Section 5

  Part I "And The Winner Is!!!"

  I opened my eyes, awakening from the brief moment that I was unconscious, and smoke enveloped me and my troublesome

  opponent, who was lying face down 5 meters from me. I rose from where I lay on the very edge of the finale platform. AS I stood back up on my feet, I took A few steps forward to keep myself off the edge lest that hot-tempered boy rush me and knock me off the stage in a desperate attempt. I patted the flames of my jacket and pants as the smoke cleared to reveal my opponent sprawled across the stage, his limbs stretching in every direction as a tree's branches would.

  His Blue Scarf, loosely hanging around his neck, was in the process of coming undone with any further movement. More importantly than his appearance, my opponent was unconscious. “Yes, I win,” I thought to myself, watching my opponent's Black scaled Dragon face and searching for any signs that he was feigning sleep. After close and thorough observation, I noted that my opponent was indeed knocked out, and a second later, it was confirmed by the announcer: “ And the winner is TreeLif LeFatt. His opponent, Draxson ChoasWing, has been confirmed knocked out.” Announced Shelltri. As a man in a white cloak, I didn’t see him come on the stage holding one hand to the back of my opponent's neck and with the other hand to supposedly signal that my opponent was still alive to the event host, Shelltri, as she lowered her hands, stopping the majic projection spell as she did so. Halpalin Cheir, the mayor of this town, made an announcement concerning the prize. “Thank you for putting on such a show for my people and me. I commend your superb performance in taking down all your opponents today, TreeLif LeFatt. Your prize for winning this tournament is being gathered now, and you shall receive your rewards shortly. Please wait at the center of the stage for your winnings.”

  After the announcement, a team of people adorned in baggy, cloth-like apparel carried Draxson off on a medic bed. I tossed a few seeds from my pocket into the wind, redirecting them to land on Draxson with a gentle gust of wind.

  “Hopefully, I deployed enough ameliorative seeds to gauge his strength.” I thought to myself as I walked to the middle of the stage, taking one final glance at my unconscious opponent as they hauled him off the stage and into the clearing between the scores of trees surrounding this town.

  “The Elfs' Plan” Part I

  TreeLif LeFatt pov

  I waited about a minute before Shelltri Cheir and her husband, Halpalin Cheir, walked down from their spectating tower on air steps collectively cast by Halapalin and Shelltri. They were accompanied by an elvish woman in a set of segmented steel plate armor with three partial swords the length of a dagger in their partial scabbards-I knew the type of blade she wore well, they were spine daggers and the blades that were most likely hidden in sleeves in either her leg armor or in the sleeves of her full arm gauntlets, deadly blades used by the right people. The elf guard was on the right of Happlin, Shelltri was on the left side of Halapalin; next to Shelltri was a male dog beast man wearing similar armor to the elf guard, with the exception that he only wore a dozen leather sheaths on a magnetic belt circling around his waist and a helmet hanging off on his left side. His helmet was an intricate standard three-quarters helmet that would attach to the plates on his neck, making him nearly invulnerable to any melee attack. However, he could be better protected if he wore the rest of his “magmi armor.” From what I've studied about armor and fighting types, the presence of one could sow someone's downfall in seconds.

  His kind, “Magamais,” utilize blades hidden in their sleeves and leg armor like Extin Warriors. Still, they launch the blades out of the metallic sleeves by releasing the magnetic enchantments on their armor, sending the blades flying at their opponents. Unlike their Magamai counterparts, Extins carried nearly a dozen Extin Blades in their gauntlet sleeves, leg armor, and special built-in scabbards in the backs of their armor; they carried blades in whatever way they could, depending on the circumstances- these were calmer circumstances, so it didn't look like they had any blade storage cases nearby. Still, if my assumption was correct, they had some stowed away somewhere, secure in case someone attacked when they brought the tournament's grand prize out. A voice “TreeLif. Admiring our guards, aren’t thou? They are quite capable warriors in case of an attack. But don't worry, though, ye be safe from them.” Halaplin said before turning to his right towards the elf by his side and giving her a quick nod of his head; his guard likewise returned the gesture and reached behind her back and retrieved a black leather-bound book with an iron spine and held it out in front of her across her palms. She stood there holding the book outstretched in front of her, wearing a smile opposed to the expressionless face most guards held; it was a part of their training and philosophy of treating everyone, even potential foes, kindly, keeping the people they protect comforted and deterring Enemies. Shelltri started talking after signaling her guard to produce a cloth coin bag.

  “Congratulations on your victory, TreeLif. We are so glad to have you as a participant and champion of our humble tournament. My husband and I, along with the citizens of Levies Da Tru, proudly present to you our most excellent gift for winning the approval of our resident warriors and giving us an entertaining battle. Your grand prize, as previously stated, is 150 plat-shard coins and the much-anticipated Mysterious Tome of

  “Kliedelfein’s craft book of Stahl" A source of fascination and desire for any blacksmith hoping to get their hands on one of the 20 copies that the legendary armor smith Kliedelfein Krafta made in his lifetime, a few illegitimate copies have been made and many circulate through markets proclaimed as real copies; but none of those copies are what we are handing you today dear TreeLif Lefatt, this is the collected volume 1-3 of the blacksmith's forging series with her signature Iron spine and majic signature imbued in the title of the book both signifying the authenticity” Stated Shelltri before she stopped, took a deep breath, and started again, “Please take a step forward and take your reward, and once you do, we have another thing to give you.”

  I stepped forward and gratefully accepted the tome out of the elven woman’s hands before putting my right palm to my forehead and tilting my head towards her in a gesture of thanks, which she returned happily, widening her smile as she raised her head before again continuing to look forward as I slowly walked over to the beast kin dog guard and accepted the heavy bag of coins, then attaching it to my belt before giving the same gesture of thanks receiving another warm smile and gesture in return before the guards gaze returned to his forward-facing pose. I walked back to my spot until I was a few feet in front of Shelltri, her husband, and I knelt before them, awaiting their speech. “TreeLif, we would like to extend the offer to join our military ranks to you for your spectacular display of strength. A majority of the guards, medics, and attendants are conscripted Champions of our tournaments and the finest soldiers amongst the competitors who have accepted the position of becoming a part of our town, so if you would like to be brought into the family, please express your acceptance, or you may reject our offer. Though we’re only offering you this once since you're the champion. Please take the time to consider our offer.” Shelltri Said, finishing her statement.

  I responded in a moment after she made her statement. “I thank you for the offer, but I humbly decline your offer. I have matters to attend to after today; I hope you understand.” I had already thought it over; the benefits of joining their ranks would be significant, but I couldn't achieve my goals as easily staying with them for a long time. “That is most understandable and fine with us; we understand you well, you aren’t the first to reject our offer in pursuit of a higher goal, many legendary warriors have graced us with their participation and set off on their quests, and still occasionally attend the tournaments. In fact, Rwarg and his companions are former champions of the last 5 years, one right after another, their streak of victories only interrupted by a couple of Swan beast kin warriors a year back. I wish you luck on your endeavor… Oh, please do stand up, dear.” Shelltri said, smiling down at me. I stood up as asked.

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  With the book still in my left hand, I bowed my head in thanks for their hospitality. “Thank you very much. I appreciate your wishes for the success of my endeavor. I will use these winnings to fulfill my mission the best I can. Goodbye, Madam Cheir and Mr. Cheir,” I said as I raised my head and began to walk away and down the stairs off the stage to the left, where all the competitors were gathered. I have some work to be done here before I leave. With this many plat-shard coins, I should be able to hire a few people at least. I would prefer it if I could employ that Dwarf “Swarf Blite” and her traveling crew. I may be able to get closer to defeating my enemy and make my mission easier. However, it’ll never be over until I'm long gone. But that is not the kind of thought that will support my cause. At best, I still have until I’m 300 years old to secure the safety of the forest. I continued walking until I found my target, already talking with other potential fighters to hire. I have to be careful about this, though I can’t just hire every capable person I meet. I need to learn their motives and gauge their abilities to see if they are good candidates to support my mission. First, I need to hire a blacksmith; hiring party members can come afterward. In the worst-case scenario, I’ll have to hire one of the finalists from tomorrow's tournament.

  I approached Swarf, waiting to interject myself into the conversation with her. Sawrf handed over an ornate shield about the size of her torso to a younger human girl carrying a bow on her back, who eagerly handed over a handful of coins and profusely thanked Madam Swarf, bowing deeply before her, and scurried off in the direction of that group of beast kin I saw that the Dragon boy I recently defeated was associated with. I stepped up, seizing this opportunity to speak with her. Yes, it’s finally time to commence part 2 of my operation.

  “Madam Swarf Blite,” I said while placing my hands over my eyes and opening my palms in front of me in a formal greeting. “Yes, Lad, how be’s ya TreeLif ?” Swarf replied, offering me her hand in greeting. I shook her hand and said, “Madam Blacksmith, is that what you are, Madam?” “Ye, I’ma blacksmith, young lad. How can I be of service to ya, champion?”

  “ Oh, please call me TreeLif Madam Blacksmith. I am asking after you because I have a job offer for you… A personal Job for you, Madam Blacksmith.” I said, glancing at our surroundings to make sure my conversation wasn't being overheard.

  Swarf looked flustered by my response. “ Sawrf is fine with me, lad, but what do ya mean by “personal job”? I’m not in that kind of service, TreeLif.” Swarf said, holding her palms in front of her, expressing her denail of whatever she thought I was asking of her.

  I stared back at her, confused by why she was so upset, then, in disbelief that I was so foolish to be so vague, I distorted my face into a blank expression and said, “You misunderstand me, but that is also my fault. I mean, I have a blacksmithing job for you that I only want you to know about.” With that, Swarf Blite lowered her hands to be in front of the base of the blacksmith apron she wore over her armor and smiled back at me, “You had me worried you would be using those winnings from the tournament for bad purposes and that you wanted my body.”

  I stared back at her with the same expressionless face and said, “You misunderstand me. Still, I want you to research a piece of metal that I have and craft something useful out of it; I do not intend to use my winnings for the purposes you assume. Do you think you would be able to take this job?” I said, returning a smile. “I can think about it, lad. What is this metal you want me to research? You can tell me what you want made out of it once I examine it.” Swarf said, moving her hands to her side, her left in her pocket and the right resting on the head of the hammer at her waist. I dug through my pocket to retrieve the metal. I pulled out a semi-heavy cloth bag that contained the metal I had taken from a monster I destroyed. I poured the metal out of the bag into my left palm and stretched my hand out to offer the metal.

  “Careful, it’s a bit heavy,” I said, carefully handing over the lumpy and jagged metal plate into Swarf’s open hand. “Wow, lad, that is a pretty heavy piece of metal you got there, and it's so small, too," Swarf said, examining the plate of metal, raising it above her face with both hands to look closely at it without the sunlight reflecting and blinding her. “This is quite the interesting piece of metal you got here. Do you mind if I give it a durability test, mister TreeLif?” Swarf said, lowering the piece of metal she held so she could look me in the eyes. “It fascinates me as well, and I hope that you could deduce what this odd metal is and what we could possibly make out of it. I suppose it could be good cannon ammo or……, sorry about that, Madam BlackSmi— um, I mean, Madam Swarf, I tend to get carried away with extraneously analyzing things… Yes, you may give it the toughest durability test you can, madam.” I said, slightly embarrassing myself with my examinations.

  “Aye, that's quite alright, young lad, I understand your passion; that's why I became a blacksmith meself. Constantly smacking things with a hammer to make something back when I was a young pup, I didn’t even have a beard yet. Those were great days." The Forge Dwarf rubbed at a thin beard sprouting from her chin while she was briefly lost in thought. "Oh my bad, sorry I got a bit carried away myself, I’ll get to testing this metal plate now since I have the time, and I myself am curious to learn its mysteries.

  This plate harbors.” Swarf said bashfully, smiling and scratching the back of her head with her left hand, a moment before the weight of the plate snapped her back into her professional manner. “Oop forgot how heavy this is,” Swarf said, moving her hand back to holding the metal plate up.

  Swarf smiled back at me in embarrassment but quickly overcame it. She turned around and walked about a step away before calling back to me, “Oh, could you wait while I fetch my anvil and other tools, lad?” “Yes, Madam Swarf, I’ll wait for your return,” I called to Swarf before she walked away to the caravan of wagons stationed a couple of dozen feet from where we were talking.

  Swarf returned about 10 minutes later; she was accompanied by a slightly shorter but just as well-built Dwarf, who carried Swarf's anvil. Swarf had potion flasks in addition to her previous hammer and a bag on the left side of her waist, the metal plate still in her hands as she brought it forward and set it on the anvil after her assistant set it down with a thud. “Well, let's give this a try. Please back up a step in case the plate shatters and breaks past the smithing barrier I’m about to activate,” Swarf said, retrieving what looked to be a metal slab; I could sense it was teeming with majic energy, but I focused again and stepped back. The majic artifact hummed to life when whatever enchantment it had was activated by Swarf.

  Swarf was standing about a half dozen feet in front of me, behind her anvil, her face looking in my direction to gauge if I was in a safe range, then she quickly snapped her gaze back onto the plate she was to test. “Alright, here she goes, Smithing from “Crack!!” whispered Swarf as she raised her hammer above her head, ready to swing. Fwoosh sounded her hammer as it came down with a clank, producing a loud ringing nennnnnnnnnng as a consequence, temporarily deafening me. I was still able to see because the metal held and, fortunately, didn't send any shards flying my way or anywhere else.

  Swarf shook like a heavy struck bell and stumbled a few steps before her assistant caught her. It was a moment before I could hear what Swarf was saying, but from the looks of her face, she was on the tail end of a laugh when I could hear her again “Hahahaha,” Swarf laughed, “Now that's a strong piece of metal that was supposed to shatter into pieces, I ought to try again, Oh right sorry about that everyone I didn’t expect it to be that loud.” Swarf said, stepping forward again and tightening her muscles, bracing herself to strike the metal again as she raised her hammer. “Activate the sound-isolating artifact, Trrag,” Swarf said to her assistant before she swung her hammer.

  “Yes, madam,” Her assistant said as Swarf brought her hammer down on the unscathed metal plate resting on the anvil.”

  There was another loud Clank, and I went deaf again with an RNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG in my sensitive ears.