Bab 24: Frozencaller Tournament ( 2 )
When Miraak finally stepped on the platform, the entire public became silent.
After all, the fight was about to start.
The pure pressure of the participants was so powerful that the public started to sweat in nervousness.
After all, the barrier around the platform, made by various Master class enchanters and Master class alchemists, was trembling violently.
They didn't even move yet!
Everyone thought that the pressure was from the Expert class Ice Mage.
"... You should surrender, kid" Coldmane, Miraak's opponent said sarcastically.
After all, this was a disgrace for him and every Mer present.
There was no Men race that wasn't slaves for them.
To see a supposed slave fighting in their glorious Tournament was a Blasphemy.
As the wind blew on his beautiful black robe and his blonde hair danced, Miraak smiled.
That is right, he smiled.
Hate.
Jealousy.
Fury.
The emotions all the present Elves were throwing at him made him smile.
Although his smile was beautiful, something was wrong.
His eyes... His Aura... They weren't smiling.
It was as if two people were fused.
Seeing Miraak, not surrendering, Coldmane said as he lifted his right arm and said, "... So be it."
A huge ice lance appeared and launched itself at Miraak.
The ice lance was so fast that the public couldn't even react before it was already hitting Miraak.
The impact was so great that a huge fog appeared, enveloping Miraak.
The fog and the huge ice lance obstructed everyone's vision.
Everyone was already convinced that Miraak was dead.
A child, of a savage nonetheless, defend an ice lance from an Expert class Mage?
Such ridiculous thought.
But, they were wrong.
"... Surrender? Me?" Miraak's voice sounded inside the fog.
Turning their head in confusion and disbelief, they focused their eyes on the fog.
"... There he is!!" Someone shouted pointing at a location on the fog.
As everyone focused there, they saw him.
A child's shape on the fog,
Using only his right's hand to hold the easily four-time his weight huge Ice Lance, Miraak could be seen with the same smile.
"... I'm not the one that should be surrendering." Miraak said bored as he slowly closed his hand.
As he closed his hand, cracks started to appear on the Ice Lance.
The harder he closed, the faster cracks appeared.
With a sound of when glass break, the Ice Pillar finally exploded.
Coldmane, of course, was surprised.
A child... overpowered his Ice Pillar.
It made him speechless.
As he was stunned, Miraak shook his head.
Seeing him not surrendering, with the same smile he said, "... Foolish decision."
Slowly raising his right hand, some kind of pressure started to leak.
Feeling something wrong, Coldmane wanted to create distance, but... he couldn't do it.
Lowering his head, he saw what was wrong.
His feet were fully penetrated by small ice spikes.
It was so cold that it immediately froze his pain receptors, making it painless.
He saw that, on the ground, spikes could be seen growing.
Like beautiful flowers.
Like beautiful, Deadly, flowers.
"... Wh-" He said in disbelief.
How he couldn't be in disbelief.
It was common sense that you shouldn't be able to cast spells so distant from the opponent.
If it was possible, he could simply cast an ice spike near the opponent's head and kill him instantly.
But... What was happening, it was exactly that!
Miraak was so distant from him, yet, more and more small ice spikes could be seen growing.
As more and more ice spikes penetrated his body, Coldmane was stunned in place.
It shouldn't be possible.
He couldn't even defend himself.
With the ice spikes penetrating his limbs, he couldn't even lift a finger, let alone casting a spell.
"... I surre-" He said but before he could finish, a mouthful of blood came out of his mouth.
Finally, the small ice spikes arrived at his heart.
Like cutting hot butter, it penetrated Coldmane's heart.
More and more blood came out of his mouth.
Glaring at the still smiling Miraak, Coldmane simply sighed as his life came to end.
As Miraak lowered his right arm, the ice spikes on Coldmane's corpse started to move and leave his body.
Like a dream, the ice spikes slowly dissolved themselves again on the ground, leaving only Coldmane's blood behind.
Not being able to support itself, his corpse collapsed on the ground, like a potato sack.
Glancing at his body, Miraak sighed.
After all, he gave him a choice.
Surrender or Die.
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
But, it wasn't a bliss this time.
The world was cruel and Miraak knew that.
The weak dies and the strong survive.
Power.
Once again, he saw its value.
For his plans, he needed power.
Glancing at Coldmane's body for the last time, Miraak turned around, slowly walked off the platform.
Leaving his opponent's body to rot under the sun.
The public was stunned.
The commentator was stunned.
Even Kieran, the merchant, was stunned.
A Men's child on Expert Level of ice Magic?
Such talent...
Such age...
It made everyone speechless.
As Miraak was leaving, he heard the commentator.
"T-T-The Victory goes to Miraak!!!!" The commentator shouted 'excited'.
...
Although everyone didn't understand how Miraak killed Coldmane, they knew that he was, at least, an Expert Level.
To kill an opponent of Expert Level so easily was very hard.
But, something was wrong.
When a talent appeared on the Tournament, everyone's mood would be light, warm,
and welcoming.
The merchants should be the ones who would be the happiest.
A child not even eleven at Expert Level? Who wouldn't want a bodyguard with such talent?
But... the mood wasn't warm.
It wasn't welcoming.
The merchants were the unhappiest on the Arena.
Slavery.
Because they profited on Men's races, they knew how much danger someone like Miraak could pose in that Era.
Talent.
Age.
Aura.
If Miraak started a rebellion...
Having such thoughts, the merchants slightly trembled.
Kill.
Kill him before he had any chance to grow any stronger.
It was their only choice if they wanted to continue to slave Menkind.
But, one of them was thinking differently.
Kieran Virhice, the traveling merchant, was thinking about how to recruit him.
Miraak's talent and his age are perfect as his bodyguard.
Even if Miraak loses the Tournament, Kieran was already ready to recruit him, no matter what.
...
As sunlight shone on his pure black robes, Miraak could be seen walking on Rifton's streets.
After his match, he immediately left the Arena.
With his blonde dancing on the wind, he walked forward.
But, no one noticed.
2 shadows were following him.
As if the world showed it's two faces.
Light and Darkness.
Finally arriving at his destination, Miraak tilted his head.
As his beautiful blue eyes laid upon the place's name, Miraak smiled.
Entering the place, he could feel the two shadows that were following him slowly materialize themselves.
One had two reddish and blackish daggers on her hips.
The other one had arrows hanging on her hips and a reddish and blackish bow on her back.
Asa and Iphislia.
They blocked the place's entrance as they searched for any danger.
Since it quite far from very populated areas, there were no citizens there.
"... At what number are we at? 3? 4?" Iphislia asked shooking her head.
Sighing, Asa responded, "... This is the fourth one."
As the duo was talking, 'strange' sounds could be heard inside the place.
Like a fight... No, hell was taking place inside.
Sounds of bones being broken.
Sounds of people growing in pain.
As the sounds became smaller and smaller, it eventually became silent.
Asa and Iphislia were about to slightly peek through the door, blood started slowly fall through the hole under the door and they instinctively backed away from the door.
A sound came from inside.
Like an explosion, a huge man could be seen flying through the entrance door, breaking in tiny pieces.
Landing on the ground, the man groaned in pain and discomfort.
Finally, someone slowly appeared on the door.
Miraak, without a single drop of blood on his black robes, slowly walked over the man.
Raising his right arm, a reddish and blueish sword appeared on his hand.
As if made of pure energy, it seemed made of fire as some parts burned with blueish flames.
Putting the blade on the man's throat, Miraak smiled and said, "... So? What is your answer?"
The man, groaning in pain, said slowly, "... I... Surrender..."
As if the sword was an illusion, it slowly dissolved itself, becoming small dots of energy, Miraak continued smiling and said pointing to the place's insides, "Good... After all, you don't want to become like them, right?"
Curious, Asa and Iphislia saw inside the place.
Death.
It was pure death.
Decapitated heads on the ground.
Twitching bodies were seated on chairs.
But, Asa and Iphislia just glanced at it and sighed.
"... So it's the fourth one, huh..." Iphislia said sighing.
That's right.
Since Miraak knew that the rich people would try to, somehow, kill him, he knew where they would search for the service.
Bandits.
Thieves.
Assassins.
They would try to contact them and make a contract with them.
And that is where Miraak had a plan.
Subjugation.
From North to South.
From West to East.
From Vulmer's group to this Man's group.
Surrender or Die.
Although the trio were children.
The groaning man was slightly trembling on Miraak's presence.
"... These two will be your bosses." Miraak said grabbing the man's hair and pushing backward.
The groaning felt it.
Like tiger eyeing its prey.
The man was feeling like a defenseless baby in front of a Veteran Warrior.
Turning his glance toward Asa and Iphislia, he groaned and said, "Yes."
Releasing his hair, Miraak just smiled and slowly walked away.
As the man raised his head, he saw Asa and Iphislia disappearing.
Like shadows.
Like ghosts.
Miraak walked forward toward his next destination.
The next group.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
AppleLover
AppleLover Hello
Soon, i will be playing around with the cover, to see the one i like the most.
So maybe, you will find the story with a different cover.
Thank you for reading.
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