Omen: 1, 5

  ‘Should I have bet so mu Nobby?’ Adam thought, gng at the boy. He was well built, and though he had been trained by Jurot, he still wasn’t sure if he could really pce first. ‘He’ll probably e across some rising star or something. That’s how it always goes.’

  “Vonda, please take some of the party fund with you to pay for your fees, and to pay for food and the like.” Adam had checked the party fund, which had bee rather lean. They had started off with hundreds of gold, and now it barely reached triple digits. “You should all bet on us too. Just a gold or two, so you make a little . Don’t bet too much, just in case you end up losing it all. In fact…”

  Vonda could see Adam was thinking deeply, his eyes falling to the party fund.

  ‘Should I use the party fund? If I bet on myself, I could double it at least…’ Adam wondered if he could really afford to that. ‘I could do some alchemy to make some if I really o…’

  “We’ll use one hundred gold of the fund,” Adam said. “That should be fine since we’ll have some left over.”

  Vonda, who knew how much was in the party fund, gave nothing away. If they lost the bet, it would have almost nothing. However, she didn’t know Adam still had mold within the bank, though it still wasn’t much.

  ‘I should have kept better tabs on it, really.’ Adam began to sweat slightly. Then a fsh of insight came to him, something he was told long ago.

  “Jurot, I access the line of credit with the guild?” Adam asked. “I have some in the Iyr that I could use to bet.”

  “Yes.”

  “Alright, let’s do that,” Adam said, feigning a smile. “Let’s make bank!”

  Dawn was still weling the city as Fate’s Golden made their way to the arena. They mao slip through the side since Adam was fighting that day, though sine of them weren’t fighting iour, they had to pay.

  ‘I’m really ting silvers at this point?’ Adam thought. ‘We had almost a thousand gold before we started. I really should have quested more.’

  “Adam Fateson,” called a guard as the group settled to one side. “Adam Fateson, of Fate’s Golden!”

  “Yeah,” Adam replied, raising his hand.

  “e along,” the guard said, leading Adam away.

  “Make sure you bet on me!” Adam waved at his panions before he left.

  They made their way down some side steps, going down to the ground floor. They made their way to the inner walls which split the arenas, where many warriors were readying themselves to fight. Most wore pte mail, and many wore symbols of various orders.

  ‘I suppose if you’re young and have magical items you’re probably a member of an order or a noble,’ Adam thought, w how he didn’t realise something so obvious.

  The guard took him to a small room, reag for a book and a quill. “So you use magic?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What kind?”

  “All kinds,” Adam admitted. “Mostly divine, I suppose?” Adam motioo the symbol of Baktu on his chest.

  “That’s Lord Sozain, isn’t it?” the guard asked. “The Iyr’s symbol for the great God of Death, I mean.”

  “Yep,” Adam said. “The Head Priest of the temple ha to me after I prayed to Lord Sozain.”

  “I’m sure,” the man replied dryly. “Your equipment is magical?”

  “My axe and shield, yeah,” Adam said. “Oh, I suppose my armour too. I prayed over it in the m and it holds some minic.”

  The guard bowed his head, writing it down. “You aren’t allowed to use potions or other able items.”

  “Uood.”

  “You…” The guard paused for a long moment, staring at the amulet. He cleared his throat. “I hope that you will not kill your oppos.”

  “Oh, yeah, no problem,” Adam replied, almost smirking. “I’ll pray to Lord Sozain for fiveness.”

  “Thank you.” The guard nodded. “How powerful are your spells?”

  “Third Gate.”

  The guard wrote dowe. “You are not allowed to cast spells upon yourself before entering the arena. The arena will dispel such spells before you step onto the ptform, so it will just waste the magics given to you by the God of Death. Also, no flying.”

  “Thank you. I had no iion of doing so, but I appreciate the heads up.”

  “The what?”

  “Uh, it just means that I appreciate the information given beforehand,” Adam replied, awkwardly.

  The guard nodded. “How shall we announce you when you are to fight?”

  “Ah,” Adam replied, having not expected such a question. “Just a moment…” ‘What should I go with? Aren’t I meant to be showing off the magical ons? No, I suppose I shouldn’t just yet. Though…’ “Chief Executive Officer Adam.”

  The guard furrowed his brows. “Are you in the military?”

  “No, I work for a business,” Adam replied.

  “You want us to announce you as an officer?”

  “My role is that of a Chief Executive Officer,” Adam said.

  “What kind of business is it?”

  “We sell wares of an enter.”

  “An enter?”

  “That’s right.”

  The guard stared at Adam, but then marked something in his book. “I wish you the best of luck, Priest of Death.”

  “Thank you.”

  Adam returned back to the waiting area with the rest of those who were fighting during the m. He spotted a great many well kept young men and women, realising most were probably nobles of sorts. However, there was a rge number her looking fellows, those hardened by years of fighting as adventurers or meraries. He spotted a feere napping in the er, one was a Drakken who nursed a bottle to her chest as she snoozed. He wondered who he’d be fighting that day.

  Adam walked over to a guard. “Excuse me. Where do I bet?”

  “I write down your bet,” the guard said. “How much do you wish to bet?”

  “One hundred…” Adam paused. “Two hundred gold on myself?”

  “Do you have two hundred gold?”

  “I do,” Adam said. “I mean, I have more, but two hundred gold for now. I’ve already pced a bet on pg high, but I wao bet on today’s match too.”

  The guard g Adam’s chest, noting the symbol on the badge which kept his cape together, and he nodded. “Alright. Two hundred gold it is.”

  “Thank you.”

  Adam watched the fights, notig that each time someone was called, only one persoheir room, and their oppo would appear from the opposite wall which split the arena, and sometimes they’d fight iher arena behind them.

  “Are you an adventurer?” a young Aldishman beside him asked. He wore pte mail, though his helmet was at his side, revealing his reddish hair. He wore a symbol of an order, that of a bde above a bow.

  “I am.”

  “Which family has sponsored you?”

  “The Littlesea family.”

  The young man nodded his head. “Your armour is beautiful.”

  “Oh, well, thank you,” Adam replied, smiling from behind his helmet. “I like your armour too.”

  The young man nodded. “Where did you acquire it?”

  “I received it in the Iyr,” Adam said.

  “Are you close with the Iyrmen?”

  “Somewhat,” Adam admitted, shrugging his shoulders. “My brother is an Iyrman.”

  “But you are not, since you have not removed your helmet to reveal your tattoos.”

  “That’s right.”

  The young man tilted his head slightly, eyeing Adam up. “How did you bee an Iyrman’s brother?”

  “His mother told him to be my brother.” Adam chuckled. “We have an adorable little sister who will be hearing of our tales, so we hope to do well.” Adam gnced around. “Though I think, perhaps, I might find that difficult.”

  A guard approached Adam. “You’re up .” She motioned her head to the arena which he’d step out towards.

  “I suppose we’ll chat aime,” Adam said, extending a hand. “Adam Fateson.”

  “Sir Charles,” the young man replied, shaking Adam’s forearm.

  Adam stepped up towards the wall and began to limber up. He donned his shield and stretg out his arms and kicked out his legs.

  “Sponsored by Sir Landon Littlesea, adorned in purple, with axe of great magical might, Chief Executive Officer Adam!”

  Adam stepped out of the wall, feeling his heart beginning to pound in his chest as he heard the cheers of the crowd, finding that there were easily thousands of people staring at him from the open bleachers to the side, whereas his panions sat within the first floor above them, surrounded by stone.

  He stared ahead of him to see his oppo, who had been introduced as Gregory of the Order of Ice Bdes. He ale skinned, with bck hair, denoting that he was from the north. He wore full pte mail, and carried a rge axe at his back. The Aldishman from the north stepped out, his eyes glued to Adam. Behind him was a guard, and Adam noted a guard behind him, the pair being escorted towards the tre.

  “The bets are to be pced,” the guard behind him said. “Circle around your oppo and greet the crowd. One you are doh a rotation, reveal your ons, and greet one another. After a few moments, you will be told to fight.”

  Adam did as he was asked, cirg around the arena. He waved his hand to the crowd, notig that many children were watg from uhe bleachers, shouting and pointing at him. Adam waved towards them, before returning back to waving at the crowd. He wasn’t sure what to say, so, for once, he kept his mouth shut.

  ‘I o be careful,’ Adam thought as he kept cirg around the arena. ‘I ’t win too easily.’

  Sorry I didn't realise I didn't post up yesterday! I haven't been feeling too well retly so it must have slipped my mind! I'll try and post up a few more chapters some time week.