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CHAPTER 29 Turann's Empire

It was like being underwater; that feeling of not knowing where the surface is while the air slowly abandons your lungs. No matter how hard you swim, your efforts become futile and eventually you get sucked in to the bottom. No options but to resign to your life...

But this feeling slowly got replaced by the sound of chattering. Soon, reality took its place again.

"Alpha!" the voice echoed. "Wake up!"

Slowly, the Retcan regained consciousness. For one second he instinctively saw himself waking up in his comfortable bed, back in R105. The reality couldn't be worst.

"Where..." He mumbled, still shaking of the potent anesthetic. The side effect gave him terrible nausea and a pounding headache.

"We have been taken in as prisoners, brother..." The older Retcan said to him.

Immediately the memories of what happened in the last days took over Alpha's mind.

"No..." He whispered. "I knew it. We should've walked out that house when we had the chance, brother."

"Calm down, Alpha." Zonda said as he quickly caressed the younger Retcan's face. It was a tender gesture that ended as soon as it started. They were in the battlefield at that moment. They were warriors now. Later would be the time to be Retcans.

"What is this place?" Alpha asked as he sat up. They were laying on the ground that was nothing but carved stone. A pungent stench saturated the air.

"I have no idea, Alpha. And it doesn't look like we will be able to get out of here that easily."

Between the echoing growls and screams, one of the prisoners at the cells in front of the Retcans, overheard their conversation. The Retcans spoke in their language, but this eerie prisoner had been there long enough to know what they might've been talking about.

"Death is the only escape." He said in 9051. "Resign yourselves, for the only way you will reach freedom is by death."

The Retcans understood, but they didn't want to believe this tired voice.

"What is this place?" Zonda demanded an answer.

"This will be the last place you will ever be at." the being replied.

"Answer me! Where are we?" Alpha now demanded.

"But you might be lucky," the prisoner continued. "You look soft and fragile. Your sorrow might find an ending before it even begins. Tomorrow, you might be granted freedom... I envy you, furred ones."

Further interrogating was met with laughter. Demanding answers from this being would prove to be useless. The Retcans had no choice but to wait.

Being in that dungeon took away any sense of time. They didn't know for how long they had been unconscious. The only thing they saw was this dark cavern illuminated by what seemed to be torches.

But soon, some activity became notorious across the very narrow passage that divided the cells. It was frustrating not being able to see anything that wasn't in front of them. They just heard how multiple steps got closer to their cell.

"You have to be joking, Feastus!" A strong voice was heard approaching. "I hope they are worth my time and money."

"Before you take a look at them, let me tell you that appearances can be deceiving!" A well known voice discussed with the strong one.

Shadows dancing at the rhythm of the fire were now visible inside the Retcan's cell, making it evident that someone was approaching them. Finally, a group of guards that escorted Feastus and a strange looking man stopped by their cell.

"Is this it?!" A large man with a majestic purple and red tunic said irritated. His fingers were covered in large gems, as well as his neck.

"Please, Turann, don't judge them by their appearance."

"You think you can fool me, Feastus? Lately you've been bringing me weaklings that don't last a day here and end up in the Slaughter Events. And now you bring me two animals?! What am I suppose to do with them? Make a coat out of their fur?"

"Sounds like a good idea, boss. They would make a good feast too..." One of the guards suggested maliciously while everyone laughed; even the large man who was apparently the leader.

"Seriously, Feastus... I told you last time that I need gladiators! My shows have become stale and people need action. Even though Slaughter Events bring me money, people eventually are going to grow bored of it."

"Look!" Feastus interrupted angry. "That rat over there, the one with the feisty red eyes, he gave two thieves a beating like I've never seen before. Those two were at least twice his weight and height and they couldn't stand a chance. Give me an opportunity; I know what I'm doing."

Anger, frustration and even fear invaded the Retcans as these strange humans negotiated them like if they were some sort of disposable merchandise. Zonda and Alpha were strong, but they fought against their sensible nature that was starting to affect their calmness.

Both Retcans demanded to be released, but no one even looked back at them and kept on negotiating.

"Alright... But if these rats fail, I'll have a hard time doing business with you again." The leader said.

"Turann, you won't be disappointed, my old friend." Feastus replied. A smirk of pure greed appeared in his face.

"Take these two to the arena for qualifying!" Emperor Turann ordered. He disappeared along with two guards and Feastus.

Fear now invaded the Retcans. They didn't know what to expect from this situation. Both Retcan warriors never felt so hopeless.

"Be strong, brother. I'll be by your side as long as I can be." Zonda whispered to Alpha. A quick caress to his shoulder gave him the strength that he would need.

Five heavily armed guards opened the door and obligated them to turn around and face the wall. Both were immediately and violently cuffed.

"Ok, rats. Now listen very carefully." The squad leader yelled. "See this?" He said as the other guards turned the Retcans around to face them again. The squad leader had a strange controller in his hand.

"All of us carry one of these. And what are they? Do you see the collars that you wear?" Immediately after the human said this, both Retcans remembered the collars that they were obligated to wear. "Correct. These controllers control the collars. The collars are packed with a small amount of explosives enough to blow your heads off. Fail to comply with our orders, and we activate it. Act suspicious; we activate it. Say something suspicious; we activate it. Try to escape; we activate it. Tamper with it and the thing will blow itself off. Just give us a reason to think that you're planning something, and you are dead. Do I make myself clear?"

The horrendous confession and the sole idea of having those things attached to their necks was enough to make Alpha slightly tear up in frustration and anger. This was like a nightmare. Any slim chance of escaping was now even lesser than before.

"Alright then... Move!" the squad leader ordered.

Forcibly, both Retcans were taken down various tunnels, deeper into the underground complex.

"Eyes to the ground, rats! No staring at your surroundings or at each other!" The guard yelled, hitting both Retcans in their backs with the stock of his riffle.

The walk seemed endless. On their way, other personnel that worked inside the complex watched the two creatures being almost dragged along the way.

"More meat for the Slaughter Events..." One said.

"This is getting predictive..." The other human replied.

A short while after that, they approached an area with a noticeable increase in echo. After a few more steps and they went through a curved passage that revealed a large and empty coliseum hidden beneath the depths of the cavern. Many things went through the Retcan's minds when they saw this place. The smell of fresh blood and other fluids was the first thing that they noticed, adding to the already stressful situation.

Soon, they reached what seemed to be the access to the arena itself. To their horror, two guards dragged a severely mutilated torso out of it.

"Brother..." Alpha whispered after being severely affected by what he saw. Zonda had never seen such fear coming from Alpha's eyes. He didn't answer. He didn't find the words. Saying that everything was going to be ok, felt like the biggest lie.

Both of them were dragged into cages within the arena itself. Both Retcans were placed in different cages, which gave them a bigger sense of uneasiness. What made things worst was the never-ending wait they went through. The effects of the anesthetic still lingered inside their bloodstream, which added confusion too.

Out of the nothing, a couple of guards approached them. Alongside the guards, another individual came. Shocking to the Retcan's eyes, this creature was not only smaller than the humans, but it was also furred.

This creature wore a white coat and a black turtle neck. Before the Retcans could examine this creature, the guards yelled orders. "Eyes to the ground, you two!"

The light orange furred creature approached the cage. "Your arm, please." With a soft and almost unsecure voice, he ordered Zonda in 9051. It was almost as if he didn't want to do this.

"Obey, animal!" One of the guards yelled. Zonda had no choice.

The strange furred creature took out a syringe and injected Zonda with a strange transparent liquid. "This will neutralize what's left of the sedative." The creature said with a very tender voice. "I hope that you'll feel better now."

"No talking to the prisoners, doctor! You know the rules." The guard yelled.

The creature just nodded. With his head down he the approached Alpha's cage, following with the same procedure.

As soon as he was done, he was escorted outside of the arena. Both Retcans were perplexed by what they saw. They never imagined a creature similar to them being in that place. But soon the reality kicked in again.

They had no idea what was going to be of them when they saw activity in the arena. All sorts of weapons were placed in wooden planks across the barriers of the arena, as well as the sand being swept and replaced by clean one. The arena was massive, so it took the cleaning personnel quite a lot until they disappeared.

Immediately, another human in a tunic and a very arrogant posture approached the cell along with some guards the held four prisoners. Soon, these prisoners were put into the cages too.

Right after this, the human approached the Retcans and examined them carefully, going through them and the other prisoners. Without saying a word, he pointed at Alpha and another one of the prisoners. The menacing finger that pointed at him, made Alpha's adrenaline burst to its limits. Whatever was about to happen, it would happen now. Zonda immediately felt fear, as he knew that Alpha was chosen for some reason. Horrible things like seeing his brother killed in front of him haunted his mind.

The guards opened the cage and ordered Alpha to step out of it. They took the cuffs off and pushed him all the way to the center of the arena. Alpha had a last glance at Zonda before this. His eyes were filled with insecurity and fear. Zonda started feeling the same. "You are a warrior, Alpha! Remember that!" Zonda yelled at his brother in their own language.

"Shut up animal!" One of the humans yelled, hitting the cage with his rifle.

Once at the center of the arena, the man in the tunic approached them.

"I will make it clear. Fight until death."

"Wait... I can't!" The other prisoner screamed in panic. It was obvious that he was captured recently too.

His cries weren't heard.

"I can serve you as a slave. Please!"

His proposal was received by kick to the face from one of the guards.

"Fight till death!" The man in the tunic ordered again as he gained distance.

"I can't..." Alpha whispered as he saw the human nervously looking at him. "I can't hurt you."

"You have ten seconds to start fighting, or you will be reserved for a Slaughter Event tomorrow!" The man in the tunic demanded.

Without warning, the human ran away from Alpha and grabbed a sword, immediately running back to him. Alpha just looked at him in the eyes, while he kneeled on the floor.

"Please. I don't want to hurt you." Alpha whispered to the human that approached him running with the sword. Alpha's eyes were filled with grief. He had lost his serious demeanor, but somehow always kept his reactions under control. The human screamed as if furious, but Alpha felt an overwhelming fear that emanated from the human.

"I won't die here!" the human attacked Alpha, who easily stood up and avoided the strike.

This human obviously hadn't wielded a sword in his life. His body was also very weak and slow. Despite being much bigger than Alpha, no attack landed on the Retcan who swiftly avoided them.

"They are fast." Turann sat on his private box which had a full view of the arena, while remaining completely sealed from the outside. "You were right about the red eyed animal. But still..."

"I told you." Feastus sat next to him while they both drank a glass of a strange liquid. They were surrounded by servants and ate from a huge banquet. "So, when am I going to get paid my million and a half?"

"A million credits? Have you've lost you mind? You are getting way ahead of yourself selling them for the price of two gladiators, Feastus. Don't insult me!" Turann replied furiously.

"That is just an old farmer." The emperor continued. "He knows nothing about fighting and his body is old. If that little rat is moving that quick is because that man has nothing against him."

"Why don't you bring one of your gladiators to fight them instead? You're underestimating the rats!"

"Silence! I'm only doing this because you are insisting so much. I told you that I don't need more meat for Slaughter Events; I need gladiators for true Fighting Events. If I'm putting them to a test to see if they are remotely capable of holding a fight, it's only to do you a favor. If it was for me, these two rats would be in a cell, waiting to be tortured tomorrow. The more I can pay you is half of the price of meat."

"Again, you are underestimating them. These two could turn into real crowd pleasers. Imagine the money that they would bring. They will prove to be the best investment you've ever made." Feastus still tried to convince Turann to buy the Retcans as gladiators. But Turann had no faith on the small furry aliens.

Meanwhile, at the arena, the man who fought Alpha still struggled to even get close to the Retcan.

"Please, stop this. If you surrender, you might be spared." Alpha told the human. He saw the fear in the human's eyes. He found no reasons to fight him.

"I am not going to die here!" the human yelled as he tried to impale Alpha with the sword. The slow and predictable movement was nothing for Alpha, who in two quick movements disarmed the human. The sword flew a couple of meters from them, ending up buried on the sand.

"Pick up the sword and fight!" the man in the tunic demanded. "And you, attack him now!" He then ordered Alpha.

The man obeyed reluctantly, but before he decided to go back at Alpha, he ran the other way to the empty bleachers in a futile attempt of escaping. Alpha just watched confused.

"Lord Turann, he won't fight. Should I dispose of him, or save it as meat for tomorrow?" The man in the tunic spoke trough a communicator device.

"We don't need more meat. Kill him."

Immediately after the order, the man in the tunic pointed a controller to the escapee and after pushing a button, a loud bang resonated through the massive arena. A small reddish cloud covered the upper part of the man's body, which instantly fell into the ground. After the dust dissipated, it revealed a horrific aftermath. The man's head was almost completely gone...

Alpha just watched traumatized at the horrible scene. He had seen many horrible things in The Great War, but somehow he never got used to them.

"Should I dispose of the rat too?" The man in the tunic said as he pointed the controller towards Alpha.

"No please don't hurt him! Alpha!!" Zonda yelled desperately at the man who ignored him completely. Alpha just looked at Zonda with an immense fearing for his life.

"No." Turann replied. "Not yet. Release the other one and bring Kiire to the arena. Let them fight him at the same time."

"Are you sure my Lord? Kiire is preparing for tomorrow's tournament."

"Then this should be a little stretch up exercise for him."

"As you wish, my Lord."

Alpha was taken to the cages again. Separated from Zonda made him feel worst for what just happened. They both occasionally looked at each other, but were immediately yelled at by the guards so they kept their eyes on the ground.

A long time passed until all of the sudden, a large human with red skin, thick scales on his head and an incredibly athletic build was brought into the arena. He was at the center speaking with the tunic man in a very casual manner while he stretched his arms and legs. Was this one of the gladiators? He seemed to be treated differently form the rest of the prisoners, though he also had a collar.

Many things went through the Retcans mind when they saw him. They didn't have any idea that they were about to fight him until the man in the tunic pointed at them. The gladiator walked a few meters closer to the cages and examined the two Retcans closely. They couldn't hear him since he was still too far away, but he looked confused and started laughing.

"You two will wish that we activate the collars after he starts fighting you. Kiire will pulverize you two." One of the guards said close to one of the Retcans.

There was no doubt about it. This gladiator was brought in to fight the Retcans.

"Are you sure, Turann?" Feastus questioned Turann after his decision of bringing what was probably one of the strongest gladiators in the arena. "Kiire is one of your stars."

"What, are you afraid that your rats will loose? If they are as half as good as you say they are, that means that both of them might be able to hold up a fight with a full blown gladiator."

"I'm saying it because it might be a shame that one of your top stars would get injured before tomorrow's tournament." Feastus replied very sure of his words.

"You're seriously loosing it, my old friend. Why don't you shut up and enjoy the free massacre."

After a while, both Retcans were forced out of their cages. It gave them some sense of relief that the two of them were being taken together.

"Are you ok?" Zonda whispered as quietly as he could, while they walked to the center of the arena.

"Not really. This is gone too far." Alpha whispered back anxiously.

"We are going to be ok, brother. Focus and trust your experience."

Those were the only words that they could share with each other before they finally arrived at the center where Kiire awaited them. This gladiator stood almost seven feet tall; his weight roughly within the 360 pounds of pure muscle. But he looked really comfortable with this size, and gave a sense of lightness. This was definitely not going to be good for the Retcans.

"You, kill them." The tunic man told Kiire. "You two, fight him." Then he told the Retcans.

"Are you serious?" Kiire questioned. "What is the emperor up to? These animals probably don't even weight 100 pounds each. What am I suppose to do with them?" Kiire said, mocking the appearance of the Retcans while he jumped around stretching his legs.

"Do as we tell you, Kiire." The tunic man said almost in a boring tone, while he walked away.

"Very well; you'll be good exercise."

Before he ended speaking, he surprised the Retcans with a brutal kick. He managed to hit Alpha, who flew a couple of meters away from where they were. Alpha moaned due to the pain while he tried to stand up and failed to do so.

"Alpha!!" Zonda growled furiously.

"Now's your turn," Kiire said. Again, with an immense speed he attacked Zonda with another kick, but the Retcan was ready and managed to barely dodge it.

The attacks of the gladiator Kiire were breathtakingly swift. Zonda used all of his strength to dodge the attacks, leaving him no energy to counter attack. It wasn't long until Kiire managed to hit his target. His knee hit right on Zonda's stomach, leaving him almost unconscious. He was about to punch Zonda in his face, when all of the sudden, Alpha attacked from the back.

Alpha returned the favor with a powerful kick to Kiire's face, which made the gladiator loose his balance. These little freaks are strong. That actually hurt. Kiire though. But he managed to recover quickly and went after Alpha.

Same thing happened. His attacks were so brutal that the Retcan had little or no chance to avoid the attacks; even less, to find an opening for counter-attacking.

Kiire saw an opportunity and managed to grab Alpha from his head and lifted him in the air. Alpha struggled and used his claws to injure the gladiator's arms. But the pressure that he was putting made Alpha loose focus and couldn't apply all his force to make a serious laceration.

"You animals are stronger than I imagined. Here, I'll give you some advantage." Kiire threw Alpha with an immense force to where Zonda was. Alpha managed to regain posture in mid air and landed on his hind-paws. Zonda immediately stood up as well.

"He is very strong, brother." Alpha told Zonda. He panted heavily as he wiped blood of his muzzle.

"Focus, Alpha. You are a strong warrior. Don't let the fear invade you. Remember the war of Lusceonis and the strength in which you fought there."

The image of his Retcan brothers falling by the hands of the merciless beings that once tried to take over their world made him feel an immense sense of anger. Picturing his brothers that risked it all to save Lusceonis, eventually winning the war finally gave him the determination that he needed.

"You are right..." Alpha replied. He took a deep breath and freed his mind of any worries. Zonda did the same.

Immediately, the eyes of both Retcans changed. The fear and insecurity was gone; their serene, serious but fierce gaze returned.

"No fear, Zonda."

"No fear, Alpha."

Both adopted a more coordinated posture, while their breathing became much calmer. They never let their sight away from the gladiator. In their minds, they had nothing but the determination of getting out of there no matter the challenge, just as they did many decades ago in the war which they almost lost.

"Look at you. It seems like you'll fight seriously now." Kiire mocked them. "Well, done with the warming up then. Know that I will have no mercy." His last sentences were spoken with an almost evil tone.

At an incredible speed, the three jumped at each other. A spectacle of agility and skill was displayed for the only few that watched the fight. Turann's smirk now turned into an expression of amusement.

The speed in which Kiire attacked the Retcans almost seemed like if he threw punches and kicks randomly, but they were extremely calculated to manage to strike his opponents. But Zonda and Alpha anticipated each and every move, draining the gladiator as the time passed. Their light bodies gave them an extraordinary stamina, but even with that, Kiire managed to keep up with them.

Kiire did land some hits, but his strength and effectiveness had decreased, giving the Retcans an opportunity to strike him back. Their strength was nothing compared to his, but Retcans knew how and were to land their hits, using their claws to cause extra damage.

Kiire was no longer laughing. He knew he had serious problems if he didn't do anything to shift the fight on his favor.

After almost half an hour of fighting, he still kept his stamina levels high, but his pride was taking a toll on his concentration. The Retcans could feel how his energy changed from being in a calm state, to an extremely aggressive and berserk state.

Panting, both Retcans smiled confident at the gladiator. They knew they could win this. This infuriated Kiire who threw himself with all his force against the Retcans, but his attacks went from a magnificent display of skill, to a completely erratic mayhem of sloppy attacks.

Zonda and Alpha never lost their focus. This was their opportunity.

Landing various consecutive attacks, the Retcans managed to subdue Kiire. Turann was amazed, but very angry due to loosing his bets against Feastus.

"What did I tell you?" Feastus laughed manically.

"This is..." Turann replied confused. "This is not over."

Turann spoke through a microphone, and his voice echoed through the speakers that surrounded the arena. "Kill them, Kiire!"

These words didn't really helped, as Kiire felt even more pressure. He ran and grabbed two swords from the weapon stash and ran back to attack the Retcans.

"He's done, Alpha. Don't feel intimidated."

"Don't worry. I'll distract him, you stun him. It's the only way." Alpha replied, now being a completely different Retcan.

"Good idea."

As Kiire approached them, both Retcans separated and taunted the gladiator. He didn't know which one to go after, so he went for Zonda. The experimented Retcan General dodged his attacks, but the swords were managing to make light contact. Alpha immediately saw that this was a dangerous situation so he attacked him from behind. When Kiire turned to strike Alpha, Zonda placed his hand-paws on the gladiator's chest and stunned him with his bio-electric defense mechanism.

Both swords fell to the ground. Kiire walked backwards twitching and grunting. He didn't loose consciousness, but his body wasn't responding to him. The shock right to the heart and diaphragm made it impossible to keep his body oxygenated after such effort that he had gone through. He fell on his knees, gasping for air.

"Enough!" was heard through the arena's speakers. Fifteen armed guards came running and surrounded not only the Retcans, but Kiire.

"You made your point, Feastus..." Turann reluctantly admitted after seeing one of his top gladiators laying hopeless in the ground while gasping for air. Feastus couldn't hold his laughter. He knew this meant an enormous gain for him.

"You three, the fight is over!" The tunic man yelled. "Guards take these two gladiators and process them!"

Surprised as they where, the tunic man that disrespected them before, now referred to them as gladiators.

Immediately, both Retcans were taken through another passage to exit the arena. Insults and heavy handling were not given to the Retcans anymore as they disappeared through the depths of the complex...