The crowds surrounding the abandoned warehouse were a little surprising. I didn't expect such a showing to watch the Orots crush some weak newbies who hadn't even found their feet yet.

Maybe that was the star power of one of the three strongest gangs under the Bloody Blades.

It was also probably a good feeling for many in the Outer rings to see someone else get crushed. I wondered if my father was somewhere out there in the crowds.

"Looks like a lot of people want to see our blood today. Too bad we are going to be letting them down."

Sammy was feeling far too confident now that we had a powerful group backing us up.

Breaking through the crowd in front of him without worry. He was the star of the show, after all.

The warehouse was much larger than any of the places we had undergone a street battle in the past. Compared to the back alleys, it was an arena.

It was threatening to fall around us as we entered. The wood all but rotted away. I was honestly surprised it was still standing. I doubted it would be after the fight between the two mages, which was a shame.

It would be part of the spoils we would be getting from the Orots when we won. Just like everything else they were putting up, there was no way to earn all that much money from it.

I could see plenty of ways I could make use of the warehouse, however, so I was feeling pretty good about the rewards.

"You fat pigs, come to eat another piece of meat. Have you? well, you won't be taking from us so easily."

It seemed Sammy didn't share my enthusiasm. He decided to go down the antagonistic route against our foes.

It seemed only one Orot had decided to come down to this low-level engagement. Sammy wasn't wrong with his assessment. The Orot member shared a similar build to Ralph, my new Knight.

Instead of the muscle of the Knight, the gang member was all fat. He had gotten comfortable with his status.

"Well, it's always good to see a dog yapping away. It's just a shame it doesn't realize it's dead yet."

Sammy, for once, didn't rise to the bait. He had said his piece.

The Bloody Blades representative decided to step in.

"Good, now that's everyone is here, we can begin. Can you both introduce your Champion. Rohaan, you can go first."

It was unsurprising that they allowed the Orot to go first. They would have a clear bias towards one of the more profitable gangs under their dominion.

"Very well representative, I will choose Earth Mage Cavan as our Champion. May he bring us prosperity and luck."

A short man wearing a simple brown robe lumbered into the middle of the warehouse—each step cracking the Earth underneath his feet. He let his magic aura spread out around him. Pressing on all the crowd gathered around.

The aura coming from him sent a shiver down my back, even from where I stood. I was glad I didn't have to face the man myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't be long for life.

Recognizing that a Mage was going to be battling. The representative of the Bloody Blades nodded to a man across the warehouse. Another representative of the Bloody Blades that I hadn't noticed before.

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It seemed they had taken the fight seriously enough to bring a barrier Mage of some kind with them. I was glad about that. I didn't want to die in the crossfire.

I doubted he would have the strength to stop a full strike from Ayda, but I doubted she would have to go all out against the man either way.

"Sammy, introduce your Champion."

"Very well representative. I will choose the Mage Ayda as my Champion. May she bring us prosperity and luck."

Sammy had been brushing up on his etiquette, it seemed. That was good. There was no point getting on the wrong side of our Gang overlords, needlessly.

That sent a ripple of shock around the warehouse. Most people had come here, expecting a slaughter—a Mage against a simple Initiate.

Yet that shock quickly turned into excitement as they would be able to witness a fight between powerhouses that they would typically only be able to look at from a distance.

The representative seemed nonplussed. They would have long since recognized the mana signatures coming from Ayda. As faint as they were.

Even Rohann didn't seem surprised. His face barely changed as he watched our Champion enter the middle of the warehouse.

The representative nodded again at the Mage, giving him the signal to take action with a wave of his hand. A rush of wind seemed to encircle the area. A breeze spread all around us. It seemed as if nothing had changed in front of us. But I could sense the currents of air twirling through the air. All but invisible to the naked eye.

It would have the unfortunate byproduct of making us unable to hear anything inside the Ring. No matter how much I enhanced my senses.

Which would make finding out what the two would speak about all but impossible. I didn't think there was a connection between Orots' interest in Sammy and the Grandmaster's aggressive change. It wouldn't hurt to try to find out some more information.

The representative decided all was ready. So he began the fight.

"This fight will be to the death, or till one of the two fighters concede. You will have no worries about hurting any bystanders today, thanks to our efforts, so don't be afraid to hold back. NOW LET THE FIGHT BEGIN"

I was a little worried that he was permitting the Mages to go all out. I had little doubt that Ayda would be able to rip through the shielding as if it was bread. I knew she would restrain herself throughout the fight. Even then, I was a little worried about the spectators all around us. As antagonistic as they were.

The two Mages were only feeling each other out at first. The Earth Mage was acting extremely cautious.

He could sense the strength of his opponent. He didn't want to overextend himself needlessly.

Ayda seemed content just to let the man do whatever he wanted. It wouldn't be long before the Earth Mage began layering his defenses.

Like that, several mounds of Earth began levitating from the ground and creating no small amount of excitement in the crowd. They were all ready for this titanic clash.

They would be disappointed about this spell, however. The mounds of Earth began molding to the figure of the Mage.

Joining the rest of the Earth that had begun to flow up Cavan. Encasing him in a great deal of armor. Making the Mage far more dangerous.

He was a member of one of the more traditional schools of earth magic. Doing everything in their power to become a living Golem. Granting them incredible strength and defenses. For the less skilled members, it would mean a significant speed reduction. It would give them excellent mobility for more advanced Mages as they could control the Earth with their mind. Allowing them to move their heavy body and skate through the Earth with ease.

It seemed Cavan didn't have that level of skill just yet. So he focused on turning himself into a true giant by the time he was done. He towered over everyone else in the warehouse.

Even Captain Shell would look small compared to the Earth Mage.

Yet Ayda made no move to stop him. She was more than content to let him build up all the strength he wanted. It was clear that she was playing with him. Revealing a cruel little streak in the process.

Even through the wall of air, we could all hear the titanic roar of the Golem.

His movements shook the warehouse as he began to charge towards Ayda. She didn't even move.

It seemed she didn't have to as the Golem came to a stop a few feet before the Mage. Leading to a wave of confusion amongst the crowd.

The Golems roar once again echoed throughout the area. Yet it seemed no use as he continued to stand in one place. As if he was a statue.

I could only imagine that Ayda was asking the Mage to concede. She probably didn't want mindless bloodshed. Plus, it would only be a matter of time before her connections get revealed. While the Orots were nothing in front of the Cilka's, the same could not be said of the Bloody Blades. It would be a bad precedent for them to begin involving themselves with the Outer Ring's darker aspects.

They were supposed to be a bastion of hope for the lower members of the Capital, after all. Killing off a vital member of one of the significant gangs could be a recipe for disaster.

The Earth finally fell around the Golem, revealing what had kept him in place.

Great roots had snuck into Cavan's earthen form. They had wholly arrested all movements. Ayda's skill was plain for all to see.

We had come out on top. Our lives for the moment had been saved.