Animal Kingdom- Riot

by Aaron Oster

  Walls rose up around him, marking the borders of the pit. They were roughly twenty feet tall, and rows of bleachers sat atop them, all containing jeering Felines. Arthur continued into the arena, ignoring the jeers and looking around for weapons. He snorted when he saw nothing. It appeared that they were unworthy of even being able to protect themselves.

  His eyes moved around the pit, noting several gates lining the walls along the other side. They were all closed, though that could change at any second. He turned a slow circle, his eyes roaming over the bleachers until they landed on a raised platform covered by a canopy of richly decorated cloth. His eyes narrowed as he spotted a group of Felines seated in plush chairs and being waited on hand and foot.

  He tried examining the far-off figures, but they were too far away. It was hard to make out any great detail, but it looked like there were six to eight chairs in the decorated box. And seeing as all the rest of the bleachers were simple wooden benches, it was a safe bet that the Baron and his entourage were up there.

  Arthur turned as the jeers grew louder and saw that the prisoners were finally being forced out of the openings, followed by the bristling spearheads of the guards. They were a pathetic bunch- sixteen ani-humans, and three Intelligents, including him. He looked around and saw that he might very well be the only one who had any fight in him.

  “Ladies, gentlemen, and Felines of all Races! Welcome to today’s pit fights!”

  Arthur’s eyes shot up to the box, where a figure dressed in flowing black and blue robes stood, arms spread outward to the cheering of the crowd.

  “Today, we have a fresh batch of lower life forms who have displeased our Baron for the last time. At least they’ll give us the pleasure of entertaining us, even if it will be…short-lived.”

  The orator paused here, allowing the crowd to laugh at the unfortunate souls below, and Arthur felt his fists tightening in anger as they did.

  Did they all have so little regard for the lives of others?

  He realized that it was a stupid thought. From all he’d heard and seen of the Felines, they thought of any non-Feline as trash; mere things that could be expended just because they felt like it. His eyes swept over the poor souls trapped in here with him as they huddled together, looking around in terror.

  “We have a special treat for you today, though the slime below may not think of it as such,” the orator continued once the crowd had quieted down. “I give you today’s executioners!”

  His arm swept out wide, and one of the gates swung open with a creak. Arthur felt his heart speed up as he watched them opening.

  “All the way from the city of Score, I give you: Ryan the Renegade and the Shredder Crew!”

  The cheering intensified as a tall, brawny Feline with orange striped fur marched into the arena. He was followed by two others, each with the same fur coloration. All of them were dressed in toughened leather armor and carried different weapons. The leader, Ryan, carried a classic sword and shield. One held a trident and net, while the third held a steel mace.

  Arthur’s lip curled up in disgust as the gates closed behind them, shutting them in with the unarmed prisoners. The orator hadn’t been kidding, it seemed. This wasn’t supposed to be a fight. This was an execution.

  The three Felines began strutting around their side of the arena, brandishing their weapons and basking in the crowd’s adulation. It seemed that they had a few minutes before the slaughter began, so Arthur took the opportunity to examine each of the fighters.

  As it turned out, it wasn’t as bad as he’d originally thought. The two underlings were level 10, while the leader was level 12. The problem was that there were three of them and they were armed and armored. After a quick glance around, he saw that the other prisoners were between levels 3 to 5, nowhere close to the Feline’s.

  His eyes swiveled back up to the box once more, and he felt his temper flare.

  While people were down here, about to be slaughtered, they were serving food and laughing! The richly dressed nobles weren’t even paying attention to the wholesale slaughter that was about to take place. He felt his blood begin to boil at that, though he had no idea why the noble’s apathy would elicit such a reaction.

  His eyes flicked back to the prisoners, huddled together and trembling in terror, as though they would be safe if they only stuck together. Then his eyes moved to the three Felines on the other side of the pit, raising their weapons to the cheers of the crowd.

  Arthur’s vision went red, and he charged the preening kitties. The only ones who would die here today would be them!

  It took everyone a few seconds to realize what was going on, so the Felines had almost no warning before he was on top of them.

  Ryan, the leader, turned just as the crowd went silent, seemingly in shock over Arthur’s impertinence of attacking before the orator announced the fight.

  Arthur slammed into him, using the extra power afforded to him by his Spring and took the Feline to the ground.

  “Ack! Get him off me!” the Feline cried out as Arthur began laying into him with his bare fists, shaving off huge chunks of his HP.

  Unfortunately for Ryan, they didn’t react fast enough. Arthur triggered his Drilling Blows, aiming each consecutive strike at the Feline’s face, the damage ratcheting up as each attack landed.

  -3 Damage, Drilling Blows

  -6 Damage, Drilling Blows

  -12 Damage, Drilling Blows

  He tried to defend himself, of course, but after the second blow struck, a Dazed debuff took hold, and that was it.

  The arena went completely still as a staccato of blows slammed into the cat’s face, sending flecks of blood splattering over the seemingly insane prisoner. Arthur screamed as the last blow landed, leaving a ruined mess in place of the Feline’s face.

  “You…You killed him,” one of the Felines said, sounding shocked as Arthur rose off the corpse of their leader.

  Arthur merely growled in response, throwing himself at the Feline with fists raised. He staggered back, trying to bring his trident to bear, but he was on his back foot, not having expected the brutal assault, and he went down just like the other one.

  “Wait! Please, stop!” he begged as Arthur began laying into him, but he didn’t pause for an instant.

  The Feline tried to put up a fight, but he, too, died seconds later. When Arthur rose off his corpse and looked to the third, the Feline turned and ran, throwing his weapons to the side and screaming in terror.

  Arthur chased after him, and within seconds, he’d caught up. Savage glee flooded him as he slammed into the fleeing Feline, taking him down and pounding his face into the hardened ground until his head ruptured, exploding and splattering under the force of his attack.

  Then he rose, covered in blood, gore, and bits of fur and glared up at the box. The entire fight had taken less than sixty seconds, but they were paying attention now.

  He could feel the blood covering his knuckles, could feel the unbridled fury pounding in his veins.

  These Felines were weak! They weren’t the real predators here! I am!

  “Guards! Seize him!”

  The silence was finally broken by the orator, and Arthur swiveled in his direction. The Feline was glaring down at him as the gates opened, and guards began streaming out. Arthur turned, preparing for another fight. He knew he couldn’t possibly win, but if he killed enough of them, perhaps…

  His eyes then flicked to the other prisoners. They were still huddled against one of the walls, but for the first time, he was something other than fear in their eyes. He saw hope. Hope that they would make it out of here alive.

  Arthur’s rage fled then, and he swayed on his feet. Seconds later, he was tackled to the ground as guards swarmed him. The crowd had finally broken its silence, booing and jeering as he was dragged bodily out of the pit, taking blows from the guards all the while.

  He was tossed against one wall as they entered, but the beating didn’t stop. Arthur curled in himself as the beating cont
inued. Bones broke and organs ruptured, but he ignored the pain, holding onto the feeling he’d felt when he’d seen the hope in the eyes of the other prisoners. That was, until a booted foot connected with his head, sending him back to the land of the unconscious.

  ***

  “Where is she?” Talia demanded, shaking the ani-human so violently that he received damage.

  It was midafternoon, and though the sun shone brightly overhead, the alley was cast in deep shadow.

  She and Hopps had gone back to the bar, fully intent on killing the bird that condemned their friend to death. Talia wasn’t certain that Arthur was dead, but it was the logical conclusion. The bird would have no reason to keep him alive, and if he wasn’t dead, he’d already have made his way back to them.

  “I don’t know!” the thug said through swollen lips.

  Talia had been making her way through the criminal parts of the city with Hopps, beating down all the lowlife thugs in an attempt to find information on The Rat. And so far, they weren’t having much luck. Either they’d been unable or unwilling to tell them anything. It seemed that The Rat wasn’t one to be messed with.

  She let out a snort of disgust and tossed the man to the ground. Then she turned and left the alley.

  “Any luck?” Hopps asked.

  He’d been keeping watch for the city guard, but it seemed that they didn’t patrol around here too often. She shook her head sadly, blowing out a long breath and leaning against the wall.

  “I don’t know what to do, Hopps,” she said, staring up at the sky. “What are we supposed to do now that he’s gone?”

  “We don’t know he’s gone for sure,” Hopps said, sounding annoyed. “All we know is that The Rat did something to mess with us, then stole him and vanished. All we have to do is find her, and we find Arthur.”

  “I admire your optimism Hopps, but I don’t think he’s still…”

  “He’s alive!” Hopps cut her off, sounding angry for the first time in recent memory.

  “How can you be so sure?” she asked, still looking up at the sky.

  “I…I don’t know. But I can’t just accept that he’s gone. Not without seeing it myself.”

  She finally looked at her friend, seeing him visibly trembling and had to remind herself that she wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone. Hopps had lost just as much, if not more than her in the last week. Sure, she’d lost her home, but he’d lost both his parents. And now with Arthur gone…

  She pushed herself off the wall and laid a comforting hand on the amphibian’s back.

  “Don’t worry. If he’s still alive, we’ll do everything we can to find him.”

  She wasn’t sure if she believed he was still alive. She’d lost too many people to be an optimist and knew the Animal Kingdom was an unforgiving place. But if she could make Hopps feel better about it, even if it was only temporary, she was happy to do so.

  “Thanks, Tally,” he said, seeming to perk up just a bit.

  Letting out another long breath, she turned to continue her destruction of the city’s underworld.

  ***

  Arthur came to sometime later, feeling a familiar soothing sensation washing away the pain of his bruised and battered body. He opened his eyes to see Sheldon, the healer, crouched over him, glowing with a pale white light.

  White, the scarred Serval, stood behind him, arms folded over his bare chest and staring down at him.

  “What…?” Arthur started to ask, but he was wracked by a coughing fit before he could get anything else out.

  “Just sit still,” Sheldon said, his voice sounding annoyed. “Those guards really worked you over good, nearly killed you too. Luckily, White here intervened on your behalf.”

  Arthur’s eyes flicked to the cat, who just snorted and turned his head.

  “I didn’t save you out of the goodness of my heart. I did it because you’re supposed to die in the pits. If you died out here, the Baron would have been…displeased.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Arthur said dryly.

  “I will say that I’m surprised you survived. It looks like you’ll live to die another day.”

  Quest Completed: The Pits - I

  Rewards: 5,000 XP, Next quest in the Chain “The Pits”

  Quest Available: The Pits - II

  You’ve survived your first fight in the pits. But it seems you’ve gotten some kitties on your bad side. Looks like you’ll be facing a bigger baddie next time.

  Objective: Survive your second round in the pits.

  Failure: Die

  Difficulty: B

  Rewards: 7,500 XP, Next quest in the Chain “The Pits”

  Note: This quest has been automatically accepted.

  Arthur dismissed the notification as the light around his body faded and forced himself into a sitting position. It was only now that he was up that he noticed the complete lack of people in the large room.

  “Where is everyone?” he asked, looking around in confusion.

  White’s face twitched, and Sheldon let out a long sigh, shaking his head. Arthur looked between the two of them, feeling his heart sink.

  “They’re dead, kid,” White said as the Tortoise waddled back to his bench against the line of bars. “They were left in the pits for the Wild Pack after they dragged you out.”

  Arthur stared at the Feline as a hollow feeling settled over him. He felt numb inside. Not shocked or distressed as he thought he might. They were dead, even after all he’d done to ensure they would remain alive, even if only for another day, they’d been killed anyway. He could still see them in his mind’s eye.

  The looks of hope that had temporarily broken through the fear as the guards had rushed him. It had been the best feeling in the world. But he should’ve known better.

  “Don’t beat yourself up over it, kid. It happens to us all eventually.”

  Arthur looked up to the scarred Feline, feeling anger boiling up inside him once more.

  “And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” he demanded.

  White just shook his head sadly and turned to leave.

  “Just that the world’s a cruel place. People die every day, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Better to accept that now, while you still can.”

  The Feline walked away then, leaving Arthur sitting alone in a massive room that had been filled with living prisoners just an hour previously.

  He imagined he could still hear the cheering of the crowds, as a pack of wild animals tore the poor prisoners apart and could almost see the accusatory looks in their eyes as they died. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help blaming himself.

  If only he’d put up more of a fight, perhaps he could have saved them. He knew he’d be fighting again before long, and this time, it would be against a much tougher opponent.

  The Felines had not been happy that he’d lived. Worse still, he’d humiliated them by killing all three cats unarmed. There would be no mercy the next time he walked out into that arena, and even if he survived, he doubted he’d live through round three.

  30

  Arthur walked out into the pits to the jeers of the crowd. It was the first time they’d let him out in over two weeks. They’d left him alone after his first fight, but that didn’t mean they didn’t torture him. There had been a constant stream of prisoners brought into the holding cell. He was the only one left now.

  One hundred and twelve people had been brought in over the course of his stay, and he’d been forced to watch them die, all while being kept behind bars. In the beginning, he’d thrown himself against the bars, trying desperately to get into the pit. After the sixth day of slaughter, he’d given up.

  There was just no helping them. He wasn’t strong enough to break through the steel bars, so he was forced to endure one gruesome death after the next. Worse than watching them die, though, was the fear that the next batch brought in would contain Talia or Hopps. Thus far, it seemed they’d managed to avoid capture.

  After the tenth group h
ad been slaughtered, he’d begun falling into apathy, watching through half-dead eyes as they were ruthlessly torn apart. It seemed that the Felines were trying to break him, and they were succeeding.

  Today was different, though. After watching yet another group be torn to bloody pieces by a pack of oversized black wolves, the guards had come for him. Now, their corpses littered the arena floor as he emerged, their dead eyes staring at him accusingly. Two of them had been children, no older than eight or nine.

  They’d been the first to die.

  His eyes swept over the arena, landing once again on the box. The Felines up there had stopped talking when he’d emerged, all glaring down at him. The orator, especially, was looking at him as though he’d killed his only child. Arthur couldn’t bring himself to care.

  He watched as the opposite gate opened, and a large cat emerged to the cheering of the crowd. It looked like a Leopard of some kind, though he didn’t bother taking the time to examine its status. As soon as it stepped out, he launched himself at the oversized cat and began laying into it. He’d been cooped up for two entire weeks, forced to watch death after death, and he was going to let all of his pent-up rage and frustration out of this cat.

  The Leopard screeched in pain as his Poison Touch began shaving away at its HP and slashed at him with its sharpened claws. Arthur didn’t even bother dodging, taking the damage head-on.

  -41 HP, slashing

  Arthur retaliated, using his Tae-Frog-Do and delivering a spinning triple kick to the cat’s head.

  He could distantly hear the orator screaming in rage as he’d attacked without him announcing the fight once again. If anything, it gave him satisfaction to spite the smug Felines. He knew it wouldn’t bring back the dead, knew it would get him nothing but pain and more beatings, but he didn’t care. Any small way he could rebel, he would.