I woke up in Vyssei’s embrace. I wiggled free, then went to get ready. Thankfully, they weren’t stalking my every move today. I got my armor all ready, making sure it was comfortable, but tight. I’d need it’s protection today. I had no doubt I would be taking some hits. I just needed to make sure they didn’t send me flying.
Sitting at the table, I absently scooped my food into my mouth, planning what I would do if I faced any of the Blood. They saw the look on my face and chuckled, leaving me to my thoughts. I considered bringing Fran with me as a familiar or tamed beast, but that would attract even more attention and lead to questions. I’d have to use the tools I already had.
We headed to the Arena, getting cheers from those we passed by. Mostly it was me, since I’d been on the stage the most out of anyone. This would be the sixth division I’d be fighting in. I wanted to win, really badly, but I was not confident I’d be able to.
Reaching the Arena, The Blood and I went in the participant entrance while the rest went to try and get good seats. There were only 32 fighters today, so we were in the smaller waiting room.
A-Rank is the elites of the Adventurer’s Guild, so almost everyone knew each other, at least by name. There was some rivalries between a few people, but most of them were friendly. I on the other hand only knew the six I came with, and stuck out like a sore thumb.
I decided to act childishly, and hid behind Ierva, earning laughs from the others. I really was shy and nervous, and I was bad at keeping it off my face. We found some seats with the others and they started chatting. I was about to sit in an empty chair, but ended up in Miadhu’s lap instead.
The other adventurers came to say hello to me, saying things like I’d ‘done well to get this far’ and ‘we look forward to your growth.’ Ha, if only they knew my growth was going to take many decades.
I ended up being treated like the A-Rank Mascot. I was also passed around among the women. Not just the three in Crimson Blood, but all of them. There were more men than women in the guild, but there were still plenty of women. The women tended to be mostly ranged or hit and run type fighters. Let the men be up front to get hit with sharp objects.
We pulled numbers at the usual time. I ended up leading the fights off. Who would I be facing...Riloth, the Blood’s priest. Well, at least he was less of a threat than some of the others. I might stand a chance against him. I hope.
He saw me looking at him and gave me a warm smile. I tried to smile back, but I was nervous, and it showed. He patted me on the head and told me to try my best.
That pissed me off. Don’t treat me like a child you condescending little….Oh, were you trying to get rid of my nerves, well you succeeded. But I still want to hit you.
When it was time we headed out. Riloth was equipped in leather armor and was carrying a mace and shield. I had my sword and shield. And my armor was better, not that it shows. Out in the arena, the stages had been combined yet again. Today the fights would be done one at a time on one huge stage. Yeah, ring outs were going to be tough. Well, that made it easier and harder.
The crowd was cheering for us. The most noticeable was people calling out my name. I had become the face of this year’s tournament, since I’d won from F all the way up to B Ranks, and was continuing the challenge into the As.
I waved, earning more cheers. Then I got ready to fight. I held up my shield and sword. The bell rang. I launched myself forward, using wind magic to make me faster. He blocked me with no trouble. Sad. I continued to attack with my sword. I did my best to parry, but he was definitely a better fighter than me.
I jumped back and launched a wave of water at him. He dispersed it, leaving it to scatter across the ground. I’d made sure not to be in any puddles, then tried out a new magic. I’d gotten a little practice with it, but only small stuff, since I was being careful to not be discovered. I did a Sith style lightning attack. His eyes flew open as he was stunned. The electricity caused him to tense up. While he was trying to cure the abnormal status, I closed the distance and flung my blade towards his neck.
I did hit him kinda hard, but not enough to do serious damage. I was declared the winner. I helped him clear the debuff.
“I didn’t expect that. Since when could you use lightning magic? You didn’t use it before.”
“That was actually my first real use of it. I’d only had a little bit of practice with small stuff till now, not even enough to get the skill.” I’d pulled out my ID, as if confirming that it was actually listed there now.
“So glad I could be your test dummy.” He said dryly.
I returned a cheeky grin. We’d reached the bottom of the stairs, passing the next two fighters. Riloth was led away. Oh, it looked like the losers had been saved seats, that was nice. I went back to the waiting room.
The people there were surprised to see me rather than Riloth, but I did see a few coins changing hands. It looked like Ierva and Qevru had bet on me. Jadd was one of those giving money away, so he’d bet against. He looked at me, I grinned, and stuck out my tongue.
He snorted and finished the transaction. I didn’t know the people who were fighting right now, but if I beat the winner, I might wind up matched up against Jadd. Ugh, that’d be a pain. Well, no counting chickens till they hatch.
I was pleased about the win, since it would greatly increase my point count after the tournament. If we kept winning, I wouldn’t have to face Qevru until the finals, so I hung out with her, listening to her talk about various things with the other women. It was nothing important, just girl talk, but it was something to do.
The fights continued, and the cheers echoed down the hallway from outside. I really wanted to watch, but wouldn’t risk my points on using the media app. Jadd, Ierva, and Qevru won their matches. Nenned and Miadhu did not. And of course there was Riloth who I’d defeated.
At the start of round two, I was matched against a troll. OK, so he was actually human, but he had the huge body and ugly face that looked like a troll. He was carrying a massive club and was equipped with plate mail. Uh, that looks like a perfect target for my new attribute.
The bell rang, and I played a Sith again, pointing my fingers at my opponent and letting loose bolts of lightning. He dropped. Really? That easy? I looked at the judge, he looked at me. After a ten count, during which the troll didn’t move, I was declared the winner.
I pouted and looked down in disappointment as I walked off. That fight was boring. At least it netted me 25 thousand points. I also got booed for that win. I deserved it. You were hoping for an exciting match, and I gave you a two second light show.
I still had the same kind of face when I entered the waiting room.
Ierva scooped me up. “What’s wrong?”
“I got booed. I ended the fight too quickly. It was boring for the people watching. I didn’t mean to end it that soon.”
She giggled, then started full out laughing, the others who’d heard my answer joined in.
“What the heck did you do? Wait, don’t answer that. It’d give away a weapon.”
She patted my head. I pulled out something to gnaw on.
Jadd went and won his match. I’d be fighting him next. Ierva left, but didn’t come back, so it seems she lost. Qevru won, but she looked really tired. Her opponent must have been really tough. I offered her healing, which she accepted. She looked a lot better now. Her next opponent was not happy with me. I hid behind her.
Then it was time for round three. Me and Jadd headed to the stage. I could use the lightning again, but I don’t want to disappoint the crowd. Jadd definitely had enough metal to attract lightning well. I’d save it for now.
When the bell rang, Jadd charged at me. I tried to drop him in a hole, but he leapt over. He did have some issues with the landing since I’d slipped the ground. Jadd was unfortunately unable to hide his dragon traits, so the slip was a mere inconvenience for him. He flew into the air and towards me.
I decided I’d had enough and gave him a jolt of lightning as I dodged his attack. He dropped to the ground. I covered him in ice and tried to push him off the stage, but he broke free. However, he wasn’t ready for the next lightning bolt. It dropped him again, and I launched him off the stage by lifting the ground he was on. He hovered just above the ground for a second, but the third bolt dropped him.
Damn, is lightning really that strong? Or is there something else behind it? Is the strength affected by my INT? I know that determines the total amount of mana, but what about the power?
I waved at Jadd as I walked off. I didn’t get boos this time. There was a decent amount of entertainment, so they were satisfied. Jadd was staggering slowly to the seats reserved for the defeated.
I sat down next to Qevru and leaned against her. “Jadd is scary.” She nodded, and we waited for her turn. I wished her luck as she headed off to the fight.
When she was gone, I looked at my next opponent. It was a slim elven man with orange hair. He had a pair of rapiers, as well as a pair of mini repeating crossbows. He also had a cape hung from one shoulder. He reminded me of one of the people I used to fight in the SCA. He was a weird, but funny guy. He also liked sharing interesting posts on FB.
Qevru came back. While she did look a little tired, it wasn’t as bad as before. I still pepped her up with magic. We sat together, as the last fight to determine the final four happened. It took quite a while.
The A-Ranks fights could last up to 15 minutes, but most were finished in under ten. I don’t know if it came down to the judges, but the victor came back all sorts of exhausted. He looked like he’d be easy prey for Qevru.
Since he was back, it was mine and rapier guy’s turn. We ascended the stage and set ourselves up. He had the rapiers in his hands, but it looked like the crossbows were now attached to his forearms. That did not bode well. At the bell, he appeared in front of me. Fuck, shunpo? His rapiers were crossed on my throat. My winning streak was over in a split second.
“That was cool, I want to learn how to do that.”
He laughed. “It’s all about training. Reinforce your body with mana to withstand the backlash and use extra mana in your leg muscles to go. Do it slowly, or you will rip your body to pieces.”
“Thank you!”
He headed back inside, and I ran over to the Crimson Blood on the sidelines. Miadhu snatched me up before Ierva could.
“Qevru should win this next fight easily, but I don’t know about her fighting that guy. That was some crazy speed.”
“Yeah, he’s fast, but only in a straight line. Qevru knows about him, so she might be able to block or dodge him. Once he’s close he can’t use that technique anymore.”
As we were talking, Qevru and her opponent climbed the steps. It was clear to see who was likely to win, but upsets could happen… However, Qevru was the victor. She’d disabled the man’s sword arm with a throwing knife, then started moving in, but the man surrendered before she got there.
She retrieved her weapon as a healer fixed the man up. Qevru was given a few minutes respite before the finals as mages came and inspected the stage, making sure it was completely intact. Yes, I was one of those majorly at fault for damaging it.
The final pair were led to the stage and given a moment to set themselves up before the bell rang. As Miadhu said, Qevru was able to dodge the man’s attack and return one of her own. Stabbing towards his arm, It looked like she was trying to break the crossbow, but he parried the blow before counter attacking.
The man had a huge reach advantage on her, but it also came with a disadvantage for him. When Qevru got too close to him, he had issues using his rapiers. They were designed more for stabbing, and from a distance at that.
They went back and forth across the stage, till finally Qevru managed to disarm the man. She used the opening when he fumbled it to step around behind him, laying one blade to his throat and the other poking his kidney.
Qevru won! I stood up and was cheering with the rest of the crowd. I was so excited, my friend was the winner! I was jumping up and down in delight. Eventually the crowd settled down and the awards ceremony began.
The winners and runners up for the various divisions were called up. Yeah..I won five of them, Alfred was runner up a couple times. One of the runners up was arrested. There were a lot fewer people on the stage than normal.
I had thought that I wouldn’t get anything, since I had kept ranking up, but I was handed a bag of money. I was surprised by the weight. It seemed I had only forfeited the item prizes, not the monetary ones. Sweet!
After the normal awards were handed out, there were a number of special prizes. I won one for making my way up through the ranks as far as I did. I got a pair of pretty earrings. They were cute, with little pink stones. I’d have the women help me put them in later.
After the ceremony, we headed out to eat to celebrate. We ended up in another tavern, but it was in better condition than the one last night. Most of the A-Rank fighters were there to celebrate. I also saw the troll, and went over to apologize if I’d hurt him too much. He just laughed it off, saying it was a good attack.
We ate, we drank, I snuck a cup of ale and drank half of it before one of the adults realized my juice was fermented. After that, I stuck to actual juice. I was asked to share my magic, and Ice cubes were added to cups throughout the room. The party continued till late at night. After they got drunk enough, some of them forgot I was supposedly young, and actually started treating me like just another of the guys.
It was great. It was the best party I’d ever participated in. I wasn’t much for parties before, but this kind was great! There were even drinking songs! I participated and was told I had the voice of an angel. The speaker was drunk, so I took it with a grain of salt. I’d try again in front of a sober audience later.
Finally, the tavern owner decided he was tired and started shooing us out. He even berated the Crimson Bloods for keeping a child out this late. I laughed at that. We stumbled our way back to the inn and up to the penthouse. It was an annoying climb, especially for the drunk members of our party. Jadd had too many shots of Dwarf Killer. One of the most potent liquors available.
Upon reaching the suite, we were greeted by Alfred, who assisted the men who needed the help to their beds. The women were drunk, but still able to take care of themselves. We got into our room and changed into our bedclothes. Then I was dumped on the bed by Qevru. I ended up sandwiched between her and Ierva. I got comfortable and drifted off to sleep.
