Free Web NovelFollowing the end of Petyr Stormcloud and the Knight of Red's match, the quarter-finals were suspended for the rest of the day. Elizabeth Bedlam announced that the remaining two fights would continue tomorrow. Judging by the disappointed groans, the audience had been looking forward to the next matches.
Saint Priest Camilla Rudeux against the demon lieutenant of Artaggon, Minestra Val'doun. And the lich Edina Hackett against the former Mistress of Pain, Claudia. Who could blame anyone for wanting to see that right now?
Unfortunately, everyone was going to have to wait. In place of the matches, however, exhibitions were being demonstrated next. Archery competitions, magical might showcases, horse races, and more. Some spectators began to leave. Most stayed.
Nelly and Teana jumped from their seats.
"Not staying to watch the other stuff?" Kanae asked.
"I'm actually participating in the archery comp," Nelly said.
As the older children headed out of the booth, the younger ones were getting restless. Suvee and Feraline especially.
"Awww. I wanna do cool stuff, too." Suvee pouted.
"Fight! More fight!" Feraline nodded in agreement.
"I don't think any child your age is going to stand a chance against you, Feraline." Kanae rolled her eyes.
"Hrmmm…" The drakeling girl sulked.
"There's actually plenty the children can do during the Knights' Tournament. Archbishop Patrice made sure to arrange amenities geared towards the younger ones. Why don't we go as a family?" Esta suggested.
Suvee lit up. She turned to Kanae for permission.
"That sounds like fun. Sure. Anyone else?" Kanae asked the group.
"My mother's getting tired. I'm gonna take her back to her quarters. You guys go on ahead," Aisha said with Moira nodding off on her back, and Mitty decided to accompany them.
The succubus sisters wanted to give Claudia a training session to shape her up for tomorrow's match against Edina, and so sat out from joining. It seemed Alicia, Hilde, and Daya really hoped Claudia would scrape a win.
"Look after Dawn. What we're about to do might be too dangerous for an infant. She also appears to learn by leaps and bounds with you." Alicia smiled.
"I just got lucky." Kanae picked up her youngest daughter.
"Alrighty. I need the biggest beat down in my life if I want a chance at defeating Edinny. Let's go!" Claudia unfurled her wings and flew off.
Daya and Hilde chased after, and Alicia spared a few more moments playing with Dawn before joining them. As for Kanae and her family, they headed out together with Esta in the lead. Suvee skipped as she walked, humming with glee. Arenade walked with Kanade, hand in hand. Feraline, as usual, clung to Esta's back.
"You didn't want to go with Daya?" Kanae asked Mikki.
"I wanted to! But Daya said it was best I didn't since I'm not a fighter. That's okay. I made sure their bags were bursting with potions before they left." Mikki puffed out her chest.
Esta led them out west of the stadium, past the booths and food stands. They descended the steps down a small hill and into a large rectangular field, teeming with amenities. Kanae recognized this as one of the training fields used to practice formations. At the moment, it looked like a day care. Children were all over the jungle gyms, hitting dummies made of straw with wooden weapons, rode on ponies small enough for their stature, and chased each other around in a game of tag.
Small stake game booths awarded toys and trinkets. A spellcaster conjured bubbles, and participants blew into a blowgun to pop them. At another game, children hopped on ascending tiles made of ice to reach a reward at the very top. One child, a deft feline beastman boy, nearly made it until he slipped and plummeted. Everyone gasped. Kanae jerked forward to save him, but the attendant telekinetically levitated the boy safely to the ground.
"I wanna try that one!" Suvee raced ahead of the group.
"Don't run off!" Arenade groaned.
Kanade let go of Arenade's hand and hurried to catch up to Suvee. The dark elven girl climbed onto the first platform. She struggled to steady herself on the icy tile and, when she did, leaped for the next. But Suvee was short. Her hand missed the adjacent tile. Instincts unfurled her wings, and she flew half-way up before magical telekinesis seized hold and brought her to the ground.
"No flying, little missy." The attendant, an old elven woman who was the source of the telekinetic magic, wagged her finger.
"Oh, oops! Hehe." Suvee rubbed the back of her head and bowed apologetically.
"Looks like you chose to play one of the harder games," Mikki said.
"I wanna keep playing! Can I? Can I?" She turned to them.
"You just want to play this? There's plenty of other things to try," Kanae suggested.
Nodding, Suvee pumped both fists and steeled her resolve.
"I'll keep an eye on Suvee and Kanade here," Arenade volunteered.
Kanae watched Suvee climb and fall again. She picked herself up, dusted off her clothes, and continued. Petyr must have made an impression on her about determination. The haft of Shifting Steel hung from her waist, kept close as though serving as a constant reminder.
"You can do it, Suvee!" Kanae shouted.
"I'll yell for you when I reach the top!" Suvee waved from the first platform.
They toured the playground searching for something interesting for Feraline to do. Plenty of parents and their children swarmed the available amenities to the point of long lines. All of a sudden, Mikki broke off from the group and wandered up to a pavilion where kids practiced alchemy.
Small cauldrons had been set up at tables with numerous reagents and ingredients to choose from. A pair of human girls tossed some fruits, bone chips, and sand into a bubbling mixture. The cauldron steamed and shuddered.
"Temporary mud golem," Mikki said.
"From just looking at the reagents? How do you know?" Kanae asked.
"A big part of alchemy is just finding the right combination. The bones will make a temporary skeletal structure for the sand to cling to, forming the body. The fruits are living ingredients and will grant a short-lived life to it," she explained.
One of the girls scooped the liquid out and into a wooden bowl. The mixture combined into a tiny golem like Mikki had said. It greeted the children with a wave, carried some reagents around, and obeyed a few commands before falling apart. Impressed, the children applauded in delight.
Mikki wanted to concoct something, too. She shuffled over to an open cauldron. Discerning eyes scanned the reagents before her, meticulously picking whatever she deemed suitable. Dropping them into the cauldron caused the mixture to burp. Some of the children, drawn to an older kid who looked like she knew stuff, came to watch.
"And done!" Mikki lifted a vial up.
"What's it do?" a child asked.
"Hehe. Are you all curious? Watch closely." She found a yellow flower on the ground and poured the contents into the soil around it.
The kids gasped when the plant exploded in growth. The stem coiled around the nearby pavilion column, increasing in size and numbers. Countless flowers blossomed and dressed the immediate area in an array of colors. Everyone applauded, including the parents and supervisors.
"That's so cool!"
"Teach us!"
They tugged on Mikki's sleeve and skirt, eyes glittering with youthful excitement.
"Sorry, Mom! I think I might be stuck here for a while!" Mikki scratched her cheek.
Kanae smiled at her daughter taking the children back to the cauldrons to practice alchemy. They absolutely adored her.
It wasn't long before Feraline found something she wanted to play. A crowned Illusionist ran a game where he conjured real-to-the-touch illusions for people to capture. Each capture awarded points that could be redeemed for prizes.
"Play! Play!" Feraline dragged Estaline there.
The illusionary animals darted about in a wilderness obstacle course designed to mimic a forest. This section of the training field was used for training scouts and reconnaissance. Critters like birds and rabbits darted about. Larger game like a panther resting on top of a tree branch were likely hidden deeper in.
"Is this safe?" Kanae asked.
"Of course!" the elven illusionist assured her. "None of my illusions will attack. They only flee. The purpose is to capture what you can, bring them back, and have them counted for points."
Behind the elf was a wall of prizes from snacks, stuffed animals, dolls, and more. Children were giving it a go with little success. A human boy pursued a hare too fast for him to catch. Up in the canopy, a harpy girl helplessly flew after birds.
"Go on, Feraline. Show them what you can catch." Esta dropped a gold coin into the attendant's palm.
Feraline dropped to all fours and lunged into the forest, much to some of the children's shock. She very much looked like a wild animal herself.
"Why did Feraline take after your mother more than you? I'm pretty sure I got you pregnant, not Avaline," Kanae said.
"My mother tells me I used to be quite the hellion myself." Esta rubbed her nose in pride.
"Kanae!"
They spun around to Sultan Cerberus and his wife Rasheena. A small cell of four guards accompanied the Avanessi royal couple, who were dressed more comfortably compared to their usual fancy garb. Cerberus cradled one of their pups, while the other three climbed all over Rasheena. A particularly mischievous pup nibbled on her ear, another hung from her tail, and the last was being held by the scruff of its neck.
"Cerberus, Rasheena. I see you two are having a pleasant family day." Kanae giggled.
"We heard there was a playground here. Our kids have been playing all day. This one tuckered himself out," Cerberus said about the one in his arms.
"And these three just won't run out of energy. Motherhood is much more exhausting than I expected, and you seem to be no stranger to that. But enough about the kids. You must be the Knight of Silver!" Rasheena leaned in to sniff the drakeling.
"Estaline von Cleisseldor, the Knight of Silver. I'm told you and my Master came to blows in Avanesse. Though it seems we are allies now." Esta bowed.
The three pups on Rasheena growled.
"Haha! Indeed, we are allies now. I'm impressed by you northerners. Your weather is too cold for my liking, but I can tell— without even watching the tournament— that you're all made of sterner stuff." Rasheena dipped her head slightly in acknowledgement.
"You haven't been watching the upper tournament?" Kanae asked.
"Nah." She shrugged. "We're just waiting for the semi-finals and final match."
"Rasheena just wants to watch the biggest fights. We'll be there tomorrow," Cerberus promised.
Feraline returned and stole the show. Her jaws had clamped down on a mouthful of hares, squirrels, and birds, while dragging the carcass of a large snake. She dropped the dead illusory animals into a pile, looking proud of herself.
"Hunted!" Feraline exclaimed.
The illusionist's jaw dropped.
"Good girl, Feraline. You did well!" Esta kneeled down to pat her daughter on the head.
"How many points is that?" Kanae asked the illusionist.
"I-I don't know. That snake isn't an illusion that I made!" He poked at it with his foot.
Everyone stared down at the drakeling girl. The illusory critters disappeared one by one in a burst of magic except for the snake. Cerberus immediately backed away from the carcass.
"You're telling me Feraline just killed a real giant snake?" Kanae gasped.
"Now this is something worth watching!" Rasheena erupted in laughter.
"Uhh. How about I give you the top prize in exchange for not telling the guards?" the Illusionist asked.
Kanae accepted the deal. Mainly because the biggest prize was a meal ticket to any booth around the stadium, and Feraline looked famished after her hunt. Cerberus, Rasheena, and their children joined the group to partake in a hearty feast. Roasted cockatrice. Feraline was given her own whole leg to gnaw on.
"Mikki, we're back. You hungry?" Kanae hollered as they returned to the alchemy pavilion.
"Just a moment!" Mikki shouted from the center of a mob of children. "Alright, everyone. I have to go now. Remember to always double-check your reagents. You'll never know what dangerous reagent might end up mixed in here."
"Hey, Mikki. Can I put this in?" A girl waved a fist-sized orb of blinking eyes.
"Wait. Is that a baby roper?!" She gasped.
Spooked, the kid let go. It dropped back onto the table and rolled towards a cauldron. Mikki dove to try and catch the orb. Too late. The eyes squeezed shut as it fell into the bubbling cauldron with a loud splunk!
"Everyone, get back from the table now!" Esta yelled.
A dozen whipping tentacles sprung out from the cauldron. They grabbed at anything nearby and flung reagents all over the place. The children fled in panic. A boy tripped in the mayhem. One of the tentacles shot in his direction. Mikki shielded him with her own body. The appendage coiled tightly around her and lifted her into the air.
"Oh, no you don't!" Kanae whipped the tentacle with Lust, inflicting Turn Horny on hit. The meaty thing stiffened up and turned rigid. It let go of Mikki, who quickly flew down to pick the boy up and flew away.
"I'll cut it down to size!" Esta darted in and, with one swing of her greatsword, severed all the tentacles at the lip of the cauldron.
More shot out from the alchemical waters until Mikki returned and tossed a bag of powder into it. The tentacles shriveled up, falling limp against the cauldron and letting out a quiet squeal.
"What did you toss into it?" Kanae asked.
"Mana-burning fungal spores from Toadstool. It neutralizes the mana in the cauldron, essentially starving the roper inside. The real question is how a roper seed, a dangerous alchemical reagent, ended up here." Mikki glared at the adult alchemists who had hidden behind tables during the incident.
"It must have slipped in when we were gathering ingredients! I'm so so sorry! We'll close up and check every reagent just in case!" one of them apologized profusely, and the others followed suit.
"Then make sure it is done. Otherwise, the Knight of Amethyst and Silver will be reporting this to the Archbishop that your lack of diligence endangered lives," Esta threatened.
They closed down the alchemy stations as promised. Mikki and the other children were perfectly fine, thank goodness.
"Even with the tournament going on, there seems to be no shortage of excitement." Cerberus chuckled.
"I swear, it's not like this often." Kanae sighed.
"Mooooom! Mom, look! Up here!"
Everyone followed the shouting to the sky back at the ice climb game. Suvee had made it to the top all on her own, waving both hands in Kanae's direction. Down below, Arenade and Kanade cheered her with applause.
"I told you I could do it, and I did!" Suvee stood tall on the slippery platform, smiling brighter than the sun and tail flicking side to side like a puppy.
"But when the excitement comes around, I wouldn't trade it for the world." Kanae waved back to her daughter.
