Chapter 82

Five years ago.

Boston is the pearl of the kingdom. The majestic capital city is mind-blowing. Its size is impressive, its architectural style is sublime. Enchanting sights are on each step: there is the royal castle imposing the power and influence, over there is a magnificent tall tower of the merchants' guild that casts a shadow on half of the city. Every day the joyful or disappointed roar of the crowd comes from the arena of gigantic proportions, reminiscent of the Colosseum.

The capital city is the hallmark of the kingdom and for a reason. It delights, shocks, inspires awe in any guest visiting it for the first time. It is home to millions of people, an always busy anthill, surrounded by strong high walls that even an army of giants could never climb over or break through.

Today the atmosphere in Boston couldn't be more electric. Everyone talked about the upcoming bloody battles of the strongest slaves in the whole empire. The king himself had organized this significant event to celebrate the successful defense against the supreme beasts.

In any kingdom, ordinary people loved three things best of all: beautiful girls, good booze, and spectacular fights. And now, more than two hundred thousand spectators filled the stands of the arena in dense rows. They shouted, laughed, debated excitedly. In short, everyone couldn't wait until the bloodshed began. Some were placing their bets, others had come to have a good time, unwind, feel a sense of victory.

The event was meant to create a positive mindset, let the commoners have fun. As for the noble families, they had a different treat. The gentlefolk couldn't care less about feeble slaves fighting with weak beasts. The high-born would rather devote their time to family squabbles or training.

However, Jurich Stone, the patriarch of the 1st ranking family, had arrived at the arena today. His appearance surprised everyone present, including the king himself, who had to attend the event that he had organized.

Jurich was graceful. He had the beauty of a true warrior, tall and broad-shouldered with somewhat rough but attractive features. His muscular body gave the vapors to the most desired and unreachable ladies. His cold and determined gaze made the most ferocious enemies kneel before him, begging for mercy. Everyone in Boston knew Jurich had moved the Stones into first place in just a few years. Nobody knew when exactly he became so influential or where he came from, but everyone was certain that no ordinary man would be so powerful and have no equal.

Yurich's wife Diana was walking arm in arm with him. She was a beautiful, fragile-looking blond woman. A fat boy and two little girls were following them. The girls could both overshadow the sun itself, so dazzlingly charming they were. It was difficult to take eyes off this family, so perfect they seemed.

Waves of conversations and rumbles of whispers spread above the arena.

«This is Yurich himself! Why has the patriarch of the family number one come to see the slaves fighting?» … «Geez, look at that beautiful girl. It's Elsa! I heard that she is already in the middle stage of the superior phase, and she is only ten! What an extraordinary talent!» … «Every time I look at Lady Diana I understand that I have chosen the wrong wife.» … «Shut up! Your face must be missing my frying pan!» … «Is this charming girl his youngest daughter? Uhm, I'd love to have one like that... Why is heaven so kind to those in power?» … «Daaaad?»

Yurich sent his greetings to King Michael's box. The bearded man smiled at him. Then the patriarch seated his wife at the central place. His ten-year-old daughter tugged at her father's sleeve, demanding to be seated on his lap, which he did not refuse.

The little sweetie named Juno stood awkwardly nearby until Diana sat her youngest daughter next to her. The fat boy sat on his father's side, his fiery greedy eyes devouring a hefty slave. He had put a lot of money on him.

With warmth in his voice, the father addressed the girl on his knees:

«Elsa, I've brought you to the arena for a reason. You have to learn an important lesson. I want you to focus on each slave, on their relations, on how quickly their behavior changes depending on various factors. You will tell me everything you've learned at home, will you?»

«Yes, daddy.» – The beautiful girl nodded with a radiant smile, comfortably sitting on his lap like a nymph. She seemed to be the happiest daughter in the world.

Juno looked enviously at Elsa, who didn't leave her father for a second. It was plain as day that Elsa would take her father's words, lessons, and beliefs as a law. Her sister was so stupid... The father favoured Elsa's attitude as if it was some merit! But Juno wasn't like that. She would never kowtow to her dad to get his love! Elsa had always annoyed Juno. Her copying their father's character and her incredible talent drove Juno nuts. She wanted to surpass Elsa at least in something, prove herself, attract attention, but... Apart from her charming looks, Juno had nothing to boast of.

The five of them were sitting in the Stone's restricted area, surrounded by well-drilled guards.

The speaker came to the center of the arena. He respectfully greeted the king, patriarch Stone, and wished their families to have a nice time.

The warm greeting from the Royal speaker (0) revealed how influential the Stone family was. The patriarch himself had arrived, after all!

The speaker made an impassioned opening speech, pointing to the slaves in shackles. After the signal, the bars on the sides of the arena dropped, and terrible wild creatures ran out: tigers, poisonous tentaculipedes, giant tarantulas, snakes, slugs, and many other vile creatures.

The slaves' shackles fell off. They grabbed their weapons at the nearest racks and fearlessly attacked the creatures.

A fierce battle began. The beasts were significantly weaker than the people who were well prepared for the fight. The odds were obviously against the beasts.

The chubby boy named XiaoBai was trembling with impatience, the chair under him creaked dangerously. He had done a great job, bribing the warden, the armorer, and the breeder. The breeder had weakened certain beasts with special poison; the armorer had planted an enchanted mace in the set of weapons; and the warden had given slave number six the necessary tips that would help him win.

At the moment, the slave had seized the mace and attacked the weakened beasts following the advice of his secret "benefactor." The more he would kill, the better.

XiaoBai was bursting with excitement, his thick ripple folds quivering, his fists clenched tight. He had bet a tidy sum on that slave's victory and couldn't wait to fill his pocket with money!

The compacted sand was soon soaked with blood. The slaves got fewer injuries, so basically, it was the beasts' blood. Many in the audience understood that the slaves were supposed to win, but it did not spoil the fun and the thrill of the show.

Juno saw yet another tiger get its head mercilessly chopped off, her eyes wide-opened with horror. The girl swallowed nervously and squeezed her mother's hand. Diana comforted her, stroking her tenderly.

The children were introduced to blood and cruelty at an early age. It was a custom that had to be done.

The fight lasted a couple of hours. New batches of monsters kept arriving... The slaves took turns to rest. They rallied together, confronting the beasts and covering each other at critical moments. In the future, their friendship could get stronger than metal.

By the final round, only three slaves out of a hundred had been killed. The audience was pleased, anyway. The blood was shed, and they didn't care if it was human blood or not.

The mighty hydra was the main target of the last round. All 97 slaves had united and ripped the lethal beast apart. It didn't stand a single chance. The slaves demonstrated the best fighting spirit running in human blood since the beginning of time when people united against a common enemy. The last round was relatively quick and easy, but the audience enthusiastically applauded and cheered nevertheless.

Almost a hundred slaves stood out of breath but with smiles on their faces. They were shaking their hands, patting each other on the back, fist-bumping. They survived. They did it.

Yurich carefully removed Elsa from his lap, stood up and raised his hand to attract attention. Then he proclaimed in a thunderous voice:

«I've never seen a more ridiculous fight in all my not-so-boring life.»

A loud echo of his scornful words swept across the arena. A deathly silence followed them. The awe-inspiring patriarch was the focus of everyone's attention. King Michael gave him a questioning look.

Yurich continued impassively:

«We have suffered enormous losses while protecting our realm from the supreme beasts. Families were left without breadwinners, children lost their fathers and elder brothers, wives turned into widows! It is only reasonable that we must honor the memory of the victims with a grandiose performance in celebration of our glorious victory! And all I see today is a languid waving of weapons at weakened beasts! There's no intrigue, no drama, no emotions running high! Only three human sacrifices! Will this victory ever satisfy us?»

Hundreds of thousands of people looked at each other uncertainly. Many of them began to nod in agreement. In a couple of seconds, the buzz of voices supporting his words rose above the arena.

King Michael smiled sourly. He rose from his seat and answered in the same resounding voice:

«Patriarch Jurich. You know perfectly well that we've been trying to make a good impression on the whole kingdom. The slaves must defeat the beasts in this battle. Otherwise, it will be an insult to everyone present. People have won the war, they can't lose the battle on their grounds. If you wish to add something to this event, I am willing to heed your advice!»

Jurich looked at his wife with a boyish grin on his lips. Diana could not take her loving eyes off him. He turned his look on Elsa. Her facial expression wasn't very different from her mother's. Then he returned to the king:

«A fight for survival will be the perfect end of the day. I will grant freedom to the last surviving slave as well as a decent job and a hundred thousand spheres to boot!»

The audience burst into an uproar. The spectators lost their heads over the patriarch's generous reward:

«One hundred thousand?! I am going downstairs to chop them all myself!» … «Hehe! A wise offer from a wise man!» … «Yeah! We all want to see a slaughter!» … «Let the slaves fight to the last! Stab them in the guts» … «Patriarch Yurich is making history! Bravo!» … «That's right! Did I pay two spheres for nothing?» … «Patriarch Yurich has a point! He should be a king, a candidate from the people!»

Yurich sat down, pleased with himself. Elsa returned to her father's lap with a joyful scream.

«You're so cool, daddy! I will remember your lesson forever!»

The audience wouldn't calm down. Loud cheer resounded in favor of the patriarch's words. Many supported the idea to make Jurich the new king.

Michael frowned, clearly annoyed. The death of the slaves was going to cost him dearly. However, he had organized the show to cheer his people up, so why not?

The king asked for attention. In a few moments, everybody was quiet.

«The war with the beasts was for a good cause. Slaughtering people, however, is an ugly thing. Let the slaves decide if they will fight to their death so that only one of them could get freedom and a comfortable life.» – The king finished his speech and took his seat, thoughtfully looking at the slaves.

No one dared to question the king's words. If the slaves agreed to fight, so be it. If not, nothing could be done. The audience had to support them fervently to kill each other! Or else... Everyone in the stands had the same opinion. A moment passed… Then another... And the cheer in support of the fight had engulfed the whole arena.

Almost a hundred slaves dispersed across the sand, holding tight their swords, their faces pale from excitement. Those who had dropped the weapon picked up the first one they saw. Their recent cohesion in the battle with the hydra was forgotten. The tension was growing, the air was thick with bloodthirst. The incessant hubbub from the stands pressed every fighter, urging them to start the battle.

XiaoBai snorted, displeased. {Dad... Do you want to bankrupt me? If they do not pay me out the winnings, I'll personally squeeze the money out of you with interest for my moral damage and wasted time!}

Juno tightened her grip on the armrests of her seat in fear. As long as she remembered herself, she had never seen people kill each other. There were injuries at the tournaments, competitions or sparring, sometimes the fighters crippled someone, but it never came to killing. And now she was in for a massacre!

Juno asked herself a reasonable question: "Why?!" She had read lots of books where people committed murders out of hatred, jealousy, or another important reason. But what was their motive now? A cozy place under the sun, one for the whole crowd? A mass murder was about to start. The slaves, who had recently become comrades-in-arms, who had shaken hands with each other, slapped each other on the back, smiled at each other, were going to ruthlessly kill each other. How could they possibly fight after the terrible battle they had lived through together?

Juno's worldview was the root of all her doubts. She had concluded from books and her mother's stories that people were the most intelligent, kind-hearted and peaceful race on the planet. There must be a good reason for them to kill someone of their kind. However, her father was going to prove the opposite! His speech meant the massacre was inevitable. What was going on? Was it a practical joke? No, he wasn't like that... The truth had always been on his side, his words carried a lot of weight.

Juno looked at her father, at the content smile on his face, and her heart filled with overwhelming mixed emotions. She wanted to understand what he was thinking. She knew him well. For strangers, he was the head of the family, a ladies' man. The patriarch had conquered the hearts of millions of people, and the members of the Stone family were no exception. He had appeared from nowhere, tricked patriarch Bai and married his daughter. Soon he became the new esteemed patriarch Stone. Those who were close to Yurich could always rely on him. His words had crucial importance. There was no point arguing with him. Yurich had always been sympathetic, fair and gracious, albeit a bit too emotional.

And only the closest people knew that Yurich had one peculiarity... He suffered from emotional fits. When he lost his temper, he wasn't himself anymore. Only seeing Diana helped him get over a fit. They disappeared for half an hour, and then Yurich was back to normal again.

Juno knew her father well, that's why his words were so shocking for her. He had always shown a respectful attitude to other people's lives. He pardoned criminals, he did not kill or cripple his enemies, he did not execute traitors... Simply put, he appreciated life. Then why was he acting like this? Slaves were people, too! Was her father having a fit? She didn't think so... Definitely not.

Juno's gaze returned to the arena where the slaves hadn't started yet. They didn't seem to want the battle at all, which made the anxious girl more and more confused. She began to have doubts if her father was right... Could it get more absurd than that! On the other hand, why should her father always be right? What if she was right today? If so, Juno would triumph over her father and over Elsa who Juno hated more than anyone else. Elsa had always taken everything their father said at face value, and it was exactly why Juno doubted his judgement. The slaves must be reasonable enough to refuse to fight with each other.

Juno's eyes flashed triumphantly. The anticipation of victory filled her heart. Could she finally stop being jealous of her sister? At least for an hour... Or better for a couple of days! That would be great! Juno didn't know the true essence of human vices yet, that's why she was sure that she was right.

«DIE, ASSHOLE!» – A solid beefy slave roared, chopping off the head of a fellow who was standing with his back to him.

«ААААААH!» – Another slave gave an agonized cry and killed his rival who was standing nearby.

A moment later, each half-naked slave brandished their weapons, slaughtering those they considered brothers in arms not so long ago.

The color drained from Juno's face. She had never seen death or torments before. Now she could witness the fury of the slaves. The mighty blows of their sharp weapons chopped off the heads and limbs, their heartbreaking screams meant even more bloody wounds. They broke each other's necks, crushed bones with wild, ruthless faces. Nothing human was left in them.

Juno's outlook had cracked. Those savages didn't have any reason or kindness she believed in. There was nothing sacred for them. How could her father appreciate human life if they were so vile, betraying their friends for a questionable reward? They were at each other's throats, killing their kind for a slim chance at the place in the sun... Only a while ago, they were shaking each other's hands, smiling at each other, fighting against the common enemy as befits brave warriors, and then they turned into villains.

Juno was so appalled at the scene that she nearly fainted when suddenly a thought flashed across her unstable mind, dispelling the chaos in her head. The slaves were no people. It all added up. Her belief in people, the most intelligent, kind-hearted and peaceful beings on the planet, would stay strong. It wouldn't shatter over this nonsense. Her father valued human life, he would never have suggested anything like this if slaves were people. He did not appreciate slaves' lives because they were no people. It made perfect sense. The answer had been staring her in the face all along.

Juno calmed down, but the filthy feeling of betrayal wouldn't go away. It wasn't about seeing people killing each other, she had lost to her sister... Again. But... It served her right! She should have never doubted her father's words - what a silly girl! Her father was always right.

"Slaves are no people." This affirmation would be growing in Juno's mind, acquiring new shades of meaning. The closer to the social bottom, the less human was left in people. The slaves would betray, stab a knife in their brothers in arms for a vague hope of improving their miserable situation. Those creatures had no honor or dignity. The absence of education and proper upbringing turned them into immoral, dishonest barbarians. Living in the scum, feeding on food waste made them selfish, self-serving, greedy for any material benefit. The lack of decent entertainment, goals, and interests made them indulge their carnal desires, using their energy for violence. Extreme poverty killed everything human in people. They turned into animals when they were little kids. It was their destiny to entertain and serve those in power.

As Juno grew up, she discovered her sadistic tendencies. She was a high-born lady, her word was the law, and she was never ashamed of that. And yet, Juno hid her inclination from others. She thought it might send the wrong message.

All her life, Juno could not surpass her sister in anything. The eternal feeling of envy and inferiority was gnawing at her from inside. It didn't let her sleep at night, tormenting her with nightmares. However, when she humiliated someone, suppressed them, surpassed them both physically and mentally, her whole being was filled with insatiable, unforgettable happiness.

Each time she made someone suffer physically or emotionally, waves of pleasure gushed through her young body, exciting her from inside, making her heart beat faster. She was drooling at the mere thought of experiencing it all with Elsa. It was her unshakable dream. However, she had to be content with little until then.