Seventh Ring
Part 4: Dinner
New Earth, 418 A.C. (After Contact)
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Five growled as he took a step closer to the others, but his hands unclenched and arms fell defeatedly to his sides. Seven shot him a look to be sure he was not planning another sudden attack, but brought his attention back to Three when he was certain Five was calm.

"Who exactly will I be fighting? These two?" Seven glanced down to Six, who shook his head quickly with a worried grin. Three seemed relieved to know that he had accepted his purpose for being there. He knew it would make the next few weeks much less painful on the young Kazekian, or so he hoped.

"No, these two fight in different classes, unless it's a group battle. Here, come with me." Three gestured with his hand for Seven to follow him as he spoke. Six assumed he was going to give a tour of the facility and bounced on ahead, leaving Five to stand and watch after them.

"This building was constructed a few years ago after William returned from a mission into space. He came home with a gleam in his eye and a plan and immediately put us to work." Seven's eyes traveled up the building as he examined the construction of the walls and roof while Three spoke. The building was much larger than he had thought when he first saw it in the distance. Up close, he estimated it to be at least three times as big as the wooden barn they had just left.

"As you may have noticed, there's no windows or doors. This place's built like a fort, yet meant to look like a grain barn or something harmless and, well, legal. In reality, it's a battle arena. Along this wall here is the only door you'll find on the entire building." Three turned a corner and pointed with a thick finger to what looked more like a hangar door. Seven canted his head curiously.

"You could fit a small ship through that door," he said after getting a good look at just how wide it really was.

"Or a Colosaur like Five," said Six as he bounced in front of them. "Or some really advanced Mecha!"

"Mecha?" questioned Seven.

"Yes, the larger class often involves Mecha fighters. They're not usually a match for the fists of a Colosaur, but their weaponry and defenses have been getting much stronger lately. As I'm sure you're...familiar with," said Three with a chuckle. Seven flexed his robotic fingers and pointed his gaze to the ground. He realized he had a slightly unfair advantage, but his arm had saved his life many times before meeting Five.

"This isn't the main entrance and is only used for Juggernaut access. Follow me." Three waved his hand in the direction he started walking.

"So did you make that arm, or did someone else?" Seven's eyes fell to Six as the pair walked side by side just behind Three. He was reminded that William had asked him the very same question only hours ago, yet he had not answered. Six's large, shiney eyes were entirely focused on him as he clearly awaited a response. He could see his pupils growing and contracting. Seven felt slightly pressured to answer, as he didn't want to disappoint the small Iboa male so shortly after meeting him.

"My father and I made it," he said after a moment or two of hesitation.

"Were you born without an arm, or did you lose it later?"

"Lost it later."

"How'd you lose it?"

"Mining accident."

"You were a miner?"

"I wouldn't have lost the arm in a mining accident if I wasn't."

"How is that arm so strong? Could you make another one if, say, I lost one or both of my arms somehow?"

Seven went silent and cocked a brow. He stared down at Six from the corner of his eye as the two of them continued to follow Three into the corn field surrounding the battle barn. Six never stopped staring at him. It was clear he was waiting patiently for him to respond so he could ask another question.

"No, I don't have any of my tools or parts here," said Seven after he was sure Six wouldn't stop staring at him until he answered. He suddenly felt a pang of homesickness. He was certain he'd never see his workshop, home, or family ever again. If something did happen to his arm now, would he be able to repair it?

"What if I was able to get you the parts you needed? Then could you make me an arm like that, too?"

"Six, if you don't shut the hell up and leave him alone I'm going to personally rip both your arms off and feed them to Five." Three shook his head and rolled his eyes as he plodded between corn stalks just ahead of them. Clearly, he was more annoyed by Six's interrogation than Seven was. "If you don't tell him to shut up, he'll jabber on for hours."

Seven watched as Six finally broke his stare with him. He was certain that the Iboa was actually considering asking another question just so Three could make due on his promise. It would certainly be more convenient. For a moment, Seven had wanted to reassure Three that his questions did not bother him, but Six suddenly grinned and hopped up ahead. His scrawny legs propelled him up into the air as his hands landed on Three's shoulders. He leap-frogged over the boxy alien with a laugh, then dashed up ahead before he could swat him.

"Iboas are such a pain the ass. They're like big kids or something," said Three more to himself than to Seven. They both looked up when a small flock of birds took to the sky just up ahead. No doubt Six's bouncing had disturbed them.

“Here we are,” said Three suddenly after a few silent minutes of walking. He stepped through another row of corn and stood beside what looked like a storm cellar in the middle of the field. Seven was certain no one could find this entrance without knowing where it was; not even from the sky.

“It's locked, so I can't take you inside. Only William has a key to it, of course. But this is where his fellow owners enter after dropping off their fighters. It tunnels under the corn field and into the metal barn we just left.”

Seven examined it closely. It did not look out of the ordinary, but neither did most of what was on William's ranch. He was certain this human was a master of deception and knowledgable in ways of avoiding the law. Six jumped up on the thick wooden door and examined the chains and lock that kept it sealed from outsiders.

“Well, I'd best be gettin' ya back, I guess. Don't want you to miss out on your first meal.” Three's eyes swept over to meet Six's. The smaller alien seemed wary, but Seven had not noticed their exchange. Silently, the two of them turned back in the direction of the house. Seven followed them after one last look at the battle barn's hidden entrance.

The air had grown much cooler as the stars began to glow more brightly in the sky above. A firm breeze swept over the corn stalks and brought the sweet smell of hot food to their noses. Six, driven by hunger, bounced on ahead and out of the corn field. By the time Three and Seven had found themselves back in the barnyard, Six had disappeared.

“So, where is...Four?” Seven said curiously after running through the numbers in his head.

“Oh, Four works in the house, like Two. Me 'n Six are the only ones who do any heavy lifting and labor. Well, I do, Six is more like a gopher. He gets me the tool and parts I need when I'm working on fixing the farming equipment or building fences.” Three squinted his eyes towards the house and saw that the porch light was left on for them.

“What about Five? I'd imagine he can do some heavy lifting.” Seven followed Three as he began walking slowly past the barn towards the house.

“Five isn't allowed anywhere near the house or the barn. He's too big, too strong, and as you've seen, too angry. William set up rules for him pretty early on to avoid Five's temper tantrums ruining any of his property. So he stays out near the battle barn and in the fields. Colosaurs don't eat much, believe it or not, so he doesn't need to be fed very much or very often. They do sleep nearly all damn day though. Laziest race in space, I swear.” Three chuckled as his large, two-toed feet carried him up a few steps leading onto the back porch. “Well, this is where the tour ends, I'm afraid. It smells like Four's cookin' up something tasty for dinner, though. Enjoy it.”

Seven looked at the door, then back to Three. He hesitated as he took a step closer to the house and its entrance. The warm, yellow glow of the lights shining through the window illuminated the smooth skin of his face. He waited to see if someone was awaiting his arrival before he knocked. Looking back, he saw that Three was nearly halfway back to the barn.

Thoughts began to race through his mind as he stood silently on the porch. Three was now out of sight. A soft, orange glow filled the windows of the barn and indicated to Seven that his fellow aliens were settling in for the night. Turning his attention back to the door, he questioned running. No one was near. No one knew he was outside. Three would not be blamed for his escape, right? What if he was caught? Should he wait to try and escape? Where could he find a ship?

Suddenly, the door in front of him opened. His body tensed as it was bathed in orange light. A small figure peeked around the other side and stared at him. He recognized her as the human girl who was with William at the auction. She was probably his mate, though he could not be sure.

“Hello,” she said softly. Seven's golden yellow eyes slipped away from her and sought out the floor. He didn't answer her. “Please, come in.”

The human female stepped backwards and out of the way for him to enter. Seven hesitated again. He couldn't run now that she had seen him, so he had no choice but to follow her inside.

The back door entered into the kitchen. All of the wonderful smells that he and Three had picked up from the breeze had generated from this room. The girl led him forward and into the dining room before he had the chance to see what was on the menu.

“Ah, there he is,” came a familiar voice. Seven's eyes shifted from examining the paintings on the walls to the face of William. Immediately, his eyes narrowed and large ears sunk a little lower. “Please, have a seat. Ari, you can leave now.”

Seven watched as the girl nodded her head and shuffled out of the room obediently, leaving only him and her mate alone at the table. He chose to sit at the farthest end without breaking his new owner's gaze.

“Bring out the main course, Two,” ordered William as soon as Seven was seated across from him. Two had just reentered the room before Seven and Ari had appeared. His nose wrinkled at the sight of the Kazekian, but he did as he was told.

William laced his fingers and rested his elbows on the table before him as he watched Seven watch him. Seven could feel the hair on his neck begin to rise. There was a scent in the room that he could not place. Another human, maybe. He held William's stare until Two returned with two silver plates. He set one down in front of both of them before resuming his stance near the wall should he be needed again. Seven's eyes stayed locked on William's as if he were Five. William's lips lifted into a crooked smile before he looked down at the plate before him and grabbed his fork.

“Four cooks the most delicious roasted duck. The carrots and potatoes are from our farm,” said William as he plucked a couple of potato pieces off his plate and put them in his mouth. “Try them.”

Seven finally looked down. His plate was covered in food he'd never seen or tasted before. What was duck? His eyes lifted to see William's fork and what he was using it for. Seven had initially thought they were weapons of some sort. He avoided them. Two fingers gently pinched around a piece of potato. He lifted it to his nose, sniffed it, then popped it in his mouth. It tasted unusual, but good. Certainly better than the slop he'd been fed at the auction house.

“Everything here is made in house. That duck was raised and killed on my property. Quality is something I look for in every aspect of the things I own. I won't tolerate anything but the best.” William spoke only after thoroughly chewing and swallowing his food. He lifted his napkin to his mouth and wiped it gently.

Seven tried everything on his plate while William continued to tell him about the ranch. What he called 'duck' had turned out to be delicious. The meat was sweet and marinated and reminded him of a meal his father used to prepare for him as a child. The carrots and potatoes had disappeared from his plate by the time William motioned for Two to take his own plate from the table.

“I see you're enjoying it. Good.” said William as Two approached Seven. Both aliens locked eyes, yet Seven curled his lip defensively and covered his plate with his arm. He chewed slowly and waited. Two rolled his eyes and carried on into the kitchen without saying a word. Obviously, their guest wasn't finished eating.

As soon as Two was gone, Seven continued to eat. His plate was nearly clean when he started to feel sleepy and full. William sat quietly across from him and watched as his eyes grew heavy. Everything on him began to feel tired and weak. Looking up, he noticed that William's face had become blurry and seemed to be swaying, much like a mirage. Before he had the chance to realize what was happening, his head slipped down to rest on his bicep. His robotic arm could hardly be lifted at all. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was William's foggy figure approaching his side. Within seconds, he was completely asleep.

“Obviously, we'll need to make that mix a bit more potent,” said William to a strange man that joined him as soon as he was sure Seven was asleep. It seemed he'd been watching the pair eat dinner for a while and knew he'd be needed shortly after. Seven's senses had been right. “This took a lot longer than I thought it would. Let's get him downstairs quickly, as we won't have much time.”

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Story, Art, and Characters © Quaylak