To others it was a morbid curiosity. Whatever the reason, there were hardly any empty seats for the spectacle.

A boy stepped onto the field alone. He surveyed the scene and knew the odds were against him. He looked back at his companions and saw the fear in their eyes...the terror in their hearts.

One of his mates called out to him. "All hail Charl of Otte! He is our champion! He will lead us to victory!"

The boy stepped forward to address his foe, a giant of a man. The beast on the other side was more than twice his size, holding a spear bigger than any weapon the boy has ever seen in his right hand and a shield bigger than the boy himself in his left. The shield contained a crest featuring a menacing blue bird. From the giant's belt hung a massive sword begging to be used.

A large group of warriors stood behind the giant, shouting out obscenities and insults directed at the boy, meant to shake his confidence and draw his focus.

The boy looked back toward the giant and called out to him. "I have come to destroy you! You cannot stand against me!"

The giant laughed and lifted his spear. He pulled it back and prepared to swing. The boy was ready for this, certain that the giant's great spear would be so heavy that he would have plenty of time to react.

The boy was wrong. The spear raced through the air at incredible speed. The boy felt the edge of the blade scrape across his leg as he rolled just out of the way. The boy was undeterred.

The boy shouted with unwavering confidence "Is that all you've got, behemoth? I was told you were a great warrior!"

The giant laughed again and then responded with a voice louder than the thunder itself. "I like to play with my toys before I kill them! You are nothing!"

The boy dug in and reached into the pouch hanging from his belt. He found five small stones there and selected one with his thumb and forefinger. The boy slowly moved the stone toward his other hand, in which he held a slingshot.

The giant pulled back his spear, preparing to throw it at his enemy. The boy placed the stone in the slingshot and began to swing it, preparing his shot.

The giant released the spear just before the boy released the stone. The boy's aim was impacted by his attempt to leap out of the way. The stone bounced harmlessly off of the giant's chest piece but the spear caught the boys leg as he jumped.

The boy screamed in pain as the spear ripped through his flesh and bone. The boy landed on his right side and looked back at the spear, dug into the ground and found his foot on the ground 10 yards farther back.

He could barely see straight but pulled himself up to his knees with blood racing out of his leg as vomit poured from his mouth. He could make out the giant's form as he readied another stone.

The giant looked almost impressed by the boy's resilience but calmly reached for his sword. The boy knew this was his last chance. He swung the slingshot above his head like a propeller and released the stone. His blurred vision caused his aim to be less true than he desired but it did strike the giant on the nose.

Blood began to stream down the giant's face. He roared in anger as he lifted his sword. The giant shouted "Now we finish this!" He took two large steps toward the boy while swinging his giant sword. The men behind him raised their swords and began to run forward.

The sword cut through the boy as if he wasn't there, ending his life and splitting his form in two limp pieces that fell in opposite directions. The boy's companions had seen enough. Their will to fight gone, their flight reflex took over. They turned to run, but there was nowhere to go. The giant and his band quickly caught up to them and began to tear them limb from limb. When they were done, there was nothing left but scraps.

In the crowd, the spectators wearing dark blue and green cheered wildly as the field below was colored red with the blood of their hero's enemies.

[Dington]

Nice try, Davey.