The Hulk emerged from the humid, narrow corridors into blinding sunlight. A second after his eyes adjusted to the bright white sunlight, he gazed around him.
He had entered a colossal arena, and even he had to admit that it was impressive (If puny compared to what he would have built, were he so inclined and not a drained shadow of his former self).
Ghazghkull entered his huge open palanquin, bionic implants shifting down a spectrum in order to keep his vision at optimal levels, shifting everything from a reddish shade of greenish shade to a dark emerald green. He gazed around at the arena he had won and smiled, massive metallic jaws cutting into the scar tissue of his mouth and releasing drops of green ichor.
The Arena was built in the shape of a huge elongated circle, stretching for over three kilometers from the Slave▓s entrance (Hulk▓s side) to that of ⌠Da Nobz ▒Ut■ (Where Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka surveyed his dominions.
Its walls were a hundred feet tall, and were made of thick slabs of Ferrocrete over a base-structure of a white bone-coloured substance that poked out where the reinforcement had been slip-shod (Or in other words, every three paces or so, Ork workmanship not being renowned for its meticulousness.
Above the walls stretched over a thousand rows of seats, reaching up into the clouds. Once, sophisticated Holographic templates had magnified the view from the arena for even the furthest spectator, but Ork maintenance had left all aspects of this system malfunctioning save for the audio components. All any Boy needed for some fun was a good lot of noise and stomping, spectator sports being a recent and misunderstood invention among the Krork regardless. And due to this, the protective shields that had once protected the spectators from stray blasts or projectiles were now two-way, preventing enthusiastic Orks from joining in the fun all the time.
The floor of the arena itself was a slick, smooth white surface lined with deep groves that led to a central grill (which led to the feeding tanks, ensuring a buoyant, sustainable economy with zero Bloody emissions), although trap doors and weapon emplacements were scattered through it.
At the far end of the Arena stood Da Goff▓z table - Huge red tables arrayed one over the other for the close viewing of the biggest and hungriest of the Orks (It also served as the second half of Ghazhkull▓s renewable energy policy. Whatever didn▓t flow on the arena▓s floor was chewed on its tables.
Above the tables stood the gargantuan green palanquin of "Da Cheef", or as he was also known: Warlord Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka.
It was built in the shape of a huge Ork▓s head, huge red spotlights projected from its top, massive metal spikes as guard-rails and a powerful shielding system based on its nose, and atop the head sat Thraka (as he did now).
Ghazghkull surveyed the arena and the millions of Orks that filled its ranks and smiled. The warp storms that had kept him and his army of bodyguards trapped on this planet had almost destroyed the cohesion of his force as Ork fought the closest, toughest thing it could find, which in this case was always another Ork. The Pathetic Eldar that had lived here and barely sated his Waaagh▓s appetite for a week before they had started biting each others heads off. Then he had found the arena and the massive supply of slaves, and the whispers of Gork & Mork had told him what to do.
The slaves wouldn▓t have lasted long against the sheer numbers of his boys, but against each other? They might even show each other mercy and not get killed until their second or even third battle, and if there▓s one thing Orks like other than fighting, it▓s a good fight.
⌠Boys!■ bellowed Thraka ⌠Let▓s get this Bash started! WAAAGH!■ A million Krork throats shouted back ■WAAAGH!■.
Ghazghkull laughed ⌠You▓re a puny bunch aren▓t ya? I▓d bet that one of these puny slaves could do better than you lot■.
Hulk decided to rise to the challenge. ⌠How about this. I▓ll break each and every one of your pathetic green skins in half, and then I▓ll use your teeth as toothpicks■.
Ghazghkull cocked a bionic ear. ⌠What▓s this? Boys, I think that one of the new runty human slaves is trying to speak, look at it, a quarter of the size of your boss and he thinks he can match up to one of you boys? He▓s so runty he can barely stand on his feet, it▓d be a waste to bother a good Ork with this wretch, so lets feed him to the one thing here runtier than him! Ha Ha■.
Ghazghkull turned to one of the Nobz at his side and spoke quietly, ⌠You, Get down to pit rooms and make sure that the Fungus has been introduced into the filtration systems correctly, and into the slave dormitories. Blast a batch into the arena as well for good measure■.
⌠Err, Yeah, wat you said Cheef, I▓ll blast em so full of fungey they▓ll wish they were green!■
While Orkish biological warfare research marched onwards, Hulk was busy searching the arena for whatever was going to kill him.
He felt stronger now, although still horrendously weakened, and Anger was as potent a stimulator as ever. It was hard to focus his rage on whatever it was they wanted him to kill, when what he really wanted to do was leap the miles separating him from the leader of the green things (An act that would have once been child▓s play for him) and to rip off his metallic jaw before √
Hulk▓s reveries were interrupted by a thick wave of wet, greenish-yellow ⌠smoke■ that poured out of the arena▓s trap-doors, (now locked) entrances and grilles. It rolled over him, filling his nostrils with a wet, organic stink and his lungs with the moldy spores of the fungus.
Hulk took a deep breath and smashed his hands together in a thunderous CLAP that blew the cloud away from him, and disrupted the blurred figure that had run at him through its cover. The shadowy being was blown backwards like a leaf, but recovered in mid air and landed on its feet, legs outstretched and arms raised forward. The creature was taller than a human with long limbs and ears, lithe and slender to an inhuman degree, its black shiny armour covering it like a second skin, but its grip on the long green edged ⌠Cats Claws■ it held in each hand was sure and confident.
Hulk had never heard of The Eldar, Dark Eldar or of the deadly acrobat-warriors known as Wyches, or of their fearsome reputation, blinding speed and centuries of experience in deadly gladiatorial combat, but then again, he wouldn▓t have cared (And Vice versa for his opponent).
⌠Foul Krork-spawn, I▓ll use your skin as a cloak before playing a symphony of blessed pain on your innards that would do a homunculus proud!■ No sooner had the Wych whispered the words in her strange, clear voice than she sprinted towards him, her body close to the ground as she lowered her profile before lunging for Hulk▓s stomache.
Hulk couldn▓t help but admire the tiny thing for attacking him, but he was not in the mood for negotiations as he sent a massive fist forward in a low jab meant to protect his innards.
The Wych had been expecting this, as she sumsersaulted over the Hulk▓s head, slashing at his nech as she flipped through the air and as she landed, stabbed him again deep in the back. Hulk roared, but it was from pain, not anger. It was not of anger, for Hulk had been expecting this, and now that he had tasted the metal of his foe, he knew what to do. And what he did was simple: he spun around with the blades still attached to his now clotted wounds and kicked out at the Wych. The Wych easily bent over backwards to avoid his leg, but was left open to his fists. He slammed her into the ground with a crushing two-fisted blow, one that would have turned a human to a carcass, and left the Wych broken on the ground.
Slowly, Hulk took hold of the claws on his back and with a grunt, ripped them out, before flinging them next to the Wych. He snapped his head sideways with a sharp ⌠Krack■.
⌠Is that the best you▓ve got?■ Said the Hulk, facing the million strong wave of green Orks that stared at him through the shimmering shielded barrier.
The Orks who had been watching the fight with enjoyment let loose with a caterwalling of cheering, shouts and gunfire (usually all at once, or at anyone doing only one of the three.
⌠Green Runt! Green Runt! Green Runt!■ Cheered the Orks.
The Orks hated anything that was Unorky, and a big green thing that wasn▓t an Ork was definetly Un-Orky, but if there was anything that Orks hated more than that which was Un-Orkydox, it was puny little Eldar or brown-noses (Tau) or anything else smaller, weaker, smarter and less mean than them.