“The Tameryian Suns will be placed in group three.” The Consul said, much to the delight of the crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, group three still has one more open spot, and yet, it already looks like a bloodbath in the making! Can the competition get any more intense?!” the commentator yelled in excitement.
Asten gave a polite nod to the Consul and headed off the stage.
“Gods above, why is this happening…?” Asty whispered with a groan.
“Like Nicotris said, we’ll crush them all anyway. We were going to face tough opponents sooner or later.” Durreg said.
“Why did we have to be placed in the same group as the Kengir and Tyrian main teams?! We shouldn’t have let Asten go pick it up!” she quipped back.
“I concur, this is divine punishment for not sending me to do the honors inste-”
“Shut up, we agree on nothing!”
Aptera shrugged off Asty with a sigh.
“I can handle the world not recognizing my genius, but to see my own comrades fail as well… This is truly the burden of the talented.”
“Wait a moment. I know the Kengir Bulls are the city’s – and the academy’s – team, but how do you know the Tyrian team is any good?” I asked.
“Rumor has it that Tyr auctioned off the seats on one of its teams and put its very best on the other. The latter team is the Tyrian Torrents - the Tyrian team in our group. A fitting tactic for the nation of merchants.” Nico answered.
By now, the rest of the ceremony was going on without our attention, but barely a few moments passed before it demanded it once again.
“The Ionian Hoplites will be placed in group three.” The Consul said, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Nisos headed for the stage exit as we heard the collective groan of Asty and half the people in the line beside us.
“What are the odds?! Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that we have our first complete group, and it’s looking like it’ll be one for the records!”
“What are the odds indeed…” Durreg mumbled to himself silently.
***
Eventually, once all the teams were placed in a group, the Consul gave a short speech before sending us to our locker rooms. The first matches were to begin within an hour.
When we opened the door to our room, we found the Major waiting for us.
“The Tameryian Suns, Major? Isn’t that a little too on the nose?” I chuckled.
The Major smiled.
“A good name ought to befit its holder and strike fear in your opponent, and a subtle name like this one will do better than an explicit one. It’ll also serve as a good surprise for the unfortunate team you decide to use ‘that’ tactic against first.”
Huh.
“So, when’s our first match, and who’s our opponent?” Durreg asked.
“Every day, each team will fight once. That means each group will have two fights a day, starting with the first group. Your first opponent will be the Tyrian Torrents, but there will be four matches to come before your turn is up, the fourth of which is the commoner team’s, who will be facing the Britannia Knights.” She said, getting up from her seat.
“Now, follow me; we’ve got reserved seats in a private viewing gallery to watch the other matches – unless of course you’d like to watch from a projection here.”
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
***
We made it through a winding hallway before stopping at a door that read ‘B-XIV.’ Inside was a private viewing gallery with one-way glass covering the entire wall between the room and the actual coliseum. An array of seats, refreshments, a whiteboard, and projections were displayed on the walls for our convenience.
“Take your seats; the first match is between the Castilian Matadors and the Gallic Shield-Brothers. I will be questioning you on both teams and the match, so watch closely.”
Hearing that, the twelve of us rushed to our seats, eager to carve everything into our minds.
While we waited, I took the time to observe the coliseum floor. Gone was the stage the Consul stood on, and in its place stood a large, tiled square not unlike the arenas I was accustomed to, but with four ornate pillars made of an unfamiliar black stone standing on its corners.
We didn’t wait long before the commentator was back, riling the audience from its wait.
“Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the very first match of the Iron Fist Tournament!” he said, much to the joy of the cheering crowd.
“Entering from the blue gate is a team from a province with a long tradition of fighting monsters before a crowd; a team that is possibly more in their element than any other in the tournament! That team is the CASTILIIIAAAAAN MATADOOOOOOOOOORRRSSSSS!”
The crowd’s cheers rose to deafening levels as the Castilian team made their entrance. The six all wore brightly colored capes and had curved one-handed swords with wicked edges attached to their belts.
My first thoughts were to question their team balance – it seemed like they were all wearing the exact same equipment. But before I could analyze anything else, the commentator was already introducing the second team.
“And facing a monster, the Castilians surely are! Entering from the red gate is a team from the province most renowned for its ferocious and relentless warriors! Feast your eyes on the sight of the mighty, the ruthless, the deadly GALLIIIIICCCC SHIELD-BROTHERRRRSSSSSS!”
The crowd’s cheers were reinvigorated as the other team entered coliseum grounds. They had two archers, two warriors with long, oval shields and short spears, a caster covered in strange, thick flora, and a tall man with a massive two-handed battle-axe on his back.
The thirteenth person on the arena, likely the referee, stepped in between the two teams and said something to them. A Castilian woman and the Gallic caster walked forward to meet with the referee.
After a few moments of talking, the referee pulled out a coin and tossed it in the air. When the coin landed, the referee raised his right arm and spoke to the crowd.
“The Matadors get first choice!” he announced, his voice magnified by the same sound magic the commentator was using.
“First choice? Choice on what…?” I asked.
“Each team captain chooses a side of a coin. When the coin is tossed, the winner gets to pick either the type of the match or the setting. The other team gets to choose what the first didn’t.” the Major said.
Right as the major finished explaining, the Castilian spoke to the referee, after which he nodded and announced her choice.
“The Matadors have chosen a team relay battle as the match type!”
“What a bold choice for our first match, ladies and gentlemen! For those of you unfamiliar with how team relay battles work, worry not, for it is simplicity itself! The match begins with each team sending one of its own to fight until one of them surrenders or is defeated, like an ordinary duel. The loser is eliminated from the match, and the victor can choose to remain and face the next opponent or retire from the match and give up their spot for another teammate! The first team to run out of members loses the match!”
Huh. Were the Matadors counting on winning the coin toss to justify that team composition?
“What would the Matadors have done if they lost the coin toss, and the Shield-Brothers chose a different match type?” Asty asked the question in my head.
“They likely would have chosen a setting more suited for their team. I doubt they would have arrived with a team entirely made up of melee combatants otherwise.” Asten said in a rare interjection in our discussion.
While that was going on, the referee announced the Gallic team’s selection.
“The Shield-Brothers have chosen a forest with heavy rain and lightning at midnight as the setting!”
“By the Legion, what an audacious choice! This is shaping up to be a brutal fight already! Do not worry about visibility, dear audience, because we will ensure that you can see the battle clearly from the outside through the projections!”
As the crowd’s racket faded, we went back to our discussion before the match could start.
“What kind of matches are there, and how many settings can we choose from?” Durreg asked.
“The setting can be any climate or terrain that exists on the continent. As for the match types, there are several to choose from. Team relay battle, team deathmatch, dungeon rally, and monster hunt are all options we can choose from.” Asten said.
“The commentator explained what a team relay battle is, and team deathmatch is self-explanatory. The dungeon rally is a competition where both teams race to clear a dungeon first, while the monster hunt is a race to kill the target monster before the other does it. In all four of the match types, attacking your opponents and interfering with them is a valid and often necessary strategy. Now, keep the discussions until after the match is over, so that Major Amset is not cross with us.”