Sanguine Paradise

∼ Day 45 ∼

‹ Merilyn ›

Strolling through the streets, I can't help but have my face contort in disgust at the uncivilized and barbaric nature of this shithole of a city. Compared to back at Ebongrave, my birthplace, everything was much more structured and socialized compared to these streets filled with unevolved and unintelligent greenskins.

It almost brought me shame to see the pathetic nature of my kinsmen when they're outside the monster society. They become simple monsters; brutes and barbarians that live in their own filth. The chasm between integrated greenskins and those who live in tribes and ruined cities on the outskirts of the wastelands was truly beyond belief. It was to the point that even integrated greenskins themselves agreed with humans that these creatures are nothing more than monsters and animals.

It is only because my father recently had gone under financial pressure that we had deigned to lower ourselves to make business with these inferior greenskins. My family clan had never been anything big or glamorous in Ebongrave, only having one elder at the peak of the fourth tier in our entire clan, but we knew our way around the art of trade so we've made due the last past decades.

The reason I had accompanied my father in this excursion to the outer reaches of the wastelands was so I could expand my knowledge and experience of the world around me. Even though I was simply just an orc, I was a promising youth of the clan that could soon reach the fourth tier. If I ever kept growing and eclipsed even our elder, entering the fifth tier, I would be able to herald a new age for our clan.

We might even get to become a vassal for a lesser noble which would skyrocket our clan into the society of Ebongrave. But alas, it quite depressing just how low we are on the power structure of the city. We're barely even above peasants, and the higher tiers were like reaching for the stars.

Someone like the true nobles and royals were real monsters who could single-handedly turn over pitiful cities like these. I knew it was only a pipedream to believe that I could possibly ascend the hierarchy and maybe even marry into the legendary ranks of the nobles, but that was not to say that I didn't completely give up my dreams of reaching higher. So when Gellik, the fat and disgusting gremlin who had been making trade with my father, proposed marriage between me and him to father, I had become incensed.

That was why now I was currently stomping through the streets of Maldrak, in an obviously shitty mood. I was followed by my entourage of elite orc guards who all were very used to my temperamental personality and simply followed with blank faces, but the guide provided to me by the Gellik was thoroughly stuped and nervous as to what to do about my sour mood.

He had been told to show me around the city but was currently failing miserably in any attempts of communication or tempering my bad mood, so he could only follow with while throwing cautious glances and proposing a few destinations every now and then. But I couldn't be bothered with the diminutive gremlin guide and simply ignored the little creature.

While I disdained to look at the barbaric structures of the surroundings, which also had seemingly been infused with the foulest of odor into their very fabric, I couldn't help but have my gaze drawn to the behemoth slumbering in the heart of this ruined city. I was thoroughly impressed that these lower greenskins had yet to collapse and ruin the majestic structure, but I supposed that the colossal colosseum of the ancient empire would need a little more than merely a few centuries of greenskin occupation before it also would fall like the rest of the city.

Seeing that I was gazing upon the massive structure instead of paying attention to his attempts to guide, he grasped onto the opportunity like a drowning man on a sinking boat to a rescue rope.

"L-lady Hakra, are you perhaps interested in the Arena? Today, one of the fights should be with a new and upcoming fighter of Maldrak. W-we could go see the fight... t-that is i-if you're interested..." - Gimmel

Tearing my gaze from the majestic structure, I trained my gaze on the little creature for the first time since leaving the revolting Lord Gellik's domain. Under my piercing stare, the diminutive gremlin seemed even smaller and more pathetic than just mere moments before. A few silent seconds went by before I suddenly spoke.

"Alright, lead the way." - Me

Letting out a sigh of relief, the gremlin quickly scuttled over to take the lead while directing us in the direction of the colosseum. While I highly doubted that these lower greenskins had any competent fighters for entertainment, I honestly couldn't be bothered to walk these filthy streets any longer. And besides, I was getting quite bored now that I had cooled down.

Maybe this'll take my mind off things while I'm in this blasted city...

***

After acquiring a carriage, it didn't take long before we had arrived at the so-called "Arena" as the guide put it. Due to the fact that we were guests of Lord Gellik, we quickly got processed by the colosseum staff. We only had to wait less than an hour in our private room before we were notified that the fight we had come for was starting.

While the incessant clangor of greenskins hollering for blood and battle was excruciatingly annoying as it reverberated the entire structure itself, I couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement and desire for battle myself. I was an orc after all; battle and slaughter are in my blood.

Making our way to a platform that rose high over the normal spectators of the colosseum, I looked around in marvel at the grandiosity of the ancient structure. But I quickly spotted something that made my brows furrow.

"How come you've given us these shitty seats when there are eight other chambers with a lot better views?" - Me

Winching upon hearing my sharp words, the diminutive gremlin sputtered to find an answer.

"U-um, my lady, those are the personal seating areas for the warlords of Maldrak... -I'm afraid that won't be possible..." - Gimmel

Raising a confused brow, I give the annoying gremlin a staredown which only elicited his stature to become even more pitiful with the instinctual subservience innate to gremlins taking over.

"Isn't 'Lord' Gellik one these warlords? Why didn't you just give us his you daft git?" - Me

Noticing the rather pitiful state of the gremlin guide, I restrained some of my aura that had accidentally begun to leak out so that he could speak again.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry my lady, I simply don't have the a-authority to do so... I'm just an h-humble guide you see?" - Gimmel

Sitting down on my seat with a harrumph, I paid the gremlin no more attention. Suddenly the loud thump of a drum rang out to silence the unruly sea of greenskins spectators. Drawing my attention to the largest platform extension of the colosseum, I spotted an ogre sporting a comically large drumstick and a gremlin that held what looked to be an inscribed talisman from my guesses.

"The 10th and final fight of tonight is between one of Warlord Alakra's fighters and Lady Umbra's new rising fighter!"

The gremlin stopped, to let the crowd roar in excitement before calming them down once again.

"Now, now, I know this is very exciting. But who knows? We might have ourselves a baby champion on our hands..." - ???

Hearing this proclamation a cacophony of sneering jeers and mirthful laughter roared out from the crowd but at large portion was also filled with the distinctive sounds of bated excitement.

"We shall wait no longer! Let the fighters enter the stage!" - ???

From two opposing entrances, emerged two figures. The first fighter I laid my eyes on made me actually snort in contempt out loud as the bedraggled figure of some weird humanoid creature, that I had no idea was, slowly walked out of its respective corridor. This poor monster truly looked worse for wear.

An old but large and deep scar ran from its hip and all the way to its head, obviously also the cause of the missing eye that laid in the scar's path. But that wasn't the only one as dozens of other large scar-like wounds riddled that body of the humanoid monster. But most noticeably was the missing left arm, or at least most of the arm. Its arm only ended in a stump at the start of its forearm and down.

The bedraggled monster wasn't even outfitted in any armor or weapons, leaving me to think that this is simply a gutter kid that had managed to find its way into this colosseum rather than a fighter.

Was this seriously the best they could offer?

Gazing at the opposing side of the Arena, I spotted something that totally stuped me. An enormous Saurian with dark emerald green scales and a hulking figure that could come close to rivaling even that of an ogre. It had a simple but large metal chain mail vest covering its torso and some leather pants protecting its nethers. In its hand was a large halberd that fit the Saurian's enormous size.

Looking over to the gremlin, Gimmel, I asked in an incredulous tone.

"Well yeah -okay, that's quite the promising fighter, but why that hell have to put him to toe with that kid? Do you lower greenskins simply find slaughtering down weaker opponents good entertainments? Is this seriously the best you can offer?" - Me

I couldn't help but let some of my disdain for unsocialized and inferior greenskins seep through my voice as I accused the gremlin, which now looked thoroughly confused and terrified.

"T-the Saurian isn't the f-fighter I was t-talking about." - Gimmel

The gremlin's answer only befuddled even more, and I thought this shit stain of a greenskin was starting to make fun of me, so I geared up to teach the little fucker a lesson.

"What the fuck are you talking ab-?" - Me

"BEGIN!" - ???

I didn't manage to finish my sentence as I was drowned out by the gremlin on the large platform exclaiming into his speaker talisman. But I abruptly retrained my gaze on the fighters as a palpable aura saturated with killing intent caused the hairs on my back to stand on end by the sheer ferocity of its nature.

It was that little and bedraggled monster...

The Saurian and little monster suddenly both exploded into action, at speeds that left me baffled. Or actually, it was the bedraggled monster's speed that truly amazed me. It was almost like he was teleporting, appearing at one spot, only to disappear and appear at another spot even further ahead. The distance between both fighters was very great due to the sheer size of the colosseum, however, the distance was closed in mere seconds as the clang of metal suddenly rang out in all directions to reflect the colosseum walls.

I could only stare in shock. The Saurian had managed an astonishing feat by blocking the blindingly fast attack from the little monster with his halberd. But what truly shocked me, was the fact that the halberd actually broke under the strain, leaving the Saurian without a weapon other than the Saurians' notoriously sharp claws and strong tails.

Obvious panic was now portrayed in the Saurian's eyes as he now had to block the flurry of attacks that came from seemingly every angle due to the little monster constantly disappearing and reappearing all around the Saurian. I myself was no stranger to combat, so it wasn't hard to see that each and every attack made by the seemingly inconspicuous little monster was potentially lethal if hit by them.

The Saurian only managed to barely block and deflect the attacks while having to tank some of the attacks by twisting its body in favor of evading lethal attacks and turning them less deadly wounds than they would have otherwise become.

But the wounds were starting to accumulate, and to my surprise, it seemed that the Saurian was starting to turn sluggish and more animated, as if stiff. This might just look like the wounds taking their toll to the untrained eye, but I could clearly see that something else than the wounds was hampering the Saurian's movements.

Poison or paralysis?

Ever so slowly, the wounds kept increasing. By now, the fight had turned into what looked like a one-sided ravaging as the Saurian could barely move while the little monster was carving it up, bit by bit. It finally ended with the Saurian simply collapsing from either bloodloss or death. The crowd certainly didn't wait for a proclamation of the winner, as they all exploded into roars of cheers and bloodlust. But I could stare horrified at the terrifyingly powerful creature gouging into the creature, drinking or eating its fallen enemy.

W-what the fuck is this monster...?