《Otherworldly Gladiator: The Bone Pits of Ravenrok》


 Prologue: A Sea of Grey

    Prologue:


    It was hot. That was the first thing I noticed as I began to regain a vague semblance of consciousness. I was uncomfortable, it felt like I was lying on gravel or coarse sand¡­ Sand? Why is there sand? I should be in my room. WHY IS THERE SAND IN MY ROOM!?


    Confused and panicked I opened my eyes and scrambled to my feet. I looked around, expect- No, that¡¯s not right... praying to see the familiar pale green walls of my bedroom. There¡¯d be several posters from various anime and manga hanging on the walls, there¡¯d be a bokken and a shinai leaning against the far corner collecting dust, and desk with a computer set up next to the bed. When I opened my eyes what I saw was not the familiar sight of my room, but a vast sea of grey sand. The dunes rising and falling as far as the eye could see. This was not my home</a>. This was a desert. A grey desert?


    ¡°What the fuck is this?!¡± I mutter under my breath as a look all around me.


    Everywhere I looked it was just countless dunes of this strange grey sand. Where am I? How did I get here? What¡¯s going on? A million questions ran through my brain all at once as a horrible sense of dread and panic set in. Why the fuck am I here!? I can feel bile coming up my throat and fall to my knees gaging. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d have looked to others but surely, I must¡¯ve been white as a ghost and wild-eyed.


    I had somehow managed to keep the contents of my stomach down and after the nausea faded I had calmed to the point that I could somewhat take stock of my situation. It was hot, dry and my surroundings were barren, water would be an issue. Looking at the positioning of the sun I guessed that it was around mid morning, although, without a knowledge of which way was east and which way was west it could well be evening. Either way if this place is like other desserts that come to mind</a> exposure would be an issue. Actually, exposure was a most dire issue as I, after calming down, realized I was completely and utterly exposed. Not a shred of clothing covered my pale, yet somewhat toned, body.


    While being ¡°aux natural¡± in the middle of a dessert may be a desperate situation, I took solace in the fact that at least there wasn¡¯t anyone around to witness my shameful condition. They¡¯d probably think I was some sort of pervert or something! While the lack of would be victi- er¡­ witnesses was a godsend for my pride, it was quite possibly the greatest threat to my continued survival. I would need to find civilization if I wanted stay alive. If there was any that is... So, I needed a plan. A set of objectives. A goal. So far, the list was like this¡­If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    #1: Find Water.


    #2: Find People.


    #3: Figure out what the hell is going on.


    And finally, ¡­


    #4: Not Die.


    This was not going to be fun.


    After letting out a sigh, already exhausted by the thought of struggle to come, I turned my back to the sun and headed *west*. I didn¡¯t know for sure if it was west but It didn¡¯t really matter, it wasn¡¯t like I knew where I was to begin with.


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    I don¡¯t know how long I walked, hours no doubt. It seemed I was right about it being morning as the sun only climbed higher, bringing with it the temperature, as it rose. When I first woke up it was hot out, probably between 25-27 c¡ã. Now though it had to be around a blistering 38-40 c¡ã. The heat sapped my energy and seemed to boil off my bodies precious supply of fluids. My skin burned from the unrelenting sun and my feet blistered from the scorching sand and my lips dried up and cracked from the arid conditions. My head was pounding, feet bleeding, back screaming but all I could think about was how badly I wanted a cold drink and to be sitting in my nice, air-conditioned room away from this hellscape of grey sand and hot sun. All of a sudden, I felt the scorching heat and the abrasive graininess of the sand on my face. After a moments confusion I realized that I must have fallen.


    ¡°Well shit.¡± I thought. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even meet my most basic goals, huh?¡±


    I reflected on the last note on my little list of goals, silently laughing at my own pitifulness. * #4: Don¡¯t Die. * Something so basic and yet It seemed I would be failing on the first day. Memories of when I was fired in the first week of countless jobs came to mind</a>. It seemed no matter the situation, my ineptitude would always prevail.


    ¡°If only I could make water or pay rent with a sword.¡± I thought ¡°Maybe then I¡¯d¡¯ve accomplished something in life.¡±


    I let out a single, self deprecating chuckle and let darkness take me.

 Ch 1: the dawn of my life as a slave.

    I was awoken by the sound of something hard striking steel and the rattling of chains. I let out a weak groan and tilted my head towards the noise. My head was pounding, and the loud noise was like a spike being driven into my skull. I told myself that whoever was responsible would not escape unscathed for causing me such agony... Wait? Was somebody saying something?


    What I saw before me when I opened my eyes was something so beyond reason that I was certain I must have died. A man(?) with a barrel shaped body and arms like logs was kneeling over me, wrapped in light brown robes and holding what I recognized as a collar in his hands. This however was not the cause of my distress. No, the reason I was truly at a loss was no the man per say, but his face. It was not the face of a man but the face of a grey skinned pig with gnarled, protruding tusks and a thick brass ring dangling from its nose.


    The man, or rather the orc had put the collar around my neck and had locked it so that it could not be removed. The click of the lock was what snapped me out of my stupor and I feebly tried to resist him. The orc grabbed my face with his stubby fingers and held some sort of gourd up to my lips.


    ¡°Stupid pervert human, drink!¡± He said forcefully, still holding my face in his impossibly strong grip.


    Who¡¯s calling who a pervert! You fucking S&M loving, tacky-ass-jewelry-wearing, NYPD-ass-looking motherfu- oh¡­ I cursed in my mind until the moment water touched my lips and I remember just how desperately parched I am. Deciding to let constable pig-man live for now, I desperately gulp down the water. After a seemingly miniscule moment the orc pulled the water away.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°No more! Pervert human waste drink, pervert human die bad.¡± The orc growled as he shoved my face, stood up and gave me a sharp kick in the shins. I winced and looked at the water with desperate eyes, then glared at the orc with all the malice and hatred in the world.


    I changed my mind. As soon I get a chance I¡¯m turning this slaver cunt into bacon an giving its ugly severed head the David Camron treatment. Just as I was thinking up how I was going to defile the orcs corpse, it reached down and grabbed the collar around my neck dragging me towards what looked like a large cage on skies.


    ¡°Pervert human in cage or pervert human die bad!¡± the orc barked at me as he threw me towards the cage before walking over and unlocking the door.


    I looked up and weakly pushed myself towards the cage. The orc hunting could come later, right now if I want water I¡¯ve got to do what this orc says. And so, as I crawl up into the cage, I freeze yet again as I witness another impossible existence. Inside the cage are two Humanoid lizards, curled up to each-other in fear, wearing rags and the same collar as the one the orc put on me. My captor shoved me hard from behind sending me sprawling into the cage with the two-lizard people.


    ¡°Pervert human slave now! Pervert human do what told!¡± The orc growled, slamming the cage closed and locking it before turning away and walking towards a giant, feathered, camel like creature that appeared to be drawing the cage. I weakly kicked at the cage and slumped down against the bars.


    What the hell?! I get brought to another world and the fist thing to happen is almost die in the desert then get taken as a slave! Isn¡¯t this too unfair!


    I looked over at my scaly companions who were still huddled together looking at me with a mix of fear and confusion.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not the only unlucky bastard in this shithole.¡± I mutter as the cage/sled begins moving. Looks like I¡¯m in for some hard times. So, I close my eyes and wait for sleep to take me once again.