It was almost noon, the scorching sun blazing above the sky. In the center of the city stood an ancient battle arena, built by the lord of the city himself.
Normally, the place was quiet, serving more as a historical attraction than anything else. But Bloodmere was not a city known for tourism.
Today, however, things were different. A huge crowd had gathered around the arena, loud voices filling the air. It was obvious something was about to happen.
"Hey, what's going on? Why is it so crowded today?" one of the shopkeepers nearby asked.
"You haven't heard? After such a long time, we're finally going to have a life-and-death duel today!"
"Really? Between who? Why haven't I heard anything?"
"I don't know them either. They're not famous, but one of them is a friend of young lord Mornak."
The commotion grew stronger by the minute. More and more people gathered until it was nearly impossible to breathe in the packed space.
