"The damn showboat can't get enough of this. Look at the gleam in his eyes. He's lapping it up!" Isaac growled.

I shared a look with Teddy, who shook his head. He reached toward a rune circle on a nearby table and tapped a glowing rune. The noise from the crowd amplified and the cheers sounded as if they were in our very ears.

But when Isaac's father spoke once more, the cheering lowered in volume and his voice was as clear as day.

"It seems we are properly enthused! Well, don't worry. I won't keep you all from the entertainment. But first, an important announcement has to be made–one concerning our brothers and sisters of Helio."

Judging by the crowd's noises, half became solemn, while the others continued to ignore or were confused by the statement.

Isaac's father spun in place, commanding attention as his clothes glowed with a subtle radiance that outshone the sunlight bathing the arena.

"For those unaware, tragedy has struck our kin. The great city, Helio, was attacked by a malevolent force that sought to bring the city to ruin."

His voice was somber, drawing sharp inhales from the crowd.

"So that's how they planned to address this... No doubt he volunteered to be the bearer of bad news. That slimy basta-"

Igas stood up and placed his hand along Isaac's shoulder. He said no words, but Isaac quieted and returned to his seat, albeit begrudgingly.

Through the din of shouts of outrage and fury, one voice suspiciously and clearly overcame the rest. It was a woman's, but the speaker was impossible to make out.

"What monstrosity would harm our people?! Who was it?!"

Isaac's father dropped his head, but his shoulders remained stiff and unbending.

"A foreign evil outside our realm. It fought our gods and spawned a terrible being inside a dungeon in the very depths of our city. It sought to take over their minds and fill our land with more of its abominable monsters," he stated.

The outrage grew and stomping slammed the arena steps. But Isaac's father held up a hand and drew in a swirling ball of light that lifted into the air. It floated above his head and expanded to the size of a car. He snapped and the orb exploded into streams of dust that shimmered into a floating illusion of Elanor and her guards accompanied by Panasia.

They sported blood on their armor and her fur but without injuries beyond superficial scratches. It painted a regal picture, but one that had seen battle.

"Through heroic effort and sacrifice, they have brought the monster's reign to an end and freed the city." The image shifted, displaying them in combat with hooded figures sprouting tentacles that looked only vaguely similar to the real thing. Isaac's father cleared his throat and motioned to the illusion. "Let's not focus on the scum that brought trouble to our people. Instead, we recognize the pride of our great kingdom and the tenacity of us all in the aftermath of such an encounter."

The image shifted again, displaying citizens accompanied by guards helping rebuild buildings and mending injuries. One particular image of a child stood out just slightly separated from the chaos of it all, smiling at a guardsman and clutching onto a toy as her cheek was bandaged.

I whistled. "I didn't know you guys used this level of propaganda. So who decided this? Allaron?"

Teddy sighed. "It's better to reduce the mass panic. The main point is that what he said wasn't a lie. Everything uttered from his lips was technically a truth. And the kingdom can direct the rising anger into excitement."

"And draw sympathy for the kingdom's forces while further cementing its ties to its citizens. Watch; next he will make a statement about sending today's profit toward the repair of Helio and its people," Celenae added.

"Just another opportunity to further the house's interest. The nobles look good and don't get questioned as to why they weren't there to help," Isaac snarled.

Isaac's father dropped the illusion, drawing the light toward himself and subtly increasing the glow from his clothes.

He stood like a shiny beacon once again, commanding attention as he clasped his hands.

"There is much to regret and more to look forward to. We cannot change the past, but we can inspire the future. With that said, the Dawnborn house has come to a decision, one that we feel is only fitting given the circumstances," he paused and exhaled slowly. A bright smile crested his face. "It has been decided that the arena will donate all proceeds from today's event to Helio. A donation that we of house Dawnborn will match, gold for gold, silver for silver!"

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"Looks like you were spot on," I whistled.

"It's a smart play that draws the other houses," Celenae said.

"What do you mean?"

She pointed to the roaring crowd. But her finger moved to a booth, one sporting a house crest. "The other houses will have to step up or risk their reputation."

"And by doing so, he makes the Dawnborns look better," Teddy added. "With them being forced to donate help, more goodwill will be attributed to the one who started the chain. It's an inconsequential price to pay with much to gain."

Figures that this world's politics aren't lacking. Then again, Earth politicians don't have the option to send living tactical nukes in the guise of one mortal. Inoria one Earth zero.

"He's not done," Isaac grumbled. "He doesn't settle for getting one over the others. He wants his crown."

"Huh?"

Isaac gestured to his father, who clapped and hushed the crowd.

"But that is not enough. Of course, we will send relief to Helio and help return normalcy to the lives of those who deserve it, but there is more." He increased his glow again, stretching his mana throughout the arena and adjusting the light toward himself. "To that end, our house has also decided to donate a part of the proceedings from the grand auction hosted after the tournament. What is the use of wealth without the people to enjoy it? Know that we are here and we stand united for our great kingdom. With that said, I shall excuse myself and waste no more of your time."

The crowd exploded, and Teddy tapped the enchantment, adjusting the sound.

"Let the tournament... BEGIN!"

Isaac's father disappeared in an explosion of light, and trumpets played, followed by the resounding echoes of thousands of people stomping their feet.

"So I have a question," I said.

"Yes?" Teddy asked.

"So we know elemental affinities and skills can affect one's personality. Was Isaac's father always that dramatic?"

Silence reined until Isaac snorted and exploded with laughter.

He wiped a tear from his cheek and grinned. "From the day he was born. I heard he came out of the womb farting light beams!"

Isaac continued to guffaw and everyone else politely stuffed their mouths with their sandwiches until he calmed down.

Despite the grand announcement, the first combatants still took a minute to appear. Tier two, they looked like ordinary adventurers who fought with casters shaped like wands.

The elf on the left used a combination of fireballs and stone missiles while he roamed the field upon an ever-moving mound of dirt. But the woman he was against wasn't a slouch either. She commanded walls of mist and whips of water that lashed the projectiles out of the air.

Skills were casted and mana was sent flying; the crowd ate it up, cheering with each attack and miss. The battle came to an end when the woman caught a large boulder and whipped it toward her opponent. Unfortunately for her, she missed the stone smashing into her knee as she jumped to the side and slipped. At once, a barrage of rocks pummeled her into the dirt and the bell sounded..

A ring of light appeared around her body and she slowly stood up. She cradled a broken arm against her chest and bowed.

The man returned the gesture and strode out of the arena with his head held high while the woman slunk toward the side exit.

Sereza nudged my arm. "Healers are ready, funded by the arena. The ring of light is a pain-soothing skill to help blunt the pain."

"Makes better showmanship if you can ignore your injuries and smile," Igas added.

After the first exhibition match, a feline beastkin took to the skies and hovered above the arena. She hyped the crowd and announced the participants of the next duel.

The fights raged for nearly an hour, mostly tier ones, leaving the tier twos sprinkled in between. Surprisingly, the tier ones were sometimes better than the tier two matches. The tier twos had more effects, but most fought with a level of reserve and control that was outshone by the desperation of the tier ones. Skills flew and weapons clashed. There was an eclectic mix of element types, with light and fire being the most common.

I tapped Celenae's shoulder after another tier two fight concluded, resulting in an elf woman removing her sword from the beastkin's throat.

"I've noticed something," I said.

"And that is?" she replied.

"Well, its Solunaria. So fire and light, super common, a good third of the population seems to have it."

"Correct. Many speculate it's the bloodlines of the people or the ambient mana in the land that pushes children's affinities toward those two elements."

"Ok. But I've noticed that humans tend to favor light and fire more than the elves. I think sixty percent are human? And amongst the elves, there's a heavier mix of earth and plant-related skills."

"Ah." She smiled and summoned a book to her hand. She flipped to the correct page and showed me a massive graph. "If you remember, the history of Solunaria is that it was made of elves and humans during the start of the kingdom. There are a lot of half-elves because of that, but that's beside the point. Us elves come from the Deep Woods, the grand forest bordering the Golden Plains. This is why the bloodlines theory is the most popular. Almost all elves in the kingdom draw lineage from the forest. And because of that, it's more common to see our kind with an affinity towards plants and the earth."

"But not always?"

She closed the book. "No. Sometimes, you have oddities. Like a Dawnborn with a near one-hundred percent affinity toward shadow."

Isaac stuck out his tongue and I lobbed an ice-cold drink at his face. He flipped me off and popped the cap, returning to his glaring at the fight below.

"Or an elf who uses crystal skills?" I nudged.

"Yes. Or that. Nothing is set in stone, no matter what the theories say."

"Hmmm. I bet I could ask Cal. I'm sure he'd be able to confirm things."

Celenae winced and I caught flinch as she reached for a drink. "I suppose he would."

My eyes narrowed. It wasn't like her to shy from confirming knowledge.

"Or I don't. It's not like I'll be able to ask him anytime soon."

She politely smiled and sipped at her drink.

The matches continued, the victors returning to the under arena and the losers leaving via a side exit. One of the more notable matches was from the hooded figure, a tier one surprisingly.

The combat started and ended with a single punch. The flaming fist smashed the burly beastkin into the wall where he remained.

Some booed at the lack of a show while others cheered at the uniqueness of the duel. Strangely enough, they looked up before the figure left the pit, seemingly peering into the booth.

"Do you know them?" Teddy asked.

"Not a clue. But they did stare at me weirdly when we left to find you guys."

"Hmmm, I'll keep an eye on them. The punch was impressive."

Yeah...

I settled in and reached for another drink, but Sereza suddenly stood up. She examined the glowing bracelet and exposed her fangs as she grinned.

"Finally!"