Derik pulled open the door and found that Lina and Iris had returned. They were positioned in the dining chairs and had bandages covering their arms and hands. Gonzalez was scarfing down some bread at the far end of the table.

"Whaaa..." Derik stared at the two women. "Should I even ask?"

Montag entered the room from behind Derik. "What happened? Are you two ok?"

Lina got up and approached them.

"We just got into a little scuffle is all."

Iris nodded her head in agreement.

Gonzalez choked on his bread. He coughed and asked, "You two got into a fight?"

"How did you not know this?" Montag inquired. "Weren't you here the whole time, why didn't you ask them what happened when they came in bleeding all over the floor?"

Gonzalez cleared his throat, "I figured it was just an accident that happened. I find those things tend to happen when you have a hangover in the morning, and usually, the stories tend to be embarrassing. There is no need to pry."

Montag stomped up and grabbed Gonzalez by the scruff of his shirt. "No need? You are lacking basic teamwork! I'll let you off with a warning this time, but if I find you neglect a comrade again..."

Lina separated them, "Calm down, it wasn't a big deal. We were clearly fine." She turned to face the team, "In other news, we have something we need to do before we meet up with the military."

"I thought you said we had the week to do whate—" Gonzalez's statement was cut short by the stern stare of Montag.

"We are going to need to head down to the slavers to get a person with relevant information about the vault, so we will be moving out early morning tomorrow."

The next day, the group made their way back to the main plaza to cut down towards the slave house. They found it difficult to get past the sizable crowd that was sprawled out from the center of the plaza like the roots of a tree. People gathered attentively near the center of the plaza rather than spreading about the various shops.

They pushed their way into the crowd and saw the one man in the center of the plaza who was responsible for the commotion. Derik recognized him as the one who fought the giant in the arena.

He was addressing the crowd, "Therefore, the human mind must be nurtured with the gifts of learning. The gift of knowledge is a right afforded to all who live, being so crucial therein for maintaining public order and the sovereignty of the nation. The treatment of lessers must reflect the treatment expected from superiors. That concludes the teachings of one Demetrius Titus."

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The crowd began to slowly shuffle away. Titus was writing something for the few remaining people and stepped down. Montag approached him without hesitation, outstretching his arm.

"That was quite the display you had in the arena. I've never seen a man defeat a giant before."

Titus gave Montag's hand a firm shake. "I suppose I did defeat it."

Tituscast his gaze over the group, lingering for a while on each member. "Are you foreigners?"

"Yes, we come from Mesburg," Montag replied.

Titus nodded his head. "Well, that explains your surprise. I hate to break it to you, but there is no way one man can beat a giant. Not only that, it would be particularly safe for the spectators to have an actual fight with one. That giant was a fellow gladiator."

"Oh," Montag said. "I suppose it was still entertaining nonetheless. I am excited to watch another one of your performances sometime."

"If you want to see me again you'll have to be here in two days' time. I'm personally performing one more time for the Emperor so there is an extravagant act lined up."

Montag spoke, "So you are retiring? You still seem young enough. Why are you leaving?"

"I suppose you weren't here for my speech. I'm making way for the new talent."

"You seem popular, heck I see your face on half the vessels I try to buy. I find it had to believe you would be tossed to make way for a risky new star to emerge. Is the government secretly angry with you and trying to get you out of the public eye before forcing you to drink hemlock?" Derik inquired.

Titus let out a sigh, "Since you are messermen I'll give you a little extra insight. The truth is I am retiring because I'm tired of the fighting. All these staged matches, I've begun to wonder if I am as good as everyone makes me out to be."

"Why didn't you just join the military," Derik asked. "Seems like if you really want the soldiering experience that is the way to go."

Titus let out a sigh, "I've definitely considered it, but it would break my mother's heart. The 12-year term for volunteers is too steep. Being away for that long, it might be too much for her. If I were gone that long there is a good chance I wouldn't ever see her again."

Montag seemed shocked at that statement. "You should just join the military. You shouldn't let others dictate how you live your life."

"I just can't do that!" he said forcefully. Titus took a deep breath and cleared his head. He took another glance at the group and had an epiphany. "You five are a band of monster hunters aren't you?"

"I guess you could say that," Lina responded. "I prefer crusaders of justice."

"Allow me to join you. I have been trained in the art of combat since I was young so I could become a gladiator. I have 29 victories, 7 draws, and 4 losses for what thats worth. I am certain I would be a valuable member of your team."

"You seem capable enough," Lina answered. "But why would you want to join up with us. There are plenty of more famous companies in Sava that you could easily join up with. Heck, you could probably even fetch a spot with one of the elite teams in Tango with your skills."

"A foreign team such as yourself is perfect for not letting anything get out to the public as to why I retired. As for the work, fighting beasts was always the closest I would get to a true fight. Animals can not be fully controlled and I was hoping to experience that sort of risk again."

"For all your talk about your mother, you sure chose a dangerous profession," Montag blanked stared at the ground. "Are you prepared for the consequences if you die?"

"I am not planning on dying anytime soon."

"We can meet you after your performance then," Lina said and handed a wolf medallion to Titus. With that, the group returned to the path leading to the slaver's dungeon.

Titus waved and yelled, "Thank you, Gonzalez. I knew I recognized that face somewhere. I wouldn't have put two and two together without a monster hunter like you tagging along!"

"You made a good choice captain," Gonzalez mentioned. "I can appreciate a teammate with some class."