Slave Unbound

Chapter 26

Earned Chances

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Disclaimer: This story is not meant as 'erotica', but dark adventure-fantasy. It may contain material that sensitive readers might find uncomfortable. Please be advised.

Leita took a deep breath, steadying herself as much as possible. She ground down her focus to as sharp of an edge as she could, ground the soles of her shoes into the soft earth to have as solid a footing as she could, steadying for what was about to happen. She forced herself to accept that she was about to feel pain, prepared herself not to let it make her hesitate or break focus.

"Remember, no holding back." Kalder said pointedly. She knew it wasn't her that he was talking to, but took the advice to heart, none-the-less. She would need every ounce of the skill she possessed, every bit of everything she had learned over the last couple of months as a gladiator. Naturally talented at fighting or not, she had been well taught that there was simply no real substitute for extensive experience and training.

Ironically, it was the person she was about to spar with that had taught her that.

Colja crossed his two training swords before him in a brief aljin salute, before launching into a rapid-fire burst of fluid swings, working the two weapons with such a level of grace and smooth control that they seemed to become more of an elemental force than a pair of blunt-edged blades. They flowed together so well that Leita couldn't even begin to keep up with them both, forcing her to rely on her shield to offer blocking duties, as she doubted she could have managed to parry with her own sword.

She only managed to block two-thirds of the incoming attacks, but made those count, fending away the worst hits. However, had they been using real weapons, even with only the weak strikes getting through, she would have been quickly reduced to a bloody mess. Though the weapons lacked any actual edge to them, the hits they made still left stinging jolts of pain throughout her body.

"So much for the incredible Leita." Kalder chuffed, enjoying watching her getting completely overwhelmed by the unending barrage of attacks from the aljin. "A full minute already and I don't think I've even seen her make an attack, much less connect with it."

"She's doin' better'n I could." Huelin chimed in with a chuckle. "I'd already be in the dirt by now." A handful of others gave their amused agreement to the sentiment. "Course, if it was her I was fight'n, I'd still be in the dirt by now."

Regardless of her own skill, Leita knew that there was a reason that Colja was one of the stars of both House Firebridge and the Grand Arena as a whole. His speed and precision in combat was almost like a performance act, an art form, rather than a fighting style. In fact, in Sasinel's country, which also had various styles of formulated combat that seemed like kinds of beautiful dance, they referred to such styles as 'wusu do', which translated to the term 'martial art'.

Leita had been trying to learn the forms of both Sasinel and Colja, which had produced fairly mixed results. While she had a knack for learning new fighting techniques and skills just by watching others do them, there was a broad divide between knowing how a move was executed and doing so with the degree of grace and discipline that made it a performance. Such maneuvers required subtleties that meant the difference between simply doing the move and making that move highly effective.

Such understanding of those subtleties had to be earned. Even she had to develop the muscle memory and experience that made any move in combat, simple or complex, a trustworthy and capable one. Colja's speed came from his years of constant practice and training, his body so well-conditioned to the motions that he didn't need to think about most of the movements. Leita still had to think about what she did, which made her much slower.

Which, itself, made her think of an idea...

Leita took a sudden lunge backwards, away from Colja, forcing him to quick-step forward to stay with her. In that instant, she strafed right, pivoted to her left, thrusting her sword straight into the stream of motion that was Colja's two blades. In her head, she felt sure that her success of what happened next would be, at best, fifty-fifty, but that was better than certainty of never getting the upper hand if she didn't take the chance. Like throwing a pole through the spokes of a turning wagon wheel, the sudden thrust interrupted the aljin's unbroken flow of attacks.

The sheer force of the two swords scissoring into the intervening weapon tore it out of her hand, but that was okay. She'd still managed to create a heart-beat long gap in the onslaught while he re-coordinated his rhythm. Into that gap, came her shield bash.

There was a trumpeting of cheers from the stable as Colja first stumbled backwards, then flew backwards as Leita followed up her shield hit with a sudden full spin of her body, and performed a well-executed, if less than artistic, 'pell du feng', or 'racing wind kick' in the sidil language. Finding himself on his rear in the dirt apparently surprised Colja, but he was quick to add his own hurrah of appreciation to Leita's attack.

"Huh." Kalder said, flatly. "Actually impressive, Leita."

The completely out of character praise from the rock-like gladiator nearly left Leita sitting in the dirt beside Colja. However, before she could fully appreciate the moment, Kalder added. "Or, it would have been if you wouldn't have otherwise already been dead from the dozens of hits he scored before you managed to get lucky with your desperate attack."

"I don't believe a 'pell du feng', finely made, should be described as 'desperate', Kalder." Sasinel quipped, seeming actually impressed by how well Leita had made the kick.

Colja grinned up at the two of them. "And I would have to say, from my vantage, her attack seemed well considered." He turned that smile to Leita as he began to rise from the ground. "And exceptionally well-conceived."

Leita, gave him a grateful smile back, extending a hand to help him up. "I remembered my fight with the magic-user. He'd spelled himself to move really fast, but it had cost him most of his ability to improvise as he attacked."

"And thus, the idea of forcing me to suddenly move forward and compensate for your shift, which compromised by ability to adapt my own attacks." Colja supplied for her as he unceremoniously dusted his rear. He spoke the words in a voice that suggested it was meant for the assembled stable, turning the moment into a lesson for them. However, his next words where lower, obviously more for Leita alone. "Making such quick use of the brief opening was the truly impressive part, however, aiesta'ja."

"But Kalder's right. About it being a desperate move, my having already been put down by the time I tried it, and that luck had a lot to do with its success." Leita admitted, looking to the champion as she conceded the points. He gave her a smug look.

Myrinus chuckled. "Caution all! Leita and Kalder are in agreement on something! Like we might well see frogs falling with the sky next." The comment garnered more than a little laughter.

"Well, I think that's enough of a show for today." Kalder barked at the assembled stable, seeming a bit less amused by the joke than anyone else. "Everybody partner up and start sparring." He gave an impatient wave of his stony hand, shooing them away, Sasinel and Myrinus herding them along.

However, he grabbed a hold of Leita's shoulder before she could go with them. "Not you." He said flatly, as though irritated by his own need to talk to her. Colja joined them, arms crossed and looking questioningly at Kalder, as if waiting for something. However, instead of giving the aljin whatever answer he was seeking, the rock-man focused on Leita.

"There's going to be some changes soon. The Mistress is getting rid of the whole 'Four Elements' concept for the House, both as a gimmick in the arena and as a hierarchy here. Me and Colja are going to continue to be the head slaves of the stable and responsible for its training. As well as certain choices regarding whether someone is ready for something." He eyed her darkly, almost as if struggling with a decision that left him with a foul taste in his mouth. "Your little exhibition with Colja was intended as a test to help me decide something."

Leita glanced towards the aljin. She wasn't sure if she'd passed any sort of test, given her performance. While she had managed to knock him down, luck or not, there was little argument that, had it been a real fight, she'd never managed to last long enough to do so. However, she realized that the better question was whether it was a test she would have wanted to pass.

She'd found a sort of comfort with fighting against weekly lots. She'd continued to fight in such a way as to help make the poor wretches she was pitted against look better as combatants. Sabrina often teased her for it, but had never seemed particularly bothered by the choice either. In the end, her fights often came across as more entertaining to the crowds than just a quick brutalizing. And it had been confirmed by her Mistress that it had, indeed, helped those she'd fought get more quickly sold.

Not because any of the owners were fooled into thinking the slaves had particular skill, but because they already had some degree of recognition by the crowds and were still mostly uninjured. She'd learned that many owners would otherwise pass on buying a lot that had fight passingly well, if they would have to wait weeks for them to heal or if they felt the slave lacked the ability to hold any appeal for the audience. While most spectators thought of the Grand Arena as a place of blood and carnage, Houses had to also consider other aspects of entertainment value.

An underdog combatant could be just as good for a House as a master warrior. It didn't hurt that most Houses had ways of profiting off of losses as much as wins, when they knew to expect them. Thus, Leita's efforts were certainly not in vein, giving real value to would-be gladiators that might not have had much interest shown them had they just been quickly battered and left bleeding. Amusingly, Sabrina herself had actually purchased the last lot Leita had helped look more interesting. And not because the man seemed at all capable.

While she wasn't afraid of being considered for more challenging fights, against other, actually seasoned, gladiators, Kalder wasn't likely interesting in doing anything that might be to her benefit. While he seemed to have developed just enough general regard for her abilities to consider her a gladiator, his pride was unlikely to ever consider her someone he would willing do a favor for. That meant her 'being ready for something' was likely going to mean him getting the chance to put her in a very bad position.

"Despite all my criticism, I can't deny that you did better than almost anyone else in the stable could have against Colja. And that includes Myrinus." He blew out another irritated sigh. "So, I've decided that..." He seemed like he was about to choke on his own words.

"You will be helping with training the newest additions, aiesta'ja." Colja said for him, looking at her with an amused smile.

Leita blinked in surprise. This was certainly not what she was expecting to hear. "Wait...are you saying that I'm replacing Myrinus as part of the leadership? Or am I just being added to some new hierarchy?"

Kalder chuffed incredulously. "Neither. Him or Sasinel aren't being replaced at all, just removed from their positions in the stable. Only me and Colja will continue to be considered leaders of the stable. And that's because we've fucking earned that place. The sidil is finally being retired as a gladiator altogether, to replace Cookie as the Mistress' official concubine. Myrinus is going to be traded to another House for a gladiator that the Mistress has been trying to barter for."

Colja looked to where the two other, now 'ex', Elements were currently milling about the practicing gladiators. "One or two others in the stable are still needed to help us with training, however. Kalder was given the task of assigning who will fill that role. Your name was suggested."

Leita was still trying to fully digest what was being told to her. However, a thought struck her and she winced. "You were told to give this to me by the Mistress. Because I've become her lover."

Kalder gave an honest laugh of incredulity. "Her 'lover'? Don't go getting some big head over her dragging you to her chambers so much lately. You're nothing but the Mistress' 'toy of the season'. We've all had a turn in that role. Even my ugly self. By the harvest time, you'll be back to just another gladiator in the yard." He gave a shake of his head.

"This is my own decision, not anyone else's. As much as I still don't think you have the steel in your blood to be a real gladiator, I can't completely deny you have a talent for picking up fighting skills." He rolled his eyes. "And, apparently, teaching them to others. Every damned gladiator I put you with out here walks away with improvement."

Colja gave her a supportive smile. "It does not hurt that you have managed to build respect within the stable, as well, aiesta'ja. They are likely to listen to and support you as someone with something to teach."

Leita was beginning to put it together. Though it may have been Kalder's decision, she was pretty sure it hadn't been his suggestion. And, by the look of pride on Colja's face, she was pretty sure that suggestion had come from the aljin, if not from the Mistress. Either way, it was still a surprise to have Kalder accept the idea in the first place. There was no question that his personal opinions on her were still little changed.

As if to prove that, Kalder flapped one of his hands. "Yeah, well, that much I don't agree with. Respect isn't the same thing as popularity. You're an underdog and shameless, not to mention currently in the Mistress' favor. They might like you, in general, but that doesn't mean they see you with actual respect. That only gets earned, hand over fist, with time."

Colja's frown at the words seemed more based on his agreement with the point, than at Kalder's refusal to give more than just a little ground in his lingering dislike for her. However, Leita caught both of their attention with her own words. "I completely agree, Kalder. I don't think they have real respect for me either. I'm as much a novelty, right now, as the 'Four Elements' idea is. I'm honestly not sure I even have all that much to actually teach. I'm still learning myself."

Kalder eyed her judiciously. "Glad you recognize that. That's why it's only the newest warriors in the stable that you'll be responsible for. Making sure they have actual skills or not. I doubt I have to point out that just because someone looked capable in their lot fight, doesn't mean they are. Considering that you've now put a handful of them into Houses by making them look a lot better than they are." A sly expression slipped into his features.

She noticed Colja's expression change too, a note of curiosity coming into it. However, Leita had actually put all the pieces together. It had all been a trap from the beginning. "So, this is actually a lesson, then." She said with a sigh. "When you say 'newest additions', you mean Yulni. Since I got him here."

Kalder's grin was all the confirmation she needed. He pretended to absently scratch the tip of his nose, but she took the gesture for what it was meant as. "I suppose that would be a good place to start, yeah." He chuckled. "But then, I'd think you'd want to make sure you haven't thrown the poor shlub into a boiling pot he can't fight his way back out of."

Leita would be lying if she said it was something she hadn't thought about. Making lots look better to improve their chances of finding a House might well mean that they were put into a situation where they were expected to be more capable than they actually were. However, in the end, she felt certain that they would still fair a much better chance of survival as a lackluster gladiator of a House, decently fed, appropriately outfitted, and with access to actually improve their skills, than as a starved lot, repeating another week in a cage.

Either way, they might quickly wind up killed, but better to die with a full belly and a proper sword in hand, right? In the end, any lot was a gamble of capability, no matter how good they initially seemed. There were members of House Firebridge's stable that been purchased because they had seemed very good in their fight as a lot, only to turn out to be poorly skilled when they made it to the training yard. In just the short time she'd been a part of the House, she'd already seen more than one die to opponents that they were supposed to be much better than.

"I would, actually." She said to him, though she made sure her expression showed that she understood his real intentions. "I thank you for your appointment. I'll try not to make you regret your choice."

Kalder gave a laugh. "That ain't possible. I already regret the choice. You're just lucky that I care more about the House than my personal opinions."

Leita felt an urge to push that subject, to finally just flatly ask why it was that he seemed to hate her so much. However, she kept herself in check. Whatever his reasons, they were obviously not strong enough to keep from giving her, at least, some degree of recognition. It was progress towards earning actual respect and she preferred not to chance burning that.

As the three of them finally joined the rest of the group, Leita took a deep breath and began milling through the sparring gladiators. She collected Yulni and the two other newest additions, Vickler and Genmar, moving them to an open spot in the pitch. "Kalder wants to make sure you three aren't just three sacks of fertilizer waiting to go into the House pansy garden. I want the three of you to try and hit me without getting hit yourself."

They all hesitantly nodded general understanding, but otherwise just stood there waiting for further instruction. After a moment, Leita gave them a questioning look. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

They looked back in confusion. "Um...which one of us did you want to come at you first?" Vickler asked with a slight grin.

"Also, don't you need to get a practice weapon?" Added Yulni, vaguely gesturing to the fact that Leita's hands were empty. He had a look on his face that suggested that he'd assumed his having looked so good in the arena was because of his own skill, not Leita's. "I mean, surely you don't want to try and defend against one of us unarmed?"

She noticed the three of them trading amused looks. "I meant all three of you at once and if I meant to get a sparring sword, I would have." She tried to channel a bit of Kalder's grim sarcasm, hoping that she seemed actually intimidating. Being that she was more than a half a foot shorter than the shortest of the three of them, not to mention significantly younger than any of them, it felt important to make sure that she didn't seem like some kind of a joke to them.

From the incredulous looks on their faces, she didn't think she was succeeding at that very well. However, they paused only a moment more to look uncertainly at one another, chuckling, before edging forward. Their initial attacks were expectedly awkward and uncoordinated, not only from their own lack of real skill, but from also lacking real understanding of how to attack as part of a group. However, their body language showed a cockiness that said that they were unaware of their own lack of skill.