Mage War

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Magefell Arena

Yue woke up nervously. She immediately thought about the tournament.

It started tomorrow.

It was closer than ever, and now, Yue didn’t know if she was prepared. She knew she had the skill, but she hoped that when the time came, she could show it.

The sun was already shining when she exited her barracks. She missed her old barracks. She’d been relocated to this one to investigate Eva and Joanne, but she wasn’t really doing that anymore. Mentally, she decided to talk to the Wolf later about it.

She was well rested, ready for the day. She would probably practice less today than the other days. Too much practice could be worse than too little.

She ate her breakfast, making sure she ate it slowly. Of course, she didn’t want to get a stomach ache before the tournament.

“You’re really taking those extra precautions, aren’t you?” Alyx smirked as they ate.

Yue shrugged. “I want to be at the tournament.”

“I’ll be there,” Alyx replied, wolfing down her food. “The speed at which I eat has nothing to do with it. The more I eat the better. That’s why you’re so skinny.”

“You’re not exactly filled with muscle,” Yue pointed out, eyebrows raised. “Plus, you keep this up and you’ll be fat by the time you’re thirty.”

“I’ve got time to change,” Alyx said. “I’m in the Vanguard! At the first sign of obesity, the Wolf would get on my ass about it.”

Yue laughed. “That’s true. Remember Marci?”

“Do I remember her?” Alyx snorted. “She’s a legend.”

Marci had been a warrior in the Vanguard long before Yue had joined. When Yue had become a warrior, Marci had been skinny, just skin and bones mostly, but one day, it just seemed like Marci ate an elephant. She had gone drastically overweight and unfit to be in the Vanguard.

The last Yue heard, she was trying desperately to lose all her weight.

“You’re going to end up like Marci at this rate,” Yue told Alyx.

“Yeah, right,” Alyx replied. “I would have to eat triple what I’m eating now every day for five years to even get half of her weight.”

Yue shook her head. “Don’t you think that’s a little mean?”

“She brought it upon herself,” Alyx shrugged. “You don’t become 450 pounds without knowing it.”

“She wasn’t that bad,” Yue chuckled. Alyx raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think you remember right.”

The conversation ended as Alyx stood up, all food gone from her plate.

“Well, I’ll see you on the green,” Alyx said. “In a couple days, if you eat at this rate.” She walked off chuckling to herself.

Yue was left to her thoughts as she ate, pondering what the tournament would bring.

— — —

Yue knocked.

“Come in,” Xander called from inside the room. Yue opened the door, and found him lying down, thigh covered in bandages.

“How’s…” Yue waved at his butt area.

Xander winked. “What, no good morning?”

Yue crossed her arms. “You don’t deserve it yet.”

Xander snickered. “I’m fine. It’s nothing serious. The arrow didn’t go that far in really. I should be fine in a week or so. We really should have a Healing Mage here, though.”

“The Wolf still doesn’t want one. Says it’ll…”

“Build us up, I know.” Xander huffed. “It’s a bunch of huey, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t.” Yue responded. She smiled to let him know she was teasing and sat down next to him, holding his hand.

“So, the tournament is tomorrow, right?” Xander asked. Yue nodded. “I’ll be there to watch everything, Yue. I’ll be there to see you win.”

Yue smiled. “Thanks for the confidence.”

“Yue, I’ve made a decision.” Xander’s voice grew somber, soft even. “At the first sign the mages are trying to mess with my head, or get me to do something I don’t want to, I will run. If you ever don’t see me…”

“Don’t,” Yue said. “Don’t explain it. I don’t want to hear it. It won’t happen.”

“Yue, you’ll have to deal with it eventually.”

“I’m not ready to lose you!” Yue raised her voice. “You can’t go yet!”

“Not yet,” Xander said, sitting up. His hands reached for her face, his fingers on her cheeks. Moving himself, he set his forehead on hers. “Soon, but not yet.”

Yue closed her eyes, staying there, feeling Xander’s hands cup her head. Eventually, she pulled away.

“I hope you get better soon,” She said. “We’ll find a way through this. I promise.”

Xander clearly wanted to protest but didn’t. He just nodded. “Okay,” He said. “Have fun at practice today.”

“I will,” Yue smiled. “Have fun in bed.”

“Hey!” Xander exclaimed. “That was uncalled for.”

A frantic noise came from outside the door, and it slammed open. Aster flinched as she opened it.

“Oops, sorry, was I interrupting anything?” Her embarrassed look made Yue blush.

“No, what is it?” Xander asked.

“Yue, Xavier’s asking for you. He says he needs to talk to you,” Aster said.

“What, inside the grounds?” Yue asked. Aster shook her head.

“Of course not,” Aster replied. “He’s waiting outside. He says it’s a little urgent.”

Yue sighed and stood up. “I’ll be right there.” She closed the door on her way out, then thought better of it and opened it again. “Good morning, Xander.”

She could hear him chuckling as she left the hospital.

— — —

She met Xavier just outside the grounds, on the path to Magefell.

“What is it, Xavier? Zade?” She asked.

Xavier nodded. “I’m worried about him, Yue.”

“Again? I thought he was better now.”

“He is,” Xavier responded. “A little, anyways. He doesn’t want to die anymore, if that’s what you’re wondering. Now it’s something different.

“He’s… motivated for something, that’s all I know. He looks hard, like he’s daring anyone to get in his way. He barely talked to me at all today, and has basically spent all day in his room, presumably studying.”

“That’s not so bad,” Yue said. “It’s good that he wants to practice his magic.”

Xavier shook his head. “I don’t think you understand. He’s not just ‘practicing his magic,' as you said. Basically, he’s preparing himself for something. Before you ask, it’s not the tournament. I know it. He’s acting like he’s going to do something dangerous. I don’t like it, Yue. There’s something wrong with him. Even when he was injured, his motivation wasn’t as… cold, I should say. He refuses to speak to anyone.”

“So you don’t know for sure he’s actually in danger then?” Yue thought what he said could be true, but maybe Zade had just needed some incentive and his training was it for him.

“Not for sure,” Xavier shook his head. “But I know it. Yue, you have to help me.”

Yue sighed. “Xavier, I would love to help. But I can't just go to Zenyth. Not only do I have things to do, but I can’t be sure there’s actually something wrong with Zade.” Xavier started to protest so she continued. “I’ll tell you what, come back here if it gets any worse. If Zade actually starts trying something tell Th’ul and come to me.”

“Th’ul already knows,” Xavier replied.

Yue didn’t know if she liked that Xavier went to Th’ul first. Although Th’ul was closer to him in terms of distance, so it didn’t bother her too much.. “And what did he say?”

Xavier hung his head. “The same as you.”

Yue smiled and patted his shoulder. “See? You might be right, but, as long as he isn’t in immediate danger, it should be fine. Keep an eye on him, though.”

“Fine,” Xavier said. “I just hope you’re right.”

“Me, too.” Yue said. “I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

“I never got to thank you, by the way,” Xavier told her. “For yesterday, I mean. Thank you for what you did.”

Yue smiled. “I had ro, didn’t I? I couldn’t let Zade die.”

Xavier nodded. “Thank you anyways. It means a lot. I’m horrible with encouragement. My words never come out the way I want them to.”

“I understand,” Yue replied. “I’m just glad I was able to help.”

“Let’s hope we don’t need you again, eh?” Xavier lips curled upward. “I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully.”

“Not today,” Yue finished.

“Exactly.” Xavier turned around and took off towards Zenyth, Yue watching him go.

“What did he want?” Neena asked, walking up beside her.

“Just worried about Zade,” She responded.

“Aren’t we all?” Neena said. “He just lost his little brother. Oh, by the way, Yue, the Wolf called us. Time for practice.”

Neena walked away for a second then looked back, waiting for Yue to catch up.

But Yue was stunned by what Neena said.

She’d totally forgotten the type of friendship Zade had with Astil. Mostly, it was the same kind of relationship she had with Neena. She began to think of what would happen if she lost Neena and it put a new perspective on Zade’s depression.

If Neena had passed, would Yue have done the same? She didn’t know, but now she understood Zade better.

She caught up to Neena and gave her a side-hug.

“Let’s go,” She smiled. “We’ve got a lot to do before the tournament.”

— — —

Yue breathed in and out heavily, sweat pouring down her back. The sun shone heavily on her and after a couple hours of practice, she was exhausted. Exhausted but happy. She had done well. She felt ready for the tournament.

And she was confident her friends were too. They were already much better prepared than they had been a week ago.

The other soldiers had to watch out. The Vanguard was coming with a vengeance.

Alyx sat down next to Yue, grinning madly.

“Whew,” She said. “That was amazing!”

“Yup,” Yue replied. “The tournament is ours.”

“Mine,” Alyx corrected. “You still don’t have a chance.”

“I’m sorry,” Yue said, “But you seem to have forgotten how the Vanguard Tournament went.”

“Oh, you mean the practice we did,” Alyx responded. “I wasn’t trying too hard. I have to save my best skills for the real tournament.”

“What skills?” Yue asked.

“Exactly,” Alyx said. “You haven’t seen them yet. Just wait.”

“I’m beginning to think you’re serious about this, Humility,” Yue grinned.

Alyx gave her a mock hurt look. “I told you not to call me that. And I am serious. When I win the tournament, you’re gonna be all like: ‘Oh no! I should’ve seen it coming. Alyx is just too good!’” Alyx said in her best Yue voice.

“And she still lost,” Yue finished. “Pity.”

Alyx laughed and punched her shoulder. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Or not see, I guess,” Yue responded. “You won’t really be there fighting.”

“Sure,” Alyx rolled her eyes.

Yue watched as the Vanguard Warriors sparred. They were the Vanguard; they were supposed to be the most elite squad in the world. Looking at them now, Yue could see it. She’d never really had to do a battle with them yet, considering they were supposed to be a last resort, but watching them fight, she knew that no small army could compare to them. Obviously, a large army could withstand the two hundred soldiers, but in that case, the Magefell Guard and the Zenyth mages would help.

That’s why the Vanguard needed to stick together. Without a sense of camaraderie and trust, the Vanguard would divide. And if it did, Magefell would fall much easier in the event of an attack. Whoever the murderer was, they were causing a sense of panic in the ranks, and that was a bad thing. Hopefully, the tournament would turn things around.

Especially because Yue would be trying much harder to find the murderer during it. She knew he would probably attempt another murder during the tournament, when the warriors would be distracted.

Murderers, she corrected herself. She kept forgetting that there were more than one. It still stung knowing that more than one Vanguard Warrior was killing others in cold blood, but Yue had accepted it. Yes, it was horrible. But it was the truth. And there was nor running away from it.

Especially if Yue wanted to catch them.

The Vanguard Warriors started to disband, the Wolf announcing the end of practice.

“Everyone meet me here tomorrow at eight. We have to get things ready and I’ll lead you to the Arena myself.”

Arena? What the hell is he talking about, Yue wondered. All in due time, she expected. She guessed she would figure it out tomorrow.

She saw the Wold looking at her. Staring back, she noticed him give a slight flick with his head.

Clearly, he wanted her to go with him.

She ran after him and slid to a stop next to him.

“Sir?” She asked.

“Meet me on the edge of the grounds in five minutes.” The Wolf whispered.

“Yes, sir…” She faltered.

“Don’t ask questions,” The grizzled man told her. “Just do it.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” She saluted.

She wondered what he wanted. Something about the murderers? Maybe about the tournament?

She started to take the small walk to the edge of the grounds, possibilities on her mind.

Yue just hoped it wasn’t anything bad.

— — —

She stood up as the Wolf arrived and immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Kol and Yiro were with him. It didn’t have anything to do with the murderer.

It wouldn’t be bad news.

“I brought you here,” The Wolf told them, “Because I’m taking you to see the Arena. I’m not really allowed to bring anyone else there, but you three are allowed to see it.”

“I heard you talking about this Arena before,” Kol said. “What is it?”

“We call it the Magefell Arena. Creative name, I know,” The Captain snorted. “Some Mages were hired to build an arena for the tournament. It turned out beautiful. Can fit about fifty thousand people.”

Yiro whistled. “That’s huge. Where’d you put it?”

The Wolf rolled his eyes. “Where else, Yiro? The Plains!”

“Right, right,” Yiro responded. “That makes sense.”

“Of course it does,” The Wolf said. “We couldn’t really fit it anywhere else. Don’t ask dumb questions, Yiro!”

Yiro smiled. “Yes, sir.”

“We should get there in about an hours’ time, so I don’t want any dallying. Is that clear?” The Wolf’s tone was professional, and Yue nodded instinctively. Honestly, she didn’t know what the Wolf meant by dallying. They were all serious if they needed to. She shrugged. Just another Wolf quirk.

They set off down the path leading to the center of Magefell. The trees here are scant but tall, reaching for the sky like the hand of a pleading child.

A fork in the road led them away from Magefell and toward the Plains. Yue had only been there once or twice before. There was nobody there. Nothing to protect. It was just a massive grass field, hundreds of yards long.

Putting an arena there sounded cool to Yue. Especially if used for the tournament. Knowing fifty thousand people were watching her match wouldn’t help with her nervousness, but it wouldn’t bother her too much.

Yiro broke the silence as they walked.

“When was this arena built?” She asked.

“It was finished just yesterday,” The Wolf responded. “Took two weeks to create.”

“You said it holds fifty thousand people,” Kol butted in. “Are that many people really going to watch?”

The Wolf nodded. “If we could have created more space, we would’ve. There might be thousands of people who want to get in but won’t.”

Yue winced. “If I want to bring in some friends…”

“Don’t worry, we have special seating for that,” The Wolf said. “Each contestant will be able to reserve three seats for friends.”

Yue did a quick count in her head, even though she clearly didn’t need to. There were definitely enough spots for Zade, Xavier, and Anni, especially if her friends volunteered to give up a seat. Oh, and Th’ul, she reminded herself with a grimace. She still didn’t like him. He hadn’t shown himself to be trustworthy.

“What are the security measures in the arena?” She asked.

“Well, you’ll see soon enough,” The Wolf nodded approvingly, “But the Vanguard soldiers who aren’t guarding the royals or participating in the tournament will act as security. I’ve already briefed many on this. The Magefell Guard will also survey the area. No one will pass unsupervised. No one will be killed in the middle of a fight,” He finished, looking pointedly at Yue.

Yue nodded pensively. “Good. How long will the tournament last?”

“If the weather is right, three days,” The Wolf responded. “You will fight about five matches a day, the last day probably less. It’s also double elimination. If you lose once, you’ll still fight.”

Yue breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

“You think you’ll need the double elimination, Yue?” Kol winked.

“Of course not,” Yue retorted. “But it’s always a good last resort.

“So how many participants?” Yiro wondered.

“Now, about two hundred fifty. The first day we will try to eliminate one hundred. The second day will be the same. The third day we will eliminate the rest until one of us is the winner.”

“Confident much?” Yiro smirked.

“Of course,” The Wolf responded. “You would too if you could see the squad from the vantage point I do.” He beamed and Yue blushed. It was high praise coming from the Wolf.

The path curved left and now Yue knew they were close. They only needed to pass the small downwards hill to arrive at the plains.

As they started to slope downwards, Yue got her first glimpse of the arena.

Her jaw dropped.

A stagnating archway entrance was at the foot of it, made of marble, even from the top of the small hill, she could tell there were intricate designs on there.

Behind the archway was the stadium proper. Somehow, it was in the shape of a howling wolf, the Vanguard’s symbol. It was the color of black marble, carved in a way to reflect the rays of the sun. In the night, she was sure the red eye in the middle of the wolf head would shine brightly. The top of the wolf head was open to let in the light of the sun. From there she could see the seats. They were positioned how she had expected, in a downward circle formation. The people at the top would have a hard time seeing the match, and the ones at the bottom should be almost close enough to touch the contestants. Those seats would probably be where the participants would sit.

Clearly, though, the Arena wasn’t just the stadium proper. She could see the entrance to the Arena positioned on the neck of the wolf. From there, she assumed that there would be some sort of lobby, a small one, for contestants or villagers to chill in, maybe a small bar in there too. From there, one could enter the stadium itself.

As they got closer, she gawked at how detailed the Arena was. The wolf’s fur was so intricately designed that she wondered if it was real. She knew it was marble, but it looked fluffy. The archway had depictions of weapons on it, all clearly designed minutely. Everything from swords to nun-chucks and everything in between. Yue even thought she saw a spoon on it.

“We are going in now,” The Wolf told them. “Don’t disturb anyone. Many are still working on small details inside the Magefell Arena, so don’t bother them.”

They entered the Arena, and Yue’s assumption was officially confirmed.

They were in a lobby, complete with a small bar already stocked up with enough beer to satisfy hundreds—no, thousands—of individuals. The room was dimly lit by light which seemed to come from nowhere. Yue had seen Mage Light before, but it was still discomforting. She couldn’t turn off the light here like she could blow off a candle. There was just light.

She almost wished she could do magic just to experience something cool like that.

Almost.

“This way,” The Wolf motioned to them. “Through here,” He said, pointing towards an open doorway, “Is where the spectators will stay. Over here is where you will enter.” He motioned towards a small ice fountain. The wolf engraved on it gave Yue the sensation that the Mages went overboard with the Vanguard imagery. That wouldn’t go over well with the other nations.

The Wolf grabbed the wolf’s head on the sculpture and twisted it. The fountain moved out to reveal a small opening in the wall. Yue could see a staircase leading into darkness there. The Wolf waited for them to go inside, and Yue decided to enter first.

She was quickly swallowed by darkness, but just as quickly, she saw light close by. Walking towards it, she strained to see what the strange room was. When she got there, she whistled in surprise.

It was a small training room, complete with wooden dummies and training weapons.

“The participants can train here whenever they want as soon as the tournament starts,” The Wolf dictated. “It will be a way to gauge your own abilities just as much as others’. I expect you to use it at least sometimes.” He smiled, scruffy beard turning up. “What do you think of the Arena so far?” He winked. “I call it the Wolf!”

“Oof, egotistical, aren’t you?” Yiro smiled. “I love it. It’s breathtaking.”

Yue agreed wholeheartedly. “It will be an honor fighting here.”

Nodding enthusiastically, Kol spoke up. “I think this place is absolutely wonderful. I can’t wait to fight here.”

“I knew y’all would love it,” The Wolf said. “But we aren’t done yet. You haven’t seen the ring. Through here.”

Wondering what the ring would look like, Yue followed the Wolf out of the door set into the wall. Sunlight shone on her face immediately and she squinted until the sun disappeared a little.

The ring looked incredible. It was a twenty by twenty foot square set on a pedestal. Small pillars stood on the four corners and roped connected the pillars together. Yue corrected her earlier assumption that the seats higher up in the Arena wouldn’t be able to see the match well. She could see now that every seat had a good view of the ring.

She could already imagine the cheering as she stepped up to the ring to fight. She wasn’t being egotistical, just realistic. She had never had fifty thousand eyes on her before. She wondered how the cheering—or lack thereof—would affect her performance.

The Wolf looked at their wide eyes. “Cool, right?”

“I don’t know what to say,” Yue exclaimed. “This is…”

“Breathtaking, just like I said,” Yiro smirked, gently elbowing Yue in the ribs. Yue smiled at her.

“Exactly.”

“Okay,” The Wolf said. “I know y’all are probably dying to explore any other parts of the arena, so I’ll let you do that. Meet me outside in ten minutes. No more than that. We need to be heading back soon. You will have plenty of time to explore when the tournament arrives tomorrow.”

Yue nodded and took off towards the stands where she would be able to see the ring in a more passive view. She wanted to know what it was like to be in the stands, considering she would never sit anywhere except the first couple of rows. She especially wanted to see the view from the top row. She dashed to the lobby then headed to where the doorway was. On the way, though, she heard someone talking. She tried to ignore the woman’s voice, but something the woman said stood out to her.

“...Dautha,” The woman’s voice said. “I’m betting the Vanguard wins.” Yue stalked closer to where she was hearing the voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see two women talking. She hunched down under a pot just out of their view and strained her ears.

“It’s not up to whether you bet or not,” The second woman replied. “The Vanguard must win. It is the first step on the path to victory. We need this.”

“What are you saying?” The first woman asked. “You want to sabotage the games or something?”

“Not in so many words,” Said the second one. “I was thinking we give a little helpful nudge to the Vanguard. Nothing explicit that could jeopardize us, just to make sure we win. Just to make sure everything we do isn’t for naught. Dautha knows we’ve been preparing this for forever.”

“Hmm,” The first one responded. “That’s a good idea. Did they set you up to this?”

“Of course they did. In fact, they’re already deep in this. If it wasn’t for them, none of this would be happening.”

The first one laughed. “All right then, I await your next order.” They started to separate and Yue sucked in a breath. Once they both left, she sighed in relief and left her hiding spot, all thoughts of seeing the view from the stands gone.. She left to find the Wolf.

She had a lot to think about.