Chapter 4: Chapter 4-slave Life 2
Yami lay on the cold stone floor of his cell, every muscle in his body screaming in protest after the brutal fight. His Spidey Senses had dulled for now, letting him catch his breath. The roar of the crowd still echoed faintly in his ears, replaced only by the grating voices of the guards.
"Move, filth!" a guard barked, slamming the bars of his cell with a baton. Yami flinched, dragging himself to a sitting position.
The heavy iron door screeched open, and two guards yanked him to his feet without care for his injuries. He bit back a groan as they shoved him into the corridor. Around him, other slaves were being herded like cattle. Some limped, others were barely able to stand, their faces pale and lifeless.
The crude treatment didn't end there. When Yami stumbled, one of the guards drove a boot into his ribs. He hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.
"Get up," the guard snarled, his baton raised.
Yami forced himself upright, swallowing the bitter taste of blood. He glared at the guard but said nothing. The man's smirk only deepened, but he didn't hit him again.
They were marched into the dim dining hall—a long, dank room lined with rusted tables bolted to the floor. The smell of mold and filth made Yami's stomach churn, but the faint aroma of food pulled him forward.
He grabbed a tray from the pile at the entrance, his hands trembling from exhaustion. The food wasn't much to look at: a watery gray soup that barely qualified as edible and a piece of bread so stale it felt like a rock.
Yami sat at one of the tables, the other slaves keeping to themselves. He dipped the bread into the soup, softening it enough to take a bite. It tasted as bad as it looked, but hunger forced him to keep eating.
"Not exactly five-star dining, huh?"
Yami glanced up to see Stone sitting across from him, his tray untouched. The older man's face was lined with exhaustion, his scarred eye staring blankly ahead while his good eye studied Yami.
"It's shit," Yami muttered, shoving another piece of bread into his mouth.
Stone chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "Better get used to it, kid. This is what keeps us alive."
"Alive for what? Another fight?" Yami spat, his anger bubbling to the surface.
Stone's expression darkened. "That's the way of things here. Survival doesn't mean freedom."
Yami leaned back against the cold wall, his appetite fading. "How'd you end up here, anyway?" he asked, desperate for anything to distract him from the bleakness of their reality.
Stone stared at his tray for a long moment, his lips pressed into a thin line. When he finally spoke, his voice was heavy with regret.
"I was a marine," he said, his tone quiet but steady.
Yami blinked. "A marine?"
Stone nodded, running a hand over his face. "Yeah. High-ranking, too. Vice Admiral, if you can believe it."
Yami sat up straighter, his curiosity piqued. "What happened?"
Stone let out a bitter laugh. "What happened? I refused an order."
Yami frowned. "What kind of order?"
"The kind that would've made me no better than the bastards who own us now," Stone replied, his good eye blazing with anger. "A Celestial Dragon demanded we wipe out an entire island. Men, women, children… didn't matter to him. He wanted it gone."
Yami's stomach twisted. "And you said no."
"Of course I did," Stone snapped, his fist slamming against the table. "And for that, they made an example out of me. Stripped me of my rank, dragged me in chains to Mary Geoise, and handed me over like a piece of meat."
Yami swallowed hard, the weight of Stone's story pressing down on him. "You had a family?"
Stone's expression softened, his gaze distant. "Yeah," he said quietly. "A wife and two kids. They're safe… I hope. I made sure of that before they took me."
Yami nodded, his chest tightening. He thought of his own family—his wife, his kids, the life he'd left behind. The ache in his heart was almost unbearable.
"What about you, kid?" Stone asked, his tone softer now. "What's your story?"
Yami hesitated, the memories of his first life and the boy's life before him swirling together. He decided to stick to the truth, at least partly. "I had a family too," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They were… taken from me."
Stone nodded, his face grim. "That's how it goes, isn't it? The strong take from the weak."
The two sat in silence for a while, the sounds of the other slaves eating filling the air. Yami couldn't shake the anger building in his chest, the fire that refused to die.
"They won't break me," he said finally, his voice firm. "I don't care what they do. I'll get out of here."
Stone's lips curved into a small, sad smile. "I said the same thing once. Be careful, kid. Hope's a dangerous thing in a place like this."
Yami didn't reply. He stared down at his tray, the watery soup reflecting his tired face. No matter what Stone said, he couldn't give up. Not yet.
The guards shouted for the slaves to finish their meals and return to their cells. Yami rose from the table, his body aching with every step. As he walked back to the darkness of his cell, Stone's words echoed in his mind.
Hope might be dangerous, but it was the only thing he had left.
Back in the suffocating confines of his cell, Yami leaned against the wall, his body heavy with exhaustion. The cold stone pressed against his back, but he barely noticed it, his mind still swimming with everything Stone had told him.
The faint murmur of other slaves settling in for the night filled the silence. A few sobbed quietly, their despair cutting through the oppressive air. Others muttered prayers to gods that likely wouldn't answer.
Yami clenched his fists. He wasn't going to waste his time begging for help from something that didn't exist. If he was going to survive, he'd have to rely on himself—and the system.
The panel appeared before him again.
————
[System Panel]
QP: 0
Inventory: 2/∞
Quirks:
• Explosion (Bakugo - MHA)
• Spidey Senses (Spider-Man - Marvel)
———————————
System," he whispered, unsure if it could hear him.
[Yes, Master?]
The response startled him. It wasn't the usual cold, robotic tone he expected. Instead, the voice was soft, almost friendly.
"What exactly are you? Why do I have you?"
[You have been chosen to receive the Quirk Gambling System. Your survival, strength, and freedom depend on how you use it. With QP, you can acquire, enhance, or trade quirks. You can also scrape unwanted quirks for additional points. Master, this system exists to aid you.]
"Aid me? In this hellhole?" Yami scoffed.
[Precisely. Adversity shapes growth. You will grow stronger, Master.]
"Adversity my ass," Yami muttered. "I'm in chains, being treated like livestock. How do I even get QP when I've got nothing to trade?"
[QP can be earned through selling items, You currently have no collateral to gamble. Survival and strategy will increase your opportunities.]
"Great. So I'm stuck waiting for scraps," Yami said bitterly.
The system didn't reply. Its silence felt like a reminder of his reality—harsh and unrelenting.
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Still awake, kid?
The system didn't reply. Its silence felt like a reminder of his reality—harsh and unrelenting.
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Still awake, kid?"
Yami turned his head toward the voice. Stone's shadowy figure leaned against the bars of his cell, barely visible in the dim light.
"Yeah," Yami muttered. "Can't exactly sleep after all this."
Stone let out a low chuckle. "You'll get used to it. Or not. Doesn't really matter in a place like this."
"How long have you been here?" Yami asked, his voice cautious but curious.
Stone was quiet for a moment. When he finally spoke, his tone was heavy. "Too long. Years, maybe. I stopped counting after the first few months."
"Years?" Yami repeated, disbelief clear in his voice. "You've been stuck in this hellhole for years?"
Stone nodded, the motion barely visible. "Yeah. They keep you alive just enough to keep the games going. They don't care about your age, your strength, or even your will to fight. As long as you bleed, they'll use you."
The weight of Stone's words pressed down on Yami like a boulder. He couldn't imagine surviving in these conditions for more than a few days, let alone years.
"Why haven't you tried escaping?" Yami asked, his voice low, almost a whisper.
Stone gave a bitter laugh. "You think I haven't? The first chance I got, I made a run for it. Got halfway across the island before they sent their dogs after me. They didn't kill me, though. That would've been too merciful. Instead, they did…" Stone gestured to his scarred body. "…this. Said they wanted to make an example out of me. Show the others what happens when you try to defy them."
Yami swallowed hard, his stomach churning at the thought.
"They're monsters," he said, his voice trembling with anger.
"Monsters with power," Stone replied. "And as long as they've got that power, we're nothing more than playthings to them."
The two sat in silence for a while, the weight of their shared fate hanging between them. Finally, Yami spoke again.
"Do you ever think about what you'd do if you got out of here?"
Stone let out a soft sigh. "Every damn day. I'd find my family, if they're still out there. Try to pick up the pieces of what's left of my life. But I know better than to hope for it. Hope is dangerous here, kid. It'll only break you."
Yami didn't respond. He couldn't. His mind was too full of his own thoughts, his own rage and despair.
"Get some rest, kid," Stone said after a while. "You'll need it. Tomorrow's another day in this nightmare."
Yami nodded, though he wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep. As Stone settled back into his cell, Yami leaned against the cold wall, his eyes staring blankly at the darkness.
He didn't know how long he'd survive here, but one thing was certain: he wouldn't let this place break him. Not completely.
With that thought, Yami closed his eyes, forcing himself to sleep
To be continued…
——————————
AN:more power stones = more chapters