Bab 11: The Iron Tournament Begins!
Despite the sun having recently risen the streets were filled with twice the usual amount of people. Servants scurried like mice in every direction, seeking whatever cheese their masters demanded. Clusters of children held mock battles with wooden swords, as I once did, Cas thought. When the kids caught sight of Raeja, some squealed with joy while others burst into tears, terrified the lion would suddenly swallow them whole. No one sought to impede their path, a band of city guard even shouted words of encouragement, their was a certain pride the townsfolk had for their local entrant. Cutting their way through, the pair arrived at the market, the day he had left with Vale the market had seemed lively. Now, it was set to burst. A juggler tossed an assortment of dangerous objects into the air, expertly capturing them in fluid motion. Musicians set atop the fountains rim, filling the air with a symphony fit for a king, onlookers clapped, some placed coins in an over turned hat. Beyond the entertainers, shopkeepers pedaled their wares.
"Half Off tinctures, today only!" A rotund freckle faced women yelled.
A burly blacksmith bellowed, "Buy a breastplate and ill add the greaves for free!"
"Swords, Spears, Daggers and Axes for sell, get em while ya can!" Yelled a dwarven merchant.
Cas had little need and even less coin for these things, he sought after Petilus, back home Cas would've called the man a bookie. He had always avoided the type, things have surely changed. Finding the man amongst the crowd was relatively simple, utilizing his mind menu to scan the crowd produced a glowing aura around one particularly unsavory fellow. The man was standing on the opposite side of the fountain from the musicians, wearing a dark green cloak trimmed with silver designs, he was taking a pouch of coins from a more respectable looking fellow. "I'll wager it all on the Orc! Xujarek will crush that puny boy and his kitten!"
Chiming in, "I wouldn't be so sure of that..." When the man spun to see who dared to comment on his wager the color drained from his face. "My, my apologies, I just, I..." Saving face the man decided to turn tail and dart into the crowd. Petilus let out a hearty laugh "Well well, if it isn't Eleutiro's lap dog and ya even brought your own lap dog. Fierce enough looking, most are wagering for the Orc to make mince meat out ya."
"They'll be sore come evening, I intend to leave their purses bare." Cas exuded confidence, the fact wasn't lost on Petilus.
"That so eh? Care to make a wager then?"
Unsure of the value of what little he had, he offered the contents of his inventory for Petilus' inspection.
"By the Grace of Jupitar, you're near as poor as a beggar! Best I can say, everything you own might be worth two gold, and half that is your cockatrice tail. You'll get good odds though, Xujarek is a twenty to one favorite."
"Consider it a bet placed then, I expect you to find me hastily after the match." Handing over his items, Cas rounded, leaving the man deep in thought.
As Cas entered the crowed he could hear Petilus "Hmmm.... Might be worth a couple coins after all.."
Adanano's coliseum reminded Cas of Gillette Stadium, only the field was sand instead of turf. As he approached the entranceway, Felix waved him over. "Come now Cas, we enter through the contender's hall." The lanista led the way pass hundreds of people who hoped to secure one of the last few seats. "Seems we have a full house, I want you to really soak it in when you get out there, feel the roar of the crowd, all eyes will be on you. It's a feeling incomparable in this world. In my youth I won both the Iron and Copper tournaments, were it not for drink and whores id have won the silver as well... Eleutiro will not suffer embarrassment, lose today and you best pray the orc takes your head off. Not that I doubt you, just a friendly reminder." His demeanor was anything but friendly. Cas assumed they wagered the wealth of the Ludus on his victory, regardless of their desires, Cas intended to win. Under the Colosseum, they arrived in the hypogeum, "Listen to them!" From above, an unquenchable ruckus reverberated down through the stone and into their very bones. It was electric, Cas could feel his heart begin to pound in anticipation. Drums pounded, trumpets blared, a symphony of sound reaching a crescendo and then silence.
An amplified voice boomed, "Welcome to the 91st annual Iron Tournament!" This brought the crowd to their feet, the citizens of Nusciynia enjoyed nothing more then this game of life and death.
"Gathered from all across out great lands, our contenders this year may be the best ever, 16 of the finest warriors are set to contend for the title of IRON SUPERME!" Another wave of emotion rolled from the crowd.
"We hold nothing back, In our first Match, hailing from Nocco Zarranthe lineage of the Orc King himself, Prince Xujarek Scarsworn!"
As the crowd shouted the hypogeum opened, out walked an immense warrior. Every bit of seven foot tall, bound in thick muscle, green gray skin shining bright in the noon sun. Wearing only a hide loin cloth and carrying a scimitar in each hand the orc causally walked towards the center of the arena. Faded scars riddled his muscular chest, braided black hair fell halfway down his back, destruction hid behind his yellow eyes. This would be no easy fight.
Character: Xujarek Scarsworn
Title: Crown Prince
LVL 8
HP 3150/3150
"In Opposition, From Adanano's very own Ludus Lararia, Representing Eleutiro Pontz, the Lion Tamer Casimiro!
Nervousness faded into reality, Raeja primed, kicked up a cloud of dust as he rushed from the enclosure. His roars sent the crowd into a frenzy, Cas remained focused on the eyes of Xujarek. The orc showed no hint of fear, he even smiled seemingly amused. "HUMAN, I'll make a cloak out of your pet, or perhaps a rug to wipe the dirt from my feet."
"Competitors Begin!" The announcers voice trailer off as the crowd screamed for blood.
"Raeja, with me." Choosing to start the battle with Severance and Honor's Call, Cas wanted to test out Eleutiro's gifts. Xujarek wasted no time, his powerful legs rapidly crossing the battlefield, the orc leapt spinning his blades in a deadly whirlwind. His attack was aimed for Cas, as the orc's right sword collided with Honor's Call sparks filled the air. Xujarek's attack was two fold yet the orc's momentum was abruptly halted by the humans defense. The second blade lashed out, Cas parried it nullifying all damage from the orc's initial attacks. "Not bad meat sack, how about this!" Xujarek stepped back, taking a loose stance, his blades held hand over hand, Cas could sense the orc channeling energy. Time to act, endowing severance with earth power Cas prepared for the orc's next move. The orc's blades shined with magic endowment, when they clashed Cas was left back pedaling, barely able to keep up with the Orc's flurry. From behind Raeja reached out swiping a massive paw across the orcs back, momentarily stunned his assault against Cas halted. Taking the opportunity Cas cut into the orc, his thick skin parting slightly as blood dribbled out. The two attacks caused a little over 200 damage, Raeja leapt, Xujarek let loose a battle cry raising his swords against the lion. As the crowd shouted Cas Drove Honor's Call into the small of Xujarek's back causing the orc to lose his balance. Raeja was able to bring his full weight down, driving the orc slightly into the sand. Cheers followed as Xujarek rose to one knee, only for Cas to kick him square in the jaw. The force of the blow sent a tooth flying. Enraged, Xujarek brought both swords around his body smashing them into Honor's call, the blow sent Cas flying into the arena's wall. Dazed, Cas looked up to see Raeja engage the orc, adeptly dodging the sword slashes as the crowd clung to the edge of their seats.
Rising, Cas left the shield laying in the sand, he exchanged severance for lions tooth.
Xujarek frenzied, coming closer and closer to exhausting Raeja's stamina. Just as the orc's timing matched Raeja's dodge, a barbed whip wrapped around the crown prince's hand. Jerking the whip back, the barb dug in causing the orc to relinquish his hold on a scimitar. Roaring the Orc reacted quickly, slashing the whip with his other sword. "Now what human!!" Ripping the barb from his palm he flung it out of anger, his massive palm had a baseball sized wound. "I grow tired of playing with you and your pet."
"As do I." Igniting the whip, Cas lashed out leaving a burning wound across the orc's chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. One strike quickly becoming ten, the orc's screams almost overloaded the crowd noise. Raeja sensing the end, lashed out with a fiery claw, further igniting the flames.
"NOW!" Cas screamed, Raeja launched a fireball point blank into Xujarek, turning the orc into a meteor. With a spray of stone and flame the crown prince of the Orcs crashed into the arena wall, damage indicators rolling like a slot machine. Through the dust and smoke Cas could see the heavily damaged Orc was at death's door. With less then five percent of his health remaining the charred orc struggled to rise. Channeling magic, Cas intended to finish the match with inferno when suddenly a voice rang out, overwhelming the thousands screaming for blood.
"SPARE HIM!" Atop the honored guests balcony the Orc King stood, eyes locked with Cas'. Contemplating the consequences he quickly realized how little value the kill would ultimately be to him. Cas, along with the implied experience, let the spell go.
"Victory To Casimiro!" Adanano boomed with the unified voice of the humanity. Only the contingent of Orcs remained solemn, their King gesturing to his servants, never breaking eye contact with Cas. The King nodded in a gesture of gratitude.
Looking around, Cas felt elated, he had proven formidable, escaping the bout with only a few cuts and bruises. Beside his master, Raeja licked his own wounds. Voices rang out, some booed his decision to spare Xujarek's life, others cried as their purses lightened substantially. Amongst the crowd Cas found Eleutiro's party, the man beamed with pride, wine spilling from a raised chalice. Felix stood behind his master, nodding in approval.
<System Message, Round One Completed, Awarding 4500 allocable experience, one silver chest has been stored in your quarters.>
<Quest Activated, Silver Rank-Round Two >
"Achieve Victory in the quarter finals. "
Collecting Honor's Call from the sands, Cas led Raeja out of the arena, astonishingly, awaiting in the hypogeum was Petilus, coin in hand. Not allowing the bookie a word, Cas simply said "Bet it on my next match."
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
Fauxflux
Fauxflux Leave me a comment and let me know if you prefer battles to be less number oriented like this one or if youd prefer i kept things the way they were!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone