"Amazing Maggie. What a battle!"
"Indeed Peter. It was amazing to the very end. Orange Monk fought valiantly, and it is a pity that we probably wouldn't see him again in the Grand Tourney"
Mane nodded at the words of the commentator. Orange Monk looked fine now, but his injuries were grave. Mane could tell from the wound depth that Blue King had shown mercy in the end and hadn't fully pierced the chest of Orange Monk with his blade. It was more like only the tip went in. Plus because of Steel Fist's intervention, Orange Monk's wound wasn't deep. However, the man lost a lot of blood from the wound. Plus the injuries he incurred using that strange technique were probably going to be more problematic to deal with. And that wasn't even the end. Mane didn't ignore the limp arm which was probably due to a shoulder injury. In other words, Orange Monk was going to be out for a long time.
"I wonder if the Orange Team would be able to get someone to replace him" Peter's voice had a trace of concern and pity in it. Right now even if the Orange Team progressed, which looked very likely, they may be handicapped throughout the rest of the Grand Tourney.
"Team Members can be replaced?" Mane was surprised to hear Peter's words.
"Well, technically they can. But it is almost impossible to find a replacement at the level of the warriors that take part in this competition. First and foremost, the replacement must be at the same level as or stronger than the one being replaced. Secondly, the replacement must be younger than the replaced by at least 7 years. Last but not least, the replacement must not be from any of the competing cities" Unsurprisingly Lam, the encyclopedia for all things Grand Tourney, knew the rules for changing a teammate.
"So basically it is impossible for any team to make a change," Mane furrowed his brows after hearing Lam's words and said.
"Yes," Lam replied.
Both of them were smart, and understood that although the Grand Tourney technically allowed one to swap a teammate, realistically speaking it was almost impossible to do so. Each rule was like a powerful barrier that prevented any team from actually being able to recruit new members. Let's analyse them shall we?
The first rule stated that the replacement must be of the same level as or stronger than the replaced. It did seem like the most logical rule, but was it really? Thrashers weren't rare in First Class Cities; and every city that was participating in the Grand Tourney was a First Class City. Lam said earlier on that each team usually comprised of a Predator as the captain, and three Thrashers. But these Thrashers weren't ordinary Thrashers. These were Thrashers at the peak of their level and half a step into the realm of Predators. Although Peak Level Thrashers weren't as rare as Predators, each one of them was a precious resource – a resource capable of becoming more important by breaking into the realm of Predators. And with such importance, came massive responsibilities. There were 8 cities involved, and each of these cities presented 4 teams. That meant each city had to provide 12 Peak Level Thrashers and 4 Predators, which was about 18-20% of any First Class City's forces. This wasn't an easy figure even for First Class Cities who had to watch out for Overflows and hostile cities as well as large bandit forces. So it was difficult to cough up replacements when an already steep price had been paid.
If the first rule was an elastic band that could be easily shredded with the right amount of force, the second rule was like a powerful vice around one's neck that couldn't be easily shaken off. The replacement must be younger than the replaced by at least 7 years. Amongst the members of the Orange and Blue Teams, not a single one was within their 20s. Even the seductive lady from the Orange Team, according to Lam, was in her early forties. She had just kept herself so well that her body aged far slower than it was supposed to. But if one observed her closely, they would be able to see a few lines on her face. This was because it wasn't easy to find a young Thrasher or Predator. An age gap of 7 years wasn't large enough to split generations, but it was enough to determine one's level of strength. Finding someone much younger than Orange Monk with just the same level of power would be very difficult.
The second rule was a powerful vice, but it could be unlocked with the right keys. However, the last rule was like a devastating quick acting toxin with no cure. The replacement mustn't be from any of the competing cities. Where else would one have the power and authority to know all about their citizens if not in one's city? The last rule made it difficult to recruit anyone worthwhile to one's side. After all, how would one be able to find a good replacement from any other place apart from one's city? And to make matters worse, you couldn't even recruit others from the other cities. The 8 First Class Cities came up with this competition as a way to strengthen their ties and improve their relations. After all, not everyone was an ally. They had friendly ties with each other, but weren't on such great terms with other First Class Cities so they wouldn't be able to do any recruitments from there. The lower class cities were no help either. This was because First Class Cities hoarded all the good things and 'stole' away talents from the lower class cities. So it was almost impossible to find someone who was within the specifications of the rules – a genius for that matter– from another city.
"It seems that even if they qualify they would be in trouble," Mane stated, and Lam nodded in agreement.
"Look, Vital Orange is going up next. The last match is about to begin."
Neither Lam nor Mane questioned why Vital Orange was going to fight when he wasn't the next contestant. That was because his reason was clear to all. Orange Monk was injured, and the next person on the list should have been the seductive lady. But she was weaker than Orange Monk, and although Orange Monk had injured Blue King, he was an anomaly. Orange Monk had the power to go against an established High Level Predator like Blue King because Soul-bound made him invincible below the Middle Predator level. The seductive lady didn't have such skills. Sending her next would mean they may very well lose another team member. So Vital Orange did the prudent thing and passed her turn. And although it meant that the scores were now 2-2, a tie, Vital Orange was well rested and unharmed. Moreover, he was also a High Level Predator and was already slightly stronger than Blue King. Now that Blue King was injured, it would be very difficult for him to come out on top in this match.
"Who do you think would win this Maggie?"
"Well, if both competitors were at their peak, I'd argue that it would be difficult to see a winner here. But only one of them is – Vital Orange. So it is more likely that he would win"
"That is very likely indeed. So would Vital Orange kick out the Blue Team, or would the Blue King show his majestic dominance, defy the odds, and take his place in the Semi-finals? Well, we would find out shortly."
Whilst Mane and Lam were watching the Grand Tourney, the owner of the shop, Ivor, was writing a letter. The contents of the letter were surprisingly about Mane. Within the letter Ivor stated that he could feel a powerful source of energy from Mane. But the most surprising thing in the letter was this line:
His presence around the young prince and princess may be dangerous…or it could be a blessing.
He referred to Lam and Lily as prince and princess, the same titles he called them with to which they assumed he was flattering them. But it seemed that he wasn't. Finally, he asked for guidance from the one he was writing the letter for. He then sealed the letter, and tapped the table he wrote on. Space Laws began to revolve around his finger as an area of the table disappeared, and a black hole took its place. Yet that wasn't the most shocking event. A beautiful hand appeared from within the hole with outstretched fingers, and Ivor placed the letter into the hand. Once the letter was delivered, the hand disappeared into the black hole, and the hole sealed up.
"I hope she gives me an answer soon. Thankfully the matches would keep them occupied for a while. That may be more than enough time for me to receive a reply."
Ivor smiled and reclined into his chair.