As fate would dictate, Jessi's night wouldn't go without at least one more misfortune, or perhaps not so much, depending only on the knight's judgment...
As soon as Jessi began to doze off in the warm waters of the palace's bath, a certain sound would end up calling for his attention, that sound being the shuffling of the water right next to him, as a certain princess decided to make her presence know.
"Are you enjoying your stay, knight?" Emilia asked with a soft voice as if to not disturb Jessi in his sleep, Were he to shake off the allures of the Sandman, Jessi would noticed that Emilia was so close as to her breath being felt upon his face, in fact, the slight pressure and soft sensation on his legs would suggest that the Princess was sitting right by his lap with her pale and untainted body covered by nothing but a simple towel.
"Such handsomeness should not be wasted on a girl that can't even learn to show her appreciation of someone who saved her life." Emilia's right hand ran down from Jessi's face to his chest, tracing the wounds and scars of the previous battle as well as any other old one that he might have. The Princess touch was painful, sure but also pleasant beyond belief which was only natural when one considers that Emilia's arts are based upon the manipulation of flesh, sinew and bone, probably no one knows how a human body works better than she does and, while on this matter...
"Say, why don't you become mine? I could give you all the rewards I promised for the tournament and even more, all you have to do is something so simple. As a proof of my truthfulness, I'll heal all your wounds, so that you can be in shape when the time for battle comes again." With that said, Emilia drew a mark on Jessi's chest and soon enough his wounds were all stitched up by her wires, now all that Jessi would need to heal was some rest. "Now, that I held my word, what will you say?"
That last request was in fact whispered right on Jessi's ear as Emilia reclined upon his healing body, pressing her own softness against his toned muscles, while her thighs kept Jessi's waist locked. Sure, this was a dangerous situation, whose outcome depended only on Jessi. Nevertheless, what was to come after the next three days would be even more dangerous.
• • •
Three days later...
Finally, the so waited day had come, the
Coloseum rumbled with the cries of the cries of the masses, today was a day of glory in battle and a day of death, a day they waited so long to witness and finally, their beloved Princess had provided such show for them.
Bread and circuses, just like on old times that was all one needed to appease the masses and both were being provided by Emilia, in the form of a generous distribution of food and the carnage that was about to begin. Thus, it was no wonder that, when the Princess stepped away from the veil concealing her throne to greet the combatants personally, raising her hand to call for a attention, the crowd silenced. In the moments before Emilia spoke even the wind seemed to become still, almost as if nature itself feared the consequences of crossing the daughter of the Butcher of Warovia.
"I, Emilia Warov, Princess in exile of the Kingdom of Warovia, welcome you on this day when we celebrate the memory of my father. Naturally, there's only one way that would honor the legacy he lived to uphold and it's be the sheding of blood. For this very reason, I have brought before you these warriors who answered the call of their hearts and joined us on this feast of death.
Fear not warriors, for this expectacle shall not go unrewarded for the one who manages to best all in his ath will be reward in kind not only with gold and gems from Warovia's secret vaults as well as with my hand and eternal loyalty."
Emilia made a brief pause to let the speech sink on the gladiators minds, before pointing to a blood red crystal hovering over a pedestal in front of her, "Furthermore, whoever is the winner of this tournament will have the chance of claiming the Red Relic, once the tribute has been paid in blood. Lastly, I have one last secret reward for he or she who is willing to go beyond all bounds and become a butcher worth of my father's fame." As she said so, Emilia ordered her servants to lift the curtain and sat back on her throne, right beside her, a person was sitting. The swaying blood-red hair, golden eyes and pale skin that was exposed partially, by a light dress would leave no doubt in the heart of anyone that lived on Exilia for she was the one who had condemned most of them to live here. Besides Emilia was Eleonor, most likely known as Asgard, the Crimson Knight.
It looked like she was somehow Asgard was drugged, or under the power of Emilia's foul magic, because she didn't even resisted when the Princess caressed her face, before lifting Asgard's chin with a finger before getting ever so close of kissing her just to turn the ever crescent wail of the public into a shout that rocked the Colosseum from its very foundations.
"Indeed", Emilia said, "for the one who wins, I lay the ultimate fate of Asgard, my most hated foe. Whether it's killing her, or turning the Crimson Knight into a personal slave, the choice will be yours. Now, with my father's blessing... Let the games begin!"
• • •
As Emilia declared the beginning of the games, the arena staff came to fetch the combatants and clear the grounds for battle. The whole tournament (not counting the preliminary rounds, held yesterday) would be a simple deathmatch where every contestant had to best four foes before the Grand Final.
With everything decided, it looked like Fei first foe would be a Barbarian of the Northlands who had an ax-shaped tome with power over the Artic winds. Jessi on the other hand will be facing a member of a dying race of warriors, a samurai with a blade that can create and control shadows. The way the have been placed on the tournament meant that Fei and Jessi would have to face one another in the final, in case both of them got there.
With all said and done, what would happen from now on was up to Fei and Jessi to decide.
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