AN: I Did the Thing you Guys! I Did the Thing.
I'm sure lots of you have moved on with fandom- I know I did which was part of the hold up /:
I know Rebels is Done now and it's been a while since writing was my thing, but I woke up committed af today and decided I'm going to keep at this until it's finished. It may take 40 years, but it's still my goal and it's never too late to keep trying.
The time away from the story has also made me both more critical but less concerned with polishing it to perfection, which is what i think you guy really want. There's likely a few mistakes here and there, but it's about the ride, right?
Still, I hope this surprise makes someones day. Enjoy you guys!
Many Thanks Always to the friendship and support from Meepicheep and CounterweightingDeath. Meepicheep suggested a big edit change on this 300 years ago and she was Right. Everything that came before and after this is due to her guidance and support.
And a special Thanks to the people who reviewed and pm'd their support- even when the continuity of this story looked the bleakest. The drive I had to get this done was entirety down to you guys and the hope that one day the authors I'm waiting on update from will get the same boost of support I did.
Keep spreading that good Karma guys- It works.
The Survival Trials
Chapter 17
Deciding sleeping arrangements had been awkward.
Ezra could sense the other boy didn't want to let his guard down, but they were both exhausted. So Ezra volunteered to sleep first, and in a show of good faith, he offered the kid his precious helmet in case he felt the need of the night vision or microspecs. Seven's hands reached out at first and then hesitated. After a moment he withdrew and shook his head, telling Ezra he would feel the tree shake if anyone climbed up after them and he couldn't see the forest floor anyway.
Ezra shrugged and put the helmet back on and dropped the faceplate, feeling safer with his features hidden. Every second he kept his true identity from scrutiny was another minute that the Ghost crew stayed hidden.
It was odd, putting his back to his new teammate, feeling both safer and more anxious at the other boy presence. Hoping the Xexto wouldn't change his mind about their partnership overnight and disappear, Ezra made himself comfortable against the hard tree and wondered if Seven had briefly considered taking the helmet and fleeing with it. It was easily one of the most useful things in the arena.
It's what I would've done, Ezra thought, another lifetime ago…
He hoped Seven's refusal was a good sign.
His felt his heart sped up the pace a little as he hunkered down, trying to ignore the life signature seated beside him. It felt so alien to rest with someone else so close.
But even with a long rest the previous night, Ezra was still completely worn out, physically and mentally, and he wanted to put his trust in the Xexto.
Sleep came quickly. The hammock shifted slightly with their weight, and the air was still and warm. It was easy to forget the dangers that lurked below. Ezra crossed his arms against his chest and closed his eyes.
All too soon he felt Seven prodding him hesitantly in the arm.
"Your watch," Seven told him and Ezra nodded his acceptance.
They traded watch every few hours, keeping time by guesswork. Ezra noticed the kid slept with his arms pulled up, wrapped around his knees and head, forming a tight trembling ball.
Ezra thought of everything he'd gone through to get to this point; the slavers, the trial guards, the other candidates, the solitude. Seven must have been through all that too, and possibly worse. Seven wasn't here because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. He was here because some speciest bastard had wanted to add some colour to his line up, not caring that it meant putting a death warrant on a kid. It was just like the propaganda the Empire spread everywhere like the Cardooine chills; humanoids were the only lives worth their own salt, right?
The thought made anger bubble up in his chest.
Ezra pushed the feeling back; being angry didn't help Seven or himself, but it did shake any further thoughts of sleep. Instead, he folded his knees under him and forced himself to fall into the regular breathing pattern. He hadn't had the time or the security for meditation until now. Even though his brain felt fried, like overloaded circuits; finding a steady rhythm was easier than expected.
His time in the box waiting for the trial had been well spent. His practice at sensing other life forms and maintaining a level of vigilance during rest had stayed with him. Kanan would be proud.
Ezra cast out a net of awareness, searching for anything sinister or unusual, but beyond the steady blink of Stevens' presence beside him, there were no returning echoes in the Force.
The grey dawn light was already creeping through the leaves before Ezra thought to shake Seven awake.
They ate a mixed meal of Ezra's dried fish and Seven's mushroom caps, taking turns to drink from the water skin Ezra had filled the night before.
"So..." Ezra began, clearing his throat. "Where to now?"
Seven shrugged, keeping his arms and legs tucked up around him.
The morning had been awkwardly quiet, and Ezra had failed to start conversation with the other boy four times now.
Ezra sighed and made a show of stretching his legs. "Maybe we should just stay up here. I mean, we got water and food for a while at least. Relax a bit."
Seven twisted his mouth, his eyes darting from the vibroblade hilt peeking out of Ezra's boot to the edges of the hammock. Ezra could sense the other kid's fear spike in small flutters.
Now with a good night's rest, food, and hydration, the other boy was clearly struggling to justify the risk of working alongside one of his competitors.
Ezra swallowed his frustration and dug into the pack, trying to chanel Hera's unfathomable patience. He pulled out the last cut of fish and offered it to the other boy.
Seven accepted it after a moment, and nodded thankfully.
"I… I would rather keep moving."
Ezra sighed, "You're probably right. The sooner we find a way out the better."
"What about the other competitors?" Seven asked in a weak voice.
Ezra stopped and thought for a moment. "How many are left?"
Seven expression grew grim at the reminder. "There's 12… including us."
"12?" Ezra grimaced, his calculations had been way off. He must have missed the cannons when he was hidden in the cave. That wasn't good news, less candidates meant their time was running shorter than he thought. But perhaps…
"Know if any other Fodder is still out there?" He asked, hopeful.
Seven winced. "I… don't think so. I only saw the others at the… beginning."
Ezra tightened his jaw, shoving away the bad news with a shake of his head.
Seven looked up and smiled thinly. "To be honest, I didn't know you'd gotten out the pit till yesterday. I thought I'd found an empty area until I saw you in the river. I've just been trying to keep my distance from the others."
Ezra blinked. "You've seen the other candidates?"
Seven shrugged, making his collar shift. "Not all. I… found the Arconia sleeping. I took this from her bag." He pointed to the silver hook and line which he'd re-threaded through his sleeve for safe keeping. "I saw the Dug planting traps not too far. And I think the Nikto passed through here a few nights back."
"What about number Eight? The Trandoshan?" Ezra pressed wondering what had happened to the beast.
Seven shook his head. "I haven't seen him, but I stayed outta any territory with nothing to climb. There's lots of open space up past the rock point."
Ezra nodded firmly. "Good. Let's hope he stays there and rots."
Seven gave him an odd look at his brazen snark. "Aren't you afraid of him?"
Ezra thought about the moment atop the rocky outcrop, when the Trandoshan had swung the club with very clear intentions.
He cleared his throat. "Well yeah, he already tried to break my arms in the first hour of the trials and I need those. So let's avoid him for now."
Seven shrugged, "As long as we're up here we should be safe."
"I wouldn't say that but let's just hope someone else picks him off soon," Ezra said, deciding not mention the famous Trandoshan sense of smell.
"I'm more concerned with finding a way outta here. Maybe if we stick to our business, the rest will sort each other out for us" He grinned wryly. "Who know, maybe we'll walk outta here in one piece. We might even be rich."
Seven gave him a flat look. "You think we've got a chance of winning? Us?"
Ezra shrugged. "Why not us? We got picked for this Hell too. We're still called candidates. Who says we can't win?"
"Common sense." Seven answered flatly.
Ezra grinned, he liked this kid. "Maybe alone we didn't stand much of a chance, but now we have each other. We're stronger together than they are alone. We can work as a team, as one."
Seven's grey neck snapped up and his eyes were wide. "Say that again!" he demanded, his voice suddenly stronger than Ezra had heard him speak since yesterday.
"What?" Ezra flailed, unsure what the boy was asking. "We're a team? As one?"
The Xexto boy studied him, eyes narrowing and scanning his face and then widening slowly. "You-you're..." His mouth suddenly clamped shut and he looked around them in fear. Ezra turned, searching for whatever had startled him, but seeing nothing but trees and sunlight.
"What is it, Sev?"
The Xexto shook his head gently. "You shouldn't be here." Seven whispered finally, almost accusing.
Ezra frowned, "Well neither should you. So how about we fix that?"
Seven grit his teeth, frustration showing on his face.
"So what… what do we do now?"
Ezra studied the boy's sudden change, he sensed there was more to be said, but didn't dare to talk about it knowing they were under surveillance. Ezra decided to let the subject drop. They had other things to discuss.
He glance out over the patchwork trees that reached from one end of the horizon to the other. Ever since his first glimpse of the arena, he had a nagging suspicion, but the very idea was too wide scale to even be possible, surely. It hurt his brain just trying to imagine how such a thing could be real, and he had so many other things to worry about that each time he felt the suspicion itching at his brain, he had actively pushed it away.
But now things were different.
He turned to Seven.
"Remember the clearing where the entry tubes were? If that was a fixed point, what direction would you call North?"
The Xexto boy frowned, glancing up at the eternally centered sun, and then back to Ezra. His expression was neutral, but Ezra suspected the boy had had similar thoughts to his own.
"That way." Seven said decidedly, and pointed a bony finger in the direction of the rocky outcrop Ezra recognised with surprise as the one he'd tossed the Trandoshan down not days before. Karrabast...was it only that long ago?
Ezra nodded, "And where do you think the overgrown lizard and the others are?"
Seven's mouth pursed in a tight smirk and pointed two more arms in separate directions. "The 'Lizard' is North-East. And I saw the Dug's traps West from here."
Ezra nodded and pointed a thumb into the horizon behind him. "Then I guess we're headed South."
Tarp repacked, they picked their way carefully down the tree, but as they got closer Seven put out a hand and motioned for Ezra to wait.
As they drew even with the branches from neighboring trees, the Xexto tested the bounce in the bough under his feet; and then took a flying leap towards a thick branch on the tree nearby.
Now Ezra understood how the other boy had managed to survive this far, he'd been traveling through the canopy! Ezra was impressed, realising even he had rarely looked up when he was scanning the treeline for danger.
Seven landed safely, using his extra limbs to stabilize himself as the branch swayed a little under the sudden weight. Then he turned to send a smirk back to his companion.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Ezra tightened his pack straps and followed the Xextos's example. He lifted the faceplate of the mask to judge the jump with his own eyes, and pushed off the trunk of the tree. He had to stamp down any additional force assist in his jump and he cleared the gap just barely on his own.
He made a clumsier landing then Seven, unfamiliar with the flexibility and texture of the branches. But when he straightened he gave the other boy a wide grin before he dropped the faceplate.
Seven gave him a sour look, clearly unimpressed that Ezra had managed to follow him with such ease. "Show off."
Ezra chuckled and clamped him on the shoulder. "Go on. I'll follow your lead."
They traveled through the trees as far as possible, but the forest soon began to grow further apart and the overhanging branches became too thin to support the boys. Seven directed them towards the ground, carefully surveying the area before every step, and Ezra feeling ahead of them with the Force. Neither boy sensed danger and together they dropped down to silently the ground.
The continued on their path, now winding between the sparser and sparser trunks and beginning the hike up and down the gentle slopes of the earth. They had decided to stick close to the river for as long as possible. Every few hours or so, Seven would scale a tree and check their path, calculating the distance from the rocky outcrop.
At one point, the river made a sharp curve to the West, veering of their straight path and disappearing around a boulder. The boys filled the waterskin and drank as much as their bellies could hold before stepping away from the waterline and into the trees.
As they marched, Ezra caught sight of familiar patch of thorns and berries, and pointed them out to the other boy. Seven's eyes bugged when he told him how sour they had tasted.
"You…you ate one?"
"Well, yeah." Ezra answered, feeling defensive as the other boy started to chuckle. "I was hungry!"
Seven just laughed harder and it was minutes later before he could explain.
"These are not for eating." he told Ezra. He plucked a single berry and motioned for Ezra to hold out a hand. Ezra complied, feeling both sheepish and confused as Seven squished the yellow berry between his fingers, filling the palm of Ezra's hand with a small pool of white juice.
"Smear that on your leg." he said, tossing the berry skin and pointing at the wrapping around Ezra's calf.
Cocking an eyebrow at the strange request but willing to follow the instruction to see where this was going, Ezra crouched down and quickly unbound the makeshift wrapping on his leg. The small wound throbbed when he untied the scrap of tarp but it was scabbing over nicely. He slapped the berry juice clumsily over the wound and redressed it. Seconds later the wound began to sting, and then tingle as the numbness set in. "Better?" Seven prompted him, seeing the understanding on Ezra's face.
"A little," he admitted and readjusted his helmet. After a moment's hesitation, Ezra plucked a handful of the berries off the bush, mindful not to squash any and packed them safely in one of the pockets of the pack. Seeing the Xexto shaking his head at him Ezra couldn't help giving the boy a playful shove in the arm. "Who's the show off now?"
They continued, trading places in the lead. Stopping to drink from their waterskin and take turns disappearing into the bushes for fresher breaks. But while their spirits were high, the thought of the other candidates was never far from their thoughts. Ezra noted that his partner tended to keep as close as possible to the nearest tree line, always prepared to scale it at a moment's notice like skittish lothcat. While Ezra himself was focused on sensing ahead of themselves, determined to evade anyone they might cross paths with.
The day wore on, and Ezra barely blinked at the boundary where pale blue striped trees gave way to gnarled crimson trunks. It was a weird and brilliant clash of colour that would have had Sabine in fits, but the strange and alien clash of environments was nothing new to him now. Seven, however, came to a halt mid-step.
Ezra lurched to a stop beside him, reaching for his vibro-blade.
"What is it?" he hissed, and searched their surroundings. He reached with the Force, which revealed nothing.
Seven surprised him by crouching down, leaning his lower hands on his knees and running his other hands through the tips of red thorns lining the roots of the lumpy trees. He plucked one, inspecting it closely and then turned and flashed Ezra a wry smile.
"Here. Chew this." He held the spur out.
Ezra accepted it carefully, pinched between two fingers.
"Chew it?" he repeated, sure he had heard the other boy wrong.
Seven nodded eagerly, popped one into his own mouth and began plucking more out of the roots.
Ezra frowned at the giant thorn , but not wanting to show distrust to his new partner, he slid it between his teeth, mindful not to poke his tongue with the sharp ends and chewed carefully. The bristle was hard at first, but after a minute it began to break down between his molars into a thready wad. A faint taste touched his tongue.
"It's... sweet." he exclaimed at the pleasant surprise.
Seven nodded and then suddenly spat his portion into the dirt. "Now spit." he said, and then carefully placed another into his mouth.
Ezra did as instructed and spat the wad under his boots. Seven handed him a couple more, already expelling another.
"Why don't you swallow them?" Ezra asked, studying the strange little thorns.
"Oh never swallow them. They are poisonous."
Ezra balked, and stared at the Xexto. "Poisonous?!"
Seven smirked. "Only the flesh. The sap is good for your stomach," he rubbed two hands over his flat belly. "No more cramps. Helps with bad foods and water. Just don't swallow the skin." He spat again and chewed another.
Ezra offered him the backpack, and the other boy picked the handfuls of thorns and filled the inner pocket alongside the berries and what was left of the fungi caps. When he was done, he dusted off his knees and they set out.
They marched in silence, chewing and spitting the odd bristles until Ezra's taste buds began to feel overwhelmed, but his stomach did start to feel less tight.
They passed the water skin back and forth a few times, keeping a vigilant eye on the trees, that were still too spindly to climb, but growing thicker around them.
Finally, Ezra felt the need to break the quiet.
"How do you know so much about all this stuff?"
"Stuff?"
Ezra pointed a thumb at his backpack. "The mushrooms, and plants. Where did you learn what's good to eat? I can't tell one berry from another, and you're chewing thorns."
Seven didn't answer immediately and Ezra began to doubt his boldness. Maybe whatever Seven had to say, couldn't risked being shared over the monitors.
"Plantation work." Seven finally said. "The plantations grow and harvest whatever sells, and off world markets have strange requests. If you want to work, you learn quick."
What little conversation they had stopped after that.
Ezra was starting to feel the beginnings of a migraine. But he kept his mouth shut and sucked on his tongue to moisten his dry tongue. Karrablast, even after the sweet thorns, his mouth tasted awful. What he wouldn't give for a dentabrush right now.
They hiked on through another handful of territories, all unfortunately dry. Ezra began to have serious concerns about having left the river behind when they noticed the ground began to slope steeply.
The trees grew even closer here and nearly no light filtered through the growing canopy. The boys pace slowed as the air grew dense and Ezra took the lead to scout their path with the aid of the night vision in his helmet.
They skirted around a large clump of tangled greenery and came to a halt.
The thick jungle treeline suddenly ended in a sharp clean drop, and below… a sea of brilliant red grassland. There was no end to the grassland in sight, the cliff's edge ran into the distance in either direction as far as the boys could see.
Ezra blinked, momentarily thrown by how familiar the sight was. His heart lurched and a piece of him wanted to leap down and go running through the field, to feel the grass tips flicking through his fingers like on Lothal…
But there was something wrong with the sight. It wasn't just the brilliant colour or the flat uniform height of the grass…..
"There's no wind." Seven whispered, "Just like the trees."
With a jolt, Ezra realized he was right. Not a single blade shifted. He turned up stare at the trees, and just as Seven said, there was no movement in the canopy. Not a single leaf stirred. He had been so distracted, he'd never even noticed how still the air was. Now that he was aware, the absence of it was eerie.
Now more than ever, Ezra was certain that they were close. "We have to keep going."
Seven grimaced, glancing straight down the steep escarpment and out across the grassland. His grey cheeks puckered.
Ezra knew the boy was thinking about leaving the relative safety of the trees in trade for the flat expose field. Once they made the drop, there would be no quick or easy escape if they found trouble, they would be exposed.
Ezra swallowed, in any other circumstance, he would have vetoed the idea too. Go around, find another path, pick another direction.
But right now there was no other path, and they were running out of time for scouting. To risk changing directions now would likely waste the whole day's progress they'd made.
If they veered off course by even a little, they might never find what they both were hoping for.
Ezra lifted his helmet's faceplate, lay a hand on Seven's shoulder, and the boy met his gaze.
"You don't have to go down there. I can go, you can wait here and I'll report back if I find anything."
Ezra really didn't want to part ways, not so soon after making their alliance. He didn't want to go back to solitude and talking to fish heads.
But he couldn't bring himself to ask Seven to put himself at further risk. Bad enough they were both stuck in here, he wanted to give this kid the best chance he could.
Seven swallowed. "N-no. You said we were partners. We should stay together."
Ezra couldn't express the rush of relief and gratitude. He just grinned stupidly. "Okay. Then let's get going. I think we've still got a bit of light to burn, But I do not want to be caught out there when dark falls."
Seven nodded in agreement.
There was no other way around other then down. So they made the descent by making short jumps between crags and by using any exposed tree roots that grew through the dirt to rappel the steep wall.
Ezra led, his boot landing in the grass with a loud crunch. The grass and the earth were dry, and each step made the still stalks shiver and crackle underfoot.
The grass grew just a little higher than Ezra's ears, making a clear line of sight harder than he'd have liked.
Karabast! Was he Ever going to live down the nickname 'Shorty'?
Ezra ducked, hoping no distant enemies were scanning the horizon at that moment. Seven made the last leap down to join him. Ezra glanced up at the sheer wall once and swallowed. Climbing down safely had been hard enough, but there was no way going back up was an option.
Ezra licked his lips and steadied his nerves with a deep breath. "Come on." Seven nodded firmly and fell in behind him.
A couple of meters in, Ezra realized with a jolt that the grass wasn't bending in behind them, closing their path. Unlike the bendy willowy fields of Lothal, these dry flat blades stayed bent and flattened under their feet, blazing a trail for any enemy to follow straight to their backs.
"Faster." he whispered, determined to reach the end of this excursion as quickly as possible. They picked up the pace, choosing speed over stealth, and as the grasslands swept past them and they lost sight of the earthy wall at their back.
Every few minutes Ezra glanced back, making sure the Xexto was keeping pace. Seven's face was flushed and dotted with perspiration, and Ezra knew the other boy was as parched as the was. The air here was so dry, but there was no question of stopping for water breaks now. The heat of the sun was harsher here, bearing down on them as if it was barely past noon.
Without visible landmarks and the bright hot light bearing down, it was harder to keep a straight line southward. Shouldn't they have come across another jarring landscape by now? Ezra was just starting to seriously worry if they were still headed in the right direction when a sudden shudder ran up his spine and a familiar sense of foreboding hooked itself into his stomach.
He lurched to a sudden stop, Seven colliding into him.
"What?" Seven hissed in a panicked voice, scrambling upright. "What is it?"
Ezra gestured to shush him and waited, feeling the vibration fade away.
His first concern was that of the competitors had found them, but the feeling didn't feel malicious or moving. It was dangerous, but it felt… benign.
When nothing came leaping out of the tall grass after a long tense minute, he took a hesitant step forward.
Again the shiver of warning rang through him, the muscles at the back of his neck twitched.
He stopped short again, looking around with every sensor the helmet offered, searching for the reason the force was warning him.
It was rarely wrong. But how much of this was his paranoia or exhaustion and dehydration?
"We can't stay here." Seven barely whispered at his back.
"I know. I just…"
Ezra didn't finish, twisting his hands around the straps of his backpack, standing rod straight.
He frowned, while he tried to decipher exactly what the force was trying to tell him. He wanted to trust in it, to believe in everything it told him. But he also knew blind trust could leave him exposed, he could misread the signs. Trust and judgement, it was a balance.
"Give me a minute." He said to the other boy, hoping Seven wouldn't ask too many questions he couldn't afford to answer. He hesitated a heartbeat, and the forced his stiff arms to slide the helmet off, letting the air dry the sweat on his face.
He sank to his knees suddenly, the his backpack thumping on the ground.
To his relief, Seven did not question him. Only giving him a strange look before turning to keep watch behind them, glancing back every few seconds.
Ezra tried to ignore the anxious thoughts telling them to turn back, the building anxiety he felt every second they wasted standing out in the open. They were closer to an answer then ever before, he knew it.
Instead he focused on breathing. He imagined he was back on top of the Ghost coasting in the cloudline. Kanan at his side, insisting that he focus, that he breath right. He let out a deep practiced breath and heard Kanan's voice telling him that he should let his mind clear out and let the force in...
His worry, his fear, the deep aches in his body; he let them all fall away from his thoughts.
Ezra cast out his awareness like a rope that coiled outwards and onwards. A net that caught everything, because the force was in everything, and left him to decide what was and wasn't worth the focus.
Everything had a sense. Everything had a soul. Everything was connected.
Ezra lay out a web for himself, and sat in the center like an arachnid, feeling the strings move around him, sorting through the information it brought him.
There was something… something in front of him. No not in front of him. They were practically sitting on it. It was tall, wide and stretched out an up in all directions around them, and on the other side…hollow.
Pushing further, he felt familiar sensations: electricity, circuits, and the dry warm hum of power generators. Beyond that, everything grew dimmer…
With a jolt, Ezra reeled himself in. He might've leapt to his feet with a woop, if he'd had the energy.
Instead Ezra blinked hard in the bright light. As his eyes focused on what he knew to look for, he finally saw it.
Barely visible through the thick red grass there was a slight waver in the air, like a heat wave on a hot day, not a foot in front of him.
Karabast, he'd almost fried himself because he hadn't been paying attention.
But this was still the best outcome he could have asked for. This was proof
A grin broke out on his face. "It's a wall!"
Seven appeared at his side, and gave Ezra a curious look. "What do you mean 'it's a wall'? There's nothing there."
Before Ezra could react, Seven reached out as if to brush the grass away to see what Ezra could beyond it.
"No! Don't!" Ezra ordered, but he was too slow.
Candidate Eighteen had known about the wall from the beginning. While a Massassi's sense of smell was not as renown as the lizards, he was still a wildly proficient hunter and was no stranger to the history of the Trials.
After the initial scuffle that had been the opening ceremony, Candidate Eighteen had collected his trophies: the skins of two of the better tasting fallen fodder and made his selection of the pit.
In amongst the supplies he took, he had also chosen a fair set of traditional weighted spears, barbed and weighted enough to not simply drive through prey but to pin it to the ground. His kind were not often the sort ot distance themselves from bloodshed, but in a hunting situation with such wildly flappable and tiny prey, they were the clear choice. One or two fair shots would be enough to ground them, once he had closed in, then the real enjoyment could be found. Eighteen had also found something a little more to his usual tastes, a steelum polished long handled axe. It sang when he swung and sat more comfortably in his large grip the curved rapier had. He sniffed the sharp flat edge, sensing the sheerness of the blade and huffed in approval.
He would have prefered the vibroblade he had chosen first, something more personal- like the ones he had wasted on the humanoid rat and the lizard in the Pit. He may have had several left, but these ones were not as well balanced as the first pair had been.
But the axe one would do for now. A blade was a blade, as his kind said. It was through a blades work that the real value was found.
While many of the other worms had burrowed down deep in the trees, He had made his way out further. It took barely a day to find the right spot to claim as his own.
He found an open plain, flanked by a weedy dessert and red grassland on either side and marched until the air grew dead and quiet in his far corner of the map, and a corner it neary was.
The electricity field left a faintly metallic tang in his nostrils so he kept a little distance from the wall, but otherwise he paid it no attention. Though he knew beyond the invisible barrier lay freedom and while the prospect of the kind of slavery his kin had suffered did not sit easy, the Massassi had no desires to be released of his contract.
He had fought and spilled too much blood to waste an opportunity like this. He was a warrior, not a slave. He had come here to prove that by slaying those weaker than he who thought different.
He also knew keeping to the edges of the Arena meant that he would be less likely to be bothered by inferior predators and there were always the occasional few that had escape in mind and tried their luck against an Arena wall.
Here he set down his supplies and set about building the most important part of his camp, his roasting pit.
The first few days had been spent in patience, simply waiting in quiet like the old hunters taught him, hoarding his weapons and counting canon shots, letting the other candidates narrow the field.
This Candidate had learned long ago that fear was both his brethren and his tool, and dragging the contest out only played in his favor. He had no wish to brawl with rats, he had come here to test his mettle against those who might come close to his and slay them in battle.
On the fifth day, Eighteen had begun to run lower on meat and fresh blood, so it was fortunate that one of the very rats themselves had stumbled across his camp and he had been swift to put it to good use. The cannon sounded almost a full hour after he had begun his work on the humanoid, and he considered it to be nearly wasteful. He could have drawn it out much longer, but the creature's mewling and walling had been tedious to listen to. He put the thing out of its pitiful existence and enjoyed a fresh meal.
He thought all the fresh blood around the camp and the metallic tang coming of the wall may have been why he was so slow to pick up the scent when new prey came to his attention.
His nostrils flared and his blood immediately began to corse hot at the prospect of battle.
He stood slowly, coming to his full height and scanning his surroundings
There, in the furthest distance he saw a disturbance in the unbroken red grass sea, a thin path cutting a very nearly straight line through it. They must moving fast to have cut so close by him without his notice.
He took up one of the spears and swung his weapon sling onto his back. Though his actions were swift, they were almost immediately followed by a crackle of light and the horizon shuddered as the wall restabelised. So the prey had found the wall.
The Massassi began to move, powerful stripes carrying him through the high grass, his spear readied.
It was time to hunt.
There was a loud crack, a charge of heat, and a blinding flash. Ezra glimpsed Seven being thrown backwards into the scrub, the Xexto's silhouette burned into his vision and his sight turned white as he was thrown backward.
Ezra's ears were ringing a little and he wasn't sure how loudly he was calling.
"Sev? Seven!"
The Xexto let out a pained groan somewhere on his left and Ezra felt his heart restart. Shaking his head and trying to find his feet, he lurched in Sev's direction, reaching for the force to guide him where his flash blinded eyes could not. He could sense Seven only a few yards away. As Ezra groped his way towards him, his hand brushed against something smooth in the grass; his helmet! He shoved it back on, cursing himself for ever taking it off.
The flare began to recede from his eyes, but he still tripped over the other boys legs as he crashed down beside him.
"Are you alive?" He demanded, blinking wildly trying to clear the glowing anomalous shapes swimming in his vision. The viewports identified the Xexto's shape sprawled in the long grass and Ezra patted him down, trying to find any injuries.
The other boy groaned and nodded, and Ezra noticed he kept his lower limbs folded tight over his chest, tucking his hands under his armpits.
"I-I'm fine." Seven gasped trying to sit upright.
Ezra would have argued otherwise but his attention was suddenly ripped away as the nape of his neck turned icy and a ripple of cold terror flooded through him.
He reached for the vibro-blade and lurched to his feet, swinging the weapon through the air.
It was no lightsaber, but he had acted just in time. The blade met with the shaft of a wooden spear swatting it from its deadly trajectory. His whole arm vibrated, jolted by the force of the spear. Ezra stumbled backwards, unprepared for the backlash he never felt when wielding his lightsaber. The weapon disappeared into the grass knocked off it course by the blow.
Ezra turned, and jerked the Xexto onto his feet.
"Run." he ordered.
He stumbled at first, but the adrenaline must have kicked in after a few steps and the they were both wildey cutting through the grass.
Their footfalls, the crushing grass and their gasps for breath were the only sounds for what felt like miles. The dry grass tanged and broke like ribbons around their feet and hands as they dashed through it, their chests burned and their hearts pounded in their ears.
All at one, the scenery changed and the endless red grass thinned around them.
"There!" he Ezra cried out, pointing at a dip in the treeline, where a low gully broke the cliff line several hundred meters from where they had come down. Seven nodded and Ezra made a hard turn and put all his strength into his legs. Minutes passed like hours as they ran, and suddenly finally grass fell away and the ground began to rise. They scrambled up the gully, backs exposed. But anything was better than running around like practice targets in the red grass.
Another ripple of danger from the force and Ezra shoved his shoulder into the Xexto, pushing them to one side as something stuck in the ground behind them.
Their legs burned, the trees didn't seem to be getting any closer until they were on top of them. Another spear sailed too high and hit an upturned root ahead of them, and they boys had to leap around it, racing deeper for thicker cover.
Forty feet ahead was a tree thick enough to climb. "Go! GO!" Ezra shouted and pushed the other boy ahead, nearly slamming him into the trunk. Seven scrambled to climb.
His muscles tightened, Ezra turned, knowing he couldn't dodge in time and swung again knocking the fourth spear off course.
All the power behind the throw still hit him and vibrations up his arm nearly made him drop the vibro-blade.
Ezra half stumbled, half turned, the specs of his helmets spinning as he scanned for their attacker…
The world suddenly jerked, and Ezra felt a force snap his head back as if Zeb had delivered on of his famous knockout punches.
He was thrown backwards and landed hard on an uplifted root, knocking the wind out his chest. Everything flickered and went dark. He tried to lift his head off the ground, but his helmet had suddenly grown four times too heavy for his neck.
In blind panic, Ezra struggled to lift it off, feeling the weight dragging on his arms and as sight returned he realized why.
A long handled metallic axe was embedded in the helmet above the right viewport, the tip was driven deep through the outer layer which has cracked and splintered from the point of entry. A few exposed wires crackled.
Dumbly, he looked inside where the very tip of the blade could be seen poking through.
He reached for his forehead and marveled at the drop of blood that came away on his fingers.
Ezra looked up, squinting as the world moved dizzily around him. Even without the visors high definition he could now clearly see a hulking red figure standing in the open grass field through a gap in the trees.
The Massassis shoulders heaved, though his arms were relaxed at his side; finally out of weapons. Ezra wasn't sure if he was imagining the glow of his yellow eyes set in the shadow of the Massassi's face. But the danger didn't register. It was like everything was on slow motion. The ache in his body grew worse. He wanted to lie down…
'...-ix! Six! Come on. Get up!"
Seven's voice shouting at him suddenly came into clarity, like he was surfacing from deep under water. Ezra turned, breaking eye contact with the massassi and found the strength somewhere to lurch to his feet and climb.
Seven lead the way now, leaping through the low hanging branches, pushing off to the next nearly as quickly as they landed. Ezra put all his focus on the back of the Xexto, trying to follow the same path through the branches. His heart was racing like the microticker on one of Sabine's bombs and his lungs burned; but he didn't dare slow down for a moment. At the first sign the trees were thinning, Seven dropped down to the earth and took off in a sprint, Ezra in tow.
Ezra didn't know how long they ran for. Whole sections of alien plants disappeared in a blur around him. All he knew was that he needed to get away from that terrible figure and those sharp yellow eyes….
Seven's steps began to slack, but Ezra didn't notice until the other boy stumbled over a tree root that appeared under foot. He barreled straight into the other boy, and they both toppled flat and lay in a heap of limbs, gasping for breath.
Ezra blinked as his sight spun around them, making it look like the trees themselves were shifting into place. He groaned and shut his eyes.
"Is… is… it safe?" Seven gasped, struggling to sit up and then collapsing back down again.
Ezra stood, immediately regretting it as his head throbbed. "I…"
He spun around, holding his aching head and squinting at their surroundings. They were in a section he didn't recognize, where the trees were pale and thin and the ground was dusty and loose. There were no sounds of anyone following them, only the boys heavy breathing and the pounding of his pulse in his ears.
He struggled to pinpoint what direction they'd come from. He swallowed hard on his dry throat and squeezed his eyes shut, and tried to use the force to sense if anyone was close.
He felt his chest burn and his head pulsing like an overheated engine… but he couldn't feel any pricks of immediate or closing in danger.
"I… I think so?"
Ezra couldn't be sure with the throbbing in his head, and the adrenaline gone leaving him, but he couldn't sense anyone beside the Xexto nearby. He gasped in relief, and let his shaking knees collapse. The Massassi wasn't following them, at least not for now.
"Six?"
Ezra opened his eyes and saw the other boy giving him an wide stare. "What?"
"You're... bleeding." The other boy pointed at his head.
Ezra put his hand up again, seeing the blood smeared across the back of his hand. The memory came back with a rush, along with the pain.
"Where's your helmet?"
Ezra blinked, and then opened his hands, realizing for the first time, they were empty. A cold shock ran up his spine and he tried to stand up only to fall back down again.
He must have dropped it after the Massassi's axe nearly pierced him through. He remembered it being too heavy to hold and his ears ringing… He resisted the sudden urge to cover his face.
"It's… gone." He answered after a moment, ignoring the crack in his voice.
"Oh…" Seven said, clearly at loss of what to say. They sat in silence for another moment, just breathing.
"We should get moving." Ezra said,his feet were still unsteady but he managed to get to his feet this time. He did not want to be stuck out in unfamiliar territory when the dark settled in. "I've lost my bearings. You got any idea where to go?
Seven looked around for the first time and frowned. "I think might've been here before."
As the other boy struggled to stand, Ezra saw a sudden flash of agony and grabbed the other boy by the shoulder to steady him. It was only then that Ezra saw the Xextos two right hands tucked under his arm and remembered.
"Sev, your Hands!" He grabbed them by the wrists and turned them up. The long grey fingers were charred and scored. The palms were a mess of melted raw flesh and bubbling white blisters. Ezra had seen electrical burns before, and none of them were pretty.
"Karrabast! Seven, why didn't you say anything?" As soon as Ezra said it he chided himself.
"Right, right- busy fleeing for our lives."
But the the Xexto just blinked at him, glancing between him and his hands. He looked apler now, apparently only now realising how bad the wounds were.
Without wasting another moment, Ezra dumped his pack and pulled out the water skin, emptying it immediately over the wounds. Seven flinched, but Ezra didn't have time to be gentle.
"You've been here before right? What direction is the river?" he demanded.
"Uh, Th-that way." Seven mumbled out shakily, pointing with an unburnt finger. "Not far-"
"Can you run?" Seven just looked at him. His thin cheeks taking on a nearly blueish tinge.
"Nevermind, just take this and climb on!" Ezra ordered, shoving his pack over the Xextos shoulders and turning his back, gesturing him to climb on. Seven hesitated, confused; but still climbed clumsily onto his back like some oversized child, his fried set of hands tucked against his chest and his left arms wrapped around Ezra's shoulders.
"Now don't, ugh, fall off!" Ezra told him, straightening up with a heave at the sudden extra weight on his already weak legs. He tried not to think about how easily Zeb would have carried the Xexto, like lifting a couple of meilooruns.
Then he reached out, instinctively drawing on the force, and ran for the river.
R&R - For Good Karma and to see another update- hopefully this one within the decade.