Odell groaned as he walked through the coliseum vendor area. His father proudly led the way, though he had no idea where he was going in reality.
"Father, do we have to come. Actually, did I have to come?"
"Of course, we must make some effort to attend a big event like this when we are in town!"
"Couldn't Avon have come with you?" They turned a corner and found themselves facing a dead end.
"Nonsense, Avon is far too busy preparing to take over the throne!" King Fio said confidently.
Some Aqueenian citizens walked behind the pair and whispered to themselves about the foolish Hobusians. Odell shrugged and gently turned his father, so they were walking in the opposite direction that they had come.
"I'm pretty sure that the royal viewing seats are this way."
"Ah, yes, I knew that, of course!"
Odell didn't bother answering and led his father to their destination, a special booth set aside for the royal family and their guests. Naturally, Odell nor his father were invited, but they intended to invite themselves in. King Fio knew that they would be allowed to enter since it could be a diplomatic issue if some random guards refused them.
Sure enough, the guards stepped aside as soon as they saw the duo approaching from down the hall. King Fio burst through the door and announced his arrival.
"You old fool!" he shouted while pointing to King Whitlock. Despite his tone and demeanor, the Hobusian king had a goofy smile on his face as he waited for a rebuttal. The Aqueenian king sat on some raised chairs behind four seats for his children, three of which were occupied. The queen sat next to King Whitlock and gently poked him.
"Dear, that troublesome King wants your attention."
"Just ignore him, my dear. The fight is about to begin; look, the Netzian is coming out now."
Odell broke away from his father, who was staring daggers at the Aqueenian king and made his way to the window.
"What is he wearing?" Odell shouted out.
That caught the attention of the others in the room, and all turned to the arena. Asha burst into a fit of giggles.
"He wrapped himself in a curtain! Does he think that would give him the edge in battle!" he shouted as he slapped on his knees.
"Now Asha, perhaps he... has something in mind...." Hermina said while trying to be sympathetic.
"Hahaha, when faced with his death, the fool has just gone mad!" King Whitlock roared in synchronized laughter with Asha. Donn quietly rubbed the hair on his chin.
Before anything more could be said, the announcer began his speech. At the same time, the door slid open, and Fiona was escorted into the room. She immediately broke free from her guides and ran up to the window where Odell stood. She looked out at Gwyn and sighed.
"Friend of yours?" Odell asked. Fiona jumped and turned to the Hobusian.
"Oh, hello, Odell!" Fiona had not noticed him before, "He's not a friend, but I am supposed to be responsible for him, in a way...."
"That's an apt description!" Asha chimed in, "He's going to turn out just like that house plant you were responsible for as well!" he continued to giggle.
"Asha! We have foreign guests here!" Donn snapped. Asha calmed himself, but not before glaring at the crown prince.
King Fio made a small chuckle before turning to King Whitlock with a somewhat severe expression.
"Are you sure it is wise to execute a traveler before the conference and in such an over-the-top manner?"
"You manage your internal affairs, and I'll manage mine. I have a bad feeling about this one," the Aqueenian king said without turning his gaze away from Gwyn in the arena.
"Hmm, well, I'll just enjoy the show then." King Fio said with a shrug.
Out on the field, the arena was opening up, and the unkillable was climbing out. King Whitlock smirked, but the rest of the room was painted with shocked expressions.
"Father, don't you think that is a little excessive?" Donn asked with a groan.
"Hahaha, he's as good as dead!" Asha shouted.
"Oh dear, this will be over quickly," Hermina muttered in shock.
Fiona balled her fist and lightly smacked the glass in front of her. Her father won this one.
"Man, your dad is serious, huh? The poor fool. Where did you guys even catch that thing?"
"Donn led a successful hunting party in the Lethno Mountains not too long ago; we were able to catch such a fine specimen during that trip!" King Whitlock bragged.
"It's a bit small. Did you catch the runt of the litter!" King Fio said with a chuckle.
King Whitlock didn't get a chance to reply. At that moment, the unkillable charged across the arena and smashed its foot where Gwyn had been standing.
"Guess that's it," The queen said with a shake of her head. Everyone began to turn their attention away from the arena.
"Hold on; he avoided that!" Odell shouted. The room immediately fell silent as focus returned to Gwyn. He was sprinting across the field while the beast was lazily chasing after him.
"He has good form with his run; I would expect he did some kind of training on his homeworld," Donn mused as he rubbed his chin. They watched as Gwyn narrowly avoided another stomp.
"Haha, this guy is great!" Odell laughed.
"It won't matter, though...." Fiona said with a sigh. She turned away from the window and planted herself in one of the seats. She had lost interest in the match as the outcome was a given.
Gwyn dramatically threw off his makeshift cloak in the arena.
"Oh, now he's doing something!" Odell shouted. He had the most fun of everyone in the room. "He's got a Needaimus with him!"
"What!" King Whitlock roared and jumped up from his throne. He charged over to the window next to Odell and smashed a fist against the glass. There was enough force to cause a couple of small cracks in the robust window. He was tense for a moment longer, but his shoulders soon relaxed, and he took a deep breath. Then, the king let out a laugh. "He managed to partner with that troublesome one; no matter, they can die together! Two nuisances are taken care of at once!" the king snickered as he made his way back to his seat. He leaned back into it and awaited with glee for when the unkillable finished off its prey.
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