As the three walked into the forest, Nuvi stared around at the trees surrounding them. She began feeling an odd feeling in her chest. “Nothing feels right,” said Phoenix, his claws scraping the ground. “It honestly feels like a pair of eyes are watching us.” Nuvi nodded slightly, and Kavino remained silent. Kavino scoffed and threw a wing at a nearby tree. A yelp erupted, and that same scrawny dragon Nuvi had seen came out.

“Like that wasn’t obvious . . .” Kavino said.

“It’s not what it looks like!” He yelled, flaring his wings. Nuvi stared, confused. “He’s fine.” She said, “What’s your name?” He paused, staring at the trio. “Azkio,” he replied. “Just a messenger.” Kavino and Phoenix stared at him intently, then continued walking. Nuvi nudged Azkio along with her tail.

Crack! Nuvi looked around, confused as she heard the noise of a whip cracking. Three seconds passed. Crack! Another three seconds. “Huh?” Whispered Kavino. Crack! Nuvi bared her claws, and slashed at something that came near. It all went black.

Nuvi awoke in a cell in a dark area. She hissed, standing up. Guards surrounded the cell, and she noticed Kavino, Phoenix, and Azkio in other cells. Kavino seemed irritated, Azkio seemed petrified, and Phoenix was just plain annoyed.

Nuvi swatted her claws outside of the bars, slashing the throat of a guard. The guard collapsed, convulsing for air and slowly dying. Nuvi scraped her claws back into the cell.

Suddenly she remembered something about the letter. “— Sincerely, a Skullrider arena guard.” Nuvi froze, staring down at her claws. I’m not doing this again. Kavino noticed her fear. “You okay?” She asked from the cell across Nuvi.

Nuvi looked up at her best friend, then shook her head. Phoenix noticed as well, but remained silent.

Kavino stared at Nuvi, then looked down.

In the arena, Kavino watched as guards came to escort a prisoner. Phoenix clawed the bars as they opened Nuvi’s cell.

Nuvi snarled and bit the guards as she was escorted into the arena.

A Skullrider stood in the arena, seeming proud and confident. As soon as Nuvi slammed her claws down onto that dirt, his nerve vanished and he stepped back, his eyes wide with fear. Nuvi stared up at the Skullrider, her vicious yellow eyes fixed on him as the yellow star earrings dangled from her ears.

She noticed the arena was packed with humans. Nuvi stared around, and gave a vicious stare at the one in the middle. He suddenly spoke and she could understand. “Today, we have our first Prenozin!” He spoke. “I, the translator, will communicate.” Nuvi stared at him, and bolted into the air in front of him, realizing there was a clear wall. “I’m going to rip you all to shreds in the most vicious way possible. I will make sure none of you live to see another day.” She threatened. The translator flinched. Nuvi bolted back down to the arena.

The Skullrider stared at her fearfully. Nuvi took a step toward him. A memory flashed in her mind that made her head twitch. Nuvi crumbled the dirt beneath her, and bolted at the Skullrider, slashing his face and knocking him into the ground.

He yelped with fear, stepping back as poison sizzled on his face. Nuvi stamped her claws down on his stomach, poison seeping through his blood flow.

Nuvi laughed loudly. “Maybe Exoplydia wasn’t so out of her mind after all.” Kavino watched with horror and Phoenix felt the same way as Nuvi dug her teeth into the Skullrider’s stomach, ripping out his flesh and devouring his organs. She finally threw him aside once she was done.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Nuvi looked around, laughing loudly. “This is what I will do to every single one of you.” She continued laughing as guards escorted her away. “Yeah, this one’s pretty good.” Said one, and Nuvi slashed his throat, knocking him aside as he convulsed.

She stepped back into her cell, looking down with a grin and a maniacal laugh. Phoenix stared at her, concerned. “Nuvi?” He whispered. Kavino stared at Nuvi, then Phoenix. “7 years ago, she was blackmailed into killing after she killed off ninety-nine percent of another species because they killed her village.” Kavino explained. “I had the same fate at the same time, and the way we became friends was by meeting and explaining our problems. She killed off most of an entire species, and then was forced to kill for 7 years until she killed her anonymous boss.” Phoenix stared, shocked. Azkio just looked more terrified than ever.

Nuvi was forced into the arena again the next day. She stepped into the arena, the dirt crumbling up beneath her. “And today, we put our Prenozin again in the arena, this time, against our champion, Sol!” A scrawny dragon — larger than Azkio but about the same size as Nuvi — flew into the arena. He began fidgeting with his claws.

Nuvi stared at him, her earrings catching the light of the black hole in the sky. Sol took the first move, taking the opportunity of her stillness to slash her face. Nuvi caught his claws, slamming him into the ground and beginning to dig her claws through his stomach. She found it very hard since his fur was thick and matted, and Sol took the opportunity to swing her off.

Nuvi slowly got back up, staring at Sol with an intense glare. “Bet your ribs feel nice to chew on.” She said ominously, and Sol flinched, grimacing as he stepped back. Nuvi laughed, bolting toward Sol and beginning to rip chunks of fur from his stomach. Sol screeched, leaping away and slashing her face. Nuvi slapped his claws away, grabbing his arm and throwing him over.

Sol began scrambling to get away, but Nuvi dug her claws through his fur. Sol scrambled away and went invisible. “Huh?” Nuvi looked around. She suddenly plummeted into the ground. Nuvi laughed loudly and threw Sol off as soon as he reappeared. “Two can play at that game.” Nuvi vanished as well, and knocked Sol off his feet with her tail. His legs immediately imploded into a pool of black blood that surrounded him.

Sol screeched and tried to scramble away. Nuvi was about to spit blood into his bloodstream when Sol’s legs began to regenerate. Nuvi stepped back, confused. “You shouldn’t be able to do that.” She said. Sol stepped back, got up, and stared at Nuvi, who took the opportunity to slam him into the ground again.

Sol went invisible, his wings flapping by. Nuvi raised her snout and sniffed the air, then bolted into the air, knocking Sol into the ground. Nuvi darted down to him, laughing. Sol threw his claws at her face, slashing her face.

Nuvi stepped back, clutching the wound. Nuvi stared down at Sol, then slashed his head, the bones being dented a little. Sol slapped her face with his tail, the whip cracking. Nuvi stepped back, clutching her face, then she looked at Sol. She bolted at him, slapping his face and then clawing his head.

“Azkella.” Nuvi spoke a spell, and a cut formed on Sol’s arm. Another formed on his stomach, then multiple on his sides. Nuvi bolted at Sol, knocking him over and slashing a cut. Poison entered Sol’s bloodstream, but suddenly Kavino bolted out of the prison. She had managed to escape the guards and cell. Kavino threw a bottle at Sol, who caught it. It was labeled “PRENO MEDECINE”. Sol opened it, staring at Nuvi with a nervous smile as he gulped it down.

Nuvi gave a disappointed look as she stared up at Kavino. She stared back at Sol, then bolted at him. She slashed his chest, and Sol slashed Nuvi’s chest as well. Nuvi was sent rolling back. She stood up a few yards away from Sol, panting. She stepped toward him, extending her talons. Sol reached out and shook them.

Nuvi suddenly swung her tail at Sol’s neck, sending him reeling back and into the clear wall. His neck had been cut three fourths of the way through, but soon healed.

Nuvi stared, then reached out her talons again. Sol reached out again and shook it, and this time both stepped back.

The match was called off, and Nuvi was sent back to her cell.

Azkio stared at her. “I’m next,” he said quietly. “I checked the list.”

Nuvi’s head perked up quickly. “What?” She said, bewildered. “You’re a kid, Azkio! They can’t send you into the arena like that! You’ll get killed!”

“You’re a kid too, but a teenager,” he said. “I’ll be fine. Us four are probably the only Prenozins here.”

“Uhm, we don’t know for sure,” Kavino interjected. “They could have anyone. I don’t know how Nuvi couldn’t kill . . . ‘Sol’, but this means we might have some danger.”

Azkio winced at Kavino’s statement. Phoenix looked over at Azkio’s cell. “Well . . . maybe Azkio can just use a spell to . . . shatter him? The spell Alinzo? Or maybe . . . E-R-O-K-A?” Nuvi gave Phoenix a slightly disappointed look. “If Azkio changes his mind, he won’t be able to call it off.” She said, “That spell can only be called off by . . . E-R-O-K-A herself.”