Rumerra - The Journey Begins

Chapter 17 - The Truth Exposed (Part I)

"HE DID WHAT?!" Loretta exclaimed when they were back at the camp and Velvet told her what she saw her father cook up. "I can't believe that man!! I'm gonna...I'm gonna..."

"Calm down, your Highness," Zephyr gently put his hand on her shoulder. "It's not befitting of your status to lose your temper like this. Take a few deep breaths."

"Well, this sucks," Fernando exhaled. "I'm out of the tournament, thanks to that jakkal girl!"

"Don't worry about it," Christopher tried to cheer him up. "We still have Arianna in the running. And speaking of Arianna, here she comes!"

"She does not look happy..." the other boy commented, eyeing the girl stomping toward them like she was ready to sock someone.

"Velvet, what the heck?!" Arianna yelled.

"Uh-oh," the brown-haired girl got ready for the bashing. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"I specifically did a lap around the arena in my Harpy transformation after the match was over in order to greet you guys! And what do I see?! Chris and Zeph waving at me while there's an empty seat next to them! Explain yourself!"

"Look, it was actually kind of a big deal!" Velvet defended herself. "I didn't miss it for some minor reason! I found out Loretta's father was bribing her opponent, so I followed his servant to the back where you guys were preparing in your tents!"

"She's telling the truth," the three guys backed her up. This calmed Arianna down a bit, but she was still very visibly displeased. This was the second match her friend had missed!

"That damn barbarian, I swear!" Warina marched into the camp as well, bandaged up and her clothes torn, though she looked pretty good for someone that was on a stretcher not half an hour ago.

"Great, now we've got three angry women here," Fernando sighed. "I'm getting a drink!"

"Count me in!" Christopher said and stood up. "We're out anyway, so let's take it easy!"

They glanced at the elf, but Zephyr simply shook his head and gestured toward Warina.

"Ah. Right. Good luck, my man!" Fernando yelled before they walked off, leaving the elf with a frustrated Loretta, an annoyed Arianna, and a furious Warina.

"You guys have fun!" Velvet waved after them.

"Are you all right?!" Zephyr immediately ran up to the injured girl and grabbed her hand.

"I'm fine," Warina said calmly, changing her tone. "I didn't think you would worry this much."

"Of course I worry," he replied, meeting her purple eyes. "You're my teammate, after all!"

"Oh, cut the crap!" Warina groaned and grabbed his collar, pulling him in for a kiss. The other three girls watched the scene unfold, forgetting their own worries for a moment.

"Is this not against the rules?" Velvet asked, pulling out the rulebook she dutifully carried with her all this time. Arianna smacked Velvet's head with her staff lightly. "You're an idiot!"

***

With only four contestants remaining, tensions were high in all camps except for the dwarven one. Unfortunately, Arianna had eliminated their last champion in her battle, and they were out of the game completely. So they did what dwarves do best—drink and shout loudly.

Their cries and laughter echoed far across the island and a big bonfire was burning in their camp, illuminating the night that evening. It didn't seem like they were bothered at all by being out of the tournament. On the contrary, it appeared as if they were having a great time!

"I envy them a bit," Loretta said when they sat on the balcony with Velvet. "They get to relax and have fun while I have this huge pressure on my chest before tomorrow's battle."

"You're going to be fine," her friend held her hand in reassurance. "We've trained all day."

"Not when she is my opponent," the elf exhaled loudly. "She's gonna destroy me..."

"No, she won't!" Velvet said with determination in her voice. "You can beat her!"

"I haven't even really fought anyone yet!" the princess said in retort. "I didn't fight anyone back at the academy to get here, I didn't fight my first match, and the second one was rigged!"