The girl stared at Kael like she was seeing a ghost.
"You... killed Bonejaw?" she whispered again, voice trembling, eyes wide. "With a chain?"
Kael was still panting. The rush of combat had faded, but the aftershock lingered in his bones. Blood dripped from his leg, and his ribs ached with every breath, but he was alive.
Barely.
"I didn't have much choice," he muttered, glancing down at the mangled corpse.
[HP: 17/100]
[Shadow Core energy: 42%]
[Cooldown: Shadow Feed – 6 minutes remaining]
The girl stepped closer, cautiously. She looked no older than twenty slim, grimy, with tangled black hair and a shackle on one ankle. Her tunic was torn and stained, but her amber eyes were sharp.
Too sharp for a slave.
Kael noticed the tension in her stance. She was used to danger.
"Who are you?" he asked.
She hesitated. "Ash."
"Just Ash?"
"It's the only name I kept."
Fair enough. Kael didn't remember much of his own name when he first woke up. The System had force-fed it back into his head.
He started to stand but winced. His leg throbbed. A chunk of flesh had been ripped away by the beast's jaws.
Ash moved quickly, tearing a strip from her sleeve and crouching beside him. "Hold still."
Kael blinked. "You're helping me?"
"You're the first one who's killed something down here in... I don't know how long," she said, tying the makeshift bandage around his leg. "If you can fight, you're worth keeping alive."
He watched her fingers move. Efficient. No trembling. She'd done this before.
[Observation: Subject 'Ash' – High survival aptitude. Potential companion.]
[Companion Bond: Locked. Requirements – Trust + Mutual Objective]
A companion system?
Kael pushed the notification aside for now.
"Where are we?" he asked, biting back a groan.
She glanced toward the open door. "The slave pits. One of many underground arenas run by the Flesh Crafters."
"Flesh Crafters," Kael repeated. "Sounds friendly."
She didn't smile. "They mutate beasts. Sometimes people."
"Great."
Kael pulled himself up using the wall, the chain still clenched in his hand. His muscles screamed, but he wouldn't lie on the floor like prey.
Ash nodded at the blue screen hovering beside him. "You're System-marked, aren't you?"
He stiffened. "You can see it?"
"No. But I've seen it before. The way you moved. The glow. You've got something inside you." She lowered her voice. "It's rare here. Most of us? We just die."
Kael didn't answer.
He wasn't sure how much to trust her yet but she wasn't wrong.
[Ascension Protocol – Status]
Tier: 0 Core Skill: Shadow Feed Traits: Blood Resilience (+ minor HP regen) EXP: 25/100 Next Evolution Threshold: 100 EXP
Still so weak. He needed more kills. More energy.
More answers.
[Objective Reminder: Escape the Slave Pits (0/1)]
[Sub-Objective: Identify the Overseer]
He limped forward. "We need to move. Someone was watching us. A crystal in the ceiling."
Ash paled. "That means we've been marked. They don't let marked slaves live long. Entertainment value or... testing. That's it."
"Then we give them a show," Kael said grimly.
The corridors beyond the cell were a maze of tunnels and iron gates. The walls pulsed faintly, like veins beneath flesh. The entire place felt... wrong.
Bio-metal. Living stone.
Kael glanced at the shifting floor beneath them. "Is this whole place alive?"
Ash nodded. "They grow the dungeons. Flesh Crafters are part cultivator, part mad alchemist. The pits are half-organic. Bleed if you cut deep enough."
Kael grimaced. "Lovely."
They ducked into an empty chamber as footsteps echoed behind them. Two guards. Clanking armor. Laughter. They passed without noticing the door ajar.
Kael leaned close to Ash. "How many guards?"
"Too many. But if we can reach the lower cells, there's a crack in the wall one of the slaves was digging for months before they killed him. Might still be passable."
"You're trusting me already?"
Ash shrugged. "You're either my way out… or a better death than what's coming."
She looked him dead in the eye.
[Companion Bond Progress: 30%]
[New Trait (latent): Survivor's Trust – not yet unlocked]
Another system ping. He ignored it.
Just as they turned toward the next corridor
A chime rang out.
[Alert: Overseer has activated Arena Protocol.]
[All marked subjects to be relocated.]
[Transport commencing in 10 seconds…]
"What"
The floor beneath them pulsed red.
Ash's eyes widened. "RUN!"
Too late.
The floor split open beneath them.
Kael grabbed her wrist, but gravity won. They fell sliding down a fleshy, pulsing tunnel that felt too warm, too alive.
They hit solid ground hard. Kael grunted as the pain flared through his already bruised body. Ash rolled beside him, coughing.
The room around them was circular, metal platforms above, lit by glowing orbs. Runes buzzed in the air.
An arena.
And they weren't alone.
Eight figures stood around them other slaves, wide-eyed, some bleeding, some armed with makeshift weapons. Above them, in a floating crystal orb, a masked figure watched in silence.
Then the voice came. Smooth. Amused.
"Welcome, test subjects. Today, we measure potential."
[Objective Updated: Survive the Trial – 0/1]
[Bonus Objective: Eliminate other test subjects (Optional)]
[Reward: System Upgrade Slot]
[Penalty: Death]
Ash looked at Kael. "They're making us kill each other."
Kael gripped the chain tighter.
He looked around.
One of the slaves a big man with a jagged sword was already charging toward them.
[Adrenal Spike Initiated: +20% speed]
[Shadow Core Level: Tier 0 – Charging]
[Shadow Step: Fragment status – 78% unlocked]
Kael stepped forward.
"Stay behind me," he told Ash. "I'm not dying again."
Then he ran straight into the fight.