BXBX NOVEL Chapter 71: What’s this About a Tournament
Chapter 71: What’s this About a Tournament
"A tournament? I\'m not much of a combatant myself, surely you are capable enough?" said Kat
"No, well, yes um… So we need to have five people for the tournament, one for each category they test. We\'ve got a defender, a striker, a healer, and a scout, that\'s me. We don\'t have any magical attacks between us. Well, Nixilei has a few, but she\'s taken the healing role which I\'m told demons don\'t do well in" said Green.
"Right, but I\'m not much of a mage either? Why even hire me for something like this?" asked Kat
"Well… we\'ve had… some issues with our fifth member quite a few times" said Green
"Is it something we should go over while Nixilei and the other guy yell there heads off?" asked Kat?
"Oh, don\'t worry about them they love each other, it\'s fine" said Green.
"WE DO NOT!" yelled Nixilei and Grumpy together before growling at each other and resuming the argument.
Green gestured at the pair as if that reaction explained everything, which too be fair it did explain quite a lot. "So they\'re together" whispered Kat
"Oh no never, they\'d attack you if they heard that" said Green.
"Right… well tell me about this tournament then. Or wait actually, can we start with why you needed to hire me instead?" asked Kat
"No… I we agreed to only tell you if you asked, but not until after you agreed to help us" said Green.
Kat just turned an unimpressed gaze towards the girl finally turning to face her properly. The girl she\'d referred to as Green was more aptly described by that moniker than she\'d first thought. Clad from head to two in a mixed green and brown cloak that looked ideal for blending in with forest terrain, a matching leather shirt and pants, the amount of green on her outfit more than warranted the name. Green also seemed to share the strange see through wings that Glasses, now known as Nixilei possessed.
Green shrunk under Kat\'s gaze and looked like she was ready to tell Kat what she wanted but then glanced over Kat\'s shoulder at something that strengthened her resolve "No… we promised not to say. I won\'t say" said Green trying to convince herself more than Kat.
"Right, well how about you tell me about the tournament instead then" asked Kat.*It isn\'t worth pressing the scared girl for answers when I have three capable fighters at my back. I don\'t know how strong they are, but it sounds like it would be a pain to attempt to fight them*
"Oh, yes, um the tournament. So it\'s teams of five, and everyone has to be in the first stage of adulthood for their race or younger, um… The roles, as I mentioned are defender, striker, healer, scout, and mage. The tournament is split up into individual and team events, and we have to go to a bunch of cities for each group… So um, there are 5 teams that compete in each city, and you win if you have the most points.
"Points are gained for doing well at whatever the round needs you to do, but um, some rounds require specific roles to participate. So um, in the past for example there was a course where you had to clear a room full of traps. In some of the first tournaments people sent in the defender, triggered all the traps and claimed the prize, but the organisers said that was a bad thing, so now some of the tasks are role specific.
"Um, ah, so we need you for at least this city, um there might be able to find someone else for the later ones, possibly, but ah, we can talk about that later… only the two best teams from each city even move on in the round. But, um Gareth said that he\'s confident, um he seemed to think we only needed to summon you to make up the numbers." Said Green
"Right, I\'m still hung up on the fact I\'m the mage apparently? What sort of thing would I need to do?" asked Kat
"Um, eh, um…" Green mumbled looking for words "I don\'t really know? Um, there was a flying obstacle course once, I think… but that might have been a scout task. Um, I don\'t really know…"
*Guess that\'s a dead end. But a mage really? Can I do any magic system?*
All Demons can utilise their Demonic Flame to attack. Demonic Flame\'s have a different effect based on the User, but as the Demonic Flame is a compressed form of higher energy, calling it magic is acceptable for most cultures.
*So what I can shoot fire out of my hands?*
User Kat can likely shoot fire from wherever User Kat desires. Demons are not limited in this, though most develop a preference to one style such as coating the hands in flames or spitting it from their mouths. Improvements in technique can develop over time.
*Right, so I can throw fireballs at people. Anything else?*
User Kat\'s calming aura would count as magic for some cultures, the same as User Kat\'s ability to strengthen eyesight. Depends on the Dimension in question.
*Cool thanks. System, for once you provided a good deal of useful information.*
D.E.M.O.N.S always provides the most accurate and relevant information based on the question.
Ignoring the flaming text in front of her Kat glanced back at the arguing group. Platemail had taken to leaning against the wall while Grumpy and Nixilei continued to argue. "So, what\'s everyone name" asked Kat
"Oh um, am I supposed to tell you that?" asked Green
"Well, you already told my Nixilei\'s name and Gareth\'s. I\'ve only got two more to collect before I\'ve got a full set" said Kat
Green seemed to ponder this information for a moment face changing from concern to sadness, to joy and back. *Quite the expressive young lady*
"Uh, well um, I don\'t think Kress would like me telling you his name, so I guess I just won\'t mention it" said Green nodding to herself like she\'d done the right thing.
"Um, I want you to think about what you just said a second time before looking so pleased with yourself" said Kat.
Green\'s face just showed confusion for quite some time before morphing into embarrassment as her cheeks lit up looking towards the ground no longer able to meet Kat\'s gaze. Not that she was before, but at least her head was facing the general direction of Kat\'s. Feeling sorry for the poor girl Kat patted her on the head. This made Green jump a little but quickly relax and press into Kat\'s hand for comfort as she let a little of her calming aura flow through her hand.
"Green" mumbled the girl.
"What was that dear?" said Kat channelling her inner Vivian, smiling down at the girl with a big smile. Sadly for Kat, her demonic features helped lend a slightly sinister air to the smile. Luckily for Kat though Green didn\'t look up.
"My name is Green" said Green as she kept her eyes fixed on the floor.
*Wait? The girls name is actually Green? Who names their kid Green? I mean sure, her hair is very green, and I guess the colour scheme matching, but seriously parents?*
"What an interesting name" said Kat just to have a response for the poor girl. "So who is who?"
"Um, so Gareth is my fiancé, Nixilei is supposed to look after me, Kress is the meanie and I\'m Green"
"So, does that mean you are going to help us?" asked the girl turning her eyes up and looking at Kat with a slight pout.
Sadly for her Kat was unaffected by such a low-level cute stare. *Sylvie\'s stare is so much more powerful. It seems I\'ve developed a resistance to lower class cute things. Minor had a bit of an advantage because she looks more like an adorable scared animal than a person so her eyes still pack a punch, but Green, sorry you just don\'t quite cut it. Wait is it rude to think of Minor like an animal?* Kat pictured Minor but could only see Minor with her bushy tail and ears flat pouting up at her. *Nope, if that isn\'t adorable like a real fox I don\'t know what is.*
"Not necessarily I still have to hear from the rest of the team. I can\'t have someone like Kress use my acceptance to bully me if I haven\'t outlined my own terms" said Kat half as a joke. She wasn\'t truly afraid of Kress after watching his shouting match against Nixilei. She still remembered that time she recovered from having half her skin ripped off by the floor, so a bit of bullying was nothing.
Kat felt like showing off a little and testing out an idea. Gathering demonic energy in her lungs Kat took in a deep breath and let the rest seep into her eyes just for the glowing effect. "Are you two quite done?" asked Kat