Vladimir long stopped counting times when his bones were broken, seeing part of his body displaced or simply bled. In just a few days he got completely desensitized. The vivisection helped a lot to this. Loony just cackled on that and did not say anything. Vlad suspected it waits for a good opportunity to get a firmer hold of the body. Fortunately, the system won’t allow it in a direct manner as it counts Loony as an ailment that can be suppressed with mental disorder resistance.

He replayed a few less brutal scenes from the lab to put his mind somewhere else. The beating he just got was… painful. His bones were right now regenerating while he tried to ignore the lanista Lar’Ako’s swearing and name-calling.

He decided that he will never provoke an orc who is almost five times more powerful than him.

The sand was warm and wet with blood. His blood, as the goblin chipped in before the last rotation. Seems like goblins can hold grudges too. The bones cracked as they slowly joined back together. It was a bizarre and painful feeling when all five bones snapped together. Would not recommend it.

In half an hour he was healed back, mental disorder resistance almost levelled up too, only 9.8% left.

He slowly got back on the feet, quivering from exhaustion and hunger. His eyes were empty from the harsh training and treatment.

Kulgar already left too, after closely examining Vladimir. He even wanted Vladimir to fight him and as he got it as an order, he tried. He got his ass handed like a rowdy child. Kulgar even spanked him before everyone. Yeah, never provoke and humiliate an orc. They hold grudges. Mostly, when you beat, even if by a mere fluke, the owner’s cousin.

“Ahh, humans… Such low stamina. Fine, go get your food and rest. I want you to be in the best shape possible for tomorrow,” madame Lar’Ako took mercy upon him. “What are you staring at?! Continue your training!” She turned to the lazing around orcs and shouted. They promptly turned back and started swinging their weapons again.

Sou’Rek was exhausted too. The treatment was even worse for him as he did not get any healing salves, much fewer potions.

Lar’Ako threw Vladimir another salve that landed on his barely moving chest. He was drained as never before. The lanista saw as he did not react and prepared her whip. The goblin peeked at her then at the laying human. He stood up and slapped Vladimir to wake him up.

“Wh… What?” Vladimir suddenly sprang up, the small sack of salve falling off into the sand.

“Move your ass, filth! Go to your cell!” She repeated, annoyed.

They stood up and went outside where guard-goblin awaited them.

In the cell, the guard-goblin looked around and gave Sou’Rek a Potion of Regeneration. The same thing that Vladimir was forced to drink. It did not taste very good. More like saltwater mixed with nasty herbs.

The fallen inquisitor nodded in thanks and drank it. The guard-goblin took the empty vial back and left in haste.

The food was already prepared on the table. They were given two filled bowls and canteens, certainly on account of the growing rebellion. They devoured it as ravenous tigers. It was one of the side-effects of the potions and salves. The quickened regeneration has to take the biomass and energy from somewhere.

Vladimir helped Sou’Rek to get on their shared slab without a word. Soon, the duo was sleeping like babies.

Strangely, Loony didn’t utter a word the whole time.

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

Vladimir was woken up by the Onyx’s wake-up call. It was like chirping in the jungle. He always loved to wake up to this sound. He stared at the dark ceiling, reminiscing about the past and how everything felt so long ago. For a moment he could not believe it’s been only 12 days since he got transported here.

His vitality dropped again and he could not help himself to feel a certain level of dread. He knows how to heal himself, but not how to acquire the opportunity. From the goblins, he knew the divine healing, priests, were expensive and he doubted that any orc would heal him for free, or at all. The arcane healing seemed so rare that the goblins did not even know what he was talking about. The best option would be alchemical means, but for it, he would need a certain level of freedom and resources. Needless to say that selling his soul to the devil was out of the question. He would rather die than be an eternal servant of the White Bastard.

He sighed and cleared his head. Today he will fight in the arena as a gladiator, not a prisoner. Lar’Ako made sure he understood that. Gladiators meant honour, fame and money. Until the crowd will like him, he will survive. Though, he will not fight in important fights or main events. He peeked at the soundly snoring goblin.

He woke him up and they started to limber up. Then they ate the cold remains of yesterday's meal they left for breakfast.

Soon, the wall opened with Lar’Ako personally and unexpectedly Kulgar.

“Hmm, seems you learned,” the madame neutrally said. “Today is a big day for you two. You traitor,” she scoffed at the goblin with hands up, standing at the opposite wall, “will die for the second time today.” Kulgar nodded in satisfaction as the fallen inquisitor flinched.

“You human filth, will fight as a warm-up, several beasts. Yesterday, we prepared something nice just for you. Hope you will enjoy it,” Kulgar, the leader of the Coliseum, continued with a sadistic expression.

Vladimir did not like the sound of it, but could do nothing about it.

“In two hours you are up. The Coliseum is sold out, so make a good show, both of you. Or I promise you, you will be made a new type of art. I know that the coming devil likes humans on sticks,” he laughed.

“I see both of you understand. Good. Oh yes, you will be given a weapon, human. I understand you like the gladius. Catch!” Lar’Ako threw the weapon formerly hidden behind her at him. Vladimir caught it with elegance by the handle and Lar’Ako nodded.

For a moment, Vladimir thought about attacking them but quickly subdued such an idea. It had to show on his eyes as Kulgar’s grin widened. “See, I told you. You owe me, Lar’Ako,” he said with a hand-stretched between them.

“Tche!” She clicked her tongue and gave him a small sack with a few coins.

They left right after and the duo were brought into the training grounds with the orcen gladiators preparing.

⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬⌬

In the coliseum at night, Kulgar, wearing his plate armour without the helmet, greeted the clamorous crowd from his personal lounge on the top, “welcome, my fellow orcs! Today we have a new show! We found more traitors!” The crowd stomped on the ground and booed. “So! Today! Will the human filth prove himself as a true gladiator?! Or a mere coward, dying under the foul goblin’s heels?! Enjoy!” He ended his brief speech and the gates opened.

From one side emerged a man wearing a simple leather strap over his junk and a gladius in his left hand. From the other side came out a pack of goblins, equipped by steel and bronze pipes and bronze closed helmets. Vladimir counted 8 of them.

The crowd was in ecstasy. They loved spilling large amounts of blood and knew this would be fought to the death.

The goblins started sprinting towards him in a loose spear formation. The biggest one leading them with the raised weapon roared. The rest joined in their slightly high-pitched voices, sounding more funny instead of scary.

However, Vladimir did not let it cloud his mind. He knew he was in the fight or die situation. He checked them with the analysis as he ran towards the wall so he would not get surrounded.

[Goblin slave

Level: 2

VIT: 6.16 (CAC x (3-0.8)) {Racial bonus + class detriment}

CAC: 2.8 / 3

ISS: 2.0 / 3

NSS: 2.1 / 3

MPA: 0.8 / 2.5

Ravenous]

Their attributes were similar to his, only slightly lower. He was faster, but there were 8 of them.

Vladimir suddenly changed his direction when they were only six metres away, and to the crowd’s delight and loud jeering, he headed towards them from the left.

Goblins were small, only a meter and half, so Vladimir used his much more robust body and mauled through two goblins on the left.

Before the goblin could even raise his weapon, his head was lopped off and the first blood spilt. The deeply scarlet liquid landed on the nearby goblin in the eyes, blinding him. Vladimir grabbed him and used him as a shield. He saw as the remaining goblins finally gathered their bearings and started flinging their weapons as they tried to surround him.

The grabbed goblin screeched as the pipes have broken his bones all over. Vladimir threw him on a small cluster of three and jumped on them, immobilizing fallen goblins as he stood on them. He chopped off another head and the spectators fired up again.

But then he felt a hard hit on the back of the right knee and he lost balance, falling down. The only thing he could do was to position himself in the way he would fall on the heads with his cheeks.

Another hit was aimed towards his crotch, but he avoided it and instead was hit into his inner thigh. He grabbed some foot he blindly found and yanked. The slave fell down and Vlad’s sword impaled him from down to heart. The goblin screeched in pain and limped like a puppet without strings.

The goblin under him bit him in the ass, but Vladimir clenched and the sharp teeth went only through skin. They trashed around, but Vladimir’s weight did not allow the two of them to free themselves.

Vladimir now proudly owned a doll on the stick which he used as a club hitting everyone before him with the corpse, dazing them. The weapon slid from his bloodied hand as it hit them and he was forced to abandon it.

He jumped up and stomped on the trashing goblin’s neck, shattering Adam's apple and spine. The closed helmets were annoying, he briefly thought.

A glint in the corner of his eyes awoke him from his pensiveness and he dodged back, where he rammed into a goblin who was just preparing to hit him in the head. The goblinette before him missed, and as she was falling, Vladimir’s knee met her stomach, right before an elbow in the back of her neck.

During these movements, Vladimir grabbed back, catching the goblin behind him by the shoulder. He jerked and tossed the goblin before him. He finally was able to gather some ground.

Four goblins remained, with one stunned on the ground. The three of them became wary, watching him from three metres away.

He saw his weapon right in the middle of between them. Instead, he grabbed two pipes near his feet.

He roared and lunged towards the frightened goblins. They dropped their weapons and started running.

The crowd started booing and three bullets flew from the guards standing on the posts around the arena. They hit them right in between their eyes with pinpoint accuracy.

[You have gained 112.12% Essence.

[Do you wish to level up or use the Essence to raise a skill?]

“Level up!”

Vladimir’s mind cleared as he felt invigoration. The choker felt a little hot, but almost immediately cooled down.

The orcs in the gallery booed at the cowards but were silenced by Kulgar raising his fist.

“Cowards! That's what goblins are! Always were and always will be! Remember it well! But do not worry! This was just an appetiser! Our little human befriended the traitorous goblin! Watch! A human! A traitor! One dies, one leaves alive! The second battle kicks off now!” Kulgar shouted and the gate opened again.

A single goblin emerged from the darkness, wearing a bronze hauberk on his body, full-plated bronze vambraces with the mark of god Staumaz, an emblem of three cogs sitting on a grey cloud, and leather pants with bronze plates protecting thighs and shins. His hand was wrapped around a normal-sized spear with a steel tip. Vladimir saw a drop of some clear liquid falling down from the tip.

And his choker was gone.

[Analysis complete: poison. Effect: mild paralysis, mild nausea.]

[Sou’Rek, The Fallen Inquisitor

Level: 13

VIT: 172.8 (CAC x (3+8)) {Racial bonus + 1st class increase}

CAC: 8.4 / 15

ISS: 10.3 / 16

NSS: 7.2 / 16

MPA: 3.0 / 6

Poisoned

Weakened]

“Well, shit,” Vladimir blinked at the insane attributes. He got a very bad feeling about this. He pulled his sword still embedded in the corpse. He also grabbed the helmet, but it didn’t fit him. Instead, he seized another pipe.

Meanwhile, Sou’Rek slowly walked to him, stopping about five metres away. “We both knew this would happen,” he proclaimed.

“Yeah… It was kinda evident,” Vladimir agreed. “But I didn’t realize you are this powerful. Your choker is different from mine, right? Suppresses your power.”

“Yes…” Sou’Rek readied himself, grabbing the spear by both hands and aiming at Vladimir.

“Are you spying on me for them?” Vladimir asked with a sombre mood, already knowing the answer.

“Yes…” Sou’Rek leisurely thrust with the spear. Well, slowly for him. Vladimir evaded with some difficulty.

“And what about…?” He asked, but the fallen inquisitor just slightly grinned before he could finish the question and dived forward.

The battle and the spectators erupted.