The Somatic Gambler

Chapter 10

Maximus was suffocating. His vision turned completely black around the edges. But his survival instinct, guided by Theophilus's loud instructions, took over. He stopped trying to heave his chest. Instead, he focused entirely on his stomach. He pushed his abdominal muscles outward, forcing his diaphragm to drop low.

Whoooosh.

A massive, incredibly deep rush of cold air flooded into the very bottom of his lungs. It was the deepest breath Maximus had ever taken in his entire life. He felt his lower ribs physically expand. He felt the air hit the bottom of his lungs, filling tiny air sacs that had never been used before.

Instantly, his mental HUD flashed a brilliant, bright blue.

[Massive Oxygen Intake Detected.]

[Blood Oxygen Levels rising by 400%.]

[Vasodilation occurring. Toxin being flushed from Cardiac Tissue.]

As the hyper-oxygenated blood rushed into his heart, the agonizing cramp violently released. The pain vanished, replaced by a strange, buzzing heat that spread to his fingertips and toes. His heart rate steadied, beating with a heavy, powerful, and rhythmic thud.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Maximus sat up straight. His eyes were wide. He felt a sudden, massive surge of energy. His "Stamina Bar" in his mind rapidly filled back to green. The poison was still in his body, he could feel it hiding in his joints, but it was no longer killing him. He had suppressed it. He had hacked his own biology.

Maximus looked up at Theophilus, his face filled with awe. He opened his mouth to thank the old master. He wanted to ask him about the next step of the Iron-Bellows.

But Maximus never got the chance to speak.

Suddenly, a massive, deafening BOOM ripped through the underground dungeon.

The sound was so loud it physically hurt Maximus’s ears. The entire stone floor shook violently beneath him, throwing him onto his hands and knees. Thick dust poured down from the ancient ceiling. The dim torches in the hallway flickered and instantly blew out, plunging the cell block into total darkness for a split second.

Then, a harsh, bright orange light flared outside the cell.

Loud, screeching iron alarms began to ring out across the compound. Men were screaming. Boots were stomping heavily on the stone floors above them.

"What is that?" Maximus shouted over the deafening noise, looking wildly at the hallway. "Is it an attack?"

"The powder stores!" Theophilus shouted back, his eyes wide with sudden alarm. "Someone has ignited the black powder stores in the upper armory!"

Before Theophilus could say another word, a second explosion hit.

This one was much closer. The concussive pressure wave of the blast traveled down the narrow stone hallway like a solid wall of invisible force. It hit the slave cells with the power of a hurricane.

Maximus watched in slow motion as the heavy, solid iron door of their cell—thick iron bars held together by rusted hinges—was violently torn from the stone wall. The hinges snapped like dry twigs.

The massive iron door flew into the cell, riding the shockwave of the explosion. It spun through the air like a deadly leaf caught in a storm.

"Theophilus! Move!" Maximus screamed, reaching out to grab the old man.

But Theophilus could not move. His fused knee and shattered ankle kept him firmly planted to the floor. The old master looked at the flying iron door, his face completely calm. He did not even flinch.

SMASH.

The heavy iron door slammed directly into Theophilus, throwing him backward and pinning him brutally to the solid stone floor. The impact was sickeningly loud. A thick cloud of gray stone dust and black smoke filled the cell, choking the air.

"No!" Maximus yelled, coughing through the thick smoke. He scrambled forward on his hands and knees, ignoring the heat of the fire burning outside the cell.

He reached the iron door. He grabbed the thick bars with both hands and pulled with all his newly found strength, using the Iron-Bellows breath to fuel his muscles. He heaved upward, sliding the heavy iron off the old man's body.

But as the smoke cleared slightly, Maximus froze.

Theophilus was lying flat on his back. A massive pool of dark, thick blood was already spreading rapidly across the stone floor beneath him. The old master’s chest was crushed. He was staring up at the ceiling, completely motionless.

The alarms outside continued to blare, loud and terrifying. The fighting pits were burning. Chaos had erupted in the empire.

Maximus knelt beside the old man, his hands covered in dust and blood. His mental HUD flickered, analyzing the body, but Maximus already knew the math. The probability of survival was zero. The master who had just saved his life was gone. And tomorrow, Maximus had to face the Blood-Tithe entirely alone.