I beheaded the male satyr. Everyone cheered. That was the first real "grudge" match that I had as a gladiator. That was my fifth fight and my fifth win. The next couple of fights were simple enough. I had to fight a pack of wolves all by myself. Someone must have really had it out for me. I barely escaped with my life there. The next week saw me go up against a centaur. That was really tricky. Seeing as I was not done in by that, I was forced to face a trio of harpies. They could fly. I could not. I stood my ground with my shield and killed all of them with my pike. I decided to go to the organizers and make it clear to them to give me human opponents for the time being. The booker did not look pleased with being told what to do. With a record of 8-0, I could be a bit pushy. I was then thrown into a 8 man free for all as the main event. I had no problems with that. All of them ganged up on me. I had all the armor and the best weapons. If they could beat me, at least one of them would be a step closer to their freedom. They could not beat me though. The weapons were shit compared to mine.
Zipping through the city, there was no choice but to get involved with the day to day life of the people living here. As a gladiator, people could recognize me. I was really a celebrity here. I was also making good money. Winning a fight in the arena gave you 1100 lin. That was pretty good for my finances. I saved the money by keeping my lifestyle expenses down. I was still in the shitty in near the slums. You could also bet on the results. As this was the case, I was often approached by NPCs. Some wanted to talk to me. Others wanted something from me. Others were much more aggressive when speaking to me. While it could sometimes be annoying, it was a great way to farm some minor fetch quests for Ainon City. People began to like me more and I was gaining a relatively positive reputation. I was 9-0 in competition. I was also the champion of the tournament at Besontio City. Add that to the fact that I was a veteran of a local army, and anybody could see that I was a really special person. While I was relaxing at the inn, a man came with a bodyguard. He was an elderly patrician.
A patrician was a high status individual that sponsored others. They were either nobles or rich citizens that wanted to make use of the skills of another for their benefit. If I had plans to stay, this would be a great moment. He had at least some resources that he was willing to give me. It was like a sportsman taking a sponsorship from a company. You do your think while advertising whatever the person who paid you was selling. He was already rich. Just having me in his pocket would give him a boost in clout. I was not a citizen, but even I knew I was becoming popular in the city. This was the capital of the province. The governor's palace was not too far from the outskirts of the city. If you wanted to play the game of politics, getting invited there was the key to power. You would need some buy in though. No one would hand you power or money for no reason. But that reason could be anything. Maybe it was as simple as being the hotshot new gladiator and his kind benefactor. There was one thing I could use him for. "How can I become a citizen?" I asked him. He blinked at me, shocked.
