Lady Amaris peered in her direction, she walked over to Evander, who was gawking by the looks of it. She pointed at him and announced. "Hmm, I'll take this one with me."

  She hovered over his healing friend. "What's your name, tall, dark and quite handsome if I do say so myself?"

  Evander coughed, then announced his name, readjusting his glaive as if displaying his martial prowress. "It's Evander, my Lady. Just Evander."

  She touched his chest, her finger trailing all the way to his neck. "Evander, hmm. Do you have any special skills, Evander?"

  "I have a knack for healing magic, though I've never properly pursued the arts. Apologies for my inadequacies my lady."

  She pondered. Gaius looked nervous, walked over, and tried shooing Evander away. "Wait, this one is one of our healers. He's very valuable, in fact. Keeps the other fighters alive. We can't sell him."

  She giggled. As if Gaius's statement was unhinged.

  "Just name your price. You are a subordinate of the Lord, aren't you? The Lord of the Coliseum told me I can pick whatever I want. And let it be known that the Farseeress of the east always finds a diplomatic way to get what she wants. And well, if not there are other ways."

  Was that thinly veiled threat. Lumen hoped so, Gaius deserved worse than that.

  Gaius choked, then sighed. "500 gold. I'm afraid you might not have sufficient funds. It's hard enough for even of the ruler of the city to procure that much."

  Everyone's eyes went wide.

  Five hundred!. You could buy a whole district of houses with that.

  "Done." she said. Then clapped her hands. "Evander, pack your things—you'll be coming with us."

  Evander pointed at himself, then stared at Lumen, his mouth wide and open. But then his, smile dropped. Well, Lumen was happy, at least. It was one less of them that had to suffer here. he hoped that Evander wouldn't. Lumen gave him a smiled, and then blinked.

  The lady was in front of him, kneeling ever so slightly, her face next to his.

  Gaius walked up to her, ready to spout more nonsense. "Uh… that one's not—"

  "Shhhh." She shut him up. "You, what's your name?"

  "Lumen," he answered, reserved and meek.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Lumen, you poor cute little thing," she dropped her voice considerably. "You're not from around here, are you?"

  He shook his head. Then she pressed her palm on his chest, her fingers twitching a little too long. He felt a faint trace of mana, threading below his core, probing something unseen.

  He gasped, then caught his breath.

  Lumen shivered as the strange sensation he had felt all morning accumulated. He clenched his robe tighter. There was a flush on his upper chest and neck. He felt weaker now than he did before. Vulnerable in front of these three women.

  She leaned in, her lips brushing against his ear. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. "You've been poisoned. I'd drink nothing but water for the rest of the day."

  "P-poi—"

  She stopped him from speaking, pressing a finger to his lips.

  "Keep it to yourself, until I can comeback to you."

  Comeback to him. What for, what could she possibly see in him.

  His stomach dropped. That made sense. It made sense why his mana core always felt destabilized. Factor in the fact that he could never use the full brunt of the mana he obtained from the monsters, and it was like a missing bolt in a construct.

  "This cute little elf," she shouted. "I want him."

  Laughter erupted form all the other galdiators. One whispered. "I wouldn't call that thing cute, it's older than my uncle." Another wave of cheers and chuckles all to his dismay. He ignored it, his blood could be boiling for something stupid as that.

  No! He was poisoned and he needed to know why.

  The manager shook his head. "As much as I want to get rid of the little knife-ear, I'm afraid he's been bought and paid for."

  So it was true then. Ysella had made an arrangement for him.

  "By who? I was under the impression that the internal nobility didn't buy the 'services' of these less fortunate men. Explain yourself, Gaius. Weren't their laws in this city preventing gentry to own non-human servants."

  Gaius stumbled and jumbled his words up and down. "I'm afraid the deal was prearranged. He is untouchable. A local patrician has claimed ownership of him. The laws are changing at the end of the month."

  Lady Yssella! But he could be free in a moment—he didn't want to stay here another month.

  "Can you tell me who?"

  "I'm afraid that information is classified."

  "Would any other warrior interest you?"

  She shook her head.

  The lilac-haired woman stepped forward, pressing her finger on the man's chest. "I will return for him. And him alone."

  She was dead set on it, hell, she may even sought the truth. But he was wary of her, a seer of sorts. Who knew what devilry she would use to trick and bewitched, or was he being paranoid. Poison she said.

  A deadly silence ensued. It filled the coliseum. The other barbarous gladiators stared at him so sharply they might as well have cut him. What made him so different was likely the thing on her mind.

  "Get your things, Evander," she commanded. His friend nodded, putting his hands on his shoulder. She ordered her subordinate to retrieve money from a pouch. The bronze-skinned girl produced the gold, an ungodly amount.

  Lumen stood in silence, wondering. Poison. Poison. Poison. Who stood to gain from his poisoning?

  Everyone did. And he hate to say it, even Evander. He was a burden, to the man. But it had to be recent. He hadn't drunk anything since… since—

  Shit! It couldn't be. But why!

  The elf maid gave him a weird stare—a telling look. She pointed to her head, muttering a few words.

  "Don't think, just feel, meditate."

  Gaius scratched his head. He was on the verge of being furious. Lumen didn't know how he would react once this transaction was complete. Lumen didn't care either. As the women left with his friend intow. Lumen retreated to his chambers, and shut his door, closed the binds of his spartan cell and closed his eyes.

  [Meditation.]