Chapter 743: Contestants (1/2)
Ilea aimed for the chest. She pulled back the string, her enhanced eyes showing her the details in her target. A steel plate armor held up by a metal base, filled entirely with straw.
The crowd was silent, waiting in anticipation as she prepared her shot.
She let loose, the string vibrating as it came to a sudden halt. Ilea watched the arrow fly and strike its target.
A loud boom resounded as an explosion enveloped the entirety of the dummy, heated steel shrapnel flying in all directions.
“Yes!” she exclaimed and raised her fist to a roar of cheers and applause.
People chanted her name in unison, the archers gathered nearby looking on with varied expressions. None of them met her eyes.
That’s right! she thought with a grin under her ash armor.
“Is that allowed?” one of the judges asked in a whisper. An old ranger with quite a majestic beard.
“Technically… it is a bow,” the woman sitting next to him answered. She smiled towards Ilea and waved.
“Yes but the arrow…” the third judge said. She didn’t finish her sentence when she locked eyes with Ilea. “I’m sure it’s fine. The latter targets require accuracy anyway.”
Triumphant yet again. All enemies slain, Ilea mused in her mind, raising the massive greatbow to the cheering crowd in the admittedly quite small arena.
It should’ve been the least popular tournament next to the weapon throwing one but word got around that Lilith would be participating. And so the stands were packed. A few other tournaments were going on at the same time, including preliminaries for the main ones. Apparently a lot of people had signed up.
She watched a few of the archers take their shots at the newly set up targets, clapping whenever one of them managed a good shot. It seemed she was the only one present who didn’t have an actual archery Class. However what she did have was a massive ass bow. And exploding arrows. That had to count for something.
Ilea stored her bow and teleported out, using the skill a few more times until she arrived in the main arena. She had agreed not to bypass the anti teleportation enchantments set up around the main viewing terrace. Doing so may invalidate the defenses set up by the Accords, and it would piss off a bunch of the dwarves.
The Shadowguards and Sentinels guarding the entrance let her through without issue, Ilea joining the nobility of the Plains. She realized that many of them weren’t particularly interested in the fights themselves, instead using the opportunity to talk with other important figures. Ilea was just there because it was the best view, and she didn’t want to take away any attention from the participants by sitting on the walls of the coliseum like structure.
She summoned herself a meal and leaned against the stone railing. A team of adventurers was facing off against a group she near instantly recognized. So they did it. Guess they were out until today, she thought with a wide grin on her face. The three people were clad in battered stonehammer and bone armor.
One floated above ground with ash wings spreading from her back, a bow made of ash in her hand as she aimed for one of the remaining targets. Her red hair flowed freely, falling down her back, green eyes taking in her surroundings. She looked more focused than Ilea had ever seen her. Dany’s hand was calm, waiting as the dust clouds moved through the arena. She let loose an arrow right when an opening presented itself.
The full plate wearing adventurer from the other group staggered back, blocking the projectile with his shield when the arrow exploded into a mist of heated ash. He staggered back, roaring as a sphere of fire pushed out to get rid of the dust and ash.
Ilea raised her brows as she watched Cornelius reform in the cloud next to the adventurer. He floated a few centimeters above ground and moved his hands in a calm manner, the entire dust around them condensing into a small storm. His magic entirely enveloped the man, chunks of armor ripped away with flesh and blood joining soon. He stopped the spell when his opponent collapsed to one knee, coughing up blood, both his axe and shield falling to the side. What was left of them.
That might just be enough to help my resistance, Ilea thought and watched him turn into a cloud yet again. Even worse than sand.
Their last opponent was a void mage, teleporting around to avoid both projectiles and clouds of magic.
Roots broke out of the ground a split second later, catching the legs of the void mage. The whole arena shook as more of the ground exploded, chunks of debris flying to the side with heavy impacts. From the crack stepped a three meter tall and broad creature of wooden roots and ash. It moved its arm, pulling the mage closer. Void explosions flashed out but she was enveloped nonetheless. Her movements stopped right before she was slapped against the stone floor, several bones breaking in the process.
The crowd cheered at the demonstration of power.
“And with that, we have the last group to join the main team tournament. Raphia, Cornelius, and Dany, representing the Medic Sentinel Corps in this category!” the announcer said, her voice booming through the enchanted device.
Not quite the clumsy team of optimistic adventurers anymore, Ilea thought, sipping on her ale before she ate a little more.
Raphia downright grew out of her wood and ash powered war machine before she jumped down to heal the woman she had just brutally splattered onto the stone floor. “I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as she knelt down with her hands extended towards the barely breathing adventurer.
Ilea could see the woman stare back, the pain soon relieved as she closed her eyes.
Dany did the same, healing the two adventures that had been downed even before Ilea had joined to watch. Cornelius just waved towards the stands, a slight smile on his face until he looked towards the terrace. He grinned and waved when he saw Ilea.
She waved back. “Well fought. You’ve grown considerably.”
Cornelius raised his brows but quickly adapted. “Y… yes. A lot has happened. The reputation of the Sentinels and their training is… underrated.”
“I hope you weren’t treated badly,” Ilea said.
“Not at all. It’s just that your training seems like a comfortable afternoon bout compared to what we went through,” the replied. “I think the results speak for themselves.”
“That they do,” she said and waited for them to leave into the facilities reserved for the participants. Ilea finished her meal and left the terrace, teleporting through the arena until she came out behind the group of Sentinels that had just fought. “You didn’t think you could get away so easily, did you?”
She spread her limbs to envelope them all but Cornelius turned to dust. Dany and Raphia she managed to gather in a bit of a messy group hug. “Good to see you,” she said, letting them go.
“Il… I mean Lilith!” Raphia exclaimed and jumped up as soon as she was freed.
“It’s good to see you too,” Dany said. “We heard a lot about your adventures. Some of the songs were hard to believe.”
“I’m still not convinced they’re not all entirely made up,” Cornelius said.
Ilea grinned. “Just as your expectations of the Sentinels, I assure you, young dust mage, they don’t even come close to reality.”
He looked at her with a doubtful look but didn’t retort.
“I heard you’re taking part in the archery tournament,” Dany said. She had a bit of a smug smile on her face.
“Yes,” Ilea said and summoned her greatbow.
Dany smiled. “That’ll do it.”
“And explosive arrows too,” Ilea said with a wink.
[Battle Healer – lvl 163]
[Dust Mage – lvl 168]
[Wood Mage – lvl 156]
“No interest in ash, Cornelius?” Ilea asked.
He locked eyes with her. “Dust Sentinel. First of its kind,” he said with a bit of the element swirling around him.
“I’m sure you’ll get far with that,” Ilea mused.
“I will,” he said.
“I’m sure you will,” she said.
“Further than you,” he said.
Ilea raised her brows and deactivated Monstrous. “Better catch up faster then, boy.”
“Ooooooh! That’s three!” Raphia exclaimed. She jumped up and pointed at Ilea. “Three!” she showed three fingers to her team mates.
“Yes. We can see it too,” Cornelius said through gritted teeth. “You must’ve gotten lucky, again.”
“Of course. It’s my hidden stat,” Ilea said. “Have you guys eaten anything?”
“I’m starved,” Dany said. “We arrived earlier today and Trian said we had to join the team tournament because most everyone else signed up for guard duty.”
Raphia nodded to herself. “Conscientious. But we will represent the Sentinels well!”
“Using big words again?” Cornelius said.