Chapter 51

The man guided Arthur through the hall. Runo’s office was at the higher part, so they had to go up a staircase to get there.

They went up the stairs and reached a locked door with guards in front of it. Arthur scanned these guards and saw that they were all level 40 plus.

Arthur got to meet Runo earlier than he thought, but with these types of guards around, kidnapping him would be impossible for now.

“Be respectful once inside. You can enter,” the man that led the way said that, and left.

The guards in front of the door all gazed fiercely at Arthur, sending him a message to not try anything stupid with Runo.

He got in, and the first thing he saw was a man staring at him from behind a desk.

Runo was someone with short black hair and had clear signs of being in his thirties. He wore a fine clothing, another sign of his wealth.

The room only had his desk with a few papers above it, and an enormous window where Runo watched the fights. There was a comfy chair made of fine materials as well, presumably where he sat to watch the people killing each other down there.

.

“Hello, Death Claw. Please, sit!”

Arthur saw nothing strange with Runo or the room, so he sat in a chair, facing Runo.

“I saw both of your fights, and I’m impressed. I have an offer for you. Would you like to hear?” said Runo with his arms crossed.

“Sure, why not?” Arthur did not know what Runo had in mind. An offer? What would he think if he knew Arthur was there planning on kidnapping him?

“There’s a tournament coming up next month. I want you to take part in it.”

“These illegal fights happen not only on this island, but in many others. We are gathering our brightest fighters to take part in an actual tournament held in a major city.”

Arthur did not feel like participating in that thing. What could this tournament possibly get him? Money? There were other ways to get that, and they would usually be a lot of easier than taking part in this tournament.

“What do I get fighting in this tournament? And what happens if I refuse it?” asked Arthur.

“Well, besides money, I heard some pretty ladies from another kingdom will be there watching.”

“What?” Arthur’s heart raced. The only people he knew that could be from another kingdom were his friends. If that was the case, then he had to take part in that tournament.

It was only a guess, but there was no way Arthur would let that pass.

“And there are some rumors roaming around saying that one god will finally appear again, but that’s something I’m doubting.”

“What? Really?”

Runo was saying some extraordinary things. That made Arthur want to take part in protecting his friends. He knew Runo was a bad person, and the only way to protect the people he cared about was going there in person.

“Yes. The tournament will happen in a month, but there’s the 15 days of trip that we need to consider, so we have 15 days before leaving. What do you say? Are you interested?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Good. You don’t have to fight anymore, just focus on resting until the tournament. I still have to gather a few more fighters in these 15 days, but that’s not something you need to worry about.”

“You can leave now.”

Arthur got up from his chair and left not only the office, but the building. He returned to the inn where all of his crew were staying.

~~~~

Inside a spacious room, Arthur told them what had happened.

“What? Really? You can’t go there alone.”

“I know, I know. That’s why we need to know where this tournament will take place, and you guys should go there as well.” said Arthur.

Kai and everyone else nodded. Arthur was their captain, so it was their duty to protect him, always.

They were all gathered in Arthur’s room to talk about that, but after it was over, they all headed back to their own rooms.

Arthur had 15 days to prepare for that tournament. What could he do? Well, he just got a mysterious book that had lots of dragons skills. It would be a waste if he didn’t learn those, right?

Alone inside the room, Arthur opened up the old book and started to carefully read it.

There were not only techniques inside that book but also training methods and some stories about the dragons’ era. It was like a diary from a dragon.

“The first thing you should know before studying this is what your element is. Each dragon has its own element, like fire, water, thunder, and all kinds. Usually your father already told you this, but who knows, maybe in the future there will be some lost dragons, even though I doubt it.”

“My master, per example, is of the shadow element. But our king, and the strongest of us, Placidusax, can train in all elements. He’s way above our league.”

The book talked about some major dragon figures, and then about a method used to get to know your element. Arthur didn’t try it, as he didn’t have any of the ingredients.

The book said Placidusax could train in all elements, and he was Placidusax, so he already had his answer.

“Even though I can train in all elements, it would be the best if I start with the basics. Like, first train some water techniques before trying the ice techniques, as these are linked.” thought Arthur.

It was a good thing the book was divided into elements, making it easier for those who are reading it.

The amount of details on each page, with the words and the figures. Arthur thought the book looked better than those the humans wrote, and that one was probably more than a thousand years old.

Fire was the first element of his choosing.

“Let’s start my training, and finally find my friends again!”