historical

The next four days were a joint effort of me, Adam and Will focused on preventing any unnecessary conflicts from happening between the hunters. It was kinda annoying since few of his people clearly wanted to cause trouble. As I learned they were reminiscent of different fractions, that got mostly annihilated during the conflicts they had.

Alban was one of them Lorenzo another. I especially didn't want them to get close to Blue. Maybe he himself was too smart to actually fell for cheap taunts, but the two other guys on his team were not.

From the most important events, on the second day of our visit, the ladder got announced. Some people came to the hotel, and we were all gathered in the lobby, where they held an event for us, explaining everything, and going through the whole schedule.

Since eighty-eight teams were participating, there was no way of making a clear ladder, so at some point, one team would just automatically advance through the next round. My team number was five, Gavriil's seven

Urho, Kagiso, and Andy got seventy-fifth while Valentin, Lorenzo, and Mai seventy-six.

My match wasn't the only one from our crew happening on the first day, since Mihael, Marcalla, and Juan got the eleventh number, and were also scheduled on the same date, just as Alban, Kiril, and Oscar with the fourteenth number, and Boris, Will, and Nobuo with the twentieth.

On the second day Ki'rai, Nil, and Amit were supposed to fight with the twenty-fifth team number. Ryuu, Hideaki, and Alice with the number thirty, and lastly Saara, Milena, and Tevye with the number thirty-nine.

The third day was Adam, Edvard, and Gusztav with a number fifty-nine.

The last day was the previously mentioned teams seventy-five and seventy-six, alongside Martin, Hailwic, and Nadzieja eighty-four, and also Blue as the last match, with number eighty-eight.

From the other known to me names we had team fifty-five belonging to two Silvas. Edvard Hill got number sixty-three.

Just as they were done Vikram whispered to me:

- We need to go through every person they just mentioned, but since there might be new informations coming, let's wait with this a bit longer. Let's do this on a day before the start of the tournament.

I just nodded.

Since they told us everything they wanted, a Q and A time started for those who still had something they needed to inquire more informations on. I patiently waited as others tried to find out about the broadcasting, audience, and other unnecessary stuff.

In this way, I learned that there will be a virtual audience, changing in cycles, and displayed to us from various points all around the world, so we all could see the fans.

Since the fights could be dangerous, there was no way of including a live audience. The whole thing was supposed to be transmitted through every possible means. TV stations, the internet, and even radio.

Since it was free there were no rights being sold, so everybody could just go for it, and everybody was going to. The event was simply too big to be ignored.

At the arena only people participating were supposed to be present, waiting in underground bunkers for their turn. There were several rooms prepared, so each team would have their privacy.

The rest could watch the whole thing in their rooms or in a specially prepared place located in the hotel together with others. I immediately knew that people will go with this option without even a single thought. There were just too many emotions to be shared.

With that, the whole announcement concluded, and the whole crew left us, letting us continue our rest before the tournament. Everybody wanted to share their thought about the whole thing, so people started chatting, and quickly it became too noisy for me, so I left for a drink in the bar. Vikram joined me.

- There are going to be few nasty clashes pretty soon - he informed me. - In the third round it should be Edward Hill versus Adam and his guys, but I bet right now all you can think is Gavriil Semenov. Am I right?

- No - I said and gestured to the barman to pour me a drink.

Since it was not my first time in that place, he already knew what I wanted. Vodka in a glass.

- I'm not concerned about that fight at all - I continued. - I'm more interested in others. Get me all you can on the other teams that matter. I want to know who is going to face who, and when.

- I'll make few phone calls, and then get you everything I will know. Is that ok, boss?

I looked at him.

- Since when I'm the boss?

- I'm just trying to boost your self-esteem and morale - he said with a smile.

I snorted, but I realized that he was actually concerned about me, and in his weird way was trying to make me feel good.

He ordered some brown stuff for himself, and we shared a drink in silence. Not for long though, as more people just came and ruined the moment with their noisy conversations. Vikram also got pulled away by the other assistants. They clearly wanted to discuss stuff among themselves since all the details about the tournament were now official.

I wondered for a moment how the whole world was taking this information, and then my mother appeared in my head alongside Sudarshana and Tihana. They all probably were worried about me. Especially the first two I mentioned, since they didn't have a full grasp of what I could do.

I couldn't think about that, so I one-shotted the rest of my drink and left. There was no point in thinking those thoughts, and also no point in sitting in the bar, so I went for the smartest thing I could to avoid both, a nap.

A nap that ended the day for me. The rest were just as I mentioned previously, a struggle to keep peace among the eager and excited hunters.