by John Nest
> Increases Earth Affinity by 10%
"How much for all of these?" asked Smoke, picking out the earpiece, belt, and pants.
"The earpiece is 4,000,000, the pants is 3,000,000, and the belt is 1,000,000 zecs." said Perdant. "But I'll give all of them for 8,000,000 zecs."
"Wait, where's the discount?" asked Smoke.
"Discount? Why would I give you one? I don't know even know your name," replied Perdant.
"Ah. I see," said Smoke. "What about if I'm the one who sells you something?"
The stout man's gray eyebrows raised. "Sell me what?"
"This," said Smoke, taking out one of his gems from his bag.
"Can I have a look at it?" asked Perdant.
"Sure, go ahead," said Smoke, handing him the gem.
"This looks like the same gem I had when I was in Wysteria," said Perdant.
"How much?" asked Smoke.
"I'll give you 90,000 zecs for this gem," said Perdant.
"That's too low. I'm afraid I can't do that," said Smoke. "How about if I told you who I am?"
"Well, that depends. The price might go higher or lower," said Perdant.
Smoke removed his full-faced mask, and revealed himself to the old Merchant.
Perdant gasped. "Master Smoke? Is that really you?"
"Yeah," said Smoke. "But you can't tell anyone I'm here in Sawtorn. I'm currently preparing for a war in Wysteria, and people need to think that I'm still there."
"Of course, of course. Your secret is safe with me," said Perdant.
"Well, Perdant? How much are these items, now?" repeated Smoke.
"If it's for you, Master Smoke, I'll give them to you..." said Perdant, "for only 4,000,000 zecs."
"Really?" asked Smoke.
Perdant nodded with all seriousness.
"Still that expensive, huh?" repeated Smoke.
"That's already an insane discount," said Perdant. "I'm practically giving it to you."
"Alright, I'll take all of them," said Smoke. "And what about my gem? How much would they fetch for?"
"Oh, that. I can easily give you 200,000 zecs for each one of those," said Perdant.
Smoke could not stop himself from grinning. "More than double, huh? Here, take all of it," he said, and handed over his bag of gems.
"But, Master Smoke, why do you need this much money?" asked Perdant.
"I need it to raise funds for the upcoming war," said Smoke. "Also, to free a lot of enslaved Mercenaries."
"You can count on me, Master Smoke!" said Perdant. "If I may be so bold, please allow me to be your liaison in all your dealings here in Sawtorn."
"Certainly!" exclaimed Smoke. "Now, about books. Do you know where I can get some about the Magietrois?"
* * * * * *
Two days passed like a gust of wind. Smoke spent all this time working with Perdant on finding books about the Magietrois. Yet, they only found the same generic story about how they stood up against the Reptilian Race. Smoke also tried entering the library, but even with Avilo's permit, he was still not allowed to enter the restricted section.
The only real progress he made was finding Perdant. Trusting the stout old man, Smoke invested 50,000,000 zecs for him to use as capital. In the span of two days, Perdant gained 500,000 zecs in profit.
Due to this good news, Smoke entered Votl City's Pulper Arena with a positive thought and a good feeling.
It was three times larger than the arena in Vona City. Smoke estimated that it could probably seat at least to three-hundred-thousand if they wanted to.
"Faux, over here," called out Avilo from inside. Next to him was Mouche, his loyal steward.
"Listen, there's been a slight change," Avilo said to Smoke.
"What's that?" asked Smoke.
"Instead of you fighting against the other qualifiers, you'll be up against a previous champion instead… My hero," said Avilo.
Smoke's eyes grew wide. "Me against Ouragan?"
"Well, not really," replied Avilo. "It will be you and all the other qualifiers at once against Ouragan."
"Then, he won't stand a chance against us," said Smoke.
"Technically, you won't be allowed to hit him," further explained Avilo. "Anyone who does, is automatically disqualified."
As the news was still sinking in, Smoke stared blankly at Avilo.
"Of course, this was done in order not to risk injuring Ouragan," said Avilo. "The participants will just stand in the ring and take his attacks, until they'll be out of the ring. The last three contestants left will be allowed into the tournament."
Smoke's eyes lit up when he heard the rest of the conditions.
"So, just stay in the ring?" asked Smoke. "What about flying?"
"Well, I'm not sure," said Avilo. "Let me go ask."
Avilo ran to someone who looked like an arbiter of the tournament.
With just Smoke and Mouche standing there, he decided to talk to the old man.
"How's it going?" he asked.
The old HighElf gave him a curious look. "What do you mean, Sir Faux?"
"I mean how are you," explained Smoke.
"I'm very well, Sir, thank you for asking," said Mouche promptly, and their silence resumed.
"I was wondering, why is the stadium named Pulper?" Smoke asked Mouche. "Was the plaque just misspelled from Purple?"
Mouche laughed. "Yes, many tourists have asked the same thing. From what I know, it is named Pulper after supposedly extracting the power of all Magietrois when they had a tournament amongst themselves here. Yes, like an orange being pulped."
"Really? That's why it's called Pulper?" asked Smoke, amused.
Then, Avilo came running towards them.
"Flying is accepted!" said a panting Avilo. "As long as you don't touch the ground. Although, I haven't seen anyone else beside the Prime Wizards do that."
"Do you know how to fly, Faux?" Avilo eagerly asked him.
Smoke hurriedly shook his head. "No, but in case someone did, I would want to know if it was allowed."
The three of them then entered the arena proper.
"Don't be intimidated by the other qualifiers," Avilo said to Smoke. "You don't need to beat all of them. You just have to be in the top three."
"That's the plan," said Smoke.
When they entered, their eyes immediately fell on a female Zectian levitating from the ground. She was engulfed in flames, which made her hair look like it was on fire. Her feet was at least half a meter above the ground. Her beauty eerily reminded Smoke of Crucibelle, if she was an Elf.
"With a flying ability like that, she'll probably be a top contender for one of those three spots," Avilo said to Smoke.
"She is called Xantana," interrupted Mouche. "They say that her victory in Vlahui City would have been assured, if only she participated. Unfortunately, she was out on an important quest during that time."
"Xantana, huh?" said Avilo. "Isn't she the one with the life-size portrait in your room?"
"Lord Avilo, please. I do not know what you're talking about," said the old HighElf, slightly giving out a perverted smile.
Before Smoke could reply, they heard someone's voice from above.
"Hey, there! I didn't know there was another Sonstwelter allowed to take this special qualifying round," said a flying man, dressed in long green robes. His long white hair flowed with the wind.
The stranger's only headgear was a pair of goggles, revealing his purple skin much like Smoke's. He slowly lowered himself near them, but he kept hovering above ground.
Smoke could feel the gust of wind emanating from this stranger.
"The name's Chrysopelea!" said the Sonstwelter. "But you can all call me Chrys." He then gave Smoke, Avilo, and Mouche an exaggerated salute.
"My name is Mouche," said the old HighElf. "And this is Lord Avilo, and Sir Faux."
"Let me guess, you're a Terra Mage, right?" Chrys said to Smoke.
"I'm an Earth Elementalist," said Smoke.
"Really?" said Chrys, and t
hen gave Smoke a smug smile.
"I overheard you guys talking about that Pyro Magi's levitation ability," said Chrys. "Well, let me tell you right now, that is nothing to be impressed about."
Chrys then flew straight up at blinding speed and circled around the entire Pulper arena in a matter of seconds.
'Ledur is still faster,' thought Smoke to himself.
"That was good, but Prime Wizard Ouragan is still faster than that," Avilo said to Chrys.
"That's great!" said Chrys. "It would have been such a let down if he wasn't."
Chrys then flew away and zoomed to the other side of the arena.
"I hate to admit it, but it looks like he could be a great candidate to withstand Prime Wizard Ouragan's magic," said Avilo.
"Don't sell me short, Avilo. I may look like some ragged Elementalist, but I do have some tricks up my sleeve," said Smoke.
"Faux, you do know about the Elemental Weaknesses, right?" asked Avilo.
"Of course," replied Smoke.
"I'm not sure you understand what I am saying," said Avilo. "Earth grounds Lightning. Lightning electrifies Water. Water extinguishes Fire. Fire surpasses Wind. Wind erodes Earth."
With his full-faced mask only exposing his eyes, they were highlighted when they grew wide as soon as Smoke realized his predicament.
"Right, Prime Wizard Ouragan's mastery is Wind," reminded Avilo.
"Don't fret, Lord Avilo, I'm sure Sir Faux will be able to do something," interjected Mouche. "You said it yourself. He does not need to beat Ouragan, he just needs to survive him."
* * * * * *
Smoke, Chrys, Xantana, and five other participants gathered outside the large circular ring. Upon closer inspection, Smoke realized that Xantana's hair was white and not blond, which made him conclude that she was actually a LightElf.
The other mages were from various specialties, but there were some, who appeared to be from the same school.
Two female WoodElves appeared they were versed in the element of Water. Whereas, two young HighElves in black robes with with lightning strikes were overflowing with lightning sparks. And one tiger Lioumerean in red robes, who looked like he possessed the mastery of Fire.
While Smoke and everyone else were waiting for the qualifiers to start, a young HighElf girl with straight, red hair approached them. She pulled a small cart with several bouquets of flowers in it. Their sweet fragrance carried a mysterious scent. As she got closer, she began handing them out to the participants and said something to each one of them.
"Why are you here?" she suddenly asked Smoke when she got in front of him.
"Excuse me?" asked Smoke.
"I thought that Guard would have had enough common sense not to let in such mendicants," said the girl.
"Have we met? asked Smoke, confused. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
"What a numbskull," said the girl. "I met you near the gate just a few days ago, remember?"
"Ah! That was you?" said Smoke. "I didn't remember you to be this spunky. Although, now that you mention it, you did get into a fight with Geisel."
"Anyway, here's your flower," said the girl, handing Smoke his bouquet. "May the blessing of Tlaltezin be showered upon the strong."
"Thanks," said Smoke, and he forcibly returned the flowers to her. "But I don't like flowers. Why don't you keep it instead?"
The young flower girl's eyebrows instantly raised. "You do understand that these flowers symbolizes the power of the great god Tlaltezin, right? Are you sure you want the blessings of a great god to be given to me instead?" asked the girl.
Smoke's eyes wandered, fixated on the other participants and how he would fare against them. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead and take them."
"Alright, but don't go blaming me when you lose," said the girl, taking back Smoke's bouquet.
Suddenly, a loud booming Announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena. "Participants, welcome to your final ticket to the big leagues!"
The Announcer's face displayed on the jumbovision screen. He looked like a generic WoodElf, with brown hair and pale-white skin.
After seeing the Announcer, the young flower girl promptly left the area of the ring. The flowers that she had given them, suddenly went up in flames. Before it wilted and disintegrated, it bestowed enchantments of increased life, increased mana, and increased regeneration to its bearers.
Smoke slapped the upper part of his full-faced mask with his palm, tracing it downward. 'I thought those were just for show,' bitterly thought Smoke.
"This maybe a private event, but please stick to the rules," said the Announcer. "After all, there are only two!"
"You're free to block Prime Wizard Ouragan's attacks, as long as you do not touch any surface outside the ring." The Announcer paused, and checked if all of the participants were listening.
"Next, you are not to attack Prime Wizard Ouragan in any form or manner," said the Announcer. "Failure to comply, means expulsion from the tournament and all other succeeding tournaments and will be tagged as a dangerous criminal in all the cities of Vitzytl."
Smoke and all of the other participants amiably nodded.
"Now, that everything's cleared up, please help me welcome, Prime Wizard Ouragan!" said the Announcer.
Then, an old HighElf, much older than Mouche, walked up next to the Announcer. Ouragan was using a cane to help him get closer.
Ouragan was then given the chance to address the participants. This would be Smoke's first time hearing him talk.
"My pet horned rabbit died a few hours ago," said Ouragan. "I know this doesn't concern any of you, but I thought I'd just share it with all of you anyway. Oh! And good luck to all of you Schmucks who think they can take on and old man!"
Suddenly, Ouragan disappeared from the jumbovision screen, and appeared right next to the other participants on top of the ring.
Then, the jumbovision focused on all the individuals, heated to fight. The Announcer's voice then echoed over them.
"Participants, ready?" the Announcer asked Smoke and the other contenders. "Prime Wizard Ouragan, ready?"
A heavy stillness overcame the arena, as they waited for the sound of battle!
GONG
"Begin!" exclaimed the Announcer.
At once, Ouragan flew above them. He created four powerful hurricanes outside the ring, pulling the aspiring contestants towards it.
Chrys let out a loud chuckle. "I guessed as much!" He then flew out of the ring, far from the range of Ouragan's cyclone attack.
On the other hand, Xantana, the Pyro Magi, ran to the center of the ring. There, she engulfed her entire body in flames.
Then, a sturdy igloo began forming near one of the cyclones. The two female WoodElves were making a shelter from the wind. However, two lightning bolts hit them squarely on their backs, and knocked them off the ring.
As the two black-robed HighElves congratulated each other with a high five, the tiger Lioumerean used a flaming claw attack, and knocked one of them off the ring. The other HighElf, who was about to throw a lightning bolt at the Lioumerean, was struck by a fireball from Xantana. The two of them fell down next to their victims, their black robes left with scorch marks.
'I knew it, the rules only said that we can't attack Ouragan. It didn't state we can't attack each other,' surmised Smoke.
Just then, he was hit by a fireball from behind, attacked by Xantana. Thankfully, his Wings of Cologus could withstand even Crucibelle's attack and was only slightly charred. He was, however, damaged for 3,000 points.
Smoke reflexively created an earth-wall to defend himself against Xantana, but his Cunning of the Dire Fox also sensed the tiger Lioumerean's claws aimed right at him. He dodged the flamin claw attack, but Ouragan's four cyclones easily eroded his earth-wall.
As soon as his wall vanished, Xantana let out several fireballs at him. All Smoke could do was dodge to the opposite side with his Hyper Jump ability.
Hovering from above, Ouragan aimed for the tiger Lioumerean with a wind blast.
However, the tiger Lioumerean casually countered it with a double flaming claw strike.
Smoke manipulated the ring to strike out several earth spikes at Xantana, but only two of them grazed her. Her life bar displayed (497,000/500,000 HP)