Apollonius, the arena champion, Viriato, Spurius and Paulus were all that remained of the fifteen strong group that had held the edge of the plateau against the enemy. The single opponent that had decimated their force was currently under a hail of arrow fire, the bodies of their comrades looking like pincushions after the initial volley. Yet the giant remained mainly unscathed, a few of the arrows had managed to scratch him, with only one or two penetrating deep enough to be considered a wound. His weapon easily acting as a barrier to protect his vitals.

“Apollonius, Sir… I think I know how we can beat him.” While the others were preoccupied with the ongoing battle and creating some distance between themselves and the continuous missile fire. Yet there was one among them whose eyes and attention never once left the giant, the champion.

“What do you have for me… how can we beat him?” One could hear the desperation in Apollonius’s tone, the giant had exceeded their expectations. Not only did he possess herculean strength, beast-like reflexes, but he also had that ungodly defensive power. Swords and arrows could barely cause damage, with javelins, spears, and axes showing the most effect up until this point.

“I believe that defensive ability of his only protects against one attack at a time. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to dodge or use his sword to shield himself-” Apollonius quickly cut the younger boy off. “That doesn’t make any sense, look at how that monster is acting under a rain of arrows. He has yet to take a mortal wound other than those few we dealt him through enormous effort. If it was as you say, then he would be a like porcupine right now, riddled with arrows!” Both in his voice and temperament the fear could be seen and heard, it was clear that things were not going as planned and he was grasping like a man drowning for any solution.

“The arrows do not possess enough mass and power to push through the wall of muscle that protects him. Also, the strike must be simultaneous, those black lines under the skin, they move quickly and congregate at the point before the strike hits. I saw it… just as the spear hit his shoulder and gut, it can only move to one area at a time. It should be the same for the javelin in still in his thigh.” Apollonius following the boy’s words carefully observed the enemy standing against their forces, slowly his eyes widened as the realization dawned upon him.

Even now the giant favored his right leg, none of the major wounds had disappeared, they still hampered his movement and constrained his abilities. Now was the only chance they had to capitalize on this, it was unknown if the minor regenerative abilities his body showed would be able to fix the larger more devastating injuries. “Quick, send one of the others to inform Timeaus and Malakos of our plan. We will need everyone working in conjunction to take this beast down.” The champion nodded in understanding before rushing over to relay Apollonius’s words to Viriato, Spurius and Paulus.

Viriato was the fastest of the group, his lighter armor allowing him a much wider freedom of movement. Just as he made his way towards the wagon circle, one of the four outriders decided to make their move. Seeing that Menos was distracted they charged forward, spear grasped firmly within their right hand as they sought to skewer him from behind.

Things did not go as the man had planned, the timing was perfect, the rider had entered spear range at the same moment the volley of arrows had finished. In that very short time window, he expected as many would that the man would be huddled behind his weapon. Instead, the giant had turned, allowing his back to absorb a handful of arrows, none of which managed to pierce too deeply. It however did allow the man to parry the incoming spear, knocking it upwards along with his cleaver, then switching his attack into a downward slash. The cleaver came down, diagonally slicing man and horse, the blade cutting through flesh, bone, and armor.

The rider’s steed neighed in pain, its rear separated from the rest of its body, entrails strewn between the two. Whereas the rider had no time to scream, not having the chance or time to understand what exactly had happened. Stunned silence followed, which was the worst decision, for the giant had not stopped and made use of that minuscule window of opportunity. Dropping his cleaver, he lifted the deceased outrider’s spear and chucked it at another rider. Piercing the man’s chest and sending him flying from his saddle to be pinned against the sides of the wagon wall. His horse bolted in fear, mane coated crimson but otherwise unscathed.

Just as the second rider was brought down Viriato reached his target, standing atop one of the wagons and directing the teams of archers was Timeaus, his bald head and scarred face easily discernable in the crowd. It was only his and Malakos’s presence at the front that was maintaining the discipline of the infantry. Hands could be seen shivering, nerves fraying as the people witnessed another of the elite defenders go down, the monster taking pleasure in their deaths.

“Viriato, I hope you have something important to say, because I frankly have not got much time for distractions at the moment.” Timeaus was a man who could change with the drop of a hat, during battle his playful and friendly disposition vanished. Replaced with the stern officer, one who kept discipline and ensured orders were followed. However, that did not mean he was closed off to ideas that could help turn the tide, which is the exact kind of battlefield mentality the Scholar himself always espoused… flexibility and mobility.

“Of course, sir, it was the boy who noticed the enemies flaw… He and squad leader Apollonius devised the method that we might exploit it… This is what they said…” Malakos took over command of the troops, firing staggered volleys toward the enemy who continued to withstand the attacks. At this point the ground surrounding him was thick with arrow shafts, appearing as if he stood within a field of darkened grass. Yet still the enemy stood, all the while the morale of the defending troops began to waver.

While Viriato explained the plan to Timeaus, who in turn informed Malakos, Apollonius, the champion and their remaining team were preparing their attack. As soon as Viriato gave the signal they would charge in, everything rested on one deduction, a guess that none could be a hundred percent certain of. However, they knew the enemy would not drop his guard a second time, and they had failed to kill him when the chance had arisen. Now they would have to risk their lives if they wanted to deal a mortal blow.

Spurius and Paulus sheathed their swords, retrieving three spears from the battlefield around them, one for each of them, and another for the champion whose spear was shattered earlier in the battle. Apollonius removed a one-handed axe from his belt, a keepsake from his father, it was well maintained and as had been seen with Viriato, hacking weapons could be extremely effective when dealing with the trunk like arms.

“I hope you are right about this, because if you’re wrong, I don’t think we will be making out of this one in alive.” Apollonius grasped tightly his father’s hatchet, it helped to limit the shakes and strengthen his resolve towards what they had decided to do.

“No matter what we don’t have a choice. We need to do something, and we must do it now. In the arena we slaves always lived upon a knife’s edge. Death was an ever-present reality, now that we know the taste of freedom, of friendship, of hope for a future… now I personally do not wish to greet death until I get my fill. Only by acting quickly and striking can we ensure our safety, if that thing escapes, it will hound us until we are dead… just remember that.” The youth was slightly older than Apollonius’s sister Mera, within a year. Yet his life experiences within the arena had molded him. Yes, he lacked common sense about things outside those walls, however there were few who could hold strong in the face of adversity and take risks with their life more than he.

“I trust you know what you’re doing… That is why I will grant you temporary command of this squad. I hope you can lead us to victory… Preferably without the requirement of meeting death.” The two couldn’t help but smile at Apollonius’s words. In the face of the specter of death, the two had formed a bond of sorts. If they both survived it, perhaps it would be given the chance to grow. But for now, the focus would be on the battle at hand, and who would come out the other side.