The Storm Challenges were set to begin in three days. The skills of the six fighters—Yan, Nayla, Luna, Nora, Kieran, and Torin—had been sharpened to an absolute edge by a month of intense, concentrated training. Their practice fights had become extremely close affairs, frequently determined by factors as trivial as what a person had eaten for breakfast or what they had dreamed about the night before.
The previous evening, the official lineup sheet for the match was posted. At a casual meeting in Nora's hotel suite, Nayla printed a number of copies and handed them out. For the prestigious tournament, 726 fighters had signed up. Every group member eagerly perused the list, looking for their own name and the name of their opponent from the first round.
Two of the three powerful fighters who came from the fabled House Jarn were Kelton and Astyn Jarn, respectively, and it appeared that fate had dealt Nora and Kieran difficult hands. They found the information they needed about their opponents with a quick search on BattleWeb.
The opponent of Nora, Kelton Jarn, had a lengthy and illustrious fighting career. He was already formally being considered for promotion to the Elite fighter tier at the age of twenty-four standard years, two years older than Nora. He was a Fire elemental warrior, and he carried the standard Jarn weapons: two heavy-caliber pistols holstered at his hips, a longbow with quiver, a large round shield, a brace of throwing axes, and a massive long-handled battle axe. Nora was unable to resist admiring his battle armor as she looked at his official profile picture. His lower legs and forearms were shielded by overlapping geometric plates that vanished beneath a thick layer of chainmail that covered his torso. His helmet was rather plain, with just the House Jarn emblem—the recognizable four-point Celtic knot—adorning it. Orange-anodized metal was used to band and back his shield, which was made of wood that had been stained a rich, deep red. Along the edges of his armor plates and shield rim were intricate runes that the Jarns believed to have inherent protective powers. According to House Jarn custom, Kelton used no electronic sensors other than simple audio and olfactory pickups built into his helmet, so he could naturally hear and smell his surroundings.
Kelton's sister was Astyn Jarn, Kieran's opponent. She was registered as an Earth elemental warrior, which surprised me. This was a little out of the ordinary, since the physically taxing Earth style was primarily preferred by men; few female fighters had the raw offensive power usually associated with the Earth element. Although equally impressive, her armor was in the same general Jarn configuration, with a heavy mail coat split at the legs covering her torso and upper limbs and plate armor protecting the extremities. Astyn preferred to fight with twin axes and mostly used a shield slung across her back to protect herself from ranged attacks. She carried two daggers and two pistols at her sides, and all of her weapons were engraved with runes that matched her brother's.
"You lucky bastards…" Yan muttered to himself as he looked through his datapad's statistics for his own opponent from the first round. His draw appeared mundane in comparison to a Jarn. This probably meant he would have an easier time getting to the final rounds, but it also provided little real challenge. Syl Noran, a Njalaa and Air elemental fighter, was his opponent. He had a dull past and even less impressive equipment: two daggers listed as primary weapons, supported by a light sword, two pistols, and a sniper rifle. Noran's statistics showed that he was fast, but not unnaturally so. Although the Njalaa's unusual three-eyed physiology allowed him 360 degrees of vision, which might be problematic, nothing in his record indicated that he was a serious threat.
But Luna was happy enough with her draw. A male Toas, one of the uncommon products of contentious human genetic research carried out almost a century ago, was her opponent. There were only nineteen Toas in all, and they had the unusual quality of not aging when they reached physical maturity. Although they had a basic humanoid shape, their most remarkable characteristic was their near-perfect transparency, which was only suggested by the vague, translucent outlines of their internal organs. Toas usually wore no clothes because they had no body hair and no biological need to hide. Their names were given based only on their order of production; 'Eight' was the name given to Luna's opponent. Eight, a Death elemental fighter like Luna herself, contrasted sharply and dramatically with his crystalline, translucent flesh by donning articulated armor made of gloss black composite forged in flowing, organic shapes. A hand-and-a-half sword (bastard sword), a military-grade assault rifle, six fragmentation grenades, a high-caliber handgun, and two backup daggers were among his weapons of choice.
"Three days…" A knot of anxious anticipation tightened in Nora's stomach as she breathed and exhaled slowly. It was widely accepted that the Jarns were the most skilled fighting House ever formed. It was terrifying to think of going up against one of their members in single combat. However, she was aware that the judges of the tournament, who chose finalists based on skill, strategy, and honor shown during matches in addition to wins, would probably give her a positive rating whether or not she actually beat Kelton. Kieran's match against Astyn followed the same reasoning. But the reality for the others was more severe: a defeat meant they were immediately out of the competition. Nobody ever claimed that it would be simple. Silently, Nora reminded herself.
"Net5 News and Sports provides you with live coverage of the Storm Challenges from the historic Doryn Station arena to the outermost regions of the galaxy! Greetings, citizens, to this gladiatorial season's last major contest! Here, the greatest of the best have assembled, all keen to demonstrate their abilities on the galactic stage. Thus, unwind and relish your front-row seat to the action.
The stadium reverberated with the announcer's loud voice. For professional fighters, such commentators were a universal curse because they were frequently seen as commercializing their deeply held beliefs and reducing honor and combat to a gimmick for the sake of viewership. The practice of broadcasting live play-by-play commentary straight into the competitors' helmet communications was tried in a few arenas, but it was swiftly dropped due to the widespread boycotts of fighters. Thankfully, Marty Telken, a former well-respected fighter, was the tournament's announcer, giving hope that he had at least a passing understanding of the subtleties taking place on the arena floor.
Presently, all 726 registered contestants were gathered on the expansive arena floor, dressed in immaculate white dress uniforms, anticipating the Nine's official arrival. One of the Nine's many solemn responsibilities, carried out with deep sincerity, was to oversee the season's last major Elemental tournament. If they later passed the infamously difficult tests needed to join the top tier of the fighting world, the fighters who finished in the top ten rankings at the end of the Storm Challenges would be automatically considered for promotion to the Elite level.
Telken went on with his introduction. "People, we have some fierce competitors fighting for honors at the Storm Challenges! From well-known veterans like Dren Kylwin and Cynna Kael to up-and-coming talent like the fierce Luna Trevyn or the indisputable charm of Yan Zantara!"
Both Luna and Yan were initially taken aback to hear their names called out among the hundreds in attendance. Luna let her lips form a rare, contented smile. But Yan actually flushed, glancing down at his boots to dodge the drones of the hovering cameras. Nayla had to force herself not to laugh at his response.
With his voice rising in dramatic crescendo, Telken declared, "And now, ladies and gentlemen," "let the opening ceremonies begin without further ado! "Please stand up and greet the Nine!"
A thunderous cheer of welcome erupted from nearly half a million spectators in the enormous arena stands. The gathered fighters moved in unison on the arena floor below at the same moment. They clapped their right fists in their left palms in perfect unison and made a deep, ceremonial bow, a sign of great respect as old as organized combat itself. In order to ensure maximum visibility, the announcer's podium was placed high on an artificial stone precipice within the stands, and Marty Telken respectfully stepped back from it.
Nine figures appeared, moving in single file to the place of honor from the enormous ceremonial doors at the end of the ramp that led up to the podium. The three were fully dressed in the neutral grey armor that denoted their Omega status. The other six were dressed in armor painted in the vivid colors of the six Elements, with grey cloaks draped over it. All were heavily armed, but none had helmets. The six Sigmas were positioned just behind the three Omegas, who occupied the front of the platform.
Ryn Wodar, the First Omega, moved from his position in the middle. He weighed 235 pounds of powerful, lean muscle and stood an impressive 6'4". He was once a famous Fire warrior. His remarkable yellow eyes, which were caused by a rare genetic defect, exuded a serene, kind assurance. Although he let a few loose strands frame his face, his long brown hair was neatly braided into three thick strands that hung down his back. His broad chest appeared to be able to deflect a bullet even without armor, and his limbs were thick and corded with muscle. He had a powerful chin, but his full, well-groomed beard gave the impression that he was several years older than his thirty-two years. Speaking entirely from memory, he addressed the large, completely silent audience.
Wodar said, "Greetings, my fellow warriors," in a clear and resonant voice. Even though the majority of us present have never met in person, there is an unbreakable bond between us that goes beyond simple acquaintance. We lead demanding lives and have similar goals, but above all, we have similar values. Our lives—and our readiness to die—are governed by ancient customs and codes of honor, by the truth of bloodshed and the need for reconciliation. These same qualities enable us to carry out brave and selfless deeds that will be the subject of stories for centuries to come, even though our hands are capable of great destruction and are tools of might. We will see such acts today, and we hope that they will motivate us to carry out many more in the future."
He stopped, looking around at the gathered combatants. "Our galaxy has not experienced a major conflict in several hundred years, and everyone in good health fervently hopes that this peace will last. But if there is ever a call for our assistance, we are prepared to respond—with courage, with dignity, and with the earnest hope that such a call will never really come. And now the time has come, fellows! It's time to put ourselves to the test, push one another, and aim for greatness! "Let the competition start!" All of the spectators and fighters in the audience let out a loud cheer as Wodar lifted both clenched fists high into the air.
Then, one by one, the six Sigmas came forward. First was Earth Sigma Evan Karyn. The powerfully built warrior pulled a huge broadsword from the sheath on his back and held it high above his head with a fluid motion. He cried out, "Who stands for Earth?" with his green eyes glimmering.
Immediately, all of the warriors on the field whose uniforms featured the green stripe representing the element of Earth pulled out their main weapon, raised it in the air, and sounded a single, deafening scream. Their voices seemed to reverberate through the very earth beneath them. For the remaining five Elements, this procedure was repeated. The Sigmas for Fire, Water, Air, Life, and Death were Kael Noris, Aeryn Lektar, Mayen Castellar, Fiona Maren, and Kael Wyn, respectively, and each evoked a strong, cohesive reaction from the fighters who belonged to that element.
Together, the three Omegas moved forward as the Sigmas finished their calls. Ryn Wodar held his twin longswords above his head, crossed. Wyn Tolar raised her shining spear to the sky. The ambient light was caught by the ferocious flames of Sylen Dar's twin tanto daggers.
Together, their voices reverberated throughout the enormous arena as they demanded, "Who stands for honor?"
Every weapon on the field was raised well above the head of its wielder in retaliation. The old stone walls of the arena at Doryn Station shook under the ensuing yell, a united chorus of 726 warriors. After the ceremony was over, the Nine sat down in their assigned seats with a view of the arena floor. After completing their official tasks, the fighters filed solemnly toward the locker rooms to put on their battle armor. Officially, the Storm Challenges had started.
"Match seventeen will begin in ten minutes. Three minutes before the start of the game, Kelton Jarn and Nora Rahmyn should be at the designated gates, fully suited and waiting. There are seven minutes left. For a while now, forthcoming matches had been announced over the arena's loudspeaker system. Despite its effectiveness, the synthesized voice annoyed me. But Nora was not thinking about that at all.
She was now fastening the plates on her right arm, almost completely armored. Velcro strips sewn onto the outer layer of her climate-control undersuit held the scavenged armor pieces loosely in place, while heavy-duty straps held them firmly in place. The legs of a figure in eye-catching red-anodized armor popped into her peripheral vision as she completed tightening the lower arm plate. She knew immediately who it was from the characteristic runes carved along the base of the ankle greaves.