Blood and Sand: A Wandering Inn Quest (Isekai/LitRPG)
- Thread starter NewRole
- Start date
Since we attained that skill at level one, I wonder what the higher-level slave skills look like. This probably puts more pressure on us to escape since we don't want a bunch of skills that make it harder to escape when we try to escape.
[X ] Finding out more about the world
I think people not caught up with TWI need it.
I think people not caught up with TWI need it.
KnownParadox
Not a sphere
- Location
- Canada
[X] Finding out more about the world
Finding out about our surroundings when we arrived suddenly with no preparation is always good, especially when it's an entire new world and not just a different country or something.
Finding out about our surroundings when we arrived suddenly with no preparation is always good, especially when it's an entire new world and not just a different country or something.
[X] Finding out more about the world
[X] Finding out more about the world
This will help get everyone in the same page and will enable us to plot a path to our eventual escape or demise. Learning more about the sheik and the caravan is interesting but meaningless without a context to compare it with. Clearly spending time with Livia is going to raise our [Slave] level so we should try to mitigate things and start looking for opportunities to get into mischief. We should follow a classic to ensure our chances of success.
First step is gathering information, reconnaissance and plotting We must have an accurate idea of where we are, what resources are available and what we want to accomplish as well as HOW we are going to accomplish it.
Second step is gathering resources and making preparations. Basically setting up things for the third act.
Third step is execution, where plans go to succeed or fail.
Honestly from the looks of things we can't waste much time. My gut is telling me we are eventually going to land at some city with an arena which while it might present some opportunities there are going to be a lot more people interested in keeping slaves imprisoned.
This will help get everyone in the same page and will enable us to plot a path to our eventual escape or demise. Learning more about the sheik and the caravan is interesting but meaningless without a context to compare it with. Clearly spending time with Livia is going to raise our [Slave] level so we should try to mitigate things and start looking for opportunities to get into mischief. We should follow a classic to ensure our chances of success.
First step is gathering information, reconnaissance and plotting We must have an accurate idea of where we are, what resources are available and what we want to accomplish as well as HOW we are going to accomplish it.
Second step is gathering resources and making preparations. Basically setting up things for the third act.
Third step is execution, where plans go to succeed or fail.
Honestly from the looks of things we can't waste much time. My gut is telling me we are eventually going to land at some city with an arena which while it might present some opportunities there are going to be a lot more people interested in keeping slaves imprisoned.
- Location
- San Ramon, CA
[X] Finding out more about the world
The information gap is probably our second biggest obstacle to surviving in this world (the first being the whole "slavery" bit). I do wonder if someone will eventually catch on to the fact that we know far too little about day-to-day facts of life, and yet far too much about advanced concepts.
The information gap is probably our second biggest obstacle to surviving in this world (the first being the whole "slavery" bit). I do wonder if someone will eventually catch on to the fact that we know far too little about day-to-day facts of life, and yet far too much about advanced concepts.
Honestly, if we are going to continue teaching the Gladiators philosophy, there is one subject matter that is a perfect shoe-in with whichever lesson we teach about logical arguments.
To wit, the nature of strength. What is strength? Are YOU strong? Is anyone? Could you even tell if they were? I regularly watch a youtuber by the name of Ramsey Dewey who is an mma coach in Shenghai, China. One of the videos that he made that had the most impact on me was one were he argued that the act of fighting was a search for the Truth.
You were there to determine if you are strong and who is the strongest between the people fighting after all. The classic search for mastery in short form.
This is an outlook that, I think, would keep their attention as we go through our lessons.
To wit, the nature of strength. What is strength? Are YOU strong? Is anyone? Could you even tell if they were? I regularly watch a youtuber by the name of Ramsey Dewey who is an mma coach in Shenghai, China. One of the videos that he made that had the most impact on me was one were he argued that the act of fighting was a search for the Truth.
You were there to determine if you are strong and who is the strongest between the people fighting after all. The classic search for mastery in short form.
This is an outlook that, I think, would keep their attention as we go through our lessons.
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[X] Teaching economics
Vote closed
Dramatis Personae
- Location
- USA
Associates of the Sheik
Sheik Aurelius: A String Person and [Slaver] who leads the slave caravan that captured you. He appears wealthy and dotes on his daughter, but you know little else about the man.
-[Slaver] Lv. ???
Known Skills: [Quick Recovery]
Livia: A young String Person girl, raised and trained as a [Slaver] by her father, Sheik Aurelius. She is your master, and seems to be an intelligent, if somewhat spoiled, girl.
-[Slaver] Lv. 10
Known Skills: [Enslave]
Sophie: A Hemp-caste String Person girl, raised as the [Handmaiden] and [Slave] of Livia.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Handmaiden] Lv. ???
Keliel: An elderly half-elf [Slave] who serves as the [Majordomo] for Sheik Aurelius. He is loyal and obedient to his master, and takes great offense to anyone who does not show similar respect.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Majordomo] Lv. ???
Elaina Oaksteel: The Dullahan [Head Maid] at Sheik Aurelius's manor. She is very casual and down-to-earth, which is supposedly unusual for Dullahans. She's taken something of a liking to you as an interesting curiosity.
-[Maid] Lv. ???
Bashak Norn: The Human [Head Chef] at Sheik Aurelius's manor. Rough around the edges and highly defensive of his kitchen.
-[Chef] Lv. ???
Drokur Flametongue: The Drake [Champion Trainer] for Sheik Aurelius. He is heavily scarred and has more muscle than anyone you've ever seen in real life.
-[Champion Trainer] Lv. ???
Students
Melanhir: A giant Garuda with jet-black feathers. You don't know what he did to become an exile, as Melanhir is best described as 'quietly menacing.' He appears to have some familiarity with his tribe's shamanic rituals.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Cursed Exile] Lv. ???
Tiny Traban: Male Dwarf. A former citizen of Derithal-Vel who became a [Slave] under circumstances he hasn't elaborated on. He's a gruff, no-nonsense sort who is the least enthusiastic of your students, but you're still glad to have him - he's the only one willing to tell Voxitel to shut up.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Hammerer] Lv. ???
Barqus: Male String Person. Enslaved over outstanding debts from his tailor business after his shop was burned down. He's still adjusting to going from a prestigious position to being a [Slave]. You recently discovered that his shop was burned down in retaliation for a series of murders he committed.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Tailor] Lv. ???. [Murderer] Lv. ???
Katrin du Neshair, Female Human. Claims to be a bastard child of the Neshair noble family. She's the only one of your students who sounds like she has a formal education, though she's still not as arrogant about it as Barqus.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Learned Duelist] Lv. ???
Known Skills: [Quick Step], [Sword Art: Explosion Thrust]
Voxitel: Male Lizardfolk. Sold into slavery from Baleros under circumstances unknown to you. Gregarious and chatty, like all his race, and struggling under the restrictions of slavery.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Dirty Fighter] Lv. ???
Tharos: Male Hemp-caste [Druid]. The most diplomatically gifted member of the Circle of East Zeikhal, which is not a particularly impressive feat. Has a giant scorpion familiar named Snips.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
Arsha: Female Garuda [Druid]. Quick to anger and even quicker with profanity, she nonetheless has a beautiful voice that sets the air around her to humming.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
Bek: Male Human [Druid]. The least socially gifted member of the Circle of East Zeikhal, which is a particularly impressive feat. Carries a giant yellat as a walking staff and has a penchant for picking his nose and picking stupid arguments about niche animal behavior.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
Sheik Aurelius: A String Person and [Slaver] who leads the slave caravan that captured you. He appears wealthy and dotes on his daughter, but you know little else about the man.
-[Slaver] Lv. ???
Known Skills: [Quick Recovery]
Livia: A young String Person girl, raised and trained as a [Slaver] by her father, Sheik Aurelius. She is your master, and seems to be an intelligent, if somewhat spoiled, girl.
-[Slaver] Lv. 10
Known Skills: [Enslave]
Sophie: A Hemp-caste String Person girl, raised as the [Handmaiden] and [Slave] of Livia.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Handmaiden] Lv. ???
Keliel: An elderly half-elf [Slave] who serves as the [Majordomo] for Sheik Aurelius. He is loyal and obedient to his master, and takes great offense to anyone who does not show similar respect.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Majordomo] Lv. ???
Elaina Oaksteel: The Dullahan [Head Maid] at Sheik Aurelius's manor. She is very casual and down-to-earth, which is supposedly unusual for Dullahans. She's taken something of a liking to you as an interesting curiosity.
-[Maid] Lv. ???
Bashak Norn: The Human [Head Chef] at Sheik Aurelius's manor. Rough around the edges and highly defensive of his kitchen.
-[Chef] Lv. ???
Drokur Flametongue: The Drake [Champion Trainer] for Sheik Aurelius. He is heavily scarred and has more muscle than anyone you've ever seen in real life.
-[Champion Trainer] Lv. ???
Students
Melanhir: A giant Garuda with jet-black feathers. You don't know what he did to become an exile, as Melanhir is best described as 'quietly menacing.' He appears to have some familiarity with his tribe's shamanic rituals.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Cursed Exile] Lv. ???
Tiny Traban: Male Dwarf. A former citizen of Derithal-Vel who became a [Slave] under circumstances he hasn't elaborated on. He's a gruff, no-nonsense sort who is the least enthusiastic of your students, but you're still glad to have him - he's the only one willing to tell Voxitel to shut up.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Hammerer] Lv. ???
Barqus: Male String Person. Enslaved over outstanding debts from his tailor business after his shop was burned down. He's still adjusting to going from a prestigious position to being a [Slave]. You recently discovered that his shop was burned down in retaliation for a series of murders he committed.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Tailor] Lv. ???. [Murderer] Lv. ???
Katrin du Neshair, Female Human. Claims to be a bastard child of the Neshair noble family. She's the only one of your students who sounds like she has a formal education, though she's still not as arrogant about it as Barqus.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Learned Duelist] Lv. ???
Known Skills: [Quick Step], [Sword Art: Explosion Thrust]
Voxitel: Male Lizardfolk. Sold into slavery from Baleros under circumstances unknown to you. Gregarious and chatty, like all his race, and struggling under the restrictions of slavery.
-[Slave] Lv. ???, [Dirty Fighter] Lv. ???
Tharos: Male Hemp-caste [Druid]. The most diplomatically gifted member of the Circle of East Zeikhal, which is not a particularly impressive feat. Has a giant scorpion familiar named Snips.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
Arsha: Female Garuda [Druid]. Quick to anger and even quicker with profanity, she nonetheless has a beautiful voice that sets the air around her to humming.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
Bek: Male Human [Druid]. The least socially gifted member of the Circle of East Zeikhal, which is a particularly impressive feat. Carries a giant yellat as a walking staff and has a penchant for picking his nose and picking stupid arguments about niche animal behavior.
-[Druid] Lv. ???
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- Location
- San Ramon, CA
...Only beginning? At what point from A to B did he think becoming a slave WASN'T a terrible idea?
- Location
- USA
Huh. In retrospect, there's some details in that Informational that haven't quite come up in the quest itself yet. It's mostly nothing major, but... I'll edit it to tweak out things our main character doesn't actually know yet. But to answer your question?
Lizardfolk villages have an overpopulation problem, which leads to poverty and famine. It's not uncommon for families to sell off excess children, or for people facing starvation to sell themselves.
Prologue: Caravan 4
- Location
- USA
You leveled as a [Slave]. Twice, even, skipping level two. Why? You're not… you don't want to be a [Slave]. You've only heard that blood red voice tell you that you've gained a level in the Class twice now, and each time has made you feel sick to your soul. It feels wrong, a sensation you have no words for that just constantly rubs at the edge of your mind.
There wasn't even a Skill. Does that mean you don't normally get a Skill every level, even though you got one with [Teacher]? Or is it just that the blood red voice is building up to something? There's no way to know, but the thought fills you with a creeping dread, of having that awful voice sink deeper into you.
Sleep is long in coming, and when it does it's shadowed in dreams of laughing [Guards] with faces like jackals and clubs that fall on you like rain.
You're woken by the sound of the door to your closet being flung open, light spilling in from the wagon's central chamber to stab you in your sleep-blind eyes. You raise a hand to shield them, blinking away tears.
"[Slave]! Come with me," commands Livia.
Your eyes adjust, and you see Livia standing in the doorway, Sophie sheepishly peeking out from behind your master. Your eyes narrow at the thought. Your master. It's what she is, isn't she? You even have a Skill that lets you know what she wants: for you to entertain her, because she's bored.
The thought of turning against the Skill surges through you. Of rebelling in some small, pointless fashion.
Another part of your mind tells you to bite your tongue and obey. You're not sure if it's the rational part or the blood-red Skill that constantly whispers Livia's wants at the edge of your thoughts. The part of you that's a [Slave].
For now - and only for now - you listen to that second part. You bite your tongue. And when Livia repeats her demand, you obey. She leads you and Sophie to the wagon's entrance, berating you for having to be told twice all the while. But she hesitates at the door, and you can sense that her desire is just to… vent. You're a convenient target, but she doesn't actually want to punish you.
Knowing that doesn't make it any easier to take the insults of a twelve year old girl in silence. Rather the opposite, really. But finally she calms enough to continue through the door, all without having ever explained where it is you're going or what it is you're doing.
The wagon is parked in the valley between two enormous sand dunes, and Livia begins to lead you up one of them. Her silken slippers give her little purchase on the sands, and she gestures for Sophie to steady her as she walks.
"Where are we going?" you ask.
"[Slaves] shouldn't speak to their masters unless spoken to," Livia says.
"I was a student before I was a [Teacher]," you answer. "Asking questions is what I do."
"And now you are a [Slave], and what [Slaves] do is obey. But… what [Slavers] do is take and train and trade in [Slaves]," Livia says, slowly, with the cadence of an oft-repeated lesson. She hesitates for a moment. "If it will help you level, then fine, ask questions. Respectfully."
"Where are we going, Miss Livia?" you ask.
"To help my father level his [Gladiators]," Livia answers.
Your eyes narrow in confusion. "How are we going to do that?" you ask, mostly meaning how was Livia going to do that. You can think of several ways you might be forced to help [Gladiators] train, mostly as a punching bag.
Livia pauses, looking over her shoulder at you. "The same way all Classes are leveled: by living them. [Gladiators] are performers, not just fighters. And a performance needs an audience."
Then the three of you crest the sand dune, and you see the fighting pit at the base. A few dozen of the Sheik's slaves form an impromptu ring, while two gladiators battle beneath the setting sun. Three more lie unmoving, their blood staining the sands. One of them is missing an arm; another both his legs.
Livia leads you and Sophie down the into the fighting pit, her father's [Slaves] parting before her and leaving a wide space. Several look away from the fighting, curious eyes noting how close you stand to the Silk girl. You have no attention to spare for them, though, because you're now at the edge of the ring. If you took two steps, you would be able to touch one of the maimed String People on the ground. They're still moving, trying to crawl away from the fight as best they can, leaving behind limbs that have turned to flat, inanimate cloth now.
You realize that one of the remaining gladiators is Barqus, the String Person [Tailor] who's one of your students. You'd only known him for a few hours, but he'd struck you as a sort of… posh sort, about as out of place amongst the life of brutal slavery as you are. He certainly talked enough about the wealthy aristocrats who'd patronized his store.
Now he's in a fighting pit with a death grip on the dagger in his left hand and blood coating half his face. He and the last gladiator, a String Person woman wielding a wooden shield and club, slowly circle the pit, eyes locked on one another.
Until, eventually, one of them makes a mistake. The woman focuses too much on Barqus and not enough on where she's stepping, and stumbles over the legless body of another gladiator. Barqus seizes on the moment and lunges towards her, his red [Slave] tunic billowing behind him as he roars wordlessly, like an animal.
She recovers quickly, though, shifting her shield to catch his dagger. Then she pushes Barqus's arm out of the way, leaving him completely open as she swings her club towards his legs. But the dagger reappears in Barqus's other hand, and he's already in close. He turns the momentum of the other gladiator's parry into a spin that drives his knife into her gut, just before her club slams into his knee. Both crash to the ground.
"[Deft Hands]," comments Livia. "Good skill for a [Tailor]. Will Papa end the bout now, or…?"
Barqus is quicker to recover, forcing himself up with one hand and crashing down atop the other gladiator, putting his entire weight into slamming the dagger into her chest. Her cry of pain turns into a gurgling croak, and her club falls from numb fingers. Barqus yanks the dagger free, sending a spray of blood across the sand. You're almost ten feet away, but some of it still splashes against your face.
You flinch backwards, the iron tang of the [Slave] woman's blood overpowering. You raise a hand to your face, and it comes away speckled with red. You look down at it stupidly. There's blood on your hands.
You hear, as if from a great distance, Barqus still shouting as he stabs the woman three more times in the stomach before finally staggering away from her, hobbling on one leg.
"Victory to Barqus!" booms an unfamiliar voice. "Let's hear it for the Bloody Needle!"
Barqus raises his bloodstained dagger with something akin to triumph, and the [Slaves] forming the pit around him burst out in cheers. Some of them exchange tokens, grumbling.
You can't take your eyes away from the blood. Just… so much blood. Your stomach roils. You turn and look away, trying not to vomit.
"[Slave], don't look away," Livia commands. "The entire point of this is for it to be watched."
"I'm going to be sick."
"Psh. Only one of those [Slaves] is dying. The other two with the missing limbs will just need them stitched back on. We're String People; not humans. Cloth organs may be hard to replace, but an arm? That's just annoying."
"It still hurts, Miss Livia," Sophie says quietly, rubbing at her left hand.
Livia waves away the comment. "They're Hemp," she says. "Their senses are dulled. Especially for [Bait Slaves]."
"[Bait Slaves]?" you ask.
"They have Skills that make you want to attack them," she explains. "It helps train people who aren't used to combat. They're not really good for anything besides getting torn apart to train up a [Slave] who might be worth something."
You look down to the pit. Two of the downed slaves - the ones who'd had their limbs cut off - are stirring feebly while other slaves pull them out of the ring. The last one, the one that Barqus had stabbed repeatedly in the gut, is clutching at her stomach and moaning feebly. No one seems to care.
"You have them kill people to level in [Gladiator]?" you ask, horrified.
"Nah," Livia says. "[Gladiators] level more by performing than killing. But I guess Papa wants to level Barqus's other Class."
"What Class? Isn't he a [Tailor]?"
Livia laughs. "No, silly. Well, yeah I guess he is, but that's not what Papa wanted him for. He's a [Murderer]. He was bribing a [Magistrate] to look the other way, but couldn't keep the gold flowing once some of his victims' families burned down his shop. Idiot."
Another batch of [Slaves] are singled out and shoved into the center of the bloodstained pit. Someone realizes that the girl with the gut wound is still in the ring, and she's unceremoniously dragged outside the circle of spectator slaves before being dumped in the sands.
"I see Papa," Livia says. "Let's go, Sophie. [Slave], stay here and watch. Maybe place some bets. Everyone gets a chit for extra rations to gamble with."
==========
[ ] Go back to the wagon
Refuse to participate in this.
[ ] Stay and watch
It's what you were ordered to do.
[ ] Go to the dying String Person girl
You don't think you can save her, but can you really look away?
[ ] Write-in
There wasn't even a Skill. Does that mean you don't normally get a Skill every level, even though you got one with [Teacher]? Or is it just that the blood red voice is building up to something? There's no way to know, but the thought fills you with a creeping dread, of having that awful voice sink deeper into you.
Sleep is long in coming, and when it does it's shadowed in dreams of laughing [Guards] with faces like jackals and clubs that fall on you like rain.
You're woken by the sound of the door to your closet being flung open, light spilling in from the wagon's central chamber to stab you in your sleep-blind eyes. You raise a hand to shield them, blinking away tears.
"[Slave]! Come with me," commands Livia.
Your eyes adjust, and you see Livia standing in the doorway, Sophie sheepishly peeking out from behind your master. Your eyes narrow at the thought. Your master. It's what she is, isn't she? You even have a Skill that lets you know what she wants: for you to entertain her, because she's bored.
The thought of turning against the Skill surges through you. Of rebelling in some small, pointless fashion.
Another part of your mind tells you to bite your tongue and obey. You're not sure if it's the rational part or the blood-red Skill that constantly whispers Livia's wants at the edge of your thoughts. The part of you that's a [Slave].
For now - and only for now - you listen to that second part. You bite your tongue. And when Livia repeats her demand, you obey. She leads you and Sophie to the wagon's entrance, berating you for having to be told twice all the while. But she hesitates at the door, and you can sense that her desire is just to… vent. You're a convenient target, but she doesn't actually want to punish you.
Knowing that doesn't make it any easier to take the insults of a twelve year old girl in silence. Rather the opposite, really. But finally she calms enough to continue through the door, all without having ever explained where it is you're going or what it is you're doing.
The wagon is parked in the valley between two enormous sand dunes, and Livia begins to lead you up one of them. Her silken slippers give her little purchase on the sands, and she gestures for Sophie to steady her as she walks.
"Where are we going?" you ask.
"[Slaves] shouldn't speak to their masters unless spoken to," Livia says.
"I was a student before I was a [Teacher]," you answer. "Asking questions is what I do."
"And now you are a [Slave], and what [Slaves] do is obey. But… what [Slavers] do is take and train and trade in [Slaves]," Livia says, slowly, with the cadence of an oft-repeated lesson. She hesitates for a moment. "If it will help you level, then fine, ask questions. Respectfully."
"Where are we going, Miss Livia?" you ask.
"To help my father level his [Gladiators]," Livia answers.
Your eyes narrow in confusion. "How are we going to do that?" you ask, mostly meaning how was Livia going to do that. You can think of several ways you might be forced to help [Gladiators] train, mostly as a punching bag.
Livia pauses, looking over her shoulder at you. "The same way all Classes are leveled: by living them. [Gladiators] are performers, not just fighters. And a performance needs an audience."
Then the three of you crest the sand dune, and you see the fighting pit at the base. A few dozen of the Sheik's slaves form an impromptu ring, while two gladiators battle beneath the setting sun. Three more lie unmoving, their blood staining the sands. One of them is missing an arm; another both his legs.
Livia leads you and Sophie down the into the fighting pit, her father's [Slaves] parting before her and leaving a wide space. Several look away from the fighting, curious eyes noting how close you stand to the Silk girl. You have no attention to spare for them, though, because you're now at the edge of the ring. If you took two steps, you would be able to touch one of the maimed String People on the ground. They're still moving, trying to crawl away from the fight as best they can, leaving behind limbs that have turned to flat, inanimate cloth now.
You realize that one of the remaining gladiators is Barqus, the String Person [Tailor] who's one of your students. You'd only known him for a few hours, but he'd struck you as a sort of… posh sort, about as out of place amongst the life of brutal slavery as you are. He certainly talked enough about the wealthy aristocrats who'd patronized his store.
Now he's in a fighting pit with a death grip on the dagger in his left hand and blood coating half his face. He and the last gladiator, a String Person woman wielding a wooden shield and club, slowly circle the pit, eyes locked on one another.
Until, eventually, one of them makes a mistake. The woman focuses too much on Barqus and not enough on where she's stepping, and stumbles over the legless body of another gladiator. Barqus seizes on the moment and lunges towards her, his red [Slave] tunic billowing behind him as he roars wordlessly, like an animal.
She recovers quickly, though, shifting her shield to catch his dagger. Then she pushes Barqus's arm out of the way, leaving him completely open as she swings her club towards his legs. But the dagger reappears in Barqus's other hand, and he's already in close. He turns the momentum of the other gladiator's parry into a spin that drives his knife into her gut, just before her club slams into his knee. Both crash to the ground.
"[Deft Hands]," comments Livia. "Good skill for a [Tailor]. Will Papa end the bout now, or…?"
Barqus is quicker to recover, forcing himself up with one hand and crashing down atop the other gladiator, putting his entire weight into slamming the dagger into her chest. Her cry of pain turns into a gurgling croak, and her club falls from numb fingers. Barqus yanks the dagger free, sending a spray of blood across the sand. You're almost ten feet away, but some of it still splashes against your face.
You flinch backwards, the iron tang of the [Slave] woman's blood overpowering. You raise a hand to your face, and it comes away speckled with red. You look down at it stupidly. There's blood on your hands.
You hear, as if from a great distance, Barqus still shouting as he stabs the woman three more times in the stomach before finally staggering away from her, hobbling on one leg.
"Victory to Barqus!" booms an unfamiliar voice. "Let's hear it for the Bloody Needle!"
Barqus raises his bloodstained dagger with something akin to triumph, and the [Slaves] forming the pit around him burst out in cheers. Some of them exchange tokens, grumbling.
You can't take your eyes away from the blood. Just… so much blood. Your stomach roils. You turn and look away, trying not to vomit.
"[Slave], don't look away," Livia commands. "The entire point of this is for it to be watched."
"I'm going to be sick."
"Psh. Only one of those [Slaves] is dying. The other two with the missing limbs will just need them stitched back on. We're String People; not humans. Cloth organs may be hard to replace, but an arm? That's just annoying."
"It still hurts, Miss Livia," Sophie says quietly, rubbing at her left hand.
Livia waves away the comment. "They're Hemp," she says. "Their senses are dulled. Especially for [Bait Slaves]."
"[Bait Slaves]?" you ask.
"They have Skills that make you want to attack them," she explains. "It helps train people who aren't used to combat. They're not really good for anything besides getting torn apart to train up a [Slave] who might be worth something."
You look down to the pit. Two of the downed slaves - the ones who'd had their limbs cut off - are stirring feebly while other slaves pull them out of the ring. The last one, the one that Barqus had stabbed repeatedly in the gut, is clutching at her stomach and moaning feebly. No one seems to care.
"You have them kill people to level in [Gladiator]?" you ask, horrified.
"Nah," Livia says. "[Gladiators] level more by performing than killing. But I guess Papa wants to level Barqus's other Class."
"What Class? Isn't he a [Tailor]?"
Livia laughs. "No, silly. Well, yeah I guess he is, but that's not what Papa wanted him for. He's a [Murderer]. He was bribing a [Magistrate] to look the other way, but couldn't keep the gold flowing once some of his victims' families burned down his shop. Idiot."
Another batch of [Slaves] are singled out and shoved into the center of the bloodstained pit. Someone realizes that the girl with the gut wound is still in the ring, and she's unceremoniously dragged outside the circle of spectator slaves before being dumped in the sands.
"I see Papa," Livia says. "Let's go, Sophie. [Slave], stay here and watch. Maybe place some bets. Everyone gets a chit for extra rations to gamble with."
==========
[ ] Go back to the wagon
Refuse to participate in this.
[ ] Stay and watch
It's what you were ordered to do.
[ ] Go to the dying String Person girl
You don't think you can save her, but can you really look away?
[ ] Write-in