18 Tournament: Second Try II
I looked up to my mother towering beside me and being seemingly frustrated with my lack of tension. Did she just interrupt me, when I was just about to think about my favorite apostle? How rude...
Besides that, she is right, of course. Getting my mind to focus on the here and now is far more important...
Ah! I should have answered with: Yes, master Qui-gon. Though I know that the prequels weren´t liked by everybody I liked the first episode. It was the first Star Wars movie I have seen and it looked cool back then.
Ouch! Somehow the back of my head earned another slap from the giant I call mother. And it was well earned. I really should stop avoiding reality... bad habit, I know...
I looked around and I could see the various village people. Elder Healing was here as he was supposed to, well, heal us and I could even see my father lurking in the distance. The people were - as always - dismissive of me, but they treated my mother with respect and since I was close to my mother they would give me dirty looks only behind her back. But somehow they seemed a little bit afraid of something. I mean it couldn´t be me, so probably mother did something to them? I´m starting to get a little curious about what exactly she did to them... Sure she beat them a bit, but that wouldn´t help that much, does it?
We entered the small sparring ring and sat down next to the other children around my age. Zawis was grinning at me while rubbing his fists, while Athala seemed to deliberately try to not look in my direction. What exactly is her problem? As far as I remember she knocked me out, not the other way around. Why is she ignoring me again? Oh well...
AS Elder Healing stepped into the middle of the circle with his ceremonial staff in hand the beating drums and singing stopped. He took a look around the circle and shortly stopped at every child around the circle.
"This is the second round of the new generation that will join the older generations in two weeks' time."
His voice was as overpowering and booming as I remembered and I could feel the brass drumming in my bones.
"The last time we had quite a bit of a surprise and an unfortunate accident, so I will repeat what I said last time: Remember when you should stop."
His eyes looked at me and I could see not only pity in them but a bit of respect, too. Or I could just be hallucinating again...
"There is no honor in losing, but there is none in taking fights you know you will lose in this tournament setting! The battlefield might be a different matter, but first, you must stay capable of entering a battlefield in the first place! The rules are the same as last time. Remember Domhain favors the strong! Show us just what you have learned in the last two weeks!"
Urgh, he was talking about me... no doubt about that and everyone was staring at me, but I could notice how some of them quickly looked away as they made eye contact with my guardian behind me. The knot in my stomach and uncomfortable feeling I got when everybody kept staring at me was swept away by a sudden charge of warmth and I started to grin just a bit. I could catch Elder Healing looking at me and shaking his head exasperated and I stopped grinning and tried to look at least a bit guilty, but the comfortable feeling I got knowing my mother had my back did not vanish at all.
So comforting... I closed my eyes for a bit and tried to enjoy this moment of bliss.
"I challenge Arn!"
A familiar voice that definitely belonged to that giant among giants tore me out of my immersion and forced my eyes open. When the Elder stopped speaking Zawis stood up before everyone else and just as I did last time challenged me. Couldn´t you take it a bit easier, Zawis? I know I kicked your face last time, but you know I never expected you to challenge me as I deem you superior to me. And let´s face the facts that he is stronger than me by a large margin, but how come he challenges me and not the other way around?
Wait a moment... Right! I confused standards again... In this world as long as you lost to someone you are deemed inferior until you manage to win against them again... while I deem the stronger one superior and I just won by exploiting a weakness of his. Or was that a personal thing and not common... Who knows? Can´t really ask anyone from my old world anymore anyway... so let´s just assume.
The back of my head got another slap. If those slaps keep coming to the back of my head I definitely will become a genius someday... maybe a mathematician who will discover the Pythagoras theorem... Actually, I could do that now, too...
Not important right now!
I stood up and as loudly as I could I answered.
"I accept the challenge."
Okay, let´s put up my gaming face and let me do my very best since Zawis probably will not rush me like last time.
We both moved into the sparring area and Zawis sent me an excited grin while massaging his fists again. Should I just run? This looks like a world full of pain and misery... Well, at least mother will be happy if I lose as she will give me even more of her insane muscle-oriented training. I let out a sigh and hefted my eyes on Zawis.
"Hey Zawis, if you have to say something why not say it now? Perhaps we won´t get a chance later."
His grin instantly vanished from his face and his glare turned from excited to murderous.
Did I say something wrong? How? I mean just what button did I accidentally press just now?
... Help?