A Gladiator's Oath

Dark Chambers

The king seemed to lust for the popularity of his kingdom, whether it was good or bad. He sat on a throne made of gold as he listened to the complaints of a poor commoner, who feared the demon the king let roam free.

"Your majesty, he can kill the kingdom in one night! Are you not worried about what could happen?"

The frail man said frantically, practically pleading with the man in the throne.

"That demon is no threat outside of the coliseum. After every fight, he is forced with a muzzle. The strongest men are kept in there with him so they can handle him as well."

The king replied with a heavy laugh escaping his lips.

Pleading had no effect on this man, and it was known. His daughter, Atlas Syphix, was there for almost every interaction commoners had about The Scourge.
From what she heard, he was a tall and muscular demon that hid his body behind a heavy suit of armor that was a jet black color. He had the genetics of demons from long ago, where they were genuine threats to kingdoms such as their own.

"If he had half the mind to destroy our buildings, he would have already."

Atlas spoke to her brother, Axel. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes as he seemed to agree with the statement. He couldn't help but be worried, though. If he were to be the next heir to the throne, he couldn't have a possible threat to the kingdom. He couldn't help but be angry at his father for not taking The Scourge as seriously as he should have. While the king went back to the large bedroom, he made custom to himself and his queen, Axel pulled Atlas aside.

"You need to do something about that demon."

He said almost if he had the intent to be an authority to his sister.

Atlas tilted her head. She had no idea how she would handle a threat like that. She was also angry that her brother would get the throne before her simply because he was a man and she had no intention to help him.

The next day, she decided to go to the coliseum and watch what the demon was capable of. Atlas sat in the very front row, in her logic being there would give her a full view of his abilities.
There were fifteen gladiators, including the threat himself. First, every human went, wearing light metal chest plates and gaurds for their forearms. The men purposely flexed their muscles to the women in the crowd for more of a reaction. Throughout each fight, Atlas noticed they relatively fought the same.

Finally, The Scourge was introduced by a man who was emphasizing the brutality of the demon. Supposedly, this demon tore people apart with his bare hands. The gate opened, and the screech of steel against stone filled the coliseum as what seemed to be a man of metal walk out of it.
He was around seven feet tall, and the description of his armor was completely right. Unlike his colleges, the steel covered every inch of his body. Dried blood covered him as it seemed he was keeping it there as a trophy, a bragging right. He held a large battle axe that was swung over his shoulder as he looked around, scanning the crowd around him.

As he did this, Atlas felt his cold eyes lay right onto hers. The crimson red glared at her. During the fight, she saw that the man who introduced him didn't lie about his habits. The moment The Scourge was able to get his hands on the opponent, it was immediately bloodshed. It was a quick fight, and it ended with a severed arm falling to the ground.

The crowd cheered, but The Scourge seemed to have his eyes on her still. Not from his feelings to her, but Atlas was different. She had never stepped foot in the coliseum. The demon didn't recognize her face, but most of all, he despised the royal family with a burning passion.
Axel demanded Atlas to deal with him. She waited until after the crowd left to stop one of the gladiators who was walking back into the chamber area.

"Your Highness, what is it that you need?"

The man had to speak this way to her, despite the slight slur in his voice from the fight he had.

"The Scourge.. What is he like?"

Atlas stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her orange eyes seemed to be the thing that made him respond with the truth.

"Oh, Oscar? He's..Interesting, to say the least."

He scratched the back of his neck as he said this. The voice that was once full of pride almost in a whisper.

"What do you mean by that? Like.. How deadly is he?"

The name Oscar ran through her mind. Maybe it was his real name or one that was given to him by the kingdom.

"Well.. For starters, he doesn't speak that much and really hates to be touched. He's killed gladiators before because they touched his arm because of a dare."

The Scourge seemed to be a sensitive subject amongst his peers. Whether it was dislike or fear, he was only talked about in whispers.

After everyone went back to the chamber area, Atlas sighed and decided to follow them. She wondered through dark stone hallways, looking into the small rooms that separated herself and whoever was in it with rusted metal bars. She peaked into them until she saw who was clearly The Scourge sitting on what was supposed to be a bed.
Seeing him up close was terrifying in her eyes. She had a feeling the bars separating them would do nothing if he was made angry.

"..Scourge?"

Atlas said timidly.

With a sharp jolt, his head turned to face her.