Through the city of rain and fog, Sachi, Lyra, Dion and their godly companions were led by Vergo, the Tidecaller's right hand man, to where the tournament would be held.
Through the fog, a building with a grandiose facade slowly came into focus. Banners flapped wildly in the morning wind, echoing the anticipation that charged the air around them.
"W-what is this place?" Lyra starred up to the extraordinarily large building that expanded beyond the fog.
Sachi recognized it.
"You've never seen a Football stadium before, Lyra? I thought you were an athlete?"
"I am an athlete! And I've never heard of a 'Football Stadium' before."
Vergo chuckled. "She's not from the same realm as you, Sachihiro. The realms are grouped in tens, Realm 10 to 20 are all similar, with small differences. She must be from one of those, without football."
'Must be why Lady April only recognized me from Earth.'
"Right this way, then."
Vergo led them to a small, bleak side entrance labeled "Employees and Participants only!"
Lyra began to shake subtly. "So this is really happening, huh…"
Dion pat her shoulder. "Relax, you trained plenty didn't you? You'll make out fine."
Lyra looked to the cracked gray stone on the ground. "Yeah…"
Through a labyrinth of halls, Vergo eventually led them to a small room, with nothing but a wooden boat floating in a small pool of water.
"What is this?" Sachi looked to Vergo.
Vergo only laughed. "Hop in the boat. The games about to start."
Sachi gulped, 'would it be a naval battle?'
Nervously, Dion, Lyra, and Sachi stepped into the boat. The design reminded Sachi more of chariot than a boat, but it was certainly floating on water.
Zephyr and Serendelle would be in the stadium. Gods can't even participate in this realms killing game, much less this tournament. They would just have to watch from afar.
Sachi noticed something attached to the front of the boat, a seat tethered to two strange animals.
Pale gray horse-like creatures, except it was only the front half of a horse. Sachi recognized them from games he use to play, they were part of mythology from his home realm.
They were kelpie from Scottish mythology; water horses that would drag victims to their death. Though, that was only mythology. This was the real deal.
Vergo spoke before departing. "You want my advice? You'd best have someone driving that thing."
With a loud slam, the door shut behind him.
"The hells he mean 'drive'?" Dion was just as confused as the rest of them.
Before they could respond, the ground began to shake with dust jumping across the room. The wall that the boat faced began to lower, revealing The center of the stadium made entirely of water.
A loud voice began to blare.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the fifth annual Tournament of Liberation! The first game of this evening is a demolition derby, the last boat standing moves on to round two!"
"Demolish derby? Does that mean…"
The announcer began to speak again.
"And now to introduce the first teams of the evening!"
"In the blue corner, we have Team Joshua, A bold and charismatic young man leading his team to their freedom!"
"In the green corner, we have Team Ragnar, a destructive and unpredictable group. Though, that seems to be the reason they're the top vote to win the round!"
"In the yellow corner, we have Team Connor, a relatively unknown group, but they're bound to make a wave in this first round, literally!"
"And finally, in the red corner, we have Team Sachi! A team lead by a Lesser Champion! They're the underdogs in this match, the payout for their bet is three times as high as the rest!"
Dion spoke in a hush voice. "They're… betting on us?"
Sachi nodded slowly. "They said this was the biggest spectacle of the year, it would only make sense for them to be so invested."
The announcer delivered a final message. "Teams! Please enter the water arena!"
From the small hall that led out to the open battlefield, Sachi could see the other teams, each one with a person holding the reins of the kelpie, much like a horse chariot.
Sachi hopped over the front of the boat and landed in the small seat with the reins. "If they want a spectacle, we'll just have to give them one."
Sachi was a city boy, he had never rode a horse before, much less drove a carriage. He picked up the reins in his hand, struggling to find a proper grip.
Dion tapped his shoulder, motioning for him to come back. "Sachi, let me do it. I've had a similar experience with something like this."
'It's better if I hang back, Lyra and I are the only ones who can attack at a range.'
Sachi nodded, and grasped Dion's hand, pulling each other into the opposite places they had just been.
As soon as they swapped, the boat began to move forwards, shaking with each passing wave. Sachi held a tight grip on the sturdy wood, keeping himself steady. Lyra seemed to be adjusting the same, but she looked green in the face.
"Are you… getting sea sick?"
Lyra propped herself up on the side of the boat, facing Sachi. She spoke with a clear sickness in her voice.
"I've… never been on a boat before."
"Are you-"
Lyra held up her hand, halting Sachi's speech.
"I'll be fine… I have to give it everything I've got…"
They finally entered the extraordinarily large arena, and the announcer's voice boomed again.
"Is everybody ready? I know I am! In…"
"3!"
"2!"
"1!"
"Go! Last boat standing wins!"
The other chariots began to take off, each of them had one target: Team Sachi.
Take out the easiest target first, then focus on the next.
"Damnit! Move us out of here, Dion!"
Dion responded in a rattled voice. "I'm trying! They aren't moving for some reason!"
Sachi grit his teeth. "Get ready to fight back, Lyra!"
The poor girl was clearly woozy, she had her bow aimed high, but her aim was clearly shaky.
"Sachi! The kelpie are tangled up in something! It's barely visible, but I can see it!"
'Damnit!'
Sachi rushed to the front of the boat. He saw that Team Joshua and Team Connor had tried to sneakily pick each other off, causing them to be distracted in their own battle. Now it was just the one team they had to deal with.
Sachi leaned over the edge of the boat, lowering his katana into the water, trying to feel around for the whatever kept them from moving.
'..! There it is!'
He leaned forward a little bit more, and cut the invisible rope that held them up.
Dion shouted. "Sachi!"
The ripple of the wave had hit him first, but Team Ragnar's boat had swooped in. Their leader, Ragnar, stretched out his hand, and grabbed Sachi's collar.
The sudden force ripped Sachi off the boat, now dangling above the icy water in the grasps of a destructive man.
"Hahaha! You Lesser Champions are exactly as the rumors go: weak as shit!"
Sachi flailed, trying to grab the hand that held his very life.
"I heard that not even the Eternal Flame wants your dog-piss strength for himself, and lets his lackeys deal with ya! I'm gonna be the next Major God, so I won't need your shit either!"
Laughing as if he was enjoying belittling Sachi, he let go of his collar.
Sachi plummeted into the cool blue water beneath him, desperately trying to hold his breath, and clutching on to his blade.
He heard a rumbling beneath him. He turned downwards to what seemed to be a bottomless pit, only to find the pit was staring right back at him.
Two glowing eyes emerged from the shadows, covered with scales and fins. It swam closer to Sachi, and opened its mouth.
The gaping maw created a vortex that inhaled anything in its path. All the water that Sachi had been so desperately trying to escape had now been inhaled into the belly of the beast.
And so had Sachi.