Ceremony.

Day 5 of The 129th Rasheul Great **** Tournament
9:47AM

"Time to wake up, lady Carlyle."
With that declaration, bright light shone through my eyelids.
"Uaaagmmpphh auuhhmpphhhhm...." I latched my teeth onto the pillow. My legs wrapped around the blanket, twisting it awkwardly around my body as I flipped away from the voice.

"Your presence is required, lady Carlyle. May I remind you the drawing ceremony is mandatory."
Geez.
I don't know who that voice came from, but he better think twice before getting on my bad side. For the time being, I merely made do with shuffling away in protest.

Not that I was actually tired. Well, not that tired at least. Yesterday turned out to be a long night. I had to present the Tournament board my latest breakthrough on curing the Snake Lady. But of course, it would be far too convenient if I released her immediately after her slaves escaped. So when I arrived back at the dorms, I waited about an hour before banging on the office dork's door, dressed in a bathrobe while spewing barely coherent scientific jargon at the dazed, sleep-deprived man.
Thus my alibi was established.

It worked perfectly. The official story was that the slaves ran away after regaining lucidity ( likely prompted by a particularly tasty chocolate cake ), climbed through the window and kidnapped the guard standing outside.
That night I slept like a baby. Sure, I could hear the Snake Lady's blood-curdling scream from eight floors away, plus the entire ground, but in my ears that was the sweetest lullaby.

Still, last night I had to say farewell to my friends. I had to confront a difficult acquaintance.
And they expect me to rise for the occasion first thing in the morning, and pose for their fans?
They can all go **** on hairy balls!

"Honestly, my lady.... Your fans will be expecting you. Thousands of them! We all rely on you getting ready within the next ten minutes!"
His whining entered through one ear and left through the other. I groaned in protest, clutching my pillow tighter while wiggling my butt in his direction.

"Max, you're doing this all wrong!" That was Bat Girl's voice. She sounded exasperated, "Let me show you how it's done!"
I could feel someone sit down on my bed next to me. Probably Bat Girl. Bat Girl was much nicer than Mr First Impression over there. But I wasn't gonna budge. Even for her.
"Oh, Allie," She spoke softly into my ear, "You're gonna miss the launch."
"Rrrmpphhh?" I opened my eyes, spitting out the pillow to stare up at her.
"Oh? You didn't know? The room they moved us into last night? That's actually a magical underground blimp. It's gonna rise up from a secret tunnel any second now, and head towards the sky!"

I blinked, "You kidding me? That's so badass! Wait, when does it start? Oh, shit! I'm gonna miss it!"

I kicked myself out of bed, running around frantically looking for anything that might clue me in on how to get myself ready in the morning. Clothes. Cereal packages. Toothbrushes. Anything helped.
"Oh, gosh! Oh, damnit! Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I jumped around with one leg in the pants legs while I pushed a fistful of Kyan-Kyan Puffs into my mouth.
The crunchy figments exploded in a sugary cloud.

The man who'd been trying to scam me out of bed, as it turns out, was my butler. Apparently he came with the room. The smartly dressed man with slicked back black hair carried himself with the graceful calm of an aged and worldly man, even though he was as old as me. That, along with his impeccably pale skin and the stern expression carved into his face, gave the impression of not an actual guy but a puppet made of porcelain. Made to look nice, untainted by any inconveniences like independent thoughts and personal opinions.
Once my pants were subdued into being worn by me, and I fed myself my bowl of milk and cereal respectively, I bounced across the room from closet to closet, busting them open to search through them. In the order I spotted them, mind you. Far from the order of which was closest.

"Where is it...? Where is it!? Come on! There's only that one in this whole world!" I upended the entire room in my efforts, spilling the content of each closet down on the floor.
"Hey, what're you looking for?" Bat Girl asked.
"My phone! It was in my old room last I saw it!"
It's not like anyone else in that world had any phones, much less the technology to triangulate phones. But just in case, I left it behind when I went on my little freedom raid. Was just gonna be for a moment, but after we switched rooms I could no longer find it!

The butler guy cleared his throat, "Is this what my Lady is looking for?"
I peered over my shoulder. My smartphone! It rested in his creepy doll-like hand!
I rushed over and snatched it from him, "Mine!"
I slipped it back into my pocket, beaming brightly as if I had managed to recover a lost limb.

Bat Girl patted the butler on his shoulder, "Nice job there, Max."
"Thank you, lady Bright. I got the distinct impression that was important, so I recovered it from lady Carlyle's previous room."
"Yeah. Good call there."
I myself was busy fitting into my sky-blue top, "Hey, Allie! There's no need to get your panties in a knot. We still have plenty of time"

"I don'th care! If I mithth a thingle thecond of thith I might juth go righht ahead and die!" I pulled my top over my head, a simple task made ingeniously impressive by the fact my toothbrush was stuck in my mouth.
I rushed towards the wall, which I now realized was just the shutters which the room's windows were concealed by. I twirled the cord between my fingers. The shutters unfolded, and I was greeted by my own reflection before a dark concrete wall. I slumped down on a nearby armchair, staring in anticipation.
But nothing happened.

Nothing continued to happen, no matter how long I stared at the wall.
I kept twirling the cord impatiently. The shutters closed and opened and closed, only to open again, "Come on... Get things going already..."
"In due time, my Lady. The launch is not yet for another five minutes." The butler guy explained.
"But I don't wanna wait!"
"I told you, Allie!" Bat Girl pulled another cord, raising the shutters completely. "There was no rush. The air's not going anywhere."
I folded my arms and pouted.

"I shall prepare some coffee while we wait." The butler declared.
"Yeah, go do that. And who are you anyway?"
He cleared his throat, "If I am not mistaken, we were already formally introduced last night."
I stare back at him blankly.
"I am Maximillian, at your service. As your butler my job is to accommodate you before your matches."
I cocked my eyebrow and looked him up and down, "I have a butler? That's not really my style to be honest. Then again, I do have slaves on my case, so sure. Throw it in the pot why don'tcha?"
"But of course. We are specifically trained to be competent yet discrete. While in our care, I am your personal hands and feet of the Tournament."

Ah, so they're trying to keep an eye on us. I'm surprised it took that long to make the move, what with how livid the office dork got every time he saw me. Well, the butler was free to indulge them anything they wished. If he could keep up with stochastic analysis and analytic number theory that is.

"Hey! Make the coffee as sweet as you!" I yelled playfully back at him.
He nodded, returning soon after with my cup. The coffee was black.

The ground shook. Beyond the walls, a buzzing sound entered our dwelling. It was happening! Finally!
I jumped off the chair and pressed my face against the glass.
"So I guess you don't have airships where you are from?" Bat Girl asked.
"...We don't have this airship where I'm from."

I slurped my coffee, my eyes glued to the window, "...Turn the lights off."
The entire room was immersed in a darkness that matched the other side of the window.

The entire room trembled. Ripples travelled across the surface of my coffee. Through the window I saw dots of light zooming down. Faster and faster. The dots eventually turned to stripes as the humming turned louder and more shrill.
A blinding light broke the darkness. Once my eyes became accustomed to the light, I could see the entire city stretch out before me. I was pretty much glued to the window pane. My eyes peered downwards, and there it was. The Arena, as seen from a bird's eye perspective.

I scrambled from window to window. For each one I flipped the blinds open to get a new glimpse at the living map before me. Around the perimeter of the Arena floated six octagonal structures with protruding orbs pulsating with a red light.

So that's the kind of room they put me in, huh?

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Ben's voice boomed.
Max opened a closet door, where the inside of a teleporter pod awaited.
"Your presence is expected, lady Carlyle."
"Aww, thank you Max!' I snuck into the cosy little pod, and briskly found myself standing on top of a platform overlooking the Arena. Around me I spotted seven white marble pillars, on which a square platform rested. There, the other finalists appeared from nowhere one by one to stand on their tops like trophies.

"The moment of destiny is upon us!"
Like always, Ben's voice came from every direction at once, as if it was the loud echo of some inaudible utterance. I peered to my left and to my right. All except one pillar were occupied at that point. But none of them were Ben.
I looked down, and sure enough there he stood, in the middle of the circle of pillars. A good forty feet down!

Thought the teleporter would've taken me to the ground? Well, yeah. Basically. Next to the staggering height the airship house soared, it might as well be. But try telling that to my dizzy panic-stricken brain, when in every direction a long and painful plummet awaited a step away.
Memories of bumping around the Arena like a soccer ball flooded my mind. The sensation of being confined to such a tiny spot so far from safe, firm ground made my head spin.

"It's been four long days-- Four long, agonizing days of brutality and bloodshed-- But here you have them at long last! The strongest of the strong! The mightiest of the mighty! They fear less than the fearless! These seven are champions in their own right! After rising to the occasion they found themselves looking over the sea of the 120 bodies that lay before them, now murdered or enslaved under their precarious prowess! All just to stand here before you today! Truly, if carnage was an art then each of these would be a Picasso! And yet the Golden Crown awaits but a single Champion! So, without further ado, let's ring in our Finalists as we cement their fate for this final stage of the 129th Rasheul **** Tournament!"

What kind of wager did this Ben-guy lose to stand there and say these things?
Needless to say, the audience went apeshit.

"Who will fight who? The answer to that question shall be left up to the snails!"
The what?

I looked down and sure enough there was a field there crawling something that looked like tiny armored bugs.
"One by one the finalists will be called down to pick a single snail out of the bunch! The shell contains the number that represents the turn order of their next fight! This will keep up until everyone has been matched up!"
Well, what did you expect? A normal, run-of-the-mill drawing process? Fat chance! In case you haven't noticed, nothing in this Tournament ever happens unless it's radically over-the-top, or extremely silly.
In this case both at once.

None of the other contestants so much as batted an eyelid at this setup. In fact, they didn't so much as flinch. Apparently being suspended high up in the air over the Arena without warning was regular after-breeakfast activities for these guys. They meant business. Nothing but seasoned warriors in battle gear and eldritch mages dedicated to the pursuit of arcane prowess. It was clear from first glance that the odd one was me, what with my cute little outfit of tight jeans and sky-blue blouse.
I don't think I've ever missed anyone as I did Katey and Uni at that moment.

Still, there were some familiar faces there. Or familiar visors, in the case of the Goldfish Knight. Zig-Zag was there too, looking hot and bothered as ever with his youthful visage. And, of course...
"...Beatrice! The Witch of Miracles!"

Oh yeah. That buxom bratty bimbo defeated Bird Brain. If I recall, she wasn't really nice to her either. I mean, the Tournament was about fighting to ****. And about slavery. But you don't have to be such a bitch about it! Maybe I'd get my chance to avenge Sanakia.
The witch took her hat off in a dramatic flourish, bowing deeply to the wave of thunderous applause. She winked seductively to no one in particular. She was clearly revelling in the attention.

"In the A-Bracket we saw many a newcomer arrive to test their worth in the Arena! All of them had something to prove! And many did! Yet not everyone can be a natural genius who effortlessly achieve what others can only ever dream of! Come down, Beatrice, and pick your snail!" Ben said as if there wasn't a forty foot drop between them. Not that being stuck on a giant pillar seemed to inconvenience her anything. She hopped off without any hesitation. I winced when I saw that, but it hit me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.
Sure enough, the witch gently floated towards the ground as if lifted off the pillar by an invisible giant.
So we're all gonna have to find a way off the platform ourselves? Bold of them to assume that we'd be able to handle a forty foot drop unprompted just because each of us beat four random dudes.

"Thank you, kind mister judge." The last foot of gliding ended with a pirouette that made her skirt rise slightly, before she landed safely on tiptoe. "I am honored to be here. Disappointed, if I am to be honest, that I haven't yet found an opponent worthy of being gazed upon by yours truly. But nevermind that. Moving forward, I hope from now on to see victories amounting to more than dealing with a pitiful maggot infestation."
Yeah. So, the humble sandwich Bird Brain handed her in their match didn't seem to have lasted the night.

"And we are looking forward to your performance as well! Now, at your leisure, please! Pick any one of these magnificent mollusks." Ben gestured towards the field of snails feasting on some leaves. Beatrice stepped forward... And the snails all scattered off like rats at blinding speed. They were already a mile away before she could react, and kept on running.

"That fool!" Zig-Zag spat out, "Does she not know that snails run away if approached?"
What kind of snails does this world have?

The Wicked Witch desperately tried to pursue them, but they wouldn't give her the time of day. Clearly her voluptuous frame wasn't built for drawn out chases. In time she just grew more and more annoyed. She couldn't even get close no matter how hard she tried. Finally she stopped up to catch her breath. A growl of pure indignation escaped her. She sneered at the little snails as they still zoomed across the area as if taunting her.

Once she regained composure, the Wicked Witch raised a finger to the air. She trailed an arcane symbol, and a cluster of pulsating black particles materialized around her hand. They drew towards the tip of her finger, gathering together in a huge dark orb crackling with purple lightning. It followed her motions when she pointed towards the snails, drifting in line with the one she decided peeved her the most.
She closed a single eye, the orb growing to the size of an elephant.

In a calm yet confident voice she uttered, "Black Destructo Beam."
The orb in a black shockwave, a ray of pure raw obliteration. The spot on the ground where the poor litte helpless snail lingered exploded in a blast of negative light that momentarily left the slug's X-ray image.
Once the smoke settled, all that remained was a smoldering shell where it once stood. The Witch strutted smugly towards the remnants with swaying hips. The snail moved no longer, and she picked up the shell between her index and middle finger.
With a self-satisfied grin she slipped out a small piece of paper from inside the shell: "Number three."
"NUMBER THREE, EVERYONE!"
The audience erupted in thunderous applause. On the huge screen opposite the Colloseum main entrance, the enormous screen lit up and flickered until the portrait of the Wicked Witch appeared within.

"Next up, Tickle Fetishist Lauren from the B-Bracket!" All eyes fell on the pillar next to me. I've dealt with that primal woman before. She helped me snatch the Jayjay Lance from Goldfish Knight. I knew exactly how to subdue this beastly woman. Which is not to say I was looking forward to facing her. Look, I'm allergic to tickling! I can't stand it! The fact they've got a dedicated tickler on site, and that she made it to the finals, is a travesty!

And the fact there's a hint of a chance I'd be up against her is proof that there is a God, and he thinks tormenting me is hilarious.
Her tiger skin bikini wrapped around her toned muscles, contrasting sharply against her tan skin. She was a testament to the fact that having a feminine body doesn't make you one bit less intimidating.

"Many fighters of this bracket had dedicated themselves to a single very particular specialization! This focus on a single well-versed skill served them well at some times better than others! The nail specialist inevitably was outclassed by the hammer specialist, and the paper specialist stood no chance against the scissors specialist! In such a diverse bunch, your luck matters every bit as much as your combat skills! Case in point, the winner of the B-Bracket! You will find no tickler more thorough and enthusiastic anywhere on the Continent! Welcome to the Finals, Oh Grand Tickler! Come down now and pick your snail!"

The barbarian woman effortlessly climbed down the clearly unclimbable pillar, almost running down its length on all four with amazing speed. She looked like a cockroach, moving behind and back in front of the pillar along a spiral until she leapt to the ground before Ben.

"NONE OF YOU CAN RUN OR HIDE!" She shouted, "LARUEN WILL CATCH YOU! AND THEN IT'S ICKLE-TICKLE-TICKLE TIME!"
She wiggled her fingers all creepily.
Ben nodded, "Yes, indeed. Wise words from this veteran fighter. Now, as for the snails..."

The tickler launched herself towards the gaggle of snails. She chased them across the Arena on all fours with her tongue sticking out. She was on the slugs like a tail.
It didn't take long before she sat down proudly and looking up at Ben with a snail between her teeth.

Ben removed it from her mouth. I bet he wasn't able to tell if the fluids covering the shell were from her mouth or secreted from the snail. But judging from his expression, either possibility earned a maximum level of disgust.
He pulled his finger into the shell, yet found nothing inside. That confused him-- For a second at least. Then he slowly turned towards Lauren, who indeed had the slip of paper stuck in her mouth. Ben sighed, taking the slip and handing it to the Tickler. She opened it up, sneering at the content. She flipped the text in every which way, before pushing her face close against the paper.
Unable to decipher it, she handed it back to Ben, who took the piece of paper that dripped with clear viscous fluid.
"NUMBER FOUR!"

Once again the audience cheered, as the screen flickered once again.

"Next up, Genius Inventor Allison!"
The audience roared loudly. More so than they did for the first two. They're really that much into me. I mean, really? They narrowly avoided getting devastated by my space laser, then melted into chocolate by a hideous new plague crafted by yours truly. And yet they're just begging for more?
These guys just love the ****!

"No one ever could have guessed what random insanity the C-Bracket combatants would bring to the table! They each had some special ability the whole lot of them, that completely turned the tide of the battle on its head! We saw everything from hypnotists to angel imposters, to bat-wielding madwomen! In fact, the bracket winner herself turns out to be from a completely different world! Welcome, Allison Carlyle! Take your pick of snail now, won't you?"

Oh, damn! I was supposed to get down somehow as well. To top it off, if I really couldn't get down then I bet the fire service would have one hell of a time figuring out how to get past the Barrier.
Let's see here...

I pulled out my phone, opening up my Hoverboard App.
Yeah, I've got a Hoverboard App. What about it? I made it myself. Why shouldn't I if I could?

The screen glowed a brilliant gold. I swiped it through the air before me, the light trailing the phone. Only it didn't fade. Not even after I put the phone away.
Instead it grew and crystalized into a crescent moon suspended in the air. I stepped on top of it, and felt it wobble a little.

That was only slightly excruciatingly terrifying, but no big deal. The fact that it responded to how I shifted my weight meant I was in control. It started to drift forward, gliding around the pillar as I shifted counter-clockwise. The hoverboard reached breakneck speed in no time, leaving a golden trail behind. I felt the wind rush against my face, my hair waving behind me like a flag.

"EEEEEEEH!" I screamed, laughing uproariously.
Man, I felt alive! Sure I was still forty feet up high, and on top of it was soaring off like a bull on rocket-skates. But here's the difference: I was that in control. When standing on the board, I was the queen of my own fate. And that made all the difference.
At that point I was heading to another pillar.
No biggie. I just grabbed on to mine before it spiralled out of control, and spun around it like a screw. Each lap got me a little closer to the ground, but I soon discovered the golden glow on which I stood flicker erratically.
Oh. Didn't last nearly as long as I thought. See, this is what beta-tests are for.

By the time it started to really act funky I was close to the sand. Hopefully close enough.
I flipped the board in an awkward angle so as to spill myself onto the ground. I still had some momentum to run off, but it really wasn't any problem. Not until I was nose to nose with Ben, who could only stand and watch as I barrelled towards him.
Didn't crash into him though.
I stopped an inch short of that particular catastrophe. He looked at me like a deer in the headlights. I tapped him gently on the shoulder after coming to a full stop, just to assure him there was no chance that was gonna happen. The hoverboard passed us and soon faded like the last embers of a fire until it vanished out of existence.

I chuckled, "That went relatively painless!"
"Indeed." Ben laughed back, "So, Allison, tell us; how have you found our world so far?"
I shrugged, "Say what you will, at least there's ample parking space here!"
The audience laughed, even though they likely had no idea what they were laughing about. Except maybe Ben. He wiped away a tear between laughs.
"So true. Ready to get yourself a snail of your own?"

With a nod I breathed in and huffed out. I turned to face the snails. Chasing them around was not gonna work out, so I pulled out my cellphone. As it happened I had just the app for this occasion. I clicked open the Snail Hypnosis app I made, just like I had done so many other times when I found myself in a sticky situation.
Strange twirly circles appeared on the screen, and I aimed it at one of the snails. It faced me, standing absolutely still. It remained still even as I approached. Then I simply picked it up, shook it upside down until the slip of paper fell into my palm. After that I put the snail back on the ground, whereupon it rushed away.

I opened the paper. It rolled up like a scroll and displayed a single number on it.
"It says three."

"Fight number three! Ladies and gentlemen, we've already got our first matchup!"
The crowd cheered.

The Wicked Witch of Miracles.
That's my next opponent. My gaze drifted towards her. She got booty to spare, and judging from the size and tightness of the skirt of her purple dress had no intention of hiding it.

I was up against a magic user.
What happens when science is pitted against magic?
Judging from her match with Bird Brain, she's got quite a few tricks up her sleeve. But at least I knew her weakness; some kind of weird golden monster with superhuman strength, speed and endurance.
Come to think about it, that's probably everyone's weakness too. If I had that to wield at my leisure then the Tournament would quickly get boring. Not that it's that easy to come by either.
I guess I'm gonna have to come up with something else. If she used lightning magic, like the Snake Lady, then I could use the Faraday suit to resist that. But then again, the Faraday suit doesn't protect me if she starts using her magic to throw giant boulders at me. Then I'd be best off using my flubber armor, like I did against Estelle. Of course, there's nothing to say she won't bring flying swords with her, and my flubber shield won't do much against puncture wounds. In that case, some kind of old-fashioned plate armor might work best. But of course, plate armor won't work against lightning attacks...
Or, she'd just obliterate me with that overkill beam she just used.
Ugh, that's one hell of a puzzle. Whenever I need some equipment in the Arena, I gotta prepare it beforehand. Then bring it through the teleporter without violating a ba-gillion rules. But her? She can just know her spells. She has them conveniently tucked in her brain to be used at her convenience. I suppose that's to be expected. Magic isn't magic if it makes even the slightest bit of sense.
Then again, who knows? Maybe she thinks my science doesn't make the slightest bit of sense.

When her giant hat turned away from her face, our eyes met for a moment. But only for a moment. Then she glanced away.
Might as well though.
The next Finalist was up.

"Now to welcome the woman who defeated the Speed Demon herself! We were all anxious to see Sylphid rise to the occasion and make it to the Finals! And while there was no shortage of fighters strong against her style, they all fell short of her enthusiasm and free form fighting! Yet she stumbled on the finish line when it turned out she was up against a woman of wealth and taste! This is the woman we will follow instead! Let's hear it for Beryl of the Curse!"

The crowd exchanged hesitant murmurs. The odd clap could be heard, but vanished once it exhausted its welcome.
I looked up at the most terrifying woman ever. The black headband that contained her wild fiery red hair had eerie crimson runes drawn on it. The same kind of runes as those covering her tan skin from top to toe. Her sclera glowed ominously as if her head housed an ethereal purple sun shining through her eyesockets.
She lifted her halberd high to the air, slamming its base on the platform. Her red tattoos slithered down along her skin and spread into a runic circle on the platform. Her eyes dimmed. Her body turned to stone. The statue cracked and crumbled apart into a heap of dust on the platform.
These were no ordinary runes, mind you. They weren't satisfied with being confined to the one place they were inscribed. They wanted to go out and about in the world. So they slithered down the length of the pillar, as if someone was playing around with a projector. Once they reached the ground, they formed another runic circle in which centre the sand rose to form a statue of Beryl herself. The runes slithered on to the surface of the statue to settle there like tattoos. Soon after, the statue regained the warmth and color of the original. It started to move naturally, raising its hand above its head. Her halberd swung towards her from above. She picked it from the air before it could skewer her, bashing its base one the sand. She turned towards Ben, shooting him a predatory grin.

"...Pick your snail. Please." He whimpered.
"I'd be delighted to."
Beryl turned to face the nearest slug. Instead of scuttling away, it froze in place. The cursed one beamed at her prey with a smile of pure nastiness.
"Do not run, boy-- It won't do you any good. You know what I want."
The snail retreated into its little shell, and soon after a tiny slip of paper shot out and landed in front of it. The snail scuttled off at high speed far away from this nightmare that walks like a woman.

She bent down to pick the paper up, "Oh... Why, it seems my next victim awaits me in match number four. Isn't that just delightful?"

Ben nodded frantically, "Yes... Whatever you say."

Poor Lauren.
Better her than me though. It's not like she herself minded it much, apparently. She just laughed maniacally like the oblivious wild woman she was.

"Will you look at that, everyone! Already we've matched up half our contestants! For the next half, let's hear it for the Golden Knight Silvester Spartano d'Artagan himself! A renowned holy knight who had to contest the Champion Minerva herself for the spot! And let me tell you, in that fight he..."

SHOO-BAM!

I turned towards the crashing noise. The Goldfish Knight rose from a kneeling position, peering at Ben through his visor with a deathly glare. That buffoon just dropped down in the middle of his own introduction like it was no big deal! He didn't need anything as frivolous as stairs to get down from the forty foot pillar. The quickest possible way down was plain for all to see. And to his credit, he walked the plummet off unscathed. I suppose that armor really did its job. Unreasonably well, I might add.
He stepped towards Ben, towering over the poor judge. It wasn't exactly the menacing silence that Beryl had imposed. More like Ben didn't know what to say, but merely looked at him quizzically while leaving the awkwardness to linger.

The Goldfish Knight rested his hand on Ben's shoulder.
"I must say, I really do feel honoured to be here."
Ben smiled back at him, "Yeah. Same here, Sir d'Artagan."
"So, I am to procure one of these snails? Any one of them will do?"
Ben nodded, "That's right. Catch the snail of your choosing. Just, try not to take too long, all right? Because in your last match..."

"Qui cum respexisset, vidit eos, et maledixit eis in nomine Domini!"
VHOOOSHM!

A geyser of golden light erupted from under the snail nearest the Golden Knight, with a mere flick of his finger. He moved to pick up the immobile shell left from the bombardment.
I wonder if he was still sore from his last match? Or that he didn't get to face me after all?

He picked up the shell in his open palm, holding it aloft for all to see. Then he clutched it tightly, his closed fist shaking.
CRUNCH!

"Number two." His regular echoey voice announced.

"Right, You heard him, everyone. Num... NUMBER TWO!"

"And now, let me have the honor of presenting who you all have been waiting for! The newest fan sensation of the Tournament grounds! I'm of course talking about the one, the only... Grand-Vizier Zig-Zag!"

The audience went absolutely wild. The crowd leaped to their feet, their hands reaching out towards their white-haired Adonis. The radiantly gorgeous specimen dressed up all lordly bowed deeply in a theatrical fashion.

"We've seen a diverse bunch among his so-called peers! The F-Bracket doesn't do anything half-assed! They were either completely overpowered monsters or, to put it mildly, amazing arguments for improving the vetting process of our fighters! But they all ended the same in the basking radiance of our lord and saviour Zig-Zag! Not even the Strongest Galmon herself could best him! Let's hear it for him! Soon we shall find out who gets the honor of facing him alone in the Arena next!"

Ziggy evaporated into a purple smoke cloud that snaked its way around the pillar, down to the ground where it melted together into his old fleshy, dashing self.

Ben squealed like a fangirl, "Ohmigosh! I'm right next to him!"
"Indeed. Yet our armoured friends that I must entertain." He tossed his cape in a dramatic flourish.
Ben nodded frantically, "They're right over there! Show us what you've got!"

Zig-Zag stepped up towards the three remaining snails, all of which scattered away when he got close. When he turned into a wisp of magical smoke, however, he quickly caught up to one of them, turning back into a hot elf guy hovering in its way a foot off the ground. His arms folded in front of his chest, he peered down at the snail with a smug grin.
It turned around and fled the other way, but Ziggy overtook it once again as a smoke cloud and appeared before it. Yet again the snail fled away!
It scuttled about in high speed out of shear desperation, as if stalked by some otherworldly predator that somehow manages to be everywhere at once.

As predicted, the Grand-Vizier manifested himself in front of the critter, this time freezing in terror.
"I must commend you, little one. Your efforts have indeed been valiant" He said as he raised his hand. A purple fog appeared over him, taking the form of a rapier suspended in the air, "But this is as far as you get. No further."
He lowered his hand.

CRUNCH!

Next thing I knew, he was reading the paper inside of the snail's shell, "Ah, so I am to appear in the very first match."
He showed the slip of paper bearing the number one.

"There you go, ladies and gentlemen! Make sure to set your alarm clocks! This is something you don't want to miss!"

"And next up we have a mystery guest, an actual true blue, or black as the case may be, ninja right from the infamous Black Swan Clan! Let's give it out for the Black Cuckoo!"

The masked ninja in skintight leotard backflipped off the platform, tossing a grappling hook which wire twisted around the pillar. She swung hersel towards the bottom, dislodging it when she was still rising in the air and reeling the wire back into its dispenser. She spun mid-air in the perfect bacfklip, landing right in front of Ben in a cool martial arts pose. That stunt earned her a well-deserved round of applause.

Ben approached her clapping, "Now, miss Cuckoo, the G-Bracket has been a big mix'n match bag of tanky powerhouses and technical monkeys like yourself."
"Yes."
"So would you say this has been a crucial step in the ongoing dialogue between 'might is right' and 'skill kills'?
"Yes."
"But then again, as you yourself have so thoroughly demonstrated, in the struggle between the beauty and the beast, the winner must inevitably be both!"
"Yes."
"Excellent! Now, feel free to take your snail!"
"Yes."

The ninja tossed a ball on the ground, which exploded in a vast grey cloud. Once it settled, the ninja had vanished. All that remained was a person-sized snail shell in the middle of the Arena. It inched forward. Slowly. Getting ever closer to the unsuspecting slug one impeccable motion at a time.
A hand shot out from it, snatching the snail into the shell in a second's notice. It remained immobile for a long time, until...

"Mission accomplished."
"Gah!" Ben recoiled from the voice behind him. He turned to look, and indeed there the elusive ninja girl stood with the slip of paper in hand.
"Oh, but that's fantastic! So tell us, miss Cuckoo, for we are all holding our collective breaths! Your fate has now been sealed, and now it is for you to reveal it to the world! Who shall you fight in the upcoming battle? What is in store for the audience tomorrow? What number did you draw?"
She flipped the slip of paper to reveal it to the audience, "One."
"ONE!!!!"

The audience roared.

Aww, not a pirate? I was sure she was gonna face off against a pirate! I suppose I should've been clued in by the fact that none of the Finalists actually was a pirate. But I wanted to believe!
Still, at least Ziggy kind of sort of dressed like a pirate. If you turn your head and squint.

"And that's it for today people!" Ben roared, "We now have our lineup for the Finals! The clash of these wondrous warmongers will commence tomorrow morning! Join us then, when..."
"No, stop at once!" The Goldfish Knight interrupted, "We are not done yet! You are yet to issue an opponent to me!"
"Ah..." Ben scratched the back of his head, "Well... We didn't really have a winner from the H-bracket. Everyone there was so **monstrously **overpowered they ended up eradicating each other completely. So... One of you guys was bound to end up without an opponent."
The Goldfish stepped up closer, "Are you telling me that I was indeed destined to face my sworn enemy and defeat the Dark Lord Ithere, yet I was denied that fate solely because of your Tournament's insufferable blunder?"
"Well, look on the bright side! That means you'll be assured a victory! Ladies and gentlemen, our first semi-finalist! Aren't you happy, sir d'Artagan?"
"No. No, I am not happy. I am here for glory, not for a participation trophy. I demand an opponent worthy of my power!"
"Well... You're gonna have to wait for that, I'm afraid. The drawing ceremony is over. All the formalities are concluded. My hands are tied."
The Goldfish Knight let out an impotent growl.
"That reminds me, you still have to show up tomorrow in the Arena, so we can declare you a winner! Over no opponent whatsoever! But still! The audience so wants to celebrate every victory! Even yours!"
He growled even louder.

"Then we're all set for tomorrow! Make sure not to miss it! No doubt every second is gonna be on display! The rest of today will be dedicated to have the fighters prepare themselves either for their glorious triumph or their humiliating defeat. Thank you, everyone! It's been a pleasure to have you here!"

One last round of applause followed before the crowd started moving.

I glanced at Beatrice once again. My next opponent stood there. But really, I felt like I was surrounded by enemies. Even the Goldfish Knight gave me the cold pauldron.
He didn't feel betrayed because I ended up not fighting him in the Quarter Finals, did he? I mean, come on! I didn't do it on purpose! We were all at the whims of the snails.

As for the rest of them, I guess I can't blame them. They probably see me as just another conqueror who'd seize them in eternal slavery if given the chance. Or a **** to be procured for themselves. Hardly the best circumstances for a friendship to blossom.
Still, if they're as strong as they pretend to be, then they'd be able to see past that, right?

I guess it's just like what I said before: There are many types of strength. They're nothing like Katey or Uni. They need their weapons and magic to feel safe. To feel like no one can touch them.

Well, guess what? I've got my own type of strength. The strength to see the good in people! And by the end of that day, I had a feeling I would make at least one new friend of the bunch.