Arrival

"I'll bet you a gold that he doesn't last another exchange," the woman next to Arran said, a bored expression on her face and a mug of ale in her hand.

Arran narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two fighters. A moment later, he shook his head. "That's a sucker's bet. You're not taking my gold this time."

A week had passed since he'd arrived in the camp and joined the Wolfsblood Company, and he'd already lost a small fortune in gold betting on Kalesh's fights.

The captain took it upon himself to test each new Body Refiner who entered the camp, and Arran had soon discovered that the man never won. No matter how weak his opponent, he'd drive them to their limit, then suddenly concede the fight in a dramatic fashion.

Yet while the outcome was set from the start, there was plenty of betting about how long each fight would take. And as Arran had learned, the woman next to him — Lasha — had an almost preternatural gift for predicting the captain's actions.