Chapter 14
I recoiled back, breathing heavily. This fight was turning into more of a endurance battle, with the three of us on the losing end as he just kept reverting back to a fresh battle ready state.
Bronwyn stumbled back from blocking an attack, blood pouring down her face from a gash where he’d almost taken her head.
Lance didn’t look any better, but was not winded at all in his Angel/Demon form. He was the only one who kept up the onslaught on Leem.
Despite everything we’ve thrown at him, even with my Ego attached, he’s been able to find a way to save himself. This was starting to look hopeless.
“Come on, you guys are looking a bit tired! We just started!” he laughed, blocking Lance’s attacks with ease.
“This is the power of a top ranker,” Bronwyn muttered, wiping blood from her eyes. “He’s too far ahead of me for me to be of any help.”
“No, we can do this,” I reassure, standing up fully and teleporting behind him, going for a surprise attack. But he had learned our fighting styles well over the course of the fight, and a blade came over his shoulder and blocked me.
“Bring out, Scayla!” Bronwyn yelled as she rejoined the attack, getting put on the defensive almost immediately.
“No!” I yell, trying to get around his defense. “We don’t need her!”
“Yes we do!” Lance yelled, deflecting blades and trying to find an opening of his own.
Something inside of me begged to be released, to handle this lizard man itself. But I grimaced, not liking the idea.
“Scamp please!” Ayla yelled from a few feet away. “He’s going to end up killing one of us if we don't do something!”
I grind my teeth as I fly backwards away from the fighting. “Fine!”
Ayla smiled in relief as we touched hooves.
Just as before, the dark energy swirled around us and consumed us, much faster than the last time we did it.
Ayla gave me a reassuring smile as the darkness took over.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Ah!” I said loudly as I came too, standing before the others' battle. “I was starting to think she’d never let me back out!”
“Scayla, assistance!” Bronwyn yelled, barely deflecting a slice of the swords.
“Everyone back!” I yelled, causing Bronwyn and Lance to dash away from the lizard man. “I can handle him alone.”
“Oh! Confident, are we?” he said, squaring up with me.
I didn’t need to respond as my Ego flared out of my body, multiple tendrils floating around me.
“Interesting,” was his only response as they all flew towards him.
Leem cut most of them out of the air, but a few slipped through, impaling him. His body began to flash rapidly as I began to spin my Ego around him, shredding him.
Despite basically dropping him into a blender of death, he just kept flashing and restoring his body. Seemed he could indeed withstand being cut to pieces and still save himself.
Now that is annoying.
He began to push against my attack, flashing so fast that the moment I cut through him, it fixed itself.
As he neared, I changed tactics, swooshing my wings towards him as a magical barrier slammed into him, knocking him backwards.
I sent two tendrils into the two bodies around me, taking control of them and pulling them towards myself. They may not have their Ego or weapons anymore, but I had other uses for them.
Pushing them forward, using my tendrils to keep him distracted, I used the two corpses to latch onto him, holding him in a tight embrace.
Now that he couldn’t move, I sent a tendril straight through his eye and down into his body. He screamed in agony as he fought against the corpses, but more of my Ego began to wrap around his body. Constricting him like a snake.
My Ego trailed through his body as it flashed Cyan over and over again, trying to save himself.
It didn’t take long for me to spread my Ego’s tendrils through his body.
With a smirk, I released my tendrils from around him, letting him go free. But instead of him being able to do anything on his own accord, I began to move him around like a puppet.
“Get out of me!” he screamed in both anger and panic.
“Look at me, I’m a stupid lizard boy,” I mocked, making him dance around, throwing his blades aside.
He roared, body still flashing.
“Looks like you need to do that whole ‘return home’ thing you got for yourself,” I mocked, laughing at his angry face.
With a twirl, I made him dance over to standing before me, my head at the same height as his.
“So where’d all that confidence go?” I asked with a fake caring voice.
He glared at me, then a smile twitched onto his face. “I think someone's a bit too confident in themself.”
“That’s what happens when you’re stronger than your…” my eyes widened as I felt a strange sensation shoot up my body.
“SCAMP!” Bronwyn screamed as she sprinted towards us, Lance not far behind her.
I glanced down in a daze, seeing a pair of new arms sticking out of Leems stomach, holding my now severed left foreleg in their claws.
“Probably should learn the full extent of the people you fight before bringing them so close,” he mocked, a new arm shooting out and grabbing my antler.
A new sensation took over my body as I felt everything lurch backwards.
ooo000<^>000ooo
The feeling of needing to vomit took me over as I rolled onto my side and threw up whatever contents were inside my stomach. I heaved a few more times, puking a few more times.
I did this for a few moments before I ended in a dry heave, coughing raggedly.
Once I was sure I was done, I finally looked around. Nothing made sense. The last thing I remember was fusing to make Scayla, then winning against Leem…
Wait, we didn’t win.
I looked down at my left hoof and felt sick as a stump greeted me, cut off right below the knee.
The PDA in my right leg was gone as well.
Forcing myself to stand, despite how dizzy I felt, I looked around. I was in a small stone cell, and a loud sound could be heard far in the distance. Like a cheering crowd.
“You’re probably confused,” Leem said, stepping into view on the other side of the bars.
With a grunt, I sprung for him, but the bars stopped me, a faint cyan glow surrounding them and the walls around me. Just like the train.
“Anyone I teleport with always gets knocked out,” he said as he strolled to a table and held up my severed foreleg. “Now, this symbol here is pretty interesting. Giving you all those sweet powers. Teleportation and time control? I see why Lorenzo wanted those gone.”
“Where are we?” I ask, staring daggers at him.
He just smiles and throws a set of his arms wide, “My home! The Colosseum at the end of the Plains!”
I just stared at him, “I thought the Plains were endless?”
“They are,” he conceded, looking my leg over. “It’s just a figure of speech. We’re so far from a teleporting hub that we’re basically at the end of the Plains.”
With a glare, I looked around.
‘Ayla?’
Seeming to know what I was doing, he chuckles. “Oh don’t even try to use any Ego or your Ego weapons. Everyone here but myself and a select few have their Ego’s turned off. Keeps things fair and entertaining.”
“What are you even talking about?” I asked in annoyance, face pressed into the bars.
He just chuckled and waved my hoof at myself. “You’ll see very soon. If you survive, you’ll join the general populace and fellow competitors. It’ll be hard though, seeing as you’re down a leg.”
I don’t like where this is going.
With a wave of my foreleg, he pointed down a long hallway, “Here shortly, my trusted guards will come and take you to face your death. I do hope you win though,” he says, taking a meaty bite out of my leg, chewing thoughtfully. “So I can watch you suffer and fight for survival longer. Consider it pay back for using me like a puppet for your amusement.”
Snorting, I spit a wad of mucus at him, landing on his foot. He just flicks it off and walks past me, munching on my leg still.
“Good luck, horse, you’ll need it.”
Once he was gone, I sat back down and grabbed my stump, hissing. I was no longer wearing any of my clothes from before, so I had no makeshift bandage to wrap around it. Luckily, it looked like someone had already burned the wound, so it wasn’t bleeding anymore.
“Fuck,” I muttered, the gravity of my situation still not fully hitting me yet.
I just hope Bronwyn and Lance are okay. I barely remember anything, but I remember them trying to get to me before I blacked out.
Damn it, Scayla! This is why I didn’t want to let her out! Not only do I not trust her, she just seems so off! She let this happen to us!
A sound caused me to look up, seeing a strange owl-like face looking at me from the other side of the bars.
“What the fuck do you want?” I snap, not wanting to put up with anyone else at that moment.
The strange creature started to rise, revealing a long body. Hindlegs like a kangaroo, and a scarf of feathers around its neck. Many different healed scars covered its body, a few worse than others.
It didn’t say anything, just held onto the bars and blinking at me.
“What?!” I yell, standing up and pointing my stump at it. “Gawking at the wounded mare?! Liking what you see?!”
Without a word, the creature reached into a pouch slung over itself and pulled out a small object. It held it through the bars to me, offering it to me.
I eye it warily, not sure I’m up to trusting anyone else now.
The creature shakes the object at me, looking confused that I won't take it.
Rolling my eyes, I stand to my hooves and hobbles over, taking the little box.
Using my wings, I open the box, eyes widening a bit. A simple sandwich greeted me.
I look up at the creature, its beak shaped into a smile.
“Uh, thank you?” I say, taking it out of the box and taking a bite, surprised it tasted good. I quickly shoved the entire thing into my mouth, followed by a cough as I choked on the dry bread.
A little bottle of water was offered to me, which I took and gratefully chugged.
“I’ll admit, that was good,” I say, causing the creature to look very happy. “But why? Do you work here?”
It shakes its head and steps back, pointing to itself, then to me. Then made a gesture like it was behind bars.
“Ah, a prisoner like me?” I asked, getting a nod. It was at this moment I realized the creature was a she, as the outline of breast showed through the cloth draped over its shoulders.
“What’s your name then?” I asked, but she shook her head, pointing to her throat, making an X.
“Mute?” I offer, which she nods to.
“Ah, sorry then,” I replied, looking her over.
She reached into a bag and pulled out a chalkboard, then wrote something on it, turning it to face me.
I leaned forward and read it, “Remi? That’s your name?”
She nodded happily, holding out a clawed hand to me. I eye it a bit before reaching through the bars with a wing and shaking her hand.
“Scamp,” I say, offering a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, despite the situation we’re in.”
Remi nods, but her ears perk up, looking down the hallway.
“What? Someone coming?” I asked, listening, but not hearing anything over the distant crowd.
Then, I heard it, heavy footsteps in armor coming our way.
“Fucking hell! That Nuble got out of its cage again!” one of them yelled as they came around the corner.
Remi held up her hands, but a field of energy hit her, dropping her to the ground.
“I told them we needed to move it into a private cell,” the other complained as they walked up and put some kind of handcuffs on Remi’s limbs, being a bit rough.
“Hey, assholes,” I said, pressing through the bars a bit, swinging a hoof at them. “No need to be so damn rough with an unconscious prisoner!”
Without looking at me, one threw his fist back, smashing me in the snout and throwing me back a bit.
“Shut up, fresh meat. You haven’t even proven yourself yet,” one said as he stood up and opened the bars, stepping in with me.
I smirk as I lower myself into a fighting position. Despite not having any of my powers, I knew I could handle myself with just my raw skill alone.
Springing forward, propelled by my wings, I aimed for his midsection, eyes on his neck.
A little pulse of energy shot from the eye slits and caused me to go limp, slamming into his chest and collapsing to the ground.
“They always try that,” the other commented, standing up with crossed arms.
“Yep,” he said as he leaned down and heaved me over his shoulders. “Get that Nuble and take it back to its cell. I’ll take this one to the starting area.”
“Aye,” the other said as he began to drag Remi away as the one carrying me took me further down the hall. The crowd seemed to get closer as we went.
I couldn’t move or speak, so I couldn’t voice my opinion of the guard or his manhood.
After a bit of walking, he dumped me in a new cage and slammed the door. Another pulse hit me and I lurched forward, able to move again. I slammed into the cage wall and glared up at him.
He just laughed as he walked away, not indulging me with any banter.
With an annoyed sigh, I turned to the front of the cage, which looked like a large door that would swing open. Which is probably exactly what it will do.
Outside that door, I could hear the crowd clearly, cheering wildly. An announcer could also be heard now.
“That’s it folks! The new challenger, Eight Eyes, has failed to over take the weaker opponent, Lil Angel, and has perished as a result! What a pathetic show of skill!”
I frowned. I do not like this at all.
“Next up is the next challenger, from the large cityscapes of Bowldow comes, Lazy Eye!”
The crowd explodes in boos. “Can he beat Lil Angel? The weakest opponent we’ve ever seen?”
More boos followed as I heard the sounds of a little battle taking place, followed by a scream of terror. Then a loud crash.
“Oooo! Lazy Eye is now Dead Eyes! Lil Angel is on a roll today!”
The gate before me began to open and the wall behind me began to push me forward.
“Coming up next is a strange one! From the depths of the mystical forest comes, Stumpy! The flying horse! Will she be able to overcome the sweet and innocent Lil Angel?”
I stumbled out into the bright arena, eyes going wide at the massive scale of it. The stands were filled with creatures of all kinds, and extended high into the sky, seeming to go up for miles. Large TV screens floated all above, allowing those higher up to still see what was happening down below.
“I’m sorry, little horse,” a tiny gnome-like girl said, standing on top of the body of a dead challenger.
Looking around, I saw weapons of all kinds were attached to the walls, but not many of them looked like I could use them, having hooves and all. Just another annoyance.
“I’ll make it quick,” she said, sliding off the dead creature and sprinting towards me.
Not having much choice, I charged forward as well, not sure what to expect. My music implant still worked at least as techno music began to play.
I stumbled awkwardly as I ran on just three hooves. As we reached each other, I went for a headbutt. But the little lady creature slid under me and stabbed me rapidly with little daggers in her hands.
Groaning in pain, I flare my wings and spin around, slamming a hoof into her face, shattering her jaw with ease.
Flapping my wings hard, I tackled her and bit down on her neck. She started stabbing me, but I began to shake her around violently, like a dog getting a hold of a small animal.
I felt her neck snap in my mouth as I clamped down hard, causing her to go limp.
“I don’t believe it! The new challenger Stumpy has killed Lil Angel!
The crowd was a mixture of boos and cheers as I spat out the limp body and looked up at the crowd, a look of displeasure on my face.
“But can she beat today's final challenger? From the jungles of Tarth, Fat Ape!”
A door opened and a large overweight gorilla rolled out, looking super pissed off.
“The winner of this bout will join the general populace, and will join the normal gladiator games going forward!” The announcer yelled, getting roars of approval from the crowd.
“Shit,” I mutter, seeing the gorilla stand and look at me, eyes ablaze with rage.
He began to barrel towards me, propelling himself with his front arms as he went.
My eyes darted around, seeing a spear a few feet away. Using my wings, I fly over and grab the spear, and in one fluid motion, flung it at the charging gorilla.
The spear hit its mark, but did not do the damage I was hoping for as he continued towards me unfazed.
I took to the air, flying out of his reach just in time. Flapping hard, I aimed for the distant roof that I could just barely see. But as I climbed, I hit a wall of some sort, shocking the shit out of me as I touched it.
“OOO! Stumpy found the Ego barrier! Can she recover before falling to her death!?”
Rolling my eyes, I right myself and continue to soar through the air, looking along the wall for a weapon I could use.
It didn’t take long for me to spot something of use. But a glint caught my attention, just in time to perform an evasive maneuver as a spear flew past me, cutting some of my mane away.
Keeping my momentum, I dove for the wall and snatched the weapon from the wall, then flew towards the gorilla, staying close to the ground.
The gorilla roared as he threw more spears and bladed weapons at me, but I just agile swerved around each one as it came at me, my eyes set on him.
As I reached him, I spun mid air and slammed my back hooves into his gut, causing him to gasp. Rolling with the momentum, I slammed my hoof into his mouth, pulling it out just as he bit down.
Backflipping away, I landed unsteadily on my three hooves, smiling up at him
He roared, then coughed, grabbing his throat.
I held out my wing, a little pin dangling from it. “A classic.”
He looked confused, but that confusion was soon replaced with horror as his gut exploded from the grenade I’d shoved down his throat.
The gorilla moaned as it stepped forward, then collapsed.
The crowd went ballistic. “Stumpy! What amazing moves and thinking! You’ve earned your place among the gladiators!”
“Let me go!” I roared, the crowd almost drowning me out.
I couldn’t see the announcer, but I could feel a smirk on his face as he spoke, “Take her to her new home! As for everyone else, tomorrow is the beginning of the preliminaries! Place your bets on the Net, and we will see you tomorrow!”
Six guards approached me from all angles. But before I could do anything, they all shot pulses at me, putting me down.
The crowd roared. “STUMPY! STUMPY! STUMPY!”
A guard grabbed a back leg and began to drag me out of the arena and back into the dank tunnels beneath the stands. They dragged me roughly till we entered a large room, with floor after floor of cells extending high into the sky.
“Welcome home, Stumpy,” one laughed as they threw me into an empty cell and slammed it shut. One hit me with a pulse, allowing me to move again.
As they walked out, I could hear the sounds of the others in the surrounding cells stirring.
“New meat!” someone yells, causing everyone around me to start throwing slurs and insults my way.
I had to admit, a few were pretty good, but I wasn’t in the mood.
Stepping up to the door to my cell, I saw lots of others staring back at me from across the room. Scanning each one, I found Remi, waving at me. I couldn’t help but return her wave.
“Don’t worry about them,” someone in the cell to my right says. “They haze you in the beginning, but we get a new guy every week.”
“I’m not worried about them,” I responded, getting a chuckle in response.
“New girl, not a lot of women make it through the opening round like that.”
I roll my eyes. “Where am I exactly?”
“I’m not surprised you don't know,” he says, tapping his bars. “The Dome of the Dead. Owned by one nasty fucker. I’m assuming a bounty hunter grabbed you and dropped you here, that’s how a lot of us got here.”
“No, a lizard named Leem brought me here,” I replied, frowning.
There was a pause. “The big man himself? Brought you here personally? That’s rare.”
“How do we get out?” I ask, pressing against the bars.
“Get out?” He asked, chuckling again. “You don’t. You’ll have to win the tournament, then beat Leem in one on one combat, or get sold. And I’ll be honest, neither happens at all. Just winning the tournament alone is impossible. Then to face Leem himself. No one has done it yet.”
“I’ll be the first,” I say confidently, causing those around us to laugh mockingly.
“Yeah, I said that too,” someone above me said. “Got TKO’d in the final round of the tournament, and my opponent got eaten alive by Leem. It’s not worth it, fighting that hard just to face him.”
“It’s part of the show,” another says. “We fight each other, then the winner is sacrificed to Leem to boost his image and Ego. That’s both Ego and his over inflated ego, just so we’re clear.”
A frown touches my lips as I look across at Remi, who can’t hear us, but is still looking at me.
“What about that thing over there? The Nuble?” I ask, “She’s escaped her cell, right? So we can get out of here if we do to.”
“Her? Yeah, she escapes sometimes to check on the new meat, but actually escaping this place is impossible. With the guards and Ego locks. Just settle down and get some rest.”
Remi waves at me again, getting me to look at her. She just gives me a thumbs up, smiling.
I nod back to her, then slump back into the cell, sitting on the uncomfortable bed.
“Don’t be down,” the guy on my right says. “The food is decent at least, especially before a tournament.”
“At least there's that,” I muttered, looking at my stump.
“As for that missing leg, Doc will look at it when they let us out for Rec Hour, he’ll get you fixed up.”
I nod to no one as I rub a wing over the stump. This is the second time I’ve lost a limb, not counting my wings. But this time it took my Mark of the Outsider with it, which as far as I know severs me from those powers.
That’s just great.
With a grunt, I laid back on the bed and looked up at the dirty stone ceiling, a faint cyan color to it. My mind drifted again to Bronwyn and Lance, wondering what they were doing and if they were okay.