Chapter 10

Until the day of the match, Norkai trained tirelessly. While Draviel taught him most of his tricks, Nireh supported him and offered feedback that could only be seen from a distance. Everyone else was supporting and encouraging. 

When the big day arrived, Norkai woke up more nervous than he anticipated. Tournament days were event days in all countries. Once or twice a year, every nation sends fighters to entertain the crowd and strengthen relations between the realms. Some fighters sign in independently as well, for fame and wealth. The more matches a fighter wins, the more people will want to see him.

Nireh: “Are you ready for today?”

Norkai: “Yes. I've suffered a lot to get here.”

Nireh: “Yeah... only watching you made me tired.”

Norkai: “I hope it was worth it.”

Nireh: “Me too. Well... I'm leaving to get a good spot. Good luck and be careful.”

Norkai: “I will. See you later.”

More concerned than he showed, Nireh left the house hoping everything would go well. Norkai was doing his last exercises before going to the arena. To keep things diverse, everyone fought a random opponent, chosen by the officials in the final hours. Crowds were more entertained when nobody prepared for a specific style of fight. 

Once he arrived at the arena, Norkai's emotions started to ramp up. The sounds of the crowd, the music, the atmosphere were making the event feel very real. As he was walking the last hallway towards the match, Draviel was expecting him at the end, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Draviel: “How do you feel?”

Norkai: “Nervous.”

Draviel: “Good. This is the time for that. Once the match starts, you will relax.”

Norkai: “Are you sure?”

Draviel: “Trust me. I've been there.”

Norkai: “Okay. Thanks, Draviel.”

Draviel: “Now go get him.”

Entering for the first time in the arena was a surreal feeling for Norkai. Thousands of people were cheering, giving him goosebumps for a few of seconds.

Nireh: *There he is. I bet he's nervous as hell. He better not lose... everyone is here.*

Xera: “Hurry up guys, it's starting.”

Serion: “Relax. There is plenty of time.”

Toren: “She's just worried about her boyfriend.”

Xera: “Don't make me break your teeth again, Toren.”

Toren: “Hahaha. I was just kidding. I'm sure he'll be fine.”

Xera: “I don't care about that. I just want to see a good fight.”

Serion: “His opponent seems older than him.”

Xera: “This is Norkai's chance to impress me.”

Toren: “Will just a few weeks of training be enough, Serion?”

Serion: “I'm not sure. Depends on how hard Draviel pushed him.”

On the other side of the arena, where the nobles sat, Norkai was making an impression as well.

Lirien: “Brother. Where do I know that guy from? He seems oddly familiar.”

Kirell: “Yes... indeed, he does. But why are we remembering a peasant?”

Lirien: “I think I know. He is one of the peasants who dared challenge us on that nasty training field.”

Kirell: “You're kidding. What is he doing here? I thought he was talent-less.”

Lirien: “Who knows. Maybe he needs money.”

Kirell: “What a sad life. Well... at least I hope it'll be entertaining.”

When Norkai's opponent showed up, the crowd went wild. Residing in Velen, this was his second fight, while the first one was a total domination.

Bravik: “Oi. Aren't you too young for this kind of fights?”

Norkai: “Maybe. Why do you care?”

Bravik: “It doesn't matter. I will end it fast anyway.”

Norkai: “Just try. See what happens.”

Bravik: “Confident, eh? Show me what you got.”

Norkai quickly starts the fight with his affinity and brings down a heavy rain all over the terrain. The water from the rain is special. It has heavier attributes, which makes his opponent slower. This gives him the advantage, as long as the water is on his opponent.

Bravik: “You think a little rain will hurt me?”

The moment he starts moving, he feels something's different.

Bravik: *What? Why am I so slow? Hmm... this is not a normal rain. A water user who knows these kinds of tricks is not going to go well with my fire.*

He tries to counter the water by heating his body to warm his clothes and evaporate the water. It helps, but he can't move at full speed. Knowing the rain needs to be stopped, he starts launching fire needles towards Norkai.

Norkai: *As expected. Long range attacks to make me stop the rain.*

Without much difficulty, he dodges the attacks and starts closing the gap. Seeing him approach, Bravik switches from needles to heavy arrows. This forces Norkai to use his Wave Shield. The clash between fire and water creates steam everywhere. In a matter of seconds, a heavy mist settles on the battlefield. Vision is heavily restricted for both fighters, and the audience can barely follow the fight.

Nireh: *This fight is intense. Norkai is actually doing well.*

Raindrop: “Watching the fight alone?”

Nireh: “Yeah. What are you doing here?”

Raindrop: “I was curious... to see if you like these kinds of things.”

Nireh: “Not really. Too much noise.”

Raindrop: “I knew it. You are not like most of the fighters.”

Nireh: “I guess that's true.”

Raindrop: “Do you even enjoy living like a fighter?”

Nireh: “I'm not sure.”

Raindrop: “Then why do you do it?”

Nireh: “I don't know. When I was younger, I thought I would like it.”

Raindrop: “If I were you, I'd just get out.”

Nireh: “What do you mean?”

Raindrop: “The world is so big... and you are wasting your life doing something you don't like.”

Nireh: “I can't just leave on my own. I barely left the school.”

Raindrop: “I can come with you.”

Nireh: “Hahaha. I don't even know you. You come and leave as you please... why would I trust you?”

Raindrop: “Why not? I was just trying to help.”

Nireh: “I'll be alright. Thanks.”

In the meantime, Bravik is still on defense, constantly changing his position in order to avoid Norkai's attacks.

Bravik: *Dammit. He is controlling the momentum. I need to do something.*

So he stops, sits down and starts concentrating in the Lotus Position. Suddenly, a burst of flames surrounds him, creating a dome-like environment, where the water evaporates before reaching him.

Norkai: *There he is.*

As soon as he sees him, Norkai charges his Geyser Overload, a strong finisher made of heavily compressed water. The attack hits Bravik right through his fire and propels him a couple of meters away. Luck is on his side though, since the impact between water and fire makes the vision even more restricted and Norkai cannot find him to finish him.

Bravik: *He got me. That was a bad move. I can't let him know my position.*

Bravik: “Is that all you got?”

Norkai: “Haha. Still confident after that hit? Show yourself.”

Bravik: “Don't worry. I will.”

Bravik: *I think I've figured him out now.*

As Norkai searches for him in the mist, out of nowhere a punch hits him and throws him on the ground.

Norkai: *What the hell? Where did that come from?*

Surprised, he stands up. Then, a strong leg kick throws him even further.

Norkai: *How does he suddenly know my position?*

He gets up quickly and starts running without direction.

Norkai: *This must be his layer 2 power, Increased Adaptability. I need to end the fight fast... or he will end me.*

Bravik: “What's the matter? You're not so confident now, eh? Stop running.”

Toren: “This doesn't look good.”

Serion: “Yeah... he has the advantage now.”

Xera: “What the hell is Norkai doing?”

Xera: *I underestimated his opponent.*

In a quieter space in the arena.

Nireh: *Dammit. His opponent waited for this.*

Roy: “Why are you alone?”

Nireh: “Roy... the crowd is too much for me.”

Roy: “I know what you mean.”

Nireh: “I didn't expect you to be here. I thought you were on a mission.”

Roy: “I was... but I decided to see how Norkai is doing.”

Nireh: “Pretty well if you ask me.”

Roy: “What about you?”

Nireh: “I'm fine.”

Roy: “Fine? What happened?”

Nireh: “Nothing. But I want to ask you something... did you always know you wanted to be a fighter?”

Roy: “Actually... I didn't want to be a fighter.”

Nireh: “Really? But what then?”

Roy: “I wanted to see the world. Why do you think I travel so much?”

Nireh: “I guess that makes sense. However... I didn't expect you to say that.”

Roy: “Why not?”

Nireh: “Because... you always do hard missions. I thought you were doing them because you like them.”

Roy: “They just give me the freedom I need.”

Nireh: “I see.”

Roy: “You don't like being a fighter?”

Nireh: “I don't know. Maybe I need more time to get used to it.”

Roy: “Why don't you come with me on a mission?”

Nireh: “A mission with you? Do you really mean that?”

Roy: “Sure. It'll be fun.”

Nireh: “What about Norkai? I can't just leave him alone.”

Roy: “He'll be fine. He has Draviel.”

Nireh: “Hmm... that's true. Well... it might end up being fun. So, why not?”

Roy: “Great. It will be interesting for me too... since I mostly travel alone.”

Nireh: “It's strange to see someone who is even lonelier than you are.”

Roy: “Hahaha. I guess it is.”

Roy: *I didn't expect him to accept. This mission will be interesting.*

Draviel: “Why are you guys hiding here?”

Nireh: “It's less noisy.”

Roy: “Draviel, just in time. I wanted to ask you something.”

Draviel: “What is it?”

Roy: “I want to take Nireh with me on a mission.”

Draviel: “Interesting. Your kind of missions are usually quite long. Are you okay with that, Nireh?”

Nireh: “Yes. I think it will be a fun experience.”

Draviel: “Hmm... I see no problem in some brotherly bonding.”

Roy: “Wonderful. I'm sorry if I messed up your plans.”

Draviel: “It's fine. I have a feeling Norkai will want to train more after this fight. I'll focus on him while you take care of Nireh.”

Roy: “Very well. Thanks, Draviel.”

Nireh: “I think he can win.”

Draviel: “Of course he will. You haven't seen everything yet.”

While running from his opponent, Norkai gets an idea.

Norkai: “Oi. Let's meet in the middle and finish this.”

Bravik: “You finally got tired of running? See you there.”

In a few moments, Bravik senses Norkai and attacks immediately, before even reaching the middle of the arena, unleashing a powerful whirl of fire straight at Norkai's back. His finisher does the job, but Norkai bursts into water, covering Bravik all over.

Bravik: *What's happening?*

From his left side, Norkai rushes him with his charged Geyser Overload, hitting him cleanly from close range. The impact throws his opponent ten meters away, leaving him unconscious.

Norkai: “That was my special Water Clone. I hope you liked it.”

Norkai: *The water from that clone did the trick. His movement was heavily restricted and I managed to land a clean hit. It wasn't an easy fight... but I'm glad that I won.*

The mist dissipates, and everyone gets to see the result. The crowd explodes in cheers and applause.

Nireh: “I knew he could do it.”

Nireh: *He improved a lot over these past months.*

Draviel: “I told you.”

Roy: “Indeed. Nicely played by him.”

Roy: *I guess Norkai has grown a little bit.*

Xera: “Hmm... not bad.”

Xera: *I don't know what I'd do to him, if he lost this one.*

Toren: “That's my classmate. Well done.”

Toren: *Dammit. I think he's stronger than me now.*

Serion: “Well played.”

Serion: *I can see Draviel's influence in his style. That boy might end up stronger than him.*

Lirien: “I can't believe it.”

Kirell: “What a boring fight.”

Kirell: *Still... he did improve a little since our last encounter.*

A bit later everyone was waiting for Norkai outside the arena.

Draviel: “There he is. I knew you'd win. Congratulations.”

Norkai: “Thanks, Draviel. It was closer than I wanted.”

Nireh: “His layer 2 ability was pretty strong.”

Serion: “Did you have a second plan if he didn't take the clone bait?”

Norkai: “Not really.”

Xera: “Next time... you better have.”

Norkai: “Why are you angry now? I won.”

Toren: “Correct. A win is a win.”

Serion: “Indeed. However... next time you might not be so lucky. Draviel, for instance, has always had a backup plan.”

Draviel: “It's fine. We'll work on it. This fight did exactly what we wanted. Expose the blind spots.”

Norkai: “Yeah... well... I'm famished. Let's talk about it at the restaurant. My treat.”

Serion: “That's very generous of you. It seems someone got a very nice pay from that match.”

Toren: “I'm pretty hungry myself. Let's go.”

As the tension from the arena disappeared, they continued the evening at a fancy restaurant, celebrating Norkai's first tournament victory.