My state of complete brain freeze was interrupted by the gate behind suddenly moving. They tried to rise it, but since it was so bent, the chanism failed, and the whole thing fell back into its place after a short budge.
I turned around, and without thinking much grabbed it, then literally just pilled a fragnt off. There was an alien, wearing a mask over its head waiting there. They were actually scared of since they almost ran away as I showed.
They spoke to with a trembling voice, but I couldn't understand their language. Fortunately, the mask ca in handy, translating the words to English with the synthesized voice.
- Your opponent has forfeited the fight. You are the winner.
Then they imdiately ran off. I snorted watching the alien vanish into the distance, then I turned around, and walked to the large chamber where the others gathered there watched my every move in complete silence, as I made it through the whole space, moving straight to the waiting room, I use on the previous day.
My hunch was correct. The Calludin was there.
- I won - I inford him.
- I know - he said.
Then I sat down on one of the benches. The atmosphere was quite awkward between us.
- Do you know why Calludins are so well-known race in the whole Ixan empire? - he spoke finally.
I just shook my head. It was obvious this question was rhetorical.
- Partially because of our extraordinary psychic powers, but there are races with even better ones, like the Ksaukha. They are all incredible pyrokinetics. The Paraque are known for their abilities to read people's minds and influence them. Even the Sabhetani for their telekinesis, although the skill varies among them highly. Not to ntion the Quel'kabarians themselves. What brought us, the Calludins, so much fa were two things. Our death squads. Ford by those so obsessed with revenge, they insisted on joining the imperial army to look for every possible opportunity in achieving it. And the other thing is .
He paused there for quite a long ti actually, but I waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.
- You probably already noticed, but the High Queen is highly obsessed with the individual power of people. That's why there is a rule for new species of becoming her vassals if they prove themselves. That's what you humans did. I'm not gonna speak of the origin of that but her obsession lead to forming a strong culture of hosting fighting events. The most famous is the 'Royal Tournant', where the only strongest compete. There never has been one without even a single gladiator produced by .
He paused again. Gathering the words for the third ti to showcase to what was on his mind.
- I take a lot of pride in that and also have an imnse influence on the whole empire. For , it's even more important than the revenge on you, so that's why I reacted how I did. I can't bear the fact that my brothers and sisters used my craft to fulfill their desires. It's... Humiliating. For preparing warriors to compete on the higher level with their lives on the line was sacred, but I did want to punish you too. That's why we are here, fighting in this ridiculous local league, where your skills are put to waste, killing those... pathetic brutes.
He paused for the third ti, but this one was different he looked at and kept doing so for several minutes.
- I have a proposition. It's ridiculous in many aspects but might work for everybody... You will keep fighting for , and keep winning until you can't anymore. I'll keep throwing you at impossible odds, at least from a bystander point, as you will keep climbing the ladder. You will never have what other gladiators will, but I'll stop trying to humiliate you, and will stop those dumb gas, which are by the way beneath .
- If you wanted to torture , why here? Why with those 'pathetic brutes'? You knew they had no chances.
- The idea was to make a villain of you who kills everybody, and use my channels to spread this information in a controlled way to the more capable warriors to co here, and fix your attitude. Quite decent actually, as there are very, very marginal chances of the news about you reaching your ho planet. Besides they don't know you exist anymore.
- You are basically asking to voluntarily get tortured.
- Physically yes, although it might take us so ti to reach the level of your strength, so you won't get hurt for so ti. Although, I'm gonna try my very best to put you in a position for such a thing to happen.
- I still don't understand. Why all this masquerade, when you could tear my head of yourself...
- I can't. If I could you would be already dead. I would squeeze the life out of you a long ti ago, but the High Queen wants you alive. I won't tell you more than that, so don't even try asking. We are stuck with one another. You basically don't have a choice anyway, but I always have been loyal to my fighters, and that's how I achieved twelve champion titles in the Royal Tournant. More than anybody else. It hurts to play this ga more than I want to hurt you. Co. It's ti to return to your cell.
With that the conversation basically ended, I had plenty on my mind and needed to work that out. Besides he didn't really expect to agree or disagree with his proposition. To be honest all I could think of was the fact that the High Queen still wanted to live. I couldn't understand why, and I needed to find the answer to that question.
I ended up in my cell. A few things changed. I got fed with the sa tasteless food, but at least I could eat. The guards also brought a pillow and a small container to use as a toilet.. It was a major upgrade of what I had before.
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