Aun was examining the Core Sign, and his face showed conflicting emotions, from mistrust and slight residual fear to genuine surprise and joy. I looked up at the sky and noted that it was dawn. Maybe, by the way, the boy's quick Elevation was tied to the dawn, as in Ain mythology, this time of day is considered the best for Core Reassembly. Still, the short time it took Aun to complete the Reassembly truly surprised me. It was unusual but probably had happened under this sky before. After all, I had witnessed dozens of Elevations, and there are tens of millions of them on Ain every year, and my personal statistics clearly don't include all possible cases. As I pondered this, Aun finally deactivated the Sign visualization.
"As you can see, it wasn't as scary as you thought. Back home, we have a saying: Sidhe is not as scary as he is painted." I decided not to rush the boy with his story. Knowing his character and talkativeness, I understood that as soon as he came to his senses, he would tell me everything himself and would do so more than once.
"Thank you." Rising to his feet, Aun bowed deeply to me.
I was tempted to say something like, "You owe me one," but I didn't. Because such a phrase would indeed have imposed a moral debt on the boy. So instead, I nodded, accepting his bow, and said something else:
"I promised to help you with your Elevation if I could, and I did."
With these words, I was indicating that I wasn't doing him a favor but keeping my word. The last thing I needed was for Aun to feel greatly indebted to me! Knowing the boy's restless nature, I realized that this could lead to the most unexpected consequences.
"How was your time at the feast?" I asked a neutral question, putting a pot on the fire to boil water.
"So-so," Aun shrugged his shoulders, but before I could think about how unusually reticent he was today, the boy continued: "On the one hand, it was interesting, but on the other – a bit upsetting."
"Upsetting?" I didn't understand such a formulation and asked again.
"I quickly understood why Master Varti invited me." Aun looked up at me. "And it wasn't because he wanted to support me. No. The senator loves fights. And he was interested in you, Master Raven. But, since etiquette didn't allow Master Varti to invite a stranger to a feast in honor of the birth of his firstborn, he invited me."
"I see."
These words somewhat disturbed me. And I thought again about how, after the Tournament, I should get away from Tries as far as possible. Because there will be even more people interested in me personally over time. And considering that these people, like Master Varti, have considerable power in the city, their curiosity could turn into significant trouble for me.
"But," the boy winked unexpectedly, "Master Varti is a very polite man, and I managed to get away with general words or meaningless details. Besides, the senator was busy with other, much more influential guests, and during all this time, he could only talk to me for about ten minutes." Aun stretched until his bones creaked and stared at the morning sky. He watched Dairin slowly floating near the horizon for almost a minute before he continued, "Otherwise, it was a normal, albeit very expensive and richly furnished feast. Respected people said the right things. The invited priests blessed the newborn. And guests like me nodded and drank after every toast.
"You look good considering how much you had to drink then," I couldn't resist commenting.
"I drank diluted wine," Aun explained with a guilty-happy smile, adding, "heavily diluted!" He poked at the sand near the fireplace with the tip of his shoe, "I didn't want to get drunk and accidentally spill about you something I shouldn't have."
Oh, wow! No, I always understood that this young man was wise and discerning beyond his years. But the fact that he could keep a cool head at a reception of the powerful, where most in his place would boast left and right to earn, even if temporary, authority in the eyes of important people, was a pleasant surprise to me.
"So everything went normally and without incidents?" I asked casually, pouring boiling water into the cups.
"Yes! There were a couple of conflicts at the feast, but they were quickly smoothed over. Otherwise, everything went well."
"Really?" I gave my voice a tone of genuine surprise. I leaned over and picked up the empty bag from the "Light Step." I tossed it in my hand, looked into the boy's eyes, and echoed his words with unmistakable and biting irony, "Everything went well. Right?"
"That..." The boy blushed to the roots of his hair and looked away, "That's different!"
"Really?" My sarcasm could be scooped up by buckets.
"Yes." He lowered his gaze to the floor, "My decision... It's not caused by the feast or anything that happened there."
"If you don't want to talk, don't," I shrugged, replacing the water in the kettle with cold, threw six eggs into it, and put the kettle back on the fire. Having a conversation is good, but I could use breakfast too.
To tell the truth, I was curious and interested, but I did not show it, and it worked better than any interrogation. Reverse psychology is quite effective on Ain, as this world is inhabited by the same people. After enduring no more than a minute of silence, Aun sighed heavily and began:
"Master. There were joking competitions at the feast. And I had to participate in some. It's a common thing, and it livens the fun..."
"But apparently, something went wrong in one of these competitions," When his speech paused, I couldn't resist and prompted the boy to continue his story.
"No, not exactly," the boy even shuddered from, apparently, not very pleasant memories, "everything went as it should. As a result of the draw, I got an opponent a rank higher and inevitably lost."
"Iron against Copper," I nodded at his words. "Even if it was a competition of who could eat more sweets, you had little chance."
"That's what I'm saying..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I lost. Completely. Without a single chance."
"And?"
"The question is, who I lost to..." He speaks so softly that I have to guess his words.
And barely has Aun finished speaking when everything becomes abundantly clear to me. There's only one thing that can prompt a young man to forget about everything, even the most terrible phobia, forget about all fears. How can a cowardly and puny boy suddenly rush at bullies whom he previously was afraid to even look at? How can someone suffering from a fear of heights "suddenly" find the courage to jump from one roof to another? Such "madness" and sudden bravery can only have one beginning.
"And how did she behave after the victory?" I asked my question.
"Same as before!" Aun cried out. "Same as before! And that's the most offensive thing! I would have understood condescension or disappointment, but as it turns out, indifference hurts much more. And then, at that moment, I remembered your words... Words about how in a family there can be no happiness if the husband and wife are vastly different in ranks. And then I decided..."
"I didn't know your bride was at the Iron rank." When I saw her a few days ago, she was, like Aun, at Copper.
"Alaya... She Elevated the day before yesterday." Swallowing a lump in his throat, Aun found the strength to say.
I spread my arms and, smiling openly, said:
"The main thing is, you made the correct conclusion and took the right step," my finger pokes his chest, "and now you too are Iron."
"Yes..." At first, his voice is full of sorrow, but after a second, the boy is also smiling. "Indeed. I'm Iron. Can't believe it. I had made all decisions for myself and planned my life from the fact that I would remain at Copper forever. And... I'm Iron. Iron..."
For some time, the young man dropped out of reality; he visualized the Sign of his Core and, as if hypnotized, could not take his eyes off this symbol. I had time to pour boiling water, cool the prepared eggs, and start peeling the first one when Aun finally "gazed enough" at the Sign.
"Will you have some?" When the boy focused his gaze on me, I offered him a boiled egg.
"Ah? No! Thank you." A barely noticeable shadow of nausea passed over his face. "I'm not hungry." The boy sighed heavily and added. "Seems I've eaten enough for the week ahead."
"As you wish." Shrugging, I salted the peeled egg and bit off half right away.
Just as I wanted, the eggs were a bit soft-boiled, when the yolk was still halfway liquid. In fact, achieving such an effect without a clock, especially cooking on an open fire, wasn't as simple as it might seem, so I was pleased. While I was having breakfast, Aun put a small kettle on the fire and brewed local tea, adding some dried berries to it.
"What else was interesting at the feast?" Having sated the initial hunger, I was lazily and leisurely peeling the last two eggs.
"Well, it's all as usual for such celebrations." Aun shrugged and added, "Politics, gossip, behind-the-scenes squabbles. My father thrived in such an environment, but I find it less appealing. One has to be constantly on guard, knowing that no one says anything without reason. I understand that trading is much the same, but it's not for me." The boy shrugged irritably. "I know that Ger Varti deliberately set me up with Alaya during that competition. He knew what the result would be."
"And why would he do that?" I asked.
"I think he was unsatisfied with my responses to the questions he asked me," Aun unexpectedly smiled openly. "Questions about you, Master. I was too evasive and insufficiently verbose when I talked about you."
"To me, this seems a bit petty for a man of his status, especially one who's on the legendary coil of the Spiral, even if on its very bottom step," I say with a measure of doubt.
"Perhaps..." My words threw the young man off a little; he remembered something but suddenly frowned and fell silent.
"What, perhaps?" I prompted him.
"Uh... Nothing... It doesn't matter..." The boy began stirring the boiling water in the kettle fervently, although it wasn't necessary.
"I'm not a master of torture," I began, these words piquing Aun's interest. "And I'm not going to extract information from you with red-hot pincers." Having said this, I popped the last peeled egg into my mouth and pretended to leave.
"About an hour before the contests, aunt Zian approached Ger Varti, and they talked for almost five minutes," The young man shook his head. "But I think it's probably just a coincidence."
"If you think it's a coincidence," I shrugged, my voice oozing sarcasm for the umpteenth time that morning, "you can think so - that's your choice."
"No! Master Raven, you simply don't understand: aunt Zian is a kind, good, and caring woman, and she would never..."
"Aunt Zian has her own shop and a rather sizable business, right?" I interrupted his outpouring.
"Yes," the boy nodded.
"So, aunt Zian is quite a successful trader, right?"
"Yes."
"You know," I yawned ostentatiously and continued, "when someone tells me that this trader is sweet, caring, kind, honest, I immediately know there's a catch somewhere."
However, Aun's relationship with his future mother-in-law was his family business. And I was probably in the wrong to intrude on his personal space practically "without removing my dirty boots." Having said my piece, I got up and left the young man alone with his thoughts, heading up to the second floor. As soon as I had changed into a casual city shirt, Aun entered the room and immediately peered out of the window. He watched the street for a few seconds, then shook his head and, turning to me, lamented:
"I'm not going mad, am I? I'm not imagining that Master Ylipp and several of my neighbors are behaving strangely, am I? I didn't drink too much at the feast..." He slapped his cheeks with his palms and peeked out the window again.
"It wasn't an illusion." I was amused by the boy's reaction to the patrolling arranged by the neighbors, but this also reminded me that the young man knows nothing about another assassination attempt. "We'll go downstairs, and I'll tell you."
When we came back out to the atrium, I detailed everything that had happened the previous evening, omitting only my acquaintance with Ye Lan. I also shared my thoughts on the matter. At the end of my story, I also recounted my conversation with the street elder and his idea of patrols.
"So it's all at once worse and a little better than we thought before," Aun, who had been listening to me without interruption, shared, throwing me off with such a reaction.
To hide my confusion, I turned away, drew my dagger, and began my morning training, throwing out a single word:
"Explain."
"Worse because the killer is not alone, as we previously assumed." There's no sadness in the boy's voice, nor even a hint of fear. He sounds like he's reading from an accounting book. "Better because it's not the locals hunting me, but outsiders."
"And how is that better?" I asked, closing my eyes and trying to run through a cycle of exercises without touching anything in the atrium.
"First, any outsider in the city is limited, and not all doors are open to them. Second, it greatly narrows down the number of suspects."
"How much does it narrow down?" I was genuinely interested and even opened my eyes.
After a bit of thought, Aun pulled out his dagger and, trying to mimic my movements, said:
"By a lot." His voice was a little more cheerful this time.
Of course, the boy couldn't repeat my exercise; he stumbled quickly and nearly fell into the atrium fountain.
"Master," sitting straight on the ground, Aun tossed my old dagger in his hand. "Could you perform the exercises a bit slower?" He spread his arms. "I won't ask you to teach me, but could you do this small favor for me?"
I even stopped my workout at such a request. One thing he's really good at is picking the right words and timing. And now he constructed the sentence in a way that made it awkward for me to refuse. Moreover, I perfectly understood the boy, his motives, and his desires. I could even give him a little training when it doesn't interfere with my plans.
"Fine." Finding a compromise, I threw the guy a bone. "It's always a good idea to start any workout with the Kata of All Elements. This exercise has five levels of difficulty. Let's start with it."
"I know it!" Aun quickly nodded but immediately corrected himself, "Its first level."
"Not quite." A slight smile on my face. "The Kata of All Elements, performed without weapons, and the same Kata, but with a sword, will differ from each other. Just as an exercise with a sword will differ from the same one but performed with a spear or," I nod at his right hand, "with a dagger."
"I will be attentive!" The boy's face at this moment is simply the embodiment of concentration.
Some teachers deliberately arrange the first exercises so that their students will inevitably make mistakes. In doing so, they manage to knock their students off their stride and figuratively "rub the newbie's nose" in how clumsy they are and that they have a lot to learn and need to put in more effort, even in the simplest of initial exercises. And this is quite a viable scheme; I know it because I had such a coach in my youth back on Earth. But in Aun's case, I deemed this approach wrong, as I had no intention of becoming his real teacher.
"I will do the exercise twice," I started my short briefing. "The first time, you just watch, and from the second time, try to repeat."
The poses and transitions of the Kata of All Elements are quite simple, and since Aun had performed this exercise before, he should have no problems at this stage. However, even though I was executing the simplest kata, I was actually training as well. I was simply doing this exercise not at the first stage but at the fourth. To an outside observer, without an activated and developed Perception Aura, there was no difference, but in reality, there was. At the fourth stage, the Kata of All Elements is not just body movements but primarily training in balancing mana and prana and controlling their flow through the body. And I have to admit that this fourth stage was quite difficult for me. Moreover, if I had performed the exercise with a spear in my hands, it would have been easier. But I purposely did it with a dagger. Not so that Aun could easily follow me, but for a different reason. I can't walk around the city with a spear in my hands, I would immediately be arrested for such a violation, but a dagger is allowed for me as a guest. So, I thought it more correct at this stage to train in what is always at hand.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Despite his confidence, Aun made five mistakes right away. Not critical, but quite noticeable ones. I didn't shout at him or raise my voice, and I also didn't rub his nose in these mistakes. I just asked him to perform the kata again, this time closely watching and correcting him where he moved incorrectly.
After just half an hour, the young man was out of breath. It only seems that the Kata of All Elements is so simple. If you don't have the skills or the "Mithril Body," even a ten-minute repetition of this exercise can wear out an unprepared person. You could even say that Aun held up pretty well, especially considering that he had just undergone Elevation and wasn't used to the capabilities of Iron yet. Moreover, before I stopped him and told him to rest, he performed the kata three times in a row without apparent errors. Of course, he was far from perfection, but for the first day, I would say it was very, very good, even for an earthling with the "Perfect Athlete" achievement, let alone a local.
I continued my training. I was significantly disturbed and upset by how easily the Steel-ranked assassin was able to dampen my "Discharge," which was basically enhanced to the level of Wootz. And it was not because my move was weak, no. I was just too slow, and this slowness allowed the opponent to prepare, put up a shield, or partially dodge. Just last night before sleep, while analyzing that fight, I came to the conclusion that this relative slowness was due to poor energy flow in my body. More precisely, for Bronze, it was very good, even excellent, but for channeling Wootz-level energy flow, it was clearly insufficient.
Yesterday's spear training also showed me that as a fighter, I am now two heads above my past self at the same moment in the previous Cycle. But with the magical component, everything is not so rosy. This pushed me to the idea: from today, I should spend more time on energy training rather than physical, while, of course, not forgetting about it either. And the fourth stage of the Kata of All Elements just suited this type of training well. So I kept repeating the same moves with the same flow of weaved spirit and mana over and over again. Ten times, twenty, thirty. But even on the fiftieth repetition, I was not satisfied with myself, as I still felt "congestions," "bottlenecks," and an imperfect intertwining of the two Forces.
All this time, Aun sat nearby and kept his eyes on me. I could literally feel how the boy was following every single one of my movements. At the same time, he never forgot to maintain the Aura of Perception on himself. The young man was so engrossed in this observation that he even remained silent all this time, which, given his love for chattering, was a real achievement.
"Master, do you need to be at the Arena two hours before noon?" Aun asked when I paused to drink water.
"Not later." I agreed with the young man after taking a few big gulps.
"Then I will leave for an hour or two." The young master of the house, getting up on his feet, said and noticing my questioning look added, "It would be better if I personally go and talk to the elder of the street first and then to the municeps of our district."
"And the guards?" I asked.
"They, if necessary, will come themselves." A forced smile flashed across the young man's face and then disappeared. "There's no need to remind them of my existence and yesterday's 'incident' in general."
"And it's different with the elder and the municeps?"
"There's no way these two will forget about me," the boy grinned, undoubtedly right in his assertion, "after all, we live next door. So it's better if I approach them first."
"Your words make sense." I agreed with his arguments.
Hearing my response, Aun nervously jumped to his feet, marked himself with Elai's Sign, and quickly left the house.
As soon as I was alone, I set aside the dagger and went for the spear. I was to fight in the Arena today, so it wouldn't hurt to practice my primary weapon a bit. Frozen in a high stance, I caught myself feeling slightly nervous. Yesterday's inspiration during the training, where usual kata and exercises naturally evolved into a dance, what was that? A fluke, a rare inspiration, or did I really understand "something" then?
My first movement was standard for the Battle Beasts complex. I began with the Waiting Crane stance and smoothly, without jerks, transitioned to the Creeping Tiger stance. The second transition was also among the most complicated ones, from a low position, almost skimming the ground, to the swift Attacking Cobra. And it was during this transition that I realized I could "let myself go," and yesterday's dance would repeat itself. It's like asanas and meditations in yoga, like complex gymnastic exercises. You can repeat them hundreds and thousands of times, and one day you will do it right and suddenly and forever understand how it is - "right." That was the case with my "dance." But, even now, not "letting myself go" but adhering to formal transitions of standard exercises, I understood that these exercises carried something more than just being simple crutches, as it seemed to me yesterday. There was something useful in them, even for me, with my five Talent Stars in the spear. These kata-exercises were good to use at the beginning of my training, as a sort of tuning, for both body and energy, as well as the mind. Repeating the long-familiar over and over again, doing it at a level close to ideal, I warmed up, adjusted the balance of the body and Core, and felt that it helped, making the training more efficient. Moreover, I had to exert considerable mental effort to force myself to stay within the exercises and their formal movements, stances, and transitions. And only after completing three full complexes did I "let myself go" and immediately launched into a wild, rushed, contradictory, yet beautiful and lively dance. My speed increased, as did the accuracy and precision of all movements, and even the flow of energies throughout my body became more natural, calmer, and more productive.
But this state had its own disadvantage: I was delving too deep "into myself," the immediate surroundings completely seized my attention, but in the process, I was losing the long-term perspective. That is, for one-on-one battles or small skirmishes, it was more than useful! But in larger battles, entering this "battle satori" threatened the loss of perspective, with all the potential problems that could ensue. Perhaps such a flaw in this state is fundamental, but it could also be that as the Talent Stars in the spear are filled, the radius of attention maintained in the "battle satori" will expand. Only practice will tell. First and foremost, training. In real combat, without a critical need for it, I'll hesitate to apply this technique. Not until I get used to it and it becomes as natural as breathing. It's currently too overwhelming for me, even during training! And I don't know where the wave of inspiration will take me in a real fight. And this "unknown" scares me a bit at this stage. Because I can't shake off the feeling that if, while in this combat trance, a lethal blow seems the most harmonious, the "right" move from a motion perspective, I'll land that blow, and no tournament rules will stop me at that moment. And that's not good. And it's not just about possible disqualification. It's also that killing someone just for the beauty of the action is not something I would ever aspire to. However, I'm confident that with time I'll perfect my control, and inspiration will no longer consume me entirely. But that requires even more training.
That's what I was doing for over an hour until Aun came back. To my mild surprise, the boy returned in a better mood than he had left.
"I used to..." The young man started speaking as soon as he crossed the threshold. "Avoid Master Ylipp. He always seemed harsh, demanding, loud, and even angry. I think I talked to him alone for the first time in my life, without my father around, and it turned out," the young man spread his arms, "that the elder of our street is the kindest and nicest person!"
"And how did it go with the municeps?" I asked.
"With the official?" Aun shrugged. "He gave me the incident report to read, I signed it, and that was it. In and out, a five-minute matter."[1]
Good thing the boy was busy fetching water from the fountain at that moment and didn't see me trying to hide a broad smile.
"I didn't end up having to go to the guard after all." The boy continued his story, "Which is for the best!" Adding firewood to the hearth, Aun hung a kettle over the fire. "But Master Ylipp and I had a very good conversation. He told me about patrolling but also made it clear that he would call it off today, as people have a lot of their own business, and it's not possible to maintain such a thing on a permanent basis. But he offered to come to him for any other help without hesitation."
The boy continued his story about the conversation with the street elder, but I was only half-listening, returning to my training. Aun's torrent of words lasted another ten minutes, after which the boy fell silent, waited for the end of my kata, and asked me to watch as he did the exercise. Since I had already decided to finish my own training by this time and give my muscles time to rest before the fight, I agreed to help the lad.
For half an hour, sitting in a wicker chair and sipping a hot fruit drink made from some tart berries, I relaxed, calming the flow of mana and prana, and occasionally corrected the boy. Aun, as is usually the case with young men with burning eyes, was giving it his all. And apparently, he thought that his enthusiasm compensated for the deficiencies in technical execution, which, of course, was not the case. And this I periodically made clear to him. However, I had to admit that the lad was really trying. Not only did he listen to my comments, but most importantly, he heard and understood them. And this was bearing fruit. After just thirty minutes of repeating the same complex, he was already doing it without noticeable mistakes. Of course, he still had a lot of work to do on the quality of execution, but he got rid of incorrect movements quite quickly. I even hypothesized that Aun has a predisposition to short-bladed weapons at the level of at least three Talent Stars. Maybe even four stars if he has never really trained the Kata of All Elements before. Perhaps basic heredity plays a role here, as his grandfather was a decent warrior by local standards, and warrior traits and predispositions might have manifested in Aun. But since the young man plans to continue his father's business and go along the trade path, his warrior potential will probably never be fully revealed. Which I did not regret at all, as merchants usually live much longer in Ain than warriors. And I had already become attached to this lad. Not so much that I worried and cared about him with all my heart, but I was still attached.
But as soon as this thought formed in my head, I immediately remembered that the first cohorts of demonic legions would step into this world in less than a year. And what path Aun chooses for himself by that time will no longer matter. If I don't find a way to change the future, there will be no said future for any of the people in Ain. These thoughts completely killed my mood, so when it was time to leave the house, I was a bit relieved.
No sooner had we stepped out onto the street when many of our neighbors raised their hands in support. Master Ylipp, who approached us, personally wished me luck in the duel and said that he went to the Temple early in the morning and offered prayers to Jegur and Evelan for me. I thanked the elder politely and responded to other gestures of support, and it was the right choice, as was responded with smiles. But as soon as Aun and I stepped outside the boy's familiar district, I clearly felt a change in the looks. Now there was more curiosity in them than support. Catching the interested gaze of a beauty passing by and then another from an equally attractive lady, I once again praised myself for not having a short haircut but going for such an unusual hairstyle. No, I was, as they say, "not hungry," and I didn't even ask Aun the names of these beauties or where they lived. But the attention of beautiful girls was pleasant and at least slightly dispersed the clouds of my gloomy mood. This interest in my appearance from the women did not even go unnoticed by Aun, and the young man quietly inquired:
"Master, doesn't your long hair get in the way?"
"It makes things more difficult," I agreed. "But I'm getting used to it, and it's worth it!" I finished the last sentence, winking at another girl whose curious gaze I managed to catch.
After my answer, Aun thought deeply. And what the lad was thinking about was clear without using mental magic. Because he, with a grimace of slight disdain, stroked his hair and caught with a slight note of envy the interested female gazes on me. But the main thing was that I liked my hairstyle myself. With it, I felt my image more complete and whole. And I liked it. And if Kiadi of Mundi suddenly appeared nearby and offered to remove the result of his "joke," even completely for free, I would send him on a long walking journey!
When we approached the Arena, we split up. Aun hurried to take a place closer to the bookmakers, and I headed to the service entrance. And while I was climbing, I constantly looked around in the hope of noticing a familiar figure. But either Ye Lan ran out of town right after yesterday's attack, or she just decided to temporarily avoid me as a source of problems she doesn't need right now. It's a pity; I would happily continue our acquaintance. And the reason for that was far from just the open sexual appeal that the earthling was not shy to demonstrate. This girl really interested me - not only as a sexual object, although not without it either, but also as an intriguing and promising personality, cooperation with whom can bring many benefits.
Nodding to the Alchemists' Guild guards at the entrance and stepping through the service gates, I was promptly taken in hand by a servant boy I already knew. The boy, perhaps younger than Aun, continuously bowed and lamented, leading me through the corridors. All the while, he complained that due to today's packed fighting schedule, there were almost no free rooms for changing and pre-battle meditation. However, he showed initiative and secured one such room, urging that we should hurry before someone else claimed it. The servant was so genuinely concerned that, when the room turned out to be unoccupied, I extended him a silver coin for his troubles, which he initially refused. But when the boy brought a change of clothes, I insisted on it and finally gave him his well-deserved "tip."
The half-hour of waiting spent in light meditation flew by unnoticed but allowed me to relax and push heavy thoughts out of my mind. So when I stepped onto the arena sand for the Bronze grid draw ritual, my smile no longer looked strained.
As last time, everyone who passed the first round was lined up in two rows opposite each other, and the lead steward began drawing slats with names from a massive drum. Throughout, I examined the other participants without any embarrassment. I formed an opinion about nearly every one of them. Out of the fifteen left in the Bronze grid, I considered only two dangerous to me. The first was a tall, slender mage with a staff almost as long as my spear. This participant proved himself to be a very diverse, skilled, and, most importantly, cunning fighter. The second was none other than Paravi Malik. And the difficulty with the girl was not in how to defeat her. That was quite simple for me. But how do I do it so that the whole city wouldn't hate me afterward? I haven't found a solution to that problem yet. So I sincerely hoped that someone would knock out of the tournament this beauty and crowd favorite before our names were drawn for a duel.
To my sincere relief, the slat with Paravi Malik's name fell not to me but to another fighter. Like the girl, he was a local and, according to Aun's words, served in the border guard. Mentally wishing this young man all the luck, I already wanted to voice my support out loud, but then the steward called my name, and I had to ascend the podium. This time, the spectators greeted me far more fiercely than before. And in this roar of thousands of people, I clearly heard sincere support, which, I must say, genuinely surprised me. Because for such a radical change in the spectators' mood, it seemed insufficient to defeat a favorite from another city, as I myself was not a local but merely a guest.
"And the opponent for Raven from Seattle is..." The announcer's voice teases the audience, skillfully playing with tempo, sometimes speeding up, sometimes pausing. "The opponent is..." The sign in the hands of the announcer shoots up. "Takr Budar, who many have come to love for his unrestrained temper and gigantic axe!"
My opponent for today stepped forward and climbed onto the podium, standing to the left of the announcer. I knew this fighter. He was big, with pronounced muscle definition, a wolf's pelt thrown over his shoulders – for some reason, the officials had not taken it from him – and a big axe. It was he who had taken out the axeman in the last round who had tried to chop me down after the general selection.
As soon as our draw was over, they quickly ushered me and the other participants off the sand, making room for a similar draw for the Steel bracket of the tournament.
"Would you like to be escorted to your room or to the spectator stands?" Before I even had a chance to adjust to the dim light of the service corridors, the servant assigned to me flew up to me with this question.
"Will the Iron fights start right after the Steel draw?" I asked for clarification.
"That's correct, Master," confirmed the young man, dressed in the colors of the Alchemists' Guild.
"Then lead me to the stands."
In principle, I knew how to get to the section where seats were reserved for participants. I had found my way there myself the day before with Ye Lan. But in this case, I decided that it would be more convenient to follow someone than to remember, "Is this the turn I need?"
Today there were almost three times fewer free seats in our sector than yesterday. But a very comfortable bench was found for me, from which one could see any corner of the arena. As soon as the servant brought me a jug of fruit drink, I dismissed him, leaving myself alone in my spot. The draw for the Steel bracket didn't interest me much, but nevertheless, I watched it from start to finish. Hoping to find a pair of fighters to bet on with minimal risk. To my disappointment, as if deliberately, the Steel draw pitted pretty equal opponents against each other without a clear favorite in any of the formed pairs. Which once again made me think that this whole draw was nothing more than a fraud. And the real future pairs are picked by knowledgeable people long before the announcer pulls out his slats. But this was only a guess, as I couldn't detect any overt irregularities or hoaxes.
As soon as the last pair for the second round of the Steel bracket was formed, the attendants quickly cleared the arena of the portable podium and other extras. After which, without any break, the start of the Iron bracket fights was announced, and the first pair of today's fighters came out onto the sand from different sides.
The Iron duels held little interest for me. But I came to this stand to see just one fighter. Of course, I was waiting for the duel involving Ronin, which, according to the logic of the draw, was supposed to be the seventh one today. But not to show my curiosity to strangers, I pretended to be watching other fights with curiosity too. I was interested in Ronin's fight not because I was "rooting" for the earthling. I had no doubts about the victory of the fencing master. However, first, each fight with his participation was a small show, which would have been a pity to miss. And secondly, I was curious about what new things Ronin would show, what he had managed to learn in the "Rising Dragon" school.
Unlike previous duel sessions, the organizers decided to maximize the schedule today and cram all the fights of the second round of Iron, Bronze, and Steel into one day. They even prepared for the event to be delayed by placing several powerful artifact lamps under the roof, working on the alchemical fire. Such lamps are rarely seen outside of Pentapolis, but the Alchemists' Guild clearly did not skimp on the tournament they were sponsoring.
Honestly, I was more interested in looking at such nuances or observing the spectators than watching the Iron contestants fight. None of the pairs showed anything outstanding or even piqued slight curiosity. Just relatively good fighters and mages of their rank met each other and figured out who was stronger. Indeed, "relatively good" and far from outstanding.
But when Ronin entered the arena, I literally felt that there would be a show now. And... I wasn't wrong. Despite the fact that any connoisseur, from the very first second, understood who would win, the earthling still managed to entertain the spectators well. He didn't just dodge or parry his opponent's attacks; he did it deliberately, periodically freezing in one or another pose characteristic of the Dragon school's stances. And his attacks were artistic and beautiful, and the audience appreciated it. The people in the stands liked this because Ronin managed to walk the fine line where he demonstrated his all-encompassing superiority without descending into overt contempt and mockery of his opponent. Observing how Ronin behaves in front of the audience, I, as they say, "took notes." From this point of view, "past me" didn't look at the art taught by the swordsman, focusing more on functionality and efficiency but completely ignoring the exterior side and spectacularity. And now I was trying to make up for this omission, noting for myself not so much specific techniques but the general manner of the master's movements and his plasticity.
The crowd greeted Ronin's victory with wild applause; they enjoyed the spectacle put on by the earthling. But there was one "but": after such a demonstration, no one would bet against Ronin anymore, making it impossible to place any more bets on him. That was a bit disappointing. I hoped that Aun had managed to make at least some profit on this fight today. I found out very soon, as before the next fight even ended, the out-of-breath merchant's son dropped onto the bench next to me and, wiping away sweat, reported:
"We made one and a half times our bet on the Mask of the Rising Dragon school fight. And I managed to place a bet on you too, alas, only with the same odds, one to one and a half, no more."
"I was hoping for better." I really did expect a more profitable bet.
"Alas," Aun shrugged, not at all upset, "but this is good! Especially since I first bet everything on the Mask of the Rising Dragon school, and after winning, I bet all the money on you. That's why I was late." The boy looked me in the eye. "Maybe you've found more worthy favorites that the majority of spectators don't know about yet?"
"Just one. A three-element mage at Bronze, with a long staff." I voiced my only guess. "He's definitely stronger than his current opponent."
"Tayan Quarish!" Aun clicked his tongue. "Works in the city hall archives; they say he's self-taught and an upstart, one who jumped over his head; few bet on him. Many consider his previous victory and his inclusion in the seeded for Bronze to be nothing more than a coincidence."
"Where did you learn such details?" I even turned my whole body towards the boy to ask the question.
"When I'm in line at the bookmakers," the boy puffed up with pride, "I keep my ears open! You can get three-to-one odds on Tayan's victory today!"
"His fight is two after mine." I thought and asked. "Will you have time to get the money from my victory and then bet on him?"
"Everyone who wanted to bet did so right after the draw ended, so I don't think there will be big queues. I should be able to make it." A glint of profit flashed in the boy's eyes, and he clarified: "How much should I bet on Tayan? Everything?"
"No. It's not worth taking such a risk; my conclusions are based only on observations and could be wrong. But everything that will be won by me today - bet all that."
"Do you mind if I do the same?" For some reason, Aun asked me.
"Your money, your choice." I shrugged in response.
"Then shall I run now and get good spots in the bookmakers' queues then?" The boy was finishing, already getting up from the bench.
"Go." I waved away the boy, who apparently decided to annoy me, asking permission for any reason.
Not much time had passed since Aun ran off when a familiar servant came for me and asked me to follow him.
[1] AN: Aun, unknowingly, almost verbatim quoted a line from "Rick and Morty."