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SUMMARY: For the first time Komaru sees what he is being used for. Seems like there is only one way to handle this.

Komaru's chance to die came sooner than he expected as Band of elemental air tied his limbs together and he fell hard to the floor with a metallic clang and the slap of flesh on stone. Down the hall he could hear laughter rising in volume. He stared up at the blue gray ceiling and wondered if he would find the strength to die today.

No more, he thought. He could not take this anymore and he decided that when he could move again, the demons who did this to him would pay a dear price.

He recongnized all three of the demonkind that came for him. A blue skinned homonid, a black feathered avian and a cephalapod. The cephalapod was the leader of the three and the one who administered the dark liquid into Komaru's body. His name was Gluben and Komaru was sure that he was just one of his many prisoners used for nefarious puposes. he would be doing the world a service by ridding it of all three creatures.

The avian and the homonid picked him up to his feet as Gluben pulled a large glass funnel and a syringe out of his robe. Komaru tried to struggle, but only because it was what he always did. They would suspect something if he did not struggle, so he made them fight with him a bit before he allowed Gluben to inject the foul concoction into his orifice. He did not swallow, but held the liquid in his mouth and let it dribble out as his captors led him out of the cave into the gray daylight. Komaru had no idea where he was. Usually by this time, the poison blacked him out, so he tried to look woozy.

"He seems strange." the avian said as his eyes darted from Komaru to the path they walked. "Are you sure you dosed him enough?"

"Shut up, Trollu." Gluben said. His voice was liquid and he seemed to bubble the words out. Komaru always thought cephalapods were disgusting creatures. Gluben was not as ugly as other cephalapods he had seen, but the dark blue, glistening skin and many arms made him hideous. His eyes were large, dark holes that knew neither pity nor mercy. "I have dosed more patients than you could count!" Cephalapods were not very tolerant, and were very proud of their brains. "I know his dosage. He will not be a problem once we get him to the Arena." His many limbs gave his walk an amoeboid motion, as if he were still moving through water, and his skin rubbing together made a sticky sound.

The homonid chuckled as they led him down a path that had obviously been walked many times before. It slanted downward into an open bowl in the landscape. He could hear a murmuring sound coming from a crowd. He could see a cage loaded with malnourished humans. They pointed at him, eyes wide with fear and disgust. He could understand their loathing. Before he became this monster, he was a large man and drew attention to himself because of his stature. Now he was a weapon of death and for the first time he realized what Gluben was doing with him.

Anger filled him first, then shame. Aleondra, please forgive me. He envisioned himself smashing these poor humans with his club hand or hacking them to peices with his axe. Now he knew where the blood came from. Terror gripped him, clutching his stomach like a steel claw. Was he prepared to die now? The fear pulled at his insides, making him more angry and determined to rid the world of these creatures that led him to this place. They did this to him. They made him into a beast. A tear slid down his cheek as the bonds of elemental air were released.