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And so the games began.

If one could call the first dance of the qualifiers any sort of game to begin with. Eli wasn’t particularly impressed, with his hands still buried in his pockets as he looked onward as eight commoners made their way to the arena floor.

The game was stacked against them. With the nobility guaranteed for entry in the second or third round, it allowed men to rest on their laurels as the children of peasants, craftsmen, and merchants dueled for a place in the ranks of a knight. They had everything to lose and everything to gain. In contrast to nobles who had nothing to lose and nothing to gain, it created a stark contrast that Eli noticed pretty clearly. Eli would have to remain bored while he waited his turn and the commoners were whittled down to a small number, before ultimately having their limited stamina tested by people like him who had to wait their turn due to archaic rules and principles that skewed the idea of becoming a knight a noble privilege. A sigh left his breath; it was neither particularly fair or fun.

His fellow nobles to his left and right couldn’t have possibly thought this was the proper way to showcase skills was it? Eli didn’t look at either of them, whoever they may have been, and uttered a comment that was as bored as it was annoyed.

[color=69D7CC]“Doesn’t seem fair.”[/color] He mused, [color=69D7CC]“They get to have fun and showcase their skills while we sit and wait our turn.”[/color]