“Reza, the carriage is ready. We should head out,” Sabine said, entering his room. He had just put on his coat and turned to face her. She was already armed and prepared, her bow strung on her back, ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice. She had her usual daggers at her sides but added a small crossbow to her waist, ensuring she was ready for any potential attack or ambush. It was clear that Sabine would not leave herself unprepared again.
This reminded Reza that he was missing something. Although he had the black sword already hanging from his waist, he didn’t have either of his daggers that had saved his life just days ago. He checked the small pile of clothes and belongings the servants had laid out for him.
“Have you seen my daggers? They weren’t with the rest of my belongings or the clothes the servants laid out for me,” Reza asked, his voice filled with concern. He couldn’t bear the thought of being unprotected, even with the new safety measures he had installed with the additional guards. Despite these precautions, he would still defend himself if necessary, fighting to keep himself and his loved ones alive and safe.
“No, I didn’t even pick them up from the street when you were injured. My priority was to get you to help, so they likely disappeared by now or were taken,” she replied, reaching into her belt and pulling out a dagger. “Here, take this one for now, and we can find more later.”
Reza gratefully accepted the dagger. Unfortunately, it didn’t fit into his sheaths, so Sabine also had to lend him hers. Finally, he placed the dagger at his side, the slight weight of the dagger and his sword on his hip providing a sense of comfort. He knew he would be ready to use them if needed.
“Hopefully, that blacksmith is at the meeting. If not, we’ll have to rush to his shop afterward,” Reza said, mentioning that he had ordered half a dozen Ironwood blades. He intended to purchase even more, although the cost was significantly higher than even the finest metal blades. Despite the higher price, Reza felt it was more than justified. There were many things he hadn’t tested with the blades, but based on his initial impressions, they were exceptionally good. He could conduct further experimentation when he felt more comfortable, perhaps even during one of Lukas’s training sessions. However, one thought remained in his mind, forming an idea that he felt compelled to see if it was possible. “Before we leave, I have a question for Tavia,” Reza said.
They left the room and quickly found Tavia, accompanied by Marie, in the dining room. They were engaged in a low-tone conversation, making it difficult for Reza to hear them. Both his sisters had come to visit him this morning, and Tavia and Cassia had exhibited a mix of concern and scolding.
“Tavia, could you spare a moment?” Reza asked.
Tavia stood up and walked over to Reza, looking concerned. “Are you certain you’re feeling alright to go to this? You nearly died.”
His back stiffened, but he relaxed it. He realized Tavia was simply worried about her brother and not trying to act like his mother. “I’m fine, and it’s not like I’m fighting today. It’s just a meeting with the priests of Sorana and the others to resolve this mess.”
“You better not be lying, but let’s get back to the main topic. Did you need something?” She asked curiously.
“I’d like to propose an investment in a certain forge,” Reza explained, with his sister’s eyes growing in interest. “He crafts these Ironwood blades that are among the finest I’ve ever used. He was commissioned to supply the entire contest with these weapons, and making quite a sum from it. Nevertheless, I intend to use them, but I think there could be something here, and I would like to contribute to their success. Do you think it will be feasible to invest?”
Tavia raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, contemplating the idea. “We’ve never ventured into such an investment before, but with the recent deals I’ve secured, we have the financial means to expand our operations if we make sound decisions. Let’s explore the terms and conditions of the investment. We could safely allocate twenty thousand ghouls to this enterprise. However, I would like to secure at least ten percent of the business for our investment. If he agrees or expresses interest, I’ll draft a contract or personally meet with him to finalize the details.”
Reza glanced at Sabine with a worried expression. She smiled back and resumed her conversation with Marie. “You want me to handle the deal? I thought you’d prefer to do it.” Reza admitted. He hadn’t been particularly involved in the family business; Tavia had always managed it with her professor-like wraith, Americ. He had stayed out of it because he believed he would cause more harm than good to their finances.
Tavia smiled. “Of course, you need to do this. You have a good relationship with the owner and more knowledge about the situation than I do. Just approach the inquiry as a friendly suggestion and see where it leads.” She grabbed his shoulders, and he allowed her to turn him back to the others. “The more I think about this, the better it seems. You had this idea, and now you should continue it. I’ll help you through it.”
They walked back to the others.
“I hope everything is going well?” Marie asked, glancing between the two.
“Yes, Reza had an investment idea and wanted to discuss the idea with me. It appears this week is the time for deals, not that I mind.” Tavia settled back in her seat beside Marie.
“Wonderful! We’ll see you later then. I’ve convinced Sabine to join us for dinner before you two return to her family’s estate.” Marie gently touched Tavia’s arm and smiled. “We’ll have to see if Lukas and Cassia will attend.”
Reza glanced at Sabine, who shrugged and gave him a small smile. “She was very persuasive, and I won’t deny us a nice evening with friends.”
“Alright, but we should head out soon, or we’ll be late.” Reza held out his arm with a playful grin. “Would you do me the honor?”
Sabine narrowed her eyes slightly before taking his arm. They walked out together, and Tavia and Marie couldn’t help but laugh.
——————-
Reza and Sabine entered the same room where they had first learned of their future duels within the contest. Dozens of black-robed priests of Sorana lined the walls and huddled in small groups within the room, along with multiple guards. The only familiar faces were the young Orator and what Reza could only assume was one of the church’s leaders, the older Priestess. They stood in the center of the room with Lucius, the smiling man, and Tannic stood with the two priests in the center.
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“Good afternoon, Marius and Sabine,” the Priestess said. “If you, please join us.” Looking between the group, “Now that they are here, we may begin.”
Reza stiffened from the comment. Only five of the ten contestants had survived, and it seemed that five of them had been assassinated in a single deadly morning. How had this happened? Who had done this? And why? So many questions and no answers were readily available.
Lucius, the first to speak, his voice low and laced with a hint of seriousness, asked, “So, the rest are dead then?”
She nodded, her expression etched with sadness. “Yes, according to my men’s investigation, each of you was attacked within half an hour of each other. From the bodies we recovered at your ambushes, we found that at least two assassins were sent against each of you. Lucius, you had three, while Reza and Sabine had seven between the two of them.”
Was she hinting at something? Why would we have more assassins? These were questions that couldn’t be answered; had he been in a better state of mind during the attack, he should have spared one of them. But when you’re dying, there wasn’t much Reza could do without considering every possible option. The others were likely to have killed their assassins as well.
“Who were they? Were any of the assassins captured? I’m sure you investigated the bodies. Do we know who was responsible for this?” Reza asked, his mind racing as he tried to recall any details from the fight that might provide clues about the origin of the assassins.
The Priestess shrugged. “We have no concrete evidence. They could have originated from numerous countries within this continent alone, without any concern for lands beyond the known world. However, we know they arrived in the city, claiming to be wraith pilgrims. The group they came with has been apprehended, but they have provided us with limited information.”
The young Orator interjected. “The leader of the pilgrimage mentioned that the men joined him at various stages during his journey. The first individual began with him from the southern city of Deccien approximately a month and a half ago. The rest of the group joined him as he traveled through different cities until they reached Arkhen. He decided to stay out of the city for a few days to recover from an illness, but those men left the group and entered the city a few days ago. He has not seen them since, and he asserts that he was unaware of their alternative motives beyond their intention to visit Arkhen to see the wraiths and potentially join the ranks of the deceased host.” He paused for a moment before continuing, a smile creasing his face. “I suppose they did indeed join it, even if that wasn’t their primary reason for being here.”
Reza remained expressionless, nodding and glancing at Sabine. Her eyes were filled with profound sorrow, revealing that she was aware of everyone who had met their demise and was their friend. He approached her side, intending to comfort her, but hesitated as he reached to wrap his arm around her. He let it drop, realizing she didn’t need the other contestants to mock or recognize her sorrow. She briefly averted her gaze, but when she looked back, the sorrow had vanished, and she stood tall, maintaining a neutral expression.
The smiling man spoke next, his voice possessing a melodic quality that sent a shiver down Reza’s spine. “What implications does this have for me and my fellow competitors whose opponents have now been eliminated? Are we to be replaced with new ones?”
The Priestess glanced over at the man eyeing her before speaking. “A good question, Hasbeck. We were about to get to it, first, I wanted to state that we will continue the investigation into the murders. Lady Sorana wants no further deaths of the contestants. We will inform you if we find any more information. She has also decided that Lucius and Sabine will still fight their duel, which has been rescheduled for tomorrow. The others will proceed to the semifinals.”
Lucius stepped forward, his aura flaring with anger and laced with malice. “How is that fair? I’m forced to fight a duel before the semifinals while they get to rest.”
Reza had to resist the urge to walk over to Lucius. The man was incredibly arrogant and all but expected to win against Sabine. Reza wanted to give him a beating, but Sabine’s fingers twitched slightly, causing him to pause momentarily and preventing him from acting impulsively. It was her battle, and he had to let her handle it as she saw fit.
Settling back, Reza calmed himself, forcing his aura under control to avoid drawing attention to how close he had come to conflict with Lucius.
“That’s the ruling, Mr. Rewan. If you wish to discuss it with Lady Sorana, you may request admittance into the church to see her. However, I anticipate she’ll deny your entrance, as she does for anyone other than her Archon.” The Priestess smiled as Lucius’s killing aura dissipated until Reza could barely discern it surrounding him before the man retreated to his position. “Now, the Semis have been chosen. The winner between the Rewans will face Tannic, while Reza will battle Hasbeck.”
Reza studied his new opponent, who still maintained a smile as he turned his gaze upon Reza. The man exuded an unsettling aura, and Reza had no prior knowledge of him or his abilities. Perhaps Sabine, Desmond, or Lord Sulli were familiar with him. He would inquire into Hasbeck, but the limited information he could gather from the man’s aura indicated a formidable opponent. There was an undeniable heaviness in his power, implying that the battle against him would be one of the most challenging he had ever encountered. Reza would have to be meticulously prepared, or that man would utterly destroy him.
Lucius stepped forward again, but the Priestess raised her hand, preventing him from speaking. Anger flashed across his face, but he managed to suppress it.
“Since you’ll be fighting tomorrow, the Rewans and Tannic will be the second fight on the 12th, the day before All Hallows Eve. Marius and Hasbeck will duel on the 10th. I trust there are no further complaints about the schedule?” The Priestess studied each of them in turn before nodding. “Good. You may depart. However, we may need to talk to you about the assassination attempts should we feel there may be information important about our investigation.”
Reza turned to Sabine, but the young priest spoke, holding a scroll on a metal plate with a quill in his other hand. “Just a moment. All the contestants and any guests they wish to bring are cordially invited to sit in the main box tomorrow for the fight. Please inform me of the number of attendees.”
The Orator approached Sabine and Reza first, his eyes fixed on them. “How many seats will each of you require?”
“My parents have already received invitations, so none are left for me. Reza?” Sabine answered. Her attention shifted as she watched her brother leave the room, determination in her eyes.
Reza thought for a moment before whispering to Sabine, “Who besides my sisters should I bring?”
“Lord Sulli and Lukas were there last time, and I believe they will be again, along with a few more family heads.” She whispered back. The priest nodded in agreement but didn’t say anything else.
“Three then,” Reza said. He would bring his sisters and Marie if she were willing. If Lukas and Lord Sulli would be there, it didn’t seem appropriate to leave her out.
“Very good, Sir,” The Orator wrote down a few lines in a small book and moved to leave.
“Hold on a second. Is Kelburn here?” Reza asked, momentarily distracted from the crowd of priests, priestesses, and their guards.
“I don’t think so. You might want to check his forge. I believe he and his partner went back there for the day since the contest was delayed. There was no need for them to stay here,” he said, leaving their company and heading to Hasbeck.
Bloody Abyss. Reza would have to make a stop before returning to Sulli’s house.
“Marius, are you ready?” Sabine asked.
“Yes, I have to make one stop on the way home, but it should be fun at least. I might even buy you a new weapon,” he replied, smiling.
Sabine rolled her eyes but smiled back. “I’ll take it, but I get to choose it.”
“Sure thing,” Reza commented as they left the room, their guards falling in line behind them as they ascended the stairs.
“Oh my, Marius, you should never have agreed to that. I hope you brought a substantial purse,” she laughed and snaked her arm around his.