7th of Xenimatö, 0 BBT, hour 15
The Aldran Stadium on Pastö
Penma sat in a small platform overlooking a massive crowd of 300,000, people who had paid a premium to be one of the people physically there- Some were so high up that they would be watching the match on screens anyways. Penma hadn’t understood this when she was younger, but as her brother had once assured her, "It’s about being there. Now, 10 years later, she was there. And it was stunning.
She did not have to be there- She didn’t go her first year as Imperö. But she was here now, and she knew she’d be there again in another two years. The atmosphere was one of sheer, utter excitement, as the large crowd prepared for the matches to begin.
But first, Penma was to make an announcement. She signaled to her guard on the platform to get started. He told the control center that it was time, and the screens around the stadium began to tell people to quiet down. After she could hear nobody, she began to speak into a microphone, which amplified her voice across the stadium with speakers.
"Trianarö! Welcome to the 261st Biannual Spearfighting contest! This tradition was started around 500 years after the formation of our nation, to celebrate our victories against demons during the Xanstal War. Some may wonder- why spears? Why not a sword or another type of weapon- and it’s for a simple reason- spears were the first weapon. Before archers, swordsmen, musketeers and atomic era infantry, there was the humble spear. A simple weapon- but one that fell great beasts, propelled nearly every army in early history, and still survives today in the form of the bayonet. The spear is a weapon I can assure you, every species watching this- even those outside of our nation- one of your ancestors held it. And so we continue that tradition today, to honor our ancestors who lived by the spear. However… we do not plan on killing anybody today. This sport, as the Trianarö watching will know, has some basic rules. "
On all of the screens, including home screens, popups with a humanoid set of armor with glowing points on it. “This is a version of the armor spearfighters will wear- for humans, this particular one is. The rules are simple; someone who accumulated 10 points of damage on their armor loses the match. To score a point of damage on the armor, you hit it with a part of the spear.”
Penma got up and grabbed a spear from under her chair.
“Hitting the opponent’s body with the shaft of the spear will net you 1 point of damage on them- but hitting their head will give you 2 points.” She demonstrated mock versions of both of these moves with trained precision.
She continued. "With the tip of the spear, hitting them in the arms, legs, and, for Sycriûns, tail, will net you 2 points of damage. Hitting the stomach or most of the chest will give you 3. But hitting the head, or over the the heart with the very tip…
She performed these last two moves at once, lingering over her guard’s heart with the blunt spear.
“Will net you an instant 10 points of damage. Additionally, hitting in the waist area, or in the neck will get you a foul. Fouls will allow the fighter who was fouled to recuperate after if they are harmed, and forces the fighter who fouled to stand still for 3 seconds when the match restarts. A player fouling repeatedly will be disqualified. Lastly, if the opponent is unable to get up or move at any point in the match, the victory will go to the other fighter- but if this is caused by a foul, the fouling fighter will be disqualified.”
She brought the spear in a standing position, like a soldier holding their weapon upright. “Without further ado, let the games… begin!”
As she said begin, she pointed her spear to the sky, and two military aircraft flew at extreme speeds overhead, leaving a trail of white in their wake. The crowd cheered- this was also tradition, and the crowd loved it.
“The first match… Nasaö Mannal versus Zuxam Bresnö!”
And with that, the cameras faded off of Penma, and the two fighters came onto the grounds…