Chapter 699: S P O R T S (2/2)

She drank deep from the jug before she set it down and wiped at her mouth. A sigh escaped her as she smiled. Ilea definitely preferred a more quiet and personal restaurant experience but for one evening, she didn’t mind the change of pace. She could even see most of the fighting pit at her outermost position on the table.

Her food arrived when the cheers picked up again but she didn’t care much about the two war machine wielding mages that went at it like some of her resistance training partners. She supposed it looked impressive, but after her many encounters with four mark beings and her recent training with the Meadow, she certainly cared more about her food. A plate of greasy meat covered in spices, quickly devoured before the next one arrived.

“New in town?” a dwarf opposite her asked, fighting off his friend that tried to stop him.

Ilea looked at him and continued eating. She nodded as she finished the second plate and moved on to the third.

He laughed. “Haven’t eaten in days eh?” The dwarf at least had the courtesy of not bothering her again until she was done.

Good. My human brain is satisfied by this grease, fat, and salt, she mused. “Still going at it,” she murmured and finished her jug with one long swig.

“Too weak to join the battle against the Soul Wardens, so now they’re trying to show off here,” the dwarf said. “Hodir’s the name.”

[Explosion Mage – lvl 212]

“Ilea,” she answered, likely a better choice with the potential of her other name already being spread. “You were there?” she asked.

“Aye, tough machines. Saw the king meself, white wings of flame,” he said and drank.

“He was rather impressive. Even from a distance,” she said. “Glad he took care of the invasion.”

Another dwarf turned around from the table ahead, nearly bumping into Hodir. “Oi… twas a woman, I tell ya. Thick armor, but I saw the curves. Queen Nessa I tell ya.”

“Nessa was a water mage, you daft fucking shit,” someone else said.

Ilea smiled into her freshly filled jug.

“None of ya heard of em southern thing called Lilipf? Ash an all, fire too,” one misguided individual suggested.

“No white fire there, she’s using ash armor, dark, near black,” another voice chimed in.

“It was ash, I could tell,” Hodir said, now looking behind himself. “Who’s that Lilipf?”

“One with that name up to fight soon,” another said before drinking.

“Bards in the south sing of her. A human I think. Said she fought an entire army on her own,” one said.

A few of them laughed. “Army of humans.”

“Could you fight an army of fucking humans?” another said.

The dwarf in question raised his mug with a grin. “Bring me one and I’ll show you.”

Ilea was sure he couldn’t, but she commended his bravery. She nearly used monster hunter to see how quickly he would shit his pants but decided to keep to her subdued roll of high level healer human.

“Healer too that one, battle healer some say,” another said. “High level, none know what it is,” he added with a mysterious voice.

Hodir turned back to Ilea but he found nobody there. A few coins had appeared on the counter and one of the jugs was gone.

She enjoyed watching the ensuing chaos through her dominion, most of the dwarves laughing at Hodir who stood up and argued with them vehemently. She did note that some were on the lookout for her too, but a quick teleport and change of clothes would make it harder to find her. She added a dark green cloak and covered a part of her face.

“Good food?” Verena asked, still sitting on Bralin’s shoulder with a glass of whiskey in her hand.

“Greasy,” Ilea mused. She drank from her jug and watched two dwarves pry a screaming individual out of a half molten war machine, his injuries healed by a third individual who asked him repeatedly not to scream so loudly.

One of them had to give, she thought when an announcer called out the next participants.

“Now we have… is that right? Yes? Well… I suppose… a newcomer to the Forged Dome. Another one, but going by her name she must be pretty impressive. The Dragonkiller!” his voice boomed out through the dome, cheers and boos sounding out right after he had called the name.

Ilea noticed quite a few people remaining quiet within her dominion, some glancing around right after or sharing a whisper with others. She smiled, drinking a bit more ale. Suppose I’m not the only one who’s met a dragon.

“How does this usually go in the plains?” she asked Verena.

“Pierce is banned from most tournaments. I’m surprised she’s not known here,” the Elder replied.

The Dragonkiller appeared in the air about thirty meters up and above the stone pit, her armor blinking into existence around her before she fell and landed.

“She practiced that,” Ilea murmured.

Her armor crackled with blue lightning, her hand raised towards the ceiling when a broad bolt of blue energy slammed down. The spell died out in crackling wisps to reveal a blade of steel, lightning flowing through the length of the weapon as the woman swung it to the side.

The crowd burst out into cheers and shouting, some figuratively losing their minds.

Ilea checked to make sure they weren’t actually being attacked by mind magic but it turned out that she was just more used to showcases like that. But really? For Pierce?

The Dragonkiller spread her arms wide and turned around herself.

“Yes… impressive. It seems we have the first owner of a Warden’s blade participate in the Dome. Your opponent needs no introduction. Come forth! Grat the Destroyer!” the announcer shouted over the cheering crowd.

Ilea formed small beads of ash within her ears to dull the noise a little. She had enjoyed the magic shows back in Riverwatch much more than this testosterone filled brawl pit. Watching that was. She very much wanted to jump down there and rip apart the dark blue war machine of her friend.

‘ding’ ‘Monstrous reaches lvl 7’

Did someone identify me? Or is it just because I’m around other beings? she didn’t show a reaction and quickly checked the skill. The new value showed at a hundred and ninety below her highest Class level. Which meant everyone below level three twenty couldn’t identify her. Without another spell or maybe the third tier.

There had been quite a few people in the crowd above two fifty. She assumed the lack of reactions were explained by her skill.

Grat the Destroyer looked the part. He jumped down with his enormous war machine, towering above Pierce’s already large armor by nearly two meters. His had a solid core with added bits and pieces that jutted out in rusted edges. In his arms he held an oversized mace ending in a solid ball of steel. His movements were slow and strained, the eyes within his helmet glowing a deep red as steam flowed out from a set of exhausts on his back.

“Is that really the speed he moves at?” Ilea asked.

Bralin had a broad grin on his face. “Yes,” he answered in an enthusiastic tone.

Ilea raised a brow. “You know he’s going to get ripped apart by her, right?”

“Yes. Lost me a lot of gold the last two times he fought. I bet a lot on Pierce. The rate was eight to one when I bet,” he said.

Ah right, I forgot to bet anything, Ilea thought. “What’s the rate at now? Or are they closed already?”

“Too late now,” Bralin said. “But if you want me to bet on your fight, I could still do that.”