Page 34 of Xeda

But he knew such ideas were too good to be true. They couldn't possibly trust him so easily as to let him have free rein of the ship. They wouldn't possibly make it that easy, otherwise other fighters would have done the same, and he was sure Ophilia would have told him about it.

As they came into the shipyard, soldiers, both of the house and from the outside, greeted them. A small group of otherkin that wore similar clothing to the wardens' stood by the ship waiting for them. One held a box, and Warden Margo went over to them and opened it.

She turned and presented him with...a necklace?

Confused, he watched as she gestured to Ophilia who broke from his side. As Ophilia approached Warden Margo, she took the necklace from her hands.

"You'll wear this, Xeda, as a show of your agreement to participate in these games," Warden Margo said. "It represents your house and ensures our trust."

Ophilia came to him with the necklace, a silver and white band with the house symbol at the clasp. No, it was not just a necklace. It was a collar.

Xeda bared his teeth. He suspected it was no mere collar either. He could see a strip of light around the band, blinking slowly.

"What is this?" he asked.

Ophilia's gaze seemed a little clouded as she answered. "It's so the guards don't have to follow you or watch you every second while in the city center. And ensures everyone is safe in case you..."

His eyes narrowed. "Decide the games aren't for me," he said, glancing up at Warden Margo who only smiled in response.

Ophilia nodded. "It's just a precaution, Xeda. But if you try to run or hurt someone, the collar..."

"Will stop me." His eyes peered around at the soldiers, imagining how many he could take out before they got him down. Or how quickly he could scale the wall of the shipyard before they followed. He knew it was futile because they would track him. They would hunt him no matter where he went, and he doubted he could get to another ship before they found him. He could try still, but the risk was high. And deep down, fighting in the games to win his freedom was much more appealing than being hunted by them like some animal that had escaped its cage.

Reluctantly, Xeda bent his head, letting Ophilia fix the collar to him, heat rising in his chest as he felt the clasp click in place.

For the first time, he watched the soldiers relax, lowering their weapons. A part of him felt chained all over again, even if he could move freely. The heat turned in his stomach even as he tried to convince himself it was the better way. The smarter way.

Warden Margo clapped her hands. "Awesome. Time to go," she called as she headed into the ship. "Roll out. We have a party to attend."

* * *

The city was bigger than he expected. As the ship floated down toward the center, he could tell that they had clearly established themselves on the planet for some time. Towers and glass buildings took up the major part of the middle with smaller structures taking up the edges. Beyond the walls, there was nothing but the wastes. A desert of rocky terrain.

They landed on a dock just outside a tower that appeared different from the rest, made of some kind of polished stone and colored glass. It wasn’t as tall as some of the others but still impressive. When he asked, Ophilia told him it was the gaming center, where they would be staying. Behind the tower was the enclosed arena, a massive structure almost as long as the tower was tall.

Between the dock and the gaming center were crowds of people from all manner of otherkin, melding together to stare at him. He hated their stares, hated how they hollered and cheered as he passed by. Only Ophilia by his side grounded him. Somehow her calm, collected attitude kept the edge off. Because she was the only one he felt he could trust now, he kept close, trying not to show his irritation.

Inside the building, the noise and chaos died down, yet his tension still remained. They were led up several floors by wardens who then brought them down a passage to a set of intricate-looking doors. They pushed them open and waited for them to enter. As he saw the room, he froze at the doorway.

The inside looked similar to that of a den from his home world. Dark, with low orange lighting and little flames in glass jars. It was warm, as warm as he could remember it being back home. The windows were even tinted slightly. To one side, there was a lounge with seats and a small flame in the center, then to the back wall, he could see an inground bed. To the far right wall, he could see a pool that extended out toward a balcony looking over the city.

It wasn't perfect compared to the dens of his homeworld, but it was close enough that he felt a small ache in his chest at the sight. A place he would likely never see again. He slowly stepped inside and stared around him, lost for words.

"My room is through this door over here," Ophilia said. She walked over to a door to the left and opened it into a much brighter, airier room, with colored glass bulbs hanging from the ceiling and a bed to one end set above the ground. There was more, but she didn't enter to look around. Instead, she turned back to him. "We should get you ready for the party."

"What exactly does that entail?" he asked.

She gestured to the pool. "Bath. Then when you're done cleaning..." She moved around to a chest someone had set by the door. She lifted the lid and inside were pieces of kelva clothing, from pants to straps. There were also pieces of grivhide armor, armguards, leggaurds, and shoulderpads.

"Where did they get that?" he hissed.

Ophilia shrugged. "They find ways to trade anything they can get. You don't think your own kind wouldn’t trade with someone from here? It's nothing new." She let the lid close. "But there should be everything you need to look the part."

She left for her own room to prepare, leaving him to bathe. The pool was warm too and felt amazing after so long without a bath. He cleaned the grime, dust, and sand that covered his body, discovering sand even in places he never imagined. Glad to be rid of it, he soaked until he felt he was clean of that cell, including the stench. He let himself dry before returning to the chest.

The new kelva pants fit him well enough. He also donned a pair of armguards, fastening the straps accordingly around his upper arms so the grivhide covered from shoulder to elbow. For the first time since fleeing from that dreaded planet known as Illdara, he felt more himself again. A warrior. At least he looked the part.

When he was ready, he went to Ophilia's door and rapped on the surface with his tail. "I'm finished," he called.

---