HFY Stories: In the arena, survival means being the last one standing - Fight on!

Morgan are you sure about this plan ecta said as she pulled the weighted armor around the human she cinched it down tight making the old leather Creek not really Morgan said but I don't know that I have a lot of options you fight Gladiator arandi tonight ecta said he is one of the most dangerous fighters in the pit I know Morgan said I saw him fight two weeks ago pulled the head clean off of a lan and that was after a solid 20 minutes of beating its ass it was a mercy when he finally killed

it arandi likes to play with his victims ecta checked the laces on Morgan's arms irandi was censured by the commissioner a little over a year ago so he may be on good behavior censured what for I thought the pit was a no holds barred fight to the death Arena Morgan said that's how the old guys explained it to me when I the promoters snatched me up ecta busied herself checking Morgan's armored costume as she spoke it is usually but even among the brutal and depraved there are limits such as eating your opponents arandi would kill

everyone who was sent against him then would dine on their carcasses the commission sent in troops with stun batons but they only had a 30% survival rate so that didn't last long eventually the commission had to formally censure him kept him locked in solitary for 3 months on barely subsistence rations he lost most of his muscle mass and developed an even worse temper the day of his release they threw him into four hours of back-to-back matches he won but only barely and he didn't eat anyone well that's horrific Morgan said yes he pretty much has

his strength back now ecta said she had double- checked all the bindings and straps she had made sure vital organs were as well covered as possible she brushed an imaginary Speck of dust from his shoulders she could not look him in the eye did you talk to your friend in environmental control Morgan asked I did ecta said he was confused why I was asking for this favor but he understands what he needs to do good Morgan said and the guards know not to rush the arena you will have no safety net or protocols ecta said

she found her eyes stinging from the tears she was fighting you will be on your own facing the most violent Beast I've ever seen irandi and the commission are from Warrior Society Morgan said honor solemnity Grim determination dying in glorious battle that's their world that's all they know but I'm from West Virginia and I know other things now hand me that charcoal an hour later he stood behind the great steel doors he realized only briefly that he thought of the doors as steel but had no idea what they were actually made of space steel orbital

aluminum Galactic p pudding well no time for door investigation now he could hear the dull Roar of the crowd on the other side of the doors and was waiting for the signal he heard the Thunder when arandi entered one of the reigning Champions the crowd loved him they would be hungry for Morgan's death he had stood behind the doors four times previous and had been the one to walk back through them each time this time he wondered if he would be carried the darkness of the hall split open as the doors pulled apart this was

his cue he would bring the rituals of his home world to these aliens that had stolen him and forced him to fight to the death the doors spread apart and Morgan took a deep breath calling on the spirits of those who would Aid him Savage and flare rock and stone strut he thought as he took his first step into the massive dirt floored Arena I need to strut not just walk he felt the angry energy of the crowd and fed off it he turned their booze and hisses into food for his soul he smiled as

they jeered at him and called for his head in a thousand alien tongues he could only see portions of the Arena as a dozen plinths and Columns of varying Heights and Designs dotted the field some were smooth and unbroken While others were cracked and deformed Heights ranged from only a meter or two up to several meters the lights in the arena spun crazily some stuttering on and off others pointing in random directions ecta's friend and environmental controls had come through the colors on a few of the beams changed as they moved Morgan caught a small

black Rod the microphone supposedly from an unnamed worked near the giant doors he felt more than heard the doors roll shut he threw his arms out to his side and basked in the hatred of the audience w oh Morgan shouted into the microphone the shrill Screech rebounding off the far walls I have never seen a more disgusting group of pig [ __ ] in my life and that's a damn fact his costume was a riot of clashing and conflicting colors an assault on the entire electromagnetic spectrum and possibly a minor War crime in the more

civilized societies his face had a long Jagged lighting bolt drawn in Black reaching from his hairline into his throat covering the better part of the left hand side of his face he marched into the center of the Arena arandi stood there barely contained rage in his eyes massive muscled legs and arms like Pistons threatening to break the skin that held them Morgan wondered if arandi was even Sapient this place smells like the ass end of nowhere and from the looks of you people that's exactly where you'd feel most at home aha Morgan hammed it up

he found this was starting to feel more natural and that he was finding his Groove but I'd like to ask my esteemed opponent Randy just what the hell he thinks he's going to do in here tonight Morgan asked he looked to the monster out opponent who glared at him with clear and unbridled hate arandi said I shall Dev it doesn't matter what you think Morgan bellowed into the microphone his voice making their speakers squeal I am the most electrifying Gladiator in this Arena of all time arandi began rocking back and forth on the balls of

his feet his claws digging into the soft dirt Morgan kept an eye on him as he spoke it wouldn't be long until the Beast was loose they would normally await the commissioner's leave to begin but Morgan wanted something different holy [ __ ] Morgan said as he spun to take in the audience in the stands if this no account account boring lazy Jabron is the best you space [ __ ] have to offer I'm surprised you haven't given up fighting for something more entertaining and honorable like watching old people die slowly the booze were shaking

dust from The Columns arandi was near to his breaking point if Morgan was any judge one more should do it hell the only thing scary about this little [ __ ] Morgan said hooking a thumb towards aandy is that he's kind of got those pedophile eyes I'm a little worried he thinks I'm in high school and might try to run up my ass he heard the the roar behind him before the audience could even react without hesitating Morgan dropped to his left and rolled as a Randy passed less than a hand breath overhead aandy overshot

and came to a dragging halt several steps away Morgan shot to his feet and flipped arandi the bird there's no way he knows what this means Morgan thought but he should get the general idea arandi howled and launched himself at Morgan damn he's fast Morgan thought he slipped to side behind a large column just ahead of being caught by his opponent having a split second in which to decide Morgan grabbed the microphone in his teeth and pulled himself up the column he felt lucky that he'd picked one that had some kind of handholds irandi screamed

as he rounded the corner only to find Morgan missing he sat back on his hunches and snarled at his prey as it climbed out of reach arandi jumped up and made a swipe at Morgan's trailing foot catching nothing but air knowing the layout of the Arena better than his own room arandi darted to the right and leapt at top a small plinth scrambling to keep his footing on the solid and unbroken surface arandi watched as Morgan crested the larger column Morgan could see the hate and shame growing on Ari's face Morgan realized at that moment

that he could not stay up there forever he would eventually need to come down and face the Beast arandi looked to his left and right seeing a column only slightly higher than his own arandi chanced a jump he launched with all the force his powerful legs could muster and soared through the choked Arena air for a long moment Ari's chest hit the top of the plinth the jump had been too long Morgan watched Ari claw for purchase he felt hope for moment that his opponent would fall to the ground below but his hopes disintegrated as

the monster managed to work the bulk of its body over the edge and on top of the column there was a period of sorting himself out by arandi once he was safety at top the plint Morgan saw it the same time arandi did the first jump the one arandi had just negotiated was the hardest there was a path of no more than three more jumps that would bring arandi to the top of Morgan's column Morgan thought of climbing down but then what on the ground arandi was 10 times faster than Morgan would ever be Morgan

would Tire first most likely and fall to randi's claws irandi wasted no time and spared not a moment for itation he jumped from column to column in no time at all as he prepared for the final leap Morgan could see a cold hunger overtake the burning hatred this was worse this was staring death itself in the face Morgan noticed that Ari's claws were a detriment on the columns they were too slick and solid for the claws to dig in and get purchase Morgan turned the tables he charged at arandi still on the other column and

flew at him full force Morgan hit aandi broadside and they spun for a moment before the column beneath them disappeared and Morgan felt his feet on nothing but air AR Randy had been too stunned to react shock of seeing his prey turn on him and charge had taken away his faculties as he felt his feet swing free his body reacted without thinking twisting and turning in midair Morgan felt bones and muscles and senu beneath Ari's skin as they fell but he also felt a small squishy spot he imagined it was a solar plexus but realized

he had no idea if that concept even applied to a beast such as arandi in the twisting and spinning through the air as they fell Morgan found himself on top as the ground rushed up to meet them he dug his elbow into the imagined solar plexus and forced all his body weight onto it several hours later Morgan awoke with ecta standing over him mopping his brow with a cool damp cloth many parts of his body screamed in agony and he dared not move what happened Morgan managed to get out you won ecta said how when

you landed on arandi your elbow was forced into his organs ecta said it ruptured several vital organs irandi bled to death on the Arena floor mostly internal bleeding how do you feel just awful Morgan said everything hurts how did you come to that strategy ecta asked asked well Morgan said in 1998 The Undertaker threw mankind off Hell in a Cell and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table