Page 36 of House of Serpents and Slaves

The moment of hesitation cost me. Pain exploded in my side as one of the skorpi caught me with its pincer. I roared in agony, stumbling back as blood flowed from the wound. The creature advanced, its remaining stinger poised to deliver a fatal strike.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I hefted my hammer once more. As the skorpus lunged, I dropped to one knee, swinging my weapon in a low arc. The hammer connected with the creature's legs, shattering them.

The skorpus collapsed, its body thrashing in the sand. Without hesitation, I brought my hammer down on its head, ending its suffering with a single, powerful blow.

As the battle raged on, I found myself increasingly isolated. The gladiators from my own ludus, who should have been my allies, were giving me a wide berth. Their fear and hatred of Talfen was palpable, even in the midst of combat.

A burly gladiator from our side, his face contorted with disgust, swung his sword at me as he passed. "Watch your back, half-breed," he snarled. "Might be an accident in all this chaos."

I growled in response, deflecting his blade with the haft of my hammer. But I had no time to retaliate as another opponent from the rival ludus charged at me, spear pointed at my chest.

I twisted to the side, feeling the spear graze my arm. Using the momentum of my turn, I brought my hammer around in a powerful swing. It connected with the man's shoulder, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The remaining skorpus, enraged by the death of its mate, was creating havoc across the arena. Its massive pincers snapped at anything that moved, gladiator and opponent alike. I watched as it tore through the ranks, leaving a trail of broken bodies in its wake.

Amidst the chaos, I spotted Marcus. He was engaged in fierce combat with two gladiators from the rival ludus, his sword a blur of motion as he parried and struck. But in his focus on the enemies before him, he failed to notice the danger approaching from behind.

The skorpus was bearing down on him, its stinger raised high. Marcus, oblivious to the threat, continued his fight with the other gladiators.

Time seemed to slow as I assessed the situation. Part of me, the part hardened by years of rejection and hatred, whispered that I should let the skorpus strike. Let these humans who feared and hated me suffer the consequences of their prejudice.

But another part of me, the part that still clung to hope for acceptance, for understanding, knew I couldn't stand by and watch.

With a roar that was more Talfen than human, I charged towards Marcus. The sand shifted under my feet, slowing myprogress. The skorpus was closing in, its stinger beginning its deadly arc towards Marcus's exposed back.

I saw Marcus turn at the sound of my approach, his eyes widening in fear. He clearly thought I was coming for him, that I had finally snapped and was about to prove every fear about Talfen true.

But I had no time to explain, no time to reassure. The skorpus's stinger was inches from Marcus's back. With a final burst of speed, I raised my hammer high, ready to meet the threat head-on.

With a primal roar, I hurled myself between Marcus and the skorpus. Time seemed to slow as I brought my hammer down with all my might, meeting the creature's stinger mid-strike. The impact sent shockwaves up my arms, but I held firm, my muscles straining against the skorpus's inhuman strength.

For a moment, we were locked in a deadly stalemate - my hammer against its stinger, neither giving ground. I could feel the hot breath of the creature on my face, see the alien intelligence in its multifaceted eyes. In that instant, I felt a connection with this beast, both of us fighting for survival in a world that saw us as nothing more than entertainment.

But survival meant victory, and I had no intention of dying in this arena.

With a guttural growl, I shifted my weight, using the skorpus's own momentum against it. Its stinger slid off my hammer, burying itself in the sand. In that split second of vulnerability, I struck. My hammer came down on its head with a sickening crunch, chitin splintering under the force of the blow.

The skorpus let out an ear-piercing shriek, its legs flailing wildly. Black ichor sprayed from its ruined head, splattering across my chest and face. But I didn't stop. Again and again, I brought my hammer down, each strike fuelled by years of pent-up rage and frustration. This wasn't just about survival anymore- it was about proving my worth, about showing these humans that I was more than the monster they believed me to be.

As the skorpus finally lay still, I turned to face Marcus, my chest heaving with exertion. His eyes were wide with shock, his sword hanging limply at his side. For a moment, neither of us moved, the chaos of the battle raging around us forgotten.

"You... you saved me," Marcus said, his voice barely audible over the roar of the crowd.

I met his gaze steadily, my grip on the blood-soaked hammer tightening.

"We fight together," I growled, "or we die alone."

A flicker of understanding passed across Marcus's face, but before he could respond, a war cry from behind snapped us back to the reality of our situation. The battle was far from over.

As we turned to face the remaining opponents, I felt a shift in the air around me. The other gladiators from our ludus, who had been avoiding me throughout the fight, were now moving closer, forming a loose circle around Marcus and me.

We fought as one unit now, our previous animosities forgotten in the heat of battle. My hammer swung in wide, devastating arcs, creating openings for my comrades to exploit. Marcus darted in and out, his sword finding gaps in our enemies' defences with deadly precision.

The tide of the battle turned in our favour. One by one, the opposing gladiators fell, unable to stand against our newfound unity. As the last enemy crumpled to the ground, a hush fell over the arena.

I stood among my fellow gladiators, my body aching and covered in blood - both my own and that of our foes. The silence was broken by a single cheer from the crowd, which quickly swelled into a deafening roar of approval. The other gladiators were cheering, clasping each other's shoulders in victory, but I remained apart.

Marcus approached me, his face a mix of awe and uncertainty. "Tarshi, I..."

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