Chapter22: The razor gauntlets
Rhal and Vaughn stood side by side at the entrance to the arena as the announcer went over some formalities. The two fighters stood still, looking straight ahead and taunting each other. "So da little ooman made it dis far eh?" "Yeah, I guess I did, and I guess you're about to find out why." "Oh I see ya out der, takin all da hits mon, den bein fine in da nex roun. You don fool Rhal little ooman, he knows you sumpin special. But you dink a dis, why Rhal four dime champion mon? You bout fine dat out" Vaughn couldn't help but to smile, he couldn't believe that he was so excited about this, and at that point, he realized that this was his place, not necessarily here, but this culture. As horrible as it was, he loved every second of this brutal brawling, and it showed. In the way he played the crowd, the way he talked strategy between matches with Ka'jeal, and even in the way he stood now, trash talking with an alien species. That was something he would never have believed if you had told him just a relatively short time before. But to be fair, how many people would?
The loud horn blew again as the two fighters made their way to the center of the arena. They reached it and a single Yautja approached them. "As is custom, the champion of the games gets to choose the weapon of the final bout, Rhal as champion, what is your choice?" Everyone here spoke in the Yautja tongue, and humans were the only species who lacked that ability, normal humans anyway. "Rhal choose da same weapons dat he choose for da past dree year mon, da razor gauntlets." The Yautja nodded looked at Vaughn "he said..." the Yautja started in English, but Vaughn interrupted him in near perfect Yautja "I heard him". He had played along with the whole "speak English to the ooman" gig so far, but it had started to get old. "So you fulla more surprizes dan Rhal dink huh?" The champion said as he took his position. Vaughn looked back as he took his and said "Rhal, you aint seen nothin yet." They both stood there, about twenty yards or so away from each other, waiting the arrival of the weapons. Two Yautja came jogging out a short time later, carrying large metal buckets. Now Vaughn had no idea what a razor gauntlet was, but he found out soon enough. One of the Yautja sat down the bucket in front of Vaughn, then left. Inside was a large coil of what appeared to be the Yautja version of razor wire. The synthetic man looked up to see Rhal wrapping the wire around his hands, literally creating a razor gauntlet. Vaughn did the same; the thick leather gauntlets he already wore protected him from the wire, he notice that Rhal's leather hand wraps would shield his own hands. The fight began after the Yautja cleared the empty buckets, and the deep horn blew once again.