GLADIATOR | ELYSIUM RISING 1 ✔️

⍢ | 11

The raucous noise in Neon City's magnificent arena made Iggy's ears pop. Music blared over the sound of the crowd. Their chants echoed all throughout Elysium's Sector Eleven. The further away from the tunnel he got, the drier his mouth got. Within moments, he began to wonder if he'd unwittingly gargled a cup of sand.

Fear and wonder seized his slight frame as he soaked in the buzzing atmosphere. There had to have been at least a hundred thousand citizens of the empire sitting in the stands wrapping around the arena's playing field.

He'd be racing for his life within the next few minutes. There wasn't anything he wouldn't give to trade places with someone in the crowd. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head, dispelling the thought.

He was the one in the pit. Not them. Dwelling on fantasies would only get him killed­­­­­.

Dying wasn't an option.

Swallowing hard, he examined his surroundings once more. The moat that had been keeping them separated from the arena's inner edge was replaced by the extended floor jutting out from the main stage. Instead, a high forcefield ran along the entire length of the circle, barring anyone from attempting to make an escape into the stands. Up ahead, Iggy could barely see the other end of the arena.

"Citizens of the empire!" Moxi Daystar's grating voice blared throughout the arena. His words charged the crowd like an electric current. The energy ignited the air, much like how the fireworks overhead painted the black sky with vibrant colors. "Welcome to the new and improved Elysian Games! We've heard all your criticism and suggestions. We've studied our successes and our failures. What our brilliant gamemakers have devised will blow your socks off, people!"

The crowd's cheers amplified. Iggy's bones rattled and his skin crawled as he stood at the mouth of the tunnel. It spiraled closed with a damning zip behind him. The other tributes stood around with confusion on their faces. Even Vonn took a break from glaring at Iggy to squint inquisitively at his surroundings.

Iggy peeked above them. A skybox floated hundreds of feet above the arena's center. Anti-gravity technology glowed bright cobalt beneath the metal floor. He couldn't see inside, but he knew Moxi was up there. Massive screens made up each side of the cube. Each one played a different angle of the action within the arena. One screen showcased one of the three elevated viewing boxes looking down on the arena. Those inside lounged about on luxurious furniture, dressed in clothes that were likely worth more than he could comprehend.

Sneering, he shifted his gaze back to the racetrack.

For tonight's game, the arena had been transformed into a landscape of metal and light. Vaulted levels, curved tracks, tunnels, and even gaps in the ground formed the course. Glowing arrows—identical to those in the passageway they took to enter the arena—lit up the track, indicating the path to be taken by the stupefied contestants. Iggy followed it until he found the end.

He looked to his left.

A part of the ground split open before a platform housing dozens of skimmers rose through the gap. They all were in pristine condition, unlike the ones that populated the dusty streets of Novr, and sported paint jobs corresponding with the colored helmet of its intended rider. Iggy found his all the way at the end.

No surprise there.

"Racers!" Moxi's disembodied voice called out. "Take to your glorious steads!"

Iggy gulped and approached his designated skimmer.

The gamemakers were kind enough to bless them with the most recent skimmer model; his favorite version was from a few generations ago, but this new and improved version was nothing to scoff at.