Coliseum

--Dani's Perspective--

Lia and I woke up almost on top of each other after spending the night in the cell located on the edges of the coliseum. It was a big ring around the coliseum, which both Noboki and Amera forced us all into. In that ring made from stone, a ton of people were stored. Some of these guys I'd never seen before, while others I knew personally.

I wasn't sure about the objective of this coliseum, but from what I remember yesterday, Noboki said that Orion was picking out new slaves. I don't want to be a slave, but if I lost in this coliseum, I'd lose my life, right? This was going to be a large-scale fight to the death, wasn't it?

I noticed Lia was pushing against stone blocks on our walls while I just sat in the uncomfortable bed they put in here.

"What are you doing?" I asked, but she ignored me, listening closely to the wall for something while pushing against the bricks.

"I can hear small stones falling from a high place when I push some of these rocks. The infrastructure is weak around here; it's why the coliseum could've been built so fast." She explained.

"Do we have any blankets in here I can use to cover myself while I use the bathroom?" I asked her. Lia took off her coat without breaking contact with the wall, continuing to push and listen.

I finished my business and handed her the coat back, which she put on and tightened around her body.

"Here." Lia finally said. She slammed her foot into the stone brick like she was kicking down a door and sure enough, it fell out of the wall, leading to the sewer pathway past the bricks.

"This connects to the toilet… can you fit through here with me, Dani?" She asked.

The hole was clearly too small for me to fit through, but Lia's slender body could make it through with no scrapes.

"No… but you don't need to worry about me. I won't lose in this coliseum, just go find some more help! Will Tavian know anything about escaping or freeing us?" I asked her. Lia slithered through the hall and landed in the sewage, wiping off the disgusting slush that followed on her body. I was amazed she didn't puke, but quickly remembered the worse substances her body has been covered in, such as blood and guts.

"I'll see. Don't worry Dani, I'll prove to you that I'm a good person!" She told me. Her dedication seemed sincere, and I didn't want to take away from her motivation, so I just stuck my thumb up and smiled. In reality, I already knew she was a good enough person.

I turned my head towards the bars of my cell and made eye contact with somebody standing across the room from me.

"Quit looking at me bitch!" I heard. I directed my eye contact somewhere else, ignoring him.

I took a lot of time thinking about Orion's life. What pushed him this far? What point do you have to get to in order to start holding matches like this to gain more slaves that are strong enough by your own decree? It was all so interesting to think about.

But the other thing that was interesting for me to think about was Sky. I liked thinking about him, to the point where I confidently believed that I liked him a lot. That idiot told me he liked me before he went off with Tavian and ended up fighting Ethos and Logos. What did he expect me to do with that information? Who just says that? It made me angry, but at the same time, I found myself smiling.

He was capable of quite a lot. Maybe he doesn't think so, but in everything I've seen from our time on the beach, on the bay, in the forest, and anywhere we've been, he's continuously impressed me. Even now, he was able to save my life, and all I want to do is pay him back the favor. I want to be somebody he can depend on, so no matter if I could fit through that hole, I'm glad I didn't join Lia. I want to prove how strong I am to Sky directly, I want him to recognize me as his equal, and then I'll confess to him.

The cells started to unlock in order, with both the guy in front of me and my doors opening at the same time. We both walked out, and he obviously was watching my gaze to see if it met his. Out of pure spite, I almost looked at him to see what he would do.

"Avoiding me now? What a cold girl." He said. His smile only gave me disgusting thoughts and I continued to walk away, speeding up to get away from him.

"Hey! How about you protect me, and I'll protect you in this coliseum, huh?" He playfully asked me. I turned to look back at him, looking at his stupid face and starting to smile.

"You're annoying. Shut up, I don't like you." I told him. Out of a fit of anger, he tried to put his hand around my arm to slow me down, but his reaction speed was so slow that I pulled out of it and punched him in the stomach. The hit didn't do much, but it seemed he was still in shock over it regardless.

"Seriously, gross," I said again. He crossed his arms and threw his eyes to the side. I didn't take much offense, I only walked forward, grabbed a sword from the barrel outside of the entrance, and grouped together with Charlie, Ullr, Ellie, and Mandi.

"As long as we stick together, this should be easy! Plus, we got Ullr and Dani, Charlie!" Mandi said. She seemed pretty ecstatic that we could defend her.

"Ullr, let's crush the competition," I told him. I mentally prepared for the fight ahead.

"Are you sure you have the strength to kill somebody as innocent as these people?" Ullr asked me sincerely.

"I'm not Carl. I understand our position. Kill, or be killed, and I don't particularly feel like dying today. There are no morals in a place where we fight to the death." I told him. Ullr nodded and I smiled.