Mark of the Fool

Chapter 588: A Change in the Program

Soon itll be us against Tyris and Vesuvius. Alex rubbed his hands together. Are you excited, buddy?

The young Thameish wizard and the golem descended from the arena, chatting excitedly about their upcoming match. Their last opponentsdefeated and shamedwere trailing far behind them. Phoenixs head was hanging low.

The way Jace was looking at his pet could have peeled paint, and Alex could have sworn hed heard the man utter cauldron of chicken stew beneath his breath.

I amveryexcited, Claygons voice rumbled. This will bea battle to remember. Do you thinkwe will win, father?

Oh, yeah! Easily! Alex cheerfully slapped his golem on the arm. His emphasis on the word easily drew a displeased grunt from Jace, along with more irritated muttering.

Tyris and Vesuvius were our toughest fights last yearand they were really toughbut we still beat them. They gave us their best and we defeated them anyway. And were stronger than we were last year. A lot stronger. Alex raised his staff for emphasis. A wave of excitement washed over him from the aeld branch, and Claygon looked at it.

Nervousness and acceptance trickled through the link. I am surethey are stronger tooand Tyris can cast spells through her familiarbut you can only cast spells on me. They willhave an advantage Claygon reached out, rubbing his hand along the wall as they walked. Butthat is alrightI am ready to accept defeat.

Oh man, dont say that, Alex said. Were going to win, and were going to take home that prize. Dont worry about anything, buddy. And

The light from the competitors chamber was now pouring into the passage.

Well, lets chat about this a bit later, while were waiting for Tyris to finish off her opponent, Alex said.

Yesfather, Claygon agreed.

More angry muttering and the word rotisserie came from Jace.

Alex and his golem walked in to find the competitors chamber nearly empty. Only Tyris and Vesuvius, along with the lone masked man were left by themselves in the waiting area, sitting on opposite sides of the room and keeping to themselves.

Tyris was all smiles when Alex and Claygon walked toward them, leaving Phoenix and Jace to drag themselves to the exit.

I knew youd do it. She grinned, her gold tooth shining in her mouth. Were looking forward to facing you two.

The chamber shook as Vesuvius slammed an enormous foot down, grinding it into the floor like a massive bull getting ready to charge.

Claygon matched his display by giving his war-spear a quick spin in his hand, then slamming the butt end into the ground.

Whatd the floor ever do to the two of you? Alex thought.

Were looking forward to facing you too. At least, once you finish your semifinal, he said, glancing at the masked man. Hey, you! Id watch yourself around these two He jerked his thumb toward Tyris and Vesuvius. Theyre not going to make things easy for you.

The man looked up at Alex, then at Tyris.

Then he dropped his head back down without a word.

Well thats rude, Alex muttered.

Oh dont worry about him, Tyris waved a hand dismissively. You usually get one or two people that come in all masked and dramatic. They tend to get eliminated early, but if this guy has made it to the semis, then he deserves his drama.

Tyris Goldtooth! Magnus Ekavir! a Watcher called, stepping into the waiting area. Your match is upcoming, prepare yourselves!

Well, thats me. Tyris cracked her knuckles as Magnus stood up, making his way toward the passage leading to the arena. He wore a calf-length cloak secured at the throat, draping his shoulders, arms and much of his lower body.

Ill be back, then we can give Claygon and Vesuvius their playdate, she rubbed her hands together, grinning broadly. Again, her gold tooth flashed.

Ill make sure we dont stomp you guys too hard, Alex said.

Pffft, doesnt matter if I win or lose against you, Im still going to give you a thrashing. but just so you know, Vesuvius and I will win.

Oho, youll try, Tyris, he smirked. Youll try.

No, youll try. She grinned back. But you wont succeed.

No youll try, Alex fired back.

No, youll try.

No, youll try!

No, you will!

No, you

Okay, okay, Magnus is waiting and Im sure everyone is going to do their best in the semifinals, the Watcher called. But we should probably get to it before sunset, you know.

Heh, true. Ill be back, big guys. She winked at Claygon and Alex. Keep the seat warm for me.

Together with her familiar, the lava mage strolled out of the waiting area and into the passage leading above. It took a long time for Vesuvius thunderous footfalls to fade.

Alex threw himself down on the closest seat, stretching out. Well, this is it. Our last wait before the final.

Yes Claygon said. I hope that othercompetitor doesnt beat her.

Well, Tyris is really tough, Alex said. And Vesuvius is a juggernaut. I think thered be very few people that could take them. And if they could? Well, most of them would have bigger fish to fry than competing in this tournament.

True Claygon said. But stillI hope Vesuvius wins

It didnt take long for a tremendous commotion to shake the arena above. The room trembled as what sounded like a wrestling match between thunder and an earthquake exploded through the arena far above.

Alex listened to the sounds as though it was a drum concert.

It begins he said, imagining the epic fight between Tyris and the mysterious man. He frowned for a moment as he thought about the young womans gold tooth and red hair, lit up by her familiars lava.

Hmmmm, sayClaygon.

Yesfather? his golem asked.

Do you think Tyris has any Thameish relatives? Sayamong Clan Duncan, where Cedrics from?

There was a moment of silence.

Do you think itd be rude to ask her? Alex asked.

Ido not know if such a question would be rude or notI havent had intelligence long enough for me to know for surefather. Youwould know much better than me. Are youwondering if shes related to the Chosen of Uldar?

Look, two redheads with gold teeth? Alex scratched his hair. Like, what are the odds? Theyve got to be related or something.

The golem cocked his head, and a sense of confusion emanated through their shared link. Fatheras far as I knowgold teeth are not passed on through bloodlinesand there are many people of unrelated families that have red hair. I thinkthis is a coincidence.

No, come on, man, Alex said. Theyve got to be related. It has to be.

If you meta dark haired woman with two swordswould you ask if they are related to Theresa?

Well, no, but I meana pair of swords arent passed down through her family line, Alex said.

...fatherneither is a gold tooth, and Theresas swords are actually passed down through her family, Claygon said.

Alex flinched, his face washing red. Okay, look, thats different! I tell you, man, its weird. I mean Tyrisits like some creator deity made two people look like each other. Like they made Cedric, then forgot what Cedric looked like and made Tyris.

Fatherthat is illogical. Claygon said. A creator deity did not make all people in the worldand if they didTyris is older than Cedric. So he would look like hernot the other way around, as you suggest.

But I met Cedric first

...what?

Nevermind, just nevermind. Alex crossed his arms. Its still weird, finding two people that look like that.

Claygon scratched his stone chin, mimicking one of his fathers habits.. I do not know about thatgold teeth are used for decorative and practical purposes in corrective dentistrywe have seen people in Generasi with gold teeth and red hairfather, I am not sure if pursuing this line of questioning is productive.

The thing is, its still weird! Alex complained.

It is notbut asking her that question might be weird.

Alex rolled his eyes. Enh, youre probably right. Ill still ask her after the final, when we beat her.

Another earth shattering boom shook the arena floor.

Which sounds like itll probably be soon. Alex crossed his arms, letting his head lean against the wall behind his seat.

More sounds like the rumble of thunder shook the stadium as two colossal forces clashed above the waiting chamber.

Huh, well, Magnus is putting up a good fight against her. Alex nodded. All of her other opponents lost a hell of a lot faster. He must actually know what hes doingits odd, though.

What isodd? Claygon asked.

Alex squinted at the ceiling. Well, he didnt have a familiar or pet or a servant with him in the waiting area, which means hes probably a summonerbut I havent felt even the slightest bit of summoning magic. Nothing at all. So wheres his proxy companion? Invisible, maybe?

The Thameish wizard frowned, thinking about knights and warriors who entered tournaments in the old tales. In almost every one where the knight arrived at a competition with their visor down and sporting a nickname instead of a real one, theyd always end up demolishing all of the challengers then go on to face the hero as their greatest rival.

Alex rolled his eyes. This wasnt some old folk tale or bardic story; this was real life. Last year hed looked at himselfa towering hulking young man with a towering, hulking golem at his sideand realised hed be the sort of man whod always lose to the hero in those sorts of tales.

And yet, hed won.

And so would Tyris.

Wait, what do you mean, you lost? Alex choked.

Tyris shrugged, her expression a mix of disappointment, bewilderment and respect. He boomed us. We fought as hard as we couldbut seriously, that guys a monster. You watch out for him. His constructs a nightmare to deal with.

Alex gaped, looking from her, to a disappointed Vesuvius, to the masked man whod returned to the chamber and was now staring at Alex.

We will face themhead on Claygon said. Andit does not matter if we win or losewe had fun

Alex squirmed a little, trying not to think about the small fortune he and his friends bet on them. There was no sense ruining Claygons fun.

Well, Im gonna bet on us, the Thameish wizard said, aware of the irony of his statement. Well win.

From across the chamber, Magnus eyes bored holes into Alex with anl intensity that made a chill go down the young mans spine. The Thameish wizard stared back into that mask, looking the man up and down.

Something about his gait and stance were familiarthere was a militaristic quality to them that hed seen before.

He couldnt quite place where.

I suppose Ill find out soon enough, he thought.

And here we are! The final showdown of the Duel by Proxy: Super Heavyweight Division is aboooout to start! the announcers voice echoed across the stadium and beyond. Were finally here, ready to celebrate the coming together of two juggernauts! Two titans! Two demolishers and destroyers! And their mighty masters!

The announcer clapped his hands together. Lets give it up! To the left stand the mighty Claygon and Alex Roth! One is an evolved stone golem, and the other is simply built like one! These two towers have been terrorising even the most talented teams in the competition all day! And now, here they are hovering on the precipice of victory, ready to take the championship for a second year in a row!

Cheers swept the stadium, and Alex waved to the crowds, throwing his friends a glance.

They werent cheering with much enthusiasm.

Instead, they were busy whispering to each other and pointing at Alexs opponent, standing on the opposite side of the arena.

Isolde had gone stark white.

But, they now face two great and terrible challengers, the announcer gestured to his right. The mysterious Magnus Ekavir has been a storm alongside his force construct! Prime!

The crowd roared at the mention of their names. Magnus! Magnus! Magnus! Prime! Prime! Prime!

Well thats a damned ominous sounding name, Alex muttered, squinting at the masked man. And what the hells a force construct? Shales never talked about that befoOh. Oh.

Realisation hit him like a catapult stone.

The militaristic stance.

The warriors gait.

The precision in the way the man moved.

Claygon! Alex said. Were in big trouble.

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