EFate: An MMO Story Chapter 78: The Tournament Begins!

Twirling the Quickwind Dagger between his fingers, Eric smiled as the arena came into view once more.
"It's time, to d-"
"You finish that sentence and I'm unfriending you," said Ryan, appearing next to him.
Eric pouted, "Killjoy."
"I'm not letting you ruin our reputation in another game," Ryan retorted.
"Says the guy who's been getting famous for PKing people with Jun. Plus it was mostly Jun and Rob in Blue Desert."
"True. Remember that time they camped that Wizard and then we ended up fighting two guilds over a low level grinding spot all because the Wizard was talking s.h.i.t?" Ryan asked, reminiscing about days gone by.
"Haha yeah, good times," Eric replied, his eyes losing focus as he thought back to those halcyon days.
"Anyways. You ready for the tournament?" Ryan asked, changing the subject.
"You bet. I've been working on a new technique," Eric replied with a grin.
"Same. Does it work yet?"
"Well no," Eric admitted. "But theoretically it should be pretty powerful."
Ryan laughed, "Sick. I actually managed to create a new skill yesterday."
"d.a.m.n you actually managed to create a new skill?" Eric asked enviously. "Nice! Was that with your swordplay group?"
"Yeah. I've been working on a new move for a few days, and yesterday I finally managed to make it a skill."
"Cool. What skill?"
"Not telling. You might have the chance to experience it firsthand later though," Ryan replied with a smirk.
Eric rolled his eyes, "Any other members of your sword group going to be partic.i.p.ating?"
"A few of them yeah."
Eric grinned, "Any Kiritos? Sabers? Zoros?"
It was Ryan's turn to roll his eyes, "They're not all named after anime characters you know. But yeah, a few of them should be partic.i.p.ating."
"A few of who?" Mark interjected, joining the pair standing in front of the arena.
"Ryan's swordplay buddies."
"Any of them we should watch out for?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow towards Ryan.
Stroking his chin, Ryan looked up thoughtfully, "Tafita, Zwei, and Asuna are probably the best ones. Kiritwo and Mikasa would be the others, but I'm not sure if either of them are partic.i.p.ating."
"Alright. Well, if any of us get matched up against them, I'm counting on you to tell us how to beat them," Mark replied, earning a laugh from Ryan.
"Are the rest of the guys here yet?" Mark asked, changing the subject as he turned to Eric.
"Not sure. I just arrived. Griffin told me he'd logged out inside the arena though, so there's a good chance they're waiting inside," Eric replied.
"Yeah Gio and Rob should be there already. I had to visit a blacksmith to get my sword sharpened before the tournament began so they went on ahead," Ryan added.
"Alright, we should head in then," Mark replied, checking the time in his status window.
Making their way inside, the trio chatted about their expectations for the tournament, joking about how easily they were going to advance through to the finals, and speculating on who they were likely to fight.
Reaching the doors to the arena proper, Eric whistled loudly as they walked out into the open air. The arena was packed full of people. Hundreds of people of various heights, sizes, and races were milling about in the center of a large field.
Surrounding the field were row upon row of stands, providing seating for well over ten thousand people from what Eric could tell. Looked up at the slowly filling stands, Eric could see various newcomers trickling in, finding seats and sitting down to watch the chaos unfolding on the grounds below.
Searching through the crowd, the trio began to hunt for their missing friends, scanning the milling players for their companions.

At the center of the arena stood a raised dais upon which three figures could be seen, two tall and one small.
"d.a.m.n tournaments," one of the tall figures muttered, staring down at the gathered partic.i.p.ants.
"I woulda thought that the three-time winner of the Order of the Frost Knight's Grand Tourney would've appreciated them a bit more," the smaller figure teased.
"I don't think there's anything that Alistair really likes," the third figure added, smirking towards the first figure as he did so.
Alistair sighed, "Too many d.a.m.n people all come together to watch a bunch of grown men act pompous and self-important for a day. If some of the knights that partic.i.p.ated would put half as much effort into their actual duties as they did dressing up to impress the ladies before they get spilled on their a.s.ses then the kingdom would be in a much better state."
"Aye. But tourneys are great for the commonfolk. They get to come together and watch an impressive display of skill from some of the kingdoms best fighters. They laugh, cheer, and lose themselves in the festivities, forgetting the worries that beset them," the Dwarf replied.
"Halfthur's right. Look at the spectators that are here already. The tournament hasn't even begun, and yet they're already laughing, joking with each other, and having fun. They don't even remember that this tournament only exists because we need to deal with the threat of an imminent goblin invasion," the third figure added.
"These are just the grumblings of an old man, no need to pay them any heed, Wavesun," Alistair replied.
"How could I not take heed of one of our Kingdom's heroes?" Wavesun replied gently.
"Bah. How's the turnout?" Alistair asked, changing the subject.
Wavesun exchanged a knowing smile with Halfthur, "More than a thousand have signed up. It's mostly otherworlders. But there are a few adventurers as well."
"Aye, only sixty adventurers signed up for the tourney. Clearly they know more about the dangers a.s.sociated with an 'elite' platoon," Halfthur added. "But they should be the best of the lot. I recognize a few names like Gorin Greatarm, and Kifax Catclaw."
"Those names sound familiar. Recent Bronze-rank adventurers?" Alistair asked.
"Yes. Gorin's been making a name for himself up North with the Flameband Mercenaries. Kifax was a former Tidescout who quit to become an adventurer. Both are fairly strong and decent favourites to win," Wavesun replied.
"What of the otherworlders. Any that stand out?"
"The bookies are reluctant to give odds for otherworlders. But according to the Novarena rep, there are quite a few strong otherworlders, at least if we're going by pure powerlevel. Whether or not they can use their strength effectively is another matter entirely," Halfthur replied.
"Bookies?" Alistair asked, raising an eyebrow.
Halfthur laughed, "Ah just my bad habit. It's no fun to watch a tournament yer not invested in. Especially as an announcer ya know!"
"Aren't announcers supposed to be impartial? Wouldn't betting go against that?" Wavesun asked, staring down at Halfthur accusingly.
"Now now, it's jus. Ye know... There's more to it than tha. Um, wha I mean ta say is," Halfthur stuttered.
Wavesun laughed, "Relax Halfthur, your accent bleeds through when you're nervous. I plan to make a bet or two myself."
"Really? Korin Wavesun, and here I thought you'd inherited your father's upright nature," Alistair said with a sigh, unable to hide the slight smile that tugged at his lips.
Wavesun grinned, "I'm just glad that I came of age in Tair Newirn. All the sordid tales of my youth are hidden back there, and my reuptation here in my homeland remains intact."
Halfthur laughed, "You n.o.bles. So concerned with reputation, the lot of ya."
Checking the time, Halfthur grinned, "I guess it's time to start. Alistair, I'll allow you to do the honours of introducing the tournament."
Glaring at the dwarf, Alistair walked towards the edge of the dais.
"Attention!" Alistair roared, his voice echoing through the stadium.
Waiting for the crowd to settle down, Alistair looked over the gathered fighters. As the last few murmurs died down, Alistair looked back at Wavesun who gave him a brief nod.
"For those of you who don't know me, I am Captain Alistair Crowsea, leader of tomorrows expedition and the commander of the elite platoon. I am holding this tournament only to discover the strongest fighters. I do not care about how honourably you fight, nor do I care for any other talents you may have. Fight. Show me your prowess. And those who make it to the top thirty-two, will win the chance to earn rewards beyond any you've seen so far," Alistair shouted, his voice echoing through the collosseum.
"The tournament will begin shortly. I will now hand it over to the tournament MC to announce the rules."
"Ahem. Thank you Alistair, fer that inspiring speech," said Halfthur, his voice magically amplified, clapping his hands for Alistair as the militia captain looked stoically ahead.
Seeing this action, the crowd began to clap as well, a polite smattering of applause filling the arena. Feeling that this was the best reaction Alistair was likely to get, Halfthur continued.
"My name is Halfthur Stoutbrew, and I will be your announcer today. The tournament will begin immediately after I finish explaining the rules, so pay attention!"
Seeing that he had the rapt attention of the audience, Halfthur grinned, "The tournament will be a single elimination tournament. You win, you advance to the next round. You lose, you're out. Simple, right?"
This got a laugh from the audience. Pausing to allow the laughter to pa.s.s, Halfthur continued, "There will be four divisions. Each division is a.s.signed to a different set of stages, A, B, C, and D," Halfthur explained, pointing to four separate places on the arena floor.
Ignoring the confused looks from the players, Halfthur gave the audience in the stands a knowing wink, "As always, the stages will appear once the tournament begins. Partic.i.p.ants have been seeded according to their overall level. The stronger players will be paired against the weaker players in the early rounds. Of course, power level is not an exact science. Don't worry if your power level is a little lower than your opponents. Skill is what you'll need to win!'
This announcement set off a new round of muttering amongst the gathered players. Motioning for them to settle down, Halfthur continued, "The divisions will be displayed above me once the tournament begins. Prizes will be given out to the top thirty-two partic.i.p.ants. For those who are eliminated before then, please feel free to continue to watch the tournament from the stands. And finally, as always, please feel free to go all out. Novarena's mages have a.s.sured me that the magical wards which prevent fatal blows are in perfect condition, so give it your all, and let the tournament begin!" Halfthur shouted, throwing his arms in the air as cheers filled the arena.