Chapter 45 — The Divinesday Newcomers Tournament! (Part 4)

Ria directed the first counter strike at Verdin, and the other three boys dove in opposite directions as the barely controllable arcing tether turned dirt to explosions of steam and glass as it zagged toward the horrified Ravelle boy.

When the tether of lightning made contact, Ria sent the true attack—a blinding white that robbed the surroundings of sound and baked her and her companions with a searing heat as it greedily filled the space between, bucking and jerking in random directions. The ground vibrated concussively as Ria pushed more and more lightning energy through the bounding construct to reduce the excessive burden on her spell.

Keira’s magic flared golden and Zena’s embers swirled to protect Team Z. E. D. from the effects of unleashing such an attack from close range. As it was, stray lightning still broke through and skittered like hundred-legged insects across Keira’s shield made of light.

When the spell dissipated enough she was able to blink away the black ghosts from her eyes, Ria found herself with sufficient energy remaining in the spell and adequate leeway to direct multiple further strikes. Stomping the ground she extended out her senses to find the remaining three opponents and guided tethers after each.

The remaining Stormbringer boys struggled in vain; none had held back enough of a reserve to fend off the bolts of doom that followed once the tethers made contact.

“See, no problem,” Zena affirmed with a thumbs-up.

Ria could only roll her eyes. Did the girl have any idea how close they came to her spell failing and exploding all of them into nothingness?

Back out in the arena all too quickly this time, Ria was standing lined up with her teammates facing a similar line of elves dressed in layered robes more stylish than anything she’d seen Orlisi wear. The fabric was flowing and light-weight, fluttering like gauze ribbon in the light breeze stirring the stadium.

One of the boys on the opposing team had small pieces of elaborately detailed armor made of wood over his robe in places. The other two, were a study in opposites—pale skin with dark hair spilling heavy onto a dark robe and sun-bronzed skin with golden hair partially tied back and lazily drifting behind a crystal-blue robe. Amid the three boys was the first girl she’d seen other than her own team, an otherworldly platinum-haired beauty in a white robe that gave the impression that she was walking through and trailing wispy clouds. They all had worrisomely enchanted jewelry and weapons and impressive auras on par with her own.

“This is it! The moment you have all been waiting for: the final match of the Divinesday Newcomers’ Tournament Team Challenge! It’s here that you’ll first see future Grand Games elites!”

The cheer was boisterous enough to feel physically struck as it made the ground shake. Ria thought she was getting a little used to being in the arena, but that was impossible. Even with everything she’d already been through, the wall of sounds coming from every direction and so many people so closely watching everything she did still made her heart clench and knees tremble.

“The elves from Farenthil Hall are natural favorites to win the Divinesday tournaments, and when they enter a team, not only do they often take the top prize, but they showcase their overwhelming strength with style! This Divinesday’s team is no exception! Give a cheer for Team Nature’s Fury!"

“Netaliri Naturesworn! A young wood manipulator from a House with a long history of producing renowned Treekeepers and Treeshapers!”

“Halis of the Duskstrider clan! From a clan that has brought us some of Crysellia’s greatest scouts, he’s a shadow mage showing the kind of talent sure to make him scouted by the Wardens of the Grand Reserve!”

“Yeliir, son of Teth’syl! As a direct descendent of the elite water mage, Master Elementalist Teth’syl, no first- or second-year should be his match in water magic!”

“As graceful as air itself, Aelyri of the Windseeker clan! Elves of the Windseeker clan often find their own path. Will such a beautiful young air mage deprive us of her charms by seeking adventure in a foreign land?!”

Each elf gracefully waved as they were introduced. For some reason, the cheers and whistles for Aelyri dwarfed those of her teammates.

“Aaaand now for the all-first-year team that would challenge them! At first it would seem the height of naivety and hubris to enter such a team, but the doubters have been proven wrong as these four girls have defeated strong team after strong team to arrive at the finals! The daughter of Jeria Emberflow has sure surprised us by gathering a team of rare and unsuspected talents! Not since Archmage Luventi was a student has an all-first-year team won the challenge! Is another age of heroes coming?!”

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Ria discreetly formed a Gusting Wind spell in front of her team. Now the announcer was introducing them, that was Ria’s cue to perform the task Zena had secretly assigned her when they were swapping her registered gear for the match.

She waved to the crowd when it was her turn to be introduced and cringed a bit at the strange cheers she received compared to her friends.

In order to earn more coin, two more things were required: they had to make their clothes billow like storybook heroes, and…

Zena made the sign for them to strike the agreed upon poses. Of course, the poses were partly a ploy to keep Iselyn’s hands from her hood—an impossible task while she was being introduced, but afterward... heh, heh.

“Will they make history? Let’s hear a cheer for Zena’s Embers of Desolation!”

Ria cast the spell. The wind ruffled their clothing dramatically and, as planned, blew back Iselyn’s hood and hair, revealing her face. A collective gasp echoed from the spectator as Iselyn’s beautiful face framed by wind-blown hair showed on the large display floating above the arena. The gasps soon turned to hoots and cheers.

“What’s this?! The mysterious mind mage who hides her face is also an elven beauty!! Ah! It should have been obvious with such a powerful nature spirit as a familiar! This changes everything! With elves on both sides, the outcome of this match is anyone’s guess! Don’t forget to get your bets in; there’s still time!”

Zena gave Ria a huge grin and thumbs-up, and Iselyn shot a glare their way. Oops. Hahaha. Iselyn had been a jerk the last few days, so Ria didn’t feel bad about it at all, and the girl would forgive her once the sack of earnings from the tournament found its way to her money-loving hands.

Successful pranks aside, Ria let her attention drift back to their opponents. She managed to get an amused half-smile from Aelyri and the blond elf, Yeliir, but was still beginning to feel worried about the match. Unlike Verdin’s team, the elf team was just too composed and didn’t show any signs of taking her team lightly.

“Now for something I know you’ll all love! The final match of each Divinesday Newcomer Tournament has a special tradition that I’m sure most of you are already aware of! Are you excited yet?! As a treat to our spectators and to further show our devotion to the gods, for the finals matches we activate the Grand Games’ terrain generation feature!”

The arena shook from the cheer that went up. As a soon-to-be Grand Games competitor, this was a moment she was just as excited to see as the spectators.

“What terrains have the gods requested?! Diviner, the results please!”

Ria watched with wide eyes as an illusionary landscape appeared above the arena. Zena had explained what would happen, but experiencing it play out before made her feel like a little kid filled with wonder. Could they really transform the entire arena?

“Forest and Warrens! Is this the gods playing favorites?! Or does it play to both teams’ strengths?!”

Gentle winds lifted them up in the air as the battleground of the arena filled with magic, reshaping into grassy, tree-covered hills and shadowed dells before Ria’s boggling eyes.

Zena’s explanation for how the magic was able to modify the arena so quickly was that the terrain designs were astral copies of real places stored in spiritual jade which were projected onto the arena’s battleground and made real through creation magic. The approach allowed for the combatants to interact with the terrain normally while still allowing it to be dispelled before it settled into the world as real.

“Ugh. Forests and Warrens is one of the most difficult terrains when fighting a tough, well-balanced, and nature-focused team,” Zena complained then shrugged. “At least it’s not Windswept Hills or Seaside Dunes where we’d get cut down at a distance. Pillars of Fire and Stone or a multi-zone terrain might have been better, but the nature ones do pair well with Iselyn’s magic and trees means having things we can burn or hide behind, so...”

While Zena was grousing, the announcer was explaining the advantages and disadvantages of the selected terrain. The dens and twisting tunnels under the hills seemed like they would be ideal for her and Ranger with their earth affinities and ability to ambush enemies. Of course, having her mobility restricted or being trapped or cornered in a tunnel might be just as bad for her, too.

Once the terrain was finished forming, the winds lowered them to a meadowed clearing between two hills. The noise from the spectators was loud, but now had a strange quality as if from a multitude of gods looking down from above, somewhat deadened by the leaves and grass but echoing unnervingly off the trees.

Zena continued talking, “We’re going to need to modify the plan-”

“Final match of the Newcomer’s Team Challenge… Beeeegin!”

Ria was watching the illusions above the battleground as the announcer announced the match start, and the illusions became as if obscured by a gray mist once the match started. She hadn’t noticed it before, but it made sense that being able to see what their opponents were up to would be like cheating.

“Iselyn, get the telepathic tethers up quickly. Ria, we’re going to need your sensing,” Zena quickly ordered while forming a large spell of her own. “Keira if you have an invisibility spell…”

Ria was already forming the sensing spell before Zena asked and stomped the ground to send out the ripples, sharing her senses through the tether as soon as she felt it attach to her mind.

{{I have a camouflage spell but it doesn’t hide my aura like Ria’s does,}} Keira quickly volunteered.

Zena nodded. {{Do it. The terrain is still awash in the magic that created it; that should make sensing you harder. Iselyn hold off on forming your domain, we don’t want to leave too easy a trail.}}

As soon as the thought completed, Zena finished her spell, and clouds of ember whirled around the clearing forming armor around each of them, Ranger and Malleron excepted. {{Sorry, Ranger will have to make do. Four is my maximum.}}

{{Thanks.}} Ria wasn’t going to complain. Maintaining four sets of armor was probably an incredible feat for a first-year student, besides Ranger’s fur and skin were much tougher since his transformation and Malleron had his petrified wood armor. {{Should I cast my camouflage spell, too?}}

Zena considered for a moment as Keira faded from view and asked, {{How much of your energy will it use?}}

{{Not a lot, but between that and the sensing, I might not be able to do anything else without stopping one.}}

{{Alright, go ahead,}} Zena decided. {{I think I’ve got a plan. I thought leaving this area would be best, but having a clearing to fight in might not be a bad idea. Everyone else has ways to hide, maybe except for Ranger, so I’ll be bait. It’s not ideal since I’m the team abjurer, but we’ll have to make it work. Any objections?}}

{{Better you than me,}} Iselyn agreed. The girl had already found a tree to hide behind and Malleron was nowhere to be seen.

{{I’m okay with a sword, but I’ll probably be better from range,}} Keira offered.

{{I was thinking the same, Keira. They’re probably going to expect it, but you could take one of the hills and support me from there.}} Zena motioned with her hand at each.

{{They’ll have to split up or check both unless their scout gets lucky. I’ll take the left one, it’s slightly lower so they might suspect it less.}}

{{Be careful.}} As the sound of Keira jogging through the forest faded into the noise from the spectators, Zena took out her staff—a fire blackened staff with angry glowing red veins along its length culminating in a claw shape with a flame burning at the top. {{Ria?}}

While waiting for a chance to give her opinion, Ria had finished her camouflage spell and found a tree to hide behind like Iselyn was doing. {{What about the warrens?}}

{{It’s not a bad idea, but judging by the sentiment of the spectators, I don’t think our elf friends plan to give us much more time to prepare,}} Zena said and cocked her head a bit as if listening for something. {{Iselyn, use your magic as you see fit. I could use some help not getting hit if you can manage it.}}

{{Sure,}} the maybe part-elf girl readily agreed.

Was Iselyn really an elf or part-elf like the announcer said? Now that Ria thought about it, in addition to her rare moon-affinity, the girl did have strange almost silver colored eyes and did look surprisingly beautiful in much the same way as Faris and his sisters. Was that why the smoke idiot called her a bastard?

Thud.

Together with the deep sound, Ria felt a slight tremor in the ground. {{Are they knocking down trees?}}

Thud. Swish, crack. Thud.

{{I hope one of them isn’t a summoner,}} Zena worried.

Thud. The ominous rhythmic thudding was growing closer.

{{We might be seriously outmatched this time...}} Keira groaned as the source of the deep thudding moved into sensing range.

Thud.

{{Get ready,}} Zena warned, her flaming staff held at the ready.

Thud.

Ranger whimpered, and from behind her tree, Ria saw a giant clawed arm made out of twisted vines and branches push a tree out of the way to reveal the wood manipulator, Netaliri, wrapped in a golem at least three times taller than an adult man!

The golem’s hand was large enough to scoop Zena up and squish her to paste! Could her abjurer friend really stand against such a powerful opponent?!