After the medics carefully escorted the hurt Aden into the medical tents, the mess was cleaned up. Yet the spot where the body had landed was still cracked, a grim reminder of what happened.
"I hope he will be okay," Leodore said, staring at the crack in the ground.
"But holy light. If I have to fight someone like that..." Leodore sighed.
"Hm, Dax is definitely not someone who you want to anger. In fact, it's probably a good idea to say away from him entirely," Emerick yawned after stretching.
Berteram let out a frustrated breath. "At least he didn't kill the man. But Dax is someone to keep an eye on, he's known to be vengeful."
"Do you reckon House Blanaco will take revenge?" Leodore said with a raised brow.
"Perhaps, Dax Warbraid might be extremely strong, but he's the last of his house. This means no one would protect him in cases like that. Under ordinary circumstances," Berteram responded with uncertainty in his voice.
"I reckon soldiers like him would be protected by certain people, no?" Emerick chimed in.
"People who want to use his power," Leodore chimed in.
Berteram gave a terse nod to that before adding, "Unfortunately so."
"Ladies and gentlemen, let us move on to our next fight." The announcer once again spoke up, but his voice still had a twinge of uneasiness in it.
"In our next fight, we have the representative of the house Giles! Betha Giles, with a record of 13 wins and 0 losses, this young lady has been winning tournies for a while now and is definitely worth keeping an eye on!"
House Giles was known in Acoptia as skilled archers for generations. Instead of teaching the sword to their young, they spent most of their time learning archery and its nuances. Betha was no exception, Leodore had met her three years ago in a small tourney hosted by Lord Anthony Giles himself, a well-known archer, who had served in many of wars for the Human Kingdom. Back then Betha impressed the young Prince when she defeated Sir Girard Stagwan, a well-experienced knight, with a single arrow. She wasn't much older than Leo, 20 at the time, but her composure and calm attitude left a lasting impression, she wasn't like most nobles, ladies, or even warriors. After the tourney wrapped up, she asked to dance with Leodore, which came as a surprise.
"Why do you have that shit-eating grin, prince?" Leodore's thoughts were interrupted by Emerick's laugh.
"It's nothing," Leodore tried to say assertively but his eyes wandered to the ground.
"Aha, to be young and in love," Lauremont quipped. "Don't fear young prince, your secret is safe with me."
Berteram cracked a smile and raised his eyebrows questioningly. Leodore shook his head at that with a defeated sigh.
The right side gate opened and Betha stepped out. Her long black hair went below her shoulders complimenting her slender figure. Her face was calm, but concentration was apparent in her piercing hazel eyes, the scar on her left cheek reminded Leodore that Betha wasn't a simple Lady and rather a warrior. She wore tight black leather armor, which exaggerated her toned body and her curves.
In her hand, Betha Giles carried a bow. The bow seemed to be made out of silver with golden accents and a few gems carefully placed, creating a sleek and elegant design. Her quiver was fixed to her side and hung on her thigh.
"Old man, is it true what they say? That a Giles family member can hit a target that moves as fast as lightning?" Leodore quized.
Berteram nodded, before responding nonchalantly, "Seen it happen. Anthony and Rebecca Giles are both incredible to witness and incredibly dangerous if you are to fight them."
Leodore pondered that for a moment, such skill would be invaluable during a war, but it did make the Prince dissapointed in his own level of archery.
"Introducing her opponent! Part of the prestigious Crownsguard and a record of 34 wins and 3 losses! Dusk Sternwind!" The announcer called out.
The crowd cheered as the gate opened and the man stepped out. To be one of the Crownsguard was a big honor, chosen by the King himself they were considered some of the best and most well known knights in Acoptia. Dusk Sternwind was no diffrent, he often rode with Arnet, one of his more loyal dogs. Often mimicking his Commander of Crownsguard Arnet Lionheart. Leodore supposed it was to get on the good side of the powerful family. Dusk Sternwind was 32 years old, his chin covered in a beard, but the rest of it had been shaven off, ontop of his head sat the helmet of the Crownsguard's fancy armor that he wore with pride. Dusk was a tall man, at least a head taller than the young Prince. Despite all of this he was known as pretty simple-minded and was often the butt of the joke.
Sternwind walked out with his hand clasping the handle of his sheathed longsword. He walked with confidence a sly smile plastered on his face, poking out of the helmet.
"A girl, that's a shame. But a battleground is no place for a woman, so I won't hold back," Dusk said, loudly and clearly.
"Good, I wouldn't want to hurt a defenseless old man," Betha responded, her face and eyes remained unchanged.
"Get ready combatants!" The announcer spoke up.
"3! 2! 1! Go!"
And so the battle was on its way. Betha immediately jumped backward a few times, wasting no time as she did - grabbing an arrow and drawing it. Meanwhile, Dusk drew his longsword and sprinted towards the archeress. Coating her arrow in vibrant white mana, she released her string. Sternwind who had been running in a straight line froze in place as the arrow zipped towards him. Realizing this, he quickly willed slight red mana into his blade, holding it so the flat of his blade would block the arrow. Yet when the arrow and the sword met, it seemed to surprise the man with the force, as he slid back a meter or two. The arrow slid past the blade, its course now altered but still hit the upper part of Sternwind's helmet launching it off his head.
"A close call, if he hadn't blocked it in time it would have been over already," Leo smiled as he spoke, seeing such skill of archery was rare.
Dusk who still wore a face of slight shock shook his head before continuing his sprint towards his opponent, but now he was cautiously sidestepping every few meters. Seemingly unimpressed Betha readied another arrow, her eyes narrowed in concentration. This arrow was however different, having carvings on it, indicating that it had sealed properties. Once again running mana enveloped the arrow and Betha released it. As it barreled towards the constantly sidestepping knight, the arrow multiplied into four arrows, placed masterfully so Dusk couldn't sidestep either way or block all of them at once. Dusk cursed loudly swinging his sword at the arrow going for his throat, shattering it as the other three arrows pierced both of his shoulders and torso.
The crowd gasped, many of them probably didn't understand how Betha had achieved that. Leodore knew from experience that much like various artifacts and weapons arrows too could hold special properties. This was achieved by using parts of magical beasts or rune magic, making the arrow have properties of the beast in question or desired magical property. These abilities activated after using mana focus on them, but it required skill to use and time when the effect would take place.
Dusk groaned painfully, blood seeped out of the three wounds plaguing him. Then after seemingly thinking what to do for a moment, he grabbed the arrows one by one pulling them out. The blood started rushing out of the wounds faster, but as they hadn't hit anything crucial, it seemed that Sternwind wasn't in any immediate danger.
"Curse you, wench!" Dusk wailed out.
Betha shrugged at this drawing yet another arrow. Her lips curved into a smile.
"Say, do you have any last words Dusk Sternwind?" she spoke.
"Shut your mouth, you good for nothing wh-" the man responded with venom, but he was stopped in his tracks by an arrow flying toward him.
He snorted and launched forward with bloodshot eyes. Dropping low at the last moment the arrow missed him by a hair. Betha's eyes dilated slightly at this as the man jumped right in front of her, finally closing the distance between them as he had been trying. He furiously swung his sword at Betha, who used her metal bow to quickly parry the strike. The blow almost made her lose her footing, but she had no time to dwell on it as Dusk again swung his blade, but this time Betha Giles had been expecting it. Ducking under the strike she pivoted around Dusk Sternwind, whose sword cut the wall of the arena leaving a large cut on it. Promptly drawing an arrow, Betha slid back a few steps before releasing it. Dusk who had finally turned around to face the archeress was once again met with a flying arrow. Bringing his sword overhead he slashed down, cutting the arrow just in the nick of time, yet as the arrow split they suddenly burst into flames. This was followed by a large fiery explosion, enveloping the knight.
Betha smiled raising her hand in victory, before speaking, "It was fun while it lasted I suppose."
After the explosion wavered, it was clear to see Dusk was beyond the state to fight, he laid on the ground, covered in debris and small burns.
"And the winner of this battle is Betha Giles! With a record of 14 wins now," the announcer chimed in.
The spectators who had been speechless up until the announcement, burst into the usual applause. Leodore too clapped with a smile.
"I got to see Duck get his ass kicked and Betha win. It's a good day," Leodore chuckled.
Berteram snorted with laughter, before adding, "Crownsguard is a shadow of its former self, with guys like Dusk in it. A joke."
Betha looked around the spectators as she walked out of the arena and Leodore's eyes met with her's. She smiled and gave him a small wave before leaving.
With the first round coming closer to the end, so was the day. It was afternoon now, which meant that the finals would probably end up happening under the darkness of the night. Leodore sighed as he wondered if he will get any sleep today, but he knew deep down that this in a way was better - a distraction from the thoughts of his mother that would be haunting him right now if not for the tournament.
A few minutes passed after Dusk Sternwind limped out of the arena and the preparations for the next battle were made.
"Ahem, I fear I have some unfortunate news. The next fight will take place as planned however the battle afterward has been canceled as Zachary Forepeak has fallen ill, meaning Zon moves on to the next stage of the tournament," the announcer explained.
"With that out of the way let's move on to the planned fight! On your right ladies and gentlemen, we have Gawen Fogwhirl! The man who is one of the most expierenced men in Acoptia. With a record of 73 wins and 21 losses! Give it up the legendary senior Knight!"
Gawen Fogwhirl walked out to cheers and admiration from the crowd, many of them had grown up watching Gawen battle. This gave him quite a legendary status and despite never being the greatest or most skilled warrior, his battles still carried an aura of importance. The 68-year-old knight wore golden armor adorned with intricate designs made out of silver. His grey beard was to his chest, but the rest of his face was hidden behind a helm. Even at his age Gawen was an imposing man, at least 184 cm tall and broad shoulders, his sword matched him - an old and weathered greatsword almost as large as him.
"On your left! The famed "Spear of The Silver Bridge" Maucolyn Pyrevale! With a record of 23 wins 1 loss! Give it up to this hero ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer croaked out.
Spear of The Silver Bridge was a title given to Maucolyn after the Battle of The Silver Bridge during the Long War of Acoptia. The war that lasted from age 10202 to 10310, for more than a hundred years the Human Kingdom and the Demon Kingdom fought with numerous casualties on both sides. In these hundred years, kids were born and died in wartime, the same war that Berteram made his name in. The Battle of The Silver Bridge took place in 10305 on The Silver Bridge - the crossing of the Golden River which you need to pass to get to the Human Kingdom - where 5000 demon soldiers tried to pass the bridge to aid the invading demon forces against the human army. But the King had sent Maucolyn Pyrevale along with 200 men to guard the bridge as they had been expecting enemy reinforcements. Maucolyn along with his men protected the bridge for two days and two nights, repeling any attempts to pass the bridge or the river itself. The demon soldiers were eventually forced to retreat as they started to run out of supplies. Maucolyn Pyrevale who lead the defenders and stood in the frontlines of the wall was named "Spear of The Silver Bridge" for his contributions.
The man walked out into the light. A modest silver armor covered his body, in his hand, he masterfully spun a spear. Maucolyn looked to be about 175 cm tall, with an average in shape build. The silver helmet that hid his face was adorned with a crest of black and red feathers - these feathers belonged to Pyrescourge, a mythical beast that happens to be the symbol of the Pyrevale house.
Maucolyn Pyrevale stopped, facing his opponent. "It will be a great honor to fight you, Sir."
"As it should," Gawen Fogwhirl snarkily responded.
Maucolyn seemed to ignore the disrespect and bowed slightly, before grasping his spear with both hands, getting in his fighting stance. Gawen did the very same, unsheathing his greatsword, placing the blade on his shoulder.
"3! 2! 1! Go!" The announcer called out.
Both Gawen and Maucolyn rushed forward fearlessly. Gawen swung his giant blade down as he did, while Maucolyn thrust his spear at his enemy. Both men enveloped their weapons in mana, Maucoly - vibrant brown color and Gawen - vibrant aqua color. The sword narrowly missed Maucolyn as he pivoted last second, jabbing his spear at Fogwhirls face. But the old man moved his head to the side, avoiding the strike, before lifting his sword again, just in time to block another attack. Then again he swung his greatsword at Pyrevale who nimbly slid backward, leaning back just enough to avoid the blade.
The spectators cheered at this intense duel. While Leodore intensely stared, he already noticed that Maucolyn had a quite large edge in speed but also seemed to be the smarter fighter. With minimal strikes, he had forced Gawen to swing wildly to gain separation. The young Prince nodded to himself, trying to absorb as much as he could from the battle.
Gawen Fogwhirl used the moment of separation to once again launch an attack. This time he feinted a sideways stroke, before bringing the sword overhand and bringing it down quickly, however, Maucolyn seemed to be a step ahead, as he parried the overhand strike, deflecting it off course and quickly sidestepped. This lead to Gawen once again completely missing and before he could reposition himself, Maucolyn advanced and struck at his face. The tip of the spear sliced the man's face as he tried to move his head out of the way of the thrust.
A cut just above his beard opened and blood started pouring out. Leodore figured that with so much blood the cut must be deep.
Gawen retreated out of range, he cursed before regaining his composure.
"This is just a simple cut, no more!" Gawen exclaimed, readying his sword.
Maucolyn scoffed as he spun his spear with precision. Then he shot toward Gawen and unleashed an assault of numerous strikes. Fogwhirl ready for such an ordeal was blocking and parrying all of the strikes, yet with each jab and stab blocked he took a step back. As Maucolyn thrust his spear at breakneck speeds, it was becoming clear that he had begun to overwhelm the elder knight. Small nicks and cuts started to appear on Gawen's armor as he tried to block and counter the assaulting Pyrevale. Yet every sword swing was dodged and ducked by Maucolyn. Suddenly Maucolyn feinted another strike at the knight's chest but quickly changed course, instead stabbing Fogwhirl's thigh.
With a desperate shout of anguish, Gawen almost fell as he tried to stay upright, but Maucolyn continued his attack. Jabbing and feinting with his spear. Gawen had been still blocking, however, as he tried to take a step back he almost crumbled from his injured leg. The spear pierced Gawen's shoulder and the old man groaned in pain, dropping to one knee.
"It was an honor old man. But it's over, concede now as I wish no more harm on you," Maucolyn spoke calmly with compassion.
"You take me for a coward and pity me? You dare! I will not stain my honor as a Knight!" Gawen spat out, rising to his feet once again.
"So be it, Sir," Maucolyn responded.
Fogwhirl gripped his greatsword tightly and let out a rage-filled outcry. He swung his sword at his opponent, this time the strike was much quicker with his whole being behind it. But Maucolyn jumped back and as he did he launched his spear at the injured knight and as the sword missed the spear pierced Gawen's chest. Fogwhirl looked down at his chest and spat out blood, before he fell over, defeated.
Maucolyn rushed over to the fallen knight and kneeled next to him. "Get the healers here at once! I do not wish to murder this man."
"He will be healed Sir, they are already on their way. Ladies and Gentlemen, Maucolyn Pyrevale is your winner!" The announcer exclaimed.