Built from the shell of an ancient foundation, the Arx Colosseum has undergone renovations to allow multiple new configurations for battle. Its spectator setup remains largely the same, with high walls, tall enough for even the most savvy Jedi to find unscalable that lead up to spectator chairs which are divided into nearly organized sections to accommodate several thousand people. At the center, an elongated platform “box” contains a central throne of stone with various seats of smaller scale lined beside it in both directions. Two large holo-projection screens are set up on each side of the Colosseum, offering different angles of the match bia holocam drones.

Today’s setup is known as The Bridges.

High-suspended walkways cross and weave through multiple levels of platforms. Some are solid, metal and duracrete crafting an unmoving foundation. Others are mere rope and wood, swaying with even the most gentle of breezes.

Below the walkways is a void filled with mist, the ground unseen for combatants and spectators alike. Periodic ripples of electrical energy can be seen through the mist, hinting to the deadly nature of the arena floor below.

“Hurry up! There’s going to be a mess out here!” The words came out slow, almost strained, with a little panic felt at the end as if the speaker had envisioned his potential future while he was speaking. However, despite his urging, the door he spoke through had remained still. After several moments, a guttural growl came from the man before he hammed on the refresher door again.

“If you don’t get out here right now-”

“What, what are you going to do?!” The words echoed out from the other side of the refresher door, they were joined by the sound of rushing water before both were drowned out by the sound of a blowing fan. After the fan had died, the occupant could be heard guggling and then spitting into the sink. It was finally at this point that the refresher door opened and the occupant came to rest a shoulder on the doorframe to prevent anyone from entering the refresher while he continued his lecture.

“Never start a threat with “if”, it immediately puts you into a negotiating position rather than an actual demand.” Lontra Boglach pointed out before stepping out of the way and into the Arconan locker room. When the Arcanist looked back to see if the Equite had tempered, Lontra noticed the man had yet to take a step and instead had both hands firmly placed upon his buttocks. A grin crossed Lontra’s face as the Equite’s embarrassed eyes met his own.

“Do you know the definition of a surprise?” A weak denial came from the other man, but Lontra bawled. “A fart with a lump in it.”

Nearby a few groans could heard from those in the locker room listening in, but most didn’t react. In fact, most of the room wasn’t even occupied and those few remaining were not even paying attention to the exchange. After repeated weeks of fighting in the gladiatorial games, fewer and fewer Arconans had gathered here for support, refreshment, and the occasional celebration with their clanmates. Each round had taken its toll on the combatants and had now begun to erode the comradery as well.

More often than not, folks were taking to the stands and markets around the games to find some distraction between turns on the field. Lontra hadn’t been bold enough to take part yet, continuing to be anxious about where he stood in the clan and wanting to bond with those remaining fixated on the blood sport. That hadn’t stopped him from sending his Sentry Droid though, who had dutifully returned with the Mygeeto-style burritos he had been munching on before nature’s call.

Biting into the second half of his meal, Lontra immediately noticed once again the sauces were quick to numb his tongue.

“You really went for heat on these, did you?” Lontra declared to the Imperial Sentry Droid who waited dutifully in the corner.

“I’m sorry, Master.” The droid buzzed and Lontra rolled his eyes knowing where this was headed. “Are the burritos too hot for you? Do you need me to fan them for you?”

“No, no droid - that’s not what I meant.” Lontra signed. “They are spicy, they are numbing my tongue and throat.”

“That’s alarming, sir.” The Sentry stepped forward and Lontra had to dodge his attempts to grab the food. “I had requested mild sauces, there should be no numbing sensation, Sir.”

“It’s alright, droid.” Lontra stood from his bench in the locker room and quickly wolfed down the rest of the burrito before the droid could nab it. He had a thought to further explain the nuisances of burrito spices but was interrupted by a beeping sound that drew the entire locker room’s attention to the standings holoscreen.

A news alert from the Voice had announced the next round of match-ups and Lontra was eager to see his name at the top of the list. Around the Arcanist, several people shared their own excitements or disappointments for their match-ups but Lontra couldn’t relate to any feeling about opponents as he didn’t recognize the name of Kael. A few moments later, a dull tone filled the room announcing that the lift was now in service.

As the Arconan made his way across the locker room to the only exit available to him, Lontra noticed the Sentry droid had been quick to follow him onto the platform. When the Arcanist had attempted to wave the droid away, his protest was quickly cut short by the droid.

“I’m committed to follow you to our shared glory.” The droid buzzed and placed himself firmly beside the Arcanist on the platform. Shaking his head, the Arcanist admitted he was in no mood to argue as he suddenly felt flush and sweaty. As a pain rose in Lontra’s throat, he pounded on his chest and belched before looking sheepishly towards his droid.

“Do you need an antacid?” A sigh returned the droid’s suggestion and the pair waited to be carried into the ring.

The gears of the lift rattled and lugged, showing signs of their age. While modern technologies existed in the locker and medical rooms, not everything had been updated and the dou was slowly lifted into the converted Arx Colosseum. Previous rounds had seen different configurations of the new Colosseum and the changing venues ensured the crowds would never be bored by the callous violence happening below them.

When the lift finally lugged into its final position, Lontra and the Sentry droid emerged from the west side of the field but strangely there was no wall of heat to hit them this time. Instead of the sweltering heat, Lontra could make out clouds of mists that lay below their platform and felt a gentle breeze pull at his clothing. Around them, various platforms and pathways could be seen twisting and winding their way around the arena in a maze.

Before Lontra could comment on his observation, a crackle of lightning snapped his attention back to the mist floating below. Looking down in time to see a blue hue ripple through the gentle mist, Lontra immediately noted that he couldn’t see any ground beneath the hazard. Sweat continued to pour from the man’s pores and a new ache radiated from his bowels. Clutching his Sentry droid by the shoulder, the Arcanist shared his suspicions with the droid.

“Where did you get those burritos from?”

Whatever answer the droid provided was drowned by the rising chant of the crowds above. Very aware that he was now standing in front of the elites of the Brotherhood, some in box-setting while others had enhanced digital views, Lontra worried this was the nightmare scenario he could not awake from. As his body ached to release what he had consumed, Lontra realized he’d have to manage through it while facing whatever this Kael would bring.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the third round of this year’s games!” The Voice was quickly cut off by a roar of the crowds gathered high above and along the arena’s walls. As the roar turned back into chanting, Lontra attempted to casually lift his leg and release some of the pressure he felt. “Let the first battle of The Bridges, begin!”

Kael lay on his stomach just over two hundred meters from the Arconan. He had chosen the elevated bridge for the best vantage point to watch the numerous entrances his opponent could have used. He observed as Lontra spoke jovially with his security droid, the two exchanging words and seemingly ignoring the importance of the arena.

With a slight shrug, Kael took a deep breath, sighting the D3x macroscope of his rifle and adjusting for any interference and distance. Slowly letting the air out as he steadied his shot, he targeted the droid, allowing the rifle's larger sniper barrel to feed information directly through the visuals of his helmet’s targeting systems.

The echo of the rifle's high-powered bolt cut through the distance, parting the light mist and layer of cloud cover in heartbeats. The first shot punctured the droid's chest; the second, following almost in unison, tore through its upper torso and throat, sending the droid's head tumbling backward off the platform. To the Arconan’s credit, they immediately drew their dual lightsabers, taking a defensive stance as Lontra sought to locate him.

“Really!? Do you know how expensive he is to fix?” Lontra shouted with unrestrained irritation into the ether, nearly drowned out by the creaking of materials as the various platforms and bridges shifted in the high winds of the elevated environment.

Kael switched targets, zeroing the scope onto his remaining opponent. He knew this environment was meant for showcasing, if not pandering, to the crowd. He’d had enough of that in his previous bouts. He wasn’t going to underestimate another of these damned sorcerers. With another smooth exhalation, he depressed the trigger, sending another brilliant bolt from the end of his weapon.

As he expected, Lontra managed to use both lightsabers to deflect the bolt away, even as he swiftly moved to the side, seeking any cover from Kael’s incoming fire. The Mandalorian simply guided his opponent, each shot striking near enough to force the Arconan to keep moving. He watched as Lontra came to the edge of the bridge he was on. With a burst of power, Lontra jumped, propelling himself up to a higher platform, clearly attempting to close the distance between them.

To Kael's surprise, the man landed and nearly doubled over, clutching his stomach. The mercenary didn’t hesitate, knowing it could be a trick. He depressed the trigger again, the bolt tearing through the material of the man's cloak. To Lontra’s credit, he quickly regained his feet, shedding the armorweave cloak that now sported a healthy fist-sized hole through it that would have nearly severed him in half had it been a few inches to the left.

Lontra continued his forward momentum, attempting to close the gap between them, having quickly covered nearly half the distance. In response, Kael pushed himself up with surprising grace considering the weight of his kit. He swiftly swapped the firing mode of his blaster, unleashing a torrent of bolts while shouldering the rifle to maintain his stability. Even as he began to back away, he watched as Lontra had to focus purely on his own defenses, the dual lightsabers spinning in smooth, graceful response to deflect and bat aside the incoming shots.

As Kael reached the edge of his own, much narrower platform, he hesitated for a moment to assess whether any of his shots had landed. He spotted the Arconan holding up a vambrace, having deactivated one of the lightsabers. As the dozen Whistling bird rockets were dumb-fired in his direction, Kael allowed himself to fall backward off the platform while activating his jetpack and taking to the sky, narrowly avoiding the resulting series of explosions as the metal platform where he had been standing was torn completely asunder, falling into the distance below.

The Mandalorian allowed himself to be pulled by the jetpack's sudden propulsion before twisting his body to guide the momentum downward and slowing his momentum to land on a flat square section of a bridge. He reached for his belt, dropping the spherical form of a Denton charge, allowing it to drop to his feet as he backed away, searching for the Arconan. His eyes flicked to the display of the remote activation trigger for the charge filtered through his armor’s systems.

Through the growing cloud cover of the lower platform, Kael spotted the growing blue currents of electricity as his enemy landed nearby and, without hesitating, unleashed a crackling storm of lightning toward him. Kael shielded his head with his arm, allowing his armor to absorb and disperse the energy, moving to keep distance between the two combatants. As suddenly as the lightning appeared, it was gone, his armor glowing an angry red from the heat of the shielding reaction.

Kael lifted the rifle in his other arm, firing from the hip, allowing the targeting sensor to guide him. Despite the reduced accuracy, he simply needed to slow the Arconan from closing the distance between them. He continued to back away, waiting as he watched the bolts being thrown aside, though the volume of fire alone ensured Lontra couldn’t redirect them back toward him.

Lontra followed step by step across the platform until finally coming to stand just a few paces from where Kael had originally landed. With a smile, the mercenary triggered the explosive he had dropped previously, the sphere hidden from view by the environment around them.

With a start, Lontra’s senses warned him of the danger. With only a moment to react, he flicked his hand and reached out through the Force, sending the charge spinning away. Unfortunately, it was not enough to avoid the resulting explosion. Lontra was sent tumbling through the air, unable to shield himself. The Arconan slid to the edge of the platform, gasping as he felt the air knocked from his lungs and the intense pain of the concussion and burns across his body.