Queen Zezanna

Queen Zezanna - Chapter 28

Heroth and Brokk stick together while Emma, Ysana, Hailie, and I stay close. We try not to look like we're all together, so we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. As we walk into the tavern, Emma and the boys are swarmed by fans.

Eventually, after giving away a few signatures, we all make it into the tavern. A few of the other fighters are there, too, including some of those that lost. They eye us, sizing up their possible enemies in round 2.

After a few drinks, we decide to leave the tavern. Ysana's magic won't last for too much longer, especially since she needs to keep it going for the next round. We all return to our rooms at the inn, and Tzeeru heads over to check out the announcement board so everyone can know what the second round will bring.

Moments later, Tzeeru returns.

"The first fight includes Emma and Heroth. Those two will fight against Riot Wildman, Dragon, and the witch, Flameheart."

"At least the fight against the witch has two of us going against her." Heroth says. "Not only that, but the others will also target her. I feel confident that we can beat her."

"And the second round?" Brokk asks.

"Brokk, you will be facing Big Bad Andrew Lance, Venicia, Rio, Vivienne, and Sir Vinhelm. Sir Vinhelm is the one who didn't battle today, so he will be fresh, and we don't know what to expect from him. Your group has six people, though, so he certainly won't be so fresh after the fighting is done."

"I see. Thank you for the information." Brokk says.

In the morning, we leave in the same groups we were in last night. Ysana is confident that she will be able to keep our disguises up all day, so we don't have to worry as we make our way to the crowded stadium.

It seems that the stadium is even more crowded today than it was yesterday. Seems that people are eager to watch all of the winners fight. As I take my place in the stands, I see tons of banners being waved around, including some for my friends. How did they even manage to do that overnight? Impressive.

The majority of these banners seem to be cheering for Sir Vinhelm. He's favored to win, and a ton of money has been dropped on him. Gamblers are walking around, trying to get in any last minute mets they can from the fans.

Soon enough, the announcer appears, and tells everyone that the first round will be starting. He announces the names once more so that we know who is going to be in the fight.

"Etoile, the woman whose name is written in the stars! Flameheart, the witch with a devious scheme! Riot Wildman, a man who isn't afraid to fight dirty! Dragon, a beast that would make an actual dragon beg for mercy! Last but not least, Vincent Okruth, the breakout fan favorite! Give these fighters one last round of applause! For some of them, this might actually be their last!"

That last part reminds us that killing an opponent is 100% legal in this fight. They must surrender, get knocked out, or die. It will be easy for some people to go too far, especially when there are so many people in the fight... One of whom is a witch.

The five fighters all walk into the arena, and take their places away from each other. A gong sounds, and the fight begins.

Almost immediately, everyone's attention focuses on the witch. It doesn't matter how physically strong you are, a witch's magic can take you down easily if you aren't careful. Most of the fighters aren't familiar with magic, either, so they aren't quite sure what it can do.

The witch, of course, was expecting this. Flameheart immediately starts blasting small balls of fire at her enemies, keeping them away from her, though not actually doing all that much damage.