Green Planet

1 Brule

The troll pressed his feet into the sand. Brule loved the arena, all of it. It's sights and sounds and smells, but especially the smell of fear and death. He wasn't a gladiator, rather a soldier. But in times of boredom, he would cause a purposeful offence that could only be resolved in the arena. Brule raised his four arms in the air above his head, brandishing his bloody sword. He roared and the crowd responded. Standing eight feet tall, Brule was an impressive figure of a troll. His bald head was highlighted with a long thick braid that hung down from above his left ear. Beads and bones were tied in the end. His brow protruded and his eyes were deep and black. The muscles of his back rippled as he moved. All trolls had four arms, two on either side. But Brule was unique, he was double muscled(1). A genetic abnormality that made him powerful. He used it well. On his chest, like all trolls was a ingrown ridged bony plate that protected internal organs. The abdomen triangled down to a narrow hip. Double muscled legs leading to large flat feet made a stable fighting platform. He always fought in the arena totally nude. The opponent, whose pride was attacked in the marketplace the day before, drooped before him. He cradled his upper left arm, broken, with his lower right. His crumpled shield lay in blood and sand beside him. The sword he held in his upper right arm tipped into the sand. His head was bowed and he labored to breath. He could see the end, and so could Brule. He knew what it meant, and that kind of death was not for him. Rallied, he raised his sword and charged. Brule stepped aside and swatted him across the back with the flat of his sword, sending the troll spread eagle into the dirt, his sword flung too far away to reach. A claw grabbed his ankle, as Brule dragged him to the center of the ring. Flipping him over with a jerk, he placed one flat foot on the doomed troll's ridged chest and pressed hard. An audible snap echoed in the arena, and the crowd drowned it out with a cheer. The defeated troll screamed in agony and horror. Kneeling with the troll between his knees, Brule held his shoulders with his lower arms and dug the finger of his upper arms deep above the ridged plate near the neck. Then he pulled with all his might. The arena fell silent at the sound of the sickening rip as the plates dislodged from the body. Blood and organs sprayed in the air covering Brule. Standing, he raised the blood dripping plates above his head and roared again. The stadium was flooded with sound. The dead troll released his bladder and bowels in an awful stench. Brule now standing, in blood soaked victory, released the plates. The fell to the sand with a satisfying thunk. Brule stood with his head looking toward the open sky. He reveled in the moment, all too brief, and turned toward the exit. A woman ran toward him, well actually past him. He reached out an arm and seized her by the hair. It was the wife of his humiliated combatant. He swung her before him and looked at her from head to foot. She was a rare beauty. Shapely in her hips and breasts and flame red hair. She yelled out curses as he looked her over. He could have her as the spoils of victory. But Brule had redheads at home. He pulled her to her full height by the hair so her toes dragged in the sand. Picking up her husbands discarded sword he swung in through her long perfect neck. The head snapped away from her body and Burle hurled it to the center of the ring. It rested next to her husbands bloody corpse, mouth wagging up and down in a silent scream. Brule continued toward the exit. He signaled and the children were dragged into the ring and executed, he had enough slaves.

(1) Double-muscled cattle refers to breeds of cattle that carry one of seven known that limits and reduces the activity of the protein. Normally, myostatin limits the number of present at birth, and interfering with activity of this protein causes animals to be born with higher numbers of muscle fibers, consequently augmenting muscle growth. Additionally, these mutations reduce the superficial and internal fat deposits, causing the meat to be less marbled and lower in fat content. Animals for myostatin mutation (inheriting a mutant copy of myostatin from both sire and dam) also have improved meat tenderness in some cuts of meat. The enlarged muscles of dam and calf at birth leads to increased difficulty of calving, and in some breeds frequently necessitates birth by .