Chapter 10 - Aftermath (5)

The city was lively as Roran made his way back to the Crucible. Even the streets further away from King's Arena were busier than usual. Like arteries pumping blood throughout the entire body as the heart quickened, the streets brought life to the city as people returned home from the day's events.

Roran wanted to see a map of the city, or better yet, look down on it from the top of King's Arena, the way the kings did. He wanted to see it sprawling and swirling, to see which streets were the busiest and which ones held hidden shops and taverns. He wanted to map out the labyrinth of passageways that wove through the buildings, acting like a secondary road system for when the surface streets were clogged. King's City was a living, breathing beast, and Roran wanted to see all of it.

His mother would have loved the city. She would have insisted on visiting every corner, every nook and cranny, every single tavern, shop, or stall. She would have loved the winding streets both inside and out. Exploring the city would have been an adventure for her, one that would turn into a tale that she would have told Roran.

Roran smiled up at the sky. Night had fallen and the stars were dancing their way across the field of inky black. "I wish we could have come here together," he said quietly to himself. "You would have loved this."

Making his way back to the Crucible, Roran decided to visit the dogs on a whim. He navigated his way through the hallways with ease, the concentric patterns making sense to him now. He almost felt silly for getting lost when he first started fighting in the Crucible.

Finding the room of cages, Roran slipped inside. The room was empty and dark, though a single lantern hung from a hook on the wall, providing enough light to see by. Roran went to the back, towards the kennel where Chase's hounds were. At his arrival, the hounds stirred and started sniffing the air. Recognizing him, several of the hounds wagged their tails and jumped at the bars.

"Miss me?" Roran asked, "Or do you miss the food I brought last time?"

The dogs whined at him and wagged their tails. Squatting down on his haunches, Roran extended a hand next to the bars. One of the smaller hounds poked his nose through and licked Roran's palm. Roran ruffled the dog's ears and wished that he'd had a dog when he was a child.

When the dogs realized that he hadn't brought any food, they started losing interest. A couple more came over to beg for attention but most of them went back to sleep. Then, a furry mass moved out from the corner.

Herda came over to Roran and stuck her nose out of the kennel. Roran offered his hand and Herda gave it a warm, wet lick. He scratched her chin and rubbed her ears before sitting down next to the bars of the kennel. Herda laid down next to him.

Reaching through the bars, Roran stroked her fur. It was thick and heavy. Beneath her coat, Roran could feel scars from battles long past.

"You've seen a lot of combat, huh girl?" said Roran.

"That she has."

Roran looked up to see Chase grinning down at him.

"Good to see you again," said Roran.

"And you kid. Where were you today?"

"At the King's Arena. My sponsors wanted me to see them in combat."

Chase nodded. "Not a bad idea. It's good to know what you're getting yourself into. I've been meaning to ask, who is your sponsor?"

"Kell the living storm and Nul the world breaker."

Chase sucked air in through his teeth. "Oh boy, you've gotten yourself into a spot of trouble."

"I have?"

Chase nodded. "Kell is also known as chaos incarnate, you know why? It's not because of how she fights, despite what most people think, it's because chaos always surrounds her. She leaves nothing unchanged. Hell, even her few visits to the Crucible changed how we had to handle champions competing against the residents."

"She doesn't seem that bad...Besides, Nul is nice."

"I'm sure she's lovely."

Roran frowned. "I'm not sure they're a she."

Chase shrugged. "Hell if I know, at any rate the title world breaker didn't come to them easily. The things they do with focus markings and spellwork are terrifying. If you ever see them in combat, you'll understand where the title comes from."

Roran nodded, unsure of what else to do.

"I hate to say it kid, but you might want to find a new sponsor, or better yet, commit to becoming a warden."

"If I become a warden, won't I have to stay in the Crucible?"

"Nah, you can get assigned all over the place. You might even earn a detail in the King's Arena, working alongside the city watch and the royal guards."

Roran mulled over the idea. It was appealing. He'd have comfort, a steady income, and wouldn't need to fight in death matches anymore.

"How would I become a warden?" Roran asked.

"First I would put in a good word for you, from there the captain would come speak to you. I'm a lieutenant so I have a little bit of sway in these things. From there the captain would make a decision based on how you've been doing in the Crucible so far. Given that the living storm has sponsored you, I'm sure he'd approve of you. Then you'd be shipped off to training for a year and come back as a warden."

"I don't know..." It felt like there was a lot Chase wasn't telling him.

"Hey, you'd get to hang out with the hounds everyday. I'd even be willing to take you on as an apprentice and teach you how to train dogs."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Kids like you don't come around very often. Besides, the dogs already like you. Here, tell you what, why don't you take Herda with you for the night."

Roran blinked at Chase. "You want me to take Herda for the night?"

"Yeah, you can bring her back here around noon tomorrow. There aren't any fights happening in the Crucible and we'll be able to do some proper hound training."

"Will it be okay? I mean, will you get in trouble? What if she runs off?"

Chase laughed. His laugh was warm and deep. "Herda won't run off. Here, watch this."

Chase opened the kennel. Several of the hounds rushed for the gate but Chase held out his hand and barked, "stop!" The hounds all stopped in their tracks, some of them even falling to their bellies. They waited, watching Chase and looking for his next signal.

"Herda come," said Chase.

Moving slowly, Herda got to her feet and walked past the other dogs. She came to sit in front of Chase.

Pointing at Roran, Chase said, "Herda, follow."

Herda dipped her head and wandered over to Roran. She laid down and rolled against him, pressing her weight into his legs.

"And there you go," said Chase, "She'll follow you until I tell her to stop."

"She won't run off?"

"Of course not. These dogs are trained to follow any command I give them. They're incredibly obedient, which makes them great war hounds. The only real problem is they only bond to one master, so if something happens to me they're effectively useless."

"Will I need to feed her or anything?"

"Nah, if she gets too hungry she'll find a rat or something, but these dogs can go days without eating. Take Herda with you and see if you like having a war hound by your side."

Roran nodded and reached down to pat Herda again. She looked up at him and grinned, panting and letting her tongue loll out to one side.

"Well I need to get going," said Chase, "and you should get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." And to Herda, he said, "Keep an eye on him for me girl."

Herda wagged her tail in reply.