Free Web NovelChapter 3: Nobles of The Flesh
Chapter 3: Nobles of The Flesh
Ignatius followed the young man into the depths of the mansion.
The smell of alcohol and sex filled the air. Everywhere he looked, naked people were enjoying the pleasures of each other. He could recognize some of the faces in the orgy. Senators, generals, wives and daughters of dignitaries and other high‑ranking socialites.
Ignatius kept following until they eventually reached a door within the inner chambers.
"Oh yes! Harder! Fuck me harder!" Ignatius could hear the voice of a woman erupt on the other side of the door. "And you! Come here, give me that." The voice beckoned again, followed by muffled moans.
"Domina, I’ve brought the Lanista, like you requested," the young man announced. No response – just moans and groans from the other end.
"Domina Aurellia—"
"I’m cumming! I’m cumming! Oh fuck yes!" Aurellia’s voice trembled in pleasure, interrupting the young man.
Soon after, the door was opened. The room was a mess – clothes and bedding littered everywhere. It smelled like every other part of the house: sex, sweat, and alcohol.
On the bed, three figures could be seen. On both sides were two naked, tanned, muscular young men with collars around their necks. Ignatius noticed a thin scar along the jaw of one of them.
Between them was a woman so gorgeous she’d put most models to shame. Her skin was white as milk, very smooth. Her bare tits were plump but firm. Her face was the most beautiful thing Ignatius had ever laid eyes on. Her red hair flowed like silk.
Ignatius felt his blood rush just from looking at her. The third tanned young man, who had opened the door, returned to bed to join the others.
"Ignatius, you’re here," Aurellia said, elegance evident in her voice.
"You sent for me, Domina." Ignatius bowed.
"Oh yes I did, Lanista." She stepped out of bed with the help of one of her slaves, her bare body on full display. Her hips and curves were so prominent that Ignatius couldn’t help getting stiff.
"Anything I can help you with, Domina?" Ignatius asked, head still bowed.
"I’ve taken a fancy to one of your... ’goods.’" She picked up a goblet from the table by her bedside. The young squire who’d escorted Ignatius rushed to grab a silver jar from the table by the door and poured wine into her cup.
Aurellia swirled the wine, took a gentle sip, and threw Ignatius a seductive glance.
---
At that exact moment, miles away in the dungeon of the Colosseum, Alex stirred in his sleep.
His ear itched.
"Who the hell is talking behind my back?" he mumbled, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
---
Back in the mansion, Aurellia was still waiting for Ignatius’s response.
"Which of them, Domina?" He feigned ignorance.
"Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Ignatius!" She snapped, her eyes glistening for a second in the dimly lit room. "You know very well who I speak of."
She walked closer, her tits swaying with every graceful stride. "You made quite the fortune from the death of my giant." She lifted Ignatius’s face with a finger. "Don’t you think I deserve a little... compensation?" Her face was inches from his. He could smell lavender and roses coming from her smooth skin.
He gulped hard. "If I gave compensations to every noble that lost a gladiator, I wouldn’t have a business to run. Would I?"
"I never said I’d take him for free." She stepped back and took another sip of wine. "Whatever the cost, I’ll pay in gold. Just make sure he’s sold to me." She emphasized the ’me’.
"I’ll do my best, Domina." Ignatius bowed again.
"You may leave." She receded toward the bed. "Or join the party you saw on your way to my chamber." Her tone shifted seductively as she climbed back into bed with her slaves.
---
---
Hours later, back in the dungeons of the Colosseum, Alex was jolted awake by a constant "ping" at the back of his head.
"Bloody alarm," he muttered half asleep. "When did I even set that?" He reached out his hand, searching for something. "Where the hell is my phone?"
His hand landed on something soft, mushy, and sticky.
"Eww! What the fuck was that?" He jolted into consciousness and scanned his pale palm under the moonlight seeping through the tiny window at the top of the cellar wall.
It was shit.
"Make a sound one more time, and I swear, I’m gonna break you outta that cellar and rip you from your ass up!" one of the inmates threatened.
Alex didn’t want to find out if that was possible.
"God, I was hoping this was all just a bad dream." He sighed and wiped his hand on the floor.
That was when he noticed the system prompt at the corner of his vision. He focused on it, and it came into full view.
```
The Sands of Fate System
You’ve got one new notification.
[➡️ Click to read]
```
Alex mentally clicked the icon, and it took him to a new interface.
```
Daily tasks: complete to get point rewards
First task: 10 pushups
Reward: 20 points
Penalty for failure: -30 points. Since there are 0 points to deduct from, the penalty has been changed to extreme groin pains for 12 hours.
Time remaining for first task: 00:09:55
Good luck.
```
"10 minutes?" Alex exclaimed. "How do you expect me to do 10 pushups in this state?"
"You’re really asking for it!" the inmate bellowed again.
"Eek!" Alex squeaked at the continuous threat. He sighed and dragged himself into position despite the pain. "The pains I feel right now are bad enough already... wouldn’t want to add severe groin pains to the mix."
He pushed himself up with everything he’d got.
One...
Ping! +1 vitality
A warm sensation spread around his gut, where Brutus had punched him. "Woah, that actually feels better than the black sludge Gaius gave me."
He went down again. Two, three... Each rep brought another vitality ping and that warm feeling. The pain became a bit more bearable.
... Ten!
"Finally." Alex heaved in exhaustion. As he lay on the cold floor, drenched in sweat, another notification appeared.
Ping! Congratulations! You’ve completed the first task. Reward: 20 points.
Commencing second task: 10 sit ups.
Remaining time: 00:09:58. Penalty for failure: severe groin pains for 12 hours.
Good luck.
"You’ve gotta be shitting me." Alex had totally forgotten about the second task. "At this rate, why don’t you just kill me?" He glared at the countdown and penalty. "Fuck!" He hissed, getting into position. That ’severe groin pains’ scared him shitless.
... One...
He did the first rep, feeling every fiber of muscle ache. He would have screamed, but he didn’t want to find out what being "ripped from the ass up" felt like.
Ping! +1 vitality
He laid back and sat up again. Two. His ribs shifted under his bandage‑wrapped skin, grinding against each other. He hissed through the pain.
Ping! +1 vitality
He checked the countdown: 00:07:31. "I’ve still got plenty of time." He lay back on the cold stone. "Let me catch my breath for a second."
His bandages were soaked in sweat, and his spine ached like his limbs would fall off. His head was spinning. He would have given his left nut for a chilled glass of Diet Coke and a warm bed. He lay there a bit longer, reminiscing about his old life as a history major.
He missed the boring lecture halls. He missed his cramped room that he’d always complained about. "I wish I hadn’t taken them all for granted."
Alex glanced at the countdown: 00:05:54. "Five minutes left." He forced himself back into position.
... Three, four, five...
Ping! +3 vitality
He managed three in gruesome succession, shedding tears as he strained. Just as he went for the sixth, he felt a sharp snap in his ribs.
Ping! +1 vitality
"Ack—" He almost screamed but held his mouth with his hands, muffling the groans. He gritted his teeth and lay there gasping. "I wanna go home. Fuck this, I wanna go home." He sobbed, tears streaming.
"Crying already, little princess?" The inmate mocked. The other prisoners laughed.
"You ain’t even seen shit yet," another teased. "Wait till you meet one of the ’Trident’ – you’ll be shitting yourself."
"That’s if he’s still alive to be shitting," the first guy replied, and they all laughed again.
Alex heard all that, but it didn’t bother him. What bothered him was the countdown: 00:03:14. He didn’t want to add groin pains to his already long list of pains. So he locked in.
He fought through the pain and did two more reps.
Ping! +2 vitality
But it felt like the system took back every vitality it gave. He checked the countdown: 00:01:48. He groaned – "...nine." – doing one more with everything he’d got.
Ping! +1 vitality
His back gave out, and he collapsed. His chest rose with every gasp. His lungs felt like they had glass in them. He checked the countdown one more time: 00:00:42. He tried to sit up but collapsed again.
... 34 seconds left.
... 31. He tried again, but he was too weak. His spine and ribs felt like they were being put through a grinder. His head split, his eyes popped.
... 22 seconds left. He was seconds away from intense groin pains.
... 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4...
He tried again and again, until—
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!" Eyes teary, nose snotty, bones cracking, he let out a chilling roar and pushed himself to the limit and beyond. "TEN!"
Time remaining: 00:00:01
Ping! +1 vitality
Congratulations, mission complete.
You’ve received 30 reward points.
An additional 10 points was added for tenacity.
As Alex lay there heaving for breath, a red‑haired woman somewhere in a marble villa was counting her coins.
