Mina stood beneath the massive stone arch of the colosseum gateway, flanked on either side by a pair of hulking guards. Each guard held one end of a thick, wrought-iron chain, chains that were attached at the other end to the heavy iron collar fastened around Mina's throat. Despite her athletic build, the elven woman could hardly move beneath the weight of the collar and the hefty chains that trailed from it, let alone hope to wrest them from the guards' grasp.
Apart from the collar, she was dressed as any other prisoner: she had been forced to squeeze into a coarse hemp tunic, little more than a sackcloth with holes cut in it for the arms and head. It was a sparse garment, clearly intended for slaves that lacked Mina's voluptuous assets—the elf's bulging breasts strained against the rough material, threatening to spill out, and the hem barely covered her hips and modesty, leaving her plump, pale thighs uncovered. She wore nothing beneath the ragged tunic, if but a gentle wind were to catch the hem it would reveal her most intimate features for all to see—even the way the breeze gently caressed her bare womanhood beneath the short robe reminded Mina of how precariously exposed she was, raising goosebumps on her bare flesh. Even here, in the dark cells beneath the stands, she felt as if countless eyes were on every inch of her body, studying her every curve and contour.
Of course, her dignity was the least of Mina's worries, and should have been the furthest thing from the elf-girl's mind. She knew what awaited her on the sands of the arena. She had heard what the humans did with their captives—with her brethren. Countless elves just like her had been thrown into this very ring to be slaughtered, torn apart, or violated for the amusement of a cheering crowd. The humans were nothing if not creative; they had concocted countless entertaining ways to torture and butcher her kind. Sometimes they would pit them against human gladiators, forcing unarmed elven prisoners to go up against armed warriors. Sometimes they would release wild beasts or monsters into the ring. Oftentimes they would kill the men but make sport of the women—they would pin the elves down in front of the spectators and take turns raping them, cruelly toying with them. Mina had even heard tell of elven prisoners being forced to mate with animals, being publicly bred and brutalized by wolves, lions, or wild horses.
Now, she mused grimly, it was her turn. Who knew what horror the humans had in store for her, what indignities and humiliations she would be forced to suffer? What tales of her grisly demise would find their way back to her people?
Mina was roused from her thoughts by a dread rattle, and she looked up to see the barred gate in front of her sliding upward. Beyond the gate, the sun-bleached sands of the arena awaited. The guards either side of her marched forwards, taking up the slack and all but dragging the defiant elf into the open, despite her futile struggles. The pair removed Mina's collar and the heavy chains that bound her, before shoving her out into the middle of the arena.
After the darkness of the cells beneath the colosseum, the midday sun was almost blinding. The elf blinked, shielding her eyes as they adjusted to the harsh sun. She stood in the center of a vast ring, bordered on all sides by sheer stone walls. Atop the walls, row upon row of spectators roared and jeered—humans, the lot of them, eager for their spectacle of blood and cruelty. At the far end of the ring was the gated mouth of a tunnel, just like the one she'd just emerged from. Mina watched in horror as the gate began to rise, revealing her opponent.