by David Burke
“You really shouldn’t go out of your way to antagonize people like that,” Hilde said.
“You would rather that I had just agreed to serve her patron?” Kyle asked.
“No, nothing like that. She is clearly working for one of the churches. So, she absolutely can’t be trusted. But it is common for the gods to try to seize servants of another god for their own. Perhaps if you had bedded her, she would have been amenable.”
“I already told you about this. I’m not going to use women, or men for that matter. I’m going to build a team. And yeah, it’s not like a tumble with her wouldn’t have been fun, but I’m not looking for fun like that anymore. I know how I screwed up on Earth, and from what you have told me about Krig, he screwed up in much the same way here,” Kyle replied.
“So, you are swearing off sex?” Hilde’s tone held just enough panic in it that Kyle wanted to burst into laughter.
“Hardly, I just want it to mean something.”
A pause followed. He could tell that she wanted to ask him something, but he wasn’t gonna make it easy on her. She had already turned him down once. If they were going to have a relationship beyond allies, then she would have to make the next move. So, when she didn’t speak up, he asked, “You mean that she is serving one of the other gods?”
“No. Well, not directly. If she was, then I think you would be captured or dead. I think it is more likely that she is serving one of the churches and doesn’t know what you actually are, but thought that a war elemental would be a prize to claim,” Hilde said.
“And let me guess, likely Begaer. Whatever spell or skill she hit me with made my head foggy and little Kyle stand at attention like never before,” he replied.
She chuckled. “Little Kyle isn’t so little. Trust me as one who has been on the receiving end.”
There it was again. Fun. He was genuinely having fun with Hilde. She wasn’t even here in the flesh, but talking to her was just starting to become so natural. Oh well, she didn’t seem to see him the same way, so best not to dwell on it too much.
When he found the other gladiators, they were all in the cages. Kyle thought about it but decided he only wanted to discuss his plan once. So, he reached down and bent the bars wide on Gilthan’s cage. Then he called down, “Come up here, I need to talk to you.”
Without waiting, he went over and repeated the same process with Kierra’s cage. Neither of them needed any help from him to get out once the bars were bent. They both stared and Kierra was the first to speak. “You want us to escape with you?”
“Not exactly, but would you want to if the time came for that?” Kyle asked back.
Again, the lycan spoke first. “I would rather die than live in captivity, but I also won’t throw my life away on a fool’s errand.”
“I also would prefer to be free, but it isn’t that bad here. Of course, there is no way to know which noble house may end up buying us. With my luck, I will get sold to one of those rutting cows that wants to sit on my face rather than have me as a fighter,” the elf added.
“So, escape isn’t what is on my mind. What I want is to form a team and insist that whoever buys any of us, buys all of us. I’ve already seen both of you in action and believe that we would make a formidable team. Then if the time comes that we are no longer benefiting from being here, then we can work to escape. There are other cities in Verden, after all, or even the wilds,” Kyle said.
“And what do we have to gain by remaining slaves?” Kierra’s tone was tinged with suspicion and she even seemed to be sniffing the air.
“You must admit that Saber’s training has us getting much stronger. Hopefully if my plan works the right way, then we will get more training from an expert. Maybe even training for the team events, and that would let us learn to work together,” Kyle said.
“You are going to need to give us more than that. What makes you think that you can control anything about who buys us? And who is this expert trainer that you are talking about?” Gilthan asked. His tone was more blunt than suspicious.
“Look, some of this is going to require that you extend a little trust to me. Either I deliver or I can’t. But I was out here, and you all were still stuck in your cells. I’ve turned down an offer from Lady Sorengaard and left without her permission. Some people get shit done and others just watch. I am one of those people that gets stuff done, but I don’t wanna live this life alone. I want to form a team and I’m offering you the chance.
“As for who the expert trainer is, I have reason to believe that Lash will be the trainer and team captain for the new gladiator team that House Avarda is forming. They are new and so pretty much have to take what they can get. But I believe that I can convince them to buy all of us and keep us together as a team. And before you ask, no, I’m not gonna tell you why I believe I can do that, at least not yet. I just need to know if you are willing to work with me if I can deliver,” Kyle said.
“We would still need a fifth. I get why you think this would be a good team. And I will join in with you if you can make it happen,” Kierra said. Kyle noticed that her demeanor was still different; apparently beating her in the fight had shaken her confidence more than he had expected.
She refused to make eye contact with him when she spoke, even though she seemed to have no problem looking Gilthan in the face. Maybe it was because she liked the way he looked more. Kyle chuckled. Who knew what lycans found attractive? The odd thing, though, was how her tail would wag when he was speaking to her and the way that she kept inching closer to him and ended up rubbing up against him a few times. He just chalked it up to lycan customs.
“I was thinking of Skrug. He would be a great tank,” Kyle replied.
“Tank?” Gilthan asked.
“Yeah, the guy up front who takes all the hits. He keeps the enemy occupied so that you and Kierra and even Lash can do all the damage. Back home, we break the roles down into tank, DPS—which stands for damage per second—and healers. DPS is further broken down by ranged and close. I don’t wanna get into it too much, but I just think we have the parts for a good team. Both Skrug and I can take a hit, and both of us can heal up pretty fast on our own.” Kyle’s enthusiasm started to leak though in his words as he spoke faster and faster.
“I’m not sure that I trust the troll, but if you can get us all bought by House Arvada, then I will believe you can get things done. I do want to escape and as long as you present a viable plan, I will go along with it,” Gilthan said. Then he added, “But we will have to deal with these manacles.”
It wasn’t the unconditional team spirit that he was hoping for, but it was realistic, and Kyle couldn’t fault the elf for it. He simply replied, “I have a plan for dealing with those, but can’t spring it too soon.”
“I will follow you as long as you are the alpha,” Kierra said.
Once again, he was stuck by the impression that all women in Verden were crazy, but she would be a useful teammate and so he simply nodded. Apparently, that was the right thing to do, because she made a deep sound low in her throat, rubbed up against him, and then climbed back down into her cell.
“Okay, well, I have another meeting, so I’m off,” Kyle said and then headed out to look for Lash. Hopefully, she was still here at the coliseum.
Instead of finding the weapon maiden, he found Saber again. The man was bouncing off the walls nervous. “What the hell did you do to Lady Sorengaard? She is apparently fuming, and her brother is threatening to sell you to the deep mines rather than as a gladiator.”
“I didn’t lay a hand on her. Well, other than to take her hands off of me. Then I told her no. It wasn’t any big deal. Does she agree with her brother?” Kyle asked.
“No, that is the damnedest thing. She doesn’t want you to be punished at all, but still is biting off the head of any guard or slave that gets close to her. Oh, and was that you who bent the bars of the other cells?” Saber replied.
Kyle nodded. “I needed to speak t
o them, and it was too annoying to yell down through the bars.”
“Gods, you really don’t know what it means to be a slave, do you?”
“Look, I respect you and all the training that you have given me. So, I will be upfront with you. I’m only going to stay a slave as long as it serves my purposes. When I do decide it is time to leave, then there will only be two kinds of people. Those who are with me, and those who are against me. I appreciate what you have done for me. I hope you end up on the right side of that conflict.”
The trainer stared at Kyle for a minute, as though trying to determine if he was serious or not. Then he started to shake his head. “I don’t know what your future holds. I think you could be a champion of the arena, but I’m not gonna repeat a word of what you just said. I’d end up in just as much hot water as you would, just cause I listened to you. You are gonna learn that the noble houses are used to getting what they want.”
“Disappointment is a good teacher for the spoiled,” Kyle said before asking, “Do you know if Lash is still here? I need to speak to her.”
“She is with Lady Meeka, upstairs in one of the meeting rooms. Apparently after all the chaos tonight, Soren decided to try to sell all the slaves right away. It is going to cost a fortune to repair the coliseum, and the matches will likely have to be cut short by several weeks.
“Not only that, but the senate and the army are both investigating what happened here. No one has ever seen monsters like that. I have heard that even the church of Lige is going to be sending some Interrogators here to look into the matter,” Saber answered.
“All the more reason that I need to get out of here. So, can you direct me to where I can find Lash?”
“Fine, just don’t tell them I’m the one who told you where to find her,” Saber replied before giving the directions.
When Kyle got close to the conference room, the hallway became crowded with guards. There were guards wearing the insignia of each of the four primary houses that had been interested in the gladiators as well as from three other houses and House Sorengaard. Then there were also guards who had some symbol that he didn’t recognize but which Hilde informed him was of the city guard.
After the attack, it only made sense that they were on high alert. Most of the house guards were staying in clusters and they all glared at him as he moved closer to the door. When he actually got up there, a man from the city guard in a more ornate uniform than the others asked, “What is your business here?”
Matter-of-factly, he replied, “I am here to speak to Lash.”
The guards looked at one another and chuckled. “Oh, is that so? And what makes you think that Lash would want to speak to the likes of you?”
Kyle was instantly annoyed by their dismissive tone. That was only human nature after all. What was more worrisome, though, was the rage that swelled up within him. The part of him that was Krig was furious with the impudence of these mortals. His hand itched and Kyle could feel that his soul bonded weapon was ready to be called into action.
As he forced himself to take deep breaths, even the swell of emotion that was Krig calmed down. Not into a state of forgiveness, that part of Krig felt more like an understanding that one doesn’t get angry with ants for climbing onto your picnic lunch. It was who they were and what they did. It didn’t prevent you from squishing them, however.
“Kyle, you know, I’m all for you killing all of these disrespectful slugs, but are you sure you are ready to go there? It is what Krig would do, in fact he might just have swept in here and killed them all simply for filling up the hallway,” Hilde’s voice said.
She was right. He didn’t want to be controlled by that sort of sentiment. Of course, he also wasn’t going to put up with being talked to like this. It just didn’t feel proper, and he couldn’t shake that sense. So, the question was what constituted a proper measured response.
He started to pull his hand back from where he had intended to summon his weapon and another of the guards said, “I didn’t think so, slave.”
He saw red and before Kyle knew it, he had surged forward on muscles powered by War Essence and knocked the guard who had just mocked him out cold and slumped against the doorway with a thud. All around him weapons were drawn, and suddenly Kyle felt so alive. The rush of adrenaline made everything else in life pale in comparison.
Kyle was about to growl out a challenge and then release his Rage Burst despite the close quarters when the door opened. It was Lash. The question on her tongue about what was going on died down as soon as she saw Kyle surrounded by two dozen warriors with drawn weapons. She looked back over her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, I shall take care of it.”
Then she stepped out and shut the door behind her. She looked at the captain of the city guard contingent. “Captain, I advise you to have your men stand down.”
“We can’t do that,” he said through gritted teeth.
“At least explain to me what is happening here before blood is shed,” Lash said.
“This slave showed up insisting that he needed to see you. He is acting like he owns the place,” the city guard captain answered.
Lash seemed to suddenly exude an aura of menace. It was like she was ten feet tall and the personification of dread. The guard captain backed away. All around him, Kyle saw hands quavering. A few even dropped their blades. If he wasn’t mistaken, someone had just unclenched their bowels in a most spectacular fashion, based upon the smell.
Strangely, Kyle felt the aura wash over him. He knew that he was supposed to be scared like death was breathing on his neck, but for some reason it didn’t affect him. He did, however, smile as Lash spoke up, “Given that this slave is the reason that the monster was killed, I suggest you give him some leeway. And you sure as Dod’s darkest hell don’t want to fight him.”
“Uhh… yes… suppose you are right,” the captain said. It was probably an act of triumph that he was able to pull himself together well enough to answer in a complete sentence.
Lash then took Kyle’s arm and led him down the hallway until they were far enough away from both prying eyes and listening ears. Her skin against his created a weird sensation in him akin to a static electric shock but it was like a shock was going from him to her and then not returning back as it should have. It felt broken, but Kyle didn’t know why.
When she stopped walking, she turned on him, fury in her eyes. “What are you doing? You can’t just go around demanding things.” Then she walked away from him and began pacing back and forth.
“I just wanted to talk to you. I have a plan and wanted to make sure I could count on you,” Kyle replied.
She stopped her pacing and turned to look at him. “Count on me. Count on me? It’s me who can’t count on you. I don’t even know what to make of you. I don’t know what to believe. Your pet celestial says that it is you, and you feel sorta the same, but not quite.
“And if it is you, then where have you been? Why’d you abandon us? You swore to always look after us. There are just too many questions. I can’t believe it is really you.”
Kyle was used to girlfriends feeling betrayed by him not keeping a promise to meet them or call them or whatever commitment he failed to keep. At the time, it had always felt more important to practice a little longer, view a little more game film, or just sleep a little more so he would be ready for the next game.
This was just new to him because for once he hadn’t done anything to wrong the woman. Well, unless his prior incarnation’s actions could be counted against him. He decided not to worry about that. He had enough to be responsible for just considering his own actions.
“Full explanations are going to require trust. It is clear that you don’t trust me yet, which is fine, because I don’t trust you yet. Hilde says you can’t be trusted, but she can tend to be overprotective,” Kyle said.
“Hilde?”
“Yeah, the fire angel that I summoned. She said that she spoke to you,” Kyle replied.
“Oh, you mean Qua’ardet Flammaurorae,” Marie said more as a statement than a question.
“Yeah, that’s way too long of a name. I just call her Hilde,” Kyle said, grinning.
“You are so different,” Marie said as she shook her head.
“No time to get into that now. We need to get to know each other better. That is, if you have decided that you don’t want to kill me on sight now.”
Marie hesitated a moment before speaking, “You have to understand, this is a lot to take in.”
“Uh, trust me, I know. One minute I was on top of the world after winning the World Series, and the next I’m trying to figure out what it means to be the war god,” Kyle said, staring at her intently as he tried to read the reactions on her face.
“Only half the words you just said made any sense to me. I will make you a deal. I won’t try to kill you, but you promise to explain what is going on,” Marie said.
“Fair enough, as soon as I know that I can trust you,” Kyle said. Then paused before adding, “It would go a long way towards helping me trust you if you can get Meeka to buy myself, Kierra, and Gilthan as her gladiators and, unless you have a better idea, Skrug too, to round out the five-man team. Oh, and I will need her to buy one of the other slaves here, an elf called Nyda.”
Lash looked at him and laughed. “I can see some of him in you, but still don’t get this. Who else could stand there with four manacles on and still start giving commands? For what it is worth, Lady Meeka is already planning on buying all of you, if the price is right. But I don’t see why she would buy some slave just because you asked.”
“She has an unawakened bloodline in her that I believe we can awaken and that will make her very valuable. You need to get her to agree to this, or you will force my hand. I won’t leave anyone behind,” Kyle said.
“You are speaking to the one left behind by Krig—”
Kyle cut her off. “I’m not Krig. Or at least not entirely. You are either going to trust me or not. But I would think your curiosity alone would make you do as I ask.”
