Beginning 6

Just as the lady who named herself goddess apologized, light converged in the chambers with tables of foods. Many of which reminded the survivors of food they have seen in shows with medieval settings. Some were hesitant to eat because of this and thought it may be unappetizing. Others ate because they did not know when they would be able to eat again while some others are skeptical of the intentions behind the food and what the food might contain. As for the rest, they are currently to troubled about the situation to have appetite to eat. The goddess of light sees their reactions and her eyesight cools as she sweep her gaze over them.

Having figured out a good deal about their situation for themselves, Madrigal walks towards the entrance to the coliseum. She looks at her surroundings and squints to the distance where there is a similar doorway. She signals for one of her men who brings her a haggard looking man in casual clothing. This man is one of Hyde's men. She smiles sweetly toward Hyde who appears to be unconscious. She holds the man by the collar and with momentum throws him over her shoulder and smashes him into the barrier. The barrier becomes tangible and the man's bones break as the barrier envelops him in a tight grasp. Madrigal looks up towards the goddess disregarding Hyde's twitching fingers. The goddess looks at Madrigal in amusement and is intrigued by the other's behavior. As loudly and clear as she can, Madrigal speaks to the goddess, "my dear lady, if you say we are guests and even more that we are people who you need help from, why, may I ask, are we still in this dank chamber? And... even if you say this is where the setup for transportation is, why is there a barrier containing us? May I ask... what my lady means by this?" The cabbie-man and the solemn man try to help their master who is slowly being weighed down by an invisible pressure. The rubble around her disintegrates creating a deep crater around Madrigal. Madrigal dismisses them with a bone piercing stare. They fall back.

Simultaneously, the goddess eyes' filled with stars are briefly enveloped by the pitch black pupil. She smiles warmly at Madrigal and answers, " Everything was rushed in a hurry and my servants have not done their duty to look after you. For that I apologize. However, why would you knowingly or unknowingly throw your own comrade into the barrier?"

Madrigal smiles at her wider, "my lady, do not care about a murderer's fate." The goddess smiles warmly but does not continue. Madrigal on the other hand is not willing to drop the subject as she steadily and slowly says under the goddess's pressure, "my lady's.... lack of knowledge of who she has summoned is quite curious, isn't it?" The goddess eyes narrow at this, but she still smiles warmly, "heroes may be born or made from any kind of background."

Madrigal softly smiles at this, "that is idealistic, my lady. ...you truly have such a kind.... merciful, benevolent heart to even dismiss the nature of even a murderer." Once Madrigal finishes saying this, the pressure that almost made her kneel and made her bones creak lift slightly.

The goddess of light looks at Madrigal a bit confused at the sincere flattery directed at her, "may I ask who this young hero's name is? and what makes you have the right to judge him?"

Despite the pain from the presence of the goddess and her sight on her, Madrigal nods towards the goddess in appreciation, "I have the right to judge... from where I come from I am given that job. As for my name... I am known as Xibalba."

At this name, the goddess of light slightly shivers. She smiles kindly and asks, "may I ask from where this name hails from."

Madrigal smiles warmly at her, "good question my lady but you should ask those who named me for I have forgotten"

The goddess's face stiffens briefly and she pitifully looks at Madrigal, "what a shame..."

Madrigal does not say anything and instead stuffs her hands in her pockets of her trousers. She feels the warmth of the card. She confronts the pressure of the goddess and the stares of the priests that want to dismember her for blaspheming against their god. Madrigal dismisses all of this and looks at the goddess directly, "My dear lady, thank you for your care. You were so kind as to summon us, but you also talked about unforeseen circumstances?... Is it unforeseen the amount of people you summoned or the circumstances that happened to our world?"

The goddess hearing these series of question promptly smiles, "Of course, it is the unforeseen circumstances that made the summoning ritual go awry and summon more champions than we needed"

Madrigal subtly sneers at her response and continues, "How will you sort out those that do not have the qualifications and accommodate them?"

The goddess smiled more deeply and warmly, "we will arrange accommodations"

Madrigal continues to probe the goddess and asks, "Does that not mean they will not have to participate in the training?"

The goddess has an apologetic look as she explains sadly "These ruins sadly require for everyone to participate to be able to go out. As I have said, it is for your own survival."

Hearing these responses, Madrigal lowers her head for a moment. When she raises her head again, she smiles sweetly and praises, "what a caring lady this country has"

The priests at the goddess's side nod in appreciation of this lowly being. The goddess looks at her followers and then at Madrigal, tentatively asking, "Any other questions, young hero?"

Madrigal nods which makes the goddess choke as she had not expected for her to nod, "based on your magnanimity you have shown to us outsiders, I would like to inquire of how long the training takes?"

The goddess nods in understanding, "it will depend on each and everyone's abilities, but since the situation is dire, I would like it if you were to be done with training within three months."

Madrigal nods seeming to understand, "Thank you for explaining our situation. May I inquire, if there is any possible way to leave us with granary and tools to cook so that we may cook for ourselves as well as water?"

The goddess looks at Madrigal in surprise as if she had not thought of that, smiling warmly she replies, "of course." She waves her hand and the food on the tables disappears. In its place is sacks of grains of wheat, millet and the like and pseudo cereals along with traveling pots, and luminescent crystals, and water bags. The goddess explains a bit about the contents, "these grains are surplus from the stocks our farmers gave to the country and the king has donated to nurturing everyone here, the luminescent stones will be explained by my dear followers, and the water bags you may refill them throughout your journey. Now that this is out of the way, let begin the trial run. Which of you would like to volunteer?"