“Waaaiii! Big sis he’s awake!”

“The shitty cat survived!?”

“DON’T CALL HIM THAT!”

A ruckus greeted me? What happened?

“Kitling’s good! You’re the bad one!”

“Grrrraa…say that again you little shit!”

“Eeep!”

“Alright that’s enough you vermin. I let you in here because you’re the spoils of the victor but if this keeps up I’ll lock you back in the cells!”

Zla? Where am I? Whatever I’m lying on feels good!

Though, then again, ANYTHING feels better than those dungeon floors!

“Well then….are you up…..errr Kitling?”

I really gotta figure out a name for myself!

I cracked my eyes open for the second time after Marin destroyed my ear-drum with her scream.

“Yes.”

“Mmm…..I see…..well good.”

He seems oddly reverent? Ooohhhh…..yes, I did tell him something about how I’d show him my power at……..the………Bl---!

“Uaaaa!!!”

*Bbbllleeerrrgghhh*

I emptied what amounted to bile all over the side of the cot I had been laying on.

I KILLED THEM!!!

THEY’RE ALL DEAD!

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

I only saved Marin and Alephi…..and that bitch!

I glared over at the mutt girl.

SHE KILLED THEM TOO!

I could feel fury building in me. She was to blame!

Her expression showed confusion then fear. Then she began to wimper.

That’s right! Cower for what you’ve done!

…….what…………we’ve……….done.

I could feel my clenched jaw slacken and the anger in my eyes get snuffed out. It wasn’t just her….no…..it was equally my

fault.

“Kitling?”

“out.”

“Eh?”

“get out.”

“Excuse me?”

“GET THEM OUT OF HERE!”

I slammed the bed frame as my voice shrilled the command.

DAMN THIS CHILD’S BODY!

“Alright you two…out! And you! You’re fixed up! You go too.”

I scrunched into a ball on the bed and refused to look up. I could hear Marin and Alephi struggling to stay but Zla forced them out…along with the mutt girl. I could hear raised voices as he forced them out the door into someone else’s, supposedly a guard’s, custody.

What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?

What have I done?

What have I done?

What have I done?

What have I done?

WHAT HAVE I DONE!?

I can feel my throat choking and the tears ready to fall out. I can feel it…..but I can’t let them out.

Because my very survival depends on the next few minutes of interaction.

Specifically…..with Zla.

*Phew*

I killed nearly a hundred children with nothing more than my bare hands and a brittle sword.

The mutt girl also killed nearly as many with her own methods.

She was under the influence of some spell.

……..I………..however……….was not.

Something else,….happened.

What it was.

I don’t know.

But I do know, those thoughts. The thoughts that told me how to quickly kill every single child that was within range…….

Were definitely not mine.

Wait…..perhaps!!!!

“KITLING!”

“huh?”

Zla is standing over me. His crescent scar is straightened out as his brow furrows further.

“What is going on?”

Mmm I see, in his eyes.

I can tell. He thinks that just maybe I’m not what I claimed to be a week ago.

……..I’ll need to change that.

“Hmph, you think placing myself in this form is so easy?”

“Huh?”

Confusion falls on his face.

Good.

Confusion is good. It will put me in a higher position since I appear knowledgeable.

“An ego developed during this body’s first years. One which was sheltered from such things.”

“Ah! So then.”

“Yes……that from just a minute ago was due to a small error.”

“What do you mean?”

“This small body is incapable of containing the power that I displayed during the Blood Bloom. Did you really think that

wouldn’t cause any repercussions?”

“Aaaaahhh..”

“However, now that it has been used I know this body’s complete limits.”

“A-aahh…..mhm.”

Zla looks down. He’s no fool. My implication there was that I can bring out more than the normal amount of power of a child my age. Furthermore the base strength of a beast-race even a mix like me is still greater than the average human.

“I must say though….. that berserk spell was a nice touch.”

“Hmm? Oh yes…. Wait….. then that means!”

“You would do well to not attempt to influence me in the future.”

I try to glare at him as best as possible with this body.

Though maybe it was unnecessary. Zla is no fool he understands what the implications of a beast race free from the shackles of mind magic means. His face paler than an egg’s white says it all.

He has been cowed.

Good, very good. Right now I can’t care, I can’t feel. I’ve killed hundreds of children now.

I am a murderer.

It takes all of my will to not cry out in anguish at this. Merely a year ago I was giving Julie piggybacks across The Mall and now I’ve slaughtered countless children that could have been her playmates.

“W-well then…..is there anything else y-you require?”

Zla interrupts my thoughts, his manner of speech is much more respectful now.

“No, see that this body receives the necessary sustenance and it’s other physical needs are met. Also inform me of what happens now that I have gained victory in this ‘Blood Bloom’. Anything else is not required and will be met with hostility.”

I made sure to speak that hated title with as much derision as possible. Zla currently believes I’m something close to a divinity of war trapped in a child’s body. Of course I’d hold something like that in contempt.

“Yes……well then. Normally only one survives the Blood Bloom and is accorded their own chambers in the Arena. Though sometimes….such as in your case……there are the ‘spoils of the victor’. Those girls that you left alive. These too are given to you as property for you to do as you wish.”

Zla paused as if waiting for some response. I waive my hand at him to continue.

“You will now be placed under intense training for the next year in all forms of combat popular within the arena as well as proper showmanship….all so that when you make your true debut you will sufficiently impress the customers that pay to witness you and the others as you fight against man, beast,….and each other.”

So I’m a mere circus lion for these people!!!!!!

SHOWMANSHIP! I have to flaunt my killing before these people…..these…..these…….SAVAGES?

These thoughts thundered through my mind but I was forced to calm them, after all it wouldn’t do to slip up here. I still

have that coin Clyde left me…..

“Tell me, are gladiators able to place bets upon themselves?”

“Well…..yes, it’s common practice. With the money you earn through favors or bets you can purchase finery for your room, women, better weapons……for some even freedom!”

“For some…..what does that mean?”

Zla paled even further and gave a slight shake of the head.

“Explain!”

I bark the order at him, a hint of unease coils its way around my belly. I can predict what he is about to say.

“Each gladiator has a price for freedom placed upon them when they are admitted into the arena…….for a beast-race such as yourself, especially as a half-breed…………it’s fifty-thousand crowns!”

………………………………………………………………

After delivering an arrogant reply that I couldn’t even remember, I fell into my own thoughts. I desperately sought a way to rationalize the irrational, to sanction the unsanctionable…….to accept the reality of my situation now in some way that wouldn’t break me.

……………………………………………………………………..

A few days later I was freed of the medical ward and sent to my personal quarters. Apparently the sisters and the bitch were cooped up in there this whole time………..oh boy.

……………………………………………………………………………..

To say the room was a bit stifling was to put it lightly. Even before I entered I could smell something………unpleasant in there. Now having entered, the stench was overpowering as it coiled and curled its way about the room.

My eyes were immediately attracted to the far right corner. Huddled there were the forms of Alephi and Marin. I did a quick scan of the rest of the room and noted the trash littering its entirety. Old bones, ruined clothing, plates and utensils that had been used already…….in the end I guess I wasn’t all that surprised.

“Kitling!”

Marin was the first to react as she stumbled across the room bawling.

“W-where w-were you? They l-locked us in h-here with tha-a-a-tt scar-r-ryyy g-girl!”

She sniffled into my chest, she must’ve grown a bit since the first time I met her and her sister….. tangent thought! I need to focus. I glanced up and focused on Alephi who was making her way over more slowly. Her eyes shifted about the room as if embarrassed, a nervous glint flashed across them as she looked at me.

“Y-you’re not mad are you?”

“Huh? Why would I be?”

“W-well you yelled at us! A-and the room is a m-mess.”

At this point Marin also stopped crying and looked at me with scared eyes. Finally I remembered how I had yelled at them to leave in the medical ward in my grief.

…..don’t think about it………..

“Mmm, everything’s fine sorry I made you worry. Also the room can be cleaned so it’s no problem.”

My ears swiveled as I detected the sound of sheets shifting on the bed. I looked over to discover the bi – mutt had come up from under the sheets, though one was still pressed up to her nose.

Now to deal with her……

“Hmm now this is odd, I come into this room to find a mess then again I guess that’s to be expected when such an undisciplined mutt thinks it can sleep in the master’s bed!”

That elicited the expected reaction from her. Fear, anger, loathing both of me and herself. After all what I just said was a very charged message. It probably sounds like something she’d expect from whoever her owner had been before she was sold to the arena.

Now to reverse that response. Time to bury the hatchet, after all I have less of a right to judge her actions than most.

………don’t remember……………

“Is what a human would say. I personally don’t really care though, you can have the bed if you want. I guarantee the floor will be much cooler for the next few months.”

Snagan summers as hot as the winters were cold, much like one of the flyover states…..like Ohio!

“However, could you help clean up the room? It seems that for the foreseeable future we’ll be living together after all.”

“Gggrrr.”

My……..what an articulate response………..calm down, she’s not even ten yet.

As a matter of fact none of us are, hence why I’m not surprised by how messy it is in here.

“Is that your response? Should I take it to mean you want to be treated as an animal?”

The growling cut off abruptly.

“No.”

Her voice was extremely petulant, but at the same time much softer than the previous times she’s spoken.

“Good, now Alephi and Marin can you two explain what happened in here?”

Alephi’s face cramped. It’s almost like she’s hit her awkward puberty phase already………..she might’ve already actually.

She’s about seven, has animalistic genes, and has been under massive amounts of stress all her life. Girls start earlier and combined with those factors then maybe………..

……Geh! I’m getting distracted from the main point!

“W-well, they shoved us in here and then locked the door. Someone would bring food but that was it! W-we opened the drawers and found pretty clothes in there but Yuli wanted one that Marin wanted so we got into a fight over that……and the food……and where to sleep………..and………..sorry.”

Well she certainly still talks like a little kid still.

Throughout this Marin looked very upset but hadn’t stopped clinging to me. Though now she decide to pipe up as well.

“She took a really pretty dress I wanted to show Kitling!”

Ah……….ok. Sorry Marin you’re adorable but this just sounds like stupid kid problems.

“Uh huh….. so Yuli….. is this true?”

“It’s not my fault!”

Uh huh.

“Well then, we’re all gonna clean this mess up! So say sorry to each other!”

My what glum faces!

“I mean it!”

“S-sorry….”

“Sorry.”

Good job Marin and Alephi! I’m sure you two will be fine ladies when you grow up!

“Why should I have to listen to you? I’m older and stronger!”

Ah…..so trying to bury the hatchet translates to weakness for this girl. Well then since you want to play it that way I’ll make sure you understand who is the Alpha.

“I could’ve killed you a few days ago. I can do so right now as well. Do you really want to play this game?”

“Hmmph! I don’t remember this!”

Clearly you do remember a bit of it, I can see the fear in your eyes. Even without Grand Archive I can at least read a child’s emotions like a book.

“Well then. Alephi, Marin please get out of the way.”

“Kitling?”

“Don’t worry everything’s fine.”

They stepped off to the side as I approached the bed.

“Is apologizing really that difficult?”

“h-hmph!”

You just stuttered a hmph! I can tell you’re terrified idiot!

“Do I really have to give you a reason why to do what I say?”

“You’re a little kid!”

“Who’s stronger and smarter than you.”

“Uh uh!”

……Guess we are playing this game.

“Oh yeah!? Then can you read?”

“So?”

“I bet you can’t even spell your name! I can at least do that much!”

“I’m still stronger!”

I immediately launched myself onto the bed and tackled her. During the mess of limbs I placed her in the arm bar I had

learned in the one MMA class I had attended freshman year of college.

“OOWWW!”

“It’ll break if we keep going, say you’re sorry.”

“Ggrrrr!”

“Hmmmm!?”

I increased the strain on her shoulder joint.

“OWOWOW! FINE!!! I’M SORRY!”

I released her and sprung away.

“There we go, now that wasn’t so hard….. Alright, I’ll be away for a little bit. Don’t fight……..ok?”

I raised my eyebrow like my mother had whenever she said the same thing to my siblings and I.

“”ok….””

My how enthusiastic!

I stepped out of the door and located the guard stationed at the end of the hallway. Light streamed through the slits cut into the stone and it was significantly warmer here above ground than the damp hallways where we had previously been kept below ground.

“Excuse me, my understanding is that we can request items to be retrieved.”

The guard raised his eyebrows in surprise. Clearly he hadn’t expected a child such as myself to speak. My guess is he’s also the one that had kept the door locked while I was still in the medical ward…..maybe an initiation of sorts?

“I need a small bag of salt, a dozen lemons, and three buckets of water with scrub brushes. Also I’ll have clothes to send to the launderess.”

His brows furrowed slightly before he seemingly leered at me.

“Well isn’t that too bad, it’ll cost you and I don’t think you have the money runt.”

I sighed inwardly. Corruption, speciesism, assholism…… this country really does suck.

“It can just be added to my cost of freedom, as for you I do believe bribery is considered against company policy.”

“huh?”

I made an act of sighing and looking very frustrated.

“What that means you dolt is that you aren’t allowed to take bribes and are required to keep the gladiators assigned to you happy. I happen to be one of those gladiators and…….I’m not feeling very happy right now…..”

He sneered at me.

“You’re just some little shit who’s gonna die in a year, why should I care.”

“Because, I can kill you right now and all it will do is make my value go up.”

I had had Zla explain in great detail the position of a gladiator was in relation to the rest of the staff in the arena. The

‘guards’ that were charged with serving a grouping of gladiator rooms were actually quite expendable, especially the

ones taking care of the low ranking gladiators. Should someone such as myself kill one unarmed, it’ll cause my value to the arena to grow. After all these guards are cheap human labor that can be easily replaced and almost no time is placed

in training them to fight.

“Hmph like you could.”

This isn’t working. New tactic.

*BAM*

I launched a fist at his stomach and not only cracked the shaft of the spear he carried but stuffed his leather jerkin far into his stomach he puked as he smashed into the wall behind him. As he slumped to the ground I realized the guy wasn’t even an adult. He seemed to be sixteen years old at most. Must’ve been a street urchin before getting employed here.

“What was that? Sorry I couldn’t hear you over me breaking your ribs.”

“Y-es” *COUGH* “sir.”

“Good, well hurry up I don’t have all day.”

“Yesss.”

The boy hissed through gritted teeth as he painfully picked himself off the ground and wiped away the bile from his face

before stumbling down the hall.

When did I get so violent?

…….don’t think about it………….

I stalked back to the room with a rather forced smile on my face.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The entirety of the day afterwards proceeded rather simply. I had cowed both Yuli and the boy-guard so both were much more obedient to my commands. The room was tidied, the clothes picked up, and the chamber pot emptied before the boy came back with the stuff I requested.

The girls were rather surprised when I combined the salt and lemons with the water. They were even more surprised when we had finished scrubbing down the place that it smelled pleasant. Like a lemon orchard by the sea perhaps.

Thankfully the floors were made of the same stone as the walls so scrubbing them down was just as easy. Though I find it odd that so much of the buildings in the arena are composed of stone. It must be because this place is the main pass-time of the rich and powerful.

At this point I took in the room in its entirety. A king sized bed was off against the left wall if coming in from the door. To the right was a massive armoire which had been stocked with risqué female outfits and simple pants and shirts, all of which were just a bit too big for us. I surmised that this was intentionally left as rewards for the victor of the Blood

Bloom. Material distractions perhaps to keep the victor’s mind off of escape……or perhaps guilt?

………..don’t think about it…………

………………………………………………………………………………..

The clothes that had been destroyed by the girls would either be laundered or replaced two days from now and I had been informed to be up at sunrise for the intensive training that would commence for tomorrow. The girls on the other hand would be sent through some other ‘training’ if I so desired though it would cost extra.

This place has a truly twisted economy, as expected of savages.

Not much I can do now though. Escape is an effort in futility currently so the only other way is to win and to win big. I really do wish Grand Archive would start working again, maybe then I could figure something else out.

With these thoughts constantly floating through my head I let the soft snores of the sisters lull me into sleep on the cool and now clean floor of our room.

~Data Gathering: 52%~

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Hello, I'm back once again. Finals are about to start so I wrote to de-stress. I've been having difficulty in thinking about how to progress the story and how I wanted the STILL unnamed MC to grow from his......experiences in the Blood Bloom. Actually if anyone wants to take a crack at giving him a name leave it in the comments! Maybe I'll use one!