Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 40: Drawing lots

Isaac, once again Mordred in this cruel world, sat in his cold cell, his aching back pressed against the damp wall. Through the bars, he had a direct but limited view of the arena. From his dark, secluded spot, he watched with morbid attention as one fight followed another to the hysterical cheers of the dragon audience.

A new fighter soon appeared in the arena: a pale-skinned elf with long silver hair and a body marked by years of mistreatment. His long, delicate ears were stained with dried blood, a reminder of the torture he had endured. In his slender hands, he held two short, tapering daggers, perfect for quick, precise movements.

Facing him was an enormous winged reptile with thick, emerald-green scales. The creature hissed furiously, waving its membranous wings to intimidate its opponent. As soon as the fight was underway, the elf immediately sprang into motion, his bare feet barely seeming to graze the sand as he executed graceful, fluid dodges.

"Incredible..." murmured Mordred from his cell, fascinated by the agility and finesse of the elf’s movements.

But even elven agility was not without limits. The reptile suddenly spread its wings, creating a powerful gust of wind that momentarily destabilized the elf. Taking advantage of this imbalance, the monster launched a violent strike with its thick, razor-sharp tail.

The elf was thrown violently against a wall, but righted himself immediately, blood flowing profusely from a deep wound in his shoulder.

"Don’t stand still..." whispered Mordred uneasily, instinctively clenching his fists.

In response, the elf changed strategy: he launched into a series of rapid, repeated attacks, using his daggers like sharp fangs, inflicting a shower of light but multiple cuts on the monster’s sensitive joints. Gradually, the reptile was weakened by the accumulated pain, its thick, dark blood running slowly over the sand.

Finally, the elf jumped nimbly, dodging a fatal bite, to thrust his daggers directly into the reptile’s eyes. The monster screamed in pain, blinded, before collapsing with a deafening crash. Mordred nodded silently, impressed by the elf’s lethal finesse.

The audience roared its approval, but their satisfaction was short-lived.

A new fight was quickly announced by the announcer, his unhealthy enthusiasm clearly echoing in the arena:

- My dear spectators, it’s time for a terrifying confrontation between two species of warriors of exceptional brute and savage strength: a subjugated Minotaur versus a cave troll!

The opposing gates slowly opened, revealing the two massive combatants who slowly advanced towards the center, provoking excited exclamations from the audience. The Minotaur, massive and powerful, with a bull’s head and bulging muscles, carried a huge double-edged axe. Opposite him, the troll, gigantic and brutal, dragged a massive club adorned with sharp points.

The fight was a brutal display of pure strength. Every impact shook the ground, every blow exchanged drew wild cries from the spectators. Mordred, fascinated and horrified by this primal violence, carefully observed their brutal fighting style, with no finesse or strategy, just a raw display of destructive power.

Finally, after a fierce struggle, the Minotaur managed to drive his axe deep into the troll’s torso, splattering the arena with black, viscous blood. The troll collapsed heavily, defeated, to the hysterical applause of the crowd. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Mordred shook his head slowly, disgusted by the gratuitous violence, but unable to look away:

- What brutality... just for their entertainment.

But another battle soon captured his attention. This time, a human warrior, armed with a long, light spear, was up against a particularly vicious opponent: a snake-man covered in bluish-silver scales, whose powerful lower body slowly coiled around itself to protect itself from attack.

The human warrior struck quickly, attempting to pierce the thick scales with the sharp point of her spear. Mordred watched with growing anxiety, impressed by the fighter’s desperate determination.

The snake, however, was fast, clever and cruel. It waited patiently, luring the warrior into a false opening before striking suddenly, its sharp fangs sinking deep into her arm. Mordred felt his heart clench painfully as he heard the warrior’s howls of pain echo through the arena.

"No..." he breathed bitterly, helplessly from his cell.

The warrior slowly fell to her knees, the pain of the venom spreading rapidly through her body. The snake, satisfied, slowly wrapped itself around her, squeezing tighter and tighter until it brutally shattered her bones with a horrible crack.

Mordred looked away, his heart heavy, a dull rage growing inside him against the atrocity of these barbaric spectacles:

- Bunch of monsters... he muttered, furious but powerless.

Fight after fight ensued, each one offering another sordid and brutal demonstration of pure violence. Robust dwarves armed with heavy hammers faced giant arachnids capable of projecting corrosive webs; agile elves, using bows and daggers, fought massive ogres with thick skins capable of withstanding countless wounds.

Each battle revealed a different strategy, different skills, but all ended in blood, suffering and death. Mordred watched each confrontation with grim attention, his mind instinctively analyzing every tactic, every mistake, every weakness revealed.

Despite the obvious horror, he clearly knew that these battles offered him valuable lessons. His mind noted the weaknesses and strengths of each creature, instinctively memorizing this valuable information for his own future battles.

Finally, after a long series of terrible, bloody battles, the announcer announced the arrival of the main fight:

- My dear dragons, the moment you’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived: here is Akane, the scarlet sword, facing the dragon selected from among us! Prepare to witness the supreme confrontation of this exceptional evening!

Mordred straightened up immediately, his wounds and fatigue momentarily forgotten, his gaze fixed intently on the arena.

He clearly knew that this fight would be decisive for Akane and probably for him too. This mysterious warrior, who had offered him unexpected protection, was about to face her destiny before his very eyes.

Mordred inhaled deeply, his fists clenched:

- Be strong, Akane," he whispered intensely, silently hoping that this fascinating woman would survive the impossible battle that now awaited her.

The excitement in the arena suddenly reached its peak. The spectator dragons, hitherto comfortably seated, suddenly moved to the edge of their seats, captivated by this rare and intense moment. The presenter, standing on his central platform, smiled broadly at the crowd, his eyes shining with barely contained sadistic euphoria.

- My dear spectators, the hour has finally arrived! he shouted, his magically amplified voice vibrating through the air of the arena. In accordance with our ancestral tradition, after ten consecutive victories, a human warrior will face one of us, the noble dragon people, chosen at random!

An enthusiastic ovation immediately erupted in the arena, as the dragons cheered and howled with delight, eager to discover who would be the lucky one to face the warrior Akane.

The presenter slowly raised his arms, and at that very moment, several dragons dressed in dark robes and adorned with magical symbols rose simultaneously in the stands. They began to sing in unison, their deep, powerful voices echoing mysteriously through the arena, filling every space with a strange, eerie energy.

As their voices rose in perfect harmony, an immense translucent sphere appeared above the arena, floating slowly through the air. From his cell, Mordred watched the incredible spectacle with fascination. Inside the sphere, hundreds of small golden papers swirled slowly, each bearing the name of a dragon present in the stands.

The presenter, a mischievous smile on his thin lips, addressed the crowd again, raising a finger to demand immediate silence:

- Let’s see now which of us will have the distinguished honor of stepping into the arena to face our prodigious Akane, to defend the supreme honor of dragons!

A tense, heavy silence fell over the arena. The announcer slowly raised his arms, amplifying his dramatic gesture, and began to count down:

- Three... two... ONE!

Instantly, a small piece of paper sprang from the translucent sphere, floating gently until it landed precisely between the outstretched fingers of the presenter, who grasped it delicately. Slowly, he unrolled the paper with a sadistic smile.

A heavy, suffocating silence spread over the crowd.

- And the dragon who will have the honor of fighting Akane tonight is... he shouted, staring intently into the audience, ... BELGAROTH, FIRE DRAGON OF THE CALDRAAN HOUSE!

Immediately, a massive dragon sitting in the stands leapt to his feet, both surprised and visibly excited by the unexpected news. His humanoid appearance was impressive: his slightly reddish skin, his blazing amber eyes and his imposing musculature made the dragons present vibrate with excitement.

- It’s an unexpected honor, but I won’t let our people down! he announced in a strong, confident voice, eliciting enthusiastic, approving howls from his fellow dragons.

At that very moment, several dragons dressed in long silver and gold robes rose to their feet in the stands. They joined hands, slowly and solemnly reciting a powerful mystical chant, echoing throughout the arena with an eerie intensity.

Isaac watched, captivated, as the magician dragons invoked a powerful translucent magical barrier, reinforcing every part of the arena and clearly protecting the spectators from what was sure to be a particularly destructive confrontation. The arena itself began to grow magically, slowly expanding under the effect of the incantations, almost doubling in size to provide adequate space for the impending battle.

- Look closely," Mordred murmured to himself from his cell, deeply fascinated by this spectacular display of draconic magic. This fight... is likely to be legendary.

The euphoric announcer solemnly declared:

- Let the main fight begin! Akane, our human heroine with ten consecutive victories, facing Belgaroth, fire dragon, noble and powerful warrior of the royal house!

The crowd immediately erupted in exultant cheers, a violent, palpable tension rapidly invading the atmosphere.

Mordred slowly clenched his fists, his heart beating furiously in his chest.