"Whatcha think it is?"
"Yew blind? Issa carvin' of tha' dragon right there."
"Yeah, but why is a dragon carryin' 'round a carvin' of 'imself?"
"Mebbe a gift?"
"Fink 'e'll miss it?"
"Obviously ya git."
"Might be funny."
"'Member Ole Drothfuss? 'E got got by an ape after 'e stole its necklace. Better not t' make enemies've th' gladiators."
"Eh, fine."
Something thudded against the hay near Apex's head, small enough not to displace anything but large enough for him to notice it.
Apex opened his eyes blearily, staring up at the wooden ceiling. He could hear two pairs of footsteps - one with normal feet and one with a peg leg, based on the sound - walking away. Everything around him was gently shifting from one side to the other, swaying rhythmically. The room creaked with the movements of the entire structure.
He stretched, starting with his legs as he reached towards the ceiling. The scar on his belly ached for a brief moment, but it wasn't that bad. Then he went to extend his wings-,
OW OW OW ow ow.
The tearing sensation had been exceptionally painful, and he quickly figured out why. By bringing his wings in front of him, he saw metal brackets had been bolted through his wing membrane. They were forcefully holding his wings shut, as unfurling them would wind up ripping holes through the membrane and breaking the bone. What an utter bastard move.
After spending a moment silently cursing the person who had put bolts through his wings, he rolled over and stood up.
He was in a cell of some kind. Fairly small, with a low ceiling. The entire thing was made of wood, with metal braces at points to hold it together. In one corner was a pile of hay, which he had been sleeping on. It hadn't been the worst bed he'd ever had, but it hadn't been good either. Another corner had a hole in the floor, which based on the smell was for waste disposal. One whole wall of the room was made of wooden bars, close enough together that he couldn't squeeze through but far enough apart for him to see across the hall to the cell opposite.
In that cell across the hall, he saw an odd figure. Their body was covered in blue scales, with a yellow underbelly. They had no legs, instead having a muscular tail that was currently coiled beneath them. Their upper body was like that of most bipeds, with a single pair of arms ending in five-fingered hands. He had flat features, with barely any snout to speak of. His red, slit-pupiled eyes glanced over at Apex, and the serpent-man turned towards him.
"You awaken," The serpent-man said, "That is good. When the Skavengers brought you in, you were incoherent. If you had been too badly concussed, there is a chance you never would have awoken."
"Yeah, I…" Apex trailed off, frowning. There was something deeply wrong.
Null.
"Did you see another dragon brought in with me?" He asked, his heart pounding in his chest, "He's, well, he's kind of scrawny, dark green scales, red eyes, he's got a curved tailblade, and…" And I care about him.
"I did, yes. The Skavengers appeared to be parading him around the ship, taunting him to break his morale. He was admirably stoic, impervious to their jabs. They had put a collar on him, but he was otherwise unfettered and unharmed."
"Then Null's okay," Apex slumped against the bars in relief. Only then did he think about his own situation. Wings bolted, locked in a cell. "Uh, where are we, exactly?"
"The Lady Albatross, ship of Skavenger Captain Krawl and one of the infamous floating arenas of the Skavenger fleet," The serpent-man answered, "I am Nero, naga alchemist-warrior of Althastrasan."
"I'm Apex, wind dragon of, uh, a small village to the south of the Ancient Grove," Apex replied. Naga. Right. Like Yuri had been, except he never actually saw Yuri.
"The Ancient Grove? An interesting point of reference for your home," Nero said.
"It was where we were captured by Skavengers. We were on our way to Warfang and had to pass through the swamp, but as we were going around the river, we got caught." Apex sighed. It had been his fault they were caught. If he'd been more vigilant or more willing to listen to Null, they could have gotten away, or if he'd taken the initiative he could have deflected the darts with magic.
"I see. I, too, was caught near the Grove. I was hunting the vile gorgon when I was chanced upon by a group of Skavenger scouts. Outnumbered, I was forced to surrender."
Hunting the gorgon? But what had Yuri ever done to offend anyone? She just minded her own business and tried to avoid hurting people. Apex knew he was bad at subtlety and things like that, but he knew better than to say anything like that to this complete stranger. It could put Yuri at risk, or even himself.
Something Nero had said earlier came back to the forefront of his mind.
"Wait, you said floating arena?" Apex asked.
"Indeed. The Skavengers pit creatures they've captured against one another. You and I among them. You had best be prepared, because the Skavengers are not kind to their gladiators." Nero hissed to himself, running a hand along a scar on his side. He looked down the hall. "Here they come now."
Apex followed his gaze to see a pair of canid pirates approaching. They were gruff and mangy and gross and also carrying guns. They stopped in front of Apex's cell, and one of them drew his gun while the other pulled out a key ring.
"Stand back," The key-holder snarled, glaring at Apex. When he complied, the Skavenger opened the door of the cell. "You're goin' to the arena. Krawl wants t' see whatcha can do. Follow. Try anythin' an' my friend 'ere'll put a bullet in yer heart."
Apex eyed the gun for a moment. He might be able to make a wind barrier that could stop the projectile. It was such a small thing - it couldn't throw anything faster than an arrow, right? But then it was better to be cautious than hasty. If Null were here, he'd know if Apex's magic could stop the gun. But he wasn't so he wouldn't risk it.
Apex followed cautiously, glancing at the other cells as he passed. There were all sorts of things in there. Giant insects, groups of gibbering grublins, a rock troll, skeletons with glowing blue eyes, an ape warrior, and even more that he didn't have time or familiarity to identify. Before too long he was brought to a small chamber filled with weapon and armor racks, with a metal portcullis on one side. He could see a sandy pit through the portcullis, the upper layer shifting gently with the rocking of the skyship.
"Prepare for yer first fight. Do well an' the Cap'n might grant ya special privileges," The Skavenger said.
"Yeah, I fight best with full use of my wings. Can you take these braces off?" Apex raised his wings.
"No. Fight's in three minutes."
The Skavengers left, the door locking behind them.
Well, he was alone now. He could see, just barely from the edges of the portcullis, the stands around the arena. Canid Skavengers were filing in, but they weren't the only ones. Dragons, cheetahs, some kind of insect-people, a couple of nagas, a surprising amount of apes, and moles all had a presence among the audience. There were far more canids than any other species, but the variety was surprising.
After a little while, he heard a voice over the din, amplified by magic.
"Listen up, ye scum o' the earth! We've got a special match fer all o' ye today!"
The background noise quieted, and Apex could hear his own heartbeat rushing in his ears.
"After a little scoutin' mission ta tha Ancient Grove, two o' our very own scouts brought back a mighty rare find: a wind dragon! Now I know some've ya've seen dragons in combat, and ye'll know just how dangerous they can be with their magics. But ye've never seen a one like this! 'E fights like a hurricane, and hits like a bolt o' lightnin'! Please welcome newcomer, THE STORM!"
The portcullis in front of Apex slid open, and he tentatively stepped out into the arena. He saw a few of the dragons in the crowd giving each other confused glances, and more than one of them looked genuinely concerned. His eye was drawn, however, to a special booth elevated above the others. There was, for lack of a better word, a throne there. A lavish lounging chair with banners of black and blue hanging all about it. Reclining on the chair was a creature with far too many limbs, each one ending in a hand with three digits. Like some kind of enormous centipede, its chitinous body undulated rhythmically. Its head had two compound eyes jutting out in opposite directions, with huge segmented antennae twitching out from the center of its face. Its mouth was a pair of horrific mandibles, constantly churning and shifting. It was wearing a heavy coat, though since the coat had only two armholes it was simply hanging about its uppermost shoulders.
Next to the centipede was a canid, with a thick coat of gray fur. The canid was wearing a bright blue uniform, bedecked with medals. In one hand it carried a short wand of some sort, which it held up to its face as it spoke.
"In th' other corner, a fan-favorite! Ye know 'er, ye love 'er, ye probably think she's a terrifyin' monster, we have Arachne!"
From the other side of the arena, a massive creature slowly emerged from its own preparation room. With long, long limbs covered in pale-furred chitin, each one ending in a four-fingered hand, its emergence took far longer than it had any right to. Its actual body was much smaller than its limbs would have indicated. Only once it was fully in the sunlight did Apex understand that he was looking at an enormous spider. Its bulbous eyes blinked asynchronously as it tilted its head towards him, the huge fangs in front of its mouth clicking against each other.
"Oh. They have given me a tiny one on this day." Arachne spoke with surprising clarity, able to form understandable words despite the shape of her mandibles. Her voice was soft, but no less menacing for it. "Apologies, tiny winged creature. I am very hungry, and you are very easily cocooned."
"They, uh, aren't giving you enough to eat?" Apex asked nervously.
"I am always hungry."
"Oh."
"Without further ado," The announcer said, holding his wand up to his muzzle as he did. "Let the battle begin!"
Arachne moved like lightning, two of her impossibly long arms reaching out to snatch him. Apex backpedaled, jumping backwards and spreading-
Nope, nope, ouch.
No flying, no fluttering, none of his favorite strategies. He used his wings to cast all his strongest spells. This was bad. This was very bad. Time to improvise.
You need to go on the offensive
Thanks, captain obvious.
I am -
Yeah I know, you are me. I get it.
Apex dodged another grab and let out a slow breath, shaping the magic as he did. He needed to create some kind of offensive strategy and fast, or else he would have a terrible time.
Bugs need a lot of oxygen.
How do you know that?
Null told us once.
And how does that help?!
Doesn't the silence bubble spell stop all airflow in and out?
…Yes it does. Okay then…
His magic wrapped invisibly around the spider, hugging her form as tightly as possible. To those above there would be no difference, but he could tell the difference immediately. Her movements stopped making sound, and the clicking of her mandibles silenced.
Now siphon all the air out.
What? No! That could kill her! I don't know how quickly a vacuum would pop her lungs!
This is a life or death struggle. She said she would eat us if she won.
Apex slipped under the spider, avoiding one of her hands. Two more slammed down, carrying a net of spider silk with them. He whirled, creating air blades with his tail to cut himself free as he shot out the other side of the spider.
She implied that she would eat me. Big difference.
She just tried to cocoon you so she could liquify your insides and drink them.
…Is that what spiders do?
Yes.
Ew.
Arachne was slowing down, swaying from side to side as she lost oxygen. Her grabs were more sluggish, less accurate with each attempt. With a swipe of his tail, Apex was able to knock half of her legs out from under her, and the massive spider crashed into the ground. She didn't try to get up.
Now kill it.
I'm not killing her.
She tried to kill you
We don't know that. We do know that she's hungry.
…We should send her some of our food.
Apex dissolved the spell clinging to Arachne's form, allowing the spider to breathe once more. He looked up at the crowd, which was watching in silence.
The enormous centipede, lounging in its chair, leaned forwards. Then, to Apex's surprise, it spoke.
"We have ourselves a winner."
And the crowd cheered.
O-O-O
"And t' the victor go th' spoils."
A tray laden with meats was slid through the bars of his cell, and the Skavenger delivering it turned to go. Apex was about to say something, only to stop as his stomach grumbled. He was so very hungry, and he could hardly stop himself from devouring everything on the tray.
"You've survived your first match in the arena - and victorious too. Very impressive," Nero said.
"Yup." Apex paused in between stuffing food into his mouth. "Hey, question, is Krawl the big centipede thing?"
"He is. He claimed the position some years back when he killed the previous Captain of the Lady Albatross," Nero explained.
"And they just let him stay?! After he killed the last guy?!"
"No honor among pirates. He was the strongest and the most cunning, so nobody questioned him. He also opened a flying arena after Fellmuth collapsed, so that earned him some popularity amongst the criminal world."
"That's messed up." Apex resumed eating. It was kind of bland, and very much not fresh, but at least it was food.
"What did Krawl pit you against? Normally he has something underwhelming for newcomers, just to test them out, then has an actual fight afterwards. I, for example, was given a quartet of grublins which I dispatched with my sword."
"Ft-," Apex swallowed his food. "I fought Arachne."
"Ar- Arachne?!" Nero sputtered, "They pit you against that thing?! She has permanently maimed creatures many times her size, much less those smaller than her! Why would Krawl pit you against her, with how much smaller you are than most dragons?!"
"I'm actually pretty big for my age," Apex commented.
"For your - you aren't fully grown?" When Apex looked up, Nero looked horrified.
"Nope." Apex popped the P. "Me and Null - my friend, the other dragon - were out in the Ancient Grove out of necessity."
"Krawl is abducting children and having them fight in his arena…" Nero moved away, leaning his forehead against one of the walls of his cell. "What a horrific…"
"No honor among pirates, as you said. Just awfulness all the way down." Apex glanced down the hall, seeing a mole with a mop slowly meandering his way towards them. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"
The mole jumped, surprised to have been addressed. "U-um, maybe?!"
"Can you bring this to Arachne? She's probably hungry." Apex gently shoved the tray out of his cell. "I think I've had my fill."
Yeeesss…
O-O-O
Apex quickly settled into a routine with his life in the arena. Wake up, chat with Nero, fight in the arena, win (usually) and then return to his cell until the end of the day. He had gotten good at fighting without his wings - really good - and his combat instincts only got better and better. He did have to ignore the temptation to go for a killing blow every time, but that was easy enough. He didn't want to kill anyone, even the Grublins.
He'd gotten to know Nero pretty well too. The big guy had really opened up to him, and Apex had reciprocated. They'd developed a good rapport, offering advice and encouragement after every arena match.
"My daughter Lanara is learning the trade of alchemy, following in my trail. She has already mastered advanced transmutations, and will begin work on her own iteration of the Great Work once she is ready," Nero boasted, "And my husband Sallarous is a masterful bard, with a hundred stories memorized and ready to be told at any moment."
"Wait, you're interested in guys? I didn't think there was anyone else out there who was!" Apex exclaimed.
"Well, there are many gay males in Althastrasan, and homosexual individuals of any sex are a minority but very present. I myself am interested in both sexes. You must really be from the middle of nowhere if you were not aware that other gay people existed."
"I didn't even know there was a word for it! My dad just called me an abomination and then beat me until he thought I'd learned my lesson." Apex let out a heavy sigh.
"There was no lesson to learn, your father was incorrect," Nero said solemnly.
"Thank you! Null was the only person who ever told me I didn't deserve that sort of treatment - although Null was also the only person I told so maybe that's on me." Apex sighed again. "Yeah, I'm from the middle of nowhere, like actually. A tiny nameless village founded to hide from Malefor. Wait, how do you have a daughter if you've got a husband? Null said nagas can reproduce without a mate, is that how?"
"No, males cannot reproduce. Not even through parthenogenesis," Nero said, laughing. After a moment he calmed down, his expression turning grim. "I had a wife before I met Sallarous. She… she was there when the gorgon broke into the laboratories. That was a great many years ago. I thought I had moved on when I met Sallarous, but when I heard of the gorgon's continued existence a few years ago…" Nero shook his head. "A foolish quest, even if the end goal is desirable."
"I'm… sorry." Apex looked down. He really had to stop asking people about family they clearly no longer had. They always turned out to have become statues.
Stupid. Stupid, insensitive. We're the worst.
Shut up.
"It is not your fault. As I said, it was a great many years ago. I just want to prevent others from meeting the same fate," Nero said, forcing a smile, "Really, I should not burden you with my woes. You have enough to worry about."
"Do you-," Apex was about to ask a different question to hopefully change the topic when he was interrupted by a distant boom.
There was a succession of explosions shortly afterwards, and the entire skyship listed to one side. There was the distant sound of snapping wood as something gave way, and the ship tilted the other direction.
"What's happening?!" Apex asked, hugging one wall. He dug through the hay pile, finding the wooden figurine and holding it tight. If nothing else, it made him feel a bit better.
"Another pirate crew attacking the Lady Albatross, in all likelihood," Nero answered, holding onto the bars of his cell to remain upright, "Or perhaps a sea monster."
"Will the Lady Albatross win?"
Another explosion rocked the ship, and something crashed into one of the decks above.
"I certainly hope so," Nero said grimly.
And… that was it. There was no more sound, no more explosions, just… silence.
None of the pirates or janitors who came by talked about it, though one of the usual gladiator escorts was missing an ear now.
O-O-O
Apex stifled a scream of pain, muffling it into a hiss as he curled in the corner. It burned. It burned like nothing else ever had or would again. It burned so bad his whole body ached. The braces on his wings felt tighter than ever before, constricting his muscle and bones so much that even that ached. His face hurt, his vision was blurry, and the acid in his eyes burned.
"Apex?" He could hear Nero slithering closer. "Apex, talk to me."
"It hurts," Apex whined, "I want to die. It would be better than this. I can't think. My eyes are burning out of my skull. I wish that stupid scorpion had killed me."
"You're going to be okay, Apex," Nero soothed, "You survived, and you will continue to survive. Just breathe."
"It h-h-hurts…!" Apex hissed, pawing at his eyes. It didn't help. It probably made it worse. He didn't care.
We will turn the pain into growth. We will outgrow these stupid braces, we will break out of this cell, and we will kill that fucking scorpion.
"Shut up!" Apex whispered to himself, pulling his paws away from his eyes. Opening them wasn't an option, that made the pain worse. He just had to sit there, suffering as his eyes continued to burn.
"Apex?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Hurts."
"Is the pain getting worse, or is it just very bad?" Nero asked seriously.
"It just hurts," Apex let out a shuddering breath, clawing his way across the floor. He reached his bed and scrabbled blindly through the hay until he found the figurine. He ran a claw over its surface, finding various nicks and scratches that hadn't been there when he was captured but were there now. Transferred from his body to the carving, he figured. But it had taken time to heal even then, and his aches and pains did not dwindle any faster than normal. He curled up around the figurine, whining quietly to himself. Today couldn't get any worse.
Then the ceiling exploded.
A/N:
Some people were worried that the story would get bogged down with an arena storyline. Rest assured, this is the only chapter that has anything to do with the arena, and it's really here to help set up some character growth.
Arachne is named after the character from Greek Mythology, of course. First spider, and all that.
You'll have to wait for Null's POV to understand why everything is exploding. Sorry about that.