The group reached the capital city of Sava. Its tall crenelated walls and stout towers dissuaded any potential invaders from a frontal assault. The party stopped at the gatehouse that stood steadfast at the entrance to the city. The drawbridge extending from the gatehouse stretched over the ditch surrounding the base of the walls. Gonzalez approached the front gate and began to converse with the guard on duty, engaging only in a brief talk before returning to the group. The guard signaled to his companion on the top of the gate. The gate slowly began to raise as he waved the group through.
"That was pretty quick, he isn't going to check us or anything? What exactly did you tell him?" Lina asked.
"We are old friends. This is where I usually come back to after a job, you could even say I'm one of the attractions of the town at this point." Gonzalez responded, "I just told him that you were with me. I did say that I am a well-known bounty hunter."
They passed under the gate to enter Sava, the brick road splitting and weaving throughout the city. A few colossal buildings stood out as the highlights of the city, reaching out far above their surroundings. There was an enormous amphitheater that lay near the outskirts of the city. Many colorful banners adorned the brick construction and flags flew above the top rows of seats. Many citizens were lined up for a chance to gain entry and a faint roar could be heard spilling out into the surrounding roads. As they entered the main plaza they were flanked by an ornate government building accompanied by a large number of robed individuals walking to and from and a massive shrine marked by the smell of incest and fresh offerings. A towering marble statue of a man lay in the center of the plaza. At the far end of the plaza lay a column-filled building labeled "Supreme Courthouse". It was noticeably less populated than the other buildings, but still maintained an air of importance with the myriad of finely crafted statues and stones inscribed with the laws of the land.
"I'll go check out the guild turn in our previous contract and get a new one, bookkeeping, and all that. The rest of you can take a breather. Check out the city, enjoy yourselves! We can meet back at the guild once it gets dark." Lina said.
"I've got something personal I need to check up on. I am looking forward to working with you." Gonzalez yelled as he ran down one of the roads that split off from the plaza.
Iris looked to Montag and Derik, "I'm going to head off and see if I can't drum up some support for the New Order of the Hand. I'll see you chaps later."
"Wait, you are following through on your promise to those townsfolk?" Derik snorted.
"I do still have my duties as a priestess. It's not like I never want to go back. I just wanted to see the world, if even just a little bit."
"Just try not to get yourself crucified in the meantime," Derik remarked as Iris left down another street.
"I was definitely thinking about getting myself horribly tortured and executed, but I guess I'll hold off on that just for you." Iris gave a wink as she disappeared behind a sharp turn.
Montag and Derik were left alone amongst the crowd of merchants in the middle of the plaza. Derik was mentally noting down the different types of stalls. As he observed the merchants, he felt a pair of eyes burning into the back of his head. Derik turned to meet Montag's piercing stare.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Montag asked.
Derik raised his eyebrow and gave a hesitant, "Yes?"
"Great!" Montag cut into the crowd. Derik followed close behind, trying not to lose Montag in the crowd. As they made their way through the streets Derik realized that they had returned to the entrance of the city. Montag stopped and Derik stopped behind him to look around. He saw the giant area in front of him. The wall was littered with notices of upcoming events and a surprisingly large amount of missing persons posters. Montag walked up to the person manning the entrance to the arena. He came back with two pieces of wood with numbers etched into them.
"I knew you would agree with me. If we are in Sava we might as well take advantage of its famous arena fights, no?"
Derek Followed Behind Montag as they made their way through the arches that marked the entrance of the building. Derik looked around in awe at the sheer size of the arena. Derik noted that the size of the amphitheater was easily comparable to any modern-day sports stadium. Montag and Derik took their seats near the front row, beginning to settle down as a horn began to sound. A single chariot made its way around the arena with soldiers marching in step behind. The crowd cheered as they made a loop around the pit, eventually exiting the arena through one of the many great doors that lined the edge of the area. After the entourage had fully exited the pit, a single man stepped out into the center.
"Hear me fellow men and women of Palatine!" his voice projected through the arena with the help of some repeaters spread throughout the stands.
"Today we are joined here to witness the legion leave our great city to bring our enemies to heel! We salute these warriors and honor their bravery with this glorious spectacle! Let the revelry begin!"
With those words, the man exited the pit. A few seconds later the gates opened to reveal one armored man who donned a decorated mask. He held a small sword. and a large shield. He stepped into the middle of the arena and addressed the crowd.
"The enemies that face us are many, but today we prove that the beasts we fight are not immortal. They can be felled! They bleed as we do! With the valor and determination carried by every soldier of Palatine, a swift, victorious return is assured!"
As he finished speaking the opposite door opened to reveal what could only be described as a giant. It was covered in hides and hoisted a large wooden club above its back. It let out a deafening roar that reverberated off the seats of the arena. The man and the beast began circling each other, swaying back and forth to the screams of the crowd. The man gave a quick look towards the crowd and then turned to give an obscene gesture towards the giant. The giant let out another roar before charging directly at the man with its club raised above its head. It brought down the club, sending a cloud of dust throughout the fighting pit. As the dust cleared the man was visible right beside the giant's legs. He took a couple of slashes at its ankles before backing off. The giant seemed more displeased than injured and tried to stomp on the man. The gladiator managed to dodge and weave through all the attacks and land a few more attacks on the giant's shin. The giant pressed its assault, albeit at a slower pace than before. It swung the club once again, dragging it across the top of the pit. The man rolled backward and took out a dart from behind his shield, throwing it at the head of the giant. The dart found its mark, lodging itself in its neck. The giant clutched its neck as it fell to the ground with a shattering quake. The man stepped onto the fallen giant and raised his hands gaining rapturous applause in return. The giant was dragged off by a group of men using ropes. There were 10 more bouts following that battle which played out more traditionally, consisting of both group fights and single combat between trained human fighters. There was even one fight that lasted over an hour. That got an especially loud response from the audience. It wasn't all violence as a break was taken halfway through the event. A dramatic theater performance took place. The acting was top-of-the-line and the effects were quite impressive. The pit was even temporarily flooded when the protagonist was traveling across the sea. The whole performance was quite the ordeal. It was even starting to get dark by the end of the final fight. Derek and Motang filed out of the building with the other spectators. Derik stepped off to the side and clutched his broken arm.
Derik squeezed his upper arm, "I'm a little sore after sitting there for so long."
"Quite the spectacle, right Derik?"
"Yeh, it was fun," Derik responded. It was a nice change of pace from the usual gambling Derik turned to for entertainment in his days as a guard. There weren't exactly many forms of entertainment in this world, and Derik was pleasantly surprised at the relative civility of the event.
They exited the amphitheater and began to head back to the guild.