I kinda just typed the last part so this is going to be rough.
Chapter 12
Shower
~Aaron~
My headache had returned, not really helping my mood. The three of us sat in our room waiting for the agonizing hour to pass. Gray stepped out again and Gret…
The door opened and we all looked up to see Sean standing there, “How’s -.”
“Gret’s fine,” said Sean interrupting me, we all sighed, “Don’t worry the people who run the tournament don’t want their fighters dying on them after a good fight. Our best healers are working on him now, by the end of the day he’ll be as good as new, except maybe for a nasty scar.”
“I don’t think he will mind,” I said relieved. That was a terrifying fight; Gret didn’t have the will to fight at all. Then suddenly something changed, there was a look in his eyes and he did some of the best fighting I ever saw him do. But everything changed again, there was the second knife, I don’t think anyone knew he had it except for Gray who mentioned it earlier. The image of Gret’s stomach impaled gave me shudders; I really thought he was going to die.
“Thanks for telling us,” I said to Sean.
“Thank me by winning the tournament,” he said, “Gret looked pretty sorry for losing.”
“Could you tell him he was great and we’ll win the next ones for him?” Brand said.
“So I’m the messenger boy now?” said Sean, one eyebrow rising.
We went quiet, Sean laughed, “I’m joking, I really don’t mind. I really should be doing something,” he started out the door, “See ya, I sure hope your luck holds.”
The door closed and Rook huffed and mumbled something along the lines of, “How much money do you think he’ll ask for when we get the prize money?”
Brand and I ignored him, “One down, for more to go,” said Brand.
“Hopefully just three more,” I said.
“That’s if Luecor is the last person we have to fight,” said Rood.
“Hey now I think you’re selling us short,” objected Brand, “I’d bet me or Aaron could take him.
Rook rolled his eyes, “I’m just being realistic, Luecor isn’t called unbeatable for nothing. I’d say the only person who could maybe take him is Aaron; he’s the most experienced out of all of us.”
“Stop it, I’m not all that,” I said.
Rook shook his head, “Now that’s selling you short, we didn’t get all this way on just luck.”
“So we agree that we’ve got a pretty good chance of winning,” I said, eager to shift the conversation away from me.
“All of us have a decent amount of experience except maybe for one of us,” Rook looked at us knowingly.
“Gray?” asked Brand, “Hasn’t he been doing a good job?”
“Against some thugs yeah, but against Luecor he’d be slaughtered,” said Rook.
I nodded, agreeing, “So we’ll be good as long as Gray doesn’t go against Luecor.”
“What about me?” we all jumped surprised and turned around. Standing at the doorway was Luecor. “Hello there,” he said smiling; up close I could see that he had golden blonde hair and sky blue eyes. His nose was perfect, showing no signs of ever being broken, his skin smooth and unblemished. He could only be described as perfect, a little too perfect in my opinion. His mail and clothing were expensive-looking and the sheath of his sword elaborate and adorned with gems. I wouldn’t have minded these things if he didn’t have that smile on his face. It was as if he were looking down on us, as if he were smiling at something without intelligence. At once I thought, I don’t like this guy.
“No need to be so stiff,” Luecor said laughing, “I’m just here for a good fight same as you.”
“Why are you here?” I asked bluntly.
“Didn’t I just say?” said Luecor.
“Oh just get it out,” said Rook.
Luecor looked around the room, “I was just looking for someone. Have you seen Viela?”
I don’t know a Viela,” I said.
Luecor examined my face for a moment then shrugged, “I must have the wrong room.” Without a goodbye he left softly closing the door.
“That was weird,” said Brand, “Why would the great warrior Luecor be looking for some girl named Viela in our room?”
“I’ve heard that name before…” muttered Rook thinking.
“I don’t like him,” I said frankly.
Brand looked at me surprised then he crossed his arms, “Then I don’t like him,” he said.
Rook and I looked at him eyebrows raised, “What?” he said defensively, “If someone as nice and tenderhearted as Aaron doesn’t like him then Luecor sure as hell deserves it.”
Rook laughed, “Tenderhearted Aaron!” he raised his voice a few octaves and did and impression of Princess Hellina, “Oh Aaron! You are such a pure hearted hero!”
I sighed, “I feel mocked.” Brand was not laughing and his face was serious, “You aren’t being mocked Aaron, every word is pure truth.” Brand couldn’t hold it in after that, he burst out laughing and Rook joined him.
“Oh shut up,” I said chucking my pillow at Rook.
~Rook~
I was in the arena walking toward the Excruciate’s Hig. How did I get there? The announcer had called my name, I walked up the stairs, blah, blah, blah, really explaining it all would be tedious and boring.
Moving on… so I was walking toward this moron Hig who was carrying this overly tall spear. He was a magic-user; I could tell from his grey hairs he knew how to use the very essence of his life for energy which was not an amateur skill. But I could also tell he used that ability a little too much from the amount of grey.
I noticed as I walked toward him that the gravel in the middle of the arena was dyed blue making a giant blue ring covering about half of the surface area of the pitch. As soon as we stepped inside the circle the announcer’s voice blared in my ears. He explained that the rules had changed for this round, in order to win we had to stay in the ring; the first person to step out lost. I looked around; staying inside of it wouldn’t be too hard; there was enough room to fight with just half of the amount of space. “READY!” I leaned on my staff, yawning; the announcer took too long to scream two words. Finally, “BEGIN!” There was a roar and I moved just in time before a large flaming rock about half the size of me crashed down right where I was standing. I cursed; meteors were not on my list of wanted obstacles. I looked behind me; I quickly walked forward seeing I was only a few steps away from the ring. Too late I remembered Hig, I was nearly skewered by the spear that he lunged at me. Spinning around I used my staff and lunged at him, he turned and faced me and our weapons collided. As soon as they touched Hig’s magic froze my staff at where it met. He spun his spear to hit the point again and break it there, acting swiftly I used my magic to melt the ice. For a few milliseconds blue flames enveloped my staff, when his spear hit they were gone and so was the ice. Another roar came and we quickly split just before another meteor came crashing down. I realized suddenly that I couldn’t hear the crowd, which really helped; their screams weren’t encouraging, just downright annoying. Jumping over the rock I swung my staff at Hig, he blocked it and I pushed it to the ground and kicked at him. My foot seemed to accidentally miss him; Hig pulled his spear out from under my staff and stabbed at me. I bent back in half and hoarsely cursed; my back wasn’t the same as it used to be. Thinking that I might as well I bent all the way until my hands touched the ground then I kicked off, my legs going from behind me to in front of me, kicking Hig’s spear out of his hands in the process. I stood up rubbing my poor back and Hig scrambled around for his spear. A meteor streaked by and I just leaned to the side, missing it by inches, I used a bit of magic to sooth my spine (just a bit, I wasn’t an expert at medical magic).
Hig swiped at me with his spear and I blocked it with my staff hitting just below the spearhead. He swung again and I blocked, I swung and he blocked, again and again. Suddenly he turned his spear the right way and my staff was twisted out of my hands. He swung his spear down at me and I raised my arm blocking right below the blade with my arm-band, damn, I thought, that’s going to be a bruise. I flung my arm, pushing the spear to the side at the same time there was another roar, using the distraction I turned and retrieved my staff. There was the sound of gravel shifting behind me and I turned and brought my staff up just in time before Hig slashed me open. Crack went the wood as our weapons hit, mine hitting his on the same place for the third time, right under the spearhead. Another meteor crashed down, Really?! I wanted to yell at the crowd, the meteors were bad enough but now they were making them fall even more. Hig lunged at me; I lunged too and at the right time hit under place the spearhead again and Hig stared in shock as it broke off. He looked at the tip of what was now a staff and saw that it was frosty.
“It was a good idea,” I said not sounding very sorry, “too bad you don’t know how to pace yourself.”
Angrily, probably because it was a nice staff, Hig swung at me and we began to spar, staff against staff. I got in a few hits to his shins, he pushed me back, all and all I think I was the better, if not for the meteors. As meteor after meteor fell I found myself getting more and more aggravated. I was tired of all the dodging and running and jumping; I just wanted to fight and get the stupid tournament over. But, with every flaming rock, Hig got another chance, and my annoyance mounted. Now you have to understand, the energy used for magic can either come from the energy you have at that moment or the energy that sustains you, and keeps you alive. Thought the latter was far more powerful, it had side effects like grey hair from the advanced aging and eventually took your life. The other was weak but it’s strength changed with your physical state. At that time I was getting very angry and so my magic energy was increasing, directed at the rocks. After one meteor came particularly close to my face and singed half of my beard off I cracked.
I knocked Hig’s staff to the side, knocking it out of his hands, “That’s it!” I screamed up at the crows, “I sick of these damn rocks!” as if the magic users in the tournament were answering me I heard the roar of another meteor heading straight for me. Hig, seeing that I lost it decided this was the best time to attack me from behind. I saw and heard him and it did not help me with my mood, the meteor meanwhile was hurtling right at me. “Enough with this-,” unfortunately I’m not allowed to put exactly what I said but using my staff I directed my magic to the meteor and using a great deal of energy I flung the rock at Hig. It would have killed him if he hadn’t used his magic as a shield, but still it wasn’t enough; the meteor hit the ground right in front of him but the force of it broke his staff and launched him across the arena. He landed on his back and didn’t get up.
My energy drained I staggered back a few paces. The sound of the audience returned along with the announcer. “Ladies and gentleman!” I leaned on my staff, breathing heavily, “We have a winner!” finally, I thought, my fight was over, “Hig of the Excruciates!” My head dropped down, I stood a few steps behind the blue ring.
What I said next was dirty even for a sailor.
