Chapter 37: Opening Gambits
The walls of the colosseum towered above us, filled with tens of thousands of spectators. I went limp with shock at the sheer numbers, feeling their eyes tear me apart. They must have emptied the Divine Throne and half the citadel to find this many people! The air was thin and cold, smelling fresh despite the cramped spaces of the crowd.
The arena itself was larger than I thought. The platform took up barely a quarter the diameter, meaning the walls were about two hundred feet apart and fifty feet high. The entire place, including the ground, was built of carved stone bricks placed together with hardly a seam between them.
I activated the Eyes of Fate and gazed around in awe. The complex magic enchanting the place took my mind off the crowd, albeit temporarily. Countless spells, focused around large crystals surrounding the arena, protected every shard of stone. They cast a web over the arena, shielding the spectators from large scale abilities and magic. The War Hero had a few spells around him too, but I didn't get a good look before it began.
A loud voice, magically enhanced so as to fill the entire colosseum, boomed from the crystals, casting a stillness over the crowd. I looked around and found the voice originating from a special spectator's box in the front row. The Pope was there, joined by several fathers and attendants. On the opposite side of the arena, I found another box, this one bearing the pendants of the Kingdom of Radia. The Royal family spectated from there. The second prince, Vorinth caught my eye and gave a knowing smile, bringing a frown to my face. There was no way he would smile at anything good for me.
"The duel between the Sun Hero and the War Hero will now begin! The proceedings and terms have been sanctioned by both the Holy Father and Kind of Radia, and will be magically recorded and broadcast to all the realm. Both sides are allowed access to all their personal might and wealth, including legendary weapons and slaves. The first to force their opponent to yield or render them unconscious will be declared the winner. While the duel will begin in one minute, no magical preparation will be tolerated."
Whispers erupted as the announcement ended. Soltair seemed tense, hand on his sword hilt. In contrast, the War Hero looked plenty relaxed, talking and laughing with his girls. I still couldn't believe he had the good fortune of being born as an elf, with all their talent and good looks beside. I suppose I wasn't bad looking either, but it's not like it mattered. All people saw were the horns and tail.
The minute passed by quickly. The crowd had grown antsy and were calling out support and jeers. Most of both went to Soltair, as he was seen as Radia's hero. All of the insults went right to me, and I could only ignore them. I wasn't here for them, anyway.
"Commence the Duel!"
"Xiviyah now!"