Soal

I follow the big guy as he walks with his daughter in hand towards the fighting Arena area. I'm 100m behind keeping in the sparse crowds of people, the trees and the corners, confusing city this.

I usually know my way around cities, even when I've never before been there but I quickly realised that I'm only familiar with human cities when I got here. I've been in Paradisum 3 months now and I've survived 4 Arena fights in that time, these people are fucking crazy.

I keep my distance being none threatening and trying not to stand out but I do stand out anyways with my 'short' stature and foreign colouring. The big guy never looks behind when he walks I've noticed yet whenever I get within 40m of him I always feel like I'm being carefully watched no matter how hard I try to shake it off, its a creepy feeling so I always stay a full 100m away or more.

They leave the housing district and get into the city proper where the buildings finally get taller than the trees. A deer the size of a race horse gives me a funny look as it walks past on the grass lane. No matter what anyone says this isn't a human city, I feel like I always do when in the wilderness walking these streets.

The little girl is excitedly pointing things out to the big guy and pulling him here and there. I'm grateful for that as it keeps his attention firmly away from me so I get closer than I usually do, I'll need to be close anyways once he enters the spectator's area or is it possible he has intentions to fight this morning?

If I was following anyone else walking so leisurely with a 10 year old in tow I would be sure he had no intentions of fighting. But as I've observed, all these people are fucking crazy. The man could look calm now but become a homicidal maniac at the drop of a hat.

I slow my approach as one of the child watcher wolves walks up to the pair and uses its snout to tap the little girl's back lightly. She turns seemingly casually but I can see the homicidal tendency in her eyes from here. Observing Sachihiro has given me the chance to see the girl go crazy a few times already.

The big guys seems the be observing the exchange so nonchallangly that you would never guess a wolf the size of a small ponny had just accosted his daughter. As soon as she sees the big wolf grinning toothily at her she squils in delight and wraps her tiny arms around it's neck. I shake my head at the display, even the children here grow up crazy.

I can't hear what she says as she chatters excitedly at the stupid wolf but I keep my distance, there is no way a wild beast won't know when it's being followed. I take a side route at a light jog and move ahead of them before slowing down on their route so they have to pass me. There are numerous ways to skin a fish.

They eventually catch up, walking on the other side of the street now joined by a man in an enchanted cloak with a hood of darkness, dark pants with a auto storage enchantment and boots of silence. I've made it a point to browse all the stores of enchanted items in this city, some of these things I didn't even know existed.

I come within 60m of them at the Arena entrance were armed bored looking kids of 12 to 16 years old are collecting a silver Dari from any foreign looking person wanting to enter, none of the payers even argue.

I enter without paying because they know me from my previous fights, something that every foreigner to this city has to undergo if they plan on staying more than a few days. I still remember getting to this city and coolly being in aware of it.

My travelling companion's had directed some of us not native to these lands to a type of hostel built towards the center of the city as some sort of luxury guest housing. We had a single ten-days to stay there as guests of the Tribes vouched for by two Tribesmen and allowed to roam around freely. Within those ten-days we were to organise ourselves semi permanent lodgings or leave the city with peace.

There are two big inns and a few houses to rent outside the housing district. I chose a room at the inn so as to keep informed of the local gossip but I was very confused not the find a single barbarian out at the inn drinking area, only foreigners. Neither of the only two taverns in the entire city had more than 2 Barbarians, each sitting alone and scowling at their drinks.

I quickly realised the inns are also a sort of trap to make it easier to watch foreigners and keep tabs on then. The big guy told me to go to the Arena on the 11th day and so I went and I nearly died, shoved into a fight with a young man that's almost as big as Sachi. I fought of course because I had heard of this from the other inn residents.

You don't stay more than 10 days in Paradisum as a foreigner without being challenged to a near death match in the Arena. From then onwards every month you spend here you have to fight or you will not be served within the lands. I'm not sure how everyone can tell yet but any that refuse to fight aren't even allowed at the fountain to have a drink, the vendors sell you nothing, the inns suddenly has no rooms.

As I'm about to follow Sachi up towards his sitting area another young man steps in from of me from the shadows created by the dak tunnel in the bright day.

"Sachi said you should sit with him today." The big young man with thick golden hair says smoothly. "I'll escort you."

I walk, the big kid walking at my shoulder slightly behind me. I'm either getting rusty, this city is just really weird or Sachi has some ability of some kind. We pass by a number of other people both men and women. A lot of them the big human tribesmen but some orcs some dwarves and even some fae frequent this place.

We turn and walk up to were the big guy is sitting with his daughter between two other people, he looks small between them and I start sweating. He probably doesn't appreciate being followed, especially when his daughter is with him, anything that potentially puts her in danger must be eliminated he probably feels.

"Thanks Eldritch." Sachi says to the young man who suddenly has a hand on my shoulder.

"Any time, I'll be outside making sure no one does anything stupid and remains intact." Then the hand leaves me as the handsome young man walks back the way we came.

"My cousin, first son of my Aunt Helen's." Sachi says to me indicating to the now disappearing back of the young man.

"Come, sit behind me we have some things to discuss as we watch the fighting." I swallow at his words but I find the seat directly behind him. Its probably a good sign that he trusts me at his back yet I don't feel very reassured.

The first fight begins, a young man that is either a very recently emancipate slave from Sandoria or a runaway slave from there. Meeting those other emancipated slaves at that cabin where the baby was born was a surprise for me since nowhere I've been to before has any form of emancipation. Even Awakened are kept as slaves in a lot of cases on Pangaea but here you can buy your freedom, work for it, or just be released as time passes.

The young man's opponent is a girl of maybe 15 years old carrying a round shield and a single handed axe. The kid visibly relaxes when he sees her and she notices and grins at him, big mistake kid. Sachi is narrating every moment, stance, weapon's choice, likely outcome, mistakes already made to his daughter and she is listening raptly.

I also lean in and as I watch the fight take place its as if the man has the foresight ability or something. The kid looking to be in his 30's gets destroyed off course but he initially puts up a good fight. The bruising and the broken arm he takes with only minor screams, it's when the girl hacks halfway through his torso that he starts screaming for mercy.

The girl spits and kicks him in the head twice to knock him out before leaving him there. Then I suddenly have almost all of Sachi's attention trained on me as we face each other. "So tell me more about yourself Soal." Is all he says and I wish I had one of those hoods of darkness things.

"I'm a city rat, I grew up in the slams of Eckhart in Persian controlled lands of Toros. I survived there as a child by being the best thief in my gang, and when things got too hot I moved into Persia herself and felt right at home in the slams of Lit.

"I learnt small blade work there of course because no one survives in the slam of any Persian city without being proficient with a peshkabz. I discovered I had a knack for it and was sponsored by the local gang lord into joining the Daggers.

"I spent 12 years in Lit and in that time I grew to become a respected man with assets of his own and slaves that bore me sons. Sons can become a liability though and they were leveraged against me to take on a suicide job. I took the job of killing a foreigner from Atrium, everyone in Persia knows not to kill a foreigner from Atrium lest he be from Celestia but it was worse for me.

"I was unlucky enough to have tried to kill a member of the Hezbollah I realised after he easily subdued me. The man was a psion and he spent the following 2 hours going through my mind learning my entire life's story. He then told me to go kill my employer within 100 hours before returning to him.

"That became the longest day of my life but I succeeded in a way. And I returned wounded beyond survival with a host of assassins at my heels. I didn't find my children since they had already been sold in anticipation of my death.

"I've never found out why but my pursuers let me be when they saw me sprawled at his feet. He took me into his retinue after that and I became the shadow of one of his agents. Watching her back and ending all threats to her as we moved deeper into Persia.

"I worked for him two years in the hopes of one day receiving specialized training I'm assuming is only reserved for members of the Hezbollah and their assets. After two years he presented my two sons to me, he had had them the entire time you see and he never even hinted at it.

"They had also been undergoing specialized training and with my blessing they were sent to Celestia for further training. I was proud, and I was grateful and so I worked a even harder for him a further 3 years before he told me he was being reassigned so I could become an assert of the person that replaces him or I could leave Persia."

"I'm guessing you chose to leave Persia, how long ago was this?" Sachi asks looking forward with me leaning close to his ear as the next fight is setup.

"It was a year ago." I say coolly, I know by my telling I implied it was much longer ago but hey, I shrug.

"That's why you had no roots in Itri I guess. What was your patrons name and what was his occupation in Persia?" He asks.

I was dreading this moment for the longest time, if I ever got into the employ or service of another how much of my old employer would I reveal? It's just a name and an occupation now but it could turn into more later.

"He is known as Sun Sung and he was a diplomat of some kind, a politician." I say looking at the back of Sachi's head.

"I see, alright then Soal from Toros, let's watch the next fight." And with those words he is again quietly narrating to his daughter all his assessments for the next fight.

I pay close attention, the blind man with his hood down giving me a little smirk.

*

Sachihiro

"He has been following you all day you know, why aren't you more worried?" Gorr projects to me directly.

"Ma said he wouldn't betray me so long as I don't pit him against those he loves." I project back and that seems to satisfy the old man, it certainly satisfied me.

I'm glad to see the old hermit though I'm not sure how long he will be staying this time. Rumour is he has made a home amongst the Awakened beats of the Dawn forest and runs with a pack under the protection of a powerful psychic Ancient beast.

He also seems so much more at peace, Fenrir seems to be getting bigger as well. Everything is changing, its almost sad in a way.

"Where is Om?" He projects again as I teach Saya about the subtleties of combat.

"Awakening still."

"Good, I heard your party only arrived 3 months ago so he still has a lot of time to consolidate his gains."

"He has been in a fae time dilation chamber this entire, he should have been out by now." I project, its weird but I didn't realise I could multi task this way. And I really should give Vevina a proper thanking for teaching me projection.

"How steep is the dilation?"

"I spent 3 months in there but it turned out to be only 3 days out here."

"So he could be-"

"Exactly! To him it could already have been 3 years in there and I'm told he hasn't even stirred."