Engarde didn't particularly care if they punished him again. Today and all those other days were, when viewed in the long-term, insignificant.
The chains clinked as he shifted slightly, his feet growing numb from the inactivity. Indeed, they had certainly taken precautionary measures when it came to securing him -- though kilometres of the thing did seem slightly over-the-top when it was clear that only two metres were required to properly restrain him.
Engarde's back was to the door when it opened. Not that he cared, when everything in the room was plain and steel-coloured; though no doubt made of some stronger metal.
Light sources from outside illuminated the three-by-three-metre space, otherwise unlit and sickeningly plain.
"Do you gracilipernix never learn? Or is it just you that's stubborn?" came the mocking, middle-aged male voice. "It must a terrible habit -- I'm almost sorry for you."
"Perhaps I could ask you something similar. Are you the only sapiens who is so cruel to fellow humans?"
Engarde knew it was an insult to authority, and braced himself for the blow.
"Shut up." Plutarch's grip closed around a handful of hair in an instant, pulling it up and forcing Engarde into a semi-standing position. "You really don't know when you're wrong, do you, boy? I was stubborn at your age, but not like this."
And then the world came crashing down again, the screaming of his impact with the pile of chains ringing in his ears.
"Just be lucky you're such good entertainment. Without that natural fighting ability of yours, you wouldn't stand a chance here. And just to be clear, when the day comes and you finally break that winning streak, I will be the one to dispose of you. And I will enjoy dismembering your semi-conscious carcass slowly and painfully."
And then the master left.Engarde knew it was his fighting ability that had kept him alive all these years. But as he lay unmoving on the pile of cold metal that connected to and wrapped around his wrists and ankles, he began to wonder just how long those skills would keep saving him.
ВИ ЧИТАЄТЕ
UNFINISHED: Humans
Наукова фантастикаWhat if humans evolved into entirely separate sub-species? How different would the world be? Engarde is trapped in chains. In fact, he's been a prisoner of the Colosseum for countless years now - he's a gladiator, no more than a slave condemned to a...
