The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 13 (PART 1) - TRITTEON

It didn't matter how many times I stepped into my Arena. The excitement still buzzed through me. The fact that I would only be referee this time around lessened it a bit. But with the way thoughts were going, I might get a chance after all. Several FengDohrn and one human in particular were not happy about my announcement. The opportunity to try their skills against me had been taken from them and many had trained with me in mind. They would never voluntarily fight me in the official Ranking Duel. But the mock duel gave them a chance to try without anything to lose.

I walked to the center of the colossal arena, slipping the control gloves onto my hands. I pressed a small, black, circular sensor to my right temple and another to the left side of my throat. I clapped the gloves together to activate them and a buzz filled the room as the arena came to life.

Every stone pillar spaced at ten-foot intervals began to spin in place and the ones that I thought about or pointed at sank into the ground. The hundreds of ten-foot-long beams that stuck out of the towering, cone shaped ceiling, like the inside-out version of a cactus, began to move downward in a spiral. The room echoed with thunderous thumps as the beams met, until they had created a solid wood ceiling ten feet above the third level of beams.

I stepped back and motioned to the floor in front of me. The ground parted an inch and a thin screen rose out of it. With a few flicks of my wrist, fourteen names appeared on it in two rows. With another flick, the names scattered and regrouped into groups of two and a number appeared over each one.

"Everyone, gather," I said, my voice magnified by the sensor at my throat. All four doors to the arena opened with a wave of my hands.

Guardians converged from all sides.

"Everyone knows the rules," I said. "No killing blows, no injuries that will take more than a few hours to recover from." I eyed Aeryn who was eyeing Daniel with a look of frustration. "And Poeirs are not allowed."

Aeryn looked up, grinning.

Daniel shrugged. "Fine. O.R.D. rules then?"

"Shifting at will is acceptable."

"Just making the rules up as you go, Nazonna?" Gauwin asked, amused.

"Keeping things interesting." I waved my hand at the screen. "Here is your first dueling partner. The arena will divide itself when you are in position. Any questions?"

Gauwin raised her hand. "Yes. What is the prize and when do we get to fight you?"

I frowned. But before I could speak, the com-bead in my ear beeped.

"I know what you're thinking, Tritteon," Rilyin said. "But we talked in length about this. Under no circumstances can you engage in a duel with any of them unless it is emergency related. Not until Rankings."

I sighed. "To answer your second question, not until Rankings, I am afraid."

There were guttural growls from several in the group.

"But the prize is something I am sure you do not want me standing in the way of."

"You don't know what it is, do you?" Gauwin said, unimpressed.

I grinned and shrugged. "It is monetary. That's all I know."

Gauwin rolled her eyes and glanced at the screen. "Callen, let's get this over with," she said, jabbing her thumb in the direction they would be dueling.

The black-haired boy cracked his knuckles, a huge smile on his face. "I've got this."

Aeryn smirked. "No, you don't. She'll knock you out in the first thirty seconds."