The Arena: Ch. 18

Chapter 18: Torrin vs Domino
“A construction sight? Really?” I said aloud as the countdown finished and the elevator door swung open. I walked out onto a red metal construction beam…and nearly died. Fifty machine gun rounds fired past me, wedging themselves into my glass elevator. I looked around- but no one was there.

Below was a giant crater filled with toxic waste. Anyone who fell in there would be disintegrated. I looked around once more, casing the area. My opponent, Domino, and I had been placed here in this construction area.

I’d sulked down back into the Library Infinite last night, ignoring the memories of Nova, and only focusing on my enemy. I had learned that Domino was a young boy, skilled in the art of puppet erring and ventriloquism. After a little schooling in the fields of science, biotics, and engineering he had made a robot familiar named Famula. Famula was capable of doing your homework and washing your clothes- everything a kid could ask for. But she was also a killing assassination tool…

''Boom! ''

This time a rocket soared past me, knocking me over and down towards the pit of toxic waste. I propelled myself upward with the mist though, grabbing onto the beam with my sword-free hand. Above me, I caught the first real glimpse I’d ever had of my enemy.

He had spiky, ruffled ginger hair and dark eyes. He was wearing a gray hoodie, decorated with black skulls. The hood was pulled down over his head, and his hands were held infront of him like a cheesy zombie rip off. Streaming from his hands were weird, almost transparent, golden cords.

I followed the cords down to what I saw was the most realistic puppet ever. Famula looked exactly like a human, save the cords sprouting from her back. She had the curves of a supermodel and the body to match. Her hair was medium length and black, and her eyes were android red. Giant machine guns were in her hands, and she wore nothing, revealing her skin colored robotic metal.

Domino smirked at me, beckoning with his index finger meaning, come and get me. As if she were a complete copy cat, Famula beckoned too.

I shouted loud, above my lungs, and leaped.

My blade connected with her neck, and I swung. However, Famula was made of a strange metal and her robotic armor deflected my attack. She fired a bullet at my stomach, but a shield of Mist went up just in time. I swung around my back and threw a pillar of smoke at her. It bounced off of her metal shell like a bullet bounces off of an armored truck.

As she wicked me around, sending me smashing into metal beams, I looked up at her puppeteer.

A grin was on his face, and he was laughing maniacally. Suddenly, a gleam caught my eye. I looked down at the threads connecting the evil genius to the creation and I saw it. A feint golden aura surrounding Famula. Obviously, it was a protective shield generated by whatever magic or science Domino was using.

If I took out Domino, I could take out Famula.

Devising the quickest strategy in the world in only three seconds, I lunged at the puppet. Expecting me to attack, she readied her guns, but I feinted left and kick-flipped off her head.

The shock sent her to the ground, and brandishing my sword, I brought hard down across Domino’s torso.

His eyes went wide and blood trickled from his mouth. He stood there for a moment, a large gash across his body. I raised my foot and side kicked him right in the stomach. His body broke in two and his upper and bottom half fell to the crater below, melting to oblivion in the toxic waste below.

Having no feelings, the robot-puppet only leaped for me at the death of her master. I flinched for a second- how could she still be controlled if her puppeteer was dead? Then I realized…Famula was no ordinary puppet.

As she sailed high above, I brought my sword around in an arch, chopping her hands off. The guns and electronic limbs feel to the ground, but a third arm extended out of her stomach, brandishing a 12 foot long sword.

Then we dueled.

Our blades clashed, sending sparks through the air and down into the vast green crater of death below.

Famula roared, the sound sounding like the squeaking of china ware together. Famula swept under my feet, and sent me plummeting to the ground. But if I was going down- she was coming with me.

Grabbing her ankle, we plummet to the earth below.

As we fell, my hands grazed her face, almost breaking my fists. Her hands however, being hard as iron, almost broke my jaw. Upon noticing how close we were to the toxic waste, I realized I had not summoned any smoke. But too late…

Now, I was either super smart or really lucky after what happened next.

I grabbed Famula’s head and twisted it back as I’d done with Domino. Being a robot, this didn’t kill her, but what I did next did. Not being able to see, she began to kick and punch in mid air. Taking this chance, I grabbed her arms and ripped them off. Black oily goop- robot blood, I guessed- spilled out of the sockets along with blue sparks of electricity.

I latched the left arm onto a beam as she fell to the toxicity below, and I grabbed on. The arm left me hanging inches over the lake of green, but Famula was smart too. She wrapped her extendable legs around a beam and attached on. Lucky for me, I had Titan Mist on my side.

Sending a ball of black smoke at her, the smoke bolt tore through her knees, ripping her legs from the body. Screeching all the way down, Famula corroded and disappeared under the lake of acid.

As the Arena floor returned beneath me, I dropped down, the pain of the fall only making me wince a little bit.

As I hit the floor, I glanced around wondering where the Caller was. But no one came out. I looked up- the stands were empty. No screaming fans or stupid, sick idiots. Not Mr. War, Sol, or the Librarian came out. None of them. No officials or guards or anything…

BOOM…

The ground shook below me. I looked to my right and saw a large figure rumbling towards me.

It was him.

The man dressed in the long black and white cloak I’d seen the day we had toured the Arena. The hood was no longer pulled over his face and what I saw wasn’t pretty.

His head was bald and his eyes crackled white with lightning- literally; sparks were coming out of his eyes. His face was covered with scars that ran up, down, and across his firmly shut lips. Broken arrows and dagger blades protruded out of his shoulders and chest, and in his hand was the biggest freaking blade I had ever seen.

It was huge, about 10 inches thick, and the height of Zeus. It sported a golden hilt, with a silver blade and blue electricity.

“Holy-” I began, and then there was a voice that boomed through the Arena.

“3!”

“What?!” I shouted.

“2!”

“Wait! Hold on! This can’t be-”

“1!”

And then the match began.

Next Chapter: Chapter 19: Torrin vs Number 12