THE DIVINE ARTIFACTS AS WAGER
"Where is the Bully?" our captain asked but I wasn't there sitting with the team.
"He was never with us right from the beginning", a teammate replied to the captain.
"We should just lay low. This challenge is not meant for us", the captain told the team as they held their heads low, waiting for the ceremony to be over and leave.
"Oriese, come out now", Vlassis shouted again challenging me to appear to face him.
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"Are you really going to ignore the challenges?" Rinna asked me.
"I am still thinking. I am on the losing end if I allow this scum to challenge me without paying the usual wager", I replied to her.
"At what length will these people go to just to challenge you without paying up?" Chash asked me.
"Just bloody fight the scum. You came here for this purpose", Sara told me.
"You are right. I wouldn't uncover the mystery of the potion in the city and the scheme behind it if I don't fall for the scheme", I replied to her.
Suddenly, I shouted out to everyone in the conferment ceremony.
"Which cheapskate wants to challenge me without offering a Billion Aur?" I asked as I leaped onto the stage where Vlassis was.
Even Vlassis was shocked by my entrance, but he had to challenge me, nonetheless.
"I am not cheap", Vlassis protested to me.
"Yes, you are. Cheap", I accused him again.
"There is no rule that says I must come up with a wager to challenge the victors of the Family Competition", Vlassis protested to me.
It was the tradition of the city that powerful and promising members of the families could challenge the champions of the Inter-Family Competition after their victory in friendly competition.
However, there was no rule that the champions of the Inter-Family competition must accept the challenge.
"Cheapskate", I replied to him when suddenly seven of me appeared around Vlassis all of them pointing their fingers at him accusing.
"Cheapskate" "Cheapskate" "Cheapskate" "Cheapskate" "Cheapskate" "Cheapskate" "Cheapskate"
My Malevolent Slaves began chanting at Vlassis for all the families to see and accusing him.
"Our family will provide a suitable wager if you accept Vlassis' challenge", an elder from the Gamanos family shouted out suddenly to me.
My Malevolent Slaves suddenly disappeared before I replied to the elder.
"Don't waste my time, Gamanos, Hermaios, Diabolese and whoever. Bring your wager to me and I'll fight you all at once, provided your wager are acceptable to me", I told the families opposed to me.
"We don't have a billion Aur to wager", one of the families opposed to me replied to me.
"Bring out something worthwhile and I will consider it", I replied to them.
"Bring them out", an elder from one of the clans said as the others looked at each other undecided.
"What the hell are they going to bring out?" Chash asked us.
"Something worthy of a wager maybe. Something that is valuable to them that they could not afford to lose", I replied to him.
While my enemies were undecided about bringing out their wager someone shouted out, "Bring out the bloody artifacts. We won't lose them after the bastard is dead".
My enemy's doubt was finally decided by that statement, and they quickly brought out their wager to fight with me.
"I will wager my Sword of Dominon but you can only take it after you defeat me, if you can defeat me", Prince Vlassis brought out a powerful sword and swung it before me.
A powerful aura permeated the area around the Sword of Dominon as the entire ceremony ground was filled with its threatening magic.
"The Sword of Dominon is a divine weapon of the Gamanos family. The weapon was only used a few times before in epic battles that involved the rise and fall of their family. Why will they bring it out as a wager", someone shouted and asked.
"This fight with the Bully is a matter of life and death for the Gamanos family. If they don't defeat the Bully, they would eventually lose power and prestige in Drachia kingdom", another added.
Defeating me in battle was worth bringing out the Gamanos family's greatest treasure.
"Alright I'll accept the Sword of Dominon as wager. Come out the rest of you with your wager, don't waste my time", I shouted to the others.
Suddenly, another knight rose onto stage carrying a large banner.
"I am Prince Nasos. My Banner of Supremes will be yours if you are still alive after this", Prince Nasos offered his wager before another woman appeared.
The sky over the city suddenly went dark upon the unveiling of the Banner of Supremes. Even heaven was a testament to the might and magic of the artifact.
"Hey, that is another divine artifact", someone shouted out again.
"I am Princess Theoni. Meet my Gauntlet of the Night", Princess Theoni told me.
The princess brought out a gauntlet which caused the day to turn into night, once again becoming an attestation to the artifact's dominating magic.
"And another divine artifact", again somebody else with knowledge spoke from the gallery.
"Anybody else?" I asked but there were no other challengers.
My beef was mainly with the three families of Gamanos, Hermaios and Diabolese.
The other families who don't necessarily like me would not challenge me. They would rather let the three families deal with me without soiling their hands.
"We want the return of our family's properties in Tarah city when we win as your part of the wager", Prince Vlassis shouted back to me.
"Agreed provided you are alive after this", I replied to them.
The three princes and princesses were powerful knights of their respective families, their strongest champions. They were their families' last hope to defeat me to recover their family's properties lost to me earlier, without involving a bloody war with us.
The Family Competition was after all the venue for the families to resolve their disputes, so this was the right place for them to seek recourse from me.
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