Atlas: Prequel to Erragal

By Robert Sanabria and Robert T. Sanabria

Atlas is the prequel to Erragal.  Both are set in ancient times and are sword and sorcery-type epics.  This is the story of Atlas, the companion of Erragal.  It spans from his birth to the moment that he met Erragal.  It introduces Enfencio, an alcoholic centaur gladiator who is a teacher, friend, and cellmate to Atlas during his formative years.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert T. Sanabria
• Release date: Dec 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215948088

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Birth of a Champion

Humanity has always found joy in dark places.   That is no different now than what it was a million years ago in the past.  Whether it be a public execution or gladiators fighting to the death in a pit.  Mankind seems to find pleasure in watching others suffer.  Every human civilization that has ever risen to power has enjoyed such carnage.  Bloodlust was present from the moment the first human made a club from a fallen branch to modern-day warfare.  When the lives of men were no longer enough to please the masses, beasts of all manners were introduced into the ring.  This is how Atlas would come to be imprisoned in the servitude of a brutal ruler.

Long ago in a land, that has gone by hundred names since a kingdom under the most brutal king to ever draw breath rose to power.  The deviant king became somewhat of a collector of living things.  He was interested in every ferocious animal that could be found at that point in Earth’s history.  He kept them in cells surrounding a labyrinthine arena in the center of the kingdom.  Most of them were not kept for long, since the games lasted for an entire day once every week.  Most of the animals never lasted past their first bout in the stone-walled ring as cattle and horses were often pitted against tigers and young dragons.  This was mostly done to exhibit the brutal nature of the carnivorous champions of the games.  The fallen animals were later dragged away and used to feed the carnivorous survivors of the games as they awaited the next week’s showdown.

However, since these beasts were not raised by anyone in the kingdom a steady supply had to be imported by merchants.  This type of employment made up more than half of the overall workforce, including soldiers.  It was a dangerous profession that claimed far more lives than it made rich men.  The more aggressive and rare the specimen, the more the king would pay for it.  This diminished the presence of predators in the local area as well as the surrounding regions.

The merchants then had to journey to faraway lands in search of more gladiator slaves and large dangerous beasts.  Even once such cargo was obtained, the long journey home still had to be made while fighting off other merchants who would often ambush one another for their haul.  All of this was done to trade for riches from the king.  This kingdom was one of the first to use gold, silver, and rare gems as currency.  The king owned all of the mines from which they came.  Thus, was the only path to prosperity.  The possession of such riches raised the status of men to crude royalty.

Their monetary system was greatly flawed despite the recognition of these things as precious.  Although the citizens could possess small amounts of these items, they were not allowed to be traded outside of the kingdom.  Ultimately, all treasure belonged to the king no matter who happened to be handling it at the time.  Furthermore, if anyone amassed a small fortune it was seen as an attempt to seize power or control.  Elevating oneself too much was seen as a challenge to the god-chosen king.  Upon proof of such an act, he would sentence the offender to live the rest of one’s existence as a gladiator.

Still, the urge to possess riches was alive and well in the human spirit.  It is thought that more merchants died in the pursuit of beasts meant for the public games than gladiators died in the ring during those times.  For that reason alone, many merchants looked more for rare animals than aggressive ones.  These actions brought forth a barrage of larger, more unique herbivores into the games.  Mammoths and rhinoceroses were favored for their aggressive behavior and enormous size.  Their ability to crush other opponents under their feet brought cheers to the watching crowds.

The civilizations’ thirst for destruction was unquenchable.  The smell of blood drifted inside the city walls so thick that the air tasted like metal.  A smell that was only made more repugnant by the fresh leather that was sold by nearly every city inhabitant to the city’s visitors.  By the king’s law, citizens of his kingdom were given the right to the hides left over once the games were completed.  This did very little to make the kingdom a pleasant place to stay, but it did aid in commerce.  The games that were held within the city walls became the hub from which the entire economy of the known world flowed.

On a particularly rancid day, thanks to the burning sun hanging high in the air Atlas’s mother was hauled into the city in her great cage.  The wooden wheels attached to the cage splintered and cracked as it was being dragged through the city.  Two beasts that were more akin to present-day African elephants than mammoths tugged at the enclosure dragging it behind them using large frayed ropes.  Inside the great pen,