It took some convincing but I managed to get Teddy to go along with my idea. It was a simple prank but after having a breakfast worth dying for, the energy in my stomach carried into my steps. I was light, and springy and having to consciously avoid skipping around as we made our way to the arena.

  Teddy merely smiled, looking far more relaxed than I, but that was fine. He maintained the illusion around us and we slid our way through the throng of people gathered in front of the arena.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t hard to spot our group in the sea of bodies. Arturous stood out like a sore thumb with none of the nearby citizens willing to encroach on the massive bear’s personal space.

  I gave the signal to Teddy and we approached from behind. As we neared, Isaac’s voice filled the air, his complaint rising above the low chatter.

  “They’re late,” he growled.

  “Not like it matters. The arena hasn’t even opened yet. They’ll be here,” Igas said with a shrug.

  “Not the point!”

  Igas grinned and nudged Isaac with his elbow. “You’re jealous.”

  “Am not!”

  “You know that makes you sound more jealous, right?” Eodyne cut in.

  Isaac yanked his hood forward and turned away from the party’s snickering. We stopped just shy of Arturous’ back leg. When we started to curve to the right, the bear suddenly turned and nearly knocked us over.

  Sereza started to slip off her perch but a small gust of wind pushed her into Igas’ grip. Isaac crouched and began yelling at Arturous to stop but he wouldn’t listen. We jumped back and avoided the hit, only for Arturous to press forward. We took another step back and nearly ran into a pair of beastkins. Slowly, we circled, drawing the bear’s gaze.

  “Teddy, how is he tracking us?” I whispered.

  “Most likely due to our bond,” Teddy replied.

  We made a second circle, forcing the rest of Broken Tower and Sereza to play bullrider as Arturous grew increasingly annoyed.

  “You have telepathy, tell him to stop.”

  Teddy shook his head. “The bracelets block it.”

  “Ugh. Fine. Then I have a better idea.”

  I quickly told him my plan and he reluctantly agreed. He cautioned me how any injury I would suffer would be entirely my fault, but I was too committed.

  “Arturous! What’s wrong with you?” Isaac yelled.

  The crowd around them moved further back, avoiding the heavy paws of Arturous’ spinning limbs. Whispers increased with more than a few sending wild-eyed stares their way.

  As we made our fourth revolution, I sucked in a breath and jumped. Teddy’s hands caught my feet and his muscles tightened as I sank into his grip. With a grunt, he launched me forwarded and I lowered my head as I rocketed toward the others. The moment I passed through Teddy’s illusion, Broken Tower snapped their attention toward me. I reached forward and slung and arm around Isaac’s neck while my tail secured itself around Sereza’s waist, pulling her closer.

  “Hi guys how’s it go-”

  A blade of ice pressed against my neck while three daggers positioned themselves against my vitals along my stomach. Barriers appeared, trapping my hands, while a thin spark of electric energy zapped my ear.

  “Well this is a little mean,” I chuckled.

  The mana dissipated and the blades were pulled away. Well, except Isaac’s. His daggers lingered longer than they should have while he glared at me. With a dramatic shove, he pushed my arm away and jumped off Arturous.

  “Cyrus?” Sereza sputtered.

  “Yo.”

  “What in the hells? Where did you come from?”

  I pointed to Teddy who shook his head. “Don’t look at me. It was his idea.”

  “Traitor,” I said in jest.

  Eodyne rapped my horns with her fist and joined Isaac. I could tell she wasn’t mad, but her eyes promised retribution in the form of exhaustive sparring later. Celenae turned her attention to my wrist and raised my hand.

  “Are these the special bracelets from your grandfather?” she asked as Teddy neared.

  He reached over and affectionately scratched Arturous’ snout and nodded. “Yes. Father gave them to me.”

  Celenae hummed but ultimately released my wrist. “If your skill reveals anything new to you, I’ll take those notes as payment for your little ‘prank.’”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said.

  She huffed and pointed to my right.

  Hmm? Oh.

  I unfurled my tail from Sereza’s waist. “Sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine… Why,” she shook her head. “No. What did you take? You’re being strange. This isn’t the same beastkin I know.”

  Ah, I had forgotten about the illusion in place. It was kind of her to keep up the pretense.

  “Mmmm. Hard to explain. You know drugs right?”

  “You took alchemy substances? Why?” she exclaimed.

  “What? Noooo. But imagine a super, feel-good drug in the form of a bowl of soup and some bread. Impossible to describe except for the word: warm.”

  “Bread and soup,” she repeated, deadpanned.

  “Mhhm. I’ll try to have Galarion recreate the memory later, but I’m not sure he can. It’s hard to explain and there’s a lot packed into those delectable bites.”

  “Okaaay. So you’re feeling better? Celenae said you and Teddy went out for a walk.”

  “Definitely. No killing urges today. Might even manage to keep the arena intact this time!”

  From the corner of my vision, I saw the crowd’s reaction to my words. Those who recognized me openly stared, and those who didn’t were being informed by those who did. Overall, the people looked excited, a few gave me the evil-eye, but more than a few children tugged on their parent’s sleeves and pointed my way.

  I had mixed feelings about the reaction, but if I was going to play a role I might as well give into it. At least for now. Mordred was useful for the tournament, but I had zero desire to play the cartoonish villain role permanently.

  It was only when someone stepped forward; a younger elf no older than fourteen, mimicked thrusting a spear at the air did I notice something peculiar.

  Is that… No.

  I spun around and the dread started to rise the more I saw.

  “Mordred? What’s wrong?” Celenae asked.

  Isaac appeared behind me and slapped my shoulder. Even with the mask, I saw the shit-eating-grin behind his eyes. “Finally noticed, eh? How does it feel, Mordred?”

  “I don’t like it,” I spat.

  “Yeah? Well too bad. That’s what you get for being such a loveable guy! Congratulations! Soon you’ll be dressed the same as all those peacocks you oh so detest! But on the brightside! They’ll get bored in a month, maybe a few weeks. So feed me your delicious agony while you can!”

  I took one last spin around atop Arturous and counted thirty-seven hoodies. They weren’t the same as mine, more than a few poor mimicries of clothing butchered and frankensteined into something similar to my own. But more of the adults, the ones who kept their hair manicured and their faces pristine, had genuine articles.

  I brought hoodies into a fantasy world… What have I done…

  Celenae stifled a laugh, ignoring my glare as she did. “Noira had a small boon the last two days. More orders than she can handle. She sent her thanks,”

  I groaned. “Whatever. They don’t look nearly as good as mine. They’re not even enchanted. Only that guy with the dumb hat has an enchantment stitched in.”

  “You have to remember, fashion in the high-born world is fleeting. Why would they require enchantments to maintain clothes when they might only wear it for a day or two?”

  “Because not having enchantments make them poor imitations?” I countered.

  “While true, the ones who participate the hardest are those who aren’t truly noble. They lack the real backing that comes with the surety of a house. Being a socialite is an expensive endeavor with many monsters hunting the same prey.”

  I cocked my head and smiled. “You know what? I love you, Celenae.”

  “Wha-what?”

  “Ah, being in a fantasy world where people compare monsters instead of fish,” I sighed. With a pat on her shoulder I counted our numbers and found another oddity. “Hey. Where’s Khrem?”

  “I’m here,” Khrem shouted.

  I turned and saw him push through the crowd and arrive next to Arturous. He looked unharmed but there was a weariness in his expression.

  “Where yah been?”

  “Selling some wares. While my license for a stall has yet to be approved, I was able to trade with the adventurers in attendance. I’ve secured a trade deal I’m excited to share with you later this week.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  He shook his head. “Later. It’d ruin the surprise.”

  “If you want, I can speak to the merchant commission. A license is easy to acquire with vouching from a noble,” Teddy offered.

  Despite thinking Khrem would deny out of some kind of honor or personal code, he grinned from ear to ear and shook Teddy’s hand.

  I suppose he is the shrewd type. Found an adventurer with special loot and brought him directly to his master to make new potions after all.

  We waited for a dozen minutes before a loud chime rang through the air. The crowd rushed into the colosseum and we climbed our way to the top. Throughout the walk, I attempted to study the walls with my skill and read the new enchantments carved into the stone.

  Honestly, it's impressive how fast they put these up. This is well made.

  Among the runes I could read, I saw more than a few additions added into the runic chain reinforcing the dimensionality of the area. It targeted shadows specifically and I briefly wondered if it’d hamper shadow users. But a quick whisper from Isaac revealed that wasn’t the case.

  “My skills work fine, but the shadows are more solid, more steady,” he explained.

  We entered the booth and took our seats. I pulled out a small mountain of snacks and settled in next to Arturous. I kept the bear happy by offering him small handfuls of honey-coated jerky while Teddy wasn’t looking.

  “I can hear his thoughts, Cyrus. I know what you’re doing,” Teddy said.

  Oopsy.

  “I’m impressed they managed to restore the arena so quickly,” Sereza said between bites of her sandwich.

  “The arena is probably the richest organization outside of the guilds and noble houses. They’d have a team of enchanters specialized for repairs at their call,” Celenae explained.

  “I’m guessing mages guild earth mages for the reinforced stone? I noticed it while we walked. Some of the heavier enchanted slabs are made of different material,” I said.

  She nodded. “Standard practice. They keep a warehouse of different materials and hire the mages to shape them into whatever the client needs.”

  “Do they now? Can I buy some materials from them?”

  “Depends on the material. What are you looking for?”

  “Some crystals and different metals to test my skills on. I have a hunch that Magnus can-”

  “You two shut it!” Isaac interrupted. “It’s starting.”

  I debated throwing a sandwich at his face but contained my desire and tuned into the booth’s enchantments like a good little demon.

  “People of Solara! We welcome you back to the arena! Yesterday’s excitement has shown us new and heart-racing things that will be remembered for years to come!” the announcer boomed.

  I rolled my eyes at the looks thrown my way. “Yeah, yeah. I get it.”

  “Our staff and the ever-dependable people of the mage’s guild have worked throughout the night to ensure that your safety will be met for the rest of the tournament. So keep seated and ready yourselves for a day like no other!” There was a pause, and I noticed the announcer’s eyes go blank while he scanned the air. He blinked hard and showed a constrained smile. “Well that’s from me. Let’s get on with the real reason why you are all here! We have six more exciting duels to play out and then we begin with today’s main attraction! The free for all!”

  The audience roared in cheer. While the announcer glided toward a booth in the top row, I caught his smile morph into a scowl when he turned away from the crowd.

  I wonder what that’s about.