"Azura" by Loke Mei Yin

The orcs prisoners in the pit glared at each other's bloody pulp of a face. Azure chuckled, how ironic, fighting for an empty promise of freedom. Idly she glanced about at her fellow spectators as they cheered and hooted at the fighters in the pit below. One thing Azure must admire about Lagu Trade City, it has the most amusing form of entertainment. A finger paused on her lips as she analysed all she had seen since her arrival here about a week ago. Lagu Trade City has most certainly lived up to it's name; On the crossroad of inland trade routes, it's one of the riches cities in Dromia as many merchants have adopted it as a base of operations. However one would be foolish to be tricked by the bright lights and colour of this seemingly peaceful city. For Lagu, as Azure has learned from the last few days is a city with many dark secrets, with the means and will to protect those secrets at all cost. A cruel steak exists in the inhabitants of this city as these death pit matches is evident. The death pits was where prisoners such as the orcs fighting below, unfortunate survivors of raiding parties, the occasional inconvenient slave are put in the pit where they are forced to fight to the death, in exchange for

freedom, at least that's how the promise go. Of course, no one thought it necessary to mention to them, contestants are chosen with the hope that they will kill each other in the process.

A roar when through the audience and Azure looked down to see one orc break the other's neck, than staggered forward to drink from the cup of wine that was lowered into the pit, partaking of it will mean all had witness his victory and thus his right of freedom.

Desperately the orc gulped down the wine but as he tried to stand, a leg buckled beneath him. All fell silent but it was in anticipation, as the audience expected, the whites of his eyes appeared before the orc fell to the dirt floor, and lay very still.

Immediately laughter broke out and applause, Azura nodded her approval at the outcome, it was the norm that no one consider to mention, that to these fighters that the cup of victory wine given to wish them well, is laced with poison.

The show over, Azura started to leave when she noticed a group of strange men near the opening of the tent. The voices in her head started whispering to her again, telling her all sorts of different things. Although she couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, one thing Azura could sense was the linger of magic on those men, this looked interesting.

Azura hurried to the door, just as the men stepped out. Azura came out of the tent and the sight of the night sky greeted her. Looking around, she managed to catch a glimpse of them as they disappeared around a building.

The voices in her head started to speak again, one said to follow them, another said it wanted the warm bed in the inn where she was now staying, a third screamed the Lagu night is too dangerous to be roaming around and a fourth just chatted magic, magic.

Azura tried to clear her head as she made a decision.