The Lab
A whisper echoed faintly.
"Hey, kid..."
Aoma didn't react, lost in his thoughts.
"Kid."
Still nothing.
"KID!" The voice shouted.
Aoma's eyes snapped open. He looked around, startled. The voice came from another cell, a man crouched in the shadows.
"Over here," the man whispered. "Don't let 'em hear. It's me, I was calling' you."
Aoma blinked, his voice quiet. "What do you want?"
"I heard you talking to Subject 2," The man said, In the other cell beside Aoma. "We were planning to escape this place, but he wasn't in on it, he said someone was coming to save us all, but no one's coming. Every time someone leaves, I think they'll come back for us, but they don't. No one's found this place for years. We're planning on breaking out. You in?"
Aoma hesitated. "I'm not strong and I'm pretty sure they placed a tracker inside my arm. They've taking something from me. I feel weak. Like something's leeching my blood away."
"So you're just gonna give up?" the man snapped quietly. "Wake up, kid. This ain't a dream. It's life. You're either with us, or you'll get left behind."
Aoma turned away, sitting down again. He looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought. The sound of footsteps echoed. The glass doors hissed open. The doctor entered, wearing his signature grin, followed by a masked guard.
"Hello, everyone," the doctor said cheerfully. "It's your lucky day. Someone has come to collect you all. You'll be moved to a new home, where you'll all be free."
He laughed, then slid on his gas mask.
Gas poured from vents above. One by one, everyone grew dizzy, collapsing to the floor.
The Colosseum
Voices echoed in the distance.
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"
Aoma woke up, surrounded by straw. The air smelled of dirt and sweat. They were all packed into a large barn-like cell.
"Hey, kid. You're finally awake," said an older man, his voice kind but tired. "Hey everyone, the kid's up."
Eyes turned toward Aoma, both children and adults, their faces marked by exhaustion and fear. A guard slammed the door open.
"Who's next?"
He grabbed a young boy.
"No! Please, not me! Please!" the boy screamed.
The guard struck him in the back of the head, and the room went silent as he was dragged away. When the door closed, the old man knelt beside Aoma.
"Do you know where you are? This place is... Well, Hell My name's Guag, but you can call me G."
"I'm Aoma," he said softly.
"Good to meet you, Aoma." G smiled faintly.
"Come on, let me introduce you to the others."
He led Aoma to a small group huddled near the wall.
"That's our scout," G said, nodding to a girl near the door. "She warns us when guards come. That knucklehead over there," he pointed to a tall man leaning against the wall, hat covering his face, "he's the muscle. Don't mind him. He's rough, but he's survived the arena before. As for me, I'm the brains. Everyone here plays a role."
Aoma looked around.
"Where are we?" G's face darkened.
"A Colosseum. A stage for the rich. They come to watch us fight. The man in the mask, he sits up top, watching every match. If he likes you, he rewards you. You win, you live. You lose..."
He looked away.
"Just try not to lose."
The Games Begin
Cheers erupted outside.
"Welcome, everyone!" the announcer's voice boomed. "Are we ready for our next contender?"
The crowd roared.
"Some people have been saying some things, bad things. I've heard that they've claimed we haven't been fair," he said, pacing dramatically. "So I ask you, do you think I've been fair?"
"YES!" the crowd screamed.
"I said, DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN FAIR?!"
"YEEESSSS!"
"Then the games shall begin! And to make it even more fair, today we are bringing the Wheel of Magic into the arena!"
A massive wheel rolled onto the stage, glowing with strange runes. The audience went wild.
G began to whispered, "Everyone, gather around." He shouted to everyone under the arena. "Let's see what's going on."
They all peered through the iron bars. Aoma's eyes widened, sunlight, open sky, the roar of thousands of voices. It was overwhelming, and beautiful.
"The Wheel of Magic has three columns," the announcer shouted. "Column one, the map! Column two, the condition! Column three, the boss! And above it all, the Row. The Row is the wildcard. It can choose anything. It decides the fate of the game!"
The crowd screamed in anticipation. "SPIN THAT WHEEL!" The wheel began to spin wildly as if it heard the audience screams.
Click, click, click.
First column, THE UNDERGROUND MAZE.
Second column, TRAPS.
Third column, RED WOLVE.
The crowd gasped.
"And now, the magic!"
The announcer threw his cloak over the wheel and began to chant.
"In the name of the land, and the spirits, I give thy power to the Wheel of Magic!"
The wheel lifted into the air, glowing brighter and brighter. A whirlwind swirled around it.
Aoma's eyes widened.
When the wheel stopped, glowing letters appeared: In the Top Row, "BUFFS" and in each column are the buffs the contender received.
BUFFS:
First column: Speed
Second column: Stealth
Third column: Wealth
The crowd exploded in cheers. "AIN'T HE ONE LUCKY CONTENDER!" the announcer yelled. "They claim I'm unfair, They claim i don't play fair? Now we will leave everything up to fait. You all know the words, say it with me!"
"ENDLESSSSS!" "ENDLESSSSS!" "ENDLESSSSS!"
The crowd chanted. The contender vanished, teleporting into the maze.