The Coliseum 1

Gwyn found himself sitting in a new, tiny room. He turned to Colton, who only nodded before closing the door.

The room itself was plain. Three of the walls looked like they might form a square, but the last wall was curved ever so slightly, preventing the shape from being formed. The walls were white, and the curved section of the wall had a rather large window covered by two long, cream orange curtains that offered the only color in the bare room. A single bench was set in the middle of the room. It was long enough to be sat on or laid on, but neither position was very comfortable.

Gwyn sat down on the bench and thought to himself. Colton hadn't offered much on their walk, though it was something of a spectacle for him. They had exited what he assumed was the castle and walked down a long street through the city. There were Aqueenians as far as the eye could see, and they all stared at the odd human being directed by a soldier. Some whispered to themselves as he passed by.

Gwyn didn't care about any of that, however. He was distracted by all the new sights and sounds as he walked through the city. The city was laid out in a way he would be familiar with on earth. There were clear streets for hovering vehicles to move along, sidewalks, streetlights, etc. At the same time, it all appeared very alien to him. Everything was made chrome or white and had a swirling and ornate design, even where it was impractical. He could make out what some things were and had no idea about others. Any attempts Gwyn made to talk to Colton were answered with a simple 'sorry' by the Aqueenian soldier. Gwyn soon gave up pressing for information when he realized he wasn't going to get any answers.

Soon they arrived at the coliseum. Gwyn imagined a roman looking place by the description, but he soon realized that he was mistaken. The stadium was a giant oval shape, but the walls seemed to curve out as they went up. It was almost like someone stuck a giant funnel into the ground with the point downward. The outward curve only got more extreme at the top and began to jut out parallel to the ground. The building seemed like it should fall on them as they walked underneath.

The inside contained curved hallways that seemed to spiral around the building. Colton guided Gwyn around the corridors until they reached the room he was now locked inside.

Gwyn stood up and pulled the curtain to the side so he could look out the window. The glass was tinted somewhat. He figured it was one-way glass since he had not seen any windows on the outside. Out in the distance, the streets were busily buzzing with Aqueenians moving to and fro.

"Well, I had a good run," Gwyn said while forcing a smile on his face. He let the curtain fall back in front of his view. The day had quickly made him tired, and his eyes became focused on the bench. He laid down and fell asleep rather quickly.

A sound in the distance made Gwyn jump. He was up to his feet and quickly spun around to face whatever he heard, but the room was empty.

Another sound echoed in the distance; this time, he was able to recognize it as rattling. It was coming from the ceiling. Upon closer analysis, there was a simple grate built in the top. Its purpose was for venting, but Gwyn wondered if they ever let things into the rooms through it. The rattling sound got louder and louder, and Gwyn took a step back from the grate in the center of the room's ceiling. His back pressed firmly against the curtains.

After a few more seconds of rattling, the sound finally stopped. Gwyn made a sigh of relief, but he made it too soon.

An object promptly fell out of the vent and landed on the floor. It made a loud thud and bounced slightly in the air before crashing back down on the ground.

Gwyn took a slow step over to the object when it suddenly sprung up and began to shake. The shape could be best described as a dragon, a wyvern to be precise. It had a body about the size of a housecat with two broad bat-like wings. The face ended in a point, and it lacked any horns or similar sharp features, except several rather large-looking talons on its two feet. The creature looked clean and smooth with a metallic blue sheen. It shook its head, then rubbed its wings over its head.

"I should have taken a right turn, I suppose," it said aloud in a silky-smooth but also mechanical voice. It began to look around the room and settled on Gwyn, who had slowly been walking to it. He froze when their gazes became fixed on one another. The creature had bright orange, mechanical-looking eyes.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment. The creature stood still while wondering what Gwyn would do, and Gwyn pondered what the beast was. His mind went back to the bird that had attacked him in the king's throne room. It had been mechanical as well.

Now faced with a similar creature and impending doom, Gwyn had no concern for any danger. He was only left with morbid curiosity.

They stared at each other a moment longer, then Gwyn lunged forward with his hands out. The creature took to the air as the human slid harmlessly underneath, narrowly avoiding getting grabbed in the process.

"Woah, hey, calm down!" the blue dragon-like beast yelled.

Gwyn jumped back to his feet and tried to grab the creature out of the air. It flew in circles around the room, avoiding every attempt as Gwyn chased after.

"What are you?" He yelled to the creature while trying to grab it.