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Tournament of Champions 2 (The game has begun)
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If I would make a real book out of it I would include another story that follows one of the dragon riders that also ends up in Lalden Minor. To show the Stelladoran perspective.
This is also planned to be heavily relied upon in the post-Lalden Minor sections in the Avelaide story that is supposed to be as long as the sections before.
In this version here however I will skip most of that and only focus on the most important parts relevant for this version. There should be approximately 7 or so chapters in act 4.
The boy who met seven gods – Chapter 19: Heventos & the celestial egg, part 1
Basil lied with his face down on the grass. He could feel the smell of flowers around him. He wanted to look but he was tired and his arm and head was in pain. Someone in a dress walked beside him. He felt two soft hands grabbing onto him and helping him up. The pain began to numb before it seemingly disappeared. “Can you walk?” said a girl, the same girl that helped him up. When he was up on his own legs he watched out over an endless green field painted white with countless flowers. The girl that had helped him up released her hands from him. Basil turned around but the girl was gone. Instead before him he saw a humongous tree that reached miles up in the sky. The tree looked like an oak yet very different with its almost glowing branches. Thirteen distinct branches that was covered in some bloomed tree flowers or similar. A gust of wind swept past Basil towards the tree and touched one of the branches. The flowers on the branch began to swing and release their leaves that danced in circles. The leaves then flew with the wind back towards basil and flew in a circle around him.
Basil woke up at the base of a normal sized tree. He looked around and found himself within a forest with trees that he did not recognize. It was night and dark. ” What happened? Was it a dream? Where am I? Am I dead?” He looked around himself and found his sword beside him. He still wore the armor but his shield was nowhere to be found. He took up the sword and sheathed it. He looked around once more trying to find some kind of clue to where he was, whatever he was still in Lalden, the afterlife or something else entirely. He found an opening in the forest where dim light entered onto a small field of grass. He took off towards the small field of grass. When he came out on the small field he saw that the light was not moon light and seemed strange for being sun light even though it came from the horizon. He spent the night in the small field trying to get some sleep even though he lacked everything.
He had managed to get a little sleep when the sunlight touched his face. He looked up and saw that the sun was not the same as the light source which still shined in the horizon. It was neither from the sun nor the moon but it shined as if it was either. Regardless of what the light was it was at least something that he could walk towards in an attempt to found out where he was. After a couple of hours he managed to trap a rabbit which he grilled to eat. After he had finished putting up a fire and eaten a bird flew down into the forest and landed on a tree branch, watching Basil from a distance. The bird gave him skeptical feelings but he tried to think that it was just a bird interested in the remains of the rabbit. He took his things and continued his journey.
For two days he walked and the bird that he found out to be a crow followed him on a distance. He almost got used to having the crow watching over him from a distance. Basil then later came to a wide river. The river was calm but the wideness was unsettling. Basil sat down at the river side looking towards the light that he was walking towards. He had not earlier noticed it but now it was clear that the light was pulsing or circulating. With the new discovery and the river before him he thought if he should continue or go somewhere else. But where? He had not seen anything but wild forest or mountains and lakes thus far. The light was his only location. He followed the river a bit upstream but it seemed to continue far longer than manageable. Unless he wanted to spend maybe weeks searching for a place to cross he would have to swim. It would have to wait until the next though.
He withdrew a long string from his cloth. He then removed a ring from his chain mail that he pulled into the shape of a hook. He searched for a good stick that he could wire the string and hook to. Lastly he shoved through the dirt for some worms to attach to the hook so that he could fish. It was not time efficient with the poor tools but it gave him some time to relax and think. “What happened back there? We were attacked by a great dragon, with a rider. What happened to the others!? Antonio? Alice? Magnus? Aelia? Ari? Did they manage to escape? Where they taken as prisoners?" As he sat thinking something bite the hook. He pulled the rod and a small trout flew up from the water. He laughed over the small fish but it was at least something. He managed to catch another one later that was slightly larger which he cooked.
The next day he took his armor and external equipment and wrapped it into his cloths. He felt the weight of the armor and realized that he would not be able to swim over without sinking. So he went into the forest and chopped down a small tree with his sword. He then took the equipment and put it into steadily onto the tree before he stepped into the water. It was slightly cold but completely manageable. He supported himself upon the small tree as he swam towards the other side. It was exhausting to transport the tree but he could rest upon it so it made it slower but easier to pass over.
After more than half an hour he reached the other side. He walked up and sat down in the sun for a moment to dry and warm up before he continued. As he sat in the sun he noticed the crow flying over the river into the forest on the other side. “Well at least I have company” Basil thought.
When he had dried up he put on the cloths. The armor he carried on his back in an improvised bag. The terrain began to move upwards as he came closer to some mountains that broke through the forest. It was not very difficult to ascend the mountain as it was covered with forest almost to the top. The summit of the mountain was free from dirt and trees with bare rock but not very majestic in dominance. It did however give a good view over the land. He could see the huge forest and the river that he had travelled through. Around him he could see other mountains in the distance and large open fields with some animals on them. The light was still in the horizon but now it lit up much of the dark sky. The light that was as a large stretched orbed revealed that it was some kind of storm within or around it. So the light did clearly not belong to any ordinary civilization but something else.
Basil sat down on a flat boulder watching the surrounding while planning the best route from there on. He could still not see any civilization or any other signs of such. While he sat there he began to feel tired so he rested and slightly feel asleep. He later woke up by something special flying over his mountain towards the light. He looked up and got shocked as he saw what it was. It was a winged woman. Friyena?!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The rain was finally starting to leave the sky above the deserted town as Sylva and Nya were rushing through the grey, dilapidated streets. They were on their way to help Acyros, who was most likely being outnumbered by Merikh and his shades few blocks away.
"I can hear them. They're over there, behind the corner," Nya said as she was pointing at a broken stone building's corner. The same building, where Jaholion and his ethereal golem had fought against Ronnie many matches ago. But in the next second, two shades that had fought against the two heroines earlier were right behind them, ready to dig their claws into their bodies. Fortunately, Sylva was fast enough to realize what was going to happen.
"No," she shouted as she quickly turned around and cut the throats of the two humanoid shadows with her dagger in a single strike, then stepped back. Nya took a stance with her weapon as well, and they both watched as the shades were bleeding black smoke from the wounds Sylva had caused. To their dismay, the shades were quickly healed from the quick, yet small attack, and all the rest of them were arriving further away to continue the battle from which the two girls had run away from. At first Sylva was trying to reach for another bomb from her bag, but then she remembered that she had discarded it during the heat of the battle earlier. As the shades were moving closer, Sylva quickly glanced up at a ruined tower next to the street, then pointed at it with her finger.
"Nya! The tower!"
The Selesnya warrior looked at the building which was surrounded by vines, and quickly understood what Sylva wanted her to do. While Sylva was fending off the shades with her dagger, Nya took control of the vines, then used them to collapse the whole building onto the vicious enemies. At first only a few stone bricks fell on or near them, but then the remaining top of the tower came crashing down. Nya grabbed Sylva's hand and they escaped before they would, too, get crushed by the debris. After a loud uproar, dust and black smoke surrounded the area, where the shades' and the tower's remains laid.
Few seconds later, Sylva and Nya walked out from the smoke with slow, trembling steps while coughing. Their lungs hurt and limbs felt heavy. They were soaked from the rain and sweat while also being covered almost completely in dirt and dust. When Sylva was about to fall again, Nya quickly grabbed the airship repairer's right hand and lifted it behind her neck, supporting her friend with each step they took. The rain had stopped and the two girls were surrounded by silence.
"Is the battle finally over?"
Sylva whispered to Nya while her eyes were closed. Before Nya could answer, she saw something metallic lying on the street a few meters away, reflecting faint sunlight that came from the cracks of the grey, cloudy sky. Nya had to walk a bit closer to realize that the object resembled a human's forearm.
Acyros's robotic arm...!
Then Nya looked around. Some buildings next to the street were damaged by gunshots, and there was a trail of blood leading behind yet another corner of a building. Nya glanced at her friend, who could just barely open her eyes to stare at the ominous signs of battle.
"Stay here while I search for Acyros," Nya said while she was gently putting Sylva behind nearby pile of stone rubble so her friend would rest and stay hidden at the same time. Even though Sylva didn't want Nya to leave her, she didn't have enough strength to object. Sylva could only watch with her tired eyes as her friend walked away before her vision turned to black.
"The graver the action is, the greater the consequences. You should have known that before picking up a fight."
The tone of Merikh's voice and behavior made it seem as if he didn't care if Sylva had died or simply hiding somewhere, awaiting for a good moment to attack the black knight. Nya decided to not say anything about her friend, and focused on Acyros, who seemed to be on an extremely bad state.
"What have you done to him?"
"Since your gunman can't talk, he won't be needing this."
Merikh threw something from his left hand at Nya's direction. Drops of blood followed in the air as that thing hit the ground in front of Nya. It was a bright red thing that was the size of the half of a human palm. Nya's eyes were wide open and her heart pounded as she stared back at the knight.
"You cut out his tongue!?"
He cleaned the blood from a dagger which he was holding in his right hand by wiping the blade with a white cloth, which he took from a small leather bag on his waist. Then he silently tuck the cloth back into the bag and sheathed the dagger into a small, black scabbard which was next to the bag.
"He knew what was going to happen if he didn't cooperate," Merikh said severely as he slowly walked towards Nya while unsheathing his longsword. "But he wanted things to be done through the hard way. And that's when I learned a few peculiar things."
Hopelessness filled Nya, which made her fall onto her knees and to lean to her staff with her hands. Merikh stopped before her a few meters away. His wounds were gone and he didn't seem exhausted at all. The black knight held his sword horizontally, right hand gripping its handle while the blade was resting on his left hand's palm.
"A long time ago, I became an emissary of an otherworldly abyss. Since then, I've sought to find out its location. It took many years until I learned about the many worlds that are connected to this one. One requires an enormous amount of mana to travel between worlds, but thanks to the ritual, it's no longer an issue."
A purple aura surrounded Merikh's sword as he talked. "When we met, you said this town is an improvised tournament arena. As I fought against you, I realized none of you are from this world. When I peeked into your gunman's thoughts, I saw memories of the abyss, and learned that the abyss is from the world where your tournament hosts have arrived from. Since you're part of the tournament, you may know about the gateway to that world."
Merikh pointed at Nya with his sword which was now shining brightly with purple light. "The gunner was persistent enough to hide that piece of information from me. I already know about the soldiers who are marching here at this moment, though. Tell me where the gateway is... now!"
He thrust his sword towards Nya. The Selesnya warrior closed her eyes and dropped her staff. Merikh stopped the lunge before the sword's tip would've penetrated Nya's forehead. She was slightly shaking in fear, yet she kept her mouth shut, even though she didn't know about any gateway. After a few seconds of silence, Merikh prepared his spell.
"The abyss will have your mind."
Light faded from Merikh's sword as the purple aura started to surround Nya. She gritted her teeth in pain as unfriendly darkness invaded her mind. The pain grew even stronger as her consciousness was fading, and she screamed. She screamed as hard as she could when she felt the endless darkness draining her. But then Nya heard a loud clash of steel. The pain was fading away and the unnatural darkness left her mind. After a few more clashes, Nya, who was tired and feeling a bit dizzy, opened her eyes. She saw the back of a familiar person in a leather armor, fighting against Merikh with fast and powerful strikes with his sword, which Merikh kept blocking with his own. It only took a few seconds until Nya recognized the person's fighting style.
Konus...!
He was not in his wolf form, but he fought with the same ferocity. Nya's faithful guardian was going for the kill, and Merikh could barely keep blocking his new opponent's attacks. Konus forced Merikh to walk away from Nya all the way back to the large well. Acyros was still on his knees only a few meters away from the two fighters when Merikh finally decided to turn offensive. When he feigned an attack to change its direction while Konus was going to block it, the warrior master quickly dodged the actual strike and leaped forward to grapple with the knight. Their blades clashed again and were pressed against one another while Konus's left hand was quickly moving towards Merikh. The knight saw that one coming, and stepped to the left, making Konus almost fall into the well. When the swords were free again, the knight quickly attacked with it to cut Konus's head off. But Konus redirected the strike towards the well with a deflecting parry, then he swiftly slashed at Merikh as he stepped away from the well and from the knight.
On that second, Merikh's eyes started to glow with purple light as well. He shouted a cryptic word of another language in an echoing, ghastly voice while raising his right hand towards the sky. When he did, a stream of darkness exploded from the well high into the air above him, then spread like smoke. Konus almost fell from the shock wave, but quickly regained his balance and leaped backwards. The floating darkness Merikh summoned had many bright eyes, and countless shades fell from it onto the ground. Konus was surrounded by them within seconds, and began destroying each one of them with quick strikes. But for each shade he defeated, two more came from above. Nya could see how her guardian struggled.
I've got to do something...!
With her shaking limbs, Nya crawled forward to get her staff, which was lying a few meters away from her. She didn't have much strength left, and her body felt heavy. but she didn't give up. After a few seconds, she got her staff, then leaned to it with her hands to rise onto her knees. Nya could see how Konus kept fighting, cutting shades into pieces with his sword, but at the same time, the shades kept slashing him with their claws. Drops of blood splashed around as the warrior shouted after each injury he got and fought even harder.
"You're not alone, Konus!"
Nya shouted while bright light flashed from the staff as she focused her remaining energy for her spell. The spell awakened the roots beneath the street, and surrounded them with golden aura. While Nya was chanting her spell while keeping her eyes closed, the roots rose from the ground and started tearing the shades apart. Konus knelt down as the countless bright roots moved quickly around him. It took a tiny moment until each shade on the street was nothing but black smoke. Konus, who was sweaty and bleeding blood from both tiny and large wounds, looked around while breathing heavily. No more shades came from the floating darkness above, which seemed to be smaller than before. As the golden aura faded from the roots, they fell onto the ground. Konus turned his head to look at Nya, who opened her eyes. When she did, her staff crumbled to dust and she fell onto the ground. Then she turned her head and looked back at Konus, who seemed to be proud.
"Nya-"
Before Konus could continue, he felt as cold steel cut through his chest. The sound of splattering blood followed immediately, and he fell onto his back. The last thing he heard was Nya's scream.
"Noooooo!! Konuuuus!!"
Merikh, whose eyes were still glowing, stood in front of Nya's guardian while staring at the large wound he inflicted upon him. It was about the same size as the one Konus gave to the black knight, but the knight still remained, and the warrior was now among the fallen. Merikh turned his head to look at Nya. Her eyes glittered with tears as she screamed at the expressionless knight.
"You monster!"
Then Nya started to sob uncontrollably while tears flowed from her eyes. Before Merikh could do anything, he heard as someone was shouting under their helmet to someone else far behind Nya at the beginning of the street.
"They're here!"
It was a male soldier in a light steel armor, which was engraved with the symbol of a certain order of knights. Many more of them walked swiftly to the street from behind the building's corner, and in the middle of them was Sir Killian himself. All of them were soon aware of the floating black smoke above the area, but they focused on the main threat itself. He ordered two of his men to carry Nya away while the rest of them readied their swords and shields to battle against Merikh. As the two soldiers tried to lift Nya from the ground gently, yet firmly, she resisted in vain. Everything she saw was fuzzy, and everything she heard seemed distant. While the soldiers carried her, she kept staring at Konus until the armed soldiers blocked her view. Then she lost consciousness.
"This power is from the abyss. Stand your ground!"
The soldiers stood up, some of their shields broken. As Merikh was about to perform his spell again, he was surrounded by a blue aura, and he couldn't move his hands. He looked behind himself, and saw a merfolk wizard at the other end of the street, whose hands were surrounded by the same aura. Eetu had arrived with his twelve heavily armored tournament guards, who readied their longswords and charged at Merikh from the distance.
"Now! Ready your weapons once more, and strike him down!"
Sir Killian shouted and charged with his arisen soldiers. Merikh was being attacked from two sides, and only the large well was between him and the recently arrived soldiers. It wouldn't have taken long until they've moved around it. Even though he couldn't swing his sword, he could still move his fingers. He shouted the same cryptic spell while performing strange movements with them, and countless shades fell from the smoke above the area.
The dark spirits immediately attacked the soldiers close to Merikh, and four of them screamed in anguish as the dark claws went into the gaps of their armor and tore their throats open. Sir Killian had to focus on the many shades surrounding him and the other soldiers. Even the tournament guards were struggling with the quick creatures of darkness. The soldiers kept fighting while Eetu cast spells which made some shades disappear completely or tie them onto the ground with waterknots. However, the number of shades was not decreasing. When another two soldiers died next to Sir Killian, he looked at Merikh, who was silently chanting words in a ghastly voice while his sword pointed towards the sky. He tried to stop him, but more shades appeared between him and the black knight. Every soldier who tried to attack Merikh was stopped by sharp claws. Even Eetu was not able to cast any spells at him through the mass of shades. Suddenly, Merikh's chant stopped and a loud gasp echoed in the bloody street.
Those who were not being attacked by shades turned their heads to look at the black knight. Then something metallic came out of his chest. Behind Merikh was Acyros, who was strangling him with his right arm and pushing his broken mechanical left arm through him. Since the arm was cleanly cut, it had a sharp point. And now that point was sticking in the middle of Merikh's chest. Thick, black smoke came from Merikh's chest and mouth. Acyros gritted his bloody teeth in fury and pushed the metal even further into Merikh's body, who shouted in the voice of a dozen men. It seemed as if his eyes were burning in purple flames. No more shades materialized on the street, and the floating darkness was flowing back into the well. Merikh grabbed Acyros's hair and pulled him as he jumped into the well while shouting.
"Acyros!"
Sir Killian shouted as he reached his hand towards his friend, who fell into the dark well with Merikh. When the last shades were destroyed by the soldiers, they turned to look at the tournament hosts. Eetu looked at Killian, who ran to the edge of the well, watched, and then listened. A loud wind's noise came from the well until everything turned to silence. Sir Killian descended into the well with a burning torch and a rope which the soldiers tied to a nearby tree. It took a while until he was on the bottom, only to find out there was no signs of Merikh nor Acyros.
When Sir Killian climbed back to the surface, he looked around while clearing his head from thoughts. Black smoke had vanished from the area, and the grey clouds above Salaxum were finally sailing away to the mainland's direction. Bright sunlight glittered in the countless raindrops and puddles. It also shined upon the bloody and scratchy armors of the soldiers who were singing quietly for their fallen brothers. Sir Killian crouched to pick up one of Acyros's guns, then ordered the uninjured soldiers to bring the healers from the main plaza, which was rather far away from that part of the town. He also told them to give a permission for the people and the contestants to return to Eternstor. Eetu followed the soldiers to give the announcement. He was one of the hosts after all.
At the tavern when the sun was beginning to set, the contestants wondered what happened to Nya and Sylva until a dwarf messenger told them that they were both in the hospital building at the center of the town. Tai and Pele quickly went there, asked one of the healers where their friends' room was, and the lady in white robe guided them there. They stopped at the door as they saw Sylva, who was sitting at the right side of Nya's bed. The airship repairer's hands and chest were bandaged. Nya had fewer injuries, but the damage within her could not be treated as easily. She was quietly clutching Konus's sword, which Sir Killian brought to her a while ago. Pele walked into the room while Tai flew from her shoulder to Nya's shoulder. They looked at Nya, who spoke to them while clearly holding back tears.
"The healers... couldn't save Konus's life. They said his... soul had already moved on. And the soldiers who... also lost their lives were impossible... to bring back."
Pele grabbed Nya's left hand when she saw as red sunlight glittered in her watery eyes. Tai gently stroked her hair while she was sitting on her shoulder. Then Nya turned her head to look at Sylva, who was staring at the floor. The Selesnya warrior lowered Konus's sword, then she placed her right hand onto Sylva's shoulder.
"Sylva," Nya said, trying to sound more confident. "I know you are much... more than a repairer. The hosts are... still unclear about who... deserves to move on to the second round. But I think I must... return home."
Nya leaned forward and looked Sylva straight into her eyes. "I think... no, I know that you were better in the match than I. You have so much potential, and I've finally realized... where I truly belong."
"Is that how you truly feel?"
Eetu's voice came from the doorway, and the girls turned their heads to look at the merfolk, who had arrived silently. Nya nodded slowly to the host.
"Then so be it," he said without compassion, and walked away.
@pakashara
After a super-long battle, Sylva walks to the second round.
@Bobman111 - Nya has left the tournament. Only you know what she will do, and you may share it with us.
The tournament bracket has been updated... after 7 months. Wohoo!
@Everyone - I don't know how many of your still want this tournament to go on, but I've decided to finish this round before making any drastic decisions. You see, some players may not be around to play in further rounds, because this has taken so long, and I'm the only one to blame.
But since this big event has been finished, we can go on to Match 12 soon, where @TheCenterOfTheUniverse's Caphria and @ShaperKyon's Coltras Drasonkai will finally be able to fight. Don't worry, it won't be another tower of text...
Of course and I'd like to see it continue. Also is there any chance Pele could get a sample of that dark magic or the dark clouds? It will be for... Research
Okay, cool.
It has been almost a year and you all haven't even completed the first round.
If hiatuses like these keep happening, this tournament might not be done before mtgcardsmith shuts down. It probably won't be that bad.
@MonkeyPirate2002 Why, do you have some special knowledge about when MTGCardsmith is going to shut down? Huh? Huh?
Well everyone, I have a funny feeling that my days as a tournament contender are numbered. So I am making one last try to expand my story. The latest chapter is near the top of page 39. It takes place before Nya vs. Sylva. All are welcome to add. Tags:
@KalamMekhar @bubbasnickey @shadow123 @barchae @NokiSkaur @Iseebirds @Faiths_Guide @MrPirate89 @Scott_Anderson @Lujikul @pakashara @TheCenterOfTheUniverse @12258290 @DoctorFro @YaGirlSophie @DangMatt @SpiritDragon @baryonyx69 @bnew07 @pjbear2005
@TenebrisNemo continue with the tournament...my axes are itching for blood
@ShaperKyon - Nope, I'll see y'all next year. Hahaha!
Do you have a solid plan for what's happening from now on?
The morning after the eleventh match was sunny, yet it didn't lift up the mood of many people in Eternstor. Contestants were informed yesterday that the tournament hosts would have to clean up the mess that was caused by the battle in Salaxum. Six tournament soldiers and an outsider were killed in action. Two contestants almost lost their lives. The arena watchman and the black knight have gone missing without a trace.
For the whole day, some tournament soldiers and the town's own military personnel searched for the knight in hopes of bringing him to justice. When officials asked questions about him from those who were involved in the incident, everyone agreed that the man was a threat to the society. Nearby towns were alerted, and the region of New Terdea was under the watchful eyes of the kingdom's soldiers. However, there had been no sightings of Merikh or his shades. When the day was nearing its end, the tournament staff gathered in the lonely shores to sing for the fallen soldiers once more becore cremating them.
( @TheCenterOfTheUniverse & @ShaperKyon )
On the second morning after the match, Sir Killian arrived to the tavern of contenders to wake everyone up and told Caphria and Coltras to prepare for their match, which would be held in the backwoods arena in few hours on midday.
Well, it happens to us all. I'm just happy you got it back up and running if only for a short time.
She had meant to spend more time around Eternstor, gathering supporters, but the recent events and matches had made her spend more time contemplating her own match than she expected, greatly diminishing her opportunity to talk to the people of the town.
However, now was not the time for reflecting on missed opportunities. That would be after the match, if she had the opportunity.
When Caphria felt that time for the twelfth match was about to arrive, she left the tavern, spread her wings, and flew high above Eternstor. The docks were as busy as ever, and the manor where the hosts resided blocked the sunlight from the streets nearby it. Buildings around the tavern were silent as usual. Then Caphria looked at the gates and the paths which led to the forest. She didn't see anyone going to the arena's direction.
Has everyone already gone to the arena? Are they now waiting for me?
The angel contestant didn't have a pocket watch, and she also forgot to ask what time it was from the people inside the tavern. Eternstor didn't have a clock tower either, so Caphria decided to swiftly glide to the arena within the woods. When she was above the forest, she gently descended onto a tall tree's large branch, concealed her wings, then started climbing down. Flying through the countless branches would've not been wise. Once she was standing on the grassy ground of the forest, she hurried to the place where some earlier contestants had fought. Vir and Hukong. Jazhara and Tai. Bubbles and Nir. Callum and Lobberknot. The last three of those matches have ended in death, and Caphria wondered if this one would have a different outcome.
Soon she arrived to the familiar location at the edge of a quiet river and when she did, she saw only a small amount of tournament staff. They were either about to finish cleaning the wooden stands from leaves or putting up the white tent for the healers.
Well, it seems I arrived a bit too early.
The only host who was present was judge Gaspar, who was speaking to a young woman with a well-crafted bow and light armor. She had a long, bright red hair, and she wore a tiny, horned creature's skull on her head. They noticed Caphria, and the archer stepped to her direction.
"Hello. You must be the angel contestant who will fight today. My name is Michiko, and I will make sure you'll only be fighting against Coltras during the match, and nobody else."
Caphria shook the hand, which Michiko was reaching towards her. "So you're the new arena watchman? Then it means that Acyros is still missing?"
"Correct," Gaspar said in his rough voice. "An one-handed, mute man with serious injuries has very low chances of survival, especially when they've been missing for few days. We can't continue our matches without a person capable enough of stopping tournament matches from going out of control, so we asked lady Michiko of Eternstor to take our gunner's place."
"I've observed you and many other contestants since you arrived. I hope I don't need to use my arrows onto you or anyone else. It wouldn't be a pretty sight."
With that final remark, Michiko walked away to a good spot in front of the wooden stands, a few meters away from the wooden podium. After a while, Coltras Drasonkai arrived to the arena as well. He nodded at Caphria, the only angel contestant, as he passed her, and she nodded back to the last remaining merfolk contestant. Gaspar took his seat on the highest row of the stands, white robed healers prepared themselves in the tent, armored guards took their positions, then some civilians and contestants came to watch the match. Coltras and Caphria both noticed the tiny amount of spectators, which was quite understandable when they thought about what kind of a mess the previous match was. Finally, Coltras could see as ringmaster Philibert, master Eetu, and Sir Killian were coming from the path behind the trees. Philibert and Eetu took their seats next to judge Gapsar. Killian walked onto the podium, turned to look at the audience, and cleared his voice.
"Greetings, everyone! Today you have come here to witness as yet another pair of tournament contestants will fight for their way to the second round! Though we were struck by misfortune last game, we won't let it stop our search for a mighty champion! But before we begin, I regret to say that our arena watchman, Acyros, won't be here today to ensure the safety of you and our contestants. Thankfully, we were able to find someone who is more than capable enough to take his place in this and many matches to come; lady Michiko!"
The people, especially those from Eternstor, cheered to the archer, who bowed to them gracefully. When Sir Killian and others stopped clapping, he looked at the audience once more. His eyes glanced at Philibert and Eetu's direction.
"Shows must go on, currents always find a way, and nothing is great enough to block the path of the tournament! No matter what has happened or will happen, our heroes will never die as long as we have faith in them!"
Everyone in the audience repeated the saying. After that, Sir Killian raised his left hand at Caphria's direction.
"A warrior angel, who now fights alongside those bound to the earth; Caphria, Mortal's Herald!"
She unsheathed her searing rapier as the people cheered for her. Its brightness alone lit the battle flame within her. Then Sir Killian raised his right hand at Coltras's direction.
"A merfolk wizard, who strives to unravel the secrets of the world and everyone who opposes him; Coltras Drasonkai!"
He took a stance with his staff while a loud applause echoed around him. Blue aura flashed for a second around him, and his sharp mind was ready to cut through any problem he would face. Finally, Sir Killian turned around to look at both contestants, and raised his both hands towards them.
"Let the twelfth match begin!"