“But you’re not allowed to use the sky surfer or any other object that is not your contract, in the tournament. A few minor melee weapons like knives and stuff are the only things they allow.”
“I know that,” replied Sora. “But I have a strange feeling that the fights we’ll be having won’t always be in the tournament. This is just a precaution.”
Sean said sternly, “Sora, the participants are not allowed to fight outside the ring. They shouldn’t cause trouble to the locals either. And the place will be crawling with nobles as well. You’ll be in a lot of trouble if they get involved.”
Jack nodded. “I never thought that you’d be the one to tell Sora not to fight with others. I’ve changed my mind about you, Sean.”
Sean said in a startled tone, “Not to fight? That’s not what I meant. I’m just warning him not to get caught while doing it, that’s all.”
“I take back what I said. You really are one hell of a dirt bag.”
“Go wash your socks for all I care, Stinky Tyler.”
The argument went on, much to Katie, Zack and Sora’s entertainment. After a while, Roy said, “Guys, time for an interval. Look down.”
They did. And gasped.
A few thousand feet below them, shimmering against the sunlight as the waves bounced up and down, was –
Katie squealed, “The Ocean! It’s so beautiful! Look at it, Zack!”
Sora let out a low whistle. “I’ve never been to the ocean before. This is amazing.”
Jake said, “This is the fourth quadrant of the Central ocean. It is one of the most peaceful areas in the ocean. Did you know that the central ocean has the highest concentration of beast class contracts? There are a few stone class contracts near the sea bed and some say that a few weapon class contracts lie there as well.”
“Yeah. We have a seaside resort situated on a huge coral reef not too far from here.”
Everyone, including Roy, stared at Zack.
“What?” Zack asked.
“Nothing,” Sean replied. “It’s just that not everybody has a resort on a coral reef, that’s all.”
The faithful N-2 cruised through the skies and was soon over the land, which was known as the Central continent.
They crossed the busy harbours and within a few minutes were deep into the continent. There were a few expanses of plush green fields but most of the land was covered with villages and towns.
Sora noticed that they were surrounded by a flock of exotic birds, endemic only to the central continent skies.
Jake explained, “Those are harlequin conures. They are pretty well known in the region for their vibrant feathers. But they are only E grade contracts, so they are only kept as pets.”
“But the mess they make is unbelievable,” Sean said, grinning. “So they’re let to fly freely nowadays.”
There was a small pattering sound as something struck the outside of the N-2. Sean looked at the stain on the window and chuckled, “Looks like they’ve begun.”
Roy shouted, “Damn these imbecile birds! I just cleaned her today! Sean, drive them away already!”
Sean obeyed, sending out a small discharge of electricity outside the N-2 through its walls. The birds scattered in fright.
They began their descent. Sora asked, “Are we there already?”
Roy said, “Just reaching their air space. Damn, I hate to land in the capital with my baby looking like this.”
Aboyr was within view. And it was a brilliant sight indeed. It was a true mix of medieval and modern architecture. A fort-like wall bearing statues of great kings and queens surrounded the huge city. There were tall skyscrapers as well, which strangely did not feel out of place amongst the historic landmarks. But the castle took their breath away.
Zack’s mansion could be compared to the royal palace’s stable, both in size and splendour. The palace seemed to be carved out of a single huge mountain. It was the biggest thing in the city, with its gold-tipped towers and vast domes.
There were creepers running up the castle walls that were visible even from the sky. It seemed to add a sense of awe to the whole scene. The majestic structure was intimidating and the huge golden statue of the dragon at the center of the big dome was an unforgettable sight.
Sora noticed that they were not the only hovercrafts in the air. Hundreds of them were approaching the city from all directions. Even the roads entering the city were packed.
“Are all of them here for the Holy Dragon tournament?” He asked.
Jake replied, “Most of them are. But since New Year is approaching, people tend to make a visit around this time to the Holy Dragon temple here in the capital. It’s considered the most sacred one in the world.”
The N-2 gracefully descended onto one of the docking sites at the corner of the city. Quite a number of other hovercrafts were there already.
Roy brought it down to the designated spot and rested it on the ground. He pressed a button and the doors slid open.
He said, “Get out there, guys. It’s your time to shine.”
Sora picked up his bag and led the way. He stepped out into the city and stared around.
The first thing that Sora registered was that they weren’t the only ones to be messed up by the harlequin conures. Hovercrafts all around were being hosed to clear away the droppings.
The next thing was that the participants, who were still in the area, were releasing their ki without trying to hide it.
“They’re doing the same thing as last year. This thing never changes,” Zack said in an irked tone.
Katie said, “These guys hang around showing off their ki, hoping to intimidate some of the participants.”
Sora licked his lip. “Maybe I should respond to it.”
Everybody shook their head and rejected his suggestion. None of them had forgotten Sora’s burst of ki a few months back.
“Welcome to Aboyr, the capital city of Gara.”
A young man holding a digital tablet welcomed them. He was wearing blue overalls with white sleeves and a blue toupee. His shirt bore the royal government’s symbol. He spoke in a pompous manner.
“You lot must be the contractors from Lucifer’s Fall. I will be your guide for the day. Could you sign in here by showing your badge for identification?
He showed the tablet, whose screen asked for a badge to be placed against it.
Sean took out his silver plated badge and pressed it on the screen. There was a beep and all his information was produced on the screen.
Katie, Jake and Sora did the same. The last was Zack, who revealed his gold plated badge. The usher stared at the screen and suddenly bowed in front of Zack.
“Forgive my impudence. I did not realize that I was standing in front of the heir of the mighty Titania family.”
Sean, Jake and Sora nudged Zack, who seemed a little embarrassed, with a grin. “It’s alright. Nothing to it.”
“No!” The usher cried. “I cannot be forgiven for allowing a noble to be treated like some commoner. Your transportation has already been readied.”
He pointed to a red palanquin with Zack’s name hanging over it. Sora and the rest almost burst out laughing. Zack went red.
Sora said, “That doesn’t seem big enough to hold all of us, though.”
The escort glared at him and said in a completely different tone, “How dare you think you could travel alongside a noble! You could never do that even in your dreams!”
“Dude, how do you think we came here?”
Zack said, “It’s not a problem. I won’t need it.”
“Maybe you would be satisfied with some other mode of transport.”
“No,” Zack said. “Thank you, but I’ll walk.”
“Walk! I could never allow a noble to walk!”
“Don’t sweat it. I prefer walking. It’s good exercise.” Zack turned to the others and whispered, “Now let’s get the hell out of here.”
Roy said that he’d stay by the N-2. “I can’t let these nuts touch my ba
by. It would be a disgrace.”
The Lucifer’s Fall representatives began walking down the road leading into the city. Sean glanced at his watch and said, “It’s now 2:15 in the afternoon. The contractors are required to report at the tournament arena at 4:30. You guys can do whatever you want till then. We’ve each been sent a map of the city on the G watch. Use the GPS if any of you get lost.”
Katie said, “I’ve always wanted to see the Aboyr market. Let’s go, Zack.”
They watched as Katie dragged Zack through the crowd. Jake stared. “To think those guys couldn’t even look each other in the eye and talk normally a few months ago. Love sure is strange, right Sora?”
There was no answer. “Where did he go?” Jake asked, looking around.
Sean replied, “He was hungry. Where do you think he went?”
Sora waltzed through the streets, letting his nose guide him once again. He was like a tourist, enjoying the beautiful city as he wandered around, not knowing where he was heading.
He was on a pedestrian only road. The road was made out of stone slabs and the houses beside him were built with bricks. His GPS showed that he had entered an area of the Aboyr market.
The market covered most of the eastern regions of the city. It was like a bigger and much more expanded version of Genesis Alley. Roadside stalls and shops selling weird and unique things to tourists, clothes shops, jewellery and accessories were all around. But Sora’s nose brought him to the place he needed, a restaurant.
The sign read, ‘Gourmet Ecstasy’. And by the smell of it, it seemed legit. Sora pushed the door open and walked in. It was like a diner… a world-class family diner. It was packed with hardly any of the tables free. Sora got a whiff of the food being served on a nearby table and his stomach demanded him to eat at all costs. But there was someone standing in front of him.
There was a hooded girl around his height staring wistfully at the food. Sora asked her, “Aren’t you going in?”
The girl jumped and turned, making her hood fall off. And Sora’s heart skipped a beat.
She had silky brown hair with pale skin. Her dark eyes and her long eyelashes and pretty face made her the most beautiful girl he had ever set eyes on.
The girl spoke, her cool voice ringing over and over inside his ears. “I don’t have any money.”
Sora found himself dumbstruck and took a deep breath, wondering what to say. “I can get you whatever you want.”
Sora didn’t know why that was the only thing that he could think of saying at that moment.
The girl raised her eyes. “And why would you do that?”
Sora wondered why as well. But he said the first thing that came to him yet again. “Food tastes better when you share it with somebody.”
Sora could not believe the nonsense he was sprouting. But to his amazement, the girl smiled and said, “Okay, if you insist.”
Sora found a table for two and they sat down. He had never really been alone with a girl he didn’t know before and was a little nervous. He felt that he should start a conversation.
“My name is Sora, by the way.”
The girl replied, “My name is… Rose.”
Sora knew that she was lying. But he guessed that she didn’t trust him. Sora asked, “Are you a local? I mean… are you from Aboyr?”
Rose nodded and said, “I guess you aren’t. Did you come to see the Holy Dragon tournament?”
“Not exactly,” Sora said. “I’m here to participate.”
Rose stared. “Really? This is the first time I’ve met a participating contractor. What guild are you from?”
“Lucifer’s Fall. Judging from your expression, you must know about our performance last year.”
Rose blushed in embarrassment, “I didn’t mean… well… sorry.”
“No, it’s alright. But don’t let last year’s results influence your opinion about us. You should watch us fight.”
Rose raised her eyes with a smile. “You sound pretty confident. Do you think you could get past the preliminary round?”
“I guarantee that every participant from my guild will do so.”
Their order arrived on the table. Sora noticed that Rose had very good table manners, despite her poor attire.
Their conversation went on. Rose seemed to enjoy talking to Sora as much as Sora liked talking to her. Sora told her about some of his jobs and missions, which she was very eager to hear.
“So you’re a B rank now?”
“Yes,” Sora replied. “I’ve been a B rank for around five months now.”
“But aren’t you scared?”
“Scared?”
“Well,” she said uncertainly. “Don’t B rank contractors have to put their life on the line every time? I mean… you could die. Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“Of course, I am,” Sora replied. “If anybody says that he or she is not afraid of death, they are either people who have no regrets or are lying. My heart is always at the edge when a bullet just misses my skull. But to achieve my goals, I have to get used to these things. I can’t cry and run away from it. But eventually I realized that I couldn’t live without that adrenaline rush. And I found myself wanting more and more.”
“Oh my god… you contractors really are crazy,” Rose said with a giggle.
“We pretty much live on crazy stuff… yeah.”
Rose was amazed at the amount of food Sora was eating. The plates piled on and on. Finally, much to the delight of the waiter, Sora asked for the bill. The waiter handed him a small laptop. The numbers almost reached five digits. But Sora whipped a credit card out of his pocket and showed it against the scanner on it. There was a beep and his money was paid.
Rose got to her feet and said, “Well… Sora. Thank you for the lunch. And I really enjoyed talking to you. You are a really good friend to have.”
Sora grinned. “You too. Thank you for your company. I had a lot of fun talking to you. Come and see my fights if you have the time.”
Rose smiled again and said as she left, “Sure. I’ll watch all your fights. Don’t lose then.”
Sora watched her leave and turn around a corner. A stupid grin seemed to be fixed on his face. He glanced at his watch and realized that it was close to 4. He decided to head to the arena and meet up with the rest.
Sora followed his G watch’s GPS as it guided him through the bustling streets. Cars and bikes rushed past him on the roads as Sora stared at the skyscrapers. He found it hard to believe that he was in the same city.
The sun shone with all its might, yet it never felt hot. The heat was just warm and pleasant and a cool breeze blew through the city. Trees and flowers were planted near the sidewalk all over the capital. Walking in these streets was a real pleasure.
The streets became wider as Sora went on. He didn’t need to be told why. He could see the palace towers already. The stonewalled fortress around it was intimidating when Sora stood right beneath it. He looked up to see it stretch up to the sky.
“Oi… what are you doing here?”
A burly guard wearing a uniform similar to that of the usher Sora had met earlier was running towards him.
Sora raised his hands and said, “Nothing… I was just looking around.”
The guard looked suspiciously at Sora. He said, “I’ll have to take you in for questioning first. Come with me.”
Sora stared. He glanced at his watch and saw that he had 15 minutes left. “I can’t. I’m a participant in the Holy Dragon tournament. I’m going to be late if you detain me for no reason.”
Sora flashed his guild badge at the guard.
The guard examined the badge and threw it back at Sora with a grunt. “Fine… the arena is behind the palace. Head there and tell them that you are a participant. Don’t let me catch you near the palace walls ever again, brat.”
Sora said, “Yeah… sure thing.” He whispered, “Jerk,” as he started walking away.
Sora arrived at the tournament arena with around five minutes remaining. He ha
d seen it on television, but never had he imagined then that he would actually be standing inside it one day and participating as well.
The arena was a perfect circle when seen from the outside. It was a colossal building with many pillars around it, like a coliseum. There were big towering lights all around it as well.
Sora approached one of the entrances.
There were some people wearing gray uniforms bearing the royal government crest.
Sora showed them his badge and they took him into the coliseum. There were stairs leading to the stands of the coliseum on the sides of the long tunnel they were walking through. They passed through a metal door and Sora could see light at the end of the tunnel.
He stood at the exit, gaping. Hundreds of young contractors stood in front of him inside the arena. The concentration of the ki emitted by them was amazing. There were strong fighters here, Sora knew.
The contractors were standing along with their own guild members. The assistants, who had brought Sora in, showed him the place where the Lucifer’s Fall members stood. Everyone else was already there.
Jake said, “You’re almost late again. Is this a special ability of yours?”
Sora replied, “I was looking around, that’s all. But anyway, this is amazing.” He looked around at the stands. This coliseum was at least five times the size of the guild’s arena. The hundreds of participants fit inside the place with ease. He could imagine what a crowd there would be if the stands were filled.
Sora glanced around. Then his eyes fell on someone he recognized. They seemed to have noticed him as well and smirked. Sora grinned back. “I thought you guys would be here, Vikram Arikath and Vishal Raju.”
The two of them walked towards Sora. Vikram said, “Well, if it isn’t the Lucifer’s Fall boy, who we ripped apart. Hope it didn’t hurt too much.”
Sora shrugged and said, “Not really. At least I didn’t lose to a one hit K.O. like you did.”
Vikram and Vishal flushed. Sean chuckled a little. That was when Vikram noticed him.
“Sean Murray… we finally meet face to face.”
Sean said, “Yeah, last time I saw you, you were more than a kilometre away. Hope you weren’t offended by my rudeness.”
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 29
