The final glimmers of fell ruby light faded from the rhino’s eyes, revealing a pair of cruel onyx spheres set into its skull, the stark white of bone visible around the edges. As the reverberations of the beast’s roar faded into echoes, the crowd broke free of its reverie and began to cheer, their bloodlust so thick that Nick could taste it in the air.
“Incredible,” notes of reverence colored the announcer’s voice, his excitement soaking into the spectators like water into sand. “Stay seated everyone. Give us just a few minutes while we find someone skilled enough to dispel those crystal barriers and we can proceed with the fight as scheduled. While the Herald’s gift has allowed us to witness history in the making, it put a few kinks in our plans that we need to iron out.”
He was about to say something else when the alien’s voice was cut off by a crack that resounded across the arena floor, louder than a peal of thunder. There was a second sharp retort, followed by a series of shorter breaks, like a wrecking ball busting through a house of mirrors. Every eye in the stands widened in surprise, the tension riding the breeze skyrocketing with every beat of Nick’s heart.
When he turned his head to track the sound, he saw that a deep crevice now marred the surface of the crystal cage. A jagged gap that widened as the magical material was stressed beyond its limits by the mutant creature straining against the walls confining it.
“That shouldn’t be possible,” the announcer cried over the roar of the crowd. “It seems that our fallen… err chosen beast is even more powerful than I imagined. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I’m up here with you instead of down there with them.”
The words passed through Nick’s ears unheard, as an electric tide of adrenaline began pumping through his veins. Every scrap of his attention was focused on the ominous events playing out before his eyes. He was desperate to learn whatever he could in the handful of heartbeats before the next battle began. Anything that would increase his chances of living through this catastrophe.
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Inside the crystal cage, which the announcer had claimed was indestructible, a horrific scene was playing out. The pair of gas-maddened rhinoceroses, who were still trapped inside their partitioned cells, were wailing in terror, pressing their massive bodies into the far corners and shrinking down as far as they could go. Their eyes were wide with rising horror and burgeoning panic. A fear so intense that it cut through the rage-inducing intoxicant like a battle axe through a stick of butter.
The reason for their mounting terror was plain as day. Their gazes were riveted upon the monstrous rhino that the Herald of Slaughter had corrupted. The hulked-out abomination, a weeping mass of blood-drenched muscle fibers and obsidian blades, was still trapped within the enclosure, pinned to the floor by the girth of its immense array of horns.
Being confined with prey so close at hand had driven the beast mad with fury. It continued to strain, bucking and writhing, as it let out an unending roar of rage. An otherworldly cacophony that sounded like a family of goats falling down the side of a mountain, causing the hairs on his neck to rise and stand on end.
Every violent convulsion vibrated the stones below Nick’s feet, reverberating across the arena floor. Each heave and flex splintered the magic crystal further, taking it inevitably closer to disintegration. By now, it was a forgone conclusion that the mutant would break free, and it was clear that it wasn’t going to take much longer.
“Get ready!” Kenji bellowed. “It’s coming. Change of plan. We can’t take that monster head-on. Switch to snare kiting. Let’s wear it down and pray that its toughness isn’t nearly as high as its strength.” There was no time for discussion. Because at that very moment, the crystal cage shattered like glass. Shorn fragments cascaded to the stones below to create a hauntingly brief series of notes that sounded almost orchestrated.
“The chosen beast is free ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer’s voice was shrill and shaking, his persona collapsing due to sheer exhilaration. Incredulity was thick in his tone, as he fought to recover from his bout of astonishment.
“And with that dramatic and most unexpected entrance, the official start of round two has commenced! A reminder to our esteemed patrons, the betting windows closed the moment that the Herald appeared. My sincere condolences to everyone who lost their money gambling on team Earth. On a brighter note, when the killing is over in another few seconds, we can all open our prizes.”