Chapter 164: The Tournament (Part 1)
Thanks to the presence of the two magisters, the commotion in the stands subsided quickly.
At the magisters' signal, the eunuch on the platform loudly announced the start of the match.
According to tradition, Suda, as the challenger, would first send a champion onto the platform.
Suda first dispatched a fully armed pit fighter, clad in black plate armor and wielding a heavy warhammer—one side a hammerhead, the other a spike—making him resemble a steel giant. His imposing armor, combined with his towering size, created a palpable sense of dread among the nobles in Hazan's stands, eliciting anxious whispers.
Ian, however, knew this was a sure thing, so he whispered a few words to Hazan.
Hazan then called upon the water dancer, Yada, to fight.
This sparked heated debate between the two groups of spectators.
As everyone knows, water dancers are least suited to dealing with these damned tin men. Their only ways to kill them are to attack their eyes through the slits in their visors or their armpits, which aren't covered by pauldrons.
While it's not easy for tin men to injure water dancers either, and they even need to expend considerable energy to find an opening, their margin for error is much higher overall.
Water dancer Yada ignored all the doubts and simply walked straight to the arena, gesturing for Suda's champion to proceed.
"Mazlar, three-time champion of the Volantene Grand Arena. I fight for my master, Magister Cecito Moen, and his friend, Suda Tetrus," Suda's pit fighter introduced himself first.
"Water dancer Yada, former Second Sword of the Sealord's Palace in Braavos, sworn shield of His Grace Viserys. I fight for the honor of His Grace Viserys Targaryen, Third of His Name, and his friend, Prince Hazan," Yada responded with his own introduction.
After the exchange of courtesies, the referee, positioned at the edge of the arena, immediately announced the start of the battle and hastily jumped clear.
The pit fighter Mazlar raised his warhammer and charged directly at Yada, while the nobles in the stands roared with excitement.
Yada, however, seemed to stroll leisurely, waiting until his opponent was only two yards away before drawing his blade with lightning speed.
The ripples on the sword, gleaming with a blood-red and midnight-black sheen, reflected a vibrant, leaping red light in the sunlight.
The cheers abruptly ceased.
Most people hadn't even seen what had happened—they only saw Mazlar crash to the ground, and Yada standing beside him, dark red blood slowly dripping from his blade.
"Valyrian steel sword," Ander Poole's heart sank. Others might not have seen the movements of the two on the arena, but he had seen them clearly.
After dodging Mazlar's hammer blow, the water dancer swiftly pierced Mazlar's steel gorget with a backhand strike. Mazlar's attention was entirely focused on protecting his eyes and armpits, and he hadn't anticipated the water dancer could penetrate his armor from the front.
Yada killed Mazlar instantly with this unexpected attack.
But what Ander Poole couldn't understand was where Darren's water dancer had gotten a Valyrian steel rapier. Even if Darren was the victor of the treasure hunt in King's Landing or Oldtown, he should have obtained a Valyrian steel longsword. Did he find a smith with the secrets of reforging to reshape that greatsword?
Of course, Ander Poole, who hadn't yet unlocked the third tier of the points shop, could never have imagined that this blade could be purchased directly.
"What did you just say?" Suda Tetrus's voice rang in Ander's ears. "Valyrian steel sword?"
"Yes, my lord." Ander nodded and whispered to Suda what had just happened on the fighting platform.
"Seven hells!" Suda gritted his teeth, completely unable to accept this outcome.
Mazlar was among the top three strongest fighters under his command, and he sent him out first to establish dominance. But Mazlar was instantly defeated. How could he accept this?
More importantly, how was he supposed to deal with a water dancer master wielding a Valyrian steel sword?
Suda didn't have much time to strategize, because as soon as the servants carried Mazlar's body off the field, Hazan announced the name of the second fighter—Yada Mor.
Hazan wouldn't substitute, deciding to let Yada fight again.
But thinking about it, Yada wasn't injured in the previous battle, and his stamina was barely depleted. Why replace him?
"Let's use one of those two water dancers," Ander Poole suggested to Suda. "Our heavily armored warriors are completely outmatched by water dancers wielding Valyrian steel swords. We can only use water dancers against him. Even if we can't defeat him, as long as we can injure him or at least deplete his stamina, I'm confident we can win later."
Suda nodded in agreement—it was the only option.
Heavy armor was useless against Valyrian steel, even a burden. But forcing these champions, accustomed to armored combat, to fight without it would inevitably weaken their fighting ability.
Using the two turncloak water dancers was the only choice. Even if it meant trading both of them for Yada, Suda, with Ander and the elephant hunter, still had a chance of victory.
So, at Suda's command, a water dancer stepped onto the fighting platform and exchanged courtesies with Yada.
On the other side of the stands, Ian finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was his arrangement to have Yada continue fighting in the second match, his aim being to get Suda to immediately send one of the two water dancers onto the stage.
After all, those two water dancers had taken the grey death powder provided by Hazan six hours earlier. If they weren't put to the fight quickly, and the effects of the poison were to fully take hold, Ian's plan to have them eliminate Suda would fail.
The second battle began quickly. The opposing water dancer immediately closed in on Yada and launched a furious assault, while Yada merely parried, seemingly conserving his energy.
Water dancing was swift and deadly. The two water dancers moved in almost perfect synchronization, their rapid, elegant movements and flourishes eliciting cheers from the nobles in both stands.
Ian had to admit that, at least from a purely aesthetic perspective, water dancing was far more beautiful than the Westerosi style of swordplay.
The battle reminded Ian of a tale: some said that true water dancers could fight and duel on the water's surface without creating even a ripple.
Ian knew it was all embellishment, but deep down, a sliver of hope lingered. Could they actually pull it off?
The captivating dance didn't last long. As the effects of the grey death powder took hold, the situation on the field took a sharp turn for the worse for Suda's side.
Suda's water dancer suddenly felt excruciating abdominal pain and, in a moment of carelessness, was run through the chest by Yada's blade.
This time, not only did Suda's face darken, but even Ander Poole's expression turned black.
Yada was still unharmed, and hadn't even expended much energy, while they had already lost two men. If this continued, would they be completely swept by that water dancer?
Moreover, weren't the two water dancers from Braavos supposed to be top-ranked masters from the Sealord's Palace? Why were they so easily defeated by Yada? Ander Poole couldn't understand.
However, as he approached the water dancer who hadn't yet fought, intending to question him, he found the man curled up on the ground, clutching his stomach, his face deathly pale.
"Poisoned?!" Ander seemed to suddenly realize something, glaring angrily at Darren sitting next to Hazan.
"You shameless bastard! I'll tear you to pieces!"
(End of Chapter)
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