~Marcel View Point~

The next morning, I woke with a wave of eagerness as today the top five would fight. Not only that but I would get my own hands dirty.

I decided to consume one soul this morning as the extra boost in strength would be handy. The soul this time was that of a Dragonborn man, that tasted delicious as it entered my body.

I slipped on my usual wear and left my room, slamming the door shut. Once I reached the bottom of the stairs Crimson met me with a smile. “The contestants are ready for the arena.”

“Marvelous!” I explained.

We walked side by side to the arena that was placed in the middle of the town square. Five contestants stood waiting.

An elven female with silver streaked purple hair and piercing golden eyes stood with a pride stricken face. Her stance was firm as she didn’t slouch nor crossed her arms. This woman’s name was Saylor Astor, the eldest daughter of Richard and Meredith Astor.

The next female was a human in her mid twenties. She had Snow white blonde hair and striking blue eyes. Her skin was fair and she appeared nervous. Her name was Bonnie Lockland and was the eldest daughter of George and Victoria Lockland.

Starting with the men was the youngest contestant, the boy who hit the target dead center, the fifteen year old with messy locks of auburn hair, his face beamed of joy and pride. His name we found to be Damon Belikov and his even prouder parents were Rebecca and Joseph Belikov. He appeared to be human.

The next man appeared rough around the edges as he was unkempt in appearance. Rough beard, messy black hair, the works. His name is Elijah Freeman and his parents, who appeared dressed opposite of him, were Katherine and Christian Freeman. This clan was elven.

The last man wore an impressive set of armor decorated in gold and silver, showcasing the family's wealth. His name is Arnold Meyer and was the son of the widowed Gloria Meyer.

The arena was a simple, barricaded thirty foot square area. There were various weapons that laid around the arena for the contestants to use. The names of the participants were placed into a black top hat and drawn out in pairs.

“First pair, Saylor and Damon!” Crimson announced with a booming voice. “The second pair, Arnold and Victoria! And that means, Elijah will get the privilege to go hand in hand with our king. Those who advance to the next round of fights will get their names placed back in the hat and drawn again.”

First up was Saylor and Damon. This was an interesting fight to watch as it seemed Saylor was some type of magic user and Damon was skilled at weaponry despite his young age. Strength over mental capacity, Damon ended up taking the victory.

The second fight between Arnold and Victoria was just as interesting. Victoria wielded a flute and charmed Arnold into victory.

My fight with Elijah went a little quick. I ended up knocking him unconscious within the first minute of the battle as he drained a lot of his energy into his first three strikes. Don’t get me wrong, they hurt like hell but did little against me.

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“Alrighty, now for the second round of fights! This event includes Victoria, Marcel, and Damon!” The crowd erupted in applause for the remaining fighters. “Now, this fight will be different. All three will be placed in the ring. The last one standing wins!”

Each of us took a corner of the arena. My heart pounded with excitement. It had been a good while since I had a good rumble.

“Remember to tap out when you can no longer handle it.” Crimson announced. “In three! Two! One! Fight!”

We all glared at each other, nostrils flaring, teeth baring, hands clenching weapons. “For the Belikov clan!” Damon shouted as he charged towards me with rage on his face and his sword hung ready for battle.

He clipped my side as I managed to dodge his attack. Searing pain raced through my body but I was able to block most of it out. I lunged back at Damon, losing my focus on Victoria. Full of rage, I swung my dark blade, not once, not twice, but three times at Damon. Slicing him in his abdomen twice. Blood was quick to spew out of the long gashes I had just created on his skin.

Damon, slumped over gasping for air, has his wounds struggling to close due to the blade being laced with poison. “Bloody hell!” Damon shouted as he gritted his teeth in pain.

As I focused on Damon my pain tore through my back as Victoria struck me from the behind once. Her rapier struck hard and true as pain raced up and down my spine. Blood dripped down my back and pain raced rapidly through my body.

Grunting, I managed to turn around and face my new enemy. “Well deserved.” Victoria said with venom in her voice.

With her words in my ear, I swung my sword high and struck her just at her shoulders. Slicing off her right arm in the process. She slumped to the ground quickly and cried in agony as blood spewed from the exposed bone and muscle insides of her shoulder. “FUCK!” She cried as she curled up in a bawl and wept until the tears ran dry.

I shook off her sudden burst of shock and agony and turned my focus back to Damon. As I glanced over where he last was, he had disappeared. To only reappear to the side of me taking his three swings at an advantage.

Each one stung and hurt like hell but I held my grounds firmly. Taking each hit with a grunt as I grinded my teeth together.

The pain hurt but I didn’t focus on that, instead I turned my focus purely on Damon. I lunged towards him. He vanished before I reached him. Reappearing on the other side, striking me three more times. All but one hit me as I dodged the last of his attacks.

Blood dripped from several gashes along my body now. My breathing began to slow as I tried to remain as calm as possible through the midst of chaos. I could tap out and let the young man have the victory but I truly didn’t know if I could.

I swung once at the man and managed to hit him hard. He stumbled forward but remained standing. Damon yelled in pain and clutched his newly bleeding wound on his leg. He glanced up at me with pleading eyes, begging me to tap out.

I thought about it briefly. It could look good on me if I tapped out, giving him the win. Considering Victoria had just tapped out moments prior.

“I tap out.” I said as I looked down on the boy.

A smile grew on his face as he whispered, “Thank you king Marcel.”

I knew I could have easily taken the boy but I needed to show my kingdom that I had a heart.

“The winner of the competition is Damon Belikov!” Crimson shouted as she shot me a glare, annoyed that I gave him the win.

The crowd erupted in a cheer. The events that followed this for the remaining four days didn’t have much significance, at least in the way the opening days did. Minor things but nothing major.

I decided to stay in Summer Crest during the time of the festival, to return to Winterfall after the festival was over. I figured it might have been best to give Maria space. I just hoped that was a good call.