As minutes seemingly passed, the man behind the hammer-like strike finally caught his rhythm back, standing tall on the sand with two red streaks coming down from his nose.
Looking at the man gathering himself up, they had once again faced each other, with the same stances as before. The only difference Lutiel could see were the shaky arms along with the loss of his fluent movement around the sand arena.
As for the white-haired man, it was as though nothing came through him. No, after warming up through the quick battle, some of his lost senses had been reignited instead.
No longer as awkward as before, both circled around each other, holding guards in separate ways. At the same exact moment, their striking fists moved.
Both heads cocked back while their noses began bleeding profusely. Nonetheless, despite the sharp pain spreading around their faces, neither stopped moving.
Bruises started to form rapidly around their faces, especially under the eyes. Simply looking at the severity of the injuries, any demon could tell which one had the upper hand in terms of strength.
Deep purple, almost black spots started appearing around the increasingly swollen face of Lutiel’s enemy. Battered like a standing dummy filled with straw, littered all around his face and upper torso, the wounds bled.
However, to say the fight had been decided was wrong. Although Lutiel wielded greater power, the other one possessed a more profound technique.
The calm face wasn’t as pained as the opponent slave, yet the blood that dripped from every part of his face, as well as the sore muscles around his body painted a different picture.
His left eyebrow bled as the skin above it had been cut open with a precisely delivered punch. His bottom lip was split apart, all while his nose had been completely displaced, broken by the man in his outrage of punches.
Yet, no matter how many punches he pulled out over the five minutes of continued exchanges, under his rough heaves, the revolutionary kept on staring at the emotionless eyes of the man.
His body wavering at the last second, it had already stopped responding. Falling down to the dirty ground below them, Lutiel’s knuckles were tainted red, both from himself, as well as the man that was already fainted.
The cheers intensified and resounded under the face of the merchant who no longer watched from the ostentatious chair, leaning on the railings instead.
Keeping his gaze at the white-haired man, who went closer to the motionless body, after gesturing to the guards behind him, he suddenly spoke with a voice that beat out all of the cheers and screams of incentive.
“Junt li starki,” the man said to the slave, stretching out his hand.
Just as Lutiel’s feet were about to stomp the man’s neck and break it, he stumbled. The air around the other Lutiel changed, turning stiff and rigid, something he expected the least.
Feeling the encasing with his foot, as well as hearing the chants of countless demons, resuscitated anger within their voices, he gave up, walking away from the battle.
His chest rocked heavily as he finally fell to the sand with his bottom, supporting his elbows on the knees as though they were about to fall off at any given moment.
“Kozs li jun? Tias ched nuen kiz vet’uj ara’o qell elie’o ini!” Screamed one of the demons through the stands, most of them there sharing his opinion.
With his single, black as the night itself horn, the merchant simply looked at them with an impassive gaze, not taking any of the words to heart.
Instead, hearing all of the insults being hurled at him, he smiled proudly.
“Inbie geas vanr kiz vidi einc un ars’o? Kiz vidi ars’o privo morto einc?” He uttered, grinning by the end, at the same time silencing the rowdy crowd.
“Geas tomi’in ilku juve ars’o gan, tome geas? Ars meci lic’yj timauna un Cinseri morto!”
As he ended the sentence, the previously angry demons had already become obedient, even clapping for his great idea.
“Juve ars’o gnijc froo tika’a!” The merchant said loudly, catching the hearts of the demons, who started repeating after him like some sort of a cult.
“Juve ars’o gnijc froo tika’a!”
“Juve ars’o gnijc froo tika’a!”
Escalating to the point of making Lutiel’s ears ring, they needed a few minutes to finally calm themselves down, only for the merchant to mutter his last words.
“Tis ficium ogosi, jun li dho kinte un dho involnia tika’a! Geas tome taca geas’e zost,” he said, receiving prompt reactions. Countless demons began standing up from their seats, getting ready to leave through the arched entryways in the middle of the stairs leading to higher seats as well as below his room.
However, just as they were about to leave the arena, a certain voice successfully elicited them to stay around for a bit longer.
“On kozs u ars’o? Inli ars rekomia kiz bic e involni? Kozs li ars’e vota?” Asked the single one with two black horns proudly hailing to the dark skies. Situated around her luscious, lengthy purple hair that flowed as she stood up from her place, their presence made any of the whispers and conversations wane to complete silence.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The right eyebrow of the merchant raised itself while stroking the second chin under his abundantly hidden jaw. Remaining silent for a few seconds, he finally spoke up, his tone singing of a greedy interest.
“Panyi Zyponia li seteke v pokuc’yr ars’o, tig?”
“Tis li,” said Zyponia, leaving the crowd speechless. Immediately, whispers spread through the arena like wildfire.
Though, they really couldn’t be called that way. After all, even the resting slave could hear them.
“Volda Zyponia li pokuc’yr e involni? Kozs?”
“Jun li posslein!”
“TISA!” Suddenly, he screamed. The merchant of the slaves kept looking at the demon lord, his voice silencing those loudest of the demons.
“Cin zale dracar,” the merchant spoke, his eyes glistening as though a coin shone inside them.
“Dlar e involni? Li ars it un gove?” Voices of the crowd spoke in similar tones and meanings. The statement they heard from the merchant made their eyes look twice just to be sure.
But, it was as real as it could be. Hearing the awkward silence engulf the whole space, even Lutiel got interested in the previous words.
However, before he could truly understand the tongue itself, he saw something fly through the sky above him. A sparkle of light traveled quickly through the air, from one end to another.
Having brought out her arm, Zyponia had thrown something and the merchant quickly caught it. Bringing it closer to his eyes, all the people and demons gathered could finally see what the object was.
Shining bright despite the lack of a blazing sun, the round, golden coin ignited the envy of countless demons in the stands, all while a look of approval appeared in the eyes of the merchant.
“Ars li elie ges’e,” he muttered under his nose while inspecting the coin, yet all of the crowd could hear him as clear as though right next to them.
Still on the sand, with his shoulders drooped, Lutiel saw the previous four guards coming closer to him, a new pair of shackles in the hands of one of them. Although not as hefty nor lengthy as the first ones, he judged that they would still easily impede him off any movement whatsoever.
Rapidly, his pained body was already forced to move, grasped and pulled on by one of the armored guards only to be restrained by him, similar to before fighting the other Lutiel.
The one holding the shackles put them on the man’s wrists so tight they started to cut into his skin, but he wasn’t able to complain. Already moving towards the exit of the arena, two knights pushed down onto his nape while the rest stood on each of his sides.
Escorted out by them, he quickly left the premise of the battle while his surroundings changed from rough sand and open-air to an enclosed hallway decorated with wood and bricks, enlightened by burning torches hanging off the walls.
The knights didn’t speak at all. He had to be dragged through the spaces free of the demonic crowd in complete silence. Sweat no longer poured out of him as it did during the battles, and with peace of heart came havoc of the mind.
Gazing down at his feet, dotted with splashed blood, he could only recall the events that had just happened prior.
‘I was going to murder another human, yet it felt like… nothing. What the hell is happening to me?’ He thought, his pupils wavering and constricting. Scattered in despair, the eyes didn’t seem to believe the reality placed right before them.
‘Am I still Lutiel? Am I still the same me? No, that can’t be. There’s no way. I can’t even control my words anymore. My thoughts contradict my actions and the way I move this body. It’s like learning everything anew.’
Unable to see his face, the knight guards couldn’t witness the furrowed brows, much less the conflicted look in his eyes.
However, just when the thoughts began corroding and occupying his head, he felt a sudden pain around his sides, the scenery changing once again.
Hearing the creaking of the floor around him and looking at the bending planks beneath, he quickly gazed up at the person he had been thrown toward.
His chubby face had a casual look to it, but all of it changed as quickly as his advance to this dusty room. A prominent smile appeared on him as he spoke in the human tongue.
“Why are you so dejected? Aren’t you happy to have lived another day? You were even bought out by this beautiful lady over here,” he said while turning to his left, stretching out his arm towards the person, whose gaze was as cold as the winter itself.
Hearing no response come out of his mouth, however, the merchant didn’t care.
“Still, I was really surprised to learn you were human. I could have sworn I’ve seen a vampyr when I first saw you.”
“Are you certain he’s not one of us?” The lady asked all of a sudden, to the slight surprise of the seller. Quickly putting on his smiling eyes of a merchant, he rubbed his hands while assuring the lady.
“You don’t need to worry about that, madam Zyponia. I already checked. Although his hair and eyes are definitely special, they simply add to his ‘exotic’ price,” he added, glancing once again at the human with no name.
With hair as white as a winter wolf and eyes reminiscent of an emperor’s robe, he most definitely didn’t look like a proper human, but that he didn’t care for.
“It will be long before I get another one like you. Five silvers for one gold is definitely my new record,” laughing to himself sincerely, it only intensified at the words of the demon lord beside him.
“I can hear you.”
“Hoo, excuse me, my lady, however, the deal has already been made. We can’t alter it anymore.”
“Just get the brand ready and let’s move on,” deciding not to dig on the matter, Zyponia simply ordered him.
“But you don’t have to say, miss Zyponia. The fire is already raring scaldingly. Kurto, put the branding iron into there. We, on the other hand, my lady, shall discuss the brand itself. You know, my lord, with the price that you paid, only the best of the best should fall into your hands,” ordering his guards, the merchant pretended to whisper with a hand over his mouth.
“I hope it’s better than the previous one you sold me,” Zyponia remarked, making a grimace appear on the merchant''s smile.
“That was only because of the slave’s status, my lady. Unlike human ones, normal slaves can slowly corrode the brand inflicted upon them,” he said, the face already back to the radiant smile.
“Despite apparently being the ‘best’ grade?”
“Unfortunately, yes. We can’t bind them down completely, not the talented ones at least. However, for the human here, It’s a whole different picture. With the platinum-grade contract that has your blood inside it, lord, there is no way he could ever escape.”
“I will be coming back for the coin if that isn’t the case,” Zyponia added, looking at the stretched out hand in front of her before grasping it firmly.
“It’s always been a pleasure working with you, miss Zyponia,” he said, promptly moving to his desk filled with countless miscellaneous objects, as though they were always ready to be sold.