Kriton says "As usual the 9th and 10th teams will compete in the first round. Unless you want to challenge him?"

Drake says "Yeah, let Selona fight Alan in the first round. I will challenge the beast."

Kriton says "Ash, do you accept his challenge?"

"Sure, it doesn't matter to me."

Both Drake and Kriton smirk at my answer, looks like they planned this out. Since the king will be there I figure they want to crush me right at the beginning. If it wasn't beneath him I am sure it would be Kriton himself challenging me.

Broc says "I challenge Fallon!"

Fallon says "I accept!"

Selona says "Yeah, same as every other year."

Zikal says "I want to challenge Roland."

Roland says "Fine, I accept."

Kriton says "Very well, then I will face Shard. With that the first round is decided. As usual I will then skip the next two rounds and face the last one left."

'So, Kriton's troop only has to fight twice while their opponents will be on their fourth fight? No wonder he has stayed as first captain!'

Kriton says "Any questions?"

Drake says "Who is the judge this year? The king?"

Kriton says "No, the king has appointed the captain of the royal guard as the judge this year."

From the look of dismay that appears on Drake's face I am guessing this is good news for me. Having corrupt nobles as the judges was a major concern, but it seems that won't be an issue. Everyone, other than Drake and Kriton, seems happy about the news.

Kriton says "Since there is nothing else, this meeting is adjourned."

Kriton walks out of the room as soon as he is finished speaking, the others start moving as well. Shard and Fallon both give me a nod before they leave and soon only Roland and I remain in the room.

Roland says "Now, let me explain the rules for you. First, I want to ask, what do you think of the other captains?"

"There appear to be a couple of bad eggs, but the rest all seem dependable."

Roland says "I agree. However, you should be wary when you face Drake, he is not honorable."

"Shard already warned me, but his tricks won't amount to anything."

Roland says "Such confidence. I had heard rumors that you trained your soldiers in an unusual way."

"Their training and equipment are going to change the way all of you think."

Roland says "Be that as it may, I feel I should warn you. If you show too much power before the king then you should watch your back. It shames me to admit it but this kingdom is lacking in honor."

"Yes, I have already seen the corruption of the court."

Roland says "Good, then you should understand how they will react if you show yourself to be superior to a human."

"That is unavoidable at this point. But I will take your warning to heart and make some contingency plans."

Roland says "I don't get your meaning but well enough. Now the captain is to accompany his troop onto the field. However, you can only issue orders, you cannot personally fight. There is only one exception to that rule."

"What is the exception?"

Roland says "A losing captain can challenge the winning captain to a fight. This allows the captain to show his power and lessen his loss a little."

"Ah, so I am likely to be challenged after every win. Good to know."

Roland says "Are you that sure of your troop or are you overconfident?"

"Wait and see. Tomorrow will open your eyes."

Roland says "Alright, I will look forward to it."

"Anything else I need to know about the competition?"

Roland says "After the first round is complete there will be a break while the king and his court eat lunch. It normally lasts around an hour and then there will be no more breaks until the competition is over. If you pass the first round you will have to be careful of your troop's stamina."

"No worries, I have put my troops through stamina training."

Roland says "Stamina training? Is there such a thing?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

Roland says "Well, I will see tomorrow if you are as good as you seem to think you are."

"Yes, everyone will."

That ends our conversation and Roland takes his leave, very politely I might add. I am already convinced that when the invasion comes he will do whatever is best for the people. If this were real life instead of a test I would probably make him the king, he would be a good ruler.

His advice is probably accurate, I should set up some contingencies in case the nobles act against me. With that in mind I head straight to the adventurer's guild and head to the beast shop first. Gul is behind the counter but as soon as he sees me he runs into the back and soon returns following Rockskull.

"Judging by the smile on your face the work is going well?"

Rockskull says "The work is done. It is the best work of my life and I am more happy than I can describe. It is thanks to you that I was able to craft such a masterpiece in my life!"

He lays a wrapped bundle on the counter and then slowly unwraps it to reveal the crossbow. The crossbow is all black, but that doesn't stop it from being beautiful. As I pick it up I am surprised to see that it is actually a double crossbow, the horns have been split to make two sets of arms.

The arms are stacked, making it an over and under, meaning you load one bolt from the bottom and one from the top. As I handle the crossbow I can easily tell that the balance is perfect, it truly is a masterpiece. Even though the crossbow isn't my usual type of weapon I am sure I can use this well.

Rockskull says "It is a thing of beauty, but unfortunately I haven't been able to test it."

"How come?"

Rockskull says "The strength required to draw the strings is far too high. I am working on a tool to help but it isn't ready yet."

Giving the bow another look I hook a finger through both strings and easily pull them back until I hear a click. Rockskull's chin hits his chest and I am worried his eyeballs are going to fall out. It takes a minute for him to get over his shock, at which point he orders Gul to set up a target while he hands me a quiver of bolts.

While I am loading the crossbow Gul sets up a stand with a suit of full plate armor on it. After moving to the far side of the room from the target I take aim and pull both triggers at the same time. Both bolts cross the distance in a flash and punch right through the armor, and the wall behind it.

As Rockskull is laughing and examining the two massive holes in the armor Gul runs out of the room to make sure no one was hurt. Even I am amazed at the power of the crossbow, even drake scales wouldn't be enough to stop it. This thing might even be able to hurt a dragon, it is too bad I can't take it out of the test with me.