by Andrew Rowe
***
As soon as I was done with the healing, I gave Fai my thanks and headed to ask Lia a question.
Grandmother Iron intercepted me along the way. “Come with me for a moment, if you would.”
I wasn’t in a hurry, so I didn’t question her. I followed her to her office, where she’d first spoken to us in private. She gestured for me to close the door behind me.
“I spoke to Reika a bit during our training session today. She has some unusual skills, and some more unusual opinions.”
I smiled. “We’re both unusual people.”
“I’m beginning to see that. Would you like to tell me more about that?”
“I told you I’d talk to Reika about how much we’d discuss with you. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t rush us. Where is she?” I narrowed my eyes. “Did you deliberately separate us so you could question us individually?”
Grandmother Iron waved a hand. “Oh, she’s fine, just resting from her own training. You’re right that I did separate you so Walter and I could evaluate some things, but I don’t mean either of you harm. I was just seeking to confirm something.”
I folded my arms. “I don’t like being interrogated.”
“I understand. But I spoke honestly to you about my background, and at great risk. I would appreciate some honesty in return.”
“What did Reika tell you?” I asked.
“Little, I’m afraid. She was quite evasive, but enough that it was obvious she was hiding something significant.”
I sighed. “I’m going to go talk to her. We’ll decide together what we’re willing to talk about. Don’t try to isolate us like that again.”
Grandmother Iron’s expression dipped toward a glower for a moment, then she quickly shifted it back to a smile. “Of course, dear.”
I left the room. Reika was merely resting, as Grandmother Iron had claimed.
I shut the door to her room behind me.
“We should talk.”
“Oh, Keras, hi!” She hugged me. “What’s wrong? You look super serious.”
“Grandmother knows something isn’t right with us. How much do we want to tell her?”
Reika shrugged. “Don’t care, really. It was obvious she was prying, but I think she means well. I don’t know people as well as you do, though. What do you think?”
I sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not good at this sort of thing. Secrets and lies have never been my style, but we’re also in a position that could be dangerous if we give too much away.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Reika looked a little uncomfortable. “I...just don’t think she’s someone we need to hide from.”
I considered that, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s start small, though, and see how she reacts to a little bit before saying too much.”
Reika nodded. We headed back to talk to Grandmother’s office together, where she was waiting for us.
“Have you made a decision, then?” Grandmother asked.
I nodded. Reika looked at me, her body language making it clear that she was going to let me do the talking, at least at first.
“We don’t have attunements.”
Grandmother narrowed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. “I expected as much. And I assume you’re not from Valia, either?”
I nodded. “That’s correct.”
“Hm.” Grandmother nodded to herself. “Good. I appreciate your candor. Tell me, Keras Selyrian. Is your name a reference to the city of Selyr?”
I blinked in surprise. “It is.”
Grandmother let out a sigh. “I was afraid of that. Your presence here means much has changed.” She shook her head. “I hoped that...never mind. You should know that I hold no ill will against you for hiding your home until now, and that you should continue to hide it. Most people here will believe that you are servants of the Tyrant in Gold. I have some context that others lack.”
I tilted my head to the side. “How do you know about Selyr?”
“I spoke to you of when I fled after my own tournament bout, yes? Fleeing to another country was not far enough.” She gave a toothy grin. “For a time, I fled across the sea.”
“You’ve been to Mythralis, then?” I asked, surprised. “I was under the impression that few people from Kaldwyn have been there.”
“Few, yes, but not none. It’s considered a cursed voyage, but I traveled with a group of servants of Wydd who were seeking information to bring to their visage. It was costly to accompany them, and costlier to return.”
“Costly in what way?” I frowned.
“When I left here, I left my old life behind.” She shook her head. “When I left Mythralis, I left behind...regrets. In truth, I might have stayed there forever, if I could have. But I was followed, and there were things...people I could not risk losing to assassins. And so, I returned here, and adopted yet another identity.”
“I’m sorry, Grandma.” Reika sounded pained. “That sounds awful.”
“It was. I will speak of it no further, for now. But I must ask — what brings a Mythralian here? I will not assume you are one of his servants, but I will ask you to tell me directly if you are.”
I shook my head. “No. The opposite. I’m seeking help against the tyrant from your goddess.”
Grandmother stared at me for a moment, and then broke into a deep laugh. “Help...from our goddess. Oh, dear child. You...you’re serious, aren’t you?”
I gave her a stern look. “Very much. Do you know something I don’t?”
“I’m certain I know many things you don’t, grandchild. But on this subject, I can say only this — your quest is not one that will have a happy ending.”
“I’d appreciate something a little less vague and mysterious than that. If you know something relevant...”
She waved a hand dismissively. “In time, perhaps. I believe we understand each other a bit better now, and I need to think. I will continue to support you both. If you succeed in striking a blow against the emperor, as I hope you can, I will tell you everything I know about the war between the tyrant and the goddess.”
“You’re withholding information to motivate us?”
She blinked. “Why, yes, dear. You don’t run from assassins and change your identity twice without learning a little something about people. We are on the same side, but I most certainly shouldn’t offer you everything up front.”
I didn’t like the level of calculation she was doing, but I couldn’t claim that my own approach was much different. It was frustrating — I’d hoped to get away from this sort of politicking when I’d left home. I was starting to get nostalgic for walking through death traps in the Unclaimed Lands. “Are you going to tell your other students what you know about us?” I asked.
“No, not unless they need to know — and they most likely will not. I will tell Walter, however. He will not be able to assist with training properly if he is not properly aware of your capabilities.”
I gave Grandmother a hesitant nod. I didn’t like the situation, but I also agreed that Walter needed more information if he was going to meaningfully assist with teaching us anything. “Understood.”
“Good. Now, run along. I’m going to need to work on an updated training plan for each of you, now that I know that you don’t have attunements to work with.”
Reika and I left the room.
“Well, that was strangely foreboding,” Reika said cheerfully. “Want to go take a nap?”
***
I declined the nap. Reika went back to her room to take one without me.
I wasn’t in the mood for rest. The whole exchange with Grandmother had given me more questions than answers, and I worried I’d made the wrong call.
To cheer myself up, I went to find Lia like I’d planned. I had an idea that might be useful, if just a few things fell into place the way I wanted.
Before I got to the new idea, though, I needed to follow up on something. “Hey, Lia. Did you ever get an address for Anabelle Farren?”
She nodded to m
e. “Yes, but you should be aware that she’s not likely to respond. She’s researching something on the island, and she’s the sort of person that doesn’t appreciate distractions from her work. From what I’ve heard, she didn’t even watch the last round of the competition.”
“Makes sense.” I handed Lia a letter that I’d written to introduce myself to Farren. I knew I could potentially meet with Anabelle Farren at the banquet following the fifth round, but I didn’t want to rely on that. I certainly intended to make it that far in the tournament, but I needed to plan for the possibility of failure, as well as the possibility that she didn’t show up for the banquet.
“I’ll see to it that the letter is delivered and let you know if there’s a reply. Was there anything else?”
I smiled. “Thanks. And yes, I had another question. Are tournament contestants allowed to trade points?”
Lia gave me a concerned look. “Yes, but with some restrictions. Both participants must agree to the trade, and the trade must be processed by an approved arena representative. Both participants must have their identification sigil, which is used to process the trade. There’s also a twenty percent transaction fee. In the event that a participant happens to obtain another person’s identification sigil, they may not transfer that other participant’s points.”
That last part definitely sounded like something that had come up before, and probably recently. Accidents aside, I assumed there had probably been some thievery of identification sigils at some point.
I also groaned at the idea of a transaction fee. That was probably a big deterrent to point transfers.
“The arena sponsors some matches aside from just the main tournament rounds, correct? In those smaller arenas?”
Lia nodded. “Yes. Were you thinking of signing up to participate in some smaller matches?”
“Yep. And I’d receive some sort of payment if I win?”
“For arena-sponsored matches, you would earn five percent of the ticket prices that are purchased for your match if you win, or two percent if you lose the match.”
Those sounded like awfully small numbers. “What do average earnings for a win look like?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t have those figures available. But given that you’re the wielder of Dawnbringer, I could probably push for some marketing and get a pretty good showing in the stands. Ticket prices for smaller matches are usually only a few silver, depending on the seat. Let’s assume ten thousand attendees, tickets averaging three silver imperials apiece...that’s thirty thousand silver imperials per match for the arena’s earnings, or fifteen hundred to you if you win.”
That sounded like a lot of money. “How often could I do that?”
Lia considered the question. “You’re not going to get more than one or two sponsored matches total. It would diminish the impact if the wielder of Dawnbringer was fighting several times a day. In addition, I’d need at least a week or so to prepare for your first match. I need to get the proper papers signed, get the right people interested, that that sort of thing.”
“And if I didn’t go as the wielder of Dawnbringer?”
She shrugged at that. “Ordinary participants won’t draw in anywhere near as large of a crowd, most likely. Maybe a thousand people, if that. You’re not the only big name thinking about doing between-tournament matches, and you’d be competing with the other major contestants for time slots.”
Even earning a hundred and fifty silver imperials for a win was pretty good, but it would take a lot of matches to save up to buy any serious items that way.
Fortunately, while I did intend to make some money off this idea, that was secondary to my main goal. “Does the arena support wagers for matches?”
“There’s a large market for gambling on fights, but the arena doesn’t generally handle anything like that directly. I have some contacts, but...” She frowned. “You weren’t thinking of throwing any matches, were you?”
I shook my head. “No, no. Nothing like that.” I knew what she meant — it was a pretty common tactic to have your friends bet against you and lose deliberately in tournaments. But that required having a bit of a reputation first, and honestly, losing simply was not my style. “I was thinking about betting points against my opponents, provided the arena would do the transfer.”
Lia stared at me. “I’d...have to check the rules. I’ve never heard of something like that. I don’t think it’s strictly disallowed, but...hm. Why not just bet money? It would be easier.”
“First off, I don’t have a lot of money to serve as a starting wager. Second, I want points more than money, because things like match advantages and that big mystery prize can’t be purchased with coin. Now that I know it’s possible to transfer points, I could probably find someone willing to sell them, but doesn’t sound as fun.”
“The arena technically disallows direct purchases of points from other contestants using money, although you’re right that people do it anyway. They just make arrangements to trade the points and hand off the money on separate occasions. It’s considered dishonorable, though.”
I nodded at that. “Right. I also think most powerful opponents are going to be more interested in points than coin, which means I might be able to secure a stronger opponent this way.”
Lia frowned. “And you...want that? It’s a greater risk.”
“Exactly.” I smiled. “I live for that risk. Do you think my idea will work?”
She frowned, considering. “I’ll...have to ask. I’ll get back to you.”
It only took a couple hours for her to get the answer, and it was just what I wanted to hear.
“Yes, they’ll allow betting points. Some people are already doing it, in fact, but usually it’s private bets. You were thinking about betting publicly?”
I nodded. “I think we could generate some hype that way. A lot of contestants are going to be willing to risk some points now for advantages in future matches. We could issue a public challenge — I bet we’d get both a lot of people who want to fight for points and a lot of people watching the matches.”
Lia gave me a concerned look. “It’s quite a risk, though. If you put out a public challenge as the wielder of Dawnbringer, you’ll get a lot of attention, but that also means more people studying your abilities and fighting style.”
That was a potential downside, but I wasn’t too worried about it. “I’m okay with that risk. Let’s see about setting up that big sponsored match. Then after that is set up, I can do more point wagering, but under a different identity. Earn some more money and points, but I can go in without Dawnbringer and use a different fighting style. Would the arena allow me to fight under a different name?”
“Absolutely. Smaller matches can be completely anonymous.” Lia pondered for a moment, then added. “The best time to do it would be after the mid-point in the tournament, which is the third round. There’s a two-week break after that round. The first week of that break is generally called ‘Dueling Week’, because it’s famous for one on one duels like what you proposed. People are generally more engaged in side matches when the main tournament isn’t running, so it’s a good window of time for drawing in a large audience.”
I nodded in understanding. “If the first week of the break between rounds is ‘Dueling Week’, what’s the second week of the break?”
“We generally call that ‘Battle Royale Week’. It’s exactly what it sounds like — a battle royale is at the end of the second week.”
I whistled in appreciation. I hadn’t fought in a battle royale in ages, and it sounded fun. “Okay, sounds good. We can hold off on my big match until Dueling Week.”
I didn’t like waiting, but I understood the strategy involved. I also liked the sound of entering some other competitions during Dueling Week and Battle Royale Week, but I’d have to get more information on them first, and that wasn’t currently a priority.
“Excellent. I’ll get the paperwork taken care of. How much do you want to spend?”
I smi
rked.
“Let’s begin by wagering two hundred points for the sponsored match.”
***
Shortly after that, Lia delivered a document on Lady Hartigan like I’d asked for. I gave it a look.
Lady Antonia Hartigan displayed a talent for combat at a young age, entering childhood dueling competitions before her Judgement. Her uncle, the current Archduke Hartigan, was able to secure permission for Antonia to take her Judgement at a younger-than-standard age, on account of her prodigious talents. She succeeded at her Judgement at the age of thirteen, earning an Elementalist attunement.
She briefly attended Lorian Heights, as expected for a newly-attuned in Valia, but was pulled out after her first year for reasons that were not disclosed to the public. This may simply have been due to acclimation difficulties from her young age. It is known, however, that she was already a Carnelian-level attuned by that time.
Lady Hartigan fulfilled her mandatory years of military service as a climber, and excelled in that role in spite of her young age. Upon completing her years of service, Hartigan — still a teenager — became a professional duelist.
In the years that have followed, she has demonstrated extremely rapid growth in her attunement power, as well as a clear specialization in fire magic. This is reflected in her attunement mark, which shows a rare line indicating her specialty. There are some claims that she may have achieved an ascended attunement, but these have not been verified.
Though she typically demonstrates a Citrine aura, it is commonly believed that she is already an Emerald-level attuned.
In combat, she has demonstrated some abilities that may imply a second attunement. There are reports that she may be able to create a simulacrum, for example, which is typically a high-level Shaper ability. It is more commonly believed that this is not a second attunement, however, but merely a function of the cane that she always seems to carry.
Aside from fire magic, she has a proclivity toward using air magic for flight, and has demonstrated significant airborne speed and maneuverability. This makes her particularly dangerous to melee combatants who lack any form of ranged attack.
