Olberic and Victorino pointed their blades at one another for a while, circling slowly as the crowd clamored for even the slightest indicators of a fight. "She speakin' the truth? Are you the Unbendin' Blade?!" Victorino questioned, his voice growing louder with each word. "When a name reaches me on the high seas, I reckon the man who wears it done somethin' to earn it."

Olberic chose to not answer Victorino's question, instead focusing on the more pressing matter to him. "You're one of the tourney champions," he said simply.

Victorino nodded. "Aye. Victorino's the name. I watched ye fight the others," he replied. "An' I started wonderin' to myself, could he be better than me? An' once that question came, I had no choice but to find myself an answer."

Before Olberic or Victorino could strike, Cecily stepped away from the crowd, her hands raised high above her head. "Wait, wait! We'll need witnesses, a bigger crowd..." she remarked. To the rest of the world, it looked like she was just in it for the spectacle, but Olberic knew the truth of the matter. If he beat Victorino in a private space, that wouldn't be enough to secure him a place in the tourney. They had to make this as public as they could, and Olberic was ready for it.

Cecily snapped her fingers together as soon as an answer came to her. "The plaza! Fight your battle there!" she exclaimed. The people around her began to whisper to one another in anticipation of the battle to come, waiting to see what Victorino and Olberic would say.

Victorino thought it over for a few seconds that felt like they lasted a lifetime before he nodded. "I'm willin'. The bigger the crowd, the bigger the stakes. I'll see you there, knight," he declared. With that, he sheathed his blade and started off toward the plaza at the center of town. The rest of the crowd chattered around him before following his lead, leaving Olberic standing with the rest of his party, Cecily, and Ned.

"This is going to be it, Olberic. I'm sure of it," Cecily grinned. She gave him a nudge with her elbow before walking back to the plaza, giving him one final glance over her shoulder. 'You had better put on a good show. The people demand it." She vanished into the crowd soon afterward, Ned on her heels as always.

Once he was alone with the rest of the travelers, Olberic let out a sigh. Ophilia pressed her hands together in excitement. "I always knew you were an incredible fighter, but there's something special about seeing you fight in a duel," she commented. "I'm sure you'll be able to win against Victorino too."

"And then we'll be in the tournament!" Tressa exclaimed. "This is perfect! All Olberic has to do is win one more fight, and everything will finally come together!"

"We've all got faith in you, Olberic. If anyone's gonna be able to pull this off, it'd be you," Alfyn beamed. "But we're not gonna get any of that done by just standin' around here and talkin', right?"

Olberic nodded. "You're right," he agreed. "I can't let my guard down now. I doubt Victorino will make this a simple battle."

"But you're going to win in the end," Tressa assured him. "You're a knight of Hornburg, and as much as I appreciate the combat integrity of a man of the seas, I think we both know who's going to come out on top here."

Olberic smiled down at her when he noticed just how bright her grin was, and he took in a careful breath. "We'll simply have to see."

Despite the massive number of people in the plaza near the arena, it was fairly simple for Olberic and the rest of the group to make their way to the center of the crowd. Even those who hadn't been there to see the declaration of the battle seemed to know what was coming, and the buzz of the area was well beyond overwhelming. Everyone in Victors Hollow was high on the excitement of tourney season, and even before the battles could begin properly, they were ready for it.

Victorino had his blade drawn already by the time Olberic arrived at the heart of the crowd, and Cecily shot the warrior a bright smile as his opponent began to speak. "Shall we get to it, knight? I'm a man of the sea an' was never one for standin' on ceremony..."

Olberic nodded. "Of course. I'm ready whenever you are."

"About that..." Victorino trailed off, and he looked to the people standing behind him. Three other men pulled away from the crowd, all of them with weapons on their own. "I'm gearin' up for the tourney, and the battles there can include a few other combatants alongside the main fights. I hope you don't mind my men usin' this as practice."

Olberic couldn't help the smile that appeared on his lips at that. "In that case, I hope you wouldn't mind a few of my companions stepping into the ring as well," he said. He looked to the rest of the travelers, and all of them brandished their weapons.

Victorino allowed himself to grin gently. "I figured you were friends. I'm glad to see I was right," he murmured. "But it won't mean much if you can't stand up to me, eh?"

"Then I will," Olberic assured him. He adjusted his grip on the Sword of Stone ever so slightly. "I'm ready when you are."

Cecily raised one hand high above her head before slicing it down through the air. "Begin!"

The first fighter to make a move was Therion, who raised his dagger before rushing toward the first of Victorino's men. Thanks to his impressive speed, Therion was easily able to get in a slash before the man noticed and tried to strike back. Luckily for Therion, H'aanit was there to cover for him, calling upon a strike of thunder magic to cover for his retreat. During his escape, Therion struck at a second fighter, distracting the man just in time for Primrose to lash out as well.

Victorino charged toward Olberic, recognizing who his foe was slated to be. He raised his blade high but was forced backward by a blast of wind magic from Tressa. One of Victorino's other allies lashed out at her to try and keep her away from the duel that fueled the rest of the fight, and Ophilia created a column of light magic to keep a bit of distance between the man and Tressa. Alfyn hit one hand against the ground to create a spire of ice that wrapped around the man's leg, leaving him wide open for a combination attack between H'aanit's bow and Therion's dagger.

Victorino, meanwhile, was left staggered by Tressa's strike. Olberic tried to twist his blade around to disarm Victorino by force, but since he had used that trick twice already, it didn't work as well as he would have liked. Victorino had been watching the previous battles, and he knew it was coming. Instead, Victorino swung low, and Olberic stepped backward before ducking beneath an attack that came for his chest. Victorino was smaller and much faster than Olberic, and he clearly intended on using that advantage to claim the upper hand.

As Tressa's attack had shown, the best way to trip up a fast opponent was to use their swiftness against them. It had worked in the battles against the gods, and it would no doubt be effective here as well. Olberic wasn't entirely sure of how he was meant to do it here though. He couldn't use his earth magic to try and halt Victorino's pursuit. A larger display than he had already shown off had the potential to endanger the onlookers, and he refused to put them at risk. He would just have to find a different solution to this dilemma.

Nearby, H'aanit twisted around her bow to disarm the fighter that Alfyn had already immobilized. The man held up his hands in surrender, and it was only then that Cyrus used a small amount of fire magic to free him. The man retreated back into the crowd, and Therion watched him go, whirling around at the last minute to see another attack coming his way.

Ophilia pointed one finger forward, and the winds rushed to her command to knock the new assailant off course. Tressa raised her spear high before slicing at his arm. The man gasped as his grip on his blade was forced to loosen, and Primrose swept in before he could blink. With a quick twist of the Shadow Fan, his weapon was on the ground, and the dancer effortlessly kicked it back toward Alfyn, who smiled to himself proudly. The second man of the group took a step back and left the battle behind.

There was only one man left out of those on Victorino's side, and he made a lunge for Tressa as soon as he realized the odds were against him. He seemed to recognize her as one of the biggest threats thanks to her previous manipulation in wind magic spurring the other travelers on to follow her lead. Tressa yelped as she ducked out of the way, and the man was forced to retreat when one of H'aanit's arrows clipped his hand. It wasn't enough to deal significant damage, but it did force him to stop for a moment to nurse his wound. The arrow soared past him and embedded itself in the ground just in front of the feet of a few people in the crowd. The close brush with danger didn't seem to scare any of them though. In fact, all it seemed to do was make them cheer that much louder.

Alfyn raised his axe high above his head before bringing it down across his target's chest. The man groaned as all the air was forced from his lungs, and he landed hard on the stones below. From there, it didn't take long for Ophilia to create a small outcropping of rock that trapped his hand, forcing him to let go of his sword. Primrose picked up the fallen blade, and the man held up his free hand in surrender. The fight was all up to Victorino now.

Cyrus glanced in Victorino's direction and saw the man running circles around Olberic thanks to his superior speed. The scholar raised the Tome of Tundras high, and a thin sheet of ice magic spread across the ground, just enough to trip Victorino up. The man let out a staggered gasp before forcing himself to stop moving. He slid carefully across the ice before landing on solid ground nearby, though it was clear that the sudden film of ice had caught him off guard.

Victorino didn't have time to recover before Olberic was jumping down on him blade raised high. Victorino attempted to block the attack, but raw strength had never been his strong suit, and Olberic easily cleaved through the strike before pressing forward. Victorino stumbled onto the ice once again before slipping and falling, his blade lost in the shuffle. Olberic pointed his sword at Victorino for a moment before smiling and sheathing his sword, reaching out one hand to his opponent.

Victorino was quick to accept Olberic's outstretched hand as a man in the crowd shouted out, "The knight's gone and done it!"

"But what about the tourney?" came the voice of another onlooker.

Cecily took a step forward as Olberic hurled Victorino to his feet. Nearby, the rest of Victorino's men came to stand behind their leader as Cecily spoke. "We all know the rule. The strongest remains!" she declared. She held up Olberic's hand once he had released Victorino, forcing the crowd to stare at the two. All the while, Cecily wore a proud, bright smile across her face that seemed to light up the plaza just like the sun.

"W-Wait... Does she have the right of it?" a woman asked her husband. "'Twas a street brawl, no more..."

"Aye," another onlooker chimed in. "But street or arena, the strongest remains. That's how it's always been."

Victorino let out a jovial laugh, not at all seeming to care that he had just lost so thoroughly. "Hear me! I've lost in a fair an' open battle, and this man here stands victorious," he announced. "Might is right, and the strongest remains! My tourney place is his." He turned his attention to Olberic, his eyes growing softer. "What say ye? 'Tis yers, if ye'll have it."

The rest of the crowd buzzed and chattered in anticipation of Olberic's response, and he nodded. "I will. You're a man of honor." The two shook hands, and the crowd burst into yet another frenzy of excitement. Olberic couldn't help his smile at the center of it all, and a sensation a lot like happiness started to bloom in his chest. How long had it been since he took this much joy from a casual duel?

Since Erhardt, he knew the answer was, but for a few moments, that didn't seem to matter at all. It felt like Olberic was making progress one way or another, and after all the years he had spent trapped on his own, progress was a grand thing to be making indeed. He was one step closer to unraveling his feelings about all that had happened, and he was glad for it.

"This probably drummed up a lot more excitement for the tourney, huh?" Tressa smiled as she came to stand behind Olberic. Victorino gave Olberic one final nod and turned on his heel to leave, the rest of his men following after him. Victorino seemed to sense that it was time for a personal conversation between Olberic and the rest of his friends, and the warrior was grateful for the moment he had been granted.

"I would hope so. Look at all the people around here," Alfyn remarked as he looked around the area. The crowds were starting to move toward the arena in earnest now, unable to hold back their excitement after the previous duel. Somehow, the atmosphere in Victors Hollow had grown even more electric, and Olberic hadn't even believed that was possible. Who would have thought a single fight could do so much for people even if they weren't a part of it?

"I guess all that's left now is for us to win this fight, huh?" Tressa asked, and everyone stared at her in thinly-veiled confusion. "Well, we were able to get into the tournament. Why not try to win it? I know we came here to try and talk to Gustav, but... I think we could all use a bit of weight off our shoulders from fighting in a way that won't be a life or death situation for once."

Olberic couldn't help but smile at that. "I agree," he said softly. He hadn't experienced the full thrill of a battle in a long time, but he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins in earnest now. He needed this. All of them did, if he was to be more accurate. They had been through a lot over the course of the last few days, and they needed a break.

Tressa tilted her head to the side, and she let out a hefty sigh. "Listen to the birds sing! I bet they're excited for everything to come," she declared, placing her hands on her hips. The rest of the travelers paused for a moment to listen to the birdsong she spoke of. "It's amazing what a change of environment can do for a person, huh?"

Olberic simply nodded. All of them knew what she was really talking about. It was nice to get away from Quarrycrest, and even if they were still there on business for the sake of learning more about Gustav and by extension Erhardt, it felt so much more relaxed than their time in Quarrycrest. They hadn't stumbled into any plots that involved kidnapping and killing people to harvest their blood. The bar was unbelievably low, but it was still nice to be able to step over it fully rather than stumbling and falling flat on their faces along the way.

"Perhaps we should try to stay here for a few days longer after the tournament ends," Olberic murmured. That was already the plan from the start, at least to some degree, but the more Olberic thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. He was sure that he was going to need the time to himself to think everything through even after they were finished dealing with the tourney and speaking with Gustav. It was inevitable that he would require a bit of recovery time after the close brush with his past, as much as he hated to admit it. At least the rest of the group would be able to enjoy it along the way.

"And maybe I can turn my attention to finding my treasure as long as I'm at it," Tressa smiled, cupping one hand around her chin in thought. "I'm not going to leave this place without something in my hands for the Merchants Fair. Victors Hollow has all sorts of things that I could check out, and I'm determined to find anything I need to make sure that I blow Ali away when I see him again."

"Maybe we'll even get something like that out of winning the tournament," Therion suggested, though Olberic wasn't entirely sure if he believed it. The reward for the tourney was nebulous at best, no doubt something primarily focused on pride and honor as long as so many warriors were invested in it solely for the sake of fighting. That would hardly satisfy the requirements that Tressa had set forward, but it would at least be something for them to enjoy. Given the massive blow to their confidence they had sustained recently, this was the least they could do for themselves and for each other.

"You're right!" Tressa grinned. "We should go on back to talk to Cecily about what we're going to do next. I mean, the tourney is going to start soon, and we don't want to miss that."

"Have we conducted all the necessary preparations?" Cyrus questioned. "Perhaps we want to rearrange our equipment a little bit before we march to the arena... After all, I doubt we'll have much time to change up our strategies and the like before the battles begin."

"Can you handle that, Cyrus?" Ophilia asked. "I feel like you would probably know best what to set everyone up with. You're the closest thing we have to a strategist."

Cyrus smiled to himself. "I would be happy to help," he replied.

With those words, they started to conduct their first full inventory of supplies since they had come together, and for how much work they had to do, they finished it all impressively fast. Cyrus didn't know much about the logistics of weapons, but he was still able to put together the necessary pieces of information, especially with the help of the rest of the travelers pushing him in the right direction. The weapons of the gods had, expectedly, demanded a few changes be made, and it was easy enough for everything to come together before they had to head to the arena.

Once all the preparations had been finished, the group headed toward the arena, and they found Cecily with Ned near one of the street lamps overlooking the path forward. Cecily was tapping one foot impatiently beneath her dress, playing with a few loose threads of hair to pass the time. Ned, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, more than used to arena fighting by now and experienced with easing his nerves.

Cecily looked up when she realized the travelers were walking over, and she smiled grandly to the group. "The tourney is set to start in about half an hour! Are you ready to go in?" she asked, all of her anxiety melting away in the blink of an eye. At the very least, that was what she tried to make it seem like, though Olberic was sure the reality was much harsher than that. She was still nervous; she was just trying to bury that fear in preparation for what was to come.

Olberic looked to the rest of the group to make sure they all shared his opinions before nodding to Cecily. She clapped her hands together, a bright grin spreading across her features. "Great! Then let's head inside!"

Cecilly led the group easily through a separate entrance of the arena solely for competitors. The audience set their sights on the upper levels of the building while Cecily had the party follow her to a series of tunnels near the stage. There were a few windows that offered light in from the outside along with previews of the battles to come, and through these few holes in the walls, Olberic could see the people of Victors Hollow clamoring excitedly for everything to come. The noise was almost unbearable, though he supposed he shouldn't have expected much else. Everyone came from far and wide to watch this tournament specifically. It was the largest of the year, and most people wouldn't miss it for the world. How could they not be excited?

The other competitors were all gathered in the tunnels as well, and Olberic could see the leaders of each team speaking with their allies in an attempt to both calm their nerves and iron out strategies for the upcoming skirmishes. He imagined that most of them were scrambling to figure out what to do now that Victorino had been replaced at the last moment. Without the guidance of their past experiences with the man, most of them were left clueless as to what to do next. Olberic could feel many of the guards and fighters looking over at him out of the corner of their eyes, curious as could be about what had caused the sudden switch. Olberic supposed that the rumors of his triumph over Victorino in a duel hadn't yet reached everyone's ears. It would get there eventually, he was sure.

"Alright," Cecily announced when they were finally in their preparations spot. Each of the main eight competitors had different rooms set aside for their supplies, though the spaces were hardly large enough for the full teams to discuss their plans. As such, Cecily opted to stand in the hallway while Tressa, Cyrus, and Therion were in the room. The rest of the party remained outside, watching on silently. "We have a little bit of time to get ready. The announcement to officially start the tournament is coming soon."

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Tressa admitted softly. "I didn't ever dream we were going to get the chance to see the tourney from this side."

"I'm glad for it though," Alfyn chimed in with a smile. "If this is goin' to help Olberic to talk with Gustav, then it's all perfect for us."

"I should go and try to find him," Olberic suggested. "As long as we're here, it wouldn't hurt for me to speak with him. Perhaps I can get most of our discussion out of the way before the rounds begin in full. That would be one extra weight off my mind."

"I don't think you're going to have much of a chance to do that," Cecily told him with a small frown. "He's going to be preparing for the tournament, and you need to get ready for it too. I don't know what it is you need to talk to him about, but I think you should concentrate first on getting all of your preparations out of the way."

Olberic wished Cecily was wrong about that, but she had a point, so he simply nodded. He would have to wait until after the tournament to speak with Gustav, it seemed. Olberic was good at pushing his thoughts out of his mind until he could finish a battle, so he was confident it would be no issue for him, but he still wished he could get it out of the way. Then again, if the conversation was going to be as long as Olberic had been fearing, perhaps it was for the best that he had to wait. After all, the worst possible outcome would be starting to talk about Erhardt only to get cut off halfway through. Olberic had no idea if he would be able to take that after all the years he had already spent waiting.

"I understand," Olberic said stiffly. He didn't say it aloud, but he was beginning to hate the spontaneity that had been assaulting them left and right since they party arrived in Victors Hollow. He supposed it could have been worse, but it still caught him off guard in ways he didn't particularly enjoy.

"Good," Cecily smiled. "Now, let's get right into the rest of our preparations. There's not a moment to lose, everyone!"

The rest of the preparation period passed by in the blink of an eye with Cecily going out to announce the change of competitor to the barker. Before any of the knew it, the time had come for Olberic to step out onto the tournament stage as the representative for their team. The stands were full and overflowing, and the roaring of the crowd was as infectious as it was overwhelming. Olberic didn't think he had ever seen so many people in a single place. He thanked the gods for never giving him stage fright; he doubted he would have survived this tournament if he had been cursed with it.

At the center of the stage, a single man stood. He was a barker for the tournament, though he was a different one from the person who had been advertising outside the arena earlier in the day. His clothing was fancier, and Olberic could already tell he would be the one narrating the rest of the tourney.

"Another year has passed, and the day of days has come once again!" the barker declared, and everyone in the stands went quiet in anticipation. It could never be perfectly silent in the arena, but Olberic could tell that this was as close as they were going to get. "Eight champions strong and true have emerged by their character, mettle, and fortune! Who shall emerge victorious?!"

The crowd roared once again, and the man smiled before continuing. "The shields are polished, and the blades are whetted! Step forward, brave warriors!"

The rest of the travelers sent Olberic encouraging smiles with Tressa and Alfyn flashing him matching thumbs-up. With that, Olberic stepped out into the light alongside the other seven competitors, and they all fell into a line in front of the barker. Olberic looked out of the corner of his eye at his soon-to-be foes, and his gaze fell on a man wearing black armor from head to toe. That had to be Gustav, the Black Knight. Why would he bear that title if not for the color of the steel he wore?

"He has been grand champion for four tournaments in a row! He is the reigning king-but will he meet his kingslayer today?" the barker went on, and Olberic snapped back to reality with the words. "Behold, Archibold the Crusher, mightiest of the mighty!" Archibold took a step forward, and the crowd went wild all over again, and Olberic could tell by their excited cheers that Archibold was the fan favorite. He was a champion, but he was also beloved by the people of Victors Hollow, and they wanted to see him succeed with a streak of half a decade.

"They say the blood of men turns to ice in the frozen wastes of the north. Just a tale, mayhap," the barker went on. "But let no one deny that the steel of this man's blade is as biting as the ice in his eyes! Joshua Frostblade!" Joshua turned around to face the crowd, though the reaction was nowhere near as jovial as it had been for Archibold.

"Our next fighter spent years learning' the art of war, masterin' pikes, halberds, spears, and all things long and pointy!" the barker declared. "Misjudge his peasant's weapon at your own peril! Last man what did found himself skewered before he could so much as lift his fancy blade in the shortest fight of the tourney. His lance dances then spits you like a pig! He's Conrad the Impaler!"

As Conrad stepped forward, the barker went on, pushing through the excitement of the crowd. "He's been second to only one man, always the last man bested. But this year, will it be his opponent who bends his knee in the final battle? Many here say aye, for this year he will at last usurp the king! His sword strikes with the ferocity of a savage beast! Wallace Wildsword is here to claim the king's crown!"

"Of fame and renown, this next fighter cares little. But now many a fighter pales at the mention of his name," the barker continued. "A hunter among hunters, in the preliminary rounds he bagged every monster that appeared. Be it fiend or man, he never loses his quarry, for he is Bernhard the Beasthunter!"

"Next is an impregnable fortress of a man! Neither axe nor sword has ever sundered his shield! He is an immovable force! He can no more be toppled than a mountain! If the battle goes to the last man standing, how can he not emerge victorious?! He is Grieg the Unbreakable!" the barker announced next.

Olberic looked out of the corner of his eye. Gustav would be the next one to step forward. Olberic listened as he could around the clamoring of the onlookers for any detail that might somehow help him to speak with the man in question. "Next is a mystery knight-a dark horse, one might say-who has swatted away all other challengers with contemptuous ease. The arena has not seen the likes of his swordplay in many a year. Could this man be our new champion?" the barker asked. "Gustav the Black Knight!"

"Last, but let us not say least-for this last-minute entrant defeated none other than Victorino, the Buccaneer's Bane. Does he deserve to be here, or does he not? You've all had your say," the barker went on. "But hear this! The rule of the tourney is writ clear! Might makes right, and let no man disavow what another claims by feat of arms! So raise a cheer for Olberic, the Unbending Blade!"

Olberic took his step forward, and he could feel the eyes of everyone in the crowd locked solely on him. They all had their questions, many of them crying out something in shock about how he was alive after all this time. Luckily, the barker was unbothered by their words and instead just raised his arms high above his head. "Here stand your eight champions! Now only the duels remain! Let the tournament begin!"

Late night update. Oops? The holiday weekend took a bit of a turn for the unpredictable and ate up a lot of my regular typing time, so... Yeah. Oh well. At least it's here now.

Anyways, let's talk about the chapter. Despite this one having a fight sequence, there's not all that much I really have to add here. It feels a lot like a transition chapter, and as such, it was a lot of filling in the gaps between the Victorino battle and the start of the tournament. We're going to actually get into the tournament next time around, don't you worry, so we're well on our way through this chapter.

I don't have all that much to say about this one, and since the chapter was a little bit longer than usual as a treat for me being late, I'm going to cut things off early. Next week, we'll start with the first part of the tournament proper. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital