by Andrew Rowe
That was unfortunate, but I’d still be able to earn one medallion simply by placing high enough to earn it from Iron directly. “Okay. And the sixth round?”
“Ten thousand golden imperials, a title of “Lord” in the Edrian court, and a chance to fight the current wielder of Diamantine.”
“I’d have preferred another item from the vault over the gold, but I suppose just getting a chance to claim Diamantine is good enough.”
Iron laughed. “Of course, dear. Just make sure you don’t assume your victory ahead of time. There will be competitors in this tournament with abilities that can scarcely be believed.”
“That sounds like my kind of fun.” I grinned. “Okay, jumping back a subject. Can we keep points between rounds and save up for larger prizes?”
“Yes, and that is exactly the strategy that most young combatants use. They plan to save their points for the last round, or perhaps to purchase a single powerful item. There are advantages to this, but most people cannot handle the difficulty of subsequent rounds without the benefits that points can provide. You may think of it as being expected that you will spend points to buy advantages for each challenge, and you are at a serious disadvantage if you do not.”
I nodded at that. “What sort of round-specific challenges are we talking about?”
“For example, a challenge may involve traversing a volcanic area filled with fire monsters. If you pay in advance for a ‘Minor Advantage’, you might be given a handful of potions of fire resistance before the match begins. If you pay for a ‘Major Advantage’, you may be given a permanent magical item that provides continuous fire resistance. An ‘Extreme Advantage’ might offer you both, and in addition, also allow you to start at a safer location.”
Reika snarled. “I don’t like it. That sounds unfair.”
“If everyone has the chance to purchase these things, it is fair, is it not?” Iron chuckled. “In reality, few can afford them, so the truth is that you were right — it is not fair. It is, however, something that has an element of strategy to it. If you learn the general nature of each test in advance, you can strategize about which tests you are most likely to need these advantages for.”
That actually sounded sort of fun. I wasn’t big on long-term strategy — Lydia, Wrynn, and Jonan were always the strategically minded ones among my traveling companions — but if I thought of this as being more like a long-term war game, I could see the appeal.
I leaned down and ruffled Reika’s hair. “Won’t be so bad. We probably won’t need many of those advantages.”
“Everyone thinks that,” Iron warned us. “But if you insist on relying mostly on your own skill, I would advise you to use your points on equipment.”
I nodded. It was tempting to save my points for a large item, just as she’d mentioned, but we were near the beginning of the competition. If I picked up an item that could help earn points more rapidly, it might pay for itself in the long run.
There was, of course, the problem of items that I carried having a short life-span. I’d have to make sure anything I personally purchased had a high degree of durability.
...And that reminded me of something. I pulled the gauntlet out of my belt-pouch. “Any idea what this is?”
“Not in the slightest. But the prize counter will identify it for you for a small fee in points.”
I grumbled at the “points” part, but Reika was giving me a more interested look.
“Ooh, is that the thing from the treasure box you mentioned?”
“Yep. Found it after defeating a big monster.”
“Ooooooh. Tell me more later.”
I smiled. “Sure. We can trade stories at the hotel tonight.”
Iron interjected quickly. “There is no need for you to stay at a hotel. I will provide you with housing for the duration of the contest.”
Reika’s expression sank. “...But...dragon cave room.”
“We were staying at a themed hotel,” I rapidly explained. I didn’t think explaining that Reika was an actual dragon this soon was wise.
“Ah. I believe I know the one. Amusing place, but expensive. You will stay here instead. We have housing on the top floor. You will find the rooms less grand than at a hotel, but quite suitable for continuing your training.”
Reika still looked a little saddened by the loss of the cave, but determined. “Very well, grandma. We’ll do as you say.”
“For the moment, you should seek out the prize counter and retrieve your things from your hotel. By the time you return, my other students will have finished their tests, and we will see how many of them are worth introducing to you.” She gave a sideways glance toward the training room nearby. It wasn’t a dismissive look, in spite of what she might have sounded like. She was nervous.
“I’ll look forward to meeting them all.” I reached down, and Reika grabbed my hand instinctively. I helped her up. “We’ll be back soon.”
***
We went back to our hotel, retrieved our few goods, and checked out before doing anything else. This was largely because it was irritating and neither of us wanted to do it, so we wanted it out of the way as quickly as possible.
While we handled that, we traded stories about our time in the preliminaries. I emphasized the unfairness of the behemoth not having any crystals, and Reika wouldn’t stop teasing me about how I’d obliterated the nope box.
“I can’t believe you just obliterated the thing. What if there was treasure inside? And don’t you usually avoid using that disintegration stuff, because of the side effects and all that?”
I frowned at that. “...Yeah. It can be difficult at times, but usually, I’m pretty good about using the aura — especially when I have my sword sheathed.”
“What’s so difficult about it? Can’t you just avoid casting any disintegration spells or whatever?”
“It’s not quite like that.” I shook my head. “Using that particular power…it’s not like casting a spell for me. I mean, I can do it consciously if I want to, but sometimes it’s more like a reflex action. It’s like…you’re right-handed, right?”
“Sure.” Reika nodded.
“I am, too. Holding back the annihilating aura when the Dominion Breaker is drawn is like trying to fight with just my left hand. If I’m not paying attention, I’ll instinctively use my right hand for things, even when I’m trying to stick with my left. Keeping my sword’s disintegration aura in check is the same way — I had to actively train myself to hold it in check. I acclimated to it over time, and it’s gotten easier…but the safest route in the past was always just to keep the sword sheathed. That no longer solves the problem.”
I took a breath. “My body is making that annihilating essence on its own now, even when the sword is sheathed. It takes an active effort to hold it back. I’m basically fighting using my left hand all the time, just to stop myself from using it. Does that make sense?”
“Sure. I’ve found myself shapeshifting in a fight without really thinking about it, especially in terms of making scales to protect myself. But why would your using your sword’s mana be instinctive like that? I know you’ve been bonded to it for a long time, but…does it have some kind of compulsion effect on you that makes you want to use it? Like a cursed blade that gradually breaks the mind of its wielder to feed its never-ending bloodthirst?”
I winced at that comparison. “I…don’t think it’s quite that bad. I don’t feel compelled to kill anyone. Just, uh, maybe break some things.”
That seems unlikely.
Reika chimed in before I had a chance to reply to Dawn. “Hm. If the sword is influencing your mind, maybe you should do some training to work around that.”
I winced. “I have. For years. Admittedly, the aura being present all the time
is a newish problem, but…those mistakes in the arena shouldn’t have happened. I can’t remember the last time I slipped up like that.”
She snorted. “Guess you’ve gotta work on holding back when you’re scared.”
I wasn’t scared. Except maybe with the box, and that was more like startled.
Don’t laugh at me.
But she had accidentally brought my attention to something — I’d used my disintegration aura in the arena without worrying about it in the slightest. That was strange.
Normally, when I felt the urge to wreak havoc with my power, I’d remember nearly destroying my family home as a child. I’d remember the day when I’d crippled Arkhen, one of my closest friends, during training. I’d remember my nightmarish visions of the bodies of my friends cut apart in Velthryn, slain by my own hand.
Those terrible thoughts and memories hadn’t come to me in the arena at all. It took a comment from Dawn to get me to realize why.
The teasing was just the same as usual, but it did get me thinking about what wasn’t the same. I wasn’t as afraid of using my aura as I should have been, and upon consideration, I realized Dawn probably was the reason why.
Or, more specifically, the glowing three-circle mark on my right hand.
Ever since I’d formed my bond with Dawnbringer, my mind had been clearer. Sharper. The most obvious effect was on my speed and focus, which had noticeably improved. But I also felt calmer and more collected in general. I’d joked that my “heart felt lighter”, but there was a truth to that.
I didn’t feel as stressed or worried in general, and that meant that I wasn’t constantly agonizing about the chances of hurting someone with my abilities.
...That was both good and bad.
With Dawn’s power flowing through me, I was much less likely to hesitate to use all the tools at my disposal. I was operating on instinct more easily, without pausing to consider the consequences. That would make me a more efficient fighter, but my fear of hurting someone with my aura wasn’t entirely irrational. If I ignored it entirely, there was a very good chance I’d hurt someone with it during the tournament.
I didn’t know what to think about that. I certainly wasn’t going to cut my bond with Dawn off because of such a small potential problem, but now that I was aware of it, I’d have to be a little more conscious of the potential dangers. Perhaps I’d need to find a more automatic way of limiting my destructive power, like one of the seals the Spirit Crystal had suggested, but I didn’t really like the idea of limiting myself.
It was something I’d have several days to think about before the next match, so I tried not to worry about it too much.
Reika continued telling her own story. She hadn’t found any items, but she had managed to knock out two entire teams of six contestants, and that had been the largest source of her crystals.
I perked up when she mentioned one particularly interesting part. “After handling those guys, I found another entire group, but someone else had gotten to them first. They were encased in green crystal up to their necks. Do you know what that means?”
I shook my head. “A construction sorcerer?”
“No, no. I mean, maybe yes, but more specific! That’s the Green Guardian’s signature move, Keras! We’re going up against the Green Guardian!”
I tilted my head to the side. “Isn’t that a fictional character?”
“Pfft, no way. They say he’s based on a true story.”
I groaned. “Ninety percent of your books say that.”
“Obviously. Most of them are accurate.” She nodded to herself.
I didn’t feel like it was worth arguing. Weirdly, the Blackstone Assassin books actually were based on a true story, so I wasn’t really in any position to argue. Maybe this Green Guardian was someone who actually existed, either because the books were based on him, or because someone had decided to copy the books. “I didn’t read those. Remind me about them?”
“They’re mostly from comics.”
“Comics?”
“They’re these art things in newspapers, where they have a series of panels depicting a story.”
I frowned. “Like pictographs?”
“No, no. Entire art pieces.”
“Huh.” I’d seen some newspapers in her cave, but they’d been really worn out and hard to read. The conditions inside the cave weren’t great for things that didn’t have solid covers. “That must be a lot of work. And very expensive.”
I’d seen art books before, but nothing like a comic strip. We had printing presses back home, but they couldn’t duplicate works of art easily — just text. I didn’t find out until later that Kaldwyn used mana-based imaging to create copies of images and print duplicates. I’d seen mirrors that could copy images back home — Jonan was always carrying them around — but I wasn’t aware of anyone using that for literature.
“Don’t know anything about the costs of making it. But the newspapers are cheap, and the Green Guardian is really popular. I’ve even heard a few people in the city talking about him.”
I nodded. “Okay. So, what can he do?”
“Well, he’s a masked hero of justice who fights crime in secret. He wears a glowing green suit of armor.”
“That seems...impractical.”
She shrugged. “It’s probably easier to stay hidden since he can fly.”
“That would help, yes.” I still remained deeply skeptical of the idea of being stealthy in glowing armor, but not every element of the story had to be true. “And he encases people in crystal?”
“Yup! Only criminals, of course. And, uh, apparently tournament contestants.”
“They were probably criminal tournament contestants,” I offered.
I was joking, but Reika readily agreed. “Of course! That makes sense.”
I sighed. “Okay. What else?”
“Um, let’s see... Flight, super strength, telepathy, telekinesis, energy blasts...oh, and invincibility.”
I gave her a dubious expression. “Invincibility.”
“Yeah, he’s totally invincible.”
“You didn’t think to mention that first?”
She shrugged. “Invincibility is kind of boring.”
“Fair enough.” I agreed. “And inaccurate.”
“Inaccurate?”
I grinned. “Invincible is just a word for someone I haven’t fought yet.”
***
Once we got back to the floating island around the arena, it didn’t take us much longer to find the prize counter. There were a few people in line ahead of us, but not a lot.
Fortunately, the attendants at the counter spoke Valian.
Reika and I showed them our identification sigils, and they used some sort of device behind the counter to authenticate them and determine our remaining point totals. Once again, I marveled at Edrian technology — although in retrospect, I suspect the device was made by a Valian Enchanter.
The similarities to your mana watch haven’t escaped me, Corin.
Anyway, rewards!
The attendant at the counter gave us a brief overview. “Purchasing a minor advantage for the next round is fifty points. A major advantage is one hundred points. There are no extreme advantages available for the next round.”
“And what do the advantages include?” Reika asked.
“You won’t know until you’re about to head inside. When your sigil is checked right before the match, you’ll be given any rewards due to you.”
Reika wrinkled her nose in distaste. I agreed with her sentiment. “How are we supposed to know how useful they are, then?”
“The advantages are hand-selected by the tournament’s award committee based on prior experience with similar challenges. They are designed to offer a larger advantage than a direct purchase with a similar point value,” the attendant explained. “For example, let’s say hypothetical
ly a test involves an underwater area.”
I drew in a breath. I did not like the idea of a swimming challenge.
No, my only weakness is swords talking when I’m trying to listen to someone else.
“A water breathing potion purchased in advance might cost fifty points. The small advantage reward might give you three potions for a smaller point value, and the large reward might be an item you can wear that provides water breathing constantly. Such an item would be worth several hundred points, making the large advantage very efficient.”
“Hm.” Reika folded her arms. “That does sound useful...but I still don’t like it.”
“If you prefer to select an item yourself, we have a wide variety.” The attendant handed her a sheet of paper. “This is a list of the items currently available. The list will change as the tournament progresses.”
“Is there somewhere we can just take a look at the items, like a shop?” I asked.
“No, the point rewards are not on display due to security precautions. If you choose to purchase an item with points, it will be delivered to you at check-in for your next match, just like the advantages would be.”
I groaned. “That makes it hard to judge the quality of swords and armor.”
“Our rewards are of the highest quality, I assure you. But I apologize for the inconvenience. There are a broad variety of non-weapon and armor goods available if you prefer.”
I nodded. “Fair. Thanks for the info. Can we take some time to think about this?”
“Please go ahead. You may each keep a copy of the reward list and return at any time up to one day before the next test begins.”
“Okay, thanks!” Reika took the list and we got out of the way for other customers to come forward.
I got a copy of the list in Valian, so I didn’t have to ask Reika to read me each item.
We went and found a restaurant nearby to sit, eat, and discuss the list. We knew Grandmother Iron was going to start providing us with food, but we still weren’t comfortable making all our decisions in front of her.
The list was impressive. It went on for multiple pages, and it had dozens if not hundreds of items. I honestly don’t even remember everything on it, but I’ll try to summarize some of the stuff I was thinking about.