And a thousand deaths.
They groaned open and a pair of stagehands dragged the previous pair of gladiators across the floor, leaving a bloody streak in their wake. Alice eked and hopped out of the way. And still, she continued walking forward.
She was braver than any of these other pretenders. They knew what they were fighting, what they were up against. Alice was heading into blind darkness, and had the courage to ignore what her senses were telling her—”Run! Run far away!”—and to trust me, the smuggler who’d abducted her and fell madly in love with her.
That took guts. And yes, more than a little desperation.
Sunlight blossomed bright and I had to shield my eyes as we proceeded out. The crowd rose to their feet and roared. I raised my arms, encouraging them to cheer. Alice shuffled forward beneath the weight of her armor and fear of impending death.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins and I thrust my blade in the dirt and twirled my spear in an intricate display. The crowd quietened as it turned invisible to the naked eye. I performed one last turn and a backflip.
The crowd rose to their feet and cheered.
Yes, I hated this place. I hated the training, hated the cruelty, but I loved the crowd. And they loved me in return. I laughed as I hugged Alice closer and planted a big sloppy kiss on her cheek.
The crowd roared even louder.
I spoke to Alice out the side of my mouth. “No matter what comes out of these gates, remember it’s just an animal. It was torn away from its home and forced to fight. They are tortured and mistreated, the same way they treat their inhouse gladiators. If we could release them, we would. But we can’t. We’re doing them a disservice if we don’t end their lives.”
Alice nodded. “I understand.”
“You don’t have to kill or attack anything,” I said. “Just listen to me, my love, and we’ll be out of here very soon, and get you back home.”
Her shoulders relaxed a little, the tension lifting.
I held her hand and led her to the center of the ring. We came out of one gate. There were three others at regular intervals. That was where the monsters would come from. For now, the center was the safest place to be. And that’s where Alice would stay.
A figure took to the dais. He looked much like the lizard that registered us at the fighting pit entrance but was much fatter and wore a ridiculous curly-haired wig.
The mayor and his guests sat behind the dais. They looked a little bored, concentrating on conversation rather than the life and death battles before them.
No surprise, I thought. To have a prize of its current size meant they hadn’t had a winner for quite some time.
That changed today.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the fat lizard growled. “We’ve watched almost all the gladiators attempt to claim one of the largest prize pots in the illustrious fighting pits’ history. Will this last challenger finally put us all out of our misery?”
Half the crowd cheered yes, the other no.
“He will have little chance,” the fat lizard said, licking his thick lips. “Not against the Venopian!”
The crowd roared with excitement.
I turned to Alice and handed her my broadsword. “Hold onto this. If I miss with the spear, I’ll need it back.”
I bounced on the balls of my feet, cracked my neck left and right, and rolled my shoulders.
This was it, I told myself. The first challenge.
The gate at the opposite end of the fighting pit rolled upwards, groaning and clanking. A roar erupted from the darkness within. A creature native to the swamplands of my planet. It had the head of a crocodile, the body of a Minotaur, and the claws and tail of a scorpion.
It leaped from the shadows and dropped to all six legs. It raised its claws and bellowed. It saw me and bolted forward. They were surprisingly fast beasts.
I took aim with my eye, drew my arm back, and ran forward a couple of steps. I brought my arm forward and released.
Thousands of eyes watched as the spear sailed through the air as it…
Slammed into the creature’s eye.
It didn’t make a sound, didn’t groan, didn’t cry out. It went limp and fell to the dirt.
Farewell, my friend. Rest in peace now.
The audience bolted to their feet and cried with excitement. Even the mayor got to his feet and clapped politely.
I bowed to him, then the audience. I waved.
The stagehands attached a rope to the dead creature and dragged it back through its gate to be food for one of the other beasts.
I jogged back to Alice.
“That wasn’t so bad,” she said.
“That was the first challenge,” I said. “The others will be much more difficult.”
Once the creature had been removed, the fat lizard stood up and raised his arms. “How about that, ladies and gentlemen? I can’t recall a challenge ending so quickly! The Venopian was clearly no match for our heroes. So, let’s make it more of a challenge, shall we? Let me introduce to you, Methusida!”
I took the broadsword from Alice and the mace she carried in her other hand. She massaged her hand after giving it to me.
Another gate creaked open. This time, the creature came out slowly, blinking into the light. She hissed as she surveyed the fighting pit.
The Methusida was from a distant planet in the Nobornia system. It had the thick tail of a serpent, which curved up into two bodies, each with its own head and arms. Snakes slithered as its hair and each body wielded two sinister blades.
“Oh my God!” Alice shrieked. “It’s Medusa!”
“Medusa?” I said.
Alice covered her face. “Don’t look at it! She’ll turn you to stone!”
I chuckled. “That’s only true if you’re so terrified you can’t move. At least, that’s the legend.”
“Oh,” Alice said. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. She’s a creature, like anything else they have here.”
But it was still a dangerous monster. I approached carefully, putting as much distance between it
