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Tournament of Champions 2 (The game has begun)
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The boy who met seven gods – Chapter 12: Memories
He is running as fast as he can. The forest around the path is burning and the fire is spreading. Out on the path runs a countless amount of animals. Deer, rabbits, foxes, elks and a swarm of rats all trying to escape the spreading inferno. The smoke and heat is hurting his lungs but he cannot stop. In the burning forest he could see a familiar form. It was a black wolf that was growling at him. A burning tree is falling towards him. He just manages to jump aside and avoid being hit by the tree but a branch is snapped off and hit him with burning sparks. He throws away the branch but it feels like it burned into his skin. The wolf is gone. He continued to run until he came out of the burning forest. He was back in his home village. The houses are on fire. He runs to Lily’s house. He have to save her. As he comes to the burning house he tackles open the door only to find Lily’s body hanging in a noose. He screams and runs to her, cuts the rope and embraces her as the house is burning around them. A terrifying roar comes from something outside. Then the wall to the build is brought down by a huge black beast with yellow glowing eyes. The Akon was looking at them while revealing its blood covered teeth. The roof above them broke and collapsed over him and Lily who he tried to cover from the falling and burning rubble.
“Basil?”
Everything turned black. The house, the Akon and Lily all disappeared into nothingness. He felt as if something was watching at him. He looked up and around himself. He was in a total black void with nothing anywhere and complete silence with a cold feeling spreading through him. He turned around and saw a large being looking down on him. It looked as something human yet very different but extremely powerful, like a god but it was incomplete as if it had been robbed of most of its earlier form. Or maybe it was being formed. It was clearly not one of the five gods so what is it. He spoke to the being. “Are you… Septhis?” The godlike being did not answer. Instead it looked up and looked towards the distance. Basil tried to follow what the being looked at. He gazed to the distance and noticed something small far away that he had missed earlier. The being looked down on Basil again while it remained silent.
”Basil. Wake up.”
Basil walked over towards the distant thing. After a while he saw that it was human size. It was someone wearing a black coat while being on his knees, shacking. The cold feeling in Basil’s spine became stronger as he approached the being. The person was saying something. His voice was filled with hatred and his body was shacking of anger. Basil felt uncomfortable as he came closer. He stopped and said hi. No response. He said it louder. Still no response. The person was still shaking and mumbling with hate. Basil looked around in the black void but still saw nothing. The godlike being could no longer be seen. He took a deep breath and stepped forward to the person. At the moment he put his hand on the person’s shoulder he noticed the fleshless hands with purple glowing cracks in them. As he came in contact with the shoulder the wound from the Akon opened up spreading a pain through his body. He fell down while holding onto himself trying to prevent himself from falling apart. The pain was beyond anything he had felt earlier. It felt as the flesh was being ripped from his bones. The person had stopped shaking and now stood up before Basil.
”Basil! Wake up Basil!!”
He woke up in shock. He was sweating and panting heavily. He was sitting down in a bed in a small wooden house. He felt two hands holding onto him. It was Janet. “You’re finally awake. You had one of those terrifying nightmares again. Was it about her again?” She said with tears in her eyes revealing that she had been in shock as well.
“Yeah. It was her again but this time she was already dead.” He responded after he managed to recover his breath.
Janet: ”You have been having these nightmares for two years and they only seems to get worse. I really think you should go to master Gorbeniac.”
Basil: ”No! No I could not do that to her.”
Janet: ”But your memories of her are haunting you. Hurting you. You should let your memories go so you can live free.”
Basil: ”Letting her memories go? It is her memories that keep me going! Why would you even think of something like that?”
Janet: ”I… I just don’t want you be in pain. I care about you. We all care about you.”
Basil: ”If you really cared about me you would understand how important those memories are for me!”
Janet: ”I… But... Do you really think Lily would want you to endure this pain for her?”
Basil: ”Don’t speak about Lily as if you knew her. None of you ever did.”
Janet did not answer. She looked down with sad eyes, sitting silent on the bed while Basil put on his civil attire before he stepped outside. He stepped out into a smaller village where people were all busy with their daily routines.
“You know. You should listen to Janet more. She is the only one of us that still want to take care of when you have these nightmares. A voice said beside the corner.
“Don’t you also begin now Rowan. Also where are the others?”
”I wouldn’t want to take a debate with you when you have woken up from a nightmare if so Decaotus was sitting on my shoulders. The others have been ordered to look over the Nissera path. The captain thinks that the time to strike will begin any day now. We only need one opening. And before you ask. We tried to wake you up, or well Antonio and Janet tried.”
Basil walked off to the stable to get Nadja and set off towards the Nissera path where Alice, Antonio and a group of soldiers and some knights were lying in ambush to take down a disguised Kilmaeren gold transport. If they managed to take over the transport without alerting the unknowing Kilmaeren, they would get a chance to infiltrate their assumed headquarters in the nearby city of Sirdaca.
I decided to put this here to clarify a little the hierarchy and the tree of the knights of Friyena. I am working on a map of some sort.
There are four general paths for the knights. There are also some more specialized but they can either be put as a subgroup to any of these or are not large enough to be recognized as a general path.
The four paths can be classified into:
Hunter knight (Purple) Leader/teacher (dark yellow) Guardian knight (Orange) And the battle knights (Red)
Students classes are green. special types of knights that are not within the hierarchy are white. The grand master and Letholdus are classes of their own.
Student of arms:
These are the youngest and most unskilled recruits. They only train and are taught the general arts. This class don't go out on missions. The age group is mostly anyone beneath 13 years of age.
Novice/student knights:
In name these are knights but they are not considered knights. They are training to become knights which happens when they can channel the white flame spell. This class can be divided into two groups. Those beneath and those pass 16 years age since that is the age of maturity. Those beneath are generally not allowed to go out on missions while those above are. This class generally consists of people in the age span 13-18 but it varies.
Knight and field knight
When you become a knight, you become a knight for life.
These classes are considered the lesser knights but they are considered knights. These classes are knights that are not experienced or skilled enough to jump into any of the paths yet. It is here where Basil, Antonio, Janet, Alice and Rowan are located at the beginning of act 3. These classes consists mostly of people in the ages 18-25
The red path
This is the natural next step of the knight and field knight. These are the knights that work closest to the soldiers as the elite of the armies. They are kind of the jack-of-all trades among knights as they need to lead, fight and make plans.
The orange path
This is considered the most lazy path and the safest of the paths. Somewhat false but also a little true. This give knights that haven't even become field knights yet to become guardian knights. Guardian knights are not any normal guardians like those in the soldier tree but instead protect people, locations and objects of great importance. While most other paths begins around 25 years age, the guardian knights begins at around 21. There is a great difference between the stages in this path however. It is more difficult for a guardian knight to become a great guardian compared to what it is for a war knight to become a champion knight.
The yellow path
This is the class of the leaders and teachers. This is the most organized class and cares more for charisma and experience than fighting skills than the other paths. This is the only path as well to have a general 4th class, The grand master. However he/she is mostly considered to be a separate class entirely. The grand master is always a master of the order together with at least two of the master knights. These two are Lady Maria and Sir Galahad.
The purple path
If the guardian path was considered the path of the safe and lazy then this is considered the path of the crazy and brave. This path have the fitting nick name "youth-slayer" as this is the only path that kills most of its newer members. All other paths requires a little of everything but the hunter path puts almost everything on the art of fighting. This is also the most simple of the paths as the others may need to do much. This paths has only one real goal. "Seek and slay the abyssal beasts." Hunter knights also rarely needs to be social except with other hunter knights when they are group hunting. This is the path of which Sir Henric Wardnan was a member. As in Wardnan's case. The best of the hunter knights are often the best fighter of all knights.
Letholdus
That is with the one exception. Letholdus him-/herself. The mentioned Reynald, Tengil and now Emilia are all in this group. This class would more properly be called the wielder of the Letholdus sword, or the white sword, or the first burning blade, or the sword of swords or any of the many names this sword have. Letholdus never belongs to any of the other classes with an exception as Letholdus is at older age also a grand master. Tengil was the grand master before his death. Letholdus is not trained through conventional methods like the other knights. She is trained and taught by the grand master and master knights. She is also the one knight beside the grand master closest to Friyena.
The second is that field knights can at later stage sign up to become hunter knights and captain/educator knights which both requires knowledge and skill.
The Knight class cannot promise that the person is very experienced either on the field nor with the white flame. The guardian knights does not require as much as either of the other branches so when a knight is old/experienced enough to become a field knight, they can instead become a guardian.
Also there is the age difference that is a in general good indicator of experience and knowledge.
"Knights" are often people between 18-21 but can be as wide as 16-23
The field knights are often in the age 21-25 but it as well can vary between 20-27.
There is a general rule that no one beneath 16 years age has become a "knight"
No one beneath 20 has become a field knight and no one beneath 24 has become a hunter knight or captain knight.
The higher classes does not really have such rules. At least not written.
Letholdus is the one exception to these rules but she does not follow the conventional tree either.
(Or perhaps write on my story segment at the top of page 39? 8-<E lol)
I know this is just a silly game anyway, but I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who wants it to continue.
I saved it and then uploaded it to Imgur. Then I just treated it as an ordinary image.
Basil and Nadja moved at walking speed through the gravel covered roads between stone buildings after stone building. People with carts, baskets and other wares were trafficking the road so it was difficult to move any faster, no need either. He moved throughout the rather large village till he came to the city gates. One of the town guards were sleeping while standing. Another guard stopped Basil and questioned his reason to leave town alone. Basil did not say anything while he took out his knight necklace and showed it to the guard. The guard examined it before he gave it back with a nod. He then gave signal to the guards above the gate platform to open it. Basil nodded back to the guard as he took off out through the gate and onto the open fields. The fields were wide and stretched far with only some hills and a bunch of trees breaking the view. Even though he did not have any of the usual equipment nor his sword he did have a dagger that was invisible within the civil clothes.
He rode for a little less than half an hour before he reached a forest with very scattered trees which became denser the farther west he came. After another twenty minutes he turned off the road into the forest. After a short while he came to a location with a few huge rocks. Around the rocks between the trees were a bunch of horses without their riders. A soldier stuck out his head from among the stones. He had an half eaten apple in his left hand and a bow in his right. “You’re late.” Said the soldier that was clearly ordered to guard the horses. “I was delayed. Where is the captain and the others?” Basil asked as he dismounted Nadja and tied her to a free tree. The soldier took another bite of his apple and pointed with his bow slightly behind of him. Basil took his dagger and put it in his belt instead as he walked in the pointed direction.
”Through the forests walks the sleepyhead with an expression that could strangle a loving rabbit to death.” Said a joking Antonio who was carving a piece of wood. “You did not wake me up in time.” Said Basil as he approached a group of four soldiers and Antonio who was sitting and waiting. They looked more like bandits than soldiers without their uniforms.
“Well we tried but you wanted five minutes more when we only had four before we would set off. I told you to go to bed early yesterday but no no you did not listen.”
Basil: “I went to bed before you did!”
Antonio: ”Gah, details details.”
Basil sat down on a stone beside Antonio. ”I assume that the transport have not arrived yet?”
Antonio: “Nope, only a couple of civilians and a trader. Oh right! There was this thing that was running by. At first I thought it was you but it turned out to just be a boar. It look quite similar to you hahaha.”
Basil: ”Haha very funny…”
Antonio: “Relax Basil, The captain received a letter this very morning informing that the gold transport is following the schedule and path. Unless they had plans to take a swim they have to get by here”
Basil: “About the captain. Has he mentioned anything about my, Janet and Rowan’s absence?
Antonio: ”He has mentioned it but he did not think much about it. He already thinks we are more than enough for this mission of ours and that we are overestimating the abilities of the Kilmaeren.”
They sat there speaking for what felt like hours. Janet and Rowan had arrived during the first hour. Rowan gave Basil a push that was filled with a little more annoyance than humor before he walked over towards another group further up where Alice was. Janet sat down with Basil and Antonio. “Janet! You came! Here! You came here! Ehm.. You travelled from the town to this location in which we are now, located. You know what I mean and don’t mean. Or maybe you did come. I don’t know what you have done today.” Antonio laughed with a little red in his face of embarrassment.
Janet looked at Antonio questionably without catching what exactly what he meant. She looked towards Basil and put her left hand on his right hand.
Janet:“Are you feeling better now Basil?”
Basil: “Yes, a little.”
Janet ”Have you been thinking about what I said about master Gorbeniac?”
Basil: ”Like I said. I won’t speak to him.”
Janet: ”What if you speak to Friyena then? Or Keralda?”
Basil: ”I won’t speak to any of them. Anyway today we’ll bring the last of the Kilmaeren’s leading centers. When they are gone so should these nightmares. They are the cause of her death after all.”
”Probably the last remaining center. There could be more.” Antonio slightly interrupted before he continued with his carving.
Janet “I don’t think that will solve your nightmares.”
They were interrupted by the sound of two falling tress followed by shouting. The three drew their daggers and followed the other soldiers out on the road where the gold transport had been stopped by the fallen trees. The guards of the transport drew their swords to answer the ambush but were quickly overwhelmed and brought down. Those in the transport that was not armed were undressed and taken prisoners and taken away by some soldiers. The bodies of the fallen guards were also undressed and carried away. A bunch of the soldiers dressed over into the attires of the transport guards while others tried to cover the blood spill with gravel from the road.
”twenty minutes from your arrival! Remember that.” Said the captain to the soldiers that were putting on the guard attire. A scout came up the road towards the captain. “No signs of any of their scouts in the forest nor the air above.” When the transport was searched through, the road cleared from the logs and the soldiers ready they set off towards Sirdaca seemingly as if they never had been attacked in the first place. As the twelve disguised soldiers took the transport down the road the others returned to their horses and set off towards Sirdaca. Two soldiers set off pigeons that flew off towards the north. “It will take the transport one hour to make the trip. Make sure that you are in your designated location before then!” Ordered the captain as they set off in shattered groups towards the city.
It kinds of makes me sad. This was a fun contest. And @TenebrisNemo is an active cardsmith; I've seen cards and comments they've posted recently.
(Well, I technically did create a Tourney of Champions 3 of sorts a while back called Tournament of Legends, but it only actually got six people, and I just recently closed it. Needless to say, it was not a home run hit, like the Tourney of Champions threads.)
I will wait for the approval of people, as I don't want to start another one if you guys don't think I should.
But like I said, I wouldn't start it without all of your consent. If you still believe that this contest is alive, than I will definitely not, but if you want me to, I can attempt it. It would be my first (probably) successful (as it is a sequel to 2 of the most popular contests on Cardsmith) challenge of this sort, so I would try my best. However, if anyone else wants to step up to the plate, I suggest it, as ToC seems like a really fun thing, and I'm sure lots of people would want to join!
(Just for clarification, this is not me saying I won't or can't, or forcing someone else to do it, just asking if anyone else would either want to create or help moderate part 3 if it is happening)
Also, @kandra127 has volunteered to help, and if any of the rest of you wish to do so as well, that would be highly appreciated, as these contests are big things to keep running.
http://forums.mtgcardsmith.com/discussion/3311/tournament-2/p1
@Aggroman15 If you plan on doing a story related tournament or a tournament where you write the matches I recommend that you begin slowly by making something smaller and more manageable. Otherwise if your enthusiasm or dedication to the contest would falter in the middle the risk for it all to just die is quite significant.
Having multiple people assisting you might not always bring you the help you suspect as their life is a complete uncertain variable. I recommend you to do a project that you know you can handle alone.
So if you start a tournament my recommendation is to begin without writing the battles so that you can feel if it is something you would want to do further into the contest.
Another important thing is, spend quite much time to refine the front page. It is the first thing people see when opening the thread so try to catch their interest. Make sure the instructions are clear and easy to understand. This gives you a better platform from witch you can later make substantial changes if the need shows up.
Another question: why have you been able to post and comment on other threads but not this one? I'd understand if you needed to take a break from this stuff for your own wellbeing, but it seems like you've been an active cardsmith during your absence.
The main reason why I haven't said anything non-story related in this thread these past few months is because I didn't want to get your hopes high when you see a new comment made by me here only to see that the comment had nothing to do with the progress of the tournament. My constant apologies of not being able to work on the tournament would be rather annoying for you methinks, so I've silently worked on this whole thing instead without commenting anything to this thread. Might be pretty stupid reason, but that's what I've done.
I'm glad to know that you still care about this tournament. You should just have let us know that earlier.