The Colosseum

This is the introduction to Nuriel, one of the three protagonists. His nation is in turmoil from the recent attacks, and as a result is one of the many captives taken to kill for a tyrant's enjoyment.

Nuriel stood before the crowd of onlookers, thirsty for the blood of those beneath them. He was but a peasant in this elaborate game of theirs, and yet he would not disappoint them. If it was a show they wanted, it would be a show they received. And so he looked towards the opposite side of the arena, spotting a young man, presumably in his twenties, fastening his already awkward grip on the spear he held. It was made of a cheap metal, an alloy composed of what appeared to be mostly stone and a bit of iron or copper. No matter, he would not undermine this opponent of his based on appearances. He made that mistake before, and too much was at stake now. He then looked at his own weapon of choice, a short sword handcrafted with the resources he collected while in conditioning for this event. It was, given the circumstances, fairly well made, and he prided himself on it. He carried high hopes for this tournament, and could wait not a second longer. Now he had only to pray that all of his training would not add up to nothing.

Wanting to win the crowd over, Nuriel strode towards his opponent. The arena was filled with not a seat to spare, so first impressions here would be crucial. He raised both arms, his sword gleaming under the hot sun. It was late summer, and the heat was unbearable even without being forced to heft around forty pounds of armor. Ignoring this, he stood as tall as his stature would allow and began to hurl threats at his opponent. His voice boomed throughout the arena, and the man began to shrink, clutching his spear until his knuckles turned white. The crowd, seeing this unfold, began to cheer wildly. Savages, all of them, Nuriel thought, disgusted that they could derive pleasure from the suffering of another. But he could not stop them, and so he continued on. Now his opponent was visibly intimidated, his knees buckling and his face contorting with what could only be described as utter terror. Nuriel felt remorse, regretting that he would be forced to kill this man. An innocent life, wasted because of the actions of these monsters before him. But he had no say in the matter, and so he dismissed the thought. He was in no position to stop them, their influence reached far beyond anywhere he could ever travel to. With all of this in mind, he set about the grim task of ending this man’s life.

Author's Note

please give feedback on my last sentence, it doesn't seem to fit

Reviews

[JacWolf]

Nuriel sounds like one bad dude, if i could offer a criticism it would be to maybe describe the surroundings and characters a little more? as for the last sentence, seems fine to me :)