As Halfthur retreated back towards where Alistair and Wavesun were standing, an enormous projection filled the air above the dais. Gazing upwards at the dais, the players watched as lists began to appear in midair, displaying the names of the divisions and partic.i.p.ants.
"Looks like I"m in division B," Eric remarked, peering towards the enormous projection.
"Same," said Rob.
"I don"t think any of us are in division A. But it looks like everyone else but me and Gio are in division D," Mark replied.
"Seems like you"ve got the easiest path to the finals then Mark," Ryan teased.
Mark rolled his eyes, "Hopefully none of you end up having to teamkill each other early on. Our levels are all fairly high, so if we"re lucky we"ll all be seeded pretty far away from each other."
As the group discussed the divisions, a rumbling began to fill the arena. Breaking off their conversation, the group watched wide-eyed as a number of circular platforms rose from the ground below, each platform in a different quadrant of the stadium.
Feeling himself rising, Eric watched as the ground below where his friends were standing began to move further away from him, the ground he was standing on slowly rising into the air.
After roughly ten seconds, the rumbling stopped and silence returned to the arena grounds. The arena floor was now filled with four circular, stone arenas, each raised roughly five feet off the ground, with steps leading up from opposite ends of each circle.
Looking around, Eric could see that the reactions to this new development were mixed. Some players had taken it in stride, simply observing the new arenas, or standing around looking bored. Others looked terrified, their heads moving from side to side as if looking for a hidden attacker.
The audience in the stands seemed unfazed by this event, pointing and laughing at the players who"d displayed the most interesting reactions.
Looking down on the rest of the group in amus.e.m.e.nt, Eric jumped down with a grin, "I always knew my place was above you Jun."
"In your dreams, dumba.s.s," Jun retorted.
Before Eric could retort, Mark shushed him, pointing to the dais which had been partially obscured by the new stages. Seeing that the announcer looked ready to make another announcement, Eric and Jun went quiet, both eager for the tournament to start.
Observing the players reactions with amus.e.m.e.nt, Halfthur smiled. Striding forward once more, he addressed the awaiting colosseum, "Please proceed to the stands and await your matches. The first matches for each division will be displayed above. Good luck!"
Gazing at the projection hovering above the arena, Eric spied his name high up on the list, near the top of B-division.
"It looks like my match is coming up pretty soon. See you guys after I win," Eric announced with a grin.
"You"d better not lose to some scrub," Ryan laughed.
"I"ll be fine as long as I don"t go up against the tournament winner. And that"s impossible as it"s going to be me," Eric replied with a grin.
"In your dreams. There"s no way you"re beating me when your teacher won"t even teach you new magic," Jun taunted back.
"We"ll just have to see in the finals, for now I"ve got a match to win," Eric replied, leaving the group behind as he made his way over towards the ring his fight was in.
Making his way through the arena, Eric was surprised to see that Rob had followed him over.
"I decided to come with you. My match is right after yours," Rob explained, walking beside Eric towards the division B section of the arena.
There were four circular platforms, one in each of the four sections of the arena. Partic.i.p.ating in the second match for division B, Eric was the next fighter up as soon as the first fight on the stage below came to a conclusion.
Climbing into the stands next to their section, Eric and Rob settled down and watched as the fighters from each division a.s.sembled upon their respective stages, looking nervously around as they stood atop the platforms. One of the fighters was trembling so much that he dropped his hammer, the weapon clanking as it struck the stone platform below.
This elicited laughs from the audience, causing the fighter to turn beet red as he scrambled to pick up his weapon. Fortunately for the other fighters, this one man farce lightened the atmosphere, helping to alleviate the air of nervousness that had settled upon the four stages.
"Bunch of tournament newbies. I bet most of them have never been in a tournament before in their lives," Eric remarked, smiling as he watched the nervous fighter grip his hammer tightly, as if he feared it might fly away if he gave it the chance.
"Better for us I suppose," Rob responded with a laugh, leaning back as he watched the referees jump on stage, ready to begin the fights.
"The first matches are about to begin. Audience, are you ready?" Halfthur screamed, his voice piercing the empty stadium.
Roaring enthusiastically, the audience responded with cheers and waves. Halfthur frowned in an exaggerated manner, his likeness appearing upon the projection above, replacing the pairings. "I said, are you ready? Let me hear you make some noise!" Halfthur bellowed.
The resulting wave of sound nearly bowled Eric over, clutching his ears as he turned to look at the crowd that had gathered behind them. The residents of Vindammer Town had evidently turned out en ma.s.se, filling the stands that had been nearly empty only half an hour before. Right now they were all on their feet, stomping and cheering as they responded to Halfthur"s provocations.
"Well there"s something I never thought I"d experience at a video game tournament," Eric remarked dryly.
"What?" Rob asked, shouting to be heard over the roar of the crowd.
"Thousands of cheering fans, all here to watch us fight. Although I"m not sure if NPC viewers count."
"What?" Rob shouted once more.
"Ah forget it," Eric waved his hand to dismiss the matter.
Shrugging, Rob looked over towards the stage where Halfthur was looking at the audience in appreciation, a big grin upon his craggy face.
"That"s better! Now, the first four matches will begin. Fighters get ready! Once your referee rings the fight bell, the fight is on. Fight well, and may the best fighter win!" Halfthur shouted, raising his arms in a theatrical manner.