3. The Hen Chemon part 2

He spent 4 hours resting in the room, put on armor more suitable for the fight, and went out to the palace courtyard.

Leonor accompanied him to the courtyard, and both were amazed by the colorful festival they witnessed. Fireworks in the skies, many people dancing around a large circular platform where a magician projected two people dancing slowly.

"They're the emperors," Leonor said a bit confused. Lodtrack looked at them closely, and the woman indeed resembled the Empress, but the man was completely different from the emperor; he had no resemblance at all. "A bit more... youthful," Leonor added.

"A bit? He seems to be my age" Lodtrack said. Leonor nodded. Lodtrack looked around where the wizards had been working earlier, hoping to see what they had done with the sapling. He was perplexed to see a gigantic fir tree, illuminated with flames around it.

""What a damn madness," said Leonor, letting out a surprised laugh. "Definitely, I've never heard of anything like this."

Lodtrack smiled and lowered his gaze, seeing people happier than ever; they laughed, danced, and drank, a party like no other. "So, this is the capital, almost as cool as our Gramorg," the guard laughed, and Leonor nodded, smiling.

They advanced and greeted several noble families living in the capital. They met the Labindi noble sisters, the shy Veatriz and the energetic Sofia, who had visited them earlier that year, in the summer, so Sofia could propose to Leonor, who got nervous seeing her.

"It's good to see you, my dear Leonor!" She approached the noble vigorously and took him by the arm. Leonor laughed uncomfortably; he didn't like the Labindi house noble at all. In reality, he was much more attracted to the younger sister of the family, who was with Lodtrack.

"h-hello, Lodtrack," Veatriz said timidly.

"Good evening, Vea" Lodtrack called her that because they had become very close friends during their stay in Gramorg, and it felt uncomfortable to call her by her name all the time.

"H-how are you?" Veatriz stuttered quite a bit when she got nervous and didn't enjoy being with so many people.

"Well, you don't have to get so nervous, or I'll get nervous too."

"I-I'm sorry." Lodtrack laughed, and when he was about to tell her not to worry, Sofia spoke.

"Hey, Leonor and Lodtrack *hip*, what do you think of *hip* our proposition?" Lodtrack looked at her and wondered when she had drunk enough to get drunk. "I'm marrying *hip* this... dreamy blonde, and my sister could marry you, Guard."

"Sister!" Veatriz turned red and took her sister away, but before they could leave, Lodtrack said to the younger sister:

"Hey, Vea, come see me in the tournament. It's been a while since you saw me fight." Veatriz nodded with a smile and walked away with her swaying sister. "That pair is so peculiar" Lodtrack laughed.

"I think Sofia is terrifying," Leonor said irritably. Lodtrack teased Leonor for a while. "Hey, the first match between Jill and Pari's son is about to start."

"True, we should watch it. After all, I'll fight one of the two in the final."

"You speak very confidently. What if you lose against the imperial knight in your first match?"

"The skill difference between a knight and a noble guard is abysmal. Besides, if I lose, you'll never leave me alone," Lodtrack reproached Leonor.

The crowd was ecstatic, looking for an optimal position to watch the match. In the background, a group of people could be seen betting; the organizers wrote the bets on a board. Most voted for the Guard of the princess; it was logical that a warrior born and raised to be an elite guardian for the princess would be the favorite for victory.

Lodtrack approached these men, who shivered at the sight of him. They thought he was going to tell them to leave since they didn't have the king's permission. But contrary to this, Lodtrack placed a bag of coins and said:

"Twenty-five gold coins on the apprentice." Everyone who heard him turned to look. It made no sense for him to bet so much on a mere apprentice.

"You're still as bold as ever," Leonor said behind him.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, betting twenty-five gold on an apprentice is nonsense" Leonor said arrogantly. "It's obvious that Alfonso will win; he is the princess's escort, after all."

"If you're so sure of that, why not bet in favor of the Guard?" Lodtrack challenged him. The noble looked at him curiously, trying to find sarcasm in his companion's expression, but he was serious.

"Why are you so sure that Jill will win? Pari is the princess's guard, the highest rank among elite warriors. Maybe you could beat him because you're an exceptional case, but Jill is just an apprentice," reasoned Leonor.

"Only an apprentice of Draco," Lodtrack insisted.

"If an exiled old hero does a better job than the most experienced mentors of the empire, then the grandmaster should cry for his incompetence."

"Then you have nothing to lose. Bet against me and let's see who's right."

Leonor's eyes flashed. "Fine, I bet 50 gold and..." he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a coin corroded by rust, an ancient treasure he had obtained years ago. It left the crowd around them in silence, looking at Leonor in amazement. It was an excessive amount even for a noble. He turned to look at Lodtrack, who was also bewildered. "What's wrong? Isn't it enough?" Lodtrack smiled.

"Not at all, I'm just surprised to know the sum I'll soon have," Leonor glared at him and went to watch the fight, Lodtrack followed him.

Jill was on the platform and noticed the duo. She greeted them with a cheerful smile. Lodtrack returned the smile kindly, and Leonor raised his hand with a smug smile. Guard Alfonso climbed onto the platform with his head held high and glared at Lodtrack.

Jill and Alfonso bowed to each other and drew their weapons. Jill wielded a Yari spear with a long, curved blade, one of her favorite weapons. She wore light armor that allowed her to move freely, benefiting her speed. Alfonso, on the other hand, wore imperial armor with empire banners protruding all over it. Additionally, he carried a two-handed sword about a meter long. 'Quite a short sword for fighting against a spear', Jill thought.

They stood there for a few minutes, waiting for the gong that would signal the beginning of the fight. The crowd was getting impatient because the night didn't allow a clear view of the warriors. Also, the church believers turned off the outside lights, waiting for the sky to be clear so they could appreciate the moon in all its splendor. A priest stood in front of the crowd and chanted, "Fallen deus, da nobus máxima luceum per tenebrus noctus. Amen."

The moment he chanted this; the moon shone as brightly as the sun for an instant. Shortly after, it dimmed its glow, and now the battle ring was clearly visible. The crowd began to applaud, and Lodtrack was amazed at the priest's ability.

"So, that's the power of an elven sorcerer," Leonor murmured. Lodtrack looked at the priest again, noticed his pointed ears and the marks on his tan skin; he was a pure-blood elf, a slave of the church "manipulating natural forces is impressive."

Lodtrack looked back at the moon, admiring its brightness for a moment. When he looked at the wall for a moment, he seemed to see some shadows that didn't look like soldiers. Although he didn't give it much importance, he thought it must be some servant or some rebellious teenagers.

While Lodtrack was lost in his thoughts, a magician launched fireworks, marking the beginning of the celebration, followed by the sound of a gong that started the fight.

Pari rushed at his opponent and swung a hacking with his sword. Jill evaded it and tried to thrust her spear, but the guard deflected the attack and returned it. Jill made a slash towards the guard's chest, piercing metal and flesh like butter. The guard knelt on the ground, trying to cover his wound with his hands.

"Do you surrender?" a magician asked. Alfonso shook his head.

"With a wound like that, you won't be able to fight properly," Jill said, concerned if she had hurt him too much.

"I won't surrender so easily," the guard said. He stood up and swung his sword. They exchanged multiple rapid attacks, sparks flying in all directions as their blows gradually slowed down.

"A battle of endurance," said Lodtrack. Leonor asked him what he meant. "After a succession of attacks like that, their muscles start to numb. Whoever falters first will be the loser."

"It's incredible that he's still fighting like this; that wound looks really bad, although maybe adrenaline is helping him," added Leonor. The continuous impacts continued. The guard managed to land a thrust, piercing Jill's arm, but she returned the thrust and pierced Pari's leg. Leonor suppressed a cry; Jill kicked the soldier, who fell to the ground. Immediately after, she put the tip of her spear on her opponent's neck.

"I think we're done" she said, exhausted.

"I-I surrender" Alfonso finally said. All the people who witnessed the fight shouted in excitement, except those who had bet on the guard. Clearly, Leonor was devastated, throwing the drink he had in his hand to the ground. Lodtrack smiled satisfied.

"The winner is Jill, Draco's apprentice," they announced. Jill stepped down from the ring and approached the duo.

"Not bad... for an apprentice," Lodtrack said. Jill gave him a playful look and then looked at Leonor, but he seemed absent, as if his soul had left his body.

"Is he okay? It looks like he saw a ghost or became one," Jill said a little worried.

"He's a bit sad... but he'll live," Lodtrack slapped Leonor on the back, waking him from his trance.

"DAMN IT!!!" He shouted, "ah... hello, Jill," he managed to say in a depressed tone.

"Well, it's my turn. See you," Lodtrack walked toward the ring.

"Good luck!!!" Jill shouted. Lodtrack climbed onto the ring, motivated, and found himself face to face with the Imperial Guard, a huge man with a thick blonde beard. He used a single-edged axe and a shield. 'Nordic style', Jill thought. 'It goes well with how big that guy is.' Lodtrack also unsheathed his sword, a one-and-a-half-meter-long double-edged bronze blade, with a hilt decorated with the Dragonoid logo.

"Aren't you going to use your shield?" the knight asked, confused that his opponent would face him with a one-handed sword.

"No, I only use the shield in case of extreme necessity. It's part of my training, so to speak," the knight looked at him curiously. 'Does this scrawny kid dare to underestimate me?' he thought.

"Training?" Jill asked Leonor.

Leonor looked at her skeptically "in a few words, Lodtrack can't use his shield by Draco's order; he wants him to perfect his fencing without relying on the shield."

Before they realized it, the gong signaled the start of the match. The knight didn't hesitate for a second and launched a powerful attack from above towards Lodtrack. He easily dodged it, although the attack left a deep mark on the ground, worrying Lodtrack.

'I have to end this as quickly as possible,' Lodtrack thought, as a single blow would be enough to shatter him "it's just like Virtof". He thrust his sword toward the knight, who managed to block the attack with his wooden shield. Lodtrack withdrew his sword from the shield and barely managed to block the next attack, causing him to lose balance; he fell to the ground with a numbed arm.

"You should have used the shield," said the knight, pointing at Lodtrack.

"'Blocking with the sword can save you, but it will leave you unprotected at the same time'. So, this is what you meant; you could have been clearer," Lodtrack said to himself.

"Stop muttering, surrender already," the knight was beginning to lose patience.

"What are you saying? We haven't finished yet," saying this, Lodtrack deflected with his sword the knight's axe; he staggered for a moment. The people were surprised; that such a slender youth could counter the strength of that man was impressive, "this will end with the next move...". The enraged knight swung his axe; Lodtrack easily dodged it again and delivered a vertical slash. The knight tried to use his shield, but when they collided, the wooden shield shattered, "you can't casually block such a blow with a wooden shield; although if it were made of metal, it would have shattered your arm."

"Shut up!" The guard tried to strike him in the face. Lodtrack spun on his axis and sliced the knight's abdomen; he fell to the ground bleeding, "I surrender." A healer quickly went to help the knight before he lost more blood.

"And so, the winner is Lodtrack, a crushing victory!" The crowd seemed euphoric. Lodtrack glanced toward where Jill was, next to Leonor; he saw a mage healing her arm with magic, "do you want us to heal any injuries?" the referee asked him.

"I think I sprained my wrist when I blocked that attack, but I'd also like to rest a bit before the next fight, please," Lodtrack said.

"Understood, then come down, and in half an hour, we'll continue with the final match."