COI C78
Someone is posting the party inside the fort of Stranding Island. Either the citizen’s everyday workers or the adventurers post it to social media about the structures and other magic utilities against the moon. The structure, the facility, and even the other projects are not finished, are functional with the presence of all the mana types. The citizens watch the video as it begins an event that would be the Horsin’s culture. Everyone sees it including the enemies of the city and they look carefully as they see the elves join in the fort’s celebration.
Everyone is listening to the dwarf as everyone on the ground floor is clearing away the seats, tables, and including the floorings. Setting up into an arena is as they rejoice the call for the brawl. They start brewing around from the top seats as they raise their instruments. It plays its national songs to please both the guests and the fighters. The horns, the trumpets, and multiple instruments made the citizens feel like it is war. The locals have brought the violins catered and made from Isekai City. An elf plays the tune as it gets livelier where the horns get more uplifting. The leaders of the Fort choir themselves to the point it makes the guest in awe.
The dwarf who announced the brawl sings his greetings for this event. The guests thought it was a musical but the strong choir’s voice made it sounds like propaganda to them. The chorus spins the rhythm in a fast pace. The violins play along such pace segments put their attention to the tunes where the choir starts to lower down. The authoritarians were singing as the guests thought other people would sing in their place, but they have strong voices. Then the dwarf said to them.
“All lads and lass, bring the sober to the ground and willing to fight against each other under the rules of duels. Come to you all, except you over there. Don’t push our guests down there”
They see the dwarves trying to make a hole to slide the audience to the arena. The dwarves used their rune weapons as their faces hid. Flown by with their weapons, a spirit wall shattered through and revealed they are goblins make a fuss at top of their own kind. The dwarf said again
“I was almost disappointed that you are dwarves, get drunk and we would believe you are one Laugh*”
Everybody starts walking down the stairs that are willing to join the fight. Other people from the outside of the platform hidden under the view, along with the Agatheans are setting their foot on the arena floor. The adventurers wait for them to join as they want to know about the rules. The dwarf sees them waiting on the arena letting him count to each who is joining. Excitement rose among the audience while the guests enjoyed their meal and proceed to go to the other rooms. Some chose to stay while the others have other business to attend to.
The two elves join with Haw as they brought the crafted items he made.
“I would love to use these weapons, and I hope the rules they made are interesting”
“Hunter, I hope you duel without any magic”
“Thank you, but someone reserved me with a special rule”
They look up as the dwarf announce the fight. “Look at all of you, ready to face the game without even knowing the rules. Laugh* That’s why we raise the music into the banner of songs”
The music continues to play whereas the rhythm boosts their determination.
The adventurers can’t wait to join and then someone jumped off the balcony to the arena. It was Heist with his fiery eyes as he landed both of his feet. The locals are shown their face with difficulty. The citizens are joining and the cat man thing is eager with excitement. Other adventurers follow along, as they too wanted to join. Illtended and Rogue join him with their different reasons. Illtended says
“I was waiting for the rules to be announce”
Rogue ignores him and quickly shouted the man across the distance “Thean! You better not chicken out from what we agreed on!”
Rusic follows up with his drunken body, accidently slamming Illtended. Yet he nearly slips away as he is cautious. Heist looks up to the other adventurers as they are looking at Sanquin. The students don’t know why and Andui and her friends are just letting them do to their thing. Siren sits next both of them realizing what they are aiming for. She groaned then asks to herself
“How many chain invitations had gotten us all in this predicament?”
She looks around and sees Sanquin is handling most of her friends and other people around her. She is like a host as she tries to explain to everybody. Siren suspects she was the one who made it big.
Sanquin starts to worry “Oh my, and I thought I was the one who is teasing him”
Altair couldn’t grasp what Heist is thinking and the Rogue just made a joke about the tournament then it led him to join the competition. Sanquin tries to make their talk for the both of them in a friendly matter. Ruby taps her shoulder,
“A fine lady indeed. You almost persuade him out of his lovey dovey fantasies”
Sanquin turns her eyes demonically as if she is insulted. Ruby didn’t break from her demonic stares, Sanquin replies
“Sigh* He is a good guy, but not realistically . . .”
She reverts back to her preferred eyes and continues “. . . And our conversation must be mutual rather than emotional”
Altair and Silfa never would have thought this how a lady should do. More so, they have given props of her effort trying to be honest with him. Altair never thought she cares for him in her profession and social status. Both can’t be suitable due to their differences and will lead to confusion. He understands why her trait is but more mature than he could describe beside using her trait instead. Silfa said to him
“I guess we are out of that woman’s league”
“You could say that, but most men will get charmed if they know her actions”
Sanquin heard him then called him out
“I don’t think my mature personality was the cause of his affection for me”
Altair focuses on her eyes, while they look at her body. The obvious thing is her mature tall body. Even the students both envy and charmed only by her looks. She said to Altair again
“If we are going to talk about love life, try asking your people who have one or ours who have decent taste”
The adventurers look around to anyone who had dated before. Few of them had one, but Altair spoke
“I have one, back in our world . . .”
A moment of silent as they see each other going to have an argument over this, Altair bows his head and so with Sanquin. The conversation end, as the party won’t drain out from their topic.
Back to the competition, “Everyone this is a set only by duels, keep going with the pain on your sides from the previous match. A game of elimination, a fight to relief their grudges, or limits to face their mastery, and some. The fight will begin as everyone will pick partners or someone to duel with. This competition will decide who is the most daring and the reward is provided what the fort has to offer. The night is young and the fight can only last under a minute. Remember the rules, this is the attrition competition”
The adventurers and everyone from Isekai City received a notification about the attrition rule. “A mix duel with common use of fighting such as; with weapons, magic, martial, or free use. Free use is to do two to all three but limited to the total four skills registered. The duels start when both opponents decide their own rules except not disregarding the basic two rules. One is the match choice of fighting and two is attrition rule is to keep your wounds and fatigue after their previous duels to the end. If the opponent reached their limits, it’s their lost conditionally it’s over when lethal and execution is performed”
The first match begins where two Agatheans duel each other. The arena’s floor glows with magic writing. Everyone who wants to see has provided a good view as they eat. Challenger wields a one-handed saber and the other carries a two-handed sword. The two challenged each other only a game of swordsmanship. The music starts playing. Both sides couldn’t hear it, but the audience feels the rush of the instruments being played to entice the fight. The citizens get to see their own duels.
Both challengers raise their stances and background music riled the audience up. The duel starts as the two’s armor magically disappeared. The adventurers took them to a surprised as the notification clarified their rules
Attrition,
* Any single weapons only,
* At least one of them demand rematch until limits reached,
* No armor (censored)
They read to the last phrase of the paragraph as they block out for some reason.
“. . . Someone requested not showing gore for the specific groups . . .”
The citizens read it clearly as it took their interest. They stared at the cheering crowd, and the students are probably be the reason.
Meanwhile the one who requested are the citizens who work part time inside the Fort
“Thank you for not giving us the hard time to clean after this event”
The dwarf leader replied “I am grateful that you clean my kin’s trouble as they drink. It is the least I could do”
They turn and watch as the music is getting enticing. Both are trying to sober up a bit as their eyes trying to see each other. The one, who raises his saber, let his other hand at his back, while the other set his footing to the left front wielding his two-handed sword. Their postures are slowly getting better for a bit. Step by step, they bring their sharp weapons closer to their unprotected bodies.
The tunes play along their steps and the blades touch where the cheers sang. Harmony closes in their movement with their swords. The long sword clashed in great force. The saber moves forward to swing around the momentum given to him. He swings closer to his arm but the long sword quickly thrusts him. Steadily closing in, the drumming steps of assault to the saber’s gut as he moves back. Another thrust coming to the saber’s torso. The singing cheers louder as the sound of a hit from the saber’s hit only the long sword’s arm. A spurt censored into bright light and blood sparkles like small fireworks.
The long sword taps his arm to ask another round. The arena continues, the music gets louder and the lyrics become the thrills of its chorus. The man’s arm didn’t heal and the attrition continues. They ready themselves one more time with the handicap. No time to rest with those two as the music plays. The violin joins the tunes to play the pain of the long sword’s cut arm. Same thing happens, the saber reached to his shoulder where the longsword swings weak with his wounded arm. The graze happened to the saber’s waist, cutting off his belt.
His pants dropped and the long sword backs away injuring his shoulder. The persistent bastard kept tapping on himself and wanting another round. The saber is embarrassingly grinned as he tries to pull his pants up. The adventurers start to understand the rule. Yet one of them looks disappointed. Rogue reacted
“The fight is fast and all, but that idiot with the long sword couldn’t land a hit even he has the reach”
Ruby responds “Its fine, the fight a total of two minutes”
“Still! He looks dumb fighting like that”
The long swordsman feels the pain on his arm and shoulder, his entire right arm is cut. The man hears the tune of the background music as it slowly silent when the fight starts. His attitude on this match made him bear the pain in order for that sweet moment to his opponent. The saber didn’t show any caution anymore because his arm is injured. The duel is not over until one of them gives up. One more time, the third round is starting and neither them change their expression to each other as the audience watch. Many looked at his injured arm and they will think it be his lost.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
One more round, saber readies his stance along with the long sword. The background battle music grew intense where the bright light shining on the long sword’s arm and shoulder. The strings play as fast their strikes come forward. The sight of him moving back his sword, then directly aims to the head. The long sword feint it then curved it back right him. Both of them hit on the head, the locals cheered to where they hit. The heads spark like fire and one of them fall while the other feels the cut on his face.
“LETHAL!” They spoke in the translated tongue. The citizens have witness duel that the long sword won. Saber get cut off his head then lays his body flat and the long sword with his face cut including one of his eyes. The long sword raises his victory as the sting of pain rose to his win. The Saber automatically heals from the arena marked as lost and for the long sword raises his hand wide in open hand then closes it into a fist back down to his chest. He declares his leave. In the end, both of them leave the arena as the awaiting challengers start making duels.
Rogue sees the fight in such extraordinary way. Thean pops up from her back as they promised.
“Did you see that girl?”
“Ah!” She was shock and see what happened. It escalated so quickly that the losing swordsman came back on top. Thean continues
“Attrition, you can cheat a bit if you kept duel to someone getting no rest after a fight”
“Thean, I?”
“Let’s wait for a bit just in case we got caught among these fighters, alright?”
Rogue turns around and sees another fight begins. Two dwarves already inflict damage each other. Then the goblins quickly duel with one of them after their fight. Those drunken fools couldn’t resist and agreed.
She said to him “You can just say no, right?”
“You can, but the music though”
The Rogue hears the music made her feel want to fight. There are no magic buffs or anything of the sort. It plays their tune of battle, making her not resist a fight. In reality she just wants to watch more instead of fighting.
“No, I don’t think I could fight with that battle music. I just want to watch more”
The two turns around as the fight between goblin and dwarf. The previous match was over as soon as the two talk to each other. The duel is short but impactful to everyone who is willing to join.
Two different races are using different mana. Runes versus shamanism, drums of the tribe and the echoes of the horns from the mountains are set between the two. The duel begins as they talk.
“I told you I was just joking around”
“Hic* they think your scheming”
“In public?”
“Hah! Goblin noise”
The goblin quickly summoned his spirits. The citizens thought it would be those same tribal rituals they always saw. But this goblin brings the spirits on the ground, a portal opens and a hand erupts and rose up to see a twitching nightmarish entity appeared.
Silfa summons her doll and identify the spirit. Joanne quickly grabs the doll, and her sister shook
“Hey! I need it to identify what that thing is”
“Puma?”
The students watch siblings fighting over the doll as Joanne is having fun. Joanne’s UIs open and see the data of that nightmarish spirit.
“Hey sis what’s this?”
“I told you I bring it up just to identify the spirit”
“Puma”
The goblins feel the presence of the goblin spirit is nearby. They turn to see the doll holding like a child as they nervously turn their heads back to the fight.
The notification explains as Joanne read it
“The good spirit, the almighty one who will bring its true form to the world instead using rituals to be summoned. Its hideous form tells that the world it entered as the example sign of evil dominance, but . . . (Shows the original form) in actuality, they are wielders of civil warriors. Nothing much of their rituals and heals that are only so few to learn. Their presence is the symbol of peace. Mythic to summon them, and all of the goblins don’t want them to call out except to other races as benefactors of truce”
The good spirit inherits the world’s glory, the apocalypse made its form. It looks down and the goblin who had summoned it facing a fight. The drunken dwarf and the goof goblin are in a duel. The goblin said
“No, I summon a portal and you brought yourself here”
The good spirit closes the spirit portal and bound itself to the goblin. The goblin receives the power of the good spirit and grants him the power of the great warrior. He said again
“I am so dead”
Everyone sees the good spirit empowered him so much rituals and essence within him. The dwarf feels his body pushing him back as of something moved him away to attack.
The audience sees the goblin glow so much ritual carved through the air floating around him. The spirit floating on top of him appeared in a form of a forearm lizard. The spirit moves its arm as it casts magic on the dwarf. He sways sideways as the spirit moved him slowly, playing him around. The goblin can’t be seen where he is shrouded with colorful smoke. The adventurers and the students recorded the match as they feel the presence of the spirits clouded their mana. To the moment the dwarf stands up properly, keep his mouth closed as he is about to barf.
The dwarf sways back and almost loosen his grip with his two-handed rune hammer. His face gritted as he tries to swing down on the spirit. The spirit is floating a top of him, the dwarf can’t hit it but he swings it anyway. Aiming at nothing on the ground, the audience feels the spirit’s ferocious aura, while the others keep playing their instruments during this horrifying scene. The winds blow him back with his unsteady sway around his body nearly missing his target. Once more as he raised again, many starts to feel strange about the match . . .
“When will that spirit attack him?”
Great sound splatters on the ground as the arena quickly heals the goblin hid within the colored smoke. The drunk raises his victory in anticlimactic drunken roar. The goblins go to their unconscious friend. Hammered then healed, even the spirit heals him. It jumps out from him and dives down back to the portal. The awaken goblin screams
“Even the spirits are having fun! Laugh*”
The goblins start laughing as they carried him away. The audience witness their other playful tricks but backfires.
The citizens were the only people thought it was epic, but forgot to summarize what the adventurers read. Silfa and the others understand
“Good spirit fighting a drunken dwarf and a duel that doesn’t mean anything”
Ruby added “A spirit who acts like a goblin in the end. I’m starting to think Train is our special rare companion”
Silfa couldn’t help it and nod “It’s hard to find goblins like him where they are mostly focus on their own tribe’s responsibilities”
“I say again, Silfa. A rare companion, say . . .”
Ruby asks Sanquin “. . . Is there any good goblins that fit our standards?”
She turns her eyes and look at Ruby with the same look as they wonder.
“There are a lot of them, and they have to bring order to their Horde Tribes. What you can see on the ground you meet a little decent of them. But a party is still a party, like dwarves and goblins, they are great with parties”
“That’s sad to hear that, I met goblins in the wilderness that are chaotic”
“Same goes with us in Enders Bridge, you can find decent people surrounded by with worse examples. That’s how I view most cities”
After some duels that won’t last in ten minutes, a lot of participants continue to challenge after having injuries to injuries. Less than ten duels, it impressed a lot of the citizens of how they fight. The adventurers watch closely and; Heist, Illtended, and Rogue are waiting as they saw other’s skills improvised with their magic. Heist is getting impatient and trying to prove his wits to Sanquin. He is almost about to raise his hand for a duel. Someone raises first, Heist look at the person who said it and his eyes widen.
The elves, those were with the students, carrying their crafted weapons, alongside with Haw and Ironno.
“We ask for partner duel with these Enders. We are using crafted items, both of need qualification and label for the eyes of our fellow leaders”
The authoritarians heard news of Enders craftsmanship. The elf leader looks at the two of her fellow sisters wielding a combine mana item. She sees it as normal crafted items, but its power is wielding to face all mana types. Guessing to her eyes at the Enders then link it to Sanquin’s new adventurer friends, she hopes those weapons not be taken lightly.
The elf leader already casts her seal to the items. Both the elves’ and the other one hid behind Haw’s hands. The students look around and notice one of their items is taken away.
“Where’s that potion making thing?”
“Teacher Haw took it, he wanted to show us if anybody of us who wanted to use the crafting tool into a weapon”
The classmates are excited and to see their fight. Against the elves no doubt in their mind, they think the Enders couldn’t win. But some students thought otherwise
“You think they could win, but Teacher Haw can handle them”
They scuff “How can he do it without any mana?”
“I heard my friend that he knew an adventurer entered the city guild’s sphere. I can’t wait to see them in action”
One of them said to him “That sphere neutralize everyone’s powers as equal. You think they could win there?”
The other student defends him “I think so; I heard there’s also known Enders who travelled underground with his noisy crossbow”
“Uuugh! I guess we could see it here”
Other students join in “How about a bet then?”
The students start making bets as the duel is starting. The elves and the Enders face each other with their magic crafted items.
The elf leader, an authoritarian, raises her voice to introduce and warn them.
“Get excited my fellow companions. We have a duet between Enders and Purisseans, rare customs only to the Lord and the Ehan ‘Ra had the privilege to see. Watch this match as the Enders is still few, and dare not to look away the weapons they made in Enders hands”
They show their weapons as they ready to fight. The students and the adventurers see Haw carrying the potion crafting tool.
“Is he really going to use it on a duel?”
The student pointed out giving an expression of their confused face.
Meanwhile Rusic is near them in a drunken mood “Hah, that under the sea cave man”
They turn to the drunken fool and led their mind wondering. The adventurers heard him with their eyes raised and kept looking at what Haw is carrying. Altair could’ve guessed
“Silfa, you remember inside the sphere. You told me that time one of them knows about him”
“Yeah, but I think it was short for me what kinds of friends they are” They look at the crafting tool, an aura with runes writing that looks like a prosthetic heart. It looks less modern and Haw is using it. They have to wait and see.
The duel begins where the elves dashes forward with their crafted weapons. The staff’s skull charges with its antlers appearing through its magic, breaking through Ironno’s set up scrolls. The elk spirit gallop forward as Ironno attacks it. Fast and devastative as the elk’s head pierced by his pick axe, the elf’s staff pushes him back with a powerful wind. Ironno held firm but the scrolls on his belt scattered. Haw counters it with his potions. Aiming to the direction of her staff, the wind corrupts and tainted the scrolls.
The other elf dashes forward to Haw. He dodges away and freely drops the other potions to the ground. The agile elf picks it up as it fell. Haw grabs her hand and she pushes him back with her elk spirit. Sprung out from her hand in an instant without her being harmed, but pulled to him by his stubborn grip. Alas she drops the potion where the fluids release to the ground and trapped the elk’s hooves. Stuck on the ground and the scrolls lying there, both interacts as it starts to outburst from the different concoction. The elf pushes forward and slams Haw to the arena’s magic protected wall.
Her eyes closed where he slams the potion to the wall. His hands crack by the sudden the grip of elven strength. She accidentally fused her power with the soul stone and gain the strength of the beast.
“AH!”
The sound of his cracking bones in pain is too much for him to handle. The potion’s fumes already took affect and kept his other hand to pick up the potion power core chained to his belt. He places it to where she grabs his hand. The core starts pulsing and the aura begin to collecting mana. The tool starts to work.
The elf opens her eyes and see his hand broken. His wrist bleeds and the crack bone pierced through his flesh. The core already siphoning the presence of elven magic and fused with his own blood. She leans closer to his ears with sympathy than accepting defeat.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t underestimate Ender’s soul stone”
He greeted his teeth and reply nicely “I will still honor this fight to the elves”
She can’t help herself to hear an Enders to commit, but she is no woman to honor a duel than her interest with his craftsmanship.
She intentionally let the core absorbs it and Haw responds to her pause.
“Mylnoie will be happy for what you did, but I’m no worthy for this”
“This duel I borrowed your power, if I use my own you will be sleeping as I hit your neck”
“As my partner would let you do that”
The elf turns around and see her fellow sister. Ironno is thrown to them as she dodges the way. The two hit each other where the elf uses the staff that is more than casting magic. The staff is slowly being covered with Ironno scattered scrolls, already start to have effect.
She returns to her as the two have to finish this. Haw pushes Ironno away and uses the core. The pulsing of the core erupts rapidly as it drops new forms of liquid leaking to the ground. He spreads the liquid to the air as he is watering them. The elves use the staff and the elk to appear and block the splattered fluids. Tainted again to their items and a little to themselves, both sees the taint has the texture of blood. The censored shows only bright lights but the core absorb it and return to its grewsome color. Eventually it reverts back to light, and the elves feel the effect.
With the scrolls sticking on them as it scatters from their wind magic. They start to lose their mana and the powers they wield. The potion is form out from the bottle and Haw made a combination of Ironno’s scrolls. Mix into the scroll and its magic with elven magic filled in together to proper. Forced in one and power effected on them as well. The scroll of leech, blood of man, and the mana essence of the elves. At least one liquified fluid for the core to be made. No change but only combine as one, the overpower of craftsmanship is made.
Ironno stands up and walks to them. The elves look at the two and Haw walks forward dripping his hand in blood. The rules they chose was meant for them. The losing will dictate as their magic neutralize. Ironno hid his numerous magic scrolls and the core still usable. While the elf has their staff and soul stone tainted by the scrolls and the concoction from the power core. It takes time to drain it, but they are satisfied to use it only a few glances each. The duel ends where the staff and the soul stone drained out of its magic. The Enders won and the music blows horn around them of their victory.
Ironno with his gloves collect all of his scrolls and Haw gives them the core
“Would you kindly give it to the students?”
“But Haw your hand . . .!”
Haw looks dreadfully serious as he feels something unsatisfied. The elf who held the soul stone said to her partner.
“I’m sorry, I hurt his hand”
“I told you not to underestimate that soul stone”
“I know, but he did gives me a blind one”
“Sigh* By the look at that man, he really wants to duel too”
Haw walks back to see his right hand broken. The rules of attrition, he huffs on it with his breathe. But he won’t be slowing down as he survived Rune Isles.
The elves return the magic items to the students as they show a little concern to Haw.
“What’s wrong?”
The students look worried as they explain to them. “He should have accepted your apology”
“Children, you will understand people like them living in Rune Isles have that kind of mindset. Besides we don’t know him and his past”
Andui and her friends heard the commotion. It does make sense of his daring attitude, and more so of his past. There is one student they notice who kept his eye on him, as if he is feeling transpired to see what happened. The classmates start to worry.