Chapter 30 – Archery Tournament

The arena was divided in half using a rather impressive wall that was created by Elder Martha and a few elven earth mages King Alfheim had offered to help. Rather than raise the wall himself Deathwalker had taken the elf king’s offer. This prevented him from having to show any more of his magical capabilities to Advisor Mona.

The fey woman said nothing, but she watched him like a hawk. A predatory smile was always on her face any time he glanced at her. If Emma was not still sitting next to him holding his hand, Deathwalker was sure Advisor Mona would be on his lap again.

‘Would this woman be classified as a cougar? Heck, I have three pumas by my side, and I have never felt so much hunger targeting me before. These fey are over the top.’ Deathwalker thought.

“Be cautious my hunky master.”

“What’s up Lilandra? I take it you’re seeing how Advisor Mona is acting?” Deathwalker telepathically replied.

“Yes. Elder fey do not think as humans do, especially those of the Winter Court. Once they set their designs on you it is difficult to deter them. That is one of the things they admired about the Huntsman, his ability to remain so focused on a target nothing would stop the hunt. She sees you as a prize. She only suspects you now, but what Mona knows so far has made you too interesting to let go.”

“You sound like you know her.”

“I do. Mona is one of the older fey. She is not one of Mab’s advisors for nothing. To her, you are free game, at least while she only suspects you and has her doubts. The more she learns the harder it will be for her to delay notifying her queen. When that happens, you can no longer be claimed by her as you would belong to Mab.”

“What do you mean I’m Mab’s?”

“That is how the Winter Court thinks. They are cold and calculating. Never ceasing in their pursuit. Claim territory and survive the harshness of winter. It is that trait within the Huntsman that both attracts them and can allow you to lead. All of the Winter Court know the Huntsman is Mab’s. If Mona ever loses her doubt of who you are she must abdicate any claim on you.”

“Weird. Makes an odd kind of sense in a cold and calculating way, but still weird.”

Emma squeezed Deathwalker’s hand. “You seem distracted. Everything okay?”

He smiled back at her. “Of course. Just having a discussion in my head.”

Garry chimed in. “Oh? I do that all the time, boss. Usually, it’s just me convincing myself of something fun. And you know what? I have some great ideas! Not sure how much fun your conversations are but mine are awesome! I’d be happy to share them with you anytime, boss!”

“I appreciate that, Garry. Maybe later.” Deathwalker replied.

Garry’s odd behavior had briefly distracted Emma. When she was about to ask what Deathwalker meant the announcer spoke up.

“Welcome everyone to the last of the matchups for the Archery tournament! As you can see the arena has been divided by a raised wall into two sections. The arena is further divided by a line down the middle. The adventurer Mara will face off against Noral from the elven nation. While they are competing, another guest from the elves Alvamar will face off against Lord Longshot!”

The crowd clapped and cheered for their favored person. Mara’s name was heard just as much as Lord Longshot. Some of the elves in the stands who were originally from the elven nation rooted for Noral and Alvamar as the two men were rather well-known archers in the army.

The town crier turned announcer gave the crowd a few moments before he continued. “Now these next rounds of matchups will be done differently. Neither competitor can physically cross the line marked in the ground. Targets will randomly appear on both sides of the line. The person who shoots the target first with an arrow, no matter what side it is on, gets the point. Opponents can attack their counterpart to distract them or take them out of the tournament as long as the attack is not fatal.”

“You and the mages did an impressive job on the arena, Elder Martha.” Deathwalker commented as he looked at the various changes in elevation and different obstructions on the field.

“Thank you, your grace. The earth mages and I felt they would need some options that could be used for cover against their opponent’s attacks.” Elder Martha commented.

“This should be interesting.” Lord Dormeir stated.

“BEGIN!”

The announcer’s voice snapped the competitors into action. All four of them took cover behind one of the various pillars placed across the arena.

Targets started to appear on the field. The first set of targets were easy to hit even while the four contestants remained behind cover. Each target would appear with a glow making it hard for them to go unnoticed.

The rate and difficulty of positioning fluctuated as more and more targets appeared. They only remained so long. Each target would vanish after a specific amount of time or sooner if one of the contestants hit the target with an arrow.

——MARA——

Mara knew she was going to need to take some risks if she hoped to win. Any time she stuck her head out, Noral would fire an arrow in her direction. Drawing two arrows from her quiver she adjusted the fletching on each one. Then Mara charged each arrow with a small bit of her mana.

Lining up her shots Mara fired the two arrows simultaneously. The arrows went wide. One ricocheted off a wall and hit the target. Mara heard a satisfying yelp as the second arrow ricocheted twice before cutting a gash across Noral’s leg.

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Cheers came up from the crowd after witnessing such an impressive move.

This made Noral grow cold, and he charged his own arrow. Pouring his mana into it he angled his bow out just enough and fired as he cried out, “Explosive Shot!”

Hearing those words Mara dropped to the floor just as the glowing arrow hit the pillar she was hiding behind and exploded. Bits of rock flew everywhere, several pieces hitting and cutting Mara up.

“AHHHH!”

Cal could be heard as the rest of the crowd grew silent. “You bastard! How dare you!”

Mara scrambled for another pillar, shooting an arrow at her opponent as she dove. She was bruised and cut in several places. It was only a matter of time before the Noral would fire again and elven woman knew it.

——LORD LONGSHOT——

Alvamar was a fierce opponent. Multiple times they shot at each other only for the opposing arrows to hit each other mid-flight and veer off. It became common for them to rapidly fire at each other and then immediately shoot at a target. Longshot was loving every minute of it.

Both archers were clearly skilled and masters of their skill. Alvamar started to taunt the lord. “Give up while you can. No human can beat an elf!”

“It is funny how often I hear that from an elf right before I beat them!” Lord Longshot quipped back.

The human archer next few shots caused the arrows to bounce off the surface of a pillar and angle right at the elf. Alvamar was forced to duck down to avoid being turned into a pin cushion.

“Perhaps you do have some skill after all!” Alvamar replied.

The two got shots off but none of Alvamar’s got close to hitting Longshot whereas Alvamar had to continue to dodge out of the way. The elf knew he was outmatched but refused to give up.

Then the two competitors heard the sound of loud cracks as rock shattered.

And that was when Lord Longshot got serious. He increased the mana being cycled through his body. Anthony knew it was time to use his trump card. Closing his eyes, he turned and fired multiple arrows in rapid succession high in the air.

The arrows flew over the middle wall of the arena as they found their target.

THUNK, THUNK, THUNK

In rapid succession each arrow sunk deep into an unsuspecting Noral. One in the shoulder, one in his left thigh, and the final one in his right arm. The man dropped to the ground as his body gave out.

“AHHH!”

“That is what you get you bastard!” Cal cried out.

If the crowd was silent before, you could hear a pin drop now. General Mineheir was the one who broke the silence. “How did he do that?!”

Deathwalker looked up into the sky and saw a hawk circling the coliseum. Other birds had flown by periodically, so most people never paid attention, but it was clear this one was following a pattern.

‘That hawk must be Anthony’s companion. My friend closed his eyes when he fired those shots. I bet he has the ability to see through the hawk’s eyes. That is a powerful skill if that is the case.’ Deathwalker thought.

Lord Dormeir confirmed Deathwalker’s suspicions as he answered the general’s question. “Little known fact. Lord Longshot has a hawk companion, and he can see through its eyes. I have seen him use that skill when we were putting down a monster surge in our younger days.”

“Beast bonded or tamer skills are very rare. That is quite impressive.” King Alfheim commented.

“Look Mara is getting up!” Emma noticed.

Mara saw her opponent was down for the count. It was not hard for her to figure out who stepped in to help her. She called out, “Thank you!”

Alvamar hearing Mara’s words realized his peer must have lost control. He knew the man was one of the rare elves like General Mineheir who had Summer Court in their bloodline. Those with such origins tended to run a bit hot tempered.

Even if others were not convinced, it was clear to him what would have happened. His friend violated the tournament rules and most likely have killed Mara if Lord Longshot had not interfered. Alvamar’s decision was clear. “Honorable judges, I forfeit this match!”

Mara did not miss a beat. She too turned to the judges’ box. “I forfeit as well. Lord Longshot saved my life! He deserves to be tournament champion more than anyone!”

The silent crowd went nuts.

“LORD LONGSHOT”

“Lord Longshot!”

“Yes! Making him champion!”

“Champion! Champion!”

Deathwalker looked first to his fellow judges. All of them nodded in agreement. Then he looked to his friend Cal.

“Hey if this is what my sister wants who am I to argue with it. The man did save her life even if the judges may not see it that way.”

Deathwalker considered his next steps. To him this was more of a grey area, but he knew this is what his people wanted. “Who am I to argue with acknowledging such an honorable act.”

He let go of Emma’s hand. Deathwalker still couldn’t believe he had been holding it this entire time. The duke made his way to the podium. Giving a nod the Town Crier stepped as he bowed.

“Will someone please take Noral to the healers and treat Mara’s injuries.” Deathwalker pointed.

The fallen elf was still on the ground moaning and slowly bleeding out. Most had put him out of their minds with Lord Longshot’s win.

Mara was covered in bruises and minor cuts. Luckily for her she looked worse than Mara felt. Several people in robes along with a few guards came out on the field. A few guards put Noral on a stretcher after the healers removed the arrows and closed the wounds. A couple healers saw to Mara’s injuries.

“My duke if I may be impertinent.” Lord Longshot spoke up.

“Go ahead.” Deathwalker nodded.

“Can you do something about this wall?” Longshot asked.

Elder Martha rose to her feet and approached the podium. “If I may your grace.”

“Of course.” Deathwalker waved.

“The earth mages and I put a resonance in the wall that makes it easier for us to return it to the ground if one knows the spell.” Elder Martha explained.

With a quick flick of her wrist the large wall dissolved back into the ground.

“Thank you, Elder.” Lord Longshot rushed to Mara and the two healers treating her.

Longshot addressed the healers. “Will she be alright? If you need mana stones, I can provide them!”

“I will be fine Lord Longshot. It looks worse than it is.” Mara smiled at his concern.

“Call me Anthony. Please.” Lord Longshot replied.

“Very well, Anthony. I appreciate what you did. Noral caught me off guard.” Mara took Anthony’s hand.

“She will be fine. Most of the wounds have been closed already.” One of the healers said.

Anthony raised his other arm and his hawk landed on it before moving to his shoulder. “This is my dearest friend, Talon.”

“Nice to meet you, Talon. You are a gorgeous and majestic bird.” Mara cooed.

Lord Dormeir leaned over to Cal. “Looks like my friend is rather smitten with your sister.”

Deathwalker coughed loudly. “I do not wish to get in the way of a budding romance, so I will not ask you to stand Lord Longshot. However, it is probably best we get you two off the arena field. So, let me officially congratulate you as the winner of the Archery tournament!”

The stands had been murmuring here and there as they watched the display of concern from Lord Longshot. After Deathwalker’s declaration the crowd went wild.

“So, gallant!”

“What an archer!”

“That hawk looks scary!”

“Heck yea! So fierce!”

“I love a good romance! What a lucky girl!”

“Have you seen Mara? Lucky guy is more like it!”

On and on the crowd joked and cheered even as Lord Longshot and Mara left the arena.

The Town Crier took the podium back to give out a few announcements. “Tomorrow morning will be the completion of the Magic tournament! After which, our beloved Duke will gather the hunters and share the details before he leads us in the Grand Hunt! It should be wild!!!”

Deathwalker took Lady Emma’s hand. Before they left the stage, he turned to Tookin. “I encourage you to take this time to speak with and recruit the other cooks to work under you.”

Garry spoke up. “Draconis and I can help if there is taste testing involved!”

Elder Martha chuckled. “Ha, ha, ha, ha! I can help you coordinate the other cooks if you require more than taste testers.”

“That would be most helpful, Elder!” Tookin quickly agreed.

Alyce walked over to Garry and whispered. “Do not worry I will make sure you two get to try the food.”

“Smart girl. Call on us anytime little one.” Draconis smiled.

“Yep! I knew I liked her!” Garry echoed.