//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 Mortal Combat 
// Story: Not What I had Expected 
// by Frosthowl 
//------------------------------//

The winter wind was whistling in the corner of the stone cell that Aran had been put in the night before. His bear pelt had been taken from him, but his axe was still clutched tightly in his hand, he could hear the cheering of a bloodthirsty crowd waiting for its contenders to entertain them. The human brute was awaiting for his first match, the words of the merchant still gnawing at his mind.

***

"And why in the unholy fuck would I even consider becoming a gladiator? My job description was to become your personal body guard."

Korvax raised his hand to calm down the tipsy human. "Indeed, that was the original idea, but I can't help but think your talents for murder and mayhem would be wasted as my guard in a city where nobody would dare to lay a hand on me, when instead you could be making bags on top of bags of bits. On your own you could make a good living fighting in the ring, but with me as your...sponsor, You'd be able to make a fortune! Think about it, you could retire in gryffindar or saddle arabia, you could court a different mare or...gryphon every night, live like a fat king and never have to worry about having a roof over your head ever again." Though the human liked the idea of returning to civilization, he was especially inclined to the warmth of saddle arabia, he couldn't resist the chance of tending to his hormonal needs. Living in the forest and a dungeon hadn't really given him a chance to meet any desirable humans or non-humans. The idea of retirement sounded too good to be true, but Aran knew that there had to be a catch.

"Now before I say 'yes' and start killing people for money, I need to know, does your plan to make 'you' rich involve me getting killed?"

"Quite the contrary, I need you to stay alive, healthy in fact. I need you to be stronger and fiercer than you've ever been before." He answered with a very calm and confident tone, as if he already knew how it would all end.

Aran took a long pause to think over the risk he was taking by agreeing to the scheming merchant’s plan. Though Korvax was not one to be trusted, he was smart enough to know that if he betrayed him, a quite bloody vengeance would be waiting for him right around the corner, but still, he couldn't help but wonder if the minotaur had something particularly nasty planned for him. "Alright i'm in!" Aran said, smashing the wooden mug so that it split in half and let its contents run out. "Now what's the downside to me being a gladiator, other than the fact that I will have to fight for my life?"

"First, you will lose your freedom, secondly, you'll be living in the arena stockades, and thirdly...-"

***

The crowd cheered as the announcer beckoned the fighters to come forward. The metal spikes barring entrance to the arena now sunk down into the ground, allowing the human to step foot in the arena. "We have something special for you all tonight. A creature unlike anything in the world, wolves and bears alike tremble at its deafening roar, its fury rages and roars like a great inferno consuming all in its path, it has cowed mortals and gods alike! I present to you THE HUMAN!" The crowd was going wild and three inexperienced minotaur slaves who were drafted to fight for their freedom, dreaded what would come out of the dark hole. But to the crowd’s surprise, what came out was not a bulking monstrosity that towered over the fighters, rather, a creature with no fur, nor a snout. It did not stand any taller than its opponents, rather it was more equal height, and the creature itself looked more like a sickly minotaur then a ferocious fighter. The crowd started laughing and jeering at the appearance of this lesser creature. The slaves were renewed with a sense of hope, thinking it would be an easy fight. Never had anyone been so wrong.

"COMBATANTS, BEGIN!"

The fight began and the most confident slave charged the human with his mace, expecting to deal a simple blow to its head and gain his freedom. The mace was swung, only to be deflected without much effort. The slave had been too confident and had not been holding tightly to his weapon, thus causing it to slip out of his hands. Surprised by this, he was given a mere second to realize his mistake before he was chopped in half from his shoulder down to his waist. The slave stood stock-still for a moment, until his upper torso slid off along the neatly cut diagonal line. The crowd was stunned into silence, until they let out a cheer at seeing first blood, clearly, there was more than met the eye when it came to this creature. Taking the life of that arrogant slave had given Aran a slight adrenaline rush, enough to wake up his more ferocious side. A hunger for more blood thirsted in his mind and he clung to the axe with a grip that only death could separate.  He strained the muscles of his neck and face as he roared for more. The crowd cheered loudly and started to condemn the slaves to death, they had taken a quick liking to this creature. The slaves stared at each other, nodding in understanding, they also charged towards the human. A small one handed axe and a sword were headed directly towards Aran on either side, but with just one clean swing of his axe the human sliced through the slaves, as well as their weapons. The slaves were dead before they hit the ground and the entire arena roared in admiration towards the latest newcomer to the ring. Minotaur culture respected and admired strength above all else. Seeing this human killing lowly slaves as if they were nothing was a spectacle for them to behold. 

"Well done, Monster, you do your reputation justice!" Aran glared at the announcer with a burning malice in his eyes. "Easy there, I would save my energy, because your next fight will be against more experienced opponents. Your next challenge will be two veterans of the arena, FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, OR DIE, BEGGING ON THE GROUND! BRING THEM OUT!"

From the dark hole in the wall, came out two well armed gladiators, both carrying their own weapons. One with a claymore, the other a battle axe just like Aran’s. Both were more muscular and more intimidating than the lowly slaves. 

"COMBATANTS, BEGIN!"

The two fighters parted from one another, standing apart from each other, their plan was so obvious he could smell it. In the Everfree forest, wolves always flanked their prey, cut off any escape routes and would relentlessly follow their prey so as to tire them out.  The gladiators approached with their weapons ready to strike the human down. Aran started to backpedal, trying to force them in front of him, but no matter what direction he would go, the arena walls would prevent him from moving any further. The crowd started to chant for the fight to begin, though with the corpses of the slaves still in the ring, the two veterans were slightly more cautious. However, the point of gladiator fights is to give the audience a show worth coming back to. The chanting however, wasn't encouraging the gladiators to attack, but the calls for blood were affecting Aran and he felt his ire rise as the crowd demanded to see more of the monster that they thought him to be. Aran gave his opponents one final glare before letting out a growl of warm breath into the cold air. As his inner rage built up more and more, he felt an all too familiar strength growing within him. "YOU WANT TO SEE ME FIGHT, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT!!?? THEN SHUT UP AND WATCH!!" He roared out as loud as he could, catching the fighters off guard, and going on the offensive, swinging his axe to clash against the claymore wielder.

The claymore surprisingly held together, leaving Aran a bit shocked as the axe wielder behind him sprung up to cleave him in half. Aran quickly took note and was able to narrowly dodge the swing of the second minotaur leaving both minotaurs facing him, he swung his axe again and this time, it managed to scrape the claymore wielder, causing him to roar out in pain, while taking a few steps back to recover from the blow. The axe wielder once again moved forward to attack Aran, but the tricky part about carrying an axe is that they can't be used to block with, the big advantage Aran had was his feet and cat-like reflexes. He Dodged one swing after another, until Aran finally spotted an opening, after a particularly hard swing Aran used the metallic like grip of his axe to ram the snout of the minotaur, making him stagger backwards and stumble to the ground. Aran capitalized immediately on his enemy’s immobility, he swung his axe forward and with one strike to the minotaur's head, the axe split his skull in half right down to the meaty neck of the minotaur. Aran withdrew his axe as the two halves of the minotaur’s face peeled apart to the delight of the audience. Aran was empowered with a sensation for even more blood. The claymore wielder had finally recovered, with a bloody trail running across his forehead, leaking blood into his eyes. "That’s a nasty scratch, guess I have to do better!" A malicious smirk spread across the insane human's lips. The two clashed as the claymore swung t Aran. Once again, the human only narrowly dodged a blow that would have left him headless. Swinging a massive sword like that, while dangerous to any foe, was impractical for long extended fights, especially since it required a lot of momentum. An opening wasn’t all that hard to find, every swing had a second and a half delay. After a few desperate swings, Aran took advantage of the delay in-between and severed the minotaur's right arm.

The audience once again roared at the spectacle. The continuous flow of blood and screams of anguish from the beaten gladiator was music to Aran's ears. He had won. The minotaur fell on his knees, gripping the gushing stump that used to be his arm, futilely trying to stem the flow of blood as he began to shake from shock. He stared into the mad human’s eyes only to see that they held no pity for him, as if the monster was hollow inside.  The crowd started to chant for a killing blow, their hard earned money spent to see a spectacle such as this would in time bring even more curious eyes to see this vicious creature. Aran saw how they were all crying out for blood. Taking one last glance at the gladiator, he swung his axe from the blunt side, knocking the beaten fighter down onto the ground. However, he did not stop bashing the prone minotaur with his axe, with the first blow a crackle resounded throughout the arena, with the second, the bull's cranium caved in, his eyes bursting into pulp from their sockets blood dribbling out onto the ground, and after the third strike, what was left of the head exploded outwards, brain matter spewing like shrapnel along with fragments of skull, leaving only a tattered meaty stump of what was left of the neck. Aran went into an uncontrollable frenzy as he kept smashing the long-dead minotaur's carcass over and over again until there was nothing but a pile of glistening wet giblets left on the ground. Exhausted from the act, he looked up to see that the crowd had stopped their cheering, they had expected a simple chop to put the bull out of its misery, but this was an act more brutal that they had never expected. Aran was furious. He ran and picked up the axe of his opponent and flung it into the audience, almost hitting one of the attendees. "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?" He roared, angry over the fact that they paid money to see blood, and changed their mind once they'd seen so much. "-ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED...Is this not why you are here?" The human saw how a few of the guards of the arena started to amass, incase their pets wouldn't behave. The gate was opened again and Aran threw his axe over his shoulder and went back inside to the dungeon below where his cell was waiting for him. Arriving back at his cell, Aran threw his back against the wall as he glided down to the ground,  tending to some minor cut he had gotten from a blow he had just barely dodged in the fight. 

"Well done, I imagine that tomorrow you will have a bigger audience to tend too." Korvax's voice rang across the dungeon as he approached Aran's cell.

Aran chuckled with a mad grin on his face. "You sure about that? They seemed more disgusted than entertained."

Korvax’s snout peeked through the bars, not at all fearful of the human sitting inside. "Precisely. They will spread word of your brutality in the ring. The citizens of this city will come here, curious to see this mysterious and ferocious creature." A plate filled with meat and fruit was presented by one of Korvax's servants and slid across the floor via the gap below the bars. "The profit was decent, but I know that tomorrow, the gold will really flow in, and of course you will be expected to fight even stronger opponents. Just make sure not to die, after all, this is a new beginning for you." He laughed as he snapped for his servant to follow him out of the dungeon.


*** 

Elsewhere in the land, the group of mercenaries had taken shelter at the inn. A rough blizzard had crept on the travelers during the night, which had forced them to stay a bit longer than anticipated. Locust was not dressed for the cold and they couldn't find much to put on him, a changeling could only be exposed to below zero temperatures for a few minutes before they would die from hypothermia. Galia had flown out and analyzed when the storm would settle. Luckily it had appeared that it would most likely disappear just at dawn, letting everyone search through the house for any supplies, money, or other interesting secrets that the now deceased owner kept in his house. Of course the first thing they would raid was the bag of bits in the owner’s room, he really wouldn’t wouldn't need it anymore. They had piled up the corpses and burned them outside. Everyone except the leader of the band was awake, mostly spending their time, drinking, taking watch, or studying human physiology. The Captain was still horrified by what had happened the night before. These mercenaries were as cold and ruthless as Aran, but they were much more subtle about it.

"Jeez… are you still moping about those three dead guys? I  thought you would be used to seeing remains, being a guard an' all." Galia commented, taking another gulp of warming ale. She had been chugging them for hours yet she still was not the least bit drunk. It didn't seem like the best idea, but none of her comrades were stopping her from drinking while on a mission, so Shining assumed that it was just par for the course. Locust had been sitting next to the hearth continuously reading through the examinations that had been performed by several specialists that had been sworn to secrecy. Despite the Captain’s mistrust of changelings, Locust was not from Equestria or the badlands, nor this side of the world, so there was no reason for him to believe that he was a spy for Chrysalis.  He stood up from the ground and started moving over to speak with the changeling.

"Have you found anything yet?" He asked, hoping they would have a way to bring down Aran when the time came.

Locust sighed before responding. "This specimen is… intriguing. I have only found a few weak points, some that are hard to reach and others that will require an opening to get through successfully, meaning that he will most likely need to be restrained in order for me to sedate him." He brought up a few pictures of the human’s spine, feet, and head, most of them with open incisions. "Look at its structure." He said turning the full body picture on its side, showing the appearance of him standing. "Its spine, lower limbs and head are perfectly fitted to give this human a very balanced posture whilst standing up." He looked at the Captain who was just staring with confusion at what he had said. He sighed before he started giving a more dumbed down explanation. "In other words, you'll have a hard time trying to make him fall over."

"What do you mean?"

"You see- Minotaurs and Diamond dogs, both are bipedal creatures. However, with just a simple shove or pull, you could knock them on their back or stomachs easily. The center of gravity of a minotaur is at its lower thighs. Its knees and snout help it to stay up without falling backwards because of its hooves. However, if you would push its upper body, its hooves would need to adjust and would keep staggering backwards until it collapsed on the ground, only if you're lucky could you prevent the fall. A diamond dog has the opposite effect, its balance comes from its forward hulking posture. if you would pull on their necks or torso, they would fall face first on the ground if they have their paws busy. But this human...Its balance is at its lower part of its spine. It could in theory make loops and vaults and still keep balance with a little practice. Its feet has five finger tendons that can adjust for any change in terrain, acceleration, or balance. If you would give him a buck to the chest, he'd most likely just rebalance himself with his feet, they are  much more efficient at keeping a bipedal stance than paws or hooves. Its body is also flat which keeps the point of pressure always downwards to the ground instead of having to fight gravity. Oh what I would give to examine this human firsthand!" The changeling’s eyes were glued at the pictures with crazed and obsessed eyes. The captain decided to take a few steps backwards, not wanting to disturb Locust anymore.

"He's always been like this, everytime we get a mission, all he does is read, think of strategies or complain about how cold it is, I swear, if he tries to recommend me another book to read, I'll claw my eyes out!"

"You could stand to learn a few things Galia, Using your wings and claws will only get you so far, true power comes from knowledge." 

Just as Locust finished his sentence, he felt three spiky claws bearing down on his neck. "Want to put that theory to the test?" She whispered into his ear.

"Depends, what's the score from last time?" He chuckled carefully so that he wouldn't cut himself. Just as Locust's broken horn gave a very weak glow, another voice came from the back of the house.

"If you two start a fight while I'm trying to get some shut-eye, you'll both end up sleeping outside tonight!" The leader of the band said out loud, with a annoyed and tired voice.

"Sorry sir!" Both of them snapped like statues towards their boss and saluted with genuine fear in their eyes. While the gryphon and changeling went back to minding their own business, Shining Armor couldn't help but to stare at the duo. He found himself speechless at how they were so unalike each other, yet as close as siblings. They were civilians, but still ruthless killers with an efficiency out matching anything in the royal guard, and yet despite all that they seemed like a very close and very-very-very dysfunctional family. The biggest question that was going through his mind was how they had all met and how on Equestria they had ended up as professional mercenaries.

"Would you stop staring, its making me paranoid." Locust added with his gaze still towards his notes. "If you have something to say, just say it."

The captain tried to play it off like he was just caught in the moment, but he really wanted some answers, if not for his curiosity's sake, then just in case they ever became a threat, it would be wise to have any knowledge of them. "Well… I wanted to ask where you all received your training?" Both Galia and Locust turned their heads, surprised by the question."

"Thats an odd question." Locust answered. "We haven't trained at a specific location."

"But how did you all end up as swords for hire when you have had no previous on-field experience?" 

Galia laughed, almost losing control of her mug with her metal talons. "You guards are all the same, thinking you're badasses because you had what- two weeks of training? No matter what training you get, there is nothing that can prepare you for the harsh reality of the world. If you're born and raised in a rough environment, only the strongest will survive and grow up to see adulthood."

Locust nodded. "I have to agree, you are shaped by your surroundings. Back when I was still part of my hive, we had to outthink our environment. In the jungle, everything was bigger, faster and stronger. Our minds were our greatest tool for survival, and what we changelings’ have that you ponies don't is that our hive-mind is always connected to our mind. Every thought, every idea and every memory we have is shared within the hive. My contribution to the hive has not only assured our dominance in the jungle, but also made our lives more practical. My work often revolves around gathering information, which is sometimes put to good use or just ends up useless altogether, however, after a few years its hard to find anything that’s truly useful, but this time, I may be fortunate enough to gain something truly revolutionary."

"You ponies are too sheltered for your own good." Galia cut in. "Me, Dagon and the boss were all raised in the same part of the world, up north where only the toughest survive… the Howling Tundra." She said with a nostalgic smile. "Where the tallest mountains could only be reached by the most resilient flyers and where your prey can be predator. No Equestrian or Gryffodarian would survive a single day there!" She finished, lifting the bottom of the mug upwards and gulping the rest of her ale. "Tell me, what is the hardest thing you had to do during your Training"

The captain was offended by the question, he raised his head a stern look upon his muzzle, trying to intimidate the seasoned hunter. "When I was in boot camp, we had to spend three days in the everfree forest. We learned how to build a shelter, make a fire, and learn to work as a team. The everfree forest has many dangerous creatures that inhabit it, and only by working together, we were able to make it out of that death-trap." He finished, giving a smug smile to the gryphon. However, his moment was short lived as Locust decided to cut in.

"Well done, you survived for three days, I guess we oughta make you our leader since you clearly have done the impossible." He said, trying his best not to burst out into laughter. "I know a lot about your Everfree forest, it has two monstrous sized creatures that very rarely leave their habitats and only one fairly dangerous predator that would give Galia and me trouble.  But I also can't help but to mention that the human, according to these reports, has been living in that forest for around nine months. Fascinating read, really. Petrified dragons, petrified ursa minor and major, decapitated manticores, and countless timber wolf bones scattered across the forest. If you take pride in surviving in that forest for three days, what would you say of the human that managed to not only live in that very same forest for nine months, but also thrived in it."

The captain scoffed. "An animal is better at home in the woods than a pony!" He spat back

"I rest my case, hence why it did not end so well after your brave confrontation." A momentary pause followed until Galia broke it up.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

Locust turned towards the Captain with a sinister smile. "Two weeks ago, he led a raid of guards into the Everfree forest to recover the filly that we are pursuing, according to the report, the human got violent and attacked the guards. He killed 19 guards, only two survived. the captain and one of his subordinates!" That was the last straw, Shining armor, gritting his teeth quickly stood up and charged towards the changeling. Just as he was about to ram him, he felt a sharp sting surging throughout his whole body. He fell face first into the floor and tumbled until he landed with his face upwards and body immobile. The first thing he saw after he  had opened his eyes were two needles hovering just an inch away from permanently blinding him. "Amature. Next time, don't be so obvious with your attack. Had you used your magic instead, I might have had to recalculate a defensive strategy, but you are more brawn than brains, which is normal for someone in your position."

"Knock it off Locust, he'll shit himself if you keep this up. Besides, the boss won't like it if you kill our contact." Galia said, leaning back on the chair and putting her lower paws on the table. Locust’s broken horn gave off a soft green glow, and the needle lodged in Shining's nerves hovered back to its owner, giving the captain control back to his body.

"If there is something I despise, it is arrogance. But what I take the most enjoyment out of, is seeing someone realizing just how wrong they are." He whispered one last time before he went back to his notes. "Unlike you, we don't parade around in golden armor, marry princesses and live in crystal castles. Most of us have to struggle a lot just to see another day."


***

The arena had a big turn out for another fight that Aran participated in. He had been on a 12 match win-streak. Ruthless, efficient and unstoppable. And of course, he would play to the crowd’s desires. They would shout out the cause of death, be it decapitation, cleaving, or even burning the dead corpse if he had killed the combatant to quickly with torches placed around the arena. The constant battles however had taken their toll on the exhausted human, he would at most get only thirty minutes rest before he had another challenger. A few had gotten lucky blows with their blades that cut up his skin and some had managed to hit him with their hammer, badly bruising him at best, or at worst, sending him off balance, almost losing his life in the process. His current fight was against another claymore wielder. 

Aran's adrenaline was the only thing keeping him standing and awake, his arms and hands were tired of gripping the axe and swinging it for hours. His heart raced as his exhaustion had caused him to be on the losing side of the fight. Almost losing his life several times from close calls that would have sliced him in two, he found that he could not react as fast as yesterday, nor could he use his axe to get close enough for a swing. The crowd wasn’t pleased with the dwindling of Aran's strength and were shouting and hollering at him to keep fighting and stop hiding. He caught a quick glance of Korvax up with the Arena Master who was the owner of the ring. Korvax appeared worried, but he would never admit it to Aran even if he called him out on it. He was a merchant, they were masters at hiding their real emotions. For every fight that Aran would win, the arena master would double the prize pot. But the more he won, the better fighters he would encounter. Aran’s opponent this time was the undefeated "Lord Of The Arena". He was up against a champion. His skills with the claymore did not amount to just simply swinging the weapon as if it were a large stick, but rather a guided strike that had a specific purpose. His strength was superior to that of any mere human and he stood quite taller than Aran. The exhaustion wasn’t really making it any better. All he could do was buy as much time as he could to recover his breath and deflect or dodge every strike.

"You're lucky!" Aran spoke, out of breath. The champion didn't respond but he did narrow his eyes at the human. "Had you fought me this morning, I'd've kill you with just one swing!" He said, switching from defence to offense and trying to strike the champion, lashing out with his axe, only for him to deflect the blow along with almost hitting Aran with a slash that would've ripped open his back. But he still had enough stamina to block the slash with the grip of the axe, he dug his feet into the ground so it would better absorb the shock of the blow and to gain a better hold so as to not to lose his balance. He grit his teeth and pushed forward with a swing trying to open the minotaur up for another strike, but the swing was easily deflected, causing Aran to hastily go back to defense. It seemed that no matter what he did, he could not get close enough to strike. The human was starting to get desperate, scratch that, he was already desperate. The audience was chanting for the Champion, he obviously had the advantage and being a long time fighter, he had developed a large amount of admirers who had come just to see him fight. Frustrated, Aran, lashed out again, aiming for the legs of the minotaur, but a quick hop left the champion unscathed. Aran, eyes wide whirled out of control, his swing too strong, the momentum of the axe carrying him. He angled downward and embedded the blade into the dirt, huffing, catching his breath. Until he rolled out of the way, just in time as the champion’s blade stabbed down at his former position. As soon as he rose from the roll, he raised his axe up to block another blow. The crowd could feel that the fight was soon nearing its conclusion and that the victor was soon to be named. The large crowd was chanting: "FIGHT, FIGHT FIGHT!"

"No more!" Aran said behind his gritted teeth. He gripped his axe with enough force to fracture his fingers. The only thing that had given him strength throughout all his battles was his endless rage and love for carnage. The more desperate the situation became, the more his lungs burned with rage, and all was vented through his heavy breaths that were released from his mouth as steam into the cold crisp air. "COME ON!!! He let loose a roar of fury that many in the city recognized. The human charged to clash with the Minotaur. All or nothing this time. He swung his axe from the side, if not directly parried, the strike would kill the minotaur. And of course, he met the head of the axe with his claymore.

The sword shattered from the impact. A loud crackling noise echoed across the arena as the crowd fell silent with astonishment. The minotaur was now disarmed. Aran did not let his momentary advantage slip away, so he let go of his axe and grabbed the Minotaur by his upper thighs and lifted him from the ground with all of his remaining strength, giving out a cry of anguish at the weight of the armored minotaur pressing down on him. But his goal wasn't to carry him, but to use his own weight against him to bring him down to the ground. The minotaur landed on his back with a large clanging thud and his helmet fell off. Aran jumped on top of him and starting pummeling his face. Each devastating blow was quickly followed by another, relentlessly bashing the defeated minotaur, over and over and over and over and over again. Aran had gone into a white flash of blind rage, despite the face of the former lord of the arena being a red mush by this point. He could feel the red dripping down and through his clenched fists, painting them. But still, that did not convince the blood crazed human.

He stopped punching the champion and started tearing into the neck with his nails and his teeth. Like a piranha he burrowed his way into the neck, biting and spitting over again until he started to choke on the pieces of flesh that he had not spit out in his bloodlust. This however, snapped him back to reality. Aran was out of breath as he regained his senses. He looked over at the fallen champion to see a large chasm in his neck. The entirety of his throat was gone and only his neck remained. The musculature ripped into and gnawed at, crimson still seeping from a slowly dying heart as red bubbles popped here and there on the pooled surface. The human was victorious and the crowd exploded in cheers and praise. 

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT FOLKS! THE LORD OF THE ARENA HAS BEEN DEFEATED, THIRTEEN WINS IN A ROW, THIS IS A NEW RECORD IN MAGMAR HISTORY!!!" The announcer proclaimed with as much enthusiasm as the crowd. "And now a word from the arena master!" He said, pointing towards where Korvax was sitting along with the owner of the arena. 

He stood up from his stone throne and applauded. "Well done monster, you have more than earned your freedom, and of course, your master will be from this day on, an even richer bull! However, should you ever wish to be a part of my coliseum again, I would be more than honored to welcome you as my champion!" The crowd cheered in admiration of the human, they of course were more than thrilled at the idea of seeing the human in action again. The main gates of the arena opened up for him to be set free in a symbolic fashion, for him to walk out. But as a final act of pandering, Aran walked over to the bloodied corpse and gripped the horns of the fallen champion. Mustering a significant amount of strength, he pulled at the horns hearing a tearing noise coming from what was left of the neck. He lifted the newly dismembered head up for everyone to see and threw it as far up the wall as he could to the delight of the spectators who then proceeded to fight over the head. And so, he made his way out. Back to the warehouse, where Anzja and Applebloom were waiting for him.


***

"Argh!" Aran groaned. Having his wounds cleaned and stitched up with the aid of both Anzja and Applebloom. "There are two layers of flesh, one is skin, the other is muscle, make sure to not penetrate my muscles or else you'll have a real reason to be afraid." Aran said, trying to teach the filly how to stitch up a wound.

"Aran, why should ah do this? Anzja knows this stuff better than me!" She protested.

"It’s a life saving skill that everyone should fucking know, that’s why!" He dismissed her with a slightly raised voice, causing Applebloom to flinch a bit and her ears to lower.

Anzja quickly snapped at the human’s aggressive attitude. "Don't raise your voice at the child, you know she means no harm!" She cut in as she drove the needle through Aran's skin, a little too sharply, causing Aran to also flinch and glare at the mare. 

"I've spent the majority of yesterday in a cage and the entirety of today fighting for hours on end and I haven't eaten anything since this morning, so forgive me if I'm on edge, speaking of which-" Aran turned his attention to Korvax who was there to discuss the revenue of his fights. "I hope you have good news."

"I do." Korvax said, standing up from his chair.  "Today's payment was equal to a week's earnings from all my stalls. But that was just a stepping stone for a larger prize. You will be fighting for the amusement of higher class spectators." The merchant said with a gleam in his eyes.

Aran chuckled. "So what, do I need to put on a dress for my fights in the ring now?" He joked.

"You are more then welcome to if that is your sort of thing." The merchant and human shared a laugh at the reply. "No, but in all sincerity. I've managed to land you a spot in the Dragon's Horn Coliseum, where you'll be fighting all kinds of vicious animals from all across the world." He said, spreading his arms a bit as if to indicate the scope.

Aran sighed. "I hate fighting animals, they are fast as fuck and harder to kill than Minotaurs. Is the payment worth the trouble though?" He asked, perking his ear so as to not mishear the merchant. "You'll be earning around 500 to 1500 bits per fight compared to today’s 900 bits for fifteen fights in a row.” Korvax continued, his tone excited. “But,” Korvax raised a meaty finger, “there is a catch."

"What, do I lose my freedom again?" Aran narrowed his eyes at the bull.

Korvax took a few more moments before he responded. "You will be the property of The War-King, he has requested a personal audience. It seems your little performance has caught his eye and he is more than anxious to meet you."

Aran sighed. "I guess it was just a matter of time before I catch the attention of another cunt with a crown."

Korvax’s confident smile faded. "Careful, Aran. Not even I can save you from the wrath of the city, the king’s guard, or the king."

While the two were discussing, Applebloom’s tenuous grip with her teeth missed its mark as she was stitching the human’s skin, instead of piercing through the skin, she went too far and stitched his muscle. "AOW!" He bellowed in agony. Aran took the needle from the filly's mouth and gave her a stern stare before he started sewing up the wound in his shoulder himself. "Fuck the city." He said, removing the poorly sewn thread. "Fuck the king’s guard!" He grunted, starting the process all over again. "Fuck the king!" He said, piercing his skin again. "We'll talk later, I need to fix this first and get something to eat before I break something or someone." He said frustrated, Applebloom suitably cowed and staring at the floorf. Korvax nodded and made his way out of the guest room, where Aran, Anzja and Applebloom were intended to sleep. As the merchant left, Aran noticed that Anzja was still working on his right leg, which had received a bad cut from an axe during his fourth fight. He was surprised by how perfectly it was sewn. He barely even felt the pain. "Wow, I'm impressed, how did you learn to stitch this well?” Aran said, paying the mare a genuine compliment.

She just smiled at his words. “When you have children, you’ll learn useful skills twice as fast for their sake. My daughter occasionally needed stitching as well. You’d be surprised how reckless they are when playing.” She said, with a slight glimmer in her eyes. She was hiding something. He could see love and loss in her eyes, a pain that he felt that despite all he had gone through, could not compare.

Aran turned his attention to Applebloom. “I have something else you can do.” He said calmly. “Go to the kitchen, find an orange and make a deep cut, then I want you to practice on it instead of me.” Applebloom didn’t protest. She did not like the taste of blood from the needle and was more than happy to practice on a fruit rather than her friend, whom she was hurting with her mistakes. She left the two adults alone in the room. The last thing she heard before she left the room: “So where is your daughter now?”

***

Korvax was sitting in his office, his hooves scuffing at the rich paneling that made up the floors. His walls were decorated with fine filigree and other beautiful designs, most in a dark green color. A lavishly structured fireplace stood to the side of the room, crackling as it burned  A portrait of himself in a fine silk suit stood in the back behind his chair, staring away off into the distance, a wine cup grasped in one hand, the other at his coat. His desk was a rich mahogany, dark and brown, with a hint of red. Figures were carved into its borders depicting scenes of battle to those of peaceful trade. His chair was of the same make of his desk, but thickly padded, with a dark green and gold-yellow design to the cushions, accenting the room. He was waiting for some reports of recent events to fly into his inbox that was slowly filling up. Suddenly, the sound of knocking came from his door. “Yes, come in!” He called out.

“Master, I have a report from the Liberation Front!” A young minotaur answered as he entered and, handed over the scroll to Korvax.

The scheming merchant smiled as he read the report. “Wonderful, it appears the next phase of my plan can continue. Just in time as well.” He rolled the scroll back up and threw it into the fireplace, watching as it caught aflame and danced and twisted as it burned to a black crisp. “Tell me, how is it going with the order I laid out for the company?”

“We’ve used every bit we had to buy as much. Food, medicine, lumber, stone, metal, weapons and armor as per your request. All of our warehouses are full and we are as of this moment bankrupt.”

“Wonderful.” He exclaimed with an evil sneer. “Now, I want you to send a messenger to the Princesses of Equestria. Tell them, that The War-king has their Human.”