Chapter 28

The day of the tournament had finally come after their month of training. Errrkkkk was ready to burst in his excitement. Roden had to admit Riakon looked a bit haggard comparatively, but figured even he would look haggard next to Errrkkkk on Tournament day.

Errrkkkk had made sure they were all up early and were ready to go by the time they were usually saying their morning prayers much to Miriana’s displeasure.

“Boys boys, slow down. The arena isn’t going anywhere and you have plenty of time for some breakfast.”

Roden and Riakon both looked at Errrkkkk, the longing for food and a moment to breathe on their faces. Errrkkkk shook his feathers, “Okay, but nothing too heavy. We need to be light and fast today, cacaw.”

Miriana smiled at his acquiescence and set to laying out a nice simple breakfast for them. As they ate, Riakon addressed Miriana, “So Lady Miriana, will you be attending our match today?”

Roden nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking.

“Well I was actually waiting for an invitation from my son, but seeing as I never got one I suppose I will not be attending.” Her tone held a hint of motherly affrontedness as she refused to look at Roden.

Both Errrkkkk and Riakon shot Roden with displeased looks, prompting him to respond.

“Mom…” He said tentatively, “Would you like to come watch the tournament today? I’m sure we would get you a private box or something.”

Miriana turned to face her son, “Why yes dear, I would love to come see you in your tournament today. How thoughtful of you to offer.” she managed it all with a straight face and picturesque poise as if she hadn’t just guilt tripped him into the invitation.

“When you boys are all finished with your breakfast just leave. I have to stop at the temple and run a few errands before I head over to the arena. Be good boys and good luck.” with that she slipped out the door and was gone.

“Good luck finding a woman who can live up to her standards.”

“Cacaw.”

“You have no idea.”

When the men arrived, the arena lobby was a madhouse. Workers and Adventurers were hustling about with little rhyme or reason. The usual lines for registration were a tangled mess of bodies. Roden managed to force his way through the crowd with Riakon as his wedge.

When they reached the counter the frazzled man behind it had them checked in and assigned a room in minutes with minimal discussion required. Roden managed to get him to sit still long enough to request a box for his mother and slip the man a few myrtium as payment.

With all their preparations set, all that was left was to wait for their fight. It was a double blind tournament so matchups were not revealed until after all of the teams were shut away in their preparation rooms.

All they could do was speculate at what kind of opponents they may be put up against. Roden had made sure to cast his Divine Gambit while they waited, he figured these fights might just come down to a bit of luck and that spell could tip the scales in their favor.

They were instructed of the rules of the tournament when they signed up. These fights would take place on a stage. If a participant touched the ground outside of the stage, they were out of bounds, and could no longer participate in the fight.

There was a strict rule against dispelling anyone's Safety Ward that would prevent them from dying and the creation of antimagic areas was not allowed. None of those rules affected Roden and his team. However, Riakon was intrigued by the idea of throwing someone out of the ring. Neither Roden nor Errrkkkk intended to use that tactic, but told Riakon to be careful and wished him the best if he tried it.

Waiting for their match time was grueling. Roden wasn’t even sure how many hours had passed by the time an attendant came by and told them they were up next. It wasn’t long after that they were walking down the tunnel to the arena. Roden already had his suit of buffs spread around them. They looked like they were blessed by the sun itself as they exited the tunnel blazing with flame like energy.

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Riakon stood in the middle with Roden and Errrkkkk on either side of him as they strode to their mark on their side of the ring. Roden had to admit Riakon struck a commanding figure with his blazing aura and the golden glow granted by his Faith Shield and Sanctify.

“Innnnnnnn the Red Corner, we have a team known to put on a show. They are the strong, the powerful, the faithful, Sons. of. Era-rchy!!!!”

To the men’s surprise the crowd exploded with cheers. Errrkkkk immediately started waving and soaking in the admiration. Riakon remained relatively stoic, his focus aimed at the opposite tunnel where their opponents would enter the arena.

“Innnnnnnn the Blue Corner, we have a group that is voracious, they are fierce, they are the Ruff Riders!!!!”

As the announcer spoke four figures walked out of the tunnel. Three of them were small hillfolk with short brown hair dressed in various leather armors carrying long spears as they walked.

The other figure was a stocky creature with long tusks. It was just as tall as its teammates. It wore a leather saddle that wrapped around its midsection and held a bit in its mouth. When the three hillfolk took their places the announcer wasted no time.

“All of you know the rules, any rule violations will be handled swiftly and those decisions are final. Let’s have a good fight!”

“Ready!!! Set!!!! Fight!!!!”

In that instant the hillfolk opposite Roden dropped to his hands and knees. Fur began growing all over his body as he expanded into a huge white bear. It finished its transformation with a deafening roar.

“Well fuck...”

Riakon hefted his hammer, “I’ll take the bear.”

The fighter across the stage from Errrkkkk hopped on the back of his boar, couched his spear, and charged straight for Errrkkkk. It all started to click in Roden’s mind. They were riders as in they rode mounts, or each other in the case with the bear and the last little man.

By the time Roden had an Ignition Bolt ready and it was hurtling towards his target the bear was bounding across the stage with the last hillfolk on its back. The bead of smoldering arcane energy erupted across the bear’s torso in a swirl of cinders and flames. With a snap of his fingers, Roden activated his Blaze ability, engulfing the bear.

Riakon charged the bear team without hesitation. His hammer flared with a cherry red flame. They met in the middle of the arena. The spear thrust of the rider shot passed Riakon’s head. He twisted, swinging his hammer around toward the bear. He connected with the beast's shoulder making it grimace in pain.

The blow caused it to rise up on two legs, which only added power to the swipe of its meaty claw that raked across Riakon’s chest. If not for Roden’s Basking Embrace the blow might have been devastating. Instead it ended up as more of a scratch. The bite on his leg from the bear’s jaws sent pain through him like a thunder clap.

Errrkkkk was offended at being left to handle the lesser of the two teams. He wanted to fight the strongest and here he was stuck with the stragglers. Errrkkkk made a show of slowly rising up into the air with deliberate and effortless flaps of his wings.

He drew chi from his body, formed it into a Soul Sphere and began drawing in sunlight. By the time his opponent had arrived at his side of the arena, Errrkkkk was out of his reach. He tried throwing some darts at Errrkkkk, but they were swatted away with a nonchalant kick. Seeing his attempts as futile the rider changed his focus and rushed off towards Roden.

Roden watched the situation with Errrkkkk from his peripheral vision and saw his pig riding opponent give up and turn straight towards him. He had hoped this time he would be able to just hang back and cast his spells. At this point Roden really didn’t want to deal with what amounted to an angry child and a feral pig.

When Roden’s Conflagration erupted and enveloped the boar and its rider, he wanted the maneuver to be definitive. His Divine Gambit had shown him just where and when he needed to send his spell for it to have the greatest impact. The rider and mount were torched black, when Roden’s blaze ability finished its course. Both combatants lay motionless on the floor of the stage, never having made it the full distance to their target.

Riakon heard the explosion behind him, but couldn’t spare a moment to see the results. The bear was dragging him across the stage towards the middle edge. When Riakon would take a moment to fend off the bear, the rider would lash out with his long spear.

Riakon’s frustration had built to an all time high when he gripped his hammer at the base of its head and slammed it into the bear’s face, a thunderous boom erupted throughout the arena at the strike. Riakon was abashed to find the bear was unmoved. Instead it snarled, crouched, and threw Riakon into the air by the leg in its jaws.

Riakon sailed high into the air, the bear and its rider beneath him. This would be perfect for a crushing hammer slam if he wasn’t off balance and tumbling. While the bear was standing just having tossed Riakon like a bag of flour, a bright blue orb slammed into the beast.

The explosion sent Riakon soaring over the edge of the stage and the dreaded out of bounds area. Riakon had no wings and nothing in his skill set could change his trajectory. He resigned himself to at least land in a dignified manner. That was until he felt something grab his ankle and tug.

Roden had seen Errrkkkk launch his Soul Sphere at the bear and its rider. He had also seen Riakon get blown over the edge by the explosion. It didn’t take much for him to cover the distance with a swift teleport. He threw out his hand and his vine grabbed his airborne companion. He managed to pull him back into the field of play albeit with a less than dignified landing.

When the dust cleared Roden could see the bear and its rider were still conscious. The bear rose up on its hind legs and roared in a guttural voice. Riakon managed to drag himself back to his feet and stand resolute in front of the angry beast. As it bellowed, Riakon charged the creature, a look of determination cemented on his face. The bear took a swipe at him, its claw dug into his back as he barreled forward.

In one motion, Riakon dropped his hammer and lowered his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the bear’s waist and hips. His hands clasped together just under its tail. He drove his legs and strained against the creature's weight. Despite the combined efforts of rider and mount, Riakon was able to lift the bear off the ground enough to propel it backward off the edge of the stage.

A trumpet blared a tune of celebration as the bodies landed outside of the arena. The crowd exploded in applause and cheers.

“I can’t believe he actually did it.”

“I’m sure we will hear all about it, cacaw.”

Roden turned to Errrkkkk, with a raised eyebrow.

Errrkkkk let out a self-deprecating laugh as he set off to help his brother.

The announcer declared them victorious over the cacophony of the crowd.

Roden felt like the fight was a bit anticlimactic. Riakon had manhandled the bear team out of the ring and he had one shot the rider and his animal companion with a fireball. They had done all this training over the last month and blew these guys out of the water in what couldn’t have been more than a minute or two.

Roden wasn’t positive how this tournament was going to go, now that he was part of the team, He had an inkling if the rest of the teams were like this then the team they meet in the finals will definitely be the same one he had put against Errrkkkk and Riakon all those years ago. If that was the case, then they were in for a brutal ordeal.