Message #89102

[The Host]

Chapter Five: The Village of Oasis

Tarix walked out of his village's gate, Scodonius walking behind him. Tarix was one of the oldest Glatorian and an old friend to Rascks, even if they did not see each other much. Tarix's blades, which he called Water Talons, were feared throughout each and every Arena, for they were wielded with precisation and wisdom, had been for many years, and yet were still as sharp as Tarix' mind itself.
 The Tajun Glatorian was glad in very light golden armour, allowing his muscles to focus more on the fight and less on carrying bulky armour. A tube extended from Tarix' mouth and reached around to his back. Many agori gave their opinion as to what it was for, but Tarix had never shared his secret. Many agori thought of it merely as a design aspect which added flare as Tarix deftly dealt with his enemies. In the past four years Tarix had been champion at the Atero tournement three times. A year ago, Rascks had been a top contender to become champion, but he had been beaten by Certavus. This year Rascks was unsure whether he would be coming out again, and so most thought Tarix would win again, as  Iconox claimed that Certavus would not be fighting this year. No one was quite sure why.
 "So. I have word that you two fought off two Seeds, with the help of Scodonius. What is your business in Tajun?"
 A blue agori scurried out of the gate and stood beside Tarix, then, after making sure that Vaho and Crostesius were not deadly, he stepped forwards. "I'm Berix, one of the head Agori in Tajun. Tarix, if you will allow it, I will handle this."
 Tarix nodded, whispered something to Scodonius, then walked calmly back into the city.
 "Who are you? Just to start off introductions."
 "I'm Vaho. This is Crostesius. We came here from Iconox- well, he comes from Vulcanus but our last village we stayed at was Iconox, my village."
 Berix looked at the two Agori, then muttered something to Scodonius. The Agori nodded, then Berix rushed off to find Tarix. "Tarix and Berix have agreed to let you in to our village, although you must first visit Tarix in the Arena of Tajun. If you meet Kiina, another of our Glatorian, do not speak with her. She is in training; Tajun will win again this year at Atero."

Scodonius led Vaho and Crostesius through the village of Tajun, past the many huts and sloping hills. Small rivers wound their way through the village and bridges had been built up over the small waterways. The agori of the village walked and scurried about the village carryng small pieces of metal and old pieces of old weaponry. The Tajun Arena stood in the middle of the village, just as in all other villages. Small explosions could be heard coming from the Arena, a sure sign that Thornax Fruit was involved in the sparring that was most likely between Tarix and Kiina.
 "This way," said Scodonius, walking away from the Tajun Arena, "The rivers that flow through our village all meet near the edge of our Arena. No bridges can be built there because of the terrain, so we have a tunnel that winds its way below the river and up into the Arena. We also need to stop by my hut for a few minutes. There's a fight coming up soon, and I want to record some data; for future reference."

Vaho waited with Crostesius as Scodonius hurried into his hut. Within two minutes he was out again, carrying many scrolls with different apparatus for writing. The three Agori headed towards the Arena even as the sound from within the Arena rose. Agori were already gathering; the fight would begin in less than a half hour.

"Don't worry. Agori who are respected by the Glatorian of our village get good seats. Berix, the Agori you met at our village's entrance, Fendax, another Agori from my village, and myself are three of the respected Agori. You'll get good seats since you're with me. Besides, you'll be able to meet Tarix on the way out to speak with him."
 "Actually," began Vaho.
 "We don't need Tarix," continued Crostesius. Each one was nervous, since they had been ordered not to speak with the one they needed.
 "You mean, you've been sent here for-"
 "Kiina. Yeah. It was Rascks who sent us here after Ackar sent me from Vulcanus," finished Crostesius. Scodonius looked shocked, but tried to hide it. As they entered the Arena Scodonius pointed out Berix and Fendax. The three Agori headed over towards them and when they arrived Scodonius took the spot next to Berix, who looked at Scodonius with a surprised look on his face.
"I'll talk about it during the fight," whispered Scodonius to Berix.

As expected, it had been Kiina and Tarix fighting in the Arena prior to the main event. Tarix was old and easily recognisable, but Kiina was relitavely new to the Arena. Her armour was mounted on her long and thin legs by the side, not offering much protection from the front, but a lot from side attacks. The armour was also well crafted and looked as if it would offer excellent maneuverability. Kiina's arms had the same armour on them, mounted the same way. She had similar weapons to those of Tarix, but she held hers in one hand, making it a double bladed weapon. Her helmet did not offer much protection from the front, but it did however allow her great visibility, something that would be a key factor in most fights.
 Walked away from the middle of the Arena and jumped up to where Vaho and Crostesius were sitting. "The fight is Kiina against Riezas- from Roxtus," he said to Berix. Scodonius noted this down; it would be an important detail later on.
 Riezas walked out from the other end of the Arena, his tan armour shining in the desert sun. Roxtus was inhabited by many Glatorian and Agori who not only went by personal names but a tribe name also. They called themselves Zesk, while their Glatorian were called Vorox. Riezas stood up infront of Kiina, and a Zesk hopped down from his back and began the fight.
 Kiina immediately ran backfrom her position and fired her Thornax at the unsuspecting Vorox. Riezas took the hit square on, then stumbled back. The fight was basically over. Kiina jumped forwards and threw one of her weapons at Riezas, pinning him down and landing just above him. The fight was done, or at least according to the Agori it was done. But to another group of people the fight was just beginning.
 From the depths of the sand a dark shadow arose and Kiina was thrown backwards. Riezas tried to get up, but Kiina's weapon prevented him from moving in the key seconds of his life. the shadow that had arisen from the sand covered Riezas form and it was then that Vaho and the rest of the Agori realised what the shadow was.
 A Seed.
 The Seed quickly sunk back into the ground and with him came Riezas. The crowd of Agori went wild at the fact that a Glatorian had just been taken from the Arena. Tarix was already on his way towards the spot where Riezas had dissapeared, but there was no trace of the Glatorian or the Seed. Tarix then rushed over to Kiina, who lay on the ground unconscious. Vaho look over towards Scodonius and Berix, but the two were gone already, as was Fendax.
 The Seed had made its mark. Riezas was gone from the village of Tajun.