Wounded in his first fight in the arena, Rugen was escorted under armed guard to the medic. Before the doctor could attend to his wounds, the Inquisitor arrived.
"Do not fret, Templar," the Inquisitor commanded, "we will patch up those wounds. We have far more in store for you."
Rugen replied with a sarcastic "Thanks."
The Imperial snorted in derision. "You may not thank me after your treatment. On my orders, the doctor will not be using standard medical technology. He will be using paroxymed."
Rugen's eyes widened slightly. Most people would not have noticed, but an Imperial Inquisitor is not most people.
"Ah, so you have heard of it," the Inquisitor continued. "It is very effective in healing any wounds, so you will be back in the gladiator pit in no time. Of course, its healing process is very painful, akin to the proverbial rubbing salt into a wound, although much more, er, uncomfortable."
The doctor arrived and began treatment. Rugen was roughly strapped to the treatment table. As the Inquisitor walked from the room, he chuckled while Rugen's screams echoed off the walls.
Once Rugen's wounds were healed, he and Tee were brought to the arena once again.
This time, the opposing doors opened and out rushed four large, powerfully built men practically naked from the waist up. They wielded an assortment of wicked looking two-handed axes.
Soon, the Brutians were upon them, hacking away with their axes. Our heroes dodged, ducked, and parried, trying to stay away from the nasty blades. Rugen parried one attack, but this left him open to another one of the enemy. He swung; Rugen managed to get his club in the way, but the power of the blow pushed aside his club. The axe buried itself in his arm. Rugen screamed, then riposted madly. His blow caught the Brutian on the side of the head and the enemy collapsed in the heap. The other opponent facing him slashed at Rugen's legs. Rugen managed to skip away, but the blade grazed his thigh, opening another deep wound.
Meanwhile, Tee was facing his own assault but his android reflexes prevented any blows from landing. One of the Brutians took a wild slash. Unbalanced, he spun around slightly. Tee wasted no time in landing a shot to his head. Another Brutian was down.
Before Tee knew what was happening, the remaining Brutian facing him leaped upon his back. Normally, an android would have no difficulty grappling with a humanoid, but the Brutians are incredibly powerful. The Brutian kept Tee's arms in his grip while he beat relentlessly upon Tee's skull. In moment's, Tee sank to his knees then collapsed face first into the sand. The Brutian stood and raised his ax over his head, ready to strike a killing blow on Tee.
Suddenly, the Brutian felt a weight hit his back. He stumbled forward and fell into the dirt. Regaining his feet, he turned and saw a bleeding Rugen standing in front of Tee. All the other Brutians lay dead upon the sand. Screaming in rage, the Brutian rushed the Templar. Despite his wounds, Rugen easily parried the blows. Stepping inside the ax's blade, Rugen jammed his club into the Brutian's guts. While the barbarian doubled over and struggled to regain his breath, Rugen spun, raised his club, and brought it down upon the Brutian's head. The last opponent crashed to the earth.
Rugen rushed to Tee's side, anxious to determine if he still functioned. As he checked for vitals, he heard a voice behind.
"Tsk, tsk. Such a waste."
Rugen turned to see the Inquisitor standing over him.
"Oh, don't worry Templar. We will fix your friend . . . this time. Of course, who knows what might happen in later fights? But then, this could all be avoided . . ."
"What are you talking about?" Rugen growled.
"The plans, Templar. Give them to me and you both will be safe."
"Never!" Rugen yelled as he leaped forward and rushed the Inquisitor. Suddenly, a flash of pain raced through his nervous system and he collapsed.
"Uh, uh, Templar. You should know better than that," the Inquisitor stated as he held up a hand-sized electronic device. The Inquisitor glanced at the device, smiled, and simply said, "the controls to that collar of yours."
Stay tuned for part 3!
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