The wheels stopped hard, throwing me forward into the front seat of the little carriage Aerell had rented. Once I got myself back in my seat, I looked out the little window and saw where we were: one of the massive stalactite buildings in the nicer part of the Dregs. It was tall and smooth, but not nearly so large as the one I'd gone to when I met with Elise. Still, it was incredible up close.

"Sit up straight," Aerell commanded, not bothering to look at me as she adjusted her yellow silk gloves. "And for the love of all things holy, try not to look like you were raised by wolves. We're going to be in the company of nobility. Shape up."

I straightened up and pulled at the jacket she'd made me wear. It looked okay, but it was too small and scratched terribly, and the collar was too tight around my neck due to the torture collar that I was forced to keep on all the time. "I feel stupid in this thing."

Her hand hit my face before I saw it coming. That fired me up. I didn't feel the pain anymore at all, but it was the principle of the matter.

"What did I tell you about talking back?" she said, her lips all twisted up. "Tonight, you're my little toy gladiator. You'll speak when you're spoken to and bow when you need to. Other than that, follow my lead and keep your mouth shut. Got it?"

I touched my cheek. It was hot. "Yeah."

"Good." She fixed her yellow dress. It wasn't the nicest dress I'd seen, but it was still probably worth more crystals than anyone in the Dregs ever saw. Her hair was all piled up in a fancy bun, and she had makeup on that made her look rich. "You've done fine with the commons lately, but these people have money. Real money. So shut up and let me talk, and maybe we'll stir up some more interest with the nobles." With that, she opened the carriage door and stepped out.

I followed.

When we walked up to the large double doors, they both opened, and a small halfling woman ushered us inside. Guiding us down a large hallway, I started to see people standing and talking in a series of side rooms on either side of the hallway. Once we'd reached the end, another set of doors opened, and we were welcomed into a large banquet hall. Inside were dozens of people dressed in far nicer clothes than the ones either of us were wearing.

"See that?" Aerell said, pointing at a group of particularly finely dressed women. "This is what real power looks like."

I looked at the women for a moment, but they weren't that interesting to me. The building, however... the place was huge. The ceiling went up so high I had to crane my neck back to see the top. The walls were covered in paintings of battles and conquests. Chandeliers hung from chains, holding candles, actual candles and not glowstones, that cast moving shadows everywhere. The floor was polished stone so reflective that I could see my reflection in it.

"Here, pet. Take one." Aerell handed me some type of food off a passing platter.

"What is it?"

"Just eat it."

Shoving it into my mouth, I was pleasantly surprised to taste some sort of salted meat in a pastry wrapper. It was really good.

Turning my attention back to the room, I watched as servants moved through the crowd carrying silver trays loaded with food and drinks. The thing was, every one of them seemed like moving statues. Not a single twitch crossed their faces. Even when one of the guests bumped into a serving girl and started screaming at her, she didn't respond in any meaningful way. She just took it without a single flinch.

Unlike the servants, the nobles were nothing but animated, and every one of them wore obscenely expensive-looking clothing. Fat men in expensive clothes laughed at things that they clearly didn't find all that funny. Women dripping with jewelry whispered behind paper fans, their eyes cold and calculating. It was gross.

The thing was, none of them looked like much. I was confident I could destroy any of them in a fight. At least, as long as the guards lining the walls stayed out of it. They all looked soft, but there was something predatory about them. They made my skin crawl.

A tall, thin man in purple silk approached us. His smile looked painted on.

"Lord d'Althorn," Aerell said, dropping into a curtsy. "Thank you so much for the invitation. Your home is absolutely magnificent."

"Indeed, it is." He looked me up and down like I was livestock. "So this is the fighter everyone's been talking about?"

"Yes, my lord. Alex, greet Lord d'Althorn properly."

I forced myself to bow the way Aerell had drilled into me. Low, far lower than I'd been taught at the temple, and I was to remain bent over for five deep breaths. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Hmm." He walked a slow circle around me, examining me. "Broad shoulders. Nice height. But can he truly fight, or was his last match just a spectacle?"

Before I could answer, glass shattered near the entrance. A kid, maybe twelve years old, had dropped a tray. He immediately fell to his knees, trying to gather the broken pieces with his bare hands. Blood ran between his fingers as the shards cut him.

The nobles didn't help. They laughed.

The servants didn't help either. In fact, all of them had seemingly vanished.

"Clumsy little beast," someone called out, which got more laughter.

A guard strode over and grabbed the kid by his shirt. Driving a fist into the boy's stomach, the boy doubled over but didn't cry out.

"Clean this mess up," the guard snarled, "or you know what'll happen."

The boy squeaked and held up his hands.

My hands clenched into fists. Fuck this.

"Easy," Aerell murmured, her fingers digging into my arm. "Remember your place, pet." Her voice was icky-sweet.

I forced my hands to relax, but the anger stayed hot in my chest. I'd always had a short fuse, but my temper had been uncontrollable lately.

"Terrible, isn't it?" Lord d'Althorn said, not even glancing at the bleeding child. "These servants must learn discipline." Turning to Aerell, he said, "Next month, would you like to see the new stock I acquired?"

"Oooh, of what race, my lord?"

"Goblins, the lot of them. From Volkash, no less."

"An excellent find."

"I agree. From my estimation, they ought to have excellent breeding potential, and they should already be broken in, though I'd like your opinion on the matter."

My stomach turned. He was talking about living, thinking beings the way someone would discuss cattle.

"How fascinating," Aerell replied, her voice honeyed. "You have such excellent judgment in these matters. I would love to."

A serving girl approached with a platter of small cakes. She was maybe twenty, pretty, but thin, like she was hollow inside, and her eyes were sunken. When she offered the tray to Lord d'Althorn, he ran his fingers along her wrist in a way that made me want to break his hand. She twitched.

"This one's fresh," he said, as if she couldn't hear him. "Still has some fight left. Give it another month."

The girl's expression changed, but only barely. A small chink in her armor.

I couldn't stop myself. "Maybe you should take a stick and shov—"

"Come, pet. Let us explore the paintings in the hall." Aerell pulled me away from this fucker before I could tell him what I thought of his disgusting ass. "Don't overreact."

"What the fuck is this, Aerell? Who are these people?"

She chuckled. "The powerful. You ought to get used to it."

"Why should I?"

"Because it's the way it is."

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"How is this even legal?"

That got an even bigger chuckle out of her. "Legal? You think any of this is legal?"

"I... Yes?"

She stopped and patted my cheek. "Dear innocent boy, you know so little."

"So explain it to me. Real slow like."

"On paper, none of this is allowed. But in reality? Who'll stop them? The Duke? The old one was weak, and the new one partakes. Another kingdom? They have their own problems. Adventurers? Yeah, and who'll pay 'em? Some hero? Hardly. They don't make them like they used to. At the end of the day, these people are the real powers in Istaera. Do you really expect them to police themselves?"

The more I interacted with these people, the more I realized things were just like back on Earth. Money and power got you everything in every world. "And why not the Hero? Isn't this her job?"

Aerell looked at me like I was stupid. "What, and trigger a war between the nations? Take on all of Istaera's armies alone? That bitch is as powerful as a whole kingdom. Unless it involves monsters, I heard she's not allowed to do anything without twenty stamps of approval."

I hadn't thought of that. How would people like Faye or Greta be treated by the world's leaders? If they really were that strong, they couldn't just go anywhere or do anything without people getting nervous. And they couldn't be everywhere at once. Even if they wanted to and could take on armies, they couldn't do that and protect their friends and family at the same time.

What a life.

They had all the power in the world but couldn't use it.

"Alex," Aerell said, her voice sharp. "You look murderous. Compose yourself. I thought we'd trained this out of you."

I realized I was walking with my fists clenched again, my whole body rigid with anger. I probably looked ready to start killing people. Which I was. "I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth.

"Good. We have important connections to make."

She led me toward a cluster of nobles engaged in animated conversation. As we got closer, she raised her hands and called out to the group. "Greetings, everyone," Aerell said, her voice bright with fake enthusiasm. "I'd love for you to meet my latest pet."

I held back. I didn't want to talk to these people.

"Be polite, pet. No reason to be distant. We're all friends here." She turned to me and gestured for me to come closer, a wide smile plastered across her face.

"Fine."

She began talking to the group, but I immediately lost interest. Doing my best to pretend to care, I nodded along and mentally checked out.

***

"Alex. Apologize!"

"You're right. Sorry, mistress." I bowed low to the man she'd introduced me to, some regional count or baron or something. I hadn't been paying attention. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Alex. The Iron Sentinel."

"Hmmm..." The man, a short, portly shithead of maybe fifty named... Jink... Jank... Jork... named something starting with a "J" looked me over from behind one of those paper fans people used in period dramas back on Earth, then stepped closer. "Aerell's been telling me you've grown tremendously as of late, but do you truly think you can take on that goblin? d'Farin believes she's undefeatable."

Another man, Riall d'Farin, if I remembered his name right, stepped closer. He was the one who was backing Vral. "She is. She's incredible. Never lost a single match, unlike this..." He visibly eyed me up and down, "... man..." Somehow, his sneer was visible and audible. "I have no doubt she'll be victorious in the upcoming bout. When she is, I believe I'll finally take her home with me." The man side-eyed me. "I wouldn't invest much in him if I were you, Jorik."

Jorik. That was his name.

"I'm not so certain. The Sentinel shows promise. If Lady Elise weren't already supporting this one, I'd consider it. He'd make an excellent guard for my son, especially now that Aerell guarantees she's tamed his worst impulses."

The nobleman scoffed. "He's a waste of money, I'm telling you. Even if he survives this upcoming fight, what would you use him for? And could you trust him around your daughters without castrating him? Your wife? At least the goblin will be useful after I'm done making money off her. Once I pluck her from this place and break her, she'll be an excellent bedwarmer for my guests. You know how eager most goblins are to please once they're broken in. It's in their blood, after all."

I'd kill him.

"Pet..." Aerell's word was a warning.

I didn't know what a guffaw exactly was, but this Jorik guy made the sound. "Truer words have never been spoken. You're right, Riall, as always. I'll consider looking for one of my own. Or, perhaps, d'Orensted will be willing to lend me his orcess for a time? I hear he's considering bidding for her pardon within the month."

"That monster? I don't understand what he sees in her."

"He likes them big, that's for sure."

I looked at Aerell. As strongly as I could, I channeled a single thought to her. I wanted to punch them. I wanted to punch them right in their stupid faces.

She shook her head just enough that I could see it. She knew what I was thinking.

I nodded again. I reallllly wanted to punch them. It didn't help that, ever since my conversation with the Dark Lord, I could kind of, sort of see shadows around shitty people, and these people were covered in them. More than Aerell, and that was saying something. I was smart enough to assume what that meant.

More visibly, she shook her head harder. "No!" She snapped.

"Are you two quite alright?" Riall asked.

Aerell stepped in front of me and pushed me back. "He's not used to this much commotion. As you well know, he was found down at the temple in the south. He'd lost most of his memories when he arrived in Reial and had only been around a few people at a time due to his instability. Unfortunately, they learned too slowly about his true nature." Grabbing my arm, she pulled me away. "Don't mind us. We're going out for air."

"... Not so sure she's broken him..."

"... Likes them violent. You know her tastes..."

"... thought she liked women?..."

"... likes 'em beaten more like..."

Pulling me out onto the balcony, my handler shut the door behind us. A low whistling wind and the sounds of the Dregs far below filled the night air.

No.

Not night.

We were underground.

"What were you thinking?" Aerell snapped.

I shrugged. "They suck. I want to punch them."

She looked me in the eyes. Her face was stern for a long time, but slowly, she cracked a smile. "They are horrible, aren't they?"

Nodding, I said, "Yeah. So why are we here again?"

"Two reasons. These are the big names down here, and they have the money and connections. We're here to show you off and get your name and face out there. No one's going to believe you can beat the famous Slasher, but that's fine. The more money that gets involved, the more freedom for me on the other side of all of this." Stepping to the balcony, she placed her elbows on the edge.

"Freedom for us." I'd gotten good at pretending we were in this together. It was starting to come naturally.

She laughed. "Yeah. Us. If you're good."

Stepping up next to her, I asked, "And what's the second reason?"

"I want to see their smug fucking faces crumble when you kill that little shit. If they underestimate you, it'll be all the sweeter when you cut her throat in the Pit."

Yeah, me too. Even if it wouldn't be for that reason, I'd find a way to do it. "I'm on board. Fuck them."

A cloud crossed her face. "These fucking people. They have no idea what it's like for us shit-covered peasants. They'll never know what it's like to crawl out of the mud and find a place in this world. If they even had a taste of our lives, they'd piss all over themselves in terror."

For the first time ever, I sympathized with the woman. I felt the same way. "Then why work with them? Why do this at all?"

"It's where the power is."

"Why is power so important to you? Why not just live your damn life?"

She looked over and began studying my face. After a time, something passed behind her eyes, and she spoke. "When I was a girl, my father beat my mother. Every day, day after day, he beat her. Always said she didn't clean well enough. She didn't cook well enough. She wasn't pretty enough. No matter what she did, she was never enough. And when he wasn't beating her, he whored her out. Every time she left, he told me, his only daughter, that I was next. Luckily, I was a late bloomer, but finally, at long last, I had my first cycle, and he threw me out onto the street. Told me not to come back until I'd brought back what he was owed for raising me." She swallowed hard. "That night, after a man purchased me and brought me to his bed, I promised myself that I'd do my duty. Like a good girl."

"That's horrible, Aerell." I really didn't want to empathize with her, but damn. What a life.

"It was."

"What happened next?"

When the man kissed me, I threw up. In return, he beat me senseless and stole everything I had before leaving me to die."

Fuuuuck.

"Then, after I limped home, do you know what dear old dad did?"

"What?"

"He picked up where the other guy left off. And he didn't stop. He beat me until I thought I'd die." She pointed to her cracked tooth. "That's how I got this little gem."

"How'd you get out?"

"I don't know how much time went by, but when he was done, I could barely move. With the little strength I had left, I crawled to my room and called on anyone who would answer. Eventually, someone did."

"The Dark Lord?"

"Yeah. That's when I learned."

"Learned what?"

"He told me then about the true nature of the world and the people in it. How they pretended at civility and kindness and compassion, but none of it was real. The only thing that was real was power. And I had none."

I shook my head. "It wasn't your fault that your dad was horrible."

"No, but it was my fault for being powerless. So I took my power back."

"How?"

She grinned. "When he was ten bottles deep, I snuck into his room and grabbed his favorite dagger. The one his dad gave him when he was a boy. I tied his arms and legs to the bed, and when he woke up, I got him back for every single beating he inflicted on Mom and me. He made it until morning before he finally faded away. Bastard. He should have lasted longer." Her eyes gleamed. "I wish I could bring him back so I could do it all again. That's what the Dark Lord promised me. Another go at him."

I didn't know what to say. It wasn't exactly like I felt bad for her—she was terrible—but it wasn't wrong to have empathy for people. At least, that's what Ro was always saying. Just because you understood and empathized with someone didn't mean you forgave them, and it didn't mean they had permission to be fucked up. Aerell was evil as hell, and I was determined to put her down one day, but her story still made me feel for her. How many people in this world were out there waiting for someone to save them, just like Aerell had been?

The Dark Lord's offer popped into my mind again. The power to protect everyone... But how? Like with Aerell. When did she go from being the victim to, what, the victor? That's how she'd think of it. The persecutor? The one who harmed others? When did she stop needing protection and start being the threat? And how could any one person decide?

"Pet." She was looking at me.

"Yes?"

"Do you understand why I told you this?"

I tried to grasp the reason. "Because you want a working relationship based on trust and mutual respect?"

That made her cackle. "Not quite."

"What then?"

Her face grew twisted. "Never hesitate. When you see the opportunity, you take it. Kindness is for the weak, and compassion gets you dead. The only truth in this world is power, and those who have it make the rules. So, you should know that I'll always do exactly what I have to do to be the one on top. And, since you're my goodest boy," she patted my cheek and said the words like I was an actual dog, "You need to know who holds the power, and you need to learn when to heel. So, let's get back inside, and if you fuck up again, you won't make it to your fight with Vral. I'll make sure of it."

I watched as my empathy evaporated into smoke.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, mistress."

"Good boy. Now come. We have connections to make."

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