Trinity of Magic [Progression Fantasy]

Chapter 20: Cards on the Table.

As Zeke arrived at the arena, he was immediately struck by the sheer size of the crowd that had gathered outside. People were streaming into the arena in such numbers that it seemed as if the fight of a lifetime was happening within its walls. At first, Zeke's mind raced with the thought that perhaps there was a different, more important fight happening that he had not been made aware of. After all, he had not checked the date for his own fight beforehand, and had simply called out a random day for the duel. But as he took in the excited chatter of those around him, and remembered the whispers of his classmates that morning, he quickly realized that this idea held no merit. The crowd was here for him.

Zeke couldn't help but feel a sense of confusion as he made his way through the massive crowd that had gathered outside the arena. He couldn't understand why so many people would be interested in watching him fight. For all anybody knew, he was just some commoner kid with no elemental affinities. Surely they were not expecting him to show some amazing magic skill, right? He had always been told that without elemental magic, he was nothing.

Despite his growing confidence in his abilities, he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow lesser than those around him because of his lack of elemental magic. So as he stood outside the arena, surrounded by the excited chatter of the crowd, he couldn't help but wonder what they could possibly be expecting from him.

As Zeke made his way through the throngs of students gathered outside the arena, he found that he could barely make any progress getting through the crowd. The Zeke from weeks ago would have been content to wait in line like everyone else, but his recent advancements in his magic and promotion as a bronze adventurer had given him newfound confidence. He didn't care what anyone in this school thought of him anymore, and he had no qualms about raising his voice and demanding that the people make way for him. This was his duel, after all.

Despite his demands, the other students seemed to pay him little attention as he tried to push his way through the crowd. Frustrated and determined to reach the arena, Zeke decided to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed hold of the metal end of his reinforced staff and with all his might, he smashed it down onto the ground with an earsplitting sound of metal on stone.

The sudden noise caused heads to turn, and the crowd began to take notice of him. They realized that he was not like the other students, wearing armor and carrying a weapon. Zeke repeated his demand, this time with more authority and a hint of anger, that they let him through right now. He had a fight to get to.

His voice carried a weight of command and conviction, and the surrounding students began to part, clearing a path for him. He walked with purpose, the metal protectors on his leather armor clanking and his staff echoing in the silence, as the students moved out of his way. He didn't stop until he was standing at the entrance of the arena, the crowd's roar growing louder as he approached. He was ready to show them what a tri-affinity mage was capable of.

At his approach, the crowd parted for him, creating a path for him to the changing room for the combatants. Zeke had put on his armor at home before coming, so he didn't spend any time getting ready in the changing room. He passed through it quickly, and stepped out onto the stage.

The sight that greeted him was shocking. The small colosseum-style arena was packed with students of all ages, and in the middle of the stage stood Martin, addressing the crowd. The arena was filled with the buzz of excitement and anticipation, as the students eagerly waited for the fight to begin. Zeke felt a surge of adrenaline as he surveyed the scene, his pulse racing as he took in the magnitude of the event.

Despite the overwhelming number of people, Zeke felt nothing but confidence as he stepped out onto the stage. Zeke observed Martin as he stood in the center of the stage. At first, he couldn't quite make out what was being said, but as he listened more closely, he realized that Martin was badmouthing him. Martin was telling the people that Zeke wouldn't have the guts to show up, that he had always been a coward, ever since they were kids. He told the crowd that he had already won the fight and that it was pointless for Zeke to even try.

Zeke could feel the anger and frustration rising within him, as Martin continued to speak. He knew that many of the things Martin was saying were either made up or heavily edited stories about him, but the crowd was eating it up.

He knew that he couldn't let Martin's words go unchallenged. He couldn't let him define him in the eyes of the crowd. Zeke listened for a moment longer and couldn't help but notice that the stories and insults Martin was spewing seemed to be well rehearsed. It was clear that Martin had planned his speech, and arrive early in order to have the time to trash talk Zeke before the match.

Zeke on the other hand had not even known that there would be spectators. He felt a tinge of anger, not just because of the false accusations that were being made, but because Martin had clearly planned all of this. Martin had expected to be able to get under his skin and throw him off his game, but Zeke refused to be baited. He quickly calmed down, and instead of getting bogged down by the situation Martin had created, he chose to see it as an opportunity. This was a chance for him to prove his skill and courage. Martin had even arranged for an audience to witness his performance.

He took a deep breath and steeled himself for what was to come. He knew that he had to be better than Martin in every way, not just in terms of magic, but also in terms of strategy and wit. He knew that he had to outsmart Martin at every turn, to show the crowd that he was more than a match for him.

He stepped forward, his armor clanking and his staff echoing in the silence, as the crowd's attention was fully on him. He was determined to show them that he was not the coward that Martin had made him out to be, that he was a formidable tri-affinity mage, who is not to be underestimated. He was ready for the fight ahead, and he knew that he would not disappoint the crowd.

Zeke smirked at the idea of using the crowd that was supposed to witness his humiliation against Martin and the Feuerkranz family. He strode out towards the middle of the stage, his Staff banging on the ground with every step he took, this seemed to get people's attention. The sound of the staff echoed throughout the arena, and the crowd fell silent as Zeke walked with purpose, his armor clanking with each step. He stopped when he was only 10 meters in front of Martin, the universal distance for starting a duel. His confidence and swagger was so striking that by the time he reached his destination, there was absolute silence in the arena. Even Martin had stopped talking and was staring at him in surprise, apparently he had not expected Zeke to make his way through the massive crowd anytime soon.

Zeke looked Martin up and down with the eyes of a butcher watching a cut of meat, his expression was unreadable, but his body language showed that he was ready. After that, he casually lifted his staff and put it on one shoulder before speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. He said: "Well, i am here, that's one of your lies exposed already." The crowd burst into applause, there were and jeers and cheers from the student body. Zeke knew that this was just the beginning, he had to push this advantage to change his image in the eyes of the crowd.

Martin was caught off guard by Zeke's relaxed attitude. He had expected Zeke to rush out of the changing room like an enraged beast, after finding out all that Martin had done to make this duel as unfavorable to Zeke as possible. He hadn't expected Zeke to walk onto the stage like he was on a casual stroll. It took Martin a while before he could adapt, but he had planned for many scenarios for today and had a response ready for Zeke.

With a smirk on his face, Martin said: "It's good of you to come, Zeke. I, Martin Feuerkranz, would have been deeply disappointed to be stood up by a commoner. The Feuerkranz family has a reputation to uphold after all, I am sure you understand?" Martin had a triumphant grin on his face, believing to have landed a verbal blow on Zeke by using his noble status.

He thought he had made Zeke feel small, but he did not know that he was just playing into Zeke's plan.

Zeke acted as disinterested as he could while listening to Martin speak. He pretended to be focused on getting a very pesky piece of dirt from under his fingernail. After Martin had stopped talking and was looking expectantly at him, Zeke looked up and made a confused expression. "Zeke?" He asked, with his best fake confused voice: "I didn't know we were so close, Mr. Feuerkranz. I would have you address me by my full name and title: Ezekiel von Hohenheim. Student of Maximilian Bombastus von Hohenheim, and prime heir to the lands and title of the Von Hohenheim family." He spoke with such confidence, that the crowd couldn't help but get excited to see what would happen next, they had come here expecting to see a one-sided beat down, a humiliation.

Zeke waited for the crowd to calm down, then continued by saying: "And I would appreciate it if you stopped lying to these people about me being a commoner." Martin could see that he had made a mistake, by underestimating Zeke, and now he was the one being put in his place.

Zeke's face took on a teasing grin as he winked at Martin and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Feuerkranz. Nobody is going to mistake you for an honest man just because you stopped lying now and then."

Some people in the crowd began to snicker, and Martin became visibly enraged. He was now screaming: "IF YOU THIN- BAAANG!"

Before Martin could even reply, Zeke had smashed the staff, that was on his shoulder before, onto the ground. Cutting Martin off. "Silence!" Zeke yelled, his mood had changed completely, there was no levity left on his face, and he even looked angry. "Don't take us for fools, Martin. Everybody in this arena knows that you, with your average fire affinity, are not the reason for the hundreds of people here. So, if your owner wants to say something to me, let him do it himself, otherwise: Shut the fuck up! I came here for a fight and not to bicker with a clown!"

The crowd fell silent, they were shocked by Zeke's sudden change of attitude. He had been playful in one moment and then so absurdly brutal in the next that it took people a while to catch up with what he had said exactly.

For the third time since Zeke's arrival, there was absolute silence in the arena. Then the shock had passed, and one voice could be heard. But it was not who Zeke had expected. It was the voice of a woman laughing. She had a pleasant, full voice, very deep for a woman's voice, but it only added to her charm. The woman laughed so hard that it was the only thing that could be heard for a while.

The crowd turned to the source of the sound and saw a woman standing on a private box, wearing a beautiful blue dress and a wide-brimmed hat. She had a bright smile on her face and her eyes were full of mirth as she laughed. After she calmed down, she spoke, her words clear and melodic: "Well, the kid is right, Alexander. Your little puppet show is getting embarrassing."

Her words caught the attention of everyone, including Martin and Zeke. They couldn't help but to stare at her, her voice was captivating, and her words were powerful. The woman had a commanding presence, and it was clear that she was not someone to be trifled with, she was Miranda Wellenrufer.