Chapter 75: Ruckus

"Next up from the Zolan Expanse, we have the terrifying, the terrible, the terrific… Thiss!"

The next alien in the lineup moved forward. This alien was bipedal, like a human, but stood at least a few feet higher than your average six-foot-tall guy. Similarly to the Null Space Invader I had first fought alongside Lara, its arms were long and misshapen, with the knuckles of its three-fingered hands almost dragging across the floor. None of that was what terrified me the most about this so-called Thiss. Wires jutted out of the creature at haphazard angles, looping their way back through its flesh. As it stepped back into line, turning to reveal an eyeless face, I couldn't help but be reminded of creatures like the Cybermen or the Borg. 

"Hailing all the way from the inner ring, we have Xyalla, while they may be fragile, their psychic prowess can blow anyone away!" 

Fragile wasn't exactly how I would describe Xyalla. They were big and bulky with a round potbelly and looked as if they could take a serious beating. Perhaps that was just meant to hide the fact that they were in fact a glass cannon? Well, they weren't the only one with psychic powers, and if we were to meet each other in battle I'd meet their powers with my own telekinetic abilities. 

"Shrouded in mystery, as no one knows where his race truly originated, it's Vadton!"

This alien sent a shiver down my spine as it stepped out in front of the crowds, gazing across the stands stoically. In appearances, he resembled Yr'Arl's spectral armour. Every part of him was covered in a dense black material, with dangerous spikes coming out of almost every surface. In his right hand, he held a sharp black spear, though something told me there was more going on with the weapon than met the eye. 

"Kathura, the warrior of the Olenti, is up next! Supposedly the greatest warrior on their homeworld, Kathura is sure to stake their claim today!"

Kathura was tall, taller than even Borock from earlier. They were also slim, as if they were built for speed. However, they moved strangely, as if their two legs weren't quite used to walking around on land. That was when I noticed the webbing underneath the creatures two arms, almost giving it a bat-like appearance. But they weren't wings, they were much too thin and fragile for that. They looked much more like a creature that would be suited to living under water, which would explain the water-filled helmet that they were wearing. 

"We also have the legendary last of the Eldrani, Akash!" 

As Akash stepped forward the crowd erupted into cheers like none of the other aliens had received so far. Clearly being the last of your kind and then fighting back against the ones that ended the rest of your species was a pretty big boon among the people of Prespian City. They were impressed by him. As I readied myself to step out next, I knew that they wouldn't be anywhere near as impressed with me. 

"Beside him, a true shock to us all, a supposedly peaceful human… Jacob Lyre!"

I took a deep breath and stepped forward. A hushed silence fell across the spectator's stands, with only small murmurs taking place between those who were watching. I stepped back, and the announcer called for Yr'Arl as if nothing had happened at all. 

But something had happened, and as my feline companion stepped back the hush in the crowds was suddenly broken. 

Booing, screaming, the occasional curse word. The audience was erupting with all of them. 

I couldn't understand it. I'd been seen on screen numerous times before this event, I'd been in the battle royale and at that point people had seemed to love me, if only because the novelty of a human taking part in the tournament had worn off. Perhaps, after the death of Lara they had become inherently mistrustful of a human being around. 

Whatever it was, I had to admit that I was a little bit hurt. 

"Now now, please, settle down… I know it is a little unorthodox to have a member of such a savage species as the humans represented among our elite ranks this year, but I must say he is quite safe," the voice of Belana protested. 

But his protests did nothing but rile the audience up even further. If this went on for much longer, things would get messy. 

"The man is a fool," grumbled a voice from further up the line, "All he is doing is making the situation infinitely worse." 

I hadn't expected the other species in the line up to stick up for me like that, I had expected them to treat me like just another human to crush. 

"Indeed," another voice, this time I could tell it was coming from the seemingly sentient cloud of gas, it pulsed with colour as it spoke. "Jacob is as much an Initiate as the rest of us, to be treated in such a manner by the public is a disgrace."

I fought to keep the smile off my face as the other initiates continued to back me, I was sure that would set the crowds off even further.

With a flash of white light the small alien from before reappeared before us. 

"My sincere apologies to all of you who have not been formally introduced, due to the ongoing ruckus I have been told to bring you all to the Initiate room now. Please stand still while I teleport us all," the tiny being said, before raising his small hands. 

I found it hard to believe that such a tiny creature would be able to channel enough manna to teleport so many of us, but in times that would rival the supposed warping expert Squadron Leader Belana himself, we had been enveloped in a now very familiar runic white light. 

Hopefully my presence wouldn't cause such an uproar in the battles themselves.