Welcome to the Colosseum (Tournament Signups)

[Strazio Rockwell]

　　The trip to the Colosseum left Strazio in a sour mood. He travelled alone, splitting from Ganondorf and 18 as soon as he read The Rock’s message. If Gilgamesh had already left for the tournament than that meant that he had no intention of honoring Strazio’s duel. The mere thought of the golden king laughing at Strazio’s misfortune sent sparks raging across his body. Still, even as he set foot through the gate of Camelot a smirk cracked across his face. If Gilgamesh was here he would show no mercy, every ounce of his rage would be poured into making sure that the king would be pummeled into the dirt.
　　
　　Today would be a good day.
　　
　　The colosseum was surrounded by some kind of festival. Strazio scowled at the loud music and general joviality of the crowd. It seemed to him that the Omniverse loved to see spilled blood. In his world music was only played during funerals, it was a sign of passing and the upbeat carnival tunes ran counter to Strazio’s expectation of the bloody spectacle to follow. The Defender of Darkshire clutched his cloak tightly and weaved through the claustrophobic crowd. The bright colors and loud noises made the mage nauseous, he was used to the wilderness and did his best to avoid large cities. Strazio found his way to the sign-up booths and took a moment to catch his breath before speaking.
　　
　　“I’d like to sign up for the tournament please.”
　　
　　The girl that greeted him was a familiar sort, in fact she was the exact same person that registered him for the Abyss. Her hair sparkled in the evening sun, a side effect of the gaudy glitter sprinkled throughout her candy-colored hair. Flashbacks of gum-smacking and general sassiness raced through Strazio’s mind. The girl, who Strazio internally reffered to as Bubblegum, sighed and passed a clipboard over to the prime. A personal fan buzzed to life as she watched Strazio read the entry-form carefully, her eyes glared impatiently at the cautious prime.
　　
　　“Don’t I know you?” Bubblegum asked in her trademarked nasally voice.
　　
　　Strazio removed his cloak and offered an insincere smile “I’m Strazio Rockwell, I think you signed me up for the Abyss not too long ago.”
　　
　　“Oh... You” she spoke as if the white-haired mage had killed her dog “how long are you going to take to read that contract?”
　　
　　“As long as I damn well please” Strazio spit back at her spiteful comments. He turned his back to her and continued to read the contract. Extra time was spent as a tax for her rude behavior, the mage could feel her impatient eyes carving holes in the back of his head.
　　
　　“Seriously? It’s like one page long, how can you read so slowly?”
　　
　　“Bite me” sparks jumped across Strazio’s hand and singed the paper. He took a deep breath to calm the bubbling frustration, but the sound of her gum smacking echoed in the back of his head. Knots tied themselves tightly in Strazio’s gut, the smell of carnival food and his raised blood pressure made him want to hurl. Quickly he signed the contract and handed it off to the attendant. Moving like a man on fire Strazio rushed for the nearest restroom. His stomach evacuated its contents in a mess of blood and bile. His emotions had been running rampant the past two days and the tole of his magick was finally starting to catch up with him. It wasn’t just his skin being singed from his anger made manifest, but also his innards were being assaulted by the sparks born from frustration. Silently he clutched the sigil of Darkshire that hung like a burden around his neck. Strazio had to be strong for them. He stood slowly, his body shaking from vomiting.
　　
　　Nothing short of death would stop him today.