Barda. She was undoubtedly the star of the show. 2 meters (6,6') high, with a full head of dark raven hair that reached her lower back, she was an intimidating figure in her own right. Towering over all other contestants, she was an excellent warrior, currently wielding a heavy mace half her height. Her sharp facial features, high pointy nose that was akin to that of a bird of prey, slim dry lips adjourned with cracks and rough from the lack of care, dark bushy eyebrows that were permanently stuck in a scowling expression, her dark green eyes that were almost glowing in the gloomy light of the Apokoliptian evening; her facial expressions and features painted a picture of a fierce and determined warrior.
She was still in her early days, still loyal and unwavering, still willing to fight for the future of the New Gods. Her crucible days of relentless training didn't break her in the original timeline and wouldn't here, the needless cruelty of the regime that she witnessed first person serving in the furies, and her feelings towards one Scott Free - that was what broke her spirit, what made her change sides. Now she was still carrying a fragile spark of hope towards a better future amid a world of brutality.
Uxas wasn't willing to lose such a warrior to his own shortcomings this time. He refused to fail the bright future of his Empire once again; he needed to build an Empire that would improve not only his life and extend his will but also improve the lives of those who were loyal to him. The meta knowledge showed him clearly what he should do first, and that was building his own close circle of capable talent.
Barda clutched her mace with both hands, currently in combat with two other potential recruits. Her every movement was like a storm of raw instinct, honed with harsh discipline. Strike after strike, her mace left a dent in the shields of her opponents; she was brutally dominating the fight with them. Right after the start of the fight, it was obvious who was the better fighter amongst the combatants; the other two were not good enough for Uxas's standards.
The trainers watched silently, though shaken from the events of the day, they were confident in their best student and her capabilities. Granny Goodness, with all her brutality and cruelty, raised an almost perfect soldier for Apokolips. Barda was the prime example of what Orphanage was capable of at the top of its potential. They observed with a mixture of pride and a glint of ruthless expectation that she was their glory, their ticket to earn Uxas's good grace. For them, Barda carried not just the fire of her own fierce spirit, but all of their futures too; she was their prized stallion raised for the best races. The best they could ever master. And somehow it wasn't enough.
"Impressive", Uxas said, his expression as stoic as ever. He then immediately jumped into the fray of the battle, his two arms grabbed Barda's opponents by their heads and tossed them to the edge of the training yard. Their flying bodies fell onto the hard stone floor with a loud thud.
He slowly approached her frozen frame. The one that previously towered above others was now face-to-face with someone who was higher than her. Almost 3 meters tall, the New God prince was a terrifying figure. He looked at her with cold expectation in his eyes.
"Take a shield."
In his calm voice, there was a hardly hidden threat that she was able to catch thanks to her instincts. She took one of the two round shields that were left by her opponents, putting it directly in front of her face. She understood what he wanted from her. This was her real test, not the easy showmatch that instructors set up for her. She braced for impact.
Uxas didn't have a weapon on himself, and honestly, there was no weapon here, on Apokolips, that was worthy to claim as his own. He pulled his right arm to build up force behind the punch. There was no energy floating around, no special effects, just a straight-up punch.
His bare fist impacted with the warm metal of the shield, and the force behind it crushed it immediately. The golden metal crumbled like rotten wood under his hand. Barda's arms, which were clutching desperately her shield like a lifeline, flew backwards, twisting in unnatural angles. Her arms were broken. Her body soon followed them, flying, after the force of the punch sent her into the air. Her jaw was pierced with the metal shards of the broken shield. She felt her consciousness fleeing her rapidly, though she barely registered it. The only thing that mattered to her was the terrifying force that was Prince Uxas; a primal fear paralysed her mind. His bloodshot eyes, shining with the red colour of fury, would follow her into her nightmares for a long time after this day.
"Take her to the medbay", Uxas wasted no time giving out an order to the staff present at the training yard. Fortunately for them, some of the staff were able to force shut their open mouths and run with haste to carry out the order.
Most of the fights after that were unimpressive; the fighters in them weren't triggering Uxas's meta knowledge, and nothing shown was up to his standards. Yes, most of them were strong, fast and agile, better than most other Apokoliptians. But for Uxas, better than most was not enough. He was not gathering a military unit of passable quality; he wanted the best of the best that would be able to push forward and improve, that would be brave enough to follow him into the darkest parts of the universe, that would be capable of carrying out his will on its own.
Fortunately, there were two people who caught his eye still, even in this mountain of mediocrity of the so-called best training facility on Apokolips.
The first one was called Aurelie. According to his meta knowledge, she was briefly the leader of the Furies, who was later assaulted by one of the Elites, got pregnant, had her pregnancy terminated by Granny Goodness as a needless weakness, and later defected and was killed for treason. She was a small 1 meter 70 centimeter tall young woman with red hair tucked into a ponytail. Her green eyes looked at the world with unrestrained but twisted mirth, as if she was judgingly laughing at the harsh reality of the world around her. She was a sarcastic pessimist who no doubt had seen dark and fucked up things during her childhood here at the Orphanage.
And just like her outlook on life, her future was bleak and hopeless. He couldn't help but compare it to the Apokolips' future that meta knowledge had shown him; it was just as bad and unimpressive. Maybe the two of them could help each other; he would save her from her terrible fate; she would help him save the Empire from its fall.
It helped that she was an excellent warrior. The best hand-to-hand fighter that was raised at the Orphanage, better than even Barda. Of course, Barda was stronger physically and was better with heavy weaponry, like maces and hammers, but overall, Aurelie was an acrobat and used that well in her fights, jumping, leaping and weaving between the strikes of her opponents like she was a snake swimming in the water. The two of them, Barda and Aurelie, would make for a perfect two-person team; one was a heavy hitter, the other was an agile, swift striker.
The second one was nicknamed Petite Tina. She was not petite by any means, larger and taller than Barda, but still smaller than Uxas himself. On her head, there were two ram's horns, one of which was fractured during the training, the other was intact. Meta knowledge told Uxas little about her, as she wasn't an important figure, but what little he learned made him even more glad that he killed Granny.
Apparently, Tina was genetically modified during one of the numerous experiments carried out by Granny Goodness. As a result of being a small Lowlie child, she became a giant, horned, beast-like person, whom many called a monster or a creature. But in the end, Granny couldn't change her nature; that was kind and protective rather than violent and murderous like Granny intended. Tina only wanted one thing in her life - to defend her fellow Lowlies rather than act as a Granny wanted her to. That whole fiasco eventually led to Tina defecting from the forces of Apokolips and joining heroes and other caped folk on the planet Terra.
Uxas couldn't help but see the trend here. The best of the best on this planet would eventually try to escape, some successfully, some not, trying to flee the rule of his regime. With every single day, Uxas grew more confident in one thing: he should change. His methods and the way he treated those under his rule should change if he ever wants to actually reach his goals and conquer the universe.
He had seen enough today. He found three warriors who would become his Furies, his agents, and the extent of his will, but also his confidants on this lengthy road to absolute power. He silently took off from his podium and walked to the Royal Palace. He had one more thing to do on this hot summer evening.