The two creatures walking out were all muscle, with thick wide shoulders and bulging biceps. They wore black v-neck tank tops that extended well past the navel. The pair where both a pale blue, their chests waxed to a shine. One was wearing a cap turned backwards. They were inverted triangles walking forwards, upper bodies built to an unreasonable degree.
“Ok, maybe it is that bad? Well, it was nice knowing you.” Brekt put his hands in his pockets and rocked back and forth slightly on his heels.
“You’re weirdly casual about this.”
“Eh, I had a good run.”
Michael scanned the audience, examining those who would watch his demise. At one side of the arena was a large balcony, though it was hovering in the air, totally separate from the stands filled with roaring crowds. Sat in the centre was a massive alien, his fat bulk recognisable from their flight in. It was Greddog, surrounded by fussing attendants. Michael’s eyes drifted to the people sat near him. To one side he could make out Mellok and Aileena, their faces a mixture of shock and anguish. To the other side was a group of humans, though Michael didn’t recognise them.
Greddog raised his arm and the crowd fell silent, a single motion demonstrating total power. He stood up, a dozen floating camera drones zooming across the arena, sending his image up to the main screen.
“It looks like Lord Greddog is about to make an announcement everyone,” Halik whispered. His comrade gurgled happily. “That’s right, the last time Lord Greddog intervened like this was the infamous Vollock’s crew massacre. They sure regretted raiding one the lord’s ships. I wonder what diabolical contest he has in store this time?”
“Noble friends! Today is a momentous day,” Greddog said. “We have with ourselves guests from not only the Council, but from the Earth, their sacred holy planet! Indeed, it seems we have one of their number competing today! Surely we are blessed by the Council’s famed Rhythm.” The crowd burst into laughter; the kind normally reserved for poor taste jokes delivered by a weird uncle. “As an extra, added bonus, my guests have already accepted a challenge, a wager between them on the outcome of the games. Now, it would appear that the contestants are their very friends!” Greddog roared with laughter, his stomach rippling. “What say you?”
“My Lord,” Aileena began, “you can’t expect us to gamble on the lives of our friends?”
“Oh, I most certainly can,” Greddog said with a grin. “And you will, unless you want to join them in the arena.” He brought his head down to Aileena’s height
“I bet all of our money on Brekt and the Knower,” Mellok said, barely able to contain himself. He threw the platter before the obese pirate lord, chips clattering to the ground.
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.” Mellok reached into the pockets of his robe, adding the chips they had exchanged earlier.
“Are you mad?” Aileena said, gripping Mellok by the shoulders. “Look, I like Brekt, but he’s no match for that pair. And Michael, well I’m not sure he’s able to fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Or into one for that matter.”
“He’s the knower, Aileena. We have to put our faith in him.”
“I’m sorry, the what? What are you talking about? What the hell is going on?”said Commander Orson. “What the hell is this, speaker?”
“Knower,” Mellok said, holding up his feathered finger.
“Whatever,” Orson said, pushing Mellok’s hand away. “The point is that man down there, is human. That means he’s a Council citizen and under our protection. You will release him to us immediately.”
“Or else? I imagine there should be an, or else, after that. If you’re going to threaten me, you should at least do it properly.” Greddog was inspecting his nails, not looking at the Commander. “So, what, you going to call on the squad of troopers in your ship? Don’t make me laugh, a hundred thousand Council troopers couldn’t storm Ossiark. Either way, they’re much more engaged at the moment.”
“What have you done to my men?”
“Done to them? Nothing! I let them off the ship, gave them a few chips. They’re currently enjoying the entertainment here. Scattered, cut off.”
“I, uh. Well.” Orson was stumped. Council troopers though they were, they were originally human marines, and there was nothing they loved more than a little shore leave. It was a masterful move.
“Well, make your bet, Commander. I would assume that you’re betting against your fugitives? You would need to match their bet.”
Orson thought for a moment, considering his options. Then, he chose the one that seemed the least bad. “Ok, fine. We bet everything, on the opposing team.”
“Excellent! Excellent!” Greddog turned back to the crowd. “It seems we have a wager, my good people. Now, onto the game, I have something special I’ve been holding back, but it seems now is the perfect occasion. Clive!”
“Yes, Lord Greddog?” the robot replied, appearing from somewhere behind the bulky alien.
“Is it prepared? The relic that is?”
“Oh yes lord, always.”
Michael felt the ground rumble, a violent shaking vibrating the arena. The sand began to collapse away, revealing a metal walkway beneath. The path led to the centre of the area, a great yawning chasm forming to the sides of the walkway. Michael lent over, peering into the darkness below. In the middle of the arena, the centre had begun to rise.
“That’s… that’s a long way down,” Michael said. Spotlights led him gently forward, pulling him to the dais at the centre. Brekt walked alongside him, though he too couldn’t resist gazing into the abyss. Michael stepped up onto a small ledge that had emerged around the central column, their opponents doing the same.
“You’re going down,” said Meggok, adjusting his cap before cracking his knuckles.
“You mean metaphorically? Like, we’re going to lose?” Michael asked.
“No, I mean down there,” Meggok said, pointing at the pits to their side.
“Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. How about we just agree to a nice easy draw, hey? No-one wins, but no one gets hurt.”
“I like doing the hurting. That’s why they call me Kestok the destroyer,” said the other alien.
“No, you’re the annihilator, I’m the destroyer,” Meggok said, pushing his compatriot. “We agreed on this remember. Don’t embarrass me.”
“Don’t embarrass you? Remember what you did the last time we visited my mother’s?”
“You said you wouldn’t mention that,” Meggok said, his blue skin turning a vibrant shade of purple in embarrassment.
“Now,” boomed the voice of Greddog, “it is time to explain the rules of this extra special event. One I’ve been looking forward to for a while.” The two aliens cracked their knuckles, chuckling to themselves at the prospect of violence. “This will be a test of wits.”
“Oh, thank god, we might have a chance,” Michael whispered.
“After we pulverise you, I’m going to take a nice long shower, and still have time to attend my next lecture on quantum-dimensional dynamics,” Kestok growled.
“Of fucking course.”
“The relics will appear on the platform. It is a devious device, designed to confound and confuse. The first team to complete theirs will win. For the losers, well, it’ll just be a little surprise won’t it.” Greddog’s face was blown up large on the screen, a wicked smile on his lips.
There was a loud clacking noise as two small slots opened on the dais before them. A faint wisp of smoke drifted from the hole, an ominous waft evaporating in the arena air. The was a whirring, the noise of something being lifted within.
“Now then, a little gift from the Council missionaries who so kindly donated Clive here, I present two genuine Earth relics. Their most dastardly mind-bending puzzles. None here have been able to solve it so far. It is with great pleasure, I present to you, the Cubes!”