Tay’s shadowlight cradled his body as he fell, warping to his shoulder and back as he smacked down against the dueling grounds. It was like being dropped onto a soft mattress from a fifty foot drop. It hurt, a lot, but not as much as plainly hitting the ground without cushioning. And it was interesting to know that his shadowlight worked to protect him from danger.

Tay rolled over and groaned. He felt exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days and hadn’t eaten anything in weeks. If he could have just rested there for the rest of the day without feeling any guilt, he would’ve.

But people were shouting. He could see them, even as he looked up into the rafters and wooden scaffolding that made up the bulk of the Jar. There were faces looking down at him and other places in the arena, all screaming and clapping and smiling. Tay did his best to ignore every last one of them though and just stared up at the blue sky he could see behind all of their heads, where the Jar opened up into the wide world above.

How long had it been since he’d seen the sky? Thinking of Qallaz, it was strange to think that there were people in this world who were fine with living their entire lives in complete darkness. Strange and a little sad, because he’d made some of his most life-altering decisions underneath a blue sky. Every time he’d decided to take his life in a new direction, from leaving the orphanage to abandoning Pyrewood for Stormwall, he’d done it looking at the blue expanse and just wondering where its infinite azure could lead him.

Feeling returned to his legs. That was no small comfort, because for now at least, he could remain at ease that he wasn’t about to transform into more of a revenant than he already was.

But what wasn’t any comfort to him was the absolute explosion of shouts and cheers that came the moment he put his head down against the dirt. It was like the entire world had something it wanted to tell him, and a second later, someone did.

“With the last of her opponents defeated, I believe we have our Prerelease Melee Champion,” the announcer said. “And for the rest of us, that means all vendors are now able to sell you select Prerelease packs for the Wrath of the Wyrms, which introduces to the new Rune Wyrm revenant-type to the game.”

Again the crowd exploded, and Tay felt a cold tingling against the inside of his ears. They were going to be releasing Rune Wyrms? Like Garudigas. Were they going to be just as powerful? Just as awfully terrible?

With a groan, Tay sat up. The blond haired woman had her arms up and was taking several bows to the crowd, who all seemed to just love her. She was the reason they could now get their hands on new cards, after all. And she seemed just as cheerful, having won herself a whole chest full of probably rare cards. How much was that all worth?

When Tay wandered to the exit of the dueling grounds, with a couple other runekeepers, he noticed the crowd growing louder as he neared them. Their fingers were all pointed at him and they were shouting with their fists raised, like he’d accomplished something they’d approved of.

“You’re the best,” one of them said. “You give the rest of us Bronzes hope that we can climb to where Steels are.”

Tay felt his face flushing, but gave his new fans a curt smile and exited the arena. Maybe second place wasn’t all that bad?

~~~~~~~~~~

“That. Didn’t. Happen.” Atro’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head and he rushed forward not even a moment later to hug and squeeze the life straight out of Tay.

“You’re Bronze and you came in second place? What in the world was that?”

Atro definitely wasn’t doing Tay any favors by squeezing him so hard. His ribs still ached from when the young girl had used her bear to batter him across the arena. But it felt nice to have Atro’s recognition, so he didn’t say anything and just enjoyed the contact until Atro pulled away.

“That was me trying my best,” Tay said, shrugging.

“Looked a lot more like running away until your legs ran out of strength, if you ask me,” Amellia said.

The tall woman was still in her spot in the bleachers, with her head turned toward him, and he couldn’t tell if she was excited for him or doubtful of his abilities. He’d been hoping that she would’ve been just as dazzled as Atro, because he had something important he needed from her and it wouldn’t do to ask her in a bad mood.

“How else was I supposed to go against Steel runekeepers?” Tay asked. “There’s only so many cards in my deck that could manage them.”

“I never said it wasn’t the right call,” Amellia said, looking up. There was a wide grin plastered against her face from cheek to cheek. “It was absolutely brilliant watching you, even if it was less than graceful. To think that in such a short time you not only one a locals at one of my stores, but now you’re here actually placing in a melee. You’re definitely going to amount to great things, Tay—great things.”

Atro gave him a nudge in the back. His friend didn’t know what he was about to ask, but even Atro could tell that if Tay had something important to ask Amellia, now was the time. And unlike before his throat didn’t dry up and he didn’t feel like he hadn’t earned it. He’d just faced down a lion the size of a house with the ability to burn down a whole neighborhood. Surely, he could ask a rich woman for some of her money.

“Actually, that’s sort of the reason why I wanted to speak with you today,” Tay said. He kicked the ball of his foot against the ground and noticed that some of the Regal Fireheart’s flames had singed the shoes he’d bought with Cari. She’d be mad at him later for that.

“Oh?” Amellia sat back in the bleachers and squinted at him with both of her eyes.

“Yes, well,” Tay said, clearing his throat. Better just to come out and say it, right? “I want you to sponsor me in topside battle tournaments.”

Tay wished he could’ve brought himself to look her straight in the eyes, but the truth of the matter was that he couldn’t keep his eyes on anything but her current-crossed feet flicking back and forth. To look her in the eye would’ve been to assume his entitlement to her sponsorship, and though he felt he deserved it, it was anything but owed to him. The truth of the matter was that he wasn’t due anything from Amellia. Just a chance. Just a shot.

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Amellia began to chuckle, and then she began to laugh. She put her hands on her ribs and started guffawing like Tay had just told her the funniest joke she’d heard in a long time. Then, quicker than she’d started, she stopped.

“I own fifty-two Runicka card shops, Tay,” Amellia said. “Fifty-two, and not all of them are here bottomside. Fourteen Above, eight of them aren’t even in this city technically. The only time I ever get to mingle amongst folk like you is during prerelease events, and those are a luxury these days.

“I don’t sponsor runekeepers, Tay. Haven’t in a long while.”

“You could make a lot of money through me,” Tay countered. “That’s why runekeepers topside get sponsored, isn’t it? I mean, I just came in second place.”

“Second place isn’t first place,” Amellia said. “There’s only really coin to be made when you’re the best, and you’re not quite there yet. Even if you were, the only real way to make money at this game is to get behind it, not in it. Too much risk.”

“Just sponsor me for one tournament?” Tay asked.

“I don’t sponsor runekeepers,” Amellia replied. She rose from her seat and Tay really wished she hadn’t. It was a whole lot harder to maintain his confidence about him deserving her sponsorship when she was standing a whole head taller than him and seeming like a queen that owned the world. “If you want to buy cards, I’m your woman. I don’t sponsor runekeepers anymore.”

Tay could’ve taken that statement as a loss and left, but he’d already lost once already that day in the melee. He wasn’t going to lose again. This conversation felt more like a real duel than the melee had, and Tay hadn’t even gotten to play his best cards yet.

“Anymore?” Tay asked.

But although Tay was completely willing to play this game for her favor, Amellia began hauling herself up the steps and back out of the arena. She threw her hands up and said, “Oh, please! Spare me from spinning this story today. I came here to unwind and have a good time. Business is good and now that the melee is concluded, we can actually sell new cards. I don’t have time to be digging into my past.”

Atro followed closely behind. Tay whispered to him, “Do you know anything about this?”

Atro shrugged and shook his head. “Makes sense from her perspective though, Tay,” Atro said. “How many runekeepers enter into a tournament only for one to walk away with the winnings. It’s a losing investment most of the time, unless you really bag a winner.”

To Amellia, Tay was a runekeeper that had beaten her locals, so she knew that he was good. But he’d only come in second place in the melee, so good didn’t necessarily equate to being the best, even though he’d entered into the melee unprepared and outmatched. In Tay’s eyes, investing in him was worth the risk, but Amellia only cared about her business. She wouldn’t sponsor anyone less than a surefire way to make her more coin.

And so, Tay took a shot in the dark—this would either go well and he’d use it to curry favor, or she wouldn’t care whatsoever. “Did you know Mond?

Amellia laughed again. “Mondromo, you mean? Of course, I knew of him. He was a famous runekeeper back in his day, before he washed himself up and became a good-for-nothing.”

Mondromo. Tay hadn’t even remembered the man’s full name. He remembered nothing about him except for all the holes in his memories, like the hole in Amellia’s shop. Did Amellia not know that Mond played at the Keepers of the Vulpine?

“I beat Mondromo in the tournament I won at your shop,” Tay said.

Amellia stopped and turned around to face him, squinting. “Even if that were true,” Amellia said, casting her gaze hard at Tay and then over at Atro, “it wouldn’t change anything. Mondromo became a good-for-nothing the second he turned his back on me. That’s when he lost all his potential. He was a lost cause long before he quit playing for the Polamunds.”

Tay nearly choked. “Wait, Mond played for you?”

Amellia resumed trotting out of the arena and into the sweeping and bustling street of the Prerelease Festival. “For a time,” she said. “He was the last runekeeper that I sponsored, and for good reason. That man brought me in some coin, but when he saw something shinier, he just up and left and all my investment was gone. Runekeepers are all the same—greedy and uncaring. I saw the look in your eyes when I showed you those three Aens you won. You’re just like the rest, and the minute you find another sponsorship more worth your time, you’ll leave me high and dry.”

Tay felt his cheeks redden, because even mentioning the memory of the three Aens made his stomach rumble again, thinking of the feast he’d boughten with them. But there was something else Amellia had said that Tay honed in on. He’d almost missed it, but it felt right, even with the holes in his memory.

“You hate the Polamunds,” Tay said. “They took Mond from you?”

“They did a lot more than that,” Amellia replied. “If you don’t love the Polamunds, then you hate them. There’s not much middle ground when it comes to a family as rotten at the stem as them. To answer your question: yes, I hate them.”

“Sponsor me and we can take down the Polamunds together,” Tay said.

“What?” Amellia shook her head and grinned. “You’d have an easier time unseating His Royal Majesty Himself for all the good it would do you. Now, I do have a business to tend to, if you don’t mind?”

The streets had seemed lively before the melee duel, but now chaos reigned as runekeepers ran along the paths and platforms of the Jar, desperately searching for any booths that didn’t have lines. Everyone was just so eager to get their hands on the newest cards. Tay supposed he could understand where they were coming from, if it had been almost two years since the last set.

While there were tons of runekeepers searching for cards, there were almost an equal number of card booths waiting to get rid of their prerelease packs that they were now sanctioned to sell. All that equated to runekeepers evening out the lines at each and every card booth, with no booth getting more than ten or so runekeepers at a time.

In front of Amellia’s booth, there was a small line no more than five runekeepers long. However, as Tay cut through the crowd behind Amellia, more and more eyes began to fall on him. They whispered amongst each other, never lowering their eyes from him.

Tay felt his cheeks reddening again. Some of them were holding two of their fingers up to him, to show him they knew how close to victory he’d come and yet not been able to win. It was only pouring salt over his already nasty wounds. Maybe if he’d come in first, then Amellia wouldn’t have been able to deny him a sponsorship.

But before Amellia could make her way away from them and over to the booth, all of the runekeepers from around the street started funneling toward them. And there was one common thing whispered on their lips that the three of them heard quite plainly.

“That’s the runekeeper that came in second,” one said.

“He’s only a Bronze and went head-to-head with one of the most notorious Steels out there right now.”

“He’s talking with Amellia. He must get all his cards from her.”

And soon, there was a line wrapping all the way around the street corner to Amellia’s booth. Twice over. The line became so long that it wrapped around again. Some of the other booth’s owners gave shouts complaining about Amellia’s sudden spike in business, but Amellia only waved them off with a couple of chuckles and laughs.

Amellia then slowly made her way back to Tay and Atro, telling each and every runekeeper in line that she’d offer them discounts on their cards. By the time she reached Tay, her smile was just about as bright as any memory Tay had of the sun.

“Looks like business has taken a sharp upturn,” Tay said.

“Yes,” Amellia said. “Yes, it has.”

“So, about that sponsorship then,” Tay said, gazing out at the crowd of people now all waiting to spend their coin at Amellia’s just because Tay was talking with her.

“About that,” Amellia said. “I believe we have a lot more to discuss. But we’ll have to do it later, at the Keepers of the Vulpine. Do stick around though, and feel free to have some free packs, Tay. On me. Your friend can have one too. If you’ll excuse me, I do have business needing to tend to.”