A Day to Remember
by Rae the Bard
Some people say, the first day of the Lega Lipsia is like the first day of spring after a long and dark winter. A point in time where everyone leaves their comfortable caves to come into the light to celebrate the beginning of something new, something grandiose. A new dawn of hope.
People who say this are wrong of course. It was a bloodbath.
Heat blurred the air in front of the great Pöge-Arena, making it hard to think straight. This was the place where fame was forged and destinies could be won. A monument to the art of spell-battle!
Every one of us arcanists was on edge that day, as if a deeply rooted instinct compelled us to be always watchful. The heat seeped into our minds and hearts and left no room for compassion. I looked into my colleagues’ eyes and saw only determination.
When I arrived at my first fight, I knew I had lost, before the fight even began. My opponent stared at me with their elvish eyes from across the dusty grounds of the colosseum. Their hair swimming in the heated air as if it was weightless. They were wearing a white robe with just the faintest hint of rosé. An eerie aura of mystery surrounded them. They looked gorgeous and ethereal, while my dark curls were clinging to my head like a dead octopus. I guess all the necromancy lately wasn’t doing my hair any favors. My foe raised their hand and pointed into the air.
Their first spell was water.
Short interlude: My name is Rae the Bard (they/them) and this isn’t my first spell fight. I’ve been summoning lands and tapping spells ever since Champions of Ravnica. I was the one who hid Coldsnap from the public and you can thank me for it. You might know me from my bestselling booklet: “Twelve easy and simple ways to eat a Mulldrifter – number five will shock you” I once killed a Tarblegoyf with a single chain of lightning. But enough bragging, the reason I’m telling you this is so that you know, that I know, that it’s not called “water” mana. But on that fateful day, it was the only thing I could think of: this beautiful blue substance, the liquid nectar of the sea, rain manifested in malleable form, heart of the cucumber.
My head was already aching. The first time I had drawn my spells for the fight I had seen no mana. This happens from time to time, nothing to worry about. When I had to redraw for the fourth time however, I knew, it was over for me. I waited for them to summon their spells and show me their strategies, before I conceded the first fight of the duel. The water magic they summoned was impressive—they showed faeries, ninjas, and mind magic. It could have been a great fight, but the fates wouldn’t allow it. I was already beginning to lose hope. The dream of fame and glory faded from my mind. But then the second fight turned the tides in my favor. The look on their face, when I summoned my own ninjas from death magic was priceless. I couldn’t help but grin very smugly. It was a spell I had learned from a wizard friend and it was the newest addition to my spell cards, which mostly revolved around wild fire. It only took a short time to even the scores and when my opponent hit the floor unconscious, they had more than just a small scratch.
“Call me Shai Hulud Dentist, because I saw so many Crys during that fight.”
(Can someone please explain this joke to me, I don’t know what it means)
Was there still a possibility, I could be the Champion at the end of the day? With my eyes closed, I took a long and deep breath, before the third and last fight of this duel started. I focused on my dream of becoming more than just a bard: I wanted to be a star.
But I was too slow, again. Their faeries and ninjas hit me hard, before I could summon my trusty Eldropi-spawns and their writhing spawnmother to defend against them.
A surprising owl-summoning spell distracted the spawnmother long enough to let a faerie hit me right between the eyes. This last hit brought me to my knees, blood dripping from my forehead.
It would be pretty sweet to take a nap on the sandy floor of the great Arena of Pöge right now, I thought in my delirium. My hands grasped into my spell-satchel almost subconsciously. What could I summon to help me with this?
Defeat felt inevitable, but then my weak hands found something. It was no spellcard, but it was… a sandwich?!
Elven bread!! It will keep a traveler on their feet for a long day of labor! It serves me, when all else fails.
The first bite of the Lebnas-Bread, Garlic Mayo, Salad, Onion and Kimchi Sandwich with a little bit of dried Mulldrifter tasted sweeter than any drop of water ever could. (Follow me for more delicious Mulldrifter recipes)
I got back up on my feet, fueled by the elven magic and prepared for my comeback, when another owl sent me to the dust again.
Again, only the slightest ember of hope remained, glowing in my soul. From my position with my back on the ground, I fired off a kill spell at the same time my trusty Aubergine-monster swallowed an opposing ninja whole. I couldn’t stand up, but I could still fight.
They tried to find answers to my strategy, holding council with their owl familiar, but soon my spawnmother had multiplied and there was no way to stop me anymore.
Badly hurt, I started making another elven sandwich while simultaneously keeping my eyes locked on my foe.
Their efforts to stop me were in vain. Step by step I built a perfect fortress of death and tentacles to keep me safe and soon the purple appendices of my monsters started to attack, rather than defend.
It was a glorious victory and I was proud of myself. I survived, I didn’t give up and I defeated a foe with much greater skill and better skincare than myself.
Surely, I could defeat anyone!
There were still four more opponents to face that day, but my spirits were high and the dream was alive! I was confident, that I had what it takes to be a champion. Nothing could stand in my way!
I lost every other match that day.
The End
I really don’t want to talk about it.
Actually, I don’t even remember the rest of the day and I certainly didn’t frigg up by making some huge spell-mistakes. That would have been quite stupid, but as I said, it didn’t happen.
Like if I would throw my spellbomb way too early or something like that. No way, I’m not a casual, I wouldn’t do anything like that.
At least my opponents were all from the Kingdom of Lipsia and I know them to be crazy powerful battle-wizards. They really deserve it.
In between the rounds I got to spend time with them and they are the coolest people I know: all the other pit-fighting sorcerers and gladiator-witches and arcana-slingers from this kingdom and beyond.
To be completely honest, that was the best part. I love their enthusiasm for this kind of entertainment and they are genuinely some of the most heartwarming folks I have met.
They are selfless and make the world a better and funnier place, inside and outside of the Arena.
And I will crush them all without mercy, the next time I face them in battle.