New Zion

Cole stepped up to the railing of the viewing area. The gladiators below continued to kill each other. Legion walked over.

“I see that you’re all ready to go for the next fight,” he said. Cole nodded. “What’s with that ability of yours?” Legion asked. Cole shrugged.

“I get pulled back together when I’m hurt. Blood, bone, muscle, fat, skin…” Cole trailed off as one of the Gladiators was decapitated.

“So… There’s no way you can lose, then,” Legion said. Cole shook his head.

“I’ve never died before. I don’t know what would happen if I was hit in the heart, or if my brain gets damaged,” Cole said. Legion slowly nodded.

“What do you think would happen?” he asked. Cole shrugged again.

“Well, I’d imagine that if my brain was hit, and I came back together, I may lose a lot of memories. If I was hit in the heart, well, my heart would probably stop, so I’d need to be electrocuted in order to start it again,” Cole said.

“Seems like pretty reasonable deductions. After all, memories are the electricity that runs in your brain, not the matter itself. But, wouldn’t it be easier to remember what was lost if you were told about it all? I mean, the brain does physically change with the creation of memories, so, wouldn’t you still be able to be you?” Legion asked.

“I don’t know. At that point, it wouldn’t really be my memories,” Cole said. Another gladiator cried out as he was stabbed in the torso.

“So you still have something to lose then, huh?” Legion said. Cole smiled.

“Even if I would be fine after that, I still have something to lose. But they don’t know what it is, so they wouldn’t be able to control me anyways,” Cole said. Legion smiled.

“Control you?” Legion asked. Cole nodded.

“It would seem that the person with the bleeding heart turned out to be the Captain,” he said. Legion chuckled.

“Ah. So you had no idea who you were getting into bed with, huh?” Legion said. Cole blinked.

“I suppose that’s one way of putting it,” he said. Legion nodded.

“The Avians tend to avoid any sort of physical coercion. They’ll trick, entice, or manipulate you into doing what they want,” Legion said. Cole watched as another gladiator fell.

“You’ve studied their history. How did they end up this way?” Cole asked. Legion let out a long, slow breath.

“Well, the planet they came from was filled with creatures almost as smart as them,” Legion said.

“You said ‘Almost’? If they weren’t quite as smart, what was the problem?” Cole asked.

“Well, you know just how fragile the Avians are; their bones are hollow, for Pete’s sake. The other creatures on the planet were far more… durable. And as soon as the Avian’s built up a defense against one kind of animal, another would take its place. So, they finally built cities that could fly. Of course, they had the issue of an energy source that could last long enough for the cities to be meaningful. So, they managed to open up a contained rift, and from that they powered their engines. After that, they managed to create Rift batteries. Unfortunately at the time, if the Rift battery casing was broken an uncontained Rift portal would open. Eventually they used it to come here,” Legion explained. Cole blinked.

“Everyone’s got a story, huh?” Cole said. Legion nodded.

“Yeah. So, what are you gonna do at the finals tomorrow, now that you know?” Legion asked. Cole pushed off of the railing.

“Well, I think I may just do the one thing that they don’t expect,” Cole said. Legion raised an eyebrow.

“And what might that be?” Legion asked. Cole smiled.

Cole stood in the gate waiting to be called by the announcer. He was doing introductions for each gladiator that had made it through the previous day’s blocks.

“And finally, the underdog that we all know and love, Crimson Swordsman!” the announcers voice rolled over the arena as the crowd roared. Cole strode out into the arena and took his place in front of the Royal Box. The time came for the gladiators to salute the Captain. Cole pulled out the handle for his weapon, held it out at an arm’s length, and dropped it to the ground. The crowd fell silent.

“What are we to do with this?” the announcer voiced the concerns of the crowd. “Well, Captain?” all eyes turned to Captain Jovana. She smiled, spoke to the guard next to her, and waited. “It looks like the Captain has something up her sleeve,” the announcer said. A moment later, the guard returned dragging a red haired female Terra. Cole’s eyes widened.

“What’s this? Did the Captain get some leverage on the Crimson Swordsman?” Cole clenched his teeth and knelt down, picking up the handle. The crowd began cheering. Cole stood up straight and saluted Captain Jovana, and turned to the nearest gladiator. He was a massive Berg Leute called the Hammer.

“Ready? Fight!” the announcer called out. Cole sprinted for the Hammer, taking note that his name was literal as he pulled out a great hammer. Cole leapt forwards as the Hammer swung his weapon, narrowly missing Cole as he slid between the giant’s legs. He raised his blade as we went under, cutting the Hammers tendons in his thigh. The Hammer dropped to one knee and continued his swing. The hammer caught Cole in the side, sending him flying. He hit the ground and slid a few meters before coming to a stop.

Cole waited as his body fixed itself. He got up and fully extended his twin blade. He used it to vault over the Hammer as his weapon swung at him. The Hammer grabbed his twin blade as Cole vaulted over him and jerked it to the side. Cole fell right in front of the Hammer. The Hammer reached out and grabbed Coles neck, slowly closing his fist. Cole began hitting the Hammer as hard as he could, but he only hurt his fist. Cole reached down and found the handle. He pulled up the weapon and turned it into a sword, plunging it into the Hammers neck. The Hammers eyes widened as Cole twisted the blade, cutting the neck all the way through. The Hammers head thumped to the ground. Cole grabbed it and hooked the Hammer handle onto his belt.

A gladiator stabbed at Cole with a spear. Cole moved to the side, the spear going through his side and getting caught in his red coat. Cole wrapped his coat around the spear and yanked it. The gladiator held on. It was a Terra, his violet eyes glaring at Cole from beneath similarly coloured hair.

“The Crimson Swordsman barely dispatched the Hammer, and he’s already tangling with Lancer!” the announcer called out. Cole grit his teeth as he pulled Lancer closer. He hit Lancer in the head with the Hammers head, blood getting into Lancers eyes. Lancer swiped at his eyes, trying to get rid of the blood. Cole pulled the spear out just enough that he could heal, but others wouldn’t be able to see his ability.

After the blood was back in his body, he set his sword and swung it, but the Terra ducked. Cole’s blade cut through Lancer’s ears. Lancer turned just as Cole swung again, this time his tail was cut off. Cole lunged forward, stabbing Lancer in the heart. Cole twisted the blade until Lancer stopped moving. He looked up to see that there was only one gladiator left on the field. The Avian looked at Cole and smiled.

“The Crimson Swordsman is up against the three time champion of the Arena, the Eviscerator!” the announcer called out enthusiastically. Cole sighed. The Avian wore a full body suit; the only skin showing was his hands, half his neck and head. Cole walked towards the Eviscerator, who held out his wire-framed gauntleted hands.

One gauntlet had a blade at the end of each finger, while the other had a blade coming off of each knuckle. The Eviscerators smile broadened as Cole got his new spear ready. Cole dashed forwards, aiming for center mass. The Eviscerator held his arms out as Cole stabbed. The spear hit the Eviscerators suit, but didn’t penetrate. Cole’s eyes widened.

“It would appear that the Crimson Swordsman is no match for the Eviscerators armour!” The announcer called out.

“Isn’t that a little cheap?” Cole asked. The Eviscerator shrugged.

“You’ve got some fairly unfair healing abilities yourself. I’d say this evens us out pretty well. Also we all had the same equipment available to us. I just happened to know which pieces are the best!” the Eviscerator said, laughing. Cole cracked his neck. “If you were a Berg Leute, then I might get some bruises, but otherwise…” the Eviscerator began, but Cole lunged at his head. The Eviscerator blinked and dodged. “That was rude!” he exclaimed. Cole smiled.

“I’m not one for formalities,” he said as he stabbed again. The Eviscerator leapt back. Cole put the Spear back and pulled out the great hammer handle. Cole set the great hammer and rushed forwards, swing it down at the Eviscerator. He reached up to block, smiling.

“You got a little too close,” He said as the bar came down on the Eviscerator. Cole smiled and hit the next button. The great hammer shortened to a war hammer, and it bore down on the Eviscerators gauntlets. The spikes on the end stabbed through the Eviscerators gauntlets and into his hands. He dropped his weapon as Cole crashed into him. They tumbled to the ground, and Cole was up and swinging the hammer down on the Eviscerators head before he could move.

Cole continued hitting the Eviscerators head until there was nothing left but a bloodied mess. The crowd’s cheers shook the arena. Cole Finally stood straight, blood covering his face and torso. He looked up at the Royal Box, and instead of anger, or surprise, the Captain was smiling. Cole stepped back from the body, picked up the Eviscerators weapon and started walking towards the purple circle. He raised his arms, yelling back at the crowd. They responded with cheers and adulation.

“Well, the Crimson Swordsman won. Captain Jovana, you’re up” the announcer called out. Alkira rose from her throne, and stepped forwards.

“Crimson Swordsman, you have earned your freedom,” she said. The crowd cheered. Cole tapped the piece of metal at his ear and spoke.

“And what of Aria?” Cole called back. Alkira’s smile broadened.

“Well, you can earn her freedom if you face the forsaken army,” Alkira said, eliciting an even louder cheer from the audience. Cole looked around himself at the crowd. Cole sighed.

“Understood. Let’s get this done,” Cole said.

“And who do you choose to be your partner? You may choose anyone from the staff or gladiators within the fighting arena,” Alkira said. Cole smiled.

“Legion!” Cole said. The crowd cheered as Legion entered the arena, thick metal gauntlets on his hands. He walked up to stand next to Cole.

“Thank you,” Legion said. Cole smiled.

“No problem, old man,” Cole said. Legion chuckled.

“Be happy I’m on your side, boy,” Legion said. Alkira raised her arms, and parts of the arena opened up. Misshapen creatures began clambering up out of the holes. They were all sickly colors, most a greenish grey. Their bony arms clutched broken weapons and shields, their ribcages only partially covered by torn metal armour.

“You ready for this, Legion?” Cole asked. Legion laughed.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a decade, boy,” he replied. The creatures gathered at the top of the holes, shifting from foot to foot, uncertain. An Avian guard flew down to the two and put a harness onto each of them. Once it was on, a chain materialized, connecting the two gladiators.

“You’ve got about two meters of chain,” the guard said. Legion raised an eyebrow.

“That’s quite a bit,” he said. The Avian shrugged.

“Well, it’s what you’ve got,” he said before flying off. Cole cracked his neck.

“Crimson Swordsman, Legion; I hope you’re ready!” the announcer called out. A moment later a horn was blown. The creatures got giddy, bouncing around, attacking each other. The tone of the horn changed, and the frenzied monsters focused on Cole and Legion. The wave of bodies tumbled forward, crushing on itself as it rumbled towards them. The screeches and roars of the creatures drowned out the crowd as they got closer. Cole started moving towards the nearest pack, but he was held back by the harness.

“Avalon, we have to work together. That means no running off on one’s own!” Legion said to him once Cole had backed up to him. Cole took out the spear from the previous battle and set it. Cole took in a deep breath.

“Got it,” he said. Cole swung his spear just as the creatures reached them. The blade at the end of the pole cut through a swath of the creatures. Legion punched one, sending it flying back through the ranks of its comrades. Cole ducked as one of the creatures swung at him, but Cole stopped the blade before it could go into Legion’s back. Cole changed to his sword and continued hacking away at the creatures. Every time they could kill one, more filled in its place. The bodies were piling up, messing up their footing.

“Avalon, we need to move!” Legion called back to him. Cole looked around him as he cut down two more creatures.

“How? We’re completely surrounded!” he replied.

“Follow my lead!” Legion yelled as he ran towards the creatures in front of him. Cole followed, setting his twin blade. He spun it in his hands as they rushed the creatures. They leapt towards the two warriors. Cole cut down any creature that tried to surround them as Legion punched his way forwards. Cole looked back once to see how far they’d gotten. They were almost out of the circle of creatures. Cole stumbled on a body, falling. The creatures set upon him, stabbing at him and ripping his flesh with their teeth. Legion ran over and dispatched the creatures on top of him, dragging him up and carrying him forwards. Cole’s blood and flesh flew back to him, healing. Cole went back to fighting.

“Did the Crimson Swordsman just heal?” the announcer said. “That explains how he’s made it so far!” Cole grimaced.

“Damn. They weren’t supposed to figure that out!” Cole said.

“What did you think was going to happen? How could they have not found out?” Legion said as they broke through the sea of creatures. “Now, look for one that’s taller than most,” Legion commanded. Cole scanned the sea of creatures as he beat them back. A giant creature rose out of where the two gladiators had just been before at the center of the arena. The giant wielded a massive axe, and wore only a few pieces of armour and ripped pants. Cole’s eyes widened.

“Is that…” Cole trailed off as the giant set its sights on him. Legion nodded grimly.

“Yes. He’s the axe wielding gladiator that you killed from your block,” Legion said. “He’s a little bigger now, though,” The giant let out a bestial roar. Cole shook his head.

“Can’t believe that he has to die twice,” Cole said.

“I recognise a couple of the creatures here from my gladiatorial battles,” Legion said. “Well, we have to take down the big guy, and the rest will most likely retreat,” Legion said.

“‘Most likely’?” Cole said. “I thought you’d beaten these guys before!” Legion grabbed a creature and threw it into the crowd.

“Yeah, but it’s not like they’re the same every time!” Legion said. They fought their way towards the giant, who similarly trampled his comrades to get to the pair. Cole ran forwards with Legion. Cole ducked beneath the axe; Legion pushed the flat part of the axe, deflecting it to the side as he followed Cole. They wrapped their chain around the giant’s ankle and ran behind the giant, pulling against the leg. The Giant began to tumble as the chain cut into his leg, black blood mixing in with the sand. Smoke came up from the bloodied sand, and the chain snapped.

Cole and Legion looked at each other, now free, and ran towards the head of the giant. Legion began pounding on its spine, knocking the individual vertebrae deeper into the creature’s body. Cole took out the spear and stabbed it through the giant’s eye, into its brain. Tremors racked the giant’s body for a moment before falling limp. Cole left the spear as it melted in the blood. The creatures screeched and screamed as they retreated to the holes they’d climbed out of. The crowd could be heard again as the sounds of the creatures faded down the pits. The pits closed up as Cole and Legion took their place in front of the Royal Box. The names ‘Legion’ and ‘Swordsman’ rang out amongst the cheers, and became a thundering chant. Alkira stood up from her throne again.

“Victors, you who have fought so hard for the people here, you have been showered in love and adulation, and you chose not to simply settle for your freedom: not only did you reach out for more, but you seized it with a steel fist!” The crowd cheered. “Now, tell me what your wishes are,” Alkira said as the Royal Box moved forwards, descending to the sand of the arena. Cole watched as the First Mate turned his head to the side, touching a piece of metal at his ear and covering his mouth. Cole smiled. Legion spoke first.

“I wish to have my sentence of service ended. I wish to go home, with the prize that I won ten years ago,” he said. Alkira slightly bowed her head.

“Of course, Legion. You are hereby relieved of service, and may return home to your people,” she said. The crowd cheered. “And you, Swordsman? What would you ask of me?” Cole’s took in a deep breath. The crowd grew silent, watching, waiting.

“I challenge you, Captain Alkira Jovana, to a gladiatorial fight!” Cole said. Her eyes went wide as the challenge echoed through the speakers.

“Uh… Um… I can grant you something else, however…” Alkira started, but the crowd erupted in ‘boos’ and discontent. Alkira looked around at her people. Cole smiled.

“I thought this whole thing was to entertain the people?” Cole asked. Alkira glared at him. She finally nodded and threw her coat onto her throne. The crowd’s cheers thundered louder than ever before. She pulled out an ornate handle with five buttons and set it to an etched long sword.

“For the first time in history, a Captain has been challenged by a gladiator! This is history in the making here! Captain Alkira Jovana faces off against the Crimson Swordsman in a fight to the death!” the announcer exclaimed, riling up the crowd further. Alkira stood in a stance completely unknown to Cole.

I have no idea how she plans to fight, boy. Be wary, Alfred said. Cole nodded.

“Ready?” the announcer said. “Fight!”

Cole and Alkira locked blades for the fourth time, neither able to overpower the other. Alkira jumped back and set a staff from the handle. Cole set his twin blades and rushed her. Their staffs connected, and they continued swinging and blocking each other. Cole swung his blades around, finally knocking Alkira’s staff around. Cole lunged, but she brought about her weapon. The blade was redirected up, piercing her left shoulder. Cole was about to push further, but she set her sword again and swung. Cole hopped back. Alkira looked at Cole with flames in her eyes. She retreated towards the Royal Box and grabbed Aria’s crimson hair. Cole’s eyes widened as she smiled. Her blade lit up with purple plasma that was almost black.

Alkira dragged Aria’s unconscious body forwards, and with a flick of her wrist, her plasma engulfed blade swiped through Aria’s head. The headless body dropped to the sand, and Alkira dropped the hair that she had been holding. Cole convulsed as Alkira ran towards him, stabbing him in the abdomen, pushing him to the ground. Cole didn’t move as the rift powered plasma cycled in and out of his abdomen. His body healed as it was being torn apart, renewing the pain. Cole began screaming as Alkira began rotating the blade. Cole looked over at Aria’s body, reaching out for it with one arm. Cole closed his eyes.

Damn. I promised I wouldn’t forget her, but what good does remembering her do if she’s dead? Cole thought. Cole closed his eyes as his tears fell. Within the darkness, he noticed the silence around him. Cole opened his eyes and saw the shock on the faces of the crowd. Cole blinked away his tears, and looked up at Alkira who yelled at him. Cole couldn’t make it out, but he didn’t like it. Cole grabbed the blade with both of his hands and started lifting it out of his abdomen with a scream. Alkira’s eyes widened and she started panicking as she threw her weight into pushing the blade back down. Cole’s hands and forearms burned and melted as they were engulfed in the plasma.

Cole’s flesh burned away until all that was left was bones, held together and useful only because of his ability. Cole continued pushing up, finally getting the blade out of him. He pushed, knocking Alkira back. He rolled to the side, waiting for his body to heal. The flesh collected back on his hands and forearms, and his abdomen pulled back together. Cole staggered to his feet and tripped forwards, landing on top of Alkira. He wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed. She flailed, smacking at him. She broke his nose, but he gripped tighter. There was a crack, and she fell limp. Cole tumbled to the side, grabbing her weapon. He stood up just long enough to hack at her body with the plasma sheathed blade, until there was nothing left of her but a burnt husk.

Cole tumbled to the side as the blade reset to just a handle. He gripped it as he pulled himself towards Aria’s body. The silence in the arena as he did so was louder than the cheers had ever been. Cole felt someone pick him up and walk towards Aria’s body. He could see the gauntlets that covered the hands of the person carrying him. The world began to darken as he was placed next to Aria. He grabbed her hand, and the world faded away.

Aria opened her eyes as they were flooded with light. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear her vision. Looking around, she saw that she was in a small, dark room. She was strapped down to a table.

“What does a thirty six year old Terra mean to Cole Avalon?” Aria turned her head to a shadow in the corner.

“What do you mean?” she heard the shadow sigh.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You are obviously older than you look, and I want to know what you mean to Avalon. Are you his friend, his lover…” the shadow began.

“We are not lovers!” Aria exclaimed. The shadow chuckled.

“Ah, so you are one of those types of girls. Well then, if you aren’t his lover, then what are you?” Aria glared at the shadow.

“His girlfriend, although we were kind of forced into it,” she said. The shadow shifted.

“Well then. If you’re being forced into this relationship, then why aren’t you trying to get out of it yet?” Aria blinked.

“Because… well, our school is doing some kind of social experiment for the government. They want to know how well the different races are mingling,” the shadow shrugged.

“I’m sure you still had the chance to say no, didn’t you?” the shadow asked. Aria bit her lower lip. The shadow laughed.

“Well, if you really mean nothing to him, then I suppose we’ll just have to kill him. We don’t have time to go and retrieve one of his family members,” Aria’s eyes went wide as the shadow began moving.

“Why do you have to kill him?” the shadow held its hands out to the side and shrugged.

“Well, we presume that at this point, he knows that the ‘job’ he was given was a lie, so he will most likely do something to defy us. In which case, we were hoping to use you as incentive for him to keep ‘working’. But, if you really mean nothing to him, and he means nothing to you, then I suppose that the Crimson Swordsman will have to die,” Aria didn’t know what to say.

“Isn’t there some human literature, a story about two characters? Romeo and Juliette, I believe. They died together, but they loved each other. This death would seem pointless, as neither of you love each other. Well, I enjoyed our little chat. Goodbye, Aria Amarante. I hope that you have lived the life you wanted, since this is where it ends,” the shadow began moving along the wall again.

“Wait!” the shadow stopped. “I… I don’t know what I mean to him, but he means something to me. Despite me being rude, and ignoring him, and being difficult, he was still kind to me. He would always say ‘farewell’ to me at the end of the day, he would help me if I dropped my books. He gave me a ride home, even after I acted as though I hated him. He is the greatest guy I have ever met,” Aria finished. The shadow didn’t move.

“Is this to protect him, or yourself?” Aria blinked. Who was she trying to protect?

“Both of us,” she said. The shadow moved closer.

“I sincerely apologize for having to treat you like this. Our son is off on a job with some Avians, so we had our own Avian fetch you. We were just going to bring you here in the first place, but you apparently didn’t want to. We brought in our own Avian because we needed you to be picked up quickly,” Aria looked at the shadow, squinting.

“But, there were multiple Avians. You’re talking as though there was just one,” the shadow shifted.

“Well, we had the other guys put on our experimental flight packs, which are based off of the Avian’s wings. Of course, since we had already kidnapped you, we decided to ‘interrogate’ you. Actually, I really wanted to do it. I just can’t say no to a good kidnapping and interrogation. It really is quite exhilarating; you should try it some time. Anyways, back to the matter at hand, I needed to know exactly why you were so important to Cole as to have the Avians want to take you as well,” Aria blinked. Wait a second. What does he mean ‘matter at hand’? How was him interrogating me not the matter at hand right now?

“They tried to kidnap me?” the shadow shifted again.

“Well, I said ‘want’, not ‘try’... By the way, it is the next day. Well, I do wonder what Cole is up to…”

“Are you going to take me out of this thing, or not?” Aria asked irritably, pointing her chin at the straps.

“That depends. Are you going to try to kill me, or not?” Aria blinked.

“Why would I try to kill you?” the shadow shifted again. It then moved forward towards her. She blinked. It was a male the size of a Berg Leute, with dark, short hair and brown eyes that smelled like a human. He was wearing a suit, although the jacket was unbuttoned. He began fiddling with the straps. After undoing all of them, Aria punched him square in the jaw. The man gave her an accusatory look.

“That was for calling me thirty eight years old,” Aria growled at him. She heard a door open and close, and smelt the familiar scent of a Lupine Terra.

“Are you ok, dear?” Aria blinked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I suppose I did deserve that,” Aria watched the man turn around. “I said thirty six, by the way,” She heard the door open again, and a moment later the rest of the lights came on and the main one went out. Squinting her eyes, she could see that the entire room was made up of black tile. She watched as the Lupine Terra walked over to stand next to the man.

“My name is Ryan Avalon, and this is Summer, my wife,” the man, Ryan, introduced himself.

“I was mostly against this, by the way,” Summer said. Aria looked between the two of them.

“’Mostly against’?” Aria accused. Summer shrugged. “Cole looks nothing like you two,” Aria claimed as she hopped of the table. Summer smiled.

“That’s because he’s adopted,” replied Summer. Aria blinked.

“Oh,” she said, looking down at her feet.

“Anyways, let’s get you out of this place. This room wasn’t made for interrogations, and it’s getting kinda stuffy. Also, you said something about not being thirty eight?” Ryan asked, walking to the door with Summer as though nothing had happened. Aria followed a few steps behind, staying out of arm’s reach. Aria nodded

“Yeah. I’m not a pure Terra. My mom was a Berg Leute-Terra hybrid, so I’m nineteen,”

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