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"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, theys, thems, and all those in between, today is the day, the day of the academy tournament!"
ROAR!
The crowd surged with excitement as thunderous applause rang out through the Coliseum, the grand arena on campus, its stands packed full of students sectioned off into their different houses, each dormitory showing its colors and support.
"Today we will be starting off with the individual tournament, and as is tradition, the first and second years will kick things off! Paired together, the first and second years have a perilous fight ahead of them as they're thrown into a clashing contest against one another to show who is truly the greatest. I'm senior sixth year Jonathan Wilcomes, and I am your host, and along with me is my cohost, fellow sixth year Henry Maximilius."
"Thank you, Jonathan. It's an honor to be here cohosting this wonderful event. Though I do wonder what exactly the 1st and 2nd years can bring to table. They've been rather tamed compared to many classes years past."
"Ha, you could say that, Henry. But there is one thing to look out for."
"Oh? And what is it?"
"We've heard many dashing rumors of some upcomers in the first years looking to take the spots of those in the top ten."
"Who could be so perilous as to face their upperclassmen in a grueling battle for the top ten?"
"Glad you asked, Henry, because we've got a couple of people to look out for. First off, namely Angela Fleming, who's been on the rise as the most up and coming student of the first years, donning a Mythic-level bloodline, the highest rated of her generation. She controls the elements and wields them to great advantage. On top of that she's of royal blood, bearing some of their famous techniques only ever seen in the capital."
"Truly a mythical level being to watch out for, Jonathan."
"You are so right, Henry."
The two laughed joyously with one another as they continued talking about the upcoming individual tournaments, with many of the names being those already well established in the two grades, but a dark horse seemed to be on the rise.
"Jonathan, If I may, there seem to be one person we haven't talked about yet."
"Oh, please do tell, Henry."
"There's a strange being whose arts and skills are quite a mystery, but when tested, has shown great prowess."
"Well, don't keep it a secret. Tell me, Henry, tell me, who is this being? A dark horse, you might say?"
"That he is, Jonathan. His name is Arthur Webb."
"A Webb?" Jonathan's eyes went wide. "And what is so special about this Arthur Webb, besides being a Webb?"
"Well, there have been rumors going around that he has broken into Silver tier."
"What? Preposterous! A Webb and a first year no less, breaking into Silver tier? Impossible! We have third years who are still trying to climb those walls, so how dare you even suggest such a thing?"
"I know, I know. When I heard it myself, I too didn't believe it, but what if it's true?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"
"That's right, folks! Stay tuned and watch the academy tournament live, and you too can see whether Arthur Webb is truly a Silver tier, whether Angela Fleming and her Mythic bloodline will crush the competition, or whether the second years, whose status is set in stone, will overpower the first years! All that and more, coming right up!"
-
"God, those guys are obnoxious," Mars said as he picked at his ear, as if he'd been physically hurt from hearing the voices of the two hosts blasting through the Coliseum.
He was sitting on a bench underground the arena, and around him the figures of Amy, Angela, Arthur and Garrett could be seen, all of them having made their final preparations for the day ahead.
"I mean, can you blame them though? This is a highly anticipated event, and there are even some noblemen from the capital here to watch, though most of them are just here to scout for their factions," Garrett responded.
"Yeah, I get that, but did they have to blast those two across the whole Coliseum? We don't need to hear them before the match even starts." Mars shrugged his shoulders with a sigh, not happy to hear those two idiots broadcast over the air.
"Just ignore them, they're only there to rile up the fans, and what matters is that we don't lose focus. Just look around." Arthur responded, and the rest of the squad turned to look, realizing exactly what he meant, as the staging area around them was packed with other first years donning their training gear and making their final preparations for the big day.
Mars scanned the crowd, and his brow slowly furrowed. "Hey, why is their gear so much better than ours?"
"Really? You can't tell?" Amy said, giving him a flat look.
"What do you mean? It's not like there's a pattern to…" Mars trailed off as his eyes moved from group to group, taking in the students with the reinforced plating, the enchanted fabrics, and the equipment that gleamed under the Coliseum lights, all of them clustered under the same banners. "Oh. I'm stupid."
"Yeah."
"Seraphim, Thrones and Virtues all got the good stuff."
"Yep."
"I'm dumb, you're right." Mars realized the simple detail he had overlooked, that the prestigious houses armed their own while everyone else made do with academy issue. But then he turned, and his mouth ran ahead of his brain once again. "Wait, then why didn't Angela get anything good?"
Angela stood there in gear no better than theirs, plain academy leathers without a single enchantment to her name.
Bonk!
"You know why, you idiot. Just leave her alone before she in more trouble!" Amy's fist came down on top of his head before he could dig the hole any deeper.
"Sorry, sorry! God, I don't think straight when I'm nervous, so thanks a lot, asshole." Mars rubbed his head, scowling as he turned his face away.
Arthur watched the antics of his squad and hid a small smile, letting his gaze drift over the rest of the students gathered beneath the Coliseum.
'I wonder which ones are bought out. Damien must have bled a fortune from the family treasury for this. He seemed desperate, from what Vespa said, and the way he treated her the other night… things aren't going his way, and the stress is starting to crack him.'
The timer above the staging area ticked down as his squad bantered on, the individual one v ones drawing ever closer.
"Will the first rounders please make their way to the arena field. Numbers one through thirty two, make your way to the arena field."
A voice of monotone inflection echoed throughout the area, making all the students peer upwards, many of them standing and making their way out, and Mars was one of them.
"Just sit here and watch, ladies, because by the time I'm back, the whole competition is gonna know the name Mars, the flamboyant warrior!"
"Are you sure you don't mean the armorless warrior? Where's your goddamn armor at?" Garrett yelled after him.
"Don't need it! A true flamboyant warrior fights on without such puny tools. What, do you think I'm like one of those lowlives who suck up to the high house kids for gear? I'll prove my might with my skin alone!"
Making his way out to the field, the roar of the crowd echoed out as the students walked in, Mars waving his hands in the air and pumping up the crowd like a gladiator of old, while the rest of the squad watched him leave before turning to the holographic image floating upon the wall, which showed the field from above and gave the students a way to follow the fights without having to head out and watch.
"You think Mars is gonna have any trouble?" Amy asked.
"Mars? Really? Trouble?" Garrett scoffed.
"Yeah, even I have to agree with that, it was a dumb statement," Angela added to the conversation for once, she who usually stayed quiet, showing just how much she had opened up to the squad.
"Oh, but, you know, what if he faces one of those really tough opponents?" Amy stammered, realizing how ridiculous her statement had been, since Mars was ranked in the top twenty of the school for first years and his prowess was not something to sneeze at.
"He should be fine," Arthur added, "but if he lets his ego get in his way, then he might have some trouble."
"That's true. He has been getting real hot headed ever since he learned that 'ultimate move' of his." Garrett threw up his hands in air quotes, as the squad had never actually seen this ultimate move Mars spoke of.
But maybe today was the day they would get to see it.
-
Standing tall in the arena, out of the sixteen courts that lined the field, Mars stood in the center one, front and center, but the man across from him was someone he was surprised to see, a frown dawning on his face.
"So tell me, Silas, did Damien buy your family too?"
"I don't know. Did he?" the skinny, edgy teenager replied.
Tch.
Mars scoffed at his words and pushed himself into a ready warrior's stance. "Whatever, it doesn't matter as long as I beat you, and it doesn't matter what you have up your sleeve either. So come on then, face me with what you got."