**[Aiden, Day 6]**

Aiden had seen the whole thing go down. The manic mirth of the riotous orcs and the quick strike from Horace. If Horace had only hesitated, then he would have stopped the boy from acting even if it meant exposing himself and ruining his moment to make a good first impression, but the boy, either from hunger or a warped ideal of chivalry, decided to knock Rita out. Unlike his companions who had held the gaze of the prince with little glance elsewhere, Aiden had been evaluating the room from before they arrived. He had entered when the prince had sent for the prisoners and had been undiscovered by virtue of not being expected and the darkness in the section he waited in. It is amazing how unobservant top predators like the orcs were. They were so secure in their superiority that a strange-looking orc appearing calmly to the side did nothing to arouse their suspicion. "It's a miracle nothing has wiped them out yet," Aiden thought pensively. It was not surprising in some ways, he realized, since they had practically hunted all the natural creatures to extinction.

The reasons why no one came to investigate him in the time he had lurked in the arena was due to his grime coated flesh that resembled their own dark complexions and his distant sitting stop that discouraged conversation. The high position of his seat in the colosseum like room gave him the perfect vantage point to watch the orcs. A crucial detail had struck him in regards to Rita while he had been observing. There were exactly twelve female orcs in the room. Over a hundred males were present, but only a tenth of their number of heavily scarred females was present. This spoke volumes, and he picked up upon the differences between the women. Two stood tall and bore large intimidating weapons and tattoos. The others had a meek appearance and were manhandled by every male orc that neared them. This was not true for the warrior orc females who behaved just as their male counterparts, even regarding the submissive members of their gender. Strength and cruelty were what gained you respect here.

If it had been him with Rita, he would not have allowed her to win necessarily, as it would have made him appear even weaker, but would have given her the chance to show off the deadliness of her magic. The lack of reaction on her part would make every orc in the dungeon see her as lesser and she, more than him or Horace, needed their respect. He had thought she would be fine with her show of magic early and her fearless address of the prince, yet Horace had overestimated orc culture when he avocated for them staying together. They were a society built of individuals. They would slay their own mothers or sisters for an edge if it came to it, and while his actions had briefly earned their acceptance, it would mean Rita’s suffering.

Aiden could not stand by and allow that. His system had recovered from the food poisoning, and he could tell by the way Horace was beginning to sway that it had not just been the prison food that was tainted. It was a struggle for Aiden to decide if the food Horace had eaten was poisoned like what the chef had given his worker or just off like what had affected him. "Maybe it's both? Mine could have been filled with drugs meant for the imprisoned monsters." His mind churned in thought as his long legs carried him down the colosseum steps. It brought him closer and closer to the group of rowdy creatures, and he made a snap decision on his plan. Going straight into the kitchen instead of the mob, he found the pot of food the cook had messed with earlier and a metal spoon.

Once back outside, he hesitated at the sight of Horace's arm, reaching out to grab the still helpless Rita. Squaring his shoulders, he tilted his head back to allow the burlap covering his bright blond hair to fall before he slammed the spoon into the pan. “Is it an orc tradition to behave in cowardice and deceit? Is poisoning a foe to lower his inhibitions commonplace, or is this cook merely a worthless piece of swine? I doubt the great and illustrious Dungeon Lord would allow such an indiscretion.” His voice rang through the room. The sound was projected by the sloped ceiling and dome like-structure of the massive arena, making it impossible for his words to have been missed.

The room was completely hushed for exactly one second before angry murmurs took place and armed guards moved to disarm him. A stern “Stop” caused them to fall back, and the less than pleased prince walked down from his dais. “I am no coward human.” His voice was angry and confident in his blamelessness.

This made Aiden smile, “Then you will surely allow for an experiment on the quality of your chief's food given that you claim to know nothing of its effect? How about a wager, your majesty?”

He did not know if the delirium was from the food being poisoned or from them being human and thus unmeant for it, but if this worked out, then it wouldn’t matter. One thing he knew about men, all men, from working in a tavern was the power of a gamble. It was hard to resist. The prince’s aid spoke for him this time after the regal man's glinting eyes betrayed his interest, “What are the terms human? Be warned the prince does not appreciate cheating nor betting for little gain.” The trap was set.

“There will be no cheating from me, but like your prince, I will take offense at any attempts to hide the truth,” he followed that with a harsh glare around the room before continuing, “We will allow the girl to wake and give her a portion of this same food I hold before me and allow her the chance to fight a true orc. She has already claimed this boy's arm and does not need to prove herself against a pathetic cripple. If she shows signs of being drugged, then I ask for the cook to fight in the arena until his death, gagged for his crimes to avoid any poisoning of our minds along with our already tainted stomachs. Should the girl impress the prince, then I ask that she be granted full rights. In exchange, I offer my services to the Dungeon Lord as a chef to replace or serve with his own and secrets of my nation to reward him for his time. The information I hold is worth double the value of her freedom. I only ask that he take into account the girl’s low level when evaluating her potential. We humans may be weak now, but in time we could be an asset to a wise ruler such as yourself.”

He was out of breath after his statement but felt it had presented itself in the right manner. He hated to disrespect Horace, but her magic would kill the boy if he faced it again. Aiden had to make sure they sent her against an enemy he didn’t care about. If she were half as savage as the creature from the kitchen, then it would get messy fast. The prince would lose respect for Horace, which was a shame, yet it would have happened regardless of the current situation. Only he had insight into their ways and the ability to speak properly with them due to his trait. It was inevitable that Horace would disgrace himself somehow in their eyes.

La' Curk scrunched his face in thought and whispered to his attendant. Then, after a pregnant pause, there was a nod that calmed Aiden’s racing heart. His deal required Rita to be able to perform her part, and he only hoped she could pull it off while under the influence of the mushroom. The king just had to see her value; no one would expect her to win. Orcs were vicious, cruel creatures, yet still, self-serving like all dominant races were. They would not throw away an asset. He just hoped Rita would prove herself to be one.