Akashi's Will

by Kaden Reed

  “As done in years past, the team that wins the championship will win the trophy for their home Dungeon for the entire year,” the elderly man started bouncing around and waving his arms over his head, “and with the trophy comes the Champion’s Tribute! As tradition states, all other Dungeons give a portion of their earnings as tribute to the nation of the champion Dungeon. This tribute can be either with various runestones, gold or both.”

  Marty and I shared a glance with huge grins on our faces, “that would be so amazing,” we shouted in unison.

  The champion’s tribute was the reason why Ashon was so powerful when compared to the other two nations. Since they had four Dungeons, they win more often than they lose. While the Champion’s Tribute was no small thing, the two larger nations had multiple Dungeons, so they were able to absorb most of the financial drain without any real hardship. However, with only one Dungeon, Glasden has continued to lag behind our neighbors in conveniences. With only a middling inner-city tram network for public transport, a barely passable university and only basic government services able to be supplied to their citizens, Glasden is sneered at by the other nations. The massive influx of wealth from the richer nations would be a huge boon for our tiny nation.

  “Okay, so I have totally skipped the rule changes and plunged right into the prizes,” the elderly man stopped bouncing around and drew himself up straight and looked directly into the picture, “but this is serious business. This year, when every member on your team dies, you are out of the running. Everything is now single elimination. Although, as long as a single member from a team is still alive, they are still in the competition!”

  “Sure, if a team loses any members and are unable to be resurrected during the match, that team will have to try to survive until their teammates are naturally reborn by their Dungeon,” the elderly man cringed slightly at the picture, “though competing with such a handicap at this level of skill must be nearly impossible.”

  Marty threw a small bag in my lap, “I bought some for you too.”

  I opened the bag and took out a small red berry that was dusted with sugar and popped it into my mouth and nodded my thanks to him.

  Out of focus shapes started moving onto the sand behind Leo on the picture, “looks like they are getting started down there! Let’s join Sara on the floor and see what she can find.”

  The picture shifted to a young, very attractive woman dressed in a black floor length dress that hugged her curves, “thank you Leo,” she said with a slight purr in her voice.

  Marty gasped, “Sara is the finest woman I have ever seen. This is it, I’m officially in love. I’ll let you know when we are going to announce our wedding date,” he said while clutching the bag of candied berries to his chest and rocking back in place on his cushions.

  “Yeah, you and about every other man in the world,” I chuckled at my friends’ antics. Unlike most of the guys around my age, Marty puts his feelings out there plainly. Even though it gets him into trouble with almost every lady that can be considered even remotely attractive, I have to admit, I still really admired him for it.

  Sara half turned and pointed back to the contestants starting to step on to the sand, “as you can see, we are about to get started here. I’ll see if I can get any quick remarks from some of the contestants before the ceremonies begin.”

  Touching the arm of a tall man with an exceptionally lean physique and ebony skin, Sara asked, “your highness, please can we have a word?”

  “That’s Vorpal, the elvish prince,” I said with a distinct level of awe in my voice, which wasn’t embarrassing, mainly because he wasn’t physically here to witness my devotion.

  Vorpal looked down at Sara’s hand on his arm with a slight frown on his face, “if you must. What is it you want?”

  “We all know this is your eighteenth League of Dungeons Championship appearance, however, can you please tell our viewers at home what it means to you Khanri, to have the rules changed so suddenly,” Sara asked while looking up to him.

  Vorpal appeared to be thinking about his response for a long time before he answered Sara, who had just started to shift nervously as the delayed response became overly awkward, “my bound brothers and I, are very pleased about the changes. Now everyone only has the one chance to prove they are the best. If they lose, there is no second chance. It only will be the best-of-the-best that will be able to secure victory for their Dungeon. As it should be.”

  Appearing relieved at Vorpal’s words, Sara bowed her head and dipped her hips in a deep curtsy, “thank you for answering our question, your highness.”

  Vorpal nodded his head slightly and walked off the picture. Sara rose when he had passed and began scanning the nearby contestants again. Waving her hands, she called at one, “Mud, please come and give me a moment of your time!”

  A man about half a yard taller than Sara came into view, “Sara you fox, you can have all the time you want,” he boomed.

  “Such a flirt, as always Mud,” Sara chuckled and rested her hand on his forearm, “everyone is dying to know, does the Amorak Dungeon have anything special planned for today’s matches?”

  “Come on Sara,” Mud’s face split into a grin, “you know I can’t tell you anything about what we have planned. You will have to just wait and see.”

  “Of course, Mud,” Sara responded while trailing her fingers up and down his forearm, “I just can’t wait to see you in action today.”

  The sound of a gong being struck rung out over the contestants on the arena floor. Sara looked up at Mud with a smile on her face, “okay Mud, go and win this one for our home Dungeon. You can take me out around the town.”

  Chuckling, Mud started walking off the picture, “with a date with you now on the line, you can count on it Sara,” he boomed over his shoulder.

  Sara watched him walk away for a few seconds then turned back to the picture, “looks like the official opening ceremonies for the Championship will be starting in just a few short minutes. I’ll go over today’s schedule, so you know what is coming up.”

  “After the opening ceremonies, the first round of battles between the semifinalists will begin. Today we have the four teams that managed to win all of their matches last week,” Sara said while smiling into the picture, “the two winners of their matches today will then go on to compete in the grand finals!”

  “There will be only a short break of about an hour between the semifinals and the grand finals, so it is unlikely that any casualties will have enough time to be reborn before the next match resumes,” Sara straightened her posture and stared into the picture, “with the new rules, the contestants today must come up with a strategy that will not only win their matches but do it without losing any members of their team. The winners of the grand finals could potentially be decided in the semifinals simply by making a single mistake.”

  I looked over at Marty and shrugged but his eyes were glued to the picture on the wall, a hand full of berries frozen in transit half-way to his face. We both knew exactly what Sara was talking about, last week there were major upsets when teams of heavy favorites made a single mistake and incurred a casualty. From that point on, it was a simple matter of attrition, three against two definitely doesn’t favor the two. The new rules were no joke. It was really hard seeing your favorite teams get torn apart, but it also made us fans a lot more invested in how well they did in their matches.

  On the picture Sara started walking towards the contestants behind her, “it looks like the League of Dungeons Commissioner Raymond Delavos is ready. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say this year.”

  The picture changed to include a large stage that was flanked by gray stone pillars with a lit brazier on either side. An empty podium was framed in the middle of the stage and a man that appeared to be in his twilight years, but still strong and vibrant, walked up to the podium.

  “You will have to forgive me a moment,” he said smiling at the crowd, while searching the pockets of his business suit, “I
think I misplaced my speech - ah, there it is,” he took out a thin piece of paper and waved it at the crowd, “good! I was beginning to think I would have to cancel this year’s final.” He paused to let the laughter and jeers from the onlookers subside.

  “I doubt that any of you have missed the announcement but for the few people who live under rocks, like the Amorak supporters,” he held his hand next to his mouth and stage whispered the last part at the fans. When the laughter subsided, he threw his hands up and yelled, “Welcome to the four hundredth League of Dungeons Championship!” The picture changed to show shots of the crowd going wild. Some of the fans were dressed up in costumes and holding signs that cheered on their favorite teams.

  “In the last four hundred years, we have watched our bravest and our best pit themselves against other teams to compete for fame and glory,” he waved his hands to encompass the crowd, “the same competitors today are just representatives of the hundreds of Khanri from their respective Dungeons. All of whom fight and die every day, so we may have prosperity. So the world may have peace.”

  He reverently continued, “the Khanri provide us with the runestones that power the lights in our homes and streets, the stones that heal the sick and wounded in our hospitals, the stones that provide heat and running water in our homes. Without these stones, this competition wouldn’t be able to be runecast into the homes of the hundreds of thousands of citizens, that couldn’t attend this competition. Every advancement that has made our existence that much more enjoyable is because of those Khanri,” he threw up both of his arms wide to encompass the whole crowd.

  “Our civilization, as we know it, comes from the relationship we have formed with the Dungeons,” the Commissioner’s voice pitched low and solemn, “we owe everything to the few of us that are strong enough to bare that burden and are willing to sacrifice their lives every day, for their fellow citizens – for us,” he paused for a few heartbeats to allow the crowd to digest his words, “it is with that in mind, that I dedicate the four hundredth League of Dungeons Championship to all of the Khanri that endure the hardships, so we will never have too!” as the crowd erupted in their fervor, I felt a wave of pride and gratitude rise within me.

  Running a hand over my eyes Marty called from next to me, “are you crying?”

  “No! I got dust in my eye or something,” I said defensively while glancing at him and saw his huge grin aimed in my direction, “shut up!”

  “I just can’t wait until we have passed our Trials,” my voice trailed off by the end.

  “It’s a sure thing Afton,” Marty spoke with confidence beside me, “all I’ve heard is the desire to be a Khanri supersedes any special abilities. You have to really want it. That my friend, is why we can consider it a foregone conclusion. There is no one else here in the city of Glasden that desires it more than we do.”

  I listened to his speech for what must have been the thousandth time, but it did calm me down a little bit. Although, I don’t think I will ever truly relax until after we get through the Khanri Trials tomorrow.

  On the picture the Commissioner stepped down from the podium and exited the stage. When Sara came back on, I heard Marty sigh in contentment next to me, “yep, totally going to marry her.”

  Chuckling at my friend, I listened as Sara said, “it looks like the first match will start soon! Now to bring you all up to speed with the teams I will be joined by our analyst, Larry.”

  The picture split in the middle and Sara was joined on the display by a middle-aged man, “thank you Sara.”

  “Larry, after the fights we saw yesterday, which teams do you think are the favorites to win the semifinals and move onto the grand final?” Sara asked Larry.

  “Based on what we saw yesterday, I am leaning towards the Kairos team with their fire based magic and front-line fighting style to win against the Amorak’s earth based magic and furthermore, I would count them as the heavy favorite to win the whole thing,” Larry continued, deep wrinkles across his forehead forming while he reviewed his pages of notes, “I also think the team from Selanora will be advancing to the grand finals in the second match against the team from Akashi. Although, if the Akashi team wins instead, it could make for an explosive combination against the Kairos team in the grand finals.”

  “Team Akashi!” Marty and I yelled in unison at the analysts’ announcement. “I bet they are going to wipe the floor with the Selanora team. There is no way the Trinity will lose to those Selanora slugs,” Marty said while bouncing on his cushion. Marty and I exchanged high fives after pronouncing our undying support of our favorite team.

  I threw my empty bag of snacks at Marty, “hey it's time for round two! I know you have more goodies hidden around here.”

  Marty made a face at me before getting up and yelled to me over his shoulder while running into the pantry for more candied fruit. I could hear the sounds of pans being shifted and the odd crash from what must have been a stack of canned vegetables falling on the floor, from the pantry.

  Marty came padding back into the room with a couple of small sacks and a jug slung under one arm, “I’ve been saving these for a special occasion. Here, grab some before I drop them.”

  Untangling one of the sacks out of his arms, I reached in and pulled out a handful of hard candy and dried fruit pieces. Marty dropped the jug into my lap. With a confused expression on my face, I pulled the cork out of the mouth and immediately gagged at the eye stinging vapors that assaulted me, “wow, okay, I think I just got drunk from the fumes. What is this stuff?”

  Marty started laughing, “last night when I told Brig that we were selected for the Trials he plunked that jug on the table and said,” Marty puffed out his chest and dropped his voice into a low baritone in imitation of Brig, “take it from a retired Khanri boy, if you want to do the Trials properly, you need to be roaring drunk,’ and then he just walked off. I haven’t seen the old loon since.”

  Chuckling about his run-in with old man Brig, I sniffed the contents in the jug again and felt my eyes go a little cross-eyed, “I can’t do it. This stuff must be pure alcohol. It will probably kill me,” I made to hand the jug back to Marty.

  He held out his hands in refusal, “dude, you know the rules. You pulled the cork, so you have to take the first drink. Its tradition!”

  Sighing in apprehension, “fine but just a sip,” looking down at the jug in my hands like it was full of poison, I tentatively raised it up and my face made an involuntary grimace as I took a quick gulp of the contents. Wheezing multiple epithets about the questionable validity of Marty’s birth, I hung my head and started gasping for air to cool the fire running down my throat, “that is some of the worst stuff I’ve ever had. What in the stars is Brig doing with something like that?”

  Laughing heartily, Marty reached out and I handed the jug to him. Without hesitating he raised it up to his mouth and took a long slow pull. I stared at him in amazed horror as he kept sucking it down without coming up for air. When he eventually did put the jug down, he stared into my eyes, let rip with a long burp and then said in a cocky voice, “you sir, are welcome.”

  Shaking my head ruefully, “when you are in unimaginable pain during the Trials tomorrow, I’ll be there to witness it and help you reflect on all of the poor life decisions that lead you to that point.”

  Marty’s eyes were already starting to get a little clouded over, “sure man, whatever you say. All I know is that when they figure out that I am so damn amazing that I passed the Khanri Trials while I was plastered, they will put me on the fast track for greatness!”

  “Marty, come on down from the clouds. The only ‘fast track’ you will be put on, is the one leading out of the Dungeon,” I laughed at my friend’s antics, “besides, old man Brig was adamant that there were no special programs for new Khanri. The only thing he ever talked about were the class archetypes.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I was there,” he leaned back on his cushion and started waving his hands in the air above him dismissively, “but t
here has to be way more to it than that.”

  “You know how secretive the whole thing is,” I looked back to the picture being displayed on the wall, “hey, it looks like they are about to wrap up the commentary and get started on the first match.”

  Larry was talking to Sara, “-after the action we saw yesterday, I'm sure we are going to see some potential upsets in today's matches.”

  “It definitely won’t be something to miss,” Sara commented while looking directly into the picture, “I just heard word that the first semifinal match between the heavy favorites, Kairos, versus the underdogs, Amorak, is almost ready to begin. Let’s go down to the announcers that will be providing the play-by-play commentary for our viewers.”

  The picture changed to display two men that appeared to be identical twins in their early thirties, “thank you Sara and Larry. I’m Bill,” the first said.

  “And I’m Bob,” the second chimed in next to Bill.

  “We are the B and B twins from the Rolos Dungeon, and we will be announcing the matches today,” Bill finished.

  Bob looked at Bill, “it’s a little disappointing that the team from Rolos was eliminated in last week’s matches.”

  “The Rolos team was strong but losing two members in their first match against Kairos sealed their defeat when the single member left standing had to take on the Selanora team by herself,” Bill looked back at the picture, “as our viewers must know by now, the rule change that prohibits allowing additional time for the resurrection of fallen team members has upset the balance of all the teams in the championship.”

  “That is right Bill,” Bob looked into the picture with a grin on his face, “so hold onto your seats fans. Today’s matches are sure to be fantastic!”

  Bill made small gestures with his hands while talking into the picture, “today is going to be vicious. It will be bloody. It will be awesome!”