The Tournament Of The Gods (IC, Closed)

[Grande Potenza]

The Tournament Of The Gods
-A letter from King Caesar to the kingdoms of Fahl-

Nyo-Ho! Fellow kingdoms of Fahl, lend me your ears. King Arlo's Soul has been placed within a sacred gem. His body is now located in a mysterious place. And now, I have been proposed to give the soul away in a trade. But, where is the fun in that? I am announcing that Grande Potenza shall host the "Tournament Of The Gods!". Kingdoms shall have a chance to prove their strength in this competition. I invite you to come and claim The Soul, The Body, and a cash prize of 15 trillion Gold!? Come and take your place in The Tournament Of The Gods!

Tournament Factbook/Rules
http://www.nationstates.net/nation=grande_potenza/detail=factbook/id=357620

I will moderate and announce when the thread changes to another part

[Delvan]

High King Drustan, Warchief Ta'jin, High Priestess Diana, and High Admiral Dusan walked into the city of Vivec in the Kingdom of the Grande Potenza. They had come in response to the letter about the tournament and had chosen the greatest warrior in all of Delvan, Warchief Ta'jin, as their fighter. High Priestess Diana was chosen as the skill fighter as her nimble and quick abilities allow her to exceed in many activities.

"I cannot wait til I sever the head off that coward, King Arlo." stated Ta'jin as he eagerly walked through the city. Some of the citizens of the city looked uneasy at the sight of the giant Pridewalker as the Pridewalkers have been a nuisance to the Grande Potenza for many years.

"Calm yourself my friend, you have to win first." Said High King Drustan

"And how am I not assured triumph already? I have strength, courage, speed, cunning, and the blessing of Veles!" replied Ta'jin

"Because warriors from other parts of Fahl could have just about the same qualities. I might remind you that me and Diana have a blessing too." said Drustan

"Hahahaa I shall let you eat your words when I win!" said Ta'jin as his eyes seemed to glimmer with excitement

Drustan turns to Diana.

"Diana, when is Mendor supposed to arrive?" asked Drustan

"He said that he would come after he was done at the Council meeting. He has many things to plan out especially since the council has been reinforced with the Lady of the North." replied Diana as she shivered from the thought

[Villeyarde]

"Your Majesty, King Caesar of Grande Potenza has decided to host a tournament amongst the many Knigdoms of Fahl for the right of possession to King Arlo of Revaz." Bowing, the adviser offered an envelope to the recently crowned Queen Reina. It had been a tragedy that Frederick had passed on soon, especially so quickly after his appointment of Lady Reina as legitimate heir. A tragedy that may have drawn more suspicion from her subjects if the fortune of both annexing the Regalian lands and obtaining the loyalty of the Island King so quickly hadn't immediately won over the affections of her people. She may have been inexperienced, but in the minds of the Villeyardeans she was blessedly lucky.

"Oh! Well, um, thank you Sir Drace." Taking the envelope to see the message herself, Reina began to dismiss Sir Drace. Before she had a chance to finish the motion her eyes caught on the phrase, "...and now I have been proposed to give the soul away in a trade." It stopped her in her tracks.

"Really! That is very.." Catching her sentence in her breath, she continued," A- um, that's a very strange reward, isn't it, Sir Drace? A soul?"
Paying no heed to her pause in speech, Sir Drace answered in his own polite manner, "Yes, my Queen, it is very odd. In fact, I see no reason why anyone would even want to fight over such a thing. However, I suppose many have wanted Arlo for themselves. This may be a very good opportunity for us to curry favor with another Kingdom if we were to win."

Reina had followed along with Sir Drace's advice on the matter, nodding her head slowly in attention. When he had finished, Reina had come to a conclusion on her course of action.

"I think I understand Sir Drace. I feel like we need to participate in this tournament. After all, I must prove to the people that I can interact and deal with other Kingdoms. It may be in bloody combat, but sometimes you have to take what you can get. Speaking of which, who could we get to attend? I'm far too busy with all this, learning to attend a Kingdom, thing to actually attend myself."

Stepping in, Sir Drace once again offered his invaluable advice. "Well, Your Majesty, when I saw this invitation I couldn't help but think of a few men who might make for a good show in this pit. Al-Nilo for one. Do you remember seeing the Crocodile Knight when he first arrived? He got his start in the arenas actually. His experience would be invaluable, I imagine." Taking a long breath, he continued," However, Al-Nilo is far too...volatile for formal events. You would need someone to balance out his more "base" tendencies. I'd recommend myself but I am out of my prime. Instead, I offer another from your predecessor's retinue. Captain Daniel Stern. He's a trained man, born and trained as a man of the finer arts. He'd do just fine at counterbalancing Al-Nilo's bluntness."

"That sounds lovely, Sir Drace. I think they'd do just fine. Send for them if you would and, um, tell them they are to represent their Kingdom in a tournament at the city of Vivec. I'll ensure that they'll have transportation."

With one more bow, Sir Drace exited the room to carry out his Queen's wishes.

[Revaz]

The two out of the three champions of Revaz has finally accepted the invitation to the tournament. Alric, Ike, and Vriprius waited and bowed down before their new King of Revaz. Their new king is appointed by a secret society group, so secret the 3 champions didn't know who is their new king is. The newly, crowned king refused to give his name, or title, until after the Tournament of the Gods. The king ignored his 3 warriors at his feet. He was pacing around the room. His thoughts was troubling him. Preventing him to think clearly. Ike, still bowed, raised his voice.

"My Lord, the Tournament has started and we have wasted our time here while our exiled King is still trapped inside a jewel of his closest friend."

…Still, no answer.

Ike spoke a little louder enough to attract Revaz's closest guards' attention.

"My new King, sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but we need your permission to leave in order to get our King back."

-the new King turned and looked at him in eyes- He slowly, nods his head and returns to his thoughts.

The three champions, in a single line, left his presence.

****LATER****

While voyaging the waters of Bay of Peace, the turtle ships were calming moving along their escort ships. One of the champions formed a semicircle at the bow of the ship.

Ike is the first one to speak up.

"Phew! I thought he was about kill me. He gave me the death stare."

Alric smirked. "Hmp. He does not scare me. I am glad we are left him behind."

Vriprius, instantly spoke up. "Then what scares you the most? Egfritis's unkillable knight? Or Stokes Regalia's monster?"

Alric was caught off guard. "This is the first time you spoke. Trust me, nothing is unbeatable. Everybody has a weakness of their own. Whatever they are trying to hide, will be found eventually."

Vriprius questioned him. "So, what's the plan to kill him if you think you can beat them?"

Alric answered. "That's my secret. Oh, by the way, he handpicked me and Vriprius to enter the Tournament. How do you feel about that, Ike?" -smiles-

Ike is stunned. "I thought I was entering the Tournament. Guys, the new gu--I mean King chosen me. Stop bluffing. This is serious. Our old King is still alive. I have hope we can win.

Vriprius chimes in. "I hope you are right. But remember, only King Caesar will choose who will win. Good luck, guys. -nods to his fellow warriors and walks away-

[The Voidlands]

***Weeks ago***
David set the Invitation on the table. He had seemed rather distracted since his return to Seawatch, as if old ghosts wondered through every room. He had not been sleeping, instead spending his nights wondering about the Tower. David had gone down into the Crypts once since he returned, in order to pay respects to his father. But he dared not go the little further needed to see Steve's tomb.
David's thoughts returned to the invitation. He got up, straightened the crown on his head, and said to One, "How is your sword arm?"
One merely responded, "I prefer the axe."
David started passing the throne room."I've been asked by several diplomats why I continue to interfere in the South. I told them 'Because nothing interesting happens in the North.'" The King stopped by a window and whistled. Aliar flew up and ducked it's head in within minutes. The King addressed them both. "I feel as though Grande Potenza and the rest of the South have forgotten our power. Figure out something that show them that they are not out of reach of the Void."
One nodded and said "I got 'n idea. Can I borrow the Cavalry?" David looked a little disturbed, wondering what One would do, but otherwise nodded in approval.

***Now***
One lead the Cavalry Division/Engineering Corps over the newly made bridge, easily connecting the Mainland to the Capital of Grande Potenza. Five days it took to build; such is the strength of the Voidlander Architects, and it would last, without human intervention, for the next thousand years, even with the wind and the surf tearing away at it. The bridge itself was almost eighty feet off the water, with several great arches allowing any ship to pass under.
One lead his troops and builders across with dignity, being rightfully the first people to make a full crossing on it. At the front of the column the Lord General lead, with the flaming bird flying not high above him. They were met in the city of Vivic with both wonderful applauses from those who did not get the show of strength and stern glares from those who did. But to better sell it, One shouted "A gift! A gift from the Void to you, the people of the Great Power!" And this got some applauses from those who were even glaring at him.
As soon as the whole division crossed the Crosspass, One sent them back across, with orders to return to the Voidlands. The Bird and the General traveled deeper into the city by their selves...

[Egfritis]

A carriage pulled up, stopping upon the collapse of its now-dead horses. As the door opened, the two stumbled out, the Queen hastily buttoning up her black dress, and the other -a silhouette of a withered man- faded from sight. Few noticed the mangled dead body that had fallen out the other side of the carriage, for they could only wonder what happened to the loved one with which she came. Upon being dragged out, a black demonic-looking set of armor drifted into the formation of a large brute; all the while, a red mist perforated its stature -whether this was her lover or a fighter they did not know. However, such frivolous curiosity was set to rest when she leaned over to kiss him, his amassing body bending over to make such possible. What they were doing in that carriage few wanted know -it just seemed better to ignore it. On a chain, a man of brute-like stature was pulled out of the carriage, the chain's end held in the Queen's hand. It was the last man to exit and an obvious fighter, so it was only assumed that her lover was to fight on behalf of her.


She spoke to him in a tender voice, "Kill them. Promise me you'll kill them, will you?"
His head nodded, its armor clanging with the armor of his chestplate and exhausting an ominous groan.

He knelt before her, softly grasping her tender hand and bringing forth, looking into her eyes with deep content, and the feelings were intrinsically mutual; however, nobody but her seemed to even notice he had eyes beneath the abyss.

Rising slowly, he walked away and towards the entrance...

[Villeyarde]

When Stern was told he was attending a tournament old instinct had kicked in. He had gone through his entire wardrobe searching for a relic of days long past. Finally after hours of digging through scraps of cloth and discarded fibers, Stern caught a hint of gold in the pile of old clothes he had long since abandoned. In uncharacteristic excitement Stern dug into the pile and pulled out a small package wrapped in fabric that glittered gold in the dim torchlight. Taking his stiletto, Stern quickly cut the package open revealing just what he was looking for...

As Stern searched his wardrobe, Al-Nilo was engaged in a far more practical practice. A common tradition in the bar was too challenge the large man to a contest of strength, typically arm wrestling. The only catch was that the loser of said challenge had to pay for the loser's next drink. Al-Nilo had, of course, not lost a single challenge and was busy reaping the rewards of his gambles when he was told of his duties in the days to come.

"Haha, that's good!" He had bellowed, slamming his tankard into the table as he did so. The men that had gathered to challenge him cowed only slightly at his sudden outburst before trying to reclaim some of their lost dignity.

"I've been without a fight in a good while. These," he waved his hand around him to indicate the men ready to challenge his unbroken streak, " fools are no match at all. It's due time to have a proper fight. When do I leave?" Al-Nilo stood, a large smile had broken across his face. He was clearly ready to shed some blood, just as he had years ago. Without another word, Al-Nilo walked from the tavern to the castle grounds where he donned his armor, sword, and pick. He was ready for a fight...
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They had arrived by boat barely on-time. Due to the new Queen's inexperience, she had only barely managed to arrange the transportation she had promised. A fact that had irked the punctual Captain greatly the entire journey. What she did, however, pleased Al-Nilo greatly. Queen Riena clearly had a flair for the dramatic. She had called upon the entire fleet of the Kingdom to accompany her fighters to the island. Over 200 ships, ranging from the impressive Galleons to the unassuming Flutes had been organized for the occasion. No one had really planned however for the cargo of the particular ship Al-Nilo and Stern were aboard to be full of liquors meant for trading. They had not been offloaded beforehand, and Al-Nilo had taken full advantage of the situation, drinking to his heart's content.

Stern, however, busied himself with personal appearance. His grooming as a nobleman would not permit him to look anything but his best for an occasion of the sorts. That was why he had searched so long for his mother's gift to him. A fine brown tunic of silk, inlaid with golden strands to mark his place as a man of influence. He had never worn it though, joining the King's Army instead.

Only a single ship had actually landed upon the Island's soil. The rest had remained out to harbor, a show of strength and prestige for all to see. A proof of the protection that Villeyarde was now sworn, and all too happy, to provide to the Island Kingdom. Stern did indeed look his best, a fact he would have very proud of if not for the state of his companion. Al-Nilo had drank a little too much, it seemed. Stumbling and bleary-eyed, Al-Nilo only kept his balance due to the efforts of Stern gently supporting him from behind. Overall, Villeyarde's performance was recieved with mixed results. Those that laughed at the comic failures. Those that applauded the promise the fleet provided. Those that shunned the prestigious pandering. Captain Stern could only hope things went better than the feast one year ago

[The Stokes Regalia]

Lotar was cramped. Even without the person he had been sharing the carriage with he was pretty damned cramped. Gmz and Gzm were cramped because of Lotar's thoughts about being cramped. He hated traveling if he wasn't with his pack.
"Hot damn, why the hell is this taking so damned long, shit is pretty damn cramped and shit." Gmz was complaning to Lotar.
"Shut up fool, Lotar must focus for the tournament. But I'm inclined to agree 'shit is pretty damn cramped'." Gzm replied to them.

Lotar wished they would've both shut up he needed to focus. He planned on making this tournament a bloodbath in a show of the Regalia's new found power of the moon. The bridge to the Tournament Grounds soon came into view as Lotar began to feel the need for sleep as the sun began to rise. When he awoke they were coming to a halt at the tournament grounds.
Lotar opened the door out the carriage with such force that it came off the hinges and crushed the man opening the door for him. Lotar grabbed his Guillotine and yanked it out the carriage, when he did the half eaten body of the other person who volunteered to participate in the tournament.
"It's quite a shame the young lad didn't make it." Gzm said.
"It's quite a fucking shame the young lad didn't taste better." Gmz retorted quickly.
Lotar sauntered into the place of festivities with his guillotine in one hand and the boy's corpse in the other. He threw the corpse at the feet of a guard and said "Take care of this for me," he tossed his guillotine to the guard as well not expecting it to split the man in half, "Shit...."

[Grande Potenza]

"Signore, it appears as though all of those competing have arrived. You'd best hurry to The Riposo Building."

"You're right. Fetch me my pavoneggiarsi robes. I'll prepare my opening speech before we go."

"Yes, my king"

*Door Closes*

"Once i get to the hotel, i'll call all the contestants to the main lobby and welcome them. Of course, if Warchief Ta'jin and Lotar are there, i'd better bring some protection. Once i'm finished with opening remarks, i'll retire them to their respective rooms so they may rest up from the journey here."

*door opens*

"Signore. we've received word that Lotar accidentally killed a local carriage assistant. He says it was someone named Gmz who did it."

"... I can only hope the contestants don't kill each other on the streets before they even get to the Riposo Building."

[Delvan]

Weeks before the tournament of the Gods was started, the Council of Seven still talked over major events

After everyone was settled with the appearance of the new member of the council, Mendor began the next topic of discussion.

"Now it is time for some very disturbing news. My daughter has seen the deceitful ones and has revealed them to me." said Mendor

Gasps of surprise rose from others and looks of shock appeared on some of their faces.

"Impossible! The Changelings were eradicated from Fahl long ago with the help of Devana!" said the High Arcanist

"Somehow an egg must have survived. How many are they? How far have they spread?" asked the Earthlady

Diana spoke up "They have infected Villeyarde. Their queen is one of them and I fear that King Frederick is in danger. I do not think he was one."

"Villeyarde is a trading hub for many outsiders, so maybe an egg was brought from far away." said High Pyromancer Raikos

"None the less, we must act immediately before they spread! They are dangerous and hard to fight with their abilities. Few are able to see them especially when they are not looking. It is difficult for even us to see them, but the priestesses of Devana can reveal the creatures without much effort. I doubt Villeyarde has been overrun with them since we have just found out about them now, but if they control the heirarchy of Villeyarde then we must act soon before they infiltrate other kingdoms." said Mendor

"Indeed, we must find their hive and incinerate it. That is where I shall come in, and I think you should request the help of the Shadowmaster in order to find the hive." said Raikos

"Yes! The Shadowblades will be able to find the nest, but it will take awhile. We must be ready to enact our plan before the Queen finds out about our knowledge of them. The Queen of the Hive is no weak creature and her 'people' will stop at nothing to prevent us from defeating them again." said the Earthlady

"We must also warn the Villeyardians that are not the changelings, but that will require a new High Priestess. They would only listen to the new High Priestess as not even them would dare disbelieve a High Priesstess of Truth." said the High Arcanist

Mendor turned to Diana

"My daughter, after we are done here you must become the new High Priestess and lead your people in stopping this new enemy. You will have the full backing of the Council. I promise this." said Mendor

"O-Of course."

"Now we must talk about the construction of the Black Tower" said Mendor

[Egfritis]

The Queen was walking along the walls, caring little for the people around her. Until one man bumped into her. Impulsively reacting and grasping his head in both hands, she bashed his head into the wall nearest her, staining her clothes and those of bystanders. Before he could realize what just happened, she drew her knife, jabbing at his head with the hilt of it until he fell from consciousness. When he woke to the sound of her crying, he attempted to look and see what had happened, but he could not; his eyes were sealed to their lids, weaved together by the encrustation of tissue between them -she had stabbed them while he was asleep. Why he did not wake he cared little to know.

His attention was entirely shifted elsewhere upon feeling the omnipotent and lifeless hand stroking across his face with such delicate convection of the miseries soon to come. As it lifted, he felt relief, but he knew his end was near. Feeling the boiling hot breath of his tormentor, he attempted to scream, but the hand wandered back, quickly finding its way to his mouth. Expecting to simply be silenced, he was wronged; a talon carved its way beneath his jawbone, blood spewing through his mouth, to and fro. It was ripped from his mouth, a ghostly lightness taking its place. He heard its crackling, its pieces falling onto his chest, almost as if someone were eating it. Blood spewed, engulfing his head and meeting the ground behind it, all of it gliding down to the water behind him. It was nauseating, his own blood forcing its way into his sinuses, but it was washed off with cold water as his lungs were cleansed of hope, now filled with promise instead…

The Queen withdrew his body from the pond after she was sure of his demise. She looked at his face, peeling open his eyes, seeing the patterns formed from their binding, the suddenness of his death, and the struggles they faced in immobility. She tossed him atop her shoulders, carrying him to the hotel and hiding him in her closet. It would be her little souvenir, but it was too large to take back home. Thinking cleverly, she ripped the eyes from his head. The little marks and patterns they had from their ordeal was enough to make them memorable, even adorable. Yes, that had to be it. There was really no better gift; she had to give one to Ahriman, too. It might even be good luck to take it into battle. But wait, she must hide the body before he comes. Oh, but if she went outside, others would see it. She was lucky to get it in. There was really no other option, she had to eat his organs and burrow out his torso. It was genius; then she could stuff his appendages into the space and hide it in someone else’s room. She'd better get busy if she wants to prepare Ahriman's gift before he arrives.

[Villeyarde]

Al-Nilo's inebriation only seemed more obvious as Stern slowly guided the stumbling man through the streets, knocking over onlookers and the occasional fruit stand in his drunken warpath. Stern clenched his teeth to try and keep his temper down as his companion's antics began to fray the soldier's patience. But as they made their progress into the city, Stern realized he didn't even really know where he was leading Al-Nilo. Nervously looking around, Stern concluded that the street they were on was relatively peaceful, and so he left Al-Nilo standing there as he tried to get the attention of some kind of official or local for directions.

Al-Nilo came to the realization that the constant force on his back was gone only when he found himself looking face-up into the blue sky above him. Clumsily rising back onto his feet, he glanced about him for his bearings and spotted the best thing in the whole city to eyes. Someone had let a massive dog loose onto the street! Laughing to himself, he made his way to the dog, trying to look as friendly as the big man could.

"Come here, doggy! Good doggy! Al-Nilo's a nice man. I'm sure I have a treat or something with me for such a nice dog."

As Al-Nilo searched his person, earnestly looking for a pocket in his suit of armor, Lotar, the King of the Stokes Regalia, turned to face the man making such a clamor and shut him up when he realized he was the one being called a "doggy". Hackles raising, he looked down the street to find the source of his anger, finding nothing...

Stern had just got the information he had needed and had made it back to the street he left Al-Nilo on. Unfortunately, Al-Nilo was nowhere to be found.
"Oh, God! Where'd that drunken imbecile run off to?" Just as Stern got the words out of his mouth, he saw the figure of Al-Nilo further up the road trying to coax the King of the Regalia into taking a treat.

Horror overtook Stern as he rushed up the road, pushing peasants out of his way as he tried to save his companion. At a full sprint, Stern tackled Al-Nilo's armored form out of the walkway and down an adjacent alley. Landing in a heap, Stern grabbed the drunkard by the collar and, voice strained, said" What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed before the fighting even begins?!"

Al-Nilo, uncomprehending of his current situation, only managed the response, "It was a big doggy, wasn't it?"

Sighing, Stern got back to his feet and helped Al-Nilo back up. "You're no good to anyone like this, you know that? Come on, I know were we have to go now. Let's get you a bed to sleep this off."

And so, setting off at a far quicker pace than before, Stern and Al-Nilo began their trek through Vivec to their hotel, trying to outpace Lotar there if at all possible

[The Stokes Regalia]

"Yo, uhm, Lotar did that dude just call us 'doggy'?" Gmz asked.
"I believe he did, but Lotar realize this man is drunk he had no idea what he was saying." Gzm defended the drunk.
Lotar understood the words that were pounding in his head, but when had listening to Gzm every gone in a direction he wanted it to? "The coward wants a dog," Lotar snarled, baring his white teeth "I'LL GIVE HIM A WOLF!". Lotar howled and dropped to all fours taking off in the direction the coward and his friend ran off into. Whenever he caught up to them he was going to rip the leg of the Coward and a few fingers from his friend (So as not to get banned from the tournament). The Wolf bounded down the street shrugging off guards and peasants who tried to grab onto him. Lotar's eyes began to glow red and his mouth frothed a white foam as his size began to increase. He had an insatiable need for vengeance coupled with his bloodlust he couldn't stop.
That's when he encountered a problem, he had no idea which building the two had ducked into. He was blinded with rage as his head swiveled around looking for the pair. Their increased cowardice of running would be a means to execution in the Regalia and no matter where you were running from a fight was the greatest insult of all. Lotar's eyes locked on an alley way with a few drunken men rolling dice. He lunged covering the street way a dark red. When, he was done the 3 and a half men were barely recognizable. Lotar stood and shook his fur splattering blood and intestines all over the nearby walls. He grabbed one of the bodies and began dragging it through the streets in order to use the corpse in his Ceremonial chair of corpses.

[Egfritis]

After walking through he bloodbath of Lotar's idiocy-induced rage, Ahriman came across a sleeping homeless man. Thinking of his lover, he drew knife and knelt in front of the disgraceful man. Ahriman pressed his knife to the throat of the man, pressing it forward swiftly and with just enough force to come out the other side, sticking to the wall behind him. The man woke, but his neck was held to the wall by the knife's blade. He tried to scream, his voice drowned out by the regurgitation of his blood. After futile struggling, his body came to a stop when blood poured from his mouth, collecting in a puddle beneath him. Ahriman withdrew the knife from his neck, steadily raising it to the crown of his head. With a smooth elegant stroke, he glided the blade beneath his scalp, making sure not to disconnect the hairs from their roots. In a circular and delicate motion, his blade cut off what little skin held it to his head. Ahriman pulled off his masterpiece. He realized this would take more time than he thought. It would take more than one scalp to make a coat. He made his way towards the residences...

A young woman, starved, pale, and her children unfed, heard a rough knocking on her door. She made her way from the pot to her door, hesitant to open it. She didn't have to; it opened itself, a knife finding its way into her house and scurrying to her neck. Ahriman heard children, lots of children. He'd have to kill them before they alerted the other neighbors. He made his way up the stairs, hitting his head here and there on the sorry excuse for a house. The children stopped their playful running in front of him. The man was huge, much larger than their petite and malnourished mother. Frozen in place, they stood there, staring at him. Before the one in the back could run, her voice was silenced upon a dagger's ruthless piercing of his neck, shattering her malnourished and fragile spine, let alone the bare flesh covering it -the meat on her neck hit the floor in front of him with magnificent velocity, making paintings of his flesh. Before the others could run, they too came to the same fate of their sister, but by an axe, and by his hands.

Roughly an hour later, Ahriman left through the front of the house, his armor surprisingly clean. He was nearly done collecting the materials to make a gift for Hetris.

Door after door, child after child, he collected his materials. Dozens dead and many incapacitated beyond hopes of recovery, Ahriman left the pathetic homes, little better than slums. He made his way to a nearby store, buying the tools to sew the scalps together; the clerk was afraid to ask why he was carrying a large stack of scalps, each in various assortments and colors. Speaking hesitantly, he said, "H-h-have a n-nice day, s-sir!" -he was much too afraid to contact authorities, let alone mention its happening.

Ahriman got to the hotel, a beautiful fur coat in hand. Upon making his way into his room, the Queen happily greeted him, "Oh, I'm so glad you're finally home. I was beginning to get worried.
They locked eyes, sharing feelings and excitement, Ahriman's emotions hidden behind the facade of his mask.
Queen Hetris presented her precious gift. “I hope you like it. I made it just for you.”
With great thankfulness for her luxurious generosity, he presented his. She loved it, putting it around her quickly and elaborating its looks on her.

Their moment of joy was cut off by the sound of a scream next door… She must have found the body.

Queen Hetris spoke in an assuring tone, “I’ll be right back. There’s something I have to take care of.”
Ahriman sat on the bed.

How did he end up with such an incredible woman. She was kind, generous, and always thinking of others. There wasn’t a flaw in her stature. He was humbled to be with her, reputably meek in her presence.

His admiration was cut off by her arrival -”I’m back,” she said, her black dress stained in blood and sloppy visceral fluids leaking from her mouth…

[Delvan]

After the four arrived at the hotel Diana stopped and turned to the others.

"Mendor should be here in...3...2...1..." Diana said as Mendor appeared in a flashing of light behind her.

"My King, Warchief, High Admiral, High Priestess" greeted Mendor "I hope your entry to this beautiful city was welcoming."

Ta'jin snorted "Not for me...they act like I am some sort of murderous beast like the wolffolk of the Stokes Regalia. They don't seem to understand that the only reason the Pridewalkers of the Blood Sands are slaughtering there people is because they stole the territory of the Pridewalker tribes."

"That is the way of Kingdoms. They take the land that was given to others by the Gods, but I can tell you this: The tribes will not take much more of it." replied Mendor

Diana looked to the sun that was already starting to go down.

"Night is approaching, and the moon will show the truth. Let us get into these wonderful resting places the Potenzians have given us." said Diana

A large battle raven flew down from the sky and landed on the shoulders of Diana. It gave her a scroll, and she read through it. She smiled "The Villeyardian fighters have arrived, and thank Devana that they are honorable ones too. I will need there help with something of utmost importance."

[The Voidlands]

In the West, where the sun set, was a great land, unexplored and peopleless. This is where Napoleon fled to, like his Aunts before him. "Actually," the Lord Admiral said, "Your Aunts are why we are here, my King." Napoleon stood at the bow of the longship that was the Admiral's Flagship. Of the sixteen ships that left the Voidlands, they lost two in a storm, grounded three on a reef, and accidentally ignited the rum on another, leaving them with only ten longships. But it mattered no longer because in the distance they could see a tower raising from the land in the distance.
Napoleon turned to the Lord Admiral, saying "I am not King yet, and my Aunts might still deny me help. It was my father who kicked them out of the Voidlands."
"Aye," the Lord Admiral said, taking the wheel from the Helmsman. "But no one likes David. Not even his mother." Napoleon could not help smiling a little at the Admiral's crude joke. Napoleon returned his attention to the land though, as it got closer and closer.
Before long, the Tower came into full view, and it astounded Napoleon with it's likeness to the Tower of the Watchers. But the upper half was only a skeleton of wooden planks, and the Tower itself was only built upon a small hill, in comparison to the Great Cliffs of home. Below the Tower came into view a thriving town, such a size that it was close to becoming a city. Along the coast ran many, many docks, full to bursting with ships of all shapes and sizes, but what interested Napoleon most were the warships. Great Galleys and Longships, almost a hundred strong, were anchored in the harbor or moored along the others and on the shore there were atleast a dozen others in various stages of contruction. "Those will work." Napoleon said.
Napoleon's attention then moved to the people, mainly because they had stopped to stare at the One True King, not to mention the fact that two ships rammed into each other because the sailors were too busy staring at Napoleon. Eventually, though, the Lord Admiral was able to weave his way around the many ships, crashed and uncrashed, to arrive at a set of docks close to the Unfinished Tower. With practiced ease, the Admiral slide the ship right in, coming to a stop both directly in spot and perfectly aligned. As soon as the ship was tied off, the mast, which had been badly damaged and roughly repaired from the storm, collapsed, sending a couple crewmen flying into the water. "Looks like we'll be here awhile." The Admiral said, helping the crew out of the water and ordering the dry crew to start clearing away the broken mast. "Go ahead and talk with Lilliyana. The Void Herald should be waiting for you."
"Void Herald?" Napoleon asked, but the Lord Admiral had already walked off to yell at more crewmen. Napoleon calmly exited the ship, and saw the figure cloaked in Black from head to toe. He wore a massive robe, with a hood that cast a shadow across his face so none was visible. He did not seem to move, even when Napoleon started walking towards him, so the One True King asked "Are you the Void Herald? Does that having anything to do with the series of stuff that happen to have 'Void' in it's name in my Kingdom?" Still the man did not move, even though Napoleon was almost within arms reach of him. Finally, Napoleon asked "Who are you?".
The figures head moved carefully but suddenly up, just so Napoleon could see mouth (which was smiling), magnificent mustache (far greater than any man's in Fahl), and the tip of the nose. "My name," He said, in a calm and deep voice, "is Ozymandius."

[Grande Potenza]

The morning following the arrival of the Tournament's contestants
Caesar has just arrived at the Ripose Building

"My lord, all contestants have been accounted for and are awaiting you in the Hall of Gyro."

"Good. And, what of Queen Hetris?"

"Her and Ahriman the knight have been placed under the Teletransporto Spell. Should they attempt to harm another innocent, they will be teleported back to their kingdom."

"Good. Now, i shall address the participants."

Caesar walks into the Hall of Gyro. All the contestants are inside, waiting for something to happen. It looked like King Lotar was sitting in a chair of corpses... anyway, Caesar draws their attention to him

"Attention, fellow Citizens and Kings of Fahl. I trust you enjoyed your sleep here?"

"It was horrible!" Shouted Lotar. "There weren't enough corpses in my room."

'There... weren't supposed to be any."

"No wonder! Me and Gmz were bored all night."

"Whose th-, never mind."

"Can we move on please?" Said High Priestess Diana

"Yes, of course. Now, you have all come to compete for some reason or another. Most of you probably came for this."

Caesar pulls a stone out of his robe pocket. Warchief Ta'jin immediately notices

"It's the stone! Grab it!" He shouts as he rushes through the crowd.

Caesar throws the stone at the floor. It shatters and a cloud of dark blue smoke appears. Ta'jin stops dead in his tracks

"Nice try, but that was not the stone you seek. Now sit down and listen to these words."

As the smoke cleared, Caesar was standing surrounded by what looked like the night sky on a full moon

"These stars shall tell who shall compete in the tournament. They alone will decide who shall win Arlo's Soul."

A star took the shape of the stone Arlo's Soul was trapped in

"Let us see! Who shall it be?"

Everyone moved in real close to look at the stars. some of them began to change into the flags of Fahl

"The kingdoms whom will fight are: Voidlands and Egfritis, Delvan and Villyarde, Regalia and Revaz!"

As he announced the names, everyone looked around the room

"Why do I, Alric, have to fight that mad man? He'll tear me apart!" Shouted someone with Revaz colors on spiked armour

"Because the stars say so. You can not go against them, lest you want their wraith." Caesar told him in a hushed tone

"I will have to fight Al-Nino, huh?" Said Ta'jin as he looked at Al-Nino "interesting..."

"Everyone." Caesar began waving his hand. Then, the stars formed back into a stone. He placed it back in his pocket."Retire to your rooms for another day. Think hard about your opponent. Tonight, i shall have servants bring a meal catered to your own 'personal' tastes. Sleep well, for it may be your last night."

[Egfritis]

The Queen stood anxiously in front of the door, trying her best not to kill the servant that was soon to come.


She waited...

And waited...

And waited...

Finally, the servant came through the door, not bearing a single corpse upon his delivery. Enraged, she yelled at him in a draconic tone, "Where the hell is the flesh on this thing!?! You expect me to eat this crap!?", her breath beginning to heat up the room as its temperature skyrocketed. In hurry to avoid her wrath, he ran, scurrying down the halls...

"Well, I guess I'll have to get my own food..."

The Queen could be vaguely seen from a distance, digging through the graves of those who have already passed on; she used nothing more than her talons to tear through the dirt. Finally, she found the corpse. Her mouth watered, the saliva's acidic composition melting its way through the coffins.

Deeply in favor of her fortunate outcome, she spoke in a course hasteful tone, "Yes. Its luscious sent, oh yes."

Quickly, she scuffled into the pit. The tearing of flesh could be heard just as its constituents flung outside the pit. The intestines, of course, were tossed outside the pit; they never tasted good, nor did the liver. She quickly made her way to the most savory of parts: the brain. Oh, the variety it had. With so many parts of indelible significance. She ripped his head off, the neck's components making things more tedious than should be. Smashing open his skull with her fist, she ripped it out. Not quite as ripe as most, but still unavowablly delicious. She quickly ripped off the insignficant and disgusting cerebral cortex, making her way to its satisfying parts. She knew it wasn't ethical to eat dessert before your meal, but she cared little. It was a brain, the most savory of foods -the flesh could wait. Gnawing her way through the outer limbic system, she made her way to its deepest of delites. Quickly gulping down the cerebellum and leaving little white matter to collapse, she devoured the temporal lobe's many delicacies. First making a treat of its of Thalamus and peeling off bits of its Callosum here and there to spice things up. It was a bit rotten, but, nonetheless, it was delicious. Its stringy interior spilled like yarn across her dress.

She threw aside what insignificance remained of it. Quickly and roughly peeling off the meat of his torso, she enjoyed herself. She could feel its stiff texture, not quite as good as fresh meat. The body's skin-like decayed components were choppy, but they were great. Breaching the caps of his joints, she found a surprising amount of visceral fluid, though it was old. She quickly slurped it down; she could taste it and feel its rough and viscous flow. She reached in for his stomach. It had lots of gas in it from decay, but that made its aroma all the more mesmerizing. She enjoyed its contents and tissue. After hours of cannibalism, after all was done, after his body was nothing more than a skeleton, she climbed out of the pit, her teeth still bearing a black and dragon-like shape. Her dress wasn't too stained because the body lacked many fluids; it was old and dry. Sloppily making her way to the hotel, she opened the door, finding a silhouette of a man laying on her bed. She quickly shut the door behind her. It was truly a great day...

[Villeyarde]

Her brood was hungry. She could feel it, a nagging thought that kept itself present in the back of her mind. They were growing at a unsustainable pace, the bit of food Reima had been able to obtain not enough to keep the give growing. She'd have to carry out her plan quicker than she had originally intended.

She visited the dungeons whenever possible, dearly missing her children. Their situation was becoming desperate quickly and she knew it. Workers scurried back and forth across the hive, weak from hunger and exhaustion. She could feel their plight as if it were her own. It was one of the few true feelings she had, those for her brood, and she cherished that bond dearly. She was ready and willing to do anything, no matter the price or who must suffer, to allow her children to prosper again as they did one long ago.

That was exactly her plan as well. The city of Villa may have been a beautiful sight but it would be able to feed her children for a long time indeed if it could be all hers. With that thought in mind she issued her command to the nearest guard she saw.

"You there! Your Mother has a problem to be dealt with. The men in uniform, who sleep in the barracks scattered throughout the city and patrol the streets above, have become a hindrance. They must be dealt with and replaced. I place my faith in the Infiltrators with this, they best not fail me. Go! and pass this order onto them. I must return to my duties as Queen. "

With a dramatic turn and flash of pale light, Reina one again made her way aboveground leaving the Guard to carry out his task to the rest of the Hive, scurrying off to find the ever elusive Infiltrators.

[Delvan]

All during the welcome, Archmage Mendor kept wondering where Tempesta was. He wanted to see the face of the traitor that had been allowed to join such a pristine council, and yet he had defiled the name of it with his actions. The Council had already made the decision and would act on it when it was the right time. The Council has had alot of pressing issues that had arose, and they had to choose on which ones to act on, and which ones not too. After the spectacle that the King so nicely showed the crowd with the smoke, Mendor could tell that Arlo's soul was somewhere that he would have to find magically. He retreated to his room in order to prepare the spell. The stone would be hidden well considering it was probably hidden with Tempestas magic, but Mendor already had the High Arcanist who was an expert in tracking to track the location of Arlo's soul. Mendor on the other hand waited in the mean time, and he was looking forward to the first match.

--------------------

High Priestess Diana was aggravated at the fact that Delvan was matched up against Villeyarde, because she was afraid that Ta'jin would rip apart Al-Nilo and then Stern would be less likely to assist her. So she decided to act as quickly as possible. She walked up to the Villeyarde pair after the welcome had ended, and said:

"Gentlemen, If I may, I would like to speak to you both on an important matter on hand."

[Revaz]

After the announcement of who will be fighting in the Tournament, the 3 warriors of Revaz returned to their rooms. One of the champions was having troubles with the fateful news. Alric is assigned to fight Lotar to the death. Alric is shaking with fear and no one in the room was happy either. Although Alric was a big man, he was unable to speak and refused to give in to any advice. Vripruis decided to cheer him up.

"Hey man, don't worry. You have enough time to muster all of your strength. The fight won't happen after the fight between Egcrates and Voidlands."

Alric sits on his bunk bed motionless.

"But, what if Egcrates decided to send his slave against Voidlands and Grande Potenza declares Voidlands the winner of the fight. Did you think about that?" interrupted Ike.

-Vriprius stares at him- "I have no answer to your question. Nor will I tell you. It is up to Egcrates." -pauses- "Don't be a pessimist. Try to make Alric happy, not sad."

"Sorry, I tend to be cautious. I wanted to warn him to not scare him." -looks at Alric- "Sorry, big guy. We do enjoy your company. I am afraid this is the last time you will see us."

-Alric turns his head around so everyone could see his face- "Same to you. Thank you for staying with me. Comforting me. Making me smile. You do all those things. And I am grateful you are here with me. There is no turning back now. This is our destiny and destined to live or die in name of Revaz."

Ike chipped in. "I still remember the time when you two -points at Ike and Alric- used to hate each other. Now, you two, have grown into a sworn, good warriors of Revaz. -smiles to himself- "Good times."

"Well, as they say, Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." yawns Ike. -gets into his covers and sleeps-

"Good night, Alric. See you in the tournament." -Vriprius turns his head to sleep-

-Alric managed to mouth the words, 'Thank you.' and drifts off to sleep-

[Egfritis]

There "stood" the little boy, barely eight and already missing a leg. He was still getting the flashbacks; the woman's yellow eyes baring a faint glow, their veins strongly visible; her talons that ripped through his flesh like a crude knife in butter; the acid from her saliva finding its way into his wounds, making him scream in agony long after her disappearance. He remembered it well, but he didn't want to; it pained him to remember it. He approached the hollowed out grave that he heard the sound coming from -it sounded like a tiger. He could only faintly remember her face because he turned from it so quick to run. Her strangely large mouth was full of teeth, the acidic saliva dripping across them when her mouth opened. He only saw her for a second before she began scaling up the sides of the pit to get him. He ran, but he was no match; where he stumbled over the tombstones, she leapt over them with ease; his hands grew tired and useless, baring too much sweat to grip the surfaces of the tombstones, but she was relentless. When she caught him, she didn't hesitate, she was eager -she began to rip him apart. Each gash in his flesh bringing his yarn-like tissue's strings to dangle around him. They dripped blood, lots of blood. Each muscle in his body beginning to bare resemblance to a jellyfish. Everything beneath them was scratched and ruined, his arteries spewing the blood and the blood being caught by the net of torn flesh that dwindled over them. Through all of it, her face was like that of a child getting candy, a child with the mouth of a shark and the talons of a hawk. When his screaming got to loud, she grabbed the nearest thing she could, his intestines, and layer after layer, she wrapped them around his neck as if it were a horse post. Like a savage, she began to gnaw at his jawbone. She gripped it in her maelstorm of teeth, making short work of the flesh around it. A voracious gulping could be heard like the beat of a heart as she chewed, swallowing the teeth and flesh that fell from his jawbone. The powerful acid in her saliva mixed with the saliva in his mouth directly beneath his tongue; it burned, yet all the while, the fumes of its fermentation were intoxicating. He drifted from consciousness as a druid came running toward him. With the screech of a bat, she left, taking his jawbone with her; flew away, draconic wings firmly erected from her back; she tried to carry her with him, but the leg came off, the majority of its stringy flesh sliding off of it as she flew away.

[Egfritis]

The little, evil, cunning excuse for child was walking, not aware of the ESS assassin behind him. He would get a taste of Egfritisian justice. The boy turned around, his face met kindly with his amputated leg, hitting him so hard that his replacement jaw flew off. After that, the assassin proceeded to pummel him to death with his leg, then he stole the other one as a gift or the Queen.

[Grande Potenza]

The morning of the tournament's opening day. In the lobby of the Riposo Building

"King Caesar, this can not go unpunished! They mureded again! Specifically AFTER they were warned!" Tempesta was very angry with the actions of the participants from Egfritis

"I Know" Caesar replied. "They shall be henceforth banned from the tournament. This, sadly, means that The Voidlands are victors by default. Rather uneventful if you ask me."

"Good. I'll have them teleported off the island immediately. Did you foresee this my lord?"

"Indeed i did. Or rather, the stars did."
*Caesar pulls the blue orb from his pocket. He opens the stars within it*
"When i announced who would be battling who, i noticed some stars began flickering a little violently..."

"Why did you not say?" Tempesta inquired.

"I wasn't sure. I didn't want to ruin the tournament with a guess. But seeing as it proved true, we shall handle it accordingly."

"Buono. Oh, it's almost time. I will check on the carriages."
*Tempesta hurries out of the inn*

"The warriors should be waking soon. We'll take them to the Grande Arena and begin the tournament."
*Caesar turns and walks to the entrance*
"I just hope the stars were wrong about the other thing..."

[Delvan]

As a druid led the Delvan party to their carriage, Diana stopped.

"I am going to go to the arena with the Villeyarde champions. We had a good talk last time, and I need to speak with them again." Diana said as she walked away

"What is she up to Mendor. She refuses to tell me, but I do hope that she is not seeing another man from another kingdom just like Chandra...that would be devestating." said Drustan as he watched the tall elf walk away.

"I am sure that she is fine, my king. After all, she is my daughter." replied Mendor

"Your right...I shouldnt worry" said Drustan

Archmage Mendor then glanced to his side and saw Tempesta. They looked each other in the eyes for a minute until Mendor smiled, and broke eye contact.

"Let us get into the carriage now, for we do not want to be late." said Mendor