chapter 3 : Salma and Sura

4 months later, Orion was in Marius's courtyard training with two strange machines that rotated. It was two wooden pillars equipped with 3 rings on which wooden training swords were attached.

 The rings rotated in random directions according to a complex mechanism that Orion had created, there was never a fixed pattern or trajectory on these rings.

 Orion who was the creator of these devices was at the center in full movement, he dodged again and again then blocked with his training sword the wooden swords which attacked him in unpredictable trajectories.

 These machines had been created two months ago by Orion and even with his prediction ability, at first he took a lot of hits on these iron and wood machines.

 However, week after week with relentless training he was able to adapt and quickly increase his reflexes.

 Marius was sitting with his wife and children watching Orion practice. Thanks to the latter, the House of Marius had become very prosperous, Orion had created several magnificent artistic works which were sold at high prices and their fortune was enormous.

 Likewise, he and Marius had settled Orion's emancipation proceedings because he had been purchased by Marius and in the eyes of Roman law, Orion was Marius' slave. Now he was a free man again.

 Marco, the 10 year old son of Marius, looked at Orion with stars in his eyes, he admired Orion who was at the same time beautiful, strong and above all intelligent,

 "Father, Uncle Orion is really strong, look how fast he movies !" 

 Marius: Yes son, I know! Your uncle is a real monster!

 Celia, her 8 year old daughter was looking at Orion with her completely red face saying "No ! Uncle Orion is not a monster, in my opinion he is a god or a demi-god like those in the legends that Mother tells us!" 

 Marius felt a shiver and quickly warned his children "Listen carefully to your father, I know that you love and admire your uncle but never praise him in front of him, it's very dangerous! ", the children looked at him strangely then nodded.

 Marius knew his friend and at the slightest compliment this bastard was going to start bragging, he wanted to spare his children from Orion's antics. His wife Célina looked at them with amusement.

 Orion finished his training, his lean and flexible muscles were highlighted by his tanned skin wet with sweat, he first dried off before going to take a bath in his own house not far from Marius's.

 It was a smaller house but very clean and luxurious inside.

 Orion during the last 3 months had hired a lot of labor to build and finish this little house, he found it inconvenient to always sleep at his friend's house so as soon as his fortune had reached a certain level, he built his own little house.

 After cleaning himself, he came to speak to Marius, telling him that he had serious things to tell him with a serious expression. Marius took him to a private place where they started talking.

 Marius: Is there a problem my friend?!

 Orion:...Far from it, I just wanted to add a dramatic touch to the affair Ahahahah!

 Marius, looking at his friend laughing like that, wanted to slap him, he thought they had encountered a problem.

 Orion: Well more seriously, tomorrow my brother I'm going on a trip.

 Marius: Huh?! Journey ?! Where ?!

 Orion: Cyprus (I don't know if it was already called that at the time, sorry if it's inconsistent) ! But don't worry, I'm going there to buy some special herbs and some materials. I will come back soon enough.

 Marius: I see, I would have liked to accompany you there but… (he was interrupted by Orion)

 Orion: And I would have refused your company, I cannot allow you to leave your wife and children away from you for long, exposed to potential dangers.

 Marius was touched by his friend's words, he felt good knowing that Orion considered his family a little like his own. After their discussion, they went to eat with the rest of the family.

 In the underground of Capua, things were hectic. The public had almost lost taste for other fights and demanded only one fighter, "Orion the Death Star" who had only fought for two months and a half before disappearing from the pit.

 Orion had become an unconquered god, admired by men and desired by women from the underground . It had been weeks since they last saw their "god" kill and Anubis the organizer had sent spies to search for the identity and location of Orion but strangely, none of them returned alive.

 [time skip]

 More than 4 days had passed since Orion left for Cyprus and he had finally arrived at his destination. He was quite rich so he took a room in a luxurious inn near the port and the market.

 He hadn't come to last, two days were enough to buy his equipment and leave for Capua.

 The afternoon of his arrival, he went to the main market to buy his goods. Orion had hired help to carry out the transport to the Ship which was supposed to take him back to Capua and the captain was a reliable person.

 While he was buying some herbs, he heard crowd noises, turning around to look at what it was, he saw a slave trader there displaying his wares.

 Interested in the sale, he saw the slaves on display and his heart trembled when his gaze fell on one of the slaves sold, it was a beautiful dark-haired woman but with a sick look.

 She was beautiful but because of her health, people were reluctant to buy her. What's the point if she could die at any moment?!

 Its starting price was 10 denarii, it rose to 18 denarii after a few offers but no more.

 "25 denarii for this sick slave! » Orion said casually, people looked at him like he was crazy.

 « 25 denarii for this walking corpse?! This guy is certainly handsome but seriously lacks brains! »

 "Unbelievable, what an idiot!" 

 The crowd began to ridicule Orion's choice but he didn't care, this slave girl was beautiful and he was a medical genius so treating fever and malnutrition was a cakewalk for him.

 He saw the other slaves but was not interested in them except one other beauty. From her features, she had Arab origins, he bought her for almost 40 denarii!

 As Orion the Blessed left with his new acquisition, in the crowd, some people looked at Orion with malice.

 "We must follow this idiot to his home to rob him later, he must be rich!" a man with a missing ear said to his 3 companions.

 Orion returned to the inn with his two slaves, he noticed that they were being followed but instead of being alerted, he only had an extremely evil smile on his face.

 In the inn, Orion wanted to rent a second room exclusively for the two girls but the inn's policy didn't accept that for slaves so he was forced to sleep with them, not that he minded.

 Once settled in his room, he started looking at the two women after ordering a lot of food. He sat on his bed and both girls looked at him in fear, the Arab beauty started to undress while the sick looking brunette didn't say or do anything. Orion stopped the Arab girl and asked her to get dressed.

 Orion: I didn't ask you to undress but you did, you know what men want. Have you been a slave for a long time?!

 The woman: I was born as a slave my Lord!

 Orion's heart hurt listening to this! They were all humans but some were born with chains to be treated like merchandise, he couldn't help but find this world absurd and completely ridiculous!

 "What's your name, sweetheart?!" he asked the girl.

 "My name is Salma my lord." she replied with her head down.

 Orion: Well you have a wonderful name! However, Salma I am not a man who forces a woman to do anything, don't feel obliged to give me pleasure if you don't want to. All right ?!

 Salma looked at him with wide surprised eyes before nodding her head with complicated feelings.

 Orion looked at the second slave who was pale and sick

 "You, my pretty patient, what is your name?!" 

 The girl who from the beginning didn't have her head down said weakly, "Sura."

 Orion: You were enslaved very recently, weren't you?!

 Sura nodded and Orion saw her pain. Having your identity, property and freedom taken away is sometimes worse than death.

 Orion: Did you have a family!? Where do you come from ?!

 Sura: I come from a small village in Thrace which was destroyed and burned by the Barbarians . I only had my husband before a Roman separated us.

 Orion: Do you think your husband is still alive?

 Sura: I feel it inexplicably! My husband is still alive!

 Orion: Sura I will not touch you, I'll heal you and help you if I can to find a life of your own. The same goes for you Salma when we are at my house, I'll make documents for you in order to free you.

 The two girls knelt down in tears to thank him and Orion felt bad for them, this guy wasn't a saint but he couldn't stand seeing innocent people suffer and hated slavery. Especially when it came to nice and pretty women. 

 He sent the girls to take a bath before eating with them and beginning Sura's medical treatment.

 When night fell, Orion was sitting on the balcony of his room drinking wine without any lights on, it was a habit he got from his father because for the latter the darkness was a frightening but poetic thing.

 As he enjoyed his wine, he saw five figures sneaking towards his inn under the cover of night.

 "Hmm these rascals decided to show themselves! I will deal with them downstairs so as not to wake the two sleeping beauties" he said before quickly going down to meet the bandits.

 Even as the bandits approached, Orion had already left the inn and was waiting for them in a corner.

 "psssst!" 

 The leader of the gang frowned as he heard someone whistle to get his attention. He looked in the direction the sound was coming from when a fist-sized rock hit him in the face. He fell unconscious on the ground while these men did not understand what was happening but still took out their daggers.

 Orion didn't want to waste his time with them so he took out his dagger and charged straight at the 4 standing bandits who only saw a shadow heading towards them.

 The first swung his blade but Orion dodged it and slit his throat before throwing his dagger straight into the heart of the second bandit who wanted to attack.

 The third and fourth attacked at the same time seeing Orion disarmed but he perfectly dodged all their attacks.

As one of them prepared to stab him from behind, Orion spun around to his right to dodge his attack, he grabbed his sword arm and quickly dislocated his shoulder and elbow of the bandit before grabbing his dagger and slitting his throat.

 "Alright, that's just you and your sleeping boss!" Orion said with a bestial smile, the bandit was scared, Orion rushed and in panic, the bandit threw his dagger which Orion calmly avoided before disemboweling him.

 The unconscious leader had his own dagger slowly lodged in his neck by Orion.

 All the bandits were dead, Orion recovered his dagger before wiping the blood on the unfortunate man's clothing in which it was stuck.

 "As if I was going to leave any of you alive! You want to harvest my goods but it's your lives that I've harvested now, you idiots!" 

 Orion searched the bodies and found nearly 100 denarii. Happy and horny, he wanted to fuck so he went to rent two prostitutes for the night and returned to his hostel.

 He couldn't fuck in his room because of Salma and Sura so he rented the next room and for the whole night.

 Loud moans of pleasure were heard in this room and even her two slaves were listening, awakened by the intense fucking sounds.

 In the early morning he returned to his room to find the two girls with a serious look on their faces, Orion thought there was a problem so he asked

 « Salma, Soura! Is there a problem ?! Someone came to make a fuss?! Where is this dog?! »

 Salma: My lord, it's none of that! Because of us you didn't have the comfort of your own bed last night! (She started to undress) to make it up to us, you can… (he interrupted)

 Orion: Salma I don't know what kind of crazy you've had as a master so far but I'm not going to use your body as a tool just to improve my mood because you slept on my bed! Plus I already fucked all night long.

 Salma: But… (blushing)

 Orion: No "but"!

 Salma: I...

 Orion: Shhhut

 Salma:….

 Sura: We're really sorry, it's all mainly because of my illness!

 Orion: What disease Sura?! Besides, how are you feeling since my treatments yesterday?!

 Sura herself had not noticed that her health had improved drastically! She had regained color and strength.

 Sura: I...I feel good! How it is possible ?! I was very sick for days and now...thank my lord...

 "Ah yes it's true, I didn't give you my name! My name is Orion." he said calmly ! Orion then ordered food for himself and the girls before going with them to the market.

 He stopped in front of a clothing store and said to the girls, "Pick out your clothes, ladies!" 

 Salma:???

 Surah:???

 Orion: What?!

 Salma: Master, we cannot choose, we are only… (he interrupted him!)

 Orion: NOT THAT WITH ME! HURRY UP !!

 He was now annoyed by these slave stories, the girls flinched when he shouted and they started looking for dresses for them.

 Once they were done shopping, they returned to the he Inn and the girls wore their new clothes. It was soon time for Orion to set sail again and return to Capua with the girls in tow.

 When he arrived at the port he saw children selling large lots of a certain plant, Orion's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and asked the children the price of the plant before buying their entire lot, price which was extremely cheap.

 "This time, all of Rome will rush their money to me, Ahahahah!" he started laughing evilly in front of the girls and children who looked at him in fear.

 He finally boarded with the girls and his journey home began.