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Zaanta
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It took several days for Zaanta to make a deal with the tournament officials. During this time, Ar spent his days learning the language, playing with his puppies, and generally killing time in his allocated room. After three days, Zaanta finally stood in front of the reinforced doors to Ar’s chamber with Ghanna in tow and several officers on standby in case something went terribly wrong. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked inside.
“Good morning Ar!” Zaanta waved her hand at him. “How is your pronunciation coming along?”
“Guild… Master! Welcome!” Ar stood up to face them with a smile. “It's… better. I think?”
“Are you able to describe what kind of weapon you want to use during the tournament?” Guild Master asked, while the Minotaur behind her shifted uncomfortably.
“I've thought about… that?” Ar wondered about his choice for the last word, before brushing this thought to the side. “There are a… lot of weapons my people used, each made for… different situations. And I would like to ask… about the situation I got myself into.”
“Could you elaborate?” Zaanta asked and Ar nodded in response.
“I wanted to ask about the… tournament. Do I have to… fight using a weapon? What kind of… weapons are… usually used? If I have to use… one, can I change my weapon… depending on the opponent? Will my… weight and… density not be a problem, or prepare will we…eeh… will we prepare… some alternatives?”
“I see.” Zaanta nodded. “Let us go to the training grounds. I shall answer what I can along the way. As for things I cannot answer… There is someone else there who will answer for me.”
“Can I take… the dogs?” Ar asked as he stood up to follow. “Or they must stay here?”
“Can you ensure they won’t lash out at anyone on the way there?” Zaanta asked in return.
“That will… be no issue.” Ar replied.
“How about during the training? If someone challenges you during the training, can you ensure they will not act in your defence?” Zaanta studied Ar’s expression carefully. She didn’t miss how he looked to the Hounds for a split second, before a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
“Unless our… life is in… danger, you will not… have to worry about them.” Ar said, his tone sweet as a syrup.
Zaanta had her doubts about that, but then she remembered that once this whole thing is over, Ar will most definitely be walking through the city streets with the Hounds in tow regardless. ‘It’s better if I check his control over the Hounds now and deal with the consequences, rather than later when he can act on his own…’ She thought and sighed.
“You can, but there will be rules. They will be near us the whole way there. Once we get there, we will discuss how and where to keep them based on their behaviour on the way there. Deal?”
“Deal!” Ar beamed and reached for the Hound’s collars. Zaanta watched as he summoned them with a whistle and locked the collars around their necks. The illusion quickly took effect, and a minute later, he was scratching two Bowlers behind their ears.
“I get that we have to do this to prevent mass panic, but I still don’t feel right about it.” Ghanna muttered next to her. “The people deserve to know when they are in danger, even if there are people protecting them.”
“I know Ghanna, but sometimes there is no other way.” Zaanta whispered back. “I don't like it either, but look at it this way. He will be with us. We will take some of the security force to keep an eye on him. When among the people, we will separate him from the common folk, so if the Hounds attack, their primary target will be armored professionals instead of civilians.”
“And how do you plan to convince the security force to go with us in full combat gear?” Ghanna poked at the idea.
“We will take them to a training exercise in the arena. Since we have it reserved for ourselves today, there is no need to hoard the entire arena just for Ar.”
Ghanna still seemed doubtful, but she reluctantly nodded. “Alright boss. I'll go get some of them and have them prepared for a ‘training exercise’.” She quoted in the air, before turning on her heel and walking off. “I'll send someone to get you once we're ready!”
Zaanta waved her off and focused her attention back to Ar. “We still have some time before we have to be on our way, so I'll try to answer some of your questions.”
“Thank you… very much.” Ar smiled and scratched the Hound's sides. They reacted surprisingly well to the collars and didn't try to tear them off.
“First, you asked me if you have to use a weapon, right?” Zaanta asked as she paced the room.
“That is… correct.” Ar nodded.
“The point of this… let's call it an exercise, is to evaluate not only your combat capability, but also to prove you are not a mindless beast that doesn't know how to use a proper weapon.” Zaanta watched as understanding dawned on his face.
“So… the answer… is that… I do.” Ar nodded.
“Indeed.” Zaanta agreed. “However, there are positives to your situation as well.” This made Ar look up at her, a question in his eyes.
“While you have to fight with a weapon, you can choose from a myriad of them. There are some more traditional choices, such as swords, shields, spears, axes, and hammers. Then there are some… let's say, specialised weapons: whips, war scythes, and pikes, for example. I wouldn't recommend using those unless you know how to do so effectively. Some of the participants have a literal lifetime of experience with such weapons.” Zaanta waved toward the door through which Ghanna left.
“As an example, Ghanna, who just left, is one of few people I know of that uses mallets to fight with.”
“They don't seem… suited to fighting…” Ar responded.
“I agree that, by themselves, they are not great weapons.” Zaanta smiled. “However, that all changes when she uses her magic.”
Ar straightened up slightly and Zaanta took it as a sign to continue.
“You see, when the two of you fought back in the forest, we were very careful not to set off a Mana explosion, so we forbade Ghanna from using most of her abilities.” Ar shifted nervously and Zaanta gave him some time to sort through the information before continuing.
“Normally, Ghanna uses several mallets and spells at once. She uses one spell to make them fly around her, and then uses another to make them hard and heavy. And then, she throws them at her opponents. The first spell makes them gain speed after she throws them and then returns the mallets back to her after they hit their target.”
“...What?” Ar looked at her, his eyes wide. “So… you mean to… say me… she isn't a… close-range fighter?”
“Not primarily, no.” Zaanta considered what to say next. “She is capable of close-range fighting more than anyone from our group, but she can't compare to someone specialised in close-quarter combat.”
“Holy sh…” Ar started to say in the Language of Origin, but smacked himself before he could finish the sentence. He had a distressed expression and looked frantically across the room.
“Holy? What was that?” Zaanta asked, not hiding the confusion in her voice.
“I'm… sorry. I… almost said something… dangerous.” Ar replied carefully. “I have been… warned… not to use my… language thoughtlessly. We don't know… what would happen if I completed the… swear word.”
“A swear word? You use religion to swear?” Zaanta's eyes opened wide.
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“We use.. a lot of… phrases. The more… offensive the better.” Ar grinned at her and gestured to the door. “I am… ready to go.”
That brought Zaanta out of her stupor. She shook her head briefly before talking. “We have to wait for Ghanna to prepare her people. We can discuss some more questions you have.” She smiled apologetically, although she doubted he understood that.
“What of the… weapons?” Ar asked, but Zaanta had an answer ready.
“I believe that the tournament host will be able to provide a more detailed set of rules than I do.” Zaanta watched Ar carefully, keeping an eye out for any obvious reaction.
“Unfortunate.” Ar inclined his head slightly. “I will…l assume that is… your answer to anything about the fight?”
“Unfortunately.” Zaanta grinned and Ar returned the gesture.
“Then… how about some… questions about… societal norms?”
“I thought that was the reason you were assigned a teacher?” Zaanta frowned. “Is there something you can't talk to her about?”
“No, there isn't. It's just… There are… more important things to… discuss than my cultural questions. For example: why do… most of the species I've seen wear… pants? Raakteigs have… scales… all over their bodies, right? And your… companions have fur covering… everything, do they not?” Ar seemed to stop himself when he saw Zaanta's flabbergasted expression.
“Sorry if I… came across as… rude, but… those are some things that… I observed. When my… people found other species, we found out that… most of them… didn’t really have a concept for… clothes, so… seeing clothes here… made me wonder… why you all bother.”
‘When his people found other species? Wouldn't that be fairly early in their development?’ Zaanta’s head was racing from one thought to another. ‘Wait… Maria said Ar told her that there was only one species where he came from, so was that a lie?’
“Well… Umm… Some people wear them because they provide some additional protection, others because of pockets, and some just because everyone else around them does…” Zaanta stammered. “Most adventurers like pants because they provide armor for their legs…”
“I see.” Ar nodded. “I suppose… that makes sense.”
“How about you?” Zaanta asked. “Why have your people developed not only pants, but that weird tunic you’re wearing?”
“Oh, my t-shirt?” Ar pulled at the fabric on his chest and Zaanta watched in fascination as it stretched. “Our bodies are covered in… fine fur. Not enough to… protect our skin from the… environment, so… we started to… cover… ourselves in the… skins of other animals to protect ourselves. As we… advanced as a… civilisation, our clothes… evolved to what you can see here.”
Zaanta, staring in disbelief, had her thoughts interrupted by a knock on the door. A nervous Tarkin poked her head inside the room and froze for a second as Zaanta's and Ar's eyes locked onto her.
Miss Zaanta?” The Tarkin squeaked nervously. “Miss Ghanna asked me to let you know that the escort is prepared and ready to leave.”
“Ah… Thank you.” Zaanta addressed the Tarkin, searching for their name before giving up. “You may return to your duties.”
She turned back to Ar, filing her question to the back of her mind. She would have to ask Maria to research Ar’s culture in more detail at a later date. For now…
“Shall we go then?” She gestured to the door.
“Very well.” Ar agreed, putting on his mask and the cloak he got from Ghanna, before whistling to his Hounds.
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Ar Agami
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He was leaving his room for the first time in days. His attention jumped from one door to another, mapping out the stone-lined hallway of the building. That is, until the deer-taur Guild Master opened one of the doors and walked through them.
As soon as he looked through, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The space opened into a wide area, lined with dark wooden boards and rough-looking wooden furniture. Most of the windows were covered with heavy-looking curtains and the room was lit by several torches in key areas. There was a big bulletin board, covering a significant part of one wall with pieces of paper with writing stuck to it.
He could also see a couple of patrons sitting about, all of them armed and armored, and all of them staring him down from behind their beer mugs.
He did notice some of them wincing or looking away as soon as Tesi and Fido pushed past his legs and into the tavern, but he decided not to think about that for now. The Guild Master was walking toward the front door, not caring about the looks she received. He followed her through the door and into the small square outside. He immediately noticed Ghanna standing in front of the door with crossed arms, and about twelve armored figures in uniform-looking armor. One of the figures visibly twitched as Fido and Tesi trotted out from the building, but didn’t react in any other way.
“Thank you Ghanna.” The Guild Master nodded to the minotaur. “And thanks to all of you as well for participating in our training exercise. We are to make our way to The Pit, for a lesson in close-quarters combat training. There is a special guest among us, so we will practice VIP protection guidelines on the way there and back as well. Anyone who doesn’t agree with the exercise is to raise their appendage, so we can find someone to take their place.”
Zaanta looked over at the small crowd in front of her. No-one raised their hand or equivalent, so Ar took it as a sign of compliance with the orders.
“Great!” Zaanta nodded to the crowd. “Operation Escort is hereby commencing!”
The ‘guards’ reacted immediately. They formed a loose ellipse around Zaanta, Ghanna, Ar, and his dogs, and started to move in a direction of what he assumed was ‘The Pit’. Ar noticed that the guard that winced at Tesi and Fido was keeping her distance, being stationed on the far end of the formation. He decided not to pay her any more attention, and instead focused on the route.
They were walking through what he could only describe as an idyllic medieval town. A cobblestone road passed seamlessly through a wide street full of people of different shapes and sizes. He was pretty sure he saw someone with rabbit ears peeking above the crowd, as well as a bipedal being with completely green skin covered in red tattoos. Quadrupeds seemed not to be a rare occurrence and he saw several of those dual-tailed cat-people…Curmin? Or something like that… strolling through the street.
Most of the civilians didn’t really pay any attention to the armored group passing through them, which surprised him a little. He searched for the words to use, before leaning toward the Guild Master with a question.
“Does the …common folk… usually ignore more… armed and… armored people?”
The Zhaarin nodded her head, not looking at him directly, before answering. “The local lords raised taxes for the third time this year, so the common folk don't really like them… When the lords decide to travel through the city on foot, it’s usually because they lack the capital to use other means, so they compensate for it by hiring guards to ‘protect’ them from the crowds.”
“As if the guards won’t… turn on them when… things get out of hand…” Ar muttered in response.
“Are you sure you have never visited this kingdom before?” Zaanta asked with mock disbelief before quieting down once again.
The rest of the way to ‘The Pit’ went without trouble. Ar’s stomach grumbled slightly as they passed by a stand with skewered meat, but there was nothing legal he could do to get his hands on it, so he just swallowed his saliva and marched on past.
Soon enough, The Pit revealed itself in front of their little group. If he had to describe it, it would be a big hangar-like building on the outskirts of the city with a single entrance he could see guarded by two Raakteigs in plain iron chainmail.
They stepped aside as their group approached, letting them through into a narrow hallway with several doors along its length, leading into a colosseum-style sandpit surrounded by raised spectator benches. The spectator area was separated by a stone wall, ensuring the relative safety of the spectators above.The air was surprisingly fresh and cold compared to stale air in the hallway he came through, but still noticeably stale in comparison to the air outside in the city.
In the middle of the open arena, stood an armored Minotaur with a pair of axes hanging from their hip. He? waved at them and picked up a small cubical object from the ground before leisurely strolling over.
“Guild Master Zaanta! It's a pleasure to make an acquaintance!” He called out, his deep voice carrying across the open area. “Thank you for contacting me. I am grateful to be able to contribute to classifying a new species…” He made a show of looking around and behind them, his eyes lingering on Tesi and Fido just a bit too long, before turning his gaze back to Zaanta.
“Sooo… May I ask for the whereabouts of the new specimen?” He asked, greed visible in his eyes.
Zaanta sighed exhaustedly, before simply gesturing to Ar. “Here he is. Also, Naell, could you please stop pretending you care about the scientific significance of the fight? I know you’re just looking forward to setting up the odds for those betting on the tournament.”
“Oh, Zaanta. Are you trying to hurt my feelings? Of course I care about the scientific value! And I have no idea whatsoever about any betting. You know that’s illegal by the order of the king, right?” The Minotaur, apparently named Naell, didn’t even try to sound convincing. Instead, he stepped closer to Ar and started circling him, judging him with every step.
“I must say you have outdone yourselves this time around, Zaanta. Pure bipeds are quite rare these days. Especially ones that do not wobble about like a fawn.” Naell poked at Ar’s arm and back, frowning a little. “Well, that is certainly unusual. Hey, Zaanta! Did you guys enhance him with defensive magic, or something? I feel like his skin is… unusual. As if there is something affecting it.” Naell turned to Zaanta with what Ar assumed was an annoyed expression and an accusatory tone. “You know that those things are prohibited in my matches!”
“There is a spell, actually.” Zaanta smiled coldly, discreetly winking to Ar. He didn’t quite understand what she meant by that, but her next words made her intentions clear. “I do not know about the specific effects the spell has on Ar, but we can cancel the spell any time.”
Ar just grinned, took off his face mask, and tapped his bracelet a couple of times. The sensation of growth still foreign, yet somehow familiar, gave way to anticipation as the minotaur in front of him shrank from one head taller to barely chest-height for him.
“Well, I would appreciate that very much! Thank yo…” Naell spoke in a dismissive way, until he turned around and his smile died down as he locked eyes with Ar.
Ar, of course, couldn’t help but grin at the smaller man in front of him, before addressing him in the minotaur’s own language.
“Thank you for… having me, Mister Naell.”
What weapon will Ar use during the tournament?
