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(A/N: Haven't been too pleased with the Gladitoria chapters, but hopefully my readers have liked them.)
Gladitoria: Part 2
Red, still hopped up on adrenaline, paced restlessly in his cramped little cell. He looked across the way at the Irken remains hung from the wall and the empty space in the center. Uncomfortably he shifted. He shivered in the cold, wrapping his arms around himself and cursing his luck. Oh he felt weak. He desperately needed sugar. He desperately needed any kind of food right now!
"Red?" he heard a familiar but alarmed voice call. "Red, where are you?!"
He cursed under his breath. This, on the other hand, he didn't need. He sighed and went to the bars, peering out. Purple was hurrying down the corridor peeking into each cage for a sign of him, but froze upon spotting the wall.
"Don't worry about it. They're not gonna get the satisfaction," Red said.
Purple jumped and spun quickly around, then looked immensely relieved. "Red!" he exclaimed, floating over. "What happened? What's going on? Why are you doing this? What are you thinking?! Was it actually a volunteer thing or not?"
"It didn't start out a volunteer thing, but it became one real quick when they made it personal," Red said, crossing his arms.
"I feel like you're gonna have to start from the beginning," Purple said.
"I got jumped, I got dragged here, I got threatened, I got mocked, and now I'm all in," Red said.
"You realize that doesn't make it easier to follow, right?" Purple said.
"I assume his plan was to take me captive, dangle me over your head in the arena to try and convince you to sign his treaty in exchange for my life, then go from there once you gave in," Red said. "Which you probably would have when he held my life by a thread. Don't give him the satisfaction."
"I can't let you die!" Purple said, eyes wide.
"I'll be fine!" Red said. "I've taken out ten so far, haven't I?"
"Well, yeah, but they're only getting tougher."
"And I'm only getting better, so smuggle me snacks, lots of them, and we'll see how this goes tomorrow or whenever they call me out next."
"I'm not letting you fight alone if things get bad."
"Purple, just do what I say for once!"
"I always end up having to do what you say!" Purple argued.
"And you'll do it again! Like I said. This is personal."
Purple shifted a little. "What did they say?" he uneasily asked.
"Never mind," Red said, turning his back on his brother and crossing his arms, head bowed.
"But…"
"I said never mind, Pur!"
"No! Not this time! This time you tell me or I'm not leaving!"
"Get me snacks unless you wanna see me on the wall of Irkens!" Red ordered, turning on him and pointing back the way Purple had come. Purple shrank back a bit, eyes wide then bowed his head. Red sighed. "Look, I'll be fine. Just do what I say, and we'll walk out of this."
"Fine, I'll bring you snacks, but I'm still not gonna leave after until you tell me why it's suddenly so personal for you."
"We'll see about that," Red replied, eyes narrowed.
IZ
Purple managed to sneak back to the cells loaded with snacks he'd gotten and a lot of drinks too so Red would stay hydrated. He floated quietly down the corridor. As he neared, though, he heard a voice near to where Red was. "You called her Almighty? The way she pled for her mate—if Irkens even have those—not to go was pathetic. You'd never see a sadder sight. And you wouldn't believe how gullible he was. You'd never seen a bigger pushover! I wonder how big a pushover your brother will be when he sees you at the mercy of our greatest gladiator."
"You're done when I get my hands on you," Red darkly said. "Leave Purple out of this!"
"And that name! What a stupid name! Let me guess, yours is Red? At least Miyuki and Spork had names! Whoa! Easy with the robot legs there, Irken scum. You'll need them for the arena." Laughing, the jailer walked off.
Purple waited a moment, then slipped from the shadows and stealthily made his way to Red's cell. "What was that about?" he asked, handing over the snacks and drinks.
"Never mind," Red said.
Purple shifted. "Is that why it's personal? Because they brought up Miyuki and Spork? And me?"
"Never mind, Purple," Red said.
"I told you I wasn't leaving until you told me what he said," Purple said, crossing his arms.
"You're gonna end up in prison if you don't get out of here," Red said.
"Then I end up in prison. You'd have a better chance of surviving that way anyway."
"Pur, leave before the jailer gets back."
"I'll leave once you tell me what I wanna know."
"You don't have to know about every little thing that goes on in my life!"
"You're fighting to the death! Clearly it's not a little thing!"
"Yes it is! It's a petty matter of pride, okay?!"
"Worth dying for?!" Purple demanded.
"Fine! Fine. Have it your way." Begrudgingly, Red told Purple what had been said regarding Miyuki and Spork. Purple listened in disbelief. Disbelief, though, was quickly becoming something else. A dark and quiet sort of anger that Red absolutely didn't want to be on the wrong side of. When he finished explaining the situation, Purple was eerily silent and looked entirely too unimpressed to be good. "Don't interfere in this, Pur. Not until you have no other choice. Let me handle the arena. You handle the Emperor. Be very careful with whatever you're planning to do next," Red warned, not trusting his brother's silence.
"What? I wasn't planning anything. Yet," Purple said.
"Be very careful with whatever you're considering," Red said.
"Don't you worry," Purple said, turning his back and then looking over his shoulder. "I'll handle things on my end, you handle things on yours. Do what you have to."
"Be very careful," Red said again, holding the bars of his cell. He was now admittedly concerned.
"Don't make me regret letting you do this," Purple said, worry flashing briefly in his eyes.
"I'm not making you a promise, Pur," Red said. Purple was quiet, but then floated away without a word. Red sighed. He really hoped his brother didn't do something stupid.
IZ
"Sign the treaty or watch your brother die!" the Emperor shouted at Purple, who was glaring daggers at him.
"No! I don't think I will," Purple replied, a fist clenched. "In fact, I'm writing up a treaty of my own, so there! And you're really not gonna like what comes out of it."
"When your brother is on his knees waiting for my decree whether he lives or dies, you'll change your mind," the Emperor darkly said.
"I'll worry about it if and when it happens," Purple replied. "You're underestimating him y'know. He's good. Really good. He wouldn't have volunteered if he didn't think he could do this."
"You'll regret putting such stock in your brother soon enough," the Emperor said.
"Well we'll just see, won't we?" Purple replied. "Now excuse me while I write up our counter-treaty. "And deal with a jailer," he added under his breath as he left.
IZ
When Red woke up from a fitful nap, the sight that greeted him was macabre, to say the least. There, hanging on the wall of Irkens under the plaque meant for a Tallest, was the very, very dead jailer. He couldn't help but bitterly chuckle. "Something dropped down on him from above. There are signs something crawled on the roof," he heard a sentinel say from elsewhere.
"It couldn't have happened long ago, but no one heard anything! How is this even possible?"
"Could it have been…?" The sentinels trailed off and looked towards him. He played oblivious. They shifted uncomfortably. Good. He'd gladly take the blame for this one. The further under the radar Purple was - and he would bet anything it had been him - the better. His brother could be one heck of an assassin when he got it into his head to be, and it was always better that assassins stayed unknown.
"He killed him slow," the first sentinel said to the second.
"Maybe it wasn't the red one after all then. He seems to like killing quickly."
"Something changed maybe?"
"Are you bringing me out to the arena or not?" Red demanded before they could get to speculating and possibly figuring this mystery out. They looked quickly at him again, eyes wide. Red sardonically smirked. "Don't worry. I can't afford to waste energy on you two." Reluctantly they came to bring him out.
IZ
Purple could only gape in horror as his brother fought and struggled against opponent after opponent again. By the fifth one, Red was pretty well spent. There were five more left. Maybe he should have brought him more snacks and drinks. Maybe he should have tried to break him out! Maybe he should have done a lot of things he hadn't, and now he was terrified his brother wasn't going to get up in time to take on the next set. He watched in disbelief, though, as his twin rose again like he'd just caught a second wind. The Emperor was shaking in wrath, teeth grinding together as his Irken prisoner stood. Red went at the new opponent with a fury untold. Said opponent was a creature, in accordance with the pattern. They clashed and Red took it down in only moments. Then a gladiator, then another beast. Now, though, he would face off against the toughest opponent in the entire lineup, and Purple dreaded it.
Red, panting and gasping for breath, looked exhaustedly up at his final opponent and knew this was the end of the line. It would take a miracle to pull through this one. Then again, he was due for one. The opponent was massive, but also lithe. That was a dangerous mix Red wasn't sure he could handle in his current condition, with PAK sparking and gashes and stab wounds decorating his body. His armor was practically carved off by this point, which was probably killing his brother to see, but here was hoping Purple held out a little longer.
Purple felt tears stinging his eyes and choked up a bit as he saw the gladiator approaching his brother. "No one has ever gotten passed Brutallo. He can't get passed Brutallo," the Emperor said in total shock.
"Red, you have to make it! You have to!" Purple blurted out, gripping the railing. "Don't leave me alone!"
Red let out a breath and tried for all he was worth to recollect Spork's training. To his dread, he couldn't recall ever tackling a lesson like this before Spork was gone. Or had they tackled it after all and he just hadn't been paying attention? Nervously Red backed away from the calmly approaching opponent.
"Come on, Spork, I need you in my head now," Red said to himself, searching his memory for even the slightest tidbit that might be helpful here. Nothing was coming up, and his unease was growing. It seemed the only memory that wanted to come to him about Spork was the memory of his death. The monster shattering the glass and bellowing. Him and Purple whipping around to see it behind their Tallest, who was looking back at it in horror. He remembered shouting Spork's name. At least he really hoped it had been Spork's name instead of something more personal.
"Dad!"
Spork had whipped around and shouted at them to run. More him and Purple than anyone else. Nobody had been able to tell it was Spork shouting the order but them. He remembered bolting with Pur, trusting that their... that Spork would follow. He remembered looking back with his sibling and seeing the thing snatch the Tallest from the ground. He remembered the scream as Spork was devoured… Dammit that scream. Purple had cried out for the man then, trying to go back.
"Da!"
Red had immediately stopped him, dragging him away so they didn't end up prey next. He still wondered if maybe there had been something they could have done to save him.
"Please dad," Red said, crouching into a battle stance. Wait… the memory…
IZ
Spork watched solemnly from the Citadel as Red angrily attacked a training bot, unleashing on it mercilessly. He looked down, then up once more and floated towards the young Irken. He stopped a few meters away. "Red?" he said. Red only seemed to get angrier at the sound of his voice and attacked the bot more relentlessly. Spork watched him, tapping his fingers nervously together. "It's gonna beat you," he soon said. Red went at it even harder. "Red, stop! You're gonna get hurt."
"As hurt as Miyuki was?!" Red furiously demanded, getting more violent.
"Red!" Spork shouted, suddenly lunging and quickly getting between Red and the robot just as the latter delivered a blow that would have landed the young Irken in an infirmary. Red fell back with a gasp, eyes wide as Spork held back the bot's blow, sparks flying from both bot and PAK from the effort it was taking. Suddenly Spork retracted one of the metallic legs, kept the blade back with the other, and delivered a strike with the free leg right through the bot's center, causing it to creak and collapse to the ground. Red watched on, eyes wide. Spork made sure the bot was down for the count, then turned to Red in concern. Red was staring up at him, eyes wide and heart pounding. For a long moment, there was silence between them. "I know her death hurts, but…" Spork finally began.
"Why weren't you there to protect her?! You two were never apart, and the one time you are she… she…" Red began. He stopped himself. Spork looked gutted. "I'm sorry," Red finally said, voice almost too quiet to hear. "I know you couldn't go with her, just…"
"I blame me too," Spork quietly said, cutting him off. Red was quiet, head bowed. "Let's train," Spork added after a few moments of waiting for a response that wouldn't come.
"Where's Purple?" Red asked.
Spork let out a breath, closing his eyes. "At her memorial," he soon said.
"Is he okay?"
"No. But neither are you, and I know how to be there for you a whole lot better than I know how to be there for him. I tried, I did, it just wasn't good enough. Miyuki… Miyuki always knew how to talk to him better than I did." Red was quiet, head bowed. "Let's train," Spork said again, expression somewhat concerned.
"So I can fail like…" Red began. He stopped himself.
"Like me?" Spork quietly said.
Red crossed his arms. "No, that wasn't what I was gonna say! I know what happened to her wasn't your fault, I do, just..." He trailed off. Spork nodded, floated over to a console, and input a few commands. Another robot was sent up, this one large but lithe. Red glanced at it. "Sir, I can't…"
"Sure you can! You just need a little practice is all. We have time before the ceremony."
"Your coronation?" Red dryly asked.
Spork was quiet, looked at the bot, then typed a few more commands, activating it. It jerked to life, eyes glowing red, locked its gaze on them, then began to pace around the two. Uneasy, Red backed up a bit and bumped into Spork. He looked quickly back at him, then at the bot again. Spork put a hand on his shoulder firmly, squeezing it reassuringly. "Keep your eyes on it. All of it. Don't focus on only one thing."
"I don't know how to do that," Red replied.
"You be aware just like you are whenever you and Purple are in a team battle. Watch everything. Pretend like you're protecting him too, not just yourself, and that might help. Here. Watch me," Spork said, patting his shoulder then moving ahead to face the bot.
"Watch how he moves. Is it with grace or with purpose?" Red murmured quietly. Purpose, he quickly determined. That meant his movements wouldn't be overly fancy. "Does he favor a side?" Red said, stopping in his moving back and squaring up. The left. He favored the left. The right must have been wounded before. "Is his weapon heavy, mid, or light?" Mid, he determined. "Watch the weapon, but don't forget the body can be a weapon too," Red said, crouching down.
"If he moves with confidence, like he doesn't figure you'd be dumb enough to go at him, be dumb enough to go at him 'cause he won't be prepared for it. If he moves with caution though, you wait."
He watched as Spork went off on the bot, striking it from every angle he could as soon as the opportunity to do so came. He watched as Spork countered the weapon and at the same time deflected the strikes from the robot's limbs. Spork dodged around a tackle and stabbed the bot in the back. It whipped around and Spork just managed to pull back in time, seizing its wrist and yanking it towards him and into his PAK legs, impaling it. It had taken about five minutes waiting for the perfect opportunity, but when that opportunity came, his mentor leapt on it. Red observed in amazement. Spork finished off the bot deftly and floated away from it.
"Your turn," Spork said, turning to the control panel and starting to summon another.
"I wanna fight you," Red said.
Spork paused and gave him this sort of look. Soft and amused. Affectionate. Spork thought about it a moment then turned around. "Okay, let's try it that way," he said. "Hands-on experience is always better. People are more unpredictable than bots anyway. We have time before the ceremony."
IZ
The opponent lunged. Red went at him with a shout, meeting him head-on and battling with fury. He kept his attention focused on the weak side. He didn't worry too much about fancy movements, just focused ones. Immediately the gladiator kicked at him. He moved out of the way and then deflected a blow from the weapon.
Sparks flew as he met his fa… Spork, in combat. Their PAKs were working overtime, metallic limbs clashing and clanging. He'd always wondered why the Tallest had only two instead of four. When he saw the weapons that sprang from slots three and four, though, he had no further questions. Two curved, serrated blades with equally curved teeth for grasping and holding in place. Spork showed them but didn't use them. He didn't want to hurt him, after all. Robotic limbs flew and clashed in every direction. Spork had a distinct advantage with his hovering capabilities but chose to fight on foot so the battle would be more evenly matched. Red shot at him with a practice blaster. Spork caught it on the side, but the armor held true. The Tallest retaliated by grabbing his pistol arm and swinging him around, then spinning him and dragging him backward. Spork made as if to pierce him with his PAK's legs, but Red deflected them quickly and threw back his head. Spork shouted in pain, letting him go and staggering back. Red spun around, jumping at him and getting him on the ground. They began to grapple.
"Red Herring. Good idea! That's a high-level tactic you know. Make it look like you have a weakness but have it just a trap after all," Spork said. Red kept struggling to stab at him with his PAK's legs, but the serrated blades had caught two of his PAK's limbs and the other two were fending off the rest. Red tried to use his PAK's blaster, but quickly Spork drew his own and fired quicker, sending Red flying with a shout of pain. Spork recovered himself quickly and went at his mentee once more. Red got to his feet again and went all out with the spider limbs, but Spork kept him at bay. Then Red grabbed him and spun him around, dragging him back like Spork had done to try and stab him. "I win," Spork said.
"What? No you don't! I have you!" Red replied.
"Blade out the back and straight through your chest," Spork said. Red started, eyes widening. "An Irken isn't vulnerable when their back is to an opponent. If anything, that's when we're in the best position to do damage. A last resort almost guaranteed to work, or at least break us free." Reb blinked blankly, registering this. "Limbs could follow up for extra impalement."
Red was still, but then begrudgingly let him go with a harrumph. Spork turned to him with a fond smile. Red's lekku perked up curiously. He saw pride in his fa… mentor's eyes. Spork reached out, gently taking his shoulders. "Remember that everything you are and everything you have is a weapon that can be used. You just need to learn how to use it. You can do it. I know you can, son. Don't give up, don't get discouraged, don't start to doubt. Those can all lead to weaknesses and those weaknesses can get you killed. Some weaknesses are helpful, especially those that make you protective, but most aren't, so watch them and when you feel them creeping in, don't start dooming. Start thinking of solutions and telling yourself it's only a setback, not a death sentence. You'll be among the best one day. Maybe even the topper! Maybe better than I was."
"Really?" Red asked, perking up a little.
Spork just smiled, lightly smoothing back Red's lekku. "Go get your brother. The ceremony starts soon. Prepare to behold my awesomeness!" Red perked up and saluted, hurrying off to find his sibling.
IZ
He had forgotten that lesson, Red noted to himself. That same day the beast came and Spork was just-just gone, and all that was left in the wake of that was pain and anger and grief… Irkens weren't supposed to feel those things… Anger maybe, but not the rest. It was like nothing else had even happened that day except for watching his mentor - and if the rumors were true, his sire - die. He fought desperately with his opponent. The grief and anger loomed all around him, but he fed from them and began taking those feelings out on his opponent. Viciously. The Gladitorian was giving ground rapidly as Red lashed out. He imagined he was protecting Purple as well as himself and he started to see moves he would have missed otherwise. He put into practice everything his father had ever taught him. He let the opponent think he had him, spinning him around, dragging him against himself and driving his blade down. Red caught the blades with his serrated ones and simultaneously deployed the back blade from the pack. The Gladitorian shouted in agony. Red followed up with the PAK legs and felt the man buckle. Red ripped them out, spun around and lashed out with the serrated blades. The picture that came with that wasn't pretty. The head rolled away. Red floated in place, glaring down at his enemy bitterly, then huffed and turned his back, crossing his arms and bowing his head.
"Red, the body!" Purple screamed. Red started and spun quickly as the corpse lunged, swords drawn, and shouted in pain as he was stabbed through the chest. "Red!" Purple cried. Red caught the blade before it could go into the PAK and gawked at the moving body in horror. The head slowly reformed and Red's eyes widened. The opponent yanked out the sword. Red cried out in pain, stumbling back and dropping to the ground. He looked down at the wound in shock, covered it with an arm, then looked up at his enemy, mouth agape. The opponent sinisterly smirked. Red made a pained sound. "Red!" Purple screamed.
The opponent looked up towards the Emperor. Red turned that way too. What was…? His eyes widened. The emperor was ready to signal whether to kill him or not. "Don't give in, Pur! I have this!" Red blurted immediately. Purple looked completely mortified. "Don't give in!" Red repeated.
IZ
Purple, chilled to the squeedlysplooch, could only gape in horror at his brother. The other Irkens were holding their breath, eyes wide in shock and alarm. "He's lying to you. He doesn't have this. Not anymore. Sign our treaty and he lives. Refuse me and you watch your brother go to Irkalla." Purple looked over at him, eyes bugged as wide as was physically possible, then looked quickly down at Red.
"Don't do it, Pur! You need to trust me! I have this!" Red called. Purple felt tears welling in his eyes. His fellow Irkens gave him nervous looks. "Trust me!" Red pled again.
"Red!" Purple almost brokenly called.
"Your brother's life is in your hands. Choose wisely," the Emperor said.
"Please Pur!" Red said.
"Sign it," the Emperor warned darkly. Purple could only gape at his brother, stunned silent. The Emperor frowned. "You'll regret your hesitation." He turned his thumb down and Brutallo went at Red immediately with a roar, blades at the ready. Red watched the man raise the sword above his head, then immediately lunged, floating suddenly and rapidly upwards, knocking Brutallo high into the sky. He drove every single weapon he had into his opponent then slammed him down on the ground. He practically ripped the body apart and impaled the head for good measure.
"Regenerate that!" Red shouted, moving off him once more and preparing for just in case Brutallo did manage it. This time, however, there was no sign of reviving. Red let out a gasping breath, collapsing to the ground again and covering his wound, which had been agitated by the sudden outburst. The Irken soldiers broke into uproarious applause and cheers. So did the audience.
"Woo! Yeah! Take that!" Purple cheered ecstatically, pointing at the Emperor. His glee immediately vanished, though, when he saw the look in the man's eyes. Oh that couldn't be good.
The Emperor rose, eyes fixed on Red who was glaring darkly at him. "Release the swarm!" the Emperor said. The audience gasped.
"The what?" Purple asked.
The Emperor turned darkly to him. "I will see you on your knees begging to sign that treaty for your brother's sake."
"What the Irk is the swarm?!" Red demanded, staggering back up.
Slowly every door in the arena began to open. Red looked around and his eyes widened a little. Oh no… Stepping out from those doors came no less than five warriors from ten of them and five beasts from ten others. Purple almost died on the spot to see the army of one hundred surrounding his brother. "Attack!" the Emperor shouted. Immediately the battalion descended on the already wounded and exhausted Red.
The irken soldiers leapt to their feet. Purple shouted in terror and didn't even give himself time to think. Before he could fully process what he was doing, he had leapt from the balcony, PAK limbs extended. "Everyone, attack! Defend the Tallest!" the comms officer ordered the others, pointing towards the arena. With shouts, they sprang from their own spots, converging rapidly!
IZ
Red, fending off his opponents desperately. He blocked one's attack as the others were closing in, and stared up at the man, eyes wide. Suddenly the opponent shouted in pain as he was knocked to the ground and impaled by two robotic limbs plus two serrated blades. Red gasped. "Pur!" he exclaimed.
"You're not facing this one alone," Purple said to his brother, eyes narrowed.
Red couldn't help but smile. Suddenly he felt a whole lot more confident in this fight. "Good. Together we can take on anything. Let's go," he said. He went back-to-back with his brother and the two began to fight back against the converging opponents, hacking and slashing and stabbing and dodging and sticking as close to one another as physically possible. Whenever one erred, the other covered it. Whenever one showed weakness, the other fortified him. They fought in such perfect synergy you could have been forgiven for believing they were one. Suddenly their soldiers were there too, battle cries echoing out and their own PAK legs extended as they tore into the enemy in wrath, protecting their Tallest with their lives. The audience went wild. The Emperor could only gawk in disbelief trying to process what was even happening.
"Send out the Digestor and put up the electric barrier!" the Emperor roared.
"Your highness, with our own gladiators in the ring?!" an alarmed sentinel asked.
"Do it! Now!" the Emperor ordered. "There'll be no better time than this to be rid of them both."
The large door at the far end of the arena, one that had yet to be opened, began to creak, and a low, bellowing sound echoed out. The battle stopped, and all together the Irkens, Gladitorians, and beasts turned to look. Their eyes widened slowly in dread as the monster was revealed. With a bellowing roar, it charged out!
"Retreat!" Red ordered immediately. Screaming, the Irkens fled, leaving the Gladitorians behind. The Digestor stormed through said Gladitorians, snatching up whoever they were able as the others scrambled to try and get out. As soon as it finished with those, the Digestor leapt, landing in front of the Irkens, and turned on them with another roar before lunging and scooping up whoever it could.
"Run My Tallest!" the comms officer ordered, spider-like legs extended as he backed them both up.
"Run!" Spork shouted at them.
Screaming, the two fled with the comms officer and every other Irken who managed to escape the grisly fate. The Digestor tore after them. "We can't beat this thing!" Purple said.
"We can't get out either!" Red said, looking up at the electric barrier.
"Then we're doomed?!" Purple demanded.
"I'm thinking!" Red snapped testily. He could really do with another memory about now. He wracked his brain and slowly one began to emerge.
IZ
"Why are we out here?" Red asked Spork.
"Because Miyuki's lesson for today is boring. All that gentile social stuff and cultural lecturing. What good is that gonna be when we take over those planets? It's not like customs and culture will mean anything after the organic sweeps."
"Pur was into the lesson," Red said, smirking.
"And you definitely weren't, but you need to get some learning done today before we send off Miyuki on her trip to Vort," Spork said.
"Why aren't you going with her?" Red asked.
"I can't. I have to stay here and train up the new elites. Their Great Assigning is coming up soon. You know there's no leaving during the last few days of their exams. They need all the attention they can get," Spork said.
"Yet you're finding time for me?" Red asked.
"I always find time for you and your brother," Spork said. "Purple just doesn't always appreciate it."
"Typical," Red said.
"And you don't always appreciate it from Miyuki," Spork said, frowning at him. Red withered a little, eyes wide, then frowned and crossed his arms in a sulk. "Today's lesson is dealing with a mega opponent."
"So what do you do in that situation?" Red asked.
"Survive," Spork flatly said.
"I never would have guessed," Red dryly replied.
"Go for the eyes. Mouth too. More often than not it's death by a thousand cuts, so your objective is to survive long enough to deliver those thousand cuts. There might be other ways sometimes too though. Depends on the beast."
"What other ways?"
"Distraction. Bribery. Getting in their good graces," Spork said. "Read the situation."
"Death by a thousand cuts it is," Red dryly said.
"That won't always be your best bet," Spork said. "Now, first things first. It's easy to panic in the face of a mega opponent. Don't. That's a good way to get dead. Really fast."
"Not running is a good way to get dead really fast," Red replied.
"You can't always outrun them."
"So we're doomed."
"You haven't been paying attention, have you?"
"Getting to the eyes or mouth means you're in their grasp already and staring death in the face."
"So stare it in the face," Spork said. Red gave him a confused look. Spork smirked a little. "Nose, eyes, mouth. Attack them all. Don't let up. If it swallows you, even better. Cut your way out from the inside. If it bites, you're out of luck, so get to the eyes, nose, and mouth first, and if the mouth is menacing you, jam it with your PAK legs or whatever else you have handy. Attack the back of the throat or the throat proper. Choke it. Do whatever you have to, to get away from the mouth or take it down."
"So it's basically a crap shoot," Red said.
"Keep my suggestions in mind and you have a better chance," Spork said.
"So what are we practicing on?"
"The blorgark!" Spork said, pushing aside some foliage native to the planet they were currently on, and gesturing to the beast.
Red's jaw dropped, but quickly he shook out of it. "Mo... Miyuki's gonna kill you for pitting me against that thing!"
"Eh, it puts food on her table," Spork said with a shrug. "Besides, as long as you get home safe, she won't mind. And I'll make sure you get home safe."
"Fine. Then I'll tackle it," Red said.
"But not literally," Spork replied.
Red smirked. "Yes da... sir."
IZ
Red was snapped out of his thoughts by the Digestor getting in front of them and turning to snatch whatever it could. That 'whatever' happened to be Purple. Red gasped. "Look out!" he shouted, tackling his brother out of the way. The beast snatched him instead.
"Red!" Purple cried, eyes wide in terror. Flashbacks of Spork's death probably. Red, scowling, was turned to face the monster. He wasn't going down like this. Not like Spork had. Eyes, mouth, nose. Purple he could hear attacking the thing already, along with the comms officer and the other soldiers, so they had the death by one thousand cuts part covered. The face was up to him. The Digestor opened its mouth wide to devour him and Red jammed one of his PAK legs inside as the mouth closed, stopping it. Red stabbed with his free PAK leg at one of the eyes, piercing it through and causing the Digestor to roar in pain, tossing back its head. Red used the serrated blades of his PAK to drive them into the nostrils of the beast, which you could bet was probably plenty painful. The beast began tossing its head violently, pulling Red away from its face. Red impaled the limb holding him. The Digestor let him go. He dug his PAK legs into said limb—armor rather—and began climbing it quickly, going for the face again. He heard his brother cry his name again, but he was focused on his own task right now.
"Tallest Purple, you must focus!" Red heard the comms officer say. Good. When it came to focus in battle, Purple struggled big time. It definitely hadn't been focus that had pulled his brother through the battle with the SIRs. That had been determination and a hyper-fixation on revenge, which was probably why Purple had ended up as badly wounded as he had. He'd tanked more damage than he should have been able to even weather.
Red continued focusing on his own mission. The comms officer would watch out for Purple. Attacking the face again, Red tried once more for the eyes. Roaring, the Digestor lifted his massive arm and batted him roughly from the sky. Red shouted in pain. He felt himself suddenly get caught by someone and shook his head, rubbing it. He started, eyes widening a little, on seeing who it was. The comms officer, who was looking highly unimpressed. "Where's Pur?!" Red demanded.
"Going for the face like you were, My Tallest. Go after him," the comms officer said.
"For the love of… Purple!" Red shouted, immediately flying upwards to join his brother at the face of the beast. The comms officer returned to the thousand-cuts method. Purple jammed a PAK leg into the Digestor's other eye just as Red arrived. The Digestor roared and swiped at him. Red lunged, impaling the unarmored part of the arm with both PAK legs, then blasting it. He joined Purple. "I'm going for the back of the throat!"
"What?!" Purple demanded.
"It'll weaken it!" Red said.
"It'll eat you!"
"If it does, I cut my way out of its stomach," Red replied, smirking a bit.
"What are you thinking?!" Purple demanded.
"You just focus on trying to get to its brain through the eyes or ears," Red said.
"Red!" Purple shouted as Red went for the mouth. Red stabbed the nose. The Digestor roared in pain. Red jammed a PAK leg into its mouth vertically to impale it. The second PAK leg he drove through the back of the beast's throat. It choked a little and began huffing and puffing to breathe. Red stabbed it again, this time lower, then yanked out the PAK leg and got out of the mouth
"Attack the underbelly!" Red ordered the irken soldiers. They mobbed the beast like a swarm of spiders, carving away at it mercilessly. Red and Purple focused their attention on the head area. Slowly but surely the Digestor began to weaken until at last it let out a bellow and began to collapse. "Fall back!" Red ordered. Quickly the irken soldiers did so, so as not to be crushed, and the Digestor collapsed onto the ground. There was utter silence all around. Even from the audience. Purple and Red looked at one another tiredly, then suddenly Purple hugged his brother tight. Red returned the embrace this time before pushing Purple back and nodding at him. "Together we can take on everything," he said. Purple nodded almost frantically, stuck for words. Red narrowed his eyes, looking back at the Emperor. "Now let's deal with the Emperor of Gladitoria." Purple nodded again.
IZ
The Emperor and his sentinels faced off with the Tallest and their soldiers in the treaty room. Both sides were glaring daggers at one another. "Well played, Tallest Red. Well played," the Emperor begrudgingly said.
"Hey, it's your own fault you screwed your people over," Red said. "Lucky for you, Gladitoria won't be swept. The Coliseum has its uses."
"The snacks are pretty great too," Purple said, munching on a bagful of pastries.
"Tell me that's not the only reason you decided to write up a treaty where they were spared," Red said with a groan.
"We'll talk about it later," Purple replied, frowning at his brother.
Red looked back at the Emperor. "Now sign or we bring the entire strength of the uh, many ships..."
"Armada," Purple supplied.
"Down on your heads before the end of the month!" Red finished.
"And remember that we don't need an invader to conquer you before an organic sweep either. All we want is your buildings anyways. And snacks. And snack recipes," Purple threw in. The Emperor narrowed his eyes, unimpressed, but nonetheless begrudgingly signed.
IZ
As the Massive flew away from Gladitoria with the Armada, Purple looked to Red. "Well, overall I think that went pretty well. I mean, not vacation wise, but battle wise."
"We'll detour to Resortia and do the vacation thing," Red said.
"Ooh, haven't been there in a while," Purple said.
Red smirked a little. "Your pick where we go on that planet."
"Really?" Purple asked.
"After what I just put you through? Yeah. You pick," Red said.
"Which reminds me. That wasn't okay," Purple said, frowning at him.
"Everything was under control."
"Until it wasn't!" Purple argued.
"So why write up a treaty that spared them again?"
"You always do this!"
"Do what?"
"Change the subject when things get uncomfortable."
"What do you want me to say, Pur? Sorry I couldn't see the future?" Red sarcastically asked, throwing up his hands in exasperation. "My question still stands."
Purple frowned a bit. "So an invader can go there and be undetected completely. No one will even know to look for them. Same with Parlimentria. Then we can sweep them both and turn them into something better. Maybe make Gladitoria an arena planet and Parlimentria into whatever else we think of. Or we can let them be and use the inhabitants as slaves and gladiators. It saves us opening wars on two more fronts, plus we still get what we want."
"Devious. I like it. Maybe you're not so brainless after all."
"Hey!" Purple protested.
"Set course for Resortia!" Red ordered their soldiers.
"You're lucky we're brothers," Purple bitterly said, crossing his arms sulkily.
"I know, Pur. I know," Red said with an affectionate smirk.