3 Chapter 3: High Stakes

The stadium hushed the moment everyone heard the announcer say the word "stakes". Usually, what was at stake tends to set the intensity of a fight. The audience looked forward to this all the time since it gives them what to expect in a bout. 

The entirety of the fighting arena remained quiet. The gentle gushing of the spring wind was the only thing felt by the senses besides the rising tension of the atmosphere. Everyone was in anticipation.

"The winner gets three thousand Yenis..", stated the announcer. 

The entire stadium resounded a big, "ehh..?!". Then, a mixture of cheers, jeers, and murmurs followed. 

"So, this season's first fight is a money making one, eh? But that's a hell of a lot of money..", a man from the audience said. 

"Oh, you bet. That's four months worth of earnings for me..", a woman answered shortly after.

Jax smirked smugly as he shook Sugimoto's hand. "So.. you added another thousand in our little bet?"

"Just to make things more exciting..", Sugimoto answered as they released each other's hands.

"Don't worry, soon you'll get that exact amount back."

"But it looks like I'll get more. No armor? You're wide open."

"All I need is my axe."

"Tsk.. arrogant fool."

After the short pre fight word skirmish, the two fighters took a few paces back to their positions. Jax held his axe with two hands and stood squarely. Sugimoto drew his sword with one hand and raised his shield with the other. 

The announcer then stepped out of the stage and took a seat near the front row. "Are you ready?", he asked Jax, and the fighter nodded. "You ready?", he also asked Sugimoto, and the young knight also nodded. "Hajime!"

Without wasting any time, Jax rushed towards Sugimoto with a full swing, but he hit nothing. Clearly, the more experienced fighter had an advantage in evasive maneuvers. However, Jax immediately swung back to hit Sugimoto's shield the second time. But no HP was deducted since it was a clean block.

Jax went relentlessly as Sugimoto kept blocking and dodging intermittently. The sound of clashing metal and the immediate intensity of the fight got the crowd roaring for more. 

Chizuru made a big "whoa" with her mouth while Satsuki just giggled childishly. Seijurou remained as observant as ever while axe and shield clashed. 

"What in the world is this brat doing..?", Sugimoto thought while he continued to defend. 

Although it seemed like Sugimoto was parrying effectively, he was being pushed back. He was becoming dangerously close to the ledge. The risk of falling out of bounds was high. He realized that Jax's barrage was a strategy to push him off. 

"Come on, Tank! Fight back..!..", Chizuru cheered on. 

Just when Jax thought he was about to knock Sugimoto out of contention, he missed his final swing. Sugimoto rolled back towards the middle to a stand, immediately establishing his shield up position again. "I could do this all day."

"Me too..", grunted Jax.

"Really? You're losing quite a lot of stamina."

Even if Jax kept that smug look on his face, he was not effectively bluffing. He was breathing hard. Swinging an axe as heavy as a man continuously was painstaking work. However, he did have an enormous amount of stamina.

The battle raged on for a few more minutes with Jax continuously swinging his massive weapon. But as time went by, the attacks seemed to slow down. He was beginning to tire out. 

"He's starting to lose his momentum..", commented Seijurou.

"Serves him right for being too arrogant..", replied Chizuru as Satsuki just simply looked at them with a smile. 

"She's way too calm..", both Seijurou and Chizuru thought as they stared at Satsuki blankly. 

After gaging his opponent for quite a while, Sugimoto began his counter attack with a shield bash. It rendered Jax to not complete a swing and he staggered backwards. A sword stab from Sugimoto followed, but Jax parried with the handle of his axe. 

"Oooh.. I damaged you there..", said Sugimoto as they locked weapons. 

"Barely noticeable..", Jax answered in between his breaths. 

"But enough to knock you out when you run out of stamina."

They pushed each other backwards right after the exchange and went back to base form. 

Jax thought Sugimoto was right. A single health point damage is enough to put a fight to rest when either MP or SP is depleted. He knew that he needed to recharge his SP for a while before attacking again. 

Both fighters kept their distance to measure each other up for a few moments. Jax was still breathing heavily, but he was slowly replenishing his stamina. Sugimoto stood his ground and thought of his next move. 

"Don't tell me you didn't bring a stamina potion..?", asked Sugimoto while he reared for an attack, which was actually more of a taunt. "Foolish kid. You think I'll wait for you to recharge?! Here I come!"

But to Sugimoto's surprise, Jax had another trick under his sleeve. As Jax parried his opponent's slash, the "Knight Build" expected another axe swing. 

However, it was not the weapon that caught Sugimoto. It was a boot to the chest that knocked him backwards to the ground. A full overhead swing came after, but he was able to safely roll out, which caused the floor to crack.

"Now that's dirty..!", jeered Chizuru, which made Satsuki laugh. 

But Seijurou just looked on. That move was well within the rules of the duel.

Jax did not have the time to smirk or taunt, or whatsoever. He kept his focus and continued to attack. That kick did not deal damage at all since Sugimoto was in full heavy armor. He knew he had to do more. 

The tide was turning, however. Jax was not able to replenish his stamina completely, and he was gradually being hit by Sugimoto. He was slowing down fast. He was mistiming his blocks already, and Sugimoto's counters were becoming more efficient. 

A knockout was becoming inevitable. Even if it were not so, Sugimoto has not suffered a single point of damage. And the time limit was closing in. 

With one thundering shield bash, Jax staggered backwards once more. Until finally, he fell on one knee. 

"It's over. I suggest you just lay there and give up.. or step off the octagon, so you won't get hurt any further..", Sugimoto confidently remarked. "You're strong.. but there's just that much difference in our battle experience."

Jax thought that Sugimoto was right about that. Even their "PC Levels" tell the story with him who recently just leveled up to ten and with Sugimoto who was way above level twelve. But it was not time for him to call it a match yet.

He may not have a potion with him, but Jax had a secret ingredient in his pocket, a small red mushroom with white specks protruding from it. 

"Amanita muscaria..", Seijurou grumbled. 

"Huh? What did you say..?", confused with what Seijurou said, Chizuru asked.

"That mushroom.. Amanita muscaria, otherwise known as fly agaric or fly amanita."

Still clueless of what Seijurou was talking about, Chizuru sighed and went back to watch the duel. And it caught her off guard. 

As soon as Jax chewed a small piece of the small mushroom, his hair slowly stood up into spikes and his eyeballs lost coloration. When his muscles tensed to make him look larger, he charged at Sugimoto with blinding speed. 

Jax's first attack was a two handed axe handle bash that made Sugimoto stumble backwards. Surprise and shock was not even in the picture yet when Sugimoto realized he was suddenly wide open and helpless. Just before it even donned on him, Sugimoto had already lost his shield when Jax swung his massive weapon at it. 

With one upward swing, Jax's battleaxe slashed across Sugimoto's chest plate to send him flying off the Octagon. His sword was not even enough to block the sheer power of the attack since it broke in the process. 

It all happened so fast that it silenced the crowd. 

"Uh.. eh. Out of bounds! Gray tank is out of bounds! Jax is the winner..!", the announcer yelled as he woke up from confusion too. 

The crowd then erupted while Jax suddenly felt weakened and fell on all fours. 

"It's a medicinal fungus widely believed to resist the effects of burning from fire..", Seijurou continued his point from earlier. "However.. it's just a strong hallucinogen that negates the pain from burning and in turn.. pain itself since heat and pain receptors are essentially the same in the human body's nervous system."

"So, that's what happened to Jax..?", asked Chizuru while Satsuki seemed to listen intently like a child as well. 

"Yes, but not quite. To expound on Jax's case.. running out of stamina is a form of pain too.. but with Amanita Muscaria's effects, he did not feel that. In short.. he had this illusion of having boundless energy for a short period."

"But it doesn't explain why he was much faster and stronger."

"Don't forget that it's a hallucinogen too. You lose your mind with it. The only thing that's left of your consciousness is the last thing you thought of before feeling the effects."

"It's to win."

"Or worse.. to kill. A mindless and reckless desire to hurt with every attack at full speed and power since fatigue was out of the equation."

Chizuru looked on as Sugimoto's guildmates stretchered him out. The crowd continued to cheer and asked for more.

"That's a frightening trick..", Chizuru said, which sounded almost like a whisper.

"Some say you attack at double the damage and receive half. While others say the PC level is doubled. Imagine that with infinite SPs..", Seijurou added.

Satsuki then tapped Seijurou's shoulder. She flashed an eye closing smile at the boy as he looked at her. "Have you taken enough notes? I told you this'll help, didn't I? Any idea what Jax's build is?"

"The mushroom gave it away..", Seijurou responded with a confident smirk. "Berserker.. He's a Berserker."

"One hundred points, Erida-kun!"

"But Jax doesn't seem like he's okay..", Chizuru gestured towards Jax, who was lying on the floor unconscious but breathing very heavily.

"The 'berserker mushroom' is again, a hallucinogen..", Seijurou answered confidently, even if his expression remained stoic. "Its effects may be incredible.. but in reality, he's completely depleted his stamina to zero."

"It could've been a double knockout if Sugimoto-senpai hadn't been knocked off the Octagon first..", Satsuki added with her cheerful tone diminishing a little. 

The two simply nodded at Satsuki after that. 

And then, the crowd's cheers gradually became louder again as an imposing figure stepped onto the Octagon. He had long black hair tied into a topknot and wore a night blue kimono over his gakuran. Two "tsuka" protruded out of his waist indicating the "player character" was a traditional swordsman build.

"That sword fighter seems to be popular..", remarked Seijurou.

"Of course, he is..", Satsuki replied with a surprisingly more serious tone. "He's the leader of Sugimoto-senpai's guild."

"And?"

"Being the head of the most prestigious guild in FSG is quite a thing, you know..", Chizuru, this time, replied impatiently as if she was talking to someone hopelessly clueless. 

"Not only that.. he's a member of the 'Round Table of Seven'..", Satsuki continued with her serious tone. "Right hand, first chair."

"Right..", Seijurou answered as if he knew exactly what Satsuki said. But in reality, he had no idea. "What the hell are you talking about, Kinjou? And what's with the serious face?!"

Satsuki just giggled awkwardly with sweat rolling down her head. "He was my senpai in Masako-sensei's.. no, your mama's dojo."

After that, both Seijurou and Satsuki blankly looked down towards the floor. A grim memory had somewhat befallen the two. 

"So that's Kuronuma Haguro of the 'Seven'..", Chizuru pointed out the swordsman's name to interrupt the awkward situation. "The Round Table of Seven, or the council of seven, consists of the seven strongest students of FSG. They pretty much handle anything related with student affairs and acts as a bridge to the school's administration, the Fujiishima military unit itself."

"Is that so? I didn't know that..", Seijurou replied looking slightly confused.

"That's why you should go out more..", answered Chizuru in frustration. "The head of the seven, also known as the 'Helm', is the most powerful of them.. while those seated next to him, right and left, are the next strongest. The one seated on the right, 'the right hand', is slightly stronger though."

"So, you're saying he's the second strongest student in FSG?..", asked Seijurou while shooting a glance at Kuronuma.

"That's right.. and probably the strongest swordsman in this school too. Except that.."

Chizuru slowly looked at Satsuki after she cut herself from talking. The gesture also got Seijurou to look at Satsuki in confusion. And Satsuki was looking more serious than before as she was contemplating on something.

"What am I supposed to do now..?", Satsuki mumbled to herself.

"Eh, Satsu-chan. You okay..?, Chizuru asked with a little worry.

"Huh? Eh? Oh.. I'm fine. I'm just thinking of changing what to order in the pastry shop since it looks like Jax won't be able to come."

Seijurou and Chizuru gave their friend a blank stare. They both thought at the same time they worried for something as shallow as that. 

While the three friends talked the whole time, Kuronuma ordered his guildmates to bring Jax to the guild hall for treatment and most likely, recruitment. There were elements of surprise and distaste among the ranks, but they could never go against the guildmaster's orders. Everyone knew what he was capable of. 

As the crowd continued to chant the name of the "Helm's right hand", Kuronuma himself positioned himself in the middle as if he was about to address them. He moved his head slightly from left to right, which caused the crowd to lessen their noises. 

"I have an announcement to make..", Kuronuma said as if his voice was enhanced magically as well. "Kinjou Satsuki, are you here?"

Seijurou's head straightened up quickly with a never before seen surprised expression on his face. And almost simultaneously, Chizuru almost backflipped in shock as well. 

"Eh? Me..?", dumbfounded, Satsuki pointed to herself to make sure she heard her name correctly. She stood up and slowly, Kuronuma spotted her.

"So.. you're finally here..", said Kuronuma. "I've been waiting for a long time for this moment."

The whole place gasped in anticipation. A public address to a single person from a high ranking member of the council did not happen very often. 

"What? Is he going to marry her..?", Seijurou jested, though he probably did not mean to. Chizuru just whacked him on the head playfully afterwards. 

"You were? That's flattering, senpai..", said Satsuki as she giggled awkwardly and scratched her head. 

The two former students of Seijurou's mother looked at each other for a while. Satsuki just put up an awkward smile while sweat rolled down on her head. However, Kuronuma simply grinned confidently at her.

"Kinjou Satsuki, Heiress of the Swordmaiden, I challenge you to a duel..", Kuronuma announced, which caused the stadium to erupt.

The cheers from the crowd became even louder than how it was during the fight. Empty food buckets and wrappers flew to the sky as excited spectators threw them upwards. A festive atmosphere suddenly took over the stands around the Octagon.

"Eh..?", was the only thing Seijurou could say. The second strongest fighter in the battle school he was attending just challenged the petite girl who sat beside him. Suddenly, a feeling he could not recognize came upon him.

"Are you worried for Satsu-chan, Seijurou?..", Chizuru asked, and Seijurou slowly looked at her with his still wide eyed expression. "Me too.. but look at her."

Satsuki just continued to scratch her head and laughed awkwardly. There was no trace of anything grim in her expression. She was about to be put in a grave situation and yet, there was no sign of worry on her face. "He hasn't changed a bit. I guess there's no helping it then."

With that, Satsuki gave the traditional "thumbs up" signalling the acceptance of the challenge. 

The crowd cheered on even louder after Satsuki accepted the duel proposal. No one would have ever expected such a spectacle after the season's first duel. 

"I guess there's really nothing to worry about that much..", said Chizuru unconvincingly with a worried smile. However, she just decided to trust her friend with her decision.

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The great commotion gradually subsided as the stadium cleared out. Satsuki went over to Kuronuma to discuss the stakes of their upcoming duel while Chizuru decided to go to her archery training early. 

Seijurou told both of them that he was going to do some advanced reading in the library, but it was actually more than that. He needed time to think and take everything in. It was not like the first day of school he had originally anticipated. 

The reality of a battle centered society hit him hard. Practical application of the vast knowledge he gained in his earlier years was easier said than done. What was worse for him was only the magical aspect was introduced that day. "Tomorrow is going to be different but essentially the same."

Having to go through another day of realizing he was powerless was a thought that overwhelmed him. He knew he needed to study more, but as he pondered more in his mind, his self esteem dropped even more. 

But what bothered him most was everyone's obsession with duels. It was a simple school activity and yet, it looked like it could be something everybody depended on, especially solving school related problems. 

Duels were a great way of expressing all the skills accumulated by one's work. However, it was not the actual duel that made Seijurou's spirits go down. It was what's at stake that gave him the feeling of powerlessness. 

The stakes that were battled out in school duels should not be considered as something truly valuable. However, PCs of different ages obsessively flock the octagon for some reason. 

Brilliant fighters from the next generation gave people hope of a bright future. And it was when Seijurou realized that the stakes were a reflection of what was to come. It was the real deal, the high stakes of life and death in a real war, which he did not have to offer. 

A bright light brought Seijurou back to his senses as he lifted his head up while he walked home. But when his vision cleared, he realized that the source was something he did not expect. It took the form of someone he knew very well with that sheepish smile coming from a one specific redhead. 

He asked himself. "Is this the bright future everyone was hoping for?"

He smirked a little as he approached Satsuki. He looked at her for a few moments and observed that childlike smirk on her face. And then, he thought again. "Probably not. I just looked down too long that the light blinded me when I looked up."

"Hmm.. I guess you'll do..", blurted Satsuki out all of a sudden.

"Eh? What're you talking about..?", Seijurou asked in confusion. 

"Jax needs to be substituted since he's tired. Eat with me here."

Seijurou looked at where Satsuki was pointing. It was the signboard of the newly opened pastry shop she was raving about. But the thought of being Jax's substitute irritated Seijurou. "No. Go eat by yourself."

"Oh, come on Erida-kun! You're always saying no. It's not like you're busy!"

"I am busy. I need to get home and help oyaji with the forge."

"Just a few minutes. Please? I'll walk you home too.."

The teary eyed pleading face of Satsuki was looked upon with scorn by Seijurou. It pissed him off not because Satsuki was just making an act, but it was more that he could not say no to that face. 

The thought of Satsuki's images that she posted on her "console command's" public account came up to Seijurou's mind. She was always posting herself with two servings of whichever sweet food. 

'Maybe she was hoping that someone would accompany her. What the hell is that idiot boyfriend of hers doing anyway?..', Seijurou thought, which caused his eyebrows to furrow. "Fine, just a few minutes..", said Seijurou out loud.

"Yoshaaa! I promise, you won't regret this..", Satsuki excitedly replied with Seijurou already regretting his decision.

With Satsuki getting three orders of chocolate banana tarts, Seijurou realized the very reason why he even agreed to come with her was wrong. She was planning to eat two servings all along. He just shook his head and smiled awkwardly as Satsuki swooned in her food's sweetness. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?..", Satsuki paused abruptly and frowned at Seijurou. "Don't you dare say I'm getting fat."

In fact, it was the opposite for Seijurou. She never was on the heavy side, but she also never was too slim. She was in fact, even for a small girl, very curvy. The thought made Seijurou blush a little. It made him think. "She's just an ordinary girl."

"So what're the stakes in your coming duel?..", asked Seijurou while they ate.

"Oh, that? Simple really..", Satsuki replied in between her chewing and chomping. "He's going to give his spot in the Round Table to me if I win."

Seijurou almost sprayed his banana tart all over the place. "Eh?! That's not simple. Isn't that high stakes level?"

Satsuki giggled at Seijurou's reaction. She was most likely playing with his emotions. 

After getting himself composed, he went back into what he was thinking about earlier. He wanted to understand the whole reason for the second strongest student challenging this little glutton in front of him. 

"That's actually quite unfair for him, you know. You must have a good offer too. So, what? You're going to marry him someday?..", Seijurou joked, but he got one unexpectedly cold answer from Satsuki instead. And everything started to make sense for him. He almost forgot that Satsuki was no ordinary girl.

"My title as Heiress."

Translation Notes:

Hajime - the beginning in the ancient language (Japanese). It's also used as a verbal command meaning, "begin".

Tsuka - the hilt or handle of an ancient (Japanese) sword.

Dojo -  a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts.

Honorifics Guide:

-senpai - used to address or refer to one's older or more senior colleagues in a school, workplace, dojo, or sports club.

-sensei - used to refer to or address teachers, doctors, politicians, lawyers, and other authority figures. It is used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or some other skill, such as accomplished novelists, musicians, artists, and martial artists.