Chapter 50: Sore Hands

When I do lay my eyes on Xael I’m surprised to find both he and the Sky Blessed are still in the fight. Though calling it a fight was a little generous. Does a mouse fight a cat when it's being battered back and forth between the predator’s paws?

I don’t think it's out of cruelty so much that if Xael feels like he has someone overmatched he tries to give them plenty of opportunity to surrender.

That isn’t how it looks though and I’m confident all the crowd sees is an arrogant human systematically tearing his enemy apart from the extremities inward. It isn’t just how much faster Xael is than the Sky Blessed. I can see now that he really is only a little bit quicker than Corlin. It isn’t even his sense of timing which while good is worse than mine. What truly gives Xael the edge is his sheer vocabulary of attacks. If you make a move, he has some perfectly tailored answer to it. On the rare occasion, he doesn’t the human boy will dance back out of the way, before surging right back into range.

I am a little hesitant to come charging over to the boy’s aid after what happened last time. I don’t need to worry about it, the Sky Blessed tries to pull his airwalk trick one last time and Xael doesn’t so much attack him as places his sword in the right spot and lets the boy disembowel himself.

I snort as I stroll over to celebrate with the dark-haired boy. Corlin is a valuable slave and I figure they will put him back together again, but really made a mess of the kid. The foreign boy waves to the crowd and offers me a wide grin as the serviles stretcher the other two off to be treated…or let die depending on how cheap their owners are feeling.

Leaning in close, Xael speaks. “ This is where you should have asked me, idiot. Yeah, It was me, my sister and I got the kids out, don’t ask where I won't say. “ I gape at the skinny boy for a few heartbeats then nod. Gods above and below he's a genius! Literally, not one person can hear us over the roar of the crowd, and that is with him practically screaming in my ear.

“But you are selling them to someone kind right?” I’ve heard rumors about other cities where slaves are treated a lot better, so I’m hoping it is someone sorta famous for that.

He manages to keep the grin on his face, but the sheer darkness that enters Xael’s eyes has me convinced for a moment that he is going to hit me.

“They aren’t being sold!” He lets out a string of what are probably curses in his native language.

“We are freeing them. They are on their way to a city-state where slavery is illegal.”

For a moment my heart soars as I consider the potential for my own freedom. Faster than it rose that elation comes crashing back down as I remember I can’t ever escape. There is only one path to freedom for me, and it will never be a daring breakout. Not while there is a Forspoken stone inside me.

Still, it is nice to know that if they can make it, and that remains a big if I’m sure. The kids will be free…free. The word makes my mind buzz in a strange way. One part longing, one part utter terror.

I’m not sure exactly how long I stand there stunned, but it’s long enough that he reminds me we need to leave the pit floor.

“Oh uhh, right,” I grunt. “ Just next time, if there is a next time I want to help.”

I can only see the human boy out of the corner of my eye as we walk towards the stairs that will take us back to the viewing cage area. Yet I am certain that his smile changes my words into something more genuine.

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“I’ll see what I can do.”

To my surprise, Gori not only survives the night but manages to regain consciousness not long after I finish my morning run the next day. I think he might be ruined for the pits though. The antlered boy has always been big, but he lacks a killing instinct; That ability to leave your consciouss outside the pit and inflict potentially lethal harm without hesitation.

I think it’s already too late to undo the damage done to the boy, not that It seems very likely that BloodRock will pay to repair the very damage he inflicted. Not for a pitter who loses almost as much as he wins.

Over the last couple of days, some of the boys have been taking care of the comatose Gori, forcing water and broth down his throat. They gather around him chattering now that he’s awake. I give them a little bit of time with him, only enough for me to slowly walk over to the water barrel and drink a little. Then drink a little more, then a little more then my patience cracks and I stomp over to scatter the group with a roar.

“Subtle as always.” Jokes Gori weakly.

I shrug and ask him how he’s feeling. Apparently, his hands hurt, which I suppose isn’t really much of a surprise.

“You look kinda dangerous with the broken antlers at least,” I say with a forced smile.

He laughs but it is just as forced as my smile, and I can see the question in his eyes. Growling at one boy he wondered a little too close I eventually lean in and whisper to him.

“Xael got your message, kids got out.”

“Thank you” He whispers back. After that we fake a little bit of small talk before I let him get his rest, stalking off to meet Kalon and Xael for our morning drills.

The blonde is twitchy and excitable the entire session, to the point where I get annoyed enough to ask him what on the seven worlds is going on? Kalon grins at both of us when he answers.

“My match tonight. It's her.”

Instantly both Xael and I are giving him our full attention. There is no question who he means, there are only two girls left in the tournament and I know he doesn’t mean the barbarian girl that Velorn doesn’t let fight.

We have questions for him, how could we not? Though the truth is they all boil down to just one. ‘Are you prepared?’ The human boy assures us that he and Tota have been working on a plan for this match since the tournament began, yes he’s scared but more than that he is excited to see if their scheme can actually beat her. Not that he will tell us what that plan actually is no matter how bad we try to cajole him.

I hate to admit it, so I don’t to anyone but myself. I am worried about Kalon and Tota. When you lose to a flame witch it isn’t like you just get hurt. She is going to be sending intense fire that obeys her every whim at them. With a little bit of bad luck, either of the boys could end up hurt so bad no one even tries to save them.

Still, Kalon’s smile is infectious and I find my worries receding as we train. He has graduated from someone who needed three others including my only real rival in the compound to face me. To a legitimate challenge, who can switch between a version of Xael’s in-and-out dance to a copy of my own preferred defense as attack strategy. He isn’t anywhere near as good as either of us at it, but the flexibility makes him dangerous.

Maybe that's what they plan to do? Overwhelm the Itti’atti girl and her huge partner with sheer versatility? I’ve heard of worse plans…I’ve used worse plans. Whatever it is Tota and Kalon are planning to do, it had better be a fast-acting plan. Both that girl and Klash have the potential to end any fight at any moment. Against that kind of destructive force, you do not have the luxury of a plan that drags out. It is kind of unintuitive honestly, with a foe that dangerous you need to be less conservative as time is absolutely on their side over yours.

These are the thoughts that plague me almost the entire day as my anxiety on behalf of my friends ebbs and flows.

I throw myself into training with intense fervor to keep the intrusive thoughts away and I manage to consume my day with accuracy drills and strength training. I end up so focused on everything but Kalon and Tota’s match that I’m actually surprised when the afternoon rolls around and Muraab collects the group headed for the arena.