No protests from the crowds this time. In fact as time ticked by, and blades flashed, and bodies parried and dodged, the edges of the seats started to get a lot more use than they had recently. It took nearly 20 minutes for this one to reach a final conclusion, and the sorcerers in the crowds with the means to record it are going to get a lot of work in the bars and inns of Casablanca this next week, replaying those 20 minutes for the armchair analysts to study. I certainly can’t tell you after this first watching whether it was brilliance by Mathilda! or an eventual mistake by Cassius Reynard that led to a final opening coming available, and being cleanly taken by Mathilda!
Also interesting, is that for the first time in a goodly few weeks, both fighters left the Arena walking. Admittedly, Cassius needed the assistance of the healers in order to achieve that, but the possibility that these two might meet again was not lost on the crowds, and the cheers were loud and long. With this victory, Mathilda! graduates to Junior class. With this loss, Cassius remains a Master class, on 22 victories, so 3 more needed to win free. Cassius will need to return faster than usual though, if he wants another crack at Mathilda! – one way or the other, she’ll be gone by June, and he normally would be back once in March and once in June. Will Mistress Fox risk her only current Master class fighter against the Graeme Helgram stable’s rising star?
Seriously large quantities of money are now changing hands each week on Mathilda!’s fights. The word is that you will be pretty much unable to find a bookie who will take an accumulator bet on Mathilda! at this point. The money men are no longer willing to gamble that she might not pull this feat off.
We shall see, indeed.
If Cassius managed to survive 20 minutes against Mathilda I doubt he made a mistake.
Can anyone explain the different classes of Gladiators? What does it mean that Mathilda is now Junior Class?
It has to do with the number of victories achieved. Less than 7 is Novice class, 7-13 is Junior, 14-20 is Senior, and over 20 is Master class. 25 victories and they win free.
Generally the fights are only between combatants of the same class, and by law a fighter only has to appear and fight once every three months. What Mathilda! is doing is somewhat special.