*Drip, Drip*

“Phhhuuu, hhaaaa”

*Cough, Cough*

“Huufffuuu”

“Get up ya little shits! You know the drill! If you don’t finish, ya don’t eat! We don’t have the crown to feed a whole pack of whelps like you if ya can’t put on a good show!”

Silence greeted the grizzled guardsman’s threat.

We were all just too tired.

It had only been two weeks here and already I felt like I was going to break!

The strain my body was being put under was far more than a child at this point should bear.

I glanced around at my fellow inmates, all of us were of a range of ages and race.

The youngest was only 5, it was that little kitsune Miran.

Miran’s older sister, Alephi, was the oldest here at 10 years old.

The rest of us were somewhere in the middle.

As for clans, most belonged to the kitsune or the feline-race like me…..no surprises. The females of both clans were of

particular interest to men……….with certain tastes.

The only other notable denizen in our cell was a female lupine. Unlike most of us, she was a full blooded lupine except she somehow ended up here………

The story behind her….or any of us for that matter was irrelevant.

What was relevant was that we had to finish the training for the day.

“Rain, rain go away, come again some other day.”

I mumbled off the words almost unconsciously as I heaved myself off the wet hard-packed sand of the arena floor.

The ears of the other children around me gave an almost imperceptible twitch.

No surprises there, in here….. I’m not the only one with exceptional hearing.

I gave on quick look to the grey skies above.

Yup……still raining.

Just like back on earth, every once in a while the weather goes weird.

It’s the middle of winter, though the new year had already passed, yet it was raining.

Furthermore it was warm enough to do outdoors training!

For the past two weeks we’d been forced to do nothing but combat training!

All we did, day in and day out, was swing weighted wooden staffs or swords until our hands bled!

Our days had only been filled with the dull thump as our staffs struck scarecrows in the indoor facilities. We’d be yelled at

and lashed if we didn’t continuously hit it.

Therefore, two weeks later, most of us had nothing but raw skin on our hands. In that respect I was thankful for the rain. I could do some minimal cleansing of my hands and hopefully avoid an infection.

It hadn’t occurred to me till recently but I didn’t have my tetanus or rabies shots! With no form of vaccination in this world it was a miracle I had survived this long!

Though pure rain water should help I’m still worried!

“Start moving again! Any slackers will get another stone!”

*HUFF HUFF*

We began to run again. That’s what today was, a day many men on earth had avoided with an almost passion.

LEG DAY.

Though since these guys have no idea how to properly exercise the body in order to maximize its explosive power or strength for the least amount of effort…….we were forced to run, a lot.

Still it’s better than swinging heavy sticks…..is what I’d like to say but…… why do we just have to be confined to the

arena!?

It’s wet, cold, and the scenery never changes no matter how many laps we do!

‘Grand Archive’ still isn’t working so it’s a rare opportunity for me to enjoy all the raw data of this world without some ridiculous ability rambling off output data in my head!

Though the fact that it’s still not working is concerning. It seems that I must’ve suffered a real trauma from that

night………..

My steps faltered as I remembered the reason for why I’m now a child slave at an arena.

“Oy! You there! Ya damn kitling with the red hair! No slacking off!”

I heard the sound of heavy footfalls as someone ran up behind me and cuffed me over the head. I didn’t need ‘Grand

Archive’ to warn me of the attack, I knew it was coming easily, but experience had taught me that avoiding the first hit

meant that the next ten were just that more brutal.

As I stumbled forward from the blow, a counter weight suddenly found itself on my back. I could hear the faint crumble as the rocks in the basket on my back resettled when their new comrade in torment joined them.

Yes, currently we were forced to do weighted running, I had always wondered what it’d be like. But I think what I’m experiencing isn’t what a certain turtle-hermit had in mind!

…………………………………..

At least the bastards here had a somewhat primitive understanding of muscle fatigue and over exertion. They had finally let us go for the day and placed us back in the cells where we were given a fairly sized meal. It was by no means balanced, there were definitely way more carbs here than necessary.

True we did do a lot of running today but their goal seems to have been mostly strength building from what I could

understand.

More protein would be nice.

The small scraps of meat in the otherwise potato centric stew weren’t enough.

I need moar protein!

Oh god……did I just think that?

Am I turning into a musclehead!?

‘Grand Archive’ please come back and return me to the wonderful world of intellect.

……….actually please just come back, without you I’m just a normal being.

I can’t even use mana currently, which I know I had, since ‘Grand Archive’ took all of it. That would suggest it’s still active,

but if I can’t access it……. What good is it?

I shook my head, hoping that the unhelpful and depressing thoughts would leave.

They retreated, but only just……… to take my mind off of it I guess I’ll do some more stretching.

I had fallen into a habit of stretching every day. I think my time playing soccer back in high school had influenced the habit. After all, for a child, stretches weren’t entirely necessary.

Now though, I used them to increase my already extremely flexible body. Right now, that’s pretty much the only advantage any of us have.

The flexibility of a child.

Well……that and our overwhelming physical strength. Though the workouts were torturous for us, if a normal human child had done them they’d be dead!

I glanced over at the lupine, she was already asleep! While everyone else was groaning over their aches and pains, she had drifted off to the promised land!

Well that’s what you get when you’re a full blood, unlike us she could do most of these exercises with little effort.

That was also another advantage of my stretching. Unlike the others I was only a quarter beast-race. I had retained only a few features of that race. Which meant my strength muscles weren’t nearly as tough.

The two kitsune sisters were in the same boat. The youngest, Miran, was quietly sobbing as her sister tried to comfort her. The day’s labor had rubbed the soles of her feet raw and her muscles were probably strained in a few places.

I felt my heart clench, here there was a little five year old girl sobbing and suffering unbelievable pain only to have to fight for her life as a form of entertainment for a people who most likely had kids of their own!

It made me sick knowing what the future held for us, but for children like her in particular……..

…it was unbearable.

I continued to stew on my disgust at the race I used to be a part of and continued to stretch.

There was no other sounds save for the two sisters, everyone else sat or lay on the ground of the cell in despondent silence.

We all didn’t even know each other’s names, I was probably the only one who had remembered the two sisters’ names since they were the only ones who talked to each other.

I guess you could say we outright avoided talking to each other. We were beaten down, whether from what we had suffered in the outside world or from in here it didn’t matter.

We were defeated.

Adding to the fact that we knew what was in store for us, it made even less sense to get to know one another.

Like our predecessors, humanity has crushed us.

I finished the last stretch and glanced over at Miran again. Her sobs had subsided into whimpers of pain as Alephi clutched her tightly like she was her most prized possession, tears were trickling down her face as well.

WE ARE DOOMED.

The words rang through my head as I watched the two sisters. This is what had happened to our race.

Hell, not even our race! They were enslaved but half-lings and tailless, like me, we……. We were not of any race. Just a bunch of souls that could be toyed with and then snuffed out when humanity grew tired of playing with us!

It was so incredibly frustrating!

I could feel tears getting ready to form, like dancers in the wings of a stage.

No.

No.

No.

I won’t accept this. I already lost my old world and my mother in this one.

I also lost the only thing that may have given me an edge in this world.

I refuse to give up my dignity as a living being too!

I stood up and strode over to the sisters. A few of the other children gave me cursory glances before returning to their own contemplation….the rest….well they were too far gone to react.

Alephi noticed me and clutched Marin tighter. She even worked up the bravery to give me a glare! It was a terrified and hopeless one but there was still some fire in it.

Good, at least she still had it, something to protect.

I stopped just in front of them and knelt down.

The difference in height wasn’t that much considering I have a six year old’s body but the threat I posed in her mind diminished with the motion.

I began to reach out with my hand when I noticed her flinch and hold Marin tighter. By now she too had noticed my presence and was gazing at me with large, terrified eyes.

I retracted my hand and instead tried to put on my kindest smile.

“Hi there, I don’t have a name…..they never gave me one. But you can call me Kitling, that’s what my mom called me. Do you have names?”

The proper pronunciation of words made an odd combination with the nonsensical ramble that spilt out of my mouth. But

I was dealing with kids.

“Why do you care?”

Oooh, looks like Alephi definitely still has some fight!

“Because, we’re stuck in here together! Shouldn’t we get to know each other?”

I kept my expression as innocent as possible, kids are perceptive of those kinds of things after all.

Alephi still just gave me a guarded look while Marin seemed to have become more curious rather than fearful.

I looked back down at Marin’s legs and feet.

“Also, I can probably help with the leg pain.”

Treating the blisters on her feet was impossible, this world doesn’t have medical tape or some form of anti-bacterial ointment.

Furthermore I currently don’t have access to sterile cloth or water which could at least clean and protect the wounds.

Hopefully her natural healing ability is strong.

“It’ll hurt in the beginning though, but afterwards it’ll feel better.”

Marin cocked her head to the side in confusion and her ears tilted in the same direction.

………….She’s actually adorable!

No! Focus!

“No.”

“Eh?”

“No, why would I let you touch Marin! Stay away!”

Alephi was having none of it. Where was that child naivety?

Oh yeah………. for us that never existed.

“look, believe me it works.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yesss!”

“NO!”

“Ye-“

Am I a kid too!?

*Cough*

I gotta regain control of the flow of the conversation! I fell into Alephi’s pace!

“Look, how about this. Since you obviously don’t trust me enough to try and help your sister. How about I help you instead, that way you’ll know that its safe for me to help her.”

Her eyes were now scrunched up.

Suspicion is max!

Marin, on the other hand, had ceased all crying and was looking at us with confusion.

“Right now all we have in here is each other. So shouldn’t we try to help out?”

“Where did you grow up!? No street brat would ever say that!”

“….”

Ah, there is that. I lived in a world of plenty and then even after coming here I lead what most slaves would consider a pampered life style. Therefore, for me, it’s not odd offering to help others. But for these two who probably survived in the back-rooms of whore-houses and eventually on the street, to help others was a waist of precious resources. They were so busy trying to survive themselves and no one would help them either.

For them, trust was a fairy tale.

“In a bakery, I grew up baking.”

After a while I could only give that response.

“Ha, spoiled brat. Don’t stick your nose in other’s business!”

Alephi looked at me murderously, her once cute face contorted in anger.

That makes sense though, to her I am spoiled and have no idea how the world works. Well then, to give her belief of how

the world works validation and to get my objective done…… I might as well show an ugly face.

My calm, smiling expression darkened as I tried to seem more menacing.

“Fine then, if you want to play it that way. Your little sister is an annoyance; her sobs keep me from sleeping. I was trying

to offer a solution that benefited both of us.”

She gave me a triumphant look.

Stupid brat, it’s you that doesn’t entirely understand the world.

“Hah! So you’re true colors show now!”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

Oops that was a bit flat!

“Yes! That’s correct, so are we gonna do this the easy way……..or the hard way?”

On that last bit I let my claws flick out on my right hand. Unlike me they had no such natural weapon….. a pity for them I suppose.

Alephi now looked at me with disgust….. Marin on the other hand seemed fearful, but at the same time she seemed to be gathering her resolve……….

…..just one more push…..

“Seems it’ll be the hard way then!”

I make a violent motion forwards, but somehow Marin interposes herself between the two of us. Her high pitched voice shrilling out the words.

“No! I’ll do it! Don’t hurt my sister!”

I quickly sheath my claws.

“Very well, lay on your stomach.”

“Eh?”

“Don’t ‘eh’ me! Do as you’re told!”

I flexed my claws for good measure. Marin quickly complied with a squeak.

The other kids…..well some seemed annoyed at our antics but didn’t say anything.

Looking back at Alephi….she seemed…..dumbfounded.

Likely she thought I had perverted intentions but she seemed to realize that there was a very real possibility that I could hurt them more than they could hurt me. Her willpower crumbled and she submitted.

………just what kind of life did these two lead before……….if by any chance………no.

At least I hope not………theirs was a garden that shouldn’t be touched for a very long time.

I looked down at Marin’s legs. Her feet were dirty from the ground and rubbed raw in places. Her calves appeared slightly swollen and, along with her thighs, were covered in small scratches and bruises.

I quickly recalled my memories of my time in the trainer’s room at my high school. Soccer had caused me to strain a muscle or two. I even went so far as to recall my memories of health class and biology searching for any and all information.

Despite ‘Grand Archive’ being MIA, my memories still seem to be in a condition where I can recall them absolutely perfectly. Just that now I have to go searching for information in them myself. It was like going from having the internet to having only a library……….a big pain in the ass.

Anyways, thankfully I recalled as much relevant information. It really is surprising what they teach in high school biology!

I had completely forgotten some of this!

Oops! I sounded like an old man!

Ahwell.

I re-focus my attention on Marin, she had been obediently laying there. Though her expression showed that she was unwilling, Alephi also sat quietly.

Time to work!

First I started by gently rubbing up the leg. I was careful to avoid scratched or particularly heavily bruised areas. I could feel Marin tense in pain and fright as I started the massage.

“You’ve gotta relax. It’s gonna hurt a bit but It will get better soon after that.”

That sentence…..could’ve been interpreted………in various ways.

Uh oh.

She’s even tenser!

“I’m serious, this is called a massage. It’ll relax all the muscles in your legs. But for it to work you’ve gotta relax as much as possible first.”

She’s still tense.

Ugh, bad guy coming out.

“Do it.”

I growled out the words. She tensed up but then relaxed. Though that’s not quite right the tenseness transferred to her abdominal area. Oh well, her legs are loosened and that’s what matters right now.

I continued to softly run my hands up her legs to promote blood flow. Afterwards I began the real massage by pin pointing knots and attacking them. Rather than the typical image most people have of when someone attacks a knot, I did not

press all of my weight onto the knot and use brute force to beat it into unraveling.

Rather, I firmly and gradually pressed down. Bit by bit, I wore away at the knots until they were all dispersed.

Throughout the whole process Marin gave out quiet gasps and muffled moans. Had she been four times her current age I might’ve even found it erotic. Instead I worried that each time she made a sound that I’d been too forceful.

After I’d worn away the knots I went back to gently stroking her legs for a bit and them stepped away.

“So? Feel better?”

“Ah?!”

Marin let out a small yelp. It seems she’d nearly fallen asleep, seems I did a good job.

“Ow!”

But moving also caused her bruises and scrapes to be bumped. She looked up hurriedly at me, as if fearing I’d be angry since she’d cried out in pain.

Well I did use that as an excuse to help her.

“Good, if it’s just scrapes or bruises that are the problem then that’s fine. I can’t do anything about those. If your muscles hurt again, just ask and I’ll help.”

With that I stood up and turned to go.

From behind though, I heard a very faint, “Thank you.”

A small smile spontaneously came to my lips; seems that despite the rough life, someone cared enough about them to teach them manners.

“Anytime.”

With that parting word I walked back over to my spot and slept just a bit more soundly. The world hadn’t beaten me today and hopefully it won’t be able to beat me tomorrow either.

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I can't apologize enough for the delay! All I can offer up is that the excuse that LIFE and WRITER'S BLOCK met up in a cafe and had a nice chat about how to screw with me.......and then carried out their dastardly scheme! Anyways this was the beginning of Volume 2: Snaga Arena! Hope you guys liked it!