Five days passed like the swing of a hammer.
Now the final day had come, and the training grounds thundered with life. The once-empty stands were filled to bursting—hundreds of voices rising in anticipation, nobles glittering in silk and velvet, merchants jostling for seats, and common folk crammed shoulder to shoulder just to glimpse the spectacle.
Flags bearing the stag of Keldoria fluttered above the arena, while criers shouted over the roar of the crowd. The prize was on every tongue: twenty-five gold coins to the champion, ten to the runner-up, five to the third. Enough wealth to change the life of a small family.
Below, the three hundred and thirty-nine forges blazed in their ordered rows. The air was thick with the heat of coal fires, the stinging tang of smoke, and the rhythmic thunder of hammers striking steel. Sparks danced like fireflies, rising in clouds with every blow.
