482 CHPT 482: Fame and Fortune to Glory; Death and Decimation to....

The Martial Arts Competition waged on. After Maris' resignation from the match, the usually one off combat event was given a new flame of intensity. The other students were shocked into action in a rush to show New Gloria remained at the bottom. To not embarass their own peoples reputation and history.

And to put it lightly, they completed that assignment. With flying colors. Flying... flaming .... frozen and explosive colors unrecognizable by normal human eyes.

The New Glorian students-- and the crowd at large, for the duration of the event were given a show like never before.

Claude saw spells impressive enough to rival Rollan's Elemental Artistry. He saw combative styles seemingly impossible to mimic without a lifetime of preemptive training-- just to prime the body for grotesque and silky acrobatic movements. Maris saw swordsmanship that made her adrenaline rush like a river. Ursula saw Tanks absorb assaults unheard of. Assaults like flaming lightning showers from Elemental Mages and Rune Written explosive arrows to the face.

But all of that was put to bed by one upper echelon of student body.

The Chosen.

Only two ever came up.

One from The Slayers Dojo and The Indus Rebirth School. Claude only recognized one initially-- he'd been on the Rail-Riders with her. A little girl-- no older than ten. Chosen by the goddess of death. Kali. The same goddess that turned what was previously known as India, into a torn and war-stricken collection of small islands.

And Claude thought his god-lupine relationship dynamic was strained.

Kali's Chosen faced off against a student that seemingly could wield shadow. Arne informed him it was probably Aura enforced wind. But that was before he grew wings and turned the day to night.

They fought like they had beef.

It was otherworldly.

Claude was convinced in that moment that nobody could beat them other than fellow Chosen. by the end of it, the crowd had yelled out their throats, leaving the ambient noise transformed from clear and chaotic roars to uneven and ugly croaking howls.

The greed that wafted from the betting men and women rivaled Goblins. Overpowered, even.

Thankfully it was the last fight of the day. For the first time, the Martial Arts segment of the Tournament would last longer than a single day. Maybe that was due to the events reconstruction that left combatants running and fighting through the whole Ra Stadium.

Or maybe it was what Prof. Alvis spoke with him about during the match.

A theory that more people were being Reborn than ever. Followed by a question, why?

Him and his theories. To be frank it was beginning to freak Claude out.

To put it shortly, he was more than happy in his current predicament.

"Go left!" Warren yelled as they bolted down an alleyway in the City portion of Cairo meant for Tournament Entrants.

"That's not the way." Maris yelled as she ran beside him, nearly blinded by his glowing yellow avian eyes.

"Man, can you listen to me once!?"

Without hesitation, the group swung left, skidding on the sanded over grounds to bolt further into the thick cityscape powered by elementally gifted men and women.

Immediately upon turning, a chaotic framework of equipment and structuring binding two plated buildings blocked their path. In theory.

Luckily, they were from New Gloria-- a place swallowed by forestry.

They moved through the clutter like cats on a playground. And the sounds of bloodthirsty Journalists and Sponsors faded.

Instead of going forward, Claude led them upward. Leaping and pulling himself up until he flipped up onto the rooftop of a building.

Once on top of the building, he turned to help the others up.

Claude felt a tug as Warren drew him to the front edge of the building where two Electrists prepared to send another unified blast of industrialized lightning into the building.

"WAIT!" Claude yelled before raising two neutral fists to his friends behind him. Immediately their Aura's bloomed to avoid the possible blast.

"What do we do?" Warren asked, "We kind of broke the law....."

"So did those Journalists." Sunlandian Guards in the distance laid down the hammer as they beat and apprehended the mob. Claude could feel the violence ebb and flow inside the alleyways as passing Students laughed and cringed at the intensity of the beating.

Claude made a cup around his mouth to increase the directional volume of his words, "We're sorry..... we had nowhere else to go in the immediate moment. Do you mind if we camp out up here for an hour or so?"

The pair of men below-- baggy eyed and disheveled moved as if they were unpaused suddenly.

"Heads up!" Isaac said, suddenly appearing beside him and Warren, dropping two Silver Coins.

The Electrists took them and turned away from the building without a sound.

Warren and Claude looked at each other and then at Isaac. His tight corn rows reflected the setting sun like black braids of glass laid over his dark skin.

"Obviously they're poor.... and this place doesn't need immediate upkeep with only us here. Bribing will always work when there's economic inequality. "

Warren smiled and smacked him on his shoulder plate, "Spoken like a true Noble!..... or not, actually."

Isaac sighed and undid his upper body armor before taking a seat on the rooftop with his back to the ledge, "Yep."

Slowly everyone did the same. Setting into a silence to enjoy what mirrored them in comparison to the wildness of the Ra Stadium. Claude's ears still rang. Ursula and Cassidy must've been in a similar predicament.

"Speaking of, why haven't we met daddy Aslan?" Warren asked while shrugging off his Bow.

"One..... never say that again. Two, he's busy." Isaac said while Ursula chuckled.

"When was the last time you saw him? He didn't even look at you in the crowd, bro..... like he didn't recognize you." Warren added, almost in a whisper.

"It's been a little over a year." Isaac replied.

"Damn.... sorry man." Warren commented as Ursula patted the back of his neck.

Isaac shrugged, "It's fine. Obviously, we won't have a normal father son relationship. He's a Symbol to the people here.... he has obligations made long before himself. Tangent Tours and all that. I'd say Ursula would understand...."

"But my father's a dick....." Ursula filled in.

"And a bigot." Maris said. Once she noticed everyone looking at her she added, "Sometimes Conroy recommends me books on..... politics and stuff that doesn't directly involve magic and swordsmanship. They help me get to sleep faster."

Claude caught himself smiling after the memory of himself saying something similar to Arne many months prior.

"Dude..... are you going to eat Maris-- what the hell is that fa--" Ursula grabbed Warren's face as if it were a bag of candy.

"Don't ruin it, he barely does this."

Slowly everyone relaxed in the silence that followed. Claude did the best he could-- but with the shadows that danced in the peripherals of his life, he could only manage so much before looking, and preparing for what the light of realization would show.

As they all sat, he let his hands hang over the ledge, dropping seeds into the sanded earth followed by his own blasts of magic to grow patches of grass all down the alleys nearby.

Ursula caught him after a while and grabbed his hand.

When he looked over at her, she flicked her head over to Maris.

She stared at him. Her usually cold and expressionless face was different. Angered. Hurt. The last time it looked that way she found out he was Allblack-- the one who found her among the Goblins. The one who gave her a shot at revenge.... and Rebirth was found in that act.

The face seemed to cut as deep as her sword. If that was possible.

The silence grew loud as he stared. Winds blew, carrying the sands below like swarms of golden insects flying through the city. Maris' shoulder length black hair fluttered in and out of her face, wiping the oils from her shapely regal nose and barely sunkissed pale skin.

"What's the matter Maris?"

"Why..... why make me quit?"

Isaac and Warren sat up straighter and opened their eyes at the question.

"I told you, Maris. It's like what Headmaster Alaric said, this isn't a simple Tournament. There are bad people here.... looking for people like you to rope into their mess. I'm not letting that happen.... not without a fight." Claude explained.

"And what are... people like me?"

Claude opened his mouth and bit his finger, digging his continually growing canines into his skin. The taste of his own blood-- the aroma of it grew as he removed his finger from his mouth.

Quickly, he turned his finger over and let the blood fall like water from a broken faucet.

Before it could hit the ground, it hovered. Frozen in time. Without much hesitation it rose back up into his finger.

They all looked to Maris.

Her hands weren't glowing..... as they should when one's using their element.

"Maris..... how long have you been able to do it subconsciously?" Claude asked.

Maris shrugged, "It doesn't matter."

Ursula wrapped Claude's finger as they spoke.

"Maybe not to us. But it does to select people in the stadium stands. You have something rare..... there's people that search for that specifically."

"Rarity?"

Claude nodded, "Yea."

"People like Rupont."

Claude fought off his shiver, "People like....Rupont."

He trailed off only for a moment after catching a black shape jumping between the metal framework in a nearby alleyway.

"[I'm beginning to hate cats. I say this as a man who's had my fair share of WereTiger's.... and Lions-- oh the memories....]"

"Arne."

"[My apologies. I forgot you're as innocent as a--]"

Tapping on the side of their building took everyone's attention. Claude and Ursula's because they failed to hear anything coming.

Claude leaned over the ledge to look down into the alleyway.

At the back end of the building, a man stood in the shadows of the buildings. He rested atop a metal box-- the same one Claude and the others hopped over to escape the Journalists.

At his left and right, a familiar pairing of beautiful women accompanied him. Even in the shadows their jewelry glimmered on half naked bodies with enough curves to make you dizzy. They had hair like Isaac and Warren-- curled and coarse. Only it was tied down and beaded with more jewelry.

The man looked so different in comparison. Pale skin, dark hair left to blow in the wind. Heavy fabrics. A smile.

".... Claude and Maris-- right?" Rupont yelled up to them. Back with his fake English accent.

Isaac's eyes widened like saucers. Warren's oblivious face told Claude he wasn't paying attention at the start of the Tournament.

"Yes." Claude and Maris said in unison.

"....It's nice to see you both again..... along with the rest of you!"

Isaac grabbed Warren and stood-- bowing hard, "Likewise, sir."

Rupont laughed and flipped his cane, "Haha! Easy, young warriors. I come with no required hoorah stiff-backed sentiments. Relax."

Isaac and Warren did so hesitantly. Isaac took a knee as Ursula and Claude made their way ahead of everyone in the face of the Vampires.

"Three." Ursula spoke through their link.

"Backend." Claude said, but unspoken she understood to go to the backside of the roof to watch for others.

Rupont chuckled as he watched in the silence, "You may be wondering how I found you."

Claude didn't need to anymore.

"As this Tournament's benefactor, I hold a particular standing in this area as a whole. I .....spoke to some store owners. I can have a silver tongue when I need it. As any businessman would."

They all nodded along.

"Why are you here?" Maris asked flatly.

Rupont watched her with a curious smile. Always smiling. "Well to congratulate you of course, young lady."

He spoke once more, "Wonderful show of Glorian might! That is where you're from correct?"

Maris nodded.

"....And where you were born?"

Maris hesitated before responding, "Yes."

"Well.... they taught you well over there. A particularly visceral and in your face sword style. Definitely not Arthurian. The Students won't-- haven't expected it.... hehe. That's a constant with you, isn't it, young Maris..... The unexpected."

Rupont trailed off.

Claude's veins felt like they were filled with ice.

In the far distance, Cassidy hopped up onto a rooftop with his weapons drawn and face furry beneath his hood.

"[Claude.... the sun. You aren't fighting even if you think you should. These aren't BloodStarved creatures of unstable mind.]"

Claude suddenly realized how the shadows continued to thicken as the sun fell.

"Well, we bribed the Electrists... for an hour." Claude bluttered out.

Rupont waved him off, "Your secret is safe with me...."

It felt like that reply had a double meaning as he kept his Vampiric compatriots close, instead of sending them to close them off.

Claude nodded, "I understand. But.... our hour is up."

Just then-- as if by the will of all gods, the Electrists began closing in on their workplaces at the sides of the buildings.

Rupont made eye contact with them.

"Ah. Speak of the devil." He clapped his hands, "You two, I'd like a word."

The Electrists froze as if grabbed by their spines before walking over. The hair on Claude's arms rose. Isaac's feet began moving as he sat.

They lost their tired and hunch backed gait, walking like puppets on a string. They even began climbing through the metal framework that stood between them.

They stood in front of Rupont. He looked down at them from his metal box. Like a king of two.

"You two-- you've got the day off. To hell with the corporate scumfucks and their Council of Restorative Magical Integration. You are human beings! Even if you've committed crimes! You deserve to be treated as such..... not bloody batteries to a pizza shop!" He spoke in a grandiose tone as they watched him with blank faces.

"But..... we'll be fired..." They spoke in unison.

"The hell...." Warren whispered at the bizarre interaction.

"You will not. Now walk... walk home to your families and make babies in the Fiara name!"

Without a second word, they turned and walked back the way they came. Ultimately leaving their post and heading home.

Rupont spoke in the silence, "Although I am a staunch supporter of casual sex.... I understand the appreciation of family. We're all pack creatures at the end of the night."

Claude's claws finished digging into the rooftop at that moment. With a loud scratch, his friends looked down at what he scratched into the rooftop grounds.

"When I cough. Run."

"Now. May I join you all among the stars?" Rupont inquired playfully while already beginning to make his way towards them and up the wall.

"Actually-- ugh....eRHM! We have to go, with all due respect."

Before he even finished the sentence, Ursula was dragging everyone the opposite way to jump across the rooftops towards Cassidy.

Claude caught a glimpse of Rupont being caught by his jacket by the women behind him right before he hit the grass in the alleyway.

He calmed them and deliberately touched it. He was..... he was outing himself. He knew Claude was a Druid-- assumedly he knew what that meant. And even still....???

"Claude!" Ursula yelled.

Claude waited, reaching out to touch the vines that climbed up the wall towards him.

He activated his Natural Vision-- only for a moment. Short enough to look as if he was just blinking before taking off.

And he saw it.

A Vampire's Aura. Like Black fire intertwined with rivulets of blood and indigo flower petals-- fabrics from a time..... a time he didn't know.

"Crafty...." Rupont whispered as Claude caught up with his friends. As if showing him further evidence by being able to hear Conroy's whispers from the earlier morning... when he wasn't seen anywhere in the stadium.

"[FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Why can't you live normally, Claude?!]"

They were gone by the time Rupont and his ladyfriends made it to the rooftop.

"You aren't as charming as you think." One of them said.

Rupont sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Apparently."