The Island Tournament: Grantors of VarenniCon, #1

By Travis Martin

It was the last Friday of the summer, and for Nabil, it was the beginning of the most important weekend of his life. This weekend Nabil was to attend VarenniCon, an annual magical convention on Grantor Island, the home of an exclusive magical brotherhood known as grantors. Nabil previously saw the convention as an opportunity to make new friends, go to parties, and learn the latest magical discoveries. However, this year would be different as Nabil found himself consumed with only one of the convention's activities.

 

For the first time, Nabil was to compete in the Island Tournament, a five-round single-elimination tournament of one-on-one magical battles. Each round of the tournament had a cash prize for the winner, which grew as the tournament progressed. The victor of the entire tournament would not only have amassed riches beyond their wildest dreams but would also be appointed chief executive of the island's government and receive the opportunity to compete for the Spirit of The One, a magical spirit fabled to have built and destroyed nations.

 

However, like most Island Tournament participants, Nabil possessed no interest in governing an island or wielding a powerful magical spirit. Nabil's entrance into the tournament was fueled solely by his desire to fund his sick mother's treatment with the tournament's prize money. To achieve this goal, Nabil must outlast some of the most powerful grantors ever to enter the tournament.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Travis Martin Publishing
• Release date: Apr 17, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201690892

Travis Martin

Travis Martin is a millennial nerd from South Carolina. The Island Tournament is his first book, and he plans on releasing the sequel soon. For more information on Travis' future works, art commissions, content, and merch inspired by the Grantors Of VarenniCon series, please follow the official Grantors Of VarenniCon Twitter @VarenniCon or visit the official website below.

Book preview

Chapter 1: Enforcers

As Nabil exited the West Columbia International Airport, he was immediately greeted by the sultry southern air that reminded him of the four years he spent in central South Carolina as an undergrad. He sat down on a nearby bench facing the airport parking lot and fanned himself with his composition notebook. He wore long khaki pants, a sleeveless dark blue V-neck sweater vest, and a white and blue plaid button-down dress shirt. This ensemble seemed like a good idea back home in Michigan but less so in South Carolina. Lost in thought, he ran his fingers through his curly dark brown hair. It was the last Friday of the summer, and for Nabil, it was the beginning of the most important weekend of his life.

This weekend Nabil was to attend VarenniCon, an annual magical convention on Grantor Island, the home of an exclusive magical brotherhood known as grantors. Nabil had attended every VarenniCon since he was invited four years ago by a former acquaintance the day after his twenty-first birthday.

Nabil previously saw the convention as an opportunity to make new friends, go to parties, and learn the latest magical discoveries. However, this year would be different as Nabil found himself consumed with only one of the convention’s activities. For the first time, Nabil was to compete in the Island Tournament, a five-round single-elimination tournament of one-on-one magical battles.

A substantial amount of time had passed since Nabil sat down on the bench outside the airport. He scanned the parking lot anxiously as the sun started to set. Then, in the distance, he heard muffled mariachi chiptune music coming from an approaching car and realized his ride had finally arrived.

A rusty burgundy car inched down the road and into the parking lot where it parked in front of him. In the driver's seat was the only true friend Nabil had ever known, Koshi Kobayashi. Koshi, like Nabil, was a second-generation American whose parents immigrated from Asia. Beyond that, they could not have been more different. Unlike Nabil, Koshi was stocky, artsy, and free-spirited. He always seemed to be relaxed and in search of a good time.

Nabil met Koshi three years prior. Koshi, a recent high school graduate at the time, decided to form a rock band to generate income from his greatest passion, music. After struggling for weeks to find band members, Koshi made a wish for someone to audition to join his band. Nabil and three other grantors heard Koshi’s wish through a magical radio station known as the Wish Network and showed up to Koshi’s audition the next day. All four were admitted upon arrival, even though Nabil only knew how to play the trumpet. On that day, Koshi named the quintet Los Ladrones, one of the only words he knew in Spanish.

The band produced only one demo, consisting of three original songs and a cover, and performed only one show before dissolving. Besides Nabil, the only member Koshi kept in contact with after the group disbanded was the drummer, Arturo, one of the most unpleasant people Nabil had ever met. Isaac, the lead singer and rhythmic guitarist, went on to achieve massive fame in the magical community for his magical talents, good looks, and separationist advocacy for the creation of a peaceful magical nation autonomous from the non-magical world. As for the bass player, Connor, neither Koshi nor Nabil had heard of his whereabouts since.

Koshi sprang from the car with a look of pure elation on his face. He wore his usual khaki cargo shorts, sandals, and a white t-shirt that was one size too small. On the front of his shirt was a symbol of a blue waning crescent moon enclosed in a hexagon. He had short black hair, a faint mustache, and a patch of stubble at the bottom of his chin.

Before Nabil had time to react, he was ensnared in one of Koshi’s famous bear hugs.

It's been too long, Nabil. How have you been? he asked.

I’ve been alright, answered Nabil.

The two set off down the road in Koshi’s car.

So, what have you been up to? asked Koshi. We used to talk every day, and then all of a sudden, it felt like you dropped off the face of the earth.

Sorry about that. Between dealing with school and taking care of my mom, I’ve been really busy lately.

How is your mother?

She’s hanging in there.

How’s grad school?

Going well despite losing all my free time to my research.

Koshi looked intrigued.

What kind of research? Anything magic related?

Slightly, answered Nabil. As you can imagine, I’ve withheld my personal connection to magic from the university for my protection. To them, my interest in magical studies is purely academic.

Koshi raised his left eyebrow incredulously.

And they bought that?

They did, answered Nabil. Ironically, I’ve been approached multiple times about a job waiting for me at Magwood after graduation. But to answer your question, what I’ve been studying appears to be magic on the surface but isn’t. It's kinda hard to explain.

Koshi smirked.

Try me.

Nabil took a deep breath as he debated internally how much he was ready to reveal.

Fine. But I'm not going too deep down this rabbit hole with you. I guess the best way I can describe it is the intersection of magic and science. It’s similar to magic in the sense that you bend reality in seemingly endless ways but what sets it apart from magic is that no magical cells are required. Theoretically, anyone can do it.

Koshi looked stunned.

Are you serious? Why have I never heard of this? What is this called?

You’ve never heard of it because it’s an extremely new and secretive field of study, said Nabil. It’s so new that it doesn’t have a set name. There is only one nickname that has stuck within most circles in academia, arbitrage. It’s a term borrowed from finance, usually meant to describe the practice of capitalizing off imbalances in prices. In short, this new arbitrage is the ability to distort existence with your mind by taking advantage of the imbalance in reality. Some believe it has the potential to be more powerful than magic seeing as there have been no unbreakable natural rules discovered. The possibilities appear limitless.

Dude, you gotta teach me how to do that. Where do I sign up?

Realizing he had said too much, Nabil sighed.

Koshi, this stuff is next-level dangerous. People have gone insane attempting it. Most people have to recite or chant something to themselves like a poem or a catchy segment of a song to tether their minds from going too far into the abyss.

Have you done it? asked Koshi.

Successfully? Once. And I don’t plan on doing it again in the future. I’m way more interested in studying arbitrage than practicing it. It’s too dangerous for my taste.

What did you do?

I temporarily bent three feet of space between my hand and a spoon on a table, answered Nabil.

That’s awesome.

Nabil chuckled.

Yes, it was. Keep in mind that took a year’s worth of work, and I could have easily moved the spoon with magic had I had my wand, but yes, when it happened, I was pretty excited.

What’s it like when you're doing it?

The best way I can describe it is like solving equations, but everything around you is the equation. There is a lot of very complex math and physics involved.

Koshi rolled his eyes.

You can stop right there. You officially lost me at the word math.

Nabil laughed. An awkward silence fell over them. Nabil got the impression that Koshi was searching for an artful way to bring up a touchy subject. After a couple of minutes, Koshi finally found the nerve.

So, Nabil, what's the goal for this weekend? he asked.

To make it to the finals. The cash prize from winning the semi-finals alone would be enough to fund my mother’s treatment. From what I've seen of my competition, I feel like I have a decent chance of making it that far. I just have to make sure I call out the right grantors and avoid getting called out by the wrong grantors.

Koshi looked confused.

Called out? What does that mean?

The tournament works a bit different from most tournaments. Participants have the opportunity to call out other participants, which means you can choose your opponent as long as they haven’t already fought someone in that round. If you spot someone you think you can beat, you can call them out, and once a participant is called out, they must accept. If at any time this weekend I randomly start running, it's probably because I’ve spotted Isaac.

Koshi laughed.

Speaking of Isaac, do you believe the rumors? Does he stand a chance against Doom Vee?

He’ll have to make it past the tournament first, but if he does, I think he has a shot. More people than ever are starting to question Doom Vee’s invincibility. Magical people around the world are desperate to see the Spirit of The One back in possession of someone who will use it to help our people.

Have you seen the Spirit of The One? asked Koshi.

I’ve seen it in pictures, but it looks different in each one. According to legend, it takes the form of whatever its owner wants most in the world.

Nabil looked outside of the window.

Where are we going? he asked. I don’t think this is the right way to the portal.

Koshi winced.

Please don't be mad at me! he begged.

Nabil started to look worried.

Koshi, where are we going?

Arty is coming with us to the portal.

Nabil rolled his eyes.

You’ve got to be kidding me. Please don’t tell me Arturo is hanging out with us all weekend.

Why are you so hard on him? asked Koshi.

Me? Hard on him? I’ve tried constantly to be nice to him. He’s got it out for me. Not the other way around.

Ok. I admit Arty can be rude but beneath that rough exterior is a heart of gold. You just have to dig.

Fine. As long as we don’t have to room together, I’ll be alright.

About that, I’ve got some bad news for you.

You didn't.

He had nowhere else to go! yelled Koshi. He couldn’t afford his own room. Please don’t let this ruin our weekend. This is my first VarenniCon ever, and both my friends are in the tournament. This is supposed to be the best weekend of my life. Please try to get along.

I will try, but I can’t make any promises.

Suddenly the car started to make a strange noise.

Why are you slowing down? asked Nabil.

I’m not trying to, Koshi replied.

The car slowed until it reached a complete stop and turned off completely. Nabil and Koshi were stranded on a four-lane road in the middle of nowhere. To the west was an empty field of grass. To the east, a dirt road that cut through a sea of waist-high cotton that ended short of a vast forest. The moon and a flashlight Koshi retrieved from the backseat were their only sources of light. They exited the car and looked under its hood.

I don't suppose you know how to fix a car with magic, do you? asked Koshi.

Nabil shrugged.

I can try.

Great! Go get your wand out of the trunk. I’ll call for help.

As Nabil walked to the trunk of the car, he realized they were no longer alone. A red pickup truck had quietly parked behind Koshi’s car. Two men exited the vehicle. The man on the driver’s side was tall and skinny with brown hair. The other was short, stout, and blond.

What seems to be the problem, asked the tall man.

We broke down, answered Nabil.

Need a lift? asked the other man.

Koshi came around from the hood of the car.

I think we’ll be alright but thank you for the offer.

Upon seeing Koshi, their eyes fixated on the symbol on his shirt. Instantly, each of them pulled out a weapon shaped like a gun from behind them and pointed them at Koshi and Nabil.

Get on the ground now! they shouted.

Nabil did as he was told, but Koshi stood there stunned. What did we do? asked Koshi as the two men repeated their order.

Koshi, do as they say! screamed Nabil.

Koshi slowly got on the ground and put his hands over his head. Nabil wondered to himself how he could have been so stupid. Nabil assumed Koshi’s shirt was ordered from Grantor Island, which would have had any tribal symbolism magically obscured from non-magical eyes. Koshi must have absentmindedly made the shirt himself through non-magical means.

Nabil then heard one of the men radio in a code he recognized, and the horror of what was facing them set in. The man had just called in back up to Magwood Enforcers. Magwood was a privately-owned prison and military company contracted by the new regime for the detainment and, in many cases, eradication of magical people.

Recent legislative actions stripped any person found to have magical abilities of their rights guaranteed by the constitution. Nabil realized he had to find a way out of this situation, or he and Koshi could face imprisonment with the possibility of execution.

Nabil had no choice. He had to attempt magic without his wand. Most magic, particularly wish magic, without a proper instrument to funnel it through was extremely difficult to perform, dangerous, and unpredictable, but he was out of options. With all his might, he attempted to conjure a blast of pure magical energy from his hands. Instead, green slime shot out of Nabil’s palms and sprayed in the men’s faces, temporarily obscuring their vision.

Nabil sprang from the ground and fumbled awkwardly with Koshi’s keys, still in a state of panic, while trying desperately to open the trunk of the car. Upon succeeding, he flung open the trunk door, plunged his hand into his bag, and pulled out a clear crystal wand glowing with vivid violet light. The handle of the wand was approximately seven inches. Its four-inch topper was shaped like a round diamond. Nabil pointed his wand at each of the men respectively firing a blast of pure magical energy that looked like bright violet light. The blast slammed into their heads, knocking them unconscious.

"Koshi, we’ve got to go now. Get in