Kapitel 4: Fighting Arena
Waking up from the sound of chains clashing around her, Alice sat up to see several Bruisers moving about, ordered around by men in black cloaks.
Looking at the display in confusion, she spotted the Bruisers carry different cages onto a leather belt moving on cylinders. There was a tube placed along the length of the belt with a flashing red liquid moving around from within.
'Is that… Abyss Engineering?' Alice wondered to herself, finding the sight completely alien to her understanding. She only heard bits and pieces of information about such technology, from the scientists who sometimes chatted with each other while she was experimented upon.
Noticing something off to her left, she glanced over and widened her eyes in shock. The man from last night had completely melded to the wooden walls behind him. His skin was a deep, sickly shade of green, while a pool of fresh blood oozed out of him. Flowers blossomed all over his body as he stood motionless.
'Did he die in his sleep?' Alice thought to herself with little pity. Perhaps it was from seeing her own body being opened up countless times before but she didn't even feel her heart fluctuate at the sight.
"Seems like he died while everyone was sleeping. Poor guy overdosed on A.B. I must say you don't seem surprised by his body, did you come from a battlefield?"
Hearing the voice, Alice turned to her side. It was the same woman from last night. She was currently sitting with her legs crossed while watching the Bruisers carry people away.
"A.B?"
"Yeah. Abyss Blood. Hm, I thought with how you talked, you probably came from the streets. But it doesn't seem that way if you don't know about A.B." The woman scratched her head in confusion.
"Sorry, situation weird." Alice apologised.
She didn't want to go into detail of her past with someone she had just met, especially someone in this weird place.
"Fair. No one has a normal situation if they got sold here. You do seem out of it, to boot. Regardless, it was nice talking to you. I hope we meet again." The woman smiled while pointing at the Bruiser about to lift her cage away.
"Ah, your name?" Alice asked in a hurried tone.
"My name? You can just call me Lilia." She replied, giving Alice a small wave.
"My name… Alice!" Alice shouted out before she lost sight of the woman.
Sitting back down on her cage, there was a hint of happiness in her eyes.
It was her first time talking to someone else like a normal person after 10 years.
'I'm glad she's a nice person.' Alice thought inwardly. Despite her happy mood, her face did not reveal any of her thoughts. It was blank as usual.
Soon, her cage was placed on the leather belt and moved through the building. She didn't know what to expect so she could only do her best to calm her heart. There were others in a similar situation to her, but they soon disappeared from view as her cage was placed into a wooden box.
Considering that the man she saw last night died from Abyss Blood, Alice knew that the substance was most likely going to be involved. The only issue lay in how it was used.
'I don't want to come into contact with any of the blood, if possible. If anybody finds out about my mutation like they did, who knows what will happen to me.' Alice bit her lip in fear as she hugged her arms at the thought of her old family.
Tilting her head back, she peeked through the gaps of the wooden box. She was currently on some platform that may raise her up, since there was a large empty space directly above.
With no idea about what was going on, she could only wait in silence. Thankfully, the wait was rather short. Clamouring sounds could be heard above along with the echoes of many footsteps and the chatter of hundreds of people.
Alice couldn't hear what they were saying. But she knew that more and more people were filling up the arena, as the sounds only got louder.
The footsteps continued for a time before a loud voice overwhelmed all noise.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! I am happy to welcome you to tonight's coliseum event! I am sure that many of you are excited to find out what we have planned for tonight! You've heard the rumours! You've seen the posters! And you certainly know the dangers! We are excited to announce that we have obtained the infamous Grave Robber! A behemoth of flesh and bones, stalking the shadows of the Slaughter Docks and digging up the bones of Hunters!
"And tonight! He'll be facing against a batch of newly acquired slaves from around the Abyss! There are some fine combat slaves along with a few poor souls who are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time! Feast your eyes tonight and bid to your hearts' content! We have plenty of hunters to assure that the asset you win will be protected should they be chosen!" He shouted out with glee in his voice while the thunderous cheers in the crowd shook the coliseum.
Before Alice could continue listening in on the announcements, a blue glow appeared on her choker as the number 10 manifested itself. Understanding that this was how they were going to identify her, Alice could feel her platform being raised up towards the trap door.
'From the sound of things, it seems like I'll have to fight against Abyss Beasts. If they get interested in me, I'll be bid on and protected.' Alice thought to herself while clutching her chest.
She had no experience fighting anyone, let alone Abyss Beasts. However, compared to the fear of going back to that white room or dying before she could get her revenge, a little bit of fighting didn't even make Alice react.
Filling herself with a false sense of bravery, Alice clenched her fist and focused up.
The moment her cage opened, things will become a battle of life and death.
As her cage reached the surface, Alice could see more than 20 slaves in different cages being released into the arena.
There was three layers to the coliseum. First, the base arena, where a myriad of obstacles, walls, and platforms were placed. Second, the viewing stands where hundreds of people watched with smiles on their faces, their identities hidden with masks, each of them provided with a wooden board for bidding purposes. Third, a place exclusively for VIPs. They had special rooms hanging over the arena to allow for a full view. Despite their distance, Alice found it strange she could see them in full clarity. Her eyesight was never this good before.
Furrowing her brows, she turned her attention back to the arena. Her cage had been opened as she was allowed to step out. She could feel several glances, probably due to her weird hair colour. However, the gazes were brief since she wasn't the main attraction of tonight's event.
Aside from the Abyss Beast that they had brought in, the announcer started to introduce one of the slaves.
"Plucked from the front lines of the twilight zone, our slave here has seen the battle with his very own eyes! He was arrested for accepting bribes and allowing criminals through the defensive line, causing the assassination of his superior! He has not been branded by the slave brand yet, so you can be the very first owner! Despite his traitorous behaviour, he is a three sigil warrior!" The announcer shouted out in excitement as the crowd went wild.
'Three sigil warrior? What's that?" Confusion filled Alice's mind as she turned towards where the spotlight was focused towards. A single man that stood in the centre of the arena.
He looked to be middle aged, with scars across his body. The side of his brown hair had been shaven clean while the top of his hair was tied back into a ponytail. He was given a rough set of clothing that was still much finer than what Alice wore. He was also equipped with a longsword and shield.
The cuffs around his body were much bigger than those around the other slaves. There were glowing purple runes etched on their surface.
"Lars! Show the power of your sigils!" The announcer shouted as the cuffs started to glow with a purple hue. Faint sparks of electricity crackled as the man flinched before gritting his teeth.
Through the gaps of his clothes, one could see a writhing shadow expanding into a tattoo that spread across his body, forming intricate sigils across his skin. One was on his neck, one was on his right hand and the last was on his back.
Hearing that he was going to demonstrate what it meant to be a three sigil warrior, Alice focused her attention on him.
Taking a deep breath in, Lars gritted his teeth as the sigil on his neck started to glow with a golden hue. His flesh started to bulge as rock-like material started to pierce through his skin and reinforced his body in a suit of armour.
As the second sigil activated, flames erupted through the gaps of his armour. Waving his sword, he stabbed it into the ground before pulling it out. The blade was now covered with a layer of molten rock that spewed flames with each wave.
With the final sigil lighting up, all of the flames turned blue and his body started to grow in size. Cracking his mouth open, he let out an earth-shattering roar that resounded throughout the arena, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.
"And there you have it! A quick demonstration of his sigils so that our fantastic VIPs know his potential! I can guarantee that he will make a spectacular battle slave once you purchase him! He will be proving his worth through a battle against the Grave Robber tonight while the other slaves will fight against our regular entertainment beasts. Keep an eye out though, there may be a diamond in the rough amongst this batch! You never know what might happen!"
From the opposite side of the arena, several new cages appeared from the ground. Each cage holding a nearly identical quadrupedal beast without a speck of fur. Grey muscle covered its body while sharp talons protruded from the spine and claws. Its whole body seemed to be shaped for speed as it had an arrow shaped head with crimson eyes.
Standing out from the batch of monsters in cages was a single reinforced prison holding a ghastly white behemoth of bone and flesh.
Three skulls adorned its humanoid body, with one on the neck and one on each shoulder. A stinger-like tail protruded from the back of the head and whipped against the cage while an iridescent glow reflected from its skin due to the lights shining against the surface.
A low growl reminiscent of the clicking of rocks echoing against each other escaped its skulls. Beads of red lit up in the eye cavities and focused upon Lars. It seemed to have recognised him as the biggest threat.
But it sensed someone else, too. A faint resonance from within the group of slaves, something that sent an aura of oppression within the Grave Robber's body. Before it could focus its attention to the source of the resonance, Lars released a wave of killing intent towards the beast.
He knew that his future depended on how well he performed. If he surprised the VIPs with his power, he'll be treated better than the average slave.
"It's you and me, beast!" Lars roared with a flamboyant flare, making sure all eyes were on him.
"Seems like our main attraction can't wait any longer! Then let's get the show on the road! Release the beasts!" The announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.
*CLANG!
With a loud rumble, the cage bars dropped as the beasts jumped into the arena. Despite the obstacles in the arena, the hound-like beasts immediately started hunting down the weak looking slaves as they couldn't deal with Lars.
Alice braced herself for the incoming battle.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Reili
Reili Edited by: Tales Bringer
Hope all of you are enjoying the new story! The start may be a little slow but I intend to slowly introduce you all to the power system and lore behind this world so stay tuned!
Kapitel 5: Abyss Hound
As the event began, Alice could no longer keep her attention on Lars. Her own survival was now at stake. But in the short moment she observed him, she gained information about things previously unknown to her.
'So, sigils are powers that appear on a person's body?' She wasn't sure. She hadn't seen anything like it.
'It seems like the more sigils you have the more powerful you are and the more favourably you are looked upon. Unlike the powers of the Abyss Blood, it seems like sigils don't affect your physical traits permanently, either.' She mused to herself. In a way, it was functionally similar to how her mutation worked.
'How nice… If only I had something like that.' She glanced at Lars fighting the Grave Robber in wonder.
Feeling a set of eyes lock onto her, Alice turned away from the fight between monsters. One of the Abyss Hounds, which Alice deemed appropriate to name, crouched above a set of wooden walls next to her, its body low and ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
Alice could feel her hands shaking in fear. Her body felt sluggish and her vision seemed to focus in on the Hound's jaws and claws.
Did she fear the pain she could feel? No, she didn't. Did she fear death? She didn't either. She will not let such a beast take her chance at vengeance away from her!
There were several weapons stabbed into the ground surrounding the arena. Most of them were too large or heavy for Alice to use. However, there was a shortsword near where she was. The blade looked red and broken, but she wasn't sure.
As the two stared down at each other, Alice could hear the sound of battles erupting around her. The sudden movements of the Hounds, the clashing of bone against steel, the screams of the dying.
Ignoring everything, her attention was solely focused on the beast in front of her. She didn't know why but her eyesight seemed to have improved dramatically. She could see the faint contractions of its muscle fibres, the small flicker of its eyes as it scanned her up and down.
Unable to hold herself back anymore, she rushed forward in impatience, lunging to grab the sword. But she was too slow. While Alice wasn't drained of energy, she wasn't exactly overflowing with vigour either.
The Abyss Hound could smell something strange from the girl. It made the Beast hesitate to strike. However, with Alice making the first move, it gave in to baser instincts and bared its fangs.
*BANG!
Launching itself off the wooden walls, the Hound leaped at Alice, the sheer force of its jump shattering the planks behind it.
Widening her eyes in shock, Alice's brows furrowed before she stretched her hand forward and barely grasped the sword. Desperately pulling and swinging it from an awkward angle, she tried to protect herself.
Feeling a stinging pain on her shoulder, Alice crashed to the side and rolled across the floor. Blood oozed from the girl's shoulder as the Hound's claw cleaved her flesh. He barely missed her neck.
The Beast turned and began to circle around her once more, relentlessly looking for another chance to kill its prey.
'How the hell does anyone fight beasts like this?!' She screamed in her mind. Although Alice knew the bedtime stories she heard of heroes fighting Abyss Beasts with ease were fake, nothing could prepare her for the sheer hopelessness of her current situation.
The stories of Abyssal Hunters sung of calm and fearless warriors, heroes who, no matter what tried to kill them, would stare down death without flinching. They wouldn't miss a single moment of weakness and strike the beasts, ending them in one blow.
But she wasn't like that. She could feel her knees buckling from the weight of the beast's attack, her mind muddied with confusion as to what the beast would do next. She could feel her heart pounding against her ears as the world seemed to darken around the Hound.
Sensing her confusion and fear, the Hound curled its bestial maws into a haunting smile that sent shivers down Alice's spine. Sadistic pleasure radiated from its eyes. It launched towards Alice once more. This time, its body exploded with even greater speed, causing dust to scatter behind it.
Alice froze in fear. The smile was familiar to her. It was something she had seen often before, plastered across the face of her tormenters. As the face of her tormentors and the Beast overlapped, she could feel a wave of anger rising from her heart.
Her instinct of survival merged with rage and desperation as Alice rolled off to the side and grabbed the corner of a wooden barricade scattered across the arena as part of an obstacle. Using it to throw herself away from danger, she watched as the Hound slammed against several barrels, breaking them apart as though they were made from paper.
'The pain from my shoulder isn't something I can't handle. But I can't use my left arm well.' Alice gritted her teeth.
She could only dread what kind of damage the Beast's lunge would have done to her body this time.
Scanning her eyes around, Alice found no additional weapons for her to easily use. To her left were several wooden walls, one of which she used to pull herself from danger. To her right, a set of barrels the Hound crashed through. There was another beast and slave locked in combat not far from her position. The path behind it would lead her closer to the centre of the arena, where the main attraction fought.
'What can I do? I can't fight the Hound at all. Fighting it head-on is suicide… The only weapon I have is this stupid sword I can barely swing. If I run towards the middle, I'm asking to get killed by the big thing fighting Lars. I doubt he'll care about my issues considering he's got a fight of his own.'
Without realising, Alice had started to scratch her neck out of stress, a habit she slowly developed over time. It helped her focus.
She was trying her best to rationalise all possible options. Panicking would only increase her chances of death. She couldn't deny the fact that she was anxious. She didn't want her life to end here. But, Alice's body didn't move the way she wanted it to. She just wasn't fit enough to perform acts of strength like taking down this Hound in a head-on fight.
'Then stop thinking that way!' She smacked her neck in frustration. 'I have to fight this Beast! I have to kill it no matter what. If I don't, I'll die and everything will be for naught. I didn't hold out for 10 years to get ended by some stupid mutt.'
Taking a deep breath, Alice got back onto her feet. She could feel a throbbing pain in her shoulder. It didn't bother her, though; a mere shoulder injury was nothing compared to seeing your own ribs being pulled apart.
She could hear the sound of wooden planks being pushed aside as the hound recovered and began to search for her once more.
'I can probably use the wooden walls to my advantage. If I make it crash into a bunch of them, it should give me a chance to attack him.'
Grabbing the sword by the handle with her mouth, she reached up with her good arm and hauled herself up on the wall. Stabilising herself momentarily, she glared at the hound and waited patiently. She wanted it to throw itself against the wall in an attempt to knock her off and take that chance to stab it from above.
While Alice couldn't help but admit that it was a little above her skill level right now, she had to start somewhere.
Seeing her provocative stance, the Hound bared its fangs once more and let out an intimidating howl. Alice remained unfazed, glaring with determination at the Beast. Circling around the wall for a short moment, the Hound dashed toward her.
Contrary to her expectations, the Hound didn't ram against the wall as she hoped but leaped up and aimed for her jugular.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly jumped back so that she was out of harm's way and landed roughly against the ground. With the target now missing, the Hound overshot its jump on the wall and collided with a stack of planks.
'A chance!'
Charging at what she perceived as a golden opportunity, Alice ran with a fool's courage in an all-or-nothing effort with her blade in hand. With the Hound still recovering from its jump, she dashed behind him and plunged the blade down.
Unfortunately for Alice, her technique was lacking. The blade tip collided harshly against a protruding bone and veered off to the side.
'You've got to be shitting me!' She cursed out in her mind. She had finally worked up the courage, but her attack just missed!
The Hound moved its head towards her with fury. The cowardly prey quivering in fear actually tried to kill it?! Lashing out in blind rage, the Hound sunk its teeth into Alice's forearm.
Gritting her teeth, Alice tried to throw both of them against the wooden walls in hopes of trying to get it to let go of her arm. But its bite was firm. It refused to let go no matter what, wanting to take a chunk out of her flesh.
At this rate, she would lose her arm to this Hound. Until she gets her hands on some Abyss Blood, any and every wound was dangerous.
Her vision started to turn red as there was only a single thought in her mind.
Kill!
She had to kill or be killed! No matter the method, she had to kill this beast in front of her to live another day!
Opening her mouth, she sunk her teeth into the Hound's neck.
AUTORENGEDANKEN
Reili
Reili
Edited by: Tales Bringer
5 Chapters in and Alice's first fight is against a Hound! Ever seen smiling dogs? They are creepy as heck! Personally, I'm not a dog person but more a cat person. Their laziness suits me X) Thank you for taking the time to read this chap!
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