Conflicts Among the Champions [v 2.0]

”That’s bullshit!” shouted Tarin, much to everyone else’s surprise. “Checkers was injured already and now this! She’s not like us, she’s just a mortal! I mean--she hasn’t trained as a fighter like we all have, and you’re putting her through enough pressure to give a god trouble! This is--“

”Tarin, I understand, but this is something greater than ourselves. The rules of the Challenge of the Necklace have evolved over centuries to best handle the goal of deciding who would be best for the task of leader with a minimum of violence. We can’t ignore the rules for no reason and we can’t play favorites”--she looked sadly at Jarlath--“not even for those we love. We’re doing our best to provide a solution that will make the fight fair while--“

”Good Forge! What’s wrong with you today, woman! First you kick me in the nuts and now this! I don’t think you’re fit to be judging!” Everyone murmured uneasily. Astra Transtrygia’s jaw dropped. Isn’t Forge supposed to be a dwarven god? Lord Frederigo thought.

”That is a very serious accusation, Tarin-Gazin, more serious than you probably realize. I--“

”Hold it. Calm down,” said Jenny in an uneasy but clear and level voice. She put her hands on Tarin’s arms soothingly. “Tarin, you don’t have to do this. I can help. Astra Cistrygia, Checkers was seriously injured and might be even more injured now, so I think we might need to perform a healing spell on her. And I could try healing Fred too, just to be fair. I, um, don’t think Jarlath should do it right now, but I could try. I’ll be careful in case whatever it is that affected Jarlath’s power would affect me too. I mean--I know my power is mostly useful for creating illusions and stuff, but, well, when someone’s body is, um, out of harmony, I can… Sing it back into harmony. It’s kind of hard to explain, but I’ve done it before, when--when my family and I were imprisoned once.” It was clear from her tone of voice that this had been a time of deep pain for her. The other Champions nodded. Even Frederigo found himself thinking well of her--she may not have been much in battle, but she clearly had more inner strength than he’d thought at first.

Minestus, meanwhile, did his best to seem outwardly sympathetic but inwardly smiled gleefully. Clearly, these newcomers, while perhaps doing a better job at pretending to real nobility than those self-righteous humans who had come here decades ago, were not quite as impervious to tension and anger as Castellan had thought. Perhaps Minestus could undo them after all? Perhaps… Tarin-Gazin’s initial remark was very tantalizing. She’s not like us, she’s just a mortal! What if these newcomers were in fact gods, come down from the heavens to attempt to thwart his own quest for godhood?

Meanwhile, the two Astras conferred for a moment. Astra 9 Cistrygia finally said "very well then. We will allow you to do so, if that is all right with Checkers."

Checkers frowned. She didn't want to go through the rest of the Challenge with a broken wing, but she didn't want to have any more magic performed on her either. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to keep fighting. She had lost the round, and even if by some fluke she won the whole contest, how could she hope to lead all these humans and elves, whose ways of thinking were so alien to her? "I'll think about it," she said weakly. "Thank you for offering."

"Glad that's mostly sorted out," said Jarlath, outwardly flippant. "And now for some delicious, um, cave mushrooms. You three did get the cave mushrooms, right? Because my stomach is growling like a Hyrkanian tiger, and I'm not the only one." Inwardly, he seethed with shock and fury at himself and at magic. How can that have happened? I suddenly felt completely lost and then the spell was like a rope slipping from my hand! Could it be that once again I will no longer be able to control magic but rather magic will control me?

"Yes, we did," said Belboz. He opened his large sack, revealing a large number of pale, lumpish mushrooms. Everyone had already been feeling a little sick to their stomachs as a result of Jarlath's botched spell and now they felt even sicker. "By the way," added Belboz, "perhaps it would be a better idea if I performed the healing spell? I am a much more experienced mage then Jenny."

"What techniques do you use?" asked Jarlath.

"You probably would not want to know," said Belboz darkly. "But for this particular spell, I would simply use a mixture of enchanted herbs. The most effective form would also use the blood of an outside agent who is 'pure of heart,' but if Checkers or Fred are uncomfortable with that, there are other possiblities."

"That wouldn't work as well," said Jarlath. "There's some small possiblity that there's something happening that would screw up all magic, not just mine." He didn't seem too convinced on the last point. "Jenny's form of magic is more limited than yours, but also more intuition-based and versatile. She'd be able to respond quickly if something went wrong, whereas it would take longer for you to administer the necessary counteragents, assuming you even had any idea what the appliciable ones would be."

"Very well then," said Belboz. Rubbish, and he knows it, he thought. He simply is creating delaying tactics because he does not trust me. And rightfully so. Yet my task has become so much easier now-- not only are these newcomers starting to bicker, but the only mage whose knowledge and might might have equaled mine has lost control of his magic! Well, perhaps what is affecting him may indeed affect me, but--we will see, we will see. "Not to change the subject too much," said Belboz after some deliberation, "but I am curious--will I be fighting in the next round?"

"Everyone who left to gather food will be fighting in the next round," said Astra 9. "Those who lost the first round will be sent to gather food for this round. Also, if Checkers chooses not to accept a healing spell, she will rest for the duration of the round--and perhaps Jarlath as well, if he is still unwell."

"Do any of those who lost have sufficient knowledge of plant lore to tell the edible mushrooms apart from the poisonous ones?" asked Belboz.

"I do," said Annafrid, who had been given the memories of her world's Fred and therefore had all the training of a Dragonslayer. "I've had to kill monsters in the Shreken before."

1. And so the adventurers rested between rounds of the Challenge of the Necklace...

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