Vock sat high upon the stone terrace that served as seating for the ancient amphitheatre. He had his back to one of the pylons that were located every one hundred feet around the high outer perimeter. He didn't like to leave his back exposed. It wasn't wise to do so with his fellow Agonotti about. Vock considered himself smarter than most and he had seen the deception and murder among their ranks in the past. Down below, he watched one of his old friends approaching.
"Teran? It's good to see you again."
"I had expected to find you down there competing for the position of leadership," Teran said.
"Not I."
"But you would do well," Teran said as he passed through the ranks of Agonotti seated around them and sat down next to Vock. "After all, you were once second only to Lucin himself."
"Exactly. I have no intention of presenting myself as such an obvious target," Vock said.
"Well, I suppose. Who do you think we'll be the victor?"
"Oric-tal."
"But he's not even from among your group."
Vock leaned in close to Teran and spoke very low to his fellow Agonotti. "Oric-tal is quite vicious. The lord of my group is not nearly so brutal-I expect him to be destroyed in this contest."
Below Vock and Teran, on the ground level, five Agonotti lords walked out into the arena. The contest for leadership would be decided today and the various independent groups of Agonotti would be united. Each of the lords took their place at equidistant spaces on the arena floor and a frightening transformation began to take place. The Agonotti lords became mist and quickly reformed themselves into warriors fit for battle.
Their exoskeletons formed devilish armor plating with spikes protruding and their heads became covered with helmets in like manner; all formed from their own molecular structure. Great weapons formed as living appendages in their hands and some had shields upon the other arm. Oric-tal held a mace in one hand with a cord upon it nearly six feet in length, hoping to destroy his opponents at some distance.
Watching from above, Teran pointed out Oric-tal to his friend Vock. "It won't take long now."
"Perhaps, but have you noticed what's been happening to us recently?"
"What do you mean, Vock?"
"Our strength, it's been growing; haven't you noticed it?"
"I suppose so. I just didn't really pay attention. We've always had a fairly easy time culling from among the humans. If we are getting stronger, what's causing it?"
"That, my friend, is what I would like to find out. Something is definitely changing and this contest may be more enlightening than expected."
"I had hoped that my lord Haisn might be the victor. I don't relish the idea of following Oric-tal," Teran said.
"And who says you will be?"
"We have all agreed to follow the winner. Aren't you going to, Vock?"
"Of course, but I only said Oric-tal would defeat those down there with him in the arena. I don't expect him to be the winner of this contest."
"What are you saying?"
"Oric-tal is a fool. He's mighty in strength, but we need more-we need wisdom."
"But we control the planet now-"
Vock looked at him with disgust, almost raising his voice above the level he intended. "Is this all you want, Teran? To be the conquerors of a few weak humans-has your desire been driven from you completely?"
Teran only returned a puzzled look and a shrug of his shoulders saying, "What else is there for us now? We are cursed by the Eternal One."
Vock looked around with his eyes. The other Agonotti remained completely engaged with the contest as the five lords entered into separate battles with one another on the arena floor below. Vock looked back to Teran. "This is a curse, true," he said clutching his raiment. "We once walked among all the worlds of creation-we were meant for much greater things-"
"But we left our first estate, Vock," Teran grew agitated now. "We are what we are now-better to forget the past and make the best of what we have left."
On the battlefield below, Oric-tal charged at one of his opponents. The Agonotti lord, Zoe, somersaulted over him, but Oric swung back in expectation with his heavy spiked mace and met the warrior there. The spikes plunged into him finding purchase through a joint in his armament. Oric-tal did not wait to see the result. He pulled his prey back to him on the end of the spiked ball and dealt the deathblow.
Vock and Teran were drawn into the battle away from their conversation as the first Agonotti lord began to disintegrate upon the battlefield. "Only four of them left," Teran said.
"Yes, only four…" Vock leaned back against the pylon with his arms folded pretending to take interest in the fight. Teran continued to watch and then turned back to Vock. He leaned in toward Vock this time and said, "Alright, what else is there?"
"Mithrium."
"Mithrium? Now, I know you're crazy," Teran said. But Vock's smug look said he wasn't joking in the least.