Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

"When will that damnable bitch give up!" A handsome elf by the name of Itorin slammed his fist onto his desk.

The Gray Wolf woman they brought in had won every single fight since her arrival. They even put her in ten fights in a single day, but still she endured. Seteste did not frequently receive pure-blooded beastmen as slaves, so Itorin was quick to blame her stamina on her race. However, the handful of pure beastmen still broke long before this one.

Even attempts at humiliation did not work. First, they chose an awful fighter name for her. Then they gave her skimpier and skimpier armor. For one fight they went the opposite direction and outfitted her in full plate mail despite her fighting style relying on quick movements.

Still, she endured, winning every fight with a smile on her face. The only thing they had left was to throw her against a stronger opponent like an Advance Ranker or Master. The woman was only an Intermediate Ranker, and they had plenty of those. Even though they could easily break her with stronger opponents, it would create a problem with betting.

All bets would be on the stronger opponents, and the payouts would be tiny. Eventually, any fight with the wolf would bring in fewer and fewer bets, and then the actual audience could dwindle.

Itorin chewed on his fingernail as he tried to figure out the magical solution to everything, but nothing came to mind. While he was muddling through his thoughts, a light knock came from the door to his office.

"Enter."

A woman with a small frame, covered head to toe in dark armor and clothing, stepped into the room. Her face was hidden behind a strange veil. Other than her exceptionally dark clothing, something else about her stood out. From her shoulder down, her right arm was missing. In its place was a metal prosthetic implanted with a handful of crystals around the joints.

"How's the dog?" The woman questioned.

"Fighting better than I thought. You weren't kidding when you said she was a talented warrior. I find myself wondering how you managed to capture her as easily as you proclaim." Itorin sighed.

The woman in front of him was an Advance Ranker at the precipice of Master. Even with her being stronger than Kalliope, the woman would still have put up a pretty mean fight. However, the person in front of him had shared with his men that she was an easy grab.

A metal creaking sound came from her legs as she sat down in the chair across from his desk. It seemed that one of her legs was also a prosthetic, though she didn't walk as though it was. She must have dealt with the issue for many years to be able to walk with such normalcy.

"How much money has she brought in? Do I not get a cut of her first week as a finder's fee?"

"Ah, yes, that…" Itorin tossed a bag onto the desk with a loud thud. One thing he could not complain about the woman was that she made him a good amount of coin.

The woman in black said nothing and simply tied the pouch to her belt without bothering to weigh or count it. With a groan of protest from her metal leg, she stood to leave.

"By the way," She said without turning around, "You may break her, tame her, mutilate, or maim her; but under no circumstance are you allowed to kill her. Our plans include using her to draw in bigger prey."

After saying that, the woman disappeared through the door, leaving Itorin to his thoughts once again.

"What a mess! Who is it that she wants to pull in? It couldn't be that 'Titan' fellow, could it?" He muttered before opening his eyes wide. "Wait a goddamn second! Is she trying to pull that walking harbinger of chaos here? Gah, it's no matter.

We have at least twenty or more Master Rankers on standby at a moment's notice. I doubt even he could get through that."

*****

Ethi gently wrapped some gauze around a handful of cuts and gashes on Kalliope's arm. She had been taking care of her cellmate to the best of her ability with the piddly amount of materials they were given.

While it seemed they were trying to break her, for some reason, they wanted to keep her alive. None of the supplies they were given amounted to much. It was barely enough to close or cover wounds. They also limited the amount of food they received.

Ethi tried to give her portion to Kalliope several times, but the hard headed woman refused to eat it. Rather than let it rot, Ethi ended up eating her own portion in the end, but not without letting her roommate hear her grumbles of complaint.

"How many fights have you fought now?" She asked Kalliope.

"I've only won a handful. I guess more like two handfuls!" Kalliope laughed as she held up all ten fingers.

Ethi couldn't resist smiling at her antics. Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Kalliope continued to keep a positive attitude about the entire thing. She was starting to wonder if Kalliope was all there in the head or if she was really enjoying all this excessive fighting.

"Hey, I heard from one of the other fighters that there's going to be a tournament soon." Kalliope informed her with a twinge of excitement. "Supposedly, everyone is going to get to participate, and it's going to be a knockout-style tournament. Non-stop fighting until you're beaten unconscious!"

Ethi gave her a tired smile. She had heard that the manager of the fights had made a claim to 'break' the wolf with fighting, but it seemed he chose the wrong way to go about it. She could not help but wonder if the man was tearing his hair out over the woman already.

"Is that so?"

"Yes! I wonder if I will win. Maybe they will put me up against…"

Kalliope stopped talking and then sniffed in the air. Something had caught her attention. Before Ethi could open her mouth to form a question, Kalliope put a finger to her lips and cocked her head to the side. Then she walked over to the bars of the cell and pointed her ears down each hallway in turn while continuing to sniff at the air.

"Who is that?" Kalliope mumbled. "I think it's the person that captured me. What are they doing all the way out here? Are they checking up on me?"

"I hear that there is a finder's fee. A portion of your proceeds goes to the person who sold you to the fights."

"Hmm… is that so?" Kalliope still looked confused and spent the next few hours looking and listening down the halls. The fights were over for the night, but the woman insisted on staying near the bars all night and even fell asleep on the floor.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Ethi wondered why this person had her interest so much. In the end, she chalked it up to a pride issue among beastmen.