I was on the ogre ship, shackles hung from my wrists, and I was enclosed in an iron-like cell with bare floors that were cold and hard, and nothing on me aside from the clothes on my back. I sat on the floor, since there was no furniture, thinking of a way out that didn’t end with Ella’s death. After the ogre in front of me said something odd about me taming the Ak Maru, I heard a scream from the ship I left Ella on. I looked over and saw her being dragged over, a crude dagger made of the same metal that made up the rest of their weapons, and their ship, against her throat. The creatures that held her were the female ogres I saw earlier, which were noticeably smaller, and had a pale green skin, rather than the male’s dark green color.

They kept their distance, so that I couldn’t reach them before they slit her throat, and forced me on the ship, chaining me, and locking me in this cell, which I could probably break out of, but I have no idea where Ella is, so that may be unwise. Luckily, the more intelligent ogre, who had likely come up with the plan, was smart enough to promise the safety of Ella, on pain of me destroying the ship, and everything on it. I really didn’t want to trust him, but I knew Ella could hold her own if something were to happen, and at least be able to make enough noise to alert me. I was responsible for her life and innocence, and I do not take that responsibility lightly.

I brushed my hat worriedly, curious what this Ak Maru actually was that not even all of those ogres could tame it. Several thoughts came to mind including dragons, vampires, werewolves, and several other mythological beasts, but I was still new to this world, and new little about the beings on it. I guess I’ll ask Ella to explain it all to me later, as for now, I need to come up with some of battle strategies, one for each type of monster.

My thoughts were interrupted by a light shuffling sound, and something moving in the cell that was just to the right of mine, and I looked over. The bars were an off-silver kind of color, and were incredibly hard, to the point where I would have to exert some serious effort several times to bend them. A small amount of light was allowed to trickle through some small holes in the roof, and provided enough illumination for me to make out a figure, curiously looking at me through the bars. A shadow was cast over it’s face, so I was unable to discern the gender, or even the race, but I could tell they were rather small and thin. Short, silvery hair was cut down to the shoulders, and combed out surprisingly neat from what I could tell, and some loose rags clung to the delicate body.

There was a moment of silence as we looked at each other, the air around us growing more and more uncomfortable, so I decided just ignore the person and go back into my mind and focus on. It’s odd, I don’t remember seeing anyone in here when I was thrown in this cell, however, I wasn’t really looking either, and someone huddled in a corner, or just staying still probably wouldn’t have caught my attention. I wonder why they’re in here, maybe a crime? Or perhaps they are going to try to tame the Ak Maru as well, and is some sort of warrior the ogres deemed worthy, which is an achievement of it’s own from what I know. Damn it, now all I can think about is that person.

“Why are you here?”

A surprising voice that sounded almost like a child’s came from the figure, who just continued to stare with a hidden expression from the other side of the bars. I was a little surprised, and took a moment before I collected myself enough to respond.

“I’m Ash, I’m here to tame something called Ak Maru. Do you know anything about it?”

There was a long pause before a response came, the air filled with only the sound of our breathing, causing me to feel a little awkward, and I checked what I said in my head to make sure I didn’t say anything weird.

“Why?”

The figure’s head cocked to the side, and it’s hair hung down to the side, longer than I had initially thought, reaching down to it’s arm, but is still relatively short. Some light was cast on the figure’s face, barely revealing the skin of it’s cheek which I noticed was fair and smooth, not exactly the type you’d expect to meet in an ogre’s dungeon, but, then again, one wouldn’t really expect someone like me to be in a place like this either. I thought about my answer for a second, and found no reason to hide my reason for being here, it’s not like I’m likely to ever see this person again, and they seem to express genuine interest for whatever reason.

“They have one of my friends, and they won’t give her back until I fight the Ak Maru.”

The figure straightened it’s head, paused, then slid back into the shadows, ending the conversation abruptly, and distancing itself from my cell. Well, that conversation wasn’t even remotely productive. I let out a sigh, closing my eyes and letting my head drop down before returning to my thoughts while trying to ignore the feeling of being watched from the cell next to me. After a few moments, I opened my eyes, feeling the ship shift as it came to a stop, and hearing movement on the deck above me, quick footsteps and voices barking commands at each other as the ship began to slowly descend. I focused my mind, trying to sense the surroundings outside of the ship by the flow of the air, and was able to make out a large circular structure, probably another type of arena, but it had no roof.

We seemed to be close to the ground now, hovering over the edge of the arena where a large box-like structure sat, a hatch sitting open directly underneath my cell... wait a second. The floor beneath me vanished, and I fell straight down through the hatch, landing flat on my back as a black hat drifted down next to me. I stared up at the opening, watching the hatch close, shutting out most of the daylight, and only leaving a barred window to supply the light to the room. I sat up, propping my upper body up on my elbows, and reaching over to my hat before picking it up, dusting it off, and placing it firmly on my head. I really need a way to keep this safe, or else I might lose it. I stood, looking around the room, which was very different from my old one, the walls and ceiling made of stone, the dirt floor below me adding a small amount of padding to my feet, which were only covered by a black cloth that had become tattered, and was of little use now. From where I landed, a window that was about two square feet allowed the sunlight in, the bars that ran down it’s length vertically casting lined shadows on the floor, and across me. To my right sat a sturdy wooden door, made of a light brown wood rather than the dark ebony wood the elves used, and was likely much weaker, making me wonder what weak creatures could actually be held in this cage.

“Undefea-...winning th-...times! Sh-...nd the only, Ak Maru!”

I heard a muffled voice through the door, sounding similar to an announcer at a stadium, his voice echoing as it reverberated around some large structure until it was replaced by the roaring of an excited crowd. The rumble continued, growing louder as the door in front of me shifted, dust falling from around the edges and creating a small cloud of dust on the ground, then opened up to a bright light, and the noise of the crowd no longer muffled. I let the brim of my hat shade my eyes, and walked out, trying to keep calm, barely able to stand due to the pressure of the gazes around me, watching me, and urging me on as I left the small room, and entered the large arena. Damn it, two arenas in one day, and both packed out with people... I have terrible luck.

The arena was made of stone, and was shaped similar to the colosseum, but much bigger, large decorated walls rising up into the sky, hundreds of feet high, while enclosing the around the stadium. The arena itself was at least the same size as the elves, but with an open roof that allowed and easy escape if things were to go sideways. People lined the edges, unprotected from the occurrences within the arena, sitting on elevated benches that kept them above most of the action, but I’m certain members of the audience get dragged into the fight often. Above the rest of the ogres, on a separate bench that was near the top of the arena walls to my right sat an ogre that was clearly different from the rest, one that could match any other ogre pound for pound with fat instead of muscle, and was dressed in fancy clothes that gave off an elegant look that didn’t seem to fit.

My attention was pulled to the ogre’s right, where Ella sat with a pouty look on her face, but seemed otherwise unharmed, which filled me with relief. She saw me, and her expression immediately brightened as she jumped up out of her seat, and stood on the platform, dangerously close to the edge as she waved enthusiastically.

“Ash! Kick that hussy’s Ass!”

Hussy? I looked around, confused as to what “hussy” Ella was referring to, when something caught my eye. I guess someone would be more appropriate, since the figure of a girl, with short, silver hair stood opposite me on the other side of the arena. From this distance, I couldn’t make out many features, in fact, I wasn’t even sure if it was a girl, I was just assuming because Ella called her a “hussy”. Whoever it was, they were clearly not taken care of, even from this distance I could tell her clothes were in tatters, and mud was coated everything, making her look like a homeless person. Her arms were thin showing how malnourished she was, and she stood straight, unfazed by the chanting crowd, either traumatized at her situation, or already used to it. In either case, I didn’t want to fight her.

“And facing her, the mutated elf discovered by one of the Woodlocke family, Ash the Conqueror!”

Mutated elf? I suppose that makes sense, I do look incredibly similar to an elf, not to mention I was discovered by the elves... I guess it’s easier than explaining I’m a different being from another world that functions solely on science, so I’ll just stick to this story for now. I’m assuming Ella had something to do with the conqueror part, probably exaggerating my fight with her father to make me seem like some sort of untouchable super-being, when in all actuality I have no control over my power in normal situations.

Something moved, rapidly flying in my direction, barely giving me any time to react, but I managed to hurl myself to the side, just barely dodging a small, smooth foot that passed by my head. Quickly recovering, I spun around to where the girl landed, holding my hat tightly against my head as the wind from her momentum blew hard, beating against the wall behind me. There she stood, I was now certain of her gender now that I could see her face. The one known as Ak Maru. She was small, slender, and fair-skinned, looking human except for the tiny fangs that peaked out of the edge of her mouth as she stared at me with a blank face.

No way... was this the girl in the cell next to me? They keep her on a ship? How?

“Ak Maru comes in with the first strike, but is evaded by Ash, the first one ever to survive the first attack! Will he be able to tame Ak Maru, and have her bear the ultimate warrior?”

The crowd grew louder, and my confusion grew more vast at the announcer’s words, saying something about bearing a warrior and “taming” Ak Maru, rather than defeating her. Before I had a chance to think about it, Ak Maru lunged, flying at an incredible speed towards me, and forcing me to break my train of thought, and dodge to the right. After this attack, she did not hesitate, making a one-hundred and eighty degree turn, and attacking again, this time coming in diagonally from above, and making me jump up in the air. Rookie mistake, the battle-experienced Ak Maru jumped up at me, bending back and kicking me mid-flip, rocketing me off to the other side of the arena, shattering the wall.

I coughed, that blow actually hurt, and made me rethink my plan of just evading, and getting serious. I managed to hang on to my hat during the exchange, and pull it to my chest before smashing into the wall, keeping it safe from the rubble and force of the wind that threatened to tear it apart. Slightly pissed, I stood up, placing the hat back on my head where it belongs, than started to walk towards Ak Maru while coming up with a plan. Our abilities were similar, but I had the advantage when it came to extra-sensory perception, and could use that to my advantage in a close up fight. My fists tightened, I don’t know what was going on, and I doubt I’ll get any answers unless this fight ends soon, so I guess I’ll have to get serious now, and end this with as little damage to the girl as possible.

She dove at me again, but this time I planted my feet, bringing my fist up to bare, and... froze.

‘Are you listening? This one’s important, and I don’t want you to forget it.’

The image of my father flashed in my mind, a face that filled me with sadness and nostalgia as a very important memory took my attention away from the fight. He was looking down to me, very serious, but still keeping his iconic smile displayed on his face while his brow furrowed as it usually did when he was teaching me something.

‘You are never ever allowed to harm any woman, child, or weak person, and turning away in their time of need is just as bad as harming them, so that’s not allowed either. Protecting women, call it instinct, chivalry, or... whatever, the fact of the matter is you protect, not because you want something, or to make yourself feel good, you protect what’s important, and women are important. Children are the future, they are still growing, and no matter how bad they seem now, they can always get better and grow up into reasonable people. It’s your job, as a man, to make sure they at least have the opportunity. You protect the weak because they often can’t defend themselves, and require help from people that are stronger, but you have to be careful not to damage their pride, because most of the time they would rather get hurt than sacrifice their pride.’

His smile grew wider, and he retracted his face from mine, placing his right hand on his hat habitually, sliding his finger across the silver buckle with a pensive look on his face.

‘Fighting with fists won’t get you far in this world. That’s a lesson I wish I’d learned a long time ago, and would have saved me a lot of heartache.’

He inhaled deeply, then released the captured air out of his mouth with a sigh, the smile returning to his face, turning back to face me.

‘You gotta fight smart, find out whether the situation needs fixing, or destroying, and then use your words to take a long-lasting victory, rather than a short-term win.’

The image vanished as fast as it appeared, no time having passed in the real world, and my fist still attacking the girl. If I pulled back now, I will be left wide open, but if I continue through she will definitely be hurt, and it will be my fault.

“Shit.”

I pulled back, missing her completely, and catching her knee in my face with a loud crack and an explosive force that blew the dirt around us away, and sent me streaking across the arena. To the audience, I was nothing but a blurred line, one that led directly into the stone wall to the left of where I was just standing. The stone crumbled upon impact as if it was frail and old, but I didn’t leave the arena, smashing into a barrier made of a mysterious energy that absorbed my momentum before shooting it back at me with ten times more power. I was ejected from the hole my body just made, and flew back across the arena, intense pain clouding my mind as I skipped off the ground a few times before receiving a forearm to the face.

With another explosive sound that shook the very ground we stood on, I was clotheslined by Ak Maru, and sent sliding across the ground, digging up the dirt that made up the arena floor into a decent sized pile where I stopped.

Ow. Two major blows to the face caused my brain to go fuzzy, and I reached up with my right hand to feel for my hat. As I thought, it wasn’t there, so I checked around and found it on the other side of the arena, sitting on the ground untouched by the attack. I let out a sigh, and stood up, the pain of the previous attacks wearing off already, and were replaced with determination. I will win this fight.

“I’m not sure what happened, but it seems the mutant elf took a couple of hits! Somehow he is still standing!”

I just figured something out, the reason for my being here, and it wasn’t to beat their undefeated warrior in a battle like I had initially thought.

“Not only is he standing, he seems unfazed by the attack! Truly an amazing spectacle!”

They need someone strong enough to force Ak Maru to create an ultimate warrior for them, so they can raise it to be their weapon.

“This battle is only beginning! I can see bloodlust in the Conqueror’s eyes!”

These bastards are going down.