CHAPTER 12 (PART 3): ENTER THE TOURNAMENT

"Hey! Are you gonna keep us waiting?!" Alice yelled with her usual, annoying voice. "Come on!"

Arth sighed after realizing that the young man had already been gone from his sight. He caught up with the two and then they continued going straight towards the main road.

The aromatic smell in the cold air had captured Arth’s nose as they passed by the flower shops and stalls beside the street. He suddenly remembered the garden he used to go in the Frostwood village. Even with the low temperature and the snow falling, the cyclamen and winter flowers were still in bloom.

The group finally stopped in front of a two story building, its walls cemented and painted in dark brown. The roof was entirely covered by thick snow, and the glass windows had black curtains inside. As Robert opened the wooden door, Arth saw different shelves of clothing, textiles and carpets inside, making him realize that it was a fabric shop. The gentle and comforting fragrance of the place had welcomed the three.

"Who runs this shop?" Arth asked curiously while caressing the soft fabrics on the open shelves.

"One of Boss Lucas’ men owns this place and agreed to make this as our hideout," Robert replied as he shook off the snowflakes on his brown tunic.

"Where's the owner?"

"Upstairs maybe," Alice answered.

Robert walked towards the tall wooden cabinet at the far end of the room, and then opened its double doors. Thick piles of textiles and clothes hung inside. The space was big enough for a person to fit in.

Robert pushed the hanged clothes to the side, revealing a hidden door at the back of the cabinet. He took a key from his pocket and used it to unlock the door.

When the hidden door opened, a brown carpeted stairs led the narrow path down towards the basement. Arth closed the two doors of the cabinet and then sled back the hanged clothes to their usual places before going through the hidden door.

The basement had more space than what Arth had imagined. The center of the furnished chamber had four couches, facing each other, with a small coffee table at the middle. The ceiling was not that low, having a small chandelier that lighted the entire place. At the walls were four, comforting beds; double-decked.

"I never knew we had a secret base here in the capital," Arth said as he sat on the soft couch.

"Yeah, but sadly we're not allowed to stay here, bro, unless we had a mission that will take days in the capital," Robert sighed. "Damn, I could've brought many ladies in here!"

Alice whispered a curse, but Arth could still hear it.

"You should rest now for tomorrow's tournament, bro," Robert told him. "You need to wake up early for the registration!"

"Where are you going?" Arth asked when he saw Robert walking up to the staircase.

"To grab some drinks, of course!" Robert chuckled. "It's not that often that I come here in the capital."

As he went out of the chamber, Arth saw Alice going to one of the beds, laying herself on the soft sheets.

"Gonna sleep already too?" Arth asked her as he sat on the other bed.

"Hmm ..." Alice mumbled with her eyes already closed. "I need to gather enough rest … in case I will have to use my Empyreal Ability tomorrow. I might pass out … like how I did before."

“Oh,” Arth slowly nodded. "Don't worry. You'll have someone to carry you anyway if you're already drained out."

Alice opened her eyes, then looked at him with one brow raised. "You mean Robert? I wouldn't even let that pervert touch me! I'll slap his ugly face if he ever does," she rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean … I will be the one to carry you," Arth said, avoiding her eyes while scratching his head.

Alice’s eyebrows stormed after hearing what Arth had said. She immediately looked away and then cleared her throat.

‘Dang it, did I just make it sound too weird?’ Arth thought, gritting his teeth.

"Whatever. I'm not expecting anything."      

Arth nodded. He lied his head down on the soft, white pillow and slowly closed his eyes. ‘I need to do my best tomorrow. I cannot mess this up.’

***

For the first time, Arth finally awoke by himself without anyone or anything disturbing him. When he sat up, he realized he was alone in the chamber.

“This is nice. A peaceful morning in—”

His eyes snapped wide open in shock as he saw the time in the wall clock.

He yelled a curse, jumping out of bed. The registration for the tournament was almost over, but there he was, still in the chamber. "Where the hell are those two anyway?! It would’ve really been better if they woke me up!"

The time was ticking while Arth donned his sword and belt on his waist. Then he wore his blue cloak, then stormed out of the chamber, almost tripping on the stairs. He even had to jump out of the cabinet.

In the fabric shop, Robert and Alice were drinking their hot coffee on the counter, together with a middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner. But that did not matter now, because Arth needed to get to the registration.

"Morning, lazy bird. Still need someone to wake you up?" Alice said casually before she drank on her cup of coffee. Her expression was so calm as if she did not care if Arth would get late or not.

Arth muttered a curse again as he rushed out of the shop.

"Good luck, bro! We'll be there later!" Robert shouted as Arth slammed the door close.

The arena was not that far from their hideout, but it would still take time for Arth to get there. He thought of riding his horse, but the main road towards the arena was so crowded, so he just ran. Many people walked, heading in the same direction which gave him a hard time getting through.

"Excuse me!" he said, panicking, catching his breath. He only had a few minutes left.

Finally, Arth arrived in the entrance to the arena. It had a circular structure stone-made. Several flagpoles surrounded the arena, with the banners of Glacia flying with the wind, with small gardens on both sides of the entrance path. The whole place was already crowded with warriors, even knights, joining the tournament.

His heart raced, chest pounding as he looked around, trying to find the registration. Then after seeing the desks, he hurried towards the only occupied one, where an old man was seated.

“Excuse me, sir,” Arth almost shouted, placing his Standard Knight silver badge on the table. The old man raised his pale eyes to look.

"Arth … from … Frostwood … a Standard Knight … in Casterfall City," Arth said, breathless.

The man checked the silver badge and then nodded in confirmation. He took a piece of paper and wrote something on it.

"Your number is seventy-three... Arth from Frostwood," the old man spoke in a husky voice.

"Got it, thank you." Arth wiped the sweat on his forehead and then placed his hands on his waist, glad that he made it in time.

Arth entered one of the archways in the arena, crowded with warriors, both young and old, all waiting outside the ring of the wide, circular stage. The ring was elevated about a couple of feet above the ground, with two staircases built oppositely for climbing.

Arth looked around the arena, realizing that it was two times bigger than the one in Casterfall City. He glanced at the crowds of audience filling up the seats around the stage. There was a small grandstand with a dais and one, elegant seat, still empty and guarded by silver-armored knights. That must’ve been where the high councilor would watch.

Suddenly, the announcer came to inform that the tournament was about to start. The audience began to cheer louder as the competitors were getting ready.

Arth began to wonder what the tournament would be like. His confidence had been overwhelmed by his anxiety, since he was more nervous about their main mission than winning this tournament.

"Competitors, get ready!" the announcer said. "I want to remind everybody that this tournament will be a single-round duel, following the traditional rules! This means that the use of any weapons is allowed … but the use of magic is strictly prohibited!"

Arth nodded slowly while listening.

"The rules are simple! Take your opponent outside the ring and you win the match! If you use magic ... you’re disqualified! If you're knocked out for ten counts ... you lose! And if you die ... well, it’s up to you to figure it out!"

The people's cheers grew loud and wild. Arth took a deep breath. So killing was allowed? It seemed like the high councilor would enjoy this show.

"The champion of the tournament ... will receive ... a thousand gold pieces!"

Arth's jaws dropped after hearing the prize money. "That's an insane amount!"

"But … Before we begin, let us first welcome … One of the High Councilors of Crown Galacer and the head of White Swan Manor … Rowan of House Chanler!"

An elegant, old man wearing golden tunic appeared in the grandstand, heading towards the dais. He gave a wave to the people before he took his seat. The two Grand Knights followed him and then stood on guard behind.

‘There he is...’ Arth thought as he narrowed his eyes.

"Along with him is the newly-formed elite unit founded by our glorious Divine Knight Kael himself, the Frostguarde!"

Arth's eyes watched the Divine Knight walking towards the side of the councilor. His golden armor shone brightly from the reflection of the cloudy skies as his purple cape flew elegantly behind him. A diamond gem gleamed at the center of his chest armor, screaming with power. Following the Divine Knight were his three subordinates, all wearing a cerulean cloak.

‘His powerful presence... I can even feel it from here!’ Arth’s chest was pounding hard already. ‘How am I gonna kill the councilor with them on his side?!’