Chapter 10: Knowledge and Strategy Trial (Pt.1)

Genie rushed out of the players' vomitorium to greet Kairo on the pitch.

Kairo sighed and slouched his shoulders when he saw the energetic man emerging from the wide tunnel at a brisk walk. Seeing his energy made him feel more exhausted.

"Excellent battle! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time." He heartily slapped Kairo's back and grimaced when he almost toppled over. The man had certainly broken out in a sweat.

"Oops. Here." He clicked his fingers in a rapid pattern then waved his hands to stir a soft-green energy about them. He laid his glowing hands over Kairo's head, who relished the ease of his aches and replenishment of energy.

"Thank you." Kairo nodded as he stood more upright and at ease.

"You were amazing!" Lady Bluesteed raced through the tunnel with excitement radiating within her eyes to make them sparkle.

"Hmph. He only won because it was his battle pick." The guard huffed with his excuses for his loss, as he coolly walked past the group to make his exit.

"Henka-guard. Stop where you are," Jan called out to the man as he calmly strolled into their view with his hands clasped firmly at his back, so his posture was impeccably upright.

"Court Visor, Sir!" Henka-guard snapped to attention: slammed a fist to his chest and bowed.

Jan nodded as he cordially patted his shoulder to make the man blush. "You did wonderfully as Kairo's combat challenger. I would like you to be one again for the Knowledge and Strategy Trial. And your next pay will contain more of a bonus."

"Sir! Tell me what to do next. I'm your man, Sir!" Henka-guard didn't bat an eye at the mention of an extra bonus. In fact, his eyes were reflecting rolling gold crescent moon signs: the prospect was making him overexcited. He flexed his muscles at Kairo with boasts about his next win.

"Did I just see crescent moon symbols rolling in the man's eyes?" Kairo asked, which sounded more like a comment.

"Aah, yeah, Palace Guards are known to get excited over moon-cash. It's our currency here." Jan advised on the fact.

"Moon-cash?"

Kairo learned that the crescent moon symbol on the royal seal was also shaped into coins to be money.

"We trade goods and karma with copper, bronze, silver, gold, and meteorite-blue moon-coins. Naturally, meteorite-blue is the most expensive currency value." Jan finished off his explanation.

Kairo looked up to the stadiums and saw people handing over copper moon-coins for food or merchandise that aisle hawkers had on display in their shop carts at the ends of each aisle. There were long lines before some of the food carts. "I see business is booming then."

"Yes it is! You're proving to be valuable entertainment. Not even one moon-turn and you're already contributing to the economy! My brother would be pleased." Genie grinned.

"It's good that all of you are here because I need you for Kairo's next trial." Jan advised. Everyone fell silent.

"Me too. Fu fu fu." A girl cockily called as she emerged from the vomitorium to show herself before the group.

To Kairo, she appeared tiny, and her top-heavy figure accentuated by an embroidered red-black silk bodice and a chest-length mage cape with a crescent moon clasp. Her narrow waist and hourglass hips looked perfectly curvy in her short, frilly yellow-red skirt and bike shorts. Red stockings and black, thigh-high spiked-heel boots elongated her skinny legs. She flicked a long blond ponytail off her shoulder.

"Countess Turnstine, Leela. Did our Valide Sultan send you?" Jan formally greeted the young girl, ignoring her expression of incivility from her dull-colored blue eyes. The girl may look innocent and pretty with her soft cheeks and delicate features. But she was something else.

Leela turned up her nose at Jan as she strutted past him to directly address Genie. "My mother told me to join this trial."

"And my brother agreed?"

She answered with a scowl and crudely tossed a pocket-sized paper scroll she pulled out from her hip-pouch. In the same manner she was laying down a gauntlet.

"You have to take me. If I fail, my mother will send me to boot camp again. Like that's a punishment!" She laughed crazily at the fact, but her laughter subsided and eyes narrowed with deviousness when she directed her stare to Kairo. "But if this alien loses, I get the fun of chopping up his body for Shrieker food."

Kairo gulped when she licked her full red lips and her hands were twitching around her sheathed daggers against her hips.

Genie sighed and made the scroll disappear with magic. "I guess that's that. You have a full party for the trial Court Visor Jan."

"Genie…" Jan was about to say his counterpoint but the smug look in Genie's eye made him pause. Instead, he nodded with understanding and answered, "So be it. Everyone has ten ticks to be prepared."

"Ticks?" Kairo looked puzzled by the term.

"Ah, let's see, I guess, in your language it would be 'minute'. According to the Chronicles of Sol." Genie gave him context that had Kairo nodding with understanding.

"Out of my way, losers." Leela haughtily pushed through the group to be the first one to prepare for the trial.

Lady Bluesteed fidgeted on the spot with worry.

"Just have fun. The trial is for Kairo not for you." Jan reassured her with a friendly pat to her shoulder.

She nodded, feeling more reassured with her part to play.

"Don't worry Kairo. I smelled a good man when we, um, fell together. So, I'll fight for you." She gave Kairo an earnest nod, which made his eyes relax with a smile. He returned her nod.

They dispersed through the player tunnels to prepare themselves in the preparation rooms.

A short while later, the crowds had returned to their seats. Kairo and the others re-emerged to the pitch to take part in the second Wizard Trials. Kairo felt relieved to be in his usual clothes, as Genie had reassured him that this trial didn't involve combat, but was purely a general knowledge test. And also a way to bring him up to speed with a few terms.

The crowds roared with cheers as they strolled up a flight of floating stairs to the circular stage hovering above the pitch in an eye-line view of the middle benches and Demon Prince's throne booth.

"Countess Leela is in this one?" A few people in the crowd were either excited by the fact or puzzled.

Leela stopped mid-flight on a step and turned to face the nearby heckles with her fists raised. "You think I won't come over there and smash your heads into melons? Weak fodder."

A few spectators shrank with apology and fear before her. She huffed and snootily continued her way to the stage to be the first one to arrive.

"She would make good on her threat if provoked further. The girl is all brawn and no brains," Genie whispered to Kairo from behind him.

"No brains?" Kairo picked up on this fact. Genie flashed him a knowing wink and smile.

They continued to the stage.

Jan was already standing at the center before a row of five podium stands.