Chapter 14 Bellator
Bellator
The smell of urine permeates the air. There is little to no ventilation under the colosseum, which makes me grateful I will be let out to fight.
Apparently, I am the only one planned to spill blood today, my homecoming.
A few of the guards have placed bets, mocking me that I'll be lucky if I survive.
Other than the orcs I travelled with, there is no creature I would fear in battle, so I'm unsure what they have planned for me.
Unless, of course, they imported something from another Realm.
The collar is more unsettling. I think I could push through the shock if I needed to.
Now that I've felt it. Had a taste of the pain it brings, my body better understands how to fight against it.
Can it still bring me to my knees, yes, but if I needed to push through, if something were to happen, if my bonded needed me. I would try.
The heavy wooden doors take five guards to push open.
I could help them, but why would I? I'm here to observe, bide my time until one of two things happens.
Either the Emperor pushes too far, or I find the female who is my mate, and I am forced to ensure her safety.
No one, not even the Emperor, is safe if he oversteps.
Although we do not know each other, I feel her.
Humming in a part of my chest that I never knew existed.
All I have are options, but no real power to choose any of them…
yet. As it stands, I will struggle to show her my capabilities as a prisoner of Imperia.
Steve and I had always planned to meet when we thought we had found our perfect match; however, I had expected it would be under better circumstances.
Perhaps riding my stallion, preparing for battle, showing her all that I command. A part of me always wished to stumble upon the other half of my soul, but I never thought it was a true possibility. Steve is out there somewhere, and with him, my bonded. The perfect match for us both.
My eyes instantly adjust to the bright light of the illuminating sky orb, seeing guards dressed in armour standing in a perfect row, roughly halfway down the arena.
I crouch, following my usual ritual, and take a handful of dirt.
Attempting to feel the pulse of the Realm, but I feel nothing here.
It's like the essence of everything that is, has gone.
There is more life at the front than what is on offer in the city.
Sure, the impish cheer. They yell and scream for the brutality they are here to witness, but there is no life.
The dirt is dry and barren, much like the rest of Imperia.
A horn blows, and a single rider takes off, his horse breathing heavily from the rapid exertion. I wish they had tried harder to bring me a worthy opponent, but I can give the crowd the show they want. One by one, they fall. Barely breaking a sweat despite the heat.
Dirt and blood cover my body as I take a victory lap of the arena.
I feel the pull in my chest, but there is an irritation growing under my skin.
I should have seen her by now, at least I should have seen Steve.
How easy is it to hide an orc? I know Steve is no warrior, but he is not helpless either.
He was trained at the same academy, with all the same instructors.
I trust him to look after himself and our bonded more than any other person in this Realm or the six others.
Methodically, I pick up the heads of the fallen, scanning each section of the crowd as I pass them.
They could be under the colosseum. This could all be a ploy to parade me about while taunting me with the thing I want the most. And seeing as I have a shiny new necklace that electrifies my body with magic, anything is possible.
The beat of my heart grows stronger until only one section remains, and I step into the small patch of shade offered to the arena floor.
A sweet floral perfume wafts in the air, and my basal urges flare to life.
She stands there, her hair glowing like the flaming pits of Nocthaven.
Skin so porcelain that if my brother did not stand behind her, she would be lost to the bright light of this Realm.
She looks down on me and I am not worthy of her sight.
I must provide an offering. One by one, I lay the guards' heads in a row, hoping it is enough to grant me her touch.
She leans forward over the balcony, Steve holding her tightly.
Protecting her. But that is my job also.
I need to show her… prove to her I am worthy.
Taking a running leap, I scale the smooth side of the arena until I am standing before her.
A slight tremor running over her skin. I am considered a handsome orc by orcfolk standards.
Steve, unfortunately, was not as blessed as I was, but his heart makes up for it.
Quickly patting him on the shoulder, I tilt her chin to my gaze.
I want her to take me in. I am her warrior now, she should not shy away from me.
“Bonded,” I exhale, not quite believing she’s real.
My hand caresses her face, but it’s when she places her hand on my chest that the connection we all share, the string that binds us, turns to rope. A stronger, thicker binding and with it, my cock stands proud. I can not wait to show it to her, until I feel the skin under my collar begin to heat.
No, not now.
Wildly, I look around, trying to find the imp who is hell-bent on showing me off, only to ruin me.
The heat grows to an inferno. I fight against it, clawing at my neck, but to what end?
The Emperor still has control. The world around me blurs as I fall back into the hard, dry, dirt of the arena.
My bonded’s worried face staring back at me, her arm extended as if she feels the same tear in our separation.
I will find my way back to her, I have to.