A Crow

I wonder how Shadar is doing...

I think to my self as I lay on my stomach, on the cold cement floor. That was quite the fight, like watching a man fight a gaint. Although Shadar can't even be compared to a average man in size.

The crowd was stunned and so was the owner, it was a sight to see.

I cant believe he killed that monster...

Shadar's a real beast himself. A bloodied beast by the end of the fight, I was half expecting him to howl and take a bite out of the Butcher.

The Owners reputation must've taken a hit after that fight. Shadar will be punished for it. He won't suffer alone, I'll make sure of that.

***

Morning comes and the guards lead us to the mess hall. Once there, they announce there will not be any fights for the week as they have run out of sea monsters for us to fight. Of course they could just make us fight each other, but that wouldn't satisfy the hungry spectators. They want to see us be devoured. Like a child killing ants for fun. I despise noblemen.

Their all rotten, every single one of them.

The slave's search for the bucket of slop that seemed to have just disappeared. Shadar gestures for me to come to his little corner. We feast on the slop, though it's more like we're scarfing it down, as to not taste it.

The other slave's are all captured criminals. I don't pity them. They'll kill me the first chance they get, if it means they'll have have a chance to eat.

"We have a whole week! What should we do?" Shadar asks me, with a smile.

Is this guy stupid?, its not like we can go anywhere and his still in for a ruthless punishment, what's he got to smile about?

I shrug.

"Well how about we practice fighting?" He asks, eagerly.

"I already fight for my life in the pit, now you want me to fight out of it?" I say, suddenly feeling angry.

He looks down, dispirited.

Sigh... Why did I have to say that, I'm not the only on fighting for my life.

"Sorry... my backs got me irritated." I say as an excuse, which isn't a lie.

"Oh! Sorry I didn't realize... is it bad?" He asks, worried.

"Probably not as bad as your ribs." I laugh, in pain, as my back aches.

"What do you want to practice?, actually hold that thought, let's move to the pit before the guard makes us." I say. Noticing the guards glare.

Since we won't be fighting today or for the rest of the weak, we're allowed to remain in our cells or go down in the pit. There isn't any other areas within the facility we're allowed to go. So we make our way to the pit.

We're both unfit to fight but there will be no time to practice without our lives on the line after this week. Shadar wants to practice with daggers. I've fought many opponents who've used them, so I instruct him on how to use them properly. His a fast learner, and extremely quick, my eyes have a hard time keeping up with him and that's while one of his ribs are broken. Though, he lacks power.

We practice until we cannot stand anymore. Then simply fall down onto the mud. Gazing up to the iron cage above, we're like birds in a cage. I wonder what kind of bird I'd be.

A black feathered bird flys through a hole in the iron wall, landing on the iron cage above.

"A crow!" Shadar shouts.

I've never seen one before. Shadar notices my interest and continues,"You know, crow's keep grudges, they can recall threats that happened even years ago."

Grudges... perhaps I'd be a crow.

My thoughts are interrupted by the same guard who whipped me. "What are you two dogs doing here, at this hour?" He asks, not expecting an answer.

"How are we supposed to tell the time in this shit-hole?" Shadar asks, expecting an answer. I sigh.

The guard is fumming. His just been belittled, by a mere slave no less. He doesn't reach for his whip. He reaches for his sword.

His steel sword scrapes subtly as he unsheathes it. Sharp, cold steel. Nothing like the rusted daggers Shadar holds.

The crow tilts it's head.

"I've been meaning to do this..." the guard says, ominously. As he raises his sword.

Shadar grips his daggers.

My eye's shine with blue radiance. Before the guards sword can strike, his blinded by blue flames.

The flames engulf his entire face. Panicking he drops his sword, only to realize the flames don't burn... they're cold, as he came to that realization, two daggers struck into his eyes.

His dead, just like that. That was the first time Shadar killed a person, not including the Butcher who he considered a monster.

Shadar looks down at his bloody hands then at me. "You get used to it." I say, passively.

I sigh, now watching the crow feast on the dead man's eye sockets. Good bird.

"Mavro... what do we do now?!" Shadar asks, panicked. We just killed a guard. We won't be punished. We'll be killed. In the most entertaining way, in the very pit we stand.

Breath in. Breath out.

"Search his body for keys" I say. This guard isn't that high up in rank, so I'm not expecting much. Most likely just the keys to our cells as well as the other slave's.

"Keys! I got them, are we going to escape?" Shadar asks, nervously.

"Well if we don't, we'll be killed..." I answer, tiredly. I planned to escape this place, but not like this. Sigh, I hate plans. They always go wrong.

We run to the cell block, avoiding the guards as we do. All the slave's are in their cold cells. Not for long. To hell with plans let's start a riot.