Chapter 580: Benefits
No one could have foreseen this ending as this was suppose to be a blood bath, especially since the last few matches were more skills oriented. Sure, people had died, but it wasn’t overly gory. In truth, there shouldn’t have been as many monsters as there were, but because they were on a time crunch, they added more to not only make things more flashy, but to make it end faster.
Due to all this, there was no one who considered that someone might actually be able to survive the massacre. But Laz had done just that. And what’s more, he was injured, bloody, cripple and yet somehow had survived.
Now there was just one more test for him to endure.
The Emperor stood as the cheers of the crowd quieted.
Laz’s fate was now to be determined by this man, whether he would live or die for his performance. If it was acceptable, he would be rewarded and live. If it wasn’t, then he would be killed even after surviving the beasts.
The Emperor looks across the eyes of the crowd, scanning them before holding his hand outward.
Cheers erupted as the emperor gave his approval before sitting down.
In truth, he couldn’t care less. But his dark haired daughter had told him she was interesting in that man and therefore wanted him to live.
In truth, his blonde haired daughter was also interested, but she wouldn’t tell that to her father. Her record with men had been less than stellar and he might have just offed him to make it so he wouldn’t have any headaches later on. Although her interest in him wasn’t at the point of liking him yet. Instead, it was because after seeing his performance, she was now curious.
Several men appeared on the floor to ’escort’ Laz back to be treated and to also relieve him of his weapons since having an armed slave was dangerous.
As for Laz, he didn’t fight, instead he just turned his head slightly to look at the still scared beasts, only for a few of the feline like creatures to wet themselves.
Once back in a cell without weapons, several doctors gathered around Laz, using energy to heal him.
’Seems like it’s not just a rehash of ancient times,’ Laz thought as he felt the energy rushing though his body, targeting the wounds and speeding up the recovery process. Laz had to admit they were quite skilled as he felt his skin knit itself back together while the areas were flushed with energy, removing any and all foreign contaminates, something doctors from the past wouldn’t have known about, much less done something about.
When they were done, the head doctor, a man of grey skin and white hair, spoke,
"While this heals the body, the blood loss is something only you can do on your own so take it easy for a while until then. If you feel light headed or get sick or dizzy while moving, slow down a bit and tell a guard. They will know to bring you extra food to help. Good work young man. You survived an almost impossible situation with all your limbs intact. I can honestly say in my many years of healing, this is a first," the kindly old man said, patting Laz on the shoulder as he and the others walked out, leaving Laz alone.
While he was in a cell, the amenities were much nicer than the straw cot he had to sleep on before. There was a shower area with real running water along with an actual bed, allowing him a chance to clean up before he rested. There was also a lack of guards in the area, meaning he had some privacy as well.
Getting up, Laz got into the shower to wash off the blood.
’Fuck. Yeah. Cold water only,’ Laz thought as he felt the ice cold water wash over his skin. What’s more, there wasn’t any soap either so it was only after a period of vigorous scrubbing that he felt somewhat clean again.
Getting out of the running water, Laz did had a towel to dry himself off along with some fresh clothing.
After that, he laid down on the comfy bed and figured he would just sleep until something else happened, but he didn’t have to wait long.
A guard came by shortly after he closed his eyes and escorted three girls into his room. One had blonde hair and slightly tanned skin, but was also skinny and obviously skinny. Another was a brown haired woman who seemed a bit more mature than the other three, but again she looked pretty worn down and slightly limped. The last girl had dark skin and seemed quite young while also being the healthiest of the three.
Hearing them enter, Laz sat up and watched for a moment without showing an expression.
"You may choose one to spend the rest of the day with. Later on tonight, food will be brough to your room and in the morning, you will be brought back to the common area," the guard said, waiting for his choice.
"Yeah. I’m good. Bring them away. I just want some sleep," Laz said, laying back down and closing his eyes. The first two girls didn’t seem to care and turned, waiting for the door to be opened. The dark skinned girl, on the other hand, stepped forward.
"Please, m’lord. If I might offer my services. Perhaps just a massage would bring you some ease?" The young woman said, as the guard walked over to her to grab her.
"Sigh. It’s fine. I could use a massage while I sleep. My back has been killing me," Laz said, making a small joke.
The guard didn’t say anything in return and just let the woman go before walking back to escort the other two woman out.
Once they were gone, Laz opened his eyes again to see the woman there, looking obviously nervous.
"So are you going to massage me or what?" Laz asked, wondering what her real reason was by wanting to stay here since, in his mind at least, they would be happier to had been spared having to be service the champions in whatever sick way they wanted.
Laz had heard about it before. A champion is allowed the right to pick a woman for the night and whatever happens, happens. Even if she dies, he won’t be punished since the winners are treated like small kings in this iron prison, especially those who win the emperor’s favor.
But Laz had no desire for that as he didn’t want things getting messy during his short stay in this world. Sure, he had made some mistakes last time in the Fae realm he had visited, but when it was all over Laz had figured out how badly things could have gone and decided he would be more careful. There was also another glaring issue as these women didn’t look healthy in the slightest. Nora had once told him that his body would kill almost any disease it came into contact with, but he didn’t want to take that bet.
The most important reason was because he really was just tired right now.
The dark skinned woman stood there, looking at Laz laying on the bed without moving a muscle before taking a few unsure steps and ending up at his side. Even once there, she had no idea what to do.
"If you’re just going to stand there, you might as well leave. I need some rest and you’re not helping that," Laz said, not even opening his eyes. He was watching her though since he didn’t know what to expect. There was something off about her being with the other two for one very simple reason, she was was more beautiful and youthful than the other two. Laz didn’t know why anyone would choose one of the others when this girl was included too. On top of that, she openly asked to stay even when he had declined all three of them, making him become more suspicious.
"Can I.." She started, but trailed off.
"What?" Laz asked.
"Can I lay down with you?" She finally asked, although barely in a whisper.
"Lay in front of me. If you do anything suspicious, I’ll kill you. I would also not recommend trying anything while I’m sleeping as my natural instincts would be to attack you as I wake if I feel threatened. Take that however you want but don’t say I didn’t warn you," Laz said before turning over on his side so that she could crawl in next to him.
The young woman, to Laz’s surprise, did just that. Laz had expected her to attack, once she got within range, but she just slid in the bed next to him and laid with her back to him, the lower part of her robe ridding up a bit but she quickly adjusted it.
As they both lay there, Laz felt sleep was coming for him, but he fought it off. Just as he was deciding she wasn’t a threat, she suddenly made a sound, once that took Laz a moment to process. Hearing her, Laz finally had more of an idea of what was happening. Reaching over, he draped his arm over her and pulled her close as she stifled a scream.
Just as she tried to say something to him, she could hear his even breathing and felt his body go relaxed and she knew he was asleep.
She couldn’t do anything else for the moment, other than wiping away her tears.
