Woohoo! longest chapter yet! Well, now Fox and Krystal are about to go their own ways, Fox with Fay and Krystal with Trazyn. Some freaky stuff is going to start happening and the plot is going to thicken. Next Chapter will be the longest one yet and will involve Slippy and Co. heading to Charon to find wolf, wherever he is, and well see what they find there. For now, enjoy another Krystal and Trazyn Adventure, and a little ending blurb about Fox and Fay's fate.

For those wondering, one part of these chapters will always dominate the other, especially when we're talking about Fox and Krystal chapters. Sometimes Fox and Fay will get more attention, and sometimes Krystal and Trazyn will get more attention.

Please review and leave constructive criticism.

The following few days had been remarkably calm yet stressful on Krystal's end. While she was able to contact Fay, she hadn't been able to connect with Fox, maybe due to exhaustion. Worse still, their auras had gone dark yesterday, and Krystal hadn't been able to get a straight answer out of Trazyn.

Speaking of Trazyn, he had been keeping her locked in her room, under guard twenty four seven, only releasing her to use the restroom. Apparently, it was because of growing hostilities between him and his fellow Justicars and the slavers who owned the ship. She was valuable, he said, and he couldn't lose her. He or one of his comrades would bring her food and fresh clothing, given privacy, but she was kept separated from the rest of the fleet.

At this point, Krystal was beginning to become claustrophobic. Nobody would tell her where they were going or why, but she did infer that it was their homeworld. Wherever they were. Several of them told her she was going home. But that didn't make sense: Cerenian was destroyed years ago. So it had to be their home.

At first, Trazyn had tried to keep her company when he could, an hour here, a few minutes there, but she had become more and more confrontational, demanding to know where her friends were. His answer was always the same: that wasn't his jurisdiction. Like her friends were nothing more than paperwork and red tape. She wondered of this was such a common occurrence that he had become desensitized or he simply didn't care. So he had been coming to visit here less and less.

Today she was wearing a dark blue dress with a silver brooch connecting each shoulder strap firmly. She had been offered simple jewelry but she had denied it. Why did she need to wear jewelry? Nobody was going to see her. She was trapped in here like a caged bird, in the alien equivalent of house arrest.

What interested her more was Trazyn himself. She wanted to know his motives, why he was taking her to their homeworld. She couldn't get him to be honest with her, something that she could sense with her powers. But beyond basic emotions and a few wandering strings of thought, Trazyn's mind was like a steel trap. Even if her psychic powers were returning, they were incredibly weak. Whatever Trazyn had done to her had damaged her mind in a fundamental way, and would take a long time to heal. She still had occasional headaches and fatigue, and oftentimes she had been to in pain or exhausted to try and escape.

The locks on the door released with a hiss and it opened, letting Trazyn in. He closed and locked the door again, before sitting down next to her on the bed, his heavy armor causing a deep indent on the bed to form. She gave him a dirty look before curling up underneath the covers again. He placed a hand on her shoulder but she shook it off.

"Take off that stupid armor."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

She groaned and buried herself under the covers. He leaned forward and interlocked his fingers, thinking. He stayed like that for a while before sitting up again and placed a had on her form outlined by the covers.

"We will be home by tomorrow."

"Its not my home. You took me from my home."

"That ship was not your home, and those mercenaries were not your family."

Krystal threw off the covers and punched Trazyn square in the jaw, only to remember that he was wearing a very heavy metal helmet. She almost broke her hand, and she clutched her fingers in pain. Trazyn shook his head before standing up.

"This is why I didn't take off my armor. I can be as honest as I need to be with you."

"You weren't speaking the truth, you were just being a dick."

"Please don't compare me to a phallic object."

She buried her head in a pillow, but Trazyn picked her up out of bed and held her in front of him with herculean strength.

"You need to get those foolish ideas of those mercenaries being your family out of your head. You were useful to them, nothing more."

"Pot, meet kettle."

"Unlike your 'friends' I have been completely honest with you, you just prefer to believe what they tell you."

"You haven't shown me your face. I don't even know who you are."

"My face is of no importance to you. You know my name, and you know where you are going. That is more than most know."

Krystal was silent. Trazyn got up to leave, but Krystal followed him. He stopped her, and she gave him an intense stare, attempting to search through the mind behind that helmet. As always, his mind was impervious.

"Why won't you show me your face? Just your face, a name means nothing."

"A name can mean a lot of things."

"Stop avoiding this. Why won't you show me your face?"

Trazyn sighed and lifted his hands up to the bottom of his helmet, releasing the pneumatic locks. Krystal stared at him in curiosity as he lifted off his helmet to reveal his face.

He was a Cerenian. A blue furred, emerald eyed, living Cerenian. His jaw was angular and strong, his eyes harsh and his fur cut short but still far less intimidating than the helmet obscuring his mortality. Without his helmet, he seemed less like a captor and more like another person.

Krystal sat down. Her head was spinning. Her mother told her her people died with their planet, and she wouldn't lie to her, would she? Her entire worldview was falling apart right in front of her. She always pushed the thoughts about Trazyn's odd powers into the back of her mind, hiding them so as to not think about them. Now that her suspicions were confirmed, those thoughts became sharper and more direct. Her mother was wrong. She couldn't believe her mother had lied. Why would she? Krystal was attempting to drown out the possibility that her mother wasn't as honest as Krystal wanted her to be.

But Trazyn was living, breathing proof that her people were still alive, at least beyond just Krystal.

But was he really a Cerenian? Behind that blue fur and that sleek black armor was an often cruel and indifferent warrior who wouldn't hesitate to kill. He wasn't what her people had aspired to be, a people of peaceful and nomadic traditions and mystic beliefs in the living world around them.

Her kind was saved, but what were her people now because of it? She remembered what she told Fox, about how she would rather have her people dead than changed. But she was only able to accept that, or at least force herself to move on and stop holding onto her past after years of nightmares and regret. Now, with the prospect that her people were still alive resurfacing, and not just out of denial, she was starting to change her perspective of the whole situation.

Maybe it was just a side effect of her being so alone on this ship. The Justicars kept her isolated, and beyond just a few empathetic moments Trazyn would share with her, the people who would enter her room were cold and dismissive, often ignoring her.

"How many.", Krystal said with baited breath.

"Pardon?", asked Trazyn, his voice clearer and much warmer without the awful helmet on his head.

Krystal stood up, approaching Trazyn. "How many are still alive."

"Oh, you mean how many Cerenians survived Cerenia's destruction? If I would have to guess, the evacuation logs stated somewhere between ten and twelve million were able to escape before Andross ravaged the surface with his neutron blast, rendering it uninhabitable and destroying all complex life. There are about twenty million now."

Krystal collapsed into his arms, tears streaming from her eyes. He was surprised at first, but he wrapped his arms around her and tried his best to comfort her. He was still wearing his armor, so the embrace felt empty, but Krystal had all but crumbled out of relief, like a weight on her shoulders lifted and the walls that weight held together with such intense pressure and the walls disintegrated like dust left in the wind.

"Where are they now? Where is home."

"The moon of the gas giant Arithloples. It was named Ceron by the survivors; like Ceria, but different. It had an atmosphere, three large oceans and was already sustaining simple life. The Ecclesiarchy built a city there, a city ruled by the Justicars until the heir returned."

Krystal looked into Trazyn's eyes, putting the pieces together. "Who is the heir?"

Trazyn shook his head. "Your mother truly kept you ignorant, didn't she? I'm not surprised. Your mother was queen of the Cerenian people, and you are the heir to the Cerenian people."

Krystal was mesmerized by this. Cerenians didn't have a king or a queen, they were a collection of tribes.

Or at least that's what her mother had told her. But what her mother told her all those years ago didn't really mean much now. It was unreliable, that was the nice, hopeful way to put it.

"My people aren't owned by anyone."

Trazyn didn't respond, but instead set her back onto the bed. He put his helmet back on and was preparing to leave before the door burst open, another Justicar in similar armor and wielding a large rifle entered and closed the door in a hurry before turning to Trazyn.

"Commander, the Entire clan has become hostile. We must evacuate now before we are overrun!"

"What?! Do they know the consequences of their actions?"

The Justicar nodded his head. "It's as if they've gone mad! Corporal Yverin sent me to fetch you so we could escape. I've lost contact with him since then."

Trazyn nodded and grabbed Krystal by the arm tightly. He turned to her and the cold and duty bound Trazyn returned. "We are leaving. You will do as I say or you will die- or worse."

"Leaving to where?"

"We are still in the Orbit of Hesperiidae. We may not have our own temple ship, but our transport craft are still in the hanger of the flagship. Justicar, do we have strike craft aboard this ship?"

"Some, commander, but not enough to distract all of the enemy strike craft."

"Then our wits will have to fill the gaps." He yanked Krystals arm as if to let her know it was time to go and the Justicar opened the door, only to be mulched by several beams from the energy rifles she had seen on the command deck. Trazyn grunted and cursed ferociously before using the parallel wall as cover, firing his pistol into the swarm of enemies while Krystal stood frozen and terrified, her stomach churning from the body of the young soldier that was just killed.

Trazyn, ever the improviser, summoned another translucent blue field to act as a riot shield. He yanked Krystal behind him before charging out the door, firing at every enemy he saw. Several surprised avians were turned to giblets as his explosive shells impacted with their torsos. Several tried to charge at him with affixed bayonets, but Trazyn returned his empty pistol back into his holster in a lightning quick motion before extending his free hand and focusing. A small cone of what seemed to be black and blue fire burst forth from his hand, engulfing the hostiles and rapidly turning them to ash. Krystal hadn't seen psychic power used to manipulate the material world before, but then again she was as clueless as people could be, so maybe it was just another thing her mother hid from her.

The numbers of the avians were rapidly shrinking, and whatever fervor possessed them to attack Trazyn in the first place was dwindling. They began to retreat into the narrow halls of the ship, squawking and barking in their barbaric language possibly summoning backup. Trazyn picked up Krystal bridal style, before rushing down the main hall, his eyes scanning for more threats.

"Put me down, I'm not helpless.", Krystal struggled against his iron-hard grip, before Trazyn growled and squeezed her as hard as he could to stum her. "You will stop squirming like a child and behave, or I will render you unconscious."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Trazyn balled up his fist, and Krystal realized that he was completely serious. It seemed that duty came before common decency with him.

"At least let me help you! I'm not useless. I've fought before"

"Behind a cockpit? Maybe. You are not fit for close combat yet. Your psychic powers are limited and restrained from the injuries you attained during your capture, and unlike the foolish and underwhelming criminals you may have hunted with your ragtag team of misfits, the warriors of the Bloodied Talon are not to be underestimated. They are feared and skilled warriors for hire with a history of victories against insurmountable odds."

Several more avain warriors jumped from the railing above them, each with their claws extended like knives. Trazyn drew his dirk and slashed the throat of one before it could even commit to its first strike. The second lunged only to be dodged and have it's head crushed by Trazyn's boot as it attempted to reach for his ankle. The third sliced at Trazyn, only to cut open Krystal's cheek with a lucky strike. Trazyn shoved his dirk into its kneck, releasing it as it clawed at its gutted throat and kicked the bird into the wall. He set Krystal down, pulled out another knife and ignited more flames in his other hand as a swarm of warriors encircled them. One stood out among the rest, a taller, more muscular Avian dressed in the combat armor of a blood shriek, its feathers painted in interwoven patterns of crimson and black.

"You smell of taint, scum. Your mind is corrupted." Trazyn snarled at the leader of the avian warriors. The leader merely chuckled.

"Only granted clarity, Justicar. Your doom will serve many purposes."

"A shame your plans will be undone here. Luckily, you won't be alive to see that happen."

"We shall see."

The commander's hands erupted into swathes of green fire, and Trazyn raised another shield, the fire slamming into the energy barrier like an avalanche. Trazyn ignited his own blue flames, using them to keep the enemy commander at a distance. Krystal could sense the vast release of psychic energy into the air, as if she was swimming through maple syrup. She didn't know how either of them could output such energy without collapsing. The energy was so dense that you could cut it with a knife.

Another clash of flames caused another massive wave of energy, forcing many of the lesser warriors back, lest they become incapacitated like Krystal. Trazyn used the flames as a distraction to dart through them like a smokescreen, his armor absorbing the leftover ambient heat, and slam his open palm together, creating a Shockwave that shook the entire hall. The enemy commander was forced back, his clawed feet scraping across the metal floor as he struggled to balance himself. Trazyn's armor was superheated, smoke steam sputtering from its surface, some of the paint peeling off of the pauldrons, but he didnt notice.

"You are more skilled than I could imagine, Justicar. It is exhilarating, I can almost taste your soul sputtering and crackling like jolts of energy from your very being."

"So, my assumption was correct: you were a lichtor. Why have you infiltrated this fleet?"

The commander let out an inhuman cackle, like jagged metal scraping against concrete. His eyes were a sick green cor and his skin and feathers were beginning to lose their lifelike sheen. It was almost as if Trazyn was fighting a ghoul rather than a living creature.

"The answer is obvious; my master wishes for the girl, and his wish is my command."

"Then he shall be disappointed." Trazyn drew another knife from his seemingly unending supply and threw it at the lichtor, who dodged and ignited more flames. Trazyn formed a barrier around him and Krystal to prevent any of the wicked creature's minions from attempting to take her in the confusion.

"You will stay here."

Krystal could only nod as Trazyn deflected another wave of green fire before lunging at the Lichtor with the knife he had retrieved from the floor. The Lichtor swiped at Trazyn with his claws extended, only for them to scrape off of his armor. Trazyn's metal coated shoulder impacted with the creature's beak, crushing it into a bloody mess. The Lichtor gurgled in pain and rage as Trazyn lifted up the Lichtor's head, gripping it like a baseball. The Lichtor ignited more flames, but the pain was distracting, leading the flames to be weaker and less potent.

"You and your fellow vile, monstrous abominations will never lay a hand in her. Me and my brothers are a shield that will ward your kind from gnawing at the glory of this empire. We have for a thousand years and we shall do so for a thousand more."

The Lichtor attempted to wrestle out of Trazyn's iron hard grip, but Trazyn simply gutted the creature with abject cruelty, causing him to spasm.

"Your empire… is only another delay… to ascension." The Lichtor sputtered out the words with flecks of blood spilling fourth.

"Your ascension is your doom. You are nothing but a corpse"

And with that, Trazyn slammed the head of the Lichtor into the metal floor, crushing it like a melon. The moment the Lichtor died, the surrounding warriors went berserk, charging at Trazyn with no regard to their own wellbeing. To Krystal's horror, the piled onto him, aws extended, attempting to tear off his armor and kill him.

But before they could make any progress, a supernova of blue flames erupted fourth from the dog pile, incinerating everything in the vicinity. The flames locked across the shield protecting Krystal, draining it of its energy. Before her shield gave out, the flames receded, sinking back into Trazyn's palms as he knelt onto the floor, heaving for air behind his helmet. He pulled it off, and it showed Krystal truly how drained he was.

Blood dripped from the socket of his right eye and out of his ears. His eyes were bloodshot and dilated, and he could barely stand. After a few moments, he regained his composure, limping over to Krystal before disabling the shield and lifting her up in his arms. His movements were Jerry and lethargic, as if the armor was weighing him down.

"I can walk, Trazyn. Don't torture yourself."

"Shut up."

"Trazyn, you're half dead, just let me walk-"

He took hold of her chin with a new vigor, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"I have no patience for your childish games. I have enough problems, so shut your mouth before I strike you so hard you concuss. I am not above rendering you unconscious."

Krystal remained silent as he opened the door to an elevator leading to the hanger bay. He set her down, and leaned against the wall for support, still breathing heavily.

"What happened? Why are you so drained?"

He growled in irritation and didn't answer. Krystal merely narrowed her eyes. "You don't have to be so hostile, I'm just concerned."

"If you really wish to know, I overexerted myself against the Lichtor. His powers were nothing to scoff at, and every action I took required some psychic energy. My armor is powered by my own ambient psychic energy, as are many of the weapons I use. Depending on how much energy I pour into this armor, I can deliver more powerful strikes and resist more damage. To break the Lichtor's defenses, I had to deplete my reserve."

"But you are a warrior, a commander! Haven't you trained for a very long time?"

"I can assure you that the Lichtor has trained far longer. Beyond that, I haven't faced an enemy of his caliber in years, nor was I mentally or physically prepared to fight one today. If I had, I would've brought a more powerful weapon instead of relying on raw output."

Krystal held her legs to her chest and buried her face into her knees. "Thank you, for saving me. From that… thing. But what was that? Why did it want me?"

"It was a Lichtor, an agent of subterfuge serving the Conclave. They are masters of illusion and disguise, often posing as leaders of their enemies to control the outcomes of missions and operations. They twist the minds of those around them, slowly but effectively, eventually rendering braindead husks fulfilling the orders of their masters. As for why you? I don't want to know. Very little is known about the Conclave, who they are, what their motives are, we don't even know where they are located. But this is dire news indeed. Once we reach Ceron, I will contact the ecclesiarchy to inform them of this taint and it will be investigated by qualified individuals."

The door opened, revealing a Hanger that had seen extensive combat. Countless bodies of Bloodied Talon warriors layed strewn across the floor, filled with holes. Closet a hundred Justicars in similar black armor patrolled and guarded the hanger, waiting for their leader to arrive. A sentry spotted Trazyn and Krystal and saluted by raising an open palm to his chest. Trazyn simply nodded and the sentey eased.

"Sir, Sergeant Calphalon requested your presence. He wants to go over the escape plan with you before the transports launch to Hesperiidae."

"Oh course, as you were Corporal."

The Justicar resumed guarding the door as Trazyn dragged Krystal down the hanger bay and towards a hastily set command post. Arcane communications equipment were set up around the mess of tables along with several holograms of Hesperiidae itself, which seemed similar to Corneria. The Sergeant had his helmet off, revealing a battle scarred visage and an ever present frown. When he spotted Trazyn, the frown seemed to loft a little bit.

"I'm glad you and our objective are alive, Commander. I wish I could say that we reached the rendezvous scott free, but we lost at least fifteen Justicars to the swarm of Bloodied Talon warriors."

Trazyn sat, his fingers interlocked. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, Sergeant, but the recruit Yverin sent to warn me was killed in action, and I believe Yverin was as well, he's failed to respond to any hails."

The Sergeant sighed, almost with a hint of grief. "I was afraid of as much. But you and the girl are still alive and that's what counts. Back to business; We've mostly cleared out the flagship. What we are really worried about is any support brought by the two cruisers meant to guard the flagship. The slave freighters aren't of any concern, they're unarmed. So that leaves the carrier contingents of the two cruisers and the point defenses of the frigates.".

Trazyn placed an armored finger on one of the holograms, switching from a detailed outline of Hesperiidae to a makeup of the Fleet. "We can avoid the latter, the former will be our greatest risk. We only have twenty or so interceptors, so the best they can do is cover our retreat. Luckily, the transports are fast and armed, and possess achieved countermeasures. I say if we use the automated anti-aircraft guns on the flagship, we may be able to distract the enemy long enough to have our transports escape. If we use them to fortify our interceptors, that is."

"And your psychic powers, commander? You are skilled enough in mental manipulation. Could you have the enemy strike fighters turn on each other?"

Trazyn shook his head. "No. My psychic reserves are drained from misuse. There is no time to explain, but suffice to say this isn't just a case of traitorous mercenaries."

The Sergeant nodded and went to gather his men and communicate the plan. Trazyn gestured to Krystal to sit down. She did and hebput a hand on her shoulder. "When we reach Hesperiidae, we will be undercover for a few days until a sufficient temple fleet from Ceron arrives to secure the planet and combat the corrupted Bloodied Talon fleet. Until then, I'm going to need you to cooperate. When we are safe, I'll tell you as much as I know about our people and what happened, I promise. I know I haven't been the most hospitable, but I've been struggling to keep the mercenaries from turning on us, which with the full context was a fruitless endeavor."

"It's hard to believe we are the same species.", Krystal whispered. "Where are my friends."

"I stopped monitoring the stock of the slave ships once hostilities were imminent. Suffice to say, it is likely they were sold in the cities below us."

Krystal buried her head in her hands, tears rolling down her palms as Trazyn enveloped her in an embrace. "I'm sorry, you know. I really am. But you were my priority. You are far more important than you think."

"I doubt that.", she replied.

"You'll see. And once everything is sorted out, and once you claim the throne of Ceron, you can purchase and free your friends. You will be spectacularly wealthy."

Krystal wiped her eyes and nodded. Trazyn released her from his embrace and softly held her by her cheeks. "Just promise me you will help me do my job and keep you safe."

Krystal nodded again and hugged Trazyn around his neck, to Trazyn's surprise. He softly returned the embrace around her waist as dropships began to turn on, their engines whirring with power. He stood up and took her hand. "Come on, this is going to be a bumpy ride."

Fox coughed up the dust that was swirling around him as he was dumped onto the ground in front of a large manor complex, the reptilian holding both him and Fay onto the ground with unbelievable strength. The seemingly feminine Avian eyed them both apathetically as she walked in front of them, standing tall in front of her two new prizes.

"So, welcome to my home, the Ludus, your new home as well. You will live, work and die here. You best accustom quickly or things will be very hard for you."

"You… you speak Cornerian?"

The avian shook her head in an almost chastising way, as if her body language was saying what a stupid question. "Translation software in the chips in the back of your head. No more questions."

She nodded to the reptilian, who forced more pressure on their backs. Fox and Fay grunted from the pressure, the air being forced out of their lungs.

"Good, I see we are cooperating. Since you are a married couple, you will sleep and live in the same quarters and work the same hours. You will work twelve hours a day, and have twelve hours to yourself for sleeping or whatever carnal activities you wish to partake in. I do not care in the slightest what you do in your free time as long as you follow the rules and you complete your allocated tasks. Am I clear?"

"Crystal.", Fox gasped.

"Good, Asuranji, take the Fox to the yard. Break him in. I'll take the Spaniel to her quarters to prepare her for her tasks. Make sure he gets the memo."

Asuranji nodded and lifted Fox up violently by the scruff, dragging him across the dusty ground towards what seemed to be an exercise yard at first, but he quickly realized it was a training ring. Palus dummies and lifting weights were strewn about in a semi-organized fashion, and several slaves were sparring as the sun began to set.

"Where… where am I? What is this place; what the hell is a Ludus?"

The Asuranji chuckled. "You will be a gladiator, meat. Welcome to a life of blood and greed."

Fox's eyes widened as the Reptilian laughed at his bewildered expression. They reached the doors to the training yard, and Asuranji threw him in, before entering and locking the doors behind him. The slaves took notice of Fox. There were at least four, all muscular and defined in their own ways and wearing a similar collar to Asuranji's Around their necks. One was a tall, older Bulldog, scars all over his body and a chipped axe hefted over his shoulder. His armor was simple and revealing: to straps across his chest and a skirt of leather straps across his waste.

Another slave, a large cat-like creature with two eyes and a set of razor sharp fangs protruding from its maw like knives. It licked its chops hungrily as Fox shivered from it's barbaric expression. It wore a set of metal plates across it's chest, a leather skirt and a large sword across its back.

Another looked like a wingless bat, with gnarled teeth poking from its lips and a gruesome, pig-like nose dominating its face. It was holding a mace in one hand, a shield in the other, and it didn't wear any armor, just a leather skirt. Its eyes were bloodshot as if it was addicted to something. Its arms were spindly but muscular, and its legs were long and inverted, ending in two hefty hooves like those of a goat. Fox was sure those hooves could crush his head like a melon with ease.

The final smaller than the rest, the same height as Fox, and was lithe, but still far more muscular than Fox. It held a spear in one hand and a net in the other and it wore just another simple skirt. It looked similar to an otter at first, but it's head was flat, with a nose reminiscent of a dark cherry. It's two eyes were brown and its fur was long and scruffy, as if it was out of place. Two long ears protruded from the back of its head, constantly twitching.

"Alright, meat; We're going to see how tough you are, and we're going to start from the bottom. Acau, you start!"

The short and scruffy mammal stepped forward, dropping its weapons. Asuranji tossed Fox forward, letting him stumble into Acau's fist. Fox stumbled back again with a bloodied nose as Acau slugged him in the gut before picking him up by his waist and crotch and slamming him on the hard earth, expelling the air from his lungs. Fox coughed up more dust as Acau stood over him, waiting for him to get up. Fox tried to stand again, but Acau planted his padded foot into his ribs, causing the semi-healed bones to flare in pain and forcing a small grunt out of Fox before he dry-heaved.

"Pathetic. If Acau can beat you with brute strength then you are useless to me. I'll have to break you then."

Fox let out a quiet 'what?' Under his breath before Asuranji picked him up and slammed him onto the ground as the crowd watched him suffer.

"I am going to put you through hell and you will come out stronger for it, worm. Pick up a boulder, and if you drop it I will personally flay you alive!"

Fox stumbled to one of the large rocks in the corner and heaved one up: it had to weigh at least seventy pounds, and Fox could barely walk while carrying it. But Asuranji didn't care; he forced Fox out the gates and in a path to a large hill in the distance.

"You think sparring is hell, wait until you're done here, you'll be begging to spar.", and Fox didn't doubt him. He already felt bile building up in his throat. Asuranji was right behind him, shouting obscenities like a drill sergeant, knife in hand. Fox kept hold of the Boulder on his lap as he began to lose his grip on the smooth rock. Then he couldn't help it; he dropped the Boulder and bent over, breathing heavily. Asuranji instantaneously grabbed Fox by the neck and punched him square in the nose before throwing him onto the ground again, kicking his broken ribs. Fox wailed in pain. This repeated over and over again for an hour as Fox began to weaken and eventually he couldn't pick up the Boulder, instead opting out to be beaten and abused by Asuranji.

"So you give up, huh? That's it, meat? You're just going to lay there and die?! Because in the Arena that's death. That's a sword to the neck or a bullet into your torso. Show me you're alive, pick up that Boulder one more time and carry it to the top and you're done with this for the day.

That last line was enough motivation for Fox. He stumbled over to the Boulder, lifting it up with a scream of newly found rage and carried it like he's never carried anything before. After five minutes of stumbling up the steep hill, he reached the top, slammed Boulder to the ground, and summarily passed out.

Fox awoke to Fay sponging him with a cold, damp cloth.

As if that wasn't weird enough, she was wearing a revealing white linen dress. Fox blushed and Fay realized he was awake, setting the bucket and cloth to the side and rubbing his fur.

"What… are you doing, Fay."

Fay sighed. "You got your ass kicked by the gladiators. I'm not surprised; they look like they eat nails and steroids for breakfast. Anyway, you passed out and that big reptile dude, Asuranji I think, dropped you off here, told me to wake you up at eight for breakfast and to 'help you heal' whatever that meant. So one of the servants gave me some ointment and the bucket of water and the cloth and I've just been here, under the covers with you, and I've tried my best to clean you off."

An awkward blush grew on Fox's face as he scooted away from Fay. Sitting up. Or at least he tried too, before a searing pain in his side struck at him like a bolt of lightning. Fay scooted over to him and felt the bones on his side, causing Fox to wince.

"Yeah, they're all broken. Asuranji said you'd be resting today and tomorrow, since tomorrow is a tournament day and Sunday is a free day, and you'll be back on your feet on Monday doing light exercise."

"You… how do you know that?"

"I asked, Fox. I was worried about you."

"Oh. Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. You are my husband after all."

Fox sighed. "Don't say that Fay. That sounds so… awkward."

"Well, that's what you get for making up the idea in the first place. You made your bed and now you can lie in it."

"And that needs to include a beautiful young girl who is also my subordinate? That sounds less like a marriage and more like workplace harassment."

Fay chuckled and snuggled under the covers next to Fox. Her smile faded though once she began to think. "You know, we have to be convincing. I asked around today, and apparently were in some place called the 'Empire. I know, super original, but whoever bought us is going to expect me to be pregnant eventually since we're 'married'. We have to act as convincing as possible for as long as possible so we don't draw questions before we can escape without having to, y'know."

"You've thought this out."

"I have. But we won't be able to escape for a while. Security is tight and since we're new, we have a guard at our door at every hour of the day."

"So why am in bed with you? Why didn't you just set me on the floor?"

"Because we're married and I don't want someone walking in asking why you are sleeping on the floor. You get to sleep next to me so stop complaining."

"This whole conversation is a mess."

"So shut up, Fox and go back to sleep. We can talk about this later."

Fox nodded and scooted to the far edge of the bed, creating as much space between him and Fay as possible. This was just going to get more and more awkward. And Fay wasn't helping.