“I have an idea. A very stupid idea.”
Kayel glanced up from his drink and his communicator. He’d been messaging with some of his old friends, namely his old captain, who had wanted to get back in touch after Kayel’s… adventure. And, just like everyone else in the building, he was quite drunk.
“What sort of idea?” Tenuk stumbled out of the kitchen and wandered into the main living area, plonking himself down next to Kayel, being careful not to spill whatever was in his cup, a mug that was too big for his tiny, two-thumbed hands.
“Like I said, a stupid one…” Retvik rolled over. He’d been lying on the other sofa, muttering to himself for about ten minutes. “But I think you three would like to hear it.”
“Well, out with it!” Nyssi was probably the most drunk, having downed at least seven bottles of beer and goodness knows what else. “Can’t be as stupid as some of the things we’ve done over the last goodness knows how long!”
“Oh no, it is nothing as stupid as attacking a deity… I was simply thinking that we would make a good arena team. A Dessaron team, perhaps. If all three of you are willing.”
A massive smile grew across Nyssi’s face. She threw herself at the sofa Retvik was lying on, sitting on his tail. “We could be gladiators? I ALWAYS wanted to be a gladiator! Like, one of my bigger dreams!”
“Really?” Tenuk looked a bit uncertain. “Is that why you’re a beast hunter or whatever?”
“Yeah! A LOT of the Temthan gladiators start off as beast hunters for the Arena! It’s like, nigh impossible to get in as an individual gladiator though. Especially a home gladiator like Retvik.”
“It is only something I would want to do with all four of us though…” Retvik explained. “Duo battles are too dramatic and no one does trio battles. Dessaron teams are the most popular outside of individual gladiators.”
“Hang on!” Nyssi interrupted. “I thought you never wanted to do four-being battles!”
“Yes, that is true, but that is mostly because most four-vok battles involve the use of highly coordinated squads using telepathic links, something I could never deal with, made worse by the fact that I had never found any Rethans willing to work properly alongside me. But you three? We have those telepathic rings the Thantophor gave us and we meshed instantly. We also attacked a deity together and made ourselves blood-bound. I cannot think of anyone better than you three.”
Kayel shrugged, looking quite positive. “I mean, it means I can freely use my Phantasma powers without having to be K-Class. And, frankly, I don’t think anyone in the L-Class is going to rehire me for a while…” The Skyan’s smile faded. “I wasted like five years retraining for nothing.”
“You can say no, if you wish to.”
“Eh, nah, it’s fine, Retvik…” Kayel tried to explain himself. “Plus, this will pay better, won’t it? If we’re successful?”
“We’re literally living in Retvik’s fancy apartment!” Nyssi exclaimed, opening up what was either her eighth or ninth bottle of beer, she wasn’t sure. “He makes plenty of money…” Nyssi turned to Retvik. “What about your streak though?”
“I am pretty sure team battles are not combined with individual wins. Kayess-En never ended her 43 Dessaron team win streak when she attempted solo battles.”
“Yeah but you’re putting your 271 win streak on the line here.”
Retvik shrugged. “That is fine. I will have to lose one day. Tenuk, how do you feel about this?”
Tenuk blinked at the mention of his name. “How do I feel?”
“Yes, you have been very quiet.”
“Well…” The Spast trailed off, not sure what to say. “I kinda… don’t really have any combat experience, compared to you lot.”
“You can always learn?” Kayel suggested. “Like, you may be a prince but you kinda held your own, and you CAN shapeshift into pretty much anything. Just turn yourself into a second Retvik or something.”
“Yeah but that doesn’t mean I can copy his skills! Like, we’ll be fighting the best teams! I’ll be holding you all back!”
Retvik however disagreed. “Despite my stupidly high solo ranking, we would most likely end up in the third, maybe second division since you are all fresh meat with no prior experience in the arena. Even with Kayel being a, uh, whatever it is you used to be. Plus, Tenuk, you would be the first Spast to ever fight in the Great Dessaron Arena.”
Tenuk blinked some more. “I’d be… the first?”
“Yes.”
“Huh…”
Retvik sat himself up. “I would have to speak to the Raptor first though, and you would all have to undergo some medical testing, to make sure you have not taken anything illegal, but I think it could work. Assuming you all want to.” Retvik paused, reaching for something to drink that wasn’t alcoholic. “Because I do not want to do this unless you all agree.”
“I DEFINITELY want to do it!” Nyssi beamed.
“I think it’ll be fun!” Kayel added.
Tenuk hesitated, but eventually shrugged. “You know what? I’ll do it too. Even if it’s just so I can call myself the first Spast to ever fight in the arena.”
“I am glad we are in agreement then…” Retvik tried to get up, but wobbled a bit and fell back down. “I should, uh, probably sober up a bit then. So I can speak to the Raptor tomorrow.”
“Do you need us to tag along?” Kayel asked.
“No, not yet. I need to see if the Raptor will even approve of me moving to a team first…”