Chapter 610 - [Bonus ]Day UNKNOWN: End Of Lies

My state of complete brain freeze was interrupted by the gate behind me suddenly moving. They tried to rise it, but since it was so bent, the mechanism failed, and the whole thing fell back into its place after a short budge.

I turned around, and without thinking much grabbed it, then literally just pilled a fragment off. There was an alien, wearing a mask over its head waiting there. They were actually scared of me since they almost ran away as I showed.

They spoke to me with a trembling voice, but I couldn't understand their language. Fortunately, the mask came in handy, translating the words to English with the synthesized voice.

- Your opponent has forfeited the fight. You are the winner.

Then they immediately ran off. I snorted watching the alien vanish into the distance, then I turned around, and walked to the large chamber where the others gathered there watched my every move in complete silence, as I made it through the whole space, moving straight to the waiting room, I use on the previous day.

My hunch was correct. The Calludin was there.

- I won - I informed him.

- I know - he said. 

Then I sat down on one of the benches. The atmosphere was quite awkward between us.

- Do you know why Calludins are so well-known race in the whole Ixan empire? - he spoke finally.

I just shook my head. It was obvious this question was rhetorical.

- Partially because of our extraordinary psychic powers, but there are races with even better ones, like the Ksaukha. They are all incredible pyrokinetics. The Paraque are known for their abilities to read people's minds and influence them. Even the Sabhetani for their telekinesis, although the skill varies among them highly. Not to mention the Quel'kabarians themselves. What brought us, the Calludins, so much fame were two things. Our death squads. Formed by those so obsessed with revenge, they insisted on joining the imperial army to look for every possible opportunity in achieving it. And the other thing is me.

He paused there for quite a long time actually, but I waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

- You probably already noticed, but the High Queen is highly obsessed with the individual power of people. That's why there is a rule for new species of becoming her vassals if they prove themselves. That's what you humans did. I'm not gonna speak of the origin of that but her obsession lead to forming a strong culture of hosting fighting events. The most famous is the 'Royal Tournament', where the only strongest compete. There never has been one without even a single gladiator produced by me.

He paused again. Gathering the words for the third time to showcase to me what was on his mind.

- I take a lot of pride in that and also have an immense influence on the whole empire. For me, it's even more important than the revenge on you, so that's why I reacted how I did. I can't bear the fact that my brothers and sisters used my craft to fulfill their desires. It's... Humiliating. For me preparing warriors to compete on the higher level with their lives on the line was sacred, but I did want to punish you too. That's why we are here, fighting in this ridiculous local league, where your skills are put to waste, killing those... pathetic brutes.

He paused for the third time, but this one was different he looked at me and kept doing so for several minutes.

- I have a proposition. It's ridiculous in many aspects but might work for everybody... You will keep fighting for me, and keep winning until you can't anymore. I'll keep throwing you at impossible odds, at least from a bystander point, as you will keep climbing the ladder. You will never have what other gladiators will, but I'll stop trying to humiliate you, and will stop those dumb games, which are by the way beneath me.

- If you wanted to torture me, why here? Why with those 'pathetic brutes'? You knew they had no chances.

- The idea was to make a villain of you who kills everybody, and use my channels to spread this information in a controlled way to the more capable warriors to come here, and fix your attitude. Quite decent actually, as there are very, very marginal chances of the news about you reaching your home planet. Besides they don't know you exist anymore.

- You are basically asking me to voluntarily get tortured.

- Physically yes, although it might take us some time to reach the level of your strength, so you won't get hurt for some time. Although, I'm gonna try my very best to put you in a position for such a thing to happen.

- I still don't understand. Why all this masquerade, when you could tear my head of yourself...

- I can't. If I could you would be already dead. I would squeeze the life out of you a long time ago, but the High Queen wants you alive. I won't tell you more than that, so don't even try asking. We are stuck with one another. You basically don't have a choice anyway, but I always have been loyal to my fighters, and that's how I achieved twelve champion titles in the Royal Tournament. More than anybody else. It hurts me to play this game more than I want to hurt you. Come. It's time to return to your cell.

With that the conversation basically ended, I had plenty on my mind and needed to work that out. Besides he didn't really expect me to agree or disagree with his proposition. To be honest all I could think of was the fact that the High Queen still wanted me to live. I couldn't understand why, and I needed to find the answer to that question.

I ended up in my cell. A few things changed. I got fed with the same tasteless food, but at least I could eat. The guards also brought me a pillow and a small container to use as a toilet.. It was a major upgrade of what I had before.