Sara stared at the odds available on Eve’s eighteenth fight with supreme annoyance. The first fifteen rounds had been extremely profitable. However, the moment her Mistress demonstrated that Champions were mere meat mixed with mortality and baked in anti-magic, the good times disintegrated.

It’s like the bookies expected my Lady to hit a wall face first and die from the impact. Sara thought tapping her leather boots against the tiled floor. Admittedly, not even Iron knew about the anti-magic fields, so it is pretty clear people don’t hit the Top Five too often. That type of information is something that most likely gets kept close to the chest.

Sara glanced from the bookie boards taking in the eclectic group of people her Mistress called family. Tim was tucked into a shadow behind Thomas’s elegantly suited form. The boy had taken to the craft of stealth like a child of shadow, his clothing wasn’t black, but a myriad grey shade of patchwork invisibility. James was talking quietly with Rin and Ren, he was dressed smartly in a younger nobleman’s outfit minus the jacket. The two older girls were in female adventurer outfits that emphasized the different specialties of poison and muscles without being brazen. The smallest two girls Penny and Jenny played a strange game involving complex single syllable words. Their dresses were both smaller versions of older nobility. Iron stood directly to her left his face glaring at a message received in his Trade Scroll. Eschewing his forge apron, the dwarf was dressed like a master clockmaker with a short shiny brass capped staff. Sara flashed a sharp grimace, once she had realized that the System generated the odds, but the Arena bookies handled the wagers it became clear there might be problems later.

“Iron, is A’nar available to talk?” Sara asked, reaching a decision. It was high time she found out what the merchant who had assisted them so far was up to. The best time to approach was between rounds, as she had been able to gather enough information to know the merchant was a serious spectator.

Interrupting his viewing pleasure was a fatal choice to some.

Sara had already started taking precautions the moment she saw the wind change after the Siren match. The massive shift in odds was a warning sign to any gambler, and she took it to heart. Before the jaws of the trap could close it would do well to prepare. Lady Eve always seemed to have a little extra luck, but that cut both ways. She knew that the System favored her mistress, anyone with eyes could see it. That same favor could only extend so far. Here, in the heart of a part of the world run by gold, the System could only tweak the odds to a point. It looked like Top Five was the limit. Attempting to inflate the odds in Eve’s favor past this point would be too blatant, and so instead a warning was being quietly demonstrated in Sara’s opinion.

While the System guarantees safety for us now, it does nothing for us after we leave. Perhaps I’m being paranoid, but what if those who run the Arena have every portal exit layered with watchers and capture teams? Sara thought her mind racing. If it were me, I would have people a Tier higher ready to capture winners. Since we have a week of System protection if the Mistress wins her twentieth round, they would need to be at least that strong not to injure us by accident.

“You think something is wrong?” Iron said, giving her a sideways look as his Trade Scroll vanished.

“I know something is wrong. The odds favored Eve all the way up to the Siren match, and then suddenly shifted. It’s a clear sign they expected her to die. She didn’t and now they have gotten even worse.” Sara said her voice low. She didn’t fail to notice how the dwarf leaned in to listen closer, a side effect of Allure.

Iron’s eyes narrowed as he looked thoughtful, “They figured the anti-magic would take care of her. They figured she was using Spells to move, and boost her Stats. The A.M. field would make those worthless and turn her into easy prey. She only demonstrated a few passive Curses, none of which would amount to much against good solid enchanted armor in theory. However, she’s been spending her Slots like water.”

Sara nodded as the dwarf continued, “She’s shored up weaknesses left and right making each fight tilt further in her favor. They probably figured she has a spatial artifact. They know she has an Element though perhaps not the type, and a smart cookie might figure she has an enchanting profession of some sort. Aye, put those together and the Arena has decided she’s worth acquiring. Properly raised, Lady Eve could enter the higher Ranks and pave the way for this Arena to become known. Burn me beard if I got it wrong!”

“That’s what I suspect too. If she doesn’t die, her value increases to astronomical Levels, both literally and figuratively.” Sara replied.

“They can’t harm us for a week after she wins, and they can’t do anything while she’s still fighting, either.” Iron said his eyes widening, “You think they are aiming to capture us after the week is up?”

Sara gave a slow almost minimal nod in response, “I think for an Arena that has been in operation for so long, there are many possible methods to recoup their losses.”

“Capturing a winning team, it won’t go over well with anyone.” Iron paused before continuing, “The only way the Arena would be willing to push that far is if she’s a potential World Ranker.” The dwarf turned to Sara with a grim expression.

Sara flashed a smile, “Contracts are wonderful, aren’t they?”

“I wondered about some of those clauses but now the penalties make more sense.” Iron said cryptically before pulling out his Trade Scroll he scribbled a short message and the response was instantaneous. “We’ve got a meeting between now and the start of the eighteenth round with A’nar.”

Sara snapped, her fingers making a crisp sound in their fingerless gloves before everyone gathered in the standard formation with her in front, and Thomas bringing up the rear. While everyone else was outfitted in expensive taste, Sara stood out like a duchess at the helm. Her dress costed more than most people would make in a decade, and it concealed and revealed in equal measures. She said, “Let’s go negotiate Plan B.”

Iron took the lead and the group moved rapidly through the extensive inner hallways of the Arena. Sara noted how their surroundings slowly became more opulent moving from tile to wood, and wood to carpet. Each successive hallway seemed to deaden sound more effectively. The roaring murmur of the crowds dimmed from a constant background to barely a whisper.

Iron stopped in front of a richly decorated doorway on the upper levels before tapping with a specific coded knock. A servant dressed like a rich yeoman opened the doorway glancing down his nose at the dwarf for a moment. The servant’s glanced at the arrayed party, before moving to the side to allow entry. Iron strode forward like he owned the place, and Sara followed him in with her group.

Her eyes took rapid notice of the array of servants within the suite. There were two chefs, a sommelier, a massage specialist, two guards, three spare servants, and the doorman.

All a Tier below me. Sara thought before focusing her eyes on the merchant himself. Soft looks, but the eyes are the same as Mother. This is a person who kills without a trace. Business is just another form of fighting to him.

“Sit, sit! What a wonderful chance to meet those associated with my favorite gladiator! Lady Eve is quite a piece of work, indeed!” A’nar said, gesturing to chairs that had been arranged before him. Sara didn’t fail to note how he had the exact number of chairs, including one for Tim who was almost always missed. She took a seat, and the rest of the family followed behind her. Sara took a longer appraising look at the jeweled rings, rich robes, and comical puffy hat of the merchant in front of her before she said, “Greeting, Mr. A’nar, glad tidings, sparkling gold, and long life to you.”

“Oh! A greeting in the old ways. One wonders how much you paid for that information, if you paid at all.” A’nar said his eyes dipping low for a moment.

“Everything has a price.” Sara said with a coy smile.

“Indeed it does! So few believe me, but they all understand…eventually.” A’nar said his eyes sharp. There was a pause before the merchant put forth the first question, “Do you think Lady Eve will win the next three rounds?”

Sara gave a brilliant smile and said, “Winning isn’t the issue. It’s only a matter of time.”

“So, you’ve already seen part of the trap, very well done.” A’nar said confirming Sara’s fears, “It is a bit crude in my opinion, but so few manage to actually understand that System protection isn’t absolute.”

“A week is such a short time.” Sara responded testing.

“Indeed. Especially with some of the more exotic forms of tracking available.” A’nar said. Sara noted the way his eyes drifted over her group weighing each of them. He seemed to reach a decision and said, “I want in.”

Sara glanced at the servants and A’nar gave a flick of his fingers. Everyone filed out the door, including the guards.

“You are one of the top three merchant cartel owners in this desert city. Are you certain you wish to gamble on a completely untried group of people?” Sara asked using Copy to pull snacks and drink over to her people.

“This city is doomed if Lady Eve reaches the twentieth round and wins. I will own controlling interest in almost seventy percent of the city. The moment I sell that to the city lord, he will have enough control to strangle any competition placing his household in absolute domination. I will make out like a bandit, but I won’t be able to do business here any longer.” A’nar said putting his cards on the table, “So I need to go elsewhere, and a little bird told me you happened to buy a Writ of Nobility, a Territory Obelisk, and several other interesting things. Tell me you’re your group is not setting up a settlement in the Skysword range, swear it to the System and I’ll slit my own throat right now.”

Sara’s silence made the merchant grow a wide manic grin.

“I want in, I will only ask a second time.” A’nar said leaning forward as his hands gripped his chair.

“You will ensure we get away without a trace. You will sign a contract.” Sara said, raising her hand to forestall his words, “In exchange barring certain businesses under my direct control, such as schools or relaxation houses, you will have complete control of financial matters.”

A’nar sat back, tapping the fingers of his right hand on the armrest of his chair before asking, “Legal or illegal?”

“Both, only limited by the previous rules.” Sara said her green eyes amused. It didn’t take a genius to see that Lady Eve cared more about results than legalities.

“It will be expensive.” A’nar said, rubbing his chin.

“Venture capital investments usually are.” Sara replied with a smirk, “Do we have a Deal?”

A’nar stared ahead, most likely consulting one of his Skill or Spells. Merchants had a number of ways to find profit, after all. Sara waited patiently, as a member of nobility she knew the astronomical amounts of gold to be made by complete financial control of a new town. While he had no way of knowing, joining them was probably the most profitable deal A’nar would ever gain in the next decade.

“We have a Deal.” A’nar said holding out his right hand. Sara bent across to slide a Contract into his hand, not failing to miss the way his eyes dipped almost against his will. It was a small victory, but all the good ones were.