Zwei sighed as she watched Hepta and the robot chatting away at the bar. “Well, She’s made up her mind for the mission.” She looked over at the table with the girl and couldn’t help but tense up. She remembered the horrified expression the girl had worn in that moment. She wondered if the girl remembered it too. Did it keep her up at night? No one had actually died but that girl didn’t know that and despite her own mind being a blur at the time, the scars were still lingering.
Could she even have a conversation with this girl without thinking of it? As she was staring, she noticed Shi had already approached the duo sitting at the table and motioned Zwei to join them. By the time she arrived, Shi was saying, “We have grown tired of confusing people as we travel so we gave ourselves labels. This is my sister, Zwei.”
Zwei waved awkwardly and stammered out, “I like your hat.”
The top hatted man chuckled under his breath and responded, “I’m already taken, but thanks for the compliment.”
The girl growled at him, “Don’t imply you and I are a couple.” He shrugged before she explained, “This is my engineer, Gavin. I am the pilot of the big bucket of bolts, Katsi.” She smiled at Zwei who hesitated to return the smile. “So, a whole team of you? That’s so cool. One of my best friends is a Tak’Nasi like you girls so it is nice to meet more of you, Tak’Nasi.”
Zwei didn’t respond at first and Katsi had that worried look again. It was only after Shi nudged her that she realized Katsi was trying to be considerate to them. Zwei nodded and laughed, “Yeah, sorry. I’m a bit tired. We’ve been planet hopping for awhile now so my internal clock is all off.”
Gavin didn’t seem willing to make eye contact. The vibe she got from him was confused. She felt judged but also like he wasn’t even looking at her. She was about to ask when Katsi knocked the hat off of his head, causing him to splutter out a series of swear words as he tried to catch it before it hit the ground. He growled, “Knock it off, Kat. I’m trying!” She narrowed her eyes at him and he rolled his own. “Sorry. We have been here a few weeks at this point and people keep trying to kill us in and outside the ring and I’m trying to figure out if our host has had a hand in that.”
———
As the next fight began, Gram could feel Lady Unicorn growing bored and annoyed. She had hoped to see her enemy here, but the great Zora was nowhere to be seen. What was more, when the previous fight ended, Master Phoenix had left his side as well. His mentor had informed him that he simply had other matters to see to, but that he should pay attention to the next match carefully.
A Gastan sword fighter in salvaged Falos Knight armor walked into the arena against a heavily armed Vitticepta with an odd rifle. “Poor blind fish. No idea of the pain he is about to endure.” The swordsman said nothing, simply holding their sheathed blade directly in front of them, handle up and perfectly vertical. The Vitticepta taunted. “Behold the very gun that has been used to enslave my people for decades.” A bright flash was released, one that the Prince’s helmet blocked out, as a net was launched towards the Gastan.
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“First Slice: Shatterstone.” Gram watched as the blind swordsman released many slices that would be faster than the average being could see. He watched as the air first seemed to form a cushion of compressed air until it became a sharp edge around the blade. As the net approached, it was shredded to pieces. He could see tiny arcs of electricity as the blade neared the net, but never long enough for the current to reach the swordsman. The fish continued to approach the rifleman.
The Vitticepta laughed as he began to fire the rifle, many small super heated tungsten rods leaving its barrel per second. He saw the look of exertion on the Gastan’s face as they had to pick back up the pace of their slices as they continued to move forward. They were fast enough to hit the rods, but Garm watched as the extra wasted swings left openings for the swordsman to be hit in the shoulder and hip. Still, they got close enough before their body gave out to reduce the Vitticepta to fine purée.
Their host sat back in his chair, his drink untouched on the table as he waited for the Vitticepta’s teammates to step in to face this foe. While most of their team looked too scared to step in, a familiar face to Gram and few others stepped into the ring. He laughed, his charcoal hair pulled back into a ponytail, “You joined a fighting tournament and you haven’t even mastered the first slice? You must be young and inexperienced. You probably think repeatedly abusing a powerful technique will give you victory over the average goon in the universe. And you may be right. Super moves are too much for most beings in the cosmos. But they aren’t so special when they are all you know.” Master Phoenix was wearing an outfit of clashing cultures. Some armored mercenary pants, his top a noticeable bath robe, and his arms were protected by chainmail sleeves supported by some twine he had hastily tied them together across his body with. He looked foolish, but Gram understood. The attire didn’t matter as much as the lesson.
“You mock the Slices of Falos?”
“No, just you and your drive to fuel your own ego. Fighting in this tournament alone was your first mistake.” Master Phoenix was holding a makeshift swordlike weapon he had clearly made hastily from scrap and welded together with his own fire. He turned his back to his injured opponent and spoke to the crowd, “Let everyone watch as I show you an invincible master of war.”
The Gastan turned his blade horizontal and after a moment of listening to Master Phoenix speak, he said, “Second slice: Tidal-“
Before he could finish or even move his blade within the scabbard, Master Phoenix had already gotten behind him by pivoting around him while crouching. Driving his scrap blade through the swordsman’s chest. “Die in shame far from the sea, Exile.”
To Gram, and possibly no one else, this was not only a tragedy but a clear lesson. Power is nothing without discipline and restraint. While everyone else cheered or stared in disbelief, Gram stared directly at his mentor with a chill up his spine, as though someone just walked on his grave.