Hiero

The Ox's Bell

 Ava says "The first lesson will be to see how strong you are, you should know that there is no reason to wield any blade if you are not strong enough to swing it, this test be show me where you are at strength-wise because if you are not strong enough to slice through your target then you have lost the battle before it has started'',

 Ava puts Hiero through basic endurance training, push-ups, curl-ups, running, and endurance exercises. After they are done with physical training

 Ava asks Hiero "Why do you want to join the tournament, with the money you gave me it  should be enough for you to live comfortably for a while"

 Hiero responds " I want to be able to take care of myself and start my own Merchant and Trading Company and create a safe haven for people on the run or that are being hunted down."

Ava asks "Are you sure you would let anyone in?" 

Hiero replies excitingly "Anyone!".

The next part of their training is mental training

 Ava says " Having a clear and quick mind is key while fighting someone or something you have to think on your feet and use your surroundings to make sure you always have the upper hand."

Their Mental training consisted of meditation near a rushing river and a quiet field. Ava, satisfied with Hiero's Results is ready to teach him how to handle a sword, dagger, and spear.

Ava says " The Spear is ranged and only has one point of serious damage it takes endurance and speed to effectively wield. The Dagger is an extension of the hand, you need Speed and Diligence to Deal Damaging Blows. The Sword is strong and balanced. To properly use this you will need to understand Endurance and Strength." As their training was coming to a close

 Ava asked Hiero "Which blade sings to you the most"

Hiero had multiple options to choose from, Stren made sure of it. From Kamas, Daggers, and Throwing knives to Longsword, Spear, and Mace. Hiero looked through the Blades, what were simple seconds felt like Long minutes as he Grazes the Field of Blades he notices a Blade that was not too heavy to carry and not too short to where he would have to get close to his enemy to land a blow, It looks strong and is balanced and it was to Hiero's liking when he tested it out. Hiero made his mind up his first blade would be the Short Sword. As Ava leaves she gives Hiero a Coin with the shape of a Fish on it, She says that if he is ever in trouble or needs a place to stay he should show this off in the shadiest part of any city or town and ask for a meeting with her and in a few days she will be there. Hiero knowing that he might lose the coin asks Stren a favor,

Hiero Says " Can you take this coin and mend it into my blade's Hilt?",

Stren confused has no reason to decline and does this favor for Hiero. Morning dawns and it is the day of the Tournament all swordsmen, merchants, and Blacksmiths have gathered from around and Outside the City to participate in the Tournament, the Blacksmiths are there as Patreons, and some of the fighters as Sponsors to show off the prestige of the Blacksmith's skill and hopefully increase sale for that blacksmith. Most merchants are there to sell other goods for people who might get hungry or thirsty during the Tournament. The Tournament has a set of rules, 1. No Killing, 2.No Maiming, 3. If a blade breaks during the fight the one with the broken weapon loses, 4. No complex techniques keep it at beginner techniques, 5. If someone surrenders then you have to stop attacking them or you will be disqualified or banned from the City of Ox. With these rules set the first round was set to commence, For the fighters to remain anonymous for the duration of the Tournament they were named after different Colors and were given a cloak that matched their name. The First Round Commences and the Ox Bell is Rung.

 The Announcer Speaks "Within the East side of the Arena we have Green which is fighting with a forging hammer and gauntlet and White in the West side Corner which is wielding a Great spear on the third ring of the Ox bell the battle will commence."

One Ring, Two Ring, and when the Third Ring commences Green rushes towards White, White knowing he must keep his distance steps forward a few paces and stands his guard, and takes advantage of the range his Great spear gives him with each blow Green deflects and parries but as Green is evading White is moving forward and with each step, Green gets closer to the wall, Without realizing it Green is cornered and pinned to the wall by White, the Bell Rings to indicate that White has won and the first round of the tournament is done. In the Second round of the tournament Red and Black are set to fight each other, Red wielding two Spiked Round shields and Black wielding a Curved Tiped Straight Blade, With the Anoucer's Que the bell is struck 3 times and the battle commences both walk up to each other and their is silence as the birds from the sky make noise Red goes in for a strike but Black parries his shield to the side throwing his balance off, Red angrly tries to strike back with an unthought attack missing his attack from miscalculation, Red tired of being humiliated pulls his true weapon out of his Sheilds, Dual daggers and injects himself with a Yellow like serum which seemed to give him more strength, This time when he charged at Black he was faster and Black had to anticipate his movements this time instead of relying on pure reflex, Red Slicing with his dual daggers endlessly, Each attack Black parried but noticed that he had no order to his attack and his daggers were chipping with each strike, Instead of parrying his next attack Black found a point where both of his Daggers would be aligned and struck that point with strength and precision, This resulted in the destruction of both of Red's Daggers and Black was declaired the winner of Round 2. Round 3 Orange and Yellow, Orange wielding a Short spear and a Short sword, Yellow Weilding a Dagger and a Gauntlet, The Announcer says "What odd weapon choices by Orange". Both rush to each other and start off with a clash, Orange Swings his Short Sword but Yellow meets it with his Dagger, As Orange unconsciously thrusts his spear towards Yellow, Yellow unconsciously meets it with his Iron Gauntlet,

The Announcer says "It seems that the two are evenly matched it is like they know each other well."

As they both jump back from the clash they both circle each other and the next second they throw a flurry of attacks at each other as Orange's Short sword and Yellow's Dagger meet, they both break at the same time. As a result, the match is a Draw. Hiero was impressed by these matches, but he was also nervous, all he had to do was win the match against his opponent and he would win a percentage of the grand prize total. Now Hiero was up, his name now Blue, The Announcer said

"Blue wielding a Short Sword and Purple Wielding a Spear"

 Hiero nervously ran to Purple