Rescue

by R. A. Mejia

  AdvantageGladiator Point Cost

  Adjust Position50

  +1 Stat Boost Buff 100

  Magic Weapon100

  Attack boost200

  Damage boost200

  Remove Pain200

  Attack speed boost200

  Add Ally300

  Add Ally II400

  DisadvantageGladiator Point Cost

  Hobble50

  Blindfold50

  Bells50

  No Weapons100

  Drunk100

  Vertigo100

  Adjust Position150

  Poison200

  Overburden200

  Unequip200

  Blind300

  Terrain ChangesGladiator Point Cost

  Water100/sq foot

  Cover100/sq foot

  Fog100/sq foot

  Ice150/sq foot

  Noxious Gas200/sq foot

  Flammable Gas300/sq foot

  Lava400/sq foot

  While we’re still training at the familia compound, we get our first challenge. Much to our surprise, it’s not from the Copper Level, but from someone at the Silver Level. All three of us get challenges on the same day but from two different individuals: Jason 'Myrmidon' Myers and ‘Killer’ Kyle. When we show the Lanista, he snarls, says something in Imperial that I don’t understand, and spits on the ground. Seeing our incomprehension, he explains. “Those two are known as the newbie killers. They specifically target promising gladiators and try to crush them so that their position at the Silver Level is never threatened. If those two have their eyes on you three, then you’ll have to be careful.” The Lanista looks around to make sure no one is listening before continuing, “While they can’t kill you in the arena, several of their opponents have mysteriously disappeared or forfeited their matches.” Then, returning to his normal stoic tone he says, “If you want my advice, decline the challenges and start to scout out who you want to challenge.”

  “We can decline a challenge?” Sonya asks.

  “Yes. But only if it’s from someone ranked higher than you. You cannot decline a challenge from someone ranked lower.”

  Vrax and I nod in agreement with the Lanista’s advice, but Sonya looks pensive. The Lanista tells us that we’ll have to go to the Colosseum and notify the administration there that you’ve declined the challenge within three days, or there’s a penalty to our gladiator points. The Lanista gives us three days off to scout for opponents and take care of any personal business before we resume our training.

  Since we have a couple free days, I decide to get looking for some training in the marketplace. Our ice business has been doing wonderfully, and we really don’t have to worry about money for the foreseeable future. After heading to the ice warehouses, I talk to Mary about pulling out some funds to learn some skills and abilities.

  Mary, who’s wearing some cat eye glasses and what looks like a new dress, taps her finger against her chin. “Hmmm. I’m not sure we can take assets out of the business right now. We’re at a very delicate expansion phase, the cost of security has gone up, and the Ice Hauler’s Guild has brought their first large haul of ice into town.” I scowl at my fairy friend, knowing she’s skinflint when it comes to handing out money to other people. She flies over to a large ledger sitting on a desk in the corner of the room. She opens it and mutters to herself as she looks through it. After a minute, I walk over and see that she’s been looking at the same page with columns and rows this whole time.

  “Mary! Stop playing around.”

  She sniffs and pushes up the tiny glasses that have fallen down her nose.

  I squint and notice there’s no reflection from the glasses. “Do those glasses not have any lenses?”

  Mary’s eyes snap up to meet mine. They look a bit red, but that may be part of her annoyed look. “Yeah, so what? They’re the height of fashion right now. Just because you don’t like to look pretty doesn’t mean that everyone else has to walk around looking dumpy.”

  Her words are more cutting than normal, and I’m concerned there’s more behind it. “I’m sorry if I offended you, Mary. I noticed you wearing the new glasses and the dress as soon as I walked in. I think they’re both very pretty.”

  Mary’s shoulders sag, and I think I hear a sniffle. “Mary, what’s wrong?”

  Her cute button nose wiggles as she tries to hold back tears. “Nothing.”

  “Come on, Mary. I’ve known you long enough to know that when you say nothing is wrong, it’s probably the exact opposite.”

  She looks up at me, and a single tiny teardrop falls down her cheek. “I hate it here, Armon.” She wipes the tear from her eye and starts to pace back and forth on the desk. “I’m miserable pretending to be a slave in this stupid country. I’m not free to go anywhere by myself, so I’m either cooped up here working or at the house. When I do go out, I can’t wear any of my nice clothes because slaves aren’t supposed to.” I try to say something encouraging, but she continues on, building up steam. “And even here with the business, all the customers give Keans all the credit for everything. And yes, I know he has to be the face of the company, but gosh darnit, I’d like some credit too! Then you come walking in here, criticizing me for buying a few dozen small items when I’m the one really managing the business. How dare you!”

  I can tell Mary is building up for a full-on melt down, and I interrupt her. “You are absolutely right, Mary. Absolutely. I couldn’t have been more wrong.” What I’m wrong about, I’m honestly not sure. But I figure it’s better to admit defeat now than wait for her to blow up and start going on a murderous rampage or something.

  My words stop her rant cold as if she never thought I’d admit it. “You are?”

  “Yes. I come traipsing in here asking for money, never really appreciating how much work it must take to keep this business going. I also never realized how hard it must be on you pretending to be someone's slave when you’re so naturally free spirited.” I look her directly in the eyes and say, “I’m sorry, Mary.”

  Mary watches me for a moment, weighing my sincerity. Then she takes a deep, cleansing breath and shrugs. “It’s not your fault. It’s this city. This whole country. Everyone looks at me like I’m just an object or worse, like I’m something disgusting they’d rather scrape off the bottom of their shoes. They talk past me like I’m not in the room and after a while it gets so I almost believe that I’m not a person either.” She shakes her head and puts on a false smile. “Anyways, none of that is your problem or your doing. Apology accepted. Now, how much money did you need?”

  I’m not sure what to say. I knew it would be hard on her coming here but I never knew what it was like for her every day. “Thank you, Mary, for going through that for me. You’re a great friend for enduring all those looks and attitudes. And of course for making this business work.”

  Her smile turns genuine and she waves away my statement. “No. That’s what this whole thing is for, right? We started it to cover expenses while you, Vrax, and Sonya trained. This is just another training expense.” Mary opens her inventory and pulls out three golden coins and drops them on the table in front of me. “How’s that? That enough to cover you?”

  Woah. I was hoping to get maybe a gold for all three of us. I pick up the three gold coins and drop them in my inventory. “Yeah, I think that should do for the skills and abilities we’re looking for. Thank you, Mary.”

  Mary looks at me once then drops fifty silver on the desk. “Here. Take this too and go take Sonya out on a date or something. You can’t expect your relationship to grow if all the two of you do is train all the time.”

  Surprised at the statement, I realize that Sonya and I haven’t gone out on date since I escaped from the prison. We’ve been busy adventuring and traveling. Sure, the nightly cuddles are wonderful, but the two of us should really go out and have fun. I add the fifty silver to my inventory. “You’re right, Mary. I should take her out. It’s been a while.”

  Mary shrugs again. “Yes, I know I’m righ
t. Now, go shopping and take your lady out.”

  With that, I leave our ice warehouse and go take Mary’s advice.

  Chapter 30 - Interlude

  In a dark bar in a bad part of town, three men meet.

  The bar is poorly lit, and most of the patrons wear hoods over their heads to hide their identities. In one corner, a plump woman negotiates the price of her time by the hour with a client. In another, two men work out the details for an illegal purchase of a high-grade magical drug. In a small private room in the back, two men sit facing the doorway.

  “You sure he’s going to come? He didn’t seem like the type to turn on his friends.”

  “I keep telling you, Myers, this guy doesn’t think of them as friends, even though he was from the same familia. He’s a rotter through and through. Turned on his familia and joined some cheap school that was looking to bring down the Familia Pontius. They don’t care about him, and he don’t care about his old teammates.”

  “Still, why would he give us information on anyone. Burning bridges, ain’t it?”

  “Well, the way I heard it, he’s embarrassed that they were treated better than he was and that he got beaten by them.”

  A creaking of boards disrupts the two, and moments later, the handle of the door turns, and a large, bulky man appears in the shadowy doorway. He scans the room carefully before entering. The floorboards beneath his feet groan from his weight, but he walks towards the two seated men with confidence.

  One man holds up his hand. “That’s far enough. We hear that you have information on three newbies coming up to Silver Level?”

  The large hooded man nods. “It’s true . . . if you have the money to buy the information.”

  The other seated man drops a bag onto the table, and the sound of jingling coins can be heard. “We can pay--if the information is good.”

  The towering man reaches under his cloak, and the two seated men grab for their weapons, but all the bulky man brings out is a scroll. He drops it on the table, and the two unfurl and read it.

  “Hmm . . . What in the world is an artificer?”

  “I think he’s a crafter or something. Shouldn’t be too difficult to beat in the Colosseum.”

  One of the seated men starts to laugh and points at a passage in the notes. “Oh, look, he has a girlfriend.”

  “That’s our ticket, all right. We just have to pull a standard snatch and grab. Then, we’ll have the leverage to make the men accept our challenge and throw the match.”

  The two laugh and plan their next moves as the hooded figure looming over them takes the bag of coins and leaves the room with a broad, cruel smile just visible under his hood.

  Chapter 31

  I race back to our place behind the blacksmith shop, waving to Charles as I pass. I find Sonya and Vrax talking, and the two get awfully quiet when they see me come through the front door.

  “Hey, you two. What’s up?”

  Vrax looks up at the ceiling, but before he can tell me what he sees up there, I correct myself. “Sorry. I meant to ask, ‘How are you?’ and, ‘What are the two of you talking about?’”

  My brood brother nods, understanding that I use weird phrases sometimes. “We were talking about the responsibilities of a kobold’s mate. I think it is good time to have talk with Sonya.”

  Sonya’s normally-pale skin is as red as her hair, but she nods at Vrax’s statement. “Yes, I never knew how many things were expected from a kobold’s mate. I’m supposed to bear you strong children, clean our cave, cook the meat you bring home, mend furs, make health potions, and . . .” She frowns slightly trying to remember something then smiles as she recalls it. “Oh, yes. I’m also supposed to avenge your death if you fall in battle. I can definitely do that one. Though, the rest are things I’ll have to work on.”

  Vrax smiles at Sonya but speaks to me. “Yes, she understands commitment to tribe very well. She make very good mate. Make many strong warriors.”

  Sonya blushes at the compliment, and I stand there, stunned at the kind of conversation the two are having. What’s all this about marriage and children? Wait, does that mean she’s . . .? The mere inkling of the concepts makes me dizzy, and I have to hold out a hand and steady myself against the wall. I mean, I knew that making love could lead to this kind of thing, but I didn’t think it could happen to me. Still, it’s not the worst thing in the world. I mean, I’d always thought that I’d start a family some day. That it’s a little unplanned is fine. Sonya will make a great mother, and I’m sure I’ll make an adequate father. Oh, dear, I’m feeling dizzy again.

  As I unsteadily make my way to a chair by the door to sit down, Sonya asks, “Are you alright, Armon? You look like you’re coming down with something.”

  “Oh, I’m alright, dear. I’m just a little surprised is all.” Looking between Vrax and Sonya, I quickly amend my statement. “Good-surprised, I mean. Not bad-surprised.” I realize that my voice just cracked and try to calm down. After all, I don’t want her to think that I’m unhappy with the news. I smile brightly and go to Sonya and hug her hard.

  “I love you, Sonya. Thank you for this. It makes me very happy.” Sonya’s return hug sends a warmth through me. When she pulls away, I continue, “Though our mission right now is dangerous, I promise that I’ll make us a good, safe home when it’s all done.”

  Sonya seems to beam. “You mean it?” I nod and she hugs me again, this time hard enough to squeeze the breath out of me.

  “Please, dear, I still need to breathe.” She laughs but lets me go. “Here. Why don’t we all go out and celebrate. I got some gold from Mary. We can spend it at the market and have some dinner afterward.”

  Sonya nods in agreement, but Vrax declines, saying that he wouldn’t be allowed in any of the stores or restaurants as a slave. Instead, he asks we note down any abilities, skills, or gear he could use and their prices so that he can decide later what he wants to spend his share on. It saddens me to know that Vrax won’t be able to celebrate with us today, but I understand his point of view. I assure him that I’ll keep an eye out for anything I think he’ll like.

  Sonya and I leave the room arm in arm and head out towards the marketplace, a district of the city where the majority of the buying and selling occurs. It takes us a bit under twenty minutes to get there. The marketplace is full of people at this time of day. People of all classes mingle as they walk in and out of shops containing every conceivable thing you could imagine. Shops sell all manner of clothes for the wealthy, and I notice a shop selling cat eye glasses too. Mary was apparently up with the latest trends. Beyond the clothing area, there are several potion shops along with stores selling weapons and armor and then even more specialized stores selling magical items. There is even a bookstore with the symbol of the sect of Cognito above it’s doorway. I remember the one in Restrian and decide to take a peek inside through the window. The whole place is filled floor to ceiling with books and scrolls, and there is a lady sitting in the corner of the shop reading. While we’re not exactly looking for magic spell books right now, I’ll have to mention to Mary that it’s here.

  Sonya drags me by the arm to a weapons shop, and we spend the next twenty minutes going through their entire selection of weapons. There are many exotic ones that I’ve never seen before, including some magical ones, though anything with any kind of magical enchantment is well outside our price range. Still, Sonya sighs appreciatively at each shiny and sharp instrument of death.

  As we leave the shop, she pats my arm. “Wasn’t that dagger of lightning just beautiful? It would go perfectly with my armor.” She looks down at me with a wide-eyed expression of innocence. “It would make an excellent gift, you know.” I almost laugh at the obvious hint. Sonya is not a subtle woman. I just nod at her and make a note to come by again alone to buy the item for her. It’ll make her happy to get it, and I can call it a pregnancy gift. Surely, Mary won’t begrudge me the money from our business. Not when I tell her it’s for her niece.

  Slowly, the
two of us make it through the various stalls and shops until we come to the skill and ability trainers: men and woman that, for the right price, will transfer the beginning level of an ability or skill to you. My first experience of the process was when Lilliandra transferred the skills Magical Aura, Aura Projection, and Mana Control. While there were a few people in Restrian that were willing to teach abilities, there are apparently hundreds here in Attilius--way too many to have those people standing around all day waiting for customers. Instead, there are several shops that act as agents, marking down what their clients can teach and how much they’ll charge to transfer the ability or skill. It’s a fairly efficient system.

  After buying a small snack from a food vendor, I talk over my build thoughts with Sonya just as I did with Lanista Lucanus. Her suggestions are a bit more practical.

  “If you don’t have the health points to take many blows, then don’t get hit. Don’t have the mana pool to cast a bunch of spells? Then don’t. Figure out another way to do extra damage. You’re a maker? Make something.”