Electra whistled loudly as she led the way, her hands intertwined above her butt.
Noticing Orion's worry, she glanced at him curiously. "What's up with you? You're as gloomy as when Layla was asleep." She rolled her eyes.
Orion looked at her, nodding softly. "I'm just worried that she might do something stupid. After all, she was really mad at me after the goblin attack, not to mention her outburst when we were saying goodbyes."
"What~?" Electra smirked, bumping her shoulder into his. "Scared that she may snitch on you?"
He scowled. "I didn't do anything bad, so there's nothing bad someone could say about me," he paused, pinching her elbow. "Besides, Layla would never snitch! She's not like that."
"Then what are you afraid of, you idiot? Just have some fun, dumbass!" She yelled, irritated by his behavior.
Orion looked at the sky painted with dark clouds, foreshadowing the incoming storm.
"It's not about me, it never was..." He clenched his fist tightly. "I just want Layla to have the happiest life she can... She's pretty, intelligent, funny, and strong. I'm not worried about my own well-being, unless it makes her feel bad. When she suffers, I suffer."
Electra chuckled, looking at the nearby clock tower. "If you want to avoid this subject so much, then it's alright, I won't force anything. But I want to ask you one thing." She said, her voice turning serious.
"I'm all ears." He looked into her eyes.
Electra stopped walking, looking straight into his eyes in an almost intimidating way, which sent a shiver down his spine. "Who or what do you want to be?"
"I don't want to be anyone. I want to secure a good future for Layla." He answered the question instantly without any hesitation at all.
Electra smacked his head, a furious look on her face. "That's what I hate the most about you! That disgusting selflessness! You need to learn that altruism is not real! One side lives, and the other one dies!" She cupped his cheeks aggressively, pulling his face closer. "So I'm asking again, who, or what the hell do you want to be, hatchling?!" She yelled.
Some people passing by gave them strange looks, as if they were watching a play in a circus unfold.
Orion's eyes widened. "I-..." He wanted to say something, anything, but nothing came to his mind.
Electra clicked her tongue, turning her back on him and starting to walk again. "Never mind! What did I even expect from you? Goddamn it! Think about yourself from time to time! If you have no purpose other than pampering Layla, then you should kill yourself, hatchling!" She yelled in frustration.
Orion scowled, following her.
The deeper they went into the capital, the more shady and dark it got. It wasn't the same capital full of life as they were in some kind of underground district.
"This way," Electra said, not even glancing back at him.
Orion looked around, hesitating. "Where are we even going?"
"You'll see. Keep up, hatchling." Electra smirked.
They walked for what felt like hours. Everything just kept getting darker and darker.
Orion noticed many people, makeshift camps with old blankets, the walls stained with old blood. "Do they... live here?" He asked quietly. "It's way worse than Greyhollow Slums..."
Electra nodded, rolling her eyes. "Well, duh! All of those people are: Slaves who escaped their masters. Criminals. Ghosts. Some find their way here and never leave. This is their kingdom. The infamous Alisford underground."
Soon, they arrived at a wide passage. Guards were standing there, holding iron rods and blades. One of them looked Electra up and down, recognizing her immediately and opening the gate.
What was beyond was not a chamber, but an entire district below the city.
It was a maze full of walkways, black markets, slave markets, brothels, bathhouses, and gambling dens, all lit by torches. Something was happening everywhere: fights, deals, dances, executions, but no one cared, minding their own business.
"This is the Hollow Vein." Electra looked around, feeling at home. "Capital of the underworld, and the home to the Bleeding Crown Tournament."
Orion was too stunned to speak. He just followed her wherever she was going. People of all kinds tried to catch their attention: shady merchants, slaves, prostitutes.
They pushed through the crowds and descended to the lowest level, where a huge arena awaited. But before they reached it, Orion saw a fight break out in a small pit, many people watching and betting on the outcome.
Two slaves fought barehanded. A skinny elf and a beastman, both bruised from jaw to knee.
The elf attacked first, grabbing some dust and throwing it into the enemy's eyes, following up with a quick jab. The beastman roared, countering with a heavy punch that cracked the elve's ribs.
Orion watched as blood spattered the stone, his eyes wide. "No... Stop... You two can't hurt each other!" He yelled, but he was too scared to intervene.
But it was too late to help. The elf fell, it's organs spilling out of the body, but before the crowd could boo, he surged forward in a final, suicical attack, leaping onto the beastman's back and crushing his skull against the floor.
The spectators started clapping their hands. Orion glanced over at Electra, no signs of sadness or pity in her eyes. He looked down, puking on the ground.
Electra sighed, hating how sensitive Orion was. "Man up, hatchling! What kind of adventurer gets sick after something like that?" She groaned in frustration.
And so they left the pit and made their way through a tunnel. Then, after a moment, they finally reached the chamber where the official fights took place.
A thin man approached them. His teeth were made out of gold and there was silver sewn ito his scalp.
"Electra!" He smiled widely. "Always a pleasure. Will your friend be placing a bet?" He asked.
"I'm just here to show him the truth," She said coldly. "Nothing less, nothing more."
The man bowed, smirking widely. "Then allow the Bleeding Crown to open your eyes."
With a loud sound, torches lit up the arena's floor. Iron gates rose, and two figures stepped into the ring, both collared, barefoot, and dirty.
One was a scarred cat woman wielding a jagged glaive. The other one was a grinning, pale human man with mismatched eyes and twin daggers.
"First match!" The announcer called from above. "Torgah the Bone-Splitter and Morrow the Silent!" He raised his arm into the air. "Begin!"
The audience erupted in excitement. Bets were already being made.
Electra dragged Orion onto the audience seat, leaning in. "Watch closely."
Orion tried not to look, his hands shaking in terror, but he still was too afraid to do anything about it.
The cat woman charged first, roaring in fury.
Morrow sidestepped, slashing her ribs. She spun, stabbing his shoulder and kicking him in the chest. The human stumbled back but kept smiling with sadistic delight.
For five minutes, they fought and bled across the sand. It wasn't just a fight. It was survival. Torgah landed a crushing blow that crushed.
Morrow's wrist, but he countered with a dagger to her throat. She staggered, blood pulsing.
The crowd started counting down. "Ten. Nine. Eight."
Orion whispered in, gripping the edges of his seat tightly. "No..."
"Three. Two. One."
Morrow slashed her Achilles tendon, and Torgah fell screaming in pain. The bell rang, indicating that the match was over.
"No kill?" A man behind Orion grumbled.
"Not yet," Electra muttered. "Winners can choose. Most don't spare."
Orion stood up. "DON'T!" He screamed the loudest he could.
Morrow stood over Torgah and shook his head, driving a dagger into her heart.
The crowd cheered. Orion fell on the seat, looking down at his boots in terror.
"That was a clean match~," Electra said flatly, yawning loudly. "You haven't seen the cruel ones. Not yet at least~!"
"Why would anyone do this?" He muttered under his nose, a drop of sweat falling from his nose.
Electra shrugged. "Money. Revenge. Boredom. Nobles love blood. Whatever makes them feel powerful."
As she spoke, more matches rolled on.
Two brothers were forced to fight each other in front of the audience. One refused, but his sibling was impaled from behind by a guard, making him fight like a demon.
A young girl, no older than Layla, was reduced to ash by her opponent, who had a magic device.
A wife forced to fight her husband, ending in the man's suicide.
And through it all, the nobles cheered. Golden masks. Silken robes. In Orion's eyes, they were ruthless monsters.
Orion's fists clenched tighter with every match. His heart pounded louder and louder. Each match made him sicker and angrier than before.
Electra was watching him carefully, studying every one of his reactions. "Do you finally understand?" She asked coldly. "You can't bring yourself to hurt a human being, but as you see, humans are dying every day, one, two, there,e or a couple more won't make a big difference."
Oriom turned to her, his eyes full of rage as he grabbed her by the cloak. "Electra... you can't be like this... I know..." He looked down in frustration, and after a moment of silence, looked back into her eyes. "I know that-"
"Runaway! Runaway!" A guard yelled.
Electra immediately stood up, scanning the whole arena and audience. She spotted a short Silhouette clad in a cloak running towards the gate, unnoticed.
"Electra, don't-" Orion yelled, trying to grab her by the wrist, but he couldn't catch her in time as Electra ran off after the Runaway.
The Silhouette ran away into a place with no people at all, eventually ending up in a dead end.
Electra slowly walked towards her, a wide smirk on her face. "Oh, ho~? A dead end? I guess you can relate to it, child."
The Silhouette pointed a small knife at Electra, but it didn't scare her a bit; in fact, it amused her. She stepped closer to the child, pulling its hood off, revealing short orange hair with streaks of red, accompanied by two small curved horns protruding from the sides of her head.
"I would never expect a humanoid dragon in such a place~" She chuckled.
The little girl growled, no signs of fear in her eyes, only hatred. "Let me go! I want to run away! Why won't you just let me go?!" She screamed.
Electra grabbed the girl's horn, pinning it to the wall. "You are a slave, your place is the arena, besides, I will get a reward for turning you in~!"
"So you either be a good, obedient girl..." Her smirk widened. "Or I kill you right there, right now." She said calmly, pulling out the hidden knife the girl had strapped to her thigh.
The girl tried to stab Electra with the knife she had taken out earlier, just for it to be kicked out of her hand with grace.
"Hm? It seems you've made your decision." Electra raised her hand, pulling a sword from one of her portals. "Goodbye~"
The little girl closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks as she accepted her fate.
"DON'T DO IT, ELECTRA!" Orion screamed at the top of his lungs. He was determined to stop her from doing such a cruel thing.
Electra stopped the blade before it could slash the girl. She looked at Orion, frowning. "What the fuck do you want from me, hatchling?!" She yelled, scowling at him.
He slowly walked towards her, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger that was in his belt.
The girl opened her crimson eyes, also looking at Orion for a moment.
Orion smiled at the little girl and nodded softly.
The girl immediately understood what he was trying to do, and using the moment of Electra's confusion, she pulled out another knife and sliced Electra's calf. "T-Thank you, mister! I won't ever forget you!" She yelled as she ran past Orion.
Electra looked at the wound and glared at Orion with murderous intent. "What... the... hell... are... you... doing?!" She gripped the sword tightly.
Electra reached her hand forward. Countless portals started opening around the girl as she was running away, her whip-like tail hitting the floor.
Orion was afraid. Afraid of Electra, but this time he didn't listen to his instincts. He pulled his dagger out.
Electra's eyes widened. "You... little scum... hatchling... I swear... after that little cunt... YOU ARE NEXT!" Electra screamed as the portals started glowing.
Orion tossed the dagger away, shaking his head. "Electra! I know! I know there is good in you! I knew since our conversation by the fire! You know that you're better than this! Don't kill her! I beg you!" He pleaded with her, grabbing her shoulders softly.
Electra's hatred grew more intense as her hand started to shake. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! YOU WILL NOT TELL ME WHAT I CAN, AND WHAT I CAN'T! WHY ARE YOU EVEN PROTECTING A HALF-MONSTER TO BEGIN WITH?! WHAT KIND OF ADVENTURER ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE, HUH!? I THOUGHT THAT YOU DESPISE KILLERS!" She screamed again.
Orion tackled her, hugging her tightly. "That's just a kid! She was probably forced to fight to survive! Just let her go! Please! I know that you can do it! Deep inside, you're a kind and caring person..."
"Beyond all the shit you've done, you are still a human!"
For the first time in a very long time, Electra hesitated. She stared into his eyes, which were full of determination. "No... what the fuck am I doing...? How did I even end up in such a situation... THAT WASN'T THE PLAN!"
A sword was launched from a portal above them, but Orion was able to react in time. He jumped off Electra, trying to catch the blade, but it was launched so powerfully that it pierced through his whole hand, pulling him towards the girl.
"NO! STOP! YOU WILL GET HURT-" Electra's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth.
The sword flew, getting closer and closer to the girl as she was running away. Orion tried to stop the sword, but the force it was launched with was just too powerful, almost as if the sword was meant to be unstoppable.
"What the-?!" Orion gritted his teeth from the pain, trying to slow down the sword with his legs as hard as he could. He glanced back at the girl. "No, no, no! If I won't do anything... She will die!"
"Calm down... Calm down..." Orion took a deep breath, closing his eyes to focus on a way. "The book... the things I've learned from it helped me back in the cave. I'm sure there was something that could help me now!"
He grabbed onto an iron bar that was sticking out of the wall with his right hand. He held onto it with all the strength he had. "Yelling out to go to the ground won't make a big difference. She wouldn't hear me from this far."
The pulling force of the sword constantly increased. Orion felt his flesh being slowly ripped apart as he tried to use his whole arm to slightly change the angle at which the sword was flying.
Electra watched Orion's hand being slowly ripped off his arm and shredded into pieces. She couldn't do anything. Just sat there and watched as he screamed in pain, determined to save a person that he had never seen before.
The girl ran, unaware of anything that was happening behind her.
Orion gripped the iron bar, then a horrible, disgusting sound of flesh being ripped around, bones dislocating, and blood spilling to the ground. His hand was ripped off and flew away with the sword so fast that an average human wouldn't even notice. The sword barely missed the girl, plunging into a wall.
He fell to his knees, holding his left wrist with his other hand, crying and screaming in pain. "IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"
Electra brushed her thumb against her cheek. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was crying. She wasn't horrified by the fact that she was crying, but rather because she was crying after seeing a person sacrifice a part of himself with such desperation, just to save a life that didn't matter.
She got on her feet and ran towards Orion, wrapping her arms around him tightly, blaming herself for everything. "I'M SORRY! I-I DIDN'T WANT TO! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" She screamed in despair, crying into his shoulder.
Orion's face was twitching in pain as he watched the girl running, a small grin creeping onto his face. His vision was getting blurry from the blood loss. He was slowly losing his consciousness. "Electra... you've asked me earlier this morning... 'Who or what do you want to be?'... That's what you asked me... I didn't know at first... but now I know... I want..." He paused, his smile widening, his voice growing weaker. "It's selfish... But I want to put an end to this place... To end all those dirty nobles... Those cruel masks, arenas, bets, everything... The only justification for taking a life... It is to save an innocent one... And I want to save that girl... I want to be... a Hero..."
Electra looked down at his face and gripped his hand tightly. "Hatchling..."
Orion's eyes closed. He lost consciousness.
Electra opened up a portal, taking out a bandage and water, and taking care of his wound. "You're stupid. Stupid. And stupid. But I will finish what you started." She said softly, picking him up on her back and running after the girl.
After a while, Electra pushed the girl onto the arena. Orion was still on her back, strapped to her with a couple of ropes. The girl's hands were wrapped around with a rusty old chain.
"You stupid bitch!" The girls screamed, trying to break free. Her tail was defensively wrapped around her waist.
The man with golden teeth from earlier stepped down from the stands, right from the seat of owner.
He hopped onto the arena, walking up to them, smiling ad he spread his arms in a welcoming way. "I knew you'd catch that filthy slave, Electra! Amazing, and outstanding like always!" He yelled.
The audience cheered, clapping their hands, but Electra's expression remained cold.
The man grabbed the girl's chin, gripping it sadistically. "So? Are you going back to your cage, you filthy monster?" With his other hand, he slapped her across the face.
The crowds in the audience cheered louder.
The little girl smirked widely, an unhinged gleam in her eyes. "No." She said coldly, looking up into his eyes.
"Huh? What-" Before he could finish, the girl broke the chains and punched a hole through the man's chest, ripping out his still-beating heart and crushing it brutally.
The man's body fell to the cold floor, his blood creating a pool. The crowd in the audience was silenced, then people started screaming and running away.
Electra raised her hand, countless purple portals opening all around the arena, blocking every exit there was.
The girl looked around in amazement, her eyes flicking between all the glowing portals. "Wow."
Electra smirked widely, crossing her arms above her chest proudly. "It's nothing personal, guys~!" She chuckled. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. Helping out my family!" She yelled, and the portals glistened, countless weapons launching out of them and flying into other portals so fast that multiple silver lines were created in the air as everything around was painted with crimson blood.
That attack was ten times as powerful and destructive as Layla's full power attack.
Electra held an umbrella, shielding the girl, Orion, and herself from the rain of noble blood.
The girl teared up, but not because she was afraid, but because she finally felt free.
Electra looked down at her, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Happy?"
The girl nodded with no hesitation at all. "My parents sold me when they realized that I am a monster. I have been here for so much time that I don't even remember how the world looks like. I am happy. There is no world where I wouldn't be." She said calmly, fully certain of everything she said.
"Quite mature for a slave, especially such a brat." Electra nodded to herself and started walking towards the gate.
The girl followed her closely, not wanting to be dirtied with the blood of those whom she hated the most. "I'm not a slave anymore. I am a free person now." The girl said, pausing as she looked at Orion. "Tho someone can still ask me for anything."
Electra sighed, shaking her head as she looked at the girl's horns. "If you want to live in peace on the surface, then you should hide those horns and tail of yours, brat."
"Hide?" The girl asked curiously, not knowing that she could do it.
A couple of hours have passed since the slaughter. It was already dark outside.
Orion slowly opened his eyes. He sat up, looking down at his left arm. It was covered in bandages from wrist to the shoulder, and his hand was gone.
Electra was standing behind him. She nudged his back with her shoe. "Don't move around too much, you've lost much blood." She said calmly.
He turned to look at her, smiling softly. "You could have left me there, but you didn't."
She scowled, kicking him softly. "After everything we've been through I wouldn't, you fucking idiot!" She roared in irritation.
"That hurt, you dumb old hag~!" He teased, his voice weak.
"Do you have more of that?! It's so tasty!" The girl walked up to Electra with a dirty plate in her hands.
Orion looked up at the girl, noticing that her horns and tail were gone. He smiled softly and took Electra's hand. "You saved her?" He asked, feeling proud of his companion.
"Hmph!" Electra blushed and crossed her arms, looking away.
"D-Did she just pout?" Orion wondered to himself, smiling awkwardly.
As soon as the girl noticed that he was awake, she dropped the plate, running up to him.
"Oh, hi?" He smiled, reaching out his hand to pat her head.
The plate didn't shatter because Electra summoned a portal beneath it before it hit the floor.
The girl hugged him tightly, tearing up in happiness. "Thank you, Master! Thank you for saving me!" She brushed her cheek against his right shoulder in gratitude.
Electra stared at them, biting her lip softly.
Orion wrapped his right arm around the girl, hugging her back softly. "No! Don't worry! Everyone would do that!" His face went pale. "W-wait! Don't call me 'Master'!"
The girl shook her head, her embrace growing stronger. "No, no. Master, I've lived almost my entire life in the underground, and I can assure you that no one would sacrifice their hand for a pathetic slave like me, yet you did, Master."
"I'm sure that-"
Electra scowled. "No one would listen to the girl because she's speaking facts."
The girl nodded. "Master, I owe you my life! Please, let me serve you till the end of my days for doing so much for me!" She crawled on top of him.
Orion leaned away nervously. "No! Wait! Too fast! You cannot just try to serve me like that! I don't even know your name!"
She leaned in closer and closer as he leaned away even more. "I don't have a name! I mean, I probably had one, but I don't remember it anymore!" Her smile widened as a wonderful idea sparked in her head. "Oh! I think that you should name me, my Master! I'd love to be named by someone as kind as yourself!" She said excitedly, leaning even closer.
"A-Are you sure? You don't know what kind of person I am. You may regret your decision later-"
The girl looked into his eyes, shaking in anticipation. "Master, I promise you that I won't!" She huffed. "You've already done enough for me! You can be good, you can be evil, I don't care. I mean! I know that you're a good person, Master! The point is that I will follow you no matter what! You are my Hero!"
Orion couldn't help but smile, feeling warmth spread inside of him. He was happy that someone had called him a Hero.
Electra walked up to them, looking down at Orion's face as he was lying on the ground, pinned down by the girl. "Stop fucking around. If the girl wants a name, then give it to her." She groaned, poking his cheek with her boot.
Orion smirked. "I can see your panties." He said, staring directly at her crotch.
The girl shook Orion again, waiting to be named. "Come on, Master!" She groaned.
Orion looked at the girl, noticing the lack of her horns. "She hid her horns... Hmm... What would be a good name for such an unusual kid?" He wondered, looking at his bandaged shoulder.
"...Bellatrix..."
"Bellatrix...?" The girl leaned away from him. "Bellatrix... Bellatrix... Bellatrix..." She repeated over and over again.
Orion didn't say anything, worried that the name he had given her was a bad fit.
Electra pinched her chin softly. "It's not that bad of a name, no?" She asked the girl.
"It's not bad..." The girl said, a smile widening on her face. "It's amazing! I love it, Master!" She hugged him tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm glad!" Orion chuckled, patting her on the head.
Electra frowned, picking Bellatrix off Orion and placing her down away from him.
"You understand that we cannot keep you around, right?" Electra asked calmly.
Orion sat up, looking at them. "What do you mean, Electra?"
Before Electra could answer, Bellatrix spoke up. "Electra is right, Master. Many people from Hollow Vein recognize me. For now, I can't be around you because I'll just bring trouble, possibly many hostile noble families." She paused for a moment, nodding to herself. "For now, I will hunt down everyone, and I mean it, EVERYONE, who was even slightly connected to the owner of The Bleeding Crown Tournament. And then, I'll spread the news that my Master has helped many slaves escape the tortures they've been through for so many years!"
Even though Bellatrix was very young, there was no doubt, she was an intelligent child.
Electra nodded, surprised by Bellatrix's understanding of the situation.
Bellatrix walked up to Orion again, hugging him for the last time. "I will spread good news about my Father, like any good servant or daughter would!"
Orion's heart fluttered, and he patted her head. "Bellatrix... you're a good kid..."
She broke the hug, shaking her head as she bit her cheek. "But this is not a goodbye! I will be an informer for you and Electra! I will serve my Master non-stop!" She pouted.