CHAPTER 45: FIGHTING ANTRODIAS

(Alnitak)

(Find art of Alnitak and Mintaka in the comments section.)

"Three days in the dungeon, alone. Trapped in the dark? Has Alnilam lost his mind?" Kacir angrily hisses at me.

Kacir has always been the cool-minded one, the rational one among us. He barely loses his bearings over anything. But here he stands with his fists clenched at his sides as he rants about Amaia.

Somehow, my heart aches at the thought, but then I remember her lies, her manipulation. Her evil plan was to win us over with her charms. My heart hardens and my jaw itches from the tension.

"She is a liar. You don’t know what she has done and is trying to do. It’s better to keep a distance from her," I inform him, trying to ignore the incessant whining of my wolf.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" He asks as I bind my hands with leather straps, getting ready for our combat class, where we will be battling an Antrodias.

"That means that she is two-faced. I am just warning you before she stabs you in the back too. She had a mate, Kacir and yet she acted like she was unmated. Flirting with me, getting close to you. She even used someone to get here, leaving her mate behind. Who does that?" I hiss in a low voice so only he can hear.

Picking up the small vial of concoction we had created yesterday, I placed it in the small satchel attached to my belt at my waist.

Kacir glares at me, his face holds disbelief. His arms crossed over his chest.

"Who told you this nonsense?"

"Alnilam ran her background check. He met her mate. Well, ex-mate now," I answer, ignoring the nagging at the back of my mind.

"And this mate you guys blindly believed? Or did you try to hear her side of the story too? Did you pause to think why a girl might have left her mate behind?" He asks, refusing to let this go.

’Even Kacir has more sense than you,’ Zevran; my wolf growls inside my head. He has been giving me a cold shoulder since yesterday when I left Amaia in Alnilam’s office and did my detention alone.

Before I can answer, Alnilam calls us to attention, making us line up at the border of the fighting pit. With one last seething glare, Kacir turns and stands away from me, putting distance between us. I know he doesn’t have romantic feelings for Amaia because he sees her differently. But I am afraid he will get too attached to her and she will use him and crush whatever of his past self remains. He is more broken than any of us, and as his friend, I just want to protect him.

Mintaka comes and takes his position beside me. "What was all that about?" He questions, throwing a glance in Kacir’s direction. I know he stayed away while Kacir was speaking with me.

I sigh, tightening the leather strap around my left hand.

"Amaia, he is furious at her punishment."

Mintaka lets out a sigh but doesn’t comment.

"Rules," Alnilam’s voice booms. He stands in the centre of the pit, holding a device.

"Number 1. You will battle Antrodias in pairs. It’s about teamwork. You will need to back your partner not run away.

Number 2. You will only win if you kill it successfully. If you feel you can’t continue, just raise your hands. I don’t want any of you dead.

Number 3. No magic, no shifting into your wolf forms. Only use your weapons and concoctions.

So are you ready?" He shouts.

"Yes, Sir!" We chorus behind him in unison. The sun mercilessly shines down on us, but we stand tall, battle-ready. That’s what this world is all about.

Fighting and survival. If monsters won’t kill you then other continents and nations will attack, trying to get their hands on your resources.

And worst of all was the Dread Army. The most lethal army in the world, led by a tyrannical, bloodthirsty leader.

Ashmire Hastian. He is one of the famous five kings of the supernatural world. Due to the vast amount of resources his continent owns and the advanced army under his command, his word usually becomes law.

They have declared themselves as unwanted rulers and peacekeepers of the world when all they do is wage wars and wipe out nations, amassing resources for their kingdom.

Alnilam presses the button on the device he holds, making my thoughts return to the pit. The mechanics placed under the pit begin to turn.

~Whir~

A magnanimous steel cage rises from all sides of the pit, enclosing it. Alnilam walks off and exits through the door before closing it behind him. Turning the pit into a steel-enclosed cage.

All of us watch with awe while I extract a chocolate candy from my small pouch, unwrap it and pop it into my mouth. Chocolate is my only love—for now.

Alnilam presses another button, and this time the centre of the pit begins to rise. Whirring sounds begin again, and this time another cage rises, smaller than the first one, but it’s not empty. A living breathing Antrodias paces inside.

The ugly bastard with its glistening blackish brown hard skin and legs.

Gasps from others follow while excitement runs in my veins. My hands itch to grab my war axe and chop off the bastard but I know it’s not going to be that easy.

"That’s who you will be battling today. One team kills it and it will be replaced with a new one. If a team is unable to kill it, then the next team will continue with the same one. So get ready," Alnilam informs us, his head turning in our direction.

"Sir!" We all bellow in enthusiasm, some a bit less but it’s there.

"The first team will be Mintaka and Alnitak. Get ready," Alnilam makes the final announcement and we nod at our brother.

Mintaka does a high five with me without even glancing in my direction. We step forward together, our feet always in sync, and approach the thick iron-barred gate from which Alnilam had previously exited. Alnilam presses the button and it opens for us. Mintaka goes ahead and I follow my brother.

The door whirs closed behind us as we take tentative steps and become face-to-face with the fucker. Only the steel cage separates us from him. His small eyes focus on us and I snicker at him.

"Are you ready?" Alnilam questions and we give him a thumbs up.

We both grab our weapons, our mind links open and we rehearse our plan again.

Our bodies pump with adrenaline as the steel cage around the bastard begins to open and return inside the pit, leaving nothing between us and the creature we are meant to kill.

"Let’s kill the bastard." I extract the concoction from my pouch while Mintaka rotates his battle axe in his right hand. He shields me with his body so Antrodias won’t know what I am about to do.

Sliding forward, he launches his first attack, keeping his axe vertical. The ugly bugger focuses on my brother, lifting its legs up and hissing.

While I open the lid of the concoction bottle and aim. It flies through the air and hits it right under its pincers. A cloud of white smoke forms all around him.

"Yes!" Mintaka shouts from the front at my perfect throw. I rush forward and both of us launch the attack amidst the rising smoke and dust from the ground. The visibility is minimal, but we continue on.

The onlookers cheer behind us.

Our axes connect at the same time, mine finds his head, while Mintaka goes for the legs.

~crunch~

Its hard chitin skin is impossible to crack.

The fucker hisses and topples over its legs swinging. Mintaka jumps without hesitation and I remain just behind him.

The soft spot underneath his belly is visible, and he doesn’t even hesitate to bring his axe down hard on it.

Greenish liquid oozes out and I grab my brother by the collar and push him back, right before it hits and burns him.

Loud, painful hisses follow as the Antrodias tries to fight back, waving its leg, but the concoction and the deadly strikes appear too much for it and with a loud thud it drops to the ground, dead.

"Fucker!" Mintaka spats out, and triumphantly, both of us jump and hit our chests in triumph.

The crowd roars as we raise our axes towards them, victorious.

Even the headmaster and Alnilam acknowledge us and our triumph. My eyes waver to where Kacir and Rahria are, and my heart hurts seeing that Amaia is missing. I shouldn’t be feeling this but Zevran’s taunts and her absence have been affecting me more than I would like to admit.

That kiss we shared, the way her mouth tasted and her body responded to me, I am not sure how long I can stay mad at her.