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Though his face is hooded, I swear that he’s smiling.
36
REJ’THOREK
I look on, my face twisting in a sneer of disgust. This is clearly my father’s doing.
What an absolute waste.
It isn’t that I feel pity or guilt for the human who’s about to meet her doom. It just all seems so pointless. An unarmed, unsuspecting woman against one of our most brutal races? Where is the sport, the competition? We are here to cheer for an easy slaughter, already knowing what the conclusion will be.
Not only that, but it seems like the gilak’s power could be put to better use. A challenging beast like that deserves a worthwhile opponent. I’d give anything to fight him myself. Instead, he is going to square off against this pathetic blonde thing.
My eyes flash as a terribly, deliciously, rottenly good idea strikes me. It isn’t every day that one gets to see a gilak, much less fight one.
I’m not going to let the chance be wasted on her.
My khopesh still hangs on my hip. And I am finally going to get the hunt that I have been craving.
With a light spring, I leap over the lip of the arena. Behind me, I can hear the protests of the trolvor guards. My unexpected move took them by surprise, and now they are in a tizzy over letting me slip by them.
But I’m not about to stop now. They can shout till they go hoarse, for all I care.
I land lightly on my heels in the red sand; my legs tucked underneath me. With one hand, I unsheathe the sharp-bladed khopesh and lift it high into the air. Then I lunge toward the gilak and his prey.
I can hear her screams, growing louder as I get closer. She is doing her best to avoid him, but it can’t last much longer. She scrambles on her hands and knees as the sand moves and slips beneath her, darting out of his reach.
He is too focused on her to even notice me.
I could probably slit his throat right now. But an ambush would suck the challenge out of it. I’m here for a fight, a good one.
I sweep in on his left flank, swinging my khopesh and dragging it through the bones of his wing and severing it from his spine. The move is enough to get his attention. It’s going to hurt a bit, but not so much that it takes all the fight out of him prematurely.
He turns to face me, standing to his full height. This is my first good look at him. He’s huge, at least twice my height. I grin in anticipation, adrenaline coursing through my veins.
The beast roars, throwing his massive head back. He draws his bulky, monstrous shoulders up to his neck, and swings his arms in a violent fashion.
Gilaks are rare, but we all know of them. The general rule I always heard was that Gilaks are tough, but dumb. They make excellent cannon fodder, as they can blow the opponents down and withstand heavy attacks before succumbing. But they aren’t strategists, or generally even able to follow anything but the most basic plans.
I know I can’t defeat him with muscle alone.
Outsmarting him is going to be critical to my success. But the look of irritation on his face makes me suspect that it shouldn't be too hard.
The woman scrambles away, scooting to put as much distance as possible between herself and the Gilak. He pays her no attention, anyway.
Now, he wants me.
He lunges and I dodge. I can feel the chaos magic rising in me. It makes my insides burn, and the overwhelming darkness sweeps over me.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so alive.
I come down hard with my blade. He howls, and his horns crackle with an angry fire that matches his fierce expression. He lurches forward with the promise of violence written on his face. It doesn’t scare me, the way that he intends. Instead, it exhilarates me, and I realize that I’m feeding off his energy.
The angrier he is, the more I enjoy this game.
He swipes at me. But with my magic, my skin begins to tingle, creating a barrier of chaos magic. He pulls away reflexively, shaking his hands at the electric sensation I sent over his flesh. I've heard it burns, and based on his reaction, it must be worse than the flaming Ur'gins.
I strike again, catching him in his core. I notice with surprise how dense he is. He’s not just big. His chest is like a rock face.
