Before me stand two dog-like creatures, both with long legs and a slender build. One has short, tan fur and pointy ears with a strip of grey running across their dark blue eyes and down their chin. The other is much shaggier and their coat is a much darker brown while blonde fur is spiked over a worn strip of cloth that's tied around their forehead. Their long, floppy ears prick as he hears me approaching and their orange-brown eyes focus on me. "Hello, I'm Arrow. What are your names?"

"Woah! You're the Arrow?" The dog with short fur breathes.

"Ye- er, uh, y-yeah I am. What's your name?" I manage to stutter out the words.

"I'm Jay and this is my brother, Hawk."

"You know I can introduce myself, right?" The shaggy dog says with a halfhearted frown on his face.

"So, Jay, Hawk. Ready for your new life here at the Wasteland?" When I first started giving tours, the guards said to emphasize the gift and opportunity we've been given and to show off how wonderful the Wasteland is. I just make the Wasteland seem like it's a little better than it really is and make myself appear like I somewhat enjoy being a Gladiator. "I guess?" Jay replies.

"Hawk?"

"Yeah, I can't wait to prove myself by killing others." I don't know if he's being sarcastic or not. I hope he's being sarcastic. After nodding I start the tour starting with the Pit.

"Here's the Pit. It's where you'll get your food and train. Here at the Wasteland, we believe in learning by fighting an opponent rather than teaching moves to you one by one. You'll fight against what we've nicknamed the Clicks for their clicking noise they make. A rule you must follow is to never fight another Gladiator unless you're in the Wasteland arena and to never kill the Clicks as they will never kill you. Don't worry if you get injuries while training, everyone does and they'll heal. Follow me and you'll discover the Armory."

"Seriously, Arrow? 'Discover the Armory'?" Bear walks up to me.

"What?"

"That sounds oh so fake! Say what you really mean. Probably something like 'you'll never get enough points to be able to get anything of significant value since, I, Arrow, win every single Wasteland battle."

"Hey! Don't talk to Arrow that way. He wins because he can actually fight. Unlike you, whatever your name is." Jay jumps towards Bear, his tail thrashing.

"My name is Bear, thank you very much. You'll learn soon enough that unless you are Arrow, your life is pretty much trash."

"At least here you get food given to you. You don't have to hunt and fight for it." Hawk takes a step towards Bear, a slight smirk on his face.

"Just you wait. See you all later, I've got some training to do. Arrow, I'm coming for you." Bear turns and stalks off towards a training mat. A moment later, a Click jogs to the mat and faces its opponent.

"Arrow, are you worried about fighting him?" Jay turns towards me, his eyes holding the slightest bit of fear.

"Bear? He's got a pretty aggressive fighting style. Defense isn't really his style. I should be able to get him fairly easily unless he completely switches his strategy."

"Hey, can we try out training? Those Clicks look pretty fun." Hawk is watching Bear fight the Click. He's bouncing on his paws.

"They are if you can watch out for their wicked claws. Those things hurt!"

"When can we give fighting a go?"

"Let's see. I still need to show you the Armory and explain the points system. Oh, there's the medical wing and the Chambers," I lower my voice and lean towards the brothers, "If you'd like, in the Chambers we can go into my cave and I can tell you the fighting styles of a few of the Gladiators."

"Really? Hell, yeah! I'd love to know how to win the glory we were promised!" Hawk's mouth breaks into a wild grin.

"First, the Armory. I think you'll like Karly."

"Let's go then!" Hawk bounds forward a few steps before waiting for me to take the lead.

"So, how did you get selected for the supposed honour of becoming a Gladiator?"

"Supposed honour? I like you. Anyways, some of the Wasteland staff like Joshua Spark were walking through Raydowne and they found us and put us on a truck. Then voilà, we're here now." Hawk chuckles.

"Raydowne?"

"Yeah, where you can live unless you're important enough to live in Capitol City. Wait, how long have you been here?"

"Uh, I don't know. A few years at the very least. Probably edging up to ten or more."

"Ten years? Wow. The world has changed an awful lot since then. One thing that's still the same is that everyone watches the Wasteland battles. When you arrived people were betting on how long you'd make it. There are several betting stations around Raydowne. People were betting on you so much that they had to take you off the list since you kept winning. Now people bet on who will come in second."

"Tremor doesn't always win second? I thought he always comes in second."

"No, he frequently comes in second but sometimes he'll manage to get himself killed before he faces you. People get pissed when they don't get the 'final battle.' It's, like, the thing that wraps up the whole Wasteland battle in a sweet bow. It's all over the news the next day. I swear there are people who analyze what Tremor did wrong and why and the reason he didn't kill you. It's pretty simple; you killed him first and you have a knack for seeing a foe's fighting style and what your strategy is for taking them out. It also helps that you're focused on the battlefield." Hawk turns to me.

"Wow, it really has changed though I barely remember anything except this. What I wouldn't give to get out of here..." My voice trails off.

"Can't you just leave when you want? You're the Arrow for crying out loud! You're practically the most famous one out there! You're a legend!" Jay explodes and jumps in front of me.

"No, I've asked and tried countless times. There's no escape." I look at Jay who's fuming.

"Really?" The dog asks, his voice small and his eyes wide.

"Yeah, once the Wasteland's got you, it won't let you go."

I stop in front of the Armory and look inside. Karly sees me and sets down the sword she was sharpening before skipping over. "Hey, Arrow! How's it going? Ooh, you brought new Gladiators! What are your names?"

"I- er. Uh, I'm Hawk."

"I'm Jay! What's the points system?"

"Looks like someone did their homework. Points are the currency in the Wasteland. You earn points every time you kill someone and you get a huge bonus if you are on the leaderboard at the end of the battle. Your tour guide here has occupied the number one spot for nearly as long as he's been here."

"I know! I can't believe how lucky I am to have gotten to personally meet the legendary Arrow!" Jay bounces on his paws as he speaks. I have to smile at Jay's enthusiasm despite being locked in the Wasteland. Hawk starts speaking and I turn to listen. "Wait, so lets just say I wanted this sword here. Ok? So I'd just come to you, Karly, and you'd take away the... 120 points and it's mine?" Hawk glances at the price listed on the handle before turning to Karly and I for the answer.

"Yes, Hawk. You will find your desired weapon, armor set, or power up then bring it to me where I will help you make sure it's the right fit for you then purchase it. If you do not find your desired item, then I can find more items that fit your description that are within your price range if you have one and bring them to you. For example, Arrow here is looking for a new set of armor so I am bringing him different sets that might work. When you have time, Arrow, I have a few possible sets." Karly quickly answers Hawk's question and the shaggy dog nods.

"Thanks." This afternoon I should be able to stop by.

"Wait, Arrow, currently we don't have any points?" Jay is staring at the back of the Armory.

"Unfortunately not, though there's a Wasteland battle I believe in two days. After we finish the tour we can head to the Pit and try out your fighting skills. Why?"

"I just really like that armor set to the right of the mace."

"Oh, that silver one? It's quite durable. A little on the heavy side but it might work. Would you like to try it on?" Karly turns to the blue-eyed dog.

"I can't get it but sure." Jay trots over to where the silver armor rests. Karly picks up the hologram and sets it on Jay's back. It immediately grows to fit the lean build of the dog. A helmet covers the top of his head with holes for his eyes. Armor stretches down Jay's back and plates run down his legs. The only uncovered parts of his body are his tail, lower jaw, and the backs of his legs. The rest of his body is covered in silver. "Wow, Jay, you look battle ready! How much is it?" Hawk breathes the words, his eyes are wide.

"Karly?" Jay turns to the woman.

"Hmm. Let me see, please give me a moment," Karly pulls out a screen from her belt and taps a few buttons, "Jay, this armor set costs 450 points but since no one has shown much of an interest in it since it arrived, I think I can now sell it for 400 or even 375. If you'd like, I can put it on hold for you? I'll take it off the shelves and store it beneath my desk."

"You can do that? Sure. Wait, so this armor will grow and shrink to fit me perfectly?"

"Yes, that's right." Karly lifts the armor on Jay's spine and the silver plates shrink to return to its hologram form in Karly's palm.

"Let's head over to the Chambers. Do you know your rooms?"

"I believe they are 45 and 46. What's yours?"

"Room 14. AR has room 44. He's nice, you'll like him, Hawk. I think you will too, Jay. Let's hurry and then you'll have more time for training." I break into a run. Jay and Hawk bound after me eagerly. My strides cover the ground rapidly and within a few minutes, we're at the Chambers. I slow down to a trot and turn through the corridors. There's the echoing sound of soft snores and the thump of someone rolling over. Within a few moments, I've reached Jay and Hawk's caves. "You're lucky that they're next to each other. The two beings that occupied these two before you no longer are here, they left a week or so ago?"

"Left? Like they are somewhere else. How did they escape?" I can almost see the wheels of Jay's mind turning. This is going to be a bit awkward.

"They didn't leave in the way you're thinking of... There's only one way to escape the Wasteland."

"I thought you said once the Wasteland's got you, there's no escaping its grasp?" Hawk turns to me, a faint glint in his eyes.

"What I said is true. The only way to escape is to die."

"Don't you just get respawned?"

"That's only when you get killed during one of the Wasteland battles. If you get killed outside of the Wasteland arena, you're dead forever. It's the only way to escape. As far as I know, there's no way to escape the Wasteland with your life. There's only one way in and out, smart on the part of the guards and the owners of the Wasteland."

"Why not just run during one of the Wasteland battles?" There's something glowing in the orange eyes of Hawk.

"There's no food or water and the Wasteland arena is an empty plain for countless miles. You'd starve to death if thirst didn't get you first." I hate this; giving new Gladiators no sense of hope and saying what the Wasteland really is. It's almost better for them to figure it out on their own, at least for the faintest sliver of time they believe something other than what the Wasteland really is; a hole where you're trapped and where you see the faces you kill during every Wasteland battle.

"So they died?" Jay's voice is barely a whisper.

"Yeah, they did." I nod, not meeting the dark blue of his eyes.

Hawk pads into his cave and returns after a moment. He's nodding in approval. "Seems pretty good for how you've described the Wasteland."

"There's nothing in it. You sleep on the cold stone. I've heard that in some of the caves, the floor is lumpy and there's sharp edges to the rock. I'm assuming those are some of the newer ones."

"Mine is flat and it's somewhat not cold."

"You're near the heaters."

"Heaters?"

"Yeah, a long ways below us, there's what I've been told is lava. I don't know though, it's just what I was told."

"Sweet! I'm sleeping above lava! Wait, so what is it that you said you were going to tell us? Something about strategies to kill other Gladiators?" Hawk's face lights up then turns serious. I lower my head and stalk forward, my claws clicking on the ground. Hawk backs up until his back is pressed against the stone and he's crouched on his hind legs. His forepaws hover above the ground. I look him right in his eyes. "If you so much as make a peep about what I'm going to tell you, I will torture you each and every Wasteland battle until the day I die. You understand? You as well, Jay. Trust me when I say that I do not break my promises. You do not want me as an enemy." What the brothers don't realise is that I could never torture them over and over and over; I'd stop after a while as I'd break down. It's killing me; this having to murder every couple days.

"Y-yeah, I understand, A-A-Arrow." Hawk stutters, watching me with wide eyes. Fear trembles within his depthless eyes. Jay is looking at me through a similar expression. "Y-yes, I do understand, Arrow. I won't tell anyone anything."

"Good. There are many Gladiators, as you already know. The biggest names are Tremor, Bear, Rhys, Sage, Night, and Shadow. I'll tell you about a few of them, ready?"

"Don't forget about you!" Jay exclaims.

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you how to kill me? I'll just change how I fight." I look at the blue-eyed dog with a really? expression.

"N-no, sorry." Jay bows his head and examines his paws.

"It's alright. Anyways, Bear, as I told you earlier, has a very aggressive fighting style. He doesn't really do any defense so if you can get a good hit or two, he'll be down and killing him should be easy. Sage is flighty but not in a way that she's afraid to fight, she'll attack but only when there's a clear opening. She'll watch you and attack without warning. Her fighting style is very similar to that of Night and Shadow as they will strike like a cobra. Rhys is skilled all around. She's hard to get so a good strategy is to get in hits when you can but focus on tiring her out. Tremor sometimes is a good opponent and sometimes is honestly kind of stupid. When he makes a few terrible decisions in a row he's usually dead within a couple minutes but when he can make many calculated moves, he's a tough opponent. Hopefully these'll help! I need to go find someone and do a few things. I'll see you around." I pad off.

First, I go to the Armory. Karly's working on her screen, her fingers typing away. She looks up when she hears me enter the room. "Hey, Arrow! Here, I found this set of armor. You might like it." Karly holds up a hologram of a set of armor. It's a coppery color with a sheen of gold. The overhead light bounces off it. I examine the metal. Plates overlap and create a look similar to that of an armadillo. "Can I try it on?"

"Of course, you don't have to ask." Karly presses her palm against my foreleg and the golden armor shrinks to the hologram which she places on her desk. She sets the hologram of the coppery armor on my shoulders and the metal instantly snaps, grows, and spreads to cover my body. Oh, it's a full body set... Hmm. I look and see the wide plates protecting my back and the coppery color spreading down my legs and beneath my stomach. "What do you think? There's no helmet, just as you asked." Karly asks, fiddling with the golden armor's hologram.

"I like the golden color of my current armor but this offers more protection."

"I can see if I can find it in gold. If I can, would you like to purchase it?"

"How much?"

"Hmm, give me a moment."

"Alright." I run my eyes over the copper armor. Is it my new set if Karly can find it in gold?

"Aha! Oh, wait. No, I can't get in gold. I'll keep looking, Arrow. Sorry." A gong sounds from the Pit.

"It's alright, Karly. I know you're looking. If there's anything I can do, just let me know. I don't know what that is about but I'd better find out."

Karly bids me goodbye and I pad out of the Armory.

Thank you all so much for reading this! Please consider a vote and feel free to comment!  So, I'll try to get the next chapter out tomorrow but it could be the day after, I don't know. If you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to send them my way! 

Any guesses on what will happen next? 

What's the gong for? 

Hopefully you're all having a wonderful day!

-Werewolf14-