by Sarah Lin
Theo nodded. "Good point. Nauda, do you think we're likely to sustain heavy injuries? I was thinking that we could try to alternate so that everyone has more weeks to recover, but I realized I don't know the terms. Individual matches? Fighting until surrender, or first blood?"
"No defeat terms were stated aside from leaving the ring, but they would not approve of heavy injuries." Nauda tapped her fingers against her tray, food forgotten as she considered strategy. "Each individual can only compete once each match, to prevent a team from only fielding their strongest members. But there are tactical questions when it comes to the order we go out... yes, there's a great deal to think about."
Fortunately, their group was more than up to the task. As they discussed potential strategies and which other teams were likely to be a major threat, Theo found himself relaxing. He might not work with Fiyu and Nauda in the long term, but for now, he was content to stand with them.
In just two days, they would all be tested.
~ ~ ~
On his first journey through the Nine Worlds, Theo had participated in countless battles and high stakes tournaments. Time and time again, he or an ally had come through at the last second, everything aligning just right. Now that he thought back to it without the lens of nostalgia, he found himself wondering if those events had been manipulated in some way.
In any case, he made no genius breakthroughs in the day before the competition: his soulhome was more stable, but just a dull container for cantae. Rather than risk further damage on anything drastic, he simply accepted that he wasn't going to win and determined to do the best he could for his allies.
As the time of the match drew close, he found Nauda seated on a bench in the lower courtyard, twisting her hands around her staff. He was surprised just how anxious she seemed and hesitated for a time. Most Tatians weren't troubled by too many worries, and she'd never struck him as particularly competitive. Yet here she was, as if today was the most important day of her life.
"Is everything alright?" he asked as he approached. Nauda flinched at first, but smiled when she recognized him.
"Don't mind me. Nothing but trivial concerns before the match, small problems like the fact that Trathis has abandoned us. He's joined another group."
"Maybe we shouldn't have antagonized him." Theo sat down on the bench beside her, patting her shoulder to move beyond concerns of blame. "I didn't realize that it was possible to change teams. Aren't we supposed to be families?"
"The instructors weren't happy, but they permitted him to join one of the smaller groups."
"Then we're down one soulcrafter. Does that put us at a disadvantage?"
Nauda smiled grimly. "It's actually an advantage in the short term. When I asked about groups with different numbers of members, they said that the team with fewer is allowed to use someone twice. So unless we're exhausting ourselves, we might be able to count on an additional victory."
"I assume you're going to send Fiyu out twice... unless you mean yourself? Is anyone on the team allowed to fight?"
"Archcrafters aren't permitted to participate, but yes, I can. I will attempt to face the other team's leader whenever possible, and if we have extra matches, I could likely win one. Today we're set against Mogi's team, so I expect us to win the majority of the matches."
Theo blinked, racking his brain for the name and coming up with nothing. "I don't think I know who that is."
Nauda gave him an odd smile. "I'm not surprised. You may not behave like Fiyu, but you're remarkably oblivious to people, and I don't simply mean by Tatian standards. Mogi is a Farmguard from the far Westlands. He's strong himself, but not a good teacher, so his group is relatively unremarkable. Mostly standard Farmguard blueprints."
That might be unremarkable for her, but Theo wasn't sure how he would fare. Most of them had begun with at least a little training as soulcrafters, and three months of steady training as a Farmguard wasn't trivial. If he recalled the blueprint correctly, there would be chambers dedicated to increasing strength, stamina, and speed, making them superhuman by non-soulcrafter standards.
"Umm..." The quiet voice from the side drew their attention and they discovered Fiyu shuffling up the stairs, her hood lowered. "I thought... I should wear it for the first time, since everyone will be looking..."
As she drew closer, she drew back her hood and Theo understood: the improvised mask had been replaced. Instead she wore a band of dark crystal that molded to her face, covering her eyes, forehead, and the bridge of her nose. He wasn't sure how it was affixed, as the bands disappeared into her hair, but it had the feel of a soulbonded armament, which meant it likely connected to her defensive window. Though he could almost imagine that he saw her eyes through the crystal, intricate patterns across the surface obscured her face underneath.
"So that's why you were visiting Navim?" Not really a question, but he asked it so that she would have something to easily answer. Fiyu immediately smiled at the name and nodded.
"Yes, Navim is very kind. I wanted to speak more with him, but there are always so many people entering his room..." Her smile faded and she cocked her head toward the arena. "There are so many people watching... I am confident in my soulcrafting, but having them all looking at me..."
"You'll be fine." Nauda stepped up to her, speaking warmly as she contained herself from making contact. "I'm sure you'll win your fights today and help us take the match."
"But everyone will be judging my appearance, and I don't know what to do with that... I went to a pool at night to look at myself. I think... I look strange in the daylight. Moonlight is much more natural. I don't... know if I have the wrong appearance, somehow."
Though Theo wasn't sure exactly how to reassure her, Nauda seemed happy to take the lead. "You don't need to worry, Fiyu. Everything is fine as it is... but if you're concerned about making a good impression, we could do something with your hair. You have beautiful hair, but it isn't shown very well, tied up like that."
"Really?" Fiyu reached up and unbound her hair, which fell messily around her shoulders. It quickly became clear that she was only accustomed to dealing with it a specific way, and Nauda kept starting to help and then pulling back to respect her personal space. At that rate, it was going to take them forever just to get it into a part.
Not interested in such fumbling, and not useful when it came to hair in any case, Theo looked away. Fortunately, several others arrived soon, including Kuber. The young man carried a ceremonial stick, the type a village leader might hold on Tatian except that it contained powerful cantae bound within. He couldn't judge just how powerful it might be, as it was all tightly sealed inside.
"Jake." Kuber jerked his head to the side to ask him to come away from the others, so he followed until the other man explained. "It's too late for the match today, but no one else will help me. I want to use this armament, but the Farmguards say that it's impossible."
"Let me see it." Theo tried to take the stick, but the other man kept it at a distance, just presenting it for him to look. "Obviously an armament, and it feels like a soul-bound weapon, but what is it?"
"It was a gift from my grandmother, an heirloom of our family. They say that it's... an Archcrafter armament. A powerful one that's been soulcrafted for generations."
Theo's eyebrows rose despite himself. That explained why Kuber was so desperate to reach Archcrafter, especially if the armament was truly something special. But even if they'd had more time... "I'm afraid the Farmguards are probably right. Is there a way to activate it only partially?"
"None of them asked that... but no, I don't think so." Kuber lowered the stick angrily. "This is everything I've been working toward. Without it, I'm just an ordinary soulcrafter. Surely there's some unusual blueprint that can allow me to use it..."
"Not a good one. It would be just like the Archcrafter sublime material: the pressure from it would destroy your soulhome. Here is what I'd recommend: devote an entire chamber to this, just as an ordinary short staff. Use it to c
hannel cantae, or whatever it's meant to do. Then once you ascend, you can open the ceiling into a second tier chamber and use the armament at its full strength right away."
"That's the best you can offer?" Kuber stepped back, disappointment merging with anger in his eyes. "I know you got an Archcrafter material and you managed to make it work. Would you have a different answer for me if I was truly part of your family?"
"I'm being honest: that's the quickest way you could use something this powerful safely. If this goes well, you'll have new sublime materials soon enough, so plan for them."
Kuber stalked away to join the others, clearly dissatisfied. Though Theo thought about it for a while longer, he couldn't think of any logical way to build for an Archcrafter armament. Contrary to the accusation, Theo doubted he would get a request like that from anyone else, but if the Farmguards hadn't gotten through to Kuber, he wouldn't either.
Eventually a loud bell signaled that it was time and their whole group headed for the staircase. Stonecrafters had been working on one of the upper parts of the village for some time, but no one else had been permitted to see their work. Now that they reached the arena, he understood.
One of the benefits of living stone was how easily it could be reshaped. Where there had once been an old storehouse and a narrow street, they now walked onto a flat plane of stone. The newly grown stone felt soft under his feet, and that was no accident: it would mean fewer injuries when anyone fell to the ground. A shallow trough inscribed a ring in the center of the arena, forming the bounds of the combat circle itself.
Of course, most of the others were more focused on the audience, seated on benches that had also been freshly grown. Three stair steps of benches in a circle allowed a large number of people to watch, and also reminded him of large village bonfires. No doubt, when they did have contests in Tatian, they took a form much like this.
"Welcome!" Nanjuma stood atop a bench on one side, apparently delighted to see them. "Please, take your seats in the small area there. And Mogi, guide everyone to the opposite side! We will begin very soon, but please maintain a respectful silence as we form the circle."
Two portions of the audience seating had been removed, replaced by recessed areas with wooden stands to provide shade or privacy. Underneath there were several more benches for their team to use, exactly opposite the arena on the other side. In their recessed alcove, they couldn't see most of the audience, but they could watch their opponents directly.
As everyone shuffled into position, uncertain how to behave for the first match, an extremely old man tottered from the stands carrying a jar. He looked like he might be swept away by a stiff breeze, but Nanjuma walked beside him with utter respect, subtly touching his arm at one point to keep him from stumbling. When the elder reached the arena, his shaking hands tipped over the jar and crystalline water fell into the trough, forming the ring.
Theo examined it carefully, but didn't think that it was a sublime material, just unusual water. It sparkled in the sunlight and somehow retained that gleam even in the stone trough. By the time the jar was empty, a circle of shimmering water clearly marked the boundaries of the ring. Task done, the elder was led back to the stands and Nanjuma stepped up beside the circle.
"I ask all of you to remember that we come together today to strengthen our communities: not merely our strength of arms, but our strength of spirit! We compete against one another, but only as iron sharpens iron. A friendly competition has never done anyone any harm, but take care to guard your hearts from anger or jealousy as well as your bodies from blows."
That speech might have fared well with a purely Tatian audience, but this group was mostly from other worlds. No matter what pretty words Nanjuma put forth, they knew what this was: a competition for limited resources. Everyone might smile and agree, because he was the most powerful soulcrafter present, but they would never truly accept it.
"I believe all of you know the rules, so I will not waste time repeating them. And if you don't, I suppose you'll learn soon enough, won't you?" Nanjuma laughed to himself, then rubbed his hands together. "One more thing: I will be maintaining a defensive barrier between the ring and the stands, so please, show us the full fruits of your labor!"
With that, he stepped away and the match began. There was no announcer or fanfare, and the only judges were a group of several instructors who were not attached to any team. An old woman rose to her feet and spoke in a voice that was audible only because the arena was so quiet.
"Our first match is between Mogi's family and Nauda's family. As Mogi's family has ten members, and Nauda's family only nine, the latter will be allowed to repeat one family member. In addition, Mogi's family must put forward the first contestant."
As a muscular Fithan man stepped into the arena, Theo realized that he'd actually misunderstood the rules slightly. He'd been under the impression that each team would send out members blindly, but it seemed that they could respond to their opponents' choice. That added an element of vulnerability to any strategy, as anyone who stepped forward first would be targeted.
"Fiyu?" Nauda turned to her and smiled. "This one is yours."
She nodded and stepped forward, her hands tight in her robes. The match had begun.
Chapter 20
When Fiyu entered the sunlight and heard the audience cheering, she flinched, despite the fact that all the calls were encouraging. Still, by the time Fiyu stepped over the ring of water, she appeared fully in control of herself, hands ready at her sides.
A bell rang to signal the beginning of the match, but neither acted immediately. They remained motionless except the breeze moving their clothes, then without any apparent signal, the Tatian man hurled a sphere of cantae across the arena.
In a single motion, Fiyu stepped aside and raised her hand, unleashing a torrent of bolts. They slammed directly into her opponent's torso, driving him off his feet and out of the ring.
Just like that, the first match was over. The cantae sweeping past her had blown down Fiyu's hood, leaving her hair streaming in the wind - it seemed she'd redone it in a loose braid. Her lips were parted in slight surprise, as if she hadn't expected to win so easily, but it was already over.
Another Tatian man moved forward to help his teammate up - he felt like he'd finished soulcrafting his first floor, so he was probably Mogi. His gaze swept over Fiyu, not angry, but clearly marking her as a dangerous opponent. Winning the first match so decisively, that was likely on everyone's mind. Fiyu hesitated a moment, glancing back toward them with a bit of worry, but then politely lowered her head to the audience and returned to their seating area.
Several members of their team whooped, startling her more than the cantae blast to the face. But Nauda was prepared, leading her back down to her seat without actually touching her, a warm smile on her face. "That was wonderfully done, Fiyu. That's one match in our favor."
"Send out your fighter!" Mogi called from the opposite side, hands around his mouth showily, as if he actually needed to shout across the short distance. "Unless you're not so confident without knowing who you'll be facing?"
This was where strategy came into play. If they traded turns, that meant that there were effectively two different kinds of strength: the ability to remove specific opponents and the ability to resist an unknown opponent. The early matches would be the most dangerous, given that anyone from the entire enemy team could potentially fight.
Theo realized that would also lead to the matches dwindling to the weaker participants, which wasn't a very showy way to organize a tournament. Clearly, Tatian crowds weren't in it for the bloodlust. Mogi continued to taunt them, so at least he wasn't lacking competitive spirit. Judging from the way Nauda pursed her lips and marched out, she wasn't lacking either.
"I apologize for my cowardice in not leading my team into the arena." Nauda bowed deeply before stepping over the water. "As a small recompense, I will step forward now and do my utmost to challenge whoever is sent against me."
Mogi g
rinned... and turned away to allow another member of his team to enter. It had been a trap, and a hypocritical one, given that Mogi hadn't stepped forward either. The opponent who stepped up to face Nauda was an ordinary-looking Tatian woman who drew two small rods as she entered. Theo would have thought they were an ineffective weapon, except that they were covered in the same dark studs as Nauda's staff.
The instant the bell rang, Nauda thrust the prongs of her staff forward, but she wasn't quick enough. Her opponent raised both rods in front of her, blocking the invisible force. Nauda hissed and tried to push forward, but couldn't overcome her opponent. In fact, the other woman jerked one rod to the side, pulling Nauda with the movement, then thrust out with her other hand.
One of Nauda's legs trembled in place and Theo understood the trap. Mogi clearly knew about Nauda's technique and had prepared one of his team members who could do the same, but with two separate armaments. Most of Nauda's body seemed frozen in place as she struggled to level her staff toward her opponent.
With an abrupt wrenching movement, Nauda twisted her staff free of her opponent's force. But this time, even as she was beginning to thrust, the other woman flipped both rods upward, jerking Nauda's arms into the air. While she was off balance, both rods thrust outward, the air rippling as force caught Nauda in the shoulders and hips, driving her backward.
She fell back a step... but not over the ring of water. Nauda grimaced, straining against her opponent's force. Theo was surprised to find himself raptly watching the invisible match, while Fiyu clutched the bench beneath her so tightly her knuckles were bloodless.
Again Nauda twisted out of her opponent's bind, her staff sweeping horizontally. Once more, her opponent deflected the force with both rods, smiling as she started to extend one again.
Nauda reversed her staff, the base thrusting forward.