Rion awoke on the day of the second round with a massive headache. He hadn’t remembered sleeping on the floor. Nor did he recall how he ended up there. He did remember something about peanut butter cookies….No, there was more.

“Oww.” As he felt his head, he noticed dry blood had pooled under him in a dangerous amount. Using his water affinity, he purged his lungs of dry blood and removed any trace of potential infections without so much of a cough. However, the disturbing mixture had to be sent into his domain, much to Jala’s disgust.

“Let’s see. What do I remember?”

Nothing could come to his mind. It was as though…” Oi! Am narrator, are you gaslighting me?” I am no mere narrator. I am your subconscious.

“I’m hearing voices in my head great.” Kyrion muttered to himself.

“That’s normal. What’s gaslighting by the way?” Kyrie asked.

Don’t answer him. He cannot be trusted. They just want your cookie recipes. You mustn’t share them lightly. Pb Choco Pretzel Crunch could destroy the world.

“You just want my cookies!” Rion said aloud.

“What cookies?” Kyrie was quite confused.

“My special cookies.”

What makes them special?

“Six cups of flour, three teaspoons of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt. One cup of semi crushed salted pretzels, a cup of chunk cut chocolate, a cup of peanut butter chips, a cup of unshelled roasted peanuts, four eggs, a cup of sugar, a drop of vanilla, two drops of banner leaf extract.”

“Why did you tell me the recipe if it’s supposed to be a secret?” Kyrie said.

“Oh no! Now I have to kill you. That recipe is too strong for this universe. You don’t know what happened the last time I made those cookies.”

“You blew up the kitchen, then had someone with the skill to make it for you.”

“Wrong. I learned that some ovens don’t require fire to work. And figured it out. I also learned to leave in the eggshells for that perfect bite and calcium.”

“I see…”

Kyrie did not wish to see. Also, someone here will betray you at the worst possible moment. Ok bye!

”Wait!” Kyrion woke up in his bed with some blood leaking from his nose and a headache that was now fading. He couldn’t remember why he jolted awake as his eyes landed on a worried Lin, who had rushed into his room.

“What’s wrong? I heard yelling.” Lin looked suspiciously at a red mark on right temple.

“Probably just a nightmare. I can’t remember it anymore anyways. Are you ready to watch me cause trouble for my captors?”

“I would be honored. I was at your door because Max said you were sleep talking earlier.”

“What was Max doing in my room?”

“You weren’t exactly quiet. Thin walls. He said he heard everything and was rooting for us. Know what that was about?”

“I don’t. But I am craving something sweet and salty.”

Bastion, Eden, Illanda, and White Fox stood in a circle around a list of ingredients. A raccoon and weasel were observed from below.

“So, this is why we messed with Mr.Rion. The secret ultimate cookie recipe.”

“Yes. So…Can anyone read this?” Eden asked.

Bastion scowled.” You’re the best reader among us.”

“Eh em! I can read too…” Ilanda looked at the odd language and scowled.

White Fox didn’t bother even looking at the page. “What the abyss Bastion. You were supposed to write it down.”

“You should not have assumed I could write when I can’t read like everyone else. Just understand the intent. Also the strange lady and racoon did most of the writing.”

The raccoon smugly looked at the children. “Tsk, Tsk. Do you wish to bargain with the mighty Ruffle!”

Bastion raised his left hand, and the raccoon bowed instinctively.

“Ok. Here’s the deal: tiny monster number one. We get half of the finished product. The rest you have to share.”

“Half just for translating? That’s insane. What will you do if I die from low blood sugar?” White Fox protested.

“That is a fair concern, you do seem to burn more sugar than most. But as a concession, we want our quarter to have eggshells.” The raccoon stated.

“Great, Since it has peanuts we can say it’s healthy as well.” White Fox rubbed his hands together as he summoned his chef.

----------------------------------------

Rion shivered a bit as he met with his group mates. Currently, the only two that are missing are Eden and Bastion. Opening his senses, he felt their presence near their inn with his scarf.

“So, looks like it will be an eight on eight today. Cecil, is your hand ready?”

“My first version is complete.”

“Good. Bella, are you recovered?”

“I’ll be fine.” Bella flexed her arms in a brutish fashion.

“Brion, will you be in sword form or human form?”

“Human. For now. I intend to switch it up in the next round where both Max and I are available.”

“Perfect. Speaking of Max, did you manage to catch up?”

“I’ll start with my owl style for this round. Revealing my new talents today would be a waste. I want a better grip on them before.”

“Fair enough. Minah? How about you?”

“I’m about as ready as I can get.”

“Hel, do you have any concerns or strategies for this opponent?”

“The strongest on that Team are Sinbad and Midas, taking them out early will be key if at all possible. I suggest that Ander handle Midas while Minah and Max handle Sinbad. As I’ll be sitting this out, I leave the rest to you all.”

“I see. Tiffany, are you fine playing defensive? Given your ability to set traps I imagine it would suit you to keep an eye on our prisoner.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“I see no problems with that. I can do more damage with time than I can directly.”

“Good. Now then Ander. Can you handle Midas?”

“Easy as pie.”

“No, it won’t be. Midas is quite strong, you shouldn’t hold back too much.” Rion added.

Ander’s face hardened. “If you say so.”

“I do and I’m serious.”

“Great. Now let’s get to the arena.”

“Before that. You may want to wipe away that kiss mark on your head. Lin we don’t need proof of your relationship.” Cecil sighed.

“Kiss mark? Why would I?”

“I’d say it was lipstick but…it seems almost magical.”

Lin now looked a bit sour as she eyed Rion.

“I don’t know…Did any of you see someone come into my room while I was sleeping?”

The area got silent. “So that isn’t from Lin.”

“Listen, I am now very concerned about my own safety. Between that nightmare and this mark. I think someone was messing with my mind while I was sleeping.”

“Have any of you seen Bastion?” Rion sighed as he tried to remove the mark, finding too much resistance. He had to tap into his mental affinity to counter it, which was odd. His scowl was telling.

“What’s the issue?”

“Someone used a powerful charm magic on me while I was sleeping. Meant to extract information, the person must be a spy of some kind.”

Having observed Rion’s lying ways, Lin couldn’t find a tell, which confirmed that his concern was serious.

Tiffany observed a pendant in her possession and scowled. “Was the plan leaked?”

“Couldn’t have been. I erased it from my own memory. As to not accidentally leak it while I’m a captive.”

“Some charm magic leaves a residue when used. That could be why there was a mark.”

“Where’s Bastion?” Rion asked.

“They’re playing with that kid White Fox, I think they found a pet raccoon and are going on about cookies.” Bella stated.

Cecil’s face somewhat scrunched up. “Why did we bring babies with us anyway?”

“I’m starting to suspect that the headmaster had ulterior motives for having me share a room with Bastion.”

“Isn’t he the only one you know immune to all illusions? Shouldn’t we ask him if he saw anything?”

“Bastion isn’t very reliable when it comes to timing. I’m beginning to suspect that he was bought.”

“He wouldn’t betray you.”

“If not him, then who?” Rion said in a blank haze before he sent more mental mana into himself. A vessel burst, and an absurd amount of mana began to drain from his nose.”

“What was that?”

“Unak, vig bllo.” Rion made sure to clean the mess and scowled as he examined a rune.

“What was that?”

“I had to remove part of my own brain to cancel that compulsion. They intended to make me fight my teammates if I were released.”

“Clearly not a lover if we’re getting to that level of insidiousness.”

Lin seemed to relax a bit before scowling. “Are you ok with removing a piece of your brain so casually?”

“I know how to fix my own brain. Everyone else is a bit stuck, at least…Gear up with mind control on an enemy’s side in mind.” Rion left to examine the scene of the crime for trace residue and scowled as he saw paw prints on the ceiling.

----------------------------------------

Team Drisil soon made their way to the arena. The diverse group of eight were stalwart and ready for the fight, with Hel playing a role behind the scenes.

Team Etravonia was on the other side, with eighteen members of its core team. Sinbad stood with a black bandana around his dark blue hair. His arms holding what appeared to be a picnic basket. His clothing seemed unsuitable for combat and more for lounging.

Marigold’s hair had grown past her shoulders in those two days, and her appearance looked quite different from the solo tournament’s. Her expression was resolute as she wore white plate mail with a red cloak.

The following person to catch Rion’s notice was a young woman around a year younger than him, sitting atop a brute that was eight feet tall. Her purple irises and black hair stuck in his perception more than they should.

The brute of a man reminded Rion of a gorilla with his ape-like features and heavyweight build. Given his physique and general size, there was a chance he was physically stronger, at least while being restricted.

The fifth was a man wielding a double-bladed sword. Besides that, his short brown hair and plain brown eyes made him nondescript and forgettable. Rion immediately realized that guy had assassin training at some point in his life.

The sixth member wore a large red ten-gallon hat and a set of red leather armor. The scent of iron and other chemicals wafted off them, making Rion’s nose burn. Various bottles and containers were hidden across their body to the degree that no one could guess their physique at first glance.

“Hey you with the big hat, can you turn forty five degrees to the right.”

“What!” Yelled an irate young woman.

“Huh… Nevermind.”

“Rion. I noticed as well don’t say it aloud.”

Rion did not have a clear idea of what Cecil meant; he only put on a very smug appearance, showing that he knew everything. He then moved on to the eight-member…No, that’s…Rion turned his head…He then moved on to the eight-member, a short man with no obvious weapon on his person. His deep red eyes swirled with a great deal of magical power.

Rion then moved on to the ninth member as the clear mental mana being used on him was pushed aside. The woman with black hair and yellow eyes was looking at Max with an unreadable expression. Rion pushed more of the mental mana away and scowled as it proved difficult to look at her.

Issac spoke through their link, “You shouldn’t push any further. It isn’t wise to reveal that affinity to an enemy. Especially when yours is defense based, useful for balancing the chemicals in your brain and granting sentience, not so useful for killing machines.”

Rion slowly backed his defenses up and instead looked at something pleasant to cleanse his palette.

Lin looked down from the private booths and gave him a death glare. “What did I do this time?”

“Eh em! Will your chosen Kings step forward!”

“Oh right, that’s me.”

Sinbad had already stepped forward and received a set of mana-linked manacles around his wrists.

Rion received a set of those, but only some of his mana was locked inside. He was then given a metal collar to go around his neck and a metallic circlet around his head. He could no longer communicate with his spirits nor access any of his mana. He felt somewhat trapped, and then it began to drain off his excess mana, which felt nice.

“Why does he get three sets of restraints?” Cecil protested.

“Because he has that much more mana. There wern’t enough runes on the cuffs to contain that beast.” Meh Thod stated.

“You know it. Cecil, did you bring them?”

“Of course I brought them.” Cecil sighed as he took out a set of enchanted training weights and sighed.

Bella and Brion worked together to strap on his belt, arm weights, and leg weights.

“Sheesh, you walked around in these for years? Where do you hide all that muscle?” Brion asked, as while he had his own weights, they were mostly limited due to his previous condition.

“Yup, you can go next if you want. Also, the secret to lean mussels with explosive power is the ability to use nutrients and mana to enhance them instead of healing naturally. The process is painful, or so I’ve been told.” Rion felt as the runes took hold, and his body immediately went limp as the weight of it all began to crush him. Pushing his muscles allowed him to stand and acclimate to the power. Oddly enough, his regeneration kicked in and restored his damaged muscles, allowing them to strengthen faster. “Great. Now that that’s done. I’m ready.”

“Great, now you come with me.” The ape-man attempted to Pick Rion up, assuming he couldn’t exactly walk. The Ape Man scowled as he couldn’t lift Rion an inch off the ground. “The ape-man is confused.”

“Did you just refer to yourself as Ape Man?”

“The Ape Man. I am strong and yet you are too heavy. Puny man should not be standing with weight.”

“I’m l…Stronger than I look.” Rion wiggled free from the grasp and made his way forward.

“Four of your teammates will be given a key that removes all of the locks we placed on you. From there the match will begin when the opposing kings are within reach of their captors.”

Sinbad went to the other end as Rion entered a pushup position and got to work pushing his limits. Eight was his limit before his body failed him, and everyone was teleported.

“I have already gone over the rules, but I’ll be brief. Taking a step out of the castles while restricted by the chains will result in a brutal penalty. Ready? Begin!”

Thus, the second round of the team tournament began. For a long time, seemingly nothing happened as both teams worked on their defenses. Or should I have been working on defenses?

Where Rion had been running around and being an absolute menace, he was interrupting their rune crafts and disappearing, only to reappear after busting through a wall on the opposite side of where he entered. Sinbad was resting in the middle of a hallway that had to be ignored as the large man ate sandwich after sandwich. After a while, he passed out mid-sandwich and started to snore. Resulting in an area where the Drisil team had to walk around the sleeping beast.