Emergence: Chapter 23

Like the prisoners they were, Ash and Carnat were put in chains and marched through sandy chambers and tunnels; the building, like so many others on Rat'hak, was actually below ground, to allow for moderate protection from the sandstorms. Upon hearing of this, Ash had thought that the tunnels would be dark and dreary, but they were as well lit as the chambers themselves.

“Carnat.” Ash whispered to his companion.

“What?” Carnat hissed back.

“Where are we going?”

A Hak'i looked at Ash and jabbed the butt-end of a spear into his belly. Ash's breath left him, and he doubled over, grabbing Carnat for support. The guard laughed. “He's lasting not long, eh?” The others laughed too, even as Ash dragged himself back up; it wasn't that the blow hurt, but it was unexpected.

Carnat looked down at him. “They're taking us to fight. In the arena.”

Ash stared straight ahead, giving no visible reaction. He knew that it would come eventually, but he didn't expect it to be so sudden. He cursed Carnat; this was his fault. As his stomach groaned, he wished he'd eaten more Protein Squares. He didn't want to die on an empty stomach; at least he could give the cleaners work when they have to clean his final death-shit off the bloody floor.

The tunnel opened up into a huge oval-shaped room; the arena. The floor was sand, streaked with suspicious red stains, and all around the edges were tiers and tiers of seats, where hundreds of Hak'i sat and waited for the fight to begin. The guards unlocked his and Carnat's chains, and shoved them into the arena.

A heavy, steel door swung shut behind them, and Ash heard the clunk of a lock.

“Shit...” Ash patted the sides of his thighs in a vague attempt to stave off the itch of fear and desperation. “Carnat, what do we do?”

Carnat gestured for him to follow, and Ash did so, until they reached a large rack. On the rack, was every kind of weapon Ash remembered, and more. Carnat reached up and passed him a black crossbow. It felt heavy in his hand, but lighter than the ones Carnat had made him use. Ash reached for a short blade, but Carnat batted his hand down. “You stay back. And try not to shoot me with that thing.”

Carnat walked away from the rack without choosing a weapon. “What are you doing?” Ash asked, “You can't win without a weapon.”

Carnat shrugged. “That's what you think.” He faced upwards to where a box of three seats stuck out from the rest. “Oh, Dominort!” He roared up to the Hak'i Dominort, or leader. “I am the warrior, Carnat, and this is Ash, a rising champion. May the sands bless you, my lord.”

Ash could just about see the Dominort stand, wider and taller than any other Hak'i. He raised a hand, before swinging it down. A horn blew out.

A tugging thought came into Ash's head. “Carnat. What are we fighting?”

“I don't know.”

“What do you mean you don't know?”

A door on the other side of the arena opened and a Hak'i entered. In one hand, it held a whip, and in the other a shield.

“Don't we get armour?” Ash asked.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Expensive way to dress a beast's meal.”

“Ah.”

The whip-wielding Hak'i walked backwards into the arena, leading something with it. The thing shrieked, before impaling the Hak'i with a leg. The Hak'i slid slowly down the leg, leaving a bloody smear down it.

“What is that?” Ash backed away from the twelve-legged beast.

Carnat thought for a moment. “Duodecinid. From what I remember, they like to use their legs as their main weapons-”

“Yup.”

“-but, you see the body is made of two pods and a head? The back pod has a stinger, and the head...well, it has fangs.”

“Right.” Ash's legs wanted to surrender now.

Carnat noticed, and placed a hand on Ash's bare shoulder. “Just stay back, I'll deal with it. Shoot it if you can.”

“Right.”

Carnat turned to face the beast and walked towards it as it shook the Hak'i's carcass off. Carnat looked back at Ash and nodded to him. Ash raised the crossbow and fired at the Duodecinid.

The beast turned as the bolt clattered uselessly to the ground next to it. Ash swore under his breath, and the panicked look on Carnat's face summed up how he felt. Carnat ran back to Ash as the Duodecinid pursued, moving all too gracefully for a beast of its size and shape. From the centre of Carnat's chest, an ivory coating spread over his body, forming a complete exoskeleton, leaving only eyes uncovered. Ash backed away as Carnat's arm twisted into a cylinder and a red pellet blasted out of it, tearing through the Duodecinid's head, splitting one of its eyes open. Carnat threw Ash aside, knocking him into the outer wall. The audience roared as Ash's head hit the wall and he winced in pain.

“KILL IT! KILL IT!”

“KILL HIM! KILL HIM!”

The Duodecinid shrieked as purple blood and orange pus erupted from its ruptered eye. Carnat walked around the wounded creature and spread his arms wide, proclaiming his future victory; Ash thought he was just vying for attention. The beast reared up behind him, but as it brought a leg down on Carnat, he twisted out of the way and grabbed the leg. Ash could only just make out where Carnat's exoskeleton shifted from being a makeshift-gun into a makeshift-blade, as Carnat sliced through the Duodecinid's leg with one smooth sweep. It shrieked again, stumbling and falling down. Ash heard Carnat whisper something, before he plunged the severed leg through the creature's head, ending its life.

Ash got up and walked over to Carnat, who's exoskeleton was retracting back into his chest. The audience applauded with roars and shouts as Carnat lifted Ash's hand high, signalling the victory. They turned and walked back to the entrance.

“You ok?”

“Yeah,” Ash nodded, “You?

“Of course.” Carnat smiled. “Why wouldn't I be? There was no way I would lose that fight.”

Ash was puzzled. “But I saw you when I missed that shot; you were terrified.”

“I wasn't scared for me.”