As I work to put together Death Touch's final draft, a major problem has jumped out at me: nearly all of the heavy lifting in the champions' quest was done by Seth and Clint. While Mia has been up to plenty, it bothers me that Sara's only major triumph was to win Mia to her side-- only for to proceed to nothing critical to the plot from that point on. So, a few chapters have to be partially written to give Sara and Mia more to do. The first step is to make Mia a little more helpful in obtaining Helen's spear. You can read the original version of this chapter here.
Seth
Seth panted heavily as he pushed aside the flap to the festival’s medical tent. Clint followed him in uncharacteristic silence. Sam had been rushed there immediately as soon as she collapsed, the rest of their fight be damned. Everyone in the RGT had been restricted to nonlethal weapons, but even that couldn’t negate the risk of two quick people colliding at top speed, especially when one of those nonlethal weapons hits you cleanly in the chest. This could have spelled the end of Team Salamander’s hopes of winning the tournament, depending on how well the healers did their job.
When the two champions found Sam, their worst fears were confirmed. She was still firmly unconscious. The healer who was tending to her had even worse news for them.
“She was brought in with a collapsed lung and went several minutes without being able to breathe. I’ve managed to repair the damage, but she’s in no condition for the final. I’m sorry!”
As the woman walked away, Seth slapped his face and grumbled, “This is just perfect! Team Moon has wiped the floor with everyone they’ve dealt with so far and now we’re going up against them one person short!”
Clint sighed and murmured, “Look, I know this is going to make things harder, but winning isn’t going to be impossible!”
“We should have never let her go up against the Gazelle! I knew she was fast, but she’s way too green to go up against someone who’s just as quick! We just threw away the only advantage she had for nothing!”
“This isn’t the time for self-blame and what-ifs! What matters is that we won and what we need to do to make sure we win again!”
Seth shook his head and sighed. “You sure we can do that against a team like Moon when they outnumber us?”
Clint nodded grimly and murmured. “We can and we must. I’m sure you can imagine what will happen if we lose, so we can’t let that happen. No matter what.”
“So, things have gotten harder and we’re supposed to deal with it. Sounds about right,” Seth said grumpily as he turned his back on Sam. “I swear, if we somehow pull this off, we’re going to be even bigger legends than Nicholai ever was.”
Clint beckoned for Seth to follow as he began to leave the tent. “You never know. We have gods rooting for us, so I doubt they’re going to let us fail.”
The members of Team Salamander would find their companions waiting for them outside. While both Maya and their new comrade Mia looked unconcerned, Sara’s face was a mask of anxiety.
“How is she? Are you guys going to make it through the final?” The acolyte asked urgently
Seth shook his head. “Sam’s not going to be fighting again anytime soon. We’re going to have to figure it out without her.”
“Not necessarily!” Maya chimed in. “I noticed that Team Gecko used an alternate earlier when their leader was injured!”
“We don’t have a registered alternate,” Seth said with a sigh. “Even if we found someone to take her place now, it’s too late for her to be entered into the rolls.”
“We just met someone who might be willing to fuck the rules on our behalf,” Mia said boredly. “I know you guys need to win this tournament to get through this quest you’ve dragged me into. I may as well make myself useful.”
In his anxiety, Seth completely forgot to ask Maya about Team Moon. He recalled having met the three sisters through their uncle, Professor Marzett. But instead of getting tips from their cousin, both he and Clint had spent the remaining time they had to prepare wringing their hands about Mia’s solution. Thankfully, she returned just minutes before the start of the match, announcing that she’d be fighting with them. While it was a relief that Team Salamander wouldn’t be going into the final match one member short, it was a source of some worry that they were about to face the first opponents in all of their previous attempts at the tournament who they knew next to nothing about.
Anxiety seemed to set in for both Seth and Clint as they entered the pit once more to emphatic introductions from the announcers and thunderous applause.
“Team Salamander has clearly come to win this year!” Mark Winstrom shouted as they stared at the black hemisphere where their opponents were set to appear. “Ever the crowd-favorites, Midas and Blackstone’s journey to the top has certainly been a strange one this year, but they’ve climbed further than ever before! Today will answer a question that I am sure is in everyone’s minds right now--”
“Is this Team Salamander’s year or will they have to wait another year for the Royal Boon?” Marla Harret chimed in. “They’re going to have a tough fight with their third member lying in the infirmary. Fortunately, they were lucky enough to wrangle an alternate this year! Everybody, please welcome the Storm Blade, Amelia Gold!”
“Team Salamander remains in top form, but now it’s time to meet their opponents!” Mark shouted excitedly. “They are fresh faces in the RGT, but they have captivated us all with their stylish tactics! Not one of their matches has gone longer than three minutes yet! It’s Team Moon!”
Three women walked out onto the opposite side of the arena, brandishing identical smouldering smirks. They were not triplets, but their familial resemblance was clearly strong. One held a crossbow and a belt of blunted bolts, another seemed to be unarmed; presumably a caster. In the center of the trio was a woman garbed in the armor of a peacekeeper and brandishing a strangely glinting rapier.
“First up is the silent shooter, Celine. She is joined by the rain witch Chloe and the spell cutter Cierra!” Maria informed everyone. “This team seems like a perfect match against Team Salamander, making this a battle of efficiency versus sheer will!”
“Both teams are intensely focused on the other, and Her Highness has graced us with her presence!” Mark exclaimed passionately. “From the RGT Committee, we welcome you back, Queen Penelope!”
Both teams, and probably everyone else in the tent, turned their attention to the dais where the commentator’s podium was located. The Queen of Resta had taken her customary seat behind the podium. Mark held out his microphone to her with an overly courteous bow. She took it with a regal smile and held it up to their face.
“People of Resta, I apologize for my long, but necessary absence! This year’s tournament coincides with divine omens, both dark and hopeful. As we bear witness to this final match together, hold this question close to your hearts: are we here to witness history, or tragedy?”
She seemed to be looking at Seth and Clint as she spoke. You just watch, your highness! This is our year! It has to be!
“With that said, let the final RGT match begin!” The queen said before returning the microphone to Mark.
Cierra was the first to move. Without missing a beat, she thrust her rapier toward Seth. This took him by surprise, but he was able to parry the strike at the last moment. It wasn’t a flawless counter, thus the other spellwarrior was able to strike again before he could retaliate. This time, he sidestepped her attack with a gasp. Meanwhile, Clint and Mia had already split up to go after their other opponents.
“Focus on the mage!” Clint had shouted. “She’s the most dangerous one here!”
Besides me, Seth thought as he erected another barrier of black fire to give himself some breathing room. Unfortunately, Cierra’s rapier cleaved through his wall as if it were made of paper. His flames extinguished, Seth looked on in shock as she walked casually closer.
“Midas’ Black Flame Wall is shredded!” Mark roared to the audience’s approval. “That’s the power of Cierra Moon’s signature weapon, Nexus’ End!”
“That sword is a relic of the Wave of Death, when Maula walked on Comalan,” Marla explained. “Cierra has personally told me that the metal used to forge it was smelted on the petrified skin of Maula’s own servants.”
“True or not, we’ve seen this sword cut through countless spells in this tournament!” Mark said with an excited grin. “Midas is going to have a hard time gaining the upper hand with his magic!”
I’ve been marked!
“Ouch! That looked painful, but Blackstone remains standing!” Maria suddenly shouted.
Seth chanced a glance in the direction in which Clint had run. He had just pulled himself to his feet after being knocked down by one of Chloe’s spells. He barely managed to dodge another thrust when the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Celine Moon is down! She has been quick on the draw in this tournament so far, but Gold was quicker! This is now a two on three battle!”
Seth didn’t dare to look this time, but shouted, “Nice one!”
“Celine wasn’t going to be the one to win this for us anyway!” Cierra shouted as thrust yet again. This time, her sword struck his shoulder.
Pain jolted through Seth as he staggered back and Mark shouted, “Team Moon may be down a member, but those who remain are putting plenty of pressure on Team Salamander with a clean hit to Midas!”
“If Nexus’ End hadn’t been blunted, that might have pierced him clean through!” Marla observed. “As it is, he’s going to be feeling that for the rest of the match!”
Seth found it annoying in that moment how smart Marla Harret was. The attack had indeed left a throbbing ache in his shoulder. I can’t beat her! He turned to Clint and shouted, “Trade me!”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Cierra shouted as she attempted to intercept Seth, only to be blocked by Mia’s quick intervention.
“Be careful!” Seth shouted as he charged toward the mage. Clint, meanwhile turned on the spot and took aim at Cierra.
“Once again, Midas and Blackstone are switching things up! This may be the best choice Team Salamander could possibly have made!” Maria announced with a grin.
“How so?” Mark asked.
“Midas is severely crippled in a fight against Nexus’ End, but as a spellwarrior, he is trained to resist Storm Magic! If Gold and Blackstone can keep Cierra distracted, this match could end in victory for Team Salamander!”
Seth’s charge was suddenly stopped by a sudden gust of wind that Chloe had conjured. Seth cursed as he planted his feet into the ground to wait out the spell. Winds of Terror, he reminded himself. I need to calm down. He remembered that standard storm mages weaponized the emotions they could sense with Salican Empathy and used them to influence the weather. She was quite literally using his own fear against him, which reminded him of Chaos’ lecture. He needed to conquer his fears, but he couldn’t just do so on command. He would need to try to resist the spell itself since he couldn’t stop her from casting it. Fire and disease won’t be effective in this wind!
“Gold is down!” Mark exclaimed.
“That was a crushing defeat,” Maria commented. “According to her registration information, Amelia Gold is a storm mage, but for some reason, we haven’t seen a single spell from her!”
Besides me, Seth thought as he erected another barrier of black fire to give himself some breathing room. Unfortunately, Cierra’s rapier cleaved through his wall as if it were made of paper. His flames extinguished, Seth looked on in shock as she walked casually closer.
“Midas’ Black Flame Wall is shredded!” Mark roared to the audience’s approval. “That’s the power of Cierra Moon’s signature weapon, Nexus’ End!”
“That sword is a relic of the Wave of Death, when Maula walked on Comalan,” Marla explained. “Cierra has personally told me that the metal used to forge it was smelted on the petrified skin of Maula’s own servants.”
“True or not, we’ve seen this sword cut through countless spells in this tournament!” Mark said with an excited grin. “Midas is going to have a hard time gaining the upper hand with his magic!”
I’ve been marked!
“Ouch! That looked painful, but Blackstone remains standing!” Maria suddenly shouted.
Seth chanced a glance in the direction in which Clint had run. He had just pulled himself to his feet after being knocked down by one of Chloe’s spells. He barely managed to dodge another thrust when the crowd erupted in cheers.
“Celine Moon is down! She has been quick on the draw in this tournament so far, but Gold was quicker! This is now a two on three battle!”
Seth didn’t dare to look this time, but shouted, “Nice one!”
“Celine wasn’t going to be the one to win this for us anyway!” Cierra shouted as thrust yet again. This time, her sword struck his shoulder.
Pain jolted through Seth as he staggered back and Mark shouted, “Team Moon may be down a member, but those who remain are putting plenty of pressure on Team Salamander with a clean hit to Midas!”
“If Nexus’ End hadn’t been blunted, that might have pierced him clean through!” Marla observed. “As it is, he’s going to be feeling that for the rest of the match!”
Seth found it annoying in that moment how smart Marla Harret was. The attack had indeed left a throbbing ache in his shoulder. I can’t beat her! He turned to Clint and shouted, “Trade me!”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Cierra shouted as she attempted to intercept Seth, only to be blocked by Mia’s quick intervention.
“Be careful!” Seth shouted as he charged toward the mage. Clint, meanwhile turned on the spot and took aim at Cierra.
“Once again, Midas and Blackstone are switching things up! This may be the best choice Team Salamander could possibly have made!” Maria announced with a grin.
“How so?” Mark asked.
“Midas is severely crippled in a fight against Nexus’ End, but as a spellwarrior, he is trained to resist Storm Magic! If Gold and Blackstone can keep Cierra distracted, this match could end in victory for Team Salamander!”
Seth’s charge was suddenly stopped by a sudden gust of wind that Chloe had conjured. Seth cursed as he planted his feet into the ground to wait out the spell. Winds of Terror, he reminded himself. I need to calm down. He remembered that standard storm mages weaponized the emotions they could sense with Salican Empathy and used them to influence the weather. She was quite literally using his own fear against him, which reminded him of Chaos’ lecture. He needed to conquer his fears, but he couldn’t just do so on command. He would need to try to resist the spell itself since he couldn’t stop her from casting it. Fire and disease won’t be effective in this wind!
“Gold is down!” Mark exclaimed.
“That was a crushing defeat,” Maria commented. “According to her registration information, Amelia Gold is a storm mage, but for some reason, we haven’t seen a single spell from her!”
"Not that it would have made a difference against the spellcutter! This match is looking a lot more even!" Mark called out.
Seth could hear a flurry of gunshots.
“Without Gold to watch out for, Blackstone is unloading on Cierra!” Mark pointed out then added, “This is still either team’s match!”
Seth gritted his teeth upon hearing that. Clint was not going to be able to hold off the other spellwarrior for long. The next team to get the upper hand was essentially guaranteed to win, and if he didn’t do something quickly, that team would not be his. What he needed was a spell with actual weight if he was going to overpower Chloe’s gusts.
“Kayan braka!” he roared as he flung his arm out toward his opponent with as much force as he could muster. This caused a meteor-like object to appear in the sky and fall into the storm mage.
Chloe fell to her back, but Seth cringed when he heard, “It’s a double knockout! Chloe Moon and Blackstone are both down!”
“Damn it!” Seth hissed while quickly rounding to where he had last seen Cierra. She stood over Clint, who was sitting on the ground, clutching his right arm with a look of pure agony. Must be broken.
Without any further recourse, he charged toward the other spellwarrior in the hope that he could gain the upper hand this time if he was quicker to attack. He needed to end this fight with pure sword skill, but he wasn’t feeling confident. He had never specialized in magic or martial arts during his years at Hem Academy, so he couldn’t consider himself a master of either. He managed to keep her from attacking him again with his quick attacks, but he was far from mounting an offense. What was worse, his shoulder injury was slowing down his attacks.
“This final RGT match seems to be coming down to a classic sword fight! Everyone, give it up for these incredible warriors! Chaos smiles upon us today!”
Chaos’ voice seemed to thunder in his head at that moment. “Do NOT fear your power!”
Seth ignored the voice and continued fencing with Cierra. I’m doing my best!
Another voice, one which was hauntingly familiar, whispered into his mind. “Are you, though? You could end this voice in a single touch!”
“Shut up!” Seth shouted in frustration, but he quickly paid for his distraction as Cierra disarmed him with a blindingly quick riposte.
“No,” Seth groaned as he watched his sword tumble through the air.
Ordinarily, being disarmed would be no problem for Seth, but he couldn’t rely on his magic either. For all intents and purposes, he was defeated. But he couldn’t afford to be. The same dark sensation he had gone into his coma with returned, making his skin feel clammy. Just a touch and this will be over.
He scanned the tent as Cierra looked on with a triumphant smirk. This match was too important to lose, but her guard seemed to be down. She’d never see it coming! But somewhere in the audience, he saw two people he never expected to see together sitting near Sara. Maya was talking inaudibly to a woman who could only be Ruby Midas, his mother. The sudden absurdity of this sight brought him back to reality.
“Pyris amul groz!” Seth said as he flung a star of black fire at his opponent.
Cierra blocked the spell with her sword, but from the look on her face, Seth could tell that she had barely managed to do so. So Seth found a way around his anti-magical problem. He cast the spell again, then again; quicker and quicker without pause. She swung her blade wildly to defend herself, but Seth kept up the pressure. She can’t stop them all!
“In a fit of desperation, Midas has begun unleashing spell after spell!” Mark announced. “But one by one, each attack is falling before the enchanting power of Nexus’ End! He’ll tire himself out eventually!”
“Not necessarily,” Marla said, a little more excitedly. “He seems to be casting Black Flame Star, an obscure spellwarrior technique that’s known for having an extremely low inertial propulsion variable! What this means is that this spell is considered physically light, so he’s trading less energy for more power! This could still go either way!”
You’re damned right! Seth continued to pepper her opponent with fiery projectiles. Soon, they were moving so quickly that they began to resemble a black blur. Cierra continued to parry them all as quickly as she could until..
“Direct hit! And Cierra is on fire! This could be Midas’ chance!”
Seth took advantage of his opponents distraction to reclaim his sword and swing it in her direction with a roar of uncontained fury. In response to his ferocity, an arc of black energy flew toward Cierra, who raised her sword to block this spell. However, the shadow claw passed directly through her weapon and collided hard with her chest. As Cierra crumbled to the ground, the cheers of the crowd grew deafening and his euphoria grew overwhelming.
“Cierra Moon is down! Team Salamander wins the Resta Grand Tournament!” Mark squawked in apparent disbelief. “Praise be to Chaos and our new champions!”
Seth could hear a flurry of gunshots.
“Without Gold to watch out for, Blackstone is unloading on Cierra!” Mark pointed out then added, “This is still either team’s match!”
Seth gritted his teeth upon hearing that. Clint was not going to be able to hold off the other spellwarrior for long. The next team to get the upper hand was essentially guaranteed to win, and if he didn’t do something quickly, that team would not be his. What he needed was a spell with actual weight if he was going to overpower Chloe’s gusts.
“Kayan braka!” he roared as he flung his arm out toward his opponent with as much force as he could muster. This caused a meteor-like object to appear in the sky and fall into the storm mage.
Chloe fell to her back, but Seth cringed when he heard, “It’s a double knockout! Chloe Moon and Blackstone are both down!”
“Damn it!” Seth hissed while quickly rounding to where he had last seen Cierra. She stood over Clint, who was sitting on the ground, clutching his right arm with a look of pure agony. Must be broken.
Without any further recourse, he charged toward the other spellwarrior in the hope that he could gain the upper hand this time if he was quicker to attack. He needed to end this fight with pure sword skill, but he wasn’t feeling confident. He had never specialized in magic or martial arts during his years at Hem Academy, so he couldn’t consider himself a master of either. He managed to keep her from attacking him again with his quick attacks, but he was far from mounting an offense. What was worse, his shoulder injury was slowing down his attacks.
“This final RGT match seems to be coming down to a classic sword fight! Everyone, give it up for these incredible warriors! Chaos smiles upon us today!”
Chaos’ voice seemed to thunder in his head at that moment. “Do NOT fear your power!”
Seth ignored the voice and continued fencing with Cierra. I’m doing my best!
Another voice, one which was hauntingly familiar, whispered into his mind. “Are you, though? You could end this voice in a single touch!”
“Shut up!” Seth shouted in frustration, but he quickly paid for his distraction as Cierra disarmed him with a blindingly quick riposte.
“No,” Seth groaned as he watched his sword tumble through the air.
Ordinarily, being disarmed would be no problem for Seth, but he couldn’t rely on his magic either. For all intents and purposes, he was defeated. But he couldn’t afford to be. The same dark sensation he had gone into his coma with returned, making his skin feel clammy. Just a touch and this will be over.
He scanned the tent as Cierra looked on with a triumphant smirk. This match was too important to lose, but her guard seemed to be down. She’d never see it coming! But somewhere in the audience, he saw two people he never expected to see together sitting near Sara. Maya was talking inaudibly to a woman who could only be Ruby Midas, his mother. The sudden absurdity of this sight brought him back to reality.
“Pyris amul groz!” Seth said as he flung a star of black fire at his opponent.
Cierra blocked the spell with her sword, but from the look on her face, Seth could tell that she had barely managed to do so. So Seth found a way around his anti-magical problem. He cast the spell again, then again; quicker and quicker without pause. She swung her blade wildly to defend herself, but Seth kept up the pressure. She can’t stop them all!
“In a fit of desperation, Midas has begun unleashing spell after spell!” Mark announced. “But one by one, each attack is falling before the enchanting power of Nexus’ End! He’ll tire himself out eventually!”
“Not necessarily,” Marla said, a little more excitedly. “He seems to be casting Black Flame Star, an obscure spellwarrior technique that’s known for having an extremely low inertial propulsion variable! What this means is that this spell is considered physically light, so he’s trading less energy for more power! This could still go either way!”
You’re damned right! Seth continued to pepper her opponent with fiery projectiles. Soon, they were moving so quickly that they began to resemble a black blur. Cierra continued to parry them all as quickly as she could until..
“Direct hit! And Cierra is on fire! This could be Midas’ chance!”
Seth took advantage of his opponents distraction to reclaim his sword and swing it in her direction with a roar of uncontained fury. In response to his ferocity, an arc of black energy flew toward Cierra, who raised her sword to block this spell. However, the shadow claw passed directly through her weapon and collided hard with her chest. As Cierra crumbled to the ground, the cheers of the crowd grew deafening and his euphoria grew overwhelming.
“Cierra Moon is down! Team Salamander wins the Resta Grand Tournament!” Mark squawked in apparent disbelief. “Praise be to Chaos and our new champions!”
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