Chapter 98: 98. Caleb - Flashbacks VIII

By the time I step out of the practice grounds, I am drenched in sweat. No wonder my father wanted me to come here and train.

I make a stop at the common bathroom before heading to the dining hall. The tables are almost entirely occupied by those who have been training during the day. While most of those who live in the Lastdenn are males, there are a few females as well. They sit together around two tables, eating and chatting. Between the two tables is a male on his knees, dressed in rags, his head low, his gaze fixed on the stone floor. He is so thin, I can see his bones. The ash wood collar around his neck not only tells me he is a slave but a vampire as well.

I hate people who have slaves. Are there more, or is he the only one? Tomorrow, I will ask Anan about the slave.

I grab my food—which looks like something one would feed the pigs—and search for an empty place to sit so I can eat. One of the males stands, and I take his place. Those around the table ask for my name and then introduce themselves. I barely register what they are saying as the females are laughing very loudly, making my head pound. After taking a few bites of whatever is on my plate, I decide it is not worth getting food poisoning and stand.

Two big guys are holding the slave by his arms, forcing him to look up while one of the females is dangling the biggest rat I have ever seen over his face. 

“Eat it!” she orders the slave.

He shakes his head. 

The female takes out a dagger from her pocket and sticks it in the rat’s belly. 

It is clear the vampire needs food, and while rats are not something I would normally eat if I were in his situation, I would think of a big steak while I chewed. 

“Open,” the female tells the slave. “Open, or else I will shove it up your ass!” 

The vampire closes his eyes and opens his mouth. The female spills open the rat’s belly right into the slave’s mouth. He gags and struggles with swallowing. The female makes him eat more of the rat until he ends up vomiting. 

For a moment, I contemplate defending the slave, but I don’t think I stand a chance if a fight breaks out. Not when most of the dining hall looks happy with how the slave is being treated. 

“Now lick the floor clean,” the female says next.

The slave’s face turns white.

I don’t feel like watching what happens next, especially when people start to say, ‘Serves him right,’ and ‘That’s what filthy pigs get,’ so I leave. But not before memorizing the faces of all those who partake in the torture of the vampire. Patience is one of my strongest attributes. It will take time, but I will give them a taste of their own medicine. 

I return to the house I was assigned. Someone is singing inside—and from the sound of the voice, it is a female. I groan. Just what I needed, my roommate to be one of those annoying females from earlier. 

I enter and hope she does not notice me. But the kitchen is next to the entrance, and my roommate is there, leaning against the doorframe, drinking from a cup of tea. Short green hair, pink nails, round gold piercings in the nose and ears, clothes that look like a rainbow threw up on them—my roommate is… not what I expected.  

My wolf makes a snarky remark. ‘Looks like you were wrong. Our roommate is a male and not a female.’

Not that I am against living with a female, but I feel more comfortable around males.

“You must be the new guy.” 

He sounds like any other male now. Also, his scent lets me know he is a dragon. 

“That’s me,” I say.

“I am Voros.” 

“Colt.” Voros looks like the type of person who likes chatting. On a normal day, I would not mind it, but I am so tired…. “Look, I don’t want to seem rude, but it has been a long day, and I just want to sleep.” 

“I thought you were hungry.” Voros takes a sip of his tea. “The food served at the dining hall is barely edible, so I usually cook what I catch. I have leftovers if you want them.” 

The smell of food coming from the kitchen is making my mouth water, but I don’t know if his offering comes with strings attached. “I have some snacks.” 

“I ate them.” 

I blink. He ate my food?

Voros shrugs. “The last time I had something with sugar was before coming here.” 

I head over to the room. 

“You will need a warm blanket if you don’t want to freeze during the night,” Voros says from behind me. “And the clothes you brought are not—”

I turn on my heels, taking him by surprise. “You have been going through my things?” 

‘If he ate the snacks, it is obvious he touched our shit,’ my wolf points out the obvious.

‘I already figured that out.’

Voros gives me a smug smile. “I was bored and thought you might have some books with you.” 

I am not sure why I am so bothered about him touching my stuff. It’s not like I have something important there. “Or you could have waited until I got back to ask me.” 

He arches an eyebrow. “I could have, but what’s the fun in that?”

I enter the room and see all my clothes thrown on the floor. What is the penalty for killing someone in this realm?

“What about the leftovers?”

“Not hungry,” I snarl and close the door to the room. Not that it will keep him out since he lives here, too, but something about having to share my space with him irritates me to no end. 

I grab my clothes, shove them in the duffle bag, and put it under the bed.

While there is a pillow and sheets on my bed, the blanket is missing. Voros must have used it to cover the missing windows. Annoyed not only with the housing situation but because it is very cold, I put on more clothes and lie on the bed. 

Despite being tired as fuck, I am too cold to fall asleep. Eventually, I give up and get out of bed. 

Voros is still in the kitchen, painting his toenails. 

“Isn’t there a fireplace in this shack?” I ask.

“I ran out of coal.”

“When do we get more?” 

Voros looks up at me like I am stupid or something like that. “When we buy some.” 

“Great. Just great,” I mutter under my breath. How is my father expecting me to learn anything when I am freezing? “Tell me you know a way to make quick money.” 

“Actually, I do. Hunting.”

This is something I can do. “What do you usually hunt around here?” 

“There are some strange-looking cows that are easy enough to kill. Their meat is not great, but their hides are good for making gear for training. We can sell either the hide or the gear for a quick buck. As for the meat, the kitchen is always happy to have it. When I can, I let K have some.”

I wonder who K is. “But no creature lives in the valley.”

“And that’s a good thing. Most of them are deadly. The valley is the only safe place in this realm. To hunt, we have to get out of the valley. I will show you the way tomorrow.” 

“Thank you. I will go back to bed and see if I can get some rest.” 

Voros follows me into the room. A closet is close to his bed, and he takes out a fur blanket he is still working on. “I was making it for K, but you need it more than him.” I hesitate to take it. “Nights here are very cold.”

Reluctantly, I accept the blanket. “I will return the favor.”

Voros laughs. “Good.”

**Hi eveyrone. A new update will be Wednesday**