The Aftermath
Ch. 3: Only Third
Awakened by the slight alarm of Peridon's gong, Ryu scrambled out of bed with the intent of attacking the intruder. "Oh. Don't wake me up so suddenly Peridon," pleaded Ryu, leering at him as if he were a criminal. I could have hurt you."
"I will try not to next time, sir. Breakfast begins in thirty minutes. Please go to the dining hall if you would like to join in."
"Of course!" Peridon left the room, leaving Ryu alone so he could get ready. Getting ready was taking longer than Ryu had expected, partly because he was not fully awake yet. His lack of coordination and attentiveness was made apparent when he tried to place his sheath over his right foot. In addition to his drowsiness, however, he was contemplating that night's events. Something about the words he overheard did not seem like all was well in Camlon.
Last night, after Ryu had finally gone to sleep, he was awakened by faint voices outside his room. Curious as to what was being said, Ryu silently tiptoed over to the door of his lavish guestroom and eavesdropped on the conversation.
"Did you get it?" a man asked.
"Yeah I got it," answered a second man. "It is much more powerful than I ever imagined. Unfortunately, Senteeri gave me strict orders to give it to you and not use it tomorrow in battle."
"Good. I'll tell Lord Senteeri that you have done well. I'll deliver it as soon as the tournament is over. Until we meet again."
As abruptly as it had started, the discussion had ended.
Wondering about who had been talking and what they had been talking about, Ryu finally finished getting ready. Leaving his room, he wandered down the glorious hallway into the dining hall. Greeting the king, the queen, and his few guests, Ryu sat down and ate the most delicious meal he had had in a long time. After the feast, King Fordan announced that the Grand Tournament would begin soon, meaning he needed to get to the arena. Ryu figured that he should get there quickly as well, so he rapidly put on his armor and helmet and went to the arena.
Arriving at the arena, Ryu was baffled by the hundreds of people present and the multiple entrances. Where was he supposed to go? Glancing at the entrance on the left, Ryu saw a man in armor passing through it. Ryu believed that since a man of his size and dress must be a participant, he should follow him in.
As Ryu gained distance on the armored man, the man unexpectedly turned 180 degrees and looked him in the eye. "You're not following me are you? What are you doing here?" the man inquired, irritated and annoyed. "You're not King Fordan. Only he, the queen, and Peridon, his loyal servant, are allowed in the royal judging box. If you're a participant, pass through the center entrance. If you're a spectator, go through the most eastern entrance. If you're neither, get out of here!"
Disturbed by the guard's agitated behavior but happy that he knew his destination, Ryu found the other eight fighters at last. Wait a second. Eight? Oh no. Something was terribly wrong. There was only supposed to be a total of eight fighters.
Reading off a long parchment, a man in a gold garb shouted, "Now listen combatants. This is the last time I am going to say this. You are to be in the ring when your name is announced. If you aren't and can't make it for some reason, you will be disqualified. If you kill your opponent, you will be disqualified. You must use your own weapons in each round. Arms will not be provided for you. However, no spells or other special powers may be used, as this contest is strictly one of physical might and cunning. While no special powers can be used, any enchanted armor may be, but only defensively. If our king decides at any time that you are cheating in any way, your disqualification and departure will be requested immediately. These are the terms. Obey them or quit now."
No one spoke.
Carefully folding up the parchment, the contestant director said, "Good. Now you wait until you are."
"Wait a second," Ryu interrupted. "Aren't there only supposed to be eight contestants in this tournament? How come there are nine of us then?"
"Hmm. You are correct Ryu. One of you should not be here." Perturbed because he had just put it away, the contestant director again took out the rolled-up parchment, which had the list of names on it. "Will all of you please give me your invitations please?" After each of the competitors gave their invitations to the director, he crosschecked their names. "What is this? One of the invitations has the name Tura Weldon on it, but that name does not exist on the official parchment. Since Ryu's invitation is missing, this Tura must have used Ryu's invitation to enter the Grand Tournament! Guards!"
One of the men slowly removed his helmet, slowly revealing his ruddy copper- toned complexion. As the guards hurried over from attending the entrance, Ryu cried, "Tura! What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted be known far and wide as a strong warrior like you, Ryu. You are always praised for your bravery and power, while I'm just a lowly blacksmith. I'm sorry for stealing and changing the name on your invitation, but I just wanted to be appreciated. Not just a few 'thanks' for making weapons, armor, and horseshoes, but real admiration."
The guards drew their swords, pointing their blades at Tura. Attempting to lead him to jail, Ryu, saddened by his friend's condition, spoke up for him, "Let him go. He meant no harm. As long he is truly sorry for deceiving us and gives me my sword back."
"Sword?" Tura questioned, confused. "What are you talking about? You know I would never take your sword. I know how much it means to you."
Ryu, now more confused than ever because he believed and trusted Tura, still knew nothing about the disappearance of his fabled sword. After Ryu explained the entire dilemma, the director ordered a year sentence for Tura, despite his apology and Ryu's beseeching. Tura, with sorrow written across his face, gestured to Ryu and marched off with the soldiers to his fate, prison.
Suddenly, thundering from high among the stands, King Fordan's voice roared with the opening remarks of the tournament. Waiting in nervous anticipation, Ryu blocked out the king's voice and heard nothing about the prize. All he heard was, "Let us begin! First we have Colan Lightfist, representing the town of Spring, and Ham Syfe, representing the town of Bleak."
Lasting less than twenty seconds, the fight was one-sided the whole time. Colan didn't stand a chance against Ham's superior maneuverability and prowess with his trident and dagger. Colan swiped at Ham with his sword, unfortunately letting Ham block and catch it in his trident. Ham severely pushed it to the side, and then pounced upon Colan, dexterously placing his dagger near Colan's throat. That was it. The match was over.
"Ryu Dragonedge of Drogen versus Tybaba of Gant." A large ox-like man entered, carrying an extremely oversized hammer. Thinking that Tybaba would in no way be able to adroitly wield such a massive weapon, Ryu got into position, while taunting the fool. The fight began. Swinging the hammer surprisingly fast, the ogre-like man felt strong opposition when it was deflected by Ryu's shield. With the hammer now on the ground, Ryu, sliced it before it could be lifted up. Now in two pieces, it was no longer an effective weapon. Swinging backwards with his arms, Tybaba caught Ryu by surprise, causing Ryu to fly back a couple of feet. The blow resulted in a gash in Ryu's lip. Grinning fearlessly, Tybaba picked up the head of his hammer and launched it at his foe, who quickly deflected it with his shield.
"Oh my gosh!" Tybaba said with a horrified look on his face. "I can't win against you. You're a freak. I surrender." Tybaba acknowledged defeat after he saw Ryu's gash removed by the amazing regenerative powers of his Life Armor.
Paying no real attention to the next two rounds, Ryu only noticed that cat- like man lost to a bird-like man from Winlan, while a cloaked man defeated a mole-person from Gramor.
"Now for the semifinals of the competition," announced King Fordan. Ham Syfe of Bleak, versus Ryu of Drogen." Ryu quickly defeated Ham by slicing through his trident and forcing him into submission.
"Now for the second half of the semifinals: Winger Ginsu, from the kingdom of Winlan, is pitted against Bandir, from the soaring kingdom of Hizan. Ryu resumed interest in the battle because he wished to study the moves of his future opponent.
As soon as the battle began, Winger flew high into the sky. Drawing his bow and arrows, he aimed precisely at Bandir. Bandir, standing perfectly still, was just watching Winger. He appeared as if he was waiting for Winger to fire. Soon enough, an arrow had been launched, but not even Ryu expected Bandir's reaction. Bandir hastily pulled out a formidable-looking bow from under his cloak, along with three arrows. Placing the three arrows between his fingers, he aimed for only an instant. Shooting them all at once, the middle one struck and effectively knocked Winger's arrow out of the sky, while the left and right arrows pierced Winger's right and left wings respectively. Falling to the ground like dead weight, Winger cried out in pain. Rushing over to force his surrender, Bandir charged and slid is blade under Winger's chin. The battle was over, and the royal box nodded in approval of Bandir's victory. As Winger walked out of the arena, sulking and aching, Bandir remained in the arena for the final battle.
Shocked, Ryu thought silently, "This will be tougher than I thought." Ryu again entered the stadium.
Fordan looked very excited about the upcoming match. He would approve of either fighter winning his magnificent prize. "The final battle is about to begin. Who will win the glorious prize of becoming the general of my army? Will it be Ryu, the powerful hero who saved all of Camlon and perhaps the world, or will it be Bandir, the seemingly invincible knight from the kingdom of Hizan. Let the match begin!"
"I have waited a long time for this moment, Ryu. I will not be defeated again," threatened the cloaked man. "Draw your sword," Bandir said as he charged Ryu.
"Again? Who are you?" Ryu questioned, perplexed, but that's all he could say, Bandir had drawn both of his swords and was viciously slashing at Ryu. Fighting back by deflecting Bandir's attacks with his shield and sword, Ryu shattered Bandir's smaller blade with the might of his Dragon Sword. However, the larger blade actually was able to withstand the Dragon Sword's force, showing the influence Bandir must have in Hizan in order to attain such a weapon. While fending off Ryu's flurry of swings, Bandir took out an equally potent shield. Ryu spinned, trying to crush Bandir's hand with his shield, but his attack was dodged, and then countered. Amazed by the agility of the man, especially while wearing a full-body cloak, Ryu was doubtful of whether he would win. The barrage of pierces and swings were pointless, as both men seemed equally matched, until Bandir succeeded in one of his swings, knocking Ryu to the ground. Trying to pin Ryu down with rapid blade movement, Bandir was foiled when Ryu rolled to his right and kicked Bandir's shield to push him away.
"Arrgh," Bandir yelled out of violent rage, knocking Ryu's sword out of his hand about twenty feet across the stadium. A sudden sweeping kick on Ryu's part knocked Bandir onto the ground, and after a quick flip onto his feet, Ryu sprinted in the direction of his sword. Bandir stood up, and took out his bow. With deadly accuracy, Bandir fired an arrow directly at Ryu's back. Luckily, Ryu's fantastic hearing warned him of the arrow, and he turned and deflected it with his shield while running. Finally making it to his sword, Ryu picked it up and hid defensively behind his shield, while walking slowly in the direction of Bandir, who was bombarding Ryu with a rapid discharge of arrows. After a few shots, Bandir then started shooting multiple arrows at a time, forcing Ryu to both block with his shield and knock them away with his sword. Suddenly, Bandir got down on one knee aimed slightly downward, and fired two arrows, which ricocheted off the ground under Ryu's shield, and pierced his shin plates. As Ryu collapsed, he lacked awareness of another arrow, which soared past his shield, striking the weak hinge of his arm plate. As Ryu lost the use of his left arm and fell on his back, Bandir looked dismayed, for his quiver had run dry after about fifteen or so shots. No longer feeling the need to hold his shield and bow, he threw them on the ground, only keeping his sword in hand. Ryu laid there in agony, trying to pull the arrows out with his one good arm, while Bandir slowly walked over to him, his identity still a mystery. Since none of the three arrows would budge, Ryu focused his energy on standing up. Mustering the energy to pull out his trusty Tri- Rang, he hurled it at his opponent.
"What a pitiful attempt at redeeming yourself!" Bandir chuckled, teasing Ryu. "You can't hit me with a measly stick." Sidestepping, the boomerang flew harmlessly past him.
Grinning, Ryu responded to Bandir's arrogance with, "Maybe not with the first passing." The Tri-Rang turned around, spinning again in the direction of the combatants.
"What are you talking about?" Bandir laughed again. As the Tri-Rang was about to collide with the back of his head, Bandir suddenly dropped to one knee and swung his sword upward, knocking it across the stadium until it fell helplessly to the dirt below. "I tried to warn you."
"I'm not down yet."
"You'll soon be." With that, Bandir charged Ryu once more. Ryu stabbed in order to defend himself. However, Bandir removed his cloak and spun it around Ryu's Dragon Sword, and flicked his wrist. Nimbly catching the sword, he now had both weapons. Ryu still in pain, Bandir kicked him to the ground and placed his foot on Ryu's chest. The crowd cheered as Bandir emerged victorious.
Despite the din of the spectators, Bandir smirked, asking, "Recognize me now? You should. You beat the others and me at Nabal Castle one year ago. I've improved since then, don't you think, or maybe I've always been better. Maybe you only won because you and your friends outnumbered us. Just think of it as a fair fight this time. No dragon or Slimex."
"Yeah I recognize you alright, or at least your voice. I heard your voice last night. You took my Emperor Sword, didn't you? Where is it?" Ryu yelled. Ryu tried to remove the arrows from his legs and arm.
Teasing Ryu because of his struggle to take out the arrows. Bandir replied, "I don't think you're in any position to be ordering me around. I have friends in high places. Remember, I'm the new general of Camlon now, and considering I'm already the third-ranked general of Hizan, I wouldn't mess with me if I were you."
"Third? There are others stronger than you?"
"Correct." Signaling to Peridon, who was standing at the side of King Fordan, to deliver the Emperor Sword, Peridon left the judging box. Unknown to Bandir, however, was the fact that Ryu saw this silent exchange of information. His suspicions had been confirmed. "The two others you defeated at Nabal are stronger and more brilliant at strategizing than I, although I don't like to admit it."
The crowd finally simmered down, and King Fordan rose to say the closing ceremonies. "Let's cheer for our new general, Bandir!" The mass of spectators again applauded, praising their new military leader. Unfortunately, Ryu then fell unconscious because of the excruciating pain, due to the fact that the Life Armor had not yet healed his wounds. Worried about their old hero, the stadium attendants rushed him back to his room.
Ch. 3: Only Third
Awakened by the slight alarm of Peridon's gong, Ryu scrambled out of bed with the intent of attacking the intruder. "Oh. Don't wake me up so suddenly Peridon," pleaded Ryu, leering at him as if he were a criminal. I could have hurt you."
"I will try not to next time, sir. Breakfast begins in thirty minutes. Please go to the dining hall if you would like to join in."
"Of course!" Peridon left the room, leaving Ryu alone so he could get ready. Getting ready was taking longer than Ryu had expected, partly because he was not fully awake yet. His lack of coordination and attentiveness was made apparent when he tried to place his sheath over his right foot. In addition to his drowsiness, however, he was contemplating that night's events. Something about the words he overheard did not seem like all was well in Camlon.
Last night, after Ryu had finally gone to sleep, he was awakened by faint voices outside his room. Curious as to what was being said, Ryu silently tiptoed over to the door of his lavish guestroom and eavesdropped on the conversation.
"Did you get it?" a man asked.
"Yeah I got it," answered a second man. "It is much more powerful than I ever imagined. Unfortunately, Senteeri gave me strict orders to give it to you and not use it tomorrow in battle."
"Good. I'll tell Lord Senteeri that you have done well. I'll deliver it as soon as the tournament is over. Until we meet again."
As abruptly as it had started, the discussion had ended.
Wondering about who had been talking and what they had been talking about, Ryu finally finished getting ready. Leaving his room, he wandered down the glorious hallway into the dining hall. Greeting the king, the queen, and his few guests, Ryu sat down and ate the most delicious meal he had had in a long time. After the feast, King Fordan announced that the Grand Tournament would begin soon, meaning he needed to get to the arena. Ryu figured that he should get there quickly as well, so he rapidly put on his armor and helmet and went to the arena.
Arriving at the arena, Ryu was baffled by the hundreds of people present and the multiple entrances. Where was he supposed to go? Glancing at the entrance on the left, Ryu saw a man in armor passing through it. Ryu believed that since a man of his size and dress must be a participant, he should follow him in.
As Ryu gained distance on the armored man, the man unexpectedly turned 180 degrees and looked him in the eye. "You're not following me are you? What are you doing here?" the man inquired, irritated and annoyed. "You're not King Fordan. Only he, the queen, and Peridon, his loyal servant, are allowed in the royal judging box. If you're a participant, pass through the center entrance. If you're a spectator, go through the most eastern entrance. If you're neither, get out of here!"
Disturbed by the guard's agitated behavior but happy that he knew his destination, Ryu found the other eight fighters at last. Wait a second. Eight? Oh no. Something was terribly wrong. There was only supposed to be a total of eight fighters.
Reading off a long parchment, a man in a gold garb shouted, "Now listen combatants. This is the last time I am going to say this. You are to be in the ring when your name is announced. If you aren't and can't make it for some reason, you will be disqualified. If you kill your opponent, you will be disqualified. You must use your own weapons in each round. Arms will not be provided for you. However, no spells or other special powers may be used, as this contest is strictly one of physical might and cunning. While no special powers can be used, any enchanted armor may be, but only defensively. If our king decides at any time that you are cheating in any way, your disqualification and departure will be requested immediately. These are the terms. Obey them or quit now."
No one spoke.
Carefully folding up the parchment, the contestant director said, "Good. Now you wait until you are."
"Wait a second," Ryu interrupted. "Aren't there only supposed to be eight contestants in this tournament? How come there are nine of us then?"
"Hmm. You are correct Ryu. One of you should not be here." Perturbed because he had just put it away, the contestant director again took out the rolled-up parchment, which had the list of names on it. "Will all of you please give me your invitations please?" After each of the competitors gave their invitations to the director, he crosschecked their names. "What is this? One of the invitations has the name Tura Weldon on it, but that name does not exist on the official parchment. Since Ryu's invitation is missing, this Tura must have used Ryu's invitation to enter the Grand Tournament! Guards!"
One of the men slowly removed his helmet, slowly revealing his ruddy copper- toned complexion. As the guards hurried over from attending the entrance, Ryu cried, "Tura! What were you thinking?"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted be known far and wide as a strong warrior like you, Ryu. You are always praised for your bravery and power, while I'm just a lowly blacksmith. I'm sorry for stealing and changing the name on your invitation, but I just wanted to be appreciated. Not just a few 'thanks' for making weapons, armor, and horseshoes, but real admiration."
The guards drew their swords, pointing their blades at Tura. Attempting to lead him to jail, Ryu, saddened by his friend's condition, spoke up for him, "Let him go. He meant no harm. As long he is truly sorry for deceiving us and gives me my sword back."
"Sword?" Tura questioned, confused. "What are you talking about? You know I would never take your sword. I know how much it means to you."
Ryu, now more confused than ever because he believed and trusted Tura, still knew nothing about the disappearance of his fabled sword. After Ryu explained the entire dilemma, the director ordered a year sentence for Tura, despite his apology and Ryu's beseeching. Tura, with sorrow written across his face, gestured to Ryu and marched off with the soldiers to his fate, prison.
Suddenly, thundering from high among the stands, King Fordan's voice roared with the opening remarks of the tournament. Waiting in nervous anticipation, Ryu blocked out the king's voice and heard nothing about the prize. All he heard was, "Let us begin! First we have Colan Lightfist, representing the town of Spring, and Ham Syfe, representing the town of Bleak."
Lasting less than twenty seconds, the fight was one-sided the whole time. Colan didn't stand a chance against Ham's superior maneuverability and prowess with his trident and dagger. Colan swiped at Ham with his sword, unfortunately letting Ham block and catch it in his trident. Ham severely pushed it to the side, and then pounced upon Colan, dexterously placing his dagger near Colan's throat. That was it. The match was over.
"Ryu Dragonedge of Drogen versus Tybaba of Gant." A large ox-like man entered, carrying an extremely oversized hammer. Thinking that Tybaba would in no way be able to adroitly wield such a massive weapon, Ryu got into position, while taunting the fool. The fight began. Swinging the hammer surprisingly fast, the ogre-like man felt strong opposition when it was deflected by Ryu's shield. With the hammer now on the ground, Ryu, sliced it before it could be lifted up. Now in two pieces, it was no longer an effective weapon. Swinging backwards with his arms, Tybaba caught Ryu by surprise, causing Ryu to fly back a couple of feet. The blow resulted in a gash in Ryu's lip. Grinning fearlessly, Tybaba picked up the head of his hammer and launched it at his foe, who quickly deflected it with his shield.
"Oh my gosh!" Tybaba said with a horrified look on his face. "I can't win against you. You're a freak. I surrender." Tybaba acknowledged defeat after he saw Ryu's gash removed by the amazing regenerative powers of his Life Armor.
Paying no real attention to the next two rounds, Ryu only noticed that cat- like man lost to a bird-like man from Winlan, while a cloaked man defeated a mole-person from Gramor.
"Now for the semifinals of the competition," announced King Fordan. Ham Syfe of Bleak, versus Ryu of Drogen." Ryu quickly defeated Ham by slicing through his trident and forcing him into submission.
"Now for the second half of the semifinals: Winger Ginsu, from the kingdom of Winlan, is pitted against Bandir, from the soaring kingdom of Hizan. Ryu resumed interest in the battle because he wished to study the moves of his future opponent.
As soon as the battle began, Winger flew high into the sky. Drawing his bow and arrows, he aimed precisely at Bandir. Bandir, standing perfectly still, was just watching Winger. He appeared as if he was waiting for Winger to fire. Soon enough, an arrow had been launched, but not even Ryu expected Bandir's reaction. Bandir hastily pulled out a formidable-looking bow from under his cloak, along with three arrows. Placing the three arrows between his fingers, he aimed for only an instant. Shooting them all at once, the middle one struck and effectively knocked Winger's arrow out of the sky, while the left and right arrows pierced Winger's right and left wings respectively. Falling to the ground like dead weight, Winger cried out in pain. Rushing over to force his surrender, Bandir charged and slid is blade under Winger's chin. The battle was over, and the royal box nodded in approval of Bandir's victory. As Winger walked out of the arena, sulking and aching, Bandir remained in the arena for the final battle.
Shocked, Ryu thought silently, "This will be tougher than I thought." Ryu again entered the stadium.
Fordan looked very excited about the upcoming match. He would approve of either fighter winning his magnificent prize. "The final battle is about to begin. Who will win the glorious prize of becoming the general of my army? Will it be Ryu, the powerful hero who saved all of Camlon and perhaps the world, or will it be Bandir, the seemingly invincible knight from the kingdom of Hizan. Let the match begin!"
"I have waited a long time for this moment, Ryu. I will not be defeated again," threatened the cloaked man. "Draw your sword," Bandir said as he charged Ryu.
"Again? Who are you?" Ryu questioned, perplexed, but that's all he could say, Bandir had drawn both of his swords and was viciously slashing at Ryu. Fighting back by deflecting Bandir's attacks with his shield and sword, Ryu shattered Bandir's smaller blade with the might of his Dragon Sword. However, the larger blade actually was able to withstand the Dragon Sword's force, showing the influence Bandir must have in Hizan in order to attain such a weapon. While fending off Ryu's flurry of swings, Bandir took out an equally potent shield. Ryu spinned, trying to crush Bandir's hand with his shield, but his attack was dodged, and then countered. Amazed by the agility of the man, especially while wearing a full-body cloak, Ryu was doubtful of whether he would win. The barrage of pierces and swings were pointless, as both men seemed equally matched, until Bandir succeeded in one of his swings, knocking Ryu to the ground. Trying to pin Ryu down with rapid blade movement, Bandir was foiled when Ryu rolled to his right and kicked Bandir's shield to push him away.
"Arrgh," Bandir yelled out of violent rage, knocking Ryu's sword out of his hand about twenty feet across the stadium. A sudden sweeping kick on Ryu's part knocked Bandir onto the ground, and after a quick flip onto his feet, Ryu sprinted in the direction of his sword. Bandir stood up, and took out his bow. With deadly accuracy, Bandir fired an arrow directly at Ryu's back. Luckily, Ryu's fantastic hearing warned him of the arrow, and he turned and deflected it with his shield while running. Finally making it to his sword, Ryu picked it up and hid defensively behind his shield, while walking slowly in the direction of Bandir, who was bombarding Ryu with a rapid discharge of arrows. After a few shots, Bandir then started shooting multiple arrows at a time, forcing Ryu to both block with his shield and knock them away with his sword. Suddenly, Bandir got down on one knee aimed slightly downward, and fired two arrows, which ricocheted off the ground under Ryu's shield, and pierced his shin plates. As Ryu collapsed, he lacked awareness of another arrow, which soared past his shield, striking the weak hinge of his arm plate. As Ryu lost the use of his left arm and fell on his back, Bandir looked dismayed, for his quiver had run dry after about fifteen or so shots. No longer feeling the need to hold his shield and bow, he threw them on the ground, only keeping his sword in hand. Ryu laid there in agony, trying to pull the arrows out with his one good arm, while Bandir slowly walked over to him, his identity still a mystery. Since none of the three arrows would budge, Ryu focused his energy on standing up. Mustering the energy to pull out his trusty Tri- Rang, he hurled it at his opponent.
"What a pitiful attempt at redeeming yourself!" Bandir chuckled, teasing Ryu. "You can't hit me with a measly stick." Sidestepping, the boomerang flew harmlessly past him.
Grinning, Ryu responded to Bandir's arrogance with, "Maybe not with the first passing." The Tri-Rang turned around, spinning again in the direction of the combatants.
"What are you talking about?" Bandir laughed again. As the Tri-Rang was about to collide with the back of his head, Bandir suddenly dropped to one knee and swung his sword upward, knocking it across the stadium until it fell helplessly to the dirt below. "I tried to warn you."
"I'm not down yet."
"You'll soon be." With that, Bandir charged Ryu once more. Ryu stabbed in order to defend himself. However, Bandir removed his cloak and spun it around Ryu's Dragon Sword, and flicked his wrist. Nimbly catching the sword, he now had both weapons. Ryu still in pain, Bandir kicked him to the ground and placed his foot on Ryu's chest. The crowd cheered as Bandir emerged victorious.
Despite the din of the spectators, Bandir smirked, asking, "Recognize me now? You should. You beat the others and me at Nabal Castle one year ago. I've improved since then, don't you think, or maybe I've always been better. Maybe you only won because you and your friends outnumbered us. Just think of it as a fair fight this time. No dragon or Slimex."
"Yeah I recognize you alright, or at least your voice. I heard your voice last night. You took my Emperor Sword, didn't you? Where is it?" Ryu yelled. Ryu tried to remove the arrows from his legs and arm.
Teasing Ryu because of his struggle to take out the arrows. Bandir replied, "I don't think you're in any position to be ordering me around. I have friends in high places. Remember, I'm the new general of Camlon now, and considering I'm already the third-ranked general of Hizan, I wouldn't mess with me if I were you."
"Third? There are others stronger than you?"
"Correct." Signaling to Peridon, who was standing at the side of King Fordan, to deliver the Emperor Sword, Peridon left the judging box. Unknown to Bandir, however, was the fact that Ryu saw this silent exchange of information. His suspicions had been confirmed. "The two others you defeated at Nabal are stronger and more brilliant at strategizing than I, although I don't like to admit it."
The crowd finally simmered down, and King Fordan rose to say the closing ceremonies. "Let's cheer for our new general, Bandir!" The mass of spectators again applauded, praising their new military leader. Unfortunately, Ryu then fell unconscious because of the excruciating pain, due to the fact that the Life Armor had not yet healed his wounds. Worried about their old hero, the stadium attendants rushed him back to his room.