…The day Scott left Ford…
"Do you really think that was a good idea? He's already improved so much in the time you've trained him. How much more will it take?".
"Issola, we've already been over this".
"No, you know he's already lost his father. That might've not been something he could've changed, but this is. You're gonna ruin him".
"It's better this way".
"You're running away".
"So what if I am? Is it so wrong for me to want him to have a normal life?".
"But why does that mean you can't be a part of it? Can we not stay with him, help him through that?".
"He can't be normal, not when I'm around".
"And why is that?".
"Cuz I'm a fucking Greyrat alright, I'm a Greyrat".
"You haven't changed at all".
"I thought you'd gotten stronger since Ford came along. You're still stuck in the same well you started in".
...
Scott slammed the door behind him as he exited the room.
He walked past street and alley, before finally coming to a halt in front of a large brick wall.
Pushing one of the random bricks, a little click sound escaped from behind. Gears and gizmos began to move as the wall of bricks swung open like a door. A man sat in the corner, put down his newspaper, "You're here again".
...
"Identification".
Scott slipped him a small piece of paper.
"Everything seems to be in order, I'm sure you will be surprised by who's here today".
Scott didn't pay any heed to the man's words.
No matter who it is, his job was the same. Kill, plunder, loot...
"Scott Greyrat, the man of the hour", a blonde haired man in grand, golden robes greeted Scott as he had entered the room.
Scott gave a nod of acknowledgement.
"Not much of a talker, just as I've heard".
"I prefer to stay open with only those I trust"
"Hmm, yes indeed. Now, I'd love to keep up this chit-chat however... we do not have time", he clapped his hands together.
"Why have you come here personally, hero".
His smirk dropped into a frown.
"The werewolves have been greedy, just as they have always been. The emperor grows tired of their shenanigans. And yet within this unrest, the nobles should be willing to give up their full support, but they're unwilling", he picked up an apple from the table. "Cowardly, so cowardly~ I sometimes wonder where they get their haughtiness from... Dean Castellan, make an example out of him".
"It is as 'he' wishes", Scott lowered his head slightly.
"Make a show out of it, will you? surprise me, his family seems quite sweet as well".
Scott's face grew darker.
"May God's grace be with you, Dakhem".
"Dakhem", Scott spoke as he left for the door.
The hero crushed the apple in his hand, licking the juices that ran down his arm.
*creek*
The door shut.
- - - - -
A large mountain stood in front of us, the carriage had by this point, almost broken in half. The rough terrain had left the wheels broken, or off entirely on more than one occasion. But that didn't matter. Nothing mattered after this point, inside the colosseum, it was either us or them.
The light suddenly vanished, as if we had entered the darkness itself. Blue torches lit within moments illuminating themselves as if knowing we were there. The pathway to the inside had now brightened up. It was also the first time I had seen magic. Although the store had certain devices that could only be explained by magic, they certainly weren't as dramatic as the blue flames.
"Here we are, the colosseum", Agaroth grumbled.
"Identification?".
- - - - -
We were led into a different direction than where I assumed the arena to be.
A large cavern showed itself and before long, I noticed buildings carved into the mountain's side.
"Lodging is to the left, bathrooms are too the right, the cafeteria is in the next building".
"Fork, no matter who talks to you from this point on, you cannot trust them, the battle begins now".
"Even the guy who told us where everything is?", I joked.
"Even him".
A loud shrieking scream came from the right side.
I immediately lodged a mental note in my mind. I wasn't going to die before the fight even began.
"Let's move to the left".
"Didn't you say we can't trust anyone".
"We have Karaf, he's good with traps".
Karaf immediately took the lead. It was as if he had the ADHD of a puppy when he moved, checking our path, but in some way or another we made it to the beds.
The room was small, a bunk bed stood on either side, a drawer in the middle. A much smaller bed sat in the left corner.
"Freya".
"There's poison".
"Throw out the sheets".
"The mattresses are laced with it as well".
"Throw out the mattresses".
"The drawers are—".
"Throw them out".
"No they're good".
"Keep the drawers then".
It was so dangerous, it felt almost comedic. But, my back was already aching before I even lied down.
"Well then, you guys sleep first, we'll go in the order Me, Karaf, Fork, Viktor, Freya", Agaroth added.
"What for?"
"You don't think we're actually going to be able to get a full night's sleep?", Freya scoffed at me.
"What?".
"We'll most likely be attacked tonight", Karaf explained.
"Huh?"
"I hope the sleep you got in that cage was enough", Freya snickered.
I re-enacted the motion of her throwing up.
I got punched in the stomach, I lost consciousness.
"Well then, he's out now. Best we get what sleep we can".
- - - - -
"Fork, wake up".
[Worthless]
[Worthless]
[Worthless]
"Mmmm".
He flicked my forehead, jolting me awake.
"It's your turn", he threw me a pocket watch. "Wake Viktor up in 2 hours".
"Right".
"Fork...".
"Hm?".
"Don't let the past control you".
It seemed he could tell I was having a nightmare.
"Thanks—".
The door creaked open.
We were both immediately put on edge. I slowly reached for my sword.
A boot stepped inside. Karaf by this point was close to the door. Noticing his initiative, I acted as though I were still asleep.
"Ohoho, still sleeping like babies?", she whispered. "Newbies".
Karaf waited till she was a few steps inside. Finally, he stabbed her in the back. Or at least, that's what should have happened. A swift turn, the woman had barely blocked the attack as it grazed her side.
"Dogs!".
She shouted before I could close in a finish her off.
I went to wake up Agaroth while Karaf woke Freya. It seemed Viktor had already awoken from her scream.
The window to our room, shattered wide as a man came in on a rope.
Viktor took the initiative this time, trying to kill the man before he readied his weapon. Although it was blocked, the man was still flung against the bed frame, shattering it.
"There's another 3 coming through the hallway!".
Slash after slash, we duelled inside this small bedroom. Agaroth was simply too massive to take part and so he kept his attention on the window.
Freya flung one of them into the heap of sheets and mattresses outside. It was slow at first, before the poison expanded his veins, causing them to burst open.
It seemed by this point the entire floor had awoken as fights between other groups had begun. A stray warrior had thrust his sword towards Karaf who swiftly moved out of danger, kicking the man onto a random set of floorboards that, at the moment of contact, had broken completely, sending the man down to a metal spike which impaled him.
The stench of iron along with the crimson liquid that accompanied it, stained the hallways completely. By the end of it, only a few groups remained and they were too tired to fight any longer. In this way, a temporary truce had been formed, allowing us to sleep the rest of the night.