A figure clad in a hazel brown cloak stood before the entrance of a tunnel. After a slight glance to his right and left, it raised its hands, pulling back the hood that had masked the seventeen-year old's face. Taking a step forward, Jace proceeded to follow the arched sandstone tunnel. He was hardly three steps in before the faint echoes of cheers and shouts reached his ears.

            Ahead of him, a bright light glared across the exit of the tunnel. Each step brought him closer to the exit. The noise from the commotion outside growing louder, drowning out the sounds of his footsteps. So loud he could not hear himself breath let alone think. Half way through the tunnel, he looked back. He waited, as if expecting something or someone who appear.

            Finally, he turned back towards the exit, briskly closing the distance. Stepping into the light, the heat of the sun bore down on him. He was hardly out of the tunnel, and he could already feel the sweat building on his forehead. Taking a deep breath, Jace surveyed what was before him. On either side of him, rows and rows of people sat on stone benches, their attention focused ahead of them.

            The rows of citizens continued, not just on either side of him, but ahead and behind him as well. Nearly a hundred thousand people occupied the Colosseum. Jace felts his muscles ease as we weaved himself between people, making his way down to the front rows. Posted all around the Colosseum, soldiers dressed in leather armor decorated with emerald green fabrics stood watch. He passed no less than ten on his way down. Reaching the lowest tier, Jace surveyed for a spot he could settle in. He decided the best place available was beside another guard who, unlike the others, was clad in heavy steel, complimented with purple fabric rather then emerald green.

            The Colosseum Sentinels they called them. While the other guards were expected to keep order in the stands, these Sentinels were charged with making sure whoever was in the arena stayed in the arena. Nodding to the one that took notice of his approach, Jace turned away from the man and leaned on the waist high wall of the arena. He wrinkled his nose at the ripe scent of flesh blood.

            Below, scattered across the sands of the pit, almost a hundred men fought for the entertainment of the citizens. As enthused as the crowd might appear to be, their cheers were restrained. Their excitement restrained as everyone eagerly waited for this match to end. Watching criminals fight to the death might be, to some, entertaining. But the sword and shield was nothing compared to the event planned for today.

            Games in the arena were hosted weekly. But grand events only ever came once every quarter of the year. Each grand event hosted almost the same games as any other week but with a few differences. For one, each year teams of fighters entered to participate in the arena games. Comprised of five men per team, these teams fought for glory and fame in the arena. The rules were simple. You had to have five men to compete. If you have less then five at the end of any round, you are eliminated from the competition. Each team could only have three reserves. The reward? Wealth and fame.

            In addition to this, all kinds of beasts are imported to the city. Anyone can volunteer for the Beast Slayer challenge. A title that, to his account, has never been won. No one ever gets past the drake.

            The arena grew quiet after the last man fell, everyone's attention drawn to the booth on the far left. Jace followed their gaze. Turning his head, the young man strained his eyes to see those who were present. The governor of the region was expected to be there, and so he was. He was an elder man, slender with a fit body build. He was known for nearly fifty years of service in the emperor's army. Now, as far as anyone knew, he had retired and taken over management of this town and the local villages.

            He had no wife or children with him, but there was another man present. Much younger than the governor. In place of fine clothing however, this man was clad in robes, accompanied by a sash and other strips of fabric. The variation in color was clear, but Jace could not make out the finer details. Still, it didn't take a genius to know the man had to be a student or graduate of the Mage's Academy. Some fancy rich kid school for those seeking mastery in the arcane arts.

            The governor stood and approached the front ledge of the booth. "Ladies and gentlemen! Let me present to you our main event! The match we have all been waiting for! A sorcerers duel! Join me in welcoming our champion, the finest sorcerer this city has to offer, Ciber Stormborn!" The crowd erupted into a fury of excitement as a single man entered the arena from beneath the governor's booth.

            "Your challenger, the bandit chief of Ravenwatch!" The governor continued, waving his hands towards the gate on the other side of the arena. As the gate opened, the young man noticed movement within the stands from the guards. Not just the one close to him, but all of them that circled the lower level, reached out with their hands. From their palms, a vibrant purple barrier stretched outward, encasing the whole of the pit in a barrier to protect the citizens.

            Peering over the ledge for a better look at this bandit chief, Jace had to wonder if he was supposed to be some kind of animal. He was dressed in furs, dirty head to toe, and possibly over fifty years old. To an outsider, one might argue that the match would not be within the bandit's favor. For any normal gladiator, that may be true. But neither of these men were gladiators.

            Almost as soon as the bandit reached the center of the pit, Ciber made his first move. His body motions were graceful, like a leaf gliding in the wind. He started to bombard the bandit with a series of fireballs, one after another. As he did so, Ciber started to circle his opponent, moving towards the bandit's right.

            The bandit responded by outstretching his arms, creating a similar protective ward that enclosed the pit. As soon as his ward was up, he changed the position of his right arm to act as if holding a shield. His left hand fell to his side, moved to an angle that would make it impossible to see from Ciber's position. With a bellow, the bandit charged Ciber, the ward that protected him, moved along with the bandit.

            A flash a transparent purple light flickered in the bandit's left hand. As it vanished, the outline of a sword in the same color had taken its place. The young man blinked. He had been wrong. The ward he thought he had seen earlier was not a ward at all, but a shield. At least in the way that the ward moved with the bandit's right arm and did not protect his back. Just as the distance was to be closed between the two sorcerers, a voice called out to the young lads right. "You! Hold it right there!"

            Jace's head turned to see an approaching guard. He did not wear the same emerald clothing as the other, but instead wore the golden brown colors of the city guard. Jumping away from the ledge, Jace dived into the crowd to his left. Breaking through to the entrance to another tunnel. Reaching the end of the tunnel he froze. Two more guards now blocked his only exit from the right or the left. Spinning with the slight hope he could escape back into the tunnel, his hopes were dashed as the guard who had chased him had been joined by two others.

            "Alright kid, come quietly. We have you surrounded." The guard demanded, walking towards Jace cautiously. He kept the blade of his glaive raised, ready to counter anything Jace might try. The glace was a spear like weapon that replaced the spear tip with a blade much like a scimitar.

            Jace could not help the smile that stretched across his lips. "I would have thought by now captain that you would have learned. I am not so easily captured." Jace shifted his stance, placing one foot behind the other and raising his hands.

            One of the guards from the tunnel began to approach the younger male. "Come on kid, let's just not cause any trouble." The guard reached out, only an arm's length away to grab Jace's right arm. Barely halfway through the motion, Jace lunged forward, thrusting his palm into the guard's chest.

            A vibrating pulse emanated from his hand, throwing the guard at least ten feet back down the hall. The other four guards lunged forward, thrusting or slashing their weapons at him. Jace dropped to the floor, rolling just past another guard. Grabbing the guard's leg, Jace pulled. As he fell, Jace stood again, leaning back just in time to avoid the edge of another blade.

            Grabbing the shaft, Jace pulled the weapon towards him, forcing the guard to stumble forward. With another thrust of his palm, Jace threw the guard into two of his comrades. The captain was the only one who remained standing, guarded as he and Jace circled each other. "I have been waiting for this moment kid. Been a while since a street rat like you posed a real challenge."

            "Only performing my civic duty sir." Jace mocked, jokingly bowing to the captain. The captain advanced, swinging the glaive. Jace re-positioned his hands, stepping forward and using his arm to block the shaft of the weapon. The captain back-stepped, immediately withdrawing his weapon for a thrust. Sidestepping to dodge, Jace lunged forward, thrusting his palm at the captain.

            The captain sidestepped, guiding the shaft of his glaive to be at Jace's back. Turning faster than Jace could respond, he used the shaft to push Jace towards the wall. Jace collided into the sandstone with a thud, groaning as he crouched, falling onto his back. "You've lost, you miserable street rat!" The captain sneered, raising his glaive for a final blow.

            Jace winced, seeing the glare of the sun the blade just as it came down towards him. "Hold!" A voice shouted through the corridor. Jace opened his eyes to find the blade was hardly an inch above his neck. With a slight sigh of relief, Jace tilted his head to see who had arrived. His curiosity was met with utter disappointment.

            Six men dressed in aqua blue robes like that of Ciber's, escorted another. They were all near identical, only that each had his or her own array of patterns and sashes to decorate their robes. The color of the sashes varied between a vibrant orange dark red or almost unnoticeable silver that would pass as a gray unless the light of the torches hit it on the right angel.

            Jadis was dressed in very fine robes, with a stormy gray primary color. On the leg flaps of his robes filled patterns were highlighted by a vibrant orange, while above his waist a similar decor was displayed by a dark aquamarine. Narrowing his eyes further for a harder look, there was an almost unnoticeable reflection of silver outlining the decor on his arm sleeves. He had three sashes in total. One that hung from his neck and was decorated in an emerald green. Another, tied at his waist, highlighted its patterns in a mix of red, yellow and orange. The third, a smaller sash tied around his right arm, was a dark gray.

            The six guards broke away from Jadis, three men standing along either side of the wall. They had come from the Arena. "What is going on here?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Jace. By now the captain had withdrawn his weapon, standing at attention beside Jace. Opening his mouth to respond, Jadis raised a hand. "I asked the kid, not you."

            Jace let out a deep sigh, pushing himself back to his feet. "They tried to take me in the stand while I was just watching the game with the rest of the townsfolk. If anyone was looking to pick a fight, it was them."

            Jadis cast a disapproving glance towards the captain. "Sir, this rat is a known criminal! By law, it is my duty to apprehend him on sight!"

            "Key word captain. Apprehend, not kill. You are sworn to keep the Governor's peace, not provoke fights." Jadis snapped, turning to face the captain. The captain opened his mouth only to be silenced again. "Captain, I suggest you take your men and leave. Now. I will be reporting this to your superior. If it were up to me captain, I would have you court martialed for your insolence. Dismissed!"

            To Jace's amusement, the captain remained silent. Helped his fellow guards to their feet and departed down the corridor. Jace took a deep breath, turned his back to Jadis and was just about to slip around the corner when Jadis spoke again. "Not so fast, kid."

            "I'm sorry, can I help you?" Jace turned back to Jadis, retaining a sarcastic tone.

            "Don't get cocky. Town guards are one thing, but you are not going to slip by me." Jadis warned, taking a step forward. "Where did you study?"

            "Study what?" Jace cocked his head, waiting.

            "Kid, your magic. Where did you learn it? And don't tell me you 'self-taught'."

            "I didn't go to some fancy rich kids school if that is what your asking." Jace snapped, glaring at Jadis. He just crossed his arms returning the expression. Jace sighed. "I used to sneak in the local initiates academy during lessons. I had a friend there who also taught me what he learned after his classes at night."

            Jace dropped his head, expecting some long winded lecture on how it goes against the guild's rules.. Instead, there was a moment of silence where Jadis softened his expression and started to circle Jace. "Show me your stance again." Jace raised his head, looking back at Jadis confused. "Show me."

            Hesitating for a moment, Jadis retook his starting stance, placing one foot behind the other and raising both hands. "Nice." Jadis commented. "Your form is quite adequate, but fragile. Yet you appear to be quick and light on your feet. A good combination for your accustomed surroundings." Jadis stood still again as he stood in front of Jace. "At ease."

            Dropping the pose, Jace managed to stutter a 'thank you'. This man was the first person he had ever met who complimented his progress. "Still, you are undisciplined and too cocky when given the upper hand. You had a clear chance to beat the captain and you did not."

            "I am sorry, what? He had me with the glaive shaft" Jace protested.

            "No, you only thought he had you with the glaive shaft. Every spell in magic has its intended function. Those functions however can be adapted to alternate uses. As an example, that same spell you used twice to repel the guards could have also been used to repel yourself from the wall. You would have most likely broken the glaive and, despite him still standing, the fight would have been yours." Jadis corrected him. "This friend of yours. What is his name? I would very much like to meet him."

            "Well, you can't. He's...dead." Jace grimaced at the memory. "Butchered by thugs for his coin purse."

            "That is most disappointing indeed." Jadis went silent, thinking. "Still, you have promise. As unrefined as your skill may be, there is potential. I will give you a simple choice. You can either remain here and continue to abuse the art of magic in a life as a thief or outlaw, or you can ask for me, Jadis, at the Guild Headquarters tomorrow and join me as I return to academy. You have until midday. I will not come looking for you." Jadis turned his back to Jace, walking back down the tunnel to the Arena. With a wave of his hand, his escort retook formation. Jace stood still, his gaze fixed on Jadis and his escort.