Tournament, Day 1

---Aaron---

The arena was in a large clearing off to the side of the town. A wooden stage had been constructed. Standing about five feet tall, a hundred feet wide, and fifty feet long, the stage was the perfect place for a contest of skill. There were already a huge crowd gathered there, from elders to vendors to young children. I spotted quite a few people dressed in typical swordsmen clothes and carrying weapons. They must be the hopeful contestants. But where were Eric and his goons?

"Welcome, people of Goldhedge and visitors from beyond, to the annual Goldhedge Town Festival!" A chubby man with a potbelly said into a megaphone. I assumed that he was the mayor. "Tonight, fighters from all over Crystallea will compete in a fight of skill in order to win the ultimate prize—the brooch of Goldhedge!" The crowd cheered and shouted their approval.

"Before we begin, let us review the rules as set by our predecessors. One, contestants will participate at their own risks. Two, all competition must be fought fairly. Three, good sportsmanship is required of all participants. This is a friendly competition, not a hostile killing spree. Four, do not purposely inflict serious injury to any participant. That is all. Now let the competition—begin!" The mayor bowed and left the stage.

In our haste to get here, the seven of us had been separated. Lucian and I pushed forward, trying to get closer to the stage and a better view. Indigo and Rachel were somewhere behind us, following close. I thought I caught a glimpse of Katherine's double swords upon her back, but there were so many people carrying swords I wasn't sure.

The first fighter leapt onto the stage, his sword drawn. From the side of the stage, the announcer introduced him as Alexander of Doveport. Alexander was tall and lean, with nut-brown wind-swept hair. He looked to be in his early twenties, barely sprouting any stubble. His sword, long and sleek, looked like a deadly weapon.

"Would anyone like to challenge Alexander?" The announcer called out.

"I will!" A second figure dashed onto the stage. He was short compared to Alexander, and his sharp ice-blue eyes stood out against his heart-shaped face. Two daggers were held in his hands. "I am Julian of Whitecliff. May I challenge thee?" He nodded towards Alexander politely. Alexander dipped his head.

"Challenge accepted." The two fighters faced each other and bowed, showing courtesy to the other. A flash of steel, and Alexander had attacked. His long black sword went straight for Julian's abdomen. But Julian was fast. He dodged the blow and appeared behind Alexander, his double daggers ready to stab into Alexander's back. At the last moment, Alexander twisted around and spun horizontally in the air, kicking at Julian's wrists. Julian switched tactics and attacked again. And so it went, each showing off their hard work and skill. I was so entranced. They were just so cool.

Five minutes in, Alexander was held at dagger-point by Julian. I didn't even see clearly how that happened. It was all just a blur, and then Julian's dagger was an inch from Alexander's throat. The two fighters locked eyes, and then their tense shoulders relaxed. They both stepped back and bowed to each other again, telling the other "good match" and "you did well". The crowd clapped and cheered as Alexander graciously accepted defeat and descended the stage.

"Next fighter! Who will challenge Julian of Whitecliff?" the announcer shouted again. This time, it was James of Courtville, a guy with dimples and wavy red hair. They fought, and Julian came out as the winner again. It wasn't until three fighters later, Mason of Wellwood, that Julian was finally defeated. Like the others before him, Julian smiled, congratulated Mason, and stepped off the stage courteously. All of the fighters fought fair and square. They all bowed to each other before and after the fight, and no one ever got hurt except for a few minor nicks and scratches. This was true sportsmanship. This was true character.

We watched Zack of Northbell, Magnus of Hamberg, Peter of Roseville, and even the first female contestant of the night—Susanna of Ravenflame. Susanna was skilled in an uncommon weapon—the whip. She had a two meter long metallic whip that cracked in the air and sliced flesh like it was paper. With this whip, Susanna defeated five fighters in a row. The crowd roared its approval when Susanna's whip looped around the ankle of her opponent and flipped him into the air like a pancake. I watched the tournament, my eyes wide with excitement.

Just when it seemed like Susanna might be the undefeated champion of the night, she lost to another skilled swordswoman—Alice of Silverstone. Alice's sword maneuvers reminded me of Katherine's: fast, sharp, and precise. Alice managed to weave and dodge her way through Susanna's whip slashes and defeat Susanna through close-range combat with her sword, which was not an easy feat. I cheered along with the crowd. It was just so cool to watch skilled fighters showcase their abilities.

The tournament was over all too soon for the night. Like me, the crowd groaned with disappointment when the announcer called out that they were stopping with Alice's victory over Susanna.

"The tournament will resume tomorrow night! Be sure to come back for the second night of the tournament!" The announcer said cheerfully. The crowd slowly dispersed to return to other festivities. When the crowd thinned enough, I found Indigo, Rachel, and Lucian standing off to the side, waiting for everyone.

"That was so amazing! We have to stay for the entirety of the tournament!" I exclaimed as I ran up to them. Lucian nodded vigorously.

A short while later, Katherine jogged up to us, with Ashley and Jason in tow. "I was just talking with Alice, Susanna, and some of the other contestants. Everyone is simply so amazing! Can we please stay for the rest of the tournament?"

Indigo smiled. "Well, I don't see why not. No one said we couldn't enjoy ourselves on our quest."

"Yes!" I high-fived Katherine. Her eyes were shining.

"Aaron, did you see how Susanna so gracefully waved her whip like it weighed nothing? She let me hold it; it was heavier than three swords combined! And oh my gosh, Alice's sword techniques are so beautiful; she is exactly what I strive for. Did you see that one maneuver she used, where her sword went like this, then out like that…"

As the seven of us walked back to our inns, I smiled as I listened to Katherine excitedly chatter away beside me. If only time would stand still, and all of us could be as carefree and happy as we were in this moment…