Aiden and the Scroll of No Man's Land

Chapter 38

I was certainly not expecting any member of the elite army to be removing their helmet and I was expecting them to have hideous faces, from being overfed and not doing any work other than walking around with the leader.

But I was wrong as the face I saw in that superior suit was the face of a strong man, quite old but strong. He even had long, uncut teeth growing from his lower jaw, much like the Gurzal gang. But unlike them, I could see just by his face that he had a body worthy of a bodybuilder and that he could easily crush me if really wanted to.

He now handed the golden mail to me which I accepted in open hands. I was astonished and was a loss of words as he spoke. "Quick voule! There is very little time!" and without any hesitation, I quickly replaced his with mine, and just as I locked my helmet into place I heard the conch blow and I knew it was only minutes before the Zelia to commence.

I now waited tense seconds passing by and there was tension clearly in the air, and at that very moment, I felt a nervous tap on my shoulder and turned to look at a very pale Xey. He asked hoping he could ask the question in time, "You do know what dangers you are up against right?"

My calm was suddenly lost and I spoke to him nervously asking both Zefe and Xey to explain to me the dangers the Quike held.

Zefe started her nervous and tense mind trying to think under the pressure. "There's the...the electric glass!....the..the...hole!...what else! what else?!..." she trailed off and Xey tried to pick up. "Um...the...what's it called? What's it called?... Yes! the Minokawa!!" And at that precise moment, I heard the drums banging indicating that at any moment I was going to enter into the arena.

I did not know what a Minokawa was, and tried to shout over the banging drums but I could hardly hear myself as the words left my mouth.

Instant panic sunk in as my attention now turned from Xey's attempt to explain, over to the roaring sound as I noticed the inner metal bars rising up.

Somehow all the introductions by the announcer were over as I recollected from earlier, only after the introduction of the contestants were the drums and gates opened.

Instinctively I stepped back from the gate as every one of my family did so but Gawk and another guard stepped forwards and blocked me from moving any more back, to where my family was.

The newly hired guard now took his position in front of my family not allowing them to move in any direction, to help me.

I was now cornered out, away from the safety of my parents and this made me feel instantly frightened.

I felt my knees buckle as Gawk prodded me with the tip of his Kanabō. Now looking at him once again with his mask on, he seemed to have no mercy as he and the other guard pushed me with the blunt end of their weapon towards the entrance to the battlefield.