The Tournament's End

Robert got up the next day and was ready for battle. He arrived at the stadium as the new pairings were being announced.

"Today the semi-finals will begin. The pairings, in chronological order, are: Merl Strongstaff versus Robert and The Elemental Knight versus Ferrus." the announcer said.

The crowd booed at the mention of Ferrus's name. Robert went to his tournament box and awaited the start of the match.

...

Merl was sure of his victory, he had a legion of artifacts and he was able to summon floods of spells in an instant, besides that he was the only noble competing in the competition, except perhaps that Elemental Knight. Merl wasn't worried about the warriors, they could be easily outsmarted. He was a little worried about his current opponent as he hadn't seen the man fight yet. However, no matter how strong the man was, Merl's victory was assured.

Merl entered the arena and saw the man on the other side. By the time the match officially started the man had charged four of his staff's crystals. Merl began an incantation -Phlegethon, the river of fire- but the man raised his hand and all of the fire elementals fled Merl's spell.

"Damn, this guy is good. I will have to attack using a different element, I know! I will use my artifact to summon a tornado and attack him directly with an earth spike." Merl said.

Merl enacted his plan, but his opponent summoned his mana armour to block the earth spike and threw the ball of fire elementals he had amassed at the tornado emanating from Merl's jade amulet.

The result was a searing explosion that blinded Merl, meanwhile his opponent rushed through the flames.

"Uh oh, I've got no time to lose, I need to catch him off guard with a spell when he tries to engage." Merl said.

Robert condensed a flaming spear to combat Merl and rushed into close combat with him. As Robert reached Merl, a torrent of ice was released at Robert from Merl's staff, but Robert simply waved his staff -with twelve crystals of charge- and expended its full power to summon an exploding inferno right on top of him. Small diversions throughout the inferno meant that the heat and force swerved around Robert instead of burning him, this made it look as if he was wreathed in flames but totally unharmed and gave him quite a demonic appearance. Merl's spell was immediately obliterated and Merl himself now sported a charred cape of defence.

Robert stabbed at Merl with his spear and Merl dodged away with great difficulty.

"I only need a few seconds to absorb the energy from my artifacts and rise to a whole new level of power." Merl said.

Merl began absorbing energy from his artifacts. "You are a worthy opponent Robe-" Merl began.

Merl was interrupted as Robert turned the saliva in his mouth into ice and ripped it up with the many expansions. Robert then tossed a ball of flames at Merl's feet, knocking him out. Before Merl passed out, he saw Robert standing over him and shaking his head.

"Dude, you'll never win a battle if you spend the entire thing monologuing about your surprise attacks." Robert said as the announcer proclaimed him the victor.

...

The round between Ferrus and the Elemental Knight could only be described with one word from the crowds perspective: Retribution. As soon as the fight began the Elemental knight created a portal and stabbed Ferrus in the back with his glaive. The Elemental Knight then froze and heated Ferrus's sword until it shattered. The Elemental Knight turned and left the arena with only one sentence.

"I don't particularly enjoy the injuring of helpless women either." he said and left.

Soon enough the finals began, but Robert was faced with an issue.

"Do I want to win? I mean... I've fulfilled Logan's requirements since I won the first duel." Robert thought to himself.

[Why wouldn't you want to win?]

"Well if I win then I get that blessing right?" Robert asked.

[Yeah, that's right. You would instantly become a minor light elementalist.]

"That may be true, but I would be gaining my power from that lightbulb guy. He said that I was the villain. What does that mean?" Robert asked.

[It's your role... your job is to be the antagonist. You are the one who the hero will eventually defeat in a massive battle. You've been given a system so that you can build up enough forces for a final battle.]

"So that's it? I'm just the villain of someone else's story?" Robert wondered.

[Pretty much... I assume that you don't find it a satisfying role?]

"No, it just seems... pointless. What if I don't want to be the villain?" Robert asked hopefully.

[You don't have a choice, the word of a god is final to lesser beings. You will play the role of a villain, because to the god of light... you're just a toy that spins for his amusement. Try to stay still... and he'll set you spinning]

"I won't do it. I am more than just a villain for some two-bit god. I will break free from the constraints that I am under... and when I do, that damn lightbulb is going to shatter."

Robert got ready for his fight, his mind set on his future path. Whilst App bemoaned the foolishness of humanity quietly at the back of Robert's mind.

[These beings are so full of fallacy. They believe that they can conquer any obstacle through willpower, and yet they give up with such callous ease. Even those great feats they perform through their willpower are nothing but the first step on a road leading to their goals. A long, long road.]

As Robert entered the arena he saw his opponent on the other side and called out to him "Hey, since I've made it this far will you tell me your name? You're the only one of the final eight competitors fighting without a name."

His opponent cocked his head and seemed to ponder for a moment. "Very well," the knight said. Suddenly Robert saw that something had changed, he couldn't hear the roar of the crowd anymore and he was separated from them by what looked like a heat haze. Robert's opponent spoke again "My name is Scathach," the haze disappeared "now let us see who the victor is."

Scathach rushed at Robert and raised his glaive. Robert had been stalling for time so that he could charge his staff. He was at nine crystals at this point. Robert summoned his flame spear and prepared to engage Scathach. When Scathach reached him, Robert thrust out the spear to impale him, Scathach used a gust of wind to blow Robert's spear off course and continued towards Robert faster than he could draw back his spear. Luckily, Robert's spear was made of flames so he could attack with the haft while still posing a similar threat, Robert swung the haft at Scathach and raked the side of Scathach's armour with his spear. Magical runes on Scathach's armour sprang up and blocked the blow, Scathach swung his glaive down at Robert with inhuman force, the weight and strength of the glaive had clearly been enhanced, especially at the head, as the glaive came down Robert raised his staff to block it but was almost crushed beneath the weight of the blow, quickly realising his mistake Robert stopped blocking the strike while he dodged out of the way of the blade. After dodging Robert backpedalled away from his opponent and took a defensive stance with his spear.

"This is problematic," Robert thought "he's stronger, more versatile and far more skilled in battle than me, I'm going to have to play smart, and that means that I'm going to have to play dirty." Robert thought to himself.

[Hey idiot! Summon your mana armour. I can't help you if I'm not there.]

"Oh... right" Robert said, summoning his mana armour.

Scathach began to incant a spell -"Haste!" was all Robert could make out- and became much faster after the incantation, he then once again rushed Robert.

Robert released a twelfth level spell, completely depleting his staff's mana. Robert imagined his entire body swelling with power, and so it did, Robert's musculature began to bulge out and he quickly reached the apex of human strength, now standing above his opponent at six and a half feet tall. Robert continued to draw in energy until he felt that he was blocked off from this strange body enhancing energy by an adamantine wall of hexagonal shapes. Robert tried to push through the wall but he couldn't do anything to it.

[You idiot, I'm trying to keep you alive. If you keep absorbing abyssal elementals then you will die. Your body's pathways will burn out and you will slowly drain of life.]

"So this is one of the elements?" Robert thought, shock filling his mind. "Why isn't it used more often?"

[Are you not listening to me?! Because it's dangerous! Not to mention addictive...]

Robert flexed his newfound muscles, at the corner of his vision he could see Scathach staring at him. The hazy field appeared again and once again he couldn't hear the audience. Scathach stared at him for a moment and then asked "You are a biomancer?"

"Not quite, but my staff enables me to use a multitude of spells." Robert replied, assuming that Scathach was asking whether or not he was a mage who wielded abyssal elementals.

"Can you teach me the spell?" Scathach asked.

Robert thought for a moment. "App, can you teach me the spell that I just cast?" Robert asked internally.

[Ugh, fine. Spell learning (level 3) 125 points]

"Do it." Robert said, and suddenly his mind was filled with knowledge of the spell.

"I could, but what would I get?" Robert replied to Scathach.

"I have my own duties, but if you need help then I will aid you to the best of my abilities. I will also forfeit the match." Scathach said.

Robert thought it over, he was clearly fairly strong if he had made it to the finals of this tournament. "Hmm, alright, but how will I contact you?" Robert asked.

Scathach tossed him a strange, conical object made of white bone. "This is a hunter's horn, it's used to facilitate planning between people who are hunting monsters. You can pour mana into it to activate it." he said.

Robert glanced at the object before putting it away. "The name of the spell is Vigor, it's modified to give you the maximum strength boost your body can handle."

Scathach removed his field and forfeited the match. Robert was told that the blessing would arrive tomorrow and escorted to his room. The effects of Vigor faded after an hour and Robert took a short nap. Or rather he was woken up after an hour by some guests. Logan and Stella walked into the room but Robert was shocked to see that there was a third person accompanying them, "The walking muscle." Robert muttered under his breath in shock.

The man raised his eyebrow at Robert upon hearing this, but after a second he shrugged indifferently. Stella quickly butted in "Hey Robert. How does it feel to win the tournament?" she asked.

"Fine, I guess... why are you here?" Robert asked in a confused voice.

"That's not very nice, we came to congratulate you on your win of course." Logan said.

"Okay then, and what about..." Robert said gesturing to the man who had scared him and all of the guild veterans away from the Craftsman's Guild.

"I am here because you ran away last time,you-" the man began to speak but Stella elbowed him discreetly "Be nice." she said. The man gave a heavy sigh and glared at Robert "and to congratulate you on your win." the man said.

"Alright then... Mr.?" Robert asked nervously.

"Anders, Anders Smith, obviously." the man said, gesturing to his hammer.

Robert looked at the man's warhammer, huge, bulging muscles and battle-scarred body. "Right, yeah... of course." Robert said. Robert chatted with his guests for a while, as they drunk all of his luxury alcohol.

The next day, Robert was taken to an altar in the middle of the arena and told to wait until the sun's aligned. After half an hour the twin suns aligned and a massive beam of light shot down from them, a huge, runic formation appeared in the sky and the beam of light was scattered out to all of the major towns and villages across the continent. The shard of light engulfed Robert and the altar.

Robert felt the light seep into his body, filling him with power. He saw true once again, the burst of light forcing open his eyes and giving him sight once again. Robert was filled with power, enough power to level a village, -and combined with his own- enough power to tear apart a city. Robert's veins surged with power, it erupted from his skin, sending crackling bolts of lightning off his flesh.

Robert felt it all surge through him. He felt its power, he felt its freedom, and most of all... he felt its "Falsehood." Robert said. Robert remembered everything that he had gone through, all for that god's pleasure, and now he was taking power from that god, power that the god could wield with ease. With this power Robert would be useless in front of that god, his power could be removed at a whim, for it was not truly his.

Robert remembered what he had said, he remembered how he had wished not to be stuck in this game, not to have his destiny predetermined. But alas, the formations were set to give him this false, polluting power and there was nothing he could do to stop it, for only a god can challenge a god's will. Suddenly, Robert heard a voice in his mind, that ancient, venomous voice "I could help you, I could give you the power to rip the false god from his heavenly abode, but power comes at a price. Will you pay it? Or shall you remain a slave to a being that cares not for your existence?"

Robert had always worried about being just another cog in the machine that was earth's society, so now, in a world full of magic and gods, Robert would take any chance for freedom. "I agree." Robert said. And instantly he held the power he had used in the fiery realm once again. Robert altered his body's elemental pathways so that the false light would flow out of his body and the light poured out in a crackling maelstrom of lightning that surrounded Robert. The formation continued trying to push the light into him, but that merely reminded Robert of its presence. As Robert looked up to the formation, he saw the runes within it and realised that he could understand how the runes functioned, like a huge wheel that broke apart the beam of light and forced it to enter the villages formations. Robert pushed back against the formation and the light returned to it.

But the formation didn't simply disperse the light, it forced it upon a set path, when Robert pushed back the formation, he spun the wheel backwards and all of the blessings were pulled back into it... and then returned to their origin.

[By the universe itself, what are you doing!?]

Robert watched, as the light traveled back along its beam, and reached the twin suns.

"I'm blowing out a faulty bulb." Robert said... as the twin suns exploded.