The shouts of the audience were heard more and more, even outside the arena.
Outside were giant screens made of magic, created by mages in the service of Caesar, they obtained the transmission through cameras flooded with techno-magic. Everyone could watch this event from their homes - for the richest ones who had a magic image receiver, plus a projector or a magic screen - or from outside like the rest of the people from the top of the kingdom to the bottom of it. Even prisoners and convicts, no matter what level they are incarcerated at or what crimes they have committed...
- Caesar, you may speak again.
Her Majesty threw herself into her royal chair and took the jar of water and a glass that one of her servants presented to her, swallowing the liquid in one gulp. This speech had washed her out, she was really worried that her explanations would not be understood and that there would be a revolt. It is true that the legend of the hero and his fairy sidekick is one of the three things that are most debated, or rather controversial, in this country.
- Very well, my queen," he said, putting his hand on his heart and bowing his head, "I will give the rules of the tournament and then hand over to our star presenter. People, champions and princesses of Sylvania!" shouted the manager and organizer of the tournament, "I will give you the rules that will govern all the fights.
He recited the rules that you already know, and one more:
- Wings are not allowed to be in the air for more than 15 seconds without attacking.
- Champions, come down from your pedestal and stand in a circle as the Augustan Champions command.
They did so, they stood in a circle and put their weapons, fists or "claws" in their midst before reciting the creed of the Augustan Champions in ancient Oli'ane. Incomprehensible to the Hero.
- Glory to you, ancient predecessors! Glory to your exploits! Glory to your victories! Glory to your defeats, but especially our victories! Bless us with your courage, strength, self-sacrifice and good fortune to prove who is the chosen one to rule and protect our peers! We are the heroes who will protect our fairies from all dangers, from the Evil One and from despair, and we will make them fulfill their destiny!
Even if he didn't understand their words, he felt a certain nostalgia when he heard this credo, but it wasn't a pleasant nostalgia, but a morbid nostalgia that made him vomit his entrails. With more memories that didn't belong to him... A promise given with the last breath of a person he had never known...
- If it's really bad..., I can take you to the infirmary next door," the Fairy said again.
And he refused again, he told her that he would attend her boyfriend's fight so he would do it until the end.
A man never breaks his promises, he reminded himself.
The champions stepped aside, raised their weapons and pointed them to the heavens before planting them in the ground and making a circle with them.
Then they stood guard to face their opponents, waiting for the announcement of the beginning of the fight.
Meanwhile, the Hero had fallen asleep during the ritual performed by the princess champions, it was really too long for him, and because of his insomnia and his brutal awakening that had tested him. The wingless fairy princess put a right in his shoulder to wake him up.
I did not sleep I rested the eyes, writes the Hero.
- Yeah, that's right...," quipped the Fairy.
The blob climbed back onto its starry manta ray and placed itself high, Caesar stepped forward and shouted:
- Are you ready?
All the champions nodded their heads.
The Hero wanted to see if Beneltig's legs were shaking, but because of his poor vision, he could barely make out their silhouettes, forcing him to squint.
The Fairy asked him what was wrong, he was not going to go back to sleep.
I have the disease of the blur, he explained to her.
- Oh, but you mean myopia?
Do you know the real name of this evil?
- Of course! If you had told me earlier, I could have done something about it... We'll talk about it later...
Caesar raised his arm and lowered it, giving the signal to start the hostilities.
The fighters jumped back and with a simple glance, they chose their opponent, they understood that it would be easier to attack Beneltig for having gained a point of office. However, against all odds - except for you, of course - the cyclops took the defense of the fairy-warrior, which astonished the whole assembly, from princesses to champions, even children.
"Why is Tarkus defending that oaf Beneltig?" one could hear.
The Hero then remembered the deal the Fairy's champion had made with a stranger.
So it would be this Tarkus? he thought.
It is true that he was the only one who matched the description he had made in his mind: tall, muscular and with a rather deep voice. And above all, he was wearing the armbands that the "valiant" warrior had given him.
However, he had not asked her to go so far in her memories.
Armed with his huge club full of spikes, Tarkus challenged his other competitors to take on the weak fairy.
- We didn't expect you to ally yourself with this weakling," said one of the dwarves named Zetzgriker.
- We were able to find some common ground," sneered the Cyclops.
- Interesting! exclaimed the Siamese Amazons, confronting one of the biggest favorites of this tournament is totally exciting! said the head on the right named Selma, it's time to test your popularity which seems to me undeserved! taunted the head on the left Keltna.
- If you want so much! laughed the cyclops warrior, you! he shouted while addressing Beneltig, stay behind me all the time of the fight so that one does not take it to you, then I will carry out what you asked me.
- Okay," agreed Beneltig.
The amazon Selma-Keltna twirled her double flails and attacked the dark-skinned cyclops, this one blocked her blow with one of her armbands, the sound that came out of the shock was really peculiar as if it was that of a gong.
With the magic of Fairy Vision Sharing, he could see and easily understand why this sounded so strange: on those armbands were, not decorative ornaments as he had thought, but fragments of green colored magic stones.
Depending on the characteristics of the stone, it is possible to obtain various effects, effects known to connoisseurs of supernatural mineralogy. However, in order to use these stones, they must first undergo a physical shock. That's why miners are particularly careful when they go into caves to extract these gems with fantastic properties, they were not safe from any misfortune caused by them.
And right now, they were in the presence of a medusite who had the ability to turn everything she touched into stone.
- He plays with fire, commented Caesar in a low voice, if the stones change completely one of the fighters, Tarkus will be disqualified. I want to be tolerant, but bending the rules is not something I accept easily...
He wrote a letter to Tadzi and sent it through a bird to inform him of a new feature of the rules.
The principal did not seem to mind, he was ecstatic as he watched the spiked balls of one of Selma-Keltna's scourges turn to stone and shatter as they fell to the ground.
- What..., said the Siamese Amazon surprised by this sorcery.
Without waiting for her to understand what had happened, Tarkus threw himself on her and hit her with his mace, sending her flying two meters away. Selma and Keltna spat out blood in shock, they were impressed by the power of Tarkus' blow. They had already faced him and it is true that he had an extraordinary strength, but they never thought that he had become so strong in such a short time. But they were not fooled, they knew that a big part of his strength was due to the armbands he wore on his forearms.
They would have wanted a single combat with Tarkus to be able to determine who was the strongest of the three, but considering the circumstances, they were going to have, also, to ally themselves with the other champions to have a chance to defeat him...
- Hey! The garden gnomes!" Keltna inveighed them.
- Calm down on the racist remarks, warned the red-bearded dwarf named Zetzgriker, we already know what you're going to offer us and I'll be crazy enough to refuse, so you'll have to be crazy enough to go along with my plan.
- Do you really have a plan?" asked Keltna.
- In broad terms, yes... but you're not going to get away with it, he warned her, and it will work.
- I suspect so, they smile, but your compatriot agrees that we should join forces?
- Him?" asked Zetzgriker, pointing to the dwarf behind him digging a hole in the ground. "That's not a dwarf, look carefully, it's a moped.
- A cyclotaupe? shouted the two heads astonished, how is it that such a beast can participate?
- I don't know, I'm not the one to ask, said the dwarf with a sharp tone, the rules are changing... Anyway, he's very useful for setting my traps. I imagine that he will agree that we form a trio for the time of the fight against Tarkus, and the other coward (even if he doesn't really count).
- Does he really count in the equation?" asked Selma-Keltna wryly.
- More than you think. After all, he's the one who gave the armbands to the Cyclops, so he must have something else in mind, other than losing the last one.
- If you say so.
On the side of Beneltig and Tarkus.
- Fantastic! I must say that I didn't think I would acquire such a phenomenal strength thanks to these cosmetics. Not only am I going to grant your request to knock you out last, but moreover! he said in a solemn tone and with his finger in the air, his face delighted, I'm going to make you my stooge, I can swear that you'll taste all the delicacies of this world, as much with the food as with the women!
- That's... that's generous...," Beneltig said shyly.
- Come on! Straighten up, chicken, you have a tournament to win for me, he sang loudly while pulling him by the collar of his garment to put the fairy-fighter straight, and get ready, they seem to have schemed something.
In the royal boxes, the queen was watching the fight carefully, she did not think it would start so quickly. Globox asked, with a laughing intonation:
- Which of these children do you think will win?
- It would be obvious to say that this would be Tarkus Person, one of the favorites of the tournament, said one of the many courtiers loving to spend his time occupying the court of the name of Detsine.
This man had a three-quarter bald head, and it was funny to notice that the wrinkles on his forehead formed beautiful waves, it was his greatest pride because when he was younger, really younger, he had always wanted to be old, to have wrinkles, to have lost his hair, to have white hair - it would have been quicker for him to get cancer and chemotherapy... So imagine his happiness when he reached the age of "wisdom", he took pride in having reached two hundred and eighty years of age, condescending to all those who were younger. Yet he was never tempted to play that game with the queen. At the same time...
- Yes, it is indeed obvious that it would be Tarkus Person Polyphemus the great winner, intervened the bodyguard Sawyer, he has very many warlike qualities and he is intelligent enough not to confuse his left and his right. In single combat and in a normal fight, I would bet all my coins on him. However, the conditions of the fight are quite different than a simple confrontation, they have the honor of their protégés on their shoulders, they do not fight only for their ego or their own personal good, they know that each of their moves will decide the future of their princesses and the kingdom. In short, it is no longer the most competent who will win, but the one who has the greatest rage to win and the greatest will. So... nothing is decided yet!
- That's good, that's good," Globox said nonchalantly, twirling his hand beside his head in a manner disinterested in his colleague's words, "but On. Want. Your. Preferred. Us.
- Selma-Keltna.
- Well, it was simple, congratulated the bodyguard in second, and you, the fairy without hair on the head, you have a little pet ?
- You'd better address a person in the prime of life in a better way," Detsin reprimanded him.
- You are rambling, old man...
Detsin and Globox did not really get along, generational differences...
- Since you want it so much," spat the bald-headed fairy, "my heart goes out to the dwarf. You only see the brute force as you only think with your muscles, you don't distinguish the potential and the possibilities of each one.
- We're just here to speculate on speculations!" laughed Globox as he motioned Sawyer to give him one of his licorice sticks, "I'm sure even Lola and Po have better opinions than you, fossilized butterfly.
Lola and Po were two of the queen's servants who followed her everywhere she went in the castle. They were the only two servants who did not come from Mother Isabella Krone's school of imperial servants, but they also came from the Nether and above all they were not fairies: they were Sternites, bipedal insects of one meter sixty, they are known to be herbivorous and super fearful, even when they get to know the new people they have met or that they are going to serve, it is difficult to communicate with them. However, there was no more dedicated and hard-working than these "little" animals, although their shyness made it difficult to carry out certain tasks such as receiving a letter - you have to talk to the letter carrier and sign his pass sheet - or acting as a messenger.
And it was because she knew this that the queen was so upset. She hated it when Globox or anyone else played with her little charges.
Then, with an imposing voice, she interfered in the conversation of her courtiers, interrupting Detsin's interjection.
- Stop your childish bickering! You've been yakking away for a while now! Sawyer told you very well that it was not obvious to know the future of this fight, but you continue to make useless conjunctures without tail nor head, based on wind while annoying, moreover, Lola and Po. So I will ask you to keep quiet until the end of the confrontation of these young people, especially you, Globox!
Everyone's eyes glazed over at the queen's irritation.
Although she has an angry nature, no one would have thought that she could be so angry.
- She's in a bad mood," Globox whispered to Sawyer, taking his box of licorice sticks. "Did you wake her up in a bad mood or what?
- That's not the expression," Sawyer corrected as he went back to his candy, "but no, I had nothing to do with it. She must be upset about something she saw with the doctors that I don't know about.
- About the human? said the greedy ogre grabbing a licorice stick from his friend's box.
- No idea..., sighed the guard, I will ask her at the end of the fight, but I think that she wants to be concentrated on the fight of Beneltig, to see if her warnings served or not. For the moment, she didn't see anything very convincing, which must strongly upset her.
He broke the stick Globox had taken from him and swallowed it whole, chewing it hard.
- However, she is right. We'd better shut up and stop the vain interventions and enjoy the progress of these young people in their first confrontation for their princesses.
He tried to look neutral and composed, but he was really worried about his beloved princess, it was rare to see her so serious and so cold, she who was always inclined to play and fun, she who was so playful in normal times, found herself to be so bitter. There were only three things that made her so irritable: the war, the Feline Marrynelia and Elena...
If it was the latter that she was upset about, this was really not the place to have a discussion about it...
Let's enjoy the game for now, he thought.
End of the talk, here is the beginning of the hostilities.
On the ground, the Amazon stood up and, catching her breath, she pressed her fist into her hand. They were ready to fight their rival.
- So are you ready, my little ones?
- Don't patronize us, double face! I didn't think that after a blow you would think of collaborating.
- We did too but his blow was much more powerful than normal, yet we train harder and more often than him, I would have liked to play it "overcoming" but Cynthia expects me to win so the best strategy is to finish this fight as quickly as possible, axe to beard.
- Come on, let's stop here. Let's beat these two idiots, we can send each other some spanks later.
- That's fine with me," replied the Siamese Amazon.
It is the cyclops who took the initiative to attack first, he threw himself on the Siamese amazon trying to put a blow of metallic club to him, she stopped the attack with the handle of her flail which was scratched by the shock of the weapon of Tarkus.
Distracting their main enemy, Selma-Keltna allowed the technomancer dwarf to carry out his well thought out plan. He entered the underground tunnel drilled by the moth and laid shock mines all along the path of the advanced burrowing mammal: one above him and one below him.
The Amazon had to stay within the perimeter formed by Mergul's tunnel, the cyclotaupe, for Zetzgriker's plan to be successful.
Selma-Keltna could not use her weapon as she pleased, Tarkus was far too close to them for one of the spiky balls of his flail to kiss her face. Tarkus' pointed baton was much more practical in this situation since it did not describe an arc when he attacked, and despite the length of the contending object, it was not impossible for him to fight since he had the audacity to attack by grabbing the stinger-encrusted part in his hand, putting blows on her with the top of his spiked staff or the handle.
The adaptation time to disadvantageous situations for the cyclops was phenomenal compared to the amazon who was still trying to fight him with her weapon.
The circle of the underground passage was finished, Mergul took part in the fight by going out by surprise of under ground and threw himself of his body on the face of the cyclops, rushing on its eye, blinding it the time of an instant.
Tarkus cried out in pain from the beast's coarse hair, he screamed in pain, dropping his weapon to get the moth out of his face. Selma-Keltna took the opportunity to run over him and go behind him, she kicked him in the back so that he was more in the center of the circle. She kicked him in the ribs and elbowed him in the neck before choking him with her arms and putting him on his knees.
- You'd better give up," Selma advised him.
- Or die!" Keltna offered.
Tarkus pushed with all his strength on his legs to get up.
- Sorry girls, but it will be neither...
He freed himself from the Siamese Amazon, took her arms and threw her in front of him, on her back, before throwing her away from him. He wanted to grab his weapon but it was the Siamese woman who had caught it with her toes. He tried to run towards her but fell into one of Morgul's traps, his foot sinking into a hole filled with quicksand.
The dwarf came out of the underground tunnel and shouted to his partner in crime that everything was in place.
- Take the little mole with you and go far away.
Zetzgriker grabbed the moped and fled to the wall of the arena to avoid being caught in the trap, leaving Selma-Keltna to do the rest.
She took her opponent's weapon and threw herself wholeheartedly into the battle.
- Come on, girl! Tarkus challenged her, let's show to the face of all the inhabitants of Sylvania who is the strongest of us.
- Sorry, my little Tarkus," Selma apologized.
- But I must make Cynthia the new queen fairy of this kingdom, Keltna swore.
They propelled themselves in the air, they put the stick above their head and made it fall on... the ground?
- You missed, remarked the cyclops warrior.
- That you believe, contradicts the amazon.
The kanabo hitting the ground made the hidden mines react and jump out of the ground, surrounding the two giants.
- Shock" mines? exclaimed Tarkus, impossible!
The mines cracked and a huge explosion went off, causing a huge blast, sweeping everything in its path, it was so powerful that it reached the audience, sending everything light to the ground.
When the blast had passed and the smoke had cleared, the Hero stared at the blast zone to see if the giant Amazon and the great Cyclops had survived.
The dwarf was stuck against the wall of the arena, as was Beneltig, pushed back by the explosion of the mines and the mole was missing.
As the dust and sand fell to the ground, two crouching figures could be seen, there was Selma-Keltna holding the spiked staff of Tarkus which was pointed at the ground, she had her back bent and seemed to be immobile. Tarkus the cyclops looked strange, his body started to glow in the sunlight, he had his arms crossed to defend himself from the ambush orchestrated by his three opponents although it was useless.
Damn it! Beneltig stormed inwardly, seriously, Tarkus had to be beaten! How did I bet on the wrong horse?
The cyclops, sons of the sea and the god of the oceans, have a superhuman strength and an extremely resistant skin. But the Amazon is a mutant who is the product of the fusion of two fetuses, she also obtained a remarkably resistant body, she belonged to the human tribes, but she had a strength and a constitution surpassing any modified human, they were worthy of an orc baron. But even if they were forces of nature, the explosion caused by the "shock" mines could not leave them unscathed.
These youngsters go to great lengths, even if their honor is at stake, thought Caesar, Zetzgriker is a smart man, he would never have used such stratagems if he hadn't known about the makeup of his competitors beforehand. He is a seasoned hunter, studying his targets before building his arsenal so he knew it wouldn't kill them, even if his gadgets were created to hurt the Black Pachyderm Giants. Given his intelligence and experience, he is well on his way to winning this fight.
As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Selma-Keltna's bloody body, her breathing was ragged and her four eyes were bloodshot, steam was coming out of every pore of her body and parts of her skin were charred, yet they were all smiles: their plan had gone smoothly!
- I've always admired your ability to keep smiling in the face of adversity and inevitable defeat," laughed Tarkus, "but I've always wanted to see the despair on your face.
The smile of the Siamese Amazons vanished instantly, she could not believe her eyes: Tarkus had turned into a metal statue but he was still talking, they could see his lips moving. She had thought it was a side effect of the dwarf's explosives, but as soon as he started to move, she understood that it had nothing to do with the mines.
Beneltig had not given her junk, the queen observed, but medusite of the highest quality, even beyond premium. Few of these stones have the ability to turn a man into metal, or even a diamond for the purest. He was indeed a Srevot.
Tarkus began to move again, shaking his metal limbs, all of them making a shrill, grinding noise. He stood up, stretching and cracking his neck.
- Obviously, your pathetic ploy has failed," laughed the metal cyclops, "it's time to remind you that it doesn't matter how smart you are, how clever you are, how dexterous you are, how agile you are, how lucky you are... But the one truth that is undeniable is that when there is nothing left, there is only strength left!
He ran towards Selma-Keltna and hit her with a knee in the neck of the Amazon, cutting off her breath, then followed up with a right hook in the jaw, spreading her to the ground. He took back his weapon and unleashed all his violence on his victim with his fetish stick. Selma-Keltna begged him to spare her but Tarkus' look was completely crazy, they had never seen him so mad. He had no mercy for her.
Tarkus beat the Amazon to death, breaking all her limbs, the poor Siamese girl was screaming in pain under the helpless look of the audience. They fainted, not being able to bear the savagery of the cyclops that fell on them. They ended up losing consciousness, ending up with bloody, swollen and wounded faces, her arms and legs broken, and her ribs shattered.
This outburst of violence made the Hero boil and he stood up to stop all this cruelty. As soon as he stepped on the railing, the Fairy grabbed his leg to stop him.
- Don't do that!" the princess yelled at him, "you can't do that!
He looked at her confused, wondering how she could let such a torture scene go on without reacting. He gritted his teeth in rage.
- If no one intervened, it is because he is in the right," said Al-Ryanis.
- So, brainless child, you can keep your human dog on a leash, said Princess Diasiree.
Releasing the human's leg, the wingless fairy turned to her rival and glared at her.
- Don't take it out on him," the Fairy warned him, "you can take it out on me, but you can't take it out on my friends.
- Are you still mad at me for what I said to Mina?" hissed Diasiree with a laugh, putting her hand in front of her mouth, "It's up to her to behave... Unless you mean the abominable creature you cherish and care so much about?
Being friends with a monster like him, especially one who is particularly... Poor girl...
- You are right Diasirée, said the Fairy with confidence, this Man, no matter how he looks, is my friend!
What is she talking about? thought the Hero. He had not imagined her to be so stupid to say so much nonsense. He had never thought that they were friends, he didn't even know how one became a friend... or if he had ever had friends before... considering his former appearance...
Finally, he understood why he liked the company of this fairy, she reminded him of a girl just as boring as her, who came to visit him when he was ill...