Tossing the coin purse from hand to hand, I nodded to myself at the weight and jingle that just made feel rich despite this being a rather diocre amount of money for soone of our station; it was always just one of those things that would feel incredible even if I was reminded that this was nothing.
"So... Cyra, what are the odds for this special match? And when does the adventurer make their appearance?"
The petite Caninekin turned to face and gave a small bow as she said "The adventurer - Batu - shall be appearing shortly; apparently he requested a few minutes to pray to his god before the battle, and as gracious and welcoming hosts, Yanzif Arena has acquiesced to Batu's wishes. He should be erging in a minute or two though Miss.
The odds for the fight are rather intriguing, with the two gladiators - Anas and Enta - having 2-3 odds for erging victorious from this duel, their skill at fighting in tandem with their scimitars and adequate understanding of Wind Magic giving them a good chance at winning this battle, especially since it is a duo of gladiators fighting against a singular adventurer. However, Batu has odds of 2-1 to win since this man from the east has shown a large amount of promise, his ability to wield a lance and close the distance between his opponents and himself with a single lunge causing many to believe he has a good chance at winning as well, especially since he has claid to have bested many monsters on his own before, monsters that are recomnded to form a party to hunt, like Basilisks and Wendigo's."
Information flooded my mind thanks to the servant's concise delivery of each party's strengths and their odds at winning, ideas already beginning to form as I contemplated what I should do for this bet; should I bet more than I was initially thinking, or should I continue to err on the side of caution?
Obviously I still needed to see this 'Batu' before I placed the bet, but as I observed Anas and Enta, I was beginning to think almost anyone that the arena could send in would be able to deal with them, mainly because one of them dropped their scimitar and failed to pick it up twice whilst the other seed to care more about the crowd then he did about getting himself ready for the battle to co by stretching.
All the while this Batu was praying and likely getting his mind right, sothing that was an under appreciated but crucial part of winning anything, especially a fight, which was why I wasn't at all surprised when Leone said "I'll place 25 Gold on Batu then; take the chance with him."
Anput then decided to be 'smart' as she asked "Can I place a bet on both side, or is that not allowed?", the idea making chuckle softly as the quick calculations told that if she bet her 10 Gold evenly on both sides, no matter who won she would make herself money, just not as much as we would.
"You can, yes. However do understand that you will lose one of those bets no matter what, and that money cannot be given back to you upon that loss. Do you still want to make two separate bets, Begum?"
"Five on each~!"
She tossed the pouch back onto the platter and grinned at us all proudly, her 'smarts' fueling her at the mont while the rest of us just shook our heads and ignored her, though that did little to quench her little fla as she curled back up on Jahi's lap to watch the two gladiators below us.
When Cyra turned to Jahi and I, we both shook our heads as I said "I want to see this Batu first, Cyra, before I place a bet. Is that alright?", while Jahi just nodded after hearing that, making her own opinion known.
"Of course. Just be aware that you have two minutes after Batu arrives on the stage to make that bet, otherwise the betting is closed."
It didn't take long for the adventurer from the east to appear out on the sand, his arrival heralded by the collective announcents from the various workers in the arena as they tended to their sections and kept them entertained, drawing all eyes onto the newcor of this special fight.
A towering man standing a head above the two Caninekin gladiators, Batu was a dark skinned, muscular hunk of a warrior who didn't have any noticeable racial traits, leaving to believe he might just be human, or perhaps half human with Beastkin blood running through his veins.
Leather armor clung to his muscles, draped over his body and giving him ample protection whilst keeping his maneuverability high; the armor was made from leather scales that were likely woven onto a light chainmail tunic beneath, giving Batu incredible protection from puncture damage and cushioning the blow sowhat from any impact damage. Additionally, it seed to be enchanted when I looked closely, but I noticed that the gladiators were also wearing enchanted armor, it was just not as covering as Batu's was; they had pauldron's, bracers, a cuirass and a leather skirt that they wore over their robes, while their shields were a bit larger than a buckler but not large enough to be considered a normal 'shield'.
Batu was certainly a confident man too, his chiseled expression set in stone as he stared at the two Caninekin, his dark green eyes narrowed into slits as he rested his heavy war lance on his shoulder.
Everything about him scread experience, and I glanced at Jahi and nodded as I said "To hells with it; 45 Gold on Batu. I'll go with my gut and take the risk.", while my lover said "Put it all on Batu for , Cyra. I have faith in this warrior from afar."
The servant bowed before scurrying away to do as we asked, leaving us alone once more and making ask "What was the country that he is from? East... there aren't many that are considered just 'east' of the Sultanate; most are south east, on the actual east side of the continent. Surely he isn't from that far though right?"
"He could be from the Wekalian Steppes, since that is the only 'major' country to the east, situated at the corner of the continent, but that is also a very far journey to travel to reach this city especially, let alone to get to the closest city in the Sultanate from the border. He looks Wekalian though."
The ntion of the country that I had found Cali in made purse my lips as I took in the man so more, before Leone added "He could also be from one of the dozens of smaller 'countries' around the northern and southern border of the Steppes, between us and them. They aren't large enough and are usually considered a piece of the Steppes, but they are technically their own thing. So... yeah."
"Either way, he is definitely 'from the Steppes', if that answers your question Kat. All you need to know about the average Wekalian is that they are a hardy, serious people who grow up in rather harsh conditions despite the Steppes appearing rather lush. Nothing really grows there besides grass, and nothing really lives there besides hardy monsters that are just as
hungry as the people."
Taking a deep breath, I studied the man for a few more monts before sinking into Jahi's embrace, my curiosity remaining as I wondered how well this man would do compared to the two gladiators, and if I was just being an idiot or if he really was as skilled as he looked.
"A lance is interesting though; usually it's a spear that most people go for, but a lance is better in my opinion, at least if you know what you're doing. More weight behind it and the fighting style is based around piercing thrusts that are only avoidable, not blockable. Really throws a wrench into people's fighting styles most of the ti. And damnit if it isn't simple but really efficient."
"Oh~! And then you add so kind of magic onto it and you get a really fun style to go against! If it's Wind Magic, his attacks are going to be even more destructive and require a lot more skill to avoid, but if it's Earth Magic he can switch things up in a jiffy and use the lance like a club-! I'm excited to see what this guy's got in store for us, especially since we got
money on the line~!"
"WE have money on the line; you have change on the line. Just rember that."
Anput snickered as she shook her head and stuck her tongue out at , my mate continuing to have far too much fun with all of this as she said "Nuh uh~! Jahi promised half of her winnings if I gave her oral for an entire night~!"
We all glanced at the Demoness as she shrugged, her content smirk as she stroked Anput's ears and gave Leone and I both a look causing us both to shake our heads, though I knew we would both be joining the Jackalkin when she was fulfilling her end of the promise...
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