Planet of the Stars

Chapter 48: Colosseum

"Welcome contender," The guy says.

I hold my head in my hand. He was wearing armor, and a sword was at his side. I flexed my fingers and my sword appeared in my hand. The smell of metal filled the air.

"Where am I? What do you want with me?" I snarl.

"You were called here by the sound of the drums. Therefore, you're a contender," The man says.

"Yeah, a great way to call your contenders here, nearly melt their brains," I hiss.

"Only the weak," The man says and shrugs.

I open my mouth to retort, but then I felt two sets of hands grab my arms.

"I swear to god I will kill you all if you don't let me go," I snarl.

The man that greeted me held something up to my mouth and nose, and then I passed out. When I came too I shot up nearly scaring the crap out of someone who happened to be near me. I moved my arms and immediately relief flooded through me when I realized that I wasn't strapped down to a metal table. My heart calmed down from almost bursting out of my chest. I grabbed my left arm and ran my thumb across the scars, which calmed me down.

I had gotten out of there, I can get out of here. I looked around and noticed there was barbed wire all around the enclosure that was filled with hundreds of people. I noticed a light shining through one of the sides. I headed that way and managed to peer out and see what was going on. What I saw didn't make me feel better.

There were contenders fighting each other for the crowd's entertainment. There were dark spots on the sand, and it didn't take a genius to know that it was blood. It was a colosseum-style fight, which meant to the death. So, to survive I had to one be able to win all the fights, and two be able to kill my opponent. I feel the color drain from my face.

I had killed before, but that was usually when I knew those people had done something bad. These people I had no idea who they were, they'd never done anything to me, I have no reason to kill them. I backed away from the arena and started looking around to try and find a way out.

"There's no way out," Someone calls from outside of the cage.

I turn towards the voice and see that it was the man who had greeted me and drugged me.

"Says who?" I snarl.

"People have tried, no one has succeeded," The man says.

"Well I'm not them, plus if all else fails, I'm not alone on this planet. I came with people, and they're going to find me," I say.

"No one finds this place unless they are called to it," The man says.

"We have some ways others do not have to find each other," I say and gently grab onto my crystal.

"Yeah, I noticed that little charm on your neck when you first arrived here. I claimed it for when you die," The man says.

"Remove this from my neck and this whole ceiling will implode on you," I snarl.

"Not if I take it when you're dead," The man says.

I growl at him, then turn around and head away from him. I continue looking around. I don't realize that people were being taken out and some were not returning. When I finally noticed there were only four people left in the enclosure. I studied them, one of them I would have to fight.

None of them looked that impressive, but I guess I didn't either. Yeah, I had muscles, but they were from all the missions I had gone on, and fights I have had. What was impressive about me was something people couldn't see, and I had to assume they were like that too. I sighed, then took out my hair, redid the braid, then twisted it into a bun. I closed my eyes.

I could win this, but I wouldn't enjoy it. I sent a quick prayer to the crystal-force, and then I heard a voice whisper back in my head.

"Let go," The voice was raspy, and cold in my head, but I knew it was the crystal-force.

"You will not have to fight them, we will, and you can be stored quietly in the back of your mind," They hiss.

I bit my lip. I knew they would be able to win all the fights, but it would still be using my body to do that.

"Will you relinquish me when the fights are done?" I whisper back.

"Yes, we promise," They hiss silently.

I had never heard this side of the crystal-force, although I knew it existed. The first crystal-users were blue and red. I wondered if this was the side of the crystal-force Lincoln heard every day.

"You, and you!" A guard yells pointing at me, and some other contender.

"Make a choice fast," It whispers almost like temptation.

"Fine," I say.

The crystal-force laughed, then everything went black.