The first part of the match went as expected–normal to the point of being boring. The beastkin and the swordsman paired up while the strange rogue and the spear-wielder moved to one side.

The beastkin's fighting style led with nimble footwork and a mean left jab. Each punch probably wouldn't have hurt much, even for someone like me who wore minimal armor. His opponent took it as a sign of weakness and tried to overwhelm him with his bladework and earth-empowered skills.

For nearly two minutes they exchanged attacks and engaged in a game of cat and mouse. By the second minute, the swordsman had managed to land more blows on the beastkin, but that all changed when he tried to capitalize on his opponent's injuries. Each cut had left a sticky residue and the beastkin's movements started to slow.

The swordsman activated a skill and the residue exploded in volume, moving to cover the injuries and spread over his limbs. In the second of activation the residue had entangled the beastkin's fur and he stumbled, leading into a well-timed thrust.

In response, the beastkin's body erupted with his own skill, and the glowing orange lines separated from his skin, creating a barrier. Before the swordsman could react, his blade touched the barrier and shattered.

It was hard to tell but in the second after, I swore I saw the beastkin vibrate and shoot forward. Except as I blinked he was standing still. The swordsman crumpled to the ground a moment later, earning the crowd's excitement.

I whistled. That fight had been deceptively simple but still worth watching.

Unlike the other pair…

While the swordsman and beastkin fought, they hadn't moved an inch. Neither had lowered their weapons, but neither did they move to attack.

As the beastkin turned to face them, the spear wielder raised his hand.

"I admit defeat," he shouted.

The crowd froze. To everyone's surprise, the man's bracelet changed colors and he proceeded down the nearest tunnel.

The beastkin looked as confused as everyone else but he raised his fists and steadily approached the rogue. In response, the rogue casually moved, spinning his blades while looking bored.

In a leap, the beastkin struck first, his punches different from before and covered in ruddy-orange light. The rogue deflected the first few, redirecting the attacks to hit harmlessly to his side. Slowly, the beastkin's stripes began to glow once more and he jumped back.

When the stripes extended beyond him, it moved to surround the rogue who remained casual in his stance. The beastkin raised his fist.

He stumbled forward and dropped face first into the sand. His bracelet shifted colors and the rogue turned around. He jumped once, mist trailing his legs, his steps more floaty. After reaching the top of the pillar in three jumps, he stood and waited.

The match ended a minute later as the pillar accumulated enough points in his color. As boring as he started, he left without showing a word and slipped into one of the side tunnels.

"That was interesting," Khrem offered.

"You mean boring," Igas grunted.

Eodyne turned to Teddy. "Are we certain he is a fire user?"

Teddy frowned. "That movement skill was different from the one he used in a previous match. It was more standard, using rapid expulsion of flames to boost his movements. Most likely a variation of Flame Charge. Nothing like the floaty movements he displayed."

Celenae was already perusing through a set of notes. "It could have been an air-aspected skill. One that helps decrease weight. Wouldn't be strange for someone who specializes in fire to share a decent affinity with wind."

"Did you sense anything? Your mana sense is better than mine," Sereza said.

I shook my head. I had tried during the match to figure out what mana the man used but to no avail. Even though I saw mist, and could infer from the dampness below him, it was as if a shroud blocked my probing.

"Either I'm too far away, which doesn't make sense considering that hasn't stopped me before. Or he's hiding his mana signature. It's weird, it's not exactly glaring like some people have. I've felt enough enchantments used outside the arena to know when somebody is containing their mana, it's almost subtle?" I sighed. "So pairing this strangeness, the weird skills that don't align with what we know. Combine that with the spear guy giving up without a fight and toss in the firm reminder of the king's interference with Myol. What are the odds this is something shady and has something to do with me?"

The others glanced at each other and even Khrem offered me a polite smile.

"The chances are high," Celenae admitted.

"Which means a hundred percent, because it's him," Isaac butted in.

"Could be a strange coincidence," I attempted before sighing "You're right. Doesn't matter in the end. I'll handle it when it comes to it. No way I'm backing down now."

"Foolish, but I can applaud your stubbornness. Not like we can talk, took a few years of Uncle Brel for us to learn our lesson," Igas chuckled.

That broke the tension that had been building. The others relaxed and Isaac elbowed Igas in the leg.

"We still haven't learned our lesson. We keep him around after all."

"Behave," Celenae admonished.

Although… She failed at hiding the smirk behind her notes. Teddy chuckled while shaking his head.

"There are always the stories we can share of a certain rogue and his refusal to accept that he should use daggers instead of hammers," he offered.

Isaac snapped around looking betrayed. "Don't you dare."

"Oh?" I said, lifting an eyebrow. "I haven't heard this one before."

What followed was a round of playful ribbing from Broken Tower. It was easy to forget how different their lives were in comparison. How even though they were only a few years older then me, it might as well have been a decade. While a team of earth mages and enchanters broke down the king's pillar and restructured the arena, we ate and drank while sharing stories–even Khrem and Sereza had a few of their own to share.

***

"It's starting," Khrem said, motioning toward the arena.

It had been an hour, the earth mages worked fast. Instead of sand, the center of the pit held a massive island of stone. Made of uniformed tiles and polished marble, the island looked decorative. Then came the enchanters who spent most of the hour working through a complex web of runes.

The crazy woman from before made an appearance, finalizing the enchantment and stablizing it at points where I sensed mana struggling to flow correctly. Eodyne tensed and didn't relax till she left, but said nothing.

Beyond the pit itself, giant stone pillars were erected between the steps in the crowd. The enchantments looked simple–at least simpler than the defensive weave running through the island.

The announcer hovered down, floating a couple of meters above the glowing black marble.

"It is time for the next round of the competition. Our daring competitors have fought tooth and nail, fang and claw. Skills pitted against skill and their training put to the test," he started. The announcer rose higher and spread his arms, gesturing to the mini monoliths. "Before we proceed to the grand showdown between champion and champion. Before we boil it down to two fighters aiming to take the first place prize! We must carve through the last of the fat before we reveal the delicious meat underneath! In order to give you fine people what you deserve, the arena has decided to invoke two rules. The Crowd's Favorite, and the Crowd's Regret!"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The audience cheered and their stomps echoed through the arena.

"You were right," I admitted.

"It was the most logical outcome," Celenae preened. She turned and nodded at Isaac. "It's also as he said before. Isaac's father most likely expected to influence the vote and hand it to someone influential. To help the house by acquiring another debt owed."

"Fat chance of that happening with you, Sereza or Zog," Isaac sneered.

The announcer raised a hand and pointed to the sky. Mana activated around a ring on his right hand and a banner of light appeared above the island. It widened and lengthened until it spanned almost the entirety of the pit before stopping.

"Before you are the five contestants who remain standing! The cream of the crop. The winners of their fights and skilled ascenders that surpassed their peers. After they are revealed the voting pillars are at the ready. Simply will your vote with a bit of mana toward the pillar and it'll be added to the tally," the announcer explained.

He extended a finger and the banner waved, streams of mana invisibly stretching toward the banner. One by one, silhouettes appeared. When the first came into view, the shadows faded revealing an artistic headshot of Sereza surrounded by a haze of green smoke amongst a dark orange backdrop.

To my right, she groaned.

"Lady of Poison, the one with nerves of steel and cold efficiency. Her tail stings as well as her blades, her daggers will pierce your defences with a barrage of deadly mana. Don't blink or you'll find yourself helpless under her mercy. Sereza!"

I whistled and clapped with the audience. "Lady of Poison. I like it."

"Call me that and I'll poison your food."

"Oh so it's fun when you do it, but if I-"

The announcer revealed another headshot. "The underdog of the competition, the one who showed that determination is encoded into his very soul. A knight that stands for the good, against all odds. Vincent Valentius!"

"It's impressive he's still in the tournament. He isn't as skilled as some of the other contestants we've seen," Eodyne mused.

"The announcer spoke true. Determination has carried him far. It would be a disservice to ignore that," Teddy said.

I rolled my eyes. "I still think we should invite him over for dinner. Would be interesting to see if he remembers us."

The third silhouette faded, revealing Zog grinning savagely with a backdrop of illuminated red adding to the effect.

"Flamefist. The savage monk. His body is a weapon and his burning desire for combat has seen no equal. Amongst a field of broken dreams and broken noses, his fist rises to the challenge. Fear the power of his burning heart: Zogrul!"

The others kept silent, but the start of a headache reappeared, thrumming in my head. I kept my mana neutral and acted casual even as the ache in my side tickled up my ribs and rested against my sternum.

I repressed the pain and breathed in and out. "At least if he wins, it'll help piss off your pops, Isaac."

Isaac grinned. "Oh it would."

The fourth portrait came and I half expected my face but then it revealed a perfectly average looking man. He had light brown hair cropped short above the ears, brown eyes and a face that wasn't handsome or ugly. Even his background was a muted red.

So that's what he looks like. He's more boring than I imagined but that just makes it suspicious.

"From humble means to rising glory. Not one for excessive displays and instead opts for calm planning and adaptable movements. He's an adventurer who get's the job done. Hawk!"

"Recognize him?" Teddy asked, turning to Celenae.

"No. From what I know, he's an adventurer but nothing special. Born in Helio, to a family of farmers. Tried his hand at adventuring but that is all," she rattled off from her notes.

His lack of history only added to the warning bells in my head. Everything about him seemed too perfectly bland to be real.

The announcer turned and his face adopted a light scowl. Only briefly, you would have sworn that it was a trick of the light, but I recognized the annoyance in his eyes before they faded.

"Our final contestant. A figure that rose from the shadows and rose through the ranks of infamy. Chaos incarnate. A rise of turbulent calamity the likes of which we've never seen inside the arena. The monstrous tyrant himself… Mordred!"

The pain in my sternum rose and shot toward my heart. My breath hitched and I gripped the seat.

"Cyrus?" Sereza asked. "Are you alright?"

As quick as it came, the pain abated but it never left. It receded toward the surface, moving above my ribs like a nail scratching skin.

"Huh? What brought this on?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "I thought I heard you gasp."

"I was trying to contain my laugh. I sound more force of nature than man from how he described me. I mean come on, lady of poison at least keeps you a person."

She looked unconvinced, but she tapped my tail with hers. "Only yourself to blame. You kept doing crazy things while terrorizing the poor innocent nobles."

Teddy patted my shoulder and smiled. "It's hard to keep a righteous image when you tested Isaac's fortitude using shadow spirits."

"Yeah, yea-"

A pulse of mana slipped from Teddy's hand and settled over me. It was contained to just my person, the film of light nearly invisible unless you looked. The pain in my chest receded further and the staccato in the back of my head lowered its volume.

I slowly pandered up to Teddy's face and saw the tight smile. His eyes glanced down at my chest.

Ahhhh...

He removed his hand and looked up, retracting his skill. "The voting is starting. If you're lucky one of you might get to skip the next round."

I adjusted my hood and settled into the couch, discreetly stealing glances at the rest of Broken Tower. Neither of them had seemed to notice Teddy's aura and they were even debating on who would piss off Isaac's dad the most if they were to receive the Crowd's Favorite.

Five minutes passed and the pillars flared bright green.

"The votes are in and it's time to see who is the cherished and who is not. Remember, the Crowd's Favorite will skip the next round, securing a tentative third place." The announcer's voice boomed. He rose higher into the sky and extended his hand toward the banner. The headshots faded and a single blank silhouette square appeared. "And the one who will receive the honors is none other than…"

The banner flashed and the shadows of the silhouette dispersed revealing the winner.

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