Author's Note: Hello Everyone! Notos/JDRotheos here! I have tried writing two stories in here before but I could not go over my plot outline well when I did years ago. It took me years but I am back and ready to write. This story is a story I have made a rough sketch and tried to publish here before called "Chords of Providence" but I think that's been deleted (maybe) but this is the final form, a compelling story that I hope everyone will enjoy!
PROLOGUE
The girl looked at the dark cerulean sky as it was dyed golden by the rising sun. The glistening stars fading away as the chilling wind brushed over her body. The whistling haunts and breeze of dawn illuminated by the warmth of those golden rays.
“How long has it been since I’ve seen this color?”
The girl murmured as her eyes gazed at the golden hues over the sky. A truly magnificent scenery. A happening that signifies the start of another day. Another day of life. Another day of hope.
“Even though I should be rejoicing, why do I regret within my heart?”
She asked herself as she tried to push her body up. The weight of the earth which had pulled her back down seemed to want to embrace her further. Yet, she knew deep down, it was time to rise and leave.
“What was I fighting for until now? What was the meaning of my battles? What was I….”
As her voice trailed off, she felt an aching stab within her chest. She remembered now, the promise she made back then, that was what kept her feet from stopping. That was what kept her body from giving up.
Because of that promise she kept moving forward.
17th Sun of the Month of the Flame, 557 After Divine (AD)
"Death!! Death to the Forsakened!!"
A bustling crowd roared within the ancient amphitheatre of the City of Ridgeford. The crowd stood and raised their fists punching into the air as they echoed a resounding cheer of praise and profanity. Those who sat on the upper to middle deck were dressed in long robes, some looked ragged or dirty yet some a bit refined. Contrasting to them, those who sat on the lower deck divided from the middle by a barbed fence were people dressed in a much finer clothing. As their appearance differed and so too were their cheers and jeers.
"Sir William! Sir Willaim! Sir William!"
That name was echoed by the crowd as they watched a man covered with gray armor decorated by spikes and crimson embroidery. He wore no helm to cover his face and so one could see the dashing look which sported a handsome stubble. His age was no more than his late twenty's but his demeanor would think he was early on.
"Kill it Sir William! Kill it! Kill that vile beast!"
A man sitting on a golden chair embellished with glistening floral designs stood up as he threw a pouce towards the armored man. The man, William, caught it and flashed a menacing grin.
"My gratitude Lord Julian!"
He nodded at the man who gave him favor. That man was wrapped on a crimson scarf across his chest but wore a much more refined clothing which seemed like a uniform designed with golden linings. That uniform, which William had recognized, belong only to the Noble Houses that had positions within the Order. To be favored by such a man, William felt pride, and so he unhesitantly turned his gaze to the other "being" within the arena who lay half-dead on the ground.
"Basta....ds!!! Kill.....kill!!!"
That "being" was a purpled skin creature that appeared human in form. However, those short horns and silver hair combined with that purplish skin color, one would not think of "being" as human.
"I commend you for surviving the wounds I have given you. Of course, I needed to put up a good show for these lovely people and the Lord Julian whom have graced our combat with glory and honor!"
William raised both of his hands as he beckoned the crowd to roar arousing them.
"Honor? Blah!"
The purple skinned creature spat on the ground as he tried to raise his body attempting to come back into this fight. However, William did not allow him. The moment he even moved a muscle after spitting a leg came crashing to his back.
"The Creed of the Knights have said on Article 35, those who spat on honor deserve their tongue cut, do you people agree!?"
"YES! YES! CUT THAT BEAST'S TONGUE!"
Smiling at the crowd's answer, William raised his hand and placed it on that purple creature's mouth. His hand was covered with his spiked gauntlets which impaled the creature's lips while he pulled from behind his mouth hoping get rid of its tongue. But the creature fought back as it attempted to chew off the armored hand.
Unfortuantely, that creature's teeth weren't as sharp as swords.
"Hdafsshasagaaa!!!! Hrrraaaaa!!!!"
The creature squirmed and cried as William pulled off its mouth. Slowly, a crackling sound could be heard. At this moment on, the crowd went quiet. The only sound one could hear was the sound of bone and teeth being crushed by that gauntlet. Blood spewed all over the floor and it didn't take long until a slimy flesh was taken from that creature's mouth.
"People of Ridgeford! I have punished this vile beast who spat on the Creed of the Knights! Of our Holy Order!"
William raised his hand which held the tongue of the purple skinned creature. The crowd roared and cheered in response shaking the entire arena. Glancing on the half-dead creature trying to squirm his way off the arena, William rolled his eyes in contempt as he held his hand up and shouted, "God of Justice, give my thy whip of Judgment!"
White light manifested on William's hand which materialized into a silver whip that had metallic edges.
"Wow! Sir William has summoned his <
The crowd cheered in joy. This was the first time they've seen it in person. It was worth paying that much of gold to watch a knight punish the forsakened beasts of Etzayim. They hoped that they would be blessed in seeing it in fight but seeing as how the man had simply outmuscled and outskilled the opponent without using any significant weapons they felt they would not get the chance.
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Seeing that silver whip manifesting, the purple creature cried and wimpered even louder as he squirmed even faster than ever. The crowd laughed and mocked that being in response. They wanted to see how powerful and menacing an <
"You have shamed the gods for your pathetic strength and cowardince and above all shamed the Human Race for your disrespect. Your very existence is a mistake, Spirit Race! With the God of Judgment's permission, my <
William brought down his silver whip and lashed it on that purple creature. The whip went ablaze and scorched the purple creatured. A menacing cry of pain echoed but it was mostly overshadowed by the sound of burning flesh as a pillar of flames rose from the earth and impaling the sky.
The crowd was silenced by that spectacle. They never thought it would be this...
"Magestic! Truly Majestic!"
Lord Julian once again stood from his seat and praised Sir William as he clapped his hands. His action woke the crowd from their stunned figures and followed with their own roar of cheers! This was a Knight, one which possessed an instrument of the gods!
"Sir William! Sir William!...."
The cheering echoed all over the arena. It was so loud that it even pierced through the earth and into the underground sections. From within could see several cages containing chained humanoid creatures with varying features. One had green skin and sharp ears. One had two horns and furry body but appeared close to a human if not for those. One had a short stature with a long beard but his muscular physique truly dwarfed his size. They were several of them all locked in these cages.
But from far on a corner was a small figured chained on its leg.
She had a fair skin with lilac hair. She had no inhumane features that were present from the other inhabitans of the cages. Yet this girl was caged like the rest of them.
Startled by the echoes from above, she moved her head looking up. One could see that within the small split from her long hair was a face unnaturally disfigured. Crooked nose, scaly cheeks, no eyebrows and bloody-red irises which was disproportionate in size compared to the other eye.
"...What happened?"
She weakly mumbled as she hugged her legs while unconsciously pushing her body even furhter into the wall. Some of the inhabitants of the cages noticed her move but paid her no mind except for the dwarf that was chained in cage just a few feet beside her.
"That incubus perished. Crowd saw him spectaculary turn into a bloody mess. Not surprising considering how eye-catchy he was. Those humans probably thought he was a blueberry mash right about now!"
The dwarf spitefully answered as he yanked his chains as he spoke.
"You don't need to belittle the dead, little devil."
A dark skinned man with sharp ears addressed the dwarf. He was chained right beside him and he was leaning on the cage's railings.
"So Lurak is dead?"
The girl murmured as her lifeless eyes moistured. That purple skinned creature, an incubus, was chained with her within this cage. He was already here when she was brought into the arena and had been her company for three days now.
"You will get used to it. Captives die and go in this place. Heh, I wouldn't be surprised if I am next considering how long I have been here."
The dwarf chiden the girl with apathy. He didn't care much about her emotion but it would not be good if the prisoners here would just be fodders outside, at least, that's what he believed in.
"You are truly a rotten little devil, aren't you, dwarf," the man that had horns said as he was sitting with his legs squatting on the floor, "hey girl, what's your name? You've been here for a few days and you barely talked."
The girl was startled by the horned man's question. She was extremely frightful and anxious of everyone in this place. The only person that had been gentle with her was Lurak, who was the dead purple creature in the arena. Although she heard some warnings from some of the captives on the other cage, who perished yesterday, she sincerely though Lurak was a nice person....at least.
Seeing as the girl was hesitant in answering, the man with horns waved his hand signalling that she didn't need to reply.
"You are scaring the little girl Toros. Look at her. She's probably thirteen or something, probably never had a boy in her life...well considering her face that is."
A sarcastic yet seductive voice echoed on the cage beside the horned man, Toros. Upon hearing that voice, Toros simply scoffed.
"I am surprise you have yet to be sold."
"That's impossible. No human would want to bed me unless they'd want to have their lives drained to death with ecstasy."
This exchange caught the little girl's attention as she turned her head to the source of that seductive voice. She had a long crimson hair with a slim figure that could catch any man's eyes. However, a tail hang from her butt and a wing could be seen sprouting from her back. There was one on the other side but it appeared broken and only a bone was left of its original form.
"Hey little girl, I am Aysha, a succubus. Yours?"
The little girl was silence and was still afraid of interacting with these creatures within the cages. She had never seen them before and only heard of them from stories from old people and merchants in the streets and alleys of where she came from. She thought that seeing one would probably relief of her from her cursed and hideous face as she would feel human compared to them, yet now as she was among them, she felt that the curses thrown at her by those people had been deservingly equal.
"Do you detest us?"
A question startled her from her absentminded state. She turned her eyes onto the succubus again who was holding the railings of the cage as the latter also stared at her.
Does she detest these creatures?
She heard stories of them and she was afraid, as people were raised to be, after all they were humans.
"We heard stories."
"Oh, stories? About us? About the Spirit Race?"
The girl weakly nodded as she tried to evade the succubus' peering eyes.
"Haha, that is funny little girl. Weren't they afraid of you too? No, I should ask you that question. Did they detest you?"
The girl's eyes widened as the succubus' question struck her heart like a knife. Did she detest the Spirit Race that were caged with her? Shouldn't she be asking herself why the humans detested her?
Wasn't she also human?
Why?
Why?
"Hey little girl, let me tell you something. You smell like---"
Before the succubus could finish her words, a banging sound echoed and the metallic door that sealed the jail was sprung open. A plump man dressed in robes slowly walked in as clanking sounds could be heard from the keys which hanged from his waist.
The inhabitants of the cage went quiet but only fired killing glares at that plump man. If eyes could kill they said, however, before there would be prisoners that cursed and tried to pull themselves off the chains to strangle this man yet all learned. All learned the cost of doing so.
And so that man, with contempt shown in his face as he looked around the caged figures, walked proudly. It didn't take him long to realize he had found what he was looking for.
He was currently staring at that little girl whom he had received not so long ago. She was thin and weak and definitely could not fight in the arena. She was ugly and disgusting so she had no use for brothels. She had no value at all.
But someone told him that this girl could be raised and groomed. And so he came here to fetch her. This prisoner who was detested and sold for only a few copper coins, what a ripoff, he screamed on his heart.
The girl noticed him too and fear was seen in her eyes as she tried to run away. But the chains which bound her stopped her from moving even further.
"Prisoner number 25. Lucielle of Village Arto. "Ugly". Hmp, you are useless. I would have fed you to the dogs if I were in charge. But apparently, you have your use."
The girl whose name was Lucielle despaired as she heard the plump man's mocking voice.
"Oh that despaired face looked so enticing, if not for that ugly face. Rejoice as I would not turn you into nourishment to my dogs but hell is waiting for you. Kufufhahahahahah!!!"
The plump man laughed as he unlocked the chains and pulled Lucielle off from the chains. Although the man was unfit, the girl was simply too weak, so it made it easy for him to simply hold the girl through her hair.
"Hell is waiting for you girl. Don't disappoint me or I will dispose you myself."
Upon hearing those words, Lucielle's face froze.
Why was she detested? Why was she here? Why was she to meet Hell or be disposed?
She tried to struggle free and kick the pulmp man off. Irriated by this, the plump man slammed his fist onto Lucielle's head, knocking her out.
"Dirty swine."
As Lucielle slowly lost consciousness, she kept asking herself why was she born with such a cursed face. Why was she hated? Why was she placed into these cages?
Why was she experiencing this brutality?
Was this what the gods made her destiny to be?
In this Arena of Tragedy, Lucielle who wished only answers to her question, remembered the cause of her despair.