Chapter 3: The Arena Below
The hover-RV creaked as it pulled into the edge of Seradin, a city nestled between tall metal spires and bustling streets. The buildings were stacked like crates, old tech merging with newer structures. Sparks flew from repair stations, and markets hummed with life. Kaz brought the vehicle to a halt beside a dusty mechanic shop that had a rusted sign barely hanging on one hinge. Inside, the smell of oil and burnt wires clung to the air.
Fray, a tall woman with grease-streaked cheeks and a ponytail of silver-blue hair, looked up from under a raised platform. Her eyes twinkled with interest as she stepped forward, wiping her hands on a cloth.
"You drive this relic?" she asked, circling the RV like a wolf studying prey.
Kaz nodded. "It got us this far. Can you upgrade it?"
Fray popped open a side panel and whistled. "You've got solid core tech. I can amplify the drive unit, reinforce the hull, and maybe even throw in cloaking plates. Give me a day."
Kaz considered, then nodded. "We'll stay the night and leave once you're done."
Seth, who had been itching to explore, leaned closer. "Kaz, can Ren and I check out the city while we wait?"
Kaz didn't answer right away. His eyes scanned the street like he expected danger around every corner.
Fray noticed. "They'll be fine. Let the kids see the place. Just tell them to be back before sundown."
Kaz sighed. "Alright. But don't draw attention. And be back before the sun touches the roofs. Understand?"
Seth saluted playfully. "Yes, sir!"
Ren smirked. "We'll be back before dinner."
The city of Seradin was like nothing Seth had ever seen. Holograms danced over market stalls, vendors sold gadgets from ancient Earth tech to freshly minted plasma tools. Lights blinked in every color, and crowds moved like a flowing river.
"Wow," Seth muttered. "I want one of everything."
"We don't have money," Ren reminded him, though his eyes sparkled at the sight of a vendor selling fried insect skewers.
"Yeah, I know," Seth sighed. "Still, it's fun to look."
They wandered for hours, marveling at robotic pets, floating chess sets, and gravity-defying shoes. But when a sudden cry cut through the noise, their attention shifted.
"My purse! Someone stop him!" an old woman shouted.
A blur of movement darted through the crowd. A boy with quick feet and a dark hood clutched a leather purse, weaving through people like smoke.
"Let's go!" Seth shouted.
He sprinted after the thief. Ren transformed mid-stride into a hawk and soared overhead, scanning from above. The thief moved with incredible agility, vaulting over stalls, rolling under carts, and flipping over walls.
Seth pushed harder. His heart pounded, and frustration boiled inside. He had to do more. Had to be more.
Suddenly, objects around him began to float—stones, debris, even a metal rod. His eyes widened. "What the...?!"
Instinctively, he grabbed a wooden board and tried lifting it beneath his feet. It rose—hovering shakily. He grinned, then immediately toppled sideways.
"Okay… not that!"
Instead, he hurled crates and bins into the thief's path using his new telekinesis. The thief dodged, but it slowed him.
From above, Ren dove like a comet. Mid-air, he changed into a boar. With a loud crash, he landed on the thief,crushing him under the weights of his boar body causing to thief to loose consciousness
"I call that the bacon drop!" Ren grinned.
Seth grabbed the purse and walked back to the woman, who hugged him with tears in her eyes.
"Bless you, child! Thank you!"
As they turned to leave, a man in a long coat and dark goggles stepped from the shadows. His voice was slick, like oil on glass.
"Impressive work, boys."
Seth tensed. "Who are you?"
"Call me Mero. I manage opportunities for special talents like yours."
Ren narrowed his eyes. "What kind of opportunities?"
Mero smiled. "Combat. Competition. Coin. There's an arena beneath this city. Win a fight, earn real credits. Buy whatever shiny thing your heart desires."
Ren stepped back. "That sounds dangerous."
"Dangerous? Yes. But rewarding. Besides, you two handled that thief like professionals."
Seth looked at Ren. "It could help us train—to fight, to get stronger. Kaz always says we need to be ready."
Ren hesitated, but he thought that honing his skill would make kaz impressed due to ren looking up to kaz because of how strong he is he looked toward the sunset sky. "Alright. One fight."
Mero clapped. "Follow me."
The shop was in a quiet corner of the northwest sector, unmarked and dusty. Inside, it was cluttered with old tech, wires, and broken androids. Mero led them to a large metal door. He twisted a valve and pulled a lever. An elevator platform surrounded by glass and pipes hissed to life.
The descent began.
As they dropped lower, the ground beneath the city opened into a vast underground cavern. It stretched wider than Seradin itself. An arena sat in the center like a colosseum carved into stone and steel. Rows of bleachers ringed the combat pit, filled with a roaring crowd. Lights flashed, banners unfurled, and loud music boomed from speakers embedded in the walls.
"Welcome to The Pit," Mero said.
When they reached the bottom, two massive pig-like guards flanked the exit. Between them stood a short, dwarf-like man with glowing goggles.
"These the new ones?" the dwarf asked.
Mero nodded. "They'll draw a crowd."
The dwarf handed Seth and Ren metallic tags.
"Wear these. They track your stats. Wins, earnings, injuries."
Ren squinted. "Injuries?"
"It's the arena, kid. Not a school dance."
Seth and Ren were ushered to the waiting zone they were a team who were fighting separately but gathered points it was arranged this way because they were seen as just children. Above the arena floor, a booming voice echoed:
"Tonight! A shapeshifter enters the ring! Will he triumph? Or become bacon bits?!"
Ren chuckled. "They really went there."
The moment the announcer's voice thundered across the arena, Ren narrowed his glowing red eyes, facing off against the towering menace known as Technopork. The boar-like cyborg flexed its mechanical limbs, steam hissing from its joints. His armor plating was thick, rusted, but reinforced with gleaming wires and tubes pulsing with strange energy. At over seven feet tall, with tusks that curved outward like battle-scarred scimitars, Technopork was a walking weapon.
Ren blinked once, then twice. "I hope you taste better than you look," he muttered with a grin, cracking his knuckles.
Technopork bellowed, insulted. He slammed one hoof into the ground, cracking the stone beneath him. "Insult me, shapeshifter? I will turn you into bacon bits."
"Breakfast humor. Classic," Ren said with a chuckle, his white hair catching the glow of the arena lights. He rolled his shoulders, body subtly shifting as he readied himself.
"Fight!"
Technopork lunged forward like a battering ram. His left arm shifted mid-charge, transforming with a hiss and whirr into a massive metal hammer. He swung down with thunderous force. Ren barely had a second to react—he dove to the side, landing on all fours.
Before Technopork could lift his hammer again, Ren transformed into a mole, digging into the arena floor. A cloud of dust and debris erupted as he tunneled underneath the boar's feet. Technopork looked around, snorting steam.
Then the ground behind him burst open.
Ren exploded from the dirt in gorilla form, slamming both fists into Technopork's back. The cyborg staggered, surprised by the raw power of the blow. Ren didn't stop—he wrapped his arms around Technopork's waist, heaved him into the air, and sent him crashing down with an overhead slam.
The audience roared.
Technopork groaned and pushed himself up. His cybernetic arms hissed and clicked. Then both arms morphed—this time into twin gatling guns. They whirred with deadly rhythm.
Ren's eyes widened. "Whoa."
Bullets exploded from the barrels in a blazing storm. Ren shifted instantly into a ladybug, zig-zagging in midair as metal tore through the space he'd just occupied. He soared upward, wings buzzing, disappearing into the lights above.
Technopork scanned the ceiling, his targeting systems locking on.
Ren dropped like a meteor.
Mid-fall, he transformed into a massive grizzly bear, slamming into Technopork from above. The impact rocked the cyborg, but his armor held. Ren clawed at him, but his blows barely scratched the surface.
Technopork roared and twisted violently. One mechanical arm became a chainsaw, whirring to life. He slashed at Ren, who backflipped away, returning to his human form.
Panting, Ren circled. "Okay. That armor's tough. Gotta change tactics."
Technopork charged again. Ren dodged, shifting into a snake mid-roll. He slithered under Technopork's feet and wrapped around his leg. He tightened, trying to crush the limb.
But Technopork slammed his foot down. Ren barely escaped being crushed. He darted back, panting.
He couldn't match the brute strength or durability. Not like this.
"Think," he told himself, eyes darting across Technopork's frame.
Kaz's voice echoed in his memory: Every machine has a weakness. You just have to find the power source.
Ren's eyes locked on something—just below the thick plating of Technopork's upper back. A faint red glow pulsed.
"There it is."
But getting there wouldn't be easy.
Technopork raised both arms, this time launching shoulder-mounted missiles. Ren transformed into a hawk, swerving through explosions, smoke trailing his feathers.
He circled high, calculating.
Then, like a thunderbolt, he dove. As he approached Technopork's head, the cyborg aimed a flamethrower burst. Ren twisted, wings curling inward, transforming into a monkey midair. He landed on Technopork's shoulders, grabbed a support pipe, and flipped himself to his back.
Technopork bucked like a wild beast. "Get off me!"
"Not until I unplug your batteries!" Ren yelled.
With both hands, he reached for the red core and yanked hard.
Technopork screamed, his limbs spasming. The gatling guns froze. The chainsaw powered down. Steam vented violently from his joints.
Ren rolled off and landed in a crouch. He held the core in one hand, grinning.
The boar cyborg staggered forward, then dropped to his knees. A groan escaped his metal lips as he slumped to the ground.
Silence.
Then the arena exploded in cheers.
"Victory goes to the shifter—Ren!" the announcer shouted.
Ren raised the core in the air and returned to the competitor's bleachers, panting and covered in dirt.
Seth, watching from above, was wide-eyed.
The crowd roared.
More matches followed—strange fighters with glowing weapons, teleporting blades, and electric skin. Seth watched closely.
His turn was next.