The earth shook as Taurus hit the ground. The unstoppable warrior was finally brought down; all that moved was the gentle rising of his chest and the breeze buffeting his pants. After a long and painful match decided by one powerful kick to the bullish warrior's head, Orion stood victorious as the bell rang. A voice rang over the arena, "Taurus has fallen!!" Looking around, he could see the crowd begin to erupt with emotion at the alleged victory of the underdog. Suddenly, all of the noise faded to the back of his mind as he looked at his hand in a daze.
Doesn't feel real.
Surreality set in as he was escorted up to the podium atop the arena, sandstone turning yellow in the sunset as the golden-haired host addressed the crowd. "This sensational and suspenseful final match has come to an end. And I, the champion Achilles, hereby proclaim the hunter, Orion, the winner of the Arcadian Festival's tournament!"
He had lived in the kingdom of Arcadia all of his life. It stands as a great kingdom that prides itself on its prosperity and the strength of its warriors, often celebrating them for recreation and symbolism. The people here are immortal, but the world is very dangerous, so many do not make it past the age of one hundred years. Over his life, he had come to call Mythos home, which is as the large realm that encompasses the great Kingdom of Arcadia and its surrounding villages.
Achilles, dressed in his usual white robe that covered everything except for his shoulder, then raised Orion's arm high into the air as the crowd cheered. Achilles, the announcer at this decade's tournament, was a very prominent city official with formidable combat skills. Orion remembered the days he dealt with him, more than the other city officials, always keeping things concise and professional. Achilles would often go into the wilderness with the hunter to go fishing and monster hunting to hone his skills and enjoy nature. Sometimes, these memories would come flooding that came back as the adrenaline from a tournament faded.
Dusk was setting in across the land, and the crowd began to dissipate as they stepped away from the spotlight. "I knew you could do it! It only took five hundred short years for Draco to convince you to enter."
Orion held up a finger at the teasing by the blonde-haired warrior, "No, the prize money finally got big enough." Achilles looked slightly confused before realizing, "Oh, you mean the prize money? You surely know about the privilege, right?"
The fatigued hunter nodded in an extremely unconvincing fashion, prompting Achilles to explain, "In addition to the prize money, you get to pick something from the king's armory, even the rare weapons and artifacts. But that isn't all, with the title of 'champion' you get access to the Royal Tavern in the city."
Orion's eyes perked up for the first time in a while, then were overcome by more confusion, "Wait, isn't that tavern only for city officials and military? It makes sense to keep the best stuff out of reach anyway."
Achilles' face hinted at mischief as he responded, "You're correct, but festival champions are considered city officials as we figuratively 'represent' the people of Arcadia, and it's a great way to make connections." The hunter just grinned at the good news, "I believe a drink is in order then, don't you?"
After walking down the long sandstone steps, they reached the exit of the colosseum leading into the massive city square. The neatly kept garden began to reflect new colors in the light of the rising moon. On one end, he could see the king's palace, the only white building in the entire city, decorated in its odd gold ornaments and shimmering exactly as it did in daylight.
The other end was the stretched with high-end merchant shops that were still alive with business during the rush hour. In the middle of the two was the modest sandstone city hall with the tavern located right next door. They began to walk over as they felt the warm summer night air, before Orion stopped and searched the pockets of his worn tournament pants, sporting a look of fake embarrassment on his face.
"I don't have any money on me, do you mind?" Achilles didn't look back but just shrugged, "I suppose it's the least I could do on this occasion, like it stopped me before."
This tavern was like no other he had seen before, decorated in extravagance, a very well-lit and warm place which was in contrast to its many counterparts. Achilles waved his hand over to Orion, beckoning him to the table ahead, where a man and a woman were sitting. Orion instantly recognized Prince Draco by his loose red pants, tucked into boots and a matching red cape, white sleeveless shirt revealing dragon scale tattoos on his arms and golden wristguards. A small gold crown and flowing red hair completed the outfit.
Draco was the first friend he ever had, a brotherly bond forged over one thousand long years. He had countless memories of adventures with the red prince, who had grown to be one of the strongest warriors in Arcadian history, thanks to his dragon-like powers.
Soon after he recognized Athena, a defense general in the military. She was dressed in similar white attire as to Achilles but wore more fashionable jewelry which complemented her dark brown hair and brown eyes to match. A brilliant strategist and an unreadable poker face were among her many skills. Being successful and reliable when it came to the kingdom's defense, sometimes she had special assignments for him that were beyond standard soldiers skills.
The table was already set with drinks and cards for poker as Draco waved his hand and smiled in welcome, "Orion! Good to see you here! I was just barely able to catch your last match today, so I thought it would be a good idea to grab us a table in celebration."
The hunter greeted them as he sat down, and Achilles did the same, "Barely able? Royalty has never missed attendance for hundreds of years."
Achilles' face reflected more concern than curiosity as Draco responded, "A water hydra attacked the outer wall at the moat, and my presence was requested. Most of our forces are spread thin trying to contain the recent eruption of monster activity. Mythos has been secure for as long as our records have been kept, but something has the monsters acting unusually aggressive, and the surrounding villages are going to need more support in the future."
Athena spoke up, a proud grin on her face as she looked at Orion, "It would be a lot harder if we didn't hire a certain hunter to take out the monsters that are harder to kill, as the average warrior can only do so much. There are a lot of rumors going around about some of the things the scholars have been saying after deciphering the ancient tablets as well. In any case, congratulations are in order. Taurus would have easily swept the tournament had you not been there."
Draco smiled and patted Orion on the back as he said, "Poor guy has to wait another ten years, then he lost the last one pretty closely too. You almost had us there, waiting until the end to fight seriously as usual. He must have been really strong."
The hunter nodded as he took his drink, "He had an amount of brute strength akin to that of a monster, just with more raw power, so it took me a while to adjust to it. No technique or flair to be found though, so a thorough disappointment in the end."
Athena leaned back as curiosity asked, "I thought you only fought monsters, where did you learn to fight people? I happened to see most of your matches, unlike your 'friend' here." Orion smiled as she teased Draco, "Some monks taught it to me in the mountains. I found their temple atop the highest mountain in Mythos when suffering from boredom many years ago."
Achilles' eyes widened as he asked, "You've been to the Saint's Temple!? I've heard many people have died trying to get there. It sits crowned atop the mountains right?"
The hunter's face looked mildly confused. "It has a name? Well if you consider scaling a steep mountain for a day dangerous, then I suppose it is. It's not even that far into the northern mountain range. I didn't know it was infamous for being a difficult climb, although that would explain the bones at the bottom of the ravine below."
Athena leaned forward in her chair with an accusing look as she asked, "Why did it take you this long to enter the competition if you were this talented in combat! It was as if you were dancing around your other opponents and extending matches just to save their pride."
He understood what she was saying. While the Arcadian Festival was held every year, only once every ten years could a warrior be named champion in the official tournament. in a sense, they were celebrities among the people, representing the kingdom and its prosperity.
The battered hunter shook his head as he put his drink down, "The prize money wasn't enough before now, although if I had known I could drink here, I would have entered long ago. And I wasn't saving their pride, that's just how I fight."
Draco laughed as he said, "You didn't know champions were allowed in here? To think that's all I needed to convince you! Achilles, Athena, and I are in here all the time."
The hunter crossed his arms as he pointed out, "You are quite literally royalty, and one of them is a city official, and the other is military. What did you expect? Being champions just boosts your own reputations."
The red prince's face looked slightly embarrassed as he smiled, regardless. "Well, I suppose that makes sense. In any case, we should get started, I'll buy you in as a congratulations, my broke friend."
Orion just smiled as he said, "Not for much longer."
They played late into the night, each gaining and losing money as the rounds continued. The tavern had quieted down as the last hand wrapped up. Athena and Achilles bid them farewell and headed back to their home in the inner city.
The red prince turned to Orion, the moonlight lighting up the town square, almost as if it were daytime, "My father is expecting you in three days to claim your prizes. He was impressed with you as usual, but he also said he had a favor to ask you, but that's all he mentioned."
The hunter just stared at the palace and stated, "The royal family has always rewarded me well, so I'm not worried about it. I am excited to look around the armory though, I didn't know about that part either."
Draco smiled and waved as he headed off towards the palace for the night. "Go take care of those wounds and wash yourself, maybe a few times!" His laugh echoed through the courtyard before it faded into the night. He stood there a moment reflecting on the day before, and he turned towards the direction of his home.
Where did the time go?