Elrithos presented himself in the arena once more for his next duel. The words the elven woman had spoken earlier were still lingering in his mind. It was a something so little; just a few words and yet, he was caught up in what those words meant. It wasn’t as much a dark past but one he wasn’t so proud of. With a hesitant stance, he pulled out his bladed staff and bowed in respect. His stance changed for a more impressive one, having the shaft go behind his neck and over his shoulders. He would try something different… And so, when the shout to begin was done, Elrithos charged forward with a determination. 

This match proved to be quite entertaining, as people roared as they saw both adversaries going all out with their maneuvers and strikes. In the end though, the Aavikkanian’s natural endurance made the best of his adversary who eventually lost his footing and fell to the ground as Elrithos simply stopped moving with a light smile. The winner was clear, but his opponents seemed to be happy about the fight. Elrithos helped him up and the winner was announced… But how it was announced had send shivers down the spine of the desert elf.

[center][b]‘’Elrithos The Blazing Wind wins another round!’’[/b][/center]

His eyes raised to the announcer. The elven lady was not too far, a smile on her face. Why was she doing that? Why was she making sure he would hear those word? It was enough for him, and with a graceful walk, he went out of the fighting area and into the waiting area… But contrary to before, he kept walking, going towards the exit. He wasn’t going to show his face. It was unfortunate, as he had reached the finals and yet, there would be only one person showing up. He disappeared into the crowd, probably never showing his face ever again in that coliseum. He wasn’t going to fight with that title ever again. 

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Vordan watched the wood elf walk away. That grin still wide. She was one hell of a surprise that woman and to say, it was only the beginning of the night. So, he brought his hands together and looked around at the tables. He would have to pick his targets… He definitely didn’t want the table that had the men that controlled this particular place, nor the ones surrounded with too many ladies. The more women around, the richer and more powerful they were. At the same time, he still needed people with a lot of coins for it to be a worthwhile profit. He marched between the tables, noting a few facts about the people at them. Very little of them were even near poor, which meant most of these people were either nobles or from the bourgeoisie. Interesting. The place seemed pretty easy to access though, so he wondered who the owner was.

His thoughts lingered a moment as he went between the porcelain ladies, a few winks to work off his charms, then found the perfect table. Five people seated, two nobles and one merchant… The two others seemed to be mercenaries of some sort although he couldn’t tell accurately. And with an open chair, it was quite clear it was a sign that it could fit one other gambler. As an added bonus, there was a clear view to the door. He could keep an eye on anyone coming in or out. 

He approached the table and took the seat, swinging his legs under and leaning forward with his arms on the table. The people gathered around gave him a look, a few smiles growing. A few ladies gave each other a look, seemingly amused. The atmosphere was a lot lighter as a few cards were tossed towards him. [b]‘’ Put in your coins, green thumb. The ante is 4 coins.’’[/b] It was a high starting wager but Vordan had plenty for him to play along with. And so, he carefully reached into his pouch and pulled out a small stack of coins, proving he had the assets to play. The people gathered there were seemingly satisfied by what they saw.[b] ‘’Welcome to the game.”[/b]

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Elrithos didn’t hang around too much and headed back to where everyone was supposed to meet. He wondered what would happen when he wouldn’t show up for the last fight of that tournament. He felt like it would anger a lot of people by doing so… Yet, he couldn’t go back. [i]Blazing Wind…[/i] He had wished to forget that name years ago. He had told many of his friends about it, notably his friends in the South. Most people said what he had done wasn’t that bad, but his people had a different view. He was forgiven for his brashness yet there were still a few not impressed by his actions. The Council was over it and had kept him in his position as scout and messenger. 

He took interest at the people on the streets. Peaceful, but excited. Active yet relaxed. It was something quite beautiful to see, as it reminded him of his homeland in the desert… He didn’t miss it at all, but he felt like maybe it was time to return and report what he could. Luckily enough, it was on their way there to the port, so they would have time to stop at the capital. At least, he wouldn’t be bothered for now.

He came back to the Inn, walking in with a slight sigh and simply went to the counter, drinking the sweet juice from Lissandra, thinking… Thinking…