Gabatrix: Force and Vehemence

Chapter 7: Tenderized

"Bransen?" a voice called out to him. "Bransen?"

It had been the next day. The arena floor was set once again. Both Bransen and Saburo were walking down the route that led to the center stage. Everything was ready, but the nearby voices were so distant. The outside darkness of the audience made him feel isolated and alone. Yet, his mind was everywhere but there.

"Bransen!" Saburo slapped his back. "Are you there?"

"Yeah....yeah," Bransen replied, snapping out of it. They arrived by the stage.

"You doing alright?"

Bransen shook his head. "Just....I'll be fine."

"I hope you are. Farien'shar is beyond dangerous," Saburo told him. "She has some of the highest kill counts in the tournaments. If you're scared, it's alright to be."

"Yeah...." He took a deep breath.

"Hey....you can do this," Saburo consoled him. "You took on a Shal'rein, and you can take on another. Besides, maybe you can take advantage of that newfound discovery of yours. Use that to your advantage."

"It's just a matter of getting in and doing it."

"Remember, it's her unpredictability that allows her to win the fights. It's why they call her the 'Fin of Chaos.'"

Bransen nodded as he passed the doctor, who was already seated next to the table. He climbed up onto the stage. Once again, he put his mind at ease, but this time, a lot was in the way. Too many things were distracting him, and those distractions were two names.

"Our fighter has returned back to the stage, ladies and gentlemen," the announcer said. His voice filled out into the stage. "Bransen is going to have another tough one for today. From his coach, Bransen had to take a break for a day to prepare for the next set of fights, and from what I can tell, he will need it. For he's going to take on....oh, there she is."

Bransen could see her enter the other entrance. A Shal'rein emerged, but she was nothing as the man had ever seen. She was a subspecies of Shal'rein that couldn't be compared with the rounded or pointed noses that so many Shal'rein had. This one was different. She could be described as a goblin shark that walked on two legs. Her skin was light blue. She was a little bit shorter than most Shal'rein at about 7 feet in height. She had fin-like ears but a long top pointed nose. It protruded like a horn that faced directly forward. She was in no way hideous. Her breasts were nearly flat, with the hint of a light bulge between her legs. She wore a single-piece purple sports dress with a set of unfamiliar Itreans words on it. However, there was a series of unsettling things about her. Around her neck was a collar device of some sort. It was dark blue and big enough that it almost made it look like a neck brace of some sort. She was also somewhat skinny, much like Nir'vina was. She walked and sauntered to the stage. However, Bransen was well aware of the dangers that he faced. This Shal'rein almost seemed possessed in how she moved. At times, she was like a zombie; other times, it was with purpose.

The other Itrean that walked beside her was a Yutilian. She was short, even for a Yutilian. Her large feathers and wide white clothes almost seemed to symbolize status. However, unlike the creepiness of the Shal'rein, the Yutilian was nonchalant. In her hands was a set of open tilons. She was easily walking and reading at the same time. Bransen already knew her as the "caretaker," but there didn't seem to be any indication that she was one at all. Even in the very beginning of seeing her, a look of disgust filled the man's face. This Yutilian never spoke to the other. She didn't even bother to look at her. It reminded Bransen of a person back at home that was busy looking at their tablet. If they weren't careful, they would literally run into something, where they would shake it off, keep walking, and then repeat the incident all over again.