Chapter 30: A New Beast
I was woken up by the stomping coming closer, hurriedly sitting up. My eyes were crusted, so I rubbed it away before it was seen, relieved when all he did was open the door and move on. I left the cell, but then he hit something metallic against a bar, calling attention. "There're new assignments for some of you starting today! Get your instructions as you leave! Garbage." I tried to scamper out, but he blocked me as I did. He held a sheet of parchment as he gave me a smile that chilled my very soul. I was suddenly very scared, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide. Apparently, he was the one changing tasks. I'm doomed for sure. He had finally reached my number, saying, "42, you're set for 24/7 care of the monsters. As such, don't expect any sleep, not with our new addition." He just watched me as I slipped past, keeping my eyes on my feet. A new one. Must be whatever the guard mentioned yesterday. The worry over what it was clawed at me as I slowly realized that I was stuck with the worst task available. I'll die before the week is out if the creature's as bad as he had threatened. When I entered the arena, there was now a fifth cage lined up, and an older man standing in front of it.
When I approached, his brown eyes dropped on the buckets, then in the number in the ragged tunic I wore. "They sent me 42? Last week's offender." His sharp tone made me bow slightly and remain in that position. "Nevermind it, boy. Your job is to get this damned beast to eat something, or at least drink some water. I have different food available to try on it. Let me know when you have some results." He glared as he left, leaving me standing awkwardly. So that's it. The danger level is exceedingly high, and he wants me to be eaten by it. Fine. I'd rather not see it for as long as possible, so I kept my eyes off it as I cared for the others first. When they were done, I filled one bucket with water, and the other with multiple different foods. Now then...I set the buckets down and looked up at it for the first time. I froze in place, absolute terror overwhelming me, mixing with the slightest hint of awe. In front of me was what looked to be...a dragon. It had shocked me. How did they catch this thing?! Ah...it had let them. I glanced at the dragon's horns and wings, using what I'd learned about them before becoming a slave to judge it as a female. Her scales looked white, but were very dull, you could see her ribs, and her face was sunken. This dragoness...she's starved.
I grabbed a slab of meat and waved it, trying to get her attention. Her nostrils flared momentarily and her eyes opened. Tired, clouded yellowish slit eyes drifted to me, staring for a bit. She looked at the meat, then huffed, shutting her eyes again. I know for a fact that dragons like meat...it's almost like she's doing this purposefully. In a panic, I tapped the bar and whispered, "Please don't die. I'll be locked up again and beaten. You need to eat!" I'm stuck in this place all day except for getting supplies, so I guess there isn't much to worry about when talking. I groaned, putting my head on the metal bar in defeat. The sound of movement startled me, especially when I saw her use her tongue to take the meat from me gently. "Yes! Thank you!" At this point, I was just hopping while holding the bars. I'm not sure what will change if I can complete what was asked of me, but at least I'm not being hit. I grabbed another and offered it, but she seemed to sigh at me. So she's not going to eat. Taking a chance, I stepped even closer and reached through the bars, making it touch her snout. She looked at me, but didn't do anything else. It's like her mind is elsewhere, as if she isn't fully aware of what's happening. Is she hurt? I glanced around, checking for people. When I didn't see anyone, I set the meat down in front of her, then rested a single finger on her snout. With no reaction to it, I followed through with my goal. Circulating mana, I sent it into her to start checking for injuries. The energy within her reacted in a way that made me shiver. In some places, it moved aside, in others, it was like going through a brick wall. I found multiple areas where her mana was knotted up, so I would try to untangle it quickly, hoping to finish before someone came in.
I'd managed to open about half of the blocked spots when I heard the door banging. I jerked my hand away as if stung, resuming offering food. Two other slaves had entered, number 13, a gentle girl with brown hair that used to be blonde, and 21, a little boy with black hair. Ranging from children to adults...I was too used to seeing this. Once someone became a slave, they had their name stripped and were given a number. The only piece of clothing we have is the tunic that just barely reaches our knees, which continues to tear and get dirtier as we go on. We locked eyes momentarily, nodded to each other, then moved on. Conversations are prohibited. What we just did was as far as was allowed. Another thing...what I was doing earlier, with my mana...if I was found out, they'd whip me and take away my food and water until the absolute last second. Basically, I'd be starved to the brink of death, then brought back and hit some more. There's no freedom of choice, no way to argue at all. We're supposed to blindly obey what is commanded of us. I watched them as they cleaned up trash that had been littered everywhere. Looking back at the dragon, I saw her turning her head to look at them as well. When her eyes landed on 21, a small spark seemed to rise, only to die again seconds later. I blinked when what seemed like a single tear fell from that cloudy eye, slowly drifting down her scales onto the metal underneath. Huh? What was that about? I can't tell why, but she...appears to have an aura of loneliness...just what has this dragoness experienced to cause her mind to shut down so much? They gave another nod before leaving, exiting just as quietly as they came. I frowned at her, then grabbed the bars and pulled myself up and in, slipping through them with only a bit of effort. Now I was inside the cage with her, a type of curiosity driving me forward. I walked closer and knelt next to her head, shakily reaching towards her. She looked at me, but didn't move. Begging to not be attacked the moment I did this, I placed my hand on top of her face, between her eyes, and waited for a response.
Nothing? I half expected to be killed. This is a bit anticlimactic. After another minute rolled by, she locked eyes with me. For whatever reason, when that happened, I wanted nothing more than to start speaking. "I want to know what happened to you." I was answered with silence, so I said, "Perhaps I should share first, though." She started to close her eyes, making me think she wasn't interested, but then she edged slightly closer. They really do have intelligence! That action alone was enough to prove it! "Alright, then where should I start? Maybe...my earliest memories? Uh...I remember that once, I was able to see the sun whenever I wished, play, speak, and use magic as much as possible. The birdsong I'd hear...from the Nightingales, then the Mockingbirds who would always join in with their own sound. It was amazing--when I'd take and play a song on a flute, they'd play it back to me. That was always so intriguing. I loved reading too, and would always get caught in my father's study, climbing on the bookshelves to get one I hadn't read yet. That never ended well, and most of the time we'd either be repairing the shelf or resetting the books. At least I got the one I wanted at the end." She had now gotten so close, her head was nearly pressed against me. "My mother taught me to cook as well, which is quite fun--unless you try to catch the food you just dropped and get burned."
"Chfff." Huh? I looked at her in surprise. Was that a laugh? I didn't realize a dragon could make a sound like that. What else can she do? I might never find out, but it would be the gift of a lifetime to learn about dragons from an actual one.
"Go ahead, laugh, everyone needs one of those once in a while." I don't know why I had entered the cage so easily earlier, but it might've been due to how much I've always loved dragons. And seeing one in the state she was in, was absolutely nightmarish. "My favorite topic to read about was dragons, then magic. It's amazing that every dragon can use magic at some point in their life, so there's no discrimination. But humans...well...they're quite different, huh?" I moved my hand carefully, stroking her scales in wonder. They're dull and lifeless, but when you get closer, it's easier to see what they used to be. Now, more than anything, I want to see this dragoness's scales in their former splendor. For that, I'll have to get her to eat. "You're fairly big for a female. I think just enough that I could probably fit in your mouth without trouble." Ugh...guess it's inevitable that I'd continue trying to find a way to die. Emotions bury themselves rather deep. "Nevermind that. I should get back to healing your mind." I sent my mana into her again, following hers and trying to blend with it this time. If I can match it, then it'll be so much easier. Just before it completely went through, sharp feedback snapped the two mana forces apart.
Ouch...that hurt in a new way...then, out of nowhere, a voice sent messages through my mind, some whispered, some screamed, some cried, some were angry, and some spoke softly, but they started to overwhelm me as they continued. 'Help me.' 'Save me...!' 'I'm right here, you jerks!' 'I can't see!' 'I'm frozen in place…' 'SOMEONE SAVE ME!' I clutched my head as the last one made my head ring. I stared at her in shock. Was that...her voice? Her thoughts? I blinked when I realized she was looking at me--not just looking, but seeing that I was actually there. Ah...now what do I do? Before anything else could be done, I heard the door creak open and grabbed a cloth and one of the buckets of water laying just outside.
In a hurry, I set to work quietly. "Cleaning it? Did it eat?" I nodded slightly in response, avoiding looking at the man behind me. "Well, get out and let me see it." I did as asked, glad he wasn't yanking me out forcefully like what would've happened with most others. I stood beside him, looking at my dirty feet sadly. It was so magical in there, but it's already over. Another set of footsteps echoed in my ears as they approached.
"Hey, 42, explain why it still looks filthy. You doing your job properly or not?!" It's him...the one I accidentally made mad.
"How much did it eat?"
I took a ragged breath. "Two pieces." The frown he showed afterward made me freeze up.
Just as expected, the other guy smacked the back of my head. "You've displeased him!" I took it quietly, but this only riled him even further. "Don't act so tough!" Unexpectedly, he gripped my hair and yanked my head back, forcing me to look up at the dragoness. "Look at what you did!" He shook me a bit, then started to lift me off the ground by my hair. I bit my lip to keep back the scream. The older man didn't care at all. In fact, he looked pleased. As he let me dangle there, my feet not touching the ground, I ended up biting so hard I started to bleed. The dragon's nostrils flared and her attention was on us the instant the drip hit the dirt. She started growling, glaring at the guy who was hurting me. "Oh? Does his blood smell tasty or something?" The two men exchanged glances.
"Time for the next experiment. Toss him in."
"Gladly." I was afraid immediately, but when I looked at her, I felt like I would be safer in the cage with her than out here. With great force, he threw me in through the bars. I slammed into the metal, scraping my shoulder, hip, and knee upon impact. Her cloudy eyes remained on them throughout. "Huh, didn't work."
"Very well. Retrieve the slave and try something else. Maybe he wasn't bleeding enough." Now true fear set in as they came up to me. When he reached to get me, the moment his fingers touched my leg, the dragoness growled louder before letting out a shrieking roar. She sounded more like a banshee than a dragon, but she'd still startled them. "It's only noise. Grab him and put him in his cell." The other creatures there had become restless after her roar, causing their own havoc. In the end, they managed to pull me out, dragging me away. Wait! No! I want to know why! Why did she do that for me?! Before I could even hope to get answers, I'd already been locked up.
"Hmph, if it was up to me, your treatment would be much worse." I know that. My wounds stung and bled for a while. The cold air of the door being opened felt nice against them. I leaned back and stared at the ceiling, going over what I'd found today. Those voices...it was only one person speaking, not multiple. This mindset I've developed after today isn't suitable for a slave. I'll be punished for it. Just what is going to happen from here on out?
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