Zalan was too distracted to pay attention to the last two fighters introduced on the stage. His eyes remained scanning the crowd, trying to differentiate the regular man from a manipulator. Rep was also searching the crowd, uncertain of what he was looking for but wanting to be helpful nonetheless.

“Should we ask Instructor Nold what to do about Morloch?” Rep asked as their mentor made his way up the steps.

“I don’t know. After what he said about Slauson’s dad, I don’t have a lot of faith in his advice,” Zalan replied.

“We can ask what he saw out there. Perhaps he got a better view of the Elemental Air wielder?” Rep suggested.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Zalan nodded just as Nold arrived. He looked over his two students.

“Your eyes wander. Pay attention to the fight,” Nold instructed.

“What was the Basilisk like?” Zalan asked him.

“Did you neglect to watch that fight, as well?” Nold asked, irked.

“We viewed from a distance. We wanted to know what it was like up close,” Rep said helpfully.

“I see. It was a formidable creature. A monster of inspiring power. The fact we sustained no real casualties is a feat we should be grateful for,” Nold said.

“Did you see who used the wind power to get the Basilisk out of the canyon?” Zalan asked eagerly.

“No,” Nold replied. “I was too busy. I pulled sand out from underneath the Basilisk to cause it to be unable to settle. Then, as the air pushed it there was no resistance between the ground and the air blasting it back. Then, when there was momentum, I added to the momentum. Using my sand.”

“Uhhh, okay, that’s a lot more than I was expecting you to share,” Zalan said, confused.

“If you were paying better attention I would not have had to share anything at all,” Nold said, irritated. Zalan found his defensiveness odd, even for Nold. He moved on.

“Did anyone else talk about who was using wind power? Any idea who it was?” Zalan asked.

“Why are you so keen to learn who it was?” Nold asked. He looked annoyed. Zalan thought that maybe he was offended. Nold may have come to the same conclusion that Zalan was looking for a new mentor. He had to drop the conversation before it got strained.

“No reason,” Zalan shrugged nonchalantly, turning to watch the match casually.

“Mmm,” Nold grumbled, satisfied.

Zalan was disappointed to not have any real answers. He started to believe that maybe he was overthinking things a little. Of all the places Morloch could be, why would he show up to the tournament? Why would he even help keep a Basilisk back? Did he care about helping people? Maybe if it meant he could manipulate them, but then why wouldn’t he take credit for taking down the monster? Should he even be worried about Morloch anymore? What if he went back to the sky? Too many questions. He wished that Yelsa was here so that he could ask her some more questions about the man who betrayed her. He wondered if she made it back to Aetheria safely.

“Pay attention,” Nold said firmly when he saw Zalan zoning out. “You may learn how to better use your power if you watch someone else use theirs.”

“I’m watching, I’m watching,” Zalan said, finally putting his focus on the match.

There were two men in close combat, neither of them showing off any particular Elemental Power. They were doing well to keep their power secret as well as putting on a good fight. One kicked as the other dodged. The other punched and the other blocked. They both looked like more experienced fighters. The kind of fighters that Zalan expected to go against from the beginning.

Zalan watched closely to notice whether either of them were imbued, but their punches looked perfectly normal to him. They were either really good at keeping their power invisible, or they were unable to imbue themselves.

“Who are these guys?” Zalan asked, leaning in close to Rep.

“The one on the left is Rexler and the one on the right is Top,” Rep replied.

“Top is a weird name,” Zalan smirked, watching the man bend backward to dodge a kick to his chest.

“Indeed. And he seems strange, as well. His title included something about being an innkeeper,” Rep informed.

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“I’m surprised he’s any good at fighting,” Zalan said.

As if to disprove his point, Top was struck just then by Rexler, throwing him to the floor. Rexler moved quickly and placed his foot hard on Top’s chest to keep him on the ground. As much as Top struggled, the man was exhausted and couldn’t stand before being declared the loser. Rexler pulled his foot off immediately. To the crowd's amusement and surprise, Top jumped up to give him a tight hug for a good fight. Zalan smiled, wondering if he could ever be so extravagantly gracious in the face of defeat.

He knew subconsciously that it would be impossible for him. He would be far too frustrated and probably have an outburst. He didn’t concern himself with his mental state. He felt confident that his anger in battle would allow him to overpower any opponent he faced. He didn’t need to worry about losing.

“What an incredible match!” Umdarr said to the crowd after handing Rexler his prize money.

“A shame we did not get to see what Elemental Rexler carries. It would be rather advantageous to know for such a good fighter,” Rep said.

“We will be taking a brief pause in the tournament to establish the final brackets for the remaining fighters,” Umdarr reported, beginning to move off stage.

“We already took a break to fight a Basilisk!” someone from the crowd yelled.

The rest of the audience laughed and cheered in agreement. Umdarr took it all well and laughed with them. He continued off the arena as they cheered their organizer on.

“I hope I get someone good,” Zalan said, waiting anxiously for the brackets.

“I hope I get someone bad,” Rep admitted. “I would rather like to stay in the competition.”

“Come on, Rep. You had such a good first fight that you were confused by how much you outclassed the other guy. Doesn’t that count for anything?” Zalan asked.

“Eh,” Rep shrugged.

“Did you never learn how to take a compliment?” Zalan asked.

“Eh,” Rep shrugged again, this time smiling.

The minutes stretched on and the audience grew impatient. It wasn’t long before Rep, Zalan, and Nold made their way outside the stadium to look for food. There were a series of vendors all showing off their fresh vegetables, stews and meat cooking right in their stalls. Rep and Zalan used their prize money to pay for themselves and their mentor to bring themselves back to a full belly.

As they were finishing their meal, Zalan looked at the two remaining bronze coins in hand. He and Rep paid with six bronze coins, leaving them with four from their respective winnings.

“These are kinda worthless to us, right? We have tons of gold from the Elemental Dragon,” Zalan said.

“Oh, yes. Say it out loud, let everyone hear,” Nold said sarcastically.

“Money is never worthless,” Rep said.

“I just meant that I could give these away, right? I don’t need the prize money, right?” Zalan asked.

Rep looked up in surprise. Greed was usually a fairly common attribute to the people he knew. He never faulted those attached to their money, but he was impressed to see someone care so little about it.

“Who would you give it away to?” Rep asked.

“One of those kids,” Zalan tilted his head one way. The kids were playing around with a leather ball, kicking it between one another. Their arms were thin, their clothes disheveled, but their smiles wide.

“You should purchase food for them,” Nold said.

“That would mean that I could buy something they’re allergic to. Or maybe I’d get them too much food and some would go to waste,” Zalan said.

“I am just saying that perhaps you should not trust them to manage funds. That may be what led them to their current state,” Nold suggested.

“No, I think they’re in the best place to decide what’s best for themselves,” Zalan said.

“Very well,” Nold said. “I trust that you know better.”

Again, it made Zalan good to hear he had Nold’s trust. He was only quoting what his mother had taught him. Direct money was always the best for those that needed it. Making assumptions on their behalf would do well to keep them poor and keep others believing they didn’t know any better. His mother drilled this into him every time she donated to the poor. And she did that a lot. Always with a smile on her face.

Zalan got up with his two coins in hand when Rep suddenly stood up as well. He placed two more coins in his hands.

“Can you give this to them on my behalf as well?” Rep asked.

“Why don’t you?”

“I have never given directly to those in need. I usually give my spare funds to a distributor like Madam Hikma. I wish to watch. I think it is a wise investment,” Rep said.

“Investment? I’m giving these away, not investing. You guys have charity in this world, right?” Zalan asked.

“Indeed. And we know that charity does not decrease one’s wealth,” Rep nodded.

Zalan made a face not understanding what Rep meant by that. Nold looked equally confused by the phrase. Regardless, Zalan took the money and made his way to the kids. They looked up at him in awe.

“You are the Dragon Killer! Zapnar, yes?” one of the kids said, excited.

“Not Zapnar! Zandar!” another snapped at his friend.

“It’s actually Zalan,” Zalan said, kneeling down. He opened his hand and showed the coins. They gathered around him. “This is for you.”

“In exchange for what?” one of the children asked skeptically.

“Nothing. It’s yours,” Zalan held the hand out further.

Each of the children took a coin and ran off excitedly, skipping every few steps. They raced their way to one of the vendors.

Zalan returned to the seating with Rep and Nold.

“It looks as though they are going to buy meat,” Nold pointed out. “They are using your money wisely.”

“It’s not our money anymore. It stopped being ours the moment they picked it up,” Zalan said, quoting another of his mother’s rules of giving.

“My esteemed fighters! The brackets are ready! Come and join me back in the stadium so that we may continue the Elemental Rage Tournament!” Umdarr’s amplified voice exploded from within the stadium.