XVI - Never Too Early to Make Some Bets

A score of lives had passed since the last time James had attended one of the famed X Tournaments in the flesh, but he had to admit that the jarring roars of the crowd and festive atmosphere certainly got the blood pumping and ready for action. Hordes of fans milled about around the arena, hoisting banners and tapestries that supported their favored contenders as they waited for the entrances to open. A few signs amongst the more feminine portion of the crowds had rather suggestive letterings displayed on them, but James chose to ignore them as he lumbered closer to the arena.

James wasn't really a big fan of architecture, and he imagined if buildings had feelings, they wouldn't like him very much either. He could count on one hand the number of beautiful buildings he had encountered that hadn't ended up blown to bits soon after he entered them. The X Arena was one of the few exceptions.

Unlike a majority of arenas that dotted the continent, the X Arena was something of a relic of days past. While other arenas were built out of metal and glass, usually shaped like a dome, the X Arena was like something out of medieval times.

The arena was an elliptical structure, made out of limestone and concrete. According to lore written by historians, the X Arena was around millennia before Xyrcadia City had been founded, during a time when magus had yet to be gifted to the world. Back then it was called a colosseum, an entertainment venue for fights and battles.

'I suppose it's not all that different from what they do in it today.'

A firm squeeze of his shoulder brought James back to attention, Bill's rough grip steering him away from the sea of groupies and towards the secret competitor's entrance. Although how it remained secret was a mystery to him, seeing as how the large number of guards that stood watch over it stood out like a sore thumb.

They walked over to whom James assumed was the head honcho of the guards, a massive behemoth of muscle that towered over even Bill. His cords and sinews of thew were practically bursting out of the suit he wore that seemed one size too small for a man of his stature. Overall, his bulky build, shaved head, and ferocious glare forced anyone who didn't belong around the entrance to not even think about coming anywhere close.

James stopped a few feet away from the man, hoping Bill would take the initiative instead of him. When said shark showed no signs of moving, he swiveled around to face him and mouthed, "You owe me for the bacon."

Bill just snorted and crossed his arms for a few seconds, before finally giving in and walking forward. Whether it was because of the bacon or because he didn't want to be fired was beyond James.

The guard, seeing that they were truly serious about entering, cleared his throat and snapped to attention. His minuscule eyes seemed out of place on his huge frame, the black dots that made up his pupils scanning James from head to toe.

"Yeah... I'm gonna need to see some proof of participation."

James just gave the guard a deadpan stare as Bill rummaged around in his pockets for the papers.

"Excuse me, coming through!"

James nearly got flung to the ground as someone shoved him from behind. He whipped around nigh instantly, grinding his teeth as he glowered at the one who pushed him aside.

"Oh, my bad. You shouldn't have been in the way, you little runt."

'I'm not short by any means, but is everyone in this year's competition descended from fucking trees?'

The man in front of James stood almost a foot taller than him, although that didn't compare to the gigantic greatsword strapped to his back that was almost twice his size. James had seen people carrying weapons twice or thrice their bodyweight a load of times in all his lives, but it was still an unbelievable sight for him.

Believe it or not, James had tried bulking up in one of his lives in an attempt to try wielding a giant war hammer, but it ended up crushing him when he tried to lift it. From that day onwards, he had a look-but-don't-touch rule with any and all oversized armaments.

James shifted his gaze to the rest of the man, noting that he wore nothing other than a simple pair of torn pants and a bear pelt wrapped around his large barrel chest hosting a series of perfect abs. Judging from the many scars that littered his physique, James had a nagging feeling about what the man was.

"A berserker? I thought you guys went extinct! The only clan of humans dumb enough to go to war against dragons."

James gave the brute a twisted scowl as the target of his mockery's face turned red with fury. Either that or he ate a dash of really hot chili pepper, an experience James had been tricked into more times than he could count.

The berserker's meaty hand seemed to twitch as if itching to grab his sword and turn James into tiny little cubes of meat. However, after glancing towards the head guard watching the commotion, he wisely decided against it.

"Bjorn Dorrson. Remember that name. It'll be the name of the last person you see today before your puny life is snuffed out."

With his piece said, the man flipped James the finger and stomped into the arena.

"Hold up, that son of a bloodhound waltzed in there without needing to show any papers!"

James leveled a glare at the head guard who mirrored the deadpan expression James had given him earlier. "He looks like he belongs here. You? Don't."

There wasn't exactly anything off the mark with the guard's statement, but James couldn't help but feel a pang of pain at hearing it.

In a sudden change of pace, James smiled widely and clasped his arms behind his body, trotting over to the guard until the tips of their noses were a hair's breadth away from each other. He raised his hand and tapped it against the man's chest as he spoke, "What say you and me make a bet? A thousand moni says I can beat that walking mountain of ego, no money passed if he and I don't end up fighting."

The guard's eyes widened, his demeanor instantly shifting from cold to calculating as he gave James another once over. A thousand moni was no small sum. While the price of living in Xyrcadia City was higher than most, a thousand moni could give you at least a month of leisurely living.

The guard mulled it over for a few more seconds before ultimately extending his hand out for James to shake.

"We have a deal."

With almost perfect timing, Bill fished the necessary papers out of his pockets and handed them over. It only took the guard a second of scanning the documents to realize the mistake he had made when he accepted the bet.

"Y-you're the Don's champion?"

James laughed heartily for the first time in a long time as his face morphed into a very cliche Cheshire Cat grin. "You're damn right I am."

The guard wordlessly handed the papers back as James and his shark buddy entered the arena, the former of the two whistling a jovial tune as he chuckled at the thought of his easy winnings.

'Should I buy some new boots?'

It only took a few steps for the atmosphere to drastically change.

The pounding summer heat was replaced by cool air that came from none other than a long series of newly installed cooling boxes. The arena's interior seemed to be the only part of the building that was renovated, with a metal floor screwed down into the ground and modern lanterns replacing the rest of the arena's torch-centric lighting.

After a few minutes of the two of them getting lost and nearly falling into an ancient spike trap, Bill and James finally managed to find the waiting room.

"James!"

James barely managed to hold back a yelp as a bundle of limbs and colors wrapped around him, the familiar scent of panda droppings alerting him of his hugger's identity.

"Thena? What are you doing here?" James asked as he tried his best to pull the panda girl off of him to no avail.

'She sure has a strong grip for someone her size.'

After a few more moments of her hugging him, she finally realized how awkward the situation was and pushed him away with a slight blush on her face.

She was dressed much differently from her usual style, wearing an off-shoulder purple dress embroidered with black lilies. Her previously straight raven locks were now done up in a braided crown, the overall effect making her look like the shortest princess James had ever seen.

"I'm here to cheer you on, of course! The Don is making me watch with him in the stands... or at least that's what I think he said. I honestly have no idea what he says most of the time."

James nodded solemnly at that, knowing full well how much it hurt his ears whenever he had to listen to the man's horrible slang. He would probably rip his eardrums out if the Don started to speak with an accent too.

"Oh, before I forget. Here, take this." Thena shoved a small cube into James' hands, one whose design he instantly recognized.

"Um... is this what I think it is?"

The girl just gave him a sly smile and a cheeky wink before she traipsed out of the room, nearly tripping over her own dress as she did so. Shooting a scathing glare back at James who averted his gaze, Thena let out a huff before turning around and leaving.

With Thena gone and the tournament not for another hour, James decided to tinker with the present the panda girl had gotten him.

"Let's start this day off with a bang worthy of Deus himself."