Chapter Sixteen

The boat was filled with passengers of all ages and from around the continent. In fact it was anything but luxury cruise, as the boat was so full that passengers had to share a room to two people per a unit. Although Noah found out sharing a room wasn't so bad, there was plenty of space inside the room and there were two separate beds. Noah put his key on a string and tied it around his neck after getting into his room.

He settled in comfortably until the door opened and a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and full lips entered the room and her gaze swept over the entire room once glancing over Noah briefly then continuing on. Her green eyes went back to Noah as she smiled silently shutting the door behind her and locking it, “Hello tall young and handsome.” She said.

The young woman walked over to Noah swaying her hips with each step as Noah grew nervous at her approach. She approached him put a finger on his chest slowly running it down his abdominal her face inches from his whispering, “It’s going to be a long trip want to make it interesting?”

Noah’s face was glowing red now, but before he could respond his thoughts went to Astrid. Then he quickly and gently pushed the young woman away smiling, “I uh, thanks, but I’m actually in a relationship with another woman.” He quickly got to his feet and headed towards the door turning back to the young woman and saying, “I’m going to get some fresh air please try not to make a mess while I’m gone, since remember we do have to share this room.”

Leaving the room and shutting the door behind him Noah sighed with relief his cheeks still red. He thought about Astrid again and wondered why he said he was in a relationship when those two were just friends. He had never been intimate with a woman before and couldn't help but feel both lust and curiosity for that shared experience, so why didn't he go with that young woman back there who was offering to share such intimacy with him?

Was it because he didn't know her and it felt awkward to get so close with someone he just met? Yes that was indeed part of it but Noah quickly realized the real reason was because he wanted to try sharing that experience with Astrid first, he had grown attached to her.

Noah wandered around the ship as there were numerous other people outside on deck too just conversing with each other in groups or as individuals. Some of them were smiling but most were neutral or had very serious looks on their faces. Noah understood the reason most were not laughing and having a great time, they were entering a competition where only single winners could emerge, so no team mattered anymore.

He found his way to the dining hall which was packed with numerous entrees of delicious looking gourmet food. Noah grabbed a small snack there until continuing on. He made it to the front of the ship on deck where many other passengers were enjoying the sight of the moon outside as its light shined down on the open sea. He stayed out there for a little while longer after the final couple of people retired to their rooms.

Noah too made his way back to his room in time; he summoned a small trace of light to lead his way and kept it dim as he entered his dark room. His roommate was sleeping in her bed and Noah quietly undressed and crawled into his own bed under the covers when Primordious told him, “sleep with your deck close.”

He pulled his deck belt to him and turned on his side closing his eyes and going to sleep. The next day he woke up early and got dressed putting his deck belt back around his waist and just trying to find a way to kill time until the ship arrived at Aeon Toris. The entire trip was mostly like that for him until they finally arrived at the docks several days later and everyone flooded out of the boat.

Noah noticed that the docks were massive and had numerous other boats, he wondered where all of them went, or if all of them were passenger ships like the one he was on. The crowd surged forward breaking him of his thoughts and he followed the mass of people. All of the carriages were taken already, probably long ago, and now most people were just walking. Some pulled out their elementals and just flew to the capitol, but other just started walking down the white stoned road.

Noah followed the road too, enjoying the continent from below and even the sounds of all the people ahead and behind him talking. Though he didn't join them, he was alone for a bit too long didn't mind the reminder of others. The trip to the capitol on foot took well over a week, but didn't matter as the capitol was massive and now bustling with people.

It was a memorizing place filled with color and joyful celebration. All the buildings were made with clean stone or colored wood. In the center of Elysian Noah could see Ragnarock headquarters, it’s white stone construct with towers reaching towards the sky and strange crystals embedded into the building.

Noah searched around for an Inn trying to get a good room before he took to sightseeing because he knew with this many people the Inns would be crowded. Fortunately for him there were numerous Inns and finding a good one with a single room was no trouble at all. His only issue though, was that the room costs him 60 crystals a night, it was in his budget but still annoyed him.

To his delight the room he was renting was luxurious and there was a balcony outside that had a great view of the capitol. He stepped outside onto the balcony settling into the room a bit. The sun outside was already setting and its last rays of light dazzled on the headquarters crystals, illuminating the city with a pink glow.

“I wish Astrid were here to see this,” Noah said out loud mostly to himself.

When the sun finished setting Noah could see a row of lights and hear loud music and the sounds of celebration. Noah was curious as to what was going on so he asked Primordious if he would be fine by himself in the hotel room. The Elemental said yes and Noah took off to the streets, navigating around until he came across a parade.

Down the middle of the street numerous people dressed in elaborate costumes of elementals and magicians with robes shooting out streams of colorful ribbons danced and played, gradually moving forward as people on the side watched the show amused. Noah too watched the parade for some time until he was too tired and then retired to the inn.

The next morning he found a Ragnarock representative in the lobby downstairs waiting around patiently for contenders. The representative asked Noah if he was competing this year and when Noah said yes he was handed a small map that showed him the way to the registration office.

He found the office easily as there was a massive line of competitors standing outside waiting for their turn to register. Noah considered just waiting until later when the line was shorter to join in it, but as he saw more and more competitors flocking to the lines he realized it would only get worse the longer he waited, so he went straight to the back of the nearest line and waited. It wasn't too long until over a dozen more people had lined up behind him and kept growing as the line slowly moved forward.

He waited for literally several hours until finally it was his turn to register. The registration office was a simple moderate sized building with a long desk and several people behind it, checking papers handing them out to contenders and explaining what the sheets of paper they were being handed was.

Once he finally got to the front of the many lines inside the office the lady behind the desk asked him for his proof of eligibility for the tournament this year. He handed her a single element point’s reward certificate, which he traded in his collection of other certificates at the capitol for a single one to make carrying it around easier. After she verified its legitimacy she handed him some paperwork and told him it was the rules of the tournament and he should read carefully before signing up.

It was a lot of reading to do which Noah didn't fully understand all of it, but he realized now why the line was taking so long. What he mostly understood was that the tournament was a week long event that would start Sunday morning of the next week, which meant the contenders had time to register and enjoy the capitol some before the tournament really began.

He also understood that only 100 people were eligible for the official tournament fights and they could fight up to 3 times a day each or only once, it was all completely randomized. Finally if there were more than 100 contenders, which there most certainly were this year, then the entire pool of eligible contenders would randomly be placed inside an exhibition match up before the official matches and they would fight in individual smaller coliseum rooms with only 3 elementals max to use in the battle.

After reading through all the paperwork, Noah signed his name on the bottom of the last page handed it back to the woman behind the desk. She looked over the paperwork briefly then handed him an intricate octagon shaped dark stone that was smooth to the touch and fit in the palm of his hand with the numbers 497 engraved on the front. The woman told him that was his identification badge and that he shouldn't lose it as he won’t get a replacement and will be disqualified from the tournament this year; and the number engraved on it will serve as his tournament id.

Noah put his id stone, or badge as the lady told him it was called, in his pocket and went to find a restaurant, he was very hungry after hours of standing in line. It was practically dark by the time he got done. After his meal he went back to the inn to tell Primordious about what he learned today.

When Noah finished Primordious said, “It seems like you are going to be fighting in an enclosed or at least smaller room for the exhibition matches. And with only three elementals to bring our options are limited. We will take the electric serpents and I will join you as well to see what we’re up against, remember to bring the stone.”

“Yeah, no way I’m losing now, especially not in the exhibition matches.”

“When are the exhibition matches anyways?”

“I do not know couldn't find the details on that or where they will be, I suppose we will find out soon enough. I’m sure they will have a guild member in the lobby to relay all the contenders to the location when the time has come or make an announcement throughout the streets or something.” Noah yawned then continued, “Anyways I’m feeling pretty tired so I’m just going to go to sleep.”

And so the next day as Noah had expected there was in fact a Ragnarock guild member in the lobby of the inn, waiting patiently to pass out a pamphlet about the exhibition match for the contenders. On the pamphlet it showed the map to the coliseum area where the fights would take place and when they would start; which was tomorrow at noon.

After Noah put the pamphlet in his room he spent the rest of the day enjoying the festivities as much as he could. Then when it was time he went to bed and woke up the next day hours before noon. He ate his food then pulled out the serpent cards and Primordious card and hid the rest away in the upper corner of the closet just in case anyone tried something while he was away; then he left and headed straight to the exhibition following the map.