"Ladies and gentlemen! As it is, the very first round of our little tournament is just an elimination round! Those poor souls wont get to join the university this year, but they can try again next year. So dont be sad if any of you knew the ones who lost!" The announcer yelled out to the crowd.
Despite how late it was, the crowd still had the energy to cheer. Although there were a small number of people in the crowd who had managed to fall asleep, despite all of the noise the people around them were making.
After drinking some water from a small cup, the announcer continued.
"The rules are the same as before, and the ring has the same function! The only difference is that the higher up you get now, the better you'll get treated in the university!" Even with the thick walls blocking out the noise the crowds are making, the would-be students could still hear the announcers voice. Maybe some kind of magic was at work? Either way, they could also feel the room shake when the crowd outside stomped their feet or when they cheered.
"And here is how the game shall go. A simple bracket to see who will fight with who and who will get to the top!" Just as he finished his sentence, magic coursed in the area over the arena for all to see. Even if some of the crowd has seen the lightshow every year, it was still a wonder to see for the normal people to see.
All of the would-be students didnt get a nice lightshow, but instead some of the guards placed a large blackboard in the room with all of the would-be students. One of them held a clipboard and the other wrote on the blackboard with a piece of chalk.
They left without the blackboard, showing all the people there who would be fighting who. Some of the would-be students didnt seem too stressed about who they had to fight early on, while some others were praying that the stronger would-be students knocked each other out.
Diana and Vita werent there to see the brackets, because they had retreated to a less populated part of the hall.
"King, you can finally speak! I know we only had a week to pratice reading and writing-"
"Vita" Vitas voice had turned more harmonious from the previous low cries of different creatures. Diana just looked dumbly at Vita for a second before remembering.
"Oh yeah! I did promise that until you decide on your own name, it will be King. Its good to know your name is Vita. A bit odd for a name- Wait a second! King-I mean- Vita! You cant say stuff like that to someone!" Although Diana was trying to sound serious, she was also trying to hold back a giggle when thinking about how Cliff had reacted to Vitas words.
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While they were talking to each other, someone muscular walked over with a bag of nuts.
"Yo, little girl and big monster!" The voice was filled with a friendly vibe and the mans face was all smiles. Diana turned to the would-be student only to get a faceful of nut.
"Want one? You can have the whole bag, I ate too many." He let out a hearty laugh while Diana took the heavy bag.
"My names Heracles, Im from the Southeastern side of The Kingdom. Who are you?" He asked. He had a full head of hair that looked more like shrub instead. His barerly visible eyebrows were just as bushy as his hair and his eyes were brown. Despite all the hair on the top of his head, the rest of his face was clean shaven.
"Im Diana Wolfheart, from the Eastern side of The Kingdom." Diana did a short bow as one of nobility should. Heracles laughed while clapping Diana on the shoulder a few times.
"And who is the big fella?" He looked up to Vita. Sure, he was quite tall for a human, but not quite over three meters tall like Vita. Heracles reached out a hand for a handshake, but Vita didnt return the gesture. Heracles hand went down to his side with a awkward laugh.
"Oh, this is Vita. He...She...Its my...my.... Anyway. Heracles, its kind of you to give me your, uh, nuts. But why are you here?" Diana tried her best to not sound rude, but in she probably failed from the glance she got from Vita.
"Oh thats simple. If the both of us win all of our rounds, we would have to fight each other sooner or later." He turned around, waved his hand, and walked away with a happy smile on his face. The only thing he really thinking about at that moment was his fight with Vita.
Diana walked back to blackboard to get a better look at it and lo and behold, if Diana and Vita did win their first couple of rounds, they would have to fight with him.
Hmm. I doubt anyone here could win against me, but with Diana...
Looking straight down on the tiny person, Diana looked up and stared back. It was strange. Usually when you look someone in the eye, you can see something more behind it. But there was nothing in Vitas eyes. Nothing hinted on what was going inside of Vitas head. But Diana still knew Vita was thinking of something.
The sun had just started to rise on the horizon, dyeing the sky in a strong pink and orange glow. The announcer had been changed out for someone else, this time a much younger looking woman.
"Ladies and gentlemen! From today and towards the future, the combatants you see fighting in the arena will be the future students of the Magi-Milians University! And who else to judge the performance of the students other than the teachers themselfs!" She waved a hand to a few figures who sat on closer to the arena.
One of them were the always sweaty Hans. He smiled and waved at the audience while wiping away some sweat that was dripping down his nose. There was an ancient looking man sitting next to Hans. The mans skin was so impossibly wrinkly and tanned that one could mistake him for a wooden carving. The clothes he wore were a simple T-shirt and shorts, odd for someone like him to wear. The last teacher there was a beautiful woman with purple hair. But with a long scar going down her face, she was clearly someone not to mess with.
"And for the first match of the morning, its between Diana Wolfheart and," The announcer pulled out a small note from a pocket. "her pet monster, Vita!".