Chapter 116: A Game of Chance (Part 1)

We walked on past the Adventurer’s Guild, and here there were more training yards on either side of a wide walking path. They stretched out far, and the farthest of them were no more than a blur. In one of the yards to my right, two of the strange land dragons crashed into each other, their riders trading gouts of fire and rock from atop them. A large crowd had gathered to watch, and as we passed the yard, it let out a great cheer just as one of the two Beastkin was unseated clean off his mount.

The crowd had found their display impressive. They were easily impressed.

"That looks a lot like jousting," Ash murmured. "Well, kinda, anyway."

"That’s… what it’s called," Alisa said slowly, eyeing the Hero. "You don’t know about it?"

"Not on those, no," Ash said.

Alisa eyed her for a moment longer and shrugged. "The goal is to unseat the other from their Land-Dragon. The riders make some distance between each other, meet in the middle, and whoever’s left on their mount is the winner. A lot of the nobles quite like it. This is pretty tame. There’s usually a massive stage."

Land-Dragon. So that was the name of these strange beasts that resembled dragons and were anything but. I suspected they could not even breathe fire. They certainly had no wings that I could see. Sol let out a loud chirp from atop my head. I felt her craning her neck in the direction of the crowd. "Do you wish to compete, Sol?" I asked her. She let out a determined chirp at this, which I took as her assent. "Someday," I said. "When you are large enough to ride upon." I turned my gaze back to Alisa. "Will that be a problem?"

Alisa was staring at the crowd, and my question made her stir. "Huh?" She looked at me, and then at Solara, who raised herself for the girl’s assessment. "Sure, there are no rules against it. It’s just that Land-Dragons are the best for this kind of thing. Many people have tried all sorts of strange things." She frowned. "Well, there is one rule," she said. "You can’t mount a beast that flies. So it would be difficult for Solara to-"

Sol let out an indignant squawk at this. As if offended that the girl thought she would even need her wings for something so trifling. I agreed with her.

Ash smiled and reached toward me to brush at Sol. "You better get big really fast then, Sol," Ash said. I felt Solara’s determination through the bond. She was prepared to grow as large as required here and now.

We kept walking until we were past the crowd. Many of the other yards held people training in one form or another. One yard had almost two dozen men and women sitting on their knees, eyes closed. I had seen similar sights in the Academy. They were no doubt using the breathing exercises the people of this time used. From my brief research in the Athenaeum, it was the only way one could increase the raw capacity of an Essence Core after it had been formed. These people had no Resonance Chambers, and still they sat.

There were more yards, and more people competing in contests, each stranger than the last. A woman riding atop a grey Land-Dragon passed us by. It was a large beast, with yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the light. Solara let out a loud chirp of greeting. The Land-Dragon paused and regarded her atop my head, then let out a keening cry that carried far.

The woman leaned down and whispered something to it that I did not hear. Then she regarded us and smiled. "Tiffen says hello. That bird of yours is a gorgeous little thing. Does it have a name?"

We had all stopped to regard her. I considered simply walking on, but Solara let out another chirp, again of greeting. I reached up, cupped the tiny phoenix in my hands, and brought her down to my chest. "Her name is Solara," I said, "and she also gives her greetings to your companion."

The woman’s smile widened. She opened her mouth to say something, but then the beast under her stepped forward. The woman let out a yelp. Ash stepped in front of me and Solara both.

"Easy there!" the woman said quickly, pulling on the reins. "He doesn’t mean any trouble," she said. "He’s just damned curious about what Solara is."

The Land-Dragon tried to crane its neck past Ash to get to me. The Hero firmly pushed it back. "Sorry, but I can’t really be sure what your friend’s intentions-"

"Ash," I said, "it’s fine." The Hero turned and regarded me. She looked down at Solara, who was craning her own neck up. She did not have to. If she had wished it, she could easily have flown. Perhaps this was her strange way of asking for permission.

The Hero relented and stepped aside. The Land-Dragon slowly approached until it stood only a single pace away. It was an angular beast, all muscle and sinew. Its large eyes focused on Solara, and I felt Solara’s eyes focus on it. Despite what I had said to Ash, I was ready. Ready to let loose the Requiem at the first sight of any threat to Sol.

Solara let out a chirp of considerable volume. The Land-Dragon answered with another cry. And then another. And then another.

"What is going on?" Alisa murmured.

"I think they’re… talking?" Ash said. The Hero sounded as uncertain as I felt.

"Oh, Tiffen here’s always been curious. He talks to everyone," the woman said. "Name’s Shallon. You three here for the Hunt?" The woman herself was small. Had she been standing on her own two feet, she might not have reached my chest. Atop this Land-Dragon, the difference between our heights was considerable.

She was dressed in a black cloak that doubtless made her look far wider than she otherwise would have been. The sleeve over her left arm was cut away to reveal a blue Crest, one in the shape of several clouds, all blending into one another.

"We are," Ash said. "We just got here yesterday." The Hero regarded the woman. "I’m Ash," she finally said. "This is Alisa, and Lysanthia." The woman raised a perplexed eyebrow as she regarded me. Many did, when they learned my name. Then she shrugged. "Are you here for the Hunt too?" Ash asked.

"Nah," the woman said. "Can’t pay me all the Shines in the world to do somethin’ like that. I’m just here for the racin’. And Hunt season’s good for racin’ too, so here I am." The woman patted the Land-Dragon’s head with something akin to affection.

"I see," Ash said. Something flickered across her face, there and gone in the next moment. I knew enough of Ash by now to know what it was. Disappointment. Had the Hero meant to try to recruit this woman into our party? "Well," Ash said, "we’re just trying to get our feet under us. This city has a lot to take in."

Shallon slowly nodded. "Well, be careful. This city might look all nice, but underneath, it’s a den of thieves, and they figure everyone here for the Hunt makes a damned good mark." She looked behind her, down the path from which she had come. "Might wanna go see the Party Clashes while you’re in this District, though. Today’s the last day. Lotsa excitement. Bit too much excitement for me, but you folk might like it."

"Party… Clashes?" Ash asked.

The woman frowned. "Ah, right. Only just got here. Well, ol’ Melchior’s always holdin’ a tournament every Hunt. There’s one happening right now. You can’t miss it." Then the woman was pulling on her reins. "Well, I’ll get out of your way then. You lot be careful around here, you hear?"

The Land-Dragon, this Tiffen, let out several smaller cries. Solara answered with a loud chirp. Through the bond, I felt her giving her farewell. The woman gave us one last wave, and then she was moving past us. We watched her go. Her Tiffen drew its share of attention from everyone it passed, but it did not stop for anyone.

"Did you make a friend, Solara?" Alisa asked, stepping close to me. Solara let out a loud trill.

I looked down at the baby phoenix. She was still watching this Tiffen go. I did not know what conversation the two of them had shared, but I had rarely seen Solara so interested in anyone or anything. These Land-Dragons scarcely deserved the name, but perhaps there was some merit to them after all.

"You will see him again, Solara," I said. The baby phoenix looked up at me. "We are in this Azareth for some time yet. Do not assume that you will not meet again." Solara let out another chirp as I set her back upon my head.

The Hero was smiling at me. Which was strange, for I had done nothing to warrant it. Then her smile faded. "Looks like everyone knows this city is out to take advantage of people like us," the Hero sighed. "Well, I guess it’s not that surprising."

"They don’t mention any of that in the stories," Alisa murmured.

"They would not," I said, and nothing more.

We continued our walk. The sun climbed higher as we went, and took some of the morning’s chill with it. Then a cool breeze blew in from the east. Solara loosed an angry chirp at the wind, as though volume alone might turn it away. It did not. In the other District, one could not walk twenty paces without passing a burning brazier. Here they stood hundreds of paces apart, and we were far from the nearest of them.

I half expected the tiny phoenix to wedge herself in my coat again. She did not.

Eventually, the many yards faded, and in the distance we saw buildings once more. We needed no sign to know that this was again a change of District, but there was one all the same.

Here Marks the Start of the Food District.

Scents wafted from the direction of those buildings. Many of them. Some sharp, and some surprisingly sweet. Some carried smoke, and yet did not taste of ash. It had not been long since we had last eaten, and yet that strange stew, while acceptable, had not been nearly enough. Solara let out a large chirp. It made her entire tiny body tremble.

"We will get your food, Sol," I assured her, reaching up to brush at her feathers.

"I’m guessing those are the Party Clashes," Ash said, pointing. She was pointing off to the left, to the last and largest of the yards we had seen thus far. Instead of just packed earth and stone, there were raised stands made of earth. And on those many raised stands were people.

Even from here, I could hear the sound of shouting and cheering in almost equal measure.

Ash looked at me, and I looked at her. I knew well what she was asking. Some curiosity tugged at me too, for the name Party Clash explained well enough what this was supposed to be.

"So… what are we doing?" Alisa asked, eyeing us.

I picked Solara from my head and brought her up before my face. "Sol, will you wait some small time for your food?" I asked her. I turned her around, so that she could see the stands in the distance. "There is something there that might prove instructive. Or it might not. It is difficult to tell with these people." Then I turned her again, this time to face the Food District. "Or we may go for your food now. I will leave the choice to you."

The baby phoenix considered this. I felt her considering it. Then her neck turned abruptly in the direction of the stands, and she let out a trill. I knew her answer well enough. Solara had chosen to exercise great restraint and consideration, and she was informing me that her restraint could stretch only so far. "Very well." I cupped the phoenix to my chest and started toward the stands. "If there is nothing worth seeing, then we go for your food at once. You have my word."

Solara let out a tiny chirp of assent at this. It seemed some small part of her was curious too.