A Return, of sorts [Travel from Kou to Reim]

Through a series of errors and missteps, Zadi Medmar - wayward wanderer in possession of a likely frustrated Djinn - found himself within a swampy fortress owned by Yoshiro's forces. About to strike against his apparent enemy, a thought flashed through Zadi's mind - I'm wet, cold, sticky, hungry, and thirsty - which influenced the wayward warrior's next action to a surprising degree; Zadi grabbed the Shard of Solomon within his vibrantly pink kimono and crushed the fragile, wish-granting miracle.

Zadi's life up to that point in time had been a continuous stream of escalation; from orphaned choreboy in Balbadd to friend of first Dungeon Conqueror Yakuroro, from King Candidate of Vassago to destroyer of the Black Pyramid, and now from Dungeon Conquering failure to swampy choreboy of Gao Yuan Zu. Zadi has come back from death and begged for mercy from a Djinn and hasn't felt an inch of regret - until now.

The errant thought flashed through Zadi's head, leaving a void soon filled by chaotic memories of a relatively short life. Perhaps now more than ever Zadi Medmar thought he should just crush a Shard of Solomon and let fate decide what happens; granted, a Shard of Solomon is a wish-granting object of priceless value - so what wish would be granted to a wayward soul? Surrounded by enemies on all sides, bombarded by negative thoughts, and ensnared by chaotic memories - the only wish a man like Zadi could wish for is "stability".

Not a wish for "certainty" but a wish for "stability" - after all, certainty is unreasonable for a fate-based worldview. Anyway, with the Shard of Solomon crushed to dust within Zadi Medmar's dainty fingers and a wish for stability to be granted - Zadi and his belongings vanished from the battlefield. Death is a certainty, so Zadi was thankfully not gone forever just by wishing for stability. Instead, a series of events starting with teleportation took place; most of Zadi's most powerful magic weapons and items were entrusted to Trently, a friend of Zadi's, while Zadi himself was whisked away to the outside of Reim's famous coliseum.

Bewildered by the events which just transpired, before checking the status of his belongings, Zadi just took a walk around the colossal coliseum in hopes of figuring out what to do next; the Shard of Solomon, perhaps even fate itself, decided to bring Zadi to a favorite location of his - the first place he died and lost his precious pet snake. Despite the horrible memory, Zadi did like the coliseum; the ability to do battle against random strangers for money. Becoming a full-time gladiator is technically the most stable profession Zadi could think of considering his years of experience. Not the most sought after profession considering the uncertainty of one's next opponent, but being a gladiator meant fighting and nothing else; as long as humans continue to seek entertainment, the coliseum will remain open, at least as far as Zadi is concerned.

Having interpreted his wish for stability, Zadi Medmar rummaged through his belongings and found himself penniless with naught but a couple crossbows, string, and other miscellaneous accoutrements. Zadi would be forced to live in squalled conditions until he defeated an opponent within the coliseum, but at least Zadi felt he knew what to do next; to fight within the coliseum and nothing else. A "stable" lifestyle with controlled chaos, entertaining the bloodthirsty masses rather than following the orders of a foreign power set of overthrowing a different foreign power. The Kou Civil War was completely out of Zadi's range of expertise, but something had told him to go there despite everything. Perhaps Zadi had just gotten too used to chaos back then and felt empty without chaotic conditions. Regardless, Zadi was finally tired of total chaos.

"Ah, I still have Vassago..."

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629/600 words

One Shard of Solomon used.