The Grand Tournament
Chapter 1
Duran stretched languidly after barging out of the inn's doors. He hadn't gotten much rest last night, listening to Carlie snore and Angela talk in her sleep about some ex-boyfriend of hers. The morning air was crisp, though, and instantly woke him up fully. Byzel was a fine town, if only the council hadn't been so paranoid about letting them in out of fear of Altena.
'Maybe if Forcena had been like that we wouldn't have had the attack by Altena...' Duran's brow furrowed. Damn Koren! Damn him to hell!! What was the Queen of Reason thinking anyway? Just as he finished his thought, Angela stepped outside too.
"...I...am...not a morning person..." she whined, rubbing her forehead. Duran smirked and the two paused to smile at each other for a tranquil moment when the last member of their party burst through the doors.
"CARLIE WANT BREAKFAST! BREAKFAST! PANCAKES! WAFFLES! Come on!" She screeched, making some of the other early risers on the streets around them turn their heads in surprise, raising eyebrows. Duran and Angela sighed and followed Carlie out into the heart of Byzel to the nearest waffle house.
After the half-elf engulfed her third helping of pancakes, she sat back and looked at her companions' faces. Angela shook her head in disgust, but Duran was looking at a poster next to their booth.
"...Duran what are you doing?" Angela whimpered, unhappy that he had lost interest in her so quickly.
"...There's a tournament on the Island of Warriors!" Duran cheered standing up in his chair and doing a little dance. Mind you, Duran isn't exactly the best dancer, so it looked like something between a rhino stomping and a walrus flopping around.
Angela blinked.
"What?!?" She asked in confusion, looking like Duran like he was from planet chauvinistic-mercenary-with-a-bad-case-of-poor-attention-span. Duran grinned wider.
"I've heard of it before, King Richard told me," he explained, sitting back down, "It's a open Tournament where traveling warriors or great fighters from armies come to battle for lots of Luc! Only..."
"Only what? It sounds like a good idea! We have no leads right now anyway. Not to mention hardly ANY money." Angela protested, but Duran shook his head.
"It's really, really dangerous. Since it's open call, the most ruthless fighters come in because no one cares about dirty fighting. A lot of my friends died in battle. But still!" he perked up again, "It's a lot of money! One MILLION Luc!"
Angela's jaw dropped. She blissfully entered a daydream of buying thousands of new outfits, buckets of make-up, several male strippers and other toys with the prize money. She only snapped out of it when Carlie gave her signature high-pitched squeal.
"Carlie can buy STUFF!" she giggled, "Carlie can buy stuff for Heath...and Mick...and Grandpa...and Duran..."
"What about me?" Angela inquired innocently, batting her eyelashes.
"You don't get anything! You too selfish!" Carlie taunted, sticking out her tongue at the now fuming Princess.
"Hey! Money isn't the reason to join, it's really about..." Duran's speech fell short, however, as he watched helplessly as his two friends began throwing insults.
"...You both are hopeless..." he sighed and dug back in to his breakfast.
"That's 150 Luc per person. The Island of Warriors is quite a long way away from here." The captain asked, holding out his hand. Duran's face contorted as he handed over the money hesitantly. The three Mana Heroes boarded the ship seconds before it began to sail.
"Glad we made it on time!" Duran said cheerfully, dropping his pack to the ground and sitting on a crate. Angela scowled.
"That was the last of our money...we have to win the tournament now!" She groaned, sitting on a crate opposite of Duran. Carlie contented herself by looking over the gunwale* of the ship into the water below. Sighing, Duran finally replied to Angela.
"It won't be easy. I hear that every year, a demon or two sneaks in to fight...that's why so many people die," he remarked, looking into the sky, "Magicians too. Any kind of fighter, it isn't always a swordsman even though they're common there."
"Wouldn't it be a thing if Koren ended up there," Angela pondered, twirling her hair, "A good combination of both demon and magician." The knight smirked at the princess and both broke out laughing.
"Well...we'll make it, after all, we are those chosen by the fairy!" Duran proclaimed proudly. Angela and Carlie both gave a cheer in reply, and watched the seagulls above them sail the winds.
Hey, sorry this is so short, but the next chapter will be a LOT longer. Who will join the Tournament? What will be the outcome? Who are the mysterious warriors?
Stay tuned! ...Or...keep...reading. Whatever.
*Gunwale: top rail of a ship. Kurai knows stuff! She be smart.
Chapter 1
Duran stretched languidly after barging out of the inn's doors. He hadn't gotten much rest last night, listening to Carlie snore and Angela talk in her sleep about some ex-boyfriend of hers. The morning air was crisp, though, and instantly woke him up fully. Byzel was a fine town, if only the council hadn't been so paranoid about letting them in out of fear of Altena.
'Maybe if Forcena had been like that we wouldn't have had the attack by Altena...' Duran's brow furrowed. Damn Koren! Damn him to hell!! What was the Queen of Reason thinking anyway? Just as he finished his thought, Angela stepped outside too.
"...I...am...not a morning person..." she whined, rubbing her forehead. Duran smirked and the two paused to smile at each other for a tranquil moment when the last member of their party burst through the doors.
"CARLIE WANT BREAKFAST! BREAKFAST! PANCAKES! WAFFLES! Come on!" She screeched, making some of the other early risers on the streets around them turn their heads in surprise, raising eyebrows. Duran and Angela sighed and followed Carlie out into the heart of Byzel to the nearest waffle house.
After the half-elf engulfed her third helping of pancakes, she sat back and looked at her companions' faces. Angela shook her head in disgust, but Duran was looking at a poster next to their booth.
"...Duran what are you doing?" Angela whimpered, unhappy that he had lost interest in her so quickly.
"...There's a tournament on the Island of Warriors!" Duran cheered standing up in his chair and doing a little dance. Mind you, Duran isn't exactly the best dancer, so it looked like something between a rhino stomping and a walrus flopping around.
Angela blinked.
"What?!?" She asked in confusion, looking like Duran like he was from planet chauvinistic-mercenary-with-a-bad-case-of-poor-attention-span. Duran grinned wider.
"I've heard of it before, King Richard told me," he explained, sitting back down, "It's a open Tournament where traveling warriors or great fighters from armies come to battle for lots of Luc! Only..."
"Only what? It sounds like a good idea! We have no leads right now anyway. Not to mention hardly ANY money." Angela protested, but Duran shook his head.
"It's really, really dangerous. Since it's open call, the most ruthless fighters come in because no one cares about dirty fighting. A lot of my friends died in battle. But still!" he perked up again, "It's a lot of money! One MILLION Luc!"
Angela's jaw dropped. She blissfully entered a daydream of buying thousands of new outfits, buckets of make-up, several male strippers and other toys with the prize money. She only snapped out of it when Carlie gave her signature high-pitched squeal.
"Carlie can buy STUFF!" she giggled, "Carlie can buy stuff for Heath...and Mick...and Grandpa...and Duran..."
"What about me?" Angela inquired innocently, batting her eyelashes.
"You don't get anything! You too selfish!" Carlie taunted, sticking out her tongue at the now fuming Princess.
"Hey! Money isn't the reason to join, it's really about..." Duran's speech fell short, however, as he watched helplessly as his two friends began throwing insults.
"...You both are hopeless..." he sighed and dug back in to his breakfast.
"That's 150 Luc per person. The Island of Warriors is quite a long way away from here." The captain asked, holding out his hand. Duran's face contorted as he handed over the money hesitantly. The three Mana Heroes boarded the ship seconds before it began to sail.
"Glad we made it on time!" Duran said cheerfully, dropping his pack to the ground and sitting on a crate. Angela scowled.
"That was the last of our money...we have to win the tournament now!" She groaned, sitting on a crate opposite of Duran. Carlie contented herself by looking over the gunwale* of the ship into the water below. Sighing, Duran finally replied to Angela.
"It won't be easy. I hear that every year, a demon or two sneaks in to fight...that's why so many people die," he remarked, looking into the sky, "Magicians too. Any kind of fighter, it isn't always a swordsman even though they're common there."
"Wouldn't it be a thing if Koren ended up there," Angela pondered, twirling her hair, "A good combination of both demon and magician." The knight smirked at the princess and both broke out laughing.
"Well...we'll make it, after all, we are those chosen by the fairy!" Duran proclaimed proudly. Angela and Carlie both gave a cheer in reply, and watched the seagulls above them sail the winds.
Hey, sorry this is so short, but the next chapter will be a LOT longer. Who will join the Tournament? What will be the outcome? Who are the mysterious warriors?
Stay tuned! ...Or...keep...reading. Whatever.
*Gunwale: top rail of a ship. Kurai knows stuff! She be smart.