Revival: Of Cethore ✔

Chapter Twenty-Five

A/N: trigger warning for panic attack! When you see this pattern ~∆~, skip down until you see it again.

Chapter Twenty-Five: In The Beginning, There Was Dodgeball

The usual Xenzie crowd seemed too large for a group formed so early in the morning, especially after the previous night's unending festivities. The sheer size of the swaying mass made Samari nervous, almost to the point of backing out of the plan.

"There are...a lot of people entered. Are you, are you sure that we will...be alright to enter?" she asked Zoran, stating close to his side.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of mages entered. We'll work together to make sure that we get all the way to the top, " he reassured her.

She nodded, but it didn't do much to quell her fear.

Two days had passed since they attended the dance at the town hall. When they returned to the camp, they were greeted by the rest of the guild, who had trudged through the rain to arrive.

After she told Nerok and Zoran about the tournament, they decided to enter as many people as we're willing to join. Of course, Sam was entering as well, but now she realized there might be little for her to do if it came down to ticon fights.

"Contestants! Please proceed to the flag archway, " someone called out. "We will begin registration soon."

Nudging her, Zoran nodded towards the archway. The rest of their guildmates were already heading over to join the sign-up line.

All while they waited and registered, Samari's nerves refused to settle. Although she felt dull for not having a mage name, she eagerly awaited to hear what Zoran's was.

"Wild Cat, " she heard Lorilie say.

Shocked, she spun to her roommate. "Lorilie, you're a mage? But...I thought you were still training...to be a spellcaster!" she exclaimed.

The feline turned, placing her hands on her hips. "I am. I'm a marked battlemage already and am working on becoming a healer as well."

"What? You're a mage and you never told her?" Cyrus joined, having overheard from nearby.

She shrugged, "I never said that I was a mina, and you never asked. I assumed you knew."

"Wait...that means, we really are the on-only minas...in the guild," she groaned.

Cyrus joined her despair, hanging his head sadly. Seeing him downtrend made Lorilie frown as she stepped forward. She patted his head to comfort him.

"It's okay. Isn't Brad a mina?"

He shook his head, "He's a spellcaster."

She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Her ears were turned back, a sign which Samari had to come to recognize as a display of her annoyance.

Her gaze fell upon Samari and away again. Sighing, the signs of her tension drained from her like a sheet coming off furniture. Her face returned to its impassive appearance.

I wonder...

"Ah, nevermind that, 'cause this competition'll be good for ya. You'll get real experience of fighting mages of all kinds, I'm sure," she noted.

Samari perked up, her thoughts falling away. "Is it...really a f-fighting contest?"

"Well, yeah. The tradition is to keep hold the tournament to keep the warrior's skills sharp, and to find the village champion," Cyrus recalled. "Plus, it's fun both to watch and to participate."