Chapter 36- Battle
Z rubbed her eyes as the fluorescent lights that illuminated the now empty hallways of the Academy came into view. As her door opened, she debated on whether it was a good idea to leave the comfort of her bed at such an ungodly hour of the night. Glancing back at her clock, a loud groan emerged from her throat. It read 3 AM, meaning she had only four hours left to sleep. If only sleep came to me, then I would be a happy camper. Unfortunately, Z doubted that would happen anytime soon.
Her mind was racing with thoughts about what had happened to Dru. Despite that it had taken place a little over a week ago, the image of Dru's decaying corpse would be permanently embedded in her brain. Z could still perfectly recall his bright skin coloring itself into a ghastly shade of white, the veins that ran underneath his skin tinged black, his cheeks sinking into his face as his dead body fell to the ground…
It only took Z remembering to become frightened once again.
That hadn't been the worst part now that she reflected back on the horrible memory. The mental picture of Pandora conjured itself into his mind, specifically the young woman's face as her hands latched themselves onto Dru's neck like vicious hungry leeches, sucking every bit of his life onto the vessel of darkness. Pandora's olive-black eyes had erased any reference Z had to Sydney's baby blues. As horrible as Pandora's eyes were, Z couldn't turn away from watching the action unfold before her.
A part of her felt guilty for being glad that Pandora had taken care of Dru. With Dru down, they would have one less evil alien to take care of. With Broodwing and Morgana's creations running around NewTech wrecking havoc every other day of the week, the Rangers had more than enough to deal with. One more alien thrown into the batch and their chances of capturing Grumm would have been even slimmer than they were presently. Z could only imagine what would have been of them, especially Sky, if Dru would have become one of Grumm's generals.
Then it dawned on her that nobody, even evil aliens, deserved to die such a horrible death at the hands of a girl that had fallen prey to an Emperor. And in the process, she had become both a pawn and a puppet in his twisted game to gain control over Earth.
When the Rec Room finally came into view, Z felt as if she had been walking for the longest time. Her room wasn't that far away, it took her about 5 minutes to get there every morning. That had been the longest 5 minute period of her relatively short lifetime. The same had happened over at the Detention Area with Kat. As random thoughts popped into her head, she lost track of her own mind and actual time, and swam right into the pool of her thoughts. Once she'd come back out to reality, drenched and plagued with more doubts and questions, Z had already arrived at the destination.
The Rec Room was unusually dark, illuminated only by the street lamps' that filtered through the windows in the room. It was awfully quiet, also something rather strange for a room that was so full of life all day long. Her footsteps echoed through the dead silence, disconcerting Z for a few seconds before the realization hit her. With a small laugh, she proceeded to make her way to the Food Synthesizer in the back.
The light was enough for her not to bump into anything on her way there. Besides, the girl knew the room by heart. Another trip to the Synthesizer in the dark was nothing for her. She'd gotten used to it. Having made quite a few late night trips to the Rec Room during her first weeks at the Academy, she was more than used to walking around in the dark. Ever since finding out that there was a security camera that sent a live feed to a monitor in the Command Center, Z had kept the lights off to keep her little night time escapades a secret. She certainly didn't want Jack or anyone else in the team to know about her occasional cravings in the middle of the night.
After pressing the buttons on the screen to get a cup of warm milk, Z tapped her foot against the ground. She wasn't generally so impatient but as demonstrated before, seconds could turn into hours if she started to think about any subject that popped into her mind. Thinking was the last thing Z wanted to do at 3 AM in the morning. Hopefully, her late night ritual of drinking warm milk to fall asleep would work this time.
As Z patiently waited for her order to pop out, a shuffling noise in the dark background caught her attention. Turning her head, she noticed a figure that leaped away from the couch and into the opaque black oblivion that was the rest of the Rec Room. She had just promised herself not to over think anything that came at her. Now, it had gone out the window.
Her mind was racing with more thoughts than she could bear to handle at 3 AM. Brown eyes wandered around the room, looking for any possible weapons she could use against this faceless attacker. If he is an attacker. Z sighed, knowing it was practically impossible for a Krybot or an enemy alien to enter the Academy unnoticed. Everything is possible with Grumm. You can never underestimate him. And with that, Z's plan for the night had completely disappeared.
Grabbing a white plastic knife from a dispenser, Z shifted into a defensive position. The irony of her weapon of choice wasn't lost on her. Brilliant, a piece of plastic. It was as if her and the stranger in the room were playing a deadly game of rock, paper, scissors. One wrong move and the stranger would kill her in a matter of seconds. Taking a deep breath, the young woman recovered a little of her courage and dared ask the darkness, "Who's there?"
No answer was given. Instead, footsteps that weren't her own echoed throughout the room, creating a grim cacophony that seemed to match the color of the room to a't'. Ignoring the clear disadvantage she clearly had, Z ventured further into the darkness, determined to find whoever was taunting her.
Z's hands went numb on her. Doe brown eyes were fully open, as if she'd been caught in the headlights. The sound of chewing, seemingly dry from the crunch she perceived, caught her attention.
Throwing the knife to the floor, Z walked over to the light panel. She was clearly not amused, as Bridge could see when the light was turned on. "Bridge! I could have stabbed you, you know?"
Bridge said nothing and just emitted an innocent laugh. "Don't laugh. It's not funny. I almost had a heart attack back there."
"You stabbing me with a plastic knife. Now that would have been interesting to see." The Green Ranger laughed again. Apparently the irony of Z's dilemma had dawned on him too. Moments later, the young woman began to laugh again, admitting how silly her statement had sounded. Once the laughter died down, Bridge sat on the couch and stared at her. "What are you doing here anyways?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Z pointed to the steaming milk, still in the synthesizer. "What are you doing here?"
"You haven't answered my question yet." Z should have known better than try to surpass Bridge's powers. Despite not using them, he always had a way to uncover even the most hidden truths. He was really good and always knew when someone was lying. "What are you doing here?"
Z sighed, sitting besides Bridge when she finally had her cup of warm milk resting on her hands. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about everything that happened this week. First Sky, then Dru… what else can she throw at us?"
"I can't begin to imagine what Sky is going through." Bridge looked at his hands for a moment. "I mean, I can because I have the ability to read his emotions but I wouldn't dare do that to him. Better he tells us."
"You're right about that," Interjected a deep male voice behind them. "And to answer your question: Sky is going through a lot of mixed emotions."
Z groaned and rubbed her temples. "First Bridge scares me and now you. Way to go, Sky."
Bridge wanted to laugh but repressed it, sensing the mood in the room had become more somber. As much as he wished to know Sky's feelings about last week's events, he would never dare to read his friend's emotions without his consent. Doing that would result in a total invasion of his privacy, not to speak of a rupture in their friendship. That was the last thing they needed. If they were to win the war against Grumm, they had to stick together.
Sky, wearing his uniform pants and his blue SPD-issued shirt, took a seat in front of them. Z giggled and shook her head. "There's no way you sleep in your uniform. Don't you get tired of that thing?"
"I haven't gone to bed, to be honest." It was true Sky hadn't gone to bed. During the interludes were Bridge was half-asleep, half-conscious, he hadn't once seen his roommate enter their room. He thought Sky must have been on patrol at the Command Center. Apparently, the night hadn't been kind to him either. Seeing their faces, he knew his teammates would inquire about his behavior as of lately.
Bridge had noticed it, Sky was sure of it. Whether it was his late night outings to the Rec room or his constant desire to take up patrol for the others, nothing got past the Green Ranger's radar. Perhaps, Sky thought, while he was sitting by the windows, Bridge could have been hiding in the shadows without him noticing. His late night rituals hadn't gone unseen, so now he sat wondering why Bridge hadn't said anything to him yet.
It was time to come clean about what brought him sleepless nights, although Sky could tell they knew already. "I…" His voice was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The familiar shape of a young man with dreadlocks was made present. I'm even more distracted than I thought. Jack was missing and I couldn't even tell. The Blue Ranger mentally kicked himself and commanded him to sit.
Slightly annoyed, Jack sat on the opposite couch that faced Sky. All he wanted to do was go to bed, dreading the training that would come in the morning. If they had any common sense, the others would do the same. Only twenty minutes and then I'm off to bed.
Sky cleared his throat, hoping he could tell his story without any emotional mishaps. Sincerely doubting himself, his voice shook in his throat as he began his retelling of the horrors he faced at Grumm's ship. "I couldn't see anything as the Krybots locked me away in a pitch black cell, it was as if I had been blinded. I had no blindfold nor was I chained. The darkness was my chain."
Jack sighed, feeling guilty for putting his own selfish needs before a friend's. Never had he seen Sky so broken before. It pained him to see such a strong man slowly wasting away into a reflection of what was once a stubborn, brave young hero fully dedicated to his task of protecting Earth.
"Unknown to me, monsters hid in the dark. I could not see any of them but I could feel their hands and their feet over me, constantly bringing me in and out of unconsciousness." Sky turned his back to them for a moment, a ragged sigh emerging from his mouth. "The only thing that kept me fighting was the image of Syd in my mind. All I remember thinking was how I was going to ask her out on a date. It kept me going."
The other Rangers let out little laughs, thinking of how amusing it would be to see their uptight friend asking out a girl that was his complete opposite. "When I finally saw light, I just knew that Syd had arranged an exchange with Grumm. I was unaware of the time I'd spent in there."
"You must have been relieved when you were finally brought back." Z had concern written all over her face.
Sky turned to face them, his face stained with fresh tear tracks. "For a moment I was. I had never been as grateful for rain as I was that night. But then, I heard Syd's voice through Morgana's obnoxious laugh. Despite being unconscious, I felt her lips upon mine and her voice comforting me. And in a moment, she vanished."
The other Rangers were unsure of what to say after hearing Sky's words. No one could think properly. The thought of Sky getting tortured and Sydney having the same done to her, or even worse given her current state, would be in their minds for some time.
"Sydney did this because she loves you, Sky. I had never met anyone risk so much. Her own life and body…" Z trailed off, an image of Sydney getting the same treatment as Sky appearing in her mind.
"Not only for me. I'm guessing that if any of you had been there, she would have done the same." Sky answered, looking Z in the eye. The pain he'd been though had been horrible. But none of that pain amounted to what he felt at the moment. Having Syd stripped away from him once again had to be the greatest pain he'd ever been though. To know that it had been his fault all over again was equally as painful.
Years ago, it had been because Sky had just been a little boy and had no knowledge of the evil that lurked in the universe apart from the monsters that hid underneath his bed and inside his closet. Or any knowledge about the dormant powers that were hidden inside him, for that matter. Now, Sky was strong, stronger than many and he couldn't fend off a crazy woman and Krybots to save Sydney?
Sighing, Sky laid his head back, not knowing how he'd be able to sleep at night knowing he'd let such a horrible thing happen to Sydney. Meeting Bridge's eyes, Sky knew his roommate had already caught up on what he was thinking despite not even taking off his gloves or using his powers. Bridge was just that good at reading body language.
"Don't blame yourself. You couldn't have done anything. You were unconscious when we picked you up, Sky." Bridge said, smiling as Z put a hand over her friend's shoulder, trying to ease his troubled conscience into a state of peace where he could finally let of the guilt and anger that had troubled him for many years. "It's not healthy. You can't keep doing this to yourself."
"Bridge is right. The important thing is that you're back with us and you have something to fight for. Syd is the fuel that will light your fire in battle." Jack smiled, no knowing how he had gotten so philosophical all of a sudden. Smiling at himself for that little reflection, he looked at Z who was giving him a raised eyebrow.
Jack returned the same look to his sister. "What?"
"Who knew you could be so philosophical? I mean, 'the fuel to light your fire'. Any girl would melt hearing that, especially a certain girl I know you've been seeing." Z gave him a cheeky grin, letting out a small laugh as Jack threw a pillow at her head. It was those moments that made them truly feel lika team and not four separate identities fighting for a common purpose.
Sky couldn't help but crack a smile, his eyes turning to the window. Silently, he wondered what Pandora was doing at that moment up above in the Galaxy.
Planet Karok
As her eyes cracked open, sunlight filtered through a small opening in the cell she was in. As Pandora realized what she was being held in, her eyes snapped wide open. The bars before her eyes told her that she was in some kind of prison. Even in her stupor, she could tell it was not an SPD prison. SPD would never keep their prisoners in a cell made out of stone and much less one that had hay on the floor.
Wherever she was in, it made Pandora think that she was some kind of farm animal.
Now that Pandora realized the mess she was in, she tried using her powers on the bars. Being so cocky, she thought that metal would not be a problem for her powers. Anything they threw at her, she could easily beat them. What she hadn't expected was that the bars would be not only resistant to her powers but that they would reciprocate by shocking her with a wave of power that was similar in magnitude to hers.
The blow had left her breathless, her body lying on the floor. This must have been what Dru was feeling like when she'd taken his life back in Newtech. Slowly, Pandora lifted herself off the ground. She shook her head, realizing now who'd brought her here.
"Broodwing, my dear friend. I can't say I've missed your ugly face." Pandora replied, trying to pretend like nothing was wrong and that she had not been hurt by that shock. As her stupor became more subdued, Pandora realized that even her clothes had been changed. The quality of the leather she was wearing was different and even the color. This leather was more rustic and brown in color. Gladly, she was wearing a pair of pants and not a skirt.
Broodwing let out a loud laugh, knowing this girl had no idea what was coming to her. "Let's cut the crap. You owe me, princess. You'll soon the way I make people repay my debts."
"How exactly? Cleaning your feet, washing your cape, clean your robots…" Pandora would have gone on if it hadn't been for another shock delivered to her body, this time courtesy of Broodwing. Groaning, she put a hand over her stomach and glared at him.
"None of that. You will make me a lot of money. So you better win." Broodwing said simply, a pair of Krybots escorting her to the outside of the cell and into some sort of dark tunnel. The Krybots basically dragged her the whole way through until her eyes came upon a little ray of sunlight that filtered through a pair of large wooden doors.
Pandora fought against the Krybots holding her down. The attempt turned out to be futile. As they reached the door, the young villain turned to Broodwing, whose face was barely visible in the unlit tunnel. "I suggest you save that energy in you for what's about to come."
"I don't know what you want but you're not getting away with this. If Grumm finds out…"
"Who do you think suggested I do this?" Pandora blinked her eyes at that revelation. Grumm had put Broodwing up to this, apparently. She couldn't believe that the person that had helped her become the villain she was now could do this to her. "I had other plans for you but I have to admit bringing you here is a pretty brilliant idea."
"Where am I, Broodwing?" Pandora asked, raising her voice even louder than before to emphasize her desperation. At that point, she didn't care if Broodwing saw her dear or her anger, Pandora just wanted answers. There would be consequences if no one told her anything at that moment. "Where am I?!"
Broodwing chuckled as the Orange Heads escorted her out after opening the doors. At first, Pandora had to close her sensitive eyes to the bright, white sunlight that had invaded her sight. She put a hand over her eyes, letting out a small gasp as the robotic soldiers threw her onto the ground. As her hands touched the surface, she felt it was grainy and it had a crystal-like consistency to it. Almost like salt.
As her eyes opened, Pandora finally realized what was beneath the palm of her hands. It was sand. Her ears had registered what sounded like a loud buzzing but as the dull deafness that had invaded her ears a while ago vanished, the girl realized it was actually a crowd shouting. Rising from the ground, her gaze widened as the realization hit her. She was standing inside a circular Arena.
Now she knew where Broodwing had brought her to. Planet Karok was known through the galaxy as a planet that had been through countless wars over the centuries. Its population consisted of many different races of alien species from far and wide across the galaxy, even some that now lived in supposed harmony that had once been mortal enemies. But Karok was not only known for its epic battles, it was best known for its famous Arena where prisoners from every race in the galaxy had at least fought there once. Perhaps it was even better known for the deadly warriors that fought in its sands.
As Pandora now came upon the realization that it was either win or die for her. Whoever was her enemy would not hesitate to demolish her body. The warriors in the Arena weren't exactly known to possess a higher intelligence like she did. They were better known for their brute force. At least, Pandora had two advantages with her powers and her brain. If anything was going to get her out of there, it would be those two things.
Pandora had traveled to Karok before to search for warriors that would aid her in Grumm's cause but none had gotten her attention. All of the fights she'd seen involves spineless brutes hitting each other and throwing all they had against the enemy. At first it had been rather entertaining to watch but by the third fight, Pandora usually left after collecting her winning from the bets she placed, which she usually ended up winning. The only time she'd lost had been after she'd put her money on the biggest rival, who seemed like the strongest.
Ever since that day, she'd told herself that size does not win a battle or determine the outcome, will and power do.
Her eyes traveled through the stands of screaming her people, their faces becoming those of vicious monsters, fueled by their greed and bloodlust. Not once had she been that rowdy when she was up there. The bloodlust of the Arena had never thrilled her as much as the winnings had done once all the fighting was done.
As the clamor of voices rose in intensity, she looked back at the gates she'd come in through. Through the wooden doors came a figure so ominous, she thought she might die right then and there. Her enemy was as opposing as he was appalling. His size tripled hers and his body seemed even stronger than hers in comparison. If she didn't have her powers, he could have easily taken her out with a simple smack of his hand.
What surprised her the most was her enemy's face. It was one that could have breathed fear even into Grumm and her Master was the epitome of fear incarnate. His face seemed to have been passed through the grill of a hot oven several times, half of his upper and lower lip had apparently been torn off and his yellowing teeth and part of the muscle underneath were showing.
When a voice called out behind her in a foreign alien dialect, she walked over to the representative. Before every battle, both warriors were made to pick a weapon at random from three different mystery boxes. The weapons could range from everything like a highly useful sword to a useless small blade that was better for killing oneself rather than to fight with in the Arena.
Pandora awaited anxiously, nervous as to who'd go first. After picking the face of the coin with the skull and her opponent, by default, having to pick the snake, the representative flipped the coin. Her face nearly fell as the snake was revealed. She cursed herself and bit her lower lip, nervously awaiting her turn, trying to figure out what weapons could be inside the heavy boxes. A loud grunt emerged from his mouth, a few gurgling sounds emerging from his mouth.
Raising a brow, she turned to the boxes to see which one he had picked. The representative cleared his throat. "Your opponent had renounced his weapon. It seems he has given you his weapon as well."
Either this alien was completely stupid or was truly too strong to take her out, even with her weapons and all her power. Either way, she wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Pandora approached the boxes with caution, trying to get a reading of what weapons may be inside. Slowly, she bit her lower lip after pressing the palms of her hands against the first and third box.
Slowly, she took a few steps aback, her heart beating louder than ever, pulsating inside her chest like a beating drum. Taking a deep breath as the boxes were lifted, Pandora felt a slight hint of relief when she discovered the double bladed staff and the twin blades underneath the boxes. After retrieving her weapons, she bowed her head to the representative, indicating she was ready to begin.
Once the horn that indicated it was time to begin blew, the brute that was her enemy sent her flying to the wall with a simple slap of his hand. She now saw why he'd agreed to let her have his weapon. She'd clearly need it. As he charged at her again, Pandora swung the double edged blade in front of her body. He was quick to attack but slow to react, as far as she could tell. Smiling as she saw a way out of the clear threshold she was in, Pandora slid through his open legs gracefully and stabbed the back of his leg ferociously, finding it difficult to do so since he had a thicker skin than hers. She stabbed him ferociously, trying to incapacitate him.
As a loud growl escaped the warrior's lips, Pandora was kicked into the ground by his heavy feet. Slowly, she rose again, her stomach and arms filled with scratches from the sand beneath them. She placed a finger to her lips, the taste of her blood invading the taste buds in her tongue. She needed a way to get up into his head and cut the life at the source.
Her eyes narrowed as the warrior came at her again. She slid down through his open legs and stabbed him again, this time using the staff as a lever to lift her self higher. She pulled out the twin blades, deciding to give them some use as instruments to help her climb up. It took some time due to her enemy's hardened skin.
That wasn't the worst part. Each time the knife went it, he would let out the most agonizing and piercing of screams that would surely have their repercussions on her head later. Pandora was already more than halfway up when his body began to titillate forward, almost threatening to fall over. If he fell dead at that moment, the crowd would be disappointed.
A big part of the battles in the Arena of Karok was the crowd. If the crowd didn't think the bloodshed and the violence was entertaining, they could immediately throw another enemy at her. What Pandora needed at the moment was give the crowd a good show and she'd be able to leave. A good show meant prolonging the pain and the screaming to satisfy them.
Giving a sinister grin to the crowd, she rose even higher. After Pandora took out one of the knives, she extended her arm upwards and let out a victorious scream. Surprisingly, the crowd cheered back at her, roaring like a herd of wild animals. Inserting the knife onto the back of her enemy once again, Pandora made a big effort to stay up there, despite the titillation that was happening. As the crowd roared, she felt even more determined.
After what seemed like a gut-wrenching hour, Pandora finally wrapped her arms around his neck, inserting the knife onto the back of his neck to lift herself up. As she climbed up onto his head, Pandora finally felt triumphant. Once again, she lifted her knife up and roared at the crowd wildly. The roar and cacophony that filled her ears made her feel even better about what she was doing.
Slowly, she lowered herself down his face, inserting her knife right through the eye to incapacitate her enemy even further. Her ability and acrobatic training permitted her to lower herself gracefully to where his neck was visible.
Inserting her last knife through the hard skin, Pandora clung to it for dear life with one hand. She felt her grip getting slippery due to the sweat. She told herself it wouldn't be long before the battle was over. As she took out the double bladed staff, the girl impaled his neck with it, her knife cutting through the skin, leaving a perfect red straight red line.
As her enemy started tilting forward, Pandora knew it was time to get off the train and onto safe ground. There was no way to climb back down his back, not with all the tilting her enemy was doing. She was unsure of what direction he'd be falling in. All she knew is that she needed to be off him as soon as possible. Taking out her staff from the body, she had not seen the blood flow coming. She closed her eyes, feeling the blood of the falling warrior drenching her. It certainly didn't smell like the blood of humans or less. The smell was putrid, even worse than Grumm's feet.
Pandora clung there for the moment, trying to cope with the smell. She could feel the bile rising inside her throat, threatening to spill out. She had to give this audience a show and be the one who came out alive. Determined not to lose, the blood-soaked petite lifted herself off his body, throwing herself on her back with her arms extended. The first thing to impale the ground was the staff. As the ground drew to a close, she somersaulted backwards and skillfully landed on her feet and not on her back, as many thought Pandora would.
Smiling smugly, Pandora pulled her staff from the ground and looked at her tilting enemy. Deciding to give him a push towards his inevitable demise, she put the staff through the back of his other leg. The body began tilting forward, slowly descending forward until it hit the ground. She lifted the staff and roared at the crowd once again, bowing gracefully. As the crowd cheered and screamed, Pandora climbed up the body once again, stabbing the body to make sure he stayed dead.
As the representative from Karok entered the Arena once again, the villain stepped back and let him do his work. Despite already knowing he was dead meat, she let the alien do his work. Her nose could smell the dead from miles. Once the representative announced her enemy was dead, he lifted Pandora's arm to the air.
"Pandora from Planet Earth!" The representative announced triumphantly. She could hear the surprise in his voice when he announced it himself. An hour ago, she wouldn't have believed she could win either.
"From Troobia as well. I don't fight with planet Earth." Pandora whispered in the representative's ear. The dwarf-like creature nodded its head and looked onto the crowd. "Pandora from Troobia!"
The crowd roared even louder when they announced where her true allegiance really lied with. Grumm had recruited many people from Karok in the past. Perhaps it was time for her to find her own army to show Grumm just how capable she was of being one of his generals. The first thing she'd do once they were out of there would be to call Morgana and have her come over. She needed a second in command and there was no better person than Morgana for that. Besides, Pandora only trusted Morgana.
Pandora's cold blue gaze scanned the crowd for Broodwing. As she spotted him, her eyes narrowed, her pupils becoming completely black. With a sinister smile, she blasted the alien who could do nothing but groan in response. Spectators were not allowed to bring weapons into the Arena for obvious reasons. Her eyes turned back to blue when she saw Broodwing vanish.
Once the horn blew to indicate the fight was over, the crowd began to disperse. The representative began escorting her back inside where she'd originally been in. "Will you be staying with us?"
"Yes, I will be staying for tomorrow's Games. I need a place to sleep." Pandora cracked her neck and stretched, looking at the Alien intently before turning her gaze to the window in her open cell.
"Follow me, then. You fought your battle and won your freedom. You do not belong here."
As he began to walk outside the cell area, Pandora followed him. She'd been strong inside the battlefield and held it on, but now that the crowd was not watching her fight, there was nothing more to hide. She hid behind an old establishment and vomited quietly, gasping for air as she did. After wiping her mouth, still left with that bitter aftertaste, Pandora rejoined the alien.
"I need a bath."
The representative nodded and escorted to nearby manor. After escorting the girl to her room, he handed her a key. "We'll have a healer and some food sent over. The Senate of Karok would like to request your presence tomorrow at their balcony for the Games tomorrow. Would you be able to attend?"
"Yes, inform the Senate of Karok I would be delighted to watch the Games with them. Also, put out an extra chair. I will have company." Pandora answered with a soft smile as she looked around the luxurious room she'd been given. If winners made an impression, they certainly got some nice things. Smiling at herself, she closed the drapes for privacy. "Another human for Troobia, my second in command, will be joining me tomorrow. Do you still have slave markets."
"Yes, they are open once a week, tomorrow to be exact. Should I send an escort to guide you?" The representative asked politely, turning around when she began to undress. Pandora smiled and put a robe over her blood soaked body.
"That would be great. I would like to be left alone now." The representative took a bow and left the young villain on her own to do as she pleased.
Once he left, Pandora sank into a tub of warm water, thoroughly washing her body of any grime, sand or blood that had been left behind. The water underneath her was tinged a slight pink once she got out. Sighing, she wrapped the towel around herself and dressed in a fine silk nightgown that had been brought to her. She went over to the window and thought of the day that was yet to come and the people she'd recruit in the slave market.