Chapter Sixteen: Of Sen Part Two

A deep, piercing whistle hits my ears, and my instincts flare to attention as I jump up and backwards. Right as the floor beneath where I slept explodes into dust and shrapnel as Rashid's stake hits it. I take a gulp at the sight, and look to the arena, but see that the barrier is gone and any trace of damage I did, if I did do any damage that is.

Immediately a deep swirling nausea overcomes me, and I have to drop down to my knees, before I have to start throwing everything I have down in my gut up. Only for a wave of pain to hit me when I put pressure on my legs, like someone is pouring boiling lead and steel through my leg wounds, then salted it for good measure. And for a second I fear I didn’t dodge some of the shrapnel, but then the last few moments of the fight make themselves know, and I take a few sharp gasps of air, before pushing the pain to back of my mind and try to get up.

I have to struggle to get up with how weak and tired my legs are feeling right now, and aside from the burning pain, they feel almost numb from exhaustion and exertion. But I eventually find the strength and some skill to get them out from beneath me.

I groan and take a look in Rashid’s general direction, to find he’s looking at me with a scowl followed by a gesture for me to come over to him. I groan louder at his gesture, and make a face that says my opinion on extended movement at the moment. He summons a spinning stake in his hand, and I immediately start to shuffle my way over to him, but slowly and groggily wishing every step of the way that I could get some more sleep.

When he sees that I’m not even halfway over to him, his scowl deepens. And I begin to worry about a stake flying my way and shuffle faster, but then he sighs softly and a chain appears around me and I’m jerked over to him in a second. He looks me over, turns me around and around, and then suddenly I get the feeling of something running over me and I shiver, but relax a bit soon as I realize it’s only Aura, to only then shiver harder when I recognize it as Rashid’s Aura.

Done with his inspection he lets out a satisfied breath and turns to regard the Arbiter and Blooded duo, that I had yet to notice in my groggy state.

Then a voice breaks the silents and snaps up my attention. “See, told you he’d be fine, just give him a nap and he’ll be back to normal as soon as you take your eyes off him.” Rashid says to his small audience with what sounds like a hint of pride…. Ha, no way.

Lod comes over to me and takes his own look at me. Poking and prodding me like a pincushion, before to coming to the conclusion that yes I’m still alive, if the whole breathing thing hadn’t fooled him. Done with his examination he returned to standing by Cain.

“Yes, his natural recovery speed is quite astounding for a human, I thought that he was a dead man when my Gnat,” He grabs Cain my her head, “Gave him that last blow, but here he stands now almost fully healed, but I wonder how? I’ve never heard of any human healing at such a rate, at least not without magic or a bloodline abilities.” He stares deeply at me with his crimson orbs becoming mere slits and he mumbles lowly, “Which bloodline ability though? Hope it’s not a new ability set, but his healing doesn’t seem to match up with any known bloodline abilities though...” His face goes white at his own words and looks to me with fear. “Yes, I fear for my kind when he gets older. If you were by yourself I would end you.” His eyes focusing sharply on me, and I swear I see him move for a second, but he’s back in place when he notices Rashid's stake hovering in front of his face.

Rashid chuckles dryly “Make a move at your own risk. But I don’t tolerate anybody trying to kill my protege.”

I look at him blankly. “Hypocrite.”

He punches me in the gut and I almost fall to my knees as the air leaves my lungs.

“There’s a difference between discipline and tryin to kill ya. Not that you would figure it out,” He says nonchalantly, and turns to his audience. “The drawback to his healing is that he seems to be a complete moron.”

The only one to chuckle at that is Arbiter, Lod seems to be memorizing his words.

Lod looks like he’s about to say something else but Cain interrupts him with a whine.

“I don’t see what’s so interesting about how fast he heals, so what if he’s a half decent fighter, his healing sucks! I mean it took him like thirty minutes to heal to where he could wake up,” Cain says annoyed, and points at me. “And look at him he’s still not fully recovered! That’s pathetic by our standards! And-” She cuts off as soon as she notices the weight of Lod’s hard stare at her and backs up while she cowers a little.

“Daughter?” Lod says with steel in his voice.

“Y-y-yes?” Cain says with fear.

Lod moves closer to his daughter in an instant putting two fingers on her head faster than she can react and she manages to struggles briefly, then she stiffens up at his touch, so much so that it's like someone replaced her spine with a metal pole. Her eyes change, they go wider than saucer plates, and her pupils dilate and grow smaller and smaller till they practically disappear, then they do just that. The life in her eyes disappears with her pupils, making them go blank, and milky like a corpse. But she stays standing with her fathers fingers on her forehead.

My eyes go wide at the sight, and I feel like I should say something about fingering.

But just as soon as this happens it’s over. Her eye’s snap back to life, wide and alive, then narrow and look over to me. Her eyes flicker over to me with those deep, crimson orbs cleaving into my own with deep interest and hidden behind the interest lie’s waking, violent hunger. Looking into her eyes… something stirs in my gut, rumbling and angry, and ready to respond to unspoken challenge in her eyes.

Cain flinches back, as though she could see through me into the thing inside me and I can see something new in her eyes, fear. She shakes violently, and her head lowers. Not everybody can handle looking inside me, I guess. She looks to her shaking hands, clenching and unclenching them for a good moment. Her head then snaps up still shaking and sees her father’s hand resting on her shoulder, and lets out an uneasy breath, and shaking calms down.

Then I hear the Arbiter laughing insidiously.

“Hehafaffaa, Rashid! You never pick the normal ones, do you! I, if I had a soul for every time you picked up an oddball I’d be a greater spirit!”

The Arbiter said with an uproarious high pitch laugh, only to calm down in an instant and seems to look at me with a much greater interest and a keen eye, with the way his eyes stare down at me it seems far from harmless.

“And it’s not just that he’s odd it seems though... he’s strong too, his potential is through the metaphorical roof…. And he looks a little familiar,” He rubs his chin and looks at me, and then at Rashid “Where did you pick this one up?”

Rashid laughs and stands proudly. “I found him in a Newbie Town, gotta say I got lucky though. Never would have thought he would be let out of his father's sight.”

The Arbiter snaps his fingers as something dawns on his face, “Ah! So he is that guy's son! I knew he smelled familiar.” He looks to and pinches his nose shut. “Boy I gotta say that you absolutely reek of your father. Might wanna do something about that.” He says darkly and with a sinister glow comes out of his eyes.

The Arbiter looks to Rashid and asks curiously “So I gotta ask,” He hooks a thumb at me.

“Why don’t you just kill him, I’m sure you have a lot of pent-up aggression towards his father, so why take him under your wing?”

“Well, the sins of the father are not the sons…. Well that and I don’t think I could get away with it, he’s warded all the way to The Empty and back,” He then pauses for a second and looks at me and his scowl softens for a second. “Plus he’s also just a child to, a child that doesn't know his full strength or how to utilize properly, he’s like a walking time bomb or a worse, a Second Calamity waiting to happen if he’s not treated with the proper care.” Rashid then pauses and looks at me with a smug smile.

“Plus, if he makes it big he might just remember Ol’uncle Rashid and help him from time to time.”

I snort at that “Dream on old man.”

A punch to the gut is his response, but not as bad as last time.

“Ignore that, I’ll beat some respect into eventually.” He says with a scowl.

“Eh, alright then,” The Arbiter says and looks over to the quiet duo. “ So how about we get this show on the road! You two won so,” He points at Lod “You owe him,” He points at Rashid, and then holds both his palms spread before himself. “ 1,2,3,4,5, wait give me a second.” And to my surprise and Cain’s, he grows three more arms, and starts counting out the rest of favors on his fingers “Sixteen favors of his choosing with no limits, but,” He looks at Rashid severely. “You allow them safe passage away from here, so no fuckery with them, and you” He points at me “Remember me when you want to strike a Oath, and oh, don’t go causing any Calamities. See ya Rashid, and peace to the rest of you bitches!” He pauses an gives me a wink and Rashid a bow, then in a flash of light he’s gone. Thank the ArchWizard and Stars above about that.

Rashid steps up to Lod, and says sternly “Alright, for my first favor I want you to take all the knowledge here and that you have access to and compress it into a file and deliver it to me by the summer solstice.” He watches Lod’s face for any reaction, Lod pales slightly, but sighs and says “It shall be done.”

Rashid growls raspily “It ought to be, and don’t go ratting me out,” He leans in close to Lod. “That would be a bad idea..”

Then Rashid’s scowl lightens and he slaps Lod on the shoulder, “Well, we are done here I’ll see you at the summer solstice.” He says almost joyfully, then turns around and drags me away in chains.

“Come on, I gotta show you why you don’t make me lose bets. And what did I say about flashbacking during fights!” I gulp at that.

Then I hear a voice call out behind us.

“Atlas!” Cain calls out.

“Yeah?” I say turning around.

Cain opens her mouth, but nothing comes out and she flinches back at my gaze.

I wonder what she’s on about. Then she looks back at me and manages to keep eye contact and strong glint flashes in her eyes and a determined look possess her face, and say excitedly

“Look forward to our next meeting Atlas! Because I promise that I’ll pound you into the floor so hard, and, and I’ll, uuummm what was I gonna say again?...” I try to facepalm but only rattle my chains. “Wait got it! I’ll pound you so hard into the floor you won’t be able to walk without thinking about me!”

A fire starts burning inside of me at her words and my beast howls to it’s flickering, I grin “Oh, we’ll see who’s pounding who into the floor with who, next time!... OH, and it will be me pounding you so hard and-” Rashid interrupts my shouting.

“Shut it loverboy, time to make tracks!” Rashid says jerking me forward.

The last I see of the Pair before turning around is Cain waving at me vigorously and Lod watching us both warily.

Suddenly though I feel myself airborne and I look back at Rashid “Hey, hey, easy!” I yell as I’m violently tosses me into the elevator, and whether on purpose or not, I hit against the wall of elevator, knocking the air out of me and painfully tightening the chains on me. My nausea is back almost immediately, I feel like the room is spinning and my guts are flipping around. Uh, just kill me already.

Rashid speaks and it sounds like a thousand knives against my ears. “I’ll show you brat! Don’t think you can have me lose a bet and get away with it! I’ll make you suffer than your worst nightmares,” Try me old man, nothing you could do is worse than what my body is doing to itself… Or what I do to myself on a weekly basis. “And what did I tell you about flashbacking during a fight! It could get you killed, and in fact it would have if your opponent was quasi-competent!,” I see like three Rashid’s sneer behind at the open elevator door. “ I mean you could have won that fight if you had just tried! Are you trying to make me lose bets on purpose?!” He makes a three or four fists and I raise up into the air with tightening chains. Bring me eye level with Rashid. “This is the second time this happened! I swear by Old Man Hammuncus, that I shall skin you alive if you make me-” I hear the elevator door close, and Rashids look behind for a moment still holding me aloft in the air.

The Rashids look back at me for a minute, and they sigh softly. “You going to be alright? You look like your on death's door.”

I gargle back “Don’t all talk at once… You're killing me here..”

They look confused for a moment, and some kind of realization comes over his face. I feel myself move through the air, tossing and turning my insides before I feel myself lying against something firm, but oddly comfortable.

I open my mouth, but all that comes out are odd garbles and mumbles that don’t make sense. I hear Rashid chuckle softly, and say quietly “Don’t worry, just rest your thick skull.”

Confusion fills my head space, but the sweet welcoming call encourages me to visit her. Not that I need any encouragement, she has seduced me throughly already.