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CHAPTER 33 Harena Sanguis Tournament: Part II

The crowd howled in excitement every time the metallic whip hit mercilessly on the human's body, ripping his flesh apart with every strike; they demanded more.

Every time the dreadful tool of destruction hit is target, a crimson mist evaporated in the air caused by the brutality of the impact.

"Who are you giving all this information to?" The man in the tunic questioned him as the guard got ready to strike him again.

After not receiving any response, the guard hit him ten more times across his chest, back and neck. The screams of agony where thankfully overwhelmed by the yells of the morbid audience.

The flesh now hanged from the man's body, dripping the precious vital fluid. He fought all that he could not to answer the demands of the man in the tunic.

"It's one of those, right?" the man in the tunic insisted, pointing at the gladiators who watched the gruesome display. "Just say yes, and your agony will end."

"Turann's reign will be shattered..." The tortured man uttered with his last strengths.

Infuriated by his defiance, the man in the tunic took a sword himself and with all his force he struck the tortured man in his arm. To the horror of Zonda and Alpha, the arm fell limp to the ground. The scream that the man let out was instantly muted by the audience as he almost lost consciousness due to the shock of such horrific injury. Blood gushed out of his severed limb announcing his prompt death.

"Tell me who are you contacting and I will end your suffering now!" The man in the tunic insisted. The crowd went crazy, as they enjoyed such horrible slaughter, almost as if feeding on the poor man's suffering. Zonda and Alpha had their eyes closed, and Morrison watched immobilized. She was used to these gruesome displays, but it was something else what she feared.

"I..." the tortured man twitched, trying to say his last words. "I serve Emperor Üllas... We will fight so his reign is reestablished... Harena Sanguis will rise as the place it used to be..."

"Imbecile!"

"Long live Emperor Üllas! Death to Turann!" The last words of the agonizing man were clear. He was silenced by the man in the tunic after he sliced the man's neck. His brave last words where drowned once again by the screams of the spectators who enjoyed the merciless killing.

_He was clean..._Morrison thought. She always had doubts of the man who once helped her, but seeing how he protected her identity until his death made Morrison realize that he was indeed a brave and righteous man.

He once told her that he belonged to a resistance group that fought against Turann's army. Turann and his army once took control of that planet, and brought down the kingdom of a man that once reigned in equanimity. She had promised this man that if he helped her get out of that place she would bring her own army to help free this planet.

Now he was dead.

"We will escape today, Retcans." Morrison whispered. "We will honor the bravery of this man, who gave his life so we could carry on our plans. Not doing so will make his death pointless."

"Are you sure, Morrison?" Zonda questioned her.

"We have no choice. We don't know what Turann will do after knowing that he had a breach in his security. He is a schizophrenic lunatic who doesn't take any chances. He could decide to kill us all right now for what it matters."

It was all or nothing. Now that Turann knew about this traitor he was surely going to tighten security, making any future plans of escaping virtually impossible. Even with that said, pulling off this escape plan wasn't going to be easy.

Some time passed after the arena was cleaned and the tournament would finally commence. The spectators ran wild when the announcer gave the details for the first fight. The first two contestants made it to the arena and the tournament finally began.

The Retcans could feel their gut sink in anxiety and adrenaline as the lights in the coliseum shifted, concentrating most of the illumination in the massive arena while showing the action between the first contestants who fought with all their strength. This was a perfect opportunity to learn the fighting styles and movements of each contestant. They had to look for the slightest opening and weak point of every gladiator so they had a chance to defeat them. The Retcans' fighting style was based in defense, evasion and counter attack, since their small and light bodies could do little in an offensive approach against these huge humans.

"The time has come, Retcans." Morrison yelled to the Retcans, being almost muted by the cheers of the spectators. "For this plan to work and for us to walk alive and free from this place, you must survive until the end." She explained the plans from the adjacent cage.

There was no response form Zonda or Alpha. At this moment, their minds were fully focused on the fights.

"Our informant did a good job. He hacked into the systems and re-arranged the lineup for the tournament. If everything goes well, we shouldn't face each other until the final."

"I thought you said you didn't have any plans of escaping today. Why did you ask him to arrange the line-up?" Zonda asked.

"I didn't. I suppose that he knew that I would plan something with you two even if we didn't pull it off today. He was very smart." She replied, confident that the strident yells of the spectators covered their voices.

That day's tournament would have a special event at the end. The four last contestants standing would face in an all-for-one match that would decide who would be the champion.

"If you manage to make it, our plan will start in that last match. Since there are no rules, we will fight together to eliminate the other contestant and then fight each other. Are you sure you want me to do what you told me, Zonda? Can we think of an alternative?"

"You basically said it yourself, Morrison; it's too late to go back." Zonda replied sure of himself.

"Ok, then. Good luck my friends." She replied. It was the last that they spoke that night before the fights started to take place.

"Contestant Corr is eliminated from the tournament!! Zerk is the winner!!" The announcer's voice thundered across the coliseum. The looser was hanging at the edge of his life after he was severely impaled in the chest by a large knife. He was finally being dragged outside the arena, showing signs that he wouldn't make it. The winner however, also suffered considerable amount of damage. This would make it difficult for him to have any chances of winning the next fight. As terrible as that sounded, this gave the Retcans and Morrison better chances of advancing.

In a private box, protected behind a thick glass, Turann observed the tournament very carefully. He was examining every contestant, not only taking note of who was worth salvaging, but also who could've been conspiring against him.

"So, I guess that your accountants are already preparing my pay?" Feastus questioned Turann. The man who captured the Retcans sat by the Emperor's side, drinking beverages and eating from a table full of delicacies.

"You'll have to be patient, Feastus." Turann replied. "Those rats haven't even fought yet. I will not pay you if they end up dying in the first match."

Feastus didn't like the sound of that. His greed was greater than his patience.

"You already saw what they were capable of. I say it's time for you to pay me my honoraries." Feastus pressured the Emperor.

"They fought two against one. This time we will see if they really are as strong as they say. I don't want to waste my money if their victory was just luck and they end up being squashed this time."

"Turann, my good old friend," Feastus said. "It wasn't easy to convince these two and lure them into the coliseum. They were hard work, you know. I insist that you pay me right now..." A more irritated Feastus insisted.

"Silence!" Turann finally shut the uncanny man. "I have other things to worry about right now than your payment. I have a bad feeling about those rats, and I don't want to make any mistakes. I have something prepared for them if they manage to make it to the end... Only if they manage to survive that little surprise, I will pay you your money."

The fights continued through the night, with the spectators going wild at such intense display of violence. Some gladiators didn't make it, and others were spared due to their high value and claims from the audience.

It wasn't long until Morrison was finally called into the arena. Thankfully, she managed to win without much problem. Her cold headed nature given after years of belonging to her race's army made it easy for her to keep her calm and focus during the whole match. Her opponent made a terrible mistake of underestimating her. He was spared, though.

But it finally came the turn for one of the first Retcans to walk into the arena. Zonda was called in.

"Be strong brother." Alpha encouraged him. "Remember what you told me yesterday; we are warriors."

Zonda knew how to keep his concentration despite all that they had been going through. After watching many fights, he started to see a pattern on these human's techniques. And his opponent in particular had just won a difficult fight, so that could've drained him of his energy a little bit.

Laughs and insults where thrown at the furred alien as he approached the center of the arena. His opponent's self confidence grew when he noticed that he was being chosen by the audience as their favorite to win that bout.

These humans are too confident of their strength. This should give me an advantage. Zonda thought. He was now in a calmer mood after realizing that they did have an opportunity to at least win over their opponents. He tried not to think about their escape plans, though.

If he managed to surprise this gladiator, that could help to break his concentration, and that's were he would push the hardest to bring him down.

"The next match will be between one of our favorite gladiators; Brutheus the ruthless and one of our newest gladiators!" The announcer advertised the fight. "Zon...Zim... Zenith" He tried to read the name of the Retcan from a screen, failing to do so. "Anyway, I don't think this match will last too long, so who cares." He mocked the furred creature. "Are you ready for this?!" He then yelled.

The spectators ran wild once again. The idea of seeing this little creature get annihilated by the gladiator was very welcomed. Though some of them did think it twice, and had some doubts that this little alien was as weak as he looked.

"Do your best, creature. I won't have mercy." Brutheus directed towards Zonda while snapping his knuckles.

Zonda didn't respond, and just stared at the human with his piercing yellow eyes.

After a few seconds, the announcer dropped his arm, signaling the start of the fight. Pumped up by the cheers of the crowd, the gladiator Brutheus started hopping and moving around Zonda, thinking of how he could start the beating on this poor little alien.

Zonda just stood motionless, following the gladiator with his sight.

"Afraid?" Brutheus asked him.

"Don't trust his appearance, Brutheus. He's stronger than he looks!" From a cage, Kiire warned his colleague.

In a reckless choice of action, Brutheus lowered his guard, stared at Kiire and responded.

"Come on, I can't believe that this creature defeated you yesterday. There is no way that..." Seeing the opportunity, Zonda swiftly attacked Brutheus, striking him at his ribcage with all his force. The Retcans' claws buried deep into the human's flesh, leaving small opened lacerations that started bleeding almost immediately.

Zonda's strength was nothing against the larger human, but hitting him in such vulnerable spot, plus the unexpected surprise of the attack left Brutheus stunned for a few seconds.

Not loosing any momentum, Zonda delivered a powerful roundhouse kick at the back of the humans' knee, also ripping some skin off thanks to the sharp claws in his paws.

The strike right at the knee ligaments made the human loose his balance a bit.

Some of the spectators were a bit shocked of seeing one of their favorites being attacked that way by this little animal. Some others did expect such surprise and cheered the furred alien.

"Damn! You are strong, aren't you?" Brutheus admitted as he regained his breath. A sharp pain was making him struggle to put all his weight in his injured leg. He knows were to hit. I have to be careful.

Zonda didn't respond and kept his distance. Every time the gladiator tried something, Zonda moved swiftly the opposite way and somehow managed to take an advantaged position. Brutheus noticed this and instinctively regained his guard.

This little beast knows my moves. I can't attack him without leaving my guard down to a counter-attack. Damn!

Being already exhausted from his last fight, it was very hard to keep up with Zonda who knew perfectly how to save his energies and keep his focus. Every missed attack was received with a counter-attack by the furred creature. Zonda's strength wasn't enough to simply knock out his opponent, but the damage that his claws and fangs did to vital parts was slowly draining the gladiator's stamina.

"And you still doubt their capabilities, Turann?" Feastus questioned the emperor from their private box. "First Kiire fell to the strength of these animals, and now Brutheus."

"I told you to wait until the end. If these animals make it, they will be put to the ultimate test." Turann replied. His leg jumped up and down because of how nervous he was. First, these two aliens were proving to be somehow superior to the gladiators, but what bothered him the most was the treason of one of his men. He could feel that many things could go wrong that night.

"It's time for things to get more interesting." Turann chuckled sinisterly. At the push of a button, two small platforms lowered to the arena, carrying many weapons. This was done when the fight was sensed to be almost at its end, just like the last fight.

The gladiator didn't hesitate to grab a huge sword, instantly swinging it until he got into position.

"What are you waiting for? Grab a weapon!" He yelled at Zonda.

At least he had some sense of honor when waiting for Zonda to pick a weapon. The Retcan doubted for a second. He knew that if he decided to wield a sword, any attack from now on would be potentially deadly. He despised these humans, but he wasn't a killer. He couldn't bear to take someone's life, especially in that situation. This was not like in the Great War were the lives of all Retcans were at danger; this was a morbid event made for entertaining purposes and it went against everything that Retcans knew as honorable.

Just take the sword, brother. Alpha thought.

Zonda stared at the weapon cache and had no choice but to grab one. The Retcan took a short sword that looked similar to the Lanthracit swords that he was so used to. But one thing was different; this sword had an incredibly sharp blade. Not skin, flesh or bone would be spared if he decided to go for the attack.

"Get ready! I will not hold back!" The gladiator yelled at Zonda as he approached running at full speed, carrying the heavy sword that was almost as big as the Retcan.

Zonda glued his eyes to the gladiator that ran towards him. He studied every movement trying to predict what the human's move was going to be. A tiny mistake and he would end up sliced by that massive sword.

Time seemed to stop; the noise of the audience went mute. Almost like in slow motion, the gladiator got closer and closer, getting ready to strike at Zonda.

_Now... _

Zonda saw his opportunity, and just as the gladiators' sword came fiercely at him, he sidestepped swiftly and counter attacked. The large mass of the gladiator, plus the weight added due to the sword, made it very difficult for him to stop. Zonda did a quick slash to the gladiators' leg, leaving a large gash in his thigh.

The gladiator didn't let this stop him, and he quickly swung the sword back at Zonda who didn't expect this. The Retcan barely managed to avoid the attack that went directly to his head. He ducked just in time, feeling the blade cutting through the air millimeters above his head.

This really startled Zonda, who instinctively back flipped a couple of times to gain some distance and regain his guard.

But Brutheus started to feel the pain. Some muscle fibers were compromised in his already injured leg. The gladiator had an opportunity to go at Zonda, but he didn't. This was sign that his mobility was terribly compromised now.

"I don't want to hurt you, human." Zonda yelled at him. "Can you withdraw from the fight? Your body is starting to loose strength and effectiveness."

"You are very strong furred creature. What is your real name?" The gladiator asked, ignoring Zonda's suggestion. Both kept their guard, ready for an inevitable second skirmish.

"Zonda; from Lusceonis Alpha," Zonda replied.

"I'll remember your name, Zonda." The gladiator told him. Immediately he charged at Zonda once again.

This time, the gladiator seemed slower and uncoordinated. His injuries were starting to take a toll on him. But he was not an inexperienced fighter. He somehow deducted what Zonda's counterattack would be, reacting before Zonda did. This time he managed to strike the furred alien.

But Zonda wasn't inexperienced either, and his speed was overwhelming for the human. Although the sword managed to make contact, leaving a long slash across Zonda's chest, he managed to move away enough so the laceration was only superficial. Still, it hurt a lot.

For a few minutes they fought against each other in a magnificent display of skill and bravery. But little by little, Zonda managed to injure the human in very delicate parts, which ultimately drained him of all his stamina.

The human lost all confidence in his victory. The audience was stunned by the abilities of the small grey furred alien. Turann watched pleased with the outcome of this fight. Morrison and Alpha were relieved that Zonda was about to accomplish his victory.

In one last attempt of beating the furred alien, the gladiator went fully opened at him with his last strengths. Zonda dodged him easily, jumping in the air and landing in the gladiators' shoulders. Zonda then threw the sword and took hold of the human's head, releasing a shock at him. He was restraining himself from doing this because of how draining it can be for his body, but he saw it as a last resort of stopping this carnage.

Instantly after releasing his bio-electric defense mechanism, Brutheus dropped the sword and fell on his knees stunned. Zonda jumped off of him and landed on his four extremities, slowly standing up in a very elegant fashion.

The audience was in silence as they saw one of their favorite gladiators falling slowly to the ground. The announcer didn't have words to explain what just happened.

"Brutheus... has been defeated by the furred creature." The announcer said. The crowd slowly started applauding, realizing the incredible achievement of the Retcan. "Brutheus is eliminated from the tournament. Zenith is the winner!" Simple applauds turned into frantic cheers of excitement. This little furred alien had proved how brute strength and size don't really matter in the arena.

"Well done, brother. I'm proud of you." Alpha whispered.

But this was just the start of their odyssey. There were still many strong contestants that they would have to face in order to get their plan going. And even if they managed to get to the final match, there was no guarantee that they could achieve their goal of escaping the death arena of Harena Sanguis...