The crowd cheered on the Nikto gladiator as he cautiously moved toward the slavering rancor. The massive brown beast reared back its wrinkly head and let out a ferocious bellow. It took a few giant steps toward its prey, sniffing quizzically.
The Nikto made his move. He dashed for a small black hemisphere set into the floor of the arena. He brought his foot down hard on the dome, smashing it open. Reaching inside, the gladiator extracted a short force pike. The crowd erupted in applause at this find.
This particular event was called Mystery Item Monster Bout. Not only was the manager unlucky, he was extremely poor at coming up with creative names for his sports.
In his excitement at obtaining a suitable weapon, the Nikto didn't realize the rancor had advanced on him. It swung a mighty hand, caught him in a great swat, and flung him through the air. He landed facedown, but didn't stay that way. The warrior rolled, dodging the claws that swept down at him. The rancor ended up, smacking the ground, sending up a great deal of dust.
The Nikto didn't hesitate at this opportunity. He raised the spear overhead then plunged its charged tip into the expansive hand. The beast let out a terrifying shriek, flinging its wounded hand up high. The force pike was thrown high into the stands. "Someone will either get a very cool souvenir or be impaled through the skull," thought Beeggo.
Weaponless, the gladiator raced under a huge swipe from his bestial adversary and leapt upon his second hemisphere. This one relinquished an unsatisfactory item: a human skull from the previous day's prisoner slaughter.
The rancor whirled around to attack the Nikto again. Unsure of what else to do, the fighter chucked the skull at the monster. It broke apart harmlessly on its broad chest. Unexpectedly, the creature looked down, confused about what had hit him.
To the urging of the audience, the Nikto sprinted for the black dome farthest from the rancor. He gave it a swift kick and dropped to one knee to extract the item. "Yes!" thought Beeggo. The pit fighter had truly gleaned a worthy weapon. It was a Wookie bowcaster!
The rancor was fast approaching. Realizing it had been purposely distracted, it charged at the perpetrator. For such reasons, it is debatable whether or not a rancor is semisentient or not.
Six successive green bolts soared at the beast's massive head. Two missed, one hit its chest, and the other three found their mark. The rancor let out an earsplitting cry of defiance before flopping forward onto the ground.
When the dust settled, the Nikto could clearly be seen standing upon the conquered giant's carcass, holding the killing weapon aloft. Steps were raised from beneath the coliseum, and the victorious gladiator walked up to the crowd, which cheered even louder than before, rivaling the rancor's death bellows. He ejected the cartridge and flung that off to the right. Fans scrabbled for the small object, trying to net a worthy prize. Next, the fighter turned back to the center and cast the laser crossbow up to the waiting hands of his new admirers.
After the excitement had died down a little and the victor exited, the announcer came back on the intercom. "Well, that was truly an amazing fight! Hang on to those souvenirs, guys, they'll be worth double after this fellow's next battle!"
A worker called Beeggo to the stairs into the network of passageways beneath the arena. "And now… back by popular demand, Rodian Razor Deathmatch!"
The crowd roared in approval. "Feast your eyes as two Rodians will fight with weapons of their native planet!" continued the announcer over the loudspeaker. "The fight will be to the death, or, as some of you goodie-two-shoes asked, until ten minutes are up. At that time, the gladiator with the most remaining limbs wins!"
Speaking of eye feasting, Gans, like the arena manager, have three eyes and an amazing sense of sight. Thus, they delight in visual performances and architecture. Just thought you would like to know that.
"You ready for this?" asked the Arcona worker.
"I guess we'll see," replied Beeggo.
"Good luck." Another worker came up with a metal case. The Arcona extracted two gauntlets and handed them to the gladiator. Then, he turned back to the holder and delicately removed two Rodian repulsor throwing razors and placed them in the warrior's hands.
Beeggo heard the crowd above him: "Five… four… three… two… one!"
The door in front of him lowered swiftly into the ground and he stepped out into the middle of the arena. The crowd went wild, remembering how he defeated a giant Purella spider three days earlier in only thirty-five seconds.
"Here we go," he muttered to himself as he spotted the other Rodian, Seebo Kabouk, exit the western door. His appearance spurred even more applause. He had slain six foes in Rodian Razor Deathmatch and was a living legend. "Prepare to be dethroned, king!" Beeggo shouted across the sand.
"We'll see about that, Cha'zac!" sneered the tall, indigo-skinned competitor. Immediately, he charged.
"Heh. Fool," breathed Beeggo. He knew this tactic. Kabouk used it often. Too often. He would charge, causing his opponent to panic, and charge in turn. Kabouk would stop short and thrust out his razor, severing a carotid artery or shredding a shoulder.
Beeggo cleverly dug in his heels early and turned the enemy's signature move on him. The surprised Rodian tried to stop, but Beeggo threw the razor in his right hand! He ducked that shot and lunged forward, trying to stab his opponent. Beeggo lashed out with a foot and sent the foe to the dirt.
Kabouk rolled away from Beeggo and slashed at his shin with one of his razors. Blood spattered the sand and the other Rodian dropped to the ground. This gave Kabouk a chance to get to his feet and prepare to throw his razor in a killing strike. The crowd grew quiet in the seconds before the fight ended…
But it was not Kabouk, hero of six victories, who got in the last throw. Beeggo was lying on his left arm, but he managed to toss his second razor into his right hand. With an expert flick, he sent the weapon flying straight and true. It shot right between two of Kabouk's ribs, burrowing itself in his heart. The Rodian spluttered, blood trailing from his open mouth. He stood like this for a moment that seemed to stretch on, as if time itself could not accept that this great gladiator had lost. Finally, dramatically, the man dropped to his knees, a gush of blood spurting from his wound. Silently, he dropped onto his face.
The crowd burst into insane cheering. Many a gambler cursed harshly as they were forced to fork over large quantities of cash. The underdog had defeated the man on the winning streak. David had slain Goliath. Beeggo Cha'zac was triumphant.
After only a little bit of soaking up the adoration of the masses, the Rodian fighter saw himself out. The east door sealed behind him as he stepped into the dim corridor. "Well done," said his best friend, Frygarr, a Gran. Frygarr was not a pit fighter, but he was a gambler held in high regard in the arena, and thus was allowed to go where he pleased. "Hey, let's head down to the Lady Fate Casino. Drinks are on me!" he said cheerily.
"Of course they are," laughed Beeggo. "You probably won a boatload of credits off my victory!"
"Hey," replied Frygarr sheepishly. "Like I always say: you do the work, I get the cash. Now let's get out of here."
AN—Thanks for continuing to read! Please review!