“To be honest, I don’t think any of us had honestly been expecting you to arrive, your Lady. Most of the opinions were that when an invitation was sent to you on behalf of our organization, it was one done as a gesture of good will. Not one that you would have reciprocated in an appearance…” The man’s words were shaky, worried even. Rightly so however, especially given the unexpected appearance of Astrid Venier, the Senator of Oak Town, one of the most powerful individuals within all of Western Fiore, having arrived to witness the festivities, a makeshift tournament of strength that often took place within Baska.

It was hardly a new thing, these tournaments that they held. Most of the time they were simply attempts to generate interest in guilds or groups that may have been organizing it at the time. Typically they weren’t all too impressive, certainly not to the level of notoriety of a guild like Paradise Dawn or Blue Pegasus, but ones that wanted to make a name for themselves and sought people who wanted the same thing. It was in that that these tournaments proved to be a great device to achieve that. It gave people a chance to showcase themselves, whether for the sake of these guilds or just for themselves, and it was a chance for some people to make some money along the way.

232/1500 (-40% | -20% Sia & Noir, -20% Symbiotic Fleshweave)

In truth, these events turned out to be great for the people. Opportunities that extended far beyond just those that were competing; vendors, patrons, officials, there were no shortage of those that saw these tournaments taking place as chances to improve themselves too. And though they were not unanimously beloved by the people, the small percentage of those who would complain often found their complaints falling on deaf ears. Fighting may not have been the most savory thing that was taking place throughout Baska, or any city for that matter, but at least it was something that drove enough interest and profit to the city, and sadly that was enough for those who may have had their own moral challenges and opposition to it to look the other way.

It was especially true in the rare instances that someone of Astrid’s position were to arrive. Politicians generally turned a blind eye to the tournaments that were hosted, sometimes showing up themselves, certainly if there were notable competitors. But broadly, it seemed that there was a very mixed sentiment about their appearance. However, in this it was something special. Not only a foreign politician, but one who in the scheme of influence and power was someone who all but dwarfed most of the local leaders who showed up. As such, a red carpet of sorts had been rolled out for Astrid, everyone wanting to celebrate her, treat her as if she were a distinguished guest, which she was. But the manner of how they carried themselves, she could not help but smile at the admiration, indulging in it for all that it was worth.

505/1500 (-40% | -20% Sia & Noir, -20% Symbiotic Fleshweave)

It was a fairly standard affair, all things considered. The prize was not the largest that it had been in recent history, nor was the talent pool exactly the most top of the line either. The people were capable, able to fight, had some skill to themselves, and even may have been able to achieve something depending on the course that their careers would end up taking them. So it was far from a wasted trip, and honestly, Astrid looked forward to the chance to see what else the West had in store for her. So much of her time had been centered around her numerous business affairs within the local and political level in Oak Town, so being able to unwind, if even for just a short time, was worthwhile.

And that wasn’t to ignore the reality that maybe whomever would find themselves winning perhaps would have an opportunity for employment within Oak Town. It wasn’t as though they were contracted fighters who had obligations or responsibilities beyond those to themselves. Astrid could always use muscle, particularly proven talent, and if there were one who interested her enough, it was not impossible to extend the opportunity. Even better, it was not as though it was a massive recruitment effort either. Everyone, especially those who were within the West, knew of the fortunes that were occurring within Oak Town. A chance to go there themselves, at the hiring of the one who was practically calling all of the shots within Oak Town no less, it was something that if people had been made aware was a potential opportunity, there would have been a much greater pool of competitors here.

784/1500 (-40% | -20% Sia & Noir, -20% Symbiotic Fleshweave)

The first few rounds were nothing special, though even from what she could see, there were certainly some skilled fighters. She had to wager that even amongst those who were there, there was probably at least one or two who would have had success working within Oak Town, so though she never vocalized any suggestion or idea, it would certainly be something that she may pitch to whomever won. Perhaps. There was no guarantee on her part, and though talent was always a premium, so too was loyalty. Those who won and the rest who interested her, they would at the minimum receive careful consideration, even likely hear back from Astrid at some point. But there was no guarantee as to the likelihood that things would go the way she figured that they would, but that would be something to think about later.

As the rounds moved towards the later rounds, she continued to watch on, hoping for something that may have inspired her or given her a bit of confidence that she was as much recruiting as she was enjoying the event. Very quickly, the rounds began to shorten and shorten as fatigue set in across all the competitors and the fights before more tactical, one false step being enough to end up failing to achieve any sort of victory. It led to them all ending rather hastily, if not a little underwhelming even. The first fights were so full of energy and life, it was as if they were never going to end, and yet these were seeming to be far from that impression.

Another fight that ended quick, her expression somewhere between boredom and indifference. She wanted them to compete, and they were, that was no doubt. But it did not seem like the great fight that she was hoping for was going to end up happening.

Not at this rate anyway.

1099/1500 (-40% | -20% Sia & Noir, -20% Symbiotic Fleshweave)

Going into the final rounds, Astrid decided to make her presence more felt. Perhaps that was the problem that they were facing right now, the fighters not being aware of what was at stake. As she stepped towards the arena, there came a cacophony of gasps and shocked expressions echoing out as she stepped forward, a smirk on her face, knowing that everyone was reacting to her arrival. Few would have known she was there if not for her having been seen earlier, and now, there was no hiding it, but she wasn’t ashamed of that fact.

If it meant that the fighters would encourage a more serious fight, she was all for it. It was at that point that she made a strange, if not shocking decision to the two were fighting for the winning title, stepping into the arena entirely. She knew, much like everyone else, that there was going to be little fight left based on how exhausted all of them were, both men barely able to react let alone fight most likely. So she made an offer to the pair, a different way of going about determining the winner of this tournament as opposed to an underwhelming fight. Whoever of the pair were able to land a strike against her, that would be enough to declare one the winner.

It was a risky gamble, something that she knew would be interesting, if not even entertaining to try and go about. It would be different, at the very least. One of them tried to lunge at Astrid, but was grabbed in the air by the other who proceeded to then stomp down on them over and over again, to the point well past that of exhaustion. There was no hope that she would have been struck by the figure who was on the ground, the other one was bound to make sure of. But in doing that, they also found themselves, they could barely stand, much less make any sort of effort to actually land a strike against Astrid. They were a walking corpse essentially. It was exactly what she figured would have happened, but it was still fun to see all the same, and as the man made a poor effort to strike, his excuse for a punch failing to come even close to connecting, Astrid reached forth, taking hold of the man for a brief second, whispering something within his ear as the man fell to the ground in exhaustion. It was perfect display, a perfect performance.

And to the delight of the people, she could not help but take a bow at the expense of the champion who doubtfully even realized that they had won. Whether they would receive the boon of a job in Oak Town, it remained to be seen. But for now, they were certainly the winner.

1575/1500 (-40% | -20% Sia & Noir, -20% Symbiotic Fleshweave)