I was dreaming, riding the high of the clarity that had just hit me in a sudden wave. How could I replicate this feeling over and over again?
Maybe I could ride this high for ages if I just kept going at what I was doing. This fire that was burning inside me couldn't wait to meet my next opponent. Using my grace and finding different applications was something foreign to me. It was like trying a new food and liking it for the first time.
I was paralyzed from the excitement all before Xander put his hand on my shoulder.
"Come on, we've gotta keep it moving. You're gonna need around 20 stars to pass the preliminaries."
I looked at Xander before nodding. Honestly, it should be a piece of cake once I get all my abilities down to pat.
Before I could even tell him about my accomplishment he would proceed to flaunt his own. He showed off 6 stars which he got all while I was trying to finish my battle. He'd smirk before replying to my distraught reaction.
"Your battle took wayy too long Ari, you've gotta do better than that if you're to live up to the title of being a grace candidate. You've gotta end your battles in two moves or less. It'd be cool if you could just stare and end the battles like the Magic Grace Solomon."
I'd just grit my teeth trying to comprehend how I'd win my battles in just two moves.
"Ari one more thing.. You can't use your divergent punch or intangibility technique until the tournament starts. Can't call it training if you're just using all your super-powerful moves right off the bat to win every battle."
However, I hated the fact I had to restrict myself more so than before. On top of not being able to access the vast majority of my assets. I agreed with him reluctantly.
"Fine, but you're forcing my hand here.."
I'd summon my manual to see what I could use for my upcoming battles. A couple of these would kill somebody instantly if I went full force. Xander would peek into my book before a smirk rose on his face.
"Another thing, no killing people. I'd rather these people got back to their families after the tournament. It'd be good to add to your rep as a Grace candidate you know?"
Exclaimed Xander as I continued to grit my teeth a bit more. I couldn't use my sacred arts, kill them, or use my intangibility or divergent punch. I just gotta incapacitate them. Honestly, with how my grace works, there's stuff I can work with. I've just gotta focus on defense, offense, and my stamina.
We'd begin walking to the next booth location which was a mud pit that killed most forms of my mobility. It was controlled by some strange mole creature that was loudly boasting about how he was just swimming in air or water.
I'd walk to the edge of the pit before admitting, I was gonna do a cool wave like Goku before heading off but Xander just kicked me in the ass forcing me into the mud pit.
"YOU'RE AN ASS I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT!.." I had screamed at the top of my lungs while sliding down the pit. I was waving my fist in the air while Xander nonchalantly started hitting on some girl next to him.
As I made it to the bottom of the pit I'd come face to face with the Mole creature. He was a grotesque creature that wore wide goggles to help it see.
"Look what we got here guys.. A simian two-legged troglodyte who doesn't know where she belongs. IN THE KITCHEN MAKING MY FOOD. HAHAHAAAAA.. All surface dwellers are no better than the bugs they claim to be above. You're just some tree-climbing apes who can't tell left from right. VINE-SWINGING MONKEY WHO CAN'T HELP BUT CLING TO STICKS AND THEIR DUNG."
The mole creature would continue to have his dialogue as I tried to blow him up with my mind. It didn't work but it was worth a shot. I'd whipped out my manual all while he continued to go on his rant. I continued to flip through to before coming across a few moves that might help me beat him in two moves or less. Honestly, I couldn't even use most of these since I hadn't trained enough. But there was one that stuck out to me the most.
I'd activate my divergent eyes while mitigating the power so I wasn't putting full strain on my eyes. Learned this via tips from the manual. There are little footnotes in the manual that give me tips on certain things I can do via my grace.
At that precise moment, his assault was starting. He dove into the ground and began maneuvering at an increasingly fast rate. It was like he was an Olympic swimmer roided up on some sort of drug from how fast he was moving underground. He came at me like a torpedo but O dodged it narrowly thanks to my divergent eyes and visual acuity. Since he can't change his direction on where he's about to land I've got to send some sort of punch toward him.
Using the same principle as divergent punch, I'd send a punch into the ground which carried a shockwave with it. It slowly grew with every centimeter traveled slowly growing in size before reaching him.
Though, the mole was able to intercept this and dive deep into the ground before the shockwave could fully hit him. I'd have to call my manual out while watching out for his next move. "But wait just a minute, if I adjust how I apply the technique then it should hit the ugly fucker directly. By adjusting how the waves are diverging if I hit it just right."
I'd reapply how I was focusing my grace and how it was being centered. I'd study how the mole was moving for just a brief moment before hitting the ground once again. With all my force the wave of power would traverse through the sediment diverging from its obstacles only towards the target. It didn't change course nor did it lose power gradually.
The mole would've eventually gotten hit by this shockwave at full force. Once again it bypassed many layers striking him directly to his core. The force behind it caused him to shoot upwards from the ground violently.
I'd smirk as Xander looked surprised by the event which had just transpired. Though it wasn't that shocking if you boil it down to the mole being pretty weak overall.
"I'm honestly so tired after all of that.. having to focus the very smallest detail of my punch just to hit some annoying mole creature. And I've got major dry eye from overusing divergent eye. I can't even wipe my eyes cause my arms are covered in fucking dirt. XANDER GET ME OUT OF HERE."
I'd get pulled from the mud pit before being congratulated on beating the mole, Lester. They handed me a gold star as a few people were cheering for me briefly while Xander went to my side. I'm assuming he's gonna give me a high five for doing so well but that isn't the case.
"Ari! Well, you did pretty well on not using every move in your arsenal to beat canon fodder BUT.. you need to work on immediately gauging your opponent. Your problem lies in just glancing at your opponent and never trying to understand the depths of their abilities. What you're doing is merely checking out the horizon and not what's beyond it. I'm sure it's been your downfall quite a few times. As far as battle prowess goes, you're rather skilled but try to dish out more guaranteed finishers."
He'd mouth all of this off with no regard for how exhausted I was but I still listened anyway since he was like my teacher or something. I'm not fully comprehending our relationship but so far he's my mentor.
"mhmm.."
I mumbled as I nodded in agreement. There wasn't much I could argue about given my current position. Given my agreement, Xander handed me a cup that heavily resembled the fast-food chain plastic cups with the lids and straws you'd get back home in my world. I tried not to bat an eye given how thirsty and exhausted I was so I just gracefully accepted it. Honestly, this was confusing to see but as I looked around every 2-3 people who walked past us had one. Maybe Earth just coined the idea much later than the rest of the known universe.
Xander would've tapped my shoulder while I was immersing myself in the random culture shock I was having.
"Okay Ari look, you've got two gold stars right now. You're gonna want to get 7-8 more before calling it a day. Mainly cause I wanna push you as hard as possible but.. for things to work out smoothly. You're gonna wanna get these stars quickly.
Xander explained that to me while I just stared at him blankly.
"Okay, works for me," I uttered with no real conflicting interest. He knew what was best at the moment so I'm not gonna blatantly go against it. We'd make our way to the next booth shortly afterward.
"Forgot to mention this but, you're going to need 10 platinum stars, and 10 gold stars for proper qualification."
"Huh.." I muttered out of confusion
"Yeah.. so I forgot up until now. But, conveniently, I remembered before we went on a frenzy of just collecting stars we honestly didn't need. 1 platinum star is worth 2 gold stars so realistically, you could enter the tournament with 15 platinum stars or 30 gold stars. This allows a split in skill to enter the tournament where you either had people of high level only go for platinum stars right off the bat or people like you who had to grind for 10 gold stars and hope and pray that platinum stars come easy for you." Xander explained this to me and gave extra emphasis to certain moments in his explanation while giving me blatant eye contact during those few moments. I couldn't help but feel like he was trying to shit on me but I've got nothing to fight back against it.
"Alright dickhead, so why don't we just go straight for platinum stars right away and thundercunt our way straight into the tournament," I asked blatantly given the tone he gave me prior. He'd respond giving no real reaction to my insults or foul language and simply smiled while lifting his finger.
"Well um actually! you'd need 5 gold stars regardless so we can't just force our way in. It's essentially a rite of passage. Plus getting platinum stars is much harder than getting gold ones. Compared to just fighting randoms in a random booth, the skill gap is much greater." Xander explained this to me trying to convey how my understanding of the tournament was still infantile compared to his. I just decided at that point to only ask the necessary questions.
He'd go on to explain that the platinum star holders are trained gladiators as part of the committee which keeps this tournament going tri-annually. They're leagues above the regular Gold Star holders who sign up just days before the festival starts with little prior training or testing for how valid they were as proctors. The main thing that makes the festival worthwhile is how the platinum star holders weed out anyone unnecessary. People who simply aren't strong enough to beat them will just not be allowed to go any further. It was a conundrum which honestly didn't stump me much but given the restrictions Xander has placed, it might be difficult.
Though, I don't mind cause that just makes what I'm doing that much more spectacular.
We'd make our way to what seems to have been a stoic swordsman full of honor and pride. He glistened among the many passersby who reeked of piss and shit. He unsheathed his massive sword which alone caused a massive gust of wind to blow past everybody.
"Oooo, Ari look at that. I don't know if I could do that with a sword." Xander wooed the swordsmen for his skill and strength but I wasn't impressed.
I thought back to my days as a Hansman where just using my abilities I could split small mountains with just the swing of my Excalibur. Tis a shame I haven't had the chance to regain my previous abilities but I'll get them once again. I need them to fulfill my goal. To keep my promise most importantly.
But I'll admit, through the loss of my main source of strength I've gained power in areas I never thought to have been capable of using. I've faked and utilized magic and Chordata as a crutch for power never actually working on my genuine strength. So this has been humbling, to say the least.
I'm a bit.. rusty.
I shot a loogie before getting near the swordsmen. It didn't go very far but it had some speed to it which mattered to me. I'd register for the match before approaching the swordsmen in the designated arena. A bell rang as we both stared each other down.
He dashed towards me immediately! At an alarming speed, he'd go in for a single slash to end things instantly. It was in that split second I activated my Divergent eyes to anticipate the trajectory of the swordsmen to evade quickly enough. He'd be caught off guard at how I avoided his attack only for him to see me shifting into a stance I made up.
I had my palm up slightly while my legs were spread apart, feet planted firmly into the ground as I took a deep breath. I pivoted my body just slightly where my right palm was in front of me and my left was at my side slightly behind me.
The swordsmen dashed at me once again, I would then use Divergent for my next move. I sent a concentrated punch into his gut, aimed at his solar plexus. It's a bundle of nerves which would serve to cripple him if this made it full contact.
He smirked as his dash was merely slowed down by my punch, it prevented him from swinging his sword but he didn't fret too much.
"hmph... I should've known better. You're just a girl, after all, you dodging my first slash was a fluke." He exclaimed this proudly while smirking. It was after this he'd reel himself back for a mighty slash towards me.
"After all, you've got no weapons, no armor.. and no prior skill in comba-"
Spit was drooling from his mouth as his eyes receded to the back of his head. He was going into a state of shock, his whole body trembled momentarily. It took a moment but a shockwave was emitted from his body thus sending him flying into a pile of rubble.
The punch I had sent initially was curated to bypass his armor, hitting him directly at his solar plexus. Thanks to the divergent, it was able to do so. I looked towards Xander briefly for some quick validation given the match didn't take much longer than a minute. He raised his hand giving a peace sign gesture.
"Alright. You did pretty well this time. I would count you getting into that stance as 3 but I'll leave it out for now." He said this with a smile on his face, it was him showing that he was a tiny bit proud of my growth.
I breezed through my last two gold stars with Xander watching them to make sure I abided by his set conditions. Those last two matches let me get the hang of my grace just a bit more, I can chain a lot of different abilities together to create a whole new technique out of it. I never imagined my grace to be super versatile like how it is. Xander explained that the abilities of your grace are only limited to your mind's comprehension, as it grows so will your grace.
I can only imagine how strong some grace candidate who's devoted himself to nothing but enlightenment is.
"Ari you know, against most people and probably even me. You'd be an extremely formidable opponent but alas I'd still win. Don't take it too seriously, think of it as a compliment given I would just have to stare away most of my problems. You'd be one I'd have to get a little bit serious for."
Xander granted me some praise which I appreciated but still held a few doubts.
"Thanks but.. after the bobblehead incident I'd rather not. I like having my limbs proportionately accurate to how I'm supposed to be." I said this as shivers went down my spine at the thought of me being at the receiving end of his grace.
Xander would just laugh it off while slapping his knee. I cringed just a tiny but it was funny to see. Almost contagious if anything. I'd eventually laugh with him given the situation. It felt nice and warm to be able to share this with him. If anything, I felt safe when I was with him.
In the midst of us laughing I'd take a long look at him, it was strange I hadn't felt safe or okay with anyone in a long time. I honestly don't remember anything regarding me feeling comfortable with anyone but myself for as long as I can remember. Feels as though something Is missing from me, a swelling hole that has been impeding on me for quite some time. I'm not sure how to put this but with Xander, the depth of that hole slowly goes away.
We'd eventually make it to our first platinum star proctor. It was here everything we had been working for would come to fruition. He was located along the rim of the Coliseum. What was neat about this location was that only people with more than 5 gold stars could be here. It was a large pathway with very few people traveling on it. This allowed us to travel at a pace we were comfortable at.
We'd glance at the other gladiators which were spaced around the rim of the coliseum as well. Something I saw that was similar among all of them was that they held the same strength as a Hansmen. They were almost equal as far as battle prowess goes. This was a bit alarming given I couldn't use my sacred arts, and I was restricted as it was. But almost as if he was sensing my uncertainty, Xander placed his hand on my shoulder before telling me something.
"As an incentive for these last three matches, you're allowed to use your sacred arts and maybe.. just maybe kill them. It's not preferred but if it comes to that." Xander said this as a bit of concern washed over his voice. I stopped him before he said anything else.
"Look, it's fine. I don't think it'll come to that but I'll just turn down the incentive. Let's just see how far I've come thus far." I said this confidently before ringing the bell to fight. It was then I felt their murderous intent ringing alongside the bell. Their power rose even more so than what I had sensed. I never learn from my mistakes honestly. The sheer might of their power screamed at me, I couldn't falter, however. I refused to do so.
It was comparable to walking in the middle of a storm, that first step made all the difference. The proctor of the platinum star would clear through throat slowly before drawing their sword.
"Brave one, do you wish to consent to this battle." uttered the proctor who held a deep tone in their voice. Each word they spoke held a great magnitude of weight.
"Sure, what's the worst that could happen.." I regretfully spoke no more than a second later while activating my divergent eyes to gauge and predict his next move. We both circled each other, feeling out the flow of battle and how things would go.
It was then after several cycles we'd both stop. We'd had gained a good understanding of each other and how we'd act going forward. With that in mind, I decided to deviate completely by going dirty. I crouched down to pick up a few rocks. I shifted them around in my hand before barreling them towards the proctor.
However, without wasting even a single bit of energy the proctor would've perfectly sliced through every rock in half. To his surprise I was still a fair distance away, I was merely testing the waters of who I was fighting. He gave me a sharp glare implying he wished to end things.
I merely gestured for him to hurry up and come at me. I smirked at this though.
He'd take this seriously and dashed towards me at a quick pace. Anticipating this I shifted my body to the right harshly. He looked at me puzzled as I went virtually nowhere, but as he got closer it occurred to him that my fist was already several inches in his face.
He got sent flying just a bit but ate the punch and stood stoicly trying to anticipate the next thing I had planned. Some blood dripped from his face as a result of the punch which shocked him. He kept his composure, however.
I'm surprised my heavy right didn't knock him out completely but that's what I get for underestimating a hansmen level threat. I looked towards Xander and gestured towards him if I could get more than two moves to win. Reluctantly he said sure.
With this, I'd circle the proctor once more. It was then I began to fade away from everyone's sight, not even the proctor knew what to do at this point. He looked around and swung randomly at places he thought I'd be but remained clueless. Their breathing got slightly ragged as they helplessly tried to figure out where I was. I reappeared at their backside before kicking the back of the knee to completely shut down the leg all before elbowing them in the back.
I used Divergent to make these small impacts hit deep into their body, right at the joint. The shock alone caused him to tumble onto his knees dropping his sword impulsively.
I'd instantly aim for his sword to take control of it while he was down. mere moments after grabbing the sword, I had it at his neck. With no real way to resist or fight back, he had given up at this point. I'd help him up promptly afterward while wiping sweat off my forehead.
"You've truly bested me, your techniques are unlike anything I've seen before. They truly hit me at my core unlike anything else I've experienced. I'd hate to fight you at your full power. If I'm being completely truthful with you madam... I was frightened at the moment you touched the bell." The proctor said this profoundly and genuinely with a relieved smile on his face. He caught me off guard as every other match treated their loss as just some unlucky incident.
"It's nothing really..heh.." I chuckled slightly before he handed me my platinum star. He simply smiled before sending me off.
I'd head back to Xander slowly as he'd be cheering and wooing me in the distance like an overexcited soccer mom.
"YEAHH ARIELLA!! THAT'S MY GIRL! LETS KEEP IT MOVING YEAHHH.." He yelled this indiscriminately and proudly without paying attention to everyone else nearby. I just smiled and giggled as it made me feel pretty good about myself. My ears and cheeks would turn a bit red at the comments.
We'd keep it moving from this point onward.
In the midst of us moving to our next proctor was someone who stood alone in the crowd. What looked like to be a giant among many. This was Ironic given their size was completely normal. I looked at Xander who had a distraught and utterly terrified look on his face. It was like he saw his worst nightmare coming to life. Seemingly enough, he hoped what he was seeing was just a dream. His overwhelming intensity simply and naturally made everything veer away from him.
We both simultaneously heard a sonic boom which easily surpassed the sound and strength of the dragons we rode. The boom was on a completely different level as from within, the same proctor we were heading towards came hurling towards us at a rapidly increasing velocity.
Xander being quick on his feet was able to scale down the magnitude of his velocity and his rate of travel allowing him to catch him in midair without anyone getting hurt.
Xander grits his teeth as he knows exactly who's booms those were, there was nothing like it in all of the realms. Throughout all of space and time, only one being was capable of such feats.
Ardere Astrea
"BAHAHAHA THESE WEAK FLAMES ARE THE PROCTORS??.. HAS THE COMMITTEE FINALLY GONE SOFT CAUSE THIS IS A JOKE. JUST HAVE ME AS THE PROCTOR GUYS... COME ON.. AT THAT POINT, WE WON'T HAVE ANY WEAKLINGS WEASEL THROUGH THE TOURNAMENT THE SAME WAY THEY DO EVERY FUCKING TIME. this used to be a respected tournament you know, respected by me. NOW IT'S A FUCKING SHIT SHOW WITH HOW MANY WEAKLINGS COME HERE WITH HOPES TO MAKE IT BIG. THIS IS A GRAND AND AWE-INVOKING PLACE, HOW CAN YOU IMAGINE ANYONE COMING HERE IF ITS ALL JUST WEAKLIN-" Ardere had just yelled at the top of his lungs only to stop abruptly. He started sniffing around as something seemed familiar to him. A smile crept up on his face. It'd slowly reveal his impedingly sharp teeth.
"MY KIN IS NEARBY..Another candidate of grace has decided to join us on this FINE OCCASION." Ardere would scream this as he could feel it deep within his body. His body was tingling, little tiny pops were going off at the very ends of his hair. A super boom could've been heard as Ardere immediately disappeared. To our surprise he was right there before us, in front of Xander. He towered over Xander who was 6'2, this made Ardere 7'6-7'8 easily.
Just one look at him and I learned everything I needed to know. My first and last impression of him was "BANG!"