Rezkin figured that if he could infiltrate the strikers by winning the tournament, then he could find out more about their purpose, and maybe shed some light on his own existence. If the strikers were so important to the kingdom and utterly secretive, why had they trained him since birth? Equally curious, why had he been ordered to kill them, and why had that order resulted in the masters killing each other? Rezkin had never really questioned the order to kill. He simply obeyed the masters (Rule 258). Now that the masters were dead and he was responsible for his own actions, he wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted answers about his past. Perhaps the strikers would have this information.

Rezkin briefly considered asking the strikers, but discarded the notion quickly. Since he had been ordered to kill the elite forces, they were likely his enemies. That thought took him to his next conundrum. If the strikers served the king, did that mean he was an enemy of the king and therefore of the kingdom? He mentally sighed. If that were the case, then he would never have been trained by the strikers in the first place. Something had to have changed that final day in the courtyard, and he needed to find out what that was. His best bet at getting that information was Striker Farson, but that seemed like a near impossibility at this point. Therefore, his second best option was to enter and win.

“I think, perhaps, I will join this tournament as well,” Rezkin stated.

“That would be excellent!” said Lieutenant Jimson. “We could travel together from Kaibain. I already have permission for leave to participate. The army likes it when their soldiers win,” he said with a smirk. “Have you participated in other tournaments?”

Rezkin shook his head. “No, I have never competed before.”

“Hmm,” said Lieutenant Jimson, “the tournament coordinators usually place you in a tier based on your performance in other tournaments. Since you do not have a ranking, yet, you will probably be responsible for determining your own level of skill and placing yourself appropriately. You want to join the highest possible tier for your skills, but if you place yourself too high, it will be your own fault for getting your hide handed to you.”