Inside the room were two men, Commodus, and another person who was dressed like a servant. As Paul and I stepped in, Commodus immediately ceases his conversation. Watching us enter, a small smile starts to play at his lips.
"Come, both of you, sit" he beckons, his voice smooth and calm as he gestures us toward a small dining table in the center of his massive room, or should I say apartment? Either way, it was clearly Commodus's quarters.
I give Paul a worried glance. He merely smiles at me, leading me toward the table. I hesitate for a second, then follow his lead, sitting beside him at the table. Following a nod, the servant moves quickly, placing glasses of water in front of each of us.
"How was your short journey here?" Commodus asks, sipping his water
"It was fine," I reply, trying to sound casual. I was too nervous to ask him about the AI. I don't know him well enough just yet.
Commodus nods, looking down at the table as if his mind was distracted.
"I'm glad to hear that." His eyes lingering on me for a little while, almost like he was watching for a reaction. I assume that he thought that I would question him about the AI, yet I didn't.
The atmosphere turns a little awkward as the conversation dies down, the 3 of sitting in silence, sipping our water.
"Now, let's get down to business." Commodus says, his voice becoming serious.
"I have already set up your first test."
Hearing this, I choke on my drink.
"First test? Haven't I just got here? Shouldn't I get some time to settle in?"
Commodus shrugs.
"The test is simple really," he says, taking another sip of his water.
"From what I've been told, your mother has been spoiling you rotten. You've been training sure, yet it's been inefficient. Apparently, it's the norm to use illusion rooms, pain sensors and all these fancy new technologies."
He pauses for a moment, putting his cup down. I feel a bit of dizziness as I continue listening to his words.
"Back in my day, I was forced to fight under real circumstances. I was forced to feel real pain, and the real possibility of death. As your teacher, I feel its best for you to get a glance at what I've been through." he says, a cruel smile playing at his lips.
"What do you mean?" I ask, panting. My breathing stared to quicken and my body began to fatigue. Why was I so tired? Why did I feel so weak.
"Well, my Bannership is quite huge as i'm sure you've noticed. It is almost always in space, only docking down once every few years for significant repairs. This mean's that most of the crew lives on the ship for years at a time. Living in space can get quite boring pretty quicky. Due to this, we need entertainment. Considering this is a massive vessel, used primarily for war, its quite obvious that we'd have an abundance of prisoners."
My legs begin to shake and my arms begin to numb.
"And what better entertainment is there than 2 men fighting to the death?" He asks chuckling. "We call it, the 'freedom games.' It's a tournament style match up broadcasted to the whole ship. It's a big deal, bets are placed, tickets are sold, and even I the Chancellor attend."
"Get to the point!" I yell, stressed as a strange feeling of tiredness starts taking control. What's going on? What did he do to me?
"Well, if I wish to take a new disciple, what better way would there be to introduce him to the crew, other than seeing him fight in the 'freedom games.' If you win, you'll be able to easily gain the crew's loyalty, and they'll be able to see just who their new young lord is!"
He said a few things after that, but I didn't listen. I glance at his servant who stands in the corner of the room. Catching my gaze, he chuckles. I realize it now. I've been drugged.
I fall off my chair, hitting my head on the ground as everything goes black.
The lasting thing I hear is a few parting words from Paul.
"Goodluck kid."
…
The light blinds me. My head throbs. My body aches. I turn my head, trying to look away from the lights, only to find a body.
Groaning and still in a state of hazy consciousness I take a look at my surroundings. I was in a metal room. No, more like a metal box.
It was extremely small with just enough walking room for both me and this giant man laying down next to me to sprawl out on the floor. There were 2 bunk beds, a metal toilet and an old sink. The walls and floor were made of cold stainless steel while the heavy door was made of titanium. The door had a small square flap, probably for food at the bottom which was not nearly large enough for a person to fit through, along with a large number 13 painted in blue on the door.
Looking up, I spot a red dot in one of the corners. It was a camera. They were watching.
Looking down, my armor and weapon were gone. Both me and the man lying on the floor were dressed in black and white striped prison jumpsuits. It was clear, I was dressed as a prisoner and would be forced to fight against my will. That old bastard didn't even ask for my permission. He just did as he pleased.
Sighing, I squat down, taking a look at the large man lying below me. He was so defenseless. He big, but nowhere near as large as Thoris. He had long green hair, and a tanned body. His whole body was covered in scars, cuts and tattoo's. He looked like one of those crazy warriors of old. What were they called? Barbarians.
I shook the barbarian's shoulder, attempting to wake up my cellmate.
his green eyes flash open, making eye contact with mine. For a few moments we sit, staring into each other's eyes.
Suddenly, he lunges forward, his arms wrapping my waist, tackling me to the ground.
He grabs my neck, slamming my head against the stainless steel floors, surely causing some sort of damage.
Using the strength in my legs, I push upwards, forcing him off of me. I follow up by jumping on the man, straddling him and throwing elbow after elbow, hitting and cutting up his face.
At first he was merely blocking, covering his face, trying to minimize the damage. But after a while of tanking elbows, he catches me by surprise, throwing a huge punch, hitting my chin and knocking me off of him. Taking advantage, he wrapped his legs around my body and his arms around my neck. He was like a snake hunting his prey. He was trying to choke me out.
I immediately tuck my chin but it was too late. I was to slow. He was in a great position and continued to apply pressure.
I was out of breath and fighting for air. My arms were actively trying to pry his hands off of my neck while my body was trying to wriggle free. As I started losing consciousness, I started to panic. I start swinging my arms and elbows wildly, trying to strike his face.
I manage to get lucky, hitting him with an elbow to the nose, probably breaking it and allowing me to get free. I immediately get up, assuming a fighting position.
The barbarian follows suit and as we were about to clash again, a female voice finally breaks through the camera's speaker.