Arc 2: The Valley Tournament
Part 3: Echoes of the Colosseum
With the Valley Tournament beginning, each Guild was ready to take part in this grand event that the Valley Kingdom had prepared for its citizens. This was the list of participants, in order of introduction:
Golden Rose Knights:
1st Vice Captain, Lance
2nd Vice Captain, Love
3rd Vice Captain, Viper
Crimson Dragon Knights:
1st Vice Captain, Ryoku
2nd Vice Captain, Zeke
1st Executive, Flare
Snow Lily Knights:
2nd Vice Captain, Goro
1st Executive, Rin
Ace Member 1, Nolyn
Purple Panther Knights:
Vice Captain, Zeno
1st Executive, Wilren
2nd Executive, Zayden
Silver Shark Knights:
Vice Captain, Snow
1st Executive, Marley
Ace Member 1, Otto
Green Owl Knights:
Vice Captain, Rex
1st Executive, Maine
2nd Executive, Rowen
Black Wolf Knights:
Acting Captain (technical 1st Vice Captain), Greed
Ace Member 1, JoAnne
Ace Member 2, Nash
And with the Blue Phoenix Knights now an abolished Guild, the Valley had requested mage warriors from both the Forest and the Desert Kingdom to participate as the '8th Guild'.
"Before we begin, I know we are missing one Valley Guild. For this, we have some honored guests who will be participating in the Tournament! These individuals are esteemed mages, well respected in their ranks. Allied mages who have helped us within our Sub-Kingdoms, time and time again. Mages whose abilities rival, if not exceed, our Vice Captains of the Valley… In the first corner, we have a burly warrior, feared even by our rival Kingdoms. A man who has fought alongside our very own Captains in the Great Magistral War. He has led armies of mages to victory countless times and has earned a spot for himself as one of the Desert's key individuals. A man of both stature and rank. The Head of the Desert Guard, Rok!"
As this man entered the colosseum, he towered over almost every participant. Without him, the two tallest ones would have been Goro at seven-foot-five, and then Nash, a far second at six-foot-five. This man looked very well the same height as Drakthor, maybe a bit shorter, but still at a staggering nine-foot-five. A monster in his respective class.
His clothes were dusty and ragged, in earth tones, and his hair was long to his shoulders, black and in dreads. He seemed dirty, unfitting of someone with his title and rank. I didn't even know the Desert had a man of this stature there, let alone serving under Belle and the Golden Rose Knights themselves. His skin was a golden brown, and his muscles were cut like boulders. He had two massive axes on both sides of his back that stuck out. Each step was a muffled boom as he carefully made his way next to the Golden Rose Knights—Lance, Love, and Viper.
"It's an honor to be fighting against you, renowned three… I hope to see you in the ring." his voice was deep and heavy, vibrating—it seemed—as he spoke.
Lance merely nodded his head to him, his focus on something else completely. He wasn't even fazed by the giant man that now stood next to him.
"Next is a grand master from the Forest Kingdom. A mage who was once a Captain here in the Valley back in the days before our current Arcane King, Daz. This mage was also a key participant in the Great Magistral War. His astounding leadership and calm demeanor easily won against those who would try to trample on the Valley Kingdom's name. Though calm and collected, he carries with him a storm that our enemies dare not cross into… He is one of the leaders of the Forest Kingdom, High Marshal, Polaris!"
From another corner of the colosseum, a tall, slender man in elegant blue clothing entered the place. He looked as if he wore a beret, and his hair was a sleek, fixed blond beneath it. He had a steampunk-looking renaissance mask on half his face as he walked with grace, holding his head high and his arms crossed behind him. Being as respectful to us all as possible. I could sense great power from this one, though he was smaller in frame and still stood at six-foot-three. I hoped to see him in battle, and I wondered who it would be—if not myself—who would face off against him.
"Master Rex, it is an honor to fight alongside you in the Valley. Let's give the Valley citizens a good show, shall we?"
Master Rex? You've got to be fucking kidding me…
"Hell yeah, bro! Best of luck to the both of us!" Rex said, raising his fist to the man as the man awkwardly looked at him, and gave him a soft fist bump in return, uncharacteristic of his demeanor. He seemed almost used to Rex's informalities.
"And finally… we have our last contestant. Much like Rok of the Desert, this warrioress holds the same title for the Forest. Her wicked skills have landed her a spot in the ranks of our esteemed mages here in the colosseum. She is considered the fastest mage knight in all the Valley. Can our Valley Knights handle the heat with her among them? We shall see… Introducing the Guardian of the Forest, Head of Forest Guard, Cecillia!"
When this woman entered, she was built as tall as Milo, six-foot-five. Her muscles and scars showed that she wasn't just another female among the ranks. Her attire was like hunters' cloths, almost like that of the Green Owl Knights, but with its own edge and no logo to be found on it. Her colors were olive, gray, and brown, and her skin was pale, almost gray even… She had a scar on her lip and was entirely blindfolded with a mere beige cloth over her eyes.
She stood next to the Silver Sharks as she said nothing, standing there stoic.
Marley, next to Snow, who bore a slight resemblance to Ophelia in demeanor only, looked her up and down as she chewed her bubblegum, sizing her up—probably reading her mind… if she could.
With the new additions:
Head of Desert Guard (Desert Kingdom), Rok
High Marshal (Forest Kingdom), Polaris
Head of Forest Guard (Forest Kingdom), Cecillia
They concluded the count of participants in this year's Valley Tournament.
"There you have it, Valley citizens. The complete roster for this year's eventful Tournament. We hope you enjoy the show! Now, without further ado. Let the Valley Tournament commence!"
The entire Valley jurisdiction had opted in to watch this Tournament. The colosseum was packed to the brim. Every Guild and as many citizens as it could hold were there. Drone birds recorded the whole event, portraying it on projection screens, comms, and everywhere else all over the Kingdom. As far as the Forest Kingdom, all the way to the Desert Kingdom, people watched this most anticipated event.
The announcer was stationed at a high pedestal above the crowd. A wide seating area where the Arcane King, Daz, the Royal King Ezkar, and the Arcane King's assistant, Sirus, watched.
Below them were the high nobles, council, and other important figures of the Kingdom. Some had even traveled from the Forest and Desert just to witness their favorite Knights in the flesh.
As the crowd went wild, I stood there looking for Belle within the audience. I surprisingly caught her right away. She was, after all, standing up front and center along with the rest of the Black Wolves crew. Cheering us on. Not at all being discreet that we were dating to all the people of the Valley. It had been a whole month after all, one would expect the news to be marinated enough… but no. It was the Princess of the Valley and the Hooligan Acting Captain of the Black Wolves we were talking about here.
I waved a cool hand to her, and I felt the glare of a certain Knight in the ring with me. It was from a certain postured, gold-clad individual…
"Go! My Greed! You can do it! Show them what you're made of! Woo!!" Belle shouted, almost too enthusiastically. In the center of my boneheaded crew, she didn't even choose to sit with the other Golden Rose Knights on the other side of the colosseum. It was as if she wasn't associated with them whatsoever.
I nervously cleared my throat as she went on, cheering, and slight jeers to both her and me began to creep in from the crowd—especially from Golden Boy, Lance himself.
I wasn't used to it… everyone knowing.
Ever since Belle's announcement a month ago that she was in love with me, the media has been all over it. I had never paid too much attention to it before, but now… it was hard to ignore. Headlines like:
The Golden Rose Captain and the Black Wolves Acting Captain are madly in love?
SS Rank mage falls in love with C Rank mage!?
Star-crossed lovers of the Valley
The Beauty and the Valley's Shadow
They were plastered on every headboard—every news article. And those were merely the positives…
The Blessing of the Valley Dating the Bane of the Valley? – "What utter garbage!"
How the Devious Black Wolves Acting Captain plans to shoot up the ranks…
The Princess of the Valley, Held Against Her Will… Is Belle In Danger?
How Much Did the Black Wolves' Acting Captain, Greed, Pay The Valley's Princess to Say She Loves Him?
And the list goes on. Actually, the list of negatives goes on forever. This was the exact publicity I tried to avoid. I started to debate on what would have been worse: the Kingdom's people learning I stopped Syemore, or that Belle and I were together?
I hadn't told her that she couldn't say it. I thought it would go as far as the people we knew. She told me she only told Viper and Love at the time—ironically not Lance… but now that he knew, now that the whole Valley knew… I could almost see their animosity in the air around this whole colosseum.
I was so distracted by the thought that I didn't even realize they had called my name first to stay in the ring…
"We will begin the Tournament's 1st bracket. Each bracket consists of four to five rounds and will start over once each round within that bracket has been concluded. Once we get through all the rounds of stage 1, we will proceed to stage 2, then to the semi-finals, and then the finale! So, without further ado, bracket 1's first round will be between the Acting Captain of the Black Wolves, Greed, versus—"
Damn… was I really the first match? And who was I facing this first round again?
"—the 1 Executive of the Purple Panther Knights—"
At this time, all the participants who were still standing in the arena had begun to leave and head into the Warriors' Keep of the colosseum.
"Introducing our first contender, an Acting Captain in place of a well-known Captain of the Valley! You may be wondering why he is here in the Valley Tournament as well… Truth be told, he is still a Vice Captain in technical terms, but here to officialize his position—"
He might as well have told my life story…
As the announcer was still speaking, I heard Belle's cheers. Shortly after, though, other voices in the background sounded off—one negative comment after the other from all sides of the arena.
"Just fuckin lose already, you damn dog!"
"Yeah! Hope you get your ass kicked, you useless Guild Captain!"
"How much did you pay Captain Belle to cheer for you, huh? So that's where all your eterna goes! No wonder you're also the brokest Guild of all!"
When Belle heard that last one, she whipped over to the audience member who said it, regardless of where they were, and responded, "What did you say, you damn peasants!? Why don't you speak louder or better yet come over here and say that to my face!?"
They were talking about me, babe… but I appreciate it nonetheless.
The commentors winced at Belle's remark.
They really think I paid her to be my girlfriend. How shallow ... Oh well. I thought. The announcer was still speaking…
"—following in his former superior's footsteps, who won the last Valley Tournament, Black Wolves 1st Executive—"
I smirked to myself at the announcement of his name. But all I heard as he said it was the sound of booing from the whole crowd muffling out the name before he even finished…
"Boo!" they said unanimously. One of them I could hear obnoxiously louder than the rest for some reason.
"BOO!" he yelled, and his face was ugly as hell.
"The fuck you say, asshole!? Who the hell you booing, huh!? You wanna get in this ring with me instead!?" I retaliated to the random citizen.
He shot back at the sight of me like he were being barked at by a stray dog. Loser.
"—in the first corner, the Black Wolf Knights Acting Captain, Greed!" the announcer finally concluded.
More booing echoed, this time directed at me—which I did not mind.
The only cheers I heard were from Belle and the rest of my Black Wolves crew in the bleachers; only focusing on them for the time being until I was finally ready to face my opponent.
The announcer had re-introduced him as well, but all I could focus on was the comedy of Brand, Star, and Ophelia with a banner, shouting in unison, Havoc nonchalantly, yet loudly eating a hotdog with a thumbs up in the air, Belle cheering in the most enthusiastic way, Alice nervously watching her sister with a hollow look on her face, and Code in the center, visibly annoyed at all their niggling tomfoolery.
Then, before I realized, it was only me and him in the arena.
"Finally…" he said out loud to me, "I get to get back at you for that time…"
I raised an eyebrow at what he said, "Huh?" I replied, completely unaffected by his presence.
He had curly dirty blond hair and was sporting a purple and gold fighting poncho, a different, related attire to his and his Guild's usual church robe attire.
"That time you rudely bolted at our Captain at the Kingdom's Guild Meeting… How dare you, filthy dog!" he said, his voice like a flock of seagulls in mating season…
"Ah… I think I remember now… You're—"
"1st Executive of the Purple Panther Knights, Wilren!" he finished my sentence, "And I'm gonna make sure you get what you deserve! The only place for filthy dogs is the fucking pound after all."
He turned around to show off his Guild logo… Which I did not ask for…
"Right… Actually, it's not ringing a bell…" I replied, I didn't think he heard me though… Who the hell is this guy?
At this time the announcer shot in one last time before we got started, "Ah yes! With this being the first official match, A new rule for this year's Tournament will be in place. A little surprise from the Arcane King himself. At the start of each match a dice will be rolled to determine the landscape and environment of the match!"
Right then, projection screens appeared in each section of the bleachers where the audience were watching. The screens showed nine different locations where the fighters would do battle:
Face one of the dice – a grassy field area, "the Plains"
Face two – a tropical area, "the Jungle"
Face three – an industrial area, "the Factory"
Face four – a desert area, "the Dunes"
Face five – an archaeological area, "the Ruins"
Face six – an island area, "the Beach"
A random dice made of mana appeared in between us and immediately rolled. It was a large dice that could be seen from any view from around the colosseum thanks to the drone birds that reflected it onto the projection screens to the audience as it landed on its number.
It was the number three.
When it landed upright, the dots on the dice glowed and the area around me and the Purple Panthers dude, began to shapeshift. Not knowing what to expect, I stumbled, barely realizing that the ground below me was not throwing me off balance. Wilren stood there watching me the whole time, mocking me as I hopped around with my hands still in my pockets.
Outside of the arena, everything was still the same, but within it… When the arena finished shapeshifting completely, I looked around and we were in a factory setting in the middle of the colosseum. Mechanical beams and pipes decorated the place and the ground we stood on was steel. The pipes blew out steam from random areas all over the place, and where I saw Purple Panthers dude—he seemed ecstatic.
"Would you look at this turn of events… It seems lady luck has my side, this first round!"
As he said this, he extended both his hands, and formed a hand sign. Below him, the metal ground began to contort and morph into weapons of some kind, groaning as it did.
They took shape, and in both his hands he now held large, sharp axes. He swung them around skillfully, concluding his speech, "Now… It's time for you to fall… 'Fake' Black Wolves Captain!"
I stared at him with a magnificent blank expression that could rival Jo's and said,
"Seriously dude… who the fuck are you?"