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Chapter 11 – Horus Gladiator Troupe (4)
Urich spent a lot of his time now with Bakman, and Bakman also liked Urich.
‘Even though I don’t like barbarians, he’s got guts and is good at fighting.’
Because Bakman hated Donovan, he enjoyed hanging around Urich.
The next day, the two gladiators went to the smithy.
Clang! Clang!
The hammering sound could be heard from afar. Urich nodded at an apprentice blacksmith.
“Well, look who it is! I enjoyed your match! You were amazing!”
The blacksmith welcomed Urich. He washed his hands and face in a large bowl.
“What about the axes I ordered?”
Urich and the blacksmith went to the inner courtyard. It was the place where they tested the functionality of weapons. There were scarecrows set up here and there, and wooden boards were stuck to the wall to practice throws.
“Pay what you owe first. Only because it’ll be difficult if you say something else after.”
Urich grabbed and pulled out a handful of coins. The blacksmith counted it and giggled.
Shiiing.
The blacksmith pulled out a pair of axes. The blade of each axe was shining and beautiful, and the rugged handles had a brown glow.
“The handle is made from ash wood. I put a nice coat of oil on it, so you won’t have to treat it yourself. The blade isn’t imperial steel, but I used the best iron that I could acquire. Because of that, there wasn’t much profit left.”
The blacksmith spoke proudly. Pride and satisfaction oozed from his words.
Urich received the axes. The ones made in the tribe forge couldn’t be compared to these. The quality was amazing, and the blacksmith’s efforts were shown in the details. He even wrapped the blade and handle together with a leather strap so it wouldn’t separate too easily.
‘The most important thing is the balance, though.’
Urich wanted throwing axes. He took a stance and aimed for the wooden planks.
He stretched his arm back to wake up his muscles.
WOOOOSH.
Because of his size, even his throwing form looked flamboyant. The axe flew while spinning in the air.
THUCK!
The wooden plank shattered as the axe landed on it. He threw the other as well. After multiple throws, a smile was stuck on Urich’s face.
“Good. I like these.”
There was no problem with the balance of the weapons. He was just unaccustomed to it because it was new.
“It’s also an honor for me if a skilled warrior uses my weapons. This is a present.”
The blacksmith handed Urich the sheaths for his axes. They were made with leather and could be attached to his thigh.
“This is amazing. It’s really comfortable.”
Urich put the axes in their sheaths and hopped in place. They didn’t shake too much even from his sharp movements. Each sheath was locked in with a clasp, so it was easy to pull out the axes with the flick of a finger.
“So you were a skilled blacksmith. It’s also about time for me to change out my spear handle, it started to split even though I’m doing maintenance with oil.”
Bakman touched his beard while looking at him with interest.
“Just bring it over. I’ll make it cheap.”
The blacksmith pridefully puffed his chest.
Warriors treated their weapons like their lives. A weapon’s capability was directly correlated to the wielder’s life. They would even spend months of pay to get a better weapon.
“Hey, if you change out my handle for free, I’ll introduce other gladiators to this place. Even though I look like this, I have some friends.”
Bakman started to bargain with the blacksmith.
Urich was still in the courtyard, swinging his axes and repeatedly sheathing and unsheathing them.
“Hm… if three people mention your name when they come here, I’ll make it free.”
“Do you think three would be a problem for me? I can do five as well.”
Bakman spoke confidently and shook hands with the blacksmith.
Probably because of his history as a sailor, he had a close relationship with most gruff gladiators. He wasn’t a leader but had the ability to be friendly with almost anyone.
Bakman kept his promise. Six gladiators visited the smithy and mentioned his name. So, he received a free spear handle. Urich watched everything from the side.
‘That was clever.’
Bakman was someone who knew how to use his surroundings. He was good at interacting with others and using his head.
‘Someone like that wouldn’t be friendly with me for no reason.’
Urich kept watching Bakman’s actions.
“Hey! Urich! Come over here. Roll some dice.”
Gambling was at its peak in the corner of the tavern. Bakman called over Urich. He often helped Urich get closer with the other gladiators.
Rattle, rattle.
Two dice spun in the cup. It was a simple bet to see who could guess the result.
“Seven.”
“Nine.”
“Five.”
Clack.
Bakman lifted the cup.
“Ah, shit.”
The gladiators who saw the dice exchanged joy and sorrow. Urich also joined them by betting small amounts.
“Wow, your axe is amazing!! I wonder if I should buy a new weapon as well.”
“Idiot, you’re in debt. Why are you talking about getting a new weapon? Just take care of the weapon that you already have.”
Urich pulled out his axes and placed them on the table. They were made of iron that had not tasted blood yet.
The gladiators looked at one another, eyes filled with envy.
“Urich.”
The dice gambling finished, and Bakman called Urich out separately. The two of them left the tavern.
The slave gladiators snored as they slept in the stables next to the tavern. The guards who were on watch glanced at Urich and Bakman.
“Why? Do you want to go buy women?” Urich asked, and Donovan shook his head.
“I’m fine. I already lost money today. Urich, do you understand the mood between the gladiators?”
“Donovan’s group and the other extras?”
Bakman’s eyes widened.
‘He’s rather keen. He’s not just good at fighting.’
Bakman nodded.
“Yeah. In the Horus Gladiator Troupe, Donovan’s group is big. There are about ten free gladiators that follow him. That means ten of the twenty-one gladiators, or about half, are on his side.”
“So?”
“Have you seen Donovan fight?”
“No. I wasn’t interested.”
Bakman scratched his cheek.
“Donovan used to be a soldier. He says that he was in Blademaster Perjen’s unit. Regardless of the truth, Donovan is still the most famous gladiator in the Horus Gladiator Troupe. He has skills, and his matches are flashy, so people who see his matches once don’t hesitate to spend money to watch it again.”
“I already knew that he was the main attraction.”
Urich crossed his arms. It got cold as the sun set, and since he was weak to the cold, he huddled himself up.
“Donovan making a clique and playing around isn’t an issue at all. The issue is that he has an influence on the management of the troupe. His fingerprints are all over the match list. His group takes everything that’s easy and pays well while the awkward ones are given to the other gladiators.”
“If it’s not good, you can just reject it. We’re free gladiators.”
Urich laughed.
“When will we make money if we reject it every time? Even if Donovan pisses me off, there aren’t many places that treat gladiators as well as the Horus Gladiator Troupe. There are people out there that treat free gladiators like slaves too.”
“So, why are you telling me this, Bakman?”
“I saw the way you fight and thought, ‘Ah, if it’s him, he can surpass Donovan. He can become the new main attraction.’ If you excite and pull in more audiences than Donovan, Horus can’t ignore your words. If you have as much influence as Donovan, it’ll be difficult for him to mess with the matches.”
“If you don’t like Donovan so much, why don’t you do it yourself?”
Bakman shrugged.
“Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the skills. It’s impossible to be the main attraction with my skills.”
“Hm, Bakman. I don’t like people who deviously use others to do what they can’t do themselves.”
Urich narrowed his eyes and stared at Bakman. In an instant, Bakman’s body felt chills. He almost instinctively pulled out his dagger from his waist.
‘Is he trying to say “This is real intimidation”?’
His body tensed up as if he were in front of a savage beast. Bakman resisted his instinct to raise his weapon and fight.
“But… it could also be considered the laws of nature for a fox to borrow a lion’s strength to catch a wolf.”
Urich tapped Bakman on his shoulders.
“And I like you, Bakman. You’re the first person to come up and be kind to me after I came over to the civilized world. Wherever you are, kindness should always be returned with more kindness.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Bakman felt ashamed and couldn’t talk properly.
“Alright, then. Why don’t you come up with a plan for what I should do?”
Urich bared his teeth and smiled.