Endurance: The Next Chapter (IC)

Vetrys glared at Levith.  "That was entirely uncalled for," he said, loud, but not yelling.  He could have said a lot more, but he knew that Levith outranked him.  Though not by much.  He shared Levith's general hatred of the Kyreniens, yes, but Kydi had shown few signs of hostility.  No, Vetrys didn't like the Kyreniens, but he wasn't outright cruel.  People were always people, and should be treated that way.

Somnus quickly approached Kydi, though he was listening to Vetrys too.  He nudged Kydi up with one paw, and quietly asked, "are you alright?"

*  *  *

Kirex, who was probably the most easily bored person on the planet, was tired of waiting for the gate to open.  He began individually inspecting each of his knives, checking if they were properly sharpened.  One of them was chipped, which aggravated him to no end.  They were his knives, and there was probably no replacing them.  Even if he did get new ones, they would balance differently.  He frowned, and tucked them back into his belt.  Waiting...

Ketryn looked at Vetrys, surprised but with a blank face as he reassured her. She slowly nodded in response, whispering a "thank you" before stepping into the transporter. At least one of their captors had some kind words. As Levith pushed Kydi into the transporter, Ketrynsaw the contrast between him and Vetrys. Levith wasn't ever going to say anything reassuring, probably. If given the chance, she wondered if he would have had Kydi join this arena fighting, as well. Probably.

She was about to approach Kydi to help him up, but Somnus did, instead. Ketryn could only close her eyes, trying to help her nerves calm down. She wasn't going to be in the fights, so she didn't have to worry, right? But then... Beings were getting forced to fight- some to the death. Her right eye twitched in response toe the thought. She will just close her eyes as this goes on. She didnt know how she could avoid listening, however. Maybe a subject change would help.

"It's taking a while for them to figure out what to do with us," Ketryn remarked to Vetrys, forcing her mind to think of their own captivity instead of the Games.

Vetrys led the small group into the seating area for prisoners. He chose a seat in the very back, so that he could see everyone, and sat down quietly. There were still Jakulo filing into the regular area, as the Games had yet to start, and they were making quite a lot of noise, all talking and finding seats.

Somnus took in the arena, the seating around it, everything. It occurred to him that he could, at any time, simply fly down into the arena, and possibly into the normal seating area. This was likely a bad idea, as they would just sent guards after him, but it was still something to keep in mind. At the very least, perhaps he could help Thray, if he had to.

He backed away from the railing, far enough that it wouldn't look like he was trying to escape, and stretched. His wings spread wide, wider than the size of his cell, which was intended for Kyreniens at best. He was glad that he could at least do that. That done, he chose a seat away from the rail, but where he could see most of the arena anyway. He looked at Ketryn for a moment, then motioned for her to sit behind him, if she wanted, so she couldn't see.

Ketryn glanced towards the arena once they arrived, before noticing Somnus pointing behind him. She felt a sense of relief as she quickly moved to the seat, grateful that he was kind enough to offer her a seat without a clear view of the arena. As she sat down, Ketryn leaned forward, quickly mumbling "Thank you," before leaning back, looking down and fiddling with her hands nervously, probably the only sign she could show of being anxious aside from a stammering of her voice.

The most Ketryn believed she could do now, though, was wait out the games. Her eyes darted around, examining different beings that had arrived as a way to calm herself.

Somnus watched as Vetrys too bowed his head. He seemed truly saddened, and even Wratchet wasn't acting as cheerful as she usually was. After a moment's though, Somnus too bowed. He had been lucky enough not to be greatly effected by the rule of the Kyreniens personally, but he had seen more destruction by them than most ever would. Each and every planet he had ever seen was either uninhabited, or occupied by Kyreniens. This place, the short time he had spent on the surface, the entire underground city... Nothing was right, and he had an idea who was to blame.

But they seemed to be getting along well, despite their losses. And they were taking absolutely no more nonsense. He supposed they deserved that, but did their prisoners? Kydi could easily have fixed the ship and left without bothering them. But they didn't know that. Who wouldn't react to the Invaders with instant hostilty? He had.

So what was right? The Jakulo didn't deserve this, but neither did their prisoners. Did the Kyreniens? Who really was to blame for this destruction?

He wasn't sure.

Kirex was grinning and waving as if he had signed up for the Games on purpose. He was determined to always make the best of absolutely everything, and in this case, it was fun to see the Jakulo's reactions to his behavior. After all, he was supposed to be down there as punishment. If he was having fun, they had a problem. After a moment he turned to face the prisoner's seating. There were several new ones, one of which was a Kyrenien. Probably Thray's friend. Kirex's grin widened, and he began jumping up and down, alternating between waving frantically and wildly gesturing at Thray.

* * *

Somnus scanned the crowd, quickly finding Thray. He seemed to have picked up some teammates. That was good, he would survive longer with help. Suddenly, he realized that one of them was waving at him. Or at least he thought he was. It was hard to tell exactly who he was waving at, especially at such a distance. He stared for a second, dumbfounded, then waved back with one wing.

Evidently, they had seen him. The prisoner in question stopped waving, leapt straight up, and yelled "YES!" Somnus shook his head, utterly confused. Thray could probably have found more... sane... companions...

Ketryn sunk back into her seat as the games began. no. NONONONONONO... in her eyes, this is just like experimenting- if not worse. Her fingers went up to her head and slowly laced through her hair, nervousness evident. She glanced past Somnus' wings, spotting Thray to make sure he was there before sinking back into her seat again, returning back to her previous stance. This whole ordeal was enough to put anyone on edge, but including this game it made Ketryn feel as if she were about to go crazy from everything.

Ketryn closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind of the current thoughts that were clouding her mind. After one mechanical sigh- even without lungs, the sigh helped calm her mind- Ketryn slowly opened her eyes, moving over a seat to watch the Games. She would just have to hope for the best. This experience will probably help her, after all- she needed to face her fears of reoccurring memories and also deal with these problems at some point or another. The point in time might a well be now. Her expressionless face stared ahead, carefully keeping an eye on everything. Thray had found some allies, it looked like. That was good. She would just have to hope that they did well.

After a few second thoughts, Ketryn adde to her internal decision another part.

She wa going to close her eyes whenever there is any deaths.

"Aye," Kirex agreed cheerfully, "twas quite th' exciting accident, weren't it?" He didn't really expect Parrath to reply, as the Magistrate was still reading. He felt it was important to make the point that blowing up the majority of the explosives the Jakulo owned, while terrifying, and full of consequences, had been very fun.

* * *

Thray Thanasmia.

How the crowd loved to hear that name. Thray was the icon of Invader cruelty. Or at least, The Hunter was. The arena exploded in boos and hisses such that Somnus laid his ears flat against his neck to block it out. Vetrys leaned back and crossed all four of his arms. Grim, but satisfied. It wasn't pretty, but this was what Thray deserved for his crimes. There would be justice.

He didn't speak, though. He just watched. He watched Somnus shrink slightly, worried and even truly upset in some way Vetrys couldn't understand. Surely Somnus knew what Thray had done. So why did these people trust, even like, the Invader's most famous monster? Something didn't sit right with Vetrys, and he intended to find out exactly what. Just... Not now. He sat back, not noticeably any less at ease, and watched the Games.

Kirex nodded in agreement. Thray may have done some horrible things, but a lot of people made mistakes. Usually a mistake was something more along the lines of tripping over something, or forgetting where they put something. But Kirex figured a mistake was a mistake, and if that's what Thray chose to call his past, then he would be fine with that.

Not that it mattered at the moment. The important thing was that Thray was going to help keep them alive, as long as they returned the favor. Kirex pulled one of his daggers from his belt, testing its weight until he was holding it balanced exactly the way he wanted it. In his other hand, he took one of the small bags. They were labled not by color, but by texture and the way he had them arranged, so that he could pick the one he wanted without looking at it.

He smirked, looking back up at Thray. "So," he said, "how're ya at seein' in tha dark?"

Ketryn internally winced as she listened to every name being called off, ending with Thray. From what she had seen of him, she just couldn't imagine him like that, still. It was hard to believe, but she knew it was true. She was also curious about the beings Thray had teamed up with, now- hadn't they said they blew up a storehouse? Ketryn leaned forward, examining them with her blank expression. They seemed to still want to stay. With Thray even after his crimes were announced. This had Ketryn finding favor towards them, as well. How many people could make it past the Games, though?

Ketryn looked at Vetrys before asking just that. She would ask Levith, but she doubted he would care to answer in favor of anyone here, really, judging by how he growled in response to Thray. "Can there be more than one being that survives the games?" Ketryn paused before adding, "Also, does everyone who loses have to die?" She was hoping the answer to the last question was a no.

Kirex, unlike most of the combatants, could not see particularly well in the dark. He was alright to walk around, but he didn't like the idea of trying to fight monsters without being absolutely sure where they were. Besides, if there wasn't any light source at all, most ways of seeing in the dark ceased working anyway.

He saw a shadow of motion to his left, and spun around instantly to face it. He threw the pouch he had been holding right at it, and hit it square in the face. The area around the monster exploded with light, and the creature itself paused, confused, as Kirex's flare fell to the ground under its feet. Now was his chance. He snarled, and leapt forward, now brandishing dual daggers.

* * *

Somnus politely refused goggles. Mainly because he could already see, but also because he wasn't sure they would fit him. His eyes were just adjusting to the gloom when a flash of light erupted from somewhere near the center of the arena. One of the monsters seemed to be slightly on fire, and the next thing he knew, one of Thray's companions was leaping towards it. He watched, silently hoping that the three of them would get out unscathed.

Kirex snarled, driving the pair of daggers into the creature's back and using them to jump up, over it. He landed on the other side of it, the feathers on the back of his neck beginning to rise into a large mane, and tucked away one of the daggers, back into his belt. He grabbed another bomb, this one different from the last, and threw it right at the monster's face.

It burned brighter than the other, a lasting flare still smouldering on the ground. In fact, it wasn't long before the monster's sparse fur was smoking, and it let loose a horrible wail as it realized that its entire face was on fire. Kirex flattened his large ears and grimaced, watching the monster paw at its face. That should do it, he decided, and checked to see if any other monsters were approaching. Parrath could finish that one off.

Kirex whirled around, one dagger still in hand. He barely took a step forward, but instead threw the dagger, seemingly right at Thray. Though he couldn't see as well in the dark, his aim was perfect. The dagger flew only inches above Thray, straight into the creature's neck. He grinned, not even checking to see if it was as badly wounded as he thought, and charged toward the other monster.

* * *

Vetrys put one hand on Wratchet's shoulder, but did not turn himself. He was watching Thray. While he had always heard the stories of The Hunter, and would never doubt most of them, he had also had a lot of experience as the head warden. He knew how to read people, to tell if they were likely to attack him. To tell how they felt about a crime they had committed.

If the stories were true, Thray worked alone, never spoke, and had no mercy for any other living beings. These three things were quickly being proven wrong. But only to Kydi, who was also an Invader... It all hung on how he treated his companions in the arena, and so Vetrys watched.

Ketryn hadn't been able to see anything in the arena- she had refused to wear goggles, but the light on her forehead was visible, allowing for her to see those around her, slightly. And then there was a fire in the arena that had made her able to see others fighting. Ketryn quickly looked down, holding in the word, "stop." She did not like this- not one bit. Ketryn felt her heart- the only other thing beside her brain that was organic- quicken it's pace and it took her a moment to process Levith's talking to her.

So just about everyone in the arena was going to die? Ketryn winced before standing up. "Your government is twisted," she said flatly, making the statement seem all the more true. Ketryn was sure if she could voice emotion, however, her voice would be shaking and there would probably be sobs daring to escape her throat. "I don't care if you are forced to be here- it is sickening to see this. Have you ever heard the saying about what you put into someone is what will eventually come out? Put in trash, trash will be the outcome..." She sat back down with a sigh. There was no point standing, but she did find a point to the words she was saying- mostly to release all the anger she had in the words. "Put in murder and murder will be the outcome. Put in fear and fear will be the outcome. No order will come from this- only frantic thoughts of worry. No happiness. Only chaos." Ketryn's voice faded to an inaudible whisper as she continued her list.