As they were traveling rapidly among the great red rocks, a huge plateau suddenly appeared behind the slope. In the centre of the plateau was a circle of hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. This crowd of people was the source of the sounds that Belisarius heard along the way and caused him to tense up. As soon as they saw the crowd, a small group broke away from the crowd. Like the group they had seen before they started climbing the mountain, this group was carrying a wounded person too. As Belisarius and Kaelyra passed, a woman in the group said something angrily to Kaelyra, but Belisarius did not understand, though the quickening of Kaelyra's steps and the worsening of her expression told him that she was not saying good things.

Soon they dived into the crowd. If Kaelyra had not been clearing the way, Belisarius would not have been able to move forward. After some effort, they broke through the crowd and reached the centre of the circle, where they could see what was happening. Belisarius was shocked by what he saw.

Corvus had just knocked down a man much larger than himself and was punching him with all his might. Neither Corvus nor the man on the ground desperately trying to defend himself had a single piece of clothing covering their upper bodies. The only difference between them was that Corvus' arms and elbows were covered with blood and wounds.

The man on the ground was desperately trying to protect himself against Corvus' hammer-like punches. The man didn't even have the slightest chance to make a counter move because there was not even the tiniest gap between Corvus' punches. While his opponent's arms threatened to break under the weight of the blows, there was no change in the weight of Corvus' blows. The unavoidable end came and the man's defence was broken along with his arms. Corvus' punches gave way to elbow strikes. After the second blow, which reached its target, his opponent was already unconscious. Nevertheless, Corvus had no intention of stopping until the referee separated them.

While the referee was declaring the winner, the family of the loser, who wanted to take care of his wounds, entered the area where the fight took place.

"The winner of the fight is Corvus Tiamat! Anyone who wants to question my judgement, come before me!" The judgement of the referees could be questioned, but not in this fight. Corvus' victory could not be questioned. Moreover, his opponent was much older than him and a member of one of the most powerful families in the city of Rhazgord. After making sure that no one challenged his decision, the referee continued, "From this day forward, everything that belongs to Varek Nabuk belongs to Corvus Tiamat!"

The fight between Corvus and Varek was not a simple fight. Varek had more than three thousand soldiers at his disposal and was much older than Corvus. He was one of the most powerful men in the city. According to the laws of Rhazgord, Varek could not challenge Corvus. The only reason the fight took place was because Corvus challenged Varek.

Varek was the fifth and strongest man Corvus fought that day. Corvus had been challenged in the previous four fights. It was unexpected for everyone that tired and wounded Corvus would challenge Varek. Four fights in a row was enough to quell the whispers about Corvus. But his fights were not enough for Corvus. He stood in the centre of the crowd looking for his next opponent. He had almost no strength left, but he had no intention of holding back. As he surveyed the crowd, he met Belisarius' horrified eyes.

Corvus felt a shame he could not understand. The cheers of the crowd around him, his half-naked body and the blood covering his fists. Corvus felt unbearable shame at it all. Without even realising it, the words came out of his lips in whispers; "I... I am not a barbarian... I can't." The deep shame he felt consumed the last remaining energy in his body. The last thing Corvus saw as he collapsed was Kaelyra running towards him.

Belisarius and Corvus were both sixteen-year-old boys, but they came from completely different worlds. Belisarius was fourteen years old when he picked up a weapon for the first time. Corvus had been training and fighting with his peers since he was ten. Yes, Belisarius had learnt a little about the culture of the Rhazgords, but what he experienced at that moment was completely unique. The redness of Mount Rhaz, the cries of the people, and the brutality of Corvus were as fascinating to Belisarius as they were terrifying. If he had a little more faith in himself, he might even have tried to jump into the centre of the circle and challenge someone.

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Kaelyra had forgotten Belisarius long ago. She had grabbed Corvus before he hit the ground. Other members of the Tiamat family had gathered around Corvus with her. Even if it was seen as a great disrespect, there might be those who wanted to avenge the losers. Especially considering that each of the opponents Corvus had defeated came from great families, this was very likely. A few in the crowd were preparing to challenge the other Tiamats, if not Corvus, when the cheers from the crowd stopped them. It was the soldiers of the unit Corvus was in charge of who started the cheers. They were screaming Corvus' name and blessing his victory. As the members of the Timat family joined in the cheers, suddenly the whole crowd was shouting the same thing. "Corvus the Lion of Rhaz".

When Belisarius regained his senses, Kaelyra had already left with Corvus. The crowd was still there. They were watching the fights of the youths who were fuelled by the impact of Corvus. Now Belisarius was all alone among the people he did not recognise, in a country he did not know. He thought of returning alone, but he was afraid. Strangers were forbidden on Mount Rhaz and he could not explain why he was there without Kaelyra with him. While Belisarius was looking for a solution, a large hand touched his shoulder. Belisarius turned round and saw one of the Tiamat who had stepped forward to protect Corvus a few moments before. This person was Zarqa, one of Corvus' soldiers. The two had met before in the Kingdom of Adler.

"You follow me." he said. Zarqa's accent was very thick. Belisarius could only understand what Zarqa was saying from his body language. The desperate Belisarius followed the man he barely recognised and they took the path between the red rocks again, heading towards Sanguinar's Mansion. Although the two did not speak the whole way, it was obvious that Zarqa was happy.

As they approached the mansion, they saw Kaelyra talking to her father Valerius and an old but very strong looking man. Kaelyra looked as troubled as the old man and Valerius looked happy. At one point the old man laughed so loudly that Belisarius took a few steps back without realising it. The old man put his hand on Kaelyra's shoulder, said something, and then he and Valerius headed for the city.

As Kaelyra rubbed her forehead anxiously and muttered, she noticed Belisarius and Zarqa approaching her. She approached the pair as well. Kaelyra ignored Belisarius and began ordering Zarqa around. Zarqa listened to the orders and then left. Kealyra turned and shouted orders to the surrounding warriors, and finally it was Belarius' turn.

"I have just sent your men to the inn where they will be staying, and we have put the goods you brought in storage."He called one of the warriors from the vicinity to her. "This man will take you to your men."

Belisarius had recovered a little from the day's events and now he had to show that he was a prince.

"I understand that the situation is chaotic, but I am here as the prince of the Kingdom of Adler, and I would at least like to pay my respects and offer my gifts to the great Sanguinar."

Kaelyra expected the prince, who she thought was timid, to leave quickly, but he did not. The prince was standing in front of her, locked in her eyes. She bent down a little to make eye contact with the prince and put her hand on his right shoulder. She made this movement a little harsh, so the prince leaned slightly to the right.

"Look, Belisarius, the little prince of the little country. You are one of the biggest reasons for what I'm dealing with right now, and yet I'm trying to be nice to you. I can't take you to see Sanguinar even if I wanted to, because he's not in town! Now go and rest. When Corvus wakes up, I will tell him you have come." He said something to the warrior who would take Belisarius to his accommodation and entered Sanguinar's Mansion.

Left alone with the warrior, Belisarius followed the soldier, taking with him all the humiliation, confusion and terror of the day.