Ushona 1st 10,391

  Morning light streamed into Ravna’s smithy as the sounds of Mountain’s End bubbled to life with the day.

  “I think I just want to rest and read a book,” Ravna said.

  “That's cool,” Six said, understanding the want to stay inside. “Whatcha reading?”

  Ravna gave a little shrug. “Nothing right now, I’ll reread one of my favourites. There’s no book store out here.”

  “I think I might have something. Hold on.” Six scanned through his spatial, pulled out the Ethrina the Dragonkin book and passed it to Ravna.

  “Where'd you get this?” she asked.

  “It was part of a book bundle.”

  She blinked at him, disbelief evident. “You got smut in a book bundle?”

  “I guess?”

  “You guess you just got some book smut?”

  “Wouldn't be the first time I accidentally got some smut.”

  “Accidentally?”

  “Look if you don't want it, that's fine.”

  She shook her head and held out her hand. “I didn't say I didn't want it.”

  “Well look at who's reading smut.”

  “Well most of the Ethrina the Dragonkin stories are more tasteful and romantic. It's less smut and more story than you’d think.”

  “It's a series?”

  She blinked at him. “I wouldn't know.”

  After making sure Ravna was comfortable and set up with whatever she wanted, Six left to catch the finals of the tournament.

  Six pulled out his pipe and packed it with some of the smokeweed he grew during his cave days. It had been a while and his lack of tolerance was evident immediately. That feeling of instant relaxation flowing through his body. A part of himself twinged with disappointment but he knew he would drown that in smoke soon enough.

  He walked and met up with Jebbedo Keegan and Tavi. Charles had gone back on duty today grinding even harder than Six. So it was just the four of them on top of Jebbedo’s sturdy food stand that sat on the perimeter of the townsquare. The vantage point was amazing, allowing a fully unobstructed view of the proceedings. Sausages, dumplings, sandwiches, cake, every half hour it seemed a new food item would be brought up. Followed by pitchers of water and juice that were chilled with conjured ice.

  Below them a packed crowd surrounded the stage.

  Keegan and Tavi began to argue about who they thought would win. Jebbedo and Six talked about Jebbedo’s new menu ideas. Their conversations cut short by Leoka announcing the start.

  “Welcome to the finals of the first annual Arc Tournament. We have narrowed the finalists down from sixty-four to eight. All skilled in the art of fighting. All vying for the number one spot. The prize for the number one spot? a personally enchanted item from Lord Six!” The crowd went nuts, cheering for whoever got that prize. A surprising amount of zeal for the circumstances. A new festival, a new community, but they cheered as one.”

  The first match was between Alaric vs Deebo. Alaric was a human whose frame was packed with muscle, he wore well made half plate armor, and was tall and proud. He carried a well made sword and shield. Deebo was a halfling woman who wore simple leathers and sturdy boots, enduring and weighty. She held no weapons in her hands. The referee shouted to begin and Alaric leaped forward. Sword raised above head. Deebo cartwheeled backwards and plants began to sprout from where she touched. Tiny leaves and vines reaching up towards Alaric.

  That was Plant Growth. Six’s first spell, she used it well, pushing it to the limit. A combination of a high earth magic skill, a large mana pool, or a skill evolution or spell evolution perhaps. Perhaps pure stats.

  Alaric chopped through the burgeoning vegetation growing closer to Deebo with every swing. His assault was countered by a plant creature bursting up from beneath the arena and entangling itself in Alaric’s legs. He was brought down and she grew tiny javelins then threw them at him.

  The referee called the match and Deebo moved on.

  The second match was between Azil Awph, a frilled vrill man who wielded a single spear that was more pike-like in length vs Kyraty, a human man in his twenties from Shepherd's Peak who held just a longsword and wore only pants and moccasins. Their battle was one of martial excellence. Marching in time and step across, around, and about the stage. Poking and prodding with conservative forays before one of them started an extended exchange of near lethal strikes.

  Six was taking in new understandings from such unbothered observations. The beauty and art of physical combat revealing their awesomeness in slow motion.

  They were balanced in sheer skill and maneuvers until Kyraty began to cast the Mana Dart spell. Turning their balanced clashes into moments where a shard of force slipped through and damaged Azil.

  It only took four such exchanges until the ref called the match. Azil having lost too much health and blood to continue safely.

  Collar was an old Muldstanii man. His skin was wrinkled and his hair was white, yet he was dense with muscle. He stood proud in a rough white toga. Hands balled into fists. Opposite Ursula, a human woman covered in bandoliers of potions and daggers. Her posture was slightly coiled.

  The match started with a flurry of strikes, a furious exchange.

  Collar fought with impeccable skill. His movements perfect with no wasted movement, a mixture of utilitarian brilliance and artistic performance. While Ursula was rougher, rooted in primal inspiration rather than technical knowledge. She stood alongside on sheer stats alone, her body moving faster and striking harder.

  Collar kept Ursula’s aggression at bay, disarming her each time a new dagger or potion popped into her hand. Catching potions before they struck him. With calculating eyes and a demeanor of control Ursula increased the tempo with each new attempt, becoming more frenetic as daggers littered the arena floor. Collar followed her lead, increasing his speed and avoiding an ever-increasing number of slashes and stabs.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Ursula grabbed a new pair of blades and unleashed a spinning double stab, fully committed to the offense. Collar grunted “Precise Point,” poking a wrist, making her drop one dagger and leaned out of the way of the other. A beautiful display of balance, timing, and flexibility from the elder Muldstanii.

  Then Ursula spat something into his eyes.

  Collar, without sight, deftly disengaged and wiped his face, grimacing.

  Ursula seemed fine to let him recover as she went about picking up daggers.

  Collar cleared his vision and then spoke with disdain towards Ursula. “Poison? In a tournament?”

  She looked sheepish and shrugged. “It won’t kill you.”

  He shook his head in disgust before running forward and blitzing her.

  Ursula danced about, using all her tricks to keep distance from the old fighter who eventually slowed before collapsing to the stage. Paralyzed. Victory was Ursula’s.

  The last match of the quarter finals was between a stout dwarven woman named Tortaya. She stood in mismatched armor holding a maul, a belt holding several smaller hammers hung from her waist. She fought a human man in fine red robes named Queg.

  Tortaya wielded a two handed hammer chasing Queg around the arena like a slasher villain. He blasted her with fire, some of it ricocheting or going wide. The defensive mages placed around the arena used magic to contain the projectiles, shrapnel, and flames from leaving the stage.

  Tortaya walked through each shot or dissipated it with a swing of her hammer. Queg avoided her by running or enhancing his jumping with a little jet of flames. Her squat form couldn’t move that fast but Queg soon found himself without mana. Six could see the wince of pain in the man’s face as he reached mana deprivation.

  He conceded to the dwarf before she broke any of his bones.

  The quarter finals were complete and the fighters took a break to be healed up and recover.

  Six was left to enjoy buttered flatbread, with shredded meat. Continuing to indulge, smoking his pipe. The square was packed with festival goers and Six got to witness the best and worst of his people. No one got seriously hurt in the crowd though and the town guards took care of any serious problem.

  The semi finals began with a cheer. Kyraty, the human spellsword vs Deebo, the halfling plant mage.

  Kyraty kept his distance while shooting Mana Darts at the plant mage, He began chugging a mana potion, restoring whatever he was spending. The young man cast a wind spell coating his blade in a layer of lacerating air. Tiny squalls running along the sword's cutting edge.

  Deebo and her plants broke to the potion purse of Kyraty, as she was worn down by the steady consumption of his mana items. Plant Growth was an expensive spell and Kyraty had been cutting through the new growth her spell propagated. Out of mana she was easy pickings for the pressure Kyraty applied.

  Tortaya spun, her eyes tracking Ursula who moved about the dwarf in all directions. Ursula laid down cut after cut, slowly bleeding Tortaya. Leaping, flipping, and rolling around the dwarven woman and staying well clear of her hammer, while flicking in to nip and slice. Tortaya endured the torment, waiting for the perfect moment before launching herself forward, throwing her shoulder into the midsection of Ursula who was mid movement. Tortaya folded the dagger wielder in two and lifted her from her feet. Then she subdued the weaker Ursula with grappling and the ref called the match.

  There was a longer break this time. Once again allowing for healing and recovery. The it would be the finals. Six was enjoying the show so far and was excited to see the last match. They would be fighting at their hardest then.

  Another dish made its way up. The cubed and marinated boar meat was delicious, along with fruit tarts, and ice water steeped in flowers. Six ate with abandon, Jebbedo assuring him it was no issue.

  Keegan and Tavi bet on the final outcome of the tournament.

  Keegan bet on the swordsman. “Kyraty is a skilled and intentional warrior. He will win because Tortaya has no structure to her fighting.”

  Tavi bet on the hammerwoman. “Tortaya has a deep well of will and motivation. She takes this very seriously.”

  “So does the other, they are vying for the number one spot.”

  “To him this is a game. He doesn’t understand the prize, she does. She wants this more than him.”

  Keegan grunted noncommittally.

  Grit was important Six agreed, most of what he’d won he’d done so through grit. Skill and expertise couldn’t be denied though.

  Six busted out the good stuff. He had found some ancient Justiral Smokeweed and it looked old but not moldy or anything.

  He smoked the Enhanced rank herb and was surprised when it gave him a buff

  Entuned1

  He checked deeper and found it to be a simple buff that increased his mana regen by a significant margin, bringing it up by 60 per minute. He doubted any of the Justrial seeds would take but such a herb could aid in mass coven magic or be an interesting reagent.

  He felt the smoke hit instantly, it was quadruple A stuff. The stuff brought him to a level of toasted where he could truly appreciate the spiced and smoke sausage rolls that just arrived.

  Mid sausage roll Elara poked her head up and cleared her throat, catching Six’s attention. “My Lord. There is a messenger from Olisrosa that comes representing a noble, Obial of House Gatz. They wish to have an audience with you. When would that be possible?”

  “Tomorrow,” Six said through a mouthful of sausage and flaky pastry.

  “Such a thing is rather important, my Lord.”

  Six swallowed his food and burped. “I know, tell them I apologize but I am busy. Put them up somewhere nice please.”

  “Busy with?” She asked as he grabbed his pipe once more, packing it with some herb.

  “Building relations with the people.” Six lit up again, blowing a huge cloud up into the sky. He was too stoned to deal with politics right now. Not unless there was no choice.

  Elara went to leave but Six held her up with a hand.

  “Thank you for your help and thank you for planning this with Leoka. It's more than I could have hoped for,” he said.

  “You’re welcome, Six.” She smiled before leaving to inform the messenger.

  He took a moment, leaving the pavilion to find one of Big Sister’s bugs and inform her. “Watch that delegation please. We will talk in the morning about what you learn.”

  Yes, Six.

  “Thank you.”

  He returned to the pavilion and smoked more weed before tearing into some potato breaded fish and something like corn pakora.

  Finally the tournament started up again. They decided the runner up battle before the finale Earth vs dagger runner up battle. So it was Deebo vs Ursula.

  It was a good fight with Ursula just barely winning over Deebo throwing all her knives and several potions before using misdirection to hide a rock she picked up from the arena floor. Tossing it and knocking Deebo out with a sneaky attack. Plant Growth was too slow to pin the knife user down.

  Six stood and cheered as Ursula cemented third place. That was cunning, and skillfully performed. A top tier attack.

  Then it was the true finals. The Spellblade vs the Hammer.

  The fight began with Kyraty shooting darts at Tortaya and the dwarven woman enduring the barrage, a forearm covering her eyes. Kyraty kept his distance, sipping on potions, until she started throwing hammers his way. The whistling hammers barely missing.

  Tortaya pushed him to one side of the arena and successfully predicted the way he would dodge. Her one handed hammer smashing into his leg with an audible crunch. He grunted and hobbled, quickly finding the limits he could push his injured leg to.

  He imbued his sword with wind and prepared for Tortaya’s onslaught and sure enough it came.

  She wound up and lurched into his range, provoking an attack but not even attempting to mitigate it. She took a slash and Kyraty laid down another with a Double Strike but she still stood, dragging her hammer up and throwing her body into the strike. “Power Blow,” she bellowed.

  Kyraty Deflected but it was insufficient to surmount Tortaya’s damage. Her strike brushing his maneuver aside and blasting into his body, throwing him to the ground like a broken toy.

  “Surrender,” she growled, stomping up to him as he rolled to sit up.

  “No.” He said, lifting his blade shakily.

  But the ref called it in favour of Tortaya. Judging Kyraty too injured to safely continue.

  The crowd lost its shit. Cheering for Tortaya and sending cheer everywhere.

  Six watched as 2 healers rushed the stage and healed the spellblade, who pushed them away as soon as he recovered. Kyraty then stood and nodded curtly at Tortaya. A stoic acceptance of his loss.

  Leoka came up and proclaimed Tortaya as the champion of the Arc Tournament and the runners up as Kyraty in second and Ursula in third.

  Places 2 and 3 were picked from the best magic items they plundered from the troll pit. Ursula grabbing a spatial ring and Kyraty picked a health ring that increased his HP by a staggering 72. Far more than Six’s Ring of Minor Health.

  But for Tortaya Rockcutter Six would personally craft an item.

  Leoka finished the closing ceremony and the last night of festival merriment was had.

  The group moved into the crowd and they enjoyed the festivities. Six lost at the ring toss, a variation of bowling, darts, the shell game, and some weird card matching game. The only thing he actually won was a pie eating contest.

  He enjoyed the music, art, bustle, and the company of good people. It had been a real good night.

  Six tried to sneak into bed and not to wake Ravna. But he failed.

  “Six?” she murmured.

  “Yea.”

  “I love you.”

  “I know.”

  She nudged him.

  “I love you too. Let’s get married.”

  She flipped over and stared at him. “Are you serious?”

  They hadn’t known each other for all that long but he was sure and he was serious. “Yes.”

  She laughed and stretched her neck over to kiss him, making sure to stay under the covers. “Yes,” she whispered.

  He fell asleep happy.