Tavern Brawls S03 Finale!

The crowd had never been bigger than it was on the day for the final Brawl of the season. On one side was Guess Congress and on the other; Hero Cool and the blood was at a boiling point at the tournament site. Abacus and Arwen had already finished their bets and had managed to find a place by the arena, where they could overlook the entire brawl. Both teams had been training intensely this last week and as they squared off against each other in the arena, it was no telling who would emerge victoriously.

The final brawl was even more than everyone had hoped it would be. Guess Congress seemed to have the Gods’ favor on this day and one by one they took down their opponents. The crowd grew steadily louder and it didn’t seem to matter that half of the people in it were losing money with every win. It seemed like divine intervention and during the last match, everyone just wanted to see, if Guess Congress could take it all the way. And when they did, cheers erupted everywhere.

People were jumping up and down and hugging their companions when the Commissar’s voice – magically enhanced – suddenly was the only thing anyone could hear. “Well done, Guess Congress. You have certainly proved yourselves to be admirable champions of the Realm. But so have Hero Cool. I find this to be a curious outcome indeed and in lue of that, I have an announcement to make.” She paused for a moment and no one said a word – not even Abacus or Arwen. But the look they shared told them that they both struggled with the same bad feeling. Abacus’ eyes darted to the ‘abandoned’ tents by the would-be barracks that no one had dared come near since the workers fled weeks ago. He felt just a little better, when he saw the tent flap move.

The crowd was silent enough that a whimper or a cough would be heard across the arena – everyone breathlessly waiting for the continuation. “Despite the fervent efforts of the City Guard, this final brawl proves that we have not been able to eradicate the criminal element of this tournament. The participants of both teams will therefore be expected to join the Royal Guard immediately as punishment for rigging the game and the tournament known as Tavern Brawls will from this day be .. disbanded.” 

The silence kept for another heartbeat, but then the crowd erupted in shouts of disbelief and snarls of rage. At a nod from the Commissar, The City Guard poured in from one side of the arena – clearly in an effort to make sure that the participants of the finale wouldn’t get away – but before they had the chance, the crowd had jumped the fences and encircled them.

Fights erupted in the entire arena. For a while it looked like the City Guard would be pushed back, but it seemed that the Commissar had learned from the incident with The Hand two years earlier, because more and more soldiers seemed to flood through the gate and join the fight – pushing back the civilians that tried to protect their champions. “Fighting this is futile!” her voice echoed over the grounds. “Give them up now and no one else need be hurt in the process.”

“Absolutely not!!” The cry came from the opposite side of the arena and everyone broke off their fights and turned to stare in that direction. In front of the workers’ tents stood familiar faces – lead by Jeska the Fighter and Elrondazzle the Cleric, the two fiercest champions of the Brawls not encircled in the arena. More and more people from the competing teams poured out of the tents until almost everybody seemed to be there. “You have lost, Commissar!” Elrondazzle’s voice sounded just as loud as Jeska’s had before. “The people you see here have been living in these tents during the last week. And we intent to stay even after the barracks are finished!”

Arwen and Abacus turned their faces to look at the Commissar – along with almost everybody else present – only to see her fuming with rage on her platform. A moment passed in silence. Then two. Arwen couldn’t help but snort in amusement, because she looked like she would actually start screaming. But then – with visible strength and annoyance – she composed herself. “Very well.” Her voice was calm now, but her eyes seemed to blaze with something akin to hatred. “It seems the fight is over. I will see you all… Next Season…”

Congratulations to Guess Congress and thank you to all participants for an amazing season!

As previously announced, this will be the last season that Birdlaw and S_Freak are writing these weekly updates, but we are glad to pass on the torch to Dailey23! May your ideas be wild and your pen busy!

We are already looking forward to next season!