Great King Milo

"May we have a word?" the soldier said as he pulled out another cigar.

"That depends," Leo answered with a smirk.

"Does that word include one of you putting me in handcuffs?"

"Well, that also depends. Why was that dinosaur chasing you? Was that meant to be a prank young ma-"

"A prank?" Leo interrupted.

"You really think I would fight a T-Rex as a prank?"

"Well, what were you doing then?"

"I was hunting raptors and it kind of just started chasing me," Leo answered.

"As believable as that is, after the incident a couple of weeks ago, we have no choice but to treat this as an act of terrorism. "

"If that's the case, then you might want to call the rest of your buddies over here to help you," Leo chuckled.

"Wait just a second!" a third soldier interjected as he walked over.

The man had a small feathered Pterodactyl on his shoulder and was dressed in about the same uniform as the other soldiers, although he had a much bigger chest plate, and on his head, he wore a dark brown beret.

"Sir," the soldiers said nervously as they quickly stood up straight to salute the man

"The king has sent a message via messenger Pterodactyl,"

"Th-the king?" they questioned

"Indeed, we sent word to the castle about what happened here, and the king has requested an audience with the boy,"

"Th- The king wants to talk with me?" Leo asked curiously

"Yes," the commander said as he switched his attention back to the two soldiers

"and since you guys are injured and need to head back to the infirmary anyway, I'm going to assign you as his esco-"

"What would the king even want to talk about?" Leo interrupted

"Silence boy, for all I know he's taking this matter just as seriously as we are and wants to speed through your trial."

"And you think I'll just stand here and let that happen?"

"Of course not, the king is smarter than to have you escorted by two common foot soldiers. That's why he sent her."

The man pointed at a muscular woman with fiery red hair. as she walked towards them, Leo saw she was dressed differently than the other soldiers, She was wearing short sleeve chain-mail armor and a Metal breastplate, with leather shoulder guards, knee pads, and wrist braces, she also wore a huge revolver on her hip, and wielded a large battle ax.

"Wh-who's that?" Leo asked nervously.

"That is captain Aradel, you might not want to get on her bad side, she's been really cranky after the incident,"

"Wh-what incid-"

"Alright, let's get moving!" Aradel interrupted.

Leo turned to run away, but Aradel was too fast. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of him with the blade of her ax aimed right at his throat.

"I have been given orders to escort you to the king, If you think you can get away that easily, you're sorely mistaken," Aradel said as she looked at him fiercely.

"You two take the lead."

"Yes sir," both men responded.

"You, follow them," she ordered Leo as she moved her ax away from his throat.

"And commander, your help is no longer needed, go ahead and send your troop back to the barracks. "

"Yes sir!" the soldier answered with a salute

Not long had passed before Leo found himself at the entrance of the castle, an enormous stone building surrounded by a forest, with giant towers that were taller than the tallest trees. Two heavily armored men stood out front, guarding the door with automatic rifles tipped with bayonets'.

"Halt, what business do you have with the king?" one of the men asked

Aradel walked up and pushed both men aside

"oh, c-captain Aradel, m-my apologies, I didn't know you had left. Welcome back," the guard said nervously.

Aradel said nothing as she walked past them into the castle with Leo still following her.

When they walked in, Leo saw a huge room covered in large, beautiful paintings, which had marble floors and twelve massive pillars leading up to the king's throne. A great wooden seat, with gold and diamond accents. And on the throne sat the king, The great King Milo. he wore a chain-mail shirt, and a metal chest plate that covered his shoulders, his head was adorned with a golden crown, and to his side was a long sword he kept in its scabbard.

"So, you finally arrived," the king exclaimed as his voice echoed throughout the halls.

"Well done Aradel, I knew I could count on you. Now everyone, please give us some privacy. And you two, head to the infirmary and get bandaged up,"

"Yes king, thank you sir!" the two men answered as they hurried out the door.

"Sir, should I wait outside just in case he gives you any trouble?" Aradel asked as she stared at Leo intensely.

"No need," the king answered confidently, whilst he tapped on his sword.

"That would defeat the purpose of privacy, now wouldn't it captain?"

"Yes sir, understood," Aradel answered as she began exiting the room.

"So, what's your name kid?" the king asked.

"L-Leo"

"and your last name?"

"I don't have one sir"

"Don't have one? where are your parents?"

"I- I don't wanna talk about it"

"An orphan huh?" the king sighed.

"Well Leo, my soldiers informed me that you were seen leading the tyrannosaurus toward the village. Is there any truth to this claim?"

"No"

"Then why was the dinosaur chasing you? "

"Like I already said, I was hunting in the forest and it just started chasing me, I'm not a terrorist!" Leo shouted.

"Well, fortunately for you, I believe that story, but that's not why I sent for you. I'm more interested in what happened afterward. "

"What do you mean? "

"My men also said that you took down the tyrannosaurus all by yourself with nothing but a common wood-splitting ax, is this true?"

"Well, no. I hit it on the leg and it whipped me away with its tail, and By the time I stood up again, it was surrounded by your soldiers. "

"You really think a squad of foot soldiers could kill a tyrannosaurus?" the king chuckled.

"The only reason they could even get near it is because you cut its foot clean off. "

"C-clean off?" Leo exclaimed.

the king looked toward a wall located next to his throne. Suddenly, a man wearing a black cloth face mask stepped out of a small door hidden on the wall. He also wore fingerless gloves and a metal chest plate with leather straps, all of which were Dark in color. His only defining feature was his muscular bronze arms he used to pull a large wagon behind him out into the hall, then he immediately turned around and left, closing the hidden door behind him.

atop the wagon sat the massive severed foot of a Tyrannosaurus. Leos' eyes widened, and his jaw dropped.

"which brings me to the po-"

"How did you even get it here that fast?" Leo interrupted curiously.

"And who was that?"

the king began to glare at Leo with cold eyes.

"Anyway, as I was saying, not a lot of men can pull off a feat like that. Hell, most of the time they can't even get bullets to work. So, would you like to join my prestigious Gladiator Regiment?"

"Gl-gladiator regiment?" Leo questioned, still looking at the colossal foot.

"Yes, they are my twenty most elite, handpicked soldiers, who are only outranked by me, and the five Captains."

"Why should I join your stupid army?"

"Well, it's either that, or I send you to prison for possible terrorism, It's your choice really. "

"Not much of one," Leo remarked with audible frustration.

still staring at the huge foot, Leo took some time to mull over his option. He began to admire his feat of strength while the king's praises echoed through his head.

"Well?" the king inquired impatiently.

"Fine, I- I will join your army. " Leo answered hesitantly.

"Good. now, kneel for me please,"

"Huh? Why would I d-"

"KNEEL!" the king roared.

Leo quickly fell to his knees, his long hair now hiding his achievement from view. Just then, the king drew his sword, a beautiful dark purple claymore he wielded with only one hand. He walked over and placed the flat of the sword on the boy's shoulder and said.

"Do you vow to protect the entire kingdom and everything in it, including its citizens, allies, and King?"

Leo had to take a bit more time but finally he uttered,

"Y-yes, sir,"

"Yes who?" the king questioned with mild irritation on his breath.

"Yes King!" Leo shouted, this time with more confidence.

"Well then, congratulations Leo, you're officially a gladiator. Training starts in a week, but be warned, it's leagues harder than the common foot soldiers' training, but I'm confident you can keep up,"

"Sounds like fun," Leo remarked, now smirking again.