“Victory to Kiara Azoth!” the referee announced.
I hummed a nonchalant tune as I hopped off the arena and checked my card.
“#759. Not bad a climb for one day.”
The clock had just reached 9, and my next matches are scheduled for tomorrow.
“I’m finally getting closer to the respectable ranks now. Hopefully, someone will offer me a good challenge before I get to the top 64. It’d be boring if it was too easy.” I sighed, leaving the building to make my way to the Tameryian accommodations.
“Hmm?”
I recognized a familiar face walking in the road: Headmaster Iltani. What was she doing here?
I sped up my pace and called out to her.
“Headmaster Iltani! It’s been a while!” I said.
The woman stopped and turned to see me.
“Ms. Azoth…?” she said.
“In the flesh!” I chuckled.
“How have you been, and what brings you to Romellus?”
“I am here as the leader of the Kengir Bulls, though it’s only a formality at this point.” She said with a light yet tired sigh.
“Let us walk while we talk. Both our accommodations are in the same part of the city.”
Seeing no reason to object, I nodded, and we did the just that.
“What do you mean by ‘just a formality?’ And why did the Bulls completely self-destruct during their match against the Hoplites today?”
Seeming to resist another urge to sigh, the headmaster answered me.
“This team’s members were chosen through an internal competition in Kengir, as per the God-King’s command. Only the winner would be permitted to be Captain, and the next five would be permitted to join. Since I can’t go against the God-King’s command, I cannot threaten to kick them out of the team, and thus, I am little more than a glorified advisor, if even that.”
Wow. No wonder the team members are hostile to each other and only rely on themselves.
“Are you sure it’s okay to tell me this?” I asked, but the headmaster waved me off.
“Nothing I said changes anything. Not after that pathetic display those imbeciles showed.”
My nose picked up on a faint smell of alcohol from the headmaster’s mouth, and her cheeks had a little tinge of pink on them. I guess that answers what she’s doing out here.
“But enough about them; color me impressed, Ms. Azoth.” She said.
“Already a true elemental at rank B; not to mention your combat abilities or your fight with the Tyrians today. Very impressive!”
The headmaster began praising me and insulting the members of her team, even slurring a little with her words, which I could only respond to with a polite laugh.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. What can you tell me about being an elemental? I don’t know any other elementals, and you share an attribute with me.” I said.
“Oh? Asking for help from a competitor, are we? How brazen.” She said.
“Well, I was thinking more along the lines of being your student, and a fellow force attributed elemental. I also have a feeling you like me a little more than the members of your team.”
Headmaster Iltani chuckled a little.
“Fair enough. What do you know about elementals and their abilities?”
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“Just that they have large mana pools and a stronger command over their attribute. Also, elementals die when they run out of mana.” I answered.
“That is correct, but it doesn’t fully encompass what makes elementals special.”
Already taking a lecturing tone, Headmaster Iltani raised a finger.
“First, as an elemental, your command over mana of your attribute is absolute. Mana is not simply easier to manipulate; it becomes attuned to your will and is eager to obey it. No number of enemy mages or natural phenomena can contest your dominion over it. It also means that you can do things with your mana that are virtually or physically impossible for non-elementals of your attribute, should you reach an advanced level of skill with magic.”
Huh. Interesting…
“What happens when two elementals of the same attribute give opposing commands to mana of their element?”
“That is a niche and uncommon edge case, but it has happened before. When subjected to the opposing will of two elementals with the same affinity, the mana particles are stripped of their affinity by the warring wills of the elementals and return to a neutral state. Any other questions before I move to the next point?”
I shook my head.
“Very well. The next thing to keep in mind is that elementals are immune to the effects of their element unless they choose not to. That is because their body is made up of nothing but elemental mana and their mana core, rather than regular matter. That also means that should your mana core be destroyed, you will die regardless of whether or not you still have HP and MP.”
“Huh. I am guessing that was why my force magic was ineffective against you in our class. But how come I don’t have any such immunities?”
Headmaster Iltani raised an eyebrow at me.
“That shouldn’t be the case. Perhaps there are complications due to your core’s unique nature?”
Wooooow.
Okay, that sucks. Having two attributes was all good news for me, until now.
“Maybe I’ll go ask someone about that in detail about this back at the Isles. I’ve got someone in mind to consult with. Anything else?”
The headmaster nodded.
“Another thing elementals gain is pseudo-immortality; you will never die of old age as an elemental. You don’t have organs for them to age and deteriorate, after all. That said, the vast majority of elementals become one only at their S-rank evolution, which is usually accompanied by an infinite lifespan regardless. Anyone who becomes an elemental early has an easy pathway to becoming rank S as well, so it took a while before an eccentric elemental chose to remain below rank S to verify this theory. Oh, it seems that we’ve finally arrived at our destination.”
I took a look around, and the headmaster was right.
“I am staying a little further to the right from here, so this is where we part ways. Goodbye, Ms. Azoth, and best of luck in tomorrow’s match.” She said, taking a different road from mine to her team’s inn.
“Thanks for your help, Headmaster!” I yelled, getting a wave from her in return.
***
“Welcome back. How’d you do today?” Nico asked.
“I made it to rank #759. You?”
Nico gave me her smuggest grin.
“I am #684. Are you off your game today or something?”
“Hey, you just got lucky to fight better opponents!”
***
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second day of the Iron Fist tournament!” the commentator said.
“Today, as you may know, the second round of the group stage will be held. Will we see yesterday’s winners continue to dominate, or will we see a dark horse forcing an upset to the status quo?! Stay tuned to find out!”
It seemed that being subjected to the crowd’s cheers half of yesterday didn’t seem to make it any easier for my ears to adjust, judging by my emerging headache.
“And now, it is my pleasure to introduce you to the teams participating in the first match of the day! Entering from the red ring…”
***
The next two matches were straightforward. The Gallic Shield-Brothers thrashed the Sicilian Stars, and the Ionian Warforged demolished the Castilian Matadors. The Sicilian Stars weren’t as good a team as the Shield-Brothers, and going up against the Ionian super soldier from the Ponesian League was yet another poor match-up for the Matadors.
Unlike yesterday, the Tameryian Gale’s match was third in row, rather than fourth.
“Entering from the red gate is a team of warriors with powerful defenses and deadly tactics! Fending off the ferocious, repeated assault of their opponents then taking them down in one fell swoop, this team is ready to fight tooth and nail to seize victory from the jaws of defeat! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the TAMERRYYYYYYIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAANN GAAAAAAAAAALLLLEEEEEEE!”
Nuhem entered the coliseum grounds to much greater cheers than his first entrance, clearly having left an impression on the audience.
“Facing them on the other side is a team from a land with a rival martial tradition to the Brittania Knights! This team is ready to fight with a desperate hunger for victory today; to fight for a seat on the knockout phase, to make up for their defeat against the Legion, and to one-up the Knights! Entering from the blue gate, please join me as I welcome the FRRRRAAANNNNNKKKKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSHHHHHH LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANCEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!”
In what seemed like a moment of déjà vu, another group of armoured warriors entered the grounds to face the Tameryian Gale.
The two captains stepped forward to meet the referee, who proceeded with the coin toss.
“The Lances get first choice!” the referee announced.
“Gaaah! Why do we keep sending this guy for the coin toss?!” I yelled in frustration, much to Asty’s fervent agreement and Durreg’s amusement.
“Keep your eyes on the grounds – the setting and match type selections are just as important as the actual fight.” Nico said.
When the captain of the Lances’s choice was announced by the referee, Asty and I held our heads and groaned in pain.