The Empire took everything from both of them. The one that entered the arena from the left,
@Barbaria1, used to be the leader of a tribe of almost a hundred warrior women that lived under the shadows of the black pines. Sometimes relying on ingeniosity through improvised traps, other times, through brute force, chopping down trees and throwing boulders, they would throw a wrench into the unsatiable machine of the Empire, that enslaved more and more everyday. The one that entered from the right,
@Eulalia, was the first wife of the leader of a small kingdom. Soon after taking her as his wife and slave, the king passed away. In the short and violent struggle for power, all the pretendents managed to lose their lives, and thus, in their desperate times of need, the people turned their hopes towards their queen. And the times were prosperous. But the age of peace and fertility wasn't supposed to last, for six years later, the Empire, ever-hungry for more land, more slaves, more power, vanquished her small kingdom.
The stake was one like never before. Both of them survived the arena, winning thirty rounds each. The winner would win her freedom and select thirty enslaved women to serve her for the rest of their days. The two women exchanged looks. Eulalia, somewhat afraid of the barbarian warrior, but confident of her divine mission to save her people, frowned upon her foe, holding her hands on her hips, refusing to display any fear or remorse. Barbaria, on the other hand, was eager to hear the painful screams, to enjoy the agony of her rival. Why should the weak deserve mercy? Nature never forgives anyone. It only crushes the weak and unadapted under her soles, and raises the strong and resilient above the clouds. And her tribe would do the same. She suffered for five years as a slave of the Empire. After years of begging, crying, agony, desperation, she realized that her years of slavery weren't her end, but the beginning of her rebirth as a greater warrior. It was all a test, to decide her new fate: a weak slave that will perish, or a being greater than a queen... a goddess that will become a world conqueror.
The announcer, a woman dressed in a black armor, with crimson and golden motiffs painted on her chest plates and shoulders, raised her hand, ordering the two women to get into position. Barbaria took an aggressive stance, ready to charge at her rival. Eulalia took a defensive stance, ready to grab her opponent and use her strength and speed against her. Both hearts pounding, both of their bodies burning hot and sweating profusely. Both of them holding their fists clenched. With one swift motion, the announcer lowers her hand, giving the signal for the fight to commence.
As expected, Barbaria charged towards Eulaila, her whole body leaning forward, running maniacally and screaming the notorious battle cry of her people. In just three seconds, she crossed the arena, reaching Eulaila. In a swift motion, Eulaila swept her whole body to the right, placing her left foot in a strategic position, so Barbaria would trip over it. Anticipating the trap, Barbaria jumped over the foot and made a quick turn, ready to punch her rival in the face. Eulaila dodged the hit, and proceeded to tackle Barbaria, bumping her head into her chest, right between her breasts, using her arms to grab her and throw her against the ground. Enraged by this turn of events, frustrated that her enemy managed to land the first hit, Barbaria roared and threw a punch straight towards Eulaila's ear. The hit caused her to go deaf for a few seconds, causing her to lose her balance. She took a few steps backwards, in order to regain her strength. Barbaria wouldn't let it go. It was now or never. She charged foward and kept swinging her fists towards Eulaila. Left one, then right one, left one again. Eulaila masterfully dodged one punch after the other. After four dodged hits, she grabbed Barbaria's right fist and dragged her, ready to make her trip over her foot and put her on the ground again. Before she knew it, Barbaria made a quick jump into the air and threw herself forward, with all her strength, holding her right foot forward, aiming for Eulaila's knee.
Fallen to the ground after the charge, Barbaria was rushing to get up, in order to avoid a kick to the head. However, she would soon realize that she didn't need to. She could hear Eulaila's scream. It was a scream of pain, begging for mercy. All she had to do now, was to sit on top of her foe, and end the fight. Barbaria sat with her knees on top of Eulaila's chest, grabbed her arms with her hands, holding them firmly, and held her down for a few moments. As the two women were staring at each other, Eulaila was moaning in pain, as if she was trying to say "Please, I beg you, no more!" Barbaria's disheveled hair dropped sweat all over Eulaila's face, as she was shaking her head violently, trying to free herself from Barbaria's hands. But it was too late. The announcer declared Barbaria's victory.
And thus, Eulaila's last chance to free herself and thirty of her people, vanquished. Barbaria's future, on the other hand, was ahead of her. She knew what she had to do. Free ten of the best warriors in the arena, recruit them as her mercenaries, and take twenty women into slavery, to serve the company. Together, they would raid and pillage the distant lands in the north, far away from the Empire's reach and build their own legacy. Why be content with a mere tribe that could so easily be enslaved by The Empire? Why not build a kingdom? A new empire?
However, until then, there was one thing left to do... The victor... had to humiliate the defeated. The announcer brought the phallic shape and two slaves were getting ready to strap the appendix to Barbaria's crotch. Eulaila watched in terror, realizing that she was forsaken by the goddesses.
