Frederick stepped into the pen after Mr. Briodair opened it. His gaze was on the little iron-formed creature standing in the midst known as Aron. He walked right up to it and squatted low where there were eye level. The monster's blue eyes met with his own blue eyes. In looking at each other, Frederick sensed there was something there.
Looking at those literal steel eyes surrounded by blue irises, he saw a reflection of himself oddly enough. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about Aron that bespoke an eternal bond. All the while, they awaited. They awaited for something, each in their own way.
Can I do this? Do I truly have what is needed to attain my goal? Can I even use this creature?
Frederick slowly reached out his hand. Aron didn't flinch, but he wasn't excited either. It was so curious. His hand went closer and closer until it rested upon Aron's head.
What will happen next I wonder. Will this creature respect me?
Aron's pupil's dilated. He shook. Frederick noticed and realized Aron shook.
Yet Aron stood fast. And his pupils widened again. He adopted a stern and focused attitude, as if to say "I'm ready to fight! I won't surrender"
"What do you think of him, lad?" Mr. Briodair said behind him, excitement pouring out of his voice.
Frederick smiled
This creature. He can help me attain my goal
"Well" Frederick said "I think I've decided Mr. Briodair."
He lifted his hand and arose, turning to face Mr. Briodair "I've decided that I agree with you all the way sir. This one is certainly the one that can win the tournament"
Mr. Briodair's smile opened to a wide-tooth grin as he gave a self-satisfied thumbs up "That's the spirit lad! Well chosen indeed, if I do say so myself"
Claire looked up to the sky, her hands clasped together, and to Frederick's great surprise a new smile he'd never seen before appeared. It was one that he couldn't quite describe. It wasn't overly rambunctious or happy. It wasn't veiled or sly. Yet, it wasn't one of mere contentment either.
It was in the eyes that he thought he saw the answer: Anticipation. Though he wasn't fully sure if it was so.
When she looked down at him her smile was contagious. There was something that made him anticipate the future with this moment. He looked back to see Aron staring at him. A defiant, strong face that one had. It wasn't disrespectful, but Frederick felt in the back of his head that something was off about it. He looked up though and turned to face the tinkerer's tower.
Soon. Very soon. I'll glide from that tower.
As Mr. Briodair saw them out of the pen area and said "Hold on just a moment, I have something that will be very important for you. I'll head inside to bring it out" He then opened the barn door slightly and entered.
A few minutes later he came out with a red, metallic ball that had a white triangle on one of its sides. "This is for you young Frederick"
He handed Frederick the ball and Frederick was surprised at the weight. Upon closer inspection he found a steel hinge on the opposite side of the white triangle, with a thin white line running in between the two on both sides. "What is it sir?"
"This is a capsule ball. It is used to confine monsters within its contents"
Frederick nearly dropped the ball in shock and looked at it wearily "What?"
Mr. Briodair nodded "It shoots out a red lightning bolt to either release or recall a monster."
Frederick's face went pale. He wanted to destroy the thing. Or at least throw it as far away as possible. "Isn't this witchcraft? How can a tiny red orb cast out lightning and unleash a monster?"
Mr. Briodair chuckled "Rest assured it is no witchcraft. In fact it was because we tamed the monsters that we were able to defeat the witch's guild and banish them to the farlands. Without it we would have become slaves and would not have been ready in time."
Frederick gained a little color in his face, and then cocked his head "In time for what?"
Mr. Briodair's smile faded "The Gathering of Legends"
Frederick shuddered. Even on the outskirts of the Princedom as he and his family were, he had heard tell of The Gathering of Legends.
Mr. Briodair nodded "You are right to have worry. What did your father tell you of The Gathering?"
Frederick's brows furrowed "All he told me was to pray that I wouldn't be around for when it would come. That if and when it was around, I should count my blessings."
"Yes. Your father was probably told from his father, and his father before him. All the way down the generations from the last Gathering."
Mr. Briodair shook his head "Enough of that. This should be a joyous moment. You have almost all you need to do well in, and possibly win in the tournament. Before you head off to begin your training, let me show you how to recall and release Aron." He took out another Capsule ball and held it forward, arm outstretched. "All you need to do is put your thumb on the white line, squeeze, then release. If you don't put your thumb specifically, it won't work. Don't ask me how or why it is so. All that I know is that it works this way and no other, like so"
Mr. Briodair placed his thumb upon the white line and quickly squeezed the capsule ball. A beam of red light shot out from the white triangle. Once it reached the ground where Mr. Briodair pointed it, the hinges on the back opened and out of the hollow interior of the metal ball, red sparks formed. These sparks grew in size and number until they completely filled the space. They then began to randomly overflow until one piece of the overflow touched the triangle, the point of which hung under the top half of the opened ball. It then channeled the sparks to follow the red beam of light, which still shone. It then released a bolt of red lightning that flew to the ground.
The red lightning bolt formed into another ball that became a solid red color. This solid red shifted to white and then began to change form. It grew in size until it was roughly in the silhouette of a pony. Finally the white gave way to the monster's true colors, which was tan all around apart from black hooves, brown eyes, and the fire that acted as its mane. It ran from its head down to its tail, which Frederick realized was entirely made of fire.
Frederick took a step back "Incredible sir. I know you don't know, but how is this possible?"
Mr. Briodair smiled, "Even after all of these years, it still amazes me when I slow down and think on it. Now, you try. It's the same process as releasing a monster to recall it"
Frederick took a deep breath and looked at Aron. He stretched out his arm towards Aron, the triangle facing it. He put his thumb on the line, squeezed, then relaxed. Then a beam of red light, from his point of view, came from the palm of his hand. Then in almost a blur the capsule ball opened and a bolt of red lightning shot from his hand and swallowed up Aron. The Red returned as Aron's form went quickly to a white sphere, then a red sphere, then clung to the bolt that now raced back to the ball. It slammed into the ball, causing Frederick's arm to buckle and reel from the impact. He fell down as the ball closed, breathing and sweating at the end.
Mr. Briodair laughed "You'll get used to it lad, but just know that the quicker you squeeze and release, the quicker the bolt leaves and returns. As you just experienced, this naturally means more power in the bolt"
Frederick stood up and looked at Aron's capsule ball with wonder. Then he looked up at Mr. Briodair "Right, I'll try to remember that next time"
Mr. Briodair then nodded "Now, go. You need to train to wield such iron and power"
Claire gasped, and whispered "Wait, don't tell me…"
Frederick raised an eyebrow and turned to Claire "Tell you what?"
Claire looked at Frederick "Oh… Don't worry about it. Just a little thought is all"
Frederick shrugged, "Oh, okay." He smiled and waved at Mr. Briodair "I will train sir! Thank you"
Mr. Briodair put the capsule ball in his pocket and waved back "Oh and Claire! Be sure to visit more often. I don't get too many visitors nowadays!"
Claire smiled and waved "I will Mr. Briodair!"
With that, the two turned away and went back on the road to the other hills.
They went towards another hill in the midst of the hills. Here, they saw a man dressed in steel armor, swinging in the air. They were obviously precise. Frederick didn't know how he could know, but he had a gut instinct that they were. He trained in front of an archery range. He stood near worn and cut oak posts. His house was a modest one. It was a small hut with an open door that revealed a few swords, a stand for his armor, a table, and a bed.
As they neared him he suddenly stopped, and sheathed his sword in its scabbard. Taking off his helmet he turned to face them "Welcome youngsters!" His voice was deep and scratchy, fitting for the battle scarred blond hair, blue eyes warrior. The most visible cut ran from up and past his right ear down to his upper lip.
"What can I help you with, my young lady and man?"
Claire said "I seek your aide, Sir Stahlhert, this young man, named Frederick, needs to be trained to prepare for the tournament"
The man nodded "Very well."
He turned to face Frederick "Young Frederick, I must forewarn you that I cannot guarantee your victory. Even if I hadn't already been helping others whom you will probably be competing against, your stance and walk speak of one who has not been trained. You only have a week to prepare. Normally these tournaments are a year, or at least a month out. With just a week, I can get you up to speed and perhaps give you a winning strategy to go into the tournament with."
The man held out his hand "With that said, will you still take on my training?"
Frederick nodded as he took and shook the knight's hand "I would be honored to"
Sir Stahlhert nodded "Now, let's begin"
So the week-long training began.
On the first day Frederick learned of the proper etiquette of entering the battles. He also learned that there was a preliminary free-for-all where the last 16 standing within the boundary of a little hill within the colosseum would move onto the actual bracket.
He also learned that in the bracket battles, each of the fighters would have to take turns using moves, with the first to move decided by a coin toss. These moves were given regulated names which all legally bred monsters were trained to use.
After this, Frederick learned of the moves Aron could use. This required Sir Stahlhert to take a hollow steel triangle and snap it onto the white triangle of the capsule ball. The outside triangle started to glow from the left and work its way until it was nearly across to the right.
The moves were as follows:
Mud-slap, an attack which forms a mud ball that upon contact slightly hurts the opponent, but blinds it for about 10 seconds.
Headbutt, an attack where Aron charges and uses the momentum of its body and hard head to deal a great amount of damage upon contact and knock out its breath
Metal Claw, an attack where Aron's front feet are turned into claws that pierces through most armor and deals significant damage otherwise
And Finally Iron Defense, a move where Aron's steel body is hardened and toughened throughout the duration of the battle, as a consequence this makes Aron move slower.
For the rest of the week, Frederick went to Sir Stahlhert's house after finishing up work on the farm. He honed in on and gained familiarity with all four of Aron's current moves. He became used to releasing and recalling Aron with the capsule ball.
It went by in the blink of an eye. As fate would have it, the day of the tournament fell on the first of the two days of labor's rest
So it was on that day of rest that Frederick entered the colosseum. As he walked in, he turned to be seen off by Claire only to find she wasn't there.
Huh, she was just here.
He shrugged
Oh well. She probably already went into the stands
In spite of his thoughts, he did feel nervous. He'd never been in front of a large crowd before. Still he couldn't stop now.
So, he entered to see a raucous crowd all cheering the roughly fifty contestants who had been gathered. It wasn't long after he entered that the last of the contestants was admitted and the gates were closed. They all stood in a ring around the base of the hill, just as Sir Stahlhert had taught him.
The Prince stood up from the high podium, and all of the crowd hushed at the wave of his hand. He spoke in a strong voice "contestants, people of the Princedom, and any onlookers, I welcome you to this tournament. The winner shall become a knight, and the sworn guardian of my daughter. Now let the contest begin!"
The crowd erupted with cheers as it started. The mad dash to the top of the hill. This was it. This was the next step to reach his goal.