Dante’s Immortality – Chapter 92

After mugging his muggers, Dante made his way to one of the four gates that led to the second section of the city. The line leading up to the gate was relatively short, but occasionally a guard would stop to inspect someone, which would drastically hinder any progress.

As he got closer to the front, he found the reason. Those who were let past immediately had cards with various symbols on them for identification. Those that didn’t have the cards were inspected. Which was problematic, because he definitely didn’t have one of them.

Guards weren’t hard to deal with though. At worst, they would just cause problems for him to extract a bribe, then he would be let past.

A few minutes later he was standing in front of the two lead guards himself. The two of them seemed quite attentive, both well-groomed and their uniforms orderly. They quickly noticed his lack of card. “What is your business in the second section of the city sir?”

Dante smiled amiably. “I came to Sloria so that I could purchase a few items. From what I’ve heard, they are only available within the second section of the city.”

One of the guards looked him up and down somewhat skeptically. “Did you bring enough coin? The value of the items in the second section of Sloria can be quite high.”

Dante took the hint, it was time for the bribe.

He rummaged in his pocket theatrically before pulling a back of coins he had looted from his storage. They were mostly copper, so he wouldn’t lose much even if they took the entire bag.

As soon as the bag left his pocket and the clinking sound of coins could be heard, the guard nodded and gestured for him to pass. “Enjoy your stay in Sloria.”

Dante held the bag of coins in his hand awkwardly as he processed the guard’s words. This was a first.

The guards were no longer paying any attention to him, so Dante shrugged and stepped through the gate.

He only took a single step before he stopped and turned back to a guard that was standing idle. “During my time in Sloria, I’ve often heard mention of the Combatant’s Hall. Do you by chance know where I can find it?”

The guard pointed to the road on the left just past the gate. “Just keep walking straight until you come to the Vertex Gambling Hall. The sign is huge, and you can’t miss it. The Combatant’s Hall is just past it.”

“Thank you.” Dante nodded to the guard before continuing down the road on the left.

As he started walking down the road, Dante began to compare his surroundings to what he had seen in the third level. The difference between the two was quite noticeable.

It basically just came down to the overall wealth and luxury. In the third section of the city, a large majority of the things he had seen were there due to necessity. Whether it was the buildings, the food, the items sold, or the clothing people wore, they were all basic.

In the second section, almost none of the buildings looked to have just been thrown together by a Geomancer like the third. Most were constructed from bricks, and it was clear that they put an effort into craftsmanship. For those that wanted to show off their wealth it seemed that wooden structures were the go to. Most of those only had wooden supports, but the most extravagant shops and buildings were created entirely of wood and glass.

The buildings themselves weren’t too varied. Almost every single one was a shop, only occasionally would he see a residency or restaurant. By listening in on the conversations of others he found out why, he was currently in the shopping district of the second section of the city.

The people were also noticeably different. Other than the workers that came from the third section of the city, they were all dressed at least somewhat fancifully.

A small minority also stood out. They seemed to be a class above the rest, and many of them were around his age. All of them carried an air of superiority. The women wore long dresses that looked completely uncomfortable, and the men wore find coats and stiff pants that clearly weren’t meant for combat. Those people were also easily identified by the contingent of guards that surrounded them.

Dante continued to walk down the street for around thirty minutes before he finally came across the Vertex Gambling Hall. As the guard said, he couldn’t miss it.

Where the shopping district ended, a new district began. It was vast and open, without any real roads to speak of. The only thing that separated the monstrously large buildings were the occasional vendors that sold various food items to those that were passing by.

And the first of those monstrous buildings was the Vertex Gambling Hall. The multileveled building, which was roughly the same size and shape as the arenas that were at the academy, had a massive purple sign hanging over the large front opening to help him identify it. People were streaming both in and out, almost all of them seemed to be the wealthier citizens of Sloria.

He was definitely interested in the Vertex Gambling Hall, but for the time being decided to ignore it. The guard had said that the Combatant’s Hall was just past the gambling hall.

Dante walked past the Vertex Gambling Hall. The next building in his path was nowhere near as eye catching. It was large, even larger than the gambling hall, but still only one story. It actually seemed a bit awkward because of that. It was similar to the gambling hall in shape though, roughly circular.

As Dante got closer and was able to clearly make out the sign, he could be sure it was the Combatant’s Hall. There was a large main entrance with a short line protruding from it. He stepped forward and joined it.

As he neared the Combatant’s Hall he realized that it wasn’t actually a building. It was actually an open aired pit. He could barely see through the entrance at the back of the line but the open aired arena was clearly visible.

Reexamining the buildings that surrounded the pit in a new light, he realized that they were viewing booths that sat atop the arena, likely for the rich patrons of the Combatant’s Hall.

Dante stepped closer, trying to get a better look at what was at the bottom of the massive pit. From the ground level he was currently standing on to the bottom of the pit, there were roughly one hundred rows of seats for the audience, and the pit floor itself was massive and had several different stages for fighting.

There were nine stages in total. Eight of them were relatively average. They were raised about three feet off the ground and were about one hundred feet across each way. In the middle of the eight was a far more extravagant stage though. Not only was it about twice the length and width of the others, but it was surrounded by ornately drawn enchantments that were outlined in etched gold. The entire thing looked quite exorbitant.

Fights were taking place on each of the smaller stages, but that center stage was completely empty. Apparently, none of the fights were worthy of taking place on the larger stage.

Dante strained his senses to the front of the line, it wasn’t moving and he was eager to step inside. The lead attendant was talking to a man at the front.

“I’m afraid there aren’t any more seats available sir.”

The man at the front of the line crossed his arms, looking quite unhappy. “You’ve already taken my coin, at least let me in so I can stand and watch.”

“I’m sorry sir, as soon as a seat is available you will be the next person to enter.” At that moment another female attendant stepped forward and whispered into the lead attendant’s ear. The lead attendant smiled to the man at the front of the line and gestured to the female attendant who had just approached. “A seat has just become available, please follow Samantha. She will lead you to your seat.”

After ushering away that man, the lead attendant began to placate the next person in line, explaining the situation to them.

Dante looked at those in front of him and frowned. At the rate that things were moving, he would be waiting all day to get into the Combatant’s Hall. It didn’t seem to be worth his time, which was unfortunate.

He was just about to step out of the line when he noticed a large contingent of guards walking toward the Combatant’s Hall. They were surrounding three girls who were still in their teens. One of them was a clear beauty, she was standing between the two, and the combination of her raven black hair and sculpted features drew the eyes of every male that passed by. She overshadowed the other two, who could only be considered average in comparison.

Despite being somewhat plain, neither of them were displeasing to the eye though. One had great curves and didn’t seem to be afraid to show them. The other was thinner, yet had an athletic figure.

The guards stepped forward with purpose, and he had a feeling that this group wasn’t going to be hindered by the attendant at the front of the line. They likely already rented one of the viewing booths…

That gave him an idea. It was a bad idea, but still an idea.

The contingent of guards came nearer and were now walking alongside the line he was in. Just as the first guard was about to reach him, Dante stepped out of the line. He stepped lightly so that he could better control his body, and positioned himself so that he would appear blindsided.

Immediately after leaving the line he felt an impact on his side.

“Watch yourself!”

Dante moved with the force of impact, then purposefully stumbled so he fell hard, yet at the same time somewhat elegantly.

After falling, Dante began to slowly collect himself on the floor, as though he was unaware of what had just happened.

“What happened?” The female voice originated from within the group of guards.

The guard that bumped into him replied to her. “Some idiot stepped out in front of me and got knocked over. It’s nothing to concern yourself over.” There was a slight pause as the guard turned to face him. “Get out of the way. You’re obstructing the lady.”

The guard was botching his introduction, but things were still going according to plan. Dante stood, making it look like it took him a bit of effort to do so. Then he looked at the three women that were behind the guards with a self-deprecating smile. “I’m terribly sorry. This just doesn’t seem to be my day.”

The desired effect was earned. Of the three, the curvy and athletic girls’ eyes widened. And even though there wasn’t much of a visible change on the beautiful one’s face, he could still see her pupils dilate.

His ridiculous appearance might actually be useful for once.

A trace of a smile could be seen on all three of their faces, and the curvier one was the first to speak. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. If anything, we should be apologizing to you.”

The athletic looking girl nodded seriously. “Indeed, our guard was just careless.”

The guard that bumped into him could only smile bitterly off to the side.

Dante looked at the guard apologetically. “If I hadn’t been careless, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Judging by the look the guard gave him, he wholeheartedly agreed.

Dante let out a sigh. “It’s just one thing after another today.”

The beautiful girl looked at him curiously. “What happened?”

Dante scratched the back of his head as though embarrassed. “I flew into Sloria earlier today to complete some shopping, and shortly after that, heard talk of the Combatant’s Hall. Apparently, a remarkable combatant will be fighting today. I was going to immediately make my way over here, but was ambushed by a group of muggers.”

The athletic looking girl gasped, but the beautiful one’s eyes furrowed. “You were mugged in broad daylight?”

Dante acted slightly flustered. “Not exactly.” He cleared his throat. “I was tricked by a child. The boy told me his mother was hurt and needed help. He led me to an isolated alley.”

The curvier one lightly snorted, but not rudely. “You fell for that? It’s the oldest trick in the book.”

The athletic looking girl shot her a glare. “I think it just shows that he has impeccable character.”

Dante looked at her gratefully. “I did think that it was quite suspicious, but decided to go anyway despite the possible risk.” That was true enough. Now it was time for the tactful approach. “And to make matters worse, the Combatant’s Hall was completely full by the time I made my way down here.”

The athletic looking girl turned back to the beautiful one. “We should bring him with us, there is plenty of room in the booth.” It seemed that he had an ally.

The beautiful girl looked like she was seriously thinking about it, then she smiled and nodded. “Sure, maybe he can keep Arron at bay.”

Dante shook his head. “I couldn’t possibly impose myself upon the three of you. We’ve only just met.”

The beautiful girl stepped forward. “Nonsense. You would only add to the company we are meeting. My name is Elizabeth.” Elizabeth pointed toward the athletic girl. “This is Leah.” She then gestured to the curvier girl. “And Candice.”

Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think that this would work.

“If you really wouldn’t mind, I suppose it would be fine.” He still sounded uncertain, but the three girls stepped closer to him and the three of them walked toward the Combatant’s Hall.