“It’s rather busy here, isn’t it?” Eshya says, pulling us through the waves of people that fill up the lower markets. These messy streets are quite distinct from the upper markets that we raced from just moments ago, pursued by various interested parties trying to make deals with us. I swear I heard someone claiming to be that opposition leader, maybe?

The people here are a little more genuine than that, a little more desperate. People shove and push around one another, and there’s only a thin veil of civilisation over the competition at play in these streets. These people would kill and steal the moment they think that it’s possible to get away with it.

“There’s a lot of different shops.” Vii says, looking all around with a small smile. “Still not as much as back home, but it’s nicely chaotic.”

“You grew up in a trading hub, didn’t you?” I ask, gnawing on some sort of roast vegetable from a street vendor. It’s slathered in some sort of oily, butter alternative, and tastes rather nice if a bit stringy. Eshya leans in for a bite, her arm still hooked through mine. “I remember you saying something about that.”

“Yep, yep.” Vii nods excitedly. “Home is a mess of cultures, people, and products. We have anything you can think of to buy, and because of all the people we have lots of different street shows and art houses too. It’s much bigger and busier than this, but it’s the same kind of atmosphere.”

“Maybe you can show us eventually.” I say, and Eshya eagerly nods along. “I mean we just have to hang around for a few millennia, right?”

Vii chuckles nervously but doesn’t give a straight answer.

Sensing our power, the others in the street give us enough room to walk without bothering us, but nothing more than that. More like they see us as potential trouble, than anything deserving respect, which is fine by me.

That said, crowds like this do gather unusual sorts.

A woman, not paying much attention to her surroundings, stumbles into us, walking right into me and falling back because of the difference in our mana forms. Eshya pulls her arm out of mine, rubbing at where the sudden mana friction burned her.

“Sorry.” I say, but she shakes her head and turns to the struggling insect woman.

She’s larger and uglier than most insect people that we’ve met, though I won’t say that aloud. She’s about twice my size, and from bumping into her I can tell that she has a respectable mana form, even if it isn’t nearly comparable to my own.

She bears more than a few wounds, many of them are older, but some are still fresh. Yet her attitude isn’t as combative as I’d expect of one who gets into so many fights.

“Are you okay?” I ask, sensing something slightly off about her. The twitching of her mandibles and the way her arms are raised to cover her head prove her defensiveness, without need of translation.

“I’m… I… no.” She replies, slumping down as she brushes some of the dirt from her face. Vii leans in to look at her more closely while Eshya glares at the crowd, dispersing them before they can even gather.

I place a tag on her using my new variant of the Skill, the same with any in the crowd that I pass.

It could be useful to get her talking, having a guide is always nice, and she seems to understand the less kind aspects of this society.

“If she’s trouble, we can always ditch her.” Eshya says with a shrug.

“I want to learn more about things here.” Vii says, “What’s it like living here, and what sort of trouble a person can find. Is this place filled with crime? Is it safe? How much power does the president really have, and do they really vote?”

“Do you have time?” I ask the bug woman. “Do you want to talk us through it while we’re here, maybe we can help.”

She quivers, but nods, walking alongside us. Eshya makes certain to stand between her and us, her sword still ready on her hip.

“So, what’s your story?” I ask, as we weave through the crowd to a quieter corner of the cavern. It’s still busy, and there’s still people, but most are in their homes, minding their own business. I don’t think they even have parks here, and I know I’d get to feeling a bit closed in if I had to live here for more than a day.

“I… I’m from the Naum company.” She starts, explaining in more detail when it’s clear that we don’t understand. “It’s a family company, we were rather successful in this city for a while. We were rich, and we were getting powerful… We ran goods between caverns.

“Father wanted more for us, he wanted us to try and compete with the older companies, so he got us invested into a few other directions, but… fathers not sensitive to politics. He stepped on the toes of a few important people. He tried competing with the companies that you do not compete against.

“We… we’re not a company anymore, but we’re scrapping by. No one wants to work with us, even now. The arena still lets us fight for prizes, but… I tried to take some transport work again, moving goods between dangerous caverns. I was ambushed and everything was taken, now I have to pay back my employer, and I… I can’t.

“I thought we could be like President Braun, but we’re not going to survive this…”

“Like president Braun?” Vii asks, hopping closer. “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard his story?” She asks, relaxing a little bit now that she’s not speaking about herself.

“He was outcast from society. He said and did a few things wrong; I don’t think anyone remembers what anymore, but he did something to upset the most powerful companies, and no one would even sell him the soil from their toilets anymore.

“He was in a situation even worse than mine, but he left for a dangerous cavern, he fought and survived, and he came back more powerful than ever. He fought in the arena, tearing through every competitor no matter how rigged the fight was against him, and he gained the favour of the people.

“He started a new company and now he’s risen to power.” She says, her mandibles clicking softly as the story ends. “It’s the dream of the republic, what everyone aspires to. I… just… I’m just not strong enough.”

She slouches lower, but strides on.

“There’s a fighting arena?” Eshya asks, looking around the city with her eyes practically glowing.

“That’s what you get from her story?” I ask.

“Hey, you can’t say you’re not curious.” Eshya says, laughing.

“Yeah, father is fighting right now, but…” She sounds tired, but there’s a hollow note to her voice.

“If… if I can ask, who are you? What do you want me for?”

“We’re visitors trying to get a lay of the land, figure out who’s who, and what’s what.” I say, “If you do smuggle some goods back to our cavern, we might have some business for you.”

“The arena?” Eshya insists.

“Yes, we’ll go to the arena too.” I sigh, “Could you lead the way as we talk?”

“…okay.” She begrudgingly agrees, leading us through the city. Eshya is already excited for the fighting but Vii is more interested in her story.

“So, that’s it?” She asks. “Can’t you go somewhere else?”

“No other caverns will take us.” She replies. “Trying to survive in the wild caverns is just too much for me.”

“So, you’re just going to struggle on with this arena?” I ask, looking towards her as we walk through the city. “Is there any hope for you, or are you just walking to your grave?”

“We’re not getting graves, or anything so pretentious.” She replies in a whisper. “I… I at least want some of my younger siblings to have a chance, but… my family is smaller and smaller every time I come back home.”

I can’t just accept everyone into my own home. My city isn’t large enough to take in every troubled soul that’s getting screwed over, and I’m sure that I’ll also be making enemies within the republic if I try to protect this family in particular. They bothered a few powerful factions it seems, but then, what do I care about that?

“How do we pay for entry?” I ask as we get to the arena.

“How do we compete?” Eshya asks, rubbing her hands together.

“Eshya, not now. We don’t need to be doing anything stupid right now.”

“I know, but it doesn’t hurt to know how, right?”

“It’s fine. I can get us seats.” The woman says, leading us in and talking briefly with the guards at the door. Without much trouble she gets us in and to a set of front row seats.

The crowds are rowdy, but there is a tense air to them, showing that this is more than just entertainment for them too. The arena isn’t the classic sand filled sight, but hard stone ground, and already there’s enough blood painting it to suggest that there’s been a few deaths already.

“To fight in the arena, all you have to do is go down to those gates and request to join the fight.” She explains to Eshya as we wait for the next match to start. “Your rewards are dependent on the situation, and the fight that you’re joining.”

“Oh? Sounds complicated.” Eshya grumbles.

“It really isn’t.” Little miss Naum replies, staring into the arena.

“You want me to work as a smuggler?” She asks, leaning forward and watching as a set of fighters enter the arena. “What’s the task, and what’s the price?”

“Not even sure if it counts as smuggling, but I’m looking at opening some trade routes to my cavern, and if you have some experience…” I say.

“Then you’d be better off finding someone else.” She says, “I’m not any use.”

“I’m guessing that whoever is currently running things around here is the same group that did this to your family?” I ask, looking down over the arena. The insect that’s marched into the field, looks up at our seats, lowering his head towards miss Naum beside us before facing his opponent. “Was it the president?”

“No, it was Hana Klaw and her opposition faction, but President Braun’s faction isn’t willing to step in to help us, or even give us any work.” She replies in a low whisper, leaning forwards over the railing, closer to the fight. “You should make a deal with one of the larger companies.”

“They aren’t going to be satisfied with how I run things.” I say decisively. “I’m not favourable to corruption, and I encourage competition. It’ll be easier to invest in developing new companies rather than trying to reorganise corrupt companies.”

Opposite the large insect man, there is a massive mammalian creature that walks on two legs. He moves with a predatory grace, striding around the arena as he takes in his opponent. There’s thin patches of balding fur covering the many scars that cover his wrinkled skin, but for all the signs of ageing, his full set of teeth are ivory white, and sharp as any I’ve ever seen.

“Is this to the death?” I ask, leaning forwards and watching. I’m not quite ready to step in and solve this with my usual lacking grace. This whole Grand Council nonsense ties my hands somewhat, and I know that interference in other caverns will bring trouble right to my own door.

My hands are still tight around the railing, and my heart pounding hard in my chest as I watch the two face off.

“Sometimes…” Miss Naum says, as the two clash. It’s showy, lots of movement, but the two throw each other back, testing each other without too much damage done.

“He…” She starts looking at the man that seems to be her father. “He pushed us into this situation. We never should have pushed so hard, we should have just focused on our own niche and grown stronger and more influential in time. He was growing older, and didn’t have the patience.

“Because of him we lost everything. I’ve lost brothers and sisters in this very arena. We’ve… lost everything since he ruined us…” Her words are carefully spoken, and I can feel no anger, she’s just tired. Depressed, and gazing into the dark future that she sees ahead.

“Do you want to save him?” I ask, looking down into the field as the two warriors clash, blood is spilt and they separate again, wandering around carefully.

“I… I want him to win.” She says, “I want him to get back on his feet and prove to us that he was right. I want him to make fools of us all and show how this was all a clever scheme to find victory.”

The bug falls back, losing an arm to his larger opponent that snaps down on it, spraying the field in green blood. He backs away, but he doesn’t surrender, gathering himself for the next clash.

The audience is worked up at the sight, their shouts filling the arena in a twisted blend of despair and hope. Countless people in the stands have gambled on this match, and their own lives are on the line too if their shouts are to be believed.

“He was a kind father.” she says, “He’d always come home with a hot meal and a hop in his step.” He lashes out cutting deep into the leg of his opponent, but hooked claws pull him off and smash open his chest while throwing him away.

“He’d play with us as kids, never forgetting any of our names, and there were so many of us.” He throws himself at the larger opponent, climbing atop the beast and fighting for victory. The blades of his arms sink into the larger mammal, but it drops and rolls onto him, crushing him.

“There were so many of us.” Blood seeps from every joint as he rises, not giving in. Not giving up even in the face of the tremendous odds against him now.

“I just… I want to win.” She says, “I don’t care who has to lose, I just want to win.”

The enemy tries to finish the insect off, but he lashes out violently in such a mad rush that there’s no way to attack him. Through the swinging blades.

“I’m sorry. I can’t help you.” Miss Naum says, rising to her feet. “Please don’t interfere with this. It’s our fight. It’s our hope for victory.”

She steps down towards the gates that she indicated to us earlier, and the announcer calls for a pause to the fight. The insect man wobbles on his feet as he stands back from his opponent.

In a few moments, the gates open again to let out our new friend. She enters the arena with her head up high, as she looks upon her opponent, her bladed limbs sharp, but not nearly enough from what I can tell.

“This raises the stakes, and the rewards, for our balding warrior, but the two little bugs are now just fighting for their lives. Victory now grants them a chance to live and free medical care after the match is done. How will this match end?!” Already some of the crowd cry out in indignation. It seems this results in a loss for some of their own bets.

“So we can just march in there any time?” Eshya asks, looking over to the side. “Let me just go ask.”

I nod, grabbing her hand before she leaves.

“Be careful.” I say, pulling her in for a kiss.

“Hey, it’s a great chance to show off in front of my wives to be.” Eshya says with a broad smile. Though it’s tainted by the same sourness that I feel bothering my own soul at this sight.

I want to tear this place to the ground.

It’s not much different from nature’s own battlefields. It’s like the fights that Red set up for us, to separate the strong from the weak. The survivors from the corpses.

This time it’s a slightly different flavour, but it’s still a battle of those struggling to prove that they deserve to live. They deserve to thrive.

The pair of insects set their feet and ready to fight together, but the father is weakened, and he’s already struggling to keep up the moment the battle starts. His daughter is fighting hard just to keep the massive balding beast off of him.

The crowd shouts and jeers, disappointed in the man.

The father glances up, paused to take in the moment as he bleeds from every joint and from the cracks in his chitinous armour.

He steps forward.

One step, then the next.

The balding monster charges at his daughter, maw open wide to snap at her. Her many blades are ready but she’s stumbling backwards, unable to doge the attack.

He throws himself at the monster, slashing at its head. His movements are too slow, injuries tripping him up, and creating easily abused openings.

The balding beast snaps his jaws around the insect, crunching down on the chitinous flesh, once then twice. His daughter rushes up at him, trying to slashing to try and free him, but the beast lifts her father up high to crush his body one last time before swallowing his remains whole.

Miss Naum freezes, staring up at the scene as her arms go slack by her side.

She shivers and lifts her arms to continue the fight, but her strikes are weak, and her footing is unstable. Her opponent marches over her, pressing her body into the ground with a massive, clawed foot.

“Pause the fight!” The announcer cries. “We have another challenger added to the battle. Does our balding warrior wish to accept this challenge for increased rewards?”

“I accept.” The massive creature says, nodding slowly and backing off from his assured victory.

“Then the odds are raised yet again!” The announcer says, “Our newest contender calls herself a loyal soldier to the glorious Ashen Empire. She requests that she be rewarded by her Empress for her victory, we can only hope that she is listening.”

“Ashen Empire? Is that what we’re calling ourselves now?” I ask Vii, who shrugs with an awkward laugh.

“No spoilers.” She says, watching closely.

Eshya strides out into the arena with her sword on her hip, she doesn’t let herself be intimidated. She spares only a few words for the depressed young insect that she’s come to save.

The starting call comes quickly, and Eshya steps towards the enemy slowly and confidently. Not even drawing her weapon. She’s not overwhelmingly powerful like I am, but her natural abilities in fighting are impressive enough that I have no doubt in her victory.

Our friendly bug follows her but too slowly, the enemy charges at the elven woman but she stands still and waits without even drawing. A smirk rising on her lips as she rests her hand gently on the grip of her sword.

The moment the balding beast crosses an unseen boundary, she draws. A flash of light shines from her blade, as she cuts, severing the leg off the enemy and sidestepping the collapsing body.

Miss Naum is hit by the sliding torso, thrown to the side, rolling away as the monster tries to find his feet, only to find himself one short. She throws herself at the wounded enemy, tearing into his belly with her sharp limbs, cutting and tearing inwards.

“Dad! Dad!” She shouts, pulling apart the screaming old man without care. She gives him no empathy, but Eshya quickly thrusts her sword into his skull, ending the suffering.

The announcer calls a victory, just as Miss Naum finds her father. Eshya turns from the sight, leaving the battlefield.

The person she killed wasn’t some villain, just another fighter desperate to win.

“Are you okay?” Vii asks, hovering at my side and wrapping a wing around me. “Your face looks pale.”

“It’s… I should’ve done something.” I say, “None of these people needed to die. This entire thing is… wrong.”

“Then plan out it’s destruction.” Vii whispers. “We can’t do everything at once. Plan it out, and figure out how we can change it.”

“Together?” I ask, pulling her closer.

“Together.” She nods, pressing her head into my shoulder. There’s a few tears shining in her eyes. Miss Naum is escorted out of the arena, still carrying her fathers torso.

A weight rests heavy on my chest, as Eshya returns. Her smile is twisted a little as she comes back to us.

“Thank you.” I say, pulling her into an embrace.

“Let’s get out of here.” She replies, pulling us away from the arena.

I need to change this cruel world.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stats and Skills

~Mana Form:

Current mana density: 30,064 / 60,892 units

Current mana volume: 14,943 / 30,266 shards

Mana volume at crystallisation density (Max. mana volume):

Kyra: 30,266 shards

Kyra’s armour: 20,777 shards

Kyra’s throne: 1,109,298 shards

~Forms

Mana Canon

-Annihilation Heart (Adapted)

-Blood Fuel (20,000 mana shards)

-Bone Magic Storage (40,000 mana shards)

-Nail Shifters (50,000 mana shards)

Dancer

-Flash Nerves (8,000 mana shards)

-Quick Perception Mind (Adapted)

-Burst Reflex Muscles (35,000 mana shards)

-Layered space Muscles (80,000 mana shards)

Turtle

-Rebinding Tissue (Adapted)

-Catalyst Sweat Glands (140,000 mana shards)

-Repulsive Skin (80,000 mana shards)

-Prehensile hair (10,000 mana shards)

-Fatty Tissue Blood Storage (100,000 mana shards)

Investigator

-Wide eyes (5,000 mana shards)

-Wide ears (5,000 mana shards)

-Sharp nose (5,000 mana shards)

Misc.

-Clean bowels (Adapted)

~Favourited Skills:

Magic:

-Annihilation Magic (Customised)

-Fire Magic (Functional)

-Space magic (Broken)

-Force magic (Broken)

-Ice magic (Broken)

-Wind magic (Broken)

Movement:

-Hand-to-hand casting (Functional)

-Mana surge movement (Functional)

-Stealth (Functional)

Senses:

-Eyes of an Empire (Customised)

-Combat Awareness (Functional)

-Watchmen (Functional)

-Hidden bug (Functional)

-De-tagging (Functional)

-Anti-stealth sight (Functional)

Special:

-Spirit Transformation (Broken)

-Conformity (Broken)

-Training mana form (Functional)