Anya sat in an alcove. Behind the safety of the Aether. The aliens were brutal to the clone created as a safety precaution. While the Aether laced with it could have lashed out in order to protect itself or scare off the attackers, Anya held the dark matter back. To observe the strangers and learn more about their situation. They had no idea the real Anya had switched out before they laid eyes on the human. So the clone played along. Bruises broke out on the skin, blood dripping from wounds when their nails cut too deep. The clone even collapsed to make it appear like the beating had been too much for the mortal to handle. And eventually laid unconscious.
"Make it look like I'm barely breathing," she muttered.
The Aether followed her direction.
The pink skinned alien kicked Anya's side to make her roll onto her back. "Come on," she scoffed. "What happened to that backbone of yours?"
"Just a front," the green alien said. "Figures."
"How did she manage to trick the Grandmaster like that to get this far?" the blue one wondered. Her boot pressed against one of Anya's cheeks to further study the human's face. "Well, that didn't last nearly as long as I'd like."
Finally, they retreated back the way they came out of sight. Anya didn't allow the clone to move all night to keep up the ruse. In the protection of the illusion set in place, the Aether surfaced to wrap its dark matter around the host. In a cocoon of sorts in a display of affection and protection. The young woman found herself able to rest. Even in a strange place such as Sakaar.
A loud blaring sound echoed in the hallway hours later. Anya jolted awake from the horrible noise. The Aether screeched in retaliation and circled tighter around the agent.
"I'm all right," she spoke groggily.
There was movement at both ends of the curving hallway. Various aliens emerged to head for the door that Anya entered through as guards now stood at attention. The ones who beat the clone mercilessly walked over or 'accidentally' kicked at her body in passing. While the others barely spared her a second glance.
One of the guards noticed the human and approached her limp form.
"Oi!" the man shouted. "You heard the call! Get up!"
Anya willed the illusion to react when the guard kicked her side harshly. She gasped awake and rolled onto a side. Coughing harshly to regain her breath.
"I said, up!" he ordered.
Grabbing her by the hair, Anya yelped and scrambled to her feet. He let go once she was up and shoved her forward.
"Go!"
Limping out of the room, the young woman decided to follow after. To figure out just what the Grandmaster had planned. There were more guards that escorted their group through various corridors till they arrived in a large room. Walls were covered in armor and various weapons, a few standing shelves holding more. Some of the weapons Anya had never seen before. And all looked worn from years of use. A few aliens took up weapons without a second thought. Others testing out a few before they picked.
The clone glanced around through one eye, the other nearly swelled shut. There were quite a number of bruises on her person that had developed over the hours. Though Anya wasn't sure how long it had been since her arrival. There were no windows where they had been held. And even in this room there were no signs of the outside world. While the fake continued to play along and search the walls, the real one searched for areas to hatch an escape.
"See anything useful?" she muttered lowly.
The Aether clicked in response.
"Me neither... And I'm not sure how far we'd get with this thing still on my neck." She sighed. "We'll have to keep playing along for now."
The young woman joined the illusion, picking out an armor to put on, and then grabbing two shock batons, and a short sword.
"So you are still alive, huh?"
Anya turned to see the three aliens from before. They chose some rather threatening addons to their uniforms. Like spikes and metal attachments. Two of them now wore helmets too.
"You should've just stayed dead in the holding cell," the blue one continued.
"This isn't a normal night," the pink one said.
"Round Robin," the green one stated. "Which means we fight everyone one at a time. Many of us compete to the death."
"And from those injuries of yours..." The blue alien sized her up. "I say you make it three rounds max."
"You're being generous. I give her two."
"Ha!" laughed the pink alien. "If those injuries of her doesn't slow her down first, she'll be done in one."
Anya didn't answer their jibes as they laughed amongst one another. The green one stepped up to shove the young woman. "What's the matter? Lost your voice?"
"Hey!" a guard on the outer edge of the shouted. "No fighting in the holding area. You know the rules, Yeilgra."
The green alien huffed, "Very well, father." Then her attention turned back to Anya. "Just you wait till we step into that arena. Then things are going to get fun."
Finally left alone, the agent moved to the far wall to grab a face mask. One that protected the sides and forehead. Then the human began to wander for a bit. Noticed a bar of sorts that stood on the other side of a transparent barrier. Could hear the noise of a crowd over the hum of the room.
"You're new," a voice spoke up.
Anya glanced over. The source of the voice came from an amphibian humanoid covered in orange scales with membranes between the fingers. She possessed rather large eyes, which were a different shade of orange, and wore a teal and black body armor with smooth edges. They didn't appear threatening, but looks could be deceiving. And if this was a Round Robin tournament like Yeilgra said then they would have to fight one another.
"How much do you know about what's going on here?"
"Only that I have to go into an arena and fight because the Grandmaster thought I'd be a good contender," Anya answered.
The amphibian tried to discretely take in her injuries already sustained, but the agent noticed.
"Nusal, Bainea, and Yeilgra's handy work I take it?"
"So you know it?"
"Very well. Those that manage to survive their welcoming ritual have watched it happen to those that are new. When they grow bored with you."
"Then this isn't a one-time thing," the agent sighed.
"Unfortunately, not for you. And because you're Midgardian, they may carry it out a little longer just to see how far they can push you."
"Lovely..." Then the young woman wondered, "Is it that obvious that I'm from Migard?"
"It's not your appearance. Those on Xander, even Asgardians, can have looks such as yours. But each race has a certain scent to them for those with the heightened sense."
"What do I smell like?"
"Very sweet."
Anya cocked a brow. "You're not a cannibal alien, are you?"
The female laughed. "Nothing of the sort. I'm an amphibian-humanoid from one of the farther reaches of the Nine Realms. Most certainly not a cannibal. I like my meals to be green."
They fell into silence for a moment. "We're going to have to fight one another, aren't we?"
"Yes. And if you manage to last longer that Bainea's estimates... just make it to the end of the match. You don't have to land hits. Just dodge. These Round Robins have time limits in place. Since so many fighters are on the schedule at once and to move the evening along."
The alien raised a hand for Anya to shake.
"I'm Silna."
The agent took the gesture, feeling the cool webbing against the skin. "Mirage."
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" came the Grandmaster's voice.
It was amplified over many speakers in the arena and the crowd grew louder outside from a roar of cheers.
"Well, it's that time of the month when we host our Round Robin match up. Tonight! Our female gladiators. You know them, you love them, they all know how to put on a great show!"
All of the fighters were lead from the room in preparation. Anya found herself directed to the fitting area for armor and then manhandled in another section to style her hair. The young woman didn't understand what the alien was muttering it about, but obviously her appearance didn't please the female in the slightest.
Finally shoved into a bare, square room, the door closed behind her. There were some scratch marks on the wall and gaps in the metal that allowed Anya to glance out. Which is where she found the arena. The lights moving about were blinding when they passed over her section. And the stands were packed to the brim. They were so loud that as the current fight when on it drowned out all noise that came from the clashing of blades. This was a holding cell then. Until it was the agent's turn to enter.
A Kree warrior brutally ended the life of their competitor only moments later. Followed by other fights between creatures throughout the galaxy she didn't know or recognize from the texts she read over the last few years. Courtesy of Thor and Sif. Suddenly, the wall in front of her shifted. Anya stepped back to watch it fall into the ground and the bright lights illuminated the small box. Hand blocking the light to try and see, the agent stepped outside. The roar of the crowd was even more deafening out here. Made it almost hard to think,
"Bainea! Bainea! Bainea! Bainea!"
Of all the opponents, the Frost Giant had stepped into the arena. Egging on the audience and motioning for them to be louder. Back to Anya, she didn't care who the Round Robin opponent was. That's how confident the giant was. So when Bainea turned around to face Anya, a wicked grin spread across her lips.
"Well, well, well, isn't this my lucky night," the blue creature spoke.
She cracked the whip in hand. It had a metal tip, coated with blood. The alien had already straggled two opponents to death earlier in the evening. Then there were the daggers poised at the hips. Also lethal weapons that weren't yet in her grasp.
A firework went off overhead. To signal the start of the match. Bainea moved quickly. Taking long strides as the whip cracked through the air. The mirage lunged out the way into a roll across the dirt and sprung up to both feet once more. The giant gave chase. The duplicate managed to hold off her advances. Avoiding the attacks for the most part. A few times, the metal tip grazed the exposed skin. Drew blood even. The mirage expressed some panic to feed into the Frost Giant's ego.
Meanwhile, Anya observed the fight from where she had emerged from the hold. To take in her opponent's fighting style alongside the Aether. A plan needed to be devised. Thankful that the clone was putting up a convincing performance. Bainea was too cocky. Though given her earlier success in the past matches, she was a force to be reckon with. Still, the warrior left too many openings for her opponent to gain the upper hand. For someone not trained as a fighter, they wouldn't be able to see it. Which always worked to Bainea's advantage in the past, it seemed.
The whip wrapped around one of the mirage's lower arm, and ripped the duplicate off its feet. The second that the young woman was in the dirt, Bainea was on top to pin her chest first. The slack part of the whip came around the neck to choke the young woman.
The mirage's free arm lashed out to hook around the opponents bent knee by the shoulder. Then threw their body weight in the opposite direction. The Frost Giant wasn't expecting this. Her grip loosened on the weapon and allowed her target to get free. Bainea didn't like that. The giant raced after her target. A hard punch to the gut threw spit from Anya's mouth before the opposite elbow came down to flatten the young woman against the ground. The mirage struggled to breathe. Bainea then kicked her opponent away, much to the delight of the roaring crowd.
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Chapter Inspiration: Wicked Ones by Dorothy
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The Frost Giant threw a fist up into the air to boast another victory for a moment. Then she turned towards the Grandmaster's box.
"Come on, Grandmaster, give me a challenge!" Bainea shouted. Wearing a malicious grin.
The man smirked at her spunk.
Alright, that was enough, Anya thought. The mirage on the ground moved. To prove that it hadn't lost consciousness from the last brutal attacks. It caused a reaction from the audience, which drew Bainea's attention.
"Still alive?" she taunted.
Anya wobbled as she got to her feet.
"Hmm, doesn't look like it's for long though." She cracked the whip in a threatening manner. "Just lay down and die, won't you? You're not worth the time!"
Anya stepped forward to line up to the mirage so no one noticed a shift in position. Weren't aware that the real mortal had been watching on the sidelines all along. After that comment, she was ready to play now.
The illusion of the Aether melted away. The bruises shrunk till they were non-existent, swollen skin smoothing out so her face looked normal again, hair put together and not like she'd been thrown about hours before the match. And Anya stood taller, with more conviction. The display had those that laughed at the mortal grow intrigued. Bainea actually took a step back. Unnerved by how her opponent transformed in front of their very eyes. This had to be a trick. To get under her skin. This wasn't possible.
The two stun batons were removed from the belt and flicked out. In order to fully extend the weapon and activate the electric currents. Anya rushed the Frost Giant. The whip cracked through the air. The agent dropped to slide across the dirt under the attack. Once close enough, a baton smacked against a lower leg and caused Bainea to convulse violently. It brought her to a knee as Anya stood over her opponent. The Frost Giant snarled and swiped out at the mortal, who cartwheeled away.
Bainea lunged in a threatening manner. She managed to rip one of the batons out of the young woman's hand despite the electrical shock. A grin spread across her lips. There wasn't enough time the human to reach for the short sword for protection. She was going to rip her to pieces.
Anya didn't hold back the Aether's aggression any longer. It reared its ugly head to defend the host and gave off a horrible screech. The noise from the crowd cut off for a moment. The Grandmaster left stunned by the display alongside everyone witnessing this. Bainea felt instant fear as her heart dropped into the stomach. She barely had time to redirect her movements, avoiding the dark matter that slammed into the dirt where she once stood. The Frost Giant noticed how Anya's eyes were beginning to change color. How the Aether swirled around the mortal's shoulders. Just what was she? This couldn't be the same Midgardian she'd beaten last night in the holding cell.
"You've miscalculated, Bainea," Anya stated. "I may have been at your mercy before in order to study you, but now I've learned what I need."
The Aether wrapped around a shoulder and traveled down the arm to form a sharp point at the end past the fingers.
"You're in my world now."
Multiple mirages formed around the host in order to confuse its opponent. Made of dark matter, all of them rushed forward to attack. The whip did little good for Bainea. She only hit the duplicates of the young woman and they felt no pain.
The Grandmaster was on the edge of his seat, while the crowd had been reenergized. This had been an interesting turn of events. The leader of Sakaar did not expect something like this to be harboring in that mortal's body. What a sight. What a treat. He had no intention of activating the obedience disk in order to save Bainea. The Frost Giant was a good fighter. One of his best that had been growing in the ranks since her arrival. But good fighters could always be replaced if there were better options.
The whip wrapped around the forearm of the young woman and pulled taunt. Though instead of being ripped forward like a ragdoll, Anya stood firm. Bainea used all her strength to try and regain her dominance. The forearm began to warp along the surface in order to swallow up the weapon. It was a mirage. And the action made it impossible to free the whip. The Frost Giant had to abandon it in order to avoid another attack.
Anya could see her growing desperate. For the first time tonight, Bainea removed the short-handled axe she'd brought into the arena. The agent threw the weaponized arm forward through her defenses when occupied with a mirage. The sharp edge drew blood when it scrapped against a cheek. A cry escaped the Frost Giant when the baton was shoved into her side harshly.
"You worthless human," she snarled.
Anya pulled the weapon away and disappeared among the mirages to confuse the opponent. The longer the match continued, the sloppier the Front Giant became. Desperate to win this match. To regain her status since this display was making a mockery of her.
A boot covered in the Aether delivered a kick so hard that it threw Bainea to the ground. Breaking a handful of ribs in the process. The Frost Giant lay there gasping for air. Unable to move and eyes wide from the pain that coursed through her body. Movement drew the alien's attention, panic gripping her. Anya approached to stare down at her opponent and take in the extent of her injuries. In no way, shape, or form was Bainea about to get up.
The audience hung on the edge of their seats. To see what the mortal would do next. She wouldn't kill the creature. Her display had been enough to prove to all in attendance and the gladiators watching through the grates to not mess with the agent. Her boot pressed against one of Bainea's ribcage in a sign of dominance, and the Frost Giant cried out in pain.
Nusal and Yeilgra watched from the slits in the wall that allowed the competitors to watch the fight. Frozen in place with their hearts beating wildly. That wasn't the Midgardian they 'welcomed' hours ago in the holding cell. Bainea was the strongest of them. And now she lay half broken in the dirt. They were terrified. Not only of her skills as a fighter, but the human's power. Whatever that was, wasn't natural.
The young woman looked to the main box to lock eyes with the ruler of Sakaar.
"Give me a challenge, Grandmaster," Anya used Bainea's words against her.
The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers. What a show, what a show. The Grandmaster rubbed at his chin in thought.
"I'm curious," he spoke up through the sound system. "A real gladiator wouldn't hesitate to make a kill when the time calls for it. That's the meaning of this sport. Or do you plan to let all of your opponent's live?"
"Seems rather pointless to kill her now," Anya said. "She's not worth my time in this state. I don't kill someone when they are unable to defend themselves. That would make me a coward for not wanting to give someone an honorable kill. Why not send someone else in to show you what I can really do."
The Grandmaster hummed in thought. To want a fight so soon after the one just completed. Why not give her the challenge she craved?
"Fix the roulette," the man ordered. "I want to see another fight."
One of the doors opened along the inner ring and drew Anya's attention. Attendants came in to whisk Bainea away. Yeilgra stood in the now open holding cell. Petrified, her back was pressed against the far wall and trembling in fear.
"N-N-No," the Astran stuttered.
Well then. This was definitely Anya's night to get a little payback. [song ends]