Magic-sport Live! (2)
1402 Words
The bell rings, and the match starts.
I particularly don't pick a side.
I'm just here to be entertained and get rid of my boredom.
And maybe pick up some strategies I can use for future quests, too.
Jogs Goro Dander from the Zaia Destructive Thunderclaps gets the first strike.
He attempts to zap both the members of the Demata Jackals and the rod they guard.
However, Gaius Erston Outway sets up a defensive stance.
“Anger of the gods, shock my enemies with this bolt! Kidlatning!”
“Ground trembling, foes stuttering! Yanigroud!”
The way Mr. Outway manipulates his Yanigroud spell is intended not to attack his enemies, but to erect a giant earthen wall that will block off the Kidlatning spell.
Indeed, a giant earthen wall rises from the border between the home turfs; and that wall stands as high as the rods.
This obviously blocks off the lightning attack.
I can hear the ranting of the Thunderclaps' leader even from afar.
“Come on! Even the tallest of walls like these have their structural weaknesses! Go find them pronto!”
And so, his two teammates search the foundation of the wall, hoping to find its Achilles heel.
And they successfully do it.
They spot a glaring hole in the wall's foundation – specifically, near the left-hand side.
The Thunderclaps then take the opportunity to blast the wall and crumble it down.
Together, they perform a combined link attack.
“Seething flames born from our anger... arise! Cerberus Eruption!”
Their simultaneous casting of three Apairo spells creates three fireballs that resemble the heads of vicious dogs.
The dog-headed fireballs then penetrate the earthen wall's weak spot, creating a huge explosion that creates a huge crack in the wall.
Naturally, the Jackals are panicking over their seemingly impenetrable defense being brought down gradually.
As the wall starts to crumble, Mr. Outway commands his teammates...
“If we can't go defensive, then we'll have to switch gears and go all-offensive! Ready your weapons!”
“Roger!”
As the Jackals draw their flamberges, the crowd gets even more excited.
As far as usage of weapons other than staves or rods go, they are permitted; as long as magic is channeled through those weapons for effective attempts at hitting their opponents' rod.
Physical attacks that clearly don't channel magic are prohibited, especially if they're used for the intentional injury or killing of an opponent or opponents.
The Thunderclaps, meanwhile, knowing that their opponents choose to have a magical melee, have no choice but to fight fire with fire.
In turn, they bring out their own signature weapons: Katanas whose edges are painted purple and enchanted with a special spell that poisons anyone unlucky enough to be touched by any spell that comes out of them.
They may be skirting the line of illegal since, after all, poison doesn't work on inanimate objects.
I'll just wait and see what they will do next.
The two teams then rush at each other, their members imbuing their own elements into their blades (fire for the Jackals, thunder for the Thunderclaps), and the blades clashing against each other after the members' courageous charging, complete with battlecries and all that make the crowd go even wilder.
The blade clashes go on for several minutes.
Fire and thunder go against each other to determine supremacy.
And it seems the contestants have no signs of wearing down despite the fact that fifteen minutes have already elapsed.
So far, no rod has been successfully hit.
The score is tied at 0-0.
During the blade clashes, there are some sparks, or even stray spells summoned from the blades, that hit different parts of the arena.
Luckily, as a protective measure, an invisible magical barrier stands between the playing field and the audience, to ensure there are no accidental casualties.
Five minutes are left on the clock, and both teams are showing signs of wear and tear.
In this time of desperation, Mr. Outway and Mr. Dander do a final furious charge against each other.
Their blades clash against each other, as usual.
But there's something different this time.
Knowing that he has found an opening, Mr. Outway readies his unarmed off-hand...
...does a flaming sky-bound uppercut to Mr. Dander, which staggers him but should hopefully not injure him...
...and then channels his flamberge with fire, firing off a fireball while still in mid-air, clearly aimed at the Thunderclaps' rod.
With 4 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, the fireball that came from Mr. Outway's sword hits the rod belonging to the Thunderclaps, earning the Jackals a point – the only point scored in the entire match.
It's because, after that successful hit, the Thunderclaps declare that they are giving up.
By both a score advantage and voluntary forfeiture, the Demata Jackals win the match against the Zaia Destructive Thunderclaps, 1-0.
The crowd cheers at this attrition-filled match, knowing that they are entertained by the various maneuvers both teams did to defend their own rods.
The announcer declares...
“And that's a wrap, folks! Stay tuned; because in fifteen minutes, our next match will begin!”
As the audience waits for the next match with bated breath, I savor the crisp, clean air in this arena.
It's fair weather, and it's not really sunny and hot.
Someone then approaches me.
“Oh, Your–“
“Have you forgotten what you should call me, Walter?”
“Oh.”
His Highness wants to have a casual talk with me again, even though it's been a few weeks since we did so.
He comes here alone, without any bodyguards.
This is because he always presents himself as a king of the common people, easily approachable and always all-ears on what needs to be done to improve the lives of his constituents.
To be fair, previous kings and members of the royal family who came before us also upheld that image for centuries, taking “noblesse oblige” to a literal, yet doable, extreme.
It's one of the reasons why Lebenswasserheim remains peaceful and prosperous over the years, even as other kingdoms and empires came and went.
“So what do you think of the first match?”
“If I think so myself, Virgil... it seems players are adopting new strategies and tactics. Can't have a long-running sport go stale, after all.”
“I share the same sentiment. If not for my many duties as king of this land, I would have studied these new ways of playing the game. I personally feel that with fresh new talents entering the scene, my skills in magic-sport are getting quite rusty.”
“Haha... you're right.”
“So, onto another topic. How's your questing life been?”
“Well... in a sea of item-gathering, monster-hunting, and finding-missing-persons quests... I found some unique gems. I acted as a bodyguard of a propagandist for the now-former mayor of Forhampe, I've helped a taxonomist discover a new species of chicken, and protected a girl from five perverts. Also chilled in between quests, too.”
“The life of an adventurer like you is indeed laden with risks; but once you've actually helped a person by finishing the quest, you indeed deserve a break, because you know in your heart that the person experienced a life-changing moment by your hands.”
“Never said it better.”
“Well... the next match is coming up. I need to get back to my seat over there.”
He points me at the special throne made just for the king, whenever he wants to watch live events like this tournament.
“Have fun, Your Highness.”
“Hahaha. Same to you, too.”
As His Highness returns to his seat, the announcer resurfaces at the center of the arena.
“We hope you all had a good time chilling while waiting for your next match, because our competitors are now all pumped and loaded to do battle! This is the second match of the King's Cup, folks! It's the Ayet Iron Flowers going head-to-head against the LaPorte Spicy Wolves!
“Introducing first: The Ayet Iron Flowers! Mudrabelle Acangan, Normaida Mollejon, and Tiffania Shainra Gandour!
“And then: The LaPorte Spicy Wolves! Felicia Nakano, Edna Heart Buckland, and Megan Sartorium!
“We can't hang up you up any longer, so...”
“Magic-sport Fight! READY... GOOOOO!”
- Writer
