Salvia

The merchant's entourage was lively, with Raelus drawn to different people, each engrossed in tales amongst themselves. He peered left and right, trying to pick out as much as he could. Raelus found them outside the city; apparently, they had been camping all night long, waiting to enter the city—Salvia, it was called.

Perched on the grass, his hands grazed the long blades, feeling the lushness that made them comfortable enough for him to lie on. The sun burned his eyes, causing him to squint, but he could still see the blue sky, its clouds hanging low and scattered across it. He felt nice, free, and unrestrained, like the birds soaring above. The conversations still floated around the camp. He felt as if he was growing complacent—he needed to think about what he would do next.

He found a spot on the edge of the camp, just by the city walls. He took up the lotus position. The silence pulled him into a meditative trance. He recounted his experiences since the start of his Tóir na Lia Fáil. There wasn't much to reminisce , but it was necessary.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. There before him stood a not-so-short teenager, about sixteen, with scruffy dark hair and an ear-to-ear grin that spoke volumes about him. The gleam in his eyes added more prestige to his cheerful face.

"HOW ARE YOU?" he said slowly, as if speaking to a retard.

"I am Cian," he stabbed himself with his finger before pointing at Raelus. "What's your name?"

Raelus just stared, then grinned foolishly. Cian smacked his forehead in disappointment.

"Retard."

They stared at each other. Raelus then proceeded to tap his mouth then his ears, signaling that he could not speak, but he could hear, and grinned.

"Oh, fuck!" Cian cursed in shame. He tried thinking of something to salvage the situation. He pointed to Raelus' blade.

"You know how to use that?"

Raelus' face scowled at the question. He was slightly offended. Seeing this, Cian tried to salvage the situation.

"Don't look at me that way. You're too fancy to be among us poor people," he swung his hand over Raelus' shoulder. "Us dregs, we're not blessed with luscious curly red hair or eyes that even I can get lost in.They look like me ,untrustworthy, but with you, I . No we can make a fortune."

Cian had a devilish smile, looking at Raelus.

"Want in?"

Raelus shook his head in acknowledgement then smiled matching Cian's energy.

"Let's start with the mercenaries over there." Cian pointed to one of the many clusters of people within the camp.

Raelus stood between three mercenaries in a standoff. Unlike earlier, the raging sun was setting, bringing with it the blend of orange and red hues that lit the entire region. The lack of clouds was superseded by the surreal amber haze that hung low where they should have been.

Raelus was heaving, breathing heavily, making use of the short break. He locked eyes with the mercenary in front of him, with the other two flanking him on either side. Enough time had passed. He moved first, a quick lunge at the mercenary in front of him. The mercenary retaliated with a thrust of his spear, which Raelus sidestepped.

Raelus changed stance, now the blade facing downwards in a low guard. He took another step inside to come into range. With stable footing, the upward slash he performed immediately after was enough to slice the spear at the base, just a few inches off the mercenary's hand, leaving him disposed and out of commission.

Using the momentum, he pivoted toward the mercenary approaching from his right. With another step, he quickly switched to a high guard. The downward slash was just as fast as it was powerful, rattling the attacker's sword as their blades clashed. He followed with another downward slash from a high guard, but with even more power. Unable to attempt a parry, the mercenary blocked, but the force of Raelus' strike forced him onto one knee.

The final mercenary had arrived, and Raelus, unable to finish the fight, pivoted away from her and retreated out of the range of her blade. He shifted into a mid guard. The female mercenary helped her fallen comrade up. Raelus was ready for them. They attacked. Raelus was taken aback by their ferocity, but not by their synchronicity, which gave their attacks strong intent. To win, he knew he had to disrupt their rhythm.

The female mercenary became frustrated and rushed in with a thrust, which Raelus parried, sending her stumbling elsewhere. Wasting no time, Raelus delivered heavy attacks on the remaining mercenary until he knocked him down and out of the duel. He turned to the remaining mercenary, who looked scared but resolute at the same time. Raelus tightened his grip on his blade and attacked.

As he was about to land the final blow, she called it quits.

"That's Cian's Arena for you. Are you not entertained?" Cian called out, going around collecting the wedged bets.

They had spent the afternoon and well into the evening setting up duels and betting on them. Raelus only fought low-ranking mercenaries, avoiding all those Cian called The Named. It went well until the mercenaries started refusing challenges, so Cian had a bright idea: Raelus would fight three opponents he had already defeated in a three-on-one.

"We're rich!" Cian screamed in joy, bouncing his heavy pouch in his hand. Raelus just smiled while sheathing his sword. One of The Named approached them. He was tall with a lean body and had a veteran's aura to him—maybe it was because of his grey beard or the various facial wounds.

"You're good, kid. Want to join my crew? I pay well." He stretched his hand, prompting Raelus to shake it and he did.

Cian stepped between them, all smiles.

"You'll have to speak to me for that," he leaned toward The Named and pointed backward to Raelus with his thumb. "He doesn't speak. He only fights." He swung his arms wildly, imitating Raelus fighting.

"I'm Dara the Gravedigger, find me when you are ready."

Just as he walked away, the city guards announced that they could enter the city.