Chapter 385 - The Gladiator Gauntlet I (Patreon)

I turned the innocent-looking amulet over in my hands. The [Enchanter] claimed it could beat even the most penetrative [Identify], leaving me safe and undetected from even high level mortal guards.

I just had no idea how it was so much better than my Deception Ring, or how it worked. I could only see a portion of the runes, written in a language I was unfamiliar with, and even after looking up the part I could see, I just didn’t get how it worked.

I was hesitant to trust it. At the same time, I was trying to remember that I could trust others, and how long had I been using gems and armor issued by the Rangers? I’d blindly trusted Origen’s Inscriptions back in the day, why was this different? I was using enchanted boots.

I guess it was because of how much was riding on it. If it worked, I could freely travel the world. If it didn’t, I was stuck until I figured out a new way to move around.

I’d never been one to let others tell me I could or couldn’t do something. On one hand, I had a healthy respect for the rule of law, but on the other, something about ‘your existence means you’re not allowed’ just grated on me on a fundamental level.

I gave myself a self-satisfied nod. I now knew why it was bothering me so much. All the sessions with Linnet helped me divine my own mind better!

I’d be able to give it a bit of a test run at the upcoming Gladiator Games. I was a known quantity in some respects, but enough new people were around that I could modify my level, and see if anyone noticed.

The purple robes were going to be a dead giveaway though. Argh!

I slipped the amulet over my head, and turned it on. One of the downsides to the amulet was it only set my level to 256. Making it more flexible was possible - but it made it much more expensive. I only had so much money to spend, and I prioritized the anti-penetrative properties.

“Brrrpt?” Auri flew back into the room, bringing another set of purple robes with her. My mind snapped back to what I was supposed to be doing.

“Excellent! Do you think I’ll need more than two hats?” I asked my little friend as I took the robe from her, and started to roll it up.

Auri perched on my shoulder, then darted her beak into my long hair. She grabbed a mouthful, and critically looked at it.

“Brrpt.” She muttered to herself, and repeated the process a few times.

I rolled my eyes at her antics.

“Yes, I’ll be fine, and no, my hair looks great.”

“Brrrpt…”

“You wanted to stay with Fenrir, remember? Can’t have your cake and eat it too!”

“Brpt!”

“Yes, I’m sure one day you’ll figure out the right skill to manage it. Maybe a Mirror element for your 3rd class?”

Auri flew off at that, and I resumed packing. The School’s team was leaving for the Gladiator Gauntlet tomorrow, and I didn’t want to be left scrambling.

I was just about done packing when I heard Iona coming back.

“Welcome home! How was the super secret cloak and dagger meeting? Were you given an honorary mask for your trouble?” I asked my girlfriend as she entered.

Instead of answering she strode over to where I was, wrapping me in her arms and tilting me back as she gave me the biggest kiss of my life.

“Goddesses, I wish you could always be around to welcome me home.” Iona said.

“Mmmmmmm.” I contently hummed back. “Same here. And?”

We straightened back up.

“And someone very high level had a lot of interesting questions about you.” Iona laughed. “She even wanted to know if you had any [Assassin] skills!”

“Alas! I am caught! I’m secretly a deadly assassin, who took a vow to do no harm! I work by… convincing people to see the error of their ways and… going off to a hermitage or something?” I had no idea how an [Assassin] would work with the type of [Oath] I had.

Iona chuckled.

“She’s asked me to pass on a message. She believes you, and will work with Marcelle and the rest to present and confirm your claims when you present your thesis. She did ask for a specific date and time for your presentation. It’s the fourth day of the two week break after our last quarter.”

Basically, I’d give my presentation, claim my credit, then vanish.

“That sounds fine. Will I ever get to know the name of my mysterious benefactor?” I asked Iona.

She chewed on her tongue.

“She asked me not to say. She’s not sure if she wants to talk with you or not.”

Huh. Weird. Maybe she just liked her privacy or something?

Trying to get into unknown people’s minds was hard, and I had better things to do with my time.

“Are you all packed?” I changed the subject.

Iona looked me up and down with a familiar glint in her eyes.

“Almost! You’re just so cute I could stuff you into one of my bags. Wanna try it?”

I was going to strain my eyes rolling them so much.

“If it’ll make you happy, sure. But not if you’re bringing your armor, that just sounds uncomfortable. I got the schedule earlier. If we win fast, I’ll be able to run over and watch your strategy events. I’ll probably miss the opening moves, but I’ll be there.”

Iona ruffled my hair.

“Once I’m knocked out of the strategy tournament, I’ll be able to cheer you on! Bringing my armor, sorry. I want to see what a professional [Enchanter] can do with it. The students here are pretty good, but…”

“But you want the absolute best for the equipment saving your life.”

“Exactly!”

The benefits to wanting broadly legal equipment. My new amulet wasn’t exactly kosher in most places.

=========================================

“Bye Auri! Bye Fenrir!” I waved off our companions as Iona and I boarded the skyship. It was a fat, lumbering thing, entirely enclosed and with significantly more cargo room than the ferries.

It wasn’t made for anything resembling long hauls, but the island usually moved around enough that it was a simple matter of timing our departure and return for when the island was nearby.

“That’s Fenrir?” Sarama asked in disbelief.

“Yup! Iona’s companion.” I told her.

“He’s huge. He’d eat me alive in one bite! Are you sure he’s safe to have at the School? How have I never seen him before?” Sarama asked.

“He stays at the stables. I can understand why you’d be worried, but he’s a big softy.”

I blinked, and took in Fenrir’s size again. Iona was going to need a special seat just to sit on him, she wasn’t going to be able to straddle his neck. I’d heard the story of how Fenrir’s mother had eaten Iona whole, but it was one thing to hear the story, and another to see just how massive a creature that could do that was.

I’d bet on Fenrir in any fight. Also, the School’s complaints about how much he ate suddenly made a lot more sense.

And the price tag of his armor. No wonder it was only large organizations that had super massive creatures! It gave me a much greater appreciation for Auri, and how cheep she was to feed, even with the bond-induced gluttony and baking supplies.

Iona finished saying her goodbyes and boarded the ship, and then we were waiting.

“Bye love. We’ve got a room reserved for our team, and we want to do some last minute review with Morning Breeze.”

Iona grumbled good-naturedly, but gave me a quick peck. I met with the rest of the under-30 team in our reserved room.

I got in and everyone was here.

I assumed. The floating black hat with nothing there, not even in my [The World Around Me], was unnerving.

I closed the door.

“Oh my! Elaine, could you please open the door just the smallest crack? It’s a little stuffy in here otherwise, and I just hate being trapped.” Morning Breeze fretted to me.

I obliged the elemental.

“Alright! Everyone ready for the tournament? Anyone gotten bribe offers yet?”

Pascal shamelessly raised his hand, his wolf’s mask morphing into a grin. Ling Li snorted derision at him. I lifted an eyebrow at her.

“Remember, accepting bribes then not acting on them is a great way to line our own pockets with the School’s blessing, and make people give up. Pascal, Vollomond again? Your family again?”

He nodded.

“Right, Pascal’s potentially compromised if we encounter the Vollomond team, and we’ll have him anchor if that’s the case. Not that I anticipate them making it through the qualifiers.”

Pascal put a hand over his heart like he was hurt.

What would Iona say?

“...Because we have the best person in the entire country on our team.”

He looked slightly mollified at that.

“Not all of us are immune to the pressure and temptation, and we all have levers that can influence us.” Li primly replied, shooting Pascal a dirty look.

“Bribes! Oh my! That sounds so sordid! So much fun! I wonder if anyone will try to bribe me?” Morning Breeze shot around the room, my robes flapping in her… passing? Body?

“Maybe!” Sarama said. “Elaine, this year I’ve got extra security on my potions, and I’m going to be literally sitting on the chest the entire time we’re not fighting. No repeats of last year from me! That was embarrassing.”

I shrugged.

“Eh. It’s not like anyone died. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, you should explore and enjoy the event. Now, Morning Breeze. Sorry if this question is stupid, but you’re the newest member of the team. Can you tell us how the event works?”

“Oh! Oh! I know this! This is one of those questions to make sure I actually know what’s going on!” Morning Breeze immediately outed me, and threw me under the high speed carriage.

“... yes, yes it is.” I squeaked out. “And?”

“Team battles! Seven people on each team! Single elimination tournament, 64 teams in the higher bracket after preliminaries, and each team fights twice! The first time is a singles battle, king of the hill style, and the second time is a full team fight! The team battle is worth 11 points, and each knockout in the singles battle is 2 points. The winning team of the singles part always gets the full 14 points, just in case a team isn’t full for some reason! Like a disqualification, or if someone thinks they can single-handedly win it all by themselves. If one team can eliminate the entire opposing team and only lose a single person, they win without needing the teamfight. Otherwise, it’ll depend on the teamfight to figure out who wins!” Morning Breeze whispered into all of our ears, her excitement in contrast to how softly she spoke.

“Exactly. Now, the singles elimination continues regardless if it matters for determining the winner of the round or not. The total points we get are cumulative, and stick with us for the entire tournament. They act as tiebreakers for the teams that get knocked out, and determine their final standing and prizes. Doesn’t matter for us.”

“Why?” Sir Polarton asked, his muzzle not moving a hair.

I grinned at him.

“Because we’re going to win the whole thing!”

My comment was predictably well-met, and we spent some time on it.

“Right, circling back to how we’re going to win this. If there are no objections, and Shirayuki doesn’t come in and override me at the last moment with some special request, Morning Breeze, you’re going to be our lead in fights. Just blow them out of the arena, their shields will eventually trigger, and we’ll counter as needed if somehow you’re eliminated. I’m going to preferentially have Iris and I lead, so we can recharge enough mana to be useful in the teamfight. Similar strategy with the teamfights. I want quick, brutal wins. I don’t want to give anyone enough time to figure out a counter to Morning Breeze. If they do, we’ll adapt from there. Questions?”

“Yeah, are we going to be moving or watching Morning Breeze work?” Iris asked. “Last time we talked, you weren’t sure if you wanted the impact of the rest of us watching.

“Good question. I was thinking…” I started to go over the plans, my teammates helping me refine our strategy one last time.

============================

The Gladiator Gauntlet was held at a permanent location in Cartref Clyd, the fauns famous for their hospitality and generosity.

I’d been skeptical that an entire nation managed on ‘we’re nice and hospitable’, and had gone digging at one point in my desire to learn more about the world.

They were terrifying diplomats, and had deep ties with all their neighbors, and their neighbors’ neighbors. They also played nice with mercenary companies, allowing them to create their own towns to winter in, as well as paying them to defend the country if needed. The conditions were generous enough, and the risk low enough, that they were able to get away with not paying them terribly much, while gems and coins flowed in from their foreign work. The sheer number of mercenaries made it safe, which meant it was free money to accept the defense contract, which…

All in all, it was a fairly brilliant maneuver that nobody else had quite managed to replicate. It gave them a strong reputation for peace, and their geographical position near the center of the mortal realms meant that they were the ideal host and organizer for events.

Which in turn made people think favorably of them… and gave the fauns a chance to show off all the bright and shiny mercenaries working for them, deterring greedy idiots.

All this to say, the Gladiator Games had multiple well-used arenas for the events, along with various suites and living areas for the contestants. The School had their own reserved wing for their team, and we made our way to our rooms.

I was arm-in-arm with Iona. She was at the Gladiator Gauntlet as an ‘independent’, not as a member of the School. She believed the wargame tournament she’d be participating in was a valuable learning experience, even if she wasn’t a member of the School’s official team.

I’d asked her why she wasn’t going as a Valkyrie and representing them.

“We don’t do that.” Was her answer.

It meant she’d need to pay for her own lodging, and why pay a ton of money when we could shack up in the luxurious accommodations? We were going to do that anyway, and nobody minded.

“We made it! Seven days of exploring and adventure, seven days of fighting, one day of ceremonies, and that’ll be it! Let’s go explore the town together?” Iona asked after we dumped our stuff in my room.

I quickly thought about it. Limited time with Iona for a fun date in the tourist trap?

Or… doing what I should be doing?

I shook my head.

“Sorry love. I need to scout the arenas, and see what they have set up for us this time. I’ll be happy to go into town this evening or tomorrow though!”

Iona purred at me.

“Late this evening. I’m probably going to work up an appetite.”

I waggled my eyebrows at her.

“Can’t wait!”

=====================

I slowly walked to the arena where my event was going to be held, splitting my mind into two different portions, both of them entirely focused on my senses and [The World Around Me].

The vast majority of people didn’t cast [Identify] on every single passing person. Out of the small fraction of people who did, most of them couldn’t break through my Deception Ring.

I was trying to find the few paranoid individuals who not only [Identified] everyone they crossed, but who could also break through my enchantments. A light test run of how good the amulet I had was, before I put my faith and life in its hands.

Cartref Clyd being home to mercenary companies had dozens of them sending teams to the Gladiator Gauntlet, and while not quite guards, they were a cautious lot. I picked a meandering path that brought me near as many of their quarters as possible, as well as near other team’s resting areas, and subtly checked out the guards as they eyed me with everyone else on the street.

No unusual reactions… but my damn purple robes could be screwing with that as well.

Argh!

I made it to the arena, and was let in without any fuss. Scouting the grounds was a well known and well honed practice, and I wasn’t the only one there.

This year it was a fort map. A simple four-walled fort was in the middle of the arena, with a deep moat around it. There was a small tower in the middle of the fort, with a spiral staircase inside. Holding the fort - more likely the tower inside the fort - was probably going to be the stallbreaker of the event, a hedge against a team or person turtling up or simply flying too high to get caught.

I checked out a few of the other scouts. I recognized some of my competitors, while others were new.

My duties done, I headed back to chat with my teammates, and meet back up with Iona.

======================

I was dressed in something skimpy, lying alluringly in our bed, reading two different books at the same time while waiting for Iona. I wanted to give her a nice surprise to make up for not being able to go on a date with her earlier.

I was not prepared for an ugly crying Iona to come through the door, sniffling as hot tears stained her tunic.

I snapped my [Parallel Thoughts] closed and sprang up.

“What’s wrong!?” I rushed over, letting my girlfriend lean on me.

“The Valkyries.” She sobbed out. “They’re gone.”