The Buried Symbol (The Ruins of Issalia Book 1) (49 page)

He lowered his arms and flashed a big grin.
“
Of course, for every winner, there
’
s also a loser. It isn
’
t grand to be publicly embarrassed in front of your peers. That
’
s why you should focus on your training for the next three weeks.
”
He stared hard at the small group of students.
“
As a little incentive, each student will also earn one silver for every victory. If you advance to the finals, you get a bonus of one gold imperial. If you somehow find yourself crowned Arena Champion, not only does your name join the names of past champions, but you
’
ll be also awarded an additional three gold imperials.
”

Brock glanced at Cameron. The tall boy
’
s face was stoic, focused.

Budakis smiled again.
“
Now that you know what to expect and why you need to prepare, you
’
re dismissed.
”

CHAPTER 78

Brock stepped from the changing room to the roar of the crowd. Being the shortest, he was the first to exit. Corbin Ringholdt was the last since he was just a hair taller than Cameron.

With his helmet under one arm and quarterstaff clutched in the other hand, Brock led the group onto the Arena floor. The crowd was peppered with clumps of purple cloaks among a sea of blue. His eyes settled on one student in the front row. Ashland told him that she had volunteered for healing duty, knowing he would be competing. While she explained that it was a way to guarantee a premium seat, he suspected that she was sure he would be injured and wanted to be there to heal him.

He came to a stop, turning to face the crowd. The thirty-one other novice contestants lined up with him down the center of the floor. He was at one end of the line; the seven girls among the group were at the other end, past where Corbin stood waving to the crowd. A prickle of anger began to simmer as Brock watched his rival bask in the applause as if it were all for him.

Master Budakis and Master Kardan, who trained the apprentice and adept-level students, marched in and stopped between the contestants and the crowd. The masters made a motion for the crowd to be still. As the building quieted, Headmaster Vandermark stepped forward to stand between the two master paladins.

Vandermark raised his arms to greet the audience.
“
Welcome to our annual Arena Championship. Over the next three days, you will be treated to a series of duels involving the fiercest fighters at the Academy. For safety purposes, only wooden weapons will be used. However, I assure you that each bout will be filled with action and intensity as if the fighters were battling for their very lives.
”

He gestured to the two men standing with him.
“
Master Budakis and Master Kardan will be the officials for this year
’
s tournament.
”
He turned to Budakis.
“
Master paladin, the floor is yours.
”

As Vandermark departed, Budakis raised his arms and shouted.

“
Listen up! I
’
m only going to explain the rules once.
”
He glanced back at the contestants before turning to face the crowd.
“
This event will feature sixty-four of the best fighters at the Academy. Behind me are the first thirty-two entrants, all novice-level students. However, do not let their inexperience fool you. Trust me when I say that there is a high level of skill among this group, perhaps enough to win it all.
”

“
Pairings for each round will be assigned by way of lottery. Once a pairing is set, the contestants will duel for the right to advance. Duels will continue until one of following occurs.
”
Budakis held up a single finger.
“
A combatant is rendered unconscious.
”
He raised a second finger.
“
A contestant has had a major bone broken.
”
A third finger joined the others.
“
An official calls a contestant out due to his or her inability to mount a reasonable defense. The winner of each bout will advance to the next round.
”

Pausing briefly, Budakis continued.
“
Today, you will be treated to four rounds of intense duels to determine the top two novice-level warriors. Tomorrow
’
s contest will involve the apprentice-level and adept-level contestants. Day three will pit the top two warriors from each day in the climatic finals where the winner will be awarded the title of Arena Champion.
”

The crowd cheered in anticipation. Budakis waved the contestants to the benches near the changing rooms. Brock sat on a bench next to Cameron, trying to relax despite his fluttering stomach.

Two minutes later, Vandermark stepped to the center of the floor and waved his arms to quiet the crowd. He called out the names of eight contestants, both Cam and Lars among those called. Brock watched his friends and six others cluster near Vandermark before splitting off in twos. Each pair settled into position at the four outer circles painted on the Arena floor. Three other circles were spaced along the center of the floor, remaining empty until later rounds.

The four pairs stood ready, waiting for the signal to begin. Budakis stood on one end of the floor, prepared to monitor the two nearest duels. Kardan stood on the other end, prepared to do the same. Vandermark nodded, and his assistant began to swing a bell, the sound ringing throughout the building. The contestants sprang into action and the crowd roared.

Brock focused on Cameron, curious to see how others would fare against his massive roommate. Cam
’
s opponent danced around, waving his short sword as he held his shield high and ready. In contrast, Cam held his longsword low and steady as he calmly moved with his opponent. Brock judged Cam to be five or six inches taller than the other boy, which increased the extended reach his longsword had over his opponent
’
s short sword.

Cam
’
s foe stepped forward with a playful swipe. Brock assumed he was testing Cam, which was a major mistake.

As soon as the move was initiated, Cam made a lunge to close the gap even further. He swatted the sword aside with his shield. With blinding speed, he made a low swing with his longsword, the tip rotating up as it came around. Brock noticed that Cam
’
s opponent held his shield too high. Before he could lower it, the blunt tip of Cam
’
s sword slammed into the boy
’
s midsection. The boy collapsed in agony, and the crowd went wild.

Budakis called the bout. A healer descended the stairs as Cam helped his opponent to his feet.

Brock shifted his attention to Lars, who was having a bit of trouble getting a clean hit on the girl he was facing. Much like Brock, she used a quarterstaff and relied on quickness. Dodging the slow strokes of Lars
’
great sword, she would strike when he overextended. She hit him hard on the leg, but he held. She thumped him in the gut, forcing Lars to double over, but he recovered.

Taking another shot to his midsection, Lars clutched his stomach while breathing heavily. Sensing her advantage, she made a move. As she stepped forward, Lars lunged with a wide arcing strike at her midsection. She twisted her staff to block the strike but both of her hands were above the point of contact. Like a stick trying to stop a rolling boulder, the great sword hammered the staff aside as it rotated in her hands. The sword smashed into the girl
’
s hip, launching her sideways to land two strides away.

Again, the crowd erupted at the display of violence. The bout was called, and Lars bent to check on his downed foe. Rather than helping her up, he waved for a healer. Having already descended the stairs, Ashland came running over. A minute later, they helped the girl to her feet and walked her off the floor.

By that time, the other two bouts had finished. One of the losers had been rendered unconscious and was carried away. The other had a broken arm that was soon healed.

Cameron reclaimed his seat next to Brock.

“
Nice job, Cam,
”
Brock said.
“
I hope you didn
’
t break a sweat out there.
”

Cam flashed a smile as he yanked off his helmet.
“
I doubt my other matches will be that easy. I got lucky.
”

Brock snorted.
“
Yeah. It
’
s funny how you seem to get lucky every time you have a sword in your hand. You
’
d think it was a coincidence of something.
”

Cam shrugged, turning toward the center of the Arena. Brock turned to see Vandermark waving to quiet the crowd before calling out eight more names. Corbin
’
s was among them.

Brock had never seen Corbin fight, so he planned to watch his fight closely. Even if he didn
’
t face Corbin in the tournament, they might clash in the future if their paths continued as they were currently headed.

The four pairs took ready positions, waiting for the signal. When the bell rang, they sprang into action.

Corbin held his longsword with ease as it clacked repeatedly against his opponent
’
s two short swords. The other boy was slightly taller than Brock but with a stockier frame. He had thick arms, twitching as his swords flicked at his taller opponent. The steady clacking of his strikes hitting Corbin
’
s shield and sword filled the air. However, for all his effort, each swing was easily blocked or parried.

With a look of concentration on his face, Corbin continued to defend himself against his dual-armed opponent. The shorter boy pressed forward and made a low lunge. Corbin dodged and chopped down hard with his longsword, striking his opponent on the top of the helmet. The clang of the blow rang through the Arena as the stocky boy collapsed.

A healer ran in to check on Corbin
’
s opponent, who lay unconscious. Corbin ignored his downed foe. He removed his helmet, holding it and his sword high as he faced the roaring crowd. One of Budakis
’
assistants ran to help the healer haul the unconscious boy away. Corbin strolled back to the bench without a glance at his injured opponent.

Brock wasn
’
t surprised. Corbin had proven that he lacked any sense of compassion. That trait alone would have made Brock despise him.

With the other bouts decided and the floor cleared, Vandermark again stepped to the center of the Arena to call the next group of eight. Brock
’
s name wasn
’
t among those called, which meant he would be in the last group of the first round.

The eight selected took the floor, pairing up as directed and waiting for the signal. Rather than watching the matches, Brock leaned back and closed his eyes to calm his nerves. After a bit, he opened them to see the last match called.

Rather than waiting for his name to be announced, Brock stood and began crossing the floor. Vandermark quieted the crowd and announced the names on his list. Brock stepped beside him as his name was called, causing the headmaster to pause and glance at him before announcing the last three names. When they had all gathered, Vandermark read out the pairings. Brock was matched with a boy named Talvin. The two crossed the floor to the circle closest to the benches where Cam and the others sat watching. Brock and his opponent studied one another from across the circle.

As expected, Talvin was taller than Brock, giving him a reach advantage. He held a short sword in one hand and had a small shield strapped to the other arm. The boy was lean and muscular. His equipment and build showed that he, like Brock, relied on quickness. As Brock waited for the signal, he thought about the next match. If he advanced, he would have little time to rest since his first-round duel was among the last. A long drawn-out duel would drain him. He decided to be aggressive and end it quickly, one way or another.

The bell rang, the crowd cheered, and Brock sprang into action. Advancing, he made a lunge to the shield side of his opponent, which was easily blocked. When Brock felt the staff strike the shield, he pulled back hard. Seeing Brock
’
s backside open, Talvin swung wide, aiming at the small of his back. The wooden sword sped through the air but failed to connect.

Expecting that exact counter attack, Brock had dropped as low as he could. The other boy
’
s swing left him open and vulnerable. In a reverse jab, Brock drove the butt of his staff upward, into his opponent
’
s exposed ribs.

Brock felt the crack of bones through the staff, the crunch making his stomach twist, threatening to revolt. Yanking his staff back, he spun away to get beyond the reach of his opponent
’
s sword. When he saw Talvin down on one knee, he knew the match was over. Budakis stopped the duel and declared Brock the victor.