He tapped his chin and looked thoughtful. “I think that’s all the rules for now. If you have any more questions, read your information packets. Now for the fun part. As with every tournament, we have a team of talented healers standing by in all cases to make your boo-boos go away. We’ll introduce them now so you recognize them around the grounds. Firstly, the team leader is Duran Wahl who has been a Healer of Madison for almost 50 years now.”
A man had walked up to where David was standing. He was an avian anthro, with dark maroon feathers touched by gray. He bowed to the crowd.
“Nextly is the lovely Paula Jasperson who will delight you with her soft touch, both physically and mentally as the team’s foremost mental health expert.”
The woman who came up had rich brown skin and her hair was done up in dozens of braids that fell all around her head. She lifted her fingers to her lips and blew a kiss to the crowd.
“Other nextly is Jaspel Godwin. You know that achy, tired feeling you get after an exhaustive healing session? Jaspel here is an expert in energy manipulation that will keep such healing side effects to a minimum.”
Jaspel was a man in his mid-thirties who had two antennae coming out of his brown hair. He had a mustache and smiled dazzlingly at the crowd.
“And now lastly, but of course not least is Melanie Griffin. Isn’t she adorable folks? Don’t let her countenance and age fool you. She was talented enough to catch Madison’s eye at such a young age and excels at detail-oriented vein and nerve work.”
Melanie was clearly the youngest of the group, she appeared to only be in her mid teens with waist length powder-blue hair and eyes that remained firmly on the floor.
“These four will be tasked with keeping you in tip top condition. They can be found at the clinic that is positioned conveniently just behind the arena, but of course at least one will always be around for any and all scheduled fights.”
“And now we’re getting close to the start of the opening ceremony, so I’ll introduce you to this tournament’s benefactors. You may all worship them, but you may not know what they look like. Now, in alphabetical order to avoid trouble: Alexis, the Glacier Dragon and Goddess of Protection.” David pointed to the back of the room.
A spotlight beamed down onto a short young woman with purple hair who looked like she was dressed for much colder weather. Alexis grinned widely and waved at everyone.
“Elyssa, the Ocean Dragon and Goddess of Law.”
The spotlight winked out and then back on over another of the figures standing in the back of the room. This time the woman had bright blue hair complemented by a elegant blue dress. She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed politely, eyes closed.
“Ethan, the Lightning Dragon and God of Knowledge.”
This time the light pointed out a man with thick glasses and a smart suit. He looked up, apparently surprised that everyone was looking at him then smiled and waved slightly.
“Luther, the Tempest Dragon and God of Trickery.”
A young man with slicked back hair who looked like he walked right out of Hot Topic winked at various female members of the crowd. He caught Kaye’s eye for a moment and she found herself smiling.
“Madison, the Holy Dragon and Goddess of Healing.”
Madison was dressed casually with sunny-colored hair. Her smile lit up the room as she nodded once toward David.
“Riley, the Akasha Dragon and Goddess of Balance.”
Riley was an attractive woman, dressed flatteringly but not scantily. She took a step forward, turned once in place and stepped back.
“Savannah, the Earth Dragon and Goddess of Strength.”
She was very tall, dressed like some sort of jungle warrior. Savannah waved her hand dismissively at David.
“Sukizo, the Necrotic Dragon and God of Death.”
Sukizo was intimidatingly tall and looked a few years older than the rest. He stood with arms crossed, unblinking, until David spoke again.
“Tristan, the Inferno Dragon and God of Chaos.”
The spotlight pointed down on a blank piece of floor. A second later the wall exploded inward and a man appeared, shouting and pointing enthusiastically at the fighters.
“Let’s hear a round of applause for the pantheon!” David announced.
The crowd began cheering, some with more enthusiasm than others. Riley, appearing out of nowhere, took the microphone from David before addressing the room. He backed away.
“Good afternoon everyone. And as has been said, welcome to the God Warriors’ tournament. Shortly we will be moving to the arena for the opening ceremony, but before that we will need all of the fighters to join up with their represented Dragon. You will be going into the arena together.” She turned off the microphone.
“That’s our cue,” Dirk said standing.
Chairs scraped back as people stood.
