Guardian Spirit

Chapter 8

“Shit on you and your taste in women!” roared the bald, brute looking man. He had enough iron ring piercings on his face to make a large dagger out of them. “I've seen pigs that are more attractive!”

“That's because you are a pig,” came a reply that made the entire table burst out in laughter, save for Gareth who was clutching his cards so hard his knuckles had turned white

“Even a pig knows not to fuck a scrawny little elf. They've got higher standards than you!” replied the bald man.

The gladiators in the arena were not known for their subtlety, but even Gareth was surprised at their language use. They put even the most hardened sailors to shame. He frowned at the three men at the table and drank from his mug of ale. Three of Dayr's finest. Just the sort of people he needed to get close to and he had spent the past week doing just that.

People knew the bald man as Monster Dunn and he did indeed have the features that made him look like something out of a tale meant to scare children. Despite days spent training under the sun, his skin was as white as a bakers. The piercings gave him an even more fierce look that was not diminished by his size. Not as tall as Gareth by any means, but still large for any human and in muscles he did not lose to any. He was a powerful man known for ending the fights by ripping his opponents to shreds with bare hands. That was the true source of his nickname.

Then there was Obsidian. He was a striking contrast to Monster Dunn. His skin was as dark as night and he was more of a slender build than the Monster. A man of average height, but his well toned muscles made him look as nimble as a panther. His long, black, curly hair framed his stern looking face. The dance of his curved blade was a crowd favourite. It had sliced many people into suitable pieces for the lions to eat.

Last but not least was Bloody Carrigan. He seemed out of place among the muscular hulks at the table. He was tall with a boyish face, but thin as a slice of butter. He seemed to be as comfortable with his body as a young man in the midst of a growth spurt. All in all one would not expect to see such a man among the most feared men of the arena, but there he was and he had well deserved that spot. The speed of his blades more than made up his lack of strength and his style left his victims full of small wounds that slowly but surely mounted up to their demise.

It was all very dramatic right up to the names of the gladiators, but that was the way of the arena. It was not about enacting punishment to criminals. No, it was about drama. Entertainment for the people.

“What about you, new guy?” Gareth looked up from his cards to meet the gaze of the Monster. “Would you have liked to wrestle a bit with that elf between the blankets?”

He knew who they were talking about. An exotic and pretty looking one, clothed in the finest of silks. She had visited the arena today in the company of one of the nobles who was looking to hire men for a private showing. Gareth had to admit he wouldn't have minded sharing his bed with such a fine looking woman, but he needed to play his part among these men.

“I think you run your mouth too much about something that everyone knows the answer to,” Gareth frowned at the Monster. “We'll all need the long age of the elves if you keep talking instead of playing the cards. It's your turn.”

The Monster blinked in surprise and then smiled in his wicked style, “Not much of a talker, is he?” he asked the men around the table.

“Sure ain't, but you'd better play your turn before he cleaves you in half with that big knife if his!” replied Carrigan, clearly sharing Gareths wish for the game to move on.

“All right, all right!” the Monster snapped, examined his cards again and threw in a few more coins. “I'm in.”

Silence fell over the table, save for the occasional shuffling of cards and coins being thrown on the table. Gareth sighed in relief. The less they talked the better in his mind. Though the success of his mission needed these men to blather as much as possible. It was clear to Gareth now that Dayr and the three of his finest were a part of the cult. Since his arrival they had not done anything nefarious, but he had caught fragment of conversations here and there that confirmed a lot of his suspicions. They were laying low, clearly interested in simply growing their numbers for now.