Knights of Tezoth

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
But but but endless arrows are OP and need to be nerfed. How can this be? This can't be true! 😵‍

Whined.

After thirty missed calls from Gildaria's treasurer, the lord had to urgently order an endless quiver specially for Stef.

All enemy archers have received bows with a range of 13

— I believe you and your comrades have enough strength and determination for this — I had the chance to observe it firsthand today. One might say, from the front row, — a light smile adorned Catharsis's face, — and your hopes are mutual. If storm clouds shroud Tezoth's future, we will dispel them no matter what.

Anyway, I'll write about 3-4 posts somewhere.

Epilogue?

In the first post, Lester's squire plunges a poisoned sword into his back.

In the second, Luciferia subjugates Ciel and turns Olivus into a staging ground for Sithia's invasion.

In the third, Stephanie discovers that a certain female genie is imprisoned inside the flask.

In the fourth, Emilia collects payments from all the wealthy merchants of Florenzan whose bets have miraculously paid off.

Somehow unnoticed, near the narrow-eyed sir who had been twice defeated by the Knights of Swordgard, Rezara materializes.

– You seem to have been shortchanged on the reward, my lord Yin. Of course, you were a bit unlucky in battle, but that's no reason... – the Crimson Blade grimaced. – Have I ever told you about my love for the high culture of Tisia? I don't think so. I've grown curious... have you ever come face to face with Queen Ren?

Rezara's face clearly showed extreme interest in the question.

Nah... That would be too much of a dick move to hook you in like that and then drop it.

05.03.297 — a melee in honor of Deus Mariarnelia's birthday

Final

On the 20th round, Lorican attempted to strike Ferlutz but missed. However, our attacks, along with those of the Knight of Perfection, hit their mark precisely.

Round 21 — the Knight of Perfection used the last charge from his healing flask. But that did not stop Knight Albus from finishing him off. I shot at Ferlutz, but he dodged.

From that moment until the very end of the melee, the gong no longer sounded. Without even thinking of descending to catch the nail, I rained arrows upon the young heir of Albus. He, apparently counting on the issued supply of arrows running out, kept dodging with all his might. At one point, I failed to hit him 11 times in a row! That is how agile Sir Ferlutz is.

But the more his healing potion supply dwindled, the more he lost ground. When, by my calculations, he had literally one sip left in the flask, I managed to aim at his neck, thereby nicking an artery and opening a bleed.

Further resistance on his part made no sense whatsoever, yet Ferlutz bravely kept dodging to the very end. But luck finally turned away from him when he received another bleeding wound. And although I hit him several more times after that, in the end, the Knight of Perfection fell precisely from blood loss.

According to the judge's calculations, had she continued striking the gong, the battle would have lasted 53 rounds.

Note 1: despite luck being on my side in many ways, victory would have been impossible had I not entered an alliance with the other knights. Alsira and Axel alone could have easily defeated me had they not seen me as a reliable ally. The same can be said, for example, of Alaria, Ambrose, Orvald, Lester, and Yin. Had I descended and fought by tournament rules, and had any of them been my final opponent, each could have taken down Zephyr and then defeated me in melee combat. Nelia and Galaharadron, who was given no chance at all, would also have easily won had I lost my pegasus.

The outcome of the battle was entirely influenced by the introduction, literally at the very last moment, of three northerners personally invited by Judge Emilia. And this despite the fact that the battle-hardened Alaria gave us all recommendations on which positions were most advantageous to take. No one counted on the new participants anymore. And the surprise of an additional three-person coalition proved extremely unexpected. What is even more frightening, from the moment Lester defeated Rezara, the remaining Knights of Swordgard literally poured all their efforts into defeating the other members of our alliance. Paradoxically, it was precisely this that determined my victory.

Had I, at the end, faced, for example, Alaria, Ambrose, Nelia, and Axel, I would have descended to add some excitement to that battle. Winning is always good, but when you get the chance to exchange a guaranteed opportunity for the chance to gain reliable comrades, without a doubt — it would have been worth it!

But fate decreed otherwise. The Warriors of the North, together with Jason Whitecalm, worked tirelessly for Albus's coalition, as if they had managed to enter into a secret conspiracy along the way.

And in the end, the only real threat to me turned out to be Ferlutz Secretgarten. At the moment he first attacked me, I nearly killed myself out of ignorance, firing purely on muscle reaction. Had my intuition not worked, any subsequent counterstrike could have been my last. Fortunately, my bow had a full two lightning charges in reserve, which allowed me to neutralize the wyvern and turn Ferlutz into merely a target.

In any case, despite having expected to fight other opponents in the final, the Knight of Perfection proved a worthy candidate for second place.

Note 2: judging by what this tournament showed, sturdy armor is my weak point. And literally from both sides. When my arrow, having struck Jason's armor, failed to penetrate it, I realized that even if I could defeat the Knight of Imperturbability, it would be with great difficulty. Gingkink's actions in that battle were literally a gift to me. At the same time, Lester Vargas, for example, easily finds a breach even in the most reliable defense. So the problem lies in my inability to spot from afar and penetrate small unprotected zones.

Had I, in turn, been on the ground, I would have fallen instantly. My light clothing would hardly have protected me. One or two, at most three strikes from a sword, axe, spear, or hammer — defeat. I need to work on endurance and think about how to protect my body.

Lady Amelia's theory that armor weighs too heavily on a pegasus, horse, and other mounts still holds some merit. But if one recalls how she fell in battle, the question arises — is it truly so prudent?

33 defense of the "light pegasus rider" against 20 defense of the armored prince...

- Most certainly! - Yin replied, not yet suspecting what lay ahead of them, and offered Alaria his palm for a handshake, then turned his attention to the materialized Rezara. - Ah, Lady Rezara, thank you for your concern. The customs in my homeland are quite different from what people are accustomed to seeing in Tezoth. Anyone who wishes may see Queen Zhen, and I was no exception, though she does not always have time for such meetings.

Revan, remind me, for evaluating titles do we just need to make a tier list like Astral's, or can we write under each one how fitting I find it and why?

They generally need to be arranged in order of preference, I just decided to go for originality.