Chapter 177 (1/25): Bullying
The amphitheater was well designed to amplify sound. Even without magic, a person standing in the center of the arena could easily be heard by the entire audience as long as the person had a clear voice. Now, the amphitheater captured the voice of the thousands of cheers and combined them into huge never-ending waves of sound that washed over Camilla. She had never heard such excitement before. Certainly not in the Moltrost.
When the cheers reached her, they stirred something in her and she couldn’t help but rise to her feet, staring down wonder at Elyss. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t care, forgetting to breathe entirely. Her first thought wasn’t to cheer along with the others, nor was it to send her congratulations down to Elyss.
The only thing she had on her mind was the lion that stood tall and proud over her defeated opponent, basking in adoration and sunlight alike, the center of attention. Whether or not Elyss meant for it to happen, the magical construct within her fur reflected part of that sunlight, causing it to glow a radiant gold that perfectly suited her new moniker.
She couldn’t help but be absorbed by the sight and she stood there like that for five seconds, ten seconds… When she finally came to, Kagriss was standing next to her, following her gaze down at Camilla.
Kagriss could feel Camilla’s awe leaking through her bond with Camilla, accompanied by a myriad of other unidentified emotions mixed in. “Milla?” she asked, voice low.
This time, Camilla didn’t answer the question of concern directly. Instead, she took a deep breath, trying to preserve the moment forever in her mind. “Don’t you think she belongs there in that light? It’s as if that place is where she naturally belongs.”
The arena where people from all walks of life fought, spilling blood in chase of riches and fame, suited Elyss more than running all over the place with them, camping out in the woods and plains where no one could see her.
Although Camilla’s offer to bring Elyss to an arena to sate her battle lust had been one made at random, now Camilla realized that her guess was correct. The arena is truly the best place for Elyss to be. The arena, the violence that came with it, and the fame and riches to be gained from it, truly suited Elyss.
“Don’t you think so, Kagriss?”
After a moment, Kagriss nodded and said nothing else. When the cheers finally started to die down and Elyss returned triumphantly back into the walls of the arena, beneath the seats of the amphitheater audience. What followed was a group of workers that came out to clean up the battlefield and to move the grievously wounded troll warrior inside to be treated.
The action was over, and the intermission had begun to give the audience time to discuss what had just happened. There was nothing else to be seen in the arena until the next battle started.
Camilla sat back, crossing her legs. “I guess it’s my turn next, I suppose? Or is it Kagriss’s?”
Ismelda closed her eyes to better access her memory and after a moment she nodded at her. “You’re up.”
Not long after she spoke, someone came up behind them and tapped Camilla’s shoulder, bowing when she turned. Sure enough, it was a worker from the coliseum, here to invite her down for her battle.
Not wanting to keep anyone waiting, Camilla stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt.
Truth be told, she didn’t like fighting for spectators. Fighting for spectators meant giving up her secrets and tactics. Eventually, everything she was capable of will be laid bare for all to see, and even if she remained undefeated, someone would eventually come up with an unorthodox way to defeat her. Fighting as a show was a no-no in her book.
However, just showing her face once should be fine. Besides, Ismelda had already signed her up and she didn’t complain then, so it wasn’t like she could just back out now. Finally, the biggest lure for her was that some of the proceeds from the gambling went to her if she won. As a guest, she got a lesser share than contracted prize fighters, but it was still a decent share of the whole pot. Sadly, an unpublicized and unscheduled match like hers didn’t attract much attention and as a result the volume of bets was quite low.
No matter, though, since it was essentially free money. A few hundred to a thousand bloodstones on a rest day? There was no reason to refuse.
“Good luck,” Kagriss called after her.
Camilla nodded and followed the worker into the staircase that led to the underground complex beneath the amphitheater.
The complex was also the place where slave fighters ate and slept, so naturally it had a variety of facilities designed to meet any basic need. But beyond that, it also had small shops and cafeterias, as well as healers, armorers, and weaponsmiths. Just as prize fighters earned money from the coliseum, the coliseum also strove to earn that money back from the fighter where they could.
To suit the giant races, the basement had a tall ceiling and Camilla soon saw Elyss being surrounded by a bunch of fighters, unable to break free. Although she snarled, none of them feared her and no one moved.
Most of the fighters were no larger than the average human, so the huge lion couldn’t freely move either for fear of accidentally crushing one to death—although a fighter that died that easily was worthless anyway. Still, Elyss will get in trouble if anyone gets hurt because of her. That was what those worms that surrounded her told her.
Camilla scowled, and before the worker could stop her, walked toward the gathering. The worker hurried after her. “Miss Camilla, wait! The preparations!”
“I’m already as prepared as I can be,” she said, waving her off. “Just call me when it’s time for me to go.” Right now, she had something to do, like taking care of these maggots that had no eyes. Of course, she quickly realized a problem with Elyss becoming a prize fighter here.
Even if Elyss cared not for money, it didn’t change the fact that everything cost money in civilized lands. A lion could not handle money, especially Elyss thanks to her size. If Elyss was to remain here, then she’ll have to ask Victoria to keep an eye out for her and hire a trustworthy manager.
By the time Camilla reached the crowd, Elyss had almost reached the end of her patience. Her tail was lashing back and forth, and she bared her teeth at the fighters of various races surrounding her. When she saw Camilla, her eyes lit up, only to dim in disappointment.
Camilla nodded to her. “Just wait a bit longer,” is what she was trying to convey with her gesture, but she had no idea whether or not the message got through. She had to hurry before Elyss did something she’ll regret. With a cold smile, she grabbed the shoulder of one of the jeering fighters, a tall elf with a nicked ear and close-cropped blond hair.
The elf whirled around, glaring at her. Camilla took in his appearance. He had a scar stretching diagonally across his whole face. “What?” he demanded, shrugging her off.
“Mind telling me what’s happening?” she asked.
“What else? Upstart animals strolling in here acting as if it’s got the worth to breathe the same air as us.” The elf hissed in annoyance and disgust. “No idea what the higher ups are thinking. They should’ve put her in the cages like the rest of them!”
Normally, Camilla would have strained to keep her smile, but things were different this time. Her smile had been an icy cold smile in the first place. The elf’s words only made her smile wider, but sadly the elf didn’t understand the meaning.
Thinking that she agreed with him, the elf turned back around, only to be spun back by Camilla. “Wait, I’m not done, she said. I heard she’s different. She can talk, so doesn’t that make her more than just an animal?” She almost felt ill describing Elyss in such a way, but she pressed on. By now, Kagriss had sensed her anger through their bond and was making her way down the stairs.
The elf glared at her, clearly unhappy with how touchy she was. Brushing off his shoulder, he shrugged. “What is it to you anyway? Animals will be animals whether they can speak or not. Just because they can speak our language doesn’t change anything.” He snorted. “This kind of thinking is exactly what brought on the Elemental Wars. I keep saying that those damn spirits can’t be trusted.”
The Elemental Wars? Camilla had never heard of such a conflict before. Victoria has said that all the races were at peace and Camilla had believed her. Was Victoria lying then? How long ago had this “war” taken place?
Then again, Victoria had lied about the vampires being at peace as well when she recently crushed another vampire lord, so it wasn’t like Victoria was particularly truthful when it came to history.
Although she was curious about the Wars, Camilla already had a task at hand.
Her smile grew colder as she stared into the elf’s eyes. The intensity of her gaze made him back up a step without realizing. Such a…weak will. But that made him the perfect tool. She shook her head. “I don’t agree with you. I don’t think I can change your mind, so I won’t bother. On the other hand, I would like your body to tell these rowdy bunch to stop and apologize to that lioness. You too, of course.”
The elf froze in shock, staring at her as if she had grown a second head. The shock didn’t last for long, and even the fear that crept up in his heart when he stared into Camilla’s eyes disappeared, washed away by rage and shame. “Who the hell are you? How dare you talk to me like that?”
The worker behind Camilla was about to interrupt and introduce her, but Camilla cut him off. “Who am I? It doesn’t matter. Your only option is to answer yes or no.”
“Of course not!” the elf snapped. “Who—” Do you think you are?
Those last words never came out as Camilla caught his fist aimed straight at her face and twisted it down. The squeal of a pig being slaughtered echoed through the underground complex and everyone turned toward the source. Even the ruckus around Elyss stopped.
The elf began to sweat from the pain. Slowly, Camilla twisted her wrist further, forcing the elf’s elbow joint toward its breaking point. “Yes or no?”
She ignored the sounds of the hushed discussion around her and winked at Elyss. The gathered people didn’t miss the wink, but she didn’t care. Instead, she nodded toward the elf. “Well?”
“Hell no—arrgh!” The squeal came again.
The resistance that Camilla encountered increased bit by bit, but with her strength, it wasn’t hard to twist off someone’s arm whether or not they were resisting. At this point, some of the fighters came forward to try and break them apart, but she stopped them with a glare. She smiled at the elf whose face was soaked with sweat. “Come on, it’s going to break.”
“No!” the elf screamed. He gritted his teeth and yanked his body upright again. A crank sounded as his elbow joint popped out of its socket, but he ignored it.
With a start, Camilla realized that she had underestimated these prize fighters after all. The elf wasn’t as weak-willed as she had assumed… She let go of the broken arm, taking a step back in silence.
While she was distracted, the elf launched himself forward and punched with his uninjured arm toward Camilla. However, this time, she simply stepped aside, sighing as her plan went into shambles. Not that her plan was great in the first place.
Everyone was looking at her…
After tripping the elf as he passed by, Camilla clapped her hands. “Okay, listen up, everyone! From now on, we’re going to learn how to make friends! Repeat after me: ‘intelligent beasts are friends.’ Come on!”
She smiled at the group of twenty or so fighters that were causing Elyss trouble. Each and every one of them was stunned by her actions and tone. Her words. Behind them, Elyss looked like she was trying to cough up a furball and spasming.
“Come on,” she repeated with an exaggerated sigh, filled with disappointment and exasperation. “Surely all of you can follow instructions. Or are you too young to understand me? Hm?”
The first of the fighters managed to return to reality, and after checking and seeing that she really exists and he wasn’t just dreaming, the orc charged at her. “You bastard! Who do you think you’re talking to like that?!”
“You, of course.” Right before the magic-reinforced fist reached her face, it suddenly froze mid-air, stopped cold by a semi-transparent black wall that sprang up between them. “Thank you, Kagriss.” She turned and gave the woman standing at the foot of the staircase a sweet smile.