Chương 76: Chapter 75 - Paige’s Surprise

It was much nicer walking along the lit path. Torches burned on either side, providing enough light to see where you were stepping, but not enough to see any detail on the buildings around them. The path ran directly to the tower, split into two to circle around it, then rejoined at the back. Several other major routes branched off at intervals. Signs pointed to various areas of the camp, such as 'Barracks,' 'Academy,' ' Farms,' 'Warehouses,' and so on.

Everything you could need to support a community seemed to be present.

"So where are we going? I'm shattered," Aaron said.

"The barracks. And it'll be worth it, I promise." Paige seemed in good spirits. And Aaron really wanted to like her. But there was an ever-nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him not to trust her after she'd been spying on him. By all means, she'd proven herself a formidable ally and always had his back. He just couldn't shake the idea that she was still putting on a persona or had an agenda. Aaron forced a smile through his exhaustion.

"And why the barracks?"

"There's a duel. I thought you might want to see."

"It would be cool to see what your people are capable of. But how is this breaking morals?"

"Because there's violence and betting, and some people don't know how to have fun," Paige drawled.

"Right. I don't see how anyone could have an issue with that," Aaron quipped. Paige rolled her eyes.

"And they're okay with that here?" Aaron continued.

"Kind of. It's a bit of a gray area. We can spar whenever we like. The soldiers turn a blind eye to the betting. They're often the ones in the pit."

"Does money even have value here? Do you pay for rent, or food?"

"Of course it has value," Paige scoffed.

"But no, we get everything supplied to us. We grow our own food and build and craft everything we need. If we need anything external, we trade our own food and supplies. But saying that, we all have our own money to use when we venture out of this place, and people love to gamble and bet with it."

"I guess that makes sense." They continued for a few minutes down the path, until they reached the barracks. There were several guarded stone buildings clustered together. These must be where the weapons are stored. There were several large dome-shaped tents around. Further into the area were fenced-off squares, wooden mannequins, and weapons racks. There was enough space for maybe over a hundred people to train at the same time. It gave weight to the power of this place.

It wasn't big enough to be an army, but could definitely wreak havoc if deployed intelligently. A rumble turned into a roar as they walked through the training area. There was a crowd up ahead. The cheering was deafening. Aaron tried to see through, but it was impossible to push past. He and Paige maneuvered around until they found a couple of gaps big enough to poke their heads over. It was a pit. Circular and made of dirt, the area was reinforced with a fence at the top.

There were no markings, wood, or any kind of structural reinforcement. Just a wide dirt area, two men and their weapons. They were panting heavily, staring each other down, swords at the ready. The man opposite was older, with aging lines across his face. He wore light leather armor which covered important areas, but left his hulking arms exposed. He charged at the other man and sliced his blade from high to low. It missed its mark as the other man effortlessly slid past his sword.

His momentum carried him forward, and he stumbled onto his front foot. With graceful timing, the defending man swept his foot under his ankle, dragging it out to the side. The large man toppled off balance down to his knee, whipping up a puff of dirt. The smaller man turned his back to him and raised both hands in the air. The crowd roared. Aaron got a closer look as he walked around smiling. His face was young and smooth. He looked Aaron's age or younger.

He was clean shaven and had neat black hair scraped back into a bun. He wore the same armor as the first man, except his arms looked much less impressive. Not that it seemed to matter. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"That's Lonnie. He's the best fighter here, and he knows it," Paige said in a venomous tone. Lonnie's gloating didn't last long. The other man got up and charged again, yelling enough to boom over the roar of the crowd. He stopped short this time, not making the same mistake. He kept strong footing and unleashed a flurry of swipes with his sword. Lonnie deflected them with his sword with a swift but polite series of flicks of the wrist. It was effortless. The blade never even came close to its mark.

The cheering got louder, and Lonnie soaked it in, making incrementally more diabolical bravuras. He weaved around the blade with cat-like dexterity. He parried it with one hand behind his back and tripped and kicked his opponent whenever he was out of position. This wasn't a duel; it was an exhibition! Aaron frowned in displeasure. It was poor sportsmanship to taunt an opponent and show off for one's ego. The larger man staggered around, still throwing blows with his sword. They were cumbersome and slow.

His chest rose and fell with heavy, laboured breaths, and his stance was slumped over and sloppy. The crowd roared louder than ever and began to chant, "Finish him, finish him." Lonnie raised his sword, with his back to his opponent in a show of utter disrespect, then turned around. The tired man lurched with a final lumbering blow. He stabbed towards Lonnie, but of course he simply stepped to the side as if walking around a cart. Lonnie retorted with a flash of silver.

The man covered his arm where the blade had connected and raised his hand in concession. With the drawing of blood, the duel was over. The crowd went wild. Fists flew in the air, and the ground rumbled with their bellowing voices. Hopefully the residential district was far away. It didn't look like any bets had been made. No coin exchanged hands. It must have been pretty obvious who the victor would be. Lonnie climbed out of the pit with help from a couple of men.

They patted him on the back as he made his way through the crowd and grabbed a flagon from a nearby table. He leant back against it, took a deep swig, and started laughing and chatting with a group of men.

"Come on," Paige whispered as she walked off, circling away from Lonnie.

"You don't like him?" Aaron asked.

"He's stuck-up and thinks too highly of himself. He's also got a thing for me, and I can't be bothered right now." A hint of jealousy irked Aaron, but he quickly stifled it. He quickly changed the subject.

"So who fights next?" Paige looked past Aaron, presumably making sure they were out of Lonnie's field of view.

"There's a sign-up sheet at the back. There are a few regulars, but I'll let you know if there's anything interesting tonight." After barging through the crowd, they made it through to an opening at the back. A man with a scroll balanced over the smooth side of a slab of bark sat atop a table. A few men and women gathered around, handing coins over to a guard standing next to him. Paige walked over to the man with the scroll. He looked thoroughly engrossed.

"Hello Earl, how've you been?" He looked up, and his face lit up.

"PAIGE! Are you here to fight?"

"Not today. We've got vetting tomorrow." Earl grimaced.

"Hopefully a short one this time. I'm glad I don't have your job. I wouldn't want that every time I get back." Well, clearly vetting is more than just a talking to.

"You get used to it. At least the fighting pit isn't the most interesting thing going on in my life," she jested.

"Aw, come on. This is great. There's nothing like betting on the underdog and watching them beat the odds," he chuckled.

"Speaking of which, who's up next?" Early looked down at his scroll and traced it with his finger.

"Hmm," he grumbled.

"A newbie called Imogene against Cora." Paige screwed her face up and let out a soft hiss.

"I hope she goes easy on her. I hate it when they haze the new guys. What's the odds?"

"Twenty to one. Not many takers for Imogene so far."

"I'll put a copper on her," Paige said.

"Me too," repeated Aaron.

"I've only got a handful of coppers left, but they're little use to me here."

"Very well," Earl said.

"Name, please."

"Aaron." Earl scribbled down on his scroll and took a copper from both Paige and Aaron and placed it in a pouch on the inside of his coat.

"You better go and find a spot whilst you can. They'll start in a few minutes." Paige thanked him and walked over to the pit with Aaron. Thankfully, it was easier to get to the front this time, and they managed to squeeze in with a direct view. They leant up against the fence which circumvented the pit.

"I'm a little concerned about what I'm in for. Hazing newbies? Painful vetting?" Paige grinned.

"It's just a bit of fun. Just stay clear of Lonnie and his morons. And the vetting's just part of the deal. We have to be careful who we let in."

"Well, what exactly is it?" Paige sighed.

"Think of it like a psychic interrogation to make sure you're an ally of this place. If you don't resist, it's fine." Aaron jolted upright and gripped the wooden fence hard. His knuckles went white with the pressure.

"You didn't think to mention this? They'll find out about…" Aaron paused and looked around at the crowd around him.

"You know what."

"You didn't think we'd be able to just keep it a secret in here, did you? What do you think they'd do to Giddeon and me if they found out?" Aaron relaxed a bit.

"I guess that's true. It's unfair on you. But still, they're not going to like it. What will they do with me?"

"Hopefully nothing. Probably nothing. They'll be able to see your motivations and that you want to help. Assuming you do?" Aaron met her gaze and frowned.

"Of course I do!"

"Good. Then you've got nothing to worry about. Just don't go around advertising it. You can keep it a secret from the average person, but the leaders of the camp will need to know." Ding, ding, ding. A bell rang at the side of the pit, and two women hopped over the fence and jumped down. One wore brown, and the other blue.

"Oh cool, she's a seer. These fights can be fun." Aaron gulped his saliva and took a couple of deep breaths to soothe his nerves. His legs ached under the weight of his body and his mind whirred. Everything about this place wants me to be discovered. And with that thought, the fight started.