Tag: Nozamas

JANUARY 2, 1987

If there was one thing I could say about my trip to Zeeza, it was enlightening. It would be decades of my life later that I would learn and fully understand who Spirit and Psyman truly were and why we were all there at the same time. The adventure that followed was life altering to say the least.

My trip home from Zeeza was not as smooth as my arrival. As I fell through the darkness I could tell just how different. I felt my body yanked sideways and then up and down, it was like some derailed amusement ride. Then I saw a light shining in the blackness all around me. I reached out for it hoping it was a way home. The speed of my travel increased as I began to spinning toward the light source, Even without gravity holding me I felt dizzy and nauseous by the time I hit the ground. I managed to pull himself up to my knees long enough to throw up. Then I fell back to my side to roll onto my back. I looked up to the blue sky. I could see the light I had chased at the top of a tower over me, then I passing out. I fell into a deep sleep, I dreamt of something I couldn’t explain at first.

I watched my mother, young and strong on a battlefield, that was clearly in the past. She fought using a sword larger than any I had seen her use since. She and the other Amazons battled an army of men with strength like they had never faced. While Mom trained me, she told me of many battles she had fought but she could never have told me of everyone she fought in her thousands of years of life. The Amazons appeared to be losing this fight as she locked swords with a man twice her size. That was when the Queen called to retreat. That was also when time froze in my dream.

The next thing I knew, time began to turn back. I watched as the Amazon race returned to its start to the day the meteor fell on their village creating them. I watched as the meteor rocketed back up into the sky closing the crater it created in the ground. The dream followed the meteor into space where it joined into the asteroid floating over Earth from which it began. Then time froze again and began moving forward.

The asteroid was struck by something from far beyond Earth and split in two. The dream followed the half that did not create the Amazons back down to Earth. It crashed to Earth in a walled city on a continent sized island I didn’t recognize. The radiation from the meteor washed over the city as its sister did to the Amazon’s island. But this meteor killed all of the females and younger males. The males that remained were transformed into muscle men. Their violent raging brutal nature made them a nearly unstoppable army. Their strength and brutality made relations with women impossible.

Until the King learned of the Amazons. The race of men attacked the race of women to enslave them but quickly learned that was not an easy task. I watched as one of the warriors locked swords with my mother and the dream ended.

DAY 1

I have no way of knowing how long I was out but the next thing I remember was a voice shouts at me in a language I did not recognize as a bucket of warm water was dumped on me. I struggled awake to the sensation of someone kicking my leg. The second sensation to meet my senses was the smell. I was pretty sure it was urine that was thrown on me, not water. But the horrendous odor beyond that, surrounding me was much worse. A mix of a dirty locker room and outhouse I thought to myself without moving from the floor where I laid. Again I was kicked to hear a voice speaking in the foreign language again.

Opening my eyes to see the dark corner in which I laid I wanted to throw up again but resisted the urge. I was not at home in the warmth of my bed, but on the floor of what at first glance appeared to be a jail cell. The cell is filled with at least seventy-five dirty smelly men all of them standing over me. I scrambled to his feet from the urine soaked mud covered floor. My back up against the cold stone wall, trying to focus. Rubbing the sleep and urine from my eyes my hand settled on my nose trying to block out the awful odor. It was then that I realized that my wrists were somehow heavier. My gauntlets were covered with some kind of the material forming a tight bond around them. It was a bond that I intended on breaking as soon as I got the chance. The coating appeared to be stone, but I knew it must have been some kind of clay. I banged my wrist together hoping to break it to no avail. I quickly found out that wasn’t the worst of my problems at hand.

The men yelled at me again, I had always been good with languages but it would take me sometime to figure out what they were saying. They spoke in a strange combination of Spanish, Italian, and French mixed together. Looking about the large dimly lit cell I realized all the men were nude, covered in grime from head to toe. And they aren’t the only ones, I reached down to discover the Wonder Man suit was gone, I was nude as well.

“Where am I?” he shouts. But they didn’t understand me any better than I them. It didn’t take a translator to guess what the one large man was saying as he gestured at my groin and laughed. Looking at their bodies I could see what made me stand out in the group. The other men in the cell talked back and forth to each other, I don’t think they knew what to make of me with my short hair and shaved face. Most of them had long hair and beards that hid their faces. I tried to eye up most of them to boost my confidence at the idea that I could defend myself if things turned bad. There were several men that were bigger than me but I knew there was no way they could match my strength, even if they had the skills.

Eventually I lost the other captive’s attention as I sat back down on the floor, finding a spot that seemed dry. I would wait this out, figure out what was going on. I looked from man to man trying to remain unnoticed. I spotted others with the same clay I had on my gauntlets on parts of their bodies. Arms, legs, chest plates, and head gear of the clay were worn by some of the men in the cell.

Then another man made his way through the crowded cell. On his head he wore a molded helmet of the same clay that coated my gauntlets. He stopped to stand in front of me, his junk about a foot from my face. “I’m assuming you are from Earth too, it seems to be the only place where they mutilate their baby boys,” he said to me in English with a western accent. He moved to sit down on the floor next to me. “Barton, Mark Barton,” he said reaching out his dirty hand to shake.

“Steve Roberts,” I said shaking his hand. “Where are we?” I asked. I have to admit I was suspicious of this guy being here, it seems too covenant.

“Beats the shit out of me,” Barton replied. “From what I could piece together from these guys is this is some kind of tournament.” “The Emperor of this place sends out beacons to bring champions here to compete.” “The beacons brought us here, then we were collected by sentry.”

“You can understand what they are saying?” I asked looking over at him to see his eyes as he answered.

“No, I’ve got, this is going to sound crazy but seeing as where we are, I’ve got this power, I can read minds,” Barton replied. “Or I could, this helmet they put on me blocks my power.”

“It’s not as crazy as you might think,” I told him. “How’d you get that power?”

“It was about six months ago when it happened,” Barton started. “I was on the Rodeo circuit in Texas and I loved living on the edge on and off the arena, if you know what I mean.” I assumed he meant just being a stupid redneck. “I worked hard and partied the same way.” “My buddy, Reddy and I hooked up with this little Miss one night, who was heavy into cocaine.” “I had no problem with an eight ball now and then but this chick was out of control!” “Reddy and I were having a great time with her if you know what I mean.” I could only imagine. “Then she suddenly freaked out, at first we thought she was overdosing.” “Then she attacked each of us individually spitting in our faces.” He didn’t have to finish his story I knew where his power came from. It was a Bernr parasite that mutated him.

Barton stopped talking for a moment as if to collect his thoughts. “The drugs we did after that seemed endless.” “We never made it back to the Rodeo after that.” “We went on a bender for weeks, until Reddy overdoses and I woke up with everyone within a mile screaming inside my head.” “I thought I was going crazy, until I learned to control it.”

Hours pasted as Barton and I sat on the floor listening to the other men speak and I began to understand their language. Barton had it right we were being held to compete in a game, a competition of some kind. It sounded like some ancient Olympic games composed of these filthy men.

It was hot and sweaty in the cell and the smell had faded into the background after hours of exposure, but I still wish I could have a hot shower to wash what I was now sure was urine from my skin. I had caught sight of the bucket as a few of the men urinated into it and knew it was them that found the joke funny. Watching them and hearing the sound of the water hitting water in the bucket made me feel the urge to take a leak too, but I would not participate in their prank having been a target of it myself.

“See the tall guy with the stupid grin, passing the bucket?” Barton said to me and I nodded. His name is Aberdeen.” “What I read in his mind before I got the helmet, makes him possibly the biggest asshole I’ve ever known.” “He’s the one who threw the piss on you.” “The guy pissing in the bucket with the curly hair is Galio.” It was clear why Aberdeen held the bucket for the other man because his left hand was sealed in the clay formed into a ball.

I had determined Aberdeen’s name about a half hour ago making me think Barton’s power might be for real. I wasn’t sure if Barton was trying to start something between me and Aberdeen or just trying to be informative. I knew going after the guy who had friends helping him in his prank was a bad idea in these tight quarters. Being held like this I could see that there were several groups forming, it was like high school all over again. “Did you get the names of any of those other guys?” I asked him to see if he was just deciphering the language as I was or he had mentally scanned them.

“Only the ones I rode in on the cart with,” Barton told me. “The big one with the dark hair and the goatee is Ullery, he is here strictly to win, he will gladly kill all of them if it gets him the title.” “The bigger one is Kalvo, he’s got a mother and sisters he is protecting.” Turning away from Aberdeen’s group Barton points out another guy standing alone in one of the corners of the cell. “See the dark guy with all of the prison tats?” he asks me and I nodded. “That is Bones, thinks of himself the greatest a Nozama to live, he is the most dangerous of the lot.” I looked to the man with the tats and I recognized him immediately, he was the man my mother fought in my dream. Now I knew what that race of supermen was called. He had to be nearly as old as my mother but looked little older than me. I realized that my dream was not of my own future for the first time, but of the past. I couldn’t explain it at the time, it would seem that the connection between Bones and my mother triggered the dream. If it had been any other Nozama I would not have had the dream.

Then Barton motioned to a big red haired guy with a full beard. The man came over and sat down next to Barton on the floor without saying a word. “This is Casper, I met him on the cart ride here,” Barton explains. “He doesn’t speak English, but before they slapped this helmet on me I was able to communicate with him. “We’ve formed something of a partnership.” “If we are going to survive this thing we need to have an alliance.”

I looked over Casper, on either side of his throat he had four slashed that looked to be deep healed over scars. Further down his body on his rib cage he had similar marks only twice as long. As he sat on the floor he kept his hands hidden but something seemed different about them as he walked over to us. I glanced at his feet seeing that his toes were weeded making me think he might have the same defect on his hands. Other than that the silent man seemed friendly enough, even if he didn’t speak.

I looked back over at Barton thinking over what he had suggested, not sure if I should trust anyone in this place. After another few hours I had mastered their language completely, but decided to pretend I hadn’t. Some of the men spoke of family that were going to die if they did not compete in this tournament, just like Barton had suggested. Only winning or dying in this tournament would save their families. I had no such threat hanging over my head, but I couldn’t risk putting those people in danger. I was going to have to see how this played out. It was around then that a guard arrived at the cell. Not one of the men protested as we were lead from the cell. I had learned much in the past hours like that some of the men in the cell considered this tournament an honor. Some spoke of it as a chance for freedom. I still had no idea how I got here but I was not a slave, as these men appeared to be.

We were lead from the cell down a dark corridor. I knew this was not the time to make my stand. I learned quite a bit since I woke up, but I still had no idea where I was or how to get home. I would have to go along with this longer than I would like. I took this opportunity to get a better look at some of the other men as we filed out of the room. There were just too many to see them all. Some of these men were smaller than me. I had to wonder what they were doing here. Had they somehow earned their place in this group.

Several yards down the corridor we filed into another room that contained a large waiting pool. In the room there were ten younger looking boys waiting for us. At first glance the boys appeared very young because their bodies were completely hairless. As I drew closer it was clear that they were all at least teenagers, maybe a little older than that, no more than twenty. Each of the ten boys lead one of the contestants into the pool at a time. The clear clean water was about three feet deep. The men were then washed from head to toe. I waited watching the others as they were bathed by the boys realizing that not only was the dirt coming off their bodies but so was their body hair. The final rinse was a dunking that removed the hair from their faces and scalp. The water appeared to have some kind of corrosive quality that only seemed to work on hair. To say the least I was nervous about my turn in the water. I hadn’t been touched so intimately by anyone since my mother when I was four. There was nothing sexual going on between the men and boys when the men had their genitals washed but I was still not sure if I could participate without reacting. I watched when the one Barton called Ullery tried grabbing a boy’s ass and he was quickly put back in line by the boy squeezing his nuts hard enough to get a reaction.

I looked over at the nude, clean, hairless men on the other side of the pool and they did not look as intimidating as they did before their baths. The boys had separated them into ten groups by the ones they had bathed. Then it was my turn. The boy that chose me looked as if he wasn’t older than sixteen. As he led me by the arm into the water I realized it was not the water that was dissolving the hair. The boy had a full head of dark hair that was wet and intact. I expected there to be clumps of hair in the dirty water, but found it to be crystal clear. I stood in the water up to my mid-thighs as the boy used a bar of what I had assumed was soap on my arm. The hair on my arm was painlessly wiped clean by the bar. “Where is this place?” was the first thought on my mind.

“So you do speak the language?” he replied, not looking up at my face as he began stripping the hair from my other arm. “It is called Olestra, our ruler is Decagon,” the boy answered my question. Not making eye contact he lifted my arm to move the bar to my armpit cleaning the hair from it. It didn’t even tickle as he moved across the back of my neck to the other pit.

“I’m a quick study,” I told him looking at his young hairless face, his eyes pointed to the water. “How old are you?” I asked as he began to work on my chest and throat striping away the hair. I hadn’t had a hairless chest in nearly a decade and it was strange to look down at it. The cleansing bar moved over my nipples feeling as soft as a feather. Wow, the money someone could make back home selling those things.

“Older than I look,” the boy told me.

“What is your name?” I asked feeling as if this boy had no interest in being my friend. I tried to keep my mind off what he was doing as his hands moved over my nude body to my groin, where no one had touched me before that day. “You are about to wash my privates, your name is the least you can tell me.”

“You can call me Henry,” the boy told me as the strange hair removing bar stripped away my long cherished pubes. I was concerned that the bar would not be so gentle as it moved lower. I was wrong I barely felt the hair coming off.

“Henry, how and why am I here?” I asked simply wanting to find out who Decagon is and why I was brought to Olestra.

“You are here to compete in the Master Warrior tournament,” Henry replies rinsing my abdomen with the cool water.

“I have no interest in this competition, how do I get out of it?” I said.

He looked me in the eye for the first time since he began bathing me, “You die or win.” he said simply as he lowered himself to clean the hair from my legs down to my feet under the water. It was clear to me that he was totally serious.

It seemed to take hours for all of the men to be cleaned and shaved by the ten slave boys. Barton and Casper found their way through the crowd to be by my side again. I have to admit my research had proven everything Barton had said to be true. I still had no idea what this competition was all about but it couldn’t hurt to have some friends in it. I turned to reach out my hand to Barton. “Okay, I’m in your little group,” I said trying not to smile too much. Smiling didn’t go over too well here, I could tell from the black eye a guy got when he smiled at another competitor.

As we were led from the bathing room we were stopped at the door to have a number painted on our backs with what felt like hot tar. It was almost too much for some of the others but for me it was little more than a stinging that faded within minutes. Casper was in front of me, painted with a 22, I was 23 and Barton was 24. I took Barton’s arm as we walked back into the dungeon corridor, fearing that he might pass out from the pain of the painting.

Barton had recovered some by the time we made it to our destination. “Thanks,” he said to me pulling away his arm not wanting to look weak as we were led nude into a huge arena. It was smaller than the Coliseum in Rome but just as impressive. There were spectators in the stands that were divided into seventy-five different sections each of them corresponding to the numbers on our backs. It would seem that this contest was a spectator sport as well. The air smelled of food because at the center of the arena several cattle were mounted on spits being turned over a fire by large muscular slaves. On the side of the field were huge cauldrons being stirred by more slaves. It would appear we are going to get fed soon.

At the center of the stands a special balcony box was positioned with several apparent VIPs sitting drinking wine from crystal glasses. I would guess the man in the center was in his late fifties, early sixties with salt and pepper hair, dressed in a long purple robe with gold chains hanging around his neck. To his right sat a woman ten maybe fifteen years younger than him, a smug look on her face, as if she was bored with the whole happenstance of the tournament. To her right was a young man in his late teens who looked eager for the games to begin. On the lead man’s left a young girl about fifteen that looks down at us with desire in her eyes. I moved my hands in front of my junk, not out of shame, but out of respect for the young girl.

When we were all in a single line in front of the VIP box the man at the center of the group stood up. He held up his arm on which he had a large smooth golden armband on his right forearm. I looked to my own gauntlets still coated with the clay that I could not break off, to wonder if they would be of any use in this tournament at all. When I looked up again the woman to his right had a servant refill her glass, more concerned with her drink than the actions of the man I assumed was her husband.

“I am Decagon, ruler of Olestra,” he said with great authority as the crowd cheered. When the people in the stands calmed he continued, “The Universe is a vast and dangerous place.” “There are many evil beings out there that seek to rule the Universe, to take it as a prize.” “You have all been brought here from across the know realms to compete for a prize, to earn the right to wield an Arsenal of Weapons.” “You will become something more than an ordinary warrior earning the title of Master Warrior!” Then without a word more he gripped his wrist to pull the armband free. In his left hand the armband instantly transformed into a large broadsword. Decagon swing the sword down and back up over his head, where it again transformed into a battle ax. I, like most of the other men was in awe of the incredibly versatile weapon as it again changed. This time into a mace and lastly a long whip that he snapped at the crowd in the stands. He then returned the Arsenal to his wrist in the form of a band again to say, “There will be five days of competition and not all of you will survive to the end.” “And of those that do only one can be the new Master Warrior!”

Then his demeanor turned solemn as he looked to the crowd that filled the stands. “Each of you bare a heavy burden in this tournament,” Decagon said. “Do not take this burden lightly.” “Each of you has been assigned a number that corresponds with a section of the masses.” I looked up to section 23 to see the faces of the men, women and children that sat on stone benches looking down at me and me alone. It appeared as if every person in the crowd now looked at their champion. “Should any of you reconsider your place in this tournament, remember that the lives of your supporters hangs in the balance!” Decagon then raised his left arm holding up his thumb and then turning it down. The signal caused a reaction in the stadium. In each section a single person stood up. In my section it was a young girl who drew a knife from her pocket. There was nothing anyone could do as the girl and all the other people standing slit their own throats. It was terrifying to think this man had such control and lack of respect for human life. It was clear to me that Decagon was one of the evils in the universe of which he spoke.

“Now eat and drink to prepare for the first event,” Decagon announced as we were directed to the food by the guards. The cooks carved off large hunks of meat for each of us served on wooden plates. We were served a vegetable medley from the caldrons and wine from kegs. At first I didn’t want to eat, but hunger got the best of me.

There were no tables, chairs or utensils for us so we sat down on the sandy ground to eat with our hands. Barton and Casper stayed close to me as we ate. As we sat there eating I got a close look at Casper’s hands. His fingers were webbed and his nails were thick with ridges like a scallop shell. He reminded me of the Mistix called Aquarius.

Aquarius had those marks on his throat as well. It was strange but at the time Aquarius appear perfectly human to me, but now that I was remembering him he seemed almost like an amphibian to me, part human, part fish. With all that happened to me in Zeeza, I wouldn’t be surprised that I was now remembering details that I didn’t seem to notice at the time. Like that girl Spirit had the worst bleach job I ever saw. The black eyebrows should have been a dead give away that her hair was naturally darker. None of that really matters now that I was stuck in yet another freaky place.

At least Barton appeared human to me. “So could you understand what he was saying?” I asked Barton.

He knocked on his helmet, “Funny thing is as soon as I got into the arena it switched off letting me hear people’s thoughts again.” “I got every word.” “Weird thing was that those people who killed themselves weren’t thinking anything at all.”

“What do you mean?” Casper asked, speaking for the first time.

“You can understand English now?” I asked Casper in the Olestra language.

“No he can’t,” Barton interrupted. “Just like I can hear other’s surface thoughts, I can also transmit my own within speaking distance.”

“So you can only hear surface thoughts?” I asked. “What did you make of Decagon?”

“As long as the person is in range, I can read them.” Barton explained. “I’ve tried to probe people deeper into their memories, but my power doesn’t work like that.” “As far as Decagon goes he was out of range for me.” “I really wish I knew the full extent of my powers and where they came from.” I looked at Barton wiping the meat juice from my mouth on my shoulder thinking about the origin of his powers and if he could handle knowing it. Before I could say what I was thinking Barton responded. “How do you know that?”

Although he couldn’t probe memories keeping secrets from him was going to be difficult. I attempted to focus only on what I was saying not over thinking it to bring too many memories to the surface of my mind. “In my job back home I met people who came into contact with these alien parasites.” I told him hoping not to reveal my identity. “You were lucky, many of the people died from the infestation of the parasites.”

“Why have I never heard of these parasite attacks?” Barton asked looking angry. “Was it some kind of government cover up?”

“No, nothing like that,” I said. “It just didn’t make it to the Media.” “The attacks were focused in small areas, most of the victims were just ruled drug overdoses.”

“Drug overdoses?” he repeated.

“You said yourself that you went on a drug bender.” I explained. “One of the main things the parasites do in the human body is feed on chemicals released into the body by the use of drugs.” “People who survive the parasites usually gain Zeni-human powers like you did.”

Barton fell quiet as he went back to eating. I got the feeling he was trying to get in my head to learn more but I focused on the food keeping my mind a blank. “What is your power?” Casper asked pointing his hand at my wrists. “What do your arms do?”

I held up my clay covered gauntlet saying, “It’s not my power that the clay shields, it is the power of my weapons.” “I guess when they brought me in they couldn’t get my gauntlet off so they covered them.” “My gauntlets are pretty much indestructible and they absorb and redirect energy.”

“Alien technology?” Barton chimed in finishing his meal. Oops, I thought. “The same aliens that created the parasites?” he demanded in a threatening tone.

“No,” I defended. “A different kind of alien.” “Look around this arena, if we are the only men from Earth, than all of the rest would be considered aliens on Earth.” I decided it was time I put some distance between Barton and I so I tossed my empty plate to the ground and got up to walk away from them.

I walked around the arena trying to get a better idea of what I was up against here. I have to admit some of these guys were pretty frightening. One of them was even eating his plate. I tried not to make eye contact with any of them, not wanting to hurry the tournaments start. Standing at the outer edge of the group I looked up to the blue sky and took a deep breath. The air was fresh and sweet compared to what was in that dungeon. I didn’t look forward to returning to the stench but figure I probably would have to after this event.

“Longing to fly away?” a man asked walking up behind me speaking English. I turned to see it was the man Barton called Ullery. He stood a few inches taller than me, his body hard with muscle. His thick dark brown hair gone he looked like he was wearing a white cap in comparison to his tan skin. I had to figure I looked the same to him.

“If only,” I replied. “You speak English are you from Earth too?” I asked more than a little surprised at how many Earth people I was meeting.

“No, Aqueous,” Ullery replied. “It is an alternate dimension of Earth.” “Ever heard of it?”

“Can’t say I have, I’m still very new to this whole life beyond Earth thing,” I told him.

“That is what I guessed,” Ullery replied. “Don’t worry you will get better at it.” He said it with such confidence that I almost felt like he knew something I didn’t.

“So have you spent time on Earth to learn English?” I asked him.

“Never been to Earth proper,” Ullery told me. “It is common for alternate dimensions of a planet to speak the same language even if they call it something else.” “On Aqueous this language is called Britannia.”

About an hour after our meal, we were prepared for the event. It was approaching noon by the look of the sun in the sky. Our bellies full we were lead to a beach, at the edge of the water Decagon addressed us again.

“The event is a simple one,” he smirked. “Swim to the island,” he said pointing out over the water. We all looked out to see there was an island about a mile away across the choppy sea. It looked to be volcanic in nature, smoke looming from its peak. “Those who survive the swim must race to the top of the mountain.” “Inside the crater there will be fifty passages back to here, one for each that remains.” “Your goal is to be one of those fifty.” Decagon looked back to the arena behind us as if there were some kind of closed circuit feed, then back to us. “Remember who you play for, now go!”

At first there was a rush, near stamped as the large men pushed their way to the front. Casper was the eagerest it would appear as he ran to dive into the water at the front of the pack. I was not in so much of a hurry as I looked to my side I could see I was not alone in my lack of eagerness. After as few minutes were where all in the water.

I was a powerful swimmer and it didn’t take me long to catch up to the pack. I thought it best to keep my mind on my own situation although I did keep an eye on my new friends, Barton and Casper. I wasn’t sure where Barton had gotten to but out in front I spotted Casper. Swimming in the cold rough water appeared to be as easy as running on land for him. He swam like a fish not even stopping to take a breath as he dove through the large waves as if unphased by the strength of the current. He was an amazing athlete.

The choppiness of the sea was worsened but the seventy-five men splashing as we swam for the island. But we quickly discovered we weren’t the only ones in the water. To say that the sea live was vicious and hungry was an understatement. It was also large. A huge serpent loomed up for the water coming down swallowing three men whole! There was nothing any of the other nearby men could do to help the victims, even if they wanted to save them. It was every man for himself. We were out past the surf now and it was clear that the movement in the water around us was more hungry predators. I understood the smirk on Decagon’s face as he instructed us now.

Most of the men knew fighting these sea creatures was a lost cause and simply swam faster toward the island. There were a few that felt differently, eager for the challenge it would appear. I stopped in the water trying to get a bearing on the sea creatures. Then a second serpent head poked up lifting a man up its strong jaws close around his waist. The man pounded his fists down onto the serpent’s snout until blood ran from his lips as his body was bitten in half. The creature tossed the man’s severed upper torso up into the air, catching the half eaten corpse in its gaping mouth as if to play with its food. It was horrifying.

I began to swim again then I heard another strange sound, it was some kind of battle cry. I spun in the water to spot the tattooed man that Barton called Bones, the Nozama, as he swam toward the giant blue scaled serpent. He latched onto its scaly trunk like a tree and climbed it toward the head. I continued to swim not sure what he hoped to achieve as he wrapped his massive arms around the beast’s neck as if to choke it. He appeared to be taking some kind of control of the creature that prevented it from submerging again. I don’t know if it was the commotion in the water or the sounds the creature produced that drew the attention of other creatures in the water.

Another of the sea serpents surfaced near me biting a man in half, sending his legs and arms back to the water. Maybe that was Bones’ plan, simply to get up out of the water, to get over the action. I dove down into the murky water ten feet or so hoping to encounter the third serpent’s tail. I found it and quickly began to climb as I saw Bones do. Its body felt almost like a scaly hot dog as I squeezed its flesh with my fingers. It didn’t take me long to get back above the water as I climbed its body. Positioning myself behind its head as I saw Bones do. I quickly found it wasn’t much different from controlling a horse.

When I looked over to Bones he had full control of his serpent steed, but he wasn’t doing what I thought he intended. He was using his serpent as a weapon against his fellow contestants. He forced the serpent’s head back down toward the water to gobble up two more of the swimmers. Bones had used the sea monster kill three more of the men in the water before I gained enough control of my beast to attack. Through squeezing with my arms and legs I was able to force my creature to lunge forward taking a bite out of the side of the one that Bones rode, its dark blue blood poured out into the water. I had over reacted to stop Bones as his wounded serpent tumbled down to the water. The blood drew even more hungry aquatic life to the scene. Small carnivorous fish converged on the bloodied sea monster.

Then a fourth serpent rose from the sea, Casper riding on its back. The last time I saw him he was nearly to the island. I couldn’t imagine why he would have come back. As he emerged from the water I caught a glimpse of the scars on his throat and sides moving. They were not scars at all but gills. There was no questioning that Casper was an amphibian. The serpent he rode was different than the ones Bones and I had acquired. It had large green eyes and green crest of scales like a Mohawk down the center of its head. “Steve, leave that creature, I can draw them all away with this one!” Casper shouted at me in the Olestra language. I dug my knees into the serpents sides and did a backflip off of it, diving back into the water. When I resurfaced I could see that Bones had already abandoned his serpent as it floated on the surface of the water barely alive, gushing blood as the fish feed on it.

The serpent Casper rode on let out a strange crackling sound and then turned raising its tail from the water. On the underside of the creature I caught sight of something, before it slapped its tail back down into the water. The fishy stench in the air was indescribable. The other serpents circling us did not seem to think so as they followed after the female as Casper rode it off into the distance. I returned to my swim to the island through the bloodied water to the black sand of the shore.

The beach almost reminded me of Themyscira if not for the lush tropical jungle that grew just off the sand. The sand was trampled down by the many men that arrive before me. There were also a few other contestants that lay on the beach, victims of the sea serpents that managed to make it ashore. There was nothing I could do for them as they slipped away their injuries. I turned back to the water before following the others up the beach to the jungle and our next test. Surprisingly when I turned back to the water, Casper was walking up out of the surf. At the speed he was leading the serpents away he must have swam miles in only a few minutes to get here so quickly.

“You okay?” he asked walking up to me.

“Yeah, that was incredible what you did to lead those creatures away,” I replied.

“I’m good with sea animals,” Casper told me not seeming too friendly anymore.

“Bones was only using it to kill other contestants,” I told him.

“Was that any worse than what you did, using one to kill the other?” Casper asked giving me an angry look. “Those creatures only eat to survive, it was us who invade their home, not the other way around!” He didn’t say another word as he turned to run away up the beach. I was surprised at his attitude, I was trying to save lives, but truthfully I didn’t know him that well.

“Looks like you managed alienate both of the men trying to be your friend here,” Barton said emerging from the surf behind me as he kept on going by me. Looking back I saw that there were only a few men left in the water. If I was going to be one of the fifty to return I had to get a move on.

I easily passed Barton on the beach, even though I still hoped he would make it to the next round. I knew I couldn’t help anyone on this quest. The black sand was hot on my bare feet but my speed was enough to get me passed many of the men exhausted from the swim and surviving the sea serpents. Once inside the trees of the jungle there was a path that led to the mountain.

As I ran along the path I passed a man on the ground bleeding from his side. It was clear that there was no reason to stop to help, he was already dead from the wound. I knew that the object of this contest was to win, not to be a better person than everyone else, that was not in the rules. Up ahead I spotted Ullery. He had sharpened a stick into a spear that he was using to stab other runners from behind. These men were truly cut-throats. No sportsmanship at all.

I ran up behind Ullery grabbing the spear and snapping it in half, pulling it from his hand. “Not very sporting of you,” I said as I disarmed him. He gave me a look of almost embarrassment, like a child ashamed that he had disappointed his father.

Then he snapped out of his trance-like state to shout, “You have no idea what I have done to get to this point!” I expected him to attack me and I was prepared for it. Then he took off running again up the path. I had no idea what to make of that guy, one minute he was a lethal warrior the next an angry teenager.

The path through the jungle changed to become a ledge that climbed up the volcanic mountain. It was only wide enough for three or four men side by side at a time. Ullery pushed his way past the men in front of us, it was clear that he wanted to get away from me as quickly as possible. It seemed that I still wasn’t gaining any points in the friend department here. I had followed behind a large group of men who were blocking the path, I felt intentionally. I didn’t care we were moving up at a good rate of speed just the same.

Then I heard a scream as a man tumbled down off the mountain path above to his death in the jungle below. An accident I thought at first and then a second man went screaming over the side. I feared it was Ullery again trying to thin the herd. Clearly, languishing in the back as not a place for me. I looked up the side of the mountain to spot the next ledge up. It was a simple leap for me to jump up.

I landed on the ledge to the out cry of others, “Cheater!” There was anger in their eyes as the race seemed to take second place to making sure I stayed in my proper place. They came at me swinging. I defended myself fighting back. I stayed aware of the ledge and made sure not to knock anyone over it. More men joined the scuffle and soon I was being hit by fist from all sides. I spotted Ullery jogging up the path from behind the men attacking me, clearing him of suspicion. Then another man fell over the side of the mountain from above as I fought off my attackers. I let them believe they were beating me down with my arms shielding my head as I squatted. Pushing off from the ground I cast my attackers aside and launched myself up to the next ledge. No one followed making it clear to me that I was the only one with such an ability.

On the next ledge up I joined the pack much more subtle. Taking the lead I soon found the man called Aberdeen. He was running at an impressive speed, much faster than I could hope to achieve. It was him who was shoving men over the edge of the cliff as he ran. I would guess the men had no idea what even hit them because he was moving so fast. I turned on my own speed but found I had no chance of catching Aberdeen before he could kill again. I could save his last victim though. Leaping over the side of the cliff after the thin dark skinned man I managed to catch him and make it back to the ledge below.

“Thank you, Thank you,” the man said passionately almost hugging me. He had a larger lump of clay covering his head, almost like a deep sea helmet. I had to wonder what power he was being prevented from using. “My name is Fata,” he told me. “I have no idea how I fell.”

“You didn’t fall, you were pushed,” I told him as the men who had attacked me approached from behind, Ullery in the crowd. “It is time I put a stop to it.” I leapt up to the next ledge again just as the men who would stop me arrived. Seconds before I reached out my foot for the ledge another man fell toward me. I managed to redirect my momentum to hit and pushing onto the ledge where we would scrape across the ground. I recognized him as Galio, he smelled of garlic and onions as I landed with my face buried in his chest. I thought he was one of Aberdeen’s friends, but it would become clear to me that Aberdeen had no friends.

As I tried to get up, not wanting to give Aberdeen any time to throw someone else over the cliff Galio wrapped his arm around my neck pulling me back down to his face. “I owe you my life!” he said a serious look in his eyes like no other, I feared he was going to kiss me.

“And I will save more if you let me go,” I replied, pulling away from him to make the leap up another ledge.

This leap landed me directly in Aberdeen’s path. He saw me as a ripe target that he sped toward. He was fast, almost too fast for me to see him coming, but I was an unmovable target for him. He struck me with both fists in the chest. He expected me to be the one going airborne but he was the one thrown back to the ground. He was persistent and jumped up coming at me again faster than before. I took a swing at him that he easily dodged. I did not intend to let him land another hit on me so I kept moving as he circled around for another go. His speed was something I couldn’t compete with, so I kept swinging blindly until I managed to make contact.

Most of the other runners passed by me, no longer seeming to care that I had cut ahead as I tried to hit my fast moving target. I was hoping that the punch that took him down was enough to wise him up. He slammed against the side of the mountain sliding down the rocks to the ground. I assumed he would heal as fast as he ran so I returned to the race up the mountain.

I caught up with Barton who was running in the pack bringing up the rear. “Quite the hero, aren’t you?” he said.

“I just don’t like seeing innocent people hurt for no reason,” I replied.

“None of us are innocent,” Barton told me as we ran. “Believe me when I say all of these men you saved would kill you as easily as you saved them.”

“That is not true of me,” Galio said coming up on my left. “I owe you my life,” he said again beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. “I only hope to be worthy of your generosity.” I didn’t respond remaining quiet for the rest of the run up the mountain.

At the top of the mountain we climbed down into the crater that was once a volcano. The round crater room was crowded with men when we got the first sign of what we were to do next. All around the lava formed walls round discs about four inches in diameter appeared. Within each one was a star emblem that glows with two symbols. Each symbol appeared similar in form as if the same letter in a different language. I recognized the letters “M” and “W” in one of the stars, assume it stood for Master Warrior. I made my way through the crowd to step toward it as other men did with written languages they knew. Unfortunately, I was not the one to see the English writing. Barton stepped up to the same disc. The moment our fingers touched the disc we were transported to somewhere else.

The cavern room looked the same but now we were alone, just the two of us. “It appears that we are to fight for the same path back,” Barton said as we both reached for the disc on the wall. It seemed to be an unfair fight in my mind.

“I don’t want to fight you, Barton,” I said to him.

“I don’t think we have that option,” he responded raising his hand to me. Instantly I found myself being slammed back against the wall. I slid to the floor dizzy by the impact, chunks of the wall falling down on top of me. I was caught off guard by his power. He had not told me he could do that, most likely for this reason. Before I could get up off the floor he sent more debris at me. I held up my clay covered gauntlets to shield myself as I sprang up. I leapt out over the rubble landing only feet away from Barton. I didn’t want to hurt him but I didn’t want to lose this fight either. He raised his hand at me again and I took a swing at the air, surprisingly landing a hit on the mental force that he threw at me. I could see that he was mentally stymied by the assault as he staggered slightly. I quickly stepped forward again pushing his arm aside, shoving him back to the ground.

“There must be another way we can both get back to the arena,” I suggested. “We don’t need to fight.” “This could get out of hand if we did.” I said standing over him. Sitting there on the ground he got a spark in his eye.

“I think I can get things well in hand,” Barton replied reaching his hand up again toward me as if to pluck an apple from a tree branch. Then he closed his fingers squeezing them tight.

I felt what he was doing to me instantly. He was crushing my testicles! I reached down for my family jewels trying to get a hold of the invisible force squeezing them. It was completely intangible, there was nothing to get a hold of to pull away. My eyes began to water as he used his power to increase the pressure on my junk. “Barton, stop!” I shouted.

“Clearly, I found your one weakness,” Barton smiled as he squeezed me tighter again. My knees buckled as the pain went beyond any kick to the groin I had ever experienced.

“Let go of my balls, you Mother Fucker!” I growled at him as I hunched forward feeling my testicles being crushed tighter. I was helpless to move, I wanted to lunge at him, punch him in the face to make him stop, but I couldn’t move. I fell over on my side in agony as the thought my nuts were going to burst. “Fuck” I shouted again. “I thought we were friends!” The tears were pouring from my eyes as I lay there whimpering.

“Do you submit?” Barton asked me as I looked up at him through blurry eyes. “Just say it and I will stop.” I could hear a tremble in his voice that last time he spoke.

“I submit,” I cried in agony. Barton released his hold on me but the pain did not stop. I laid on the floor still sobbing, trying to catch my breath and holding myself unable to move. I thought I would never be the same. I heard a loud boom, looking up I saw a portal open and Barton step through it. I was alone in the cavern, my eyes tightly closed for a time as the pain in my nuts began to fade.

I could feel that my balls were swollen almost twice their normal size. They still throbbed as I tried to move again. I managed to sit up tears still rolling down my cheeks to see that I was back in the original cavern. There were nine more men on the floor dead or dying. I was still in enough pain to not be able to do anything for them. Then across the cavern I saw it, one final emblem on the wall. It was engraved with letters I didn’t recognize but knew what they meant. I managed to get to my knees and then my feet still cradling my testicles in my hands. I slowly limped to the wall where the emblem hung. I took one hand to touch the medallion. I heard a loud boom again and a portal appeared.

I was not returned to the arena but to the dungeon. There were four other men already in the cell when I arrived. I knew all of them, Casper sat on the floor his head hung down on his chest, several cuts across his arm. Fata also sat on the floor with a black eye and busted lip. Galio stood in a corner his mouth and eye bleeding. Lastly there was Barton who looked surprised to see me but a tad happy.

Looking beyond our cell I could see that there were only 10 other cells, five men in each. I could see that Bones, Ullery and Aberdeen had survived, as well as many others of which I would soon learn their names.

We all remained quiet in our cell, until Henry arrived escorted by a guard he was let into our cell carrying a wooden box. He began with Fata, using a cloth from the box to clean his wounds and then used his fingers to massage on an oil that sealed his lips. Casper was the next man to have his wounds cleaned and treated with the healing oil. Then Henry moved to Galio’s face. By the time Henry got to me I was sitting on the floor with my legs spread still holding my tender balls.

“Let me see,” Henry said kneeling in front of me.

“Really, I’ll be fine,” I told him.

“You need to be at your best tomorrow for the next round of the tournament,” Henry told me. “Now stand up and let me see!” he demanded. I reluctantly did as he said standing up with my feet apart to let him inspect my family jewels. It wasn’t like he hadn’t touched me there before when he bathed me. “They are very swollen, how did this happen?”

I looked over to Barton and he looked away, I could see his shame and regret. “Fights take many forms when a person’s life hangs in the balance.” It was still uncomfortable having him touch me but my embarrassment grew after Henry reached into his medical box.

He drew out a jar of white cream. “This is going to be cold,” he said as he scooped the cream from the jar. “It will reduce the swelling and give you some relief.” Henry coated my sack in the cream, not really rubbing it in, just like frosting a cake. My scrotum quickly retracted up to my body almost instantly. The tightness of my sack did not cause the discomfort that I thought it should because my testicles were still too swollen to slip inside me. The other guys were all looking at me standing there coated in the cream. I could feel the heat on my face of my embarrassment. “Don’t rub that in, let it absorb naturally,” Henry told me putting away his tool kit. Henry left as I quickly sat down on the floor trying to hide myself. I ended up sitting with my feet crossed and my knees up to my sides.

We all sat silent on the floor of our cell for over an hour. “I want to Thank You for saving my life,” Fata said to me. “If not for you I would be dead.”

“I feel the same,” Galio said too. “I have pledged my life to you.” It was strange how these men reacted to my morality. I was just doing what came naturally. I wanted to use my powers to help, not kill.

It was then that Casper raised his face to me, looking sadder than I had ever seen. “I too feel differently about what I said to you earlier,” Casper said. “I killed a man today.” “I can feel only regret now.” “It was something beyond what I believed it would be.” “You were right a man’s life holds more value than a mindless sea beast.”

I then looked to Barton who simply said, “I did what I had to do to survive.” He poised for a moment staring out at the burning torch outside the cell and then he looked to me for a moment, “I am sorry, I only did what I had to do,” he said in the lowest of voices.

DAY 2

While I slept, I had the strangest of dreams. I sat in the darkness of my cell, I thought alone until another approached me from the shadows. It was Bones and he was dressed in the full armor he wore in the dream had the previous night. “You and I share a common link, boy,” he said as he loomed over me. I didn’t respond. “I know you had a dream last night as I did.” “Mine was of that bitch Amazon who was meant to be my mate!” “And who she is to you.”

“How is it you are here now?” I asked standing up realizing that I was still naked even though he was armored.

“We share this dream due to our common link, you are an Amazon offspring and I a Nozama,” he replied. “Had I been your father you would truly know power!”

“So why aren’t you, my father?” I asked somehow triggering a change in my appearance to now wear armor like Bones wore.

“That was long ago, it was before we learned the sacrifices we made to be immortal,” Bones replied drawing his sword.

“What was that sacrifice?” I asked conjuring a larger sword from the dreamscape.

“Our seed can make a slave of any who ingest it,” he told me. It would seem that meteor had a fixation on giving power to semen. “We believed we could make the Amazon’s our slaves as well as mates, to breed a super race to conquer the world.” “But we quickly learned that our seed did not work on the Amazons.” “Nor could we breed with any females, the price of our power was sterility.” Then without warning he was in my face his hand on my throat, pressing my back to the bars. “You boy are a different story,” he breathed in my face. I knew it was a dream but I could feel his strength crushing my windpipe. “You have enough human in you to make you my slave!”

Suddenly I woke up covered in sweat and dirt on the floor of my cell. The other still slept accept for Galio who glared at me. “Steve, are you well?” he whispered.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I replied. I stood up to look through the bars at the back of the cage. I glanced down the row of cages to see someone else standing at the back of his cage. It was Bones, he was looking down right at me. He licked his lips and blew me a kiss. It was then that I knew what happened in my dream was real. I would have to watch my back around Bones and find a way to keep him out of my dreams. I tried to hide my anxiety as I sat back down to the floor.

The guards returned to the cells at the crack of dawn. One of them tossed five garments, if you could call them that, through the bars into the center of the cell. We all stepped forward at the command of, “Put them on!” Basically what we had been given to wear was a jockstrap with a built in metal cup. It wasn’t much but it was something that would prevent what Barton did to me yesterday from happening again. It would appear that we were the blue team as to the fact that all of our codpieces were blue.

There was no bathing this morning, although I really need one, it was straight to the arena for us. As we were lead through the dungeon I noticed Bones’ cellmates were acting differently toward him. None of the four men would even make eye contact with the Nozama. Two walked in front of him and two behind as if they were a security detail. It would appear as an odd occurrence, if not for my dream last night. The first night in the dungeon was clearly filled with strange activities. It was also clear to me that Bones had used his seed to make them his slaves. I looked to my cellmates and none of them seemed the least bit fazed by what had happened in our cell last night, not even Barton.

We arrived at the arena where the sections of the stands that correspond to the numbers assigned to the men who died yesterday were now empty. I looked to my section to see all the same faces that were there yesterday. I hoped that Decagon had not killed all of the people that were now gone from the stands.

Decagon again addressed the crowd to give us the instruction of today’s competition and feed us again. Today’s event would take place in the arena and it would be, Man vs. Beast. We waited for the slaves to remove the food preparation equipment but the fire at the center of the arena remained. We were each given a length of rope about twelve feet long. I wasn’t sure what we were supposed to do with the rope so I wrapped it around my chest, over my shoulder and under my left arm, tying it in place. Some of the other men did the same and others wrapped around their bodies in ways I thought could be dangerous to their own safety. Cowboy that he was Barton quickly tied his rope into a lariat. I knew I had to stop being such a mother hen to these men if I was going to win this thing. Watching for other people’s safety was something that had become second nature for me and it was going to be hard to stop doing it.

It didn’t really surprise me to see that Bones had thrown his rope to the ground refusing to accept it. His ego was too big for such a minor utility. What did surprise me was that all of his cellmates did the same. Bones was a huge, powerful guy, I would guess that there was nothing he was afraid of. His cellmates on the other hand were not as intimidating, The smallest of them was called Angel and I could see him falling fairly soon. He made it through the first round by having superior fighting skills, but I feared winning tournament would take more than Karate.

Once the ring was cleared the animals were released. Our foes were not cuddly rabbits and puppies but where lions, Sabertooth tigers, bears, and believe it or not Wooly mammoths. The sheer number of animals outnumbered us three to one. It was no surprise that Bones went straight for the biggest of targets as did his cellmates. I was disappointed to see just how right I was about Angel, who was quickly trampled under the feet of the mammoths as Bones leapt up on top of it.

A smaller more human like opponent was my first choice. An oversized black bear came at me standing only about a foot taller than me on its hind legs. It foamed at the mouth letting me know this was not just any bear, but a rabid one. It swung at me with its long heavy arm. Its sharp claws meeting my clay covered gauntlet. I almost hoped the bear’s claws were enough to free my gauntlet from the clay casing, but it was not. I pushed back at the bear, it growl and snarl meant little to me, nor did its weight. Landing a punch to its midsection it fell down on its back. The rabid beast was not deterred as it scrambled backup to charge me on all fours. A game of leap frog then, I thought landing my hands on its thick furry shoulders forcing its head down into the dirt of the arena.

I had always thought bears were a solitary animal, not very social at all. That was not true of these bears as two more charged me as I landed on the ground behind the first. It was times like these that made me wish I could fly like I did with that flight vest from Sonoma. I swung up my left arm catching the one bear’s teeth on my clay covered gauntlet. I could feel the strength of its jaws as its drool ran down my arm. I used my arm in the bear’s mouth as a pivoting base to swing my legs and feet up to kick the other bear square in the chest. I could feel its sternum compress and ribs break as I took it down. I had killed animals before when I went hunting with my Dad as a kid. It was not something I enjoyed that is why I didn’t continue hunting as an adult. I landed back on my feet flinging the 500 pound bear still on my left arm at the injured one finishing it off on impact.

The first bear returned now with a vengeance, slashing its long claws down my back. “Arrrghhh!” I shouted as I felt the slice of my flesh and the blood on my back. The only thing stopping the beast from ripping me from shoulder to waist was the rope I had wrapped around my body. I instinctively turned bringing my left elbow back into the side of its head. It was now down on all fours after slashing me so it made it easy for me to spin around onto its broad back. I grabbed it around the neck with my right arm, holding fast to its back with my legs. The bear lurched up onto its hind legs again trying to throw me off but I grasped my right gauntlet with my left hand and held tight. I don’t know if it was shock or the pain as I began applying pressure to the bear’s airway. It roared until it was out of breathe. The largest of the bears I fought, it stumbled around with me on its back until it fell forward again onto all fours. It was then that I twisted and snapped its neck, letting it collapse to the ground.

The third bear came at me then, but I have had enough! Its huge clawed paws swiping at me, I used my gauntlets to crumble its nails before forcing it down onto its back. I took hold of its snout clamping it shut and twisted it head snapping its neck. Taking hold with both hands I pulled, tearing its head from its body. I stood there for a moment on the bear’s furry carcass realizing what I had done.

I didn’t have long for contemplation for the smell of blood, mine and the bear’s drew in the lions. Four lions stalked around the scene now. My heart was still pounding in my chest my breath labored. I threw the bear’s severed head at one of the lions, knocking it over. I had no idea how bad the wound on my back was but I could feel it pull as I extended my arm. There was no time to stop to check now. I unwound the rope from my chest. Part of it was wet with my blood but to my surprise the bear’s claws had done no damage to it. This rope was much stronger than any I had seen before on Earth. I quickly tied the stiff rope into a lasso as I saw Barton do. It was time to play cowboy round up, with lions.

As kids Gary and I often played cowboy with a rope, even in our early days at camp we would use a lasso to pull down dead limbs from trees for firewood. It was an easy snare to catch one of these big cats. The lions appeared rabid too, completely disoriented by my use of the rope. Catching one of the lions around the neck I pulled the lasso tight. I yanked the cat from its feet and swung it, taking down two of the others. The fourth had recouped from my trick of the bear head, it took the opportunity to pounce at me.

Before I could react another combatant, Omax launched himself at the lion, tackling it mid-air. Pinning the rabid lion to the ground Omax bit into the back of its neck. He jerked the large cat as he clamped down hard with his teeth. I watched as the Lion struggled for a few minutes until it fell limp to the dirt, dead. Omax turned crouching over the corpse, blood and foam running from his mouth. I could tell he was out of his mind with the same illness that controlled the beasts by the look in his eyes. Then without warning he sprung forward at me, snarling as he leapt through the air at me. I grabbed for his fists, as I rolled back to the ground absorbing his momentum to launch him over my head with my feet. I scrambled back to me feet to face him again. He recouped as fast as I did, squatting on the ground staring me down. Then it was like the spell he was under was broken as sanity came back to his eyes. He stood up giving me a salute from his brow before turning to run back into the chaos of the arena.

I looked out over the arena filled with fighting man and beast as I retrieved my lasso from the dead lion. It was chaos, At a distance I could see Bones swinging a mammoth by its trunk as I did with the lion. Two of his cellmates were dead in the dirt not far from that scene. Ullery used a severed bear paw as a weapon to fight back sabertooth tigers. Not far from that three other sabertooth tigers feasted on the remains of the bear he had killed. There were several dead animals but just as many dead men on the ground.

I wrapped the rope back around my chest, this time making it into a kind of vest to help protect me from further attack. Tightening the rope the blood from the wounds on my back had begun to slow as I was met by my next opponent, an 800 lb grizzly. This bear was different than the others, it lumbered more towering nearly four feet over me. It was slower moving, but I wasn’t sure I would be able to bring this one down as easily as the others. I needed a better weapon than a rope to bring this one down.

Before it could make a move on me I felt that old tingle at the base of my skull. My danger sense had become more precise in the past months, not so broad in nature. It told me I needed to move and move now. I lunged to my right cart-wheeling out of the way just as a mammoth grazed by me striking the grizzly, crushing it under its massive weight. I didn’t even have to turn around to know it was Bones who threw the Mammoth, he was the only one with enough strength to do such a thing.

I wasn’t sure if he was trying to kill me or not. From what he told me in that shared dream he had different plans for me, but he gave me just what I needed, a weapon. I leapt up onto the mass of meat and fur, landing on the Mammoth’s jaw. I went right for its twenty-four inch long tusk. Taking hold of the ivory shaft I pulled, it was not an easy task, freeing the long boney structure from the beast’s skull. Another combatant saw what I was doing and ran to claim the other tusk for his own. His name was Rook, I had picked up on many of the other men’s names with my sharp hearing over the past day. He moved almost as fast as Aberdeen across the arena to take hold of the second tusk.

As Rook got closer I felt a strange drain on my strength as if I was getting tired suddenly. Rook looked over to me, “Perhaps together,” he said. He moved over taking hold of tusk I was working on. Shoulder to shoulder we pulled together to rip the massive horn from its socket. We fell back to the ground next to the massive animal corpse still holding the tusk. Rook released his grip my new ivory weapon and returned to the mammoth’s skull. Before I could get up to help him he pulled the second tusk free and returned to battle in the arena, not as fast as he had arrived.

I felt dizzy for a minute as I sat on the ground. I looked to the men fighting and realized that all of them had some special talent, even the ones who had fallen in battle. It appeared that the clay only prevent them from using any special weapons they may have had, like my gauntlet. I had to wonder what guys like Bilk, who had a full chest plate of clay were hiding. I sat holding my new found weapon as my strength returned. Looking to Bones still slaying Mammoths I knew I had to prove myself to him, make it clear that I was not going to be easy to enslave as he had his cellmates.

I sprang up into the air crossing the spans of three hundred feet in one leap. Coming down in the center of a group of Sabertooth tigers I made quick work of them with the tusk. It suddenly became clear to me the types of meat we must have been eating for the past two days at the number of caucuses that not littered the ground. I had set my coarse and I fought on taking down every rabid animal in my path until I reached Bones and his circus act.

Leaping atop one of the Mammoths I rammed the tusk down deep into it back, severing its spinal cord causing its hind legs to collapse. Bones approached scoffing at me as he lifted the Mammoth up from the ground with me still anchored to its back by the tusk. He tossed the pachyderm and me along with it across the arena. I freed my new weapon to leap off the flying beast and back to the ground to do a tuck and roll. Bones was mocking me. Telling me I was to be thrown away with the garbage. He had tossed me back to where I began this event. Now I was pissed.

A bear came at me and I slashed it open with the tusk without a second thought. I moved on across the arena back toward Bones. Lions came at me and I took them down one after the other. As I moved my anger grew at a fast rate like nothing I had experienced prior. Then it was more Sabertooths that were next to fall. By now I was in full rage mode. I had no idea how many animals I killed by the time but I was covered in blood. I had no fear of any illness I may have contracted from the blood that now covered my skin as I made it back to Bones. He had killed the last of the mammoths and we stood face to face. I held the blood tusk firmly in my hands. “Very impressive boy,” he said as I stood poised to take him down as I did the beasts in the ring.

Then it was over, “Combatants, halt!” Decagon announced from his podium. Suddenly all of the blood that coated my body changed, turning to the same clay that coated my gauntlets. I was frozen in place unable to move. The tusk slipped from my hands, dropping to the dirt. Instinctively I struggled under the shell that held me prisoner only inches from Bones, who smirked at me as he reached forward to push me down.

Bones stood over me, grinning down at me, “Perhaps I will not kill you.” He too was covered in animal blood and apparently was smart enough to not want to suffer the same fate as I had as he stepped back away from me.

“The second challenge is complete as all the beast had been slain,” I could hear Decagon announce from beyond my line of vision that was only the sky as I lay on my back. “Rest well might warriors who have survived, for tomorrow the staked rise again.”

The other men began to regroup, led back to the dungeon as I lay helpless on the ground. Then Galio leaned over my exposed eyes, “I’ve got you Steve,” he said as he moved to lift me up to carry me over his shoulder. I felt foolish now as I was carried out of the arena. My rage scared me, I was completely out of control, something I had never done. I had been fighting full out for the past two days hiding none of my powers and Bones remained unimpressed. This was not a world I to which I was accustomed. I always felt that when I revealed what I could truly do people would be amazed. Clearly my ego had got the best of me, without my even knowing.

Galio carried me into a room I had not been in before tonight. He stood me up, leaning me against the wall. The room was large and at the center there was an open pit in the floor, another opening over it to the setting sun. The days somehow seemed shorter here in Olestra. Men squatted at the edge of the pit gripping their knees, I wasn’t sure why at first. Then as my eyes adjusted to the light I could see why, this was some kind of indoor outhouse room. Guards waited at the door for men to finish before taking them into another room.

Sealed in the clay, I had no choice but to watch Galio as he took a spot at the pit directly in front of me. I closed my eyes. My only means of breathing was through my nose so I got the full impact of this pit room. I opened my eyes again when I felt Galio pick me up again.

We gathered with Barton, Casper, and Fata to be lead back into a private bathing room. Galio carried me to where Henry waited for us. I could only view what Galio directed me at as he carried me. I noticed that only two of Bones’ cellmates survived the second day. It calmed me in a way to know all of mine had all survived. “Here, lower him into the water first while the rest of you remove your garments,” Henry instructed. I looked to small Henry and wonder how he thought he was going to maneuver my two-hundred and ten pound body, not to mention the weight of the clay. Galio leaned me forward at the edge of the pool and Henry reached out to take hold of my solid arm. I was shocked as the young boy lifted me to lowered me gently into the water with one hand. If I could have moved my jaw to speak I would have asked how he was so strong.

The clay had an instant reaction to the water. I could feel it softening on my legs as Henry began to massage them under the water. He broke the clay away in big chunks, that quickly dissolved in the water, around my calves and feet. “You understand why this happened?” he asked me. With only my feet freed from the clay I still couldn’t respond. It didn’t matter as he explained anyway. “You were acting out of anger and rage.” “Participants can not kill another unless it is in defense of their own life.” “Decagon will not allow it!” Henry broke the clay away from my knees and thighs. He guided me lower in the water by bending my knees. “Bones knew this rule, that is why he made his cellmates his slaves.” “To have the weak ones die.”

“Slaves?” Barton asked stepping closer to the pool. “How did he make them his slaves?”

“Come closer, all of you, you need to know who Bones is,” Henry told them as he broke the clay away from my crotch, tearing off my codpiece. The others moved in around the pool sitting down on the edge nude. “He is a Nozama, his seed makes any whom taste it his slave,” he told them as he laid me back in the water to soften the clay on my back and chest.

“His seed?” Fata questioned.

“That is disgusting,” Barton commented.

“Once under his control a human will do anything he wills them to do,” Henry explained. “Even sacrifice their life for him.” “He is clever, he knows the best way to thin the herd is to have them do it themselves.” Henry broke the clay from my arms as he spoke, only leaving it on my gauntlets. “Bones has competed in this tournament before he knows how to use the rules to his advantage.”

“If he is so strong than how is it he did not win the previous tournament?” Barton asked the question that was on all our minds.

“Because there was one more powerful than him in the last tournament,” Henry explained as he cracked open the clay on my chest. “That is why he provokes you, Steve.” “He sees you as a threat, he wants you gone before the final round.”

“Why is he such a threat to Bones?” Barton asked. “I can move things with my mind, Bones will never even be able to get near me!”

Henry pushed my head under the water as he said, “I do not know that answer.” It took only a few minutes submerged for our new ally to break the clay from my head. I was glad my hair was still short enough to not be caught up in the clay as I emerged from the water.

“I know why I am a threat to Bones,” I told them spitting a lump of clay from my mouth. “We have kind of a conjoined past.” “He knew my mother before I was born, he believes I was the son he should have had.”

“That is impossible!” Henry exclaims. “Bones has never been anywhere but Atlantis and here!” Henry pushed me to the side of the pool, apparently my bath was finished. I looked down to the pool I was standing in and it was clear, not a sign of the clay. Henry gestured to Galio and he moved forward to be bathed. The water had some kind of healing quality because as he wiped over the wound on Galio’s side it bubbled and then closed. I realized the wound on my back from the bear claw, no longer hurt as well. “How could you even know such a thing?” Henry asked as he washed my dedicated friend.

“I dreamt of Bones the first night I was here and how he met my mother in battle,” I explained as I moved to sit on the edge of the pool across from Barton. “Then last night Bones came to me is a dream telling me of our connection.” “He told me how there was enough human in me to be his slave.”

Henry finished bathing Galio leaving only the clumps of clay that covered his left hand. Henry stood silent for a moment as if analyzing what I had said. “The only way any of that is possible is if you are the child of an Amazon,” Henry concluded. I nodded and I could tell that Henry suddenly understood something I did not. “You are a threat to him, the Amazons were immune to the power of the Nozama seed.”

“But he said there was enough human in me for it to work,” I reminded feeling rather insecure.

“He is playing games with you to make you feel weak,” Henry responded bringing Fata into the center of the pool. Fata appeared to have the most injuries of any of us. He had many cuts and scrapes from the day’s event. “I was watching the tournament, I saw what you did when you went into that rage after he mocked you.” “You have more in you than just that of an Amazon.”

“Nozamas, Amazons it all sounds like nothing more than myths to me,” Barton said from where he sat across the pool with Casper. This whole tournament has just become ridiculous!” “All that matters is that guy tossed Wooly Mammoths around like seat cushions!”

“Strength is not everything,” Henry said. “The fact that Bones lost his last attempt at becoming a Master Warrior proves that!”

I sat with my feet in the water feeling stupid for how I let Bones play me. “How do I keep him from invading my dreams again?” I asked Henry.

“He should not be able to do that again,” Henry explained finishing with Fata, leaving the large chunk of clay on his head to begin on Casper. I was eager to see if Casper had any clay on his body like the rest of us that I hadn’t noticed before. “You said you dreamt of him the first night, I am sure he dreamt of you too because of the close proximity.” “It was that common point in your lives that allowed the two of you to share a psychic dream.” “Now that point has passed.” “Do you often have dreams that come true?” Henry asked drawing everyone’s attention to me.

Telling others about my premonitions has always been a source of problem. I was hesitant to tell the truth. “It is more like a mutation of my danger sense,” I said trying to be verge.

“That is what I mean, there is more to you than just your Amazon heritage,” Henry suggested as he washed Casper, who appeared to be completely free of the clay. “Your father contributed more than just normal human seed.” I thought about what Henry said for a moment. It sounded silly, my Dad was just a normal guy with no super powers. Then I remembered the family talk we had not long ago of how the sapphire ring had stopped his aging. What if it had done more than that to him? What about Christine? Was that why she didn’t have Amazon powers?

“I vote we stop talking about semen while in a bathtub full of men!” Barton finally said out loud breaking my train of thought, leading to silence as he was bathed by Henry. It was odd, Henry seemed to be pay special attention to Barton’s head and the helmet of clay he wore. It was almost as if he was inspecting it.

“Why does Decagon hold these tournaments?” I asked Henry as he bathed Barton.

“He fears for the safety of this land,” Henry replied. “The Master Warriors are his way of making Olestra safe from invaders.”

“What about the people he has killed?” I asked. “Did he kill all of the people that are now gone from the stands?”

“When a contestant dies his supporters are returned home with no memory of ever being here,” Henry told us. “It is the only way anyone leaves Olestra.” We all fell silent with Henry’s statement. Decagon had never told us that we couldn’t leave Olestra after the tournament.

The silence continued as we returned to our cell. Finally the silence was broken when Casper whispered, “I don’t care if I win this tournament or not, but I don’t think we can afford to let Bones win it!” I agreed with him but I didn’t think anyone else wanted to hear me say it.

“How do you propose we do that,” Barton asked. “Henry told us no one can outright kill another opponent!”

“I don’t know but I thought if we all worked together, used our special talents as a team, we could figure out something,” Casper replied.

Their exchange made me realize something incredible. “Barton how is it you can understand what Casper is saying?” I asked in the Do mina tongue. “And Casper you can understand what Barton is telling you?” The two men looked at each other surprised at what I had just noticed. In the arena they could communicate freely, but here in the cell Barton’s power was turned off, preventing him from understanding the Olestra language. Barton’s hands instantly went for the clay on his head. He felt all around its smooth surface until he found something very small on the back.

“There is a crack in the helmet,” he whispered, not wanting anyone in another cell to hear. He squinted his eyes and then said, “I can use my telepathy but that is all.”

Fata who had been lying quietly on the floor, I thought because he had been infected by the sickness of the animals sat up. “I have a crack in my helmet too,” he said. In the dim light of the dungeon cell he pointed to the smallest of fractures near his right ear in the massive clay helmet he wore. It was hard to see at first as several strains of hair slipped from the crack. The strains of hair braided themselves as more immersed from under the clay joining the until Fata had a tentacle like dreadlock waving on the side of his head. He made it move and twist without touching it. “I was afraid I might be punished if anyone found out.”

“Is all of your hair like that under that helmet?” Galio asked.

“Yes and it is unbreakable that is why they had to cover it rather shave like they did to you lot,” Fata replied. “What about that fist of yours?” he asked Galio.

From the time we had returned to the cell Galio had sat with his clay encased hand in his lap. It was unusual because he hadn’t done that before today. I caught a glimpse of him doing something with his free hand, but I didn’t want to look at him too much. Then he lifted his left hand to reveal that his index finger had broken through the clay. He twirled his finger at the floor of the cell and the dirt swirled forming a challis of sorts that he picked up. “With only on finger my power is very limited,” he explained picking up the cup and crushing it in his right hand. “I was trying to free the rest of my hand, but the clay won’t budge.” “It is completely resistant.”

Somehow the others had been partially freed of their clay encasement. I instantly moved to examine my gauntlet, but I couldn’t find even the smallest of cracks in the clay. “Look even without my gauntlets I have some special talents,” I said, if only to make myself feel better. “We all do.” “If we work together I bet we can take Bones down.”

“We need a plan,” Casper said. “Something to make it look like he died by accident.”

Then it came to me. “Maybe he doesn’t have to die, just look like he has,” I suggested.

“What do you mean?” Fata asked.

“Before I came to Olestra I was in a place called Zeeza,” I told them. “I met a girl called Airmid there and he performed nerve pinch on my spine that paralyzed me.” “If I bring that memory to the surface of my mind, Barton can you help me figure out how to do it to someone else?”

“You mean Bones,” Barton replies getting up from his seat on the floor. I just grinned as I got up to join him standing at the center of the cell.

We spent most of the night trying to figure out how Airmid did the pinch and the exact location on someone’s spine to press. It was past midnight by the time we thought we had figured out how the pinch was done. All of us tried to learn it so as to try it the next day on another participant. If it worked we would make a plan of how to distract Bones long enough so one of us could knock him out of the tournament.

Once we finally all laid down to get some sleep, I had a dream of our next challenge. We had done athletic competition and then man against animal, the third day would be something in between, Centaurs. Even in the dream I remembered thinking how majestic they appeared to be. But in battle they were fierce and dangerous beasts. Their weight and skill with a sword made up for the awkwardness of their horse hid-quarters. I also learned in my dream that Centaurs did not reproduce with human women as legends told. It was a much more violent and painful breeding with human males that created new Centaurs. Centaurism was more of an infection that a race.