Clank. Clack. Ack.
I hit the orb over and over again. It was the only thing I could vent my anger on. In the end, I was too weak to fight anything real, so I had to attack something that wouldn't fight back. Hah, I'm pitiful.
I had been doing this all day; it was fucking stupid. Striking the same orb, getting nowhere. I looked around the room. There were new people now, but something was different about them—they seemed united. Hah, humans united? Look around you. All of that will crumble in mere seconds, I thought, scoffing.
CRACK.
A loud noise shattered the air. I turned to locate the source, and when I did, I was in shock.
The orbs that I had been striking for days—the ones I couldn't even leave a scratch on—were being broken into pieces by one person. He was doing it effortlessly. Everyone stopped to watch him hack away at the stone like it was butter.
Why is he so strong? It isn't fair. Why the fuck did I get so cursed while other people get blessings from some god? I squeezed my pickaxe until my knuckles turned white.
"Ku ju ki jii!" one of the orcs barked at the man.
I couldn't understand the tongue; it wasn't human. The orc started going to every prisoner, chaining them up and forcing them to follow. Not again. This sight was exactly like the last time.
"Ku ju kuj ji!"
A bout of wails overwhelmed my ears as we were marched once again into the coliseum. Should I be scared? I looked around. The people were different than before. It was as if all the "weak bugs" had been killed off, and only the strong remained. Which category would I fall into? The weak or the strong?
My thoughts were drowned out by the rhythmic chants of the goblins.
"You and you!" The orc pointed at a human who looked like a leader. There was an aura about him that set him apart. He had long black hair and pale skin covered in tattered robes, but even through the filth, his piercing blue eyes were like oceans. It seemed I was the only one who noticed the fire in them.
Step. Step. Step. As he reached the center of the stadium, his opponent finally became visible. This time, the human side fell into utter shock. Even the man on the stage was stunned. Before him stood no human—it was an orc.
He's going to die, everyone thought. To them, orcs were gods, and humans were the mere dirt they walked upon. Everyone knew without a doubt that he stood no chance. I remembered the time an orc bent the iron bars of my cage, crushing my will like it was butter.
"I'm too fucking weak," I whispered, smiling. Smiling was the only thing I could do in the end.
As the orc shouted for the fight to commence, the opponent charged. It didn't carry a weapon; its body was the weapon. With every stride, the stone cracked beneath its feet. The world trembled.
"He's going to die. He's just standing there!" the humans began to shout.
The orc moved. As its foot touched the ground, it vanished as if it had teleported. It was just that fast. Its fist came like a rocket. Somehow, the human was able to dodge—barely. His left hand was clipped by the blow, and it shattered instantly.
"Ark!" the human grunted, clutching his ruined hand.
"Ku jus kuj!" The goblins began to laugh.
Instantly, the human stilled. He steadied his will, vowing not to show fear or pain in front of a creature like this.
"It's over. Humans could never defeat orcs."
BOOM. The orc's arm went out like a cannon. At point-blank range, the human couldn't dodge.
SPLAT.
This time, his entire left leg was annihilated. It was mangled so badly you couldn't tell where the bone was supposed to be; muscles dangled out like tattered banners.
It was utterly gruesome. The floor, which had only been cracked, was now painted with human flesh.
"Hah, I see. This wasn't to kill him," I muttered. "
It was to instill fear into the humans. Yes... in the end, humans are weak."
The man was on the verge of tears; I could see it in his blue eyes. He wanted to run.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to cower in a hole. But he didn't.
"This is how it's going to end, huh?" he said, looking at the monster in front of him.
As his eyes locked with the orc's red gaze, he knew his fate was sealed. Gritting his teeth, he vowed not to cower. He knew they wanted to use him as an example so that humans would never fight back.
The orc raised its foot. In the end, humans will always take it. They will never try to fight their oppressors.
"I will not let my life be the reason people don't fight!" he roared, stirring his will one last time.
SPLAT.
As his arm was torn from his body by a stomp, he didn't scream. He didn't cry. He just looked at it. His fingers were still wiggling on the floor, as if they still wanted to fight.
You can't fight anymore, I thought, looking at the humans. I could see the fight leaving their eyes. They were only worried if they would be next. Would they have to be the example, or would they have to watch someone else become one?
The man gritted his teeth.
SPLAT.
"Ark!"
he knew his other arm was gone , he could feel the emptiness of something that was taken away, something he had his whole life. He didn't look at it.
He kept his eyes on the humans. He shouted, spit flying from his mouth,
"Will you live, or will you die?! Will you be free, or will you be a slave?! Will you cower before your oppressors, or will you become the oppressors?!"
As he shouted with the last bit of air in his lungs, a shadow began to hide the sun from his face.
"HUMANS ARE NOT WEAK! HUMANS WILL FIGHT! HUMANS WILL NOT COWER BENEATH THEIR ENEMIES' FEET! HUMANS WILL BITE OFF THEIR FLESH!"
All the humans watched as the man who should have been crying and cursing them for not helping began to tell them to survive.
"YOU MUST LIVE TO FIGHT! THIS IS NOT THE END! THIS IS THE BEGIN—"
SPLAT.