GLADIATOR | ELYSIUM RISING 1 ✔️

⍢ | 9

Iggy's mouth dried up like the sand pits in Novr. It took all his strength to remain upright. He remembered what Vonn told him about what happened to first-rounders in the midst of him getting jumped. In the words of the disgraced Andradan, "they got fucking obliterated". His chances of survival just dropped significantly. He didn't even want to know the real percentage.

"As for the games themselves," Moxi continued, "we've spent countless months working on new, innovative ways to spice up the entertainment for the viewers. Our ratings suggested the competition was getting a bit...stale, so we've added some new challenges and hired a writing team to give the show a bit more drama." A series of groans rippled throughout the crowd.

Show?

"Is this some kind of production or something?" He was half-joking.

Tenn wasn't. "The Empire itself is a production. The emperor is the director. The Noblus families are the producers."

"What does that make us?"

"Extras."

Iggy gulped.

"You mentioned new challenges," a tribute spoke up. "What do you mean by that?"

"While we can't tell you what exactly they are yet," Moxi began, "we can tell you how the format of the games works." He pointed to one of the screens and it pulled up an overhead shot of the arena. The curved, glass dome gave way to the hollowed-out center. A huge concrete platform stood in the middle, separated from the hundreds of rows of seats by a wide moat.

Pictures of previous games took the image's place. Most were standard battles with primitive weapons; that's what Iggy was used to hearing about the Elysian Games. He couldn't fathom what "new challenges" they'd come up with.

"In the past, we've done a simple tournament," Moxi explained. "100 tributes would vie for the title in a hand-to-hand combat trial, occasionally with weapons. But with the help of our new team, courtesy of the Noblus family of Au Grattus, we've developed an array of new games for us to introduce this year.

"The first-rounders will see one of our greatest spectacles yet. The second and third-rounders will be pitted together for the first time ever. Our patrons and those watching across the galaxy will surely be in for a great show. With everything's that been happening in Sector Two*, the galaxy could use a distraction."

Beside him, Tenn bristled at the man's choice of words.

Iggy had focused on his comment about the capital. He meekly raised a hand. Moxi arched a brow at him. "Er, what's been happening in Sector Two*?"

The purple-haired host blanched. Faking a smile, he shook his head. "Did I say something's been happening? Ah, I must've been babbling again. That tends to happen." He clapped his hands. "Anyways! Onto the next part of my presentation!"

Iggy pursed his lips. It was one thing to dance around a question, but Moxi dodged it entirely.

Moxi shuffled around the gathered group of tributes. He gestured at the other side of the room. "Here is where you'll be able to train in preparation for your debuts, should you desire to. We've got GravityWalkers, weightlifting stations, non-lethal weapons, and combat droids for you to practice with."

A few tributes nodded, their eyes lighting up with opportunity. Most, specifically his fellow first-rounders, looked as if they couldn't be bothered to even entertain the idea of training. Iggy didn't exactly blame them. Most of them wouldn't make it past that first round. Their time could be better spent wallowing in their own self-pity as they counted down their last days.

Not Iggy, though.

He'd utilize that training center until they kicked him out. He was making it out of that first round.