Snippet #2687864

Saerin had much to keep him occupied over the next 3 days. First and foremost war preparation for the journey to Jinera. Since he had been there years prior, he focused on trying to glean news of recent events from the townsfolk in the arena, the market, and a local tavern. Unfortunately, most of the news he found was of passing interest, pure misinformation, or older than 4 months. It was all typical Jineran news: "Warlord X defended his title," "Blademaster Y was defeated by his former partner," and other things along those lines. Still, it was good to refresh himself of the names of any important players in the 'game.'

Random times throughout the days Saerin dropped in on the stables, tossing a few coppers to the boy tending to their mounts. He had learned the benefits of doing this from experience: the boy would take better care of the horses, keeping them well fed and groomed, and would be faster in assisting them whenever they showed up. The varied times of his visits kept the boy on edge, meaning if anything went awry they could escape the town with minimum fuss. After this Saerin would tour the shops, picking up small trinkets or tokens that had spiritual signatures. One such item was a small jade statue of a man, no doubt nicked from the body of a merchant in the wastes if the 'mood' of the residual spiritual energy was anything to go by.

During the Coliseum's busier hours Saerin performed his fortune telling routine, increasing his pool of money as more an more people began spreading the word of good fortune. The voices of those who lost to his advice were drowned in a sea of praise, causing business to ramp up steadily each day. The green man refused to accept Saerin's personal bets, but other bookies were more willing to assist in growing the small fortune in the various pouches of his flowing attire. Between tellings Saerin managed to commune with the spirits of the fallen fighters directly, polishing up his knowledge of combat through their commentary on the battles. When they were quieter, however, Saerin managed to fit in some meditation as much needed rest.

Rumors began to circulate in the city of a shadowy figure that would travel the streets before vanishing into the wastes. People swore that, the night prior, they looked out of their window and spotted a distant, intermittent glimmering in the sands. Like a star had fallen to spend several hours among men, then vanish before dawn. Others claimed it was a demon who preyed upon the homeless and drunks before performing dark sacrifices in the desert. The more astute said a mysterious swordsman was sneaking into the wastes at night to train among the sand and bones, his twin blades catching the moonlight as he practiced ancient techniques with the ghosts of the damned. Saerin determined that the last theory was pretty close, but calling a dagger a sword was a bit generous.