As the rhythmic beating of the drums seemed to grow louder and faster, Kali and Aisha guided the still confused Luna out of the tent. As the sun began to rise atop the nearby forest, the crowd surrounding the tents was clearly seen, dozens of young Orc warriors being guided by their families towards an wide open circle nearby.

  “We head to the arena now!” - pushing the girl not so gently towards the moving crowd, Kali straightened her posture, seeming even more imposing than before.

  “What are you doing?” - watching as the orc women stood by her side, almost like bodyguards, was making the girl feel even more uneasy.

  “We stand with you as members of your family,” - also behaving very differently from before, Aisha explained without moving her gaze from the arena before her - “It is expected of us to walk proudly with our young one who is about to become a warrior!”

  “Thank you…”

  Feeling herself begin to blush, a strange mixture of emotions began flooding Luna’s mind. Both women had been with her for only a couple of hours, knowing very little about her. Despite this, they stood by her side with their heads high, walking amongst their own kin proudly to be together with a human.

  “Guess it all went well!” - spoke a very familiar voice coming from behind them, as Luna turned to see Solo walking behind the group.

  “I guess so, I am not so sure.”

  “Still wanted me to be there with you?” - Solo asked while giving her a knowing smile.

  “Not at all,” - remembering the cleansing with cold water, the girl could feel a shiver going down her spine once again - “It was already strange enough.”

  “Worry not,” - with a proud smile on her face, looking at the orcs who looked confused seeing the group, Kali seemed to be enjoying the attention - “She’ll leave the arena today as a warrior full of pride!”

  “I’m not sure if I want the kind of pride you’re talking about…” - teased Luna, remembering the scarred body of the woman.

  As the group laughed their way into the arena, the crowd divided itself into two groups. Those who came only to witness the ceremony sat on the rudimentary wooden seats along the outside of the circle. The warriors who would take part in the ceremony and their close family formed a small group on the outer edge of the arena.

  Standing uncomfortably while wearing unfamiliar clothes and armor, the cheering noise from the Orcs together with the loud sound of the drums was almost deafening. A mixture of marching drums and warcries, had she heard the orcs sounds while being anywhere else but there, she would probably have run in despair.

  Suddenly all the voices went quiet and the drums stopped, the attention of those in the arena turned to the entrance, where a group of older Orcs slowly walked in the arena. Taking their time to move towards the center of the area, no other Orc dared to make a sound as they walked.

  “Those are the leaders,” - lowering her head just enough to be able to whisper in Luna’s ear, Aisha spoke without looking away from them - “the strongest warriors of the entire clan!”

  “They’re huge…” - the girl said, being impressed by the sheer pressure the group emanated - “Is that Imogen?”

  “I believe so…” - said Solo, seeing the old human woman walking besides the orc leaders, the size difference between the two races becoming even more obvious.

  “No outsiders are allowed to watch the ceremony.” - Coming towards the group, Yornush wore a light set or leather armor, carrying a long weapon wrapped in cloth beside him. Despite the overall silence, he didn’t seem worried about his voice being heard - “She’s permitted to join today since one of her own will be taking part this time.”

  “I take it wasn’t easy to convince the clan leaders to allow it,” - - “someone might have pulled a string or two.”

  “Maybe, Or maybe someone just told them the girl was the child of a friend of the clan.” - giving Solo a quick wink, Yornush put his weapon in front of Luna, staring into the girl’s eyes- “You’ll need a proper weapon if you’re going to fight today, one worthy of a proper warrior.”

  “Thank you…” - hesitantly grabbing the wooden shaft of the weapon, Luna admired with awe as the Orc removed the wrapping around its blade. During her training she never once used a real glaive before, but holding one in her hands felt almost like second nature.

  “Brothers… Sisters…” - a booming loud voice spoke, coming from the center of the arena - “The time has come once again, to welcome warriors into our fold!”

  The silent crowd erupted into screaming and cheering, feets thumping at the ground making it feel almost as if the earth itself was moving. At the center of the arena, one orc who stood at the middle of the leaders, had his strong arms stretched open as he looked straight into the clan.

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  “Winter has come and gone, and yesterday’s childrens have matured enough to receive mother Koynasi’s mighty embrace. Today you entered this arena as children, and leave as proud warriors!”

  “Those who wish to fight, step forward!” - another of the leaders shouted, as he positioned a box in front of the one who spoke before.

  “Now you walk in there,” - giving Luna a little push on her back, seeing the girl’s confusion, Solo couldn’t avoid feeling nostalgic in this scenario - “put your hand into the box and pick up a wooden plate.”

  Trying her best not to trip on her own feet, the girl stepped forward together with the other participants, all orcs except for her. As she started walking towards the box, she could sense many eyes in the arena looking at her, including the eyes of the leader who was talking before.

  Joining the line of young orcs before her, Luna watched as one by one they were called, before picking a small wooden plaque carved with a crude number on both sides.

  “Next one…” - said the second leader, as it was Luna’s time to draw.

  Doing her utmost best not to show how anxious she felt, she placed her hand into the box, searching for a moment before finding the rough edges of the plaque. Pulling it out quickly she offered it to the Orc as she saw others doing before her, who seemed to take a note on a piece of parchment before calling for the next person.

  “So?” - asked Yornush as soon as Luna began approaching her group again, her plaque firmly on her hand - “How was it?”

  With her hands shaking slightly, she offered the orc her plaque, who took it cheerfully before bursting into a loud laughter.

  “What is it?” - worried from seeing the color drain from Luna’s face, Solo tried taking the plaque from his friend’s hand.

  “Your apprentice seems to be loved by the goddess my friend,” - letting go of the plaque, the orc began patting the girl’s shoulders, who seemed really to puke at any second - “she wishes to see her performance as soon as possible!”

  Grabbing the worn out plaque, an freshly painted number one could be seen on both sides. Despite being probably the last one to enter the ceremony, Luna would be the first one to fight.

  “The numbers have been chosen, and the order of the battle decided! Those who win shall fight again, those who lose will leave the arena.” - as the box was taken from the arena, the loud leader began moving towards the fighters - “To the one standing undefeated in the end, pride and glory awaits!”

  “What If I lose in my first fight? Do I fail?” - still thankful to be with an empty stomach, the idea of failing on her first match after all the effort put by Yornush and his wifes made the girl’s mind begin to spiral.

  “Easy now… Take a deep breath…” - grabbing Luna by the shoulders, Solo looked deep into her eyes, knowing very well the dangers of going into battle with a weak state of mind - “This ceremony is not about winning, it’s about showing what you’re capable of.”

  “Exactly!” - agreed Yornush, taking one necklace from his own neck and putting it on the girl - “By doing your best before the clan and the goddess you’ll already be one of us, winning just gives you more chances of doing so.”

  “Right…” - holding firmly to her weapon, while trying to steady her breath, Luna could feel herself slowly calming down.

  “Remember,” - taking a seat on an elevated section of the crowd, the leaders watched carefully as the ceremony was about to begin - “before the goddess you’re not children, not boys or girls, only warriors. Fight with honor, as did the warriors who are witnessing you!”

  Erupting into cheers, the crowd seemed ready to riot as the drums began once again. On the edge of the arena, the families of the competitors began leaving to take their seats, with only those about to fight being left behind.

  “We must go now!” - giving Luna a pat on the back, Yornush didn’t seem worried in the least about the outcome of the fight - “May the mother’s blessing be with you on the battlefield.”

  “Fight with honour, child.” - walking away with Aisha, Kali’s voice was as stern as before, despite the girl beginning to understand the subtle differences in her words.

  “Remember our training, and try to keep your head calm.” - Hugging the girl, Solo could sense his own voice failing, being overwhelmed with worry - “They’ll be bigger than you, that’s your advantage, use it well.”

  Simply nodding in response, afraid of what would come out in case she opened her mouth, Luna watched silently as Solo walked after the others to a small section of stools near the edge of the arena. Looking around, now only nine people stood at the arena, including herself.

  “We’ll begin with the first combat.” - said an old orc woman amongst the leaders, her left eye missing - “Numbers one and two, step into the center of the arena.”

  Feeling as if her feet were made of lead, Luna walked forward together with an orcish boy a few meters to her right. Carrying a sword in hand and seeming to be almost as tall as Solo, it was hard to believe that she and him were about the same age.

  Trying her best not to show weakness before her opponent right before a fight, as Maya had instructed her so many times in the past, the girl forced herself to keep her expression as neutral as possible.

  “At the sound of the gong, we’ll start the first fight,” - the old woman continued, her voice loud enough to be heard even at the opposite end of the arena - “the combat will continue until one of you is unconscious, or deemed unfit to fight.”

  “Surrender isn’t even an option I guess…” - Luna thought to herself as she positioned herself before her opponent, who seemed to be doing the same - “That’s the orc way…”

  “Mother Koynassi, witness these children who wish to join the ranks of your warriors,” - the woman lifted her hands towards the sky, calling unto the goddess, her voice sounding strangely deeper than moments before - “grant them your blessings, and watch over them on the battlefield!”

  As the woman’s voice died down, silence took hold of the crowd who awaited eagerly for the fight to start. The battle drums grew faster, less of a marching beat and closer to a quick timing as the ones Solo would do when they trained with swords. Luna stared at her opponent, not wanting to lose any movement when the fight began. Despite being taller and stronger, the boy’s expression was uneasy, his grip on the sword seeming weak.

  “Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought…” - luna whispered to herself, as the loud sound of the metal gong echoed into the arena.