The Soulmate Initiative: Book 2

16. Losses adding up

LOCATION: SAKAAR

Tasia is kneeling, facing the wall, whispering "I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death." As Tasia says the last three words, she hears another voice say the same thing in sync with her. She turns to see Lavina standing against the opiate wall, Tasia sits with her back against her wall. Lavina asks "Hurts, doesn't it? Being lied to. Being told you're one thing and then learning it's all fiction." Tasia picks up a little rock from the ground, that had fallen of Korg at some point, and throws it at Lavina. It goes through Lavina's illusion, making her chuckle a little bit "You didn't think I'd really come and see you, did you? This place is disgusting." Tasia throws another rock at her sister's illusion "Does this mean you don't want my help? Look, I could jeopardise my position with the Grandmaster. He's a lunatic, but he can be amenable. What I'm telling you is-" Tasia throws another rock at her "-you could join me at the Grandmaster's side. Perhaps, in time, an accident befalls the Grandmaster, and then…" She points to Tasia, then herself and points upwards, a smile on her face, but Tasia just tosses another rock at her. Lavina sighs "You're not seriously thinking of going back, are you? Our brother destroyed your hammer like a piece of glass. He's stronger than both of us. He's stronger than you. You don't stand a chance. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?" Tasia still doesn't respond to her, Lavina scoffs "Fine. I guess I'll just have to go it alone. Like I've always done." Lavina really doesn't like being ignored "Would you say something?" And Tasia knows this. Lavina raises her voice "Say something!" "What would you like me to say? You stole the throne, stripped Odin of his power, stranded him on Earth to die, releasing the God Of Death. Have I said enough or would you like me to go back further than the past two days?" "I did that to save Prisha's life. One of our soulmate's lives. Were you not the one who told me to give them a chance, to trust them, to love them?" Tasia looks away, but Lavina says something "You know, I haven't seen this beloved champion he talks of, but I've heard he is astonishingly savage. I've placed a large wager against you tomorrow. Don't let me down." Tasia pulls up a heavier item and throws it at Lavina's illusion, as she disappears through the wall. Korg runs over, way too late, to kick the wall "Piss off, ghost!" Then Miek runs in from the other side. Korg comments "She's freaking gone."

On the other side of the arena door, is a room split in two, a laser wall down the middle. The contestants are on the furthest side, picking their weapons and warming themselves up to fight. Kong picks one up "Yuck! There's still someone's hair and blood all over this. Guys, can you clean up the weapons once you're finished your fight? Disgusting slobs." Tasia looks through all the weapons, but they all look boring to her "Oh, Tasia, wanna use a big wooden fork?" "No." "Yeah, not really useful. Unless you're fighting off three vampires that were huddled together." "I really wish I had my hammer." "Hammer?" "Quite unique. She was made from this special metal from the heart of a dying star. And when I spun her really, really fast, she gave me the ability to fly." "You rode a hammer?" "No, I didn't ride her." "The hammer rode you on your back?" "No, no, no. I used to spin her really fast, and she would pull me off the ground and I would fly. Every time I threw her, she would always come back to me." There are slight smile on her face "Sounds like you had a pretty special and intimate relationship with this hammer and then losing it was almost comparable to losing a loved one." "That's a nice way of putting it."

On the other side of the laser wall are people who work for the Grandmaster, talking amongst themselves, betting. Bruliel is talking to someone "I said they're mine." Tasia notices him and whispers to Korg "See him, that's the one that put me in here." "Oh, yeah. Scrapper 142. Gotta watch out for those Asgardians, man. They are hard to perish." Tasia looks at him in shock "Asgardian?" She walks up to the laser wall "Hey. Hey!" Bruliel, looking very unbothered, zapper in hand, responds lazily "Hey." "Do not zap me with that thing. I just wanna talk." He puts it down on the table in front of him and listens "Asgard is in danger." Bruliel takes a gulp of his drink, as he does so, Tasia sees a tattoo on his arm and her eyes go wide "My God, you're a Valkyrie." Bruliel thumps his drink down and Tasia talks excitedly "I used to wanna be a Valkyrie when I was younger, until I found out that they were all men. There's nothing wrong with men, of course. I love men. I have two male soulmates." "Are you done?" A warden shouts "Lady Of Thunder, you're up!" But she quickly steps closer to the laser wall "Please, help me. I need your help." "Bye." Bruliel turns and starts to walk away "Fine, then you must be a traitor or a coward. Because the Valkyrie is sworn to protect the throne." Bruliel marches up to the laser wall "Listen closely, your majesty. This is Sakaar, not Asgard. And I'm a Scrapper, not a Valkyrie." One of the guards grabs Tasia, but she fights back, until she gets zapped by another "Bring her in for processing." As they grab her again, Bruliel says one last thing "And no one escapes this place. So you're gonna die anyway."

Tasia is placed on a chair and cuffed to it, a barber approaches her "Now, don't you move. My hands ain't as steady as they used to be." One of his hands is mechanical "By Odin's beard, you shall not cut my hair, lest you feel the wrath of the mighty Tasia." The barber turns his hand on, blades protruding out of it and whizzing around, Tasia starts whimpering "Please. Please, kind Sir, do not cut my hair." The barber laughs "Please! No! NO!"