They all filed inside. The interior was softly carpeted, with two long isles of purple seats. Evan took the seat by the window and tried to get his nerves under control as Jed settled down beside him. As their mounts set off Mistress Aqenna strode to the front of the carriage.
“Okay, now to the finer points of today’s activities. I’m sure you are all feeling unprepared or frightened, but that’s good. No matter how much we train you, you can never fully prepare for a mission until you’re out there. If you haven’t hear it already, yes it’s true. None of you will know what creatures you’ll be battling in your trial until you’re standing inside Dante’s hollow, about to fight them.”
There was a mutter among the Apprentices. Evan kept his mouth clamped shut, in case he spewed.
“In case you didn’t already know,” Aqenna continued. “You and your team will face three rounds of three different types of creatures. The beings you will face are rabid, infected by the demonic realms we took them from. They just want to kill, not even to eat. Do not think of them as animals, but mindless monsters. Get passed all three rounds and you will pass.”
“It sounds harder that it is,” Padrake added. “Your opponents will be tough, but you’ll be wearing armour to protect yourself from fatal wounds. Part of your test is not getting hit enough to sustain serious injury. Out on missions your armour will protect you from much, there are certain demons and sorcery’s however that could render your armour useless, so know that you aren’t ever invincible. For the purposes of this trial we have spelled your armour to break after a certain amount of damage, thereby causing elimination. You’ll also be eliminated if you’re knocked out or injured. We have aid nearby for any extensive blood loss or mutilations you may suffer.”
“Mutilations!” Emi yelped.
“Oh no, blood makes me queasy,” Xavier wheezed.
Evan tried to keep himself calm. He stared out the window as their carriage trundled down the valley leading to the city. He made himself focus on the city before them and clenched his fists to stop them from trembling.
“Yeah, make use of those babies; they may be getting lopped off later today.” Jed joked feebly as he noticed Evan’s discomfort.
“Your team is allowed three eliminations,” Aqenna said, “but if your remaining team members finish all three rounds they alone will still pass. It’s unlikely every team will pass today, for those who don’t, you will have to wait possibly up to a year for a second chance.”
“A whole year?” Sabine cried. “That’s well unfair.”
“Apologies Sabine,” said Aqenna, “but every Apprentice is entitled to take their trial once, before we start re-trials.”
Evan couldn’t help thinking he’d need two or three re-trials.
He could see Dante’s Hollow now. The arena loomed over the city’s titanic outer walls. Their elk steeds slowed their pace as the carriage entered the city proper, they trotted along a wide road behind wagons and hovercars as the streets either side of them were packed with people.
Evan heard the sound of drums and trumpets above the babble of city noise as raindrops freckled the window. The city races used a myriad of umbrellas; some glowing with unnatural light. Whilst other Umbrella’s grew steadily bigger as water hit them. Other citizens, like a duo of gnome wizards, casted shields of air over their heads so the raindrops bounced off.
“As we enter Dante’s Hollow you will be led to the waiting chamber where you’ll find your armour,” said Padrake. “From the waiting chamber you may view the other team’s trials, as well as the Great Games themselves. Okay, we’re here.”
Their carriage came to a stop at the Arena’s car park. Dante’s Hollow was a circular structure with walls three hundred feet high, carved from white marble with the last hundred feet a solid band of gold. Several entrances gaped wide, each of them as big as a dragon’s maw.
Padrake moved forward and threw open the carriage door. The Apprentices began to mutter to one another fearfully as they filed out. Jed gave him a reassuring smile before Evan in turn squeezed Emi’s hand gently.
They joined the thronging crowds entering through the arena gates. Four paladin guards stood at either side at every entrance, watching silently as the Venators and city races alike entered.
The entrances turned out to be vast tunnels leading up to the stands high above. Venator’s voices echoed off the tunnel walls. The Apprentices around Evan were less talkative than the other Realmers though, their nervous panting echoing instead.
When the tunnel levelled off, Evan found himself rooted to the spot in sheer astonishment. The majority of Veneseron’s Venators were clambering up the many steps and endless seats, but they were dwarfed by the thousands upon thousands of city races. The arena was so big the people seated on the side opposite Evan were mere indistinguishable blurs. Lines upon lines of seats ringed up from where he stood all the way to the top three hundred feet high, like some huge spiral.
Dante’s Hollow itself was far below him, he had to peer over the edge of the nearest rail to see it fully.
The stadium ground was a huge stretch of desert, with a hollow in the middle the size of a moon crater. Around the sunken pit was a vast ring of white and golden sand, like an Olympic racing track.
Already the seats were getting crowded with excited spectators. One row was filled with a dozen betting dwarves, another with a load of drunken and rowdy orcs. A group of merry goblins cheered them when they passed and what looked to be a merman gave Jed a very slippery high-five. Many of the crowd had brought massive banners with them and magical models supporting their favourite team or athlete.
As they leaned over the railings the sound of canon-fire made them all jump.
BANG, BANG, BANG.
It was a few seconds before Evan realised that the sound was coming from the biggest drums he had ever seen. On the sands below giants were filtering out onto the racing track, beating huge drums strapped to their stomachs. The noise was deafening and reverberated throughout the stands.
“The Great Games always start off with a grand opening ceremony,” Emillia shouted over the noise.
Giving credence to her words, a group of ogres joined the drumming giants, carrying the biggest trumpets Evan had ever seen. He couldn’t help but laugh along with everyone else.
Solid gold platforms appeared, levitating high in the air. The crowds cheered wildly as elves moved amongst them, racing through the stands and front-flipping off the edge onto the moving platforms. One dark elf leaped over Jed’s head, balanced on the rail in front of them and then dived out into thin air, only to land with a forward roll on the nearest platform.
The largest platform rose into the air from the crater in the middle of the arena, on it were a group of pan-playing Satyrs, accompanied by faerie acrobats who performed insane aerial feats.
The finale came when a total of twenty dragons swooped in from the open air ceiling, circling round the stands and breathing gouts of flame into the crater below. Evan was mesmerised; he had never seen so many dragons at once.
A single great gong clashed, louder even then the drums. On cue the giants, ogres and dragons dissipated. The acrobats jumped and flipped back into the stands, to run and cavort through the audience, whilst the dragons gave a great roar and flew back out the top of the arena.
The gong clashed again and this time a herald shouted out, “Please welcome the noble Jubblun Ooobli, Lord of the City.”
Evan turned along with everyone else to the huge box of seats at the top of the arena. Even from his distance he could easily make out the Lord sitting upon his throne. Easy because the city lord was a mountain of flesh, the size of two Gettelung’s, with a few extra cheeks and jowls to spare.
“There’s a Lord of the City?” Jed said.
“He’s more like a governor,” Emi replied. “He doesn’t have any real power here compared to Vanderain, but he always hosts the Great Games and holds grand feasts for all the city’s important visitors.”
Jubblun Ooobli got to his feet then, with the assistance of two orcs who staggered under his weight.
“Welcome one and all to Veneseron’s Great Games.” Jubblun pronounced. A thunderous cheer met his booming voice.
Abruptly Evan heard a high buzzing noise emit from the railings.
“What is it?” He looked from side to side.
“The barrier is being activated,” Emi said. “Look closely.”
He did and was startled to see what was taking place. All around the stadium the air just beyond the safety rails was rippling. Suddenly the high buzzing cut off.
“Touch it,” Emi grabbed his hand and pushed it out beyond the rail, instead of air Evan felt a soft jelly like substance, though nothing was visible.
“What the…?”
“It’s an invisible barrier,” Emillia said, “to protect both the competitors and the audience. The Games have been known to get out of hand.”
“What’s the pit used for?” Evan peered down.
“It’s Dante’s Hollow,” Sabine explained, as if he was a child. “It was here before the stadium, we just built the arena around it. Dante’s Hollow is used all year round for sport. There’s archery and acrobatic competitions, and regular jousting and warrior melees. In the melees one way to eliminate the other swordsman is to knock him into the crater. The city people can come to Dante’s Hollow every week to be entertained.”
Evan was about to ask how the crater came to be there, but then the deafening gong sounded again.
“Today!” Jubblun cried. “A Dragon Jousting Champion will be crowned, this season’s Jewelball tournament will have a hard fought victor, and Apprentice Venators will look to become Mid-Realmers as they face their trials. But first, allow me to introduce the Unicorn riders!”
Evan snapped his head back round toward the pit as huge gates slid open and a motley of magical steeds poured forth. The unicorns came in all shapes and size imaginable, shaggy grey ones, smooth golden ones, unicorns with three horns and unicorns with two heads. One unicorn was a black stallion with a mane of fire. Another was the size of an elephant, with a horn six feet high. The magnificent beasts galloped across the sands, their riders waving toward the audience.
“They’re gorgeous,” Emi gasped.
One by one, the unicorns lined up in single file as their jockeys exchanged jibes and prepared to race. When the competitors were ready, Jubblun raised his hand and the great gong sounded again. There had to be about two dozen unicorns all racing at once, some snorting flames, others galloping so fast they barely seemed to touch the ground at all.
“Oi, you lot,” Padrake shouted, “the waiting chamber is this way.” Evan and his friends reluctantly left the railings.
As they walked through the dark passageway to the preparation chamber, everybody was silent. Evan suspected they were consumed with the same anxiety he was. What they were about to face would be the closest thing to the combat they’d encounter on real missions. It was also the fear of the unknown, they had no idea what enemies each round would bring. What if our team gets an enemy too strong to fight against?
The chamber was bare and gloomy, lit by sconces in the walls full of light green fire. The room was mainly bare, except for benches along the walls and a table piled high with sorcery potions and plasma grenades. The sorcery potions were filled with a blue liquid which was concentrated magic. Evan had never taken one of the potions, but he knew it was borrowed power that gave the drinker a temporary boost to their own magic if they were drained, it also had nasty side-effects.
To the left were changing rooms, to the right was a balcony overlooking the arena.
“Right,” said Aqenna, “as you can see, there are three magical grenades per team, as well as three vials of magic. You must share the items out equally throughout your trial. The interval between rounds is your chance to drink the potions. Now, you may choose this time to watch the games as well as strategize with your teams. Your trials will begin as soon as the Dragon Jousting has ended. You’re free to watch the Twinsphere, Arena Battle and Jewelball games after your trials, if you wish. Please put your armour on now. I’ll be back shortly.”
As Padrake and Aqenna left, the Apprentices gathered into their teams, discussing plans nervously.
“We have to get a strategy,” Jed said.
“I reckon we should use the grenades straight away,” Jimmy added.
“You should let me be the leader,” Sabine interjected imperiously. “I’m the expert here and I’m the most experienced.”
“Most annoying more like,” Jed replied.
“Hey, wait,” Evan interrupted them, “there’s ten in each team right? We’re missing someone.”
They all looked around at each other, there was only nine of them.
“My cousin,” said Sabine, “Arianna is supposed to be here.”
“What,” Iris cried, “that stupid girl, we can’t be one person down, we need to pass.”
“Where the hell is she?” Jed asked.
*
She was so late. Arianna tried not to have a panic attack as she raced through the stadium bleachers. Not only had she overslept, but now she was lost. The noise of the crowd was deafening. Through the gaps in the bleachers she could see their feet, normal feet alongside paws and hooves too. She must’ve taken a wrong turn on her way to the waiting chamber. Her team would be furious with her.
Arianna hurried through the gloom, there had to be exit here somewhere. If only she could find a way back into the stands she could ask someone where to go. She’d bumped into Bane Madagant when she first entered Dante’s Hollow, but when she asked him for help he ignored her, too busy getting ready for his Jewelball game. Luckily she spotted Master Magoris after, and he had pointed her this way. Only the tunnel she went down had led here and now she was just a mouse, scurrying round blindly in the dark.
She was alone here, the only light coming from gaps in the rows of seats high above. Arianna heard her own breathing in her ears, she was starting to hyper-ventilate.
She stopped running, trying to get her breathing under control and squinting against the shadows around her. There had to be a way out somewhere. She might have even run past one already.
Arianna heard the tell-tell buzz of a blast of an energy magic, seconds before it hit her in the back. Her head whiplashed back before she skidded across the ground. She gasped in fear and pain. She tried to stand, but felt someone seize her ponytail. She started to scream, but a hand slapped against her mouth, filling her senses with a strange scent.
Arianna struggled like a wounded animal in her captor’s grasp, her writhing becoming weaker as her eyesight blurred and her body became heavy. The stranger released her suddenly and she slumped to the ground. As her attacker loomed over her and leaned close, everything went black.
*
Evan stood on the balcony with his team. After changing into their armour they’d decided to watch the games below, whilst simultaneously trying to come up with a plan for the trial, but everyone kept disagreeing. It was made harder as they didn’t know what enemies to prepare for, and Arianna still hadn’t shown up.
“Will we get disqualified if Arianna doesn’t arrive before we go out there?” He asked.
“No,” said Sabine, “we’ll have to do the trial with one less member than the other teams though. It’s so unfair.”
By the time they’d changed and assembled on the balcony, the unicorn races had finished and the jousting had begun.
Two dragons faced one another across the stadium, their riders lowering their lances and hefting their shields. Lord Jubblun raised his arm and a gong sounded. The dragons flew toward each other with a roar, both creatures as beautiful as they were terrifying.
To Evan’s surprise, it was the dwarf rider who unseated the orc rider. The orc’s lance ripped the dwarf’s shield asunder, but the dwarf’s lance crashed into his chest, throwing him off his dragon. Evan watched in horror as the orc hurtled toward the ground.
&nbs
p; Where his body would have splattered across the sand like a glob of red paint, the orc hit a net weaved from magical energy, his body bouncing up and down as if he was on a trampoline. After the bouncing subsided the orc rolled off to get his feet, disgruntled, but unhurt.
His dragon took a lap round the stadium, breathed a gout of golden flame up through the open air roof, and then followed his rider back through one of the many entrances.
The next round of jousting held much the same excitement and fright, and the next. At one point two riders unseated the other at the same time, the winner was the combatant who hit the net last.
“This is so awesome,” Jed cheered.
A Mandon giant by the name of Godan the Battlebeard won the jousting tournament, dismounting the dwarf from the first round in an epic battle. Battlebeard’s lance caught the dwarf in the stomach, sending him shooting into the invisible crowd barrier. His tiny body ricocheted of the barrier nearest the Lord’s top box and then tumbled through the air like a rag doll.
Battlebeard was a truly huge man whose namesake reached down to his knees, with one half dyed a lurid green and the other maroon. He shouted incoherently as he received his championship cup and prize money. Evan was too high up to see everything clearly, but levitating screens flew across the stadium showing close-up shots of the action. Some of the jousters even had cameras attached to their helms.
The excitement of watching the jousting curdled to dread now it was over and he realised their trials were next. He looked back into the room beyond to see Aqenna and Padrake had returned. They were shepherding Team One out of the room and telling Team Two to get ready.
“Should we stay watch the trial too?” Emi asked fearfully. “If I see anyone get badly injured I don’t know if I could go on.”
“I think we should stay, just to see what we might be up against,” said Jed.
“I agree,” said Evan, he wanted to gauge just how hard this trial could be.
Minutes later, Team One walked out onto the sands directly beneath them. The Apprentices looked tiny from this height. Wearing their crimson Venator armour they were indistinguishable, however, Evan could tell by their body language on the close-up camera, they were terrified by what awaited them.
Moonlight War- Act I (The Realmers Book 2) Page 22