"Uh." I woke up feeling like I slept in a c0ffin, my eyes refusing to open. "What time is it? I had a strange dream where-" Finally able to interrupt my surroundings, I found myself in a dark covered wagon illuminated by a small lamp above, and chained next to the same hobbit man I was chasing, along with 10 other people. "What is this?" I was scared of the answer.

"This is slavery." The hobbit answered dryly. "Our little chase through the streets must have gotten these Moonwhispers attention."

"Moonwhispers?" I had a vague recollection of last night. "That elf guy?"

"Yes, that guy and his friends, people who enslaved and are now transporting us to the Colosseum, they are the Moonwhispers clan." He continued, obviously annoyed.

"Colosseum?" That rang a bell. "I remember, that guy said he was taking us to a colosseum in... is this the Nevermist!?"

The hobbit groaned. "No, we came in through the Nevermist to enter the Paganish Realm. Right now, we're probably a stone's throw away from the Colosseum."

"This Colosseum, why are we going there?" I was unfamiliar with this process, at least first-hand experience.

"Kid, can you ask anyone else here, but me!?" He snapped; after taking some deep breaths, he spoke again. "I'm sorry, as you can see, this is a bad day for all of us."

"I get it." I could understand his feelings; alone, scared, trapped. "I'm Aiden, just in case you were wondering."

He looked at me. "Eder. Most people just call me Eddy."

"Well, Eddy, what's going to happen to us after we reach the Colosseum?"

"Typical enslavement stuff; beat us, sell us off to the highest bidder, and if you're lucky enough, maybe your new master won't beat that often." He stared at the lamp, eyes watery.

That was defiantly not the life I'm going to accept; I leaned in to whisper. "Any way to escape?"

"Don't waste time whispering." He pointed to the seals on our chests, that appeared to be crescent moons under willow tree leaves. "These magic seals make it impossible to hurt or disobey our owners, which is right now the Moonwhispers, and their last order was for us to stay put. It doesn't matter if we whisper, shout, or CUSS OUT THESE ASSHOLES!" Eddy bitterly screamed, startling everyone in here. "Oh, and don't think about trying to remove the seal, if you do... let's just say there are less painful ways to commit suicide, like setting yourself on fire."

It's a official, this is the worst day of my life. The magic seals would make it impossible for me to escape. "How do you know so much about this?" He knowledge was deep, almost likes experienced it before. "Were you a slave before, then got freedom?"

Eddy was silent for a moment. "I used to do work for slave dealers before I... before I met my wife and left that work." He looks to me. "Kid, the Colosseum is the largest arena in the Paganish Realm, built for fey near and far to participate and spectate events of athleticism, culture... and bloodshed. If you won't to survive, let go of any ideas of freedom."

This can't be happening. I tried to keep my sanity while I absorbed all this information, but there was one question that was still in my thoughts. "Why did abduct us from outside the Paganish Realm? Why not keep it inside to keep people outside from learning?"

"Everyone in the Paganish Realm already know about this. You Beastfolk can replenish your numbers much faster than Fey, and with the many dangers in your world, if someone went missing they probably wouldn't think elves abducted them." He pulled out a piece of paper, it was a picture of him, a woman around his size, and two kids. "Every month, established clans need to provide tributes to the Eladrins who reside in the Higher Lands as payment for keeping the realm safe from outsider influence. Unless these elves wanted their own children to be used as tributes, they abducted people like us."

"Damn." These Moonwhispers are assholes, but I can understand their predicament. "I hate these guys, but understand wanting to protect your family." I looked at Eddy's picture. "Is that your family? You all look happy."

Eddy looked at me, concerned. "Do you have anything to remind you of your old life?" He gestured to his picture. "The magic in this realm affects your people's minds that makes it difficult to recall your time outside. As long as you have someway to remember, you can minimize the effects." For the first time, I could see sympathy in his eyes. "No may never be free, but as long as you don't forget, this life can never break you."

Not a second after he finished, the wagon came to a complete stop; a second after that, another elf man opened the back.

"Get out." he ordered.

The seal on my chest glowing, I was compelled to obey along with the rest of them. After spending so much time in the dark wagon, the outside light was blinding. We were in a city that reminded me of Ancient Rome with buildings made of stone and tiled roofs; with my hands and feet still changed together, it was hard to move but possible with the limited slack.

"Single file, and go forward." The elf said again.

My body moving on it's own, the twelve of us slaves were being ordered to march forward towards a grand stadium with the elves who captured us leading the way. Passing by a plethora of races, many I could recognize as elves, halflings like Eddy, smaller ones that looked like gnomes, centaurs and satyrs, winged creatures who must be fairies, and small men with thick beards who must be dwarves. We entered the colosseum through a dark entrance, and came out to the sound of a roaring crowd of thousands, spectating us from above a 14 acre arena.

"Stop." The commanded.

Standing still in the middle of the arena with the group I came with and three or four dozen others were there as well, I was further astonished by the arrival of satyr who levitated above us on a small platform.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of all ages!" The satyr, whose human top was bronze skinned with dreadlocks, spoke into a microphone device that caused his voice to reverberate across the colosseum. "I am your master of ceremonies, and here we bring you another monthly spectacle for are new arrivals! As I'm sure you all know, but I will say again for the newbies in the mix, these are the traditional rules of the Colosseum!" He cleared his voice. "As per tradition, all new slaves will battle a colossal beast for the entertainment of this lovely audience for a max time of 30 minutes, or until the beast is dead!" The announcer paused for the crowd to laugh. "I know, I know, there hasn't been a single slave to kill the beast in over 1,000 years, but I have a good feeling about this lot." He continued to joke. " However, any slaves that survive will be allowed to set one requirement to who buys them, quite a prize am I right? Ha ha, but, any slave who manages to kill the beast will be awarded their freedom and be returned home, never able to be enslaved again!"

"What?" This news peaked my interest. "If I kill the monster, I can be free?"
"Don't get you hops up?" I heard Eddy dissuade me. "You either survive or die."

Eddy might be right, but if I have a chance at freedom... I will go for it!

"Is everyone ready!" The Announcer spoke to the crowed, giving time for everyone on the arena floor who wasn't a slave to escape. "Then lllleeeettttt's BEGIN!"