12 | Contestants Gather

“Ha! Tired already, Rivana? It’s not that difficult, just get past me and break the target. I’m going easy on you not using any ethereal energy,” Laharis laughed at her with a haughty grin.

Rivana glared at him, sweat beading on her forehead as she filled her lungs with as much air as possible. Tightly gripping her wooden axe with both hands, she charged forward. The etherea rushed through her veins, and she heaved the axe down straight at Laharis’s head.

“You expect to do damage to me with that sloppy form and no condensing?” He casually lifted his arm and caught the falling axe by the blade.

As soon as it landed in his grasp, Rivana let go of the handle and shot to the right. Gathering energy in her palm, she blasted an orange light beam at the thin pillar of ice standing against the back wall. When the beam collided with it, the pillar exploded into silvery dust.

Laharis stood there, blinking in surprise, “Ah, I let myself get a bit too laid back it seems… Well, you took advantage of it, that’s good.” He handed the axe back to her.

“Finally, I got past you! Can we take a break now, Laharis? Please, we’ve been going all morning,” Rivana begged.

“Nope! That was only the first time you succeeded. Now, we’ve got to go again, and I’ll up the challenge. I bought these toys, so I might as well use them too,” Laharis picked up the wooden sword from off the bed. He walked back to the center of the inn room and faced Rivana with his blade at the ready.

They had pushed all the furniture to one side of Rivana’s room and cleared a space for training. Nito sat cross-legged in the corner with his eyes closed. His hands rested on his knees, and two blue light orbs floated above each. Between the orbs, a third bubble swirled to life, tiny at first, then it grew slowly. As it approached the size of the others, all three suddenly burst and dematerialized. But Nito didn’t flinch, he simply kept his eyes closed and began the process of conjuring the first orb again.

“Nito, it’s already been four days since we started, and Rivana’s gotten way ahead of you. All you need to do is maintain three orbs at once, and you can move on. You better step it up, they’re holding the contest signup in a week from today. I was hoping to start training your ethereal arts after that, so don’t let me down,” Laharis called to him before conjuring another ice target behind him. “Alright, let’s see if you can still break it when I’m trying a bit harder.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get strong enough so we can save your wife no matter what,” she responded with confidence. She wiped the sweat from her brow and absorbed more etherea for the next round.

◈◈◈

“You’ve both made great progress over the past week and a half. Nito’s finally started to catch up these past few days, you better watch your back, Rivana,” Laharis said to them as they strolled down the city streets bustling with people preparing for the fast approaching festival.

With each turn, they made their way towards the center of Mistvall under the sinking sun. As they went deeper in, the buildings on each new street grew in size and extravagance. Gilded lanterns hung outside painted doorways, illuminating the carved darkwood panels and neatly trimmed hedging that wrapped around each house. The orchid’s bud took up a large portion of the sky, it’s shadow falling on most of their surroundings.

“Where exactly are we going?” Nito asked, marveling at all the new sights.

“Tonight, the Mistvall Council is hosting preregistration for all those that wish to join the Orchid Contest. The notice posted on the Guild’s board said it was happening at the Gaerlin Coliseum, which is at the base of the Orchid. So, that’s where we’re headed,” Laharis replied.

“I guess we’ll find out if you’re lying about your age, Laharis,” Rivana quipped.

“Hey, listen here-”

As they passed through the centermost ring of buildings, the scene that came into view caught everyone’s attention. A vast grassy plaza spread out before them encircling a massive hole from which the Divine Drop Orchid sprouted. Just at the pit’s edge, a circular structure too big to see around rose from the ground too. On the far side, a comparably smaller house stood. Though, it still seemed to dwarf all the other city buildings in both size and design.

“Wow! Come the festival time, I bet this whole area will be packed with people celebrating.” Rivana said with sparkling eyes.

“Just this place alone probably takes up a fourth of the city, if not more!” Nito exclaimed in disbelief.

“You two really haven’t gotten out much, huh? Well, that’s the coliseum we’re looking for, so let’s go,” Laharis pulled them out of their daze and walked straight towards the gigantic arena.

As they came closer, Nito could make out dozens of other people filing into the entrance. Before long, they too passed between the stone pillars winding with vines and entered into a giant, ornate hall filled with others eagerly waiting to sign up for the contest. There had to be several hundred in the room, but Nito didn’t feel cramped in the slightest due to the sheer space of the hall.

“All these people are really here for the contest… It’s definitely not going to be easy to win,” Rivana said in a low voice.

“Don’t fret, you have me after all. Not only am I helping you guys sharpen your skills, but I’m also pretty strong myself,” Laharis said with a sly smile. “In fact, most people here are closer to your level than mine, I can feel it.”

Once the sun dipped below the city walls, a middle-aged man in an elaborate, forest-green robe stepped up onto the podium at the end of the lantern-lit hall. The crowd began to quiet as people noticed his appearance.

“Ahem… Excuse me, everyone!” His voice was steady yet booming. It reached every corner of the room, thanks to the strengthening of his voice with his circulating etherea.

When all eyes looked at him, he continued, “Thank you to all who came here tonight and showed interest in our Orchid Contest! I am Miric, a member of the Mistvall Council in charge of organizing this event.”

As soon as he identified himself, whispers erupted from the crowd, “A council member! To think he actually came for the registration!”

Miric silenced the contestants once more with a wave of his hand, “On behalf of the Council, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the visitors, and we hope everyone enjoys the upcoming blooming festival to the fullest. Now, as you all know, we are here to ensure every contestant meets the entry requirements and to document all teams that intend to enter. First, our medical expert Dalir will conduct an examination for each person to determine their age and gate stage,” he motioned to the woman standing on his left.

“Once you and your team have completed the exam, you may head to the counter against the right wall to be placed on the list of contestants. You will not be able to get on the list unless you have one of these contestant tokens, which will be given upon passing the exam,” Miric held up a small silver disk. “I can assure you, Lady Dalir has studied human structure extensively and has been selected as one of Mistvall’s top experts of medicine. As such, there is no need for anyone to doubt her ability to accurately identify your age. If you know you are not between the age of seventeen and thirty-nine, we ask that you exit now to avoid unnecessary complications,” he said sternly with a smile.

“Everyone, please form a line five paces in front of this podium and approach Lady Dalir when it is your turn. Please remain somewhat quiet so the exam results may be heard. And be aware that, while having your age and gate stage announced is mandatory, you may choose whether your name is omitted from the announcement or not. Now, let’s get started!” He exclaimed excitedly.

The crowd slowly began to organize as per the instructions, and Rivana, Nito, and Laharis all slipped in line. As he found his place, Nito couldn’t help glancing around and thinking to himself. She has to be here, right? Maybe I should find her like Rivana suggested… No, why should I care about her now?

Before he could deliberate further, Laharis’s voice broke his thoughts, “Hmmm… This is certainly an interesting setup. We can’t hide our strength, but we can hide our identity if we want.”

“What should we do? Omitting our names seems like a good idea, right?” Rivana asked.

“Well, it’s not a bad move, but it might not be the best for everyone. Most people will probably choose to have their name announced unless they don’t feel confident in their skills. In this situation, those who omit their name could become a target, especially since their gate stage will also be revealed. But those who are stronger have much more freedom of choice. It’s either make yourself known as a fearsome foe not to be messed with or omit your name to take people by surprise. Not such an easy choice,” Laharis explained with his hand on his chin.

“Then, which is it for us? I guess Rivana and I should announce our names, but you?” Nito wondered.

“Actually, I was thinking I’ll announce my name, and you two don’t announce yours,” He said with a cunning look. “Don’t forget, people are not required to line up with their team. If you don't announce yourselves, people will think you’re unconfident, weak targets who couldn’t possibly be on a team with me. And I’ll be someone who has been announced as a strong contestant with nothing to hide. If I conceal myself at the contest, people won’t know we are on the same team, and we can take people who think they’re in for an easy catch off guard. Of course, all this only matters if the contests are team versus team style.”

“Alright, since everyone is lined up we will begin the testing!” Miric’s voice boomed once more before Laharis could explain any further.

Nito peaked out to the side but couldn’t quite see what was happening. After a breath of time, a woman’s voice called out the results of the first exam, “Contestant Dodon, age twenty-nine, Bourn gate. Next!”

After another breath, “Age forty-one, you are ineligible. Please leave or we will have you removed. Next!”

“No, please! Surly you misidentified me!” The man yelled.

“Sir, please come with me. You were already asked to leave, and are now wasting the council’s efforts,” a gruff voice said.

“Please, let me compete! I’m close enough. Just one more chance! I was so close last time, I just need to sell the nectar to feed my family, please! No, let go!” The man continued to yell as he was dragged out of the coliseum.

“That was fast. Someone really thought they could get away with being too old!” A contestant a few spots down the line from Nito laughed.

“Contestant Rena, age twenty-three, Bourn gate. Next!” Lady Dalir called out another contestant.

As the contestants continued to be announced, Nito turned to Laharis and asked in a hushed tone, “What exactly are the gate stages, and why are they important? I mean, I get they indicate some difference in the ability to control etherea but beyond that?”

“To be specific, one’s gate stage refers to the size of their ethereal gate. You see, as you train, it is possible to widen your gate beyond the size it is when you first open it. The gate is an organ after all,” he responded.

“Sure, but how do you do that?” Nito continued to question.

“Well, your gate can be naturally expanded over time due to constant absorption, but if you deliberately focus on it and will it to expand, you can accelerate the process. Of course, it helps if you have proper guidance, and it can also be expanded using various medicinal techniques, however, those are often risky. The stages refer to noticeable points your gate can expand to. As the user, you can feel these points distinctly when they are reached, like a click. When your gate fully develops at age sixteen it becomes a Sealed gate yet to be opened. The next most prevalent stage is the Bourn gate, what you have now, and what most everyone here probably has. Vitras gate is the stage after that, which usually takes substantial effort to reach.” Laharis said.

“Contestant Beril, age thirty-two, Bourn gate. Next!” Dalir continued to call names.

“See, another Bourn gate like every other contestant so far. If someone with a Vitras gate does appear, that will be a contestant to look out for,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, father told me each stage allows you to absorb and store more etherea than the previous one. But for the average person, ascending to a Vitras gate is more effort than it’s worth,” Rivana joined the conversation.

“That’s true since most people don’t need ethereal energy to fight for their lives regularly. That’s also why they put an age limit on this contest. Older people are more likely to have higher gate stages, though it’s not always true. As I mentioned, resources are key. And forty isn’t really that old since cycling etherea reduces aging,” Laharis said to Nito.

“I see… Does that mean-”

“Contestant Rasil, age twenty-eight, Vitras gate! Next!”

Before Nito could ask his thought, another name was called that pulled everyone's attention. As the gate stage was announced, voices rose up, and people scrambled to have a look at who it was.

“Speaking of which, there’s the first contestant who could give us some trouble,” Laharis mumbled.

They moved forward in line as three more names that didn’t merit any of the ruckus from the moment before were called. Then, the second heavy hitter of the contest was announced.

“Name omitted, age thirty-nine, Vitras gate. Next!” With the examiner’s words, whispers once again exploded along the line.

“This one is even scarier than the last, no name and older by more than ten cycles…” Laharis’s brow scrunched.

“Name omitted, age thirty-three, Vitras gate. Next!” The following name rang out.

“What!? Two back to back!” Someone shouted.

“These guys, omitting their names…”

“Name omitted, age twenty-three, Bourn gate. Next!”

“This is certainly concerning. The first three contestants to omit names and two have Vitras gates,” Laharis brought his hand to his chin.

Now that they were much closer to the front of the line, Nito peaked around to see who the new centers of attention could be. Three figures walked away towards the registration counter, and all were wrapped in hooded cloaks to hide their features. The one at the lead wore a cloak of dark crimson that Nito immediately recognized. It’s them! I had a feeling…

“Alright team, there are six more people before us, so we’re up soon. Don’t forget the plan, okay?” Laharis reminded them.

“Got it!” They responded in unison.

____

World Note:

Gaerlin means flower in Grael

Explorer Log:

Brigo

Danger Level - [Elfin] ★

Appearance - A large blue-scaled lizard; they are typically 1 nanoleague in length; their head is spade-shaped with two eyes and a wide mouth filled with small, sharp teeth; they have six legs and a thick tail with three claws on each foot; they have a long pink tongue

Behavior - Carnivore; they use their claws to catch small fish and their tongue shoots out to catch insects; they often live in the mud under rocks and bushes to keep cool; their reflective blue scales can easily catch the light and blind predators, giving them time to escape; they are a common food source due to their meaty body that becomes very tender when cooked

Habitat - Faron Fens