Chapter 05: My Debut as a Gladiator

  I wake up in a damp barred cell with its walls made of thick black wood. From a small window near the ceiling I can see that the sun has just begun to set. I’m not sure when or where my execution will be held but surely it will be soon.

  Supposedly it will be attended by many of these frogman bastards as a show. And my fellow lizardlings will be the ones tasked with ending me. I wonder if they’ll show any mercy.

  I’m desperately rattling my brain searching for options to survive this mess but not a single idea comes to mind. This village is an unknown place filled with enemies all around which are both stronger and better equipped than me. Damn it! My bad luck does not seem to ever run out!

  Night falls but the village is still busy. I hear a lot of conversation between frogs but none of the words translate in my head, so I just ignore them. I also distract myself with thoughts about other humanoid races that could exist in this world.

  So far, I know that there are lizard and frog people, but it should be possible for the existence of many other variations with all sorts of different societies. Why couldn't I have just been born in a regular (?) Lizardman family and be able to grow up in peace and explore this brand new world?

  I hear keys turning and two frog guards enter the room to escort me out. They don’t even bother to chain me and grab both my arms lifting me in the air like a small child. I thrash all I can and even try biting them, but their fucking armor is impervious to my teeth.

  "Glllrbbbt gloglog frrrp!" one says to the other.

  "Grlllbt frop gok!" the second replies, and they both erupt in what can only be laughter at my unfruitful attempts to hurt them. Assholes!

  As they drag me through the village toward the arena, I catch a glimpse of the night sky and am immediately stunned by the view.

  Hanging in the dark expanse there are not one, but two completely different moons. A large pale blue one fills the sky while a smaller amber-hued one sits lower on the horizon. The buildings shimmer with a ghostly green glow where their lights meet.

  The scientist in me can't help but marvel at the implications. Two moons! The gravitational interactions alone would create tidal patterns unlike anything on Earth. The blue moon appears to be at least one and a half of the size of Earth's moon in the night sky. And the smaller amber one, though distant, would certainly help to create complex tides in this planet's water bodies.

  I find myself desperately wishing I could live long enough to document a full lunar cycle and to study how local ecosystems have adapted to these celestial mechanics. Astronomical knowledge alone would be revolutionary!

  But instead, I'm about to be executed for the second time in this strange world. What cruelty! To glimpse at such scientific marvels only to die before I can understand them.

  Being shoved out of my wandering, we climb a long set of stairs reaching a circular open building, illuminated by various torches. The structures we pass reveal the surprising architectural skill of the Frogmen. Doorways carved with aquatic motifs, support beams shaped like stylized reeds, and decorative elements resembling water lilies. For all their brutality, they clearly possess some artistic talents and technical knowledge. Far above what I'd expect from their slimy, disgusting, webbed hands.

  The crowd that's gathered all around the place is something to behold. Rows of stands are filled with all sorts of these frog people cheering before my arrival. Some are adorned in headdresses made of what appears to be dried water plants and small bones, while others wear colorful cloaks dyed in unnatural blues and greens. The more ornately dressed ones sit in elevated sections, looking down at the common Frogmen below.

  Just in front of me is a bridge leading to a smaller circular platform where my fellow Lizardlings are waiting, each carrying a different weapon and even some armor. This platform is separated from the rest of the building by an enormous moat that surrounds it. It even reminds me of those stories about a flooded Roman Coliseum.

  So, it is like this huh? My Debut as a Gladiator.

  “Don’t jump, pain and slow death shhshh food for fish down there.” Shokar, who's standing near the bridge, says this to me and now I understand what the moat is for.

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  The water's surface in the moat occasionally ripples with movement just below, something large and hungry lurks there. Probably some kind of piranha-like fish preying on anyone that falls from the platform. Another very displeasing way of dying I suppose.

  A sudden silence fills the stands when a loud voice starts some kind of speech in frog language, and I see that it is actually the Red Frog. His voice booms across the arena, the sound amplified by some acoustic property of the structure itself. He gestures dramatically, his movements precise and powerful, commanding attention from every spectator.

  He incites some kind of deep anger in the crowd and in every pause, they boo me passionately. All my concentration is on maintaining a brave face but I'm sure to be failing miserably. My legs shake slightly, and I bite the inside of my cheek to focus on something other than my terror.

  "GGLLLBB" When at last he finishes the speech, all the frogs are angrily stomping their feet and shouting a very specific word pointing at me. The rhythmic pounding creates a vibration that runs through the entire structure, like a primitive drum signaling the beginning of a ritual sacrifice. Which, I suppose, is exactly what this is.

  I get pushed further into the bridge and the crowd breaks into even louder cheers. The lizards ready their weapons ready to attack as soon as I reach the platform. Really? They simply did not give me anything to defend myself. Five literally armed to the teeth guys against a naked one? At least give me a chance you pricks!

  When I finish cursing them in my mind a loud sound of ropes against wood draws my attention. The bridge behind me is completely retracted to the other side of the moat, isolating me with my executioners.

  "Glllb" A single word is spoken, and the death match begins.

  One of the Lizardlings readily lunges me with his lance but it only manages to graze me. I grab the extended weapon, but another lizard tries to cut my arms with a scimitar, and I’m forced to release it. Jumping to the side to gain some distance I clash with a Lizardling who quickly bites my shoulder. Somehow, I manage to throw him into another lizard but not before he releases his venom inside me.

  Damn it! There are just too many of them. One carrying a heavy mace gets a good hit in my chest and I release all the air in my lungs coughing. I manage to roll, dodging some more strikes and almost push one guy over the ledge but in the end, it amounts to nothing.

  In a moment two large slashes rip my back, making me scream in pain. When I look at the assailant's features, it suddenly transforms into some mixture of a lizard and the red frog’s face, who’s laughing at me. I look around and now all the lizards are mocking me with that same ugly transformed face.

  What the fuck is happening? In rage I try attacking them, but they only surround me and continue with the onslaught. A spear deeply pierces my rib and just seconds later I feel the bones in my face breaking after a strong hit from the mace.

  Downed I put my left hand forth to protect me only to see it clearly cut off by the scimitar and fall into the pit.

  "Shhs!" I scream, more in shock than pain as I watch my severed limb tumble into the dark water below. There's a splash, followed by a frenzy of movement beneath the surface. So much for that arm, maybe my Fast Regeneration trait can heal this? Probably not, and not that I would even be alive to see it.

  With my hand gone and blood pouring from multiple wounds, I try to crawl away from my tormentors. The platform's edge is just a few feet away, maybe the water is a better fate than being tortured for the entertainment of these monsters.

  I drag myself inch by painful inch, leaving a smear of dark blood across the stone. Just as my fingers reach the rim, a searing pain explodes from the base of my spine.

  One of the Lizardlings has brought down a blade, cleanly severing my tail. I howl in agony as the appendage flops uselessly on the ground, still twitching with residual nerve impulses. Before I can tumble into the water below, strong hands grab my ankles and yank me back into the center of the arena. My claws scrape desperately against the stone, leaving deep gouges as I'm dragged away from my escape.

  Why don’t they just go and deal a fatal blow? That hateful grin is still all over their faces as they look at me from above. Somehow everything is spinning and I’m crying from the pain and frustration of dying again. Even the guy I talked to and who supposedly was a friend has this same devilish smile while looking at my sorry state.

  The crowd roars with approval at my humiliation and suffering. The Red Frog leans forward, his massive bulk threatening to topple the ornate seat he occupies. I can see the satisfaction in his eyes – this is exactly the entertainment he promised his subjects.

  This same Lizardling picks me up and makes me stare at his eyes. I try to get away slashing him, but he grabs me even tighter and whispers near my ears. “I not kill you for food”. After saying this he surprisingly bites my neck, but strangely his teeth barely break the skin. After what appears as some aggressive gnawing, he mercilessly launches me to the piranha filled moat.

  I hit the cold water with a loud thud and immediately start sinking. My consciousness is fading but I can feel some of the fish already starting to eat me to death. A small chunk of my leg disappears in a flash of pain as one of the creatures tears away flesh. The water clouds with my blood, drawing more predators to the feast.

  Even with my Low-light Vision ability, I can barely see in this dark water, and everything is blurry. From the depths something large appears to be rapidly swimming towards my direction. Well, at least this big fish will kill me faster.

  The last thing I feel is a strong pull towards the bottom of the moat and then once more I feel nothing.