Chp.4: The other slaves

Misune didn't know much about Darbi and Haku's relationship, but she understood that the two considered each other like family. She didn't know how that was possible (from her point of view it was absurd to even think that a lizardman could be friends with a dragon), but apparently it was. It was really true that reality sometimes surpassed fantasy.

After what happened a few nights ago, Misune had turned Haku into something of a protector in her mind. Even though he still scared her, and she knew he was a real monster, he suddenly seemed like a less dangerous monster than the other monsters. By now, just coming within a meter from the other gladiators made her heart race; if someone touched her on the back, even in a friendly way or just to ask her something, she would jump like a spring and frantically start covering her chest with her hands as if to protect herself. Even if she tried with all her might, she couldn't control these reactions. When she was alone she felt like she was in a dark forest, surrounded by all kinds of monstrous creatures that wanted to grab her. But being next to Haku incredibly calmed her down. Misune knew that Haku was feared by all the other gladiators and would cut anyone who dared to touch her to pieces; that had been enough for him to go from being a monster that shouldn't absolutely being annoyed to her lifeline in her mind. Being near him soothed her, and she was able to sleep soundly in his presence. She knew no one would come near her even if she was unconscious as long as the dragon was around.

Theirs was a very simple relationship: he had decided to protect her out of some strange sense of pity, as if she were nothing but a kitten abandoned on the road; and she, on the other hand, saw in him security and defense against all the other monsters in the world. It was a rather precarious relationship, without affection or great ties, but she was fine with it. She was convinced that that was the best she could expect from Haku. But then, the day before, everything had changed with the arrival of that red lizardman.

Darbi made himself noticed the moment he entered the dormitory: he ran towards Haku and greeted him as if they were old friends. He had even called him 'brother'. When she saw that, Misune was sure that that guy had hit his head or was completely insane. But incredibly, Haku had recognized him… after throwing him to the ground and threatening him, sure, but he had recognized him. And it turned out that the two were really friends, and indeed they had spent hours talking and telling each other's adventures.

Misune had been amazed by this. And suddenly she was also envious. She wished she had that relationship with Haku; if the dragon had considered her a friend, he certainly would never have abandoned her. Even though Haku had said that he would protect her, in fact, she still had the doubt that one day he would end up considering her so useless that it wasn't worth carrying her around anymore. That's why she had asked him to teach her to fight nights before: if she became strong, at least she could be useful to him. But Haku had refused, and he had also refused to make her part of the plan to escape the arena; in fact, if it hadn't been for Darbi, he wouldn't even have told her. This showed how he considered her utterly incapable to do anything.

This fueled Misune's anxiety, which soon turned to fear, and then the fear turned to pure terror that continued to grow like a dark shadow devouring every part of her mind. Haku had intended to take her away with them... but what if something went wrong during the plan? What if there was no place for dead weight? If Haku had continued to consider her useless, then in a similar situation he could have decided that it wasn't worth taking her with them and would have abandoned her. After all, Haku had proved many times that he was an opportunist: what little pity he felt for her might not have resisted with the benefits due to leaving her behind.

Misune couldn't allow this. She didn't want to remain a prisoner in the arena and above all she didn't want to be alone. Therefore, she had to prove to Haku that she could be of some use to him. That way, the dragon would be more likely to take her with him, not just out of a little pity. So as soon as she saw an opportunity while Darbi and Haku were talking she immediately offered to go find a charismatic leader among the gladiators. Though Haku had seemed reluctant, he finally agreed.

Now she finally had the chance to show him that she could be useful, and she absolutely mustn't fail. She already knew what to do: slaves often knew everything about their masters and remembered details that normal people would have missed. The best way to find a charismatic leader was to ask them. So, while Darbi busied himself with fraternizing with the gladiators, she went to the baths, where several slaves were washing their masters' clothes.

When she entered, she immediately noticed that many were staring at her trying not to be seen. It was a behavior she had recently begun to notice. Not knowing exactly how to approach, she walked over to a slave who was washing some pants and handed her a bar of soap. "Here, this is better. You'll have less effort"

In response, the slave took the pants and walked away, going to wash them elsewhere. Misune didn't understand why: had she perhaps offended her in some way? For some reason, she felt a lot of hostility in the room.

She started to wash some rags of her own, or at least pretended to, and in the process she tried to talk to someone else, but for some reason everyone avoided her as if she had a contagious disease. Misune didn't have many acquaintances among the slaves, since she had never been very sociable, but she had already spoken to some of them many times; she couldn't say they were friends, but at least they were acquaintances. But now they refused to go near to her. Most of them walked away without saying a word to her, but some even told her to leave in a bad way. After an hour, Misune still hadn't been able to talk to anyone.

"Forget it. They won't talk to you"

Misune looked at the person who had just spoken. She was a magnificent woman of about forty, with long red hair and flawless white skin. She was washing some clothes, yet still her hands weren't getting ruined. He knew who she was: her name was Fyla and among slaves she was called the 'senior lady', because she was the oldest of them all. Normally female slaves didn't work in the arena after the age of thirty or thirty-five: their beauty began to fade and therefore they were no longer suitable for satisfying gladiators, and furthermore they began to slow down also in performing other tasks, so they were generally resold. But Fyla had been an exception because she had been able to maintain her beauty for a very long time. She was considered the guide of all the other slaves, and was generally the one who explained their duties to the new arrivals. And she was also someone you could ask for advice. "I don't understand. Why are they so hostile to me? Did I do something wrong?" Misune asked her.

"You haven't done anything wrong" Fyla replied. She was silent for a moment, then she sighed. "They're jealous"

"Jealous!?" Misune dropped her mouth as she heard those words. "Jealous of what?"

"That you don't have to go through what they go through. You have that dragon to protect you" Fyla replied. "Look, I know you have nothing to do with it. But ever since you started serving him a year ago, the other slaves have looked at you with envy. You had a master who didn't want you and who didn't expect you to satisfy him with your body. Furthermore, your master was feared by everyone. It was enough for you to always remain close to him and no one would have dared to do anything to you. The other slaves, on the other hand, have to endure being raped at least once a day, and are often in such bad shape that they can't even go back to our dormitory. For this they envied you... and some of them even hoped that one day one of the gladiators would manage to find you away from the gaze of the dragon"

Misune remembered with horror that Anur had said something like that before raping her. She hadn't thought of it then, but apparently it was true. She felt a little angry; she knew that the treatment she received was a real luxury, but what could she do with it? Only a madman would have given up on it. She wasn't someone who closed her heart to other people's pain, but she wasn't stupid either.

"But now, the situation is worse" Fyla continued. "The other girls could tolerate your using the dragon as a means of defense. But after what happened a few nights ago… that was too much. Now they know that the dragon really cares about you, and he will always protect you, not only with his presence but actively. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. Everyone's jealousy of you exploded. Even if they know you had nothing to do with it, their minds don't reason like that. All that they can see is that you can live without fear, while they have to wait for their gladiator or someone else to come and have fun with them every day. They need someone to blame, and you're the easiest. They can't do anything to you because they know the dragon would eat them otherwise, so they just keep your distance. It's their way to feel better, to not to think about what awaits them when they will finish cleaning the clothes"

Misune bit her lip a couple of times. Probably, she reflected, she wouldn't have reacted much differently if she were in their place. But even so, she couldn't help but be angry. Were they jealous of her? Jealous of what? About the fact that she'd only been raped once? A rape always remained a rape. She was furious that others considered her misfortune a fortune... but even more so because in that damned arena such a thing was possible. If the slaves had come to regard her story as a true blessing, then she didn't dare to imagine what they normally encountered. At first she had a vague idea, but only after that terrible night had she realized what it really meant to be an ordinary slave of that arena. Her body shook slightly and her fists instinctively clenched.

Seeing her reaction, Fyla sighed. "I know it makes you angry, but don't pay attention to it. They'll get over it"

But Misune didn't have time to wait. He needed to uncover information now. She had to find a way to make the plan work, for herself and for everyone in that room. If the escape was successful, they would all be free. And suddenly, a thought flashed through her head. She couldn't ask slaves random questions hoping to find out who was the most respected person among the gladiators, as she initially had planned to do… but perhaps she could use Fyla. "Mine isn't anger" she lied. "I want to help them. I don't want them to have to go through... that… every day"

Fyla looked at her for a moment, then she shook her head and let out a sad little laugh. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but you should learn to distinguish reality from fantasy"

"Mine isn't a fantasy!" Misune said. "Think about it: now I have in my hands the most powerful weapon in the arena, that dragon! I can convince him to forbid the gladiators from harming the other slaves. If they are under his protection, no one will dare come near them again!"

"And you think you can convince him?" Fyla asked sceptically.

"Trust me, I know how to convince him. He looks terrifying, but he's not very smart when he's not fighting. I can make something up" Misune said, lying shamelessly. Even she herself couldn't understand how she managed to tell so many lies without batting an eye.

Still, all of that fibs seemed to have an effect, because Fyla seemed a little more open to the idea. "I admit I would like it... but even if you were able to convince that dragon, it would only be a temporary solution. In just a year the size of that monster has already doubled; surely in two or three he will no longer be able to be contained here. And as soon as he is gone, the gladiators will unleash their repressed fury upon the slave girls. The calm based on fear is fated to end as soon as the fear fades"

But unbeknownst to Fyda, that was just what Misune wanted. Now she had the perfect excuse to say: "Then help me change their mindset, not out of fear but out of respect. There must be someone among these gladiators that everyone respects, not out of fear but because they see him as a just and charismatic leader. I can convince the dragon to scare the gladiators, but if we take advantage of this lull in fear, we can convince the gladiators that hurting us is wrong. Just get someone they genuinely admire to tell them, and even after Haku is gone they will still not touch the slave girls"

Fyda seemed to reflect on those words. They actually made sense. "I don't think your plan will work...but I assume you could at least try" she said. "The person you need is Zamor. You probably know him, he's that recently arrived lizardman. All gladiators hold everything he says in high esteem. He keeps the peace by using his charisma to keep fights from breaking out. If tomorrow he asked all the gladiators to follow him, they would do it without batting an eye"

Misune's eyes glittered. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Well... I know he's a very reasonable person" Fyla replied. "He is also very pragmatic and evaluates every decision well before making it. He is very intelligent and manages to find the solution to every problem, and it is thanks to this characteristic that he has managed to stop many fights. He doesn't like talking very much, but he knows how to listen. He also seems to have a great sense of honor and..."

Misune continued to listen to Fyla explained everything she knew about Zamor in detail. The smile on her face grew wider and wider. She had found what she was looking for, and no one understood that she was doing it to escape!