"Sanna?"

"Ready sir. Everything I need is in my bag." Donovan had gathered everyone in the courtyard for one last check before heading out. They might be adults, but Donovan wanted to be extra careful that they wouldn't look like idiots for some reason or another.

"Really? It looks kind of small compared to the rest."

Sanna smiled, whether or not it was because he felt superior was beyond Donovan's ability to comprehend. "That is only to be expected, sir. There are only so many methods of using split sorcery that yield any meaningful results in a melee, so I don't need nearly as many different crystals. I feel that even this many is excessive, but it is as you say, it pays to be prepared."

"Well, if it's good enough for you then I don't have any complaints. Wall?"

"All accounted for sir! I even brought a towel." Wall shook the bag hanging over his shoulder. Due to the nature of his equipment he was already wearing most of it, however he was keeping his helmet and a few choice items in a bag.

There was still a potential problem with it though. "Are you sure about this? Walking there in your armor, I mean. Won't you just tire yourself out before you even fight?"

"Hah! After all you've put me through that's what you worry about?" Wall was very clearly amused at Donovan's concern. "I might be able to jog there if I give it my all!"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly recommend that. Remember the terms of our deal?"

"Yes sir. I'll keep the exertion to a minimum."

Don nodded. Wall ultimately knew more about what he was capable of than Don did, so there was no point in bothering him about it. "Good. Titanyana?"

"All set, though could I trouble you for some Sanc to pay a guide? I haven't received any payments yet. . ."

Donovan frowned, a small hint at the guilt he was feeling inside. It was true that he hadn't seen anything like money coming her way, though he would have assumed that the sum she received at the beginning of her training would have lasted this long.

Actually, that might not have been true. She was in charge of both acquiring the materials to maintain their equipment as well as carry out the repairs. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that there were other expenses as well. "I can handle that." He pulled out a coin from a small leather pouch on his waist and tossed it to the embarrassed princess, that one should have been a ten Sanc coin.

He had gotten a closer look at one of them earlier, but they really did have a strange design, primarily owing to the fact that they weren't mono-material like what he would have assumed normally. There were two parts, which he had decided to call the ring and the core. The ring was metal, not too terribly unusual aside from the fact that it was around a wooden core. Before, when he was feeling particularly curious, he tried separating the two, only to find them bound somehow.

The mechanism behind it was a mystery, but what was certain is that there wasn't even the slightest bit of give. Either the ring was somehow smelted around the wooden core, or the core was somehow grown through the metal ring, and it bothered him immensely that both of these were entirely possible when he considered just who he was working with. Perhaps it was this very quality of odd craftmanship that gave it the value it had, replicating it would simply be impossible without the proper technique, so counterfeits were incredibly unlikely.

"Thank you sir. . ."

"Don't worry about it. It is my job to take care of you monetarily." Don cinched the pouch shut again before continuing. "Len? What about you? Are you going to need some help with the lance?"

"No, I should be fine, maybe. It feels like its gotten easier to carry, but I don't know. . ."

Donovan looked at the two hundred pound tungsten rod with apprehension. Even now Don had no idea how he planned to properly fight with that monster, but he wasn't really in a position to stop him. Don himself wasn't exactly much of an expert yet, so he had no right.

"Well, take it easy. We've got a few hours to get there, and it would be stupid to hurt yourself before the fighting even starts." Don looked at the swaying tip with further apprehension. "More importantly, make sure nobody else gets hurt by it. I don't wanna have to deal with any of that sort of trouble, got it?"

"Yes sir. . . " Len looked to the floor, convinced that Donovan was disproving of his weapon choice. If he had to be honest, Len was starting to have his doubts as well. He was told it was the weapon of his father, but that didn't mean anything if his physique trended towards his mother's, whatever that might be.

Stolen story; please report.

"Alright before I get started on my spiel, any questions or complaints?"

"Aye, sir." Sanna was the first to raise his hand. "What time should we be back?"

"As long as you make it to roll call in the morning, I couldn't care less. You are perfectly free to go to a bar to bask in the glory of victory or wallow in the despair of defeat otherwise. That said, don't go overboard. You do need to wake up in the morning." Donovan had been a little bit oppressive on them ever since they arrived, and now promised to be a good chance to have them let loose their stress. He only regretted that they were going to have to do that after competing, rather than before.

Sanna didn't seem to be disappointed in the slightest, whereas Wall was positively ecstatic. "Thank you sir!"

"Don't thank me, it's your right. Any other questions?"

Len raised a hand this time. "What should we do if we place high enough to continue on to tomorrow's bracket?"

Don furrowed his brow, somewhat incredulous that Len would even say that given his ability. It was only upon seeing Titanyana's flattened ears and swaying tail did he realize Len was asking on someone else's behalf. "I'll think of something if it comes down to it, but I won't stop you from going tomorrow. In fact, if one of you manages to that I think I'd like to cancel training and go watch your matches for myself. I still find I am lacking in solid examples of high class dueling."

Len nodded while the tension in Titanyana's shoulder's faded. She wouldn't make trouble if she did too well, she was free to go all out.

"Anything else?" He was met with silence. "Okay, then I guess it is time for me to tell you all what I expect of you. First things first, sportsmanship. You are to treat your opponents with respect and decency even if they do not reciprocate those mannerisms. Handshakes, bowing, fist pounding, whatever, just make sure that it is clear to the audience and those spectating that you aren't an asshole. Second, no gloating or degrading your opponent. I don't give a shit if it is an effective battle tactic, it reflects poorly on me. I want you to prove to everyone out there, myself included, that you are capable of winning without resorting to attacks on your opponents character."

Wall raised a hand. "What if they start it?"

"Don't reciprocate." Donovan was thankful he brought it up. "If someone starts stomping around in a pile of shit just to make you mad, are you going to join them?"

"No sir."

"Then don't fucking do it, not that hard. Ultimately they are just words, they aren't going to hurt you, so don't let them tick you off. If they insult your mother, then you need to keep a calm mind about you so you can ensure her name is not tarnished, but if you fail there then there really isn't anything you could have done about it anyways. Just let your opponent look like the asshole he is and walk away with pride that you fought the best you could."

"Understood, sir."

Don paused, wondering pondering about really going through with saying the next part. Ultimately he decided to on the grounds of them needing to know. "That last rule doesn't really apply to me, sorry to say. I don't want to say I'm better than you or anything, but I believe that I am capable of judging what words will be the best representation of my person when it leaves my mouth. I'd go so far as to say I plan to fight dirty all the way down, I'm just not in a position to be able to afford anything else."

Len and Wall nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean by 'fighting dirty'?" Sanna was the only one who didn't really get it.

"I mean that I plan to fight in untraditional and incredibly disrespectful ways. If it means I will get that one step closer to victory, I will absolutely throw dirt in my opponents eye and kick them in the balls. If I were to give my reasons why, I'd say it is because you are all fighting to maintain a noble image and promote my abilities as a commander, while I am fighting to demonstrate my desire to win. It is a little exploitative, I understand, but I have objectives that have to be accomplished in my time here. Considering that you are all under my command, you are therefore tools to that end."

"If that is the case then I have no complaint. You have nailed down my desire to be a noble combatant quite perfectly."

The other two grunted in approval, while Titanyana remained inert.

"Good to hear, now for the last bit. Have fun!" The expressions of his subordination turned to confusion. "Alright, clearly that went over your heads. What I meant by that is lighten up. You are all way too tense, which I know I am partially to blame for, but I don't think that being all bunched up like that is going to help your performances. Maybe stop by a bar on your way and grab a drink or whatever, you should have time."

- - - - -

Donovan had told them to loosen up, but here he was in front of the arena, tighter than a trash compactor. He had tipped the red hat ten Sanc as seemed to be the standard for nobility, but he still didn't know for certain if this was the right one. This was arena 3, right?

With nothing better to do and plenty of time left to fix the mistake if indeed there was one, he walked in with the intent of just asking someone.

"Excuse me miss?" The lady working at one of the front counters seemed to be the right idea. Surely those working here would know if this was the right arena. "Is this arena 3? I'm here for the tournament."

Her eyes snapped up from whatever was keeping her occupied behind the counter. "The tournament? Are you a participant?" Don nodded. "Already?! We aren't even close to starting you know? The rings aren't even finished yet!"

Donovan could look at her, befuddled. "The. . . rings?"

The lady behind the counter stared at him blankly, similarly confused as to why he was here so early. "This wouldn't happen to be your first time, would it?"

"It is my first tournament, yes. Have I come too early?"

"Way too early! The armory isn't even unlocked yet! When the person who registered you said to be here by noon she didn't mean get here three hours before first fight!"

Donovan was starting to feel a bit embarrassed now. Were the rest of them undergoing a similar beration? "I'm sorry, I just thought there would have been a line or something. . ."

The lady sighed. "Diligent nobles can be just as much of a headache as the lazy ones, can't they. That said, I'm glad you've shown at least some effort. Go wait outside or something. You'll know that the armory is open when we hang the red banner, you can come in then."