Machai, as he now had to get used to calling himself, was on a spaceship heading towards Zaron. He wanted to at least look normal to other competitors even though he knew he wouldn't be able to fool Chaos. All because of that one slip up so long ago.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts and felt the shuttle land. Others on board strapped on their gear that they brought and started shuffling towards the carrier's bay doors. He had been assessing his most likely soon to be competitors, and they really looked like they wouldn't last long. Of course, there were a couple who obviously had experience but most looked new.

Machai guessed the expert or rich competitors would come on their own aircraft so he didn't put too much stock on the easiness of the upcoming competition.

As the doors slowly cracked open, allowing the sunlight to peek through, the smell of grass wafted through the ship and Machai was honestly surprised. He would have thought he would smell ... well, nothing since pavement didn't really have a smell.

He headed out with the group as they walked along a dirt pathway to a colosseum looking building. They were surrounded by grassy plains with a few trees spotted around the valley and a nice cool breeze blew past them every once in a while.

However, his calm mind ground to a halt when he noticed someone leaning against a post not 20 meters away from the ship. He, of course, looked different but Machai could tell it was Chaos by the obviously powerful aura he held. This was mainly due to experience so none of the others even had a clue as to who they were passing.

Machai sighed and decided to not be obstinate and go to Chaos. He would most likely learn a few things that most everybody else would know. So, to hopefully save later embarrassment and also appeasing the higher power here, he split off from the group and headed to the 'supreme overlord of the universe.' Machai was so going to call him that sometime.

He got a few looks from some of the group since he was obviously going to compete with them but Machai just ignored them.

He greeted Chaos with a nod of his head and a quick hello. Chaos smiled and greeted Machai too before pushing himself off the post and heading down the path with Machai.

"I'm glad you showed up," Chaos said. "I didn't know for sure you would." He looked at Machai through the corner of his eyes to see his expression. He got a small frown in return but it was quickly wiped off his face.

"Yes. While I'd prefer to stay off the radar, I would sooner or later have to do something new to not grow bored." Chaos chuckled a little bit. Grow bored doing assassinations? That was new.

Machai looked towards Chaos and said, "So, I really don't know anything about this, so you'll have to fill me in." Machai was honestly too lazy to ask around and gather information and was originally planning to just follow the crowd and wing it. Luckily, or maybe not, he met Chaos who had better give him some answers since he invited him.

Chaos raised an eyebrow before explaining how the tournament was going to go. "We have exactly 4122 contestants competing to join the army and only 1030 are being selected. This is still a tournament though so there will be a first place, second place, etc. Without interruption, this tournament should last around three days.

"After the tournament is over, the winners will be inducted into the tenth unit of the army. Do you know anything about the army's set-up?" Machai just shook his head. "Okay, so there are ten units with an elite unit comprised of ten people. As I said before, you will be inducted into the tenth unit until you prove good enough to be bumped up to the ninth unit. This can be done by proving yourself in battle, passing skill challenges, etc."

Machai didn't miss the part where Chaos basically said he was going to be inducted. Of course, Machai knew it would be a piece of cake for him to be at least in the top 50, but he wondered what Chaos would do if he got 1050th place or something. Would he force him to join? Accept the fact he didn't want to be in the army and just keep in contact? He didn't know, and he honestly wasn't going to find out since he decided he was going to join the army.

He spent at least two days thinking about the pros and cons of joining and finally decided that he needed to do something else with his life. He liked to experience new things and exciting places, and he bet he would get that on missions. If not, he'd bully Chaos into giving him some type of interesting mission.

Machai nodded his head. "So to advance you have to display enough skill in some form. I guess that would also mean each unit had less members the more you move up?"

Chaos nodded his head. "Correct, the tenth unit comprises about half the army around 10,000 soldiers and are divided into 50 groups of 200. The ninth unit is around 5,000, the eighth 2,500, seventh, ect. You basically divide by two each time and that is around how many people are in each unit."

Machai nodded and looked up towards the colosseum. It was definitely a grand structure with massive towers located around the circular building. There were archways like the colosseum in Rome but they were only on the upper levels with small balconies to look out over the area.

His attention was soon caught by what appeared to be a very large bird in his peripheral vision and turned his head towards it. He almost gasped in shock at how it was actually a person. He knew some races had wings but none of them had ones as beautiful as this person did. They looked to be as fluffy as down feathers but sturdy for quick dives. He couldn't really see much more detail from where he was, but he could still admire from this distance.

Chaos' chuckle brought his attention back down from the sky. "I see you've spotted on of my elite members. There are only ten in the unit and each are given a pair of wings to symbolize their station. They are also given a random power that is best suited towards them. Not even I know what they will get and I'm the one giving it to them!" Chaos laughed and Machai chuckled a little too.

"That is pretty cool. They must have worked hard to get to where they're at." Chaos nodded. "Yes, they started out just like everyone else and worked their way all the way up from the tenth unit. Though they definitely passed the early levels much quicker than everyone else."

Machai thought that was pretty impressive though something was nagging at him in the back of his head. "Why do you make people who are obviously skilled enough to be in the upper units start in the tenth unit?"

Chaos smiled slightly before explaining. "Each level of the army teaches you something you wouldn't have known before. You meet people who you would have never met should you have skipped the unit. The many life lessons an army member learns are thanks to the many different units and people they meet throughout their time here. That is why you have to start at the beginning."

Machai smiled a little at that and completely agreed. Machai knew he was powerful enough to be in the upper units if he showed his true abilities. Though he also knew he would miss the ones who show true work ethic but were just unable to compete with others who have a natural ability that puts them ahead of others. He would miss some of the kinder ones who gave it their all and helped others just because they could. He knew he would find some too in the upper ranks but those higher up tended to have a different mindset and different experiences than lower ranks.

They reached the colosseum archway and entered into what appeared to be a small sales area for snacks and other items someone would use to watch a game. Machai saw off to the left a door that appeared to be where the champions entered. However, he didn't really know whether Chaos wanted him to enter that way or if that was only for certain competitors.

Machai just really hoped Chaos wouldn't take him to the top box and introduce him to extremely powerful people. That would be putting a big beacon on him that he'd rather not have.

Luckily, Chaos was going to let him do this how he wanted to. "Take a right here and go down two doors until you reach the one with the plaque 1500-1750. Your number is 1622." He handed him a black, metal rectangle with gold numbers 1622. "There will be a coordinator in there to sort the competitors. I doubt you'll cause trouble but I should warn you that if you do you will be kicked out of the competition."

Machai nodded his head and raised a slightly amused eyebrow at the last part of the statement. He also added a hum that basically said, 'Oh, really? Hmm, I might have to test that out.'

Chaos gave him a wary look, and Machai bet he was thinking about whether he would cause trouble or not to get out of the competition. Or just cause trouble to see if they could catch him, which Chaos knew they wouldn't be able to.

Either way, Machai cheerfully waved goodbye and headed towards his destination. He decided that he wouldn't mind something interesting to happen and decided to act like a cheerful competitor who didn't seem to know what he was getting into. He would probably piss off someone and start a fight. However, they couldn't kick him out since he would have done nothing to instigate it and only retaliate in self-defense.

He hoped it happened so he could tell Chaos that he caused trouble without any consequences and didn't get kicked out like he said. He was looking forward to his resigned face when he realized that he actually wanted Machai into his army. Machai would probably give him some quote saying 'you shouldn't play with something you don't fully understand' or something to that nature.

He strode forward with a smile plastered on his face, and he incorporated some of his excitement at this new experience into the smile to make it at least look realistic. Though, anyone who would have noticed probably wouldn't have done anything if they saw through it.

He got into line and thought about inconsequential things until he noticed that most people handed in their placards with different colors than him. Most were brown but there were some silver every once in a while ... but there weren't any blacks.

Machai narrowed his eyes and wondered what a black one meant. Did it mean something that he wouldn't like? Most likely. What did it mean though? Did it mean he was someone special that should be treated with caution or deference, or did it mean that he was a troublemaker and should watch him closely for, well trouble?

He scowled at nothing for a moment before putting his 'happy' mask back on. If it did mean he was one to cause trouble then he didn't want to add any extra wariness they may already have for him.

It was finally his turn, and he quickly handed his number over before heading inside. He didn't even want to have a chance at being asked questions, whichever side of the spectrum they came from.

Though, if he would have seen the collectors face, his answer from before would have become rather obvious. He missed the frozen, shocked look of awe from the collector and every other competitor once they saw the black and gold placard. It turned out that Machai's luck was turned on at the moment since he entered before anyone actually got a good look at him.

Machai entered a room filled with occupants, each varying in species and styles. Some had close range weapons such as swords, axes, and spears while others had a bow and throwing knives. He even saw one or two with long robes and staffs which were most likely mages.

He had only met two mages in his life and each were extremely powerful. One of them was the one who spun his cloths he had on at the moment.

He looked around the gathering crowd and saw many of them subtly sizing him up. He increased his 'smile power' and walked to one of the empty spots in the crowd next to a sneering group. He wondered what they were thinking about, but if he was honest with himself, he didn't care too much.

~~~

Many warriors and other combatants preparing for the competition mingled between each other, but almost all watched the entrance to stake out their competitors. Many could tell if there was just no chance for some, a slight chance, and a guaranteed chance.

Many were given slightest chances and rarely were any given guarantees. So, when the next one that walked in, everyone expected another slight chance competitor. What most saw with this one was different than what a few saw.

He had grey skin and was around 6'2 with a lean but muscular body. He wore skintight, stitched, black leather with wrappings on his arms going all the down to his hands, leaving his fingers exposed. Various pockets were located around his body and held mainly visible knives and who knew what other gadgets. He actually had four swords too. Two were strapped onto his waist and another two onto his back. Honestly, the two on his back could serve as a shield for his entire back and be back-up weapons if he lost his other two. Though, many would find having four swords on them cumbersome. Most scoffed at his heavy looking arsenal thinking it was way too excessive. His happy, go lucky smile only solidified their ideas.

Though, for those looking closer, he was obviously more than he seemed. His gait was smooth and fluid like a predator stalking its prey and knowing the whole time it was a guaranteed catch. That was probably what gave away that he was someone that people shouldn't mess with. Because even though he had a smile plastered on his face, his body language subtly screamed 'I will beat the living daylights out of you.'

The smarter ones put him in the guaranteed spot while the rest put him into the chance or no chance section.

~~~

Machai walked over to the sneering group and debated introducing himself. He doubted he could get them to fight since they would be kicked out, but hey, why not try even if you're not expecting it?

So, he starting walking over to the burly, heavily armed men and watched as their sneers deepened even more. Oh, he was so looking forward to this.

"Hello!" Omega said cheerily with a bright smile. He absently wondered when the last time he smiled like this was. "You looking forward to this competition? This is my first competition and I hope I make it. I've always wanted to help people and hope training under Chaos' army will help improve my skills."

Machai almost cackled at the really annoyed looks he was getting from the men and the slightly amused ones from the people beside them. Some looked at him with pity and Machai guessed they expected something to come of this. He honestly didn't think they were crazy enough to get into a fight. He just wanted to bug a few people. Life would be boring without teasing people.

"Get lost, kid." Sometimes Machai really hated his young body. "Go train for a couple more decades and then come back. Maybe then you could have a chance in the army."

Machai frowned on the outside and said in a slightly whiny tone, "But I've already trained for so long!" Over 100 years, much longer than you. HAH! "I think I'm ready to test out my skills and see what I need to improve on. I'm pretty confident I'll do well enough to be initiated into the army. What about you?"

Oh, the guy was starting to get mad. "Of course I'm going to get initiated, brat! Now, go somewhere else before I beat some sense into you." Yep, there was a snarling tone to that.

Machai put on a confused mask and didn't show any indication that he should be slightly afraid. "But were not allowed to fight before the match. Maybe we can get lucky and I'll fight you during the tournament. Then we'll see who is better." Uh-oh, he might have pushed the right button when he insinuated Machai could possibly be better.

"A little brat like you couldn't possibly be better than me. And if you don't leave right now I'll prove it right now! It's not like the coordinators actually pay attention to what happens in here." Machai could see they were starting to gather a crowd and inwardly cackled, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave." And as he turned to go, he mumbled, 'hot tempered, old person.' He deserved to be called old for calling him brat.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" Machai turned his head back around while still walking away and smiled. "Nothing!"

"THAT'S IT!" With that he unsheathed his sword and charged at Machai. Machai was actually surprised. When Chaos asked him not to pick a fight, he didn't really think people were dumb enough to actually do it at the risk of being kicked out.

Though this guy wasn't stupid by any means, he let his emotions control his actions and that rarely leads to positive results.

Machai turned around fully and showed surprise before starting to dodge the stabs and swings coming at him. He expertly weaved his way through the attacks and was actually impressed at the skill the guy had.

He obviously had been training for a while. His sword was just too big and bulky against Machai's superior agility. And after only thirty seconds of dodging, Machai could already see a pattern starting to form. This guy still needed a lot of work and Machai didn't think he'd make a good soldier anyway.

His attitude was a self-interested one where he didn't really care for others. For an army that is meant to help people, those types weren't the best to be initiated.

After a minute and a half, the guy was visibly tiring out and slowing down. "Fight back, coward!" He emphasized his phrase with a heavy swipe to the side that made Machai jump back to dodge it.

"No thanks. I don't want to be kicked out. I would," he ducked under another swipe, "appreciate it if," jumped to the side of a stab, "you stopped attacking me," actually jumped and spun in the air to miss the sword, "before you get kicked out."

Machai's talking and dodging without apparent effort seemed to anger him even more judging by the snarls the man was emitting.

"Stop fighting this instant!" A commanding voice echoed throughout the hall. The guy who collected the placards at the door strode over to where Machai was being attacked.

"You all know the rules. No fighting outside the ring." He seemed to be judging the situation.

Machai almost broke into a wide smile when the coordinator turned angered eyes on the hot tempered one. "And it's clear what has happened here. An angered man trying to scare off an unarmed beginner who obviously knew the rules." Oh, he even felt the need to explain it.

"You!" He said pointing to the burly man. "Get out! We don't want hot heads who can't keep control over themselves." This only seemed to anger the man even more.

"What! This brat was the one who started it!" The man glanced at Machai's now slightly shocked face. The man turned back and said with a raised eyebrow, "So he was the one who attacked you first?" The man rolled his eyes when all he got was a quiet growl as an answer.

"As I thought. You are hereby disqualified for fighting when it was expressly forbidden. You may leave on your own, or I will call for security and you'll be banned from ever competing again." Machai almost thought he'd argue again but was slightly relieved he stomped away. He just wanted to mess with Chaos, not get someone forbidden to ever join. Who knows? Maybe this will teach the guy to watch his temper.

The coordinator didn't even look back at Machai and strode forward to the doors that lead further into the colosseum. "When I call your number, you'll have one minute to come to the front. You and your competitor will go through these doors into the stadium. You both will wait until the referee gives you the signal to start before initiating the battle or else you'll be automatically disqualified. There are no rules except for attacking with the intent to kill. All skills, abilities, and items are allowed to further your chances of winning."

He pulled out a sheet a paper and yelled out, "1532 and 1721!" Two people started weaving their way through the crowd and entered the doors together. One minute passed before the next numbers were called out.

This process continued every minute until 58 minutes passed when he yelled out, "1506 and 1622!" Machai almost let out a thankful sigh but composed himself when others noticed it was 'the brat' who was called. He would show them who he really was now that he had his fun.

He could tell his expressionless face with his smooth, confident stride surprised many. They most likely expected an innocent, eager expression judging by his earlier cheerful attitude.

He walked through the doors with someone who was around mid-twenties. He had a sword on his waist and two daggers strapped to his thighs. His muscular body didn't really match the smaller knives, and he didn't think they were for throwing, so he wondered what this guy used them for. Did he use them as a back-up if he lost his sword, and since they were small, they were quick weapons that didn't get in the way of his main one?

They walked together in silence until they reached open double doors. The cheers of the crowd were easily heard as the sounds of banging feet and roars of the people reverberated across the circular stadium.

The exit led into a 20X20 room without a roof so the crowds could see the competitors fight. When the entered, Machai nodded his head towards the other as a sign of good faith, but all he got in return was an emotionless stare and a quick dismissal.

'Well, that was rude.' Machai thought. Either way, they both headed to opposite sides of the ring and waited to begin. The other guy pulled out his sword and got into a ready position. To make it fair, Machai only took out his right side sword and prepared himself. He didn't know anything about this guy's species, and for all he knew, his race could be known for their superior speed and close the distance in a second.

The referee didn't even speak to start the match. He raised his hand, looked to make sure both competitors were ready, and threw down his hand.

1506 crouched low and shot himself forward. Machai almost sighed in relief that his race wasn't known for speed. Machai changed his stance to prepare for a collision and only had to wait three seconds for the guy to reach him.

The guy, Machai was just going to call him Rudeman, started with a lung towards his left lung. He stepped to the side and pushed the opponent's sword away. He quickly spun himself and followed with a slash to Rudeman's left thigh hoping to catch him off balance.

However, the guy was prepared for the block and parried before a full on fight ensued.

The fight lasted three minutes in total. All in all, Machai appreciated the fight and learned something from it. Rudeman was very light on his feet and seemed to never become off balance no matter how much it looked like he should be. The first two minutes was Machai trying to figure out how he did it.

After another lunge, Machai critically assessed Rudeman's posture and saw that he seemed to slightly lean back towards the direction he was coming from. This stopped his momentum after a certain distance and allowed him to keep his balance.

So after figuring that out and seeing no more interesting moves, he quickly disarmed him. Machai waited to see if Rudeman would fight with the daggers and was excited to see that he was. He really wanted to know how someone like him fought with small daggers.

However, he was disappointed to find out they were magical daggers that lengthened to sword length. Inwardly sighing, he retrieved his other sword and charged. 30 seconds later, Rudeman was sprawled on his back with his swords knocked towards the edge of the arena.

Machai was announced the winner and was told to go back the way he came. Not knowing how going back to where everyone else was worked, he just shrugged and followed instructions. As he was walking down the hallway, he was surprised he didn't run into any other competitors going to or from the competition.

However, he was even more surprised when he entered the room from the beginning but only found competitors who had already fought. He looked back towards the door and back to the room. Magic was the only thing he could come up with and guessed Chaos set up this system.

He made his way over to an empty bench and sat down. Some people looked towards him but showed no outward expression. He wondered who they thought would win that fight. The way he acted would make some deem him a lost cause but a few of them actually slightly nodded their heads like they expected it. It was so small that many others probably missed it if they weren't actively looking for it.

He waited for a good couple of hours with more people trickling in before the coordinator walked back in and started announcing the next competitors. Around 30 minutes later he was called forth again. His next competitor was the same size and build as him and had two swords strapped to his waist.

They walked together in silence and Machai was pleased when he received a nod in return before acquiring a ready stance. At first glance, the guy seemed to have a good amount of skill with his dual blades, but Machai couldn't see any enhancements to give him an advantage. Machai also knew the species he was didn't have any other abilities.

The fight referee lowered his arm and Machai charged. He was met a lunge and quickly countered before spinning to the left. Following up with a downward swing and a shift in footwork for a later follow-up with an upward swing with his left sword.

His attack was blocked and was surprised to find a foot in the way, stopping his momentum. He had to jump back instead of his original plan. Yes, this person had some experience. Tuff luck he had to face him though.

He charged once again but slid under him like he was going for a base in baseball. He almost chuckled at the surprised look he got for such an unpredictable and bold move.

The guy jumped, since that was his only option, but Machai grabbed his legs and pulled him down as he went under him. He then used his legs to push him into a handstand with the guy's feet underneath his hands and landed on top of him.

He quickly turned around and grabbed his shoulder and chin before giving a light yank. Both competitor and referee, knowing that would have been a kill, ended the match.

Machai got off him and held out a hand with a small smile. The guy returned with a smile of his own and said, "That was a crazy though effective move. I might use that in the tournament next year so I can laugh at my opponents shocked look. I know you probably laughed a little at mine."

Machai let out laugh and said, "I may have smiled a little internally. You are very skilled though. Not many would interrupt someone by sticking their foot in the way."

The guy smiled and said, "I guess were both full of surprises." With a friendly shake of the hand, they parted ways as Machai was directed back through the door. Not surprised to find himself in a different room, he sat and waited for his next instructions.

Well, he was now officially in Chaos' army. He looked around to some of the others already in the room and many showed either excitement or relief. Many actually had some left over injuries, and Machai wondered where the more severely injured went. They probably got carted off to wherever the infirmary was.

Three hours later the last competitor walked in with the coordinator right behind him. Machai stood up with the rest of the group as the guy walked up to a podium.

"Congratulations competitors!" he yelled out. "Every winner of today's competition are now members of the tenth unit. As you know, your skills and prowess in battle will determine if you should be moved up a rank. Now, all of you will who don't want to keep competing in the tournament, head out the back door where you will find a guide to show you where your dorms will be. Those who still wish to compete, stay behind and we'll begin in 5 minutes."

'What?' Machai thought. Chaos didn't say he had the option to not compete in the tournament! Machai guessed Chaos just wanted to see him at his best. Well, screw him. Chaos would have to work a lot harder to get anything from him.

With that, he turned around and headed to the doors with a fair amount of others who didn't want to compete. He was actually surprised more didn't want to try.

As he was following the guide to their new homes for the rest of their time in the army, Machai wondered how his time in the army would play out.

Would he be unable to hide his abilities and either of his identities get exposed? Would Chaos take revealing who he is as a personal mission? There were so many factors in his upcoming time in the army that Machai just decided to roll with the flow and work with what he gets. He was always a better improviser than planner anyway.

~~~

Word Count

Chapter/Whole Story

5250/140,900