Goraeth

Chapter 4

The months passed and it came into the middle of Norath, the tournament was going to start today. Girath walked through the crowd at the front of the Colosseum and had Coraim's hand in his. He managed to make it through most of the crowd before a big man walked in front of them.

"Uh, yeah, ser?" Girath said.

The big man turned around, his physique was made of pure muscle and he looked as though he wanted to kill someone constantly, "What?" His voice was the manliest voice that Girath had ever heard in his life. He wasn't prepared for this man made of pure manliness.

"Uh, can I go ahead of you?"

"No."

"But—"

"No."

"Well, okay then."

The big man walked up to the concession stand and bought some food, he then walked through a group of people talking and went up to the ticket stand and bought himself a ticket to be one of the fighters. From what Girath could see, he was using body morphing magic. Finally, they managed to get up to the ticket stand.

"I would like 2 tickets for the seats and a single ticket to join the tournament."

"I don't sense any magic coming from you, you sure you want to join?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well, okay, but be warned, it can get pretty dangerous out there."

Girath walked past the ticket stand and showed his ticket to one of the guards, the guards led Girath and Coraim and her child down different paths, Coraim going the right route, while he went the left route. They finally showed Girath to the place he needed to be, a room filled with all the fighters. He counted the room, he counted exactly 19 people, not including himself. One of them was the big galoot. He saw another particularly interesting human being in the corner of the room, shaking back and forth in his spot. He looked at Girath, and Girath felt something sharp enter his heart. The man's face was cold and pale. The rest of the people in the room really didn't interest Girath.

Besides one more person, a person with fire in their hand. Not normally in their hand, however, it seemed he was an aeromancer with the power to heat up the air around him, resulting in the burning flesh smell that spread throughout the room. The smell of burning flesh entered Girath's nose, but it didn't make him sick. He sort of liked the smell, and it put him into a dreamlike state as he sat against the wall. He started thinking about Coraim and how skin would taste.

He broke out of his delusion as a small child waked him from his fever dream.

"Hi there."

"Hey, kid."

"I can't wait to fight you."

"Wait, what? You. You are fighting me?"

"Yep." the little girl clasped her hands together and swayed back and forth with her hips.

"What's your magic then?"

"Hydrokinesis." She said all of her words in a kiddish tone of voice. Like she didn't know what the words meant, but still said them.

"So you can manipulate water? I've got a kid that could do that too."

"Does she drown people with her water?"

"Do you?"

"Yep!"

"Well, I know for sure you aren't going to drown me."

"Not unless you have anti-magic!"

He chuckled.

"What?"

"I do."

"What?! Really?!

"Yep."

"That's cheating!"

"No, it isn't."

"I dare you to not use it the entire tournament!"

"Oh really now? Well, I guess that would make things more interesting, so I'll accept your offer, and what will you do if I win?"

"I'll give you my family's mansion!"

"Are you allowed to do that?"

"It's all mine after they died. So yes, I am."

Girath bent over and went down to the girl's right ear, "Did you kill them?"

She looked at him with a cute face as Girath unbent himself, "Yep."

~

It was about two hours later. No new contestants had entered the tournament. However, two more contestants brought themselves forth to Girath. One was in over their head. And the other, was the big man's brother. He was a skinny boy. But he had something that many other people didn't have. It was a Grimoire. It was said all the Grimoires had been destroyed. Well, all except for that one.

Grimoires were powerful items. Only given to many of the nations top minds. They had incantations of all magics and if you had a book with a special or focused on magic, simply having the Grimoire gave you the ability to use the magic. After the Buhtaliam, the strongest and most wise Buhtali, who is also leader of the Buhtali council, destroyed them all, he would pass the knowledge down in non-magical textbooks so that the special incantations wouldn't die out, but also so people wouldn't use them for evil, so that someone may become as wise as him.

Girath didn't have a chance to talk to him before a guard walked into the big room and waved for them to follow. The guard directed them out to the open Colosseum floor. The crowd screamed and hailed them forth. Out in the middle of the Colosseum floor was a giant carved stone floor. That is where they are to fight. The guard gathered them onto the giant slated smooth stone and gave them the rules.

"If you knockout your opponent, you win, if you kick your opponent off the stone, you win. If you kill your opponent accidentally, you win, if you beat them to death after they have passed out, you lose. Don't die, that's all the rules." The guard walked off the slate of stone and the Buhtaliam came down them.

Floating off of air magic. He looked magnificent. He was dressed perfectly. In perfect classical garments of the Duchy of Mordem. He gave them their starting orders. He came across to Girath, looked up his entire body. Looked to the overconfident guy and paired them together. There was almost no magical pressure from the guy, so him and Girath were paired up for similar reasons.

They were, of course, the first people to fight. They got on opposite sides of the stone floor, that was pretty gigantic, but nonetheless, would be easy to get knocked off of. Girath readied himself. And so did his opponent. They waited for the Buhtaliam to give them the signal. Then, finally they both heard the yell of the great Buhtali leader. They both planted their feet down, and boom. Girath had slammed his fist into the man's chest, blowing him across the slate and slamming him into the Colosseum wall. The crowd stopped for a moment. And then cheered.

It hadn't been a second before Girath had completely destroyed his opponent. He was later found in the wall, smashed to death. Not even high Buhtali magic could bring him back to life. Girath then walked off the smooth stone and went up to where Coraim and Corain had both been. Girath was smiling, from ear to ear. Coraim was absolutely dumbfounded at what just happened. Corain was screaming with joy and asking Girath how he did it. He sat down with them and watched the rest of the fights. None caught his attention really, all he knew was that the next person he was going against was going to be the water girl.`