บท 36: The War Hero
The Duel was to take place in the Colosseum, which was actually outside of the walls of the Divine Throne. The theocratic complex sat on a hill at the edge of Roann, with towering mountains and sheer valleys creating a dramatic landscape behind. The massive stone colosseum dominated the top of a nearby mountain, something I'd always seen but never truly considered. Soltair gave me a quick lesson on the nearby geography as we hurried through the empty corridors. The whole of the Divine Throne felt abandoned, which brought deep anxiety to me. Were there really that many people going to watch the duel?
"Over the decades, the church has carved countless tunnels and passages into the mountains around here. While the main entrance to the colosseum is by stairs ascending the peaks, we can take one of the lifts within the mountain. It's like the library's, but much more impressive," Soltair said as we ran.
"Then why were you so amazed at the library?" I shot back between breaths. There wasn't a need to be difficult, but at least he could pretend to be tired!
"Heh. I'm always the one showing you stuff, so I thought you might appreciate it the other way around."
I fell silent for a bit, but then recalled his awestruck face. That definitely hadn't been faked, but if it wasn't for the lift, then…
"Wait, you were that amazed at seeing that many books?"
He stumbled but caught himself quickly. "What are you going on about? We don't have time for jokes. Remember the plan?"
"Mostly. Cast the spell then try to not get hit. I don't know how my spells will fare against them, but I should be able to hold on for a while."
"Good. I won't be able to protect you from everything, so if you could tie down a few of them, I can take care of the rest."
There wasn't much else to say, which was good, because I was out of breath anyway. When we finally made it through the underground tunnels and arrived at the magic lift, I felt like dying.
"Oh, you made it."
Tired as I was, the pure condescension in an unfamiliar voice made me look up. The first thing I saw were the beautiful forms of several elves, attached to arrogant faces I knew all too well. Beyond the three slaves, I saw the source of the voice. The gorgeous beauty and sculpted physique of the armor-clad elf took my breath away. Although Soltair was good-looking, this man wouldn't look out of place in the Divine Colosseum among the gods.
"Hey," Soltair said sharply, nudging me with his elbow.
I flinched and tore my eyes off the elf, but my eyes inevitably found their way back as he straightened and walked in front of us. His movements had an overwhelming grace, yet reminded me of the veteran warriors I saw at the Training Grounds. There was little doubt in my mind this was Ronin, the War Hero.
"I was afraid you wouldn't show up," Ronin said, swaggering up to stare at Soltair.
"As if we had a choice," Soltair said, returning the look with iron eyes.
They remained motionless for some time, until Ronin backed off with a small chuckle. "Let's save it for the battlefield. I've been waiting for this ever since that first time."
Soltair's eyes narrowed. "And what gives you the confidence to win this time?"
"Well, for one, I've been out being a hero. It doesn't suit one of my abilities to lounge about in luxury for an extended period of time. Hard to imagine drawing the respect of anyone at that point."
Soltair tensed beside me, and I knew it was a soft spot. He constantly complained about the Pope's restrictions, who refused his requests to go out and train constantly. Ronin's jabs ignited something within me, and I temporarily forgot the meekness beat into my body.
"Do you have any idea how hard Soltair's worked? How dare you talk like that!"
"Ah, the Slave Hero. I almost forgot about you. Cursed to be a demon, and sold into slavery. What a cruel lot." Although his words were empathetic, his tone held nothing but condescension. "Is the Sun Hero so weak as to be defended by a mere slave?"
"That's enough," Soltair said. He was calm, but I sensed a smoldering fire within. "We can trade insults all day, but none of that matters. Let's give the folks above what they came to see."
"Took the words right out of my mouth. But, Slave Hero, you'd best watch the example of my girls here," he gestured to the elves behind him, who simpered for his attention, "and learn to be quiet when heroes are speaking."
He whirled and passed through the doors. The elves cast a few dismissive looks behind them and followed. I couldn't help but notice their armor was just as revealing as their previous garb. Hopefully, that made them easier targets. Wait, armor?
Feeling something was off, I looked down at myself. Sure enough, no leather or steel, just the the simple white slave dress with a neckline low enough to expose the slave crest. Along with the cotton belt and simple leather sandals, I was wholly unprepared for any sort of battle. Soltair wasn't much better, dressed in simple courtier clothes.
"Don't worry about that," he said, clasping my hand in his. "We protect ourselves with magic, not armor. "
I nodded, but didn't feel so sure. As we walked behind the War Hero, I found a few red spots around my sleeves, where I'd wiped the blood from my mouth while creating the spell. I could only imagine the judging eyes of the audience comparing Soltair's and Ronin's slaves.
The lift was so spectacular it took my mind off my flaws for a moment. The War Hero was on the far side, but the massive disk, carved with runes, was nearly fifty feet wide. I noticed other rooms nearby also carrying lifts, but none of them were near as big.
"This is the arena floor," Soltair said, looking around at the massive shaft about us. "We'll be delivered right to the center in a few minutes."
I looked up at the small circle of light high above. As soon as we were on, Soltair touched a rune in the center with his foot, and we began to move. The platform picked up speed, accelerating until my hair flapped uncontrollably. The ground was covered in many glowing runes, but I felt too nervous to care about studying them. Weren't we moving too quickly? There wasn't enough time…
"Are you nervous?" Soltair asked.
"Yeah. Was it that obvious?"
"Your tail. It always shakes whenever you get anxious," he said with a small smile. "Don't worry. We got this."
I self-consciously clutched at my tail, stilling its movement. "Oh."
The circle of light continued to get bigger, widening until it yawned open to swallow us. As the darkness disappeared, I felt Soltair hand slide into mine. As the platform reached to the top, it slid to a stop, filling the shaft and creating the ground seamlessly. As the roar of thousands of cheers enveloped us, I took a deep breath and squeezed Soltair's hand. Did we really have this?
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