The announcement that Marcus and Mrazivy were the winners of the duo tournament was not met with resounding cheers but compete silence.
Not only had a decent number of the audience members fled in the wake of the destructive battle, but those that were still watching could not believe that two of the greatest warriors in all of Aezam had lost.
Had it been against other citizens of the nation it would have been one thing, but Marcus and Mrazivy were foreign guests. They had just shown that even Aezam's best could not beat them.
As a whole, this was almost shameful to the nation. Though, there was one clan that was celebrating.
Being the guests of the Eazim Clan, Marcus and Mrazivy were representing them in the tournament, and winning against Ghazi and Aziz would bring the clan a great deal of prestige even if it was not their own warriors that had come out victorious.
Seeing that the crowd was not going to turn around, Marcus and Mrazivy left what remained of the adamantine stage that they had been fighting on.
"I suppose that type of reaction was to be expected. We did just publicly defeat their greatest fighters. I doubt I would be able to cheer for someone if I watched them take down Boreas and Gwyneira. That would just instill me with a sense of fear." Mrazivy said, a slight frown on her face.
Marcus could only nod and agree in response. For the people of Aezam it would not only humiliating, but also unnerving for their strongest fighters to lose to foreigners. Now it was proven that nobody in the country could stop Marcus and Mrazivy if they decided to turn their powers on Aezam.
Of course, neither of them planned on doing anything that would disrupt Aezam, but the fear would still be there that it would be impossible to handle them if such a situation arose.
"I am sure that everything will be fine. At the very least, we know that Ghazi and Aziz will not hold anything against us. It was clear that they enjoyed the fight, especially Ghazi." Marcus said.
It did not really matter what most people thought, since the higher ups already understood them. Plus, they would not be in Aezam much longer anyway. Now that the tournament was over they would be heading to the Desolate Desert. A place far away from the public eye.
…
"That was astounding. I did not doubt your skills, but to actually best Ghazi and Aziz was beyond my expectations. Truly, I commend both of you for such an amazing performance." Akeem said when Marcus and Mrazivy returned to his viewing box.
With their victory in the tournament his clan was going to receive several valuable rewards and greater influence within Aezam.
Akeem even went so far as to offer them high ranking positions within the Eazim Clan that were only below his own.
Naturally Marcus and Mrazivy declined as they were already members of the Borealian Royal Family, and members of the adventurers guild which Aezam was hostile towards for stopping their northward expansion.
In order to join the Eazim Clan they would have to cut off these ties. Something they were unwilling to do.
"I understand. I thought it would be a long shot." Akeem said, looking only slightly upset.
Soon the entire room became boisterous as a celebration as held for the Eazim Clan's far greater than average performance in the Muharib Festival. Not only had they managed to have representatives win one of the tournaments, but they had done quite well in the other two as well.
Once things had wound down, Akeem invited Marcus and Mrazivy to a private room to discuss their rewards for winning the duo tournament.
"Normally the spoils of the festival are handed out to the entire clan and then given out to the participants based on tehri showing, but for the two of you, I figured I should simply ask what it is you both want. You have already made it clear that you do not want either power or money. If there is something I can reward you both with, you need only ask."
Turning towards Mrazivy Marcus had a quick telepathic conversation with her before stating the compensation that they would want.
"The first thing that comes to mind is amethros. Oh, but adamantine and parts from high level beasts and monsters are also acceptable." Marcus said, knowing that he could never have enough supply of these materials.
"Powerful naturally treasures would be good as well. Preferably those that work for individuals over level eighty. And depending on the types you have to offer; skill orbs would be welcome. Especially unique skill orbs." Mrazivy added.
Hearing what they expected as rewards, Akeem's face twitched uncontrollably. His plastered-on smile nearly faltered, but he was just barely able to keep his emotions in check. Marcus and Mrazivy had just basically asked for some of the rarest items in the world. Things that even as the leader of a powerful clan within a large nation had in short supply.
"You have both done a great service for my clan, so I will do what I can to meet your requests. But amethros and unique skill orbs are likely impossible for me to provide you with. Those are not items that even the Eazim Clan has in a large supply."
"That is fine. We figured that those two were longshots. Whatever you consider to be an acceptable reward will be fine by us." Mrazivy said, wearing an amicable smile.
However, Akeem felt a cold sweat coming on. Mrazivy was leaving everything up to him without giving him an idea of how much they really wanted from him. If he were to be conservative it would likely ruin their relationship, but he also needed to conserve the valuables of his clan as much as possible. He would have much rather had a negotiation than simply being forced to guess.
"Very well, I will have the materials and items that are desirable to you both gathered and awarded to you in a few days. I will make sure that it is enough to repay you both for the prestige you have won my clan." Akeem said, already calculating what valuables in the clan's treasury would hurt the least to part with.
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