“Get up.” A voice says stirring me awake.

Opening my eyes, I am dazed still, everything begins to focus slowly. Before me is a soldier, I am still in the pod, my heavy eyes must have overcome me. Standing slowly, I stagger through the doorway, I am in the armory again. Something still doesn’t feel right inside of me. Nausea slowly gripping me.

“Strip and change.” Another soldier bids, his weapon lowered but ready.

Doing as they ask, I remove the clothes, my hands stopping over the hole where the blade pierced me, blood stains it, my blood. My fingers trace where the wound was, a small scar the only reminder of it. The gears in my mind begin to spin now as I recall what has happened.

There is a medibot humming from a recess in the wall that just opened. It comes closer, now scanning me; my heart begins to quicken as questions fill me. Will it see there is something different, is there something different… did the being do something to me? How did I survive? Will they experiment on me to find the answer, my body shudders at the thought of them cutting me open to look inside. The questions do not fade, even when it flashes green and returns to the wall. Whatever has happened, I must keep it a secret. There are too many unknowns.

The pair of soldiers bid me to leave my weapons on the wall racks and I do. However I am clutching something in my hand, something that I took from the folds of my clothes, something that Arrum also took with him. They do not seem to have noticed that I took it, perhaps they don’t care. There is a Bipki drone in the corner of the ceiling watching as I move, making me wary, I am careful to not show it what is in my grasp. It is something I may have use for, something I do not want to give up easily.

“Proceed.” The first says motioning to the door that leads to another pod.

As I move, I notice that other weapons are missing, perhaps the other hunters use this room as well, before they go to the arena. I find myself wondering how many of these rooms there are. Are they all the same, or are they different. The Bipki hums over to me and begins scanning, drawing my focus. My hand grips the object tighter as my pulse quickens, I did not account for this. The light flashes red, right as it passes over my hand. The soldiers change stances raising their weapons. Sekat.

My mind begins to race, then suddenly the light turns green and the Bipki goes back to the corner, the door opening in front of me to the pod. The soldiers look to one another, then back to me, lowering their weapons.

“Proceed.” The first says again.

That was strange, why did it turn green, I was sure it had me. Not wanting to press my luck I move into the pod, more questions filling my mind as my heart pounds. The nausea begins returning to me, my mouth salivating from it.

Looking down to my wrist I realize it has not buzzed in quite some time. There is finally time now to check why it so fervently wished to distract me. Swiping open the menu, I see that I have a mark on the notification panel. My eyes widen as I see how many there are, why are there so many. My finger swipes upwards at the holo and hundreds of notifications roll by. My eyes narrow as I look closer at what they are. There are 1,311 bids on the list, some have names and others are listed as numbers. They are bids to own me, I read back further.

In the beginning of the messages, it is two people fighting back and forth, suddenly there is an influx of names and numbers, until it just as suddenly drops off. Only two people back and forth bidding once more. Who are these people, why do they bid on me? The thought of it makes me angry, like I am some tool to be traded and not a person. Then again, my entire life has been like that, why should this be any different I tell myself. Yet there is anger still, it does not rage against me, but I cannot fully quiet it either, it lingers in the dark recesses of my mind. The last message is a system notification.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Attention Hunter - A Sponsor has won the bid - Sponsor messaging tab unlocked.

A chime rings and the sound of a key opening a lock follows, a new tab appears near the messages area on my holopad; this tab is highlighted in gold, the letters more curved and thick, it reads simply Sponsor. A notification icon appears above it a few moments later, curiosity drives my finger to open it. A single word is written.

Akah

At first it surprises me, seeing a word of my people written, then my jaw flexes. They are not of my people, they simply use our words. In the old tongue Akah means - Hello. Any true Kuwathi would find it strange, as it is not our way to greet in such a manner. I swipe the holopad closed, I will not humor them with a reply.

The doors finally open after the long pod ride through the labyrinth of glass tubes, the mapping of them still eludes me, even with my full concentration I cannot track them. The nausea is coming in waves now as I move into the assembly hall of my grouping. Sitting upon the pedestal I see Keeper Dargo deep in meditation. There are twenty of us who have returned, there are hushed whispers when they see me.

It appears the others are still waiting their turn for the Colosseum, where they wait, I do not know. My stomach twists as I imagine what they will face, if only there was a way to help them. My mind is filling with regrets that I did not leave a message of some kind in the pods where we entered the Colosseum. Why did I not think of it sooner, I could have helped the next wave, they in turn could have carried the torch. The nausea grips me now, its pull stronger as I feel the failing. There must be something I can do, I must do something.

“Sekat.” I curse, gripping my belly. The nausea is wrenching at my core.

“Kale, what’s wrong?” I hear a woman say from behind me.

Turning now, I see it is Korra, the fierce woman. She comes to my side putting a hand on my back.

“I am fine.” I say, my jaw flexing, whatever is building up inside of me wants to be expelled.

“You don’t look it.” She says placing a hand on my forehead “You’re burning up.”

In the corner of my eye, I see Keeper Dargo rising now, my pulse quickens as I grip what I have hidden.

“Can I trust you?” I ask Korra, turning to look in her eyes, measuring them.

She takes a moment before saying firmly “Yes.”

Keeper Dargo is walking towards us now, only fifty paces off. I grab the object from the folds in my clothes and place it in her hand. She looks down at it, her eyes growing wide for a brief moment.

“Keep it hidden.”

She places it in her pocket nodding to me, leaving towards the room she is bunked. As she goes, she looks back to me, I know the look she gives too well. It is a look that means she has questions, but knows that now is not the time.

My insides turn and reel now, the pit of my stomach coming up as I spew upon the floor violently. Black stinking bile, smelling of death as it sprawls across the floor from my mouth, I heave again and again until there is nothing left but emptiness, still my body tries to eject it. Keeper Dargo is upon me now, he looks me over walking around me in a circle. He snaps his fingers, and a cleaning bot comes to take away the mess I have created.

“It would appear the seed has begun to take root again, soon it will search for the light, so it might blossom.” He says.

My head feels hazy, sweat drips profusely from my brow. There is a ringing in my ears, fatigue in my body, like I have run for an entire day. Then it starts, the pain that courses through me. It is not like the venom, what is this pain, I even feel it in my eyes. My vision is becoming blurrier. I try to stand up but I fall on the ground again.

“Do not fight it, embrace the changing of seasons. Winter has ended and spring draws near.” Dargo says. His riddles do not make perfect sense to me, it’s almost like he is trying to speak between the words, giving two meanings for the same thing.

Hearing the hum of a Bipki near me I swat at it, my fever rises, sounds and colors fading in and out. My arms giving out as they try to push me up from the floor, I feel my mind slipping into the realm of dreams. I try to fight it, there is still work to be done, I haven’t found a way to help the others.

“Let sleep’s embrace find you. When you awaken, you will feel much better.” Dargo says to me, he begins to walk away now.

“Get the medibots over here!” Korra’s voice yells.

“The others, we need…” I begin.

“Don’t you worry about that, focus on…” her voice trails off from my perception.

My heavy eyes have come to find me again, I feel the pull to the realm of dreams - there is peace here, a peace that calls to my weary bones.