Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  I stop and hold him back as the others move further ahead.

  “I do love it if information about the matches gets leaked. If I find someone who is unaware, I can make a favorable bet," the guy snickers.

  I lean in close. "Swallowing Earth," I chant.

  "What does Swallowing Earth mean?" he asks, confused.

  He's pulled into the ground in an instant; didn't even have time to scream. Damn fool shouldn't have called Aryn a monster.

  I turn and start walking. Asteria and The Princess aren't too far ahead.

  Seems there is another doorway we have to pass through.

  After a short wait, it's our turn to enter. Really isn't anything special about the entrance. Don't see why everyone filed through one at a time. Once we pass through, we're standing in a large room. It's reasonably lit… at least compared to the tunnel we took here. There's a large opening in the middle of the room—a way to look down perhaps.

  I lead the way to the space.

  "The smell is quite rancid in here," The Princess remarks.

  "Yeah, blood tends to smell if it's not cleaned," I state.

  We reach the opening and look down. As I thought, it's a way to look down: into the arena, that is. This really is a place for death; even from up here, the remains of humans and creatures are evident. Everyone in attendance seems rather amused upon seeing the arena, though I understand why a deathmatch has a certain appeal. It must be entertaining to watch them instead of being in one.

  "Consul Artuitus!" someone shouts.

  A large man enters the crowd, surrounded by a group of guards. It's the same guy from the picture, but the artist who painted the portrait was really kind to him.

  He makes his way to a chair on the other side of the opening.

  One of the gates in the arena opens. Is that Utrix? Seems he's unconscious. The two guys carrying him place him against the wall.

  "My esteemed colleagues, we have a magnificent match in store for you this evening!" he shouts. "It would seem one of the fighters has risen from their slumber!"

  Utrix tries to stand. He needs to come to his senses about what's happening.

  “We have two excellent specimens for our enjoyment!" Consul Artuitus yells. “One is a seasoned adventurer: a life of braving the untamed world and slaying terrible beasts."

  As Utrix stands, the people gathered start to cheer. Spit flies from their mouths, and they almost drool from their greedy smiles.

  Consul Artuitus lifts his hand to shut the audience up. Have to say… he does have them obedient.

  “The next combatant… I am almost too afraid to even allow such a monster in this arena," he somberly says. “This man has already killed a man and injured numerous in one day! Will he prove his might and survive our arena?!" Consul Artuitus yells.

  Is Aryn the next one out?

  "What's the plan?" Asteria asks.

  She'll have to give me some time to think about that. I'm kinda making it up as I go.

  A second gate raises, but Aryn doesn't walk out. Instead, it's a group of ten men pulling chains. Is Aryn at the end of those chains? The thought of him being such a handful makes me smirk.

  A lump of chains passes the entrance; I assume Aryn is in the middle of it. The fuck? What did Aryn do to have them puncture him with so many spears?

  "We will be leaving this one chained, so as to give his opponents a chance of winning," Consul Artuitus states. "Now… release their first adversary!" he exclaims.

  21

  ARYN

  Utrix begins to pull the spears out of me while the gate opens. They really fucked him up. Did they torture him for information? He wouldn't have anything to tell them. Poor guy got hurt for no reason. I see they carved the runes that stop the mana from accumulating on him, too. That may prove to be an issue.

  “Why did they stab you with so many spears?" Utrix asks.

  “These spears have some magic imbued in them. Apparently, that Folter guy wanted to hurt me," I answer.

  The gate's all the way open and something comes tottering out into the area. The fuck is that?

  "It seems their first opponent is one of our Chimeras!" Artuitus shouts.

  A Chimera? Shit, what kind is it?

  It lumbers closer; I'll have to get a good look at the parts it's made from. Is that its arm in front of it? I can see a tail swaying back and forth behind it as well.

  "Get these spears out faster," I tell Utrix.

  What's the base creature for the Chimera? The mass in front of the Chimera moves; it was an arm. The arm is out of the way, letting me see the Chimera more clearly. Its base is a person.

  They’re doing forbidden arts on people, huh. It's a hideous-looking creature that they've made. Its right arm is gigantic, covered with bulging pockets of pus. The legs appear to be a hooved creature of sorts. Its tail is long and slender, coming to a sharp, pronged hook at the end. Its bottom jaw has been replaced with a large jaw of teeth, too heavy for it to close. It is a bit creepy that it's moving towards me with an open mouth. For some reason, it looks like it's smiling.

  The Chimera grabs the end of the chain and pulls. I slide away from Utrix.

  It doesn't seem to understand what the chain is, seeing as it's biting the links.

  Utrix throws one of the spears at the Chimera, hitting it in the thigh.

  "What the fuck did they make!?" he exclaims.

  The Chimera looks at the spear; does it not feel pain, perhaps? The expression on its face slowly change… is it just realizing it got attacked?

  The Chimera lets out a sickening howl. It's not quite the scream of a person, but not like an animal either. The cry generates cheering from the crowd above.

  They're really getting off on this Chimera, aren't they? I suppose if I were the one watching, I'd be enjoying it too.

  The Chimera flings its arms into the air, enraged. It then grabs the chain and yanks it, causing me to lift the ground and fly towards the creature.

  I hit its body with a thud, causing the Chimera to stagger. It looks down at me and its eyes look familiar. The dazed and faded look in its eyes are just like the citizens on the drugs.

  The Chimera hunches over and sniffs me.

  "Hey, don't suppose you want to have a chat?" I ask with a smile.

  The Chimera lets out a low growl, drooling on me in the process. It then proceeds to swing its right arm onto me. It feels like a tree just hit me. It keeps pounding on me. There's no tact to its attacks; it just keeps attacking like an animal.

  The Chimera stops and looks forward.

  I look to see that Utrix is advancing towards the Chimera with another spear.

  I thought I told him to stay back and let me handle everything. He's in no condition to fight, and I need to blow off some steam.

  The Chimera is on guard; Utrix won't be able to attack it easily. I can't move too much with the spears pinning my joints. I'll have to create some sort of opening for him to attack. I hope he realizes the chance when he sees it.

  I wait for Utrix to get within striking distance. This is my chance for an opening.

  I whistle.

  The Chimera jerks its head down to look at me.

  The spear enters the Chimera's head. Good, Utrix took the opening.

  The Chimera collapses on me; it's heavy. Its drool and blood are getting all over my face. The sensation of the viscous liquid slowly sliding down my cheek is unsettling.

  "Mind getting this off me?" I ask Utrix.

  He sighs, then tries to move the Chimera. "Damn thing, this arm must weigh the same as a horse," he remarks.

  He struggles to push the arm off of me. Wish he would put his back into it… this thing's breath is rancid.

  Did this thing just move?

  "Stab it again Utrix," I say.

  The Chimera's hand grasps Utrix's leg. Utrix is lifted off the ground and thrown away. He rolls as he hits the ground, to minimize damage.

  The Chimera opens its eyes, then sluggishly gets itself off of m
e. This thing is still alive with a spear in its head? I'm sure this is a Chimera and not an undead, though. Is the body being manipulated by some sort of magic? No, it can't be magic… the way its body is moving is just the same as it was before getting stabbed. That can only mean its brain was repositioned when it was being made. If that's the case, then finding vital organs may be hard.

  The Chimera grabs the chain again.

  "Fuck," I say.

  The Chimera swings me over its shoulder and slams me into the ground. It howls, then swings me into the ground again. The Chimera then throws me into the arena wall. Why am I constantly getting thrown into walls lately?

  The chains that wrapped me fall off. Seems like that thrashing broke the spears.

  I pull the remains of one of the spears out. Luckily, the wings aren't hooked. I'm not bleeding too much from the wounds. I should be fine like this.

  The Chimera charges me, wailing the whole time.

  I wonder if it retains any memories of when it was a person. Guess it doesn't matter if it does or doesn't. It's about to die now.

  I wait until the Chimera is right in front of me; it blindly swings its arms at me. I step to the side—no need to put any effort into this fight. The Chimera crashes into the wall. I drive the spear into the Chimera, aiming for where the heart should be.

  The Chimera swings its right arm into me. Now that I'm unchained, I can stop it with my hand. I squeeze into its flesh; pus shoots out from the skin.

  The Chimera howls at me again, trying to escape my grasp. I don't have time to entertain the crowd. I better finish this, but my showmanship is starting to rise.

  I lift the Chimera up by its arm and throw it over my shoulder. It hits the ground, screaming. I lift it up and throw it over my shoulder into the ground again.

  The crowd is silent.

  “Is this not the entertainment you wanted!?"" I exclaim. "Which monster is stronger?"

  Over and over again, I slam the Chimera into the ground. Each time, I use more and more force. This continues for some time, until all that's left of the Chimera is its arm.

  The crowd is still silent; maybe they were hoping we'd get killed? Perhaps, I should liven the mood in this place?

  I throw the Chimera's arm at the crowd. Unfortunately, the arm hits a barrier; guess they would want to protect themselves from someone doing what I just did.

  “Send any form of beast or person out here to face me!" I shout. "No matter what, I will defeat it. No, I'll exterminate it!" I proclaim.

  “Bwahohoho!" Artuitus laughs. “That is the resolve I wanted to see. Face our monsters and win; if you do… I’ll grant you your freedom!" he declares.

  Utrix makes his way next to me. "You know, I can fight too," he states.

  "Maybe, but you still need to recover from the torture," I reply.

  "I'm in more than enough condition to fight," he answers.

  I slap the right side of his face.

  He looks at me, bewildered as to why I struck him.

  "If you had your eye, you would've dodged that. As long as you're halfway blind, you'll only hold me back," I coldly remark.

  I hate to be so mean to him, but I need him to feel as though he is unneeded, which he is.

  "Begin the next match!" Artuitus commands.

  The gate opens again. This time, two figures approach the arena. Chimeras, once again. Just how many of these things do they have here? These Chimeras have vastly different silhouettes than the first one. The one on the left is thin, with elongated arms that come to large, clawed hands. The one on the right seems to have spikes of sorts covering its body and a large horn on its head.

  They get closer to us. They have human bases too. If we face any more Chimeras, will they have been made from people also? These Chimeras' eyes look just like the first… like the citizen’s eyes. Just what is Artuitus planning?

  The one on the left charges, and it's fast! I go to grab it, but it swerves. It's nimble too.

  Something drips down my left eye… blood? When did this thing cut me? No, wait, how were its claws able to cut me? Is this Chimera made from the parts of a magical creature? This might be a bit difficult, if that's the case.

  “Aryn!" Utrix calls out. “This one can extend and retract its spines!" he informs me.

  I glance over at Utrix; he's on his back, with a spear run through the spiny Chimera. He's not unscathed though. Utrix has been pierced by a few spines.

  Though the spear is in the Chimera's chest, it's still alive. Have all the Chimeras they made had their organs rearranged?

  The small one starts attacking me with a flurry of slashes. I'm getting used to its speed and movements. It's not so much that the Chimera is fast, but the odd way it moves its body. I'll end this soon, to go help Utrix with the spiky one.

  I grab the small Chimera's arm as it tries to stab me with its claws. This thing's physical strength is laughable as it desperately tries to escape. It lets out a blood-curdling scream.

  The Chimera struggles to speak. "Let...Go."

  Poor bastard must be suffering. Don't worry, I'll end your painful existence.

  I thrust my hand through the Chimera's chest. I feel the sensation of my hand going through its heart. At least it will die quick.

  "Thank...You..." the Chimera says.

  Guess it wanted to die. At least it won't be made to fight anymore.

  I lower my hand for the body to slide off when the Chimera grabs hold of my arm. Is it still not dead?

  I put my hand on its head to crush it.

  Suddenly, I'm overcome with the instinct to retreat.

  The Chimera explodes, its guts and blood shooting everywhere.

  "Outstanding!" Artuitus shouts.

  I'm missing my hand that had stabbed the Chimera.

  Without Asteria, it's gonna be a bitch to fight with no hand. I don't have time to think about that. I have to get to Utrix before he becomes riddled with holes.

  I dash towards the spiny Chimera, driving my foot into its side. As my foot makes contact, the Chimera's spines shoot all the way through my leg, becoming stuck to my leg. This one must've been made with the parts of a magical creature too.

  I lean forward and grab it; the Chimera shoots spines into my arms and upper body this time. I wrap my arms around the Chimera and squeeze. The Chimera's spines pierce me, but I don't stop squeezing. In fact, I squeeze with more force. I crush the Chimera; it's still moving. I pull the Chimera from my body and proceed to fold its body in half.

  "Why did you let yourself get stabbed so many times?" Utrix asks. "You'll bleed out with all those holes."

  "Ya know… I may not seem like it, but I'm rather smart when it comes to fighting," I respond.

  It's not like I just let myself get punctured and slashed. I had a plan. Turned out it worked.

  I bend down to Utrix. "I'm gonna make it so you can gather mana again. It's gonna hurt… so bear through it," I state.

  "I don't know what you have in mind, but I'll trust you," he responds.

  Right, time to get this over with.

  I push Utrix onto the ground and snap one of the spines off of the Chimera.

  "H-hey. What exactly are you doing to make me use mana again?" he stutters.

  He tries to sit up, so I force him back down. He said he'd trust me. Should at least give me a chance to do what I'm gonna do.

  I stab the spine underneath the runes carved onto his chest.

  "Fucker!" Utrix yells.

  I use more force to hold him down. "Don't be a pansy," I remark.

  I work the spine around the area the runes were carved into, making sure to only cut deep enough to get the damaged layers.

  "This part is going to be the most painful," I inform him.

  I work my fingernail underneath the skin I sliced. I work up a flap of skin large enough to grasp with my fingertips. I peel the skin up, pretty much skinning the area of his chest. I do this as fast as I can to avoid causing too much pain for Utrix.

  Utrix
doesn't realize what has happened right away, or perhaps he's too shocked. When it sets in that I just peeled his skin off, he screams in agony.

  "I do not believe this!" Artuitus cries. "The monster has just skinned his own comrade!"

  The crowd erupts with a mixed reaction; some cheer, some gasp, and some laugh.

  "You can gather mana now. Start healing yourself," I tell Utrix.

  He starts to heal himself without a second thought as to why I did what I did. I wonder if he realized that my idea was to remove the runes from his body.

  "How'd you know removing the runes would work?" Utrix asks.

  "I didn't," I answer.

  Utrix looks surprised and annoyed by my answer.

  "I mean… I had the idea in mind. I thought, if you can remove runes from a blade by grinding it down enough, then it should work on us too," I state as I point to the holes on my chest.

  After the Chimeras tore away enough flesh, I felt mana enter my body again. That confirmed my thoughts, though I admit, it was a pretty reckless way to remove the runes.

  "Should I start healing your wounds too?" he asks.

  "No need, my wounds have stopped bleeding already," I respond.

  The gate opens again. This time, a large group of Chimeras enters the arena. Each one that emerges is more grotesque than the last. Once again… they're all human-based.

  "Let them fight to their heart’s content!" Artuitus exclaims.

  The crowd erupts in cheers again as the group of Chimeras approaches us. I lift my hand and use my flames on them, burning them and returning them to nothingness.

  The crowd stops cheering. I guess they weren't expecting magic to be used.

  "Artuitus!" I shout. "What say we end this little game? Tell me what you're planning to do with this town and turn yourself in!" I demand.

  Artuitus begins to laugh; his laugh turns into a chortle. The crowd starts to cackle with him.

  Artuitus quiets down as he wipes tears from his eyes. "Oh, I have not had a good laugh like that I quite some time," he chortles. "Do you believe you are in any position to say such a thing?" he mocks.