《Benjamin's Account of Adventures》 Chapter 1: Benjamin and the Bull Episode 1: Benjamin and the Bull Krriiiing¡­. Kriiiinnnng¡­. ¡°Is it morning already?¡± I yawned as I looked at the alarm clock. It was already 7:30 a.m. ¡°Shit! I¡¯m late again!¡± I quickly got out of the bed and switched off the alarm clock. I rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I remembered that I was warned twice by my boss for being late twice and the second one was already my last chance. My boss told me that if I wanted to keep my position as an accountant for Kepper Corp., I have to come to work on time. ¡°Oh god¡­¡± I muttered to myself as I turned on the shower. While I was rinsing my hair, the water suddenly stopped. I turned off the shower and turned it on again. ¡°What the fuck!!¡± I screamed as I tried to ¡®fix¡¯ the shower by turning it on and off again and again. My hair still has some lather from the shampoo but I could not rinse it completely. Well, the shower''s not to blame nor the landlord. It was me who picked this damned apartment. Although the neighborhood has a questionable reputation and the guy next door fucks his girlfriend like there''s no tomorrow, the rent was cheap. You see, I once lived in a nice and comfortable apartment but in my case, I chose to live in a cheap apartment. Why? Shit happened. "Ahhhhh!!! Ahhhhhhhh!" Scratch that; Shit happens. It happens every midnight and morning. Okay, you might think that someone was screaming but actually, this was the girlfriend of the guy who lives next door. When the guy moved into this apartment a month ago, it became a daily habit to bring his girlfriend and have an all-you-can-fuck buffet in his room. They would fuck night and day like horses in heat. The girl''s moan or should I say squeal was clearly an overreaction. I bet that girl always do that to every guy she fucked. I couldn''t sleep at night and trust me, I tried to do something about it. I asked him and his girlfriend to at least make their love sessions quiet especially at night but the guy told me to "Fuck off..." while giving me the finger. If there''s only a legal and direct way to murder someone, the world would be a happier place. Cursing myself for oversleeping, I quickly get dressed and went to work. Unfortunately, this time in the morning is a rush hour. Heavy traffic and congested roads were to be expected. Even if one takes the train, there will be a long line for a ticket. I had no choice but to take the train as taking a bus would take me forever to arrive at the office. As I boarded the train, I tried to calm myself and think of an excuse. ¡®Calm down¡­ Calm down. Try to think a good excuse.¡¯ I enumerated all excuses I had ever made whenever I was late. Of course, heavy traffic was not a good excuse since I could have gone earlier to avoid the rush hour. I knew that because I already tried that excuse when I was late for the first time. In the end, I arrived at the station and had to get off the train. Perhaps it would be better if I tell her the truth. I¡¯d say I overslept and I have no valid excuse for being late. No wait¡­ I think it¡¯s a bad idea. Having no excuses for being late, I ran to the office building and I was greeted by a guard. ¡°Good morning, Ben. Late again?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I looked down as I swiped his time card. ¡°Miss Hopkins called from the 10th floor. She asked me to tell you to come and see her when you arrive.¡± The guard smirked. ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ben replied. Well shit... I don''t know what the smirk was for but that guard was starting to piss me off. You see, the problem with some people was that they like to snoop with other people''s lives. This particular guard always asked me questions like: How''s my family? What''s the news? Do I eat right? Do I have a girlfriend? I mean what the hell? It''s not like he''s my best friend or something. I don''t even talk to him much but still it seems like he''s getting close to me or something. Is he gay? This is why I don''t like socializing with other people. Maybe this is the reason why I don''t have that many friends. I shrugged off the idea and went to the elevator and pressed the button to take me to the 10th floor. Once the door closed, I clasped my hands together and prayed. ¡®God, don¡¯t let me get fired! If I ever get fired, please end the world.¡¯ Of course, I did not truly wish to end the world. I sighed heavily as the elevator stopped and the door opened. I was already on the 10th floor. My co-workers were staring at me. Truly, I''m already done. I saw their faces and I can tell that they pity me. I knocked on the door of Leah¡¯s office. ¡°Come in¡­¡± I came in and closed the door. ¡°Ah, Benjamin Cruz¡­¡± A young woman said. I gulped as I saw her smiling face. Although she¡¯s smiling, her eyes were not. It was filled with rage if not annoyance. For me, Leah Hopkins was one of the prettiest women I ever met. Fair and flawless skin, heart shaped face with a long black hair. What I liked about her was her body, slim built and the size of her breast was just right for my taste. I estimated it¡¯s a C. ¡°I thought we had an agreement. You promised that you¡¯ll come to work on time.¡± I couldn¡¯t reply. Not because I was out of excuse but because of her beauty, it always stunned me whenever I see her. I couldn¡¯t even look at the young beauty in my eyes. I''m two years older than her and she¡¯s definitely more intelligent than she looks and gained her position as the vice president of finance department at 26 years old. She holds her position for almost a year now. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Impatiently waiting for a reply, she asked another question. ¡°What¡¯s your excuse this time?¡± I shrugged and gave myself a mental slap. ¡°I overslept and I don¡¯t have a valid excuse to give¡­¡± I said in defeat. She looked surprised with my answer. I don''t know why. Perhaps, it was a good idea to tell the truth after all. Am I off the hook? I hope so. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a week to properly turnover your work to Julie.¡± Alright, perhaps it was a bad idea. Wait... Maybe I''m hearing it wrong. ¡°Talk to Marcy about your separation pay.¡± Nope, I heard it right. I was fired goddamn it! I left her office with a nod. I didn''t expect that she would fire me just like that. I spent seven years of my life in this company and all I got was an increase in salary with no promotion in all those years and they just fired me like I was nothing. I went straight to the restroom in order to clear my head. ¡®What now?¡¯ I thought to myself. I hated job hunting and Kepper Corp. was probably the best company I could ever wished to work for. I opened a cubicle and sat on the toilet. I remembered that I didn¡¯t take a proper shit this morning and it has to be done. I closed my eyes and wished it was just a bad dream. As I flushed the toilet, the lights began to flicker. It''s not like I''m afraid of the dark or something. I''m just uncomfortable in the dark and especially when it''s dark and tight space, that''s all. I don''t believe in horror stories like a ghost in a restroom. I don''t believe in ghost at all. It''s all complete bullshit if you ask me. Finally, the lights gave out and it was dark. Alright I admit, I''m freaking out. I am afraid of the dark. The earth began to shake violently and now, I''m totally freaking out. If my legs got its own mind, it would say: "Adios!" The first thing that came into my mind was the building evacuation plan. No one took the lessons and the drill seriously as I did. They all laughed at me whenever there was a drill, whether it''s a fire or earthquake drill, I always took it seriously because I believed that practice makes perfect. When the real situation arises, what would you do? If you prepare for any situation, it is sure that when the real one arises, you will know what to do and if you panic, you will not be able to think straight. Now that a real earthquake has come, who''s laughing now, huh? Apparently, no one... The intense shaking of the ground kept me in place. I ducked and covered. That¡¯s all I can do for now. The earth stopped shaking after a few seconds. ¡°Wew, thank god it¡¯s over¡± RAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRR!!!! Ahhhhhh! Help me! Help me!!!! I heard a monstrous roar outside. Since it was dark I could only hear the cries of my co-worker. ¡®Wh-what is that?¡¯ My legs were shaking in fear. Something monstrous is outside and its footsteps cause a loud thud in each step. Whatever it is, it is huge. I remembered my Zippo lighter on my pocket. I''m a smoker so I never forget to bring a lighter and pack of cigarettes. I ignited the lighter. I looked at the floor and there were no tiles. I looked up to see the ceilings and concluded that I was no longer in the restroom or the office. ¡°Where the hell am I?¡± I muttered to myself. From the looks of the surrounding, I was in a cave or underground. Noooo!! Noooo!! Please don¡¯t!!! Ahhh¡­. The voice seemed familiar. I went to see what happened and tried to do my best not to make loud steps. Even if it¡¯s dangerous, I cannot deny my curiosity. I was shaking and I felt my cold sweat run down on my forehead. After a few steps from the ¡®restroom¡¯, I crouched and looked at where the voice came. My eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°What the fu¡­¡± The creature was busy feasting on its prey. I looked at the body and it was Julie. No wonder why the voice was familiar. The creature stood and faced me. It looked me in the eyes and licked its lips as if another meal was served to him. I just stood like a statue and could not believe it. It was huge. The creature stood at ten feet tall and it has a head of a bull like the one I read from Greek mythology books. My legs were shaking and I was frozen in fear. RAAAAAAWWWWWWRRRR¡­ The creature roared loudly. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!!!¡± I screamed at top of my lungs. Adrenaline surged through my veins and as if a my legs were thawed, I ran. I ran and the creature chased me. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s Note: I edited the story from third person narrative to first person and added some of the character''s thought. I edited chapter 1 to 5. Sorry... Chapter 2: The Great Flight of Benjamin Chapter 2: The Great Flight of Benjamin RAAAAWWWRRR!!!! Without looking back, I ran as fast as I could. I knew that the creature was on my back chasing me as I can hear its loud steps approaching at fast speed. While I was holding the lighter to light my way through the darkness, I was looking for a way to outrun the creature. ''Oh no¡­.'' I thought as I saw the end of the cave; a dead end. As I approached near the end, I realized that it was not a dead end. I saw another passage on my right. The creature began to catch up and charged me with its horns. I ran faster and I took a hard turn right to the passage. The creature couldn¡¯t stop its momentum and collided on the cavern walls. It was stunned. Seeing this as an opportunity, I ran as fast as I can. My breathe was starting to get short. I was getting tired from running. Maybe I should stop smoking. ''Did I lose him?'' RAAAAAWWWRRR! RAAAAAWWWWRRR! From what I heard, the creature seems to be extremely angry as its prey slipped from its grasps. I was too tired to keep going. I found a small hole near the walls. I checked the hole and found that I can fit right into it. I decided to hide for a moment. My adrenaline rush started to subside and I felt more tiredness from my body. ¡®How do I get out of here? God, I¡¯m thirsty!¡¯ Booooogg¡­. Booooogg¡­. I could hear loud steps. I can only assume it was the creature. It was trying to find me. My heartbeat began to rise and my breathing went faster. I was praying to all gods I knew just to help me survive. The steps began to fade as the creature past my hiding spot. I closed my eyes for a bit as I was too tired to keep going. I fell asleep. Leah¡¯s POV Knock¡­. Knock¡­. ¡°Come in¡­¡± A man came in and closed the door. The man stands at 5¡¯7 tall. He¡¯s an average looking guy with jet black hair and his body were neither thin nor fat. At least he¡¯s not a guy who looked like a hulk with loads of muscles. I hate those kinds of guys. ¡°Ah, Benjamin Cruz¡­¡± I smiled. Benjamin was late again. I couldn¡¯t help but to be angry at him. He knew the company¡¯s policy on tardiness and yet, here he is, late for the third time. ¡°I thought we had an agreement. You promised that you¡¯ll come to work on time.¡± He couldn¡¯t reply. He was giving me another of those cute puppy eyes as if begging me to let him off the hook. Although, he¡¯s one of my favourite subordinates, I shouldn¡¯t give him a special treatment. Rules are rules. I was getting impatient for a reply so I asked another question. ¡°What¡¯s your excuse this time?¡± ¡°I overslept and I don¡¯t have a valid excuse to give¡­¡± Ben replied. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a week to properly turnover your work to Julie.¡± It was painful for me since it¡¯s my first time to fire an employee. ¡°Talk to Marcy about your separation pay.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Ben nodded and he looked down. I wish I could give him another chance but my career would also be on the line if I did. Ben was a hardworking man and pretty much reliable. If I ask him to stay overnight to finish a report, he would do it without hesitation and complaints. The truth is, he doesn''t talk much or maybe he just keeps it to himself but that attitude is what I like. Very professional except for the fact that he always comes late to work. He left the room and I opened my laptop to browse for my email. I couldn¡¯t get his face out of my mind. I kept seeing his sad face looking down over and over again. I should focus on my work. When I took the position as Vice president in this department, everyone congratulated me. After a few weeks of smiles and congratulations, I felt that my subordinates were resisting me because of my age. They only showed respect whenever I was in front of them and they would stab on my back whenever they''re not except for Ben. I even heard a rumor in the office that I sucked a dick to get a promotion. I can assure you that it wasn''t the case. I worked harder than most to get this position. I even sacrificed my own social life and I had sleepless nights just to be better than others. I thought Ben would be the one who would feel a lot bitter because he already served the company for seven years with no promotion. He treated me with the respect I deserved. I flushed when I heard him arguing with another employee who spread the rumors. I read an email from Mr. Smith, the vice president from operations department. He was trying to get me approve another project. Goddamit! How many times do I have to tell this idiot that we do not have enough resources to fund his stupid project? After I finished my reply to Mr. Smith, I went down to the first floor and get some coffee from the vendo-machines. I need to let off some steam and a good dose of caffeine really helps. Suddenly, the ground shook. It was probably the strongest earthquake I ever felt. I was on first floor when it happened so I dashed outside the building. It was dark outside. I looked at my watch and it¡¯s only 9:30 a.m. Weird. I looked up in the sky and the clouds were swirling like a storm. I had a goose bump; a premonition that something bad was going to happen. A blinding light flashed from the sky. I covered my eyes and after a few seconds, the light faded. As soon as I opened my eyes, I realized I was in a different place. I was surrounded by beautiful scenery. A lush green pastures as far as an eye can see. On the hills from north, I can see a wall which I assume a city. We do not have walled cities in our country. Where am I? I looked up in the sky and I was surprised. The sun and the moon, well two moons, can be seen above the sky. Then I realized, I was no longer on Earth. Chapter 3: The Great Flight of Benjamin Part 2 Chapter 3: The Great Flight of Benjamin Part 2 I opened his eyes and realized that I fell asleep for some time. I looked at my watch and realized that I slept for almost two hours. I took my lighter and peaked outside. It looks like I lost him. I knew that I cannot stay in this hole for a long time. I didn¡¯t have food or water. I had to find a way out of the cave. I got out the hole and started to wander in the cavern to look for an exit. ''What is this place? I hope I won¡¯t encounter that minotaur again.¡¯ I feared that I will not be able to survive the second encounter with that creature. It was luck that I escaped. I also feared that there was no exit in this hell but the fear was quickly dismissed as I realized that I could breathe air and the minotaur proved it since, as far as I can tell, there was no other creature here but the minotaur. The creature would hunt outside for food and this cave was his lair. ¡®Damn that shampoo¡­¡¯ I thought as he scratched his head. I was late for work and the shower broke when I was about to rinse my hair and I was fired and got into this hellhole where a giant bull creature wants to eat me. I was beginning to doubt my luck. As I walked through cave, I realized that the place was familiar. It was where I met the minotaur. The creature was not there at the moment so I approached Julie¡¯s body or what¡¯s left on it. The only thing that¡¯s left from Julie was some pieces of tattered clothes, blood spatters and some left over guts. My stomach almost turned at the scene but it was necessary for my survival. I searched for anything that I could use. In the end, all I found was a hair comb and a paper clip. ¡®What do I expect? A machine gun full of bullets?¡¯ I sighed. I continued to move forward and after a few minutes, I finally saw it. The light at the end of the tunnel. The way out of this hellhole. My Salvation is nigh. My heartbeat rose again but I did not let the excitement to overcome me and dash to the exit. I was still in the cave and the minotaur could be outside waiting for me. I walked slowly almost tiptoeing to the exit like how they sneak in a cartoon. GRRRRRRR¡­¡­ RAAAAA¡­¡­ If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I stopped. The growl was coming from my left. I turned to my left and my eyes widened. It was the minotaur! The minotaur charged to me with its horns. I didn¡¯t have the time to act and I was impaled by the horns. I screamed in agony as the horn impaled my shoulders. The creature impaled and lifted me up while my back was resting on the wall to make sure I won¡¯t escape. I was running out of options so punched the creature¡¯s eye as hard as I can. I continued punching it until the creature dropped me. AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHH!!!!! The creature roared fiercely as it covered its eye in agony. I ran as fast as I can to the exit while holding my injured shoulder. The creature charged to me and I was hit on my back. The impact made me fly towards to the exit. I landed on my face but fortunately, I was now outside the cave. RAAAAAWWWWWRRRRR!!!! RAWWWWWRRRR!!!! As I tried to get up, I looked back to the minotaur and realized that the creature hated the sun. Seeing that the creature could not get him on broad daylight, I ran. ¡°Haa¡­. Haaa¡­. Oh¡­god!¡± I panted. The injury on my shoulder made me lose more blood. I was bleeding badly but I kept going. I don''t want to stay and rest for a while knowing that the minotaur hunts during the night. The creature will hunt me for sure. I kept on going through the forest as I left blood trails from my bleeding wound. ¡°Must¡­ Keep¡­ Going¡­¡± I said to himself. My vision was starting to get blurry. I slapped myself so I won''t lose my consciousness. Finally, I was out of the forest. I walked for a few meters and saw a road. A rough road and on the other side of the road was a field of grass. I walked on the road and started to get dizzy. I lost too much blood from my injury and adrenaline was the only thing that kept me going. I fell and landed on my back. As I started to lose consciousness, I saw something in the distance. Horses. Horses pulling a wagons. It looks like a caravan of some sort as he saw five or six wagons. ¡°Help¡­ me¡­¡± I whispered as I lost consciousness. Chapter 4: And the Boy was happy... Chapter 4: And the Boy was happy Once there was a Family who lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. The Father, the Mother, the Boy and his Sister, they all lived happily in that house. The Father worked as police officer while the Mother worked as a teacher in the local school. The Boy and his Sister went to the school where the Mother worked. The Boy could only smile for their life was blessed. Their life was full colors. The others were unfortunate for not having a loving family, the Boy was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ Every night, the family would eat supper together. They would talk about school, Father would often give sermons, sometimes about the cases he handled, the Mother cooked their delicious meals, and they laughed at the Boy¡¯s jokes. The Boy was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ Every year, The Boy¡¯s birthday would come. The Father would bring him presents and the Boy would be excited to open it as they share the cake that the Mother baked. It was the same for his Sister¡¯s birthday. The Boy was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ Every year, Christmas would come. The snow fell as the Boy looked at the windows with anticipation for good things to come. Christmas carols can be heard everywhere. The Boy and his Sister would drink hot chocolate near the fireplace. They would put milk and cookies near the Tree. When they wake up next morning, they would open their presents. The Sister would receive a doll and The Boy would receive a homemade sweater. He wished for a toy robot or a car. In the Boy¡¯s mind, at least he still received a present and it was better than nothing. The Boy was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ Many years seemed to past and the Boy was no longer a ¡®boy¡¯. He would always complain to the Mother about how she still treated him like a boy. Sure, he grew taller and his voice deepened but to his Mother¡¯s eyes, he was still the Boy he was once before. His Mother loved him, and for that he was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ The Boy no longer went the school where his Mother worked. He was too old for that. He was in high school and every one acts like an adult thus he also act like one. After a few years, his Sister would also go to high school. Although, the Boy quickly adapted to the new environment, his Sister did not do so well. The Boy protected his Sister from the bullies like all big brothers do. He loved his Sister dearly. He would not let anyone hurt her. The Sister was thankful and the Boy was happy. The Boy will soon graduate from high school. The Boy fell in love with a girl and the girl seemed to fall for him too. They were together since junior high. They promised that they would still contact each other even after high school. The graduation came and the girl broke up with him. The Boy was sad and he cried. He never cried since he was a ¡®boy¡¯. He made a firm promise that he will never ever cry since only little boys cry. He never told his parents about it because he thought that they would never understand. The Father would tell him that he was too young for a serious relationship. His heart was broken when he saw the girl he once loved in the hands of another. The Boy thought he would never stop crying. Even the thought of suicide came to his mind. His Sister came and consoled him. The Sister gave him a hug and the weight in his heart was lifted. The Boy was thankful and the Boy was happy¡­ The Boy went to college and he had to leave home. He said his goodbye to his family. They were all sad that he had to leave. The Sister was sad. It was through the Boy¡¯s protection that she survived. She was weak but her brother was strong. The Sister feared for what about to happen when her brother leaves. The Boy knew that he could not protect his Sister forever. She has to stand at her own feet and become strong. The Father was proud to have raised such amazing children. He saw nothing but good future for his children. He felt somehow contented that he raised them well and the morals that He imparted to them would be used for their future. Every time the Father sees his Boy, he was seeing his own legacy. The Mother was proud too. Being a teacher, she was proud for her students whenever they succeed but being a mother and a teacher to his Boy, she was much prouder. The Mother was thankful to see her Boy grew up well. The Boy saw her family teary smiles as he left and the Boy was happy¡­ The Boy went college and studied. He focused on studying and thought nothing but his career. He would become a certified public accountant. He envisions himself as one and perhaps, he will build a firm that will carry his name and it will stand as his own legacy. Here and there, he encountered women that caught his interest but his focused mind didn¡¯t falter. His dream was at stake and his dream would be realized. He lost his friends and his precious social life but still the Boy was happy¡­ As the time went on, the Boy was still in college. He received a phone call. It was his Mother. She was crying. The Boy¡¯s heart was broken once again. He quickly went home as he received the terrible news. The Boy saw his Mother and his Sister crying. As the Boy went closer to his Father¡¯s coffin, his legs weakened and he knelt in grief. He cried. His grief was felt by everyone who attended the wake. His Mother and Sister hugged him as he cried fiercely. The Boy¡¯s Father was murdered. It was the one of the case that his Father worked on. The murderer was the henchman of a ruthless crime lord. The police caught the murderer. It was a good thing that the Father obtained enough evidence to make a solid case against the crime lord. His Father¡¯s death was not in vain. Justice was served and the Boy was happy once again. The Boy moved on and the focus on his studies intensified. His Mother could not afford the college tuition fees but thankfully, through the Boy¡¯s hard work, he was included in the Dean¡¯s List. The Boy finally obtained a scholarship. The Boy took a part time job to support his needs. He did not want to be a burden for his Mother while she provides for his Sister. He worked hard, and studied harder. His dream was no longer his dream anymore. It was the dream of his family. His Father¡¯s death might be the darkest days in their life but the Boy persevered. He will carry on for the sake of his family. It was Christmas. The Boy went home to celebrate with his Family. Although Christmas will never be the same again without his Father, the family celebrated. The Boy¡¯s Mother introduced a Man to her family. The Mother declared that she will marry the Man. At first the Boy and his Sister did not like the idea that their Mother will marry again. Soon, the Boy realized that it was for the best. He could no longer stand the sight of his Mother being sad because of Father¡¯s loss. The Man had a decent job and he seemed to love her and he promised that he will take a good care of the Boy¡¯s Mother and Sister. The Boy gave his blessing to his Mother. He went back to his studies and his work. All seemed to be going well until the Man blew up his job and he was fired. The Man could not find any work and sometimes the Man would come home drunk. The Man made it into a habit and he would always be drunk whenever he comes home. The Mother would always reprimand the Man but the drunk¡¯s patience would not last long. For the first time, the Man hits the Mother. Although it was the first time, it did not end there. The Man would always hit the Boy¡¯s Mother whenever he¡¯s drunk. The Mother kept it a secret from the Boy. She doesn¡¯t want the Boy to worry and to interrupt his studies for her. The Mother kept silent. The Sister was also afraid. She tried to fight back but when the Man threatens to kill her Mother. She kept silent. She was weak. She wished her brother was there to protect them. The Boy did not know. After all, for him, everything was going well. Whenever he calls his Mother, the Mother would say that they¡¯re fine. One day, the Sister called the Boy. She was crying. The Boy could hear the pain through her voice. She told him everything. She told him how the Man hurts their Mother and how careful the Man was whenever he hurts her. He was careful not to leave marks on her face. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She told him the worst thing he ever did to her. The Man raped the Boy¡¯s Sister. The Mother did not know. The Sister never told her Mother what happened. The Sister was afraid that their Mother would just cover up the Man¡¯s crime so she told the story to the person she trusts most, her brother. The Boy was furious. The Man hurt the two most important persons in his life. He went home and caught the Man on the act of hurting his mother. The Boy¡¯s fist curled and flew right into the Man¡¯s face. The Man was too drunk to fight back. He coughed blood as the Boy continued sending fist in fury. The Mother stopped him. The Boy wanted to kill the Man so badly and he couldn¡¯t understand why his Mother still protects the Man after what he has done. The Boy told his Mother about what happened to his Sister. The Mother couldn¡¯t believe it. She unconsciously put her own daughter to harm. She kept silent all the time and it was the reason why her daughter didn¡¯t trust her. She felt that she was a failure as a mother. The Boy filed a case against the Man. Luckily, the Man was convicted. Once again, justice was served. This time the Boy wasn¡¯t happy. The damage done was irreparable. The Boy wasn¡¯t happy. The guilt in the Mother¡¯s heart weighed heavily. She couldn¡¯t even speak with her daughter. She was ashamed to herself. She believed that silence would do well but instead, her own daughter was raped by the man she once loved. She needed escape. An escape from the shame, the failure as a mother, as a parent. Not long after the Man was convicted, the Mother committed suicide. The Boy wasn¡¯t happy. Their parents were now gone and his Sister hurt. He failed to protect them. He failed as a son. He failed as a brother. He failed as a man. His Sister was the only family left. He would do well to protect her. The siblings reconciled and they moved forward. They made a promise that they would be there for each other. The Boy graduated from college and took the board exams. Not only did he pass, he also ranked 9th place in the exams. His dream would finally be realized. It was all for his Father, for his Mother and for his Sister. The Boy and his Sister celebrated. Although they were only the ones left in the family, they were happy. The Boy found a job. It was one of the largest corporations in the country, Kepper Corporation. The experience he would obtain from the company would be his stepping stone to success. The Boy can finally afford his Sister¡¯s college tuition fees. Once again, for what it seemed a long time, the Boy was happy¡­ He focused on his work as an accountant in Kepper Corp. Although it was hard at first, the Boy adapted to the new environment and excelled. He needed to work hard to be promoted. He needed money to support his Sister. There was a spark and a fire was lit in the Boy¡¯s heart. A burning desire fired up the Boy as he worked. The pain of his past served as a fuel to his desire. The love and the responsibility to his Sister became the only reason in his mind. His boss¡¯ soon noticed his dedication and he was rewarded with a raise. Everything was going well again. His Sister also obtained scholarship. Every day, the Boy would cook breakfast and the siblings would eat together. Every evening, the Boy would cook again for dinner. Every night, they would sleep together with a smile knowing that everything¡¯s going to be fine and they would always be there for each other. The Boy¡¯s Sister was doing well in college. As a matter of fact, she ranked 5th in the Dean¡¯s List. The Boy smiled as he saw that her Sister would surpass him. The Sister thought that she needed to show her brother that his sacrifice for her would bore a fruit. She knew the pain and the burden. She knew the sacrifice that his brother made for her. She told her brother that she wanted to take a part time job to help him but his brother strongly disagreed with her and told her to focus on her studies. Since then, she studied harder. She would almost have an all-nighter a month before the exams. His brother would always warn her to take care of her health but her study habits were almost becoming an obsession. She felt a sharp pain on her head. She ignored it and thought it was just a simple migraine and the cause was her intense studying. While she was studying in the library, she felt the pain again. When could no longer withstand the pain, she decided to go to the clinic. She stood up but she felt that her consciousness was fading. She fell on the floor. The Boy¡¯s Sister was taken to the hospital. The doctors examined her and came with the results. The Boy was terrified when he learned that his Sister would not live long. His Sister was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Although the brain tumor grew slow, she had it long ago but she was diagnosed late. The Boy took his Sister to other doctors in order to cure her but they get the same results. The Boy held his Sister¡¯s hand and told her that he would find a way. They both knew that there was no hope but the Boy will never give up on his Sister. He took his Sister to the best hospital with the best doctors in the country. He doesn¡¯t care if he ended up swimming in debt. The Boy believed that his Sister can be cured. After all, the field of medicine wasn¡¯t exactly a perfect science and the doctors could be wrong. Soon, the Boy¡¯s Sister lost her sight. She could only recognize him by his voice and touch. The Sister already accepted her fate but the Boy still believed. His belief was unwavering. His research about the cure only became more intense. The Boy took his Sister to everyone that could cure her. He took her to faith healers, therapists and he even tried herbal medicines. One night when the Boy was busy in his research, there was a call from the hospital. It was the nurse. She told him that his Sister wanted his brother to be there for her. The Boy rushed to the hospital. As he marched through the hallways of the hospital, the nurse looked at him with sadness. The Boy hoped that his Sister was still alive. The Boy called her name. ¡°Elise¡­¡± His Sister answered. ¡°Ben¡­¡± The Boy sighed in relief. His Sister reached her hand to him. ¡°Ben¡­¡± She called once again. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Elise¡­¡± The Boy held her hand. It was warm. ¡°I¡¯m right here¡­¡± The Sister smiled and a tear fell from her eyes. It was the most beautiful smile he ever saw. He kissed her warm hands as tears rained from the Boy¡¯s eyes. Although his Sister would not see it, he tried his best to give her the best smile he have. ¡°I love you, Ben¡­ I love you¡­ so much.¡± She said. For the last time. The Boy answered. ¡°I love you too¡­. Elise.¡± The Sister closed her eyes and breathes out the last air in her lungs as if sighing with relief. Her hands lost grip from the Boy¡¯s hand but the Boy didn¡¯t release it. ¡°I love you¡­ I love you¡­ I love you¡­¡± The Boy kept saying as he held her lifeless hand. ¡°I love you, Elise¡­¡± The Boy kept holding as he felt the warmth slowly leave his Sister¡¯s body. The colors of his life faded the moment his Sister¡¯s hand lost its warmth. The Boy saw his own world as colorless and lifeless world. The Boy cried. He kept crying until his tears ran dry. Even after his tears dried, he still kept crying inside. The Boy cried his heart out. The smile of his proud Father¡­ The smile of his loving Mother¡­ The smile of his sweet Sister... All of it was playing on the Boy¡¯s mind. The memories of a loving family. A happy family¡­ The memories of their hardship¡­ All of the happy memories they had together. He will never see their smiles again. The Boy never smiled after his Sister¡¯s death. The Boy¡­. Will never be happy again¡­ Chapter 5: The Caravan Chapter 5: The Caravan Slaver¡¯s POV As we journey on the road to Paltus, I can¡¯t help but wonder, how much money I will make. There is a common saying amongst the merchants that for every disaster, there is profit. All disasters including wars, of course. Well, as a citizen of the empire, it wasn¡¯t a disaster for us really, but it was a bloody massacre for the savages. The war between the Sor Empire and the savages of Rosum is a bloody affair. Two years ago, the empire expanded the eastern borders and claimed that the land of Rosum belongs to the empire. Rosum is a land of savages; A hundred tribes who spent most of their time warring against each other. The empire wanted these lands because of the rich gold mines which scattered across Rosum. How did the empire find out? From what I¡¯ve heard from the story of another merchant, the Moonshadow tribe, a tribe that belongs to the demi-human cat race, opened a trade with Quentlan, a small city which belongs to the empire. It was the first time that a tribe from Rosum would trade with the empire but from what I¡¯ve heard, the Moonshadow tribe suffered famine in their lands and in dire need of food. The tribe didn¡¯t know the value of gold. All they knew was that gold was useless as it is too soft to use for their weapons and whenever they mine for iron, they would throw the gold away. Quentlan saw this opportunity and traded food with lots of gold ore. The Moonshadow tribe claimed that gold could be found everywhere in Rosum and this news spread across the empire like a wild fire. In the past, Sor Empire didn¡¯t consider Rosum as a worthy addition to the empire. It was a land full of rocky labyrinth-like mountains and worst of all, mana is dense on that land which causes more monsters to spawn and it was most likely the cause of famine in its little fertile lands. When the news reached the emperor¡¯s ears, he demanded an invasion of Rosum. I love wars. The prisoners of war will serve as slaves for the empire and as a slave merchant; this is the best opportunity to go to the war-ridden lands to buy those prisoners. Most of these prisoners were war veterans and they will be highly valued for those who buy slaves to fight in the arena: the tamers. They tame these savages and teach them the art of combat and they would make these savages fight in the arena for money. One year ago, when I bought twenty slaves that they captured from Moonshadow tribe, I made 100 gold in profit. These cat-people proved to be agile in combat and they would slaughter their enemies with speed rather than strength and even women from these cat-people were capable in combat. I sold them as fighters for the arena. I could only imagine the smile of those tamers who bought slaves from me. It was worth every coin. I came back to Rosum to procure another batch of slaves and this time I had a good deal. In fact, it was the best deal I ever made in my life. Fifty able bodied slaves for just fifty gold? Hah! They tried to raise the price but I can still sell these slaves for more gold. Some of the slaves I bought were the most fearsome races in Rosum: 5 from the bear-men tribe, 8 from the wolf-men race, 3 from cat-people and 7 from lizard-men. Although the rest of the slaves I bought were humans, they belong to savage tribes and they¡¯re fearsome in battle. We¡¯re three days journey to Paltus, the capital city of the southern province. I¡¯d be tempted to sell these slaves to Sor Prima, the capital city of Sor Empire, for these slaves would cost more and I¡¯d double my profit but it was too far for a journey and it would take me more than a month to get there. I¡¯d rather sell these slaves fast and go back to Rosum for more. We¡¯re almost there, only a few days and the tamers would fight each other for my wares. I can almost feel the weight of the gold coins on my hand. ¡°Halt¡­¡± A man shouted and the caravan stopped. ¡°What is it? Bandits? Are we under attack?¡± I nervously asked the captain of the mercenary I hired from Paltus. ¡°I don¡¯t know but look¡­¡± He pointed out the body on the road. ¡°It looks like a trap¡­ but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll take care of it.¡± He looked at me and gave me assurance. He whistled to his men and as if they already knew what to do, they searched the area. A few minutes later, they confirmed that there was no one surrounding us. I got off the carriage and we approached the body. It was man. The man had strange clothes so I can tell he¡¯s not from here. He had a wound on his back and on his shoulder. As we inspect the body, the captain checked for the pulse. ¡°He¡¯s still alive.¡± The captain said. ¡°Where is he from?¡± I asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ judging from his clothes, he¡¯s not a local but from what I can tell, he came from that forest¡­¡± He replied. ¡°That forest?¡± I gulped. The Forlon forest was known for its danger. It is the home of the minotaurs. It was for the same reason that this road was always avoided by travellers as the minotaurs would attack them at night and bring them to their lairs to be eaten. I chose this road because it cut our travel time for three days. I¡¯m starting to regret that decision. ¡°And those wounds?¡± ¡°Probably from a minotaur...¡± He said. ¡°So what are we going to do with him?¡± I¡¯d probably let the man die on the road under normal circumstances but seeing that the boy survived from a minotaur attack, he could be a useful addition to my wares. I see blood on his fist which means that he gave a minotaur a fight unarmed before he fled. It is rare that someone lived through the night when a minotaur attacks. The truth is all of those who survived saw a minotaur from a distance. When you hear a loud roar and if you have half a brain, you would do your best to hide. ¡°Take him with the others and heal him¡­¡± The captain nodded to my words and ordered his men to take the man on the wagon. Luckily, one of the mercenaries knew a beginner level healing spell. It would not close the wound entirely but it would stop the bleeding. I have a bottle of healing potion in case that I suffer a wound from bandit attacks and it only cost me 25 silver coins. This man would sell for at least 5 gold. I made him drank the whole bottle so the wounds healed entirely. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. The man was still unconscious, probably from losing a lot of blood. I put a slave collar around his neck to make sure that he cannot escape. I poured out my mana into his slave collar to finish the preparation. It will activate a seal and the slave chain cannot be removed unless they¡¯re expressly granted freedom by their current owner which is me. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± And so we continued our journey to Paltus¡­ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I had the most terrible dream as if I relived my past all over again. It was strange that in my dream, I was able to see myself in third person like I was watching a movie about myself and the narrator¡¯s voice was like Morgan Freeman. Is it God? I wanted to open my eyes but my body disagreed with me. I wanted to sleep more. I try to forget what happened in the past and leave it behind me. When Elise died, I lost all my motivation to live. I even had thoughts of taking my own life but I decided to move on because that what Elise would have wanted for me. As I reminisced the good memories with Elise, I felt somehow strange, like my body was in motion. Suddenly, I heard a thud and I bumped his head. ¡°Ugghhhh¡­¡± I groaned. I opened my eyes slowly and the first thing I saw was a blurry image of a face. ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked. ¡°On the road to Paltus¡­¡± The man said. ¡°At least that¡¯s what I heard from the guards¡­¡± As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw the man sitting next to me. He¡¯s a black-skinned man. The man has shaved head and thick lips. ¡°Paltus?¡± I tried to get up and sat down but my body felt aching all over. ¡°I never heard of that place before. Is it in Africa?¡± The man looked at me confused. I looked around me and saw a dozen people around. We were in a cage. ¡°Why am I in cage?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re slaves¡­¡± The man answered me. ¡°What the hell?¡± I realized that I was wearing nothing but a loin cloth. It was like wearing an adult diaper but the difference was the loin cloth looked like it wasn''t washed for days. I touched my neck and noticed that I was wearing a collar. I grabbed the collar and forcefully tried to remove it but it was impossible. ¡°Why am I wearing these?¡± I asked the man while still trying to remove collar. ¡°So you wouldn¡¯t escape... You can try to run but they can track you down as long as you have it.¡± The man said. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to remove it. They used magic¡­¡± He added. ¡°Magic?¡± I looked outside the cage. I saw men have swords sheathed on their hips. Some with spears and others with axes. He doesn¡¯t know if he would believe in the man¡¯s words because he never saw magic before. Is this a renaissance fair or something? ¡°How long was I asleep?¡± ¡°For a day¡­ They found you on the road, wounded.¡± I remembered that I found himself in a cave after an earthquake. I was attacked by a bull headed monster and the monster impaled my shoulder with its horns. I escaped but I lost consciousness on the road. I touched my shoulder and it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore. Although there was aching all over my body probably because of over exertion of muscles, there was no wound. Like magic, the wound just disappeared. ¡®Magic¡­ Of course¡­¡¯ I sat quietly as I stared outside the cage. I saw other wagons with cages being pulled by horses. Inside the cages, there were other slaves. My eyes widened with amazement as I saw that some of the slaves weren¡¯t human. Although they looked like human, they have animal features to them: animal ears, tail and fur. I remembered back in the old days, I used to watch anime when I was in high school. A fantasy anime, in particular, would have a race of cat people. Ending their sentences with: Nyah! to look cute. I used to find it cute but in the end, I found it boring and stupid. At a distance, I saw something that made me realize that wherever I was, I was no longer on Earth: the two moons on the sky. ¡°So where are you from?¡± The man asked. ¡°The name¡¯s Pimo, by the way¡­¡± ¡°My name is Ben¡­¡± I replied. I don''t know how I would answer the question about where I came from but for him, it would be best to lie in order to blend in. No one would believed me If I said that I came from another world and they would believe that I was crazy. ¡°I¡¯m from the land far east of here across the sea¡­ How about you?¡± As we continued our way to Paltus, I learned that Pimo and the others were from a land called Rosum. Pimo belonged to a human tribe and his village was located on the southern part of Rosum. The Sor Empire invaded Rosum. Pimo didn¡¯t know what the empire wants from Rosum but he heard that they were after for the mines. I also asked a lot of question which made Pimo a little irritated. Seeing that I''m an ignorant foreigner from a distant land, Pimo indulged my questions. I learned that the other slaves who have animal-like features were called demi-humans. The demi-humans were humans of mixed races, such as the Nekons which are half humans and half werecats and the Inuns: half humans and half werewolves. All of these races were common in Rosum. As Pimo¡¯s story continued, we didn¡¯t notice that the sun has already set when the caravan stopped and made camp. The slavers gave food to me and the others. We were given a piece of bread. It was hard to chew and it was going stale. I didn¡¯t complain as I saw the others eat it in silence. Chapter 6: Paltus Chapter 6: Paltus After two days of travel, we finally arrived to our destination: The city of Paltus. Last night, I tried asking the guards about Paltus but they did not answer me. I tried and tried again until the guards answered by beating me badly. I thought it would be a good opportunity to gain some knowledge from them and if I failed, I already anticipated that the guards would drag me and beat me up and they would use their magic to heal me. I wanted to see magic with my own eyes. My expectations were correct except for the latter part. They didn¡¯t heal me to teach me a lesson. As I leaned on the bars of the cage, I saw high walls at the distance. I scanned the area and I found farmers tending on the wheat fields surrounding the walls. The farmers looked at us with pity and continued to work after we passed. The gates were open but there were guards standing in front of it. The guards were wearing leather armor but they¡¯re different from the guards of the caravan. It resembles Roman light armor. They were holding spears and they have a short sword sheathed on their waists. ¡°Halt!¡± The guard stopped the caravan. ¡°What¡¯s your business here?¡± The merchant stepped off the carriage and approached the guard. ¡°We¡¯re citizens of the empire. As you can see, I ¡®m a merchant and I wish to sell my wares in this city¡­¡± The merchant pointed at the cages. ¡°Do you have a manifest?¡± The guard asked. ¡°Of course...¡± The merchant said as he gave the soldier a piece of paper. ¡°Fifty slaves¡­¡± The guard silently muttered to himself. He nodded to the other guard as they started the inspection. ¡°As you can see, I brought these slaves from Rosum. I intend to sell them as fighting slaves for the arena¡­¡± The merchant followed the guards as they do an inspection. ¡°I see¡­¡± The guard said. The other guard went to him and whispered something on his ear. ¡°We counted fifty one slaves¡­ Your manifest clearly stated that you only have fifty.¡± The guard stated as he glared to the merchant. Hearing this as an opportunity, I quickly made up a lie to the guards. Fuck this. I want to get out as soon as possible. ¡°Guards! Please hear me and save¡­.¡± I shouted but a mercenary punched me in the stomach and interrupted me. The guard raised his hand. ¡°Stop¡­ Let him speak.¡± I got up and turned to the guard. ¡°I¡¯m a citizen of the empire¡­ I was traveller but these mercenaries attacked me on the road to Paltus. They robbed me and made me a slave¡­¡± The guard glance at the merchant. ¡°Is this true?¡± ¡°Of course not¡­ I¡­ uhhh¡­¡± The merchant¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°We found him on the road but he¡¯s not a citizen of the empire¡­¡± The merchant gave a signal to one of the mercenary and gave him the clothes. ¡°His clothes will prove that he is not a citizen.¡± The merchant handed Ben¡¯s clothes to the guard. The guard carefully inspected the clothes. ¡°He¡¯s probably a spy from the Eccretia Kingdom.¡± The merchant added. ¡°It¡¯s not true¡­¡± I protested. ¡°Those clothes were mine, yes¡­ It was my own design. The blood and the holes of the clothes are proof that these thugs attacked me. They healed me with magic so I¡¯ll live as a slave¡­¡± I think I saw a vein popping on the merchant¡¯s temple. Well, I don¡¯t care. He¡¯s dumb to pick me up on the road and sell me as a slave. ¡°Look¡­¡± The merchant took a few coins from his bag and gave it to the guard. ¡°I think these coins would prove to be sufficient as evidence.¡± The guard stared at the merchant for the moment as if trying to think. ¡°Let them pass¡­¡± ¡®Oh shit¡­¡¯ I screamed in my mind as the merchant glanced and gave me a smirk. The mercenary punched me again in the stomach. I couldn¡¯t believe that I overlooked one flaw in my plan. The guards can be bribed. ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯ Pimo looked at me. Even though he was saying nothing, his eyes were telling me to accept my fate. ¡°It¡¯s worth a try¡­¡± I said to Pimo and sat beside him. As we entered the city, the first thing that I noticed was the smell. It was horrible. It smelled like shit everywhere. Then, I realized that the first ¡®circle¡¯ in this city was the slums. The houses were crude and almost primitive in design. There were people on the streets and they were mostly humans. Some of them belong to Nekon race and other beast race that I don¡¯t recognize. They¡¯re thin like they were always starving. Some of them tried to beg the merchant for money but they were all shooed by the caravan guards. I don¡¯t know who was luckier, us or them. They didn¡¯t have collars so I assume that they¡¯re not slaves like us. I can look at them with pity especially when I saw an Inun woman with a baby on her arm. She was begging the merchant for food but like everyone else, she was shooed away by the guards. After a few minutes, we made our way to the markets. The caravan had a hard time passing the streets as it was too crowded. The market was livelier than the slums. There were stalls selling all kinds of goods that you would expect from a market: meat, vegetables and other food products. They were also selling weapons, armors and other stuffs that I wasn''t familiar with. Of course, they were also selling slaves. I heard a merchant trying to sell his slaves to the by-passers. All of the slaves he was selling were women. He was shouting that the slaves he was selling were good in housework and in bed as well. The women slaves have dead eyes like they were abused for so long. They have bruises and small cuts in their face indicating that they were abused by their master. We finally arrived at the merchant¡¯s place. The caravan stopped and the merchant prepared the place. I think he was preparing for an auction as I saw a crowd of people waiting for him. After an hour, they opened that cages and they let us out. We couldn¡¯t escape even if we wanted to because of the chains and the collars, of course. I learned that the collars act as a tracking device by using magic. The fact that magic was so common that even a lowly merchant can use it intrigued me. I wanted to learn magic so I can blast my way out and give a magical finger up the slaver¡¯s ass. The guards put a gag on my mouth to keep me from talking. We were lined up and after a short speech from the merchant, the auction began. Like a product, the merchant gave each of us a brief description about our origins and how we would fare in the arena. I realized that this merchant was selling us as gladiators and we would fight to death in an arena. Fuck! The people made their bids and it seems that the average price was 5-7 gold coins per slave. I don¡¯t know the value of their coins yet but I can only assume that we¡¯re expensive. The people who bid were also accompanied by armed men. When I say armed, I mean armed like with swords and spears. They also wear well-made toga so I assumed that these people were rich. After a few minutes, it was my turn. ¡°We found this man on the road near Forlon forest. We saw with our own eyes that he was fighting a minotaur with his bare hands.¡± The bidders chattered as the merchant gave his speech. ¡°He fought with such ferocity that the minotaur could only flee at his fury. When the monster fled, he turned his gaze upon us and attacked us as his thirst for blood overcame him. Luckily, the minotaur left a wound in his shoulder.¡± The merchant pointed at the large scar on my shoulder. ¡°Even though he lost some blood and unarmed, he managed to injure three of the caravan guards. Even when we put him to chains, he tried to attack one of the guards with his teeth. We had to put a gag on him to prevent him from doing so.¡± What the fuck! Clearly, an exaggeration but this is going overboard. Unfortunately, the bidders were dumb enough to believe this son of a bitch and made their bids. In the end, I was sold for 8 gold and 40 silver coins. As the man who bought me handed a bag of coins, the merchant¡¯s smile would reach from ear to ear. The man wore a toga like the other bidders. The man looked like Steve Buscemi with a beard. I guess they have a barber here in this world since his hair and beard was well-trimmed. His height was almost the same as me but I think he¡¯s an inch taller than me. He was glaring at me with his blue eyes as if daring me to attack him. Without further words, we left the market. The man bought 8 slaves .Three humans, including me and Pimo, two nekons, and three Inuns. He took us to his villa. The guards led us to the training grounds in the villa and lined us up. The other slaves he owned stopped whatever they¡¯re doing as we entered the grounds. I counted a total of twenty five slaves excluding us and the tall man in the middle. Most of them were demi-humans, only 7 were humans. They looked at us and smiled with contempt. The tall man was a demi-human, I don¡¯t know the particular race but he looked like a bear. He¡¯s huge and stood about 7 foot tall and had two round ears on the top of his head. The man doesn¡¯t wear anything on his top to show his bulging muscles and countless of scars on his hairy body. He carried a whip on his right hand so I assume he¡¯s the one who trains these slaves to fight. I don¡¯t like pain so I was hoping not to get whipped by that bear hulk. The man who bought us came and gave his speech. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°My name is Septimus Cassius Avilius¡­¡± Cool! Not only this world resembles ancient Rome, they even got Roman names. I wonder what name I will use. Spartacus? Maximus? Or maybe Dickheadus Shitus. ¡°As your master, I will give you the greatest honor that a slave could ever hope for: To live and die in the sands of the arena. That honor comes with a price. You need to earn the mark of the brotherhood; the brotherhood of Avilius.¡± ¡°Avilius! Avilius! Avilius!¡± The slaves chanted. Right¡­ This shithead of a master has a twisted sense of morality. These slaves seemed to be brainwashed and they believed that there is honor in death. Even if you put sands on where you die, death is still death. I noticed that the older slaves have a burnt letter ¡®A¡¯ on their arms so I assume this is the mark of the brotherhood. ¡°I will not let you soil the good name of my house. You will train, eat, sleep and train night and day in this villa. You have a month to prove your worth and earn the mark. This man here is your trainer.¡± He pointed at the bear hulk of a man. ¡°His name is Barca, he will make sure that you don¡¯t just die in the arena. You will prove to everyone that the fighters of Avilius are the best in the world.¡± After the introduction, the guards removed our chains and they also removed my gag. They gave us wooden swords for training. Barca called one of us to have a spar with one of the fighters with the mark. I watched the fights carefully so I can try to defeat the fighter by analyzing his fighting style. His name was Flavius. I don¡¯t know much about him but he looked at us with a grin like he wanted to beat us to a pulp. Like everyone who got the mark, they have huge muscles. Even the females have huge muscles. His fighting style seemed to be more refined than I expected. It was unorthodox in way but still his techniques were organized. He¡¯s good with improvising that made him adapt to his opponents. I saw openings but unfortunately, they didn¡¯t take it. Or perhaps, they didn¡¯t see it as I did. In the end, Flavius defeated everyone except the Inun slave that ended into a stalemate. I was the last one to fight Flavius. ¡°You there!¡± Barca called me as I grabbed the sword. ¡°I heard that you¡¯re a wild beast who fought a minotaur, huh? Show Flavius what you got.¡± I swung the sword in the air to get a good sense of balance with the sword. When I was in high school, I had no idea what club I should join in. As I looked for good clubs to join, there were various martial arts club that grabbed my interest. I joined the Arnis Club because not only they teach hand to hand combat, they also teach stick fighting. When I asked my master why we used sticks in combat instead of swords like kendo, he told me that when in one is in danger; one must grab any weapon available in his surroundings. A simple stick can often be found than a sword. It made sense. He also added that bladed weapons such as a knife or machete are compatible with Arnis techniques. Arnis techniques include one stick or two stick fighting techniques. I prefer the latter as you can defend and attack at the same time. Although most Arnis practitioners find it hard to wield two weapons, I impressed my master when saw that I¡¯m proficient with two sticks. I joined Arnis tournaments and I even won bronze medal. As I faced my opponent, I put the sword on my right hand forward and my left hand near my chest. I moved my left foot backward 45 degrees away from my body. The body should not be too low or extended otherwise it will be hard to manoeuvre. I distributed the center of gravity to both legs. This was one of the basic stances in Arnis: Back Stance. I used this stance because I didn¡¯t know my opponent well so it was safe to be defensive rather than to be aggressive. Back Stance was used blocking and backward evasion techniques. I won the tournament in high school because I was very flexible of changing stances. Flavius and the others laughed because of my stance. Of course, for them it was weird. I don¡¯t know if martial arts exist in this world. Flavius charged at me and swung his sword on my right side. His moves were so obvious that he didn¡¯t even try to feint his attacks. Perhaps, he was underestimating me and thought I was a newbie in fighting. I blocked his attack and moved backwards as he tried to follow through his attack with another swing. He kept on attacking me relentlessly as I kept on dodging and blocking his attacks. After a few moments, I could feel that his attacks were becoming weaker and slower. He was starting to get tired because most of his attacks were heavy. I used this opportunity to switch my stance to Forward Stance. I swung my sword to his left aiming at his shoulder. He parried the attack and countered but I stepped backwards to dodge his counter. Before he recovered, I saw a lot of openings so I thrust my sword forward and aimed in the middle of his chest. Normally, I would try to aim on his sword arm because it was Arnis principle to disarm the opponent but in this case I aimed for his chest because the chest was far large target than the arm. I thrust my sword and it hit the solar plexus. If this was a real sword, he would have died but when my sword hit his chest, he gasped for air and moved backwards. I quickly moved forward and swung my sword to make an overhead strike. When my sword hit him on the head, Flavius dropped his sword and fell on his back. I quickly kicked the sword away and pointed my sword to him. There was a strange silence in my surroundings. I looked around and I saw that their smiles turned into blank expressions. I guess they didn¡¯t expect me to win. ¡°Good!¡± Barca said. ¡°But still a lot of room for improvement.¡± I lowered my sword and I offered a hand to Flavius. He smiled and took my hand as I raised him up. ¡°You¡¯re good¡­¡± Flavius said as he smiled. I nodded to him and gave him a slight smile. I expected that he would be bitter attitude of his defeat. I guess I was wrong. ¡°I guess it¡¯s true, huh? You defeated a minotaur. Not an easy feat.¡± He said. ¡°I didn¡¯t really defeat a minotaur. I actually ran and he gave me this.¡± I gave him a wry smile as I pointed on my scar on my shoulder. ¡°I see¡­ Want to be my sparring partner?¡± He asked and I gave him a slight nod. After the spar, all of us, including the other fighters were assigned with a sparring partner. The new slaves were assigned to spar with the older slaves. Flavius became my sparring partner that day. As we fought for about an hour, I already felt exhausted. Barca would crack his whip in the air whenever he sees us, the new slaves, on the verge of exhaustion. He whipped the other slaves when they fall over. We¡¯ve only done this for an hour but as expected, the older slaves such as Flavius didn¡¯t even break a sweat. Barca roamed around and inspected the fight. He gave instructions like how to handle the weapons properly. As he gave instructions, he would crack the whip in the air saying: ¡°Remember that or I¡¯ll whip you like a dog¡­¡± I was whipped on the back when I fell because I was so exhausted. Fuck that bear. It felt like my back was skinned when he whipped me. We spent the rest of the day sparring with one another. I was very thirsty but Barca didn¡¯t gave us water or a break. It was already night when Barca told us to stop. We panted heavily as the older slaves were told to get back in their cells. ¡°The new ones will stay¡­ You¡¯re training has just begun¡­¡± Barca said as he grinned. He made us lift a heavy log on our backs while walking on circles. It was so heavy that I thought my back will break because of its weight. Whenever we fall over, Barca would whip us until we got up. Unfortunately, I was the one who was whipped a lot because I didn¡¯t have the stamina to keep up with this hellish training. I wanted to kill him but I didn¡¯t have a weapon to do so. Plus, I¡¯m not stupid enough to defy him because his scars proved that he was once a fighter like them and I was too tired to do it. We continued this heavy lifting all night. I didn¡¯t even know for how long because it felt like we were doing it for almost an eternity. When Barca told us to stop, we dropped the log from our backs. I was getting dizzy from exhaustion. Luckily, Barca gave us some water. I drank like thirsty camel and splashed some water on my face. He led us to our cells where we would spend the night. Pimo and the other new slaves became my cell mates. We didn¡¯t even have the time to talk with each other due to exhaustion. Even though our backs were stinging in pain, we all laid our backs to the ground and slept. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author''s note: I switched to first person narrative and I will edit the previous chapters to first person narrative later. It became too hard for me to write in third person narrative. Sorry... Please write down your comments. I want to know what you think and please be gentle with your criticism. Thank you!