Chapter 6

"Where are you guys headed to?"

Douglas inquired, as the trio exited though the wide, majestic gates of the Ashanti Palace.

The Ashanti Palace was the temporary residence allocated to the contestants and the distinguished representatives. For the contestants, lodging and feeding was free, but such privilege wasn't afforded to the representatives, though the fee for the rooms and the delicious cuisines were made out to not be too steep for people of their status. The distance to the Amphitheater was convenient as well, as it was just a ten minutes stroll between this two establishments.

"Illenia wants to buy a new weapon, isn't that right, girl?" Jason replied.

"Yeah." Illenia affirmed. "My current weapon is worn out and needs replacement."

"But, couldn't you have gotten one before making your way to Zion? I heard things are quite expensive here. Wouldn't buying a new weapon here, u know, loosen the purse a little?" Douglas inquired with concern

"I could have gotten an exact make of the one I have, but I heard from a reliable source that a store in Victoria City has a far, better alternative. I use a special kind of whip, and such whip is really rare to find in other provinces. Locating the exact make was already difficult, but a better, more advanced make was almost next to impossible. So, imagine my excitement in finding out that Zion has something better to offer. As for money well, I already meet my uncle yesterday and he gave me a lot of gold coins, so I think I should be fine in that aspect." Illenia explained

"Her Uncle is the reliable source she's talking about. He lives here in the capital." Jason informed Douglas.

"Wow! Your Uncle must really be something to have the privilege to live here." Douglas exclaimed softly, as he began to see Illenia in a new light."

"He he he, l know right." Illenia chuckled sweetly "My big uncle is a very wealthy merchant. I daresay he's perhaps one of the wealthiest in Arges. He deals in the export of Mana stones to other neighboring nations in the Pacific. So, the King requested that he relocates to Zion, as such an influential person would better aid the economy of the capital and also the cost of transporting the mana stones would be cheaper, as he will now have access to using the seaport of Victoria City, which is a better link to other nations in the Pacific." She said proudly.

"So, your Uncle is a wealthy merchant, who resides here and your dad is the Grand duke of Dignah. You really were born with a silver spoon." Douglas said enviably.

"I can't deny that. But still despite that, I haven't for once slacked in my training and I have worked hard in greatly developing myself and which has resulted in me winning against very talented individuals in Dignah and booking a candidate's ticket to this edition's tournament." Illenia said, with a firm expression on her oval face.

"So Douglas, we are heading to the Hanji weapons store to purchase Illenia's Whip. What about you? What are your plans for this evening?" Jason inquired from Douglas.

"Oh, nothing much. I just planned to stroll a bit, to clear my head for my match tomorrow and maybe behold some of the wonderful sceneries of Zion. I might just accompany you guys halfway." Douglas responded

"I guess our plans align a bit. I know the layout of this city well, as I have been here several times to visit Uncle. Come, there are some cool places along the path to the weapon's store." Illenia said, as her dainty palms clasped the hands of Douglas and Jason and gently pulled them along with hers, in a bid for the boys to follow along.

Zion had eleven cities in total and among this eleven cities, the city of Victoria was its capital city. It was in this city that the King resided and controlled the affairs of Arges. It was also in this city that the activities of the tournament were to be held.

It was past six in the evening. The sun, which had been scorching in the early hours of the afternoon, had lost its encompassing shine and luster, as it had begun to descend. The sky looked dazzling and beautiful in its mixture of orange and blue, gifting off the perfect view of the setting sun. It was as if the sun and the sky were two love birds in perfect harmony. It displayed an ethereal beauty and produced the perfect background to the already dazzling capital of Zion. The trio strolled through the well-paved street, taking in the sights and admiring the glamorous architecture of the luxurious mansions, monumental fountains splashing clear, soothing water, the golden statues and sculptures erected, the numerous parks, the exotic wears on display, the mouthwatering cuisines been served in well-established restaurants; just to mention a few.

As the trio took in the sights, Illenia suddenly remembered something and sighed deeply and lamented,

"I really picked the short end of the straw to be placed in the same f**king group as Estella Fuentes. There is no way I'm qualifying easily from my group now."

"Wait, u mean Estella; one among the Xis. U mean that Estella?" Jason inquired in astonishment.

"Which other Estella is there?" Illenia helplessly sighed, "You know, she and Rutger Reigin are the prime candidates to win this tournament. And unlike, Reigin, who's at least a bit lenient in handling weaker opponents and is a bit kindhearted in letting you off with slight injuries, Estella is wicked and got a warped personality. I heard that in the preliminaries in her province, she brutally murdered every single opponent that went against her, without an exception! She loves to play and torture her opponents with her dark energy, in order to have a taste of their despair, before killing them off. She feeds off that despair. Just thinking about her methods, gives me the chills. Nope, no way I am going up against her. I will pass. I will surrender, before the contest even begins."

"U could try your best and test your skills against her, just to see how much u have progressed. One shouldn't shy away from a fight, no matter the opponent. That's how true warriors are born. You never know u might even get a good result." Jason encouraged

"What?! At the cost of my life! Nope, hard pass." Illenia shook her head in resolution of her chances "I am a pragmatist. I am not going to have a life or death battle with someone that I know is way better than me, especially a blood sucking demoness like Estella Fuentes. My life is way too precious to simply waste away on an impossible fight. The other two in my group seem easier to deal with. Though, I don't really know much about them, but, I believe I have a stronger chance against both of them. But against Estella, absolutely no way. That bitch is a heartless monster."

"Who is this Estella Fuentes or even this Rutger Reigin? I haven't heard about them before. And what is a Xis?" Douglas perplexedly inquired. He had been listening in to their conversation, but he couldn't chime in, as he had no clue on what they were discussing.

Illenia stopped suddenly and turned sharply to squarely face Douglas, with an incredulous look on her oval face, like the one used when staring at an idiot,

"Have u been living under a rock or something? How can you be a candidate in this tournament and u know nothing about the Xis, or even about Estella Fuentes or Rutger Reigin? Are you kidding me right now? While everyone were digging out information on one another, what in the hell were you even doing?" Illenia paused her rant. Then, her eyes narrowed, as she spoke more gravely,

"Oh yes, that's right. I have never even heard about you, until recently. At least, I have a little knowledge on all the other contestants, but you are a mystery. An enigma of sorts. You say u represent Bermuda, but it's common knowledge that Bermuda haven't even had a preliminary in more than a hundred years. So, who the f**k are you? How did you even qualify for this final round of the Arges combat tournament?!"