“Make sure that thing is on correctly,” one of the guards said, referring to the mechanical collar that was fastened around Iraltiphos’ neck.

“Indeed. Can you imagine if I got my hands around one of your necks again?” Iraltiphos said with a sneer, which was met without any acknowledgment. Although he had only arrived about two weeks ago, it became quickly apparent that he would be trouble if appropriate measures weren’t taken. He had been sentenced to death and had an ego the size of a star, so he naturally refused to take orders and cooperate as most newcomers do, but the standard procedures to get him to comply never worked. He’d fight back when physical force was used and would win every time, and attempts to stun him with various weaponry tickled him. The only thing that ‘worked’ was to tranquilize him, in which case he’d be sent back to his cell and avoid the physical labor he had been protesting against in the first place. Any guard that got within reach of his arms would suffer a serious head injury.

The facility was plenty prepared for beings of extraordinary strength. There were plenty of ten-foot tall beasts with arms the size of pillars also on death-row. These beings were applied the collars Iralitphos now wears before they are ever detained, which would restrict their energy level and leave them on an equal playing field. However, he was no beast. He was a six-foot flat, 180 pound humanoid. Those in charge never saw it coming. Since the collars were only ever used for extraordinarily big creatures, they never fit him. He had to be tranquilized multiple times a day for a week before they built a collar specifically for him. The rest of the inmates might have considered him a hero if he weren’t an asshole to anybody he viewed as beneath him (which was everybody). It was impossible to have him in the same cell with anybody else. He’d taunt them until they got angry enough to retaliate, in which he would proceed to beat them down.

Iralitphos woke up one day after being tranquilized for possibly the hundredth time to find that a collar was finally made for him and fastened around his neck. However, the guard’s hatred for him at that point went further than wanting fairness, so his legs were bound and his hands bound behind his back. And for payback for all the trouble he caused, they proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of him. That was the idea at least, but with every punch thrown at him, he laughed and taunted. This was when the guards realized that his strength wasn’t the only thing out of the ordinary with him, but his skin was tougher than most humanoid creatures. It often took more than one slash from a sharp blade to make bleed and took quite a bit to bruise. Certainly punches weren’t enough. Not unless you were particularly strong.

They are called Seerlians—Iraltiphos’ species, that is. They are humanoid creatures from the planet of Vulban, with a particular fascination for the energy that is inherent in all living things, mainly because they were born with a particularly high amount of it. However, they weren’t known to be melee fighters like Iraltiphos. Most of them used their energy to communicate with other energy signatures, sometimes just to have a friendly conversation, but other times to manipulate it. In other words, most of them were adept in telekinesis. He, on the other hand, decided to reject this use of his energy and decided to merely use it to increase physical potential. A six-foot tall and 180 pound man who knew how to fight would be nothing to sneeze at by itself, but he also often used his energy to hit harder and move faster than one would expect. In reality, his strength was tripled what he appeared to be. The only ability he shared with his kind was the ability to detect nearby energy signatures, which included being able to determine how far they were from him and how much energy they possessed.

So their revenge failed and the guards decided the next best thing would be to put a muzzle on him to prevent him from speaking, since the trash he talked could fill 12 dumpsters in just an hour. However, they still needed some kind of revenge, so they unbound him only when he was ordered to do physical labor and sent him off. They expected him to refuse and were ready to beat him down, with more than just fists this time. But he did more than just refuse. He started humming beneath his muzzle—a very annoying tune that the inmates found amusing that stopped their labor to hum along. It became the ‘I aint doing any work song,’ and a lot of people were beat that day in order to maintain order. Iraltiphos laughed beneath his muzzle all the way through, even as he was beat (and badly bruised this time), and was put into solitary for the rest of his time there. Until today.

“Because the last time I had my hands around somebody’s neck, they couldn’t breathe very well,” he said, speaking without his muzzle for the first time in almost a week. He knew that the removal of the muzzle meant something important was about to happen and, although he wondered why, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say hi. “And I never understood why because that’s how we greet people on my planet. They breathe just fine. Are you all just a bunch of weaklings?” By now the guards knew not to reply, knowing reactions only encouraged him. After they confirmed the collar was on correctly, they carried him out of solitary and began taking him to another cell. They chained him to the wall and left him with a big dragon-looking creature. Iraltiphos grinned. What’s going on, he thought.

The dragon greeted him and indicated that they were teamed up. He had heard rumors of the tournament that could be a ticket out of this place, but he didn’t know what to make of it. Considering his assurance that he’d win such an event, he found it to be too good to be true. It explained why they would remove his muzzle, though. “It would seem that way,” he replied, immediately mocking his choice of words. “But I think it’s much more likely that I’ve been awarded a pet for my good behavior. I’ve always wanted a fairy. How did they know? What tricks can you do?”