“Haaa… Haaa…” Vladimir calmed down after his outburst. “So. How are you here?” He asked, not really understanding. He saw him die without a single doubt. Loony was still chuckling like a crazy kid.

Sou’Rek, the fallen inquisitor, stared at him with contemplation. Were humans always that stupid? Did he lose memory? He had a lot of questions. Though, they were only for the satisfaction of his curiosity and alleviating the crushing boredom. “Priest resurrected me,” he dropped the bomb.

Vladimir first frowned as he thought he heard wrong. Then it settled and he gaped a little bit. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, not knowing what to say. Resurrection. The action of bringing someone from the dead. He realized it could be possible if the soul was truly real. Magic was already confirmed by the crystals and the devilish wizard.

Sou’Rek observed the human’s, Vlad he must remind himself of his name, reaction. It confused him. Too weird even for a human. Not like he could compare it. Adele and, for all he knew, her son were the first humans he ever met.

“That. Huh,” Vlad tried to say something. He finally found his bearings and said, “Seems I have a lot to learn.”

Sou’Rek was silent, examining the strange human before him. It was quite a long time ago since he last laughed. Scrotum… Heh. He scratched his own three balls and chuckled again.

“So… Heh… Will you trust him? He could be as well a spy, with the possibility of hallucination ruled out,” Loony said, still chortling.

“Are you here to spy on me?” Vladimir decided to be upfront.

“HAHAHA!” The goblin hysterically laughed again. “Definitely not, human! I am disgraced! A traitor! They would never trust me with anything! They would not even serve as a meal! I am here only to die two more times. And then I will be sent to the Hell, where my soul will be tortured for the eternity as the fucking bastard betrayed me!” Sou’Rek maundered.

“So why are you here with me?” Vlad asked. He was glad to have a conversation partner.

“How should I know? They threw you here an hour ago, delirious and hallucinating. Then you lost it for a while. After a while, the guard put that food here, told me not to touch it and left. I guess they do not have enough cells right now. Heh… I bet a lot of my ‘friends’ are here too,” Sou’Rek explained with a vindictive tone in his voice.

“What do you mean bastard and friends?” Vladimir asked again. Too much he did not know, too many missing pieces of information.

“You are full of questions, human,” the fallen inquisitor narrowed his big eyes. Then a toothy smile appeared on his ugly face making his long, pointy ears slightly quiver. “You know what? Give me half the bowl, a few swigs of water and answer my questions too. And I will answer anything you want and I know,” Sou’Rek proposed.

Vladimir contemplated it for a bit and slowly nodded, “Agreed.” The moment he finished speaking, the goblin jumped to the table, scooped half the bowl’s content and put it on the granite slab. Then he slowly started to slowly devour it with two fingers and a gusto.

“Do you realize it’s from the goblin and potatoes right?” Vladimir asked, incredulously.

The goblin stopped in the middle and grimaced, “potatoes?”. Then he shrugged and continued eating. Not like he had a choice.

“That’s what is worrying you? Is cannibalism normal for your race?” The man asked with interest and slight disgust.

“Cannibalism? What is that?” The goblin asked with a full mouth.

“Yeah, that answers that question,” even Loony was repulsed. He likes murder, food and sex like any other, but cannibalism was something that nauseated him too.

“So. First question, how do you not know about resurrection?” The goblin asked.

“Here we go,” Loony giggled.

Vladimir fell silent, instead, he went to the table, picked up the bowl and started eating. After a while, he decided.

“I… Aaah, fuck it. I am from another plane. Planet or whatever. I guess it does not matter if you know or not…” he said truthfully.

“Oh,” the goblin replied, disinterestedly.

“No surprise? I thought...” Vladimir asked.

“What do you wanna? Fanfare and procession? It’s quite normal…” The former petitioner of Staumaz said and frowned. “Well, not completely, human travellers are rare and you are too weak…” The goblin regarded. Then an understanding flashed in his eyes, “Oh, now that makes why they are so interested in you. For a weakling, you are fairly well trained. Your hands are soft, so you are no peasant or warrior. You are more like a human noble, but they would never come near Koul’E without an army surrounding them. You cannot be a wizard as you lack the arrogance of one and there is no aura around you. It just does not fit,” Sou’Rek proudly showed his great observation skills.

“Hehe, Koul’E…” Loony chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah… Balls, I get it,” Vladimir rolled his eyes but grinned too.

“How long do you think they will be interested in me?” Vladimir inquired, dreading the answer.

“Who knows? The devil’s mind is strange. They are extremely long-lived and powerful wizards. I guess you are just a curiosity right now. Who’s attention you caught?” Sou’rek asked back.

“Ssirze, The Book-Finder I think,” Vlad replied.

The goblin twitched a little bit and stopped chewing. He gulped and said, “I have heard about him. He is a powerful wizard and a knowledge hoarder. Goblins and even some orcs called him The White Bastard. He did not appreciate it much. Those who survived him are now mostly a half-insane mess, forced to live in the cells under Tower of Devil. They should be somewhere here and from time to time they parade them in the city.”

“I like it already,” Loony chipped in.

“Shush,” Vladimir responded.

“What even happened after you two killed me?” The goblin asked.

“... I don’t want to talk about it,” Vladimir’s face darkened as he answered with a grieving tone. He already ate his half and chugged from the canteen. Then he threw it to the goblin who caught it with grace and took a swig too.

“Well, I can already guess anyway…” the goblin nodded.

“Why do yo…” Vladimir wanted to continue questioning his new-found acquittance, but the wall started sliding into the ground.

“Later, stand on the other side, hands up,” Sou’rek hastily said while acting on his own advice. Vladimir stood next to him but did not put his hands up.

A slave-goblin entered, spat on the fallen inquisitor with a savage grin and handcuffed Vladimir’s hands, leading him out.

He led him upstairs into a room lit up with daylight, where an orcette awaited them. She wore a grey toga and sandals. A pistol and a large crossblade hung on her waist, ready to be drawn. Her tusks were without any kind of decoration. Her body was trained, without an ounce of excess fat. Her breasts were quite small or bandaged to her chest. She was tall around 2.2 metres but much more lean than her male counterparts. Her face was pleasant to look at, with human-like proportions. She wore was a black Egyptian-like make-up accentuating her eyes. If she would lose her green skin and tusks, she could be even a model on Earth. Well, maybe she would not need to even change and still would be extremely popular.

They stopped before her. She closely studied his body, sniffed at him, even poked him several times. Then she grabbed his ass and front, molesting him. Vladimir’s jaw tensed as he was trying to endure, knowing that an outburst would be the last thing he ever did.

“Good. You understand me, right?” She suddenly said with a pleasant voice.

Vladimir just nodded. Her hand swiftly slapped him, leaving a red mark.

“When asked, speak, slave!” She yelled into his face.

“Yes,” he submitted while glaring at her.

“Yes what?” She slapped him again.

“Yes, madam…” Vladimir gritted his teeth. He hated this, he was never into submission. He steeled his heart, knowing he will have a whole palace of locked memories.

“Better. I am madame Lar’Ako. The illustrious Book-Finder allowed you to be trained as Gladiator,” she said, towering above him, “Why? I do not know. Voices are urging for your execution. Luckily for you, human filth,” she spat, “the crowd liked you. Understood?” she said sweetly.

“Hmm, already like her,” Loony expressed his feelings. “Hehe, dirty girl…”

“Shut the fuck up! Really, what is wrong with you?” Vlad responded, exasperated.

“Prude…” Loony said disappointed.

She smacked him again as his response took too long, and yelled again, “Understood?!”

“Yes, madam,” Vladimir said, steaming inside.

“Hmpf! You will require extensive training, pet,” she grinned in expectation. Even though she didn’t like humans as any other orcs, it was nothing personal. “Oh, yes, Ruo’Kut wants to see you tonight,” she added while she waited for something, “a slave will come for you and bring you to her estate. You will listen to her as if she is your goddess, understand?”

Ruo’Kut… It sounded familiar, but for the love of gods he could not remember where he heard it. He was torn from his thoughts with a slap, strong enough to send him on the ground.

“ANSWER!” she yelled.

“Yes, madam,” he promptly replied, not wanting to anger her more. He tried to stand up but was forced on his knees instead.

“Good boy, pet. Ahh, here we go,” she exclaimed as a steampunk car stopped before the Coliseum. It was big as a T1 Abrams. Instead of wheels, it had tank tracks. On them was a steel and brass construction without a roof. Two tanks of water were on the sides, supplying the large steaming engine from the four exhausts pointed to the sky on the back. The shiny steel gears were visible, placed in clockwork precision, slowly turning. Under the engine was a crimson red crystal the size of a fist. The whole vehicle looked like a piece of art. The principle behind it was simple but taken to the extreme.

[Analysis complete: mid-grade Crystal of Heat. Encyclopaedia updated.]

“Slave, take him back to the cell. We will see each other tomorrow, little boy,” she dismissed them and left for the car, driven by a muscled orc in a black toga, black long hair and a sneer behind his great tusks, decorated by silver snakes.

The slave-goblin grabbed his chains again and tugged him to follow.

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

Back at the cell, Vladimir was frowning on the granite slab. The fallen inquisitor was already sleeping like a log, curled up at the corner, not taking up too much space. The slab was big enough for an orc so Vlad did not care.

The name, Ruo’Kut… So familiar. He subconsciously shivered and sighed.

“What the mess… Training for a gladiator seems like an opportunity. The only chance right now is to be popular. Sooner or later the interest of the devil will pass.

His future seemed bleak right now and he could not see a way out. He was terribly overpowered, in hostile territory, with a death convict as the only friend and locked memories he won’t unlock for his own, already slipping sanity.

His mind travelled towards his home and friends. Family. Clara… He smiled at the memory.

Then he cleared his mind and closed his eyes. Time to meditate.

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

The wall slid down again and a slave-goblin with a guard-goblin entered. They shackled him without a word and led him before the Coliseum. It was evening, the twin stars last beams sparkled on shiny towers. As the suns dived behind the horizon, crystals of illumination slowly lit up, their artificial light glistening on the metallic, smooth surfaces.

The city was becoming rowdy. The cars, clanking and hissing were mixed with loud orcs who were enjoying themselves. A group of orcs went around him and his two guards, glancing at him as if he was some freak. The stalls were already manned, selling many kinds of culinary specialities, alcohol and even leather and gifts.

The Tower of the Devil dominated the city, slightly glimmering with red light.

A group of six armed goblins entered his vision and took over him. They jogged with him in the middle through the city.

Soon, they arrived at a Roman-like estate, made from marble, a bronze roof and exquisite golden decorations.

“You know, they really know how to live. Slaves, food, sex, healthy amount of murder… Explain to me again why we didn’t do this back on Earth?” Loony asked.

“Because…” Vladimir tried to respond but he could not find a single reason. He could have lived like a king.

“Years and years of persuading you never listened to and look at what it got you…” Loony whispered darkly.

Vladimir shook his head to clear his mind as they walked through the white halls, decorated by tapestry, displays showing seemingly old artefacts and metallic tables with vases full of flowers.

[Analysis complete: new types of flowers found. Encyclopaedia updated. Please taste for better analysis.]

[Skill: Herbology unlocked]

They entered a room with a large orcette laying on a sofa, surrounded by orcettes of different sizes and shapes. There were a few goblin slaves serving them. Vlad knew what was going to happen. The room was prepared for an orgy. Too bad, none of those orcettes were beautiful. Or, at least, passable. His stomach churned.

“Aaah, here he is,” a familiar female voice echoed in the room, silencing it.