Chapter 3: The arena

Daxter crossed his arms and eyed up the dozens of crimson guard tearing apart what was left of his bar. He'd left the place for a few hours and returned to see it utterly destroyed. His girlfriend Tess sat on the counter beside him and gently fondled his right ear. As alluring as this was he still couldn't get over the fact that his bar needed to be rebuilt. He scowled at the dark figure in the corner. The man struck a match on the bullet riddled wall and lit a cigarette. He blew smoke into the air. Daxter jumped off the bar and walked over to him. The 2 foot tall Ottsel pointed an accusing finger at the man before shouting rather loudly.

"You said you knew who did this". The man stared blankly at the orange rodent and smirked before blowing a ring of stinking smoke around his face. Daxter waved it away and coughed slightly. "Either you sort this mess out or so help me I'll…"

"You'll what" The large dark haired man lowered to Daxter's height and stared menacingly at him "These are dangerous people Mr Daxter, and we'll deal with the as soon as we catch up with them"

"Dangerous HA!" Daxter threw his head back sarcastically in mock laughter. The stranger did not appreciate the joke

"What? You think that because your friend's some big hero that you don't need to worry about people like this. Well let me tell you something. These three are more dangerous and violent than anyone you could have ever met. And besides, the only reason anyone would come to this dump of a bar is if they were looking for help. Where is Jak?"The sudden flipping of questions had caught Daxter unawares and his mind reeled around before he even had a chance to speak again

"He's out" he stammered. The tall man straightened up. He dropped his cigarette on the floor and stamped on it before walking out of the door. The crimson guards followed. Daxter stared out of the open door after them. Tess climbed off the bar and scampered over to him

"What was that about?"

"I don't know, but something tells me we need to tell to the others".

Zack opened his eyes. It was dark, very dark. He could faintly make out two faces above him

"Am I dead?" he moaned

"No" Tara replied

"Thought not… if I was I would probably be lying on something more comfortable" Zack shifted uncomfortably on the hard stone floor and sat up. The three of them were in a small dank cell, moisture covered the floor. He ran his fingers along the ground and sniffed the tips. Blood and sweat. He wrinkled his nose "Where are we?"
"Marauder base" Raven got to her feet and paced over to a hard oak door. There was a metal grill at eye level and she peered tentatively through it

"And how did we get here?"

"They found us" Tara murdered "It was my fault"

"Well we're still alive and that's got to count for something" Zack patted Tara's shoulder and got to his feet, they shook slightly but he managed to keep his balance. Tara stayed kneeling and observed as he made a shaky journey to the door. He leaned on it for a few moments and nodded politely to Raven. He spun on his heel and kicked out. His foot hit the door with a crack and bounced off. Zack looked at the undamaged wood for a few moments and then groaned. He banged his head on the flat surface. Raven rolled her eyes and turned to kneel behind Tara

"We tried that" she called over to him. Tara sighed softly

"What do they want from us?"

"Well the bounty is up to 30,000 per head, but they would have turned us in by now" Raven began tallying possibilities up on her fingers "They could hope to gain our powers from research. Or just use us as weapons against other tribes". Seeing the look on Tara's face she stopped and tried to look more comforting. Tara perked up a little as footsteps echoed down the corridor outside. The grill slid open and a tattooed face stared in at the group, there was a loud clank and the door opened. Three burly marauders in heavy armour walked into the room. Each of them smirking and carrying a large fierce looking blade. Zack squared up to the closest and puffed out his chest. The marauder chuckled and gave him a frim shove. Zack didn't move and instead angled his head forwards

"Afternoon gents" he smirked. The marauders looked at one another. Raven climbed to her feet and took her place at Zack's side. Tara mirrored the action. The three desert dwellers shifted the weight of their blades. This attracted attention from Zack who in turn clenched his fists.

"Follow us" one of the men growled. He walked through the open doorway. The other two remained behind. Tara started walking. Seeing that their only escape was the door Zack and Raven followed her lead. The other marauders keeping a close eye on them the whole time, before perusing them out.

Tara kept pace behind the lead marauder. Every so often she would look inside one of the other cells at a blood soaked body or whimpering for in the corner. She bowed her head in a moment of prayer. The light at the end of the tunnel drew closer and she clenched her fists, there was something out there and it didn't look friendly. The tunnel ended abruptly with a port metal grid. The buff marauder stopped and pointed to three smaller cells lined up along one wall.

"One in each" he grunted

"What if we refuse?" the marauder lifted his blade and held the tip against Zack's throat

"One in each" he repeated. Zack siled innocently and stepped inside one of the cells. He muttered curses under his breath. The wooden door was slammed in his face. Raven scowled at her captors. One of them made to poke her, she turned sharply and stared him down. Tara smiled meekly at the group of three savages. They did not smile back. Deciding that living was more important than lessons in manners Tara filled the last cell. The door swung shut.

The cries from the stands filled the ears of the chief and his entourage of vicious looking marauders. He took his seat and waved his hand for silence. His gold and bronze armour shielded his face from the brutal sun. His subjects quieted down.

"LET THE GAMES COMMENCE" he shouted. The coliseum erupted with cheers and shouts as the marauders clambered for blood. He smiled to himself and snapped his fingers. A gate in one of the pit's walls opened and Tara was forced through into the sunlight. She blinked few times and shielded her eyes. A few members of the crowd wolf whistled and she was forced into the centre of the arena by two guards. She looked up at the chief. He drummed his fingers along the armrest of his throne. Tara nodded to him.

"Sire". The chief chuckled. "I only request that you spare us to show your subjects some compassion"

"Release the metal head". Tara's face dropped. Another gate opened and the clanking of chains was accompanied by a roar. A huge metal head was tugged free of his pen by several Marauders. It was like a giant armoured dinosaur. It's glowing crystal skull shimmered in the sun. The cannon on its back had been ripped free. It roared and thrashed around. A marauder was hurled into the air and caught in its murderous jaws. It crunched its prey and shook it. Once finished it turned on Tara.

"Oh good" she mumbled. It charged and she rolled to avoid being stepped on. The beast hit the wall and the crowd cheered. Tara rubbed her hands together and jumped onto the creature's back. Soaring into the air and taking a frim hold of its armour plating. The chief sat forwards on his chair and cocked his head. Tara scaled the beast and closed her eyes. The light energy pulsed over her and her hand glowed blue. She darted forwards and pressed her palm against the creature's head. It thrashed and screamed. It rolled over and Tara jumped free. She opened her eyes and they shone with white light. The metal head got to its feet. It too had shining eyes. On Tara's command it leapt into the stands and swung its tail into the walls. The colloseum shook.

Zack looked up from his unconscieous guard

"That sounds like our que" he bent down and picked up the marauder's sword. Raven wiped some of the blod from her hands

"Do you know how to use that?"

"It's a sword not a fighter jet. What's complicated about swish swish stab?"

"Just don't swish it in my direction". The building shook again and Raven kicked the grate off of its hinges and ran out into the coliseum. Tara was standing in the centre waving her hands to control the metal head. Zack ran over and tapped her shoulder

"Time to go". Tara blinked a few times and the light dissipated. She nodded and began climbing the stands. Zack heard a shout and a group of marauders ran towards him. He twirled the sword and buried it into the skull of the closest. He removed the blade and began to hack through the opposition. Raven rammed her clawed fist into the chest of another victim and drained him of the little eco he contained. She snarled and turned around and began sprinting up the steps of the stands. Tara was a little higher than her and was in the act of kicking a man down the stairs when Raven reached her. She shuddered and allowed her form to change back to normal

"We need a way out" she turned and Tara nodded

"There's too many of them to take out all at once." She pointed at Zack. He spun on his heel and slashed through the torso of another marauder. He ran a hand through his hair and cocked his head to one side. Then he started running.

"What's that about?" Raven asked. Three combat racers smashed through the wall from the outside and unloaded dozens of shells into the ranks of savages. A man leapt from his car with a long rifle in hand. He took aim and killed an escaping marauder with one shot. He turned and grabbed Zack by the back of his t-shirt and forced him inside the largest of the three vehicles.

"Looks like the cavalry has just arrived" Tara leapt down the steps. The man turned and lowered the scarf covering his mouth. He brushed sand from his goatee and signalled for them to get inside the car. They didn't need telling twice. One inside the man took his position behind the wheel and they took off back into the desert.