Chapter 2
Fyxan stood in a tall, domed chamber along with the other competitors. Many of them were from his planet, Noctxia Magna, and both foe and friend were standing shoulder to shoulder, hardly waiting to kill each other.
He'd landed in the Eternal Game purely through his own fault. He'd double-crossed the Ix Empire, and now he was about to pay the ultimate price.
The treacherous Kodax's eyes switched to Iruka, who looked breathless at the chance to fight in the Games. He, Kawa, Ghost, Kouhiimaru, Naraku, and Alloy formed a group known as The Fallen Six and were allies with two Glatorian called Ravdev and Lekhop. Both appeared to be skilled warriors, but were no match for beings such as the powerfully built being known as Zaeron or the Toa of Shadow, Nightwatcher.
Other alliances included partners Millennium and Dredzek, survivors from the Shadow of Ages, an organization destroyed by the Arcaeans. Both appeared determined, Fyxan knew either would double-cross the other if it meant to stay alive. Next to them, the hulking being known as Tetrack stood, his followers Velnax and Valtrahk following him.
"Ready to be deployed to the Arena," ordered the Ix supervisor.
Well, here goes my life. Fyxan thought grimly as he was led away by the Ix.
"Just remember," The Ix went on. "In the arenas, you kill. Or you die."
The Ix observed thirty-five beings, stripped of weapons, ready to leave for a realm of death and devastation.
And only one would ever return.
Fairon heard a dull thud as the aircraft that carried all of the contestants landed, ready to deploy them into a realm of death. Beside him, the enigmatic Toa known as Crystillix- whom he'd made peace with temporarily- shivered apprehensively. Both of them had agreed not to attack each other. They both knew they could not win against such odds, the competition was too great. So why should they waste time attacking each other.
"We're here," said Crystillix grimly as the pod opened. Fairon stepped out — and gasped.
He was standing on a colossal game board. A deathly black sky that held but a few feeble stars cast a half-light on the ground. Fairon glanced around at Ravdev and Harlen, the two Glatorian standing nearest to him. They looked equally amazed. Nightwatcher, Ghost, Iruka, and the Kodax alliance leader, Tetrack, did not look the slightest bit fazed. With a roar, Nightwatcher ripped apart his glass prison and charged towards the game board. Fairon watched Ghost's prison open, then Ravdev's, then his and Crystillix's.
"Go! Run!" screamed Crystillix. Fairon charged into the battle. He saw three caches of weapons, arrayed near a central podium. Farther away, tunnels began to open. A vicious competitor known as the Lavawight charged toward the central podium, where the fighting was thickest. Ravdev turned and followed him. Fairon took a breath, and then plunged into the battle.
Blood and armor splashed all over his body, and all around him, it was impossible to tell who was alive and who was dead. Harlen charged at him, tearing his arm. Fairon winced in pain, then slashed out. Harlen was a good fighter, but luckily, neither of them had a weapon. Harlen lashed out with a fist, sending Fairon sprawling into the dust. The wild-eyed Glatorian leered at him — then his fist fell to his side, and his shattered body fell to the ground. Fairon spotted Kental, armed with a Shattering Gun, spring away from Harlen's corpse.
Ravdev, her face set in a mask of grim determination, charged forward, then gasped. Fairon half-turned; horrified to see the female Glatorian had fallen into a pool of lava where a square of the board had once been. Fairon saw the Lavawight grab a long spear and ran her through. As her eyes glazed over with death-mist, he ripped out the weapon, and Ravdev collapsed, lifeless, on the ground, her blood mingling with the lava that had insured her death. Two dead before they'd even reached a weapons cache.
With a yell, Fairon leapt onto the cache and grabbed a sword. The design was unfamiliar to him, it wasn't his usual scimitar, but it would do. A Glatorian, Zaxar, lumbered toward him, swinging a mace. As Fairon was flung from the cache by the impact of the blow, the Zaxar's lower half shattered, blown to bits by Iruka. Nightwatcher lopped off his head neatly.
Fairon saw Spiruk run toward the podium, grabbed a weapon, and dashed into the night. Lewa sprung after him, but Ghost, armed with a scythe, ripped him down like a reaper. Spiruk lay unconscious; not dead, but Fairon wouldn't bet on him surviving the day.
A warrior called Sen charged past Fairon, who raised his blade, but Kawa was quicker. She grabbed the warrior and slashed him open. Sen collapsed backwards, desperately trying to flee, but Lekhop grabbed a Staff of Light and fired a bolt from the tip, killing him.
Fairon spotted a Spiruk, impossibly back on his feet, charging toward the next weapons cache at Fairon, his face contorted into a sneer. Fairon grabbed a second blade and slashed at random in the direction of Spiruk. He thought he saw the white Glatorian go down, and fled at random into the night.
How many have died? Fairon wondered, as the battles at the caches continued. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
The dark arena held no answer for him.