Minutes later

An amalgamation of voices and noises blanketed Theodore's ears, as he stepped onto the bleak gray concrete that was outside of the ball arena, a warm gust of air greeted his body.

'Okay, time to get out of here.'

Theodore walked to the car park. He spotted the Dolt driver in his gray Toshota Primus. Slidding into the backseat-he felt a weight dissipate off of his shoulders as he slouched on the seat.

'Finally~. I'm actually going to escape this hellhole-'

*Smash!*

Theodore sat up.

"What the hell!?" he hollered aloud.

At the entrance of the car park-were hundreds of vertex on black hoverbikes. The bikes had very discernible dark glossy panels covering their exterior. Looking exactly like a motorbike but with four thin bladed footrests, two sets of throttle handles and instead of wheels there were a set of exhausts on each side where the wheels would be. The culprit of the sound evidently one of the hoverbikes, which had crashed into the windshield of a car trying to leave the car park. The passenger inside was cowering in their seat. Some of vertex got off of their bikes and approached said car.

'****!…..At least I brought protection.....That sounds weird-'

Theodore was interrupted by a synchronized opera of several car windshields being smashed.

Snapping out of it, he reached for his plastic white carrier bag, the sturdy metal trash lid and thick metal pipe peering out of it. He secured his hands around the handle of the trash can lid and the pipe-which felt reliable in his grip. Not wasting anymore time, he placed the pipe into his left pocket; the pipe being able to tip a worrying amount. Using the now free hand to click open the car door.

*Creak*

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Theodore droned out the driver's voice, as he went through the open car door and shut the door behind him.

*Thud*

Crouching beside the car door, he flattened his body against it. The air was thick with chaos-horns blaring, people screaming, and the shrill hum of hoverbikes. The horde of Vertex had spread throughout the car park. Some on their hover bikes, whilst others on foot. They were crashing into cars and breaking into them, wanting to pull people out of their cars and lynch them. Theodore looked to his left and saw the stained but once chalky hexagonal wall of the highway road that gradually slanted downwards. A fence secured the whole way along the top of it for safety.

'If I can get to a short enough part of the wall, then I can scale it and then run down the road. Ugh, the Dolt driver just had to park near the tallest section of the wall,' Theodore internally groaned.

With everything planned out, Theodore started sprinting along the wall, his feet monotonously pounding against the sidewalk and his arms swinging even faster. The Wall of the highway got smaller and smaller, while the cacophony of carnage got louder by the second. A reasonable height for scaling the wall neared.

*Vroom*

A sound reminiscent of a jet engine closed in on Theodore from behind. Gauging the speed-he launched off of his legs explosively into a dive to his right, breaking his fall with a roll.

*VROOOOM!*

A hoverbike driven by a vertex narrowly missed him. Theodore felt the resulting wind brush past him. Getting to his feet, Theodore flinched anticipating a crash-but nothing happened. So, he looked behind himself, only to see the hover bike levitating diagonally on the wall while on its way back.

'Damn-'

*Vrooom*

The frenzied roar of an engine cut him off. He looked right to see a consecutive vertex driven bike glided at him at fatal speeds. Feeling the shadow of death-he pushed his legs powerfully off of the ground, launching himself backwards.

*WOOSH!*

The air parted by the bike licked his face, causing him to blink for an instant. He unceremoniously fell to the ground. Getting up quickly,he found that the vertex had surrounded him on their bikes. Closing off all routes of escape. They had already begun dismounting from their bikes. Some were clearly carrying knives and others brandishing metal rods. Theodore felt something for the first time in his known life-a dense sensation diffuse outward from the pit of his stomach.

His eyes widened.

'What is this… feeling?'

Understanding the gravity of the situation, he addressed the vertex mob-whose heights averaged around 5ft 6, making Azario tower over them.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Hey guys, you almost killed me there. What were you thinking? He said with artificial calm.

"Sorry, this time we won't fail." one of them said.

The rest laughed sadistically.

"Come on guys, are you trying to kill me for over a match? The vertex guy won anyway. It doesn't make sense to do all of this over that. And even if he didn't win-that doesn't reflect badly on you guys. He doesn't represent you. He's just another vertex and how do you know I didn't want him to win?" Theodore stated convincingly.

The laughter ceased and they became reassuringly silent. Seeing their reaction, he continued his dubious spiel.

"Yeah-don't devolve into tribalism you guys. You are better than this. It's not me versus you, it's the fighters versus each other. They don't represent us and we should separate ourselves from whether they win or lose, love or hate each other. One race winning over the other doesn't mean it's inherently better. So let's stop this nonsense and be friends. Right?...Guys?"

A vertex spoke up.

"We could never be friends with waste like you. Die, so we can reclaim what's ours," he affirmed spitefully.

They cheered,waving various weapons.

'Dammit'

The sinking feeling suddenly became suffocatingly intense but oddly enough a smile began to tug on his lips. Unable to hold it in any longer-he erupted into psychotic laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you go crazy out of the despair?" one of them questioned mockingly.

Theodore's unsettling Cheshire cat smile froze.

"Sorry about that. I haven't felt so alive before…or at least remember." Theodore deliberated, mirth still present in his voice.

Theodore pulled out the metal pipe from his pocket, still holding the metal trashcan lid in his left hand and pipe in his right hand.

"What is that for? Are you trying to look like a knight? Too bad you look like a jester instead!"

Howling laughter filled the car park.

Theodore's smirk deepened, his eyes crescents and his heart beating desperately into a crescendo.

"No," he breathed.

The emotion on his face ceasing abruptly-a serious expression projecting from his eyes.

"I'm trying to look like your executioner," he stated evenly.

"Haha-"

Cutting them off, Theodore dashed forward, rushing at a small group of vertexes. Instinctively-his right foot kicked off of the ground, sending him hurtling at the nearest vertex. His right arm as if possessed-extended forward and his right shoulder responded by swinging powerfully in unison, producing a reaching thrust.

*Thunk!*

The metal pipe struck squarely on the vertex's clothing covered abdomen. A crunching sensation transmitted through the pipe into Theodore's palm.

"Arrgh" the vertex man wailed painfully.

Like a marionette on strings, Theodore retracted his arm in an elliptical arc. It flowed into a slightly horizontal overhead strike driven through by fluid step towards the vertex on the right.

*Crunch!*

Crimson blood streamed from the crack ridden dent of the vertex's neck.

"Argh," a muted scream left the vertex's mouth as his hands cradled the wound.

"Wow! What the hell was that?" Theodore blurted, stupefied.

"Hey!" a vertex man without a helmet screamed, approaching the now startled Theodore, who responded by swinging the trash can lid in his direction.

*Thunk*

The impact of the trash can lid caused cracks to expand part way across his face, oozing blood from the fissures that dripped down his chin.

"Holy ****. I need to go."

 Utilizing the moment of chaos, He ran past the three wounded vertex and their dismounted hoverbikes. He came across a duo of helmetless vertex.

"HAA!" the duo suddenly emitted a dissonant and harsh battle cry.

Rooting Theodore in a wave of fear. The 2 vertex lunged at him from both sides. Both wielding two metal knives, each in their top two outstretched hands. Theodore's body reacted-reflexively stepping back and raising the metal trashcan lid in front of him.

*CLA-CLANG CLA-CLANG!*

A series of discordant metal screeches reverberated from the trash can lid. The lid wobbled violently in Theodore's grip-almost escaping from his grasp. His fear spiked-causing him to lash out, thrusting his metal pipe quickly in retaliation.

*Crunch*

The metal pipe penetrated an inch into the right vortex man's throat, blood squelching out.

"Asdck!" all he could produce was a choking noise.

The vertex man on his left responded with a dual thrust, aiming at Theodore's head. Theodore lifted the trashcan lid to block the attack.

*Cla-clang*

*Thump*

The metal trashcan lid tilted due to the force-smacking Theodore right in the left eye, who had held the shield too close to his face. Wincing in pain, he still opened his eye. Thrusting wildly, the metal pipe fortunately hit the vertex on one of the 2 regions of its compound eyes.

*Crush*

The metal pipe easily crushed the delicate structure, causing blood to gush out.

"AHH!" The vertex screeched.

Theodore's reflexes once again possessed him. He unleashed a fierce push kick-but instead of causing the alien to be sent to the ground, it launched Theodore back a few feet crashing against the floor. Getting to his feet quickly, he momentarily scanned his surroundings to see the horde that had amassed. Feeling the impending doom suffocate him-he made a break for the wall.

*Vroom-Vroom-Vroom*

He heard multiple hoverbikes around him but in his deep panic-he ignored them

"I'm so close~"

He dropped his weapons and swiftly bent his legs, loading as much force as he could muster. Pushing off the ground, he jumped 3 meters off the ground, more than able to latch onto the wall. Pulling himself up with urgency, he hooked his fingers into the fence. Progressing up the fence with just his hands.

*VRVRVROOOM!*

The sound of the hoverbikes blended into a hurricane. Panic flared into him. As they came close-he attempted to dodge them by lunging to the side.

*BANG!!*

But there were simply too many of them. As a hoverbike crashed into him-his head whipped back as an unbearable force caused even his bones to creek.

"Ugh!" an agonized moan escaped his lips.

The front of the bike had pulverized his body. It turned around, being driven back down the wall to the crazed mob. His consciousness flickered, fading at the edges, as he felt a foreboding heat emanate inside of his body.

'No-'

*Thunk!*

He did not have enough time to finish that though-as the vertex driving the hoverbike delivered an impact that rattled his skull.

*Kachunk*

The sound of a blade retracting was painfully clear to Theodore. A hot red curtain veiled not only his vision but also his face. His mind embracing a giddy daze.

'Oh shit, he stabbed me in the head-didn't he? I'm so dead but why…do I feel so calm? They say you're supposed to feel cold when you're dying but I've never felt warmer…haha, who the hell am I joking with? Aah well, I tried my best to live I guess. It just didn't work out. It's not that bad. I had no one anyway.'

Theodore's consciousness began to succumb to the beguiling darkness.